Stuart Jeanne Bramhall's Blog: The Most Revolutionary Act , page 9
September 18, 2025
Fugitive Vaccine Researcher Behind ‘No Autism Link’ Study Arrested for Stealing $1 Million from CDC
By Nicolas HulscherSeptember 17, 2025The very foundation of the “no autism link” narrative rests on research tainted by both criminal activity and scientific fraud.Breitbart News has reported that Poul Thorsen, the Danish researcher whose work has been used for two decades to dismiss any link between vaccines and autism, has finally been arrested in Germany after more than a decade as a fugitive.
Thorsen, 64, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Atlanta in 2011 on 22 counts of wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors allege that from 2004 to 2010, he stole more than $1 million in CDC research funds—money intended to study autism, infant disabilities, genetic disorders, and fetal alcohol syndrome. According to the indictment, Thorsen funneled funds into his own accounts using fraudulent invoices on CDC letterhead.
He has been on the HHS “Most Wanted” list for over a decade. Acting on an INTERPOL red notice, German authorities finally took him into custody in June. The Department of Justice is now working with Germany to extradite him for trial in the United States.
Thorsen wasn’t just any researcher. He co-authored the infamous 2002 Danish study (published in NEJM) that became the CDC’s so-called “gold standard” for dismissing any link between vaccines and autism. That paper was cited by the National Academy of Medicine, weaponized to shut down more than 5,000 federal vaccine injury claims, and is still rolled out by officials today.
But the study itself was riddled with fatal flaws and fraud:
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Outdated autism rates that undercounted true prevalence, artificially muting signals.Diagnostic delay bias, since most unvaccinated children were too young to receive an autism diagnosis, suppressing their case counts.Overadjusted statistical models that diluted any association into noise.Immortal time bias and reclassification tricks that miscounted exposures and broke the basic rules of causality.CDC co-authorship and funding conflicts that were never properly disclosed.That’s what makes Thorsen’s arrest so significant. The fact that a man now facing trial for embezzlement and fraud was central to one of the most influential vaccine safety studies ever conducted raises profound questions.
The very foundation of the “no autism link” narrative rests on research tainted by both criminal activity and scientific fraud.
[…]
Via https://www.globalresearch.ca/vaccine-researcher-no-autism-link-study-arrested/5900542
California governor set to sign bill restricting teaching of Palestinian history in schools
Brooke Anderson16 September, 2025Activists protest a bill that would restrict teaching Palestinian history in California schools. [Photo courtesy of Mirvette Judeh]Rights advocates are raising concerns over what they say could be a troubling precedent if a bill is signed restricting the teaching of Palestinian history in classrooms in California.
The bill, AB 715, was voted through in the state’s Democratic-majority senate and assembly late Friday night and is now set to be signed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Those opposing the measure have argued that it could stifle classroom discussions on Palestinians, Islamophobia and other sensitive topics; equate criticism of Israel with antisemitism; and make instructors vulnerable to complaints by imposing vague rules.
Over the last several months, it has faced strong opposition from more than 100 grassroots organisations, including the California Teachers Association, the California Faculty Association, California Federation of Teachers, Association of California School Administrators, California School Boards Association, California Nurses Association, and the American Civil Liberties Union. They have staged regular demonstrations at the state capitol in Sacramento.
Those supporting the bill include the Jewish Federation, the Jewish Community Relations Council, Mosaic United and the Anti-Defamation League. Though they were far fewer, they were able to exert more influence.
“They’re passing anti-education bills. The organising around it has been strong. The entire education community is against it, but it was still passed,” Mirvette Judeh, chair of the Arab American Caucus of the California Democratic Party, told The New Arab.
“They’re not listening to voters. This is a bill that’s unconstitutional. Today it’s education about Palestinian history. Tomorrow it could be something else. To punish teachers to teach about genocide is absolutely insane,” she said.
“History is history. It has to be taught. If people were taught about this in school, the mass dehumanisation of Palestinians would not be happening. They’re taking our rights here at home. This is your America. Take it back,” said Judeh, herself a Palestinian American.
So far, the governor has not indicated whether he will sign the bill, and civil rights advocates that oppose it are hoping there’s still a chance he will not sign it.
“Lawmakers heard overwhelming opposition—8 to 1 from public commenters—and warnings from their own colleagues about the bill’s chilling effect on education. Yet they advanced it anyway,” Hussam Ayloush, CEO of the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a public statement.
