Prof. Zeev Zalevsky, head of the Electro-Optics study program at Bar-Ilan University's Faculty of Engineering, has developed a bionic contact lens that has tremendous potential to enable the blind to see.

 According to Zalevsky, the lens processes digital images and translates them into tactile sensations. These sensations can be felt on the person's cornea, allowing him or her to form a picture of their physical surroundings.

"It's like reading Braille, not with your fingertips but with your eyes," said Zalevsky. He explains that the system uses a mounted camera or smartphone to capture images that are turned into a form of electronic Braille. Zalevsky said that with a short training the user can use the lens effectively.

Explaining that the device is worn just like a regular contact lens, Zalevsky said, "We can encode an image with many more points than the Braille systems, and use these to stimulate the surface of the cornea." He added, "The more shapes you want to recognize, the longer the training should be. This is similar to how a visually impaired person learns Braille writing."

Zalevsky and his research team is currently seeking funding to complete full-scale trials and move into mass production. He said that with the proper funding, the research and development period will be completed in approximately two years.


VIA

Israel

Lens Developed at Bar-Ilan University to Offer Tactile Sight for the Blind

Prof. Zeev Zalevsky, head of the Electro-Optics study program at Bar-Ilan University's Faculty of Engineering, has developed a bionic contact lens that has tremendous potential to enable the blind to see.

 According to Zalevsky, the lens processes digital images and translates them into tactile sensations. These sensations can be felt on the person's cornea, allowing him or her to form a picture of their physical surroundings.

"It's like reading Braille, not with your fingertips but with your eyes," said Zalevsky. He explains that the system uses a mounted camera or smartphone to capture images that are turned into a form of electronic Braille. Zalevsky said that with a short training the user can use the lens effectively.

Explaining that the device is worn just like a regular contact lens, Zalevsky said, "We can encode an image with many more points than the Braille systems, and use these to stimulate the surface of the cornea." He added, "The more shapes you want to recognize, the longer the training should be. This is similar to how a visually impaired person learns Braille writing."

Zalevsky and his research team is currently seeking funding to complete full-scale trials and move into mass production. He said that with the proper funding, the research and development period will be completed in approximately two years.


VIA

That is a really crazy headline, right?  Unfortunately, it is not a joke.  Right now, gelatin made with human DNA fragments is already being used in pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines, and scientists believe that recent breakthroughs will soon make it economically feasible to use such gelatin in consumer products such as gummy bears and marshmallows on a massive scale.  So are you ready for gummy bears made out of people?  They are coming.  And this is just the tip of the iceberg.  As you will read about below, scientists have also combined human DNA with mice, rabbits, goats, pigs, sheep and cows.  We have arrived at a time in human history when advances in technology have opened the door to a lot of things that were once considered to be impossible, and scientists are having a field day.  But in the end, where will all of this technology end up taking us?

Most people would never even imagine that the gummy bears that they are eating could potentially contain human DNA.

Well, from now on you might want to check, particularly if those gummy bears come from China.  The following is an excerpt from a recent io9 article…

In 2011, scientists in Beijing reported on a method of creating large amounts of gelatin by inserting human DNA fragments into yeast. Human DNA-derived gelatin has actually been in use for a while, in vaccine preparation and the gel caps that many over the counter drugs come in. This method created such large quantities of gelatin that it would be practical to use it for more common consumer goods like candy and baking supplies.
This is actually a brilliant breakthrough, because it avoids a whole lot of problems inherent in “natural” gelatin production. It’s incredibly difficult to get consistent results when manufacturing gelatin, and consistency is very important with vaccines. Because gelatin is derived from animal by-products, it can cause allergic reactions or be off limits to people with ethical or religious reasons for avoiding animal products.

Pretty gross, eh?

Who wants to eat human DNA?

Certainly not me.  I have no plans to be a cannibal.

Unfortunately, millions of Americans are already getting human DNA in their pharmaceutical drugs and their vaccines…

In fact, human-derived gelatin is already in use by the pharmaceutical industry in the manufacture of certain pills and vaccines. The highly controlled production techniques of the laboratory offer a more consistent product than “traditional” gelatin, which is made from the bones and skin of pigs and cows.

Do you know what is in the pills that you are taking?

You might be eating people right now without even knowing it.

And guess what?  Some genetically-modified crops contain human DNA as well.  The following comes from a recent Natural News article…

Unless the rice you buy is certified organic, or comes specifically from a farm that tests its rice crops for genetically modified (GM) traits, you could be eating rice tainted with actual human genes. The only known GMO with inbred human traits in cultivation today, a GM rice product made by biotechnology company Ventria Bioscience is currently being grown on 3,200 acres in Junction City, Kansas — and possibly elsewhere — and most people have no idea about it.
Since about 2006, Ventria has been quietly cultivating rice that has been genetically modified (GM) with genes from the human liver for the purpose of taking the artificial proteins produced by this “Frankenrice” and using them in pharmaceuticals.

Are you sickened by that?

You should be.

Not only is it becoming more common for scientists to use human DNA in very bizarre ways, thanks to a recent breakthrough it will now be much easier for them to modify and change human DNA.  The Independent is reporting that a technique known as “Crispr” will now allow scientists to very accurately rewrite the DNA of specific individuals without danger of flaws and mistakes…

For the first time, scientists are able to engineer any part of the human genome with extreme precision using a revolutionary new technique called Crispr, which has been likened to editing the individual letters on any chosen page of an encyclopedia without creating spelling mistakes. The landmark development means it is now possible to make the most accurate and detailed alterations to any specific position on the DNA of the 23 pairs of human chromosomes without introducing unintended mutations or flaws, scientists said.
The technique is so accurate that scientists believe it will soon be used in gene-therapy trials on humans to treat incurable viruses such as HIV or currently untreatable genetic disorders such as Huntington’s disease. It might also be used controversially to correct gene defects in human IVF embryos, scientists said.

Of course this technology will be heralded as a way to cure diseases, but there are countless other applications for this technology and scientists are absolutely giddy about what they could potentially do with this new tool…

“The efficiency and ease of use is completely unprecedented. I’m jumping out of my skin with excitement,” said George Church, a geneticist at Harvard University who led one of the teams that used Crispr to edit the human genome for the first time.

Would you like to run like an Olympic athlete?

Would you like to be 8 feet tall?

Would you like to have vision like a cat?

Would you like to have “super powers” that no other human has had before?

This technology will open up the door for scientists to create entirely new races of “super humans” and human/animal hybrids.  And once the genie is out of the bottle, it will be nearly impossible to get it back again.

