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Unhealthy Plant-Based Diets Raise Your Risk of Heart Disease

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processed plant based diets health risks
Dr Mercola
  • Processed plant-based diets increase heart disease risk by 65%, with ultraprocessed “meat” alternatives containing inflammatory ingredients that damage cardiovascular health despite marketing claims
  • Healthy whole-food plant diets reduce heart disease markers by 48%, while unhealthy processed plant foods trigger chronic inflammation and dysfunctional cholesterol profiles
  • Plant-based meat substitutes contain glyphosate and high amounts of linoleic acid (LA) from vegetable oils. These products also lack beneficial animal fats found in real meat products
  • Chronic inflammation from processed plant foods promotes plaque formation, leading to endothelial dysfunction, atherosclerosis, and increased risk of heart attacks and strokes
  • Eating real, whole vegetables, collagen-rich foods, and fermented foods reduces inflammation and provides better cardiovascular protection than processed alternatives

Plant-based diets, especially ones that are touted as “meat” alternatives, are all the rage these days. According to a market analysis by The Humane League, this industry was valued at $14 billion in 2021, and is expected to grow by a tremendous amount in 2032 — $235 billion, to be exact.1

While manufacturers market their products as safe, research shows the opposite — so-called “plant-based” diets are not only unhealthy, but also actively accelerate arterial deterioration by triggering inflammation. Moreover, the inclusion of other ultraprocessed foods, such as sugary beverages and refined grains contribute to further damage.

Plant-Based Diets, Especially Ultraprocessed Varieties, Harm Your Heart

In a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology, researchers sought to uncover how different types of plant-based diets impact heart health.2

The team selected 7,708 U.S. adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 and 2004, focusing on differentiating healthy plant-based diets indices (hPDI) rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes from unhealthy plant-based diets indices (uPDI), which contain ultraprocessed foods, refined grains, sugary beverages, and sweets/desserts.

Participants were evaluated through dietary questionnaires and cardiac biomarkers were measured at the University of Maryland School of Medicine between 2018 and 2020.3,4

• The biomarkers used for testing — To measure cardiovascular biomarkers, the researchers looked at cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) in the participants’ blood. Higher levels of these proteins typically indicate a higher risk of heart disease.

Troponin is found inside your cardiac cells but leaks into your bloodstream when the heart becomes damaged. Specifically, cTnI is unique to the heart muscle. Meanwhile, cTnT exists in other muscles, but the heart has a slightly different structure, which isn’t found anywhere else in your body.5

• Healthy eating leads to better heart function — Adults who regularly consumed the healthiest plant-based diets had about 48% lower odds of elevated cTnI compared to those with the least healthy plant-based eating patterns. Essentially, better plant food choices translated into nearly halving the chance of hidden heart damage, underscoring the tangible benefits of prioritizing food quality.

• Unsurprisingly, unhealthy diets will impact heart health — Adults whose eating habits relied on highly processed plant foods experienced notably increased risks. Participants eating mostly unhealthy plant-based foods had 65% higher odds of having elevated levels of cTnI.

• There were no significant associations between the diet types and other heart biomarkers — These include cTnT or N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP6), another hormone linked to heart strain.

• Processed plant-based diets harm your cardiovascular health — Overall, the most notable discovery was that diets high in unhealthy, ultraprocessed foods (even when being plant-based) resulted in a marked increase risk of heart disease. As noted by the researchers:7

“In this nationally representative sample of U.S. adults, higher adherence to hPDI was inversely associated with elevated cTnI and higher adherence to uPDI was positively associated with elevated cTnI. This association persisted after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle behaviors, and health status.”

Ultraprocessed Plant Diets Also Trigger Other Conditions

In a similar study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, researchers examined how plant-based diets affect cardiovascular disease risks in adults worldwide. Specifically, they explored both the protective and harmful impacts of different plant-based eating patterns, carefully distinguishing between whole-food approaches and diets high in processed plant ingredients.8

Their goal was to determine which types of plant diets genuinely reduce cardiovascular risk, and which ones increase your likelihood of developing serious heart problems like heart attacks, strokes, or coronary artery disease.

• Not all plant-based diets provide the health benefits people commonly expect — Relying heavily on refined grains, sweets, and highly processed foods significantly raised markers of cardiovascular risk linked to chronic inflammation and abnormal cholesterol profiles (dyslipidemia). Simply put, choosing processed plant-based foods over whole-foods harms your cardiovascular health.

• Processed plant diets consistently lead to higher levels of inflammation in the body — Chronic inflammation isn’t something you typically feel right away, but it silently contributes to serious cardiovascular conditions. Researchers found that people who regularly consumed processed plant foods had higher levels of inflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP). According to the study:9

“Diets high in processed meats, dairy and other animal products have been shown to contribute to the circulation of pro inflammatory markers that promote endothelial dysfunction as well.

For example, the health professionals follow-up study demonstrated that the individuals following a traditional western diet had higher circulating levels of CRP and tissue-type plasminogen-activating antigen when compared to those following a diet higher in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.”

• Inflammation increases your risk for heart disease — In relation to the point above, the researchers explained how inflammation eventually leads to heart attacks:10

“Chronic exposure to higher levels of circulating CRP and other inflammatory mediators can promote plaque formation and subsequently lead to worsening cardiac outcomes. Furthermore, endothelial dysfunction promotes atherosclerosis as a result of platelet aggregation, increased endothelial permeability, cytokine production and leucocyte adhesion.”

