Online censorship, Carrot emoji, Kelvyn Alp and Hannah Spierer, Counterspin Media, Freedom of Speech, Backyard Beekeeping, Fauci pharma love affair, White Mulberry questions, Ditch bottled water, Newborn heel prick, Durbin bill update, Expressing gratitude and MORE!

September 16th, 2022 3-5PM ET

Friday on The Robert Scott Bell Show:

Anti-vax groups use carrot emojis to hide Facebook posts Facebook groups are using the carrot emoji to hide anti-vax content from automated moderation tools. The BBC has seen several groups, one with hundreds of thousands of members, in which the emoji appears in place of the word “vaccine”. Facebook’s algorithms tend to focus on words rather than images. The groups are being used to share unverified claims of people being either injured or killed by vaccines.nce the BBC alerted Facebook’s parent company, Meta, the groups were removed. “We have removed this group for violating our harmful misinformation policies and will review any other similar content in line with this policy. We continue to work closely with public health experts and the UK government to further tackle Covid vaccine misinformation,” the firm said in a statement. However, the groups have since re-appeared in our searches. One group we saw has been around for three years but rebranded itself to focus on vaccine stories, from being a group for sharing “banter, bets and funny videos” in August 2022. The rules of the very large group state: “Use code words for everything”. It adds: “Do not use the c word, v word or b word ever” (covid, vaccine, booster). It was created more than a year ago and has more than 250,000 members. Marc Owen-Jones, a disinformation researcher, and associate professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, was invited to join it.

Special Guests – Kelvyn Alp and Hannah Spierer – Counter Spin Media

Counterspin Media is a facts and evidence based platform. We will cover stories and events that many mainstream media outlets will not. We are not a ‘pay to say’ platform and we will never compromise ourselves for the sake of financial reward. We do not believe in censorship or pushing narratives that reinforce false and misleading information. We promote Freedom of the Individual in all forms.

Police arrest and charge far-right Counterspin Media pair in Christchurch with allegedly distributing objectionable material Two people with links to a far-right and conspiracy theory website have been charged by police with allegedly distributing an objectionable publication. Kelvyn Alp and Hannah Spierer were arrested by police in Christchurch today, the Herald understands. The couple has links to Counterspin Media, which broadcasts conspiracy theories and discredited Covid-19 misinformation. In a statement from police tonight, a spokesperson said two people were arrested in Christchurch today over alleged offences under the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993. Police said a man has been charged with two counts of distributing an objectionable publication and one charge of failing to carry out obligations in relation to a computer search. A woman has also been charged with distributing an objectionable publication, failing to carry out obligations in relation to a computer search and obstructing police. They have been bailed to appear in the Christchurch District Court on August 31.

Auckland man charged with possessing banned publication, will appear in court  A man has been charged with possessing a banned video or publication, following the arrest of a Christchurch pair on a similar charge in August. He will appear in the Auckland District Court on September 29. “A 68-year-old Auckland man has been summoned to court to face a charge of possession of an objectionable publication with knowledge,” a police spokesperson said on Wednesday. The alleged offending was under the Films, Videos and Publications Classification Act 1993, which covers publications like the video of the Christchurch terror attack. It comes after Kelvyn Alp, 51, and Hannah Spierer, 37, the founders and hosts of far-right media outlet Counterspin, were arrested in Christchurch and charged with distributing an objectionable publication. The pair have been further charged with failing to carry out obligations in relation to a computer search. Spierer has also been charged with obstructing police.

Backyard Beekeeping | How to Turn Your Backyard into a Bee Haven Have you ever considered turning your backyard into a bee haven? There are so many fantastic benefits of making your outdoor living space more bee-friendly. Check out these ideas to start your own backyard beekeeping! On October 31st, seven native Hawaiian bees were added to the endangered species list. After years of warnings from various environmental and animal groups, the alarming decline of the bee population is finally being acknowledged in a real, and terrifying way. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, bees pollinate 80% of our flowering crops — which comprises a third of everything we eat. They’re responsible for the continued survival of many of our most precious native plants. Yet, despite being an absolutely vital component of our ecosystem, we still engage in a lot of the behaviors that have led to their diminishing population. Unfortunately — as is so often the case — it’ll take time before the government catches up with the rest of us. It will be a while before they take action to protect all bees that make their home in the US. Until then, you can play a small (but very important) role in saving the bees by transforming your yard into a safe harbor. Here’s how:

Hour 2

Fauci’s Love Affair With Pharma and the ‘Dark Role’ He Played in Pandemic After forty-eight years of leading the U.S. government’s responses to infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci recently announced his plans to retire at the end of the year. His story warrants a closer look at what it tells us about American politics, business and healthcare. For decades before his recent fame, Fauci has been a medical researcher credited with important new understandings of the human immune response, particularly in HIV and AIDS. He also helped develop therapies for several previously fatal diseases, including a treatment of vasculitis which turned a 98% mortality rate into a 93% survival rate. For most of his career, he has been the world’s most-cited researcher on AIDS and infectious diseases. He has received many awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Ironically, Fauci has also presided over a decades-long decline in the overall health of American citizens. During his time in public health, a great number of chronic illnesses have become commonplace. Food allergies, autoimmune diseases and cancer now affect more than half of American children. Autism, once rare, now affects 1 in 44 children.