“This is now Governor Newsom’s test. He can either side with educators, civil rights advocates, and students whose voices are at risk of being silenced—or he can greenlight censorship that will make classrooms less free and less inclusive,” Ayloush added.
If signed, which could happen as early as this week, the bill’s supporters hope that it could be a blueprint for other states to pass similar legislation. This bill comes four years after the introduction in grade schools of ethnic studies, which have included material on Palestine, leading to controversy and the introduction of AB 715.
In other news related to free speech, a new bill introduced in Congress by Representative Brian Mast of Florida would allow Secretary of State Marco Rubio to strip immigrants of US citizenship if what they say is deemed to be terrorism. The move, which has been condemned by free speech advocates such as the ACLU, appears to be aimed at student activists.
[…]
Via https://www.newarab.com/news/california-governor-sign-bill-restricting-palestine-school
Gaza Genocide Report Gives UN Right to Intervene Militarily to Stop Israel
A new comprehensive UN inquiry has concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Ex-UN rapporteur and veteran international law expert Dr. Alfred de Zayas explains why that’s hugely important, and what the world can do about it (if it wants to).
Key Findings
Israel’s actions (killing, maiming, causing mental harm to Palestinians, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction, taking measures to prevent births) check four of five of the 1948 Genocide Convention’s criteria for genocide, per the report.
Intent Proven
Crucially, de Zayas says, the inquiry shows “how the statements of Israeli political and military leaders prove the ‘intent’ (required in Art. II of the Convention) to destroy in whole or part the Palestinian population.”
The “extensive” report is proof “that Israel is waging war not only against the Palestinians in Gaza but against the UN Charter and international law in general,” according to the top legal observer.
West Complicit
“Governments that have provided military, economic, political, diplomatic and propagandistic support” are also accountable, de Zayas says. The US, UK, France and Germany “are all complicit in the genocide under Article III (e) of the Genocide Convention.”
UN’s Response Options
recognition of Palestinian statehood (which alas, “will not save the lives of Palestinians”)Israel’s expulsion from the UN pursuant to Article 6 of the UN Charter (improbable given the need for Security Council and hence US approval)stripping Israeli diplomats of UN accreditation, as was done against South Africa in the 1970s during Apartheid. Crucially, this measure would not require Security Council backingthe UN has the legal framework to intervene using the 2005 ‘Responsibility to Protect’ doctrinethe General Assembly could adopt a ‘Uniting for Peace’ resolution authorizing nations “to take military action” to stop the genocide, bypassing the Security Council vetoUN’s Last Chance to Save Its Credibility?
“If the United Nations fails” to take action, “it will lose the little authority and credibility it still has,” de Zayas summed up.
[…]
September 17, 2025
MAHA Report Shows High EMF Exposure More Than Triples Risk of Infant Neuro Delays
Environmental Health Trust
September 17, 2025
The MAHA Commission this week released its second official report, Make Our Children Healthy Again, outlining its strategies and recommendations to combat childhood chronic disease. The new report reflects Environmental Health Trust recommendations as summarized in its recent letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. urging synchronized, current research concerning wireless radiation exposure standards among the nation’s healthcare agencies and the Federal Communications Commission. We at EHT are greatly encouraged to see that electromagnetic radiation exposure has finally been raised as a cabinet-level priority in the new MAHA Commission report.
Specifically, the report states, “HHS, in partnership with other departments and Federal agencies, will undertake a study on electromagnetic radiation and health research to identify gaps in knowledge, including on new technologies, to ensure safety and efficacy.” The report also addresses the issue of screen time addiction, stating, “The Surgeon General will launch an education and awareness initiative on the effect of screens on children and the actions being taken by states to limit screen time at school.”
EHT congratulates the commission on prioritizing these issues that are so important to children’s health. Wireless radiation exposure and the linked harms related to screen addiction have been scientifically proven to present an unacceptable, negative environmental load to human beings.
EHT President Joe Sandri greeted the news enthusiastically: “This is a much needed leadership move by HHS to bring together the relevant federal agencies and departments to study health impacts from electromagnetic radiation. Other countries have long studied the biological and other impacts, and that is why their radiation exposure limits are often 10 times lower than the U.S. limits. This is a key step in convincing the industry to finally start competing on safety.”
