The world is finally beginning to wake up to the global tyranny that is threatening all of humanity. In the past two months I have heard from people that I have not heard from or seen for 10-20 years. I have heard from former players, students, friends and neighbors.

Several people contacting out of my distant past may not sound significant, but I had zero expectation of hearing from any of these people again. And all of the contacts were motivated by their concern for the decimation of our Republic and my work towards reversing the trend curve.

Sometimes as I pound away at my keyboard in the middle of the night, I wonder if I am making a difference with regard to awakening the multitude of sheep in this country. Frequently, I have wondered if any of us are making a real difference. Yet, I have met so many gifted morally upstanding people in our Patriot movement. The majority of the people in the alternative media, too many to mention, have talent, charisma, intelligence, education, a love of God and country and are only motivated by the desire to live in a society which is governed by people who want to help their fellow man, not to enslave them.

I am very gratified to say that my personal barometer says that after a long battle, the journalists in the truthful media are beginning to reach a critical mass of influence.

In the classic book written by Malcom Gladwell, The Tipping Point, he postulates what it takes to get an idea to go viral. True to Gladwell’s premises, we in the alternative media have dramatically increased our contact base and our subsequent reach.

Just Who Is the Alternative Media?

One does not have to maintain a website or host a talk show to have an effect in the war on corruption and tyranny. I have met several people on Facebook who share articles that they identify with and they send these articles to scores of people. Many of these same people will also write an accurate and succinct summary of world events in a paragraph or two, insert a clever picture, which serves to enhance the meaning, and then send it on. They, too, comprise the alternative media.

I am simply awestruck at the reach that we are acquiring in the alternative media. We are having a dramatic impact and the effect is incredible given the fact that we are demonized in the MSM and the globalists control 98% of the corporate media. And, yet, America is still waking up.

All of us, whether we write, broadcast, share on Facebook or simply educate our neighbors and friends, should all take a look in the mirror and pat ourselves on the back because we are being successful in the first step towards taking our country back, which is to awaken the sleeping masses.

How Does the Process of Awakening Work?

Scientists from the prestigious Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have determined that if just 10% of any given population holds to an unshakable idea, that the idea will become adopted by the majority of the country. However, the scientists who belong to the Social Cognitive Networks Academic Research Center (SCNARC) found that if the ideas are shared by less than 10% of the population, the idea will not progress and will eventually die out. The research was first published in a peer reviewed E Journal in an article titled “Social consensus through the influence of committed minorities.”

Computational and analytical methods were used to discover the tipping point where an obscure idea eventually becomes the majority opinion. The finding has dramatic implications for those of us trying to wake up the sheep in this country.

The SCNARC scientists found that the 10% figure was applicable whether they were talking about the spread of innovations or to advance a political ideal.

Our Friends Did Not Fund this Research

The research was funded by the Army Research Laboratory, with its obvious DARPA connections, through SCNARC. Additionally, the Army Research Office, and the Office of Naval Research contributed as well. SCNARC’s corporate and academic partners consist of IBM, Northeastern University, and the City University of New York, as well as collaborators from Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University, Northwestern University, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Maryland, and Indiana. As most of you will recognize, many of these organizations are fronts for globalist projects. Therefore, you can bet that the other side has a vested interest in limiting the number of sheeple that we are able to reach and convert.

Now does it make sense as to why the globalists are out to control the Internet? Why they seek to enact draconian legislation such as the NDAA and the PATRIOT Acts so they can create a matrix on who is being effective in the awakening of our country and then have a means to arrest the influential subversives who would oppose the emerging totalitarianism? It is obvious that the globalists seek to control the dialogue so that the critical mass of 10% is never reached. However, it is too late. The proof that the 10% threshold has been breached is apparent given the explosion of the alternative media and, unfortunately, there is one more factor to consider.