And of course scientists all over the world have already been creating bizarre human/animal hybrids for quite some time now.  The following is an excerpt from one of my previous articles…

———-

Just check out some of the truly bizarre human-animal hybrid experiments that have been taking place all over the globe according to a recent Slate article…

Not long ago, Chinese scientists embedded genes for human milk proteins into a mouse’s genome and have since created herds of humanized-milk-producing goats. Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Michigan have a method for putting a human anal sphincter into a mouse as a means of finding better treatments for fecal incontinence, and doctors are building animals with humanized immune systems to serve as subjects for new HIV vaccines.

Are you disgusted by those examples?

You should be.

Here are some other ways that humans and animals are being combined…

-Rabbit Eggs with Human Cells

-Pigs with Human Blood

-Sheep with Human Livers

-Cow Eggs with Human Cells

-Cat-Human Hybrid Proteins

And these are just the things that we know about.

———-

So what is coming next?

Well, according to a new exhibition entitled “GROW YOUR OWN” at Science Gallery in Dublin, Ireland we could see some extremely bizarre things in the years ahead…

Cheese made with bacteria from a human armpit? An ‘Elvis mouse’ with DNA from the king of rock and roll? Humans giving birth to dolphins? GROW YOUR OWN at Science Gallery has plenty to leave you scratching your head (and possibly holding your nose). The exhibition, which opened last week, explores the weird and often wonderful world of synthetic biology (or synbio), an emerging field that looks to apply engineering to biology to come up with ‘parts’ that can be used to design solutions, much like you would engineer a circuit or programme software.

Perhaps the most shocking part of the exhibition is a display named “I Wanna Deliver a Dolphin“.  The following is how this display is described…

I Wanna Deliver a Dolphin… imagines a point in the future, where humans will help this species by the advanced technology of synthetic biology. A ‘dolp-human placenta’ that allows a human female to deliver a dolphin is created, and thus humans can become a surrogate mother to endangered species. Furthermore, gourmets would be able to enjoy the luxury of eating a rare animal: an animal made by their own body, raising questions of the ownership of rare animal life, and life itself.

If you want to check this sickening display out, you can find it right here.

VIA

DRUG· pharmaceutical· Vaccines

Gummy Bears, Pharmaceutical Drugs And Vaccines Made Out Of People

That is a really crazy headline, right?  Unfortunately, it is not a joke.  Right now, gelatin made with human DNA fragments is already being used in pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines, and scientists believe that recent breakthroughs will soon make it economically feasible to use such gelatin in consumer products such as gummy bears and marshmallows on a massive scale.  So are you ready for gummy bears made out of people?  They are coming.  And this is just the tip of the iceberg.  As you will read about below, scientists have also combined human DNA with mice, rabbits, goats, pigs, sheep and cows.  We have arrived at a time in human history when advances in technology have opened the door to a lot of things that were once considered to be impossible, and scientists are having a field day.  But in the end, where will all of this technology end up taking us?

Most people would never even imagine that the gummy bears that they are eating could potentially contain human DNA.

Well, from now on you might want to check, particularly if those gummy bears come from China.  The following is an excerpt from a recent io9 article…

In 2011, scientists in Beijing reported on a method of creating large amounts of gelatin by inserting human DNA fragments into yeast. Human DNA-derived gelatin has actually been in use for a while, in vaccine preparation and the gel caps that many over the counter drugs come in. This method created such large quantities of gelatin that it would be practical to use it for more common consumer goods like candy and baking supplies.
This is actually a brilliant breakthrough, because it avoids a whole lot of problems inherent in “natural” gelatin production. It’s incredibly difficult to get consistent results when manufacturing gelatin, and consistency is very important with vaccines. Because gelatin is derived from animal by-products, it can cause allergic reactions or be off limits to people with ethical or religious reasons for avoiding animal products.

Pretty gross, eh?

Who wants to eat human DNA?

Certainly not me.  I have no plans to be a cannibal.

Unfortunately, millions of Americans are already getting human DNA in their pharmaceutical drugs and their vaccines…

In fact, human-derived gelatin is already in use by the pharmaceutical industry in the manufacture of certain pills and vaccines. The highly controlled production techniques of the laboratory offer a more consistent product than “traditional” gelatin, which is made from the bones and skin of pigs and cows.

Do you know what is in the pills that you are taking?

You might be eating people right now without even knowing it.

And guess what?  Some genetically-modified crops contain human DNA as well.  The following comes from a recent Natural News article…

Unless the rice you buy is certified organic, or comes specifically from a farm that tests its rice crops for genetically modified (GM) traits, you could be eating rice tainted with actual human genes. The only known GMO with inbred human traits in cultivation today, a GM rice product made by biotechnology company Ventria Bioscience is currently being grown on 3,200 acres in Junction City, Kansas — and possibly elsewhere — and most people have no idea about it.
Since about 2006, Ventria has been quietly cultivating rice that has been genetically modified (GM) with genes from the human liver for the purpose of taking the artificial proteins produced by this “Frankenrice” and using them in pharmaceuticals.

Are you sickened by that?

You should be.

Not only is it becoming more common for scientists to use human DNA in very bizarre ways, thanks to a recent breakthrough it will now be much easier for them to modify and change human DNA.  The Independent is reporting that a technique known as “Crispr” will now allow scientists to very accurately rewrite the DNA of specific individuals without danger of flaws and mistakes…

For the first time, scientists are able to engineer any part of the human genome with extreme precision using a revolutionary new technique called Crispr, which has been likened to editing the individual letters on any chosen page of an encyclopedia without creating spelling mistakes. The landmark development means it is now possible to make the most accurate and detailed alterations to any specific position on the DNA of the 23 pairs of human chromosomes without introducing unintended mutations or flaws, scientists said.
The technique is so accurate that scientists believe it will soon be used in gene-therapy trials on humans to treat incurable viruses such as HIV or currently untreatable genetic disorders such as Huntington’s disease. It might also be used controversially to correct gene defects in human IVF embryos, scientists said.

Of course this technology will be heralded as a way to cure diseases, but there are countless other applications for this technology and scientists are absolutely giddy about what they could potentially do with this new tool…

“The efficiency and ease of use is completely unprecedented. I’m jumping out of my skin with excitement,” said George Church, a geneticist at Harvard University who led one of the teams that used Crispr to edit the human genome for the first time.

Would you like to run like an Olympic athlete?

Would you like to be 8 feet tall?

Would you like to have vision like a cat?

Would you like to have “super powers” that no other human has had before?

This technology will open up the door for scientists to create entirely new races of “super humans” and human/animal hybrids.  And once the genie is out of the bottle, it will be nearly impossible to get it back again.