[…]
Red Cross Suppressed A Cure For Malaria in 2012, Causing Over Half A Million People To Die Every Year Since
Pierre Kory, MD, MPAAug 18, 2025More evidence that international health care organizations (and all governmental health care and regulatory agencies) are fully captured by Big Pharma.
I am going to start this post out with my standard declaration that: 1) I am not suicidal, 2) I am in good health, and 3) I am living my best life. For what that is worth.
The Red Cross Malaria Trial“The Water Reference Center (WRC)” is a research center within the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). In 2012, their CEO at the time, Klaas Proesmans, conducted a study testing the efficacy of a common water purification agent called chlorine dioxide to treat malaria. The treatment consisted of increasing the concentration in cups of drinking water to levels above those typically used solely for water purification. Note that this effective treatment was first accidentally discovered by an applied scientist working in Nigeria in 1982, as I reported in this prior post.
In that study, the WRC and the Ugandan Red Cross identified 154 patients from the community around Iganga, Uganda, using skin pricks to gather drops of blood from patients suspected of being ill with malaria. They then placed the blood on slides and examined them under a microscope to look for the malaria parasite. Then they treated the patients who were positive for malaria by giving them cups of water to drink that had been treated with chlorine dioxide in the form of what Jim Humble called “Master Mineral Solution” (a mixture of sodium chlorite and hydrochloric acid). They then had the patients return to the testing/study center daily for re-testing and clinical follow-up.
They rapidly cured 154 malaria patients within two days. Sounds historic, right? A cure for malaria had been found! But no, it was not to be. Not even close.
As word of the trial and its success began to circulate, the “authorities” sprang into action, culminating in the Ugandan Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) issuing statements denying any official involvement in the study. They then went even further, stating that no formal clinical trial or endorsement of MMS took place under their auspices. The IFRC also added that “chlorine dioxide is not approved for the treatment of malaria and that any suggestion of Red Cross involvement was misleading.” They even got the CEO of the Water Reference Center who had planned and conducted the trial… to deny it ever happened.
Interestingly, none of the statements above were published in an official Press Release or statement; they were instead communicated solely via quotes in an interview with an investigative journalist in a blatantly obvious “debunking article” published by Business Insider.
First, I will review the extensive evidence verifying both the conduct and results of that trial. Then I will cover the above “Disinformation Response” from the media and the Red Cross in more detail. However, to understand the importance of the documented evidence that I will provide below, you need to know that the Business Insider article tried to “debunk” the claim that the trial was done by: 1) claiming it never took place, and 2) that Red Cross officials were “duped” into taking part. Yes, I know, the argument contradicts itself – either the trial never took place or Red Cross officials were “duped” into taking part, you can’t have both. Later, you will see how they later reconciled those two statements.
Documentation of the Trial And its ResultsProblem #1 for the Red Cross: During my research for this post, I came across a website where someone named Santiago Cabrera uploaded the full project plan for the trial by the Water Reference Center. After paying $11.99, I was able to download the document, which I include here for those interested:
Most damning is the Table of Contents where you can clearly see that “Klaas” (Proesmans) drafted Version 1.0 of the document in the below right corner, where it is dated November 16, 2012:
Here is an AI-generated summary of the document:
The objective of the project plan in the document is to conduct a water purification pilot case in Uganda through the Water Reference Center (WRC). The pilot aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of using chlorine dioxide (ClO2) and sodium chlorite (NaClO2) for purifying water, with a specific focus on any positive side effects in the fight against malaria.
Key goals of the project include:
Performing field tests in malaria-infested areas in Uganda, leveraging the expertise of the Uganda Red Cross Society.
Documenting the outcomes in a comprehensive report and audiovisual material (Ed: this latter objective is important as you will see below).
Establishing a “center of excellence” in the pilot location for ongoing research and development within the Red Cross/Red Crescent network.
Coordinating between private sustainable businesses, research institutions, academic bodies, and humanitarian organizations to advance water purification technologies and their deployment.
The project also includes clear planning for communication, testing protocols, and legal terms of engagement among involved parties.
Overall, the project is designed to validate the water purification approach, assess its broader health impact, and promote sustainable water treatment solutions within vulnerable communities.
Problem #2 for the Red Cross: As stated in #2 of the project plan above, they planned to document the outcomes using “audiovisual material.” Thus the documentary of the trial had been planned beforehand (and later paid handsomely for) by the Water Reference Center, likely because the organizers of the study strongly suspected it would be a success (Jim Humble and many others in Africa had been covertly curing malaria with MMS for almost 2 decades at that point).