An Ominous Sign of Success

While most of us were still asleep, we would have been allowed by the globalists to lead lives of quiet desperation. However, as we awaken and seek to take action against the criminals who have hijacked our government in such scandals as Benghazi, the AP scandal and the abuse of power by the IRS, the globalists must take action. Simply put, our new-found awareness is becoming problematic for the globalist plans for world government and the unfolding of eugenics programs designed to dramatically reduce the population.

The globalists know that we are an incident away from running down every one of them so that we can get our hands on them and then subsequently hang them from the light poles on Wall Street. Why do you think that 30% of Congress has announced they are not seeking re-election? They are frightened and they know what is coming and so does DHS. Oh yeah, you say, as you suddenly remember that DHS has purchased 2.2 billion rounds of ammunition and 2,700 armored personnel carriers. DHS is declaring war on the American people and, in particular, they are going to go after veterans, Christians, gun owners, Libertarians, Constitutionalists and former supporters of Ron Paul.

Success Comes With a Price

Our new-found awareness comes with a price tag. You, I, and anyone who reads these types of articles are a threat to the establishment and must be dealt with. Assassination is no longer a widespread option for the globalists, as there are too many of us. To deal with what could evolve into an awakening monster, the globalists are meeting in secret this weekend in order to decide how to deal with us.

I think prudent people would be asking why the G-7 nations have called a highly unusual emergency meeting this weekend outside of London. This was unscheduled and can only be considered as an emergency meeting.

Bank Holiday or Worse?

Is a “bank holiday” coming in our immediate future which would likely be preceded by a false flag event in which martial law is rolled out? I know, I know, that this is only the talk of a conspiracy theorist. However, I have always maintained that a revaluation of assets and currencies would eventually take place. The globalists forced down the price of gold by manipulating the market and bought as much gold as they could at the depressed price. Why would a rich person buy as much gold as they could? Of course, they are seeking to convert their soon-to-be worthless cash into gold preceding the coming calamity.

Additionally, I have happened across some information which is suggestive of the fact that globalists are going to be collecting much more than gold, they will soon be collecting people. More on that and other issues as well in part two.

RELATED ARTICLE:
Tyranny’s Last Stand: The Tipping Point is Here

Dave is an award winning psychology, statistics and research professor, a college basketball coach, a mental health counselor, a political activist and writer who has published dozens of editorials and articles in several publications such as Freedoms Phoenix, News With Views and The Arizona Republic.

The Common Sense Show features a wide variety of important topics that range from the loss of constitutional liberties, to the subsequent implementation of a police state under world governance, to exploring the limits of human potential. The primary purpose of The Common Sense Show is to provide Americans with the tools necessary to reclaim both our individual and national sovereignty.

 

The power that new technology gives to grassroots movements comes into focus occasionally. It did when people rallied to the protection of internet freedoms from SOPA/PIPA bills on the call from online giants. It did when Egyptian anti-government protesters or London rioters coordinated their action through Facebook and Twitter.

The people behind Buycott, a new app for Apple devices, apparently eye the same direction. The program combines a simple barcode scanner with a database of corporate ownership and a website for user-suggested activism campaigns.

A campaign lists companies that support some cause, like opposing factory farming or lobbying for the big oil, which supporters of the campaign would love or hate. When a barcode is scanned, the application tracks the product to the parent company that will ultimately profit from the purchase and checks against your selected campaigns. If there is a match, the app green-lights or red flags the product.

Buycott is by no means the first mobile app to promote activism through boycotting or buying something. But it’s apparently the first one aiming to remain neutral and giving the users the choice of which cause they want to champion. At the moment the most popular campaigns denounce the conservative businessmen Charles and David Koch and promote GMO labeling, with both sporting more than 20,000 supporters, but there is no reason why opposite campaigns wouldn’t become popular too. Campaigns for opposing goals do exist even now.