• Improvements occurred when diets shifted toward whole, minimally processed plant foods — Individuals who made this switch experienced noticeable reductions in inflammation markers and improvements in their lipid profiles, including increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL). The researchers went on to say that lower LDL improves your chances of surviving from stroke should it occur in the far future:11

“[A]n observational study by Sun et al. published in 201912 found that participants with lower LDL-C levels were more likely to sustain a hemorrhagic stroke.”

• Your body eventually becomes healthier — According to the review, beneficial changes in inflammation and lipid profiles were typically observed within just weeks to a few months after switching from processed to whole-food plant diets. The whole-food plant-based diet (WFPB) group lost weight faster compared to control groups. Specifically, the WFPB group lost 12.1 pounds within six months, while the control group hardly lost weight.

• The importance of the gut microbiome — Inflammation triggered by processed diets occurs because these foods disrupt your gut microbiome. Highly processed plant-based foods are often low in beneficial fiber and high in additives and sugars that damage your gut lining. That said, the researchers noted that eating a healthy plant-based diet promotes a diverse, functioning microbiome, “resulting in reduction in intestinal inflammation and improvements in nutrient absorption.”13

• Meat contributes to better cardiovascular health — While the researchers noted that healthy plant-based diets tend to fare better compared to people who ate ultraprocessed foods, those who added meat had better heart health:

“Kinjo et al. found that individuals in Japan who had a low intake of animal products were at a higher risk for mortality from hemorrhagic strokes.”14

These findings demonstrate how processed plant-based diets, despite their “plant” label, undermine your health. Carefully choosing whole, nutrient-dense plant foods will profoundly impact your heart function for the better, ultimately protecting you from serious cardiovascular events.

Plant-Based Diets Are High in Different Toxins

Digging deeper into alternative plant-based products, it turns out that many of them are made from soy (in addition to being genetically modified).15,16 Therefore, it’s not surprising that they’re also contaminated with the herbicide glyphosate.

• An inquiry into fake meat — To investigate potential contamination, the consumer advocacy group Moms Across America (MAA) commissioned Health Research Institute Labs (HRI Labs), an independent lab specializing in nutrient and toxin analysis in food.

The study measured the presence of glyphosate and its primary breakdown product, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), in two popular meat substitutes — the Impossible Burger and the Beyond Burger. Results showed the Impossible Burger contained 11.3 parts per billion (ppb) of the compounds, while the Beyond Burger had 1 ppb.17

• Fake meat manufacturers strike back — Following the report’s publication, Impossible Foods responded with a public rebuttal, sharply criticizing MAA. The company dismissed the group as “an anti-GMO, anti-vaccine, anti-science, fundamentalist group that cynically peddles a toxic brew of medical misinformation and completely unregulated, untested, toxic quack ‘supplements’ …”18

• Toxins are abundant in fake meat products — Glyphosate contamination is just one concern when it comes to synthetic meat products. Another significant issue is the high content of omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, particularly linoleic acid (LA) — a major driver of modern chronic diseases.

Meat Substitutes Are Just Processed Food — Eat Real Plants Instead

If you’re buying veggie meat because they’re marketed as healthy alternatives, you’re doing a great disservice to your health. As noted in the published research and the investigation by MAA and HRI Labs, plant-based alternatives are high in inflammatory ingredients. In essence, all of these products are ultraprocessed foods, no matter how much they’re claimed to be good for you.

So, if you’re worried about heart disease or if you’ve been following an unhealthy plant-based diet, it’s time to steer your habits to a healthier direction. Here are my recommendations:

1. Switch to real vegetables — Replace packaged foods with fresh, whole vegetables. Leafy greens, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and squash are excellent choices. These nutrient-rich vegetables will give your body antioxidants and fiber to reduce inflammation and improve your gut health.

However, don’t go eating them right away if your digestive function is impaired. If you’re experiencing bloating after meals or have frequent loose stools, your gut isn’t ready for high-fiber foods. Instead, ease into them by eating whole fruits and cooked starches that digest easily without causing gastrointestinal upset.

2. Minimize LA from your diet — Stop consuming all ultraprocessed products, as they likely contain vegetable oils like corn oil, soybean oil, and sunflower oil, flooding your body with LA. Instead, start cooking meals at home with healthier fats like grass fed butter, ghee, or tallow.

In addition, beware that LA is everywhere, even in the meat you eat. Considering this, keep your LA intake below 5 grams a day to protect your health, but if you can keep it below 2 grams a day, that’s even better. To help your monitoring efforts, download the upcoming Mercola Health Coach app, which contains the Seed Oil Sleuth feature. It’ll help you calculate your LA intake to a tenth of a gram.

3. Incorporate collagen-rich foods — Adding collagen helps rebuild your gut lining and heals inflammation there. Start including bone broth in your daily meals. Drinking one cup of bone broth a day is a simple and effective way to begin.

As a general rule, your protein intake should be around 15% of your total daily calories. Then, one-third of that should come from collagen.

4. Add fermented foods — While collagen helps heal your gut, that’s only one part of the equation. You also need to reseed your microbiome with fermented foods, preferably ones made from natural sources. Kimchi, grass fed yogurt (homemade), natto, and sauerkraut are good choices.