So a team of filmmakers documented the entire study from start to finish? “Real world evidence” as it were. And not just any filmmaker. The cameraman was… Mustaque Abdallah … who became one of the top filmmakers in Uganda?
[…]
From accounts I have read online, and in an interview with Mark Grenon who had helped train one of the study investigators in how to treat malaria with MMS), what happened next is that, since the Red Cross and Proesmans were denying that the trial took place, Leo Koehof, a Dutch humanitarian and one of the other principal organizers of the trial, defiantly posted the documentary on YouTube in 2013.
Oddly, YouTube did not take it down until the Business Insider article was published in 2019.
Now, lets take a close look at all the documented evidence compiled in the documentary.
The Red Cross Trial Documentary (can be viewed here on BitChute)Even before I discovered that the cameraman became a highly regarded and accomplished filmmaker, it was clear from the quality of the documentary (expertly blended cuts and montages of “B-roll” scenes and sit-down interviews with all those involved in the planning and conduct of the trial) that it was a planned film project by an expert filmmaker. Of note, I emailed the Mustaque Abdallah for an interview, but have not heard back.
Most importantly, the vast majority of the commentary and interview footage in the documentary was with the principal investigator of the trial who drafted the project plan above – “Klaas” Proesmans, an ex-Belgian Special Forces soldier who, at the time of the trial, was the CEO and founder of the Water Reference Center (WRF), a “research” unit of the Red Cross.
Damning no? His CV on LinkedIn is also impressive, having worked in the aviation industry as the Director of Operations at Virgin Express Airlines before going into full-time humanitarian work, first for Virgin Airlines and then as an independent consultant before volunteering for the WRC.
In the documentary interviews with the key participants, the language used indicates that the interviews were conducted both during and soon after the trial (as planned), and before the dissemination of results.
[…]
Next, he states that “it has been said that the use of sodium chlorite cleans the body within one hour to four hours of the malaria parasite.” Tellingly, he then states that he was also told “that it was too good to be true” and “not to go further and do an investigation.”
Hmm. So he is clearly positioning himself as being defiant of that directive because he immediately segues into explaining how Uganda was chosen for the trial.
Through our network, since we are affiliated with the International Red Cross, we contacted a number of national societies where malaria is present. One of them was Uganda.
He then explains the actions he took to make the trial happen, with astonishingly precise detail, by first contacting the National Society Secretary General of Uganda . . .
[…]
Not only does this convey a highly organized, detailed, and planned “investigation.” but he also almost covertly describes the intervention. He purposely does not mention they will be testing MMS [chlorine dioxide] and instead presents the treatment obliquely as simple “water purification,” in as subtle a manner as possible.
He says all this over a montage of footage showing Proesmans surrounded by Ugandans in Red Cross uniform shirts discussing something, followed by scenes of an open-air, roofed enclosure with dozens of Ugandan people sitting in chairs, and you see a flag of the Ugandan Red Cross hanging from the tent.
He then literally describes the sequence of actions they took to make the trial happen:
We started with mobilizing the local population. We had the use or the cooperation of the National Society. Lots of volunteers went on their bikes, bicycles, cars, motorbikes, whatever you have, all around the streets. The first day of operation, we gathered about 163 patients from all the villages around, and we identified only five malaria-positive people. She comes from far away? Yeah, she comes from far away. We do a little blood test, just a little prick, and then we do a quick strip malaria test.
This is said over footage showing a Red cross worker doing a finger prick under the tent, the Ugandans waiting, and then a shot of the test strips laid out on a worn table, and, for those with an observant eye, you can see a piece of paper in the corner of the frame with letterhead which reads “Water Reference Center” – the Red Cross research organization he was the CEO of at the time!
The following scenes include blood being smeared on slides, then placed under a microscope, and a shot of a Ugandan (I assume) technician (or clinician) peering into the microscope. You also see workers with Red Cross uniforms dispensing the MMS drops into cups of water.
Next, there is a scene where the subtitles introduce “Leo Koehof, author and publisher on health-related topics.”