And of course scientists all over the world have already been creating bizarre human/animal hybrids for quite some time now.  The following is an excerpt from one of my previous articles…

———-

Just check out some of the truly bizarre human-animal hybrid experiments that have been taking place all over the globe according to a recent Slate article…

Not long ago, Chinese scientists embedded genes for human milk proteins into a mouse’s genome and have since created herds of humanized-milk-producing goats. Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Michigan have a method for putting a human anal sphincter into a mouse as a means of finding better treatments for fecal incontinence, and doctors are building animals with humanized immune systems to serve as subjects for new HIV vaccines.

Are you disgusted by those examples?

You should be.

Here are some other ways that humans and animals are being combined…

-Rabbit Eggs with Human Cells

-Pigs with Human Blood

-Sheep with Human Livers

-Cow Eggs with Human Cells

-Cat-Human Hybrid Proteins

And these are just the things that we know about.

———-

So what is coming next?

Well, according to a new exhibition entitled “GROW YOUR OWN” at Science Gallery in Dublin, Ireland we could see some extremely bizarre things in the years ahead…

Cheese made with bacteria from a human armpit? An ‘Elvis mouse’ with DNA from the king of rock and roll? Humans giving birth to dolphins? GROW YOUR OWN at Science Gallery has plenty to leave you scratching your head (and possibly holding your nose). The exhibition, which opened last week, explores the weird and often wonderful world of synthetic biology (or synbio), an emerging field that looks to apply engineering to biology to come up with ‘parts’ that can be used to design solutions, much like you would engineer a circuit or programme software.

Perhaps the most shocking part of the exhibition is a display named “I Wanna Deliver a Dolphin“.  The following is how this display is described…

I Wanna Deliver a Dolphin… imagines a point in the future, where humans will help this species by the advanced technology of synthetic biology. A ‘dolp-human placenta’ that allows a human female to deliver a dolphin is created, and thus humans can become a surrogate mother to endangered species. Furthermore, gourmets would be able to enjoy the luxury of eating a rare animal: an animal made by their own body, raising questions of the ownership of rare animal life, and life itself.

If you want to check this sickening display out, you can find it right here.

VIA

The following is what a women posted on a dating forum seeking a rich husband:

I’m going to be honest of what I’m going to say here. I’m 25 this year. I’m very pretty, have style and good taste. I wish to marry a guy with $500k annual salary or above. You might say that I’m greedy, but an annual salary of $1M is considered only as middle class in New York.
My requirement is not high. Is there anyone in this forum who has an income of $500k annual salary? Are you all married? I wanted to ask: what should I do to marry rich persons like you?
Among those I’ve dated, the richest is $250k annual income, and it seems that this is my upper limit.
If someone is going to move into high cost residential area on the west of New York City Garden(?), $250k annual income is not enough.
I’m here humbly to ask a few questions:
1) Where do most rich bachelors hang out? (Please list down the names and addresses of bars, restaurant, gym)
2) Which age group should I target?
3) Why most wives of the riches are only average-looking? I’ve met a few girls who don’t have looks and are not interesting, but they are able to marry rich guys.
4) How do you decide who can be your wife, and who can only be your girlfriend? (my target now is to get married)
Ms. Pretty

A philosophical reply from CEO of J.P. Morgan below:

Dear Ms. Pretty,
I have read your post with great interest. Guess there are lots of girls out there who have similar questions like yours. Please allow me to analyse your situation as a professional investor.
My annual income is more than $500k, which meets your requirement, so I hope everyone believes that I’m not wasting time here.
From the standpoint of a business person, it is a bad decision to marry you. The answer is very simple, so let me explain.
Put the details aside, what you’re trying to do is an exchange of “beauty” and “money” : Person A provides beauty, and Person B pays for it, fair and square.
However, there’s a deadly problem here, your beauty will fade, but my money will not be gone without any good reason. The fact is, my income might increase from year to year, but you can’t be prettier year after year.
Hence from the viewpoint of economics, I am an appreciation asset, and you are a depreciation asset. It’s not just normal depreciation, but exponential depreciation. If that is your only asset, your value will be much worse 10 years later.
By the terms we use in Wall Street, every trading has a position, dating with you is also a “trading position”.
If the trade value dropped we will sell it and it is not a good idea to keep it for long term – same goes with the marriage that you wanted. It might be cruel to say this, but in order to make a wiser decision any assets with great depreciation value will be sold or “leased”.
Anyone with over $500k annual income is not a fool; we would only date you, but will not marry you. I would advice that you forget looking for any clues to marry a rich guy. And by the way, you could make yourself to become a rich person with $500k annual income.This has better chance than finding a rich fool.
Hope this reply helps.
signed, J.P. Morgan CEO

VIA

MISC.

This Pretty Girl Was Seeking A Rich Husband. The Reply She Got From A Banker Was Priceless

The following is what a women posted on a dating forum seeking a rich husband:

I’m going to be honest of what I’m going to say here. I’m 25 this year. I’m very pretty, have style and good taste. I wish to marry a guy with $500k annual salary or above. You might say that I’m greedy, but an annual salary of $1M is considered only as middle class in New York.
My requirement is not high. Is there anyone in this forum who has an income of $500k annual salary? Are you all married? I wanted to ask: what should I do to marry rich persons like you?
Among those I’ve dated, the richest is $250k annual income, and it seems that this is my upper limit.
If someone is going to move into high cost residential area on the west of New York City Garden(?), $250k annual income is not enough.
I’m here humbly to ask a few questions:
1) Where do most rich bachelors hang out? (Please list down the names and addresses of bars, restaurant, gym)
2) Which age group should I target?
3) Why most wives of the riches are only average-looking? I’ve met a few girls who don’t have looks and are not interesting, but they are able to marry rich guys.
4) How do you decide who can be your wife, and who can only be your girlfriend? (my target now is to get married)
Ms. Pretty

A philosophical reply from CEO of J.P. Morgan below:

Dear Ms. Pretty,
I have read your post with great interest. Guess there are lots of girls out there who have similar questions like yours. Please allow me to analyse your situation as a professional investor.
My annual income is more than $500k, which meets your requirement, so I hope everyone believes that I’m not wasting time here.
From the standpoint of a business person, it is a bad decision to marry you. The answer is very simple, so let me explain.
Put the details aside, what you’re trying to do is an exchange of “beauty” and “money” : Person A provides beauty, and Person B pays for it, fair and square.
However, there’s a deadly problem here, your beauty will fade, but my money will not be gone without any good reason. The fact is, my income might increase from year to year, but you can’t be prettier year after year.
Hence from the viewpoint of economics, I am an appreciation asset, and you are a depreciation asset. It’s not just normal depreciation, but exponential depreciation. If that is your only asset, your value will be much worse 10 years later.
By the terms we use in Wall Street, every trading has a position, dating with you is also a “trading position”.
If the trade value dropped we will sell it and it is not a good idea to keep it for long term – same goes with the marriage that you wanted. It might be cruel to say this, but in order to make a wiser decision any assets with great depreciation value will be sold or “leased”.
Anyone with over $500k annual income is not a fool; we would only date you, but will not marry you. I would advice that you forget looking for any clues to marry a rich guy. And by the way, you could make yourself to become a rich person with $500k annual income.This has better chance than finding a rich fool.
Hope this reply helps.
signed, J.P. Morgan CEO