Screenshot from buycott.com

“I don’t want to push any single point of view with the app,” Ivan Pardo, the man behind it, told Forbes. “For me, it was critical to allow users to create campaigns because I don’t think it’s Buycott’s role to tell people what to buy. We simply want to provide a platform that empowers consumers to make well-informed purchasing decisions.”

The Los Angeles-based 26-year-old freelance programmer spent the last 16 months to develop the app. It debuted in iTunes and Google play in early May, but since then the Android version had been suspended, because Buycott was caught unprepared for the sudden popularity and the technical difficulties it cause.

“I simply didn’t set up the servers to be prepared to handle 10+ new users every second. I was expecting a more manageable rise,” Pardo explained

Apart from managing the workload on servers and fixing glitches the company is busy updating its corporate database. The multitier ownership structure is quite intricate, and some brands do not quite link to their parent companies at the moment. They are also asking users to give info on products that are missing in their database.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that there was an “ongoing investigation” that followed the blocking of the account of Dwolla, a business that allows users to convert U.S dollars into BitCoin and back again.

According to the Department of Homeland Security in the US, the peer-to-peer currency violates new laws that require online transfer systems to identify its users.

“The shutdown of Mt.Gox is a little bit worrying, it looks as if the US government wants to put a stranglehold on the kind of business that’s popping up around Bitcoin, but, crucially, it doesn’t affect much the currency itself. It’s just the exchanges around it and the US exchanges. And by the nature of it, Bitcoin being an international currency, shutting down an exchange like Mt. Gox, even if it affects the liquidity of Bitcoin, can’t kill Bitcoin.”

What’s more, the idea of rivalry between Bitcoin and regular currency is a relatively new phenomenon, as Mahdawi indicated.

“Central banks around the world are looking at the development of Bitcoin with a lot of fear, and not just central banks, but the traditional banking as a whole. If you think about it, Bitcoin has been around since 2008, it’s been around for ages. The regulators didn’t pay any attention to it whatsoever, they dismissed it as sort of monopoly money.”

According to Mahdawi, just in the past few months, Bitcoin has really gained legitimacy, we saw the huge spike in terms of its value, we’re seeing investors pour money into Bitcoin.

“A couple of weeks ago, Union Square Ventures, a very credible investment group, spent $5 million investing in Coinbase, which is sort of a PayPal for Bitcoin. A lot of infrastructures are building around Bitcoin, and that’s why the [Federal Reserve] is looking at it as a real threat to its dominance,” she said.

The virtual currency leads to people re-assessing the value and the meaning of money, Mahdawi stressed.

“The interesting thing about Bitcoin is that it’s made everybody start to talk about what money is, and why money has any value. If you think about it, since 1971, when the US came off the gold standard, the dollar hasn’t been linked to gold, it hasn’t been linked to anything. You have a piece of paper which says ‘In God we trust’ on it, but it isn’t the government we trust. That piece of paper is absolutely meaningless. You’re putting your trust into banks and central authorities. Bitcoin is a whole new idea of money when the money is basically regulated by network and by people.

Mahdawi believes that with people losing trust in governments, the idea of something like Bitcoin is really gaining in popularity, and people are beginning to realize that dollars are no more real as a currency than something like Bitcoin and they are starting to re-assess what the future of money is.

“Bitcoin isn’t going to wipe the dollar off the face of the Earth in the next few years, but I think we’re going to see the emergence of the alternative currencies in a world where traders buy through the internet, in a borderless world with the internet, so the idea of sovereign currency is starting to make less and less sense,” she said.

Mahdawi suggests that Bitcoin could represent a new path in the history of currencies.

“We’ve been in the recession now for several year, the eurozone crisis…People are starting to realize that the government isn’t the best people to put their money to, the government isn’t necessarily going to protect their money for them. So something like Bitcoin represents a call for alternative, [an idea] that you might be better off putting your money in technology rather than in the government. We’re seeing lots of governments beginning to scratch their heads and think about ways they could regulate Bitcoin, think about what things like Bitcoin means to them. Last October, the European Central Bank produced a paper on virtual currencies, and that was the first time that a public institution had produced any kind of meaningful document that looked at virtual currencies.”