[…]
In the documentary, you see Koehof next to aid workers, looking through results printed on a number of study documents before him. He says;
We have some test results, and the most amazing test results are coming from the prisoner, We have a prison here in Lukana. Yesterday, we did some blood proofs in the prisoner, and all of them were positive. Now, we did a second blood test, and all of them shows negative. So you can see that’s a very amazing result because there’s only 24 hours between it.
[…]
Hmm, seems the two Belgian humanitarians quickly developed some differences of opinion after the trial was completed. Interesting. I immediately decide I need to talk to Mr. Koehof. I start to research him, trying to find a contact, and discover that Koehof was deeply inspired by both Jim Humble and MMS, eventually writing nine books about MMS and/or Humble. One of his book titles was “Jim Humble in Europe,” which described Humble’s visits and activities there. Again, interesting.
Then I discovered that he died, which I learned from an Instagram post by the non-profit organization Kensad Children’s Hope (weird because he looked healthy and relatively young in the documentary (late 50s, early 60s).
[…]
Via https://pierrekorymedicalmusings.com/p/the-red-cross-suppressed-a-cure-for
Russia’s Hi-Tech Starlink Analog Can Free Global South From US Tech Dominance: Here’s How
Sputnik International
Roscosmos is “moving at a rapid pace” toward fielding an alternative to Elon Musk’s satellite internet empire. Veteran military expert Yuri Knutov breaks things down.
What’s Russia Building?
Bureau 1440 is working on a low-Earth orbit sat net for broadband data delivery:
multiple test vehicles are already in orbitcommunications tested at ranges of 30-1,000 kmfirst stage of series deployment slated to start in December (300 satellites); 900 in stage two~500 base stations plannedhomegrown terminal coming “soon,” per Roscosmos chief Dmitry Bakanovtrial roll-out planned for 2027What Makes Russia’s Version Better?
Musk’s system works like this: ground-based Starlink Gateways communicate with orbiting satellites using electromagnetic radiation, with signals then communicated back down to Earth-based terminals.
Russia’s system uses laser beams, which “are more modern digital technologies providing faster & higher quality data transmission, as well as improved resistance to interference,” Knutov explains.
Longer Range
An effective range of up to 5,000 km “means far fewer satellites are needed than Elon Musk’s system (hundreds vs thousands),” Knutov explains.
That makes the Russian system not only less costly, but less harmful to the already heavily overcrowded LEO environment.
Doppler Effect: Solved
“We’ve been able to completely compensate” for the Doppler signal frequency issue, occurring from the high speeds (27,000 km/h) at which satellites orbit Earth, “allowing the signal to be maintained virtually free of interference & distortion.”
Global Implications
The system will provide secure, high-speed communications to:
Russian resource sector companies working in remote areasships situated anywhere on Earththe military, for command, control & real-time battlefield reports, ensuring informed decision-makingAlternative to US tech
“Nations of the Global South understand that dependence on the US makes them vulnerable. Internet access via Starlink can be restricted at any time. Availability of a Russian system providing equally good or even better services is crucial,” Knutov says, emphasizing that the new system cannot be deployed too soon.
[…]
British Group Projects Images of Trump and Epstein on Windsor Castle
The arrest of four men after images of Donald Trump alongside Jeffrey Epstein were projected on to Windsor Castle on Tuesday was “Orwellian” and “ridiculous”, the group behind the protest has told the Guardian.
The political campaign group Led By Donkeys confirmed that it was behind the stunt, which saw several images of Trump and Epstein projected on to a tower while a soundtrack questioning the relationship between to the two men was played on a speaker.
A letter the US president allegedly sent to Epstein was also projected on to the castle, along with pictures of Epstein’s victims, news clips about the case and police reports.
The police said in a statement that four adults were arrested on suspicion of malicious communications after an “unauthorised projection” at Windsor Castle, which they described as a “public stunt”. The four remain in custody.
A spokesperson for Led By Donkeys, which is funded by capped donations, said it was the first time anyone from the group had been arrested for making a projection.
“We’ve done, I reckon, 25 or 30 projections since we’ve been going. Often the police come along and we have a chat to them, and they even have a laugh with us and occasionally tell us to not do it,” they said. “But no one’s ever been arrested before, so it is ridiculous that four of our guys have been arrested for malicious communications.”
He added: “Forgive the cliche, but it is rather Orwellian for a piece of journalism, which raises questions about our guest’s relationship with America’s most notorious child sex trafficker to lead to arrests.”