VIA

The American people are the most drugged people in the history of the planet.  Illegal drugs get most of the headlines, but the truth is that the number of Americans that are addicted to legal drugs is far greater than the number of Americans that are addicted to illegal drugs.  As you will see below, close to 70 percent of all Americans are currently on at least one prescription drug.  In addition, there are 60 million Americans that “abuse alcohol” and 22 million Americans that use illegal drugs.  What that means is that almost everyone that you meet is going to be on something.  That sounds absolutely crazy but it is true.  We are literally being drugged out of our minds.  In fact, as you will read about below, there are 70 million Americans that are taking “mind-altering drugs” right now.  If it seems like most people cannot think clearly these days, it is because they can’t.  We love our legal drugs and it is getting worse with each passing year.  And considering the fact that big corporations are making tens of billions of dollars peddling their drugs to the rest of us, don’t expect things to change any time soon.  The following are 19 statistics about the drugging of America that are almost too crazy to believe…

#1 An astounding 70 million Americans are taking legal mind-altering drugs right now.

#2 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, doctors wrote more than 250 million prescriptions for antidepressants during 2010.

#3 According to a study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, nearly 70 percent of all Americans are on at least one prescription drug.  An astounding 20 percent of all Americans are on at least five prescription drugs.

#4 Americans spent more than 280 billion dollars on prescription drugs during 2013.

#5 According to the CDC, approximately 9 out of every 10 Americans that are at least 60 years old say that they have taken at least one prescription drug within the last month.

#6 There are 60 million Americans that “abuse alcohol”.

#7 According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 22 million Americans use illegal drugs.

#8 Incredibly, more than 11 percent of all Americans that are 12 years of age or older admit that they have driven home under the influence of alcohol at least once during the past year.

#9 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is an unintentional drug overdose death in the United States every 19 minutes.

#10 In the United States today, prescription painkillers kill more Americans than heroin and cocaine combined.

#11 According to the CDC, approximately three quarters of a million people a year are rushed to emergency rooms in the United States because of adverse reactions to pharmaceutical drugs.

#12 According to Alternet, “11 of the 12 new-to-market drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration were priced above $100,000 per-patient per-year” in 2012.

#13 The percentage of women taking antidepressants in America is higher than in any other country in the world.

#14 Many of these antidepressants contain warnings that “suicidal thoughts” are one of the side effects that should be expected.  The suicide rate for Americans between the ages of 35 and 64 rose by close to 30 percent between 1999 and 2010.  The number of Americans that are killed by suicide now exceeds the number of Americans that die as a result of car accidents every year.

#15 In 2010, the average teen in the United States was taking 1.2 central nervous system drugs.  Those are the kinds of drugs which treat conditions such as ADHD and depression.

#16 Children in the United States are three times more likely to be prescribed antidepressants as children in Europe are.

#17 A shocking Government Accountability Office report discovered that approximately one-third of all foster children in the United States are on at least one psychiatric drug.

#18 A survey conducted for the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that more than 15 percent of all U.S. high school seniors abuse prescription drugs.

#19 It turns out that dealing drugs is extremely profitable.  The 11 largest pharmaceutical companies combined to rake in approximately $85,000,000,000 in profits in 2012.

In America today, doctors are trained that there are just two potential solutions to any problem.  Either you prescribe a pill or you cut someone open.  Surgery and drugs are pretty much the only alternatives they offer us.

And an endless barrage of television commercials have trained all of us to think that there is a “pill for every problem”.

Are you in pain?

Just take a pill.

Are you feeling blue?

Just take a pill.

Do you need a spark in your marriage?

Just take a pill.

And most Americans assume that all of these pills are perfectly safe.

After all, the government would never approve something that wasn’t safe, right?

Sadly, what most Americans don’t realize is that there is a revolving door between big pharmaceutical corporations and the government agencies that supposedly “regulate” them.  Many of those that are now in charge of our “safety” have spent their entire careers peddling legal drugs to all of us.

We have become a nation of drugged out zombies, and it is all perfectly legal.  The funny thing is that many of these “legal drugs” have just slightly different formulations from their “illegal” counterparts.

If more Americans understood what they were actually taking, would that cause them to stop?

Perhaps some would, but for the most part Americans are totally in love with their drugs and giving them up would not be easy.

Just ask anyone that has tried.

So what do you think about the drugging of America?

VIA

AMERICA· DRUG· STATISTICS

19 Statistics About The Drugging Of America That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe

The American people are the most drugged people in the history of the planet.  Illegal drugs get most of the headlines, but the truth is that the number of Americans that are addicted to legal drugs is far greater than the number of Americans that are addicted to illegal drugs.  As you will see below, close to 70 percent of all Americans are currently on at least one prescription drug.  In addition, there are 60 million Americans that “abuse alcohol” and 22 million Americans that use illegal drugs.  What that means is that almost everyone that you meet is going to be on something.  That sounds absolutely crazy but it is true.  We are literally being drugged out of our minds.  In fact, as you will read about below, there are 70 million Americans that are taking “mind-altering drugs” right now.  If it seems like most people cannot think clearly these days, it is because they can’t.  We love our legal drugs and it is getting worse with each passing year.  And considering the fact that big corporations are making tens of billions of dollars peddling their drugs to the rest of us, don’t expect things to change any time soon.  The following are 19 statistics about the drugging of America that are almost too crazy to believe…

#1 An astounding 70 million Americans are taking legal mind-altering drugs right now.

#2 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, doctors wrote more than 250 million prescriptions for antidepressants during 2010.

#3 According to a study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, nearly 70 percent of all Americans are on at least one prescription drug.  An astounding 20 percent of all Americans are on at least five prescription drugs.

#4 Americans spent more than 280 billion dollars on prescription drugs during 2013.

#5 According to the CDC, approximately 9 out of every 10 Americans that are at least 60 years old say that they have taken at least one prescription drug within the last month.

#6 There are 60 million Americans that “abuse alcohol”.

#7 According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 22 million Americans use illegal drugs.

#8 Incredibly, more than 11 percent of all Americans that are 12 years of age or older admit that they have driven home under the influence of alcohol at least once during the past year.

#9 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is an unintentional drug overdose death in the United States every 19 minutes.

#10 In the United States today, prescription painkillers kill more Americans than heroin and cocaine combined.