[…]

Via https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2025/09/06/processed-plant-based-diets-health-risks.aspx

Lawsuit Targeting Decades-Old Journal Article Triggers Renewed Scrutiny of Fraudulent Scientific Studies

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stack of papers and word "fraud"

by Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D.
October 29, 2025

A lawsuit demanding the retraction of a decades-old peer-reviewed article that claimed the antidepressant paroxetine, sold as Paxil, is safe and effective has put the issue of fraud in scientific and medical journals back in the spotlight, Paul D. Thacker wrote today in The Disinformation Chronicle.

The lawsuit, filed last month against the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and its publisher, Elsevier, demands the retraction of a 2001 article in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP).

The article was based on Study 329, which the suit claims distorted data to claim Paxil was effective.

The complaint alleges that JAACAP editors and Elsevier refused to retract the article “in an apparent attempt to shield at least five of the … authors who are prominent members of the AACAP from possible ramifications of retraction.”

Study 329 was ghostwritten by Paxil manufacturer GSK — which Thacker discussed in a 2011 report he republished today.

Several of the journal article’s co-authors worked for GSK or went on to hold key positions within the AACAP.

According to Thacker, one of the co-authors, Stan Kutcher, is now a member of the Canadian Senate and co-founded “Science Up First,” an initiative that purportedly targets scientific “misinformation.”

During a roundtable discussion on the weaponization of science that the MAHA Institute organized last week, Thacker cited Study 329 as an example of fraud in scientific and medical publishing.

Brian Hooker, Ph.D., chief scientific officer for Children’s Health Defense, spoke at the roundtable. He said the discussion, in which “panelists described horror stories of their own scientific research under attack through targeted retractions of papers, denial of research funding, and disciplinary actions,” was “stunning.” He added:

“There is a huge cost in falling out of line with established institutions in science and medicine, whether corporate, university or private organizations. And these highly credentialed panelists paid a huge cost for ‘doing the right thing’ in exposing malfeasance and bad science.”

Research scientist and author James Lyons-Weiler, Ph.D., also participated in the roundtable. He said it “explored how science-like activities have been systematically re-engineered to serve political and corporate interests rather than truth.” He said:

“Study 329 exemplifies the collapse of accountability that follows when industry, regulators and journals form a closed feedback loop of self-validation. What’s marketed as ‘misinformation control’ today is often a continuation of that same pattern — protecting narratives, not people.”

‘One of the best documented case studies of corruption in modern biomedicine’

Study 329, completed in 1998 and funded by GSK, revealed serious safety risks — including suicidal behavior — associated with Paxil. Later studies confirmed those risks.

However, the study showed a few minor positive results that suggested possible efficacy, as it met 15% of the outcomes the researchers had initially said would prove Paxil’s effectiveness.

While GSK officials privately conceded these results were not sufficient to show efficacy, they decided to publish selective data from the study in a prestigious medical journal to claim the drug worked.

This led to the 2001 JAACAP article, which became known as the “Keller article,” after lead author Dr. Martin Keller, then chair of psychiatry at Brown University. The article reported only partial results from Study 329.

Peer reviewers raised concerns about the study’s data, but JAACAP has refuted repeated calls to retract the article.

Writing today on her blog, journalist Maryanne Demasi, Ph.D., who also spoke at the MAHA roundtable, said Study 329 is “one of the most infamous cases of scientific fraud in modern psychiatry.” She wrote:

“For years, the fraud stood unchallenged. Regulators issued warnings but never forced a correction. The journal refused to retract. The paper remained in circulation — cited hundreds of times, shaping prescribing habits, and legitimising a lie that cost young lives.”

Thacker has been investigating and writing about Study 329 for almost 20 years, as it stands out as one of the “best documented case studies of corruption in modern biomedicine.” He said the study remains relevant because it highlights and underlines how “immoral academics partner with Big Pharma to make money.”

In his 2011 report, Thacker wrote that GSK “used the study as a tool to market Paxil for use on children — until both the FDA and its British counterpart warned doctors to stop prescribing Paxil to children because it could cause them to commit suicide.”

At the time, Kutcher was a candidate for the Canadian parliament, but was not elected. During his campaign, Kutcher threatened a small Canadian newspaper, The Coast, with legal action, demanding the retraction of a story that had investigated Study 329. The Coast retracted the story and issued an apology.

“Study 329 is a shameful example of scientific misconduct that led to a horrible societal catastrophe,” Hooker said.

Study 329 didn’t just distort data, it “normalized fraud as business practice” and “marketed a dangerous drug to children under a false banner of safety and efficacy,” Lyons-Weiler said.

‘Malpractice disguised as scholarship’

GSK didn’t just fund Study 329. It hired a private public relations firm, Scientific Therapeutics Information Inc., to ghostwrite the JAACAP article.

An employee drafted it and sent it to Keller, who was selected to be the lead author and finish the publication process. The firm’s role was not mentioned in the final draft of the paper.

Writing in 2011, Thacker said corporate-funded ghostwriting “involves a pharmaceutical company that hires a PR firm to write medical studies.” The firm then presents the manuscript to academic physicians, who agree to sign on as co-authors, sometimes making only “minor changes” to the article.

“The professors get credit for a publication and the pharma company gets a study that is ‘authored’ by physicians who are leading researchers in their field and appear to be independent,” Thacker wrote.

According to Thacker, “ghostwriting drives up the costs of healthcare, because these studies trick doctors into prescribing drugs that may be more costly, and sometimes less safe,” he wrote.