They added: “We’re constantly told, you know, we need to see peaceful protests. Well, here’s a peaceful protest … We projected a piece of journalism on to a wall and now people have been arrested for malicious communications. I think that, frankly, says a lot more about the policing of Trump’s visit than it does about what we did.”
The group said it was waiting for news about the four men who had been arrested. The spokesperson said they had carried out an “Emperor’s New Clothes” protest.
“Trump is being welcomed to our country, being given the unique honour of a second state visit, and it’s being housed at our expense at Windsor Castle,” they said. “This is like The Emperor’s New Clothes – you’ve got to point at it and say, ‘Hang on. You know, this guy has incredibly close links to America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. We probably need to talk about that.’ And so we decided to build a film that would tell that story.”
Trump has come under increasing pressure over his links with Epstein after the publication of a letter, the existence of which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in July, by Congress’s House oversight committee earlier this month. The letter contains text of a purported dialogue between Trump and Epstein in which Trump calls him a “pal” and says: “May every day be another wonderful secret.”
The text sits within a crude sketch of a silhouette of a naked woman. Trump had previously denied writing the letter and the White House has denied its authenticity.
[…]
Morocco’s Innovative Desert Farming
Echoes of Water: Morocco
Directed by Adnane Baraka (2025)
Film Review
Farmers in southeastern Morocco have been struggling with a 20 year drought. This film focuses on their efforts to preserve ancient khetteras their ancestors dug to create artificial oases. Khetteras are 10-25 foot wells dug into aquifers in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. They rely on gravity and natural contours to channel the water to the surface in nearby valleys.
The filmmakers interview a farming family who continue ancestral practices to keep their oasis alive. They gives up grass (for animals) and legume production in the really dry years to preserve their shrinking date palm orchard. They’re meticulous about pruning dead branches to protect his trees from fire.
Morocco’s kheterras have been added to the UN heritage list to protect them from industrial development.
The government also plays an important role in increasing the country’s water supply b constructing new dams, teaching farmers drip irrigation and transferring water from well-supplied basins to those with a deficit.
They’ve also installed large plastic nets over sand dunes adjacent to oases to keep sand from plugging them up and are planning major desalinization plants along the coast.
September 16, 2025
The Comfortable Collapse: How America Learned to Pretend Obesity Is Norma
By Joseph Varon
Walk into any American airport today and pause. Look around at the travelers waiting at the gate, the families queuing for fast food, the crowds rushing past. You are looking at a country that our grandparents would not recognize. In less than three generations, the very shape of the American body has shifted so dramatically that what would once have been regarded as rare or concerning is now routine. Airplane seats have been widened, retail clothing racks have been extended, mannequins have been reshaped, and soda cups have been enlarged. Entire industries have recalibrated to accommodate a physiology that is neither healthy nor sustainable.
Yet our cultural narrative increasingly insists that this shift is normal—sometimes even desirable. We are told that larger mannequins are a sign of “representation,” that rebranded fashion shows signify “inclusivity,” and that bigger chairs and bigger uniforms are gestures of compassion. But none of this changes biology. A mannequin does not get diabetes. A marketing campaign cannot erase hypertension. And no amount of “body positivity” cancels the cruel arithmetic of metabolic disease.
Obesity is not normal physiology. It is common, costly, and deadly. Pretending otherwise is not kindness—it is cultural anesthesia.
A Nation Grows HeavierThe data tell the story with unflinching clarity. In 1960, the average American man weighed 166 pounds, while the average woman weighed 140 pounds. By 2002, men averaged 191 pounds and women 164 pounds, representing gains of more than 20 pounds per person in a single generation [1-2]. Height increased by about an inch during the same period, which is nowhere near enough to explain the mass increase.
Obesity prevalence, once a marginal condition, ballooned in parallel. In the early 1960s, about 13 percent of adults met criteria for obesity. By 2010, the figure had reached 36 percent. Today, more than 40 percent of American adults live with obesity[3-5]. This is not a slight cultural drift. It is a wholesale population-level transformation, visible everywhere and confirmed by every credible dataset.
The costs are staggering. Annual medical expenditures attributable to obesity are estimated at $173 billion in the United States. Adults with obesity generate, on average, nearly $1,900 more in health costs per year than their normal-weight peers[6-7]. These figures capture only direct medical spending. They do not reflect lost productivity, shortened lifespans, military unfitness, or the millions of families silently managing the downstream complications: diabetes, heart disease, liver failure, sleep apnea, infertility, and cancer.