#11 According to the CDC, approximately three quarters of a million people a year are rushed to emergency rooms in the United States because of adverse reactions to pharmaceutical drugs.

#12 According to Alternet, “11 of the 12 new-to-market drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration were priced above $100,000 per-patient per-year” in 2012.

#13 The percentage of women taking antidepressants in America is higher than in any other country in the world.

#14 Many of these antidepressants contain warnings that “suicidal thoughts” are one of the side effects that should be expected.  The suicide rate for Americans between the ages of 35 and 64 rose by close to 30 percent between 1999 and 2010.  The number of Americans that are killed by suicide now exceeds the number of Americans that die as a result of car accidents every year.

#15 In 2010, the average teen in the United States was taking 1.2 central nervous system drugs.  Those are the kinds of drugs which treat conditions such as ADHD and depression.

#16 Children in the United States are three times more likely to be prescribed antidepressants as children in Europe are.

#17 A shocking Government Accountability Office report discovered that approximately one-third of all foster children in the United States are on at least one psychiatric drug.

#18 A survey conducted for the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that more than 15 percent of all U.S. high school seniors abuse prescription drugs.

#19 It turns out that dealing drugs is extremely profitable.  The 11 largest pharmaceutical companies combined to rake in approximately $85,000,000,000 in profits in 2012.

In America today, doctors are trained that there are just two potential solutions to any problem.  Either you prescribe a pill or you cut someone open.  Surgery and drugs are pretty much the only alternatives they offer us.

And an endless barrage of television commercials have trained all of us to think that there is a “pill for every problem”.

Are you in pain?

Just take a pill.

Are you feeling blue?

Just take a pill.

Do you need a spark in your marriage?

Just take a pill.

And most Americans assume that all of these pills are perfectly safe.

After all, the government would never approve something that wasn’t safe, right?

Sadly, what most Americans don’t realize is that there is a revolving door between big pharmaceutical corporations and the government agencies that supposedly “regulate” them.  Many of those that are now in charge of our “safety” have spent their entire careers peddling legal drugs to all of us.

We have become a nation of drugged out zombies, and it is all perfectly legal.  The funny thing is that many of these “legal drugs” have just slightly different formulations from their “illegal” counterparts.

If more Americans understood what they were actually taking, would that cause them to stop?

Perhaps some would, but for the most part Americans are totally in love with their drugs and giving them up would not be easy.

Just ask anyone that has tried.

So what do you think about the drugging of America?

VIA

Have you pieced together the puzzle of missing flight 370 to Beijing China ?? If not, here are your missing pieces. In this bizarre case of the missing Malaysian airliner, one plus one is starting to equal two. I found these facts to be very fascinating and may add a bit more into your own thoughts on what could have happened to this plane.

Interesting Developments:

On September 15, 2006, Freescale agreed to a $17.6 billion buyout by a consortium led by Blackstone Group and its co-investors, Carlyle Group, TPG Capital, and Permira. The buyout offer was accepted on November 13, 2006 following a vote by company shareholders.

The US technological company, Freescale Semiconductor, who shared its rights with Rothschild, had twenty senior members on board who had just launched a new electronic warfare gadget for military radar system’s the day before the plane went missing.  (The patent on this was not approved until after the flight went missing!)

 The Semiconductor company develops microprocessors, sensors, and other technology including stand-alone semiconductors that perform dedicated computing functions.

Freescale previously confirmed that the 20 employees — 12 from Malaysia and eight from China — were among 239 people on flight MH370. The company has not released the names of those employees, and again declined to do so on Monday.”, as reported by Brian Gaar, the American Statesman, Mar. 24.

It has also been mentioned in a statement by a company spokesperson that the employees who were aboard MH370, were extremely talented and valuable in the technological field.

Of the 239 people aboard flight MH370, most of them were engineers and others working to make the company’s chip facilities in Tianjin, China and Kuala Lumpur more efficient.

 “These were people with a lot of experience and technical background and they were very important people,” Haws said. “It’s definitely a loss for the company.” Mitch Haws vice president of global communications and investors relations

According to the Freescale’s website, operations for the company began in 1972 and covered an eight hectare site that tests and manufactures microprocessors, digital signal processors and integrated radio frequency circuits.

 Furthermore it owns Freescale RF which is involved in making solutions for Aerospace and Defense including: Battlefield communications, Avionics, HF Radar – Band L and S, Missile Guidance, Electronic Warfare, and Identification (IFF).

In fact it’s been reported that Peid Ong Wang, Suzhou, Zhijun Chen, Suzhou, Zhihong Cheng, Suzhou and Li Ying, Suzhou, Freescale employees from China who were said to have been onboard flight 370, were each 20% holders of U.S. Patent #US008671381B1. Shockingly, the remaining 20% has been reported to be held by Freescale Semiconductor Ltd., which now after the disappearance of flight 370 becomes the sole patent holder. In laymen’s terms, Lord Jacob Rothschild is now the patent holder by virtue of invested interest into Freescale Semiconductor Ltd.

 To bring things further into perspective, putting the icing on the cake, the Rothschild dynasty owns the Malaysian Central Bank which in-turn is heavily invested into the Malaysian government and Malaysian Airlines.

Is this just another coincidence?


What do you think happened? Leave your comments below!

VIA

malasia· MH370

Who Benefits From Missing Flight 370?

Have you pieced together the puzzle of missing flight 370 to Beijing China ?? If not, here are your missing pieces. In this bizarre case of the missing Malaysian airliner, one plus one is starting to equal two. I found these facts to be very fascinating and may add a bit more into your own thoughts on what could have happened to this plane.

Interesting Developments:

On September 15, 2006, Freescale agreed to a $17.6 billion buyout by a consortium led by Blackstone Group and its co-investors, Carlyle Group, TPG Capital, and Permira. The buyout offer was accepted on November 13, 2006 following a vote by company shareholders.

The US technological company, Freescale Semiconductor, who shared its rights with Rothschild, had twenty senior members on board who had just launched a new electronic warfare gadget for military radar system’s the day before the plane went missing.  (The patent on this was not approved until after the flight went missing!)

 The Semiconductor company develops microprocessors, sensors, and other technology including stand-alone semiconductors that perform dedicated computing functions.

Freescale previously confirmed that the 20 employees — 12 from Malaysia and eight from China — were among 239 people on flight MH370. The company has not released the names of those employees, and again declined to do so on Monday.”, as reported by Brian Gaar, the American Statesman, Mar. 24.

It has also been mentioned in a statement by a company spokesperson that the employees who were aboard MH370, were extremely talented and valuable in the technological field.

Of the 239 people aboard flight MH370, most of them were engineers and others working to make the company’s chip facilities in Tianjin, China and Kuala Lumpur more efficient.