Experts question the role of white mulberry in the death of Congressman’s wife Scientists, doctors, and pathologists are questioning the Sacramento County coroner’s conclusion that Lori McClintock’s death was related to white mulberry, a plant that has been used as an herbal remedy for centuries — and one that the coroner’s botanical consultant called “not toxic” in a letter to her office. McClintock, the wife of U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), died suddenly in December from dehydration due to gastroenteritis — an inflammation of the stomach and intestines — that was caused by “adverse effects of white mulberry leaf ingestion,” according to a report from the Sacramento County coroner. The coroner ruled the death an accident. But Sacramento County Coroner Kimberly Gin has not explained — nor provided records that explain — why she determined white mulberry leaf led to the dehydration that killed McClintock at age 61, fueling skepticism among a variety of experts. A “partially intact” white mulberry leaf was found in Lori McClintock’s stomach, according to the autopsy report. But there is no other reference to her use of white mulberry leaves, supplements, extracts, powders — or any other method of ingesting the plant — in the documents the coroner’s office has released relating to the case.

All The Convincing You’ll Need To Ditch Bottled Water For Good As of 2017, people worldwide are purchasing plastic water bottles at the rate of 1 million bottles per minute, with the average American consuming 45 gallons of bottled water apiece every year. And though bottled water sales have continued to skyrocket since 2010 ― climbing to a whopping 15 billion gallons of bottled water sold in the United States in 2020 ― data shows and experts say there are compelling reasons to ditch the plastic for good. Here’s what to know: There’s some evidence that shows bottled water may contain potentially harmful chemicals in its packaging. Phthalates, also called plasticizers, are a class of manmade chemicals used to make water bottles and other plastics more durable and flexible. Phthalate exposure has been warned against because of how the chemicals affect a person’s endocrine system, which is the system that produces and releases hormones. Some studies have found that plastic water bottles alone don’t have contamination levels significant enough to cause harm to bottled water drinkers. However, multiple experts told HuffPost that because most people are already exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals from many other sources every day ― from housecleaning products to some fragrances ― it may be wise to limit additional exposure to such chemicals where possible. Such chemicals have been linked to a host of reproductive, immune, and neurological disorders, including gestational diabetes, ADHD, fertility issues, liver disease in kids, asthma and an increased risk of breast cancer.

Millions of Newborns Get Routine ‘Heel Prick’ Blood Tests — Why Are States Keeping Those Samples Without Parents’ Consent? Close to 4 million babies are born in the United States every year, and within their first 48 hours, nearly all are pricked in the heel so their blood can be tested for dozens of life-threatening genetic and metabolic problems. The heel-stick test is considered such a crucial public health measure that states typically require it and parents aren’t asked for their permission before it’s done. But the lab tests for newborn screenings generally don’t use all of the half-dozen or so drops of blood collected on filter paper cards. So states hold on to the leftover “dried blood spots,” as they’re called, often without parents’ knowledge or consent. In recent years, privacy-related concerns have grown about the sometimes decades-long storage and use of the material. Some states allow the blood spots to be used in research studies, sometimes by third parties for a fee, or provided to law enforcement personnel investigating a crime. Permitting these or other uses without parents’ informed consent that they understand and agree to the use has prompted lawsuits from parents who want to make those decisions themselves and who seek to protect their children’s medical and genetic information.

Two Weeks to Doomsday for Supplements? An update on Sen. Durbin’s supplement attack. Action Alert! Congress is once again down to the wire on many upcoming deadlines – the federal budget and the ability for FDA to collect user fees from drug companies will both expire at the end of September. Ultimately, Congress will likely handle these deadlines with some quick and dirty must-pass legislation, so we need to make sure our elected officials know we don’t want supplement restrictions slipped into this larger legislative package. As we’ve been telling you, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) have been working for many months to attach mandatory product listing for supplements to the must-pass FDA user fee reauthorization bill. They know Senator Durbin’s original standalone bill, S. 4090, the Dietary Supplement Listing Act, has little chance of passing on its own.  As a result, the Senators are looking for any opportunity to attach Durbin’s proposal to a larger legislative package that is certain to become law – like the FDA user fee reauthorization or the federal budget. Durbin’s mandatory listing legislation would add regulations to supplements that will increase prices for consumers and decrease available options, making it easy for the FDA to eliminate supplements that compete with the drugs that provide significant funding for the Agency. Durbin’s proposal is completely unnecessary as supplements are an overwhelmingly safe product category. In 2021, the FDA received a total of 2,333,453 adverse event reports. Of those, only 2,400 were related to dietary supplements. That means that dietary supplements make up 0.1% of the adverse event reports to the FDA. Adverse events from FDA approved drugs, tobacco, and food poisoning are much more significant safety concerns that the FDA should be prioritizing.

Expressing gratitude may be true key to happiness, survey suggests The secret to happiness may be expressing gratitude. A survey of 2,000 Americans examining the potential connection between being thankful and contentment in life reveals that 65 percent of respondents who say they’re “very happy” on a daily basis are also more likely to “always” give thanks. While looking at the correlation between life satisfaction and gratitude, a third of respondents say they regularly make sure to express gratitude in their everyday lives. Of those, 62 percent note they feel “very satisfied” with their lives. Conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Motivosity, the study also finds that, on average, respondents believe they express gratitude to others just six times a month. And they say they also receive the same amount of appreciation back. Regionally, residents in the southwest are more likely to express gratitude than anyone else in the country (75%), just barely beating respondents in the northeast (74%) and midwest (73%). Meanwhile, people in the southeast (68%), as well as west coast residents (63%), offer thanks the least. Respondents also agree that there are proper ways to respond to being thanked. Smiling (44%) and saying “You’re welcome” both ranked as the most common nonverbal and verbal responses (51%) – although the latter ranks somehow ranks second to “My pleasure” in terms of politeness (44% vs. 52%). Lower down on the list, only one in four (25%) tend to say “It’s nothing.” In fact, 32 percent called the phrase “rude.”

Remember Friends, The Power to Heal is Yours!