The Environment That Made Us SickWhat changed so radically between the early 1960s and the present? Not our genes. The human genome has not undergone significant mutation in half a century. What changed was our environment: the way we eat, the way we work, the way we live.
Per capita daily caloric availability in the United States increased by more than 20 percent between 1970 and 2010, a surge driven by the consumption of processed, shelf-stable, calorie-dense foods. [8] Portion sizes, which began to expand in the 1970s and continued to grow in the 1980s, exceeded what earlier generations would have considered a regular meal. Studies consistently demonstrate that larger portions lead to greater intake at a single sitting and cumulatively across days [9-10].
At the same time, the energy we burn at work fell sharply. As manufacturing and agriculture gave way to service industries and screen-bound labor, occupational energy expenditure dropped by more than 100 calories per day since 1960[11-12]. For an individual, that number might sound trivial. For a population of 330 million people, compounded across decades, it is catastrophic.
The composition of our food supply also changed. Today, more than half of all calories consumed by American adults come from ultra-processed foods: engineered products designed for bliss-point palatability and low cost. Among youth, the proportion is closer to two-thirds[13-14]. These foods are calorie-dense but nutritionally hollow, engineered to override satiety mechanisms and promote overconsumption. A growing body of cohort studies links ultra-processed food intake with obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, confirming what common sense already suspected.
The epidemic is not mysterious. We eat more, we move less, and the food itself is industrially reengineered to push appetite into overdrive.
Cultural Rebranding of DiseaseEven as the physiology deteriorated, the culture adapted—by redefining what counts as “normal.” This is where mannequins and marketing come into play.
In 2019, Nike unveiled plus-size mannequins in a flagship London store and hailed the move as a gesture of inclusivity and representation. [15] Victoria’s Secret, once the cathedral of a single body type, abandoned its iconic runway show and rebranded with mannequins of different sizes and a new language about empowerment[16-17]. Other retailers quickly followed suit.
No one disputes that people deserve dignity and clothing that fits them well. But retail is not an altruistic enterprise. The introduction of larger mannequins was not a campaign for justice; it was a marketing strategy. Representation has its place. The problem is when representation blurs into normalization—when physiology that carries increased risk of disease is recast as simply another aesthetic option.
This is cultural anesthesia. It reassures without healing. It consoles while condemning. It teaches people to accept a physiology that will shorten their lives and bankrupt their health. That is not compassion. That is capitulation.
The Limits of “Health at Every Size”It is both possible and necessary to treat every individual with respect while telling the truth about obesity. But slogans like “health at every size” cross a line from kindness into denial. Biology is not a social construct. Excess adipose tissue is not a role model.
Obesity is associated with increased risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, fatty liver disease, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, infertility, and several cancers[6-7]. It shortens lives and drains public resources. To insist that these risks are merely inventions of stigma is to lie to patients under the guise of affirmation.
The clinical reality is not pleasant, but it is unavoidable. Physicians must treat disease with honesty, even when the culture demands euphemism. Compassion means helping patients reverse risk, not reassuring them that risk does not exist.
The 1950s BaselineInvoking the 1950s risks nostalgia. That era had its own injustices and inequities. But metabolically, it provides a valuable baseline. Families ate smaller portions, prepared more meals at home, moved more in the course of daily life, and consumed fewer ultra-processed foods. Sugary sodas existed, but they were modestly sized and not consumed by default with every meal. “Large” meant a single cup, not a liter.
The lesson is not that the 1950s were a golden age. The lesson is that, within the same borders and with the same genetic pool, Americans were metabolically healthier before their environment was re-engineered. That proves the point: environment, not destiny, is the driver.
Incentives for ObesityThe obesity epidemic is not an accident. It is the product of incentives. Food companies profit when people eat more often and in larger quantities. “Value” is measured in calories per dollar, not nutrients per life. Pharmaceutical companies profit when chronic diseases linger; lifelong pharmacotherapy for obesity and its complications is now a growth market. Retailers profit when larger sizes are normalized and more units are sold. Politicians profit when difficult policy reforms—such as agricultural subsidies, zoning changes, and school meal standards—are replaced with slogans about inclusivity.
There is no conspiracy here. There is scaffolding. And people, especially children, grow into whatever scaffolding we build. These children will grow up with a variety of chronic diseases, and their lifespan will be limited.