 “These were people with a lot of experience and technical background and they were very important people,” Haws said. “It’s definitely a loss for the company.” Mitch Haws vice president of global communications and investors relations

According to the Freescale’s website, operations for the company began in 1972 and covered an eight hectare site that tests and manufactures microprocessors, digital signal processors and integrated radio frequency circuits.

 Furthermore it owns Freescale RF which is involved in making solutions for Aerospace and Defense including: Battlefield communications, Avionics, HF Radar – Band L and S, Missile Guidance, Electronic Warfare, and Identification (IFF).

In fact it’s been reported that Peid Ong Wang, Suzhou, Zhijun Chen, Suzhou, Zhihong Cheng, Suzhou and Li Ying, Suzhou, Freescale employees from China who were said to have been onboard flight 370, were each 20% holders of U.S. Patent #US008671381B1. Shockingly, the remaining 20% has been reported to be held by Freescale Semiconductor Ltd., which now after the disappearance of flight 370 becomes the sole patent holder. In laymen’s terms, Lord Jacob Rothschild is now the patent holder by virtue of invested interest into Freescale Semiconductor Ltd.

 To bring things further into perspective, putting the icing on the cake, the Rothschild dynasty owns the Malaysian Central Bank which in-turn is heavily invested into the Malaysian government and Malaysian Airlines.

Is this just another coincidence?


What do you think happened? Leave your comments below!

VIA

It seems with the many reports of birth defects, organ failure, cancer, and other unsavory health conditions associated with GMO consumption, we should limit the use of GMO in baby products. After all, babies are very sensitive to the foods they consume, and we already know that pesticides found in mother’s milk can be damaging. Below you will learn of three companies which represent more than 90% of baby formula sales in the US that won’t consider removing GMOs from your baby’s food.

Health-Damaging GMOs in Baby Formula

Why would we knowingly feed our children GMOs before it has really been proven to be ‘safe’ as Monsanto, BASF, and other companies like Abbott Laboratories, Mead Johnson Nutrition, and Nestlé USA, the company who wants to own water rights, tout?

If you feed your baby one of the following three infant formulas, you are perhaps, unknowingly, feeding them GMO corn, sugar beets, and soy, since they are often used these companies’ products:

1. Similac

One of the widest used brands and often given out for ‘free’ at hospitals, this baby formula is made by Abbott Laboratories. The company is selling you a can of baby formula for over $100 that is full of GMO poisons. You could contact the company to ask why it would include GMOs, or, you can just boycott it altogether. Shareholders are supposed to vote on whether the company is able to continue to use GMO in baby formulas. Abott Laboratories is one of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies – go figure.

Read: Mother Threatened for Feeding Baby Goat’s Milk Instead of GMO Formula

2. Enfamil

Another baby formula often given out as ‘free’ samples to new mothers iis made by Mead Johnson Nutrition. Their website boasts, ‘Enfamil, scientifically designed to meet the nutritional needs of newborns and infants.’ The following Mead Johnson formulas are known to have GMO toxins:

• Enfamil with Iron
• Enfamil with low Iron
• Enfamil Lacto Free
• Enfamil 22
• Enfamil Next Step (both soy and milk varieties)
• Enfamil Nutramigen
• Enfamil Pro-Soybee

3. Gerber Good Start

The GMO-riddled formula made by Nestlé USA is perhaps the most questionable since the company has knowingly tried to ‘patent’ water and make it a commodity though it is all part of life itself on this planet. Do we really want to trust a company who wants privatize water with feeding our children health foods? The company went GMO free in South Africa, according to Corporate Action Network, but continues to sell American families the contaminated GMO formula we feed our babies every day.

Nestlé USA and Mead Johnson Nutrition have dismissed calls to remove genetically-modified organisms (GMO) from their infant formula products in the US – citing the approved use of GMOs by several national and global regulatory bodies.

You can boycott all these companies and start making your own home-made, natural baby formula without toxic chemicals and pesticides and nasty GMOs. The assistant director of the FDA, Nick Duy, says we shouldn’t make our own baby formula, but why isn’t he ousting these companies for using questionable (at best) and health-damaging GMOs?

VIA

  

GMO· Nestlé

3 Companies Using GMOs in Baby Formula

It seems with the many reports of birth defects, organ failure, cancer, and other unsavory health conditions associated with GMO consumption, we should limit the use of GMO in baby products. After all, babies are very sensitive to the foods they consume, and we already know that pesticides found in mother’s milk can be damaging. Below you will learn of three companies which represent more than 90% of baby formula sales in the US that won’t consider removing GMOs from your baby’s food.

Health-Damaging GMOs in Baby Formula

Why would we knowingly feed our children GMOs before it has really been proven to be ‘safe’ as Monsanto, BASF, and other companies like Abbott Laboratories, Mead Johnson Nutrition, and Nestlé USA, the company who wants to own water rights, tout?

If you feed your baby one of the following three infant formulas, you are perhaps, unknowingly, feeding them GMO corn, sugar beets, and soy, since they are often used these companies’ products:

1. Similac

One of the widest used brands and often given out for ‘free’ at hospitals, this baby formula is made by Abbott Laboratories. The company is selling you a can of baby formula for over $100 that is full of GMO poisons. You could contact the company to ask why it would include GMOs, or, you can just boycott it altogether. Shareholders are supposed to vote on whether the company is able to continue to use GMO in baby formulas. Abott Laboratories is one of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies – go figure.

Read: Mother Threatened for Feeding Baby Goat’s Milk Instead of GMO Formula

2. Enfamil

Another baby formula often given out as ‘free’ samples to new mothers iis made by Mead Johnson Nutrition. Their website boasts, ‘Enfamil, scientifically designed to meet the nutritional needs of newborns and infants.’ The following Mead Johnson formulas are known to have GMO toxins:

• Enfamil with Iron
• Enfamil with low Iron
• Enfamil Lacto Free
• Enfamil 22
• Enfamil Next Step (both soy and milk varieties)
• Enfamil Nutramigen
• Enfamil Pro-Soybee

3. Gerber Good Start

The GMO-riddled formula made by Nestlé USA is perhaps the most questionable since the company has knowingly tried to ‘patent’ water and make it a commodity though it is all part of life itself on this planet. Do we really want to trust a company who wants privatize water with feeding our children health foods? The company went GMO free in South Africa, according to Corporate Action Network, but continues to sell American families the contaminated GMO formula we feed our babies every day.

Nestlé USA and Mead Johnson Nutrition have dismissed calls to remove genetically-modified organisms (GMO) from their infant formula products in the US – citing the approved use of GMOs by several national and global regulatory bodies.