The journalist notes that if you look at the bibliography of that document “you will find that the European Central Bank is looking at Wikipedia articles, at Mashable articles trying to find out what on Earth the virtual currency means for them.”

“This week, in the UK, a lot of government officials and people involved in financial regulation got together to start thinking about what Bitcoin means for them. All over the world, the governments are starting to take note and kind of wonder what the future of money means, and how that’s going to affect their dominance,” Mahdawi added.

The hardware behind this invention is a spherical curved LCD display that can fit into a contact lens, developed by Ghent University’s Centre of Microsystems Technology in Belgium.

“This is not science fiction,” chief researcher for the project Jelle De Smet told the Telegraph. “This will never replace the cinema screen for films. But for specific applications it may be interesting to show images such as road directions or projecting text messages from our smart phones straight to our eye.”

These lenses may hit the market within the next few years. In an upgrade from previous models, a new LCD display allows the entire curved surface of the lens to be used.

Earlier versions were based on LEDs, where the display resolution would be limited to only a small number of pixels.

The University of Washington has also been developing new generation of contact lenses that would receive emails and would be able to project information from the Internet, much like in the movie ‘Terminator.’

Other uses of the lens include the concept of adaptable sunglasses – the contact lenses would darken on exposure to light. The lenses could also be used in the fields of medicine and cosmetics.

These advances mark the push for a much wider development of the technology, with the aim of creating a fully pixelated contact lens display as detailed as a television screen.

Tech giants such as Google and Apple have been working to develop similar technology. This past year, Google introduced Project Glass – frames for eyeglasses that project a small computer display into a person’s field of vision. Apple has reportedly patented similar innovations.

A campaign issued by the well-known comic creator of The Oatmeal, Matthew Inman, was established to raise enough money to purchase Nikola Tesla’s laboratory. It ended with incredible success. As we originally reported, a non-profit sought to raise $850,000 in order to match a grant of the same amount by the State of New York to secure the $1.6 million property and keep it out of the hands of a potential real estate developer who had put in an offer that might have erased the site and legacy of a genius whose inventions transformed our world.

The Guardian reported that $500,000 had been raised in just the first few days of Inman’s effort. The final amount donated surged to $1,370,511 by the end of the 45-day campaign.

The attention that this campaign has generated is nothing short of incredible . . . especially since it’s a battle that has been going on for 18 years.

Following the extraordinary success of the campaign to save the site of Tesla’s lab, Matthew Inman had this to say about the rapid success experienced right out of the gate:

In 9 days, we managed to raise over 1 million dollars to go towards buying back Tesla’s old laboratory, and with the $850,000 matching grant from NY state this puts us at 1.85 million bucks. At its peak, the campaign was raising $27,000 per hour, crashing Indiegogo, and probably setting some kind of land speed record in awesomeness. Indiegogo put together this infographic showing some interesting data points behind the campaign.

So what happens next? (Source)

The non-profit behind this project is beginning the phases of putting in a bid on the property.

Excellent, yes? YES.

The campaign even attracted the attention of a distant relative of Tesla’s, Dusan Stojanovic who matched donations in the final days. Inman adds:

Mr. Stojanovic is an angel investor who would like people to be inspired by Tesla and be part of innovating for the future by continuing Tesla’s work, particularly towards solving global energy problems . . .

The campaign successfully exceeded its goal.

Now, after 18 years being sought by a non-profit called “Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe” to put the property back into the hands of the public, campaign creator Inman is reporting the happy news that it has officially been purchased with the funds raised. Inman stresses the significance:

This campaign wasn’t about crowd-funding a video game or financing a start-up or creating a fancy new gadget. It was about righting a wrong. It was a way for everyone to collectively say, “Mr. Tesla, we’re sorry humanity forgot about you for a little while. We still love you lots. Here’s a Goddamn Museum.”