A Different Kind of CompassionThe way forward requires disentangling people from pathology. Individuals must be respected and never humiliated. But the epidemic must be denormalized, not celebrated. That means telling the truth plainly: obesity is not neutral. It is a disease state.
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The myth of Israel’s isolation: the reality of Arab collaboration with Zionism
Lucas LeirozIsrael is supported, not opposed, by the majority of Arab nations.
The narrative construction of Zionism fundamentally depends on two premises: historical victimization and alleged regional isolation. Both are rhetorical weapons designed to justify Israel’s systematic brutality against Palestinians and other native populations of the Middle East. But neither of these narratives holds up under even a minimally honest analysis of the region’s current geopolitical reality. The myth of the “tiny State of Israel surrounded by enemies” is one of the greatest fabrications of contemporary Western propaganda.
The idea that Israel is a solitary bastion in a sea of Arab hostility is, today, completely baseless. With few exceptions, countries in the region not only tolerate Israel but actively collaborate with the Zionist regime — including militarily and diplomatically. The supposed regional resistance has evaporated in recent decades, giving way to a policy of normalization and, in many cases, direct submission to Israeli interests.
The most emblematic case is Syria. The fall of Assad became an obsession for the West, enabled by Islamist militias with logistical and military support from the West, Israel, and the Gulf petro-monarchies. After Al-Qaeda’s victory, the terrorist regime almost immediately engaged in negotiations with Israel, despite ongoing Zionist bombings of Syrian territory. Today, the so-called “Free Syria” is functionally an ally of Israel. Fragmented and destabilized, the country has lost its national capacity for resistance.
In Lebanon, the scenario is equally ambiguous. Despite Hezbollah’s firmly anti-Israeli stance, the Lebanese government follows a path of conciliation with Tel Aviv. The recent ceasefire agreement, signed without Hezbollah’s consent, makes it clear that the Lebanese elites prioritize accommodation with Israel over national sovereignty. Government pressure for Hezbollah’s disarmament is another indicator of veiled collaboration.
Even the Palestinian Authority — supposedly the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in the West Bank — has acted as a silent partner of the Zionist regime. Its role is increasingly that of a submissive mediator, suppressing popular resistance and ensuring the stability of illegal Israeli settlements. Local authorities in the West Bank seem entirely incapable of challenging the colonial status quo, abandoning any real project of liberation.
Jordan, with its puppet monarchy, is another blatant example of collaboration. While official rhetoric often speaks of “justice for Palestinians,” in practice Amman functions as a key piece in the architecture of regional containment, facilitating Israeli intelligence and surveillance operations. The Jordanian monarchy is essentially an extension of Anglo-American policy in the region and, by extension, an objective ally of Tel Aviv.
In the Gulf, the situation is even more obvious. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar maintain close relations with Israel, both economically and militarily — even if many of them do not formally recognize the Zionist entity. As Brazilian analyst Rodolfo Laterza correctly observed, the effectiveness of Israel’s air defense is not due solely to systems like the Iron Dome, but to a regionally integrated infrastructure supported by Gulf monarchies. These countries not only allow American military presence and overflights but also share intelligence and threat tracking — giving Israel a significant strategic advantage.
Israel’s recent bombing of Qatar reignited talk of a possible “Arab awakening,” but until concrete developments occur, such “Arab solidarity” remains fiction and empty rhetoric. The Gulf regimes — utterly dependent on Western military support and fearful of internal destabilization — are among Zionism’s most useful agents in the Middle East. This is combined with the region’s typical strategic ambiguity, where governments believe they can maintain multiple alignments simultaneously without paying the price.
In the end, the only full-fledged state actor opposing Israel is Iran — which, ironically, is not even Arab. Isolated, blockaded, demonized, Iran continues to take a confrontational stance toward Israeli apartheid and remains the main supporter of resistance movements like Hezbollah and Hamas. Alongside war-torn and divided Yemen, it is the only state actor on the board that openly challenges Israel’s expansionist agenda.
Tel Aviv’s propaganda, amplified by the Western media, insists on portraying Israel as a victim. But the truth is that Zionism has co-opted and bought off nearly all its neighbors. The so-called “Israeli isolation” is a fiction — a lie repeated endlessly to justify the unjustifiable: the continuation of a colonial, supremacist, and genocidal project.
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The Most Revolutionary Act
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