You can boycott all these companies and start making your own home-made, natural baby formula without toxic chemicals and pesticides and nasty GMOs. The assistant director of the FDA, Nick Duy, says we shouldn’t make our own baby formula, but why isn’t he ousting these companies for using questionable (at best) and health-damaging GMOs?

VIA

  

Silicon Valley tech giants are not happy with the effect that their cooperation with NSA's domestic spying program is having on their reputation, and they are using classic public relations techniques to fight back.

In case you missed it Microsoft, Facebook, Google, and Yahoo and a number of other tech companies were exposed in 2013 for their participation in a domestic surveillance program entitled PRISM. According to documents obtained by The Guardian through PRISM the NSA and GCHQ had direct access to emails, chats, photos, file transfers, voice and video calls and virtually any data associated with social media accounts.

Below is one slide from those documents. It's probably the most famous document from the Snowden leaks.

We do not provide any government organization with direct access to Facebook servers,” said Joe Sullivan, chief security officer for Facebook. "When Facebook is asked for data or information about specific individuals, we carefully scrutinize any such request for compliance with all applicable laws, and provide information only to the extent required by law."

"We have never heard of PRISM," said Steve Dowling, a spokesman for Apple. "We do not provide any government agency with direct access to our servers, and any government agency requesting customer data must get a court order."

Of course it was kind of hard to take their denials seriously after the U.S. government confirmed that the documents were real and sought to arrest Edward Snowden for treason.

It's worth noting the specific words that were chosen in Facebook and Apple's public statements. Note that neither one claimed that they didn't give the NSA access to customer information, instead they said that the NSA didn't have direct access to their servers. Direct access to the servers isn't the issue. We know in the case of AT&T the company forked a duplicate stream of all communications through a special room entitled Room 641A so that the NSA could use that data freely. There was no need to give them server access. Given the damage that this scandal has caused, you can be sure that if these companies were on the level they would have made very wide denials to remove all doubt. The use of carefully phrased statements that are technically true but designed to deceive is classic PR.

The idea that these companies cooperated by allowing the NSA routing communications to the NSA rather than giving the NSA access to their servers is corroborated by another classified report obtained by The Washington Post, where the arrangement is described as allowing "collection managers [to send] content tasking instructions directly to equipment installed at company-controlled locations," rather than directly to company servers.

We also know from the leaked documents that the government knew that if these companies were exposed they would likely withdraw from the program.

"98 percent of PRISM production is based on Yahoo, Google and Microsoft; we need to make sure we don’t harm these sources," the briefing’s author wrote in his speaker’s notes.

While as of yet we don't have the technical details of how Facebook, Apple and Yahoo granted access to customer data, Microsoft isn't in a position to formulate such carefully worded denials due to the specifics that were revealed regarding their participation. According to the documents obtained by The Guardian, Microsoft didn't just hand over access to customer communications, they actively assisted the NSA in developing a method to crack their own encryption to enable real time access and recording of Skype audio and video calls. Again we don't know the specifics of how the data was routed, but that's not really the point is it.


Over time it must have become clear to these companies that the public wasn't buying their denials, because recently both Google and Facebook have begun to engage in more sophisticated public relations techniques. Specifically they are re-framing the scandal as security issue, where the NSA is the bad guy and they are the knights in shining armor fighting to defend your privacy. It's also interesting to not that both Facebook and Google made statements to bolster this idea within two weeks of each other.

Google's CEO Eric Schmidt drew attention in a speech at SXSW this year when he claimed that Google had been attacked by both the NSA and by China and that they were encrypting customer data to protect privacy.

Then this past week Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, posted a statement expressing his disappointment in the U.S. government's behavior:

This is why I've been so confused and frustrated by the repeated reports of the behavior of the US government. When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we're protecting you against criminals, not our own government.
The US government should be the champion for the internet, not a threat. They need to be much more transparent about what they're doing, or otherwise people will believe the worst.
I've called President Obama to express my frustration over the damage the government is creating for all of our future. Unfortunately, it seems like it will take a very long time for true full reform.
So it's up to us -- all of us -- to build the internet we want. Together, we can build a space that is greater and a more important part of the world than anything we have today, but is also safe and secure. I'm committed to seeing this happen, and you can count on Facebook to do our part.

 Now granted, the security issue that Zuckerberg is referring to here was worth looking at. It turns out that the NSA was caught in an operation in which they masqueraded as Facebook in order to take control of user computers. Taken in isolation Zuckerberg's outrage is perfectly justified, however from a public relations standpoint it has the effect of diverting anger away from Facebook for their part in handing over your personal information.

But what about the lawsuit that Facebook and Google filed demanding the right to tell their customers about the number of requests made by the NSA? Doesn't this show that they are operating in good faith?

Again pay attention to the careful wording. They are demanding permission to reveal the number of "requests", they aren't asking for permission to reveal the full scale of their cooperation. If the data sharing arrangement at Facebook and Google was set up like it was at AT&T the NSA wouldn't have needed to make any requests whatsoever. These companies filed a lawsuit for permission to release a number that is absolutely meaningless. It's a public relations stunt, pure and simple, but some people will fall for it.

Now some would make the argument that these companies felt legally compelled to cooperate with the NSA and that we cannot hold them accountable for their part in this, but that's nonsense. If they are willing to take the U.S. government to court now, after years of handing over your data, why didn't they take the government to court in the very beginning? They might have lost, but they would have at least alerted us to what was going on. Further more, now that Google and other companies are facing a serious trust issue they have claim to have taken steps to encrypt customer data in such a way that the NSA cannot access it. Well, why didn't they do this earlier? The truth is your privacy wasn't a priority until this blew up in their face.

If you read the writings of Edward Bernays, often referred to as the father of public relations, you'll discover that the real art of PR lies in the redirection of attention. If Silicon Valley can shift the NSA controversy away from PRISM, and focus it on security breaches, they may succeed in patching up their reputations. Judging from the comments on Mark Zuckerberg's post though, a sizable portion of their user base isn't buying it.

Sources:
Snowden documents show that the NSA impersonated Facebook to hack people's computers: http://www.democracynow.org/2014/3/17/snowden_docs_expose_how_the_nsa

Zuckerberg's public statement about the NSA's activities: https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10101301165605491

Google claims it was attacked by the NSA and China: http://rt.com/usa/google-schmidt-speech-sxsw-546/

Microsoft was exposed actively collaborating with the NSA to give them real time access to your Skype audio and video calls: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/11/microsoft-nsa-collaboration...

Perhaps that's why Bill Gates doesn't like Snowden: http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/bill-gates-the-rolling-stone-in...

Washington Post - Addresses the careful wording in the denials by Facebook and Apple: http://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/us-intelligence-mining-data...