These practices have existed for years and continue today, Lyons-Weiler said:

“Ghostwriting is the scientific analog of identity theft. A corporation hires a PR firm to script outcomes and then rents the reputation of compliant academics. Those papers enter the permanent record, shape treatment protocols and become the basis for billions in profits.

“Meanwhile, the actual data are inaccessible, the authorship is fiction and the peer reviewers are misled. It is malpractice disguised as scholarship.”

Epidemiologist and public health research scientist M. Nathaniel Mead, Ph.D., who has ghostwritten scientific articles, said the practice can be performed ethically. However:

“Any time you have paid writers or industry insiders crafting articles that get credited to prestigious academics or widely respected ‘experts,’ there’s a risk to both public health and intellectual integrity.

“Many of these articles will disguise corporate agendas as objective or reliable evidence, often inflating claims of drug efficacy and invariably downplaying risks to boost sales.”

An article published in 2000 in the journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology about the herbicide Roundup concluded that Roundup “does not pose a health risk to humans.”

However, internal corporate emails released in 2017 as part of federal litigation against Roundup manufacturer Monsanto revealed that the paper was ghostwritten by Monsanto employees, who did not reveal their conflict of interest.

The paper has continued to shape public policy. Even after the 2017 revelations, government documents from public health agencies worldwide — including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Health New Zealand: Te Whatu Ora — still cite the paper without warnings or caveats.

‘Regulatory capture of epistemology itself’

In today’s report, Thacker wrote that Kutcher, having successfully secured The Coast’s 2011 retraction, has since “morphed himself into … an expert on misinformation.”

Kutcher launched “Science Up First” in 2021 with Canadian law professor Timothy Caulfield, described by Thacker as a “known misinformation crank.” According to Thacker, the “Science Up First” initiative “purported to attack COVID-19 conspiracies, but really served as a cheerleading squad for Big Pharma.”

In a 2023 op-ed, Kutcher wrote that “Speech is free, but lies cost” and suggested that Canadian authorities develop policies to “effectively identify and address health misinformation.”

Thacker told The Defender:

“Bad information abounds, was around in the past, and will be around in the future. Terms like ‘misinformation’ began popping up in recent years to describe information that academics think is bad. But we often find that ‘misinformation’ has turned out to be true.”

Lyons-Weiler said:

“There is a certain poetic cynicism in watching authors of fraudulent studies recast themselves as guardians of truth. The same individuals who distorted evidence for profit now police public speech for ideology. It’s not redemption — it’s regulatory capture of epistemology itself.”

According to Thacker’s 2011 report, mainstream media like the BBC and The Boston Globe, and scientific publications including The BMJ, investigated the fraud linked to Study 329 in the late 2000s. Thacker said that coverage by mainstream news media and scientific publications has since changed.

He added:

“As the media has compressed in size, more and more reporters simply act as mouthpieces for academics. It’s why I call them ‘scicomm,’ for science communication. They don’t do any actual reporting. They just communicate the science as it’s handed to them by academics.”

Scientific, medical journals under government scrutiny

The integrity of scientific and medical journals has increasingly come under scrutiny by the Trump administration, which in July terminated about $20 million in contracts with Springer Nature, which publishes nearly 3,000 journals, including Nature Medicine.

In a May interview, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he may bar government scientists from publishing in such journals and proposed that federal health agencies create in-house alternatives.

Last month, the White House’s MAHA Commission Report revealed that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will launch a database tracking payments by the health industry to scientists in an effort to identify conflicts of interest.

According to a letter published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Big Pharma paid $1.06 billion to reviewers at JAMA, The BMJ, The Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine between 2020 and 2022.

Hooker said he is “very pleased that the current administration is addressing conflict of interest issues in medical journals.” He said reform “is way overdue and will help to restore scientific curiosity and inquiry where questions that have been taboo may now be openly asked, challenged and explored.”

In the face of heightened scrutiny, some publishers have doubled down on their existing practices. Earlier this month, the New England Journal of Medicine and the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy announced they would launch an alternative to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Demasi wrote that the lawsuit against the JAACAP “could reshape publishing,” if a court ruling compels the journal to retract the Keller article. Such a ruling “would also expose the deep entanglement between professional societies, journal editors, and the pharmaceutical companies that fund them.”

In an interview last week on “The War Room” with Steve Bannon, Lyons-Weiler said that Kennedy is aware of 28 scientific studies that were “wrongfully retracted.”

“I think that we’re going to probably see some prosecutions on the basis of defrauding the federal government,” Lyons-Weiler told Bannon.

Thacker said such journals survive because of NIH funding that is now at risk. “I understand this is coming,” Thacker said.

[…]

Via https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/lawsuit-retraction-journal-article-gsk-paxil-safe-effective-scientific-fraud/?utm_id=20251102

Tony Blair Brought in to Help Recolonize Southern Lebanon

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As Trump fails to disarm the regional Resistance on behalf of “Israel” – Blair is brought in to further pressure Lebanon to disarm the local Resistance.

Vanessa Beeley

Information obtained by Al-Akhbar newspaper reveals preparations are underway for a visit by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to Beirut next week. He will head a delegation whose nature and nationality remain unknown, though it is likely to include the team of experts assisting him on the Gaza file.

Informed sources stated that Blair will meet with the three presidents, but the dates have not yet been set. The objectives of the visit and any message Blair may be carrying are also unknown. Some circles speculate that he may later be tasked with overseeing the implementation of a new colonial plan intended to be imposed on Lebanon, similar to what is happening in Gaza.

These sources added that they have linked the visit to what the Americans are saying about the future of the situation on Lebanon’s southern border, particularly the project to establish a civilian council to manage the affairs of the southern region. The Americans claim they want to transform this region into an economic zone and an area for tourism, industrial, and agricultural investment. This is very similar to the “Free Trade Zone” plan for Gaza that has been floated periodically for years. Tony Blair’s influence has become more apparent since the fall of Damascus in December 2024 which brought his former security advisor, Johnathan Powell, back into the region to coach and rebrand Jolani and the Takfiri entourage as political Empresarios.

It is no coincidence that, with Blair’s visit looming, the Zionists have increased their bombing campaign in southern Lebanon, targeting villages close to Sour (Tyre) – in Taybeh and Tyr Diba – yesterday, after issuing evacuation demands for civilians to move at least 500 metres away from the designated targets. While claims from the Zionist side are that these are buildings with connection to Hezbollah – it is no different to the bombing campaigns in Gaza that claim to be targeting Hamas while obliterating civilian infrastructure and homes.

The following is a summary of the most recent Zionist ceasefire violations in southern Lebanon:

During the night of November 6, 2025, Israeli warplanes and drones, operating with U.S. support, carried out a series of airstrikes and bombardments across multiple locations in southern Lebanon.

Details of the attacks:

• Ras Naqoura: An Israeli aircraft dropped four bombs along the coast. No casualties reported.

• Abbasiyah (Sharafiat area): Enemy warplanes targeted the outskirts of the town, resulting in one martyr and eight wounded.

• Aytoron (Dabsha area): A hostile drone strike occurred. No casualties reported.

• Multiple southern towns were hit by Israeli air raids following a series of warnings from the occupation army:

• Ayta al-Jabal — No casualties

• Tayr Daba — One wounded

• Kfar Dunin — No casualties

• Al-Tayba — No casualties

• Zawtar Sharqiya — No casualties

• Yaroun: Israeli forces fired flares over the town’s sky.

• Wadi Hunin: Targeted with heavy machine-gun fire. No casualties reported.

• Alma Shaab: Machine-gun sweeps carried out along the town’s outskirts. No casualties reported.

• Rumtha and Majidiya sectors: The occupation army conducted intense machine-gun sweeps from the Rumtha position toward Bsatra, and from occupied Gajar toward Majidiya. No casualties reported.

The trigger for these events is an open letter (see the  full letter below the article) from Hezbollah published yesterday 6th November:

In an open letter addressed to His Excellency the President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, the Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, and the Lebanese people, Hezbollah emphasized its commitment to national sovereignty. It categorically rejected any attempt to drag Lebanon into new negotiation rounds that serve the interests and aggressive objectives of the Zionist enemy.

The party affirmed that the ceasefire declaration of November 27, 2024—which followed the Zionist aggression against Lebanon—constitutes part of the implementation of International Resolution 1701. This declaration obligates the enemy to withdraw beyond the Blue Line. However, as usual, the Zionist entity has continued its violations by land, sea, and air, defying all calls to cease its attacks and persisting in the violation of Lebanese sovereignty without restraint.

In its statement, the party indicated that the government, through its hasty decision regarding the “exclusivity of arms,” provided the enemy with an opportunity to exploit the situation and resurrect the issue of disarming the resistance. Hezbollah described this as a national transgression, emphasizing that the weapons that protected Lebanon are not subject to bargaining or negotiation. They stated that such discussions can only occur within a comprehensive national framework, as part of an overall strategy for defending the country.

Hezbollah stressed that the Israeli enemy is not only targeting the resistance but also seeks to weaken Lebanon in all its components and impose political and security subservience upon it. It called for a unified national stance against blackmail and aggression, affirming that negotiating with a treacherous enemy supported by the American hegemon will only result in further concessions. The party asserted that the national stance must focus on implementing the ceasefire agreement in its entirety and pressuring the enemy to abide by it, rather than being drawn into new negotiating proposals that pave the way for normalization or compromise Lebanon’s right to resist occupation.

In conclusion, Hezbollah affirmed that defending Lebanon “is not a decision of war or peace, but a legitimate right and a national duty in the face of an enemy that imposes war and continues its aggression.” It renewed its pledge to stand alongside the army and the people to protect the land, sovereignty, and national dignity.

The letter concluded: “We pledge to our proud people that we will remain steadfast in our position of honor and righteousness, neither wavering nor retreating, as long as there is occupation and aggression on our land, and as long as the pulse of resistance beats in our hearts—a resistance that knows no defeat.”

This week, President Aoun had instructed the Lebanese Armed Forces to intervene to prevent any Zionist incursions into Lebanese territory. On November 6th: An Israeli infantry unit crossed the blue line in the Kroum al-Marah sector, on the outskirts of the town of Meiss el-Jabal, Lebanon. In response the Lebanese army deployed reinforcements to the area, the Israeli infantry unit then retreated back to Israeli territory.

What we are seeing is an increase in frustration from the Trump envoys to the region – economic hawk Tom Barrack and his sidekick Morgan Ortagus. Zionist media has been pushing the narrative that Hezbollah is rebuilding its strength and military capabilities to an unacceptable threat level for “Israel”. Blair’s arrival suggests that Washington is moving to Plan B, perhaps the idea of an ‘international body’ presided over by Blair.