AT&T exposed for routing all communications to the NSA back in 2006: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/homefront/interviews/klein.html

Room 641 A: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_641A

CEO· facebook· Mark Zuckerberg· NSA

How Big Tech Companies are Using PR Techniques to Counter the Effects of NSA Scandal

Silicon Valley tech giants are not happy with the effect that their cooperation with NSA's domestic spying program is having on their reputation, and they are using classic public relations techniques to fight back.

In case you missed it Microsoft, Facebook, Google, and Yahoo and a number of other tech companies were exposed in 2013 for their participation in a domestic surveillance program entitled PRISM. According to documents obtained by The Guardian through PRISM the NSA and GCHQ had direct access to emails, chats, photos, file transfers, voice and video calls and virtually any data associated with social media accounts.

Below is one slide from those documents. It's probably the most famous document from the Snowden leaks.

We do not provide any government organization with direct access to Facebook servers,” said Joe Sullivan, chief security officer for Facebook. "When Facebook is asked for data or information about specific individuals, we carefully scrutinize any such request for compliance with all applicable laws, and provide information only to the extent required by law."

"We have never heard of PRISM," said Steve Dowling, a spokesman for Apple. "We do not provide any government agency with direct access to our servers, and any government agency requesting customer data must get a court order."

Of course it was kind of hard to take their denials seriously after the U.S. government confirmed that the documents were real and sought to arrest Edward Snowden for treason.

It's worth noting the specific words that were chosen in Facebook and Apple's public statements. Note that neither one claimed that they didn't give the NSA access to customer information, instead they said that the NSA didn't have direct access to their servers. Direct access to the servers isn't the issue. We know in the case of AT&T the company forked a duplicate stream of all communications through a special room entitled Room 641A so that the NSA could use that data freely. There was no need to give them server access. Given the damage that this scandal has caused, you can be sure that if these companies were on the level they would have made very wide denials to remove all doubt. The use of carefully phrased statements that are technically true but designed to deceive is classic PR.

The idea that these companies cooperated by allowing the NSA routing communications to the NSA rather than giving the NSA access to their servers is corroborated by another classified report obtained by The Washington Post, where the arrangement is described as allowing "collection managers [to send] content tasking instructions directly to equipment installed at company-controlled locations," rather than directly to company servers.

We also know from the leaked documents that the government knew that if these companies were exposed they would likely withdraw from the program.

"98 percent of PRISM production is based on Yahoo, Google and Microsoft; we need to make sure we don’t harm these sources," the briefing’s author wrote in his speaker’s notes.

While as of yet we don't have the technical details of how Facebook, Apple and Yahoo granted access to customer data, Microsoft isn't in a position to formulate such carefully worded denials due to the specifics that were revealed regarding their participation. According to the documents obtained by The Guardian, Microsoft didn't just hand over access to customer communications, they actively assisted the NSA in developing a method to crack their own encryption to enable real time access and recording of Skype audio and video calls. Again we don't know the specifics of how the data was routed, but that's not really the point is it.


Over time it must have become clear to these companies that the public wasn't buying their denials, because recently both Google and Facebook have begun to engage in more sophisticated public relations techniques. Specifically they are re-framing the scandal as security issue, where the NSA is the bad guy and they are the knights in shining armor fighting to defend your privacy. It's also interesting to not that both Facebook and Google made statements to bolster this idea within two weeks of each other.

Google's CEO Eric Schmidt drew attention in a speech at SXSW this year when he claimed that Google had been attacked by both the NSA and by China and that they were encrypting customer data to protect privacy.

Then this past week Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, posted a statement expressing his disappointment in the U.S. government's behavior:

This is why I've been so confused and frustrated by the repeated reports of the behavior of the US government. When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we're protecting you against criminals, not our own government.
The US government should be the champion for the internet, not a threat. They need to be much more transparent about what they're doing, or otherwise people will believe the worst.
I've called President Obama to express my frustration over the damage the government is creating for all of our future. Unfortunately, it seems like it will take a very long time for true full reform.
So it's up to us -- all of us -- to build the internet we want. Together, we can build a space that is greater and a more important part of the world than anything we have today, but is also safe and secure. I'm committed to seeing this happen, and you can count on Facebook to do our part.

 Now granted, the security issue that Zuckerberg is referring to here was worth looking at. It turns out that the NSA was caught in an operation in which they masqueraded as Facebook in order to take control of user computers. Taken in isolation Zuckerberg's outrage is perfectly justified, however from a public relations standpoint it has the effect of diverting anger away from Facebook for their part in handing over your personal information.

But what about the lawsuit that Facebook and Google filed demanding the right to tell their customers about the number of requests made by the NSA? Doesn't this show that they are operating in good faith?

Again pay attention to the careful wording. They are demanding permission to reveal the number of "requests", they aren't asking for permission to reveal the full scale of their cooperation. If the data sharing arrangement at Facebook and Google was set up like it was at AT&T the NSA wouldn't have needed to make any requests whatsoever. These companies filed a lawsuit for permission to release a number that is absolutely meaningless. It's a public relations stunt, pure and simple, but some people will fall for it.

Now some would make the argument that these companies felt legally compelled to cooperate with the NSA and that we cannot hold them accountable for their part in this, but that's nonsense. If they are willing to take the U.S. government to court now, after years of handing over your data, why didn't they take the government to court in the very beginning? They might have lost, but they would have at least alerted us to what was going on. Further more, now that Google and other companies are facing a serious trust issue they have claim to have taken steps to encrypt customer data in such a way that the NSA cannot access it. Well, why didn't they do this earlier? The truth is your privacy wasn't a priority until this blew up in their face.

If you read the writings of Edward Bernays, often referred to as the father of public relations, you'll discover that the real art of PR lies in the redirection of attention. If Silicon Valley can shift the NSA controversy away from PRISM, and focus it on security breaches, they may succeed in patching up their reputations. Judging from the comments on Mark Zuckerberg's post though, a sizable portion of their user base isn't buying it.

Sources:
Snowden documents show that the NSA impersonated Facebook to hack people's computers: http://www.democracynow.org/2014/3/17/snowden_docs_expose_how_the_nsa

Zuckerberg's public statement about the NSA's activities: https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10101301165605491

Google claims it was attacked by the NSA and China: http://rt.com/usa/google-schmidt-speech-sxsw-546/

Microsoft was exposed actively collaborating with the NSA to give them real time access to your Skype audio and video calls: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/11/microsoft-nsa-collaboration...

Perhaps that's why Bill Gates doesn't like Snowden: http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/bill-gates-the-rolling-stone-in...

Washington Post - Addresses the careful wording in the denials by Facebook and Apple: http://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/us-intelligence-mining-data...

AT&T exposed for routing all communications to the NSA back in 2006: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/homefront/interviews/klein.html

Room 641 A: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_641A