What is very clear, the war against the Resistance Axis is not going to end. It is an existential war that the Resistance fights – to preserve their culture, heritage and independence that rejects the incoming Zionist expansion and supremacy in the region.

These events in Lebanon follow on from the threats issued to the Iraqi Defence Minister, Thabit Al-Abbasi, by the US War Minister Pete Hegseth:

Abbasi reported the warning in a Nov. 2 interview with local media, saying that US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in a call alluded to “imminent military operations” in the region. The following from a report in Amwaj Media.

According to Abbasi, the conversation also involved an explicit US demand that “no faction in Iraq” should intervene in such a scenario.

Hegseth is said to have concluded the call with a pointed threat: “This is your final warning—and you know very well how this administration will respond.”

Highlighting the apparent gravity of the exchange, Abbasi emphasized that the 11-to-12-minute conversation was held in the presence of Iraq’s top military leadership.

The contention over the alleged US warning follows recent reports in Israeli media which claim that “pro-Iran militias” are preparing “long-range missile and drone” attacks on Israel.

Israel’s Walla News also suggested that Shiite armed groups may be planning “ground maneuvers” in Israel through Jordan and Syria.

Washington’s project to disarm the Iraqi Resistance factions has also been a failure. Hegseth’s warning suggests an imminent regional escalation.

[…]

Via https://libya360.wordpress.com/2025/11/07/blair-emerges-on-the-lebanon-scene-as-israel-escalates-aggression-on-southern-towns/

Russian Naval Ships Dock in Venezuela

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Russian Northern Fleet Ships Arrive In Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Two Russian naval ships docked Tuesday in the Venezuelan port of La Guaira after exercises in the Atlantic Ocean that Moscow said were to “show the flag” in remote, important regions, and an initial stopover in Cuba.

The frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the oil tanker Akademik Pashin are part of Russia’s Northern Fleet, which since May 17 has been carrying out tasks that include “guaranteeing the Russian naval presence” in “remote areas of the oceans,” Russian news agency Tass cited Russia’s Ministry of Defense as saying.

The stopover was to last several days and highlight the close ties between Moscow and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government.

Like his predecessor, the late President Hugo Chávez, Maduro has forged a close relationship with Russia. The visit comes before Maduro seeks reelection in July 28 elections.

Venezuelan authorities have not reported the arrival of the Russian vessels, which could barely be seen from afar docked at La Guaira, but Associated Press journalists saw their crewmembers in the city’s historic center.

In mid-June, the Admiral Gosrhkov and the tanker were among the Russian vessels that docked in Havana, Cuba.

The other vessels present at that stop included a nuclear-powered submarine, and they stayed docked there for five days following drills in the Atlantic Ocean. The exercise was seen by some as a show of strength by Moscow against the backdrop of tensions as U.S. and other Western nations support Kyiv in Russia’s war on Ukraine.

[…]

Via https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-russia-navy-ships-cuba-d594c7c8fc97a903e5dc90754970b8c0

Musk’s $1 trillion pay package approved

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Musk’s $1 trillion pay package approved
©  Harun Ozalp / Anadolu via Getty Images
RT
Tesla’s CEO has dismissed critics of the shareholder-backed plan as “corporate terrorists”

Tesla shareholders have approved an unprecedented compensation package for CEO Elon Musk, potentially worth up to $1 trillion over the next decade if ambitious performance targets are met.

Under the plan, Musk could receive approximately 423.7 million Tesla shares in 12 separate tranches, each contingent on achieving milestones such as the delivery of 20 million electric vehicles, the deployment of 1 million robotaxis, and reaching $400 billion in EBITDA and an $8.5 trillion market cap.

Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm warned in recent shareholder correspondence that the company risked losing Musk’s “time, talent, and vision” if the plan were to be rejected.

While more than 75% of votes reportedly backed the package, significant institutional opposition remains. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund – the largest pension-pool investor in Tesla – publicly rejected the deal, citing concerns over dilution, “key-person risk,” and board independence.

Musk dismissed critics of the pay package as corporate terrorist.

Supporters argue that the deal locks Musk into Tesla for at least eight to ten years, aligning his incentives with shareholders amid the company’s push into artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous mobility. However, corporate governance advocates caution that such enormous compensation could set a troubling precedent.

Musk is currently the world’s richest person, with a net worth of $487.5 billion, according to Forbes. The package could raise his stake in the company to as much as 29%, up from about 15%, although failure to meet the targets could significantly reduce the payout.

[…]

Via https://www.rt.com/news/627442-musk-trillion-payout-tesla/

JPMorgan Discloses Government Probe Into Debanking Practices

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Zero Hedge

US regulators are examining whether JPMorgan Chase has denied customers fair access to banking, as pressure grows over debanking decisions that were made against conservative figures, according to reporting from Financial Times and the company’s 10-Q filing.

In its quarterly filing, the bank noted it was “responding to requests from government authorities and other external parties regarding, among other things, the firm’s policies and processes and the provision of services to customers and potential customers”.

JPMorgan linked the scrutiny to an August executive order from Donald Trump directing regulators to review possible “politicised or unlawful debanking”. The bank said related inquiries include “reviews, investigations and legal proceedings,” without identifying the agencies involved.

Bank of America has similarly reported responding to government demands about “fair access to banking.” Industry lobbyists argue that regulatory rules around politically exposed persons and “reputation risk” have pushed banks to deny certain customers.

Recall, just yesterday, we noted that a top bank watchdog was making sure big banks have finally ditched debanking policies. You remember those, right? We sure do. It happened around the same time Google, Paypal and Amazon all banned us due to our (correct) take on the origins of Covid-19 and because they didn’t like our (correct) take on the BLM movement.

For those that missed it, a slew of banks under the Biden administration outright cancelled people’s accounts and didn’t allow them access to a bank account based on the industry they worked in, or many times their political views (surprise, none of them were Democrats).

Jonathan Gould, head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, or OCC, told a conference that supervisors are double-checking banks really did stop blacklisting sectors like firearms from banks, according to Reuters.

This oversight follows a June executive order from President Donald Trump directing banks to avoid denying services based on industry type or political considerations.

Reuters writes that supervisors are now ensuring that the largest banks are in compliance with the updated approach.

[…]

Via https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/jpmorgan-discloses-government-probe-debanking-practices

YouTube deletes hundreds of videos documenting Israeli war crimes

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(Photo credit: AP)

The Cradle

YouTube, owned by Google LLC, has deleted more than 700 videos documenting Israeli human rights violations, citing compliance with US sanctions imposed on Palestinian human rights groups cooperating with the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to an investigation by The Intercept published on 5 November.

The investigation revealed that the videos were removed after US President Donald Trump’s administration sanctioned three Palestinian organizations over their work with the ICC on war crimes cases against Israeli leaders.

The organizations sanctioned are Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.

The deletions, carried out in early October, erased years of archives detailing Israeli atrocities in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including footage of home demolitions, civilian killings, and torture testimonies from Palestinians.

Among the deleted material were investigations into the murder of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and documentaries such as ‘The Beach’, which recounts the killing of children by an Israeli airstrike as they played by the sea.

YouTube confirmed the removals were made in compliance with “trade and export laws” after Trump sanctioned the groups.

Human rights advocates said the company’s decision effectively aided US efforts to suppress evidence of Israeli atrocities.

“It’s really hard to imagine any serious argument that sharing information from these Palestinian human rights organizations would somehow violate sanctions,” said Sarah Leah Whitson of Democracy for the Arab World Now.

The Center for Constitutional Rights condemned the decision as an attempt to erase war crimes evidence, while Al-Haq described the move as “an alarming setback for human rights and freedom of expression.”

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights said YouTube’s action “protects perpetrators from accountability,” accusing Google of complicity in silencing victims of Israeli aggression.

Al Mezan stated that its channel was removed without warning. The three organizations warned that US-based platforms hosting similar content could soon face the same censorship, potentially erasing further documentation of Israeli war crimes.

The Intercept investigation highlighted YouTube’s bias, noting that pro-Israel material remains largely untouched while Palestinian narratives are disproportionately targeted.

It reported that the platform had shown a “ready willingness to comply with demands from both the Trump administration and Israel.”

The crackdown comes amid renewed US efforts to shield Israeli officials from prosecution after the ICC issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over Gaza war crimes.

Washington has since reimposed sanctions on ICC judges and entities assisting the court’s investigations.

Separately, Wikipedia cofounder Jimmy Wales intervened after editors locked the site’s “Gaza genocide” page from further changes on 28 October.

Wales called the entry “particularly egregious” and insisted it “needs immediate correction” to reflect a “neutral approach.”

His remarks drew backlash from editors who accused him of bowing to political pressure and undermining UN and academic findings confirming that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide.

[…]

Via https://thecradle.co/articles/youtube-deletes-hundreds-of-videos-documenting-israeli-war-crimes

US seeking to expand military presence in Syria

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US seeking to expand military presence in Syria – Reuters
FILE PHOTO. US Army soldiers prepare to go out on patrol in northeastern Syria. ©  Getty Images / John Moore

RT

Washington and Damascus are in discussions over the use of an airbase by American troops

The US is seeking to establish a military presence in the Syrian capital Damascus by the end of the year, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The US has maintained a foothold in Syria through a controversial base in the southeast; it is surrounded by an exclusion zone which Moscow has claimed has become a safe space for terrorists. Neither former Syrian President Bashar Assad, toppled late last year, nor the new government led by ex-jihadist leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has authorized an American presence in the country.

The looming agreement is linked to a non-aggression pact between Syria’s new authorities and Israel, according to the report. The agreement, mediated by the US administration, is expected to establish a demilitarized zone in the south of the country.

The airbase is expected to be used for “logistics, surveillance, refueling, and humanitarian operations,” while Syria will retain “full sovereignty” over the facility, Reuters noted, citing two Syrian military sources. Washington has reportedly been putting pressure on Damascus to push through the deal before the end of the year and al-Sharaa’s potential visit to the US.

The deal was reportedly discussed by US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Admiral Brad Cooper during his trip to Damascus in September. Both sides at the time provided vague statements on the nature of the talks, with neither mentioning Israel.

“The meeting addressed prospects for cooperation in the political and military fields in the service of shared interests and consolidating the foundations of security and stability in Syria and the region,” Al-Sharaa’s office said after Cooper’s trip.

Al-Sharaa, who previously led the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) under his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, rose to power after the fall of Assad’s government late last year. The defeat of Syria’s president plunged the country into a new period of instability, marked by months of clashes between the new government’s forces and minority groups.

Islamist factions have repeatedly targeted minority communities, including Alawites, Christians, Kurds, and Druze. The attacks on the latter minority prompted Israel to invade the buffer zone near the occupied Golan Heights. West Jerusalem has claimed the move was necessary to block hostile actions along the frontier and protect the Druze community.

[…]

Via https://www.rt.com/news/627424-us-syria-military-presence/

AI Financial Catastrophe Grows Closer: Although AI NOT Replacing Jobs, AI SPENDING Causing Mass Layoffs

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October monthly job cuts surged to a 22-year high

Brian Shilhavy

The financial news headline so far today is that job cuts in October were the worst the U.S. has seen in 22 years.

From CNBC (https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/06/job-cuts-in-october-hit-highest-level-for-the-month-in-22-years-challenger-says.html):

Job cuts in October hit highest level for the month in 22 years, Challenger says

Job cuts for October totaled 153,074, a 183% surge from September and 175% higher than the same month a year ago. It was the highest level for any October since 2003 and has been the worst year for layoffs since 2009.

Companies in the technology sector announced 33,281 cuts, nearly six times the level in September.

“Like in 2003, a disruptive technology is changing the landscape,” said Andy Challenger, workplace expert and chief revenue officer at outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Full article (https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/06/job-cuts-in-october-hit-highest-level-for-the-month-in-22-years-challenger-says.html).

This is leading many people to believe that AI is doing the work that humans used to do. NOT TRUE!

These jobs are being cut because of SPENDING on AI, most notably for new Data Centers, is causing mass layoffs in technology jobs.

Here is what Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said yesterday (https://www.thestreet.com/technology/microsoft-ceo-drops-blunt-truth-on-ai):

Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Satya Nadella didn’t mince words in his appearance on the Bg2 Pod with investor Brad Gerstner and OpenAI’s Sam Altman.

The tech leader made a startling admission that the biggest problem facing AI expansion right now isn’t chips — it’s power.

In what was a rare moment of candor, Nadella confessed that Microsoft has some of the most cutting-edge GPUs sitting idle because there’s basically nowhere to plug them in.

“I don’t have warm shells to plug into,” he said, referring to unfinished data center facilities that don’t have power or cooling capacity. It’s a stunning admission from arguably the world’s most resource-rich companies, and a potential reality check for the entire AI boom.

With industries across the globe racing to build smarter machines, it’s hitting a very human limit; there might not be enough electricity to keep the dream running.

Full article (https://www.thestreet.com/technology/microsoft-ceo-drops-blunt-truth-on-ai).

These rich mega Big Tech companies are now taking on DEBT to fund their lust for AI power, and they are ALREADY ASKING THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TO BAIL THEM OUT!!

From The Information (https://www.theinformation.com/articles/openai-cfo-said-uncle-sam-backstop-chip-financing-databricks-co-founder-responds-benchmark-critics):

It’s not every day one of the world’s most valuable companies asks the U.S. government for assistance, but these aren’t ordinary days. On Wednesday, OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar suggested at a Wall Street Journal event that the federal government ought to guarantee the financing of AI chips.

Come again?

“We’re looking for an ecosystem of banks, private equity, maybe even governmental, the ways governments can come to bear,” she said. “The backstop, the guarantee that allows the financing to happen. That can really drop the cost of the financing but also increase the loan-to-value, so the amount of debt you can take on top of an equity portion.”

She added that AI should be viewed as a “national strategic asset” and that the U.S. needed to be thoughtful in its race against China to “grow our AI ecosystem as fast as possible.”

This is red meat for the doomers of the AI capex explosion who think OpenAI may have dug too deep of a hole when it comes to spending commitments and is already asking for a bailout.

This is a company whose CEO says he wants to generate 250 gigawatts of power for his company’s AI by 2033, which would cost $12.5 trillion—that’s trillion with a T—in today’s prices. (Source (https://www.theinformation.com/articles/openai-cfo-said-uncle-sam-backstop-chip-financing-databricks-co-founder-responds-benchmark-critics).)

[…]

Via https://t.me/healthimpact/2815

What Are Creole Languages?

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Pidgin And Creole Venn Diagram Pidgins And Creoles By On Pre

Episode 23 Creole Languages

Dr John McWhorter (2019)

Film Review

Creole languages are pidgin languages people fabricate when forced to accommodate to foreign speakers once they develop a full grammar, written language and native speakers who speak it as a first language

English Creoles

  • Tok Pisin (from English word “business”) – developed in Papua New Guinea in the 19th century when indigenous speakers were forced to interact with Australian newcomers. It began as pidgin language of a few hundred words and ultimately blossomed into a full language. It contains element of Portuguese and a grammar similar to that of Polynesian languages. Used by numerous indigenous Papuan groups, indigenous Australians in northern Australia and Torres Strait islanders.
  • West African Pidgin – spoken in Ghana and Nigeria.
  • Hawaiian Pidgin
  • Jamaican Patois – a English Creole slaves speaking different African languages used to communicate with each another.

French Creoles

  • Haitian Creole
  • Mauritius Creole
  • Louisiana Creole

Spanish Creoles

  • Bernard – Creole of Canarian Spanish spoken by the descendants of immigrant Canary Islanders who settled in St. Bernard Parish Louisiana during the late 18th century.
  • Curaçao Creole – spoken in Caribbean Island of Curaçcao

Portuguese Creole

  • Cape Verdean – spoken on the island of Cape Verde to the west of Senegal.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/6120000/6120046