Representatives of the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe organization voiced their amazement and appreciation for the outpouring of support:

“I’m grateful. We’re still absorbing the reality of it, but we’re delighted,” Alcorn said. “We’re certainly excited, and our next job is to start planning the next order of business.”

“Here we are almost a hundred years later, and now the property has come back into the sphere of influence of Nikola Tesla,” said David Madigan, a board member of the Tesla Science Center nonprofit. “It’s a satisfying feeling.”

“We have evaluations yet to do, decisions to make about what buildings to adapt,” Alcorn said. “There’s a long process ahead, and a lot more money to raise.” (Source)

What’s next?

The property is secure, but the work to build the museum has just begun. As stated on the campain site:

The remainder of the money from the campaign will be used to clean up and begin renovations on the property, but actually turning it into a museum is going to cost quite a bit more.

The non-profit behind this project has a site plan to turn the land into a science center. They don’t want this to become a stagnant museum where you visit once and then never go back. Instead, they want it to be a place with rotating exhibits, classes, and working space for entrepreneurs, researchers, and students.

Unfortunately, the land is covered by a derelict, asbestos-laden factory space that was built by a photo processing company who previously occupied the property. Building the museum would require either renovating or demolishing all of these structures and preserving the original Stanford White structure that originally housed Tesla’s laboratory.

This is going to take time and a lot more money. Furthermore, there are believed to be tunnels underneath the property that were built by Tesla and may still house some of his equipment, and we want to be able to examine and excavate these underground chambers before building anything on top of it. There are rumors of a huge underground resonance chamber, and although I don’t know what an underground resonance chamber is exactly I’m fairly certain it’s both terrifying and awesome.

When can I visit the museum?

Although the actual science center is going to take a lot more time to finance and build, in the interim we’re planning on having an event in Shoreham, New York hopefully this summer. We’re still figuring out the details, but this would be a two day event and will have musical performances, lectures, interactive exhibits, and guided tours of the property (I’m going to be one of the tour guides). The event will focus on science, technology, and innovation. If you’re interested in speaking, please contact us.

Also, I own a fully functional Tesla coil cannon and I plan to BBQ some Sriracha-bacon sandwiches by shooting them with its 20,000 volt electric arc, so the event will be both scientific and delicious. Again, we’re shooting for this summer but we haven’t pinned down a date yet. I’ll post the details about the event as soon as I have them. (Source)

It appears that donations are still being accepted at The Oatmeal’s DONATE PAGE. Or you can contact the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe non-profit directly HERE.

Please watch the video below for some recent news coverage, and consider donating if you have it in your budget to help reinvigorate a very important part of the history of technology, and present a new repository of information for people to learn more about this largely forgotten inventor, his amazing work, and his tragic story as he fell prey to corporate power brokers.

A big thank you to all of those who so generously donated to this endeavor.

Here is media coverage of the initiative to save Tesla’s lab:

Making your own air fresheners using essential oils is a money-saving way to add pleasant, fresh scents to your home while reducing your exposure to unwanted chemicals. Plus, you can completely tailor the scents to your preferences or your needs. If you haven’t used essential oils before, don’t be afraid to jump in.

Essential oils are a highly-concentrated and fragrant liquid extracted from plants and can provide a range of theraputic and health benefits. Look for essential oils at health and natural foods stores or online. Don’t let the price tag scare you off — just a few drops of essential oil goes a very long way — and those tiny bottles will most likely end up lasting you years.

Here are some common essential oils and their benefits:

• Lavender: improves sleep quality and calms the nervous system
• Basil: helps relieve headaches
• Rosemary: stimulates the mind and improves memory
• Clary sage: calms the nervous system
• Clove oil: helps relieve nasal congestion and also contains aphrodisiac qualities
• Lemon: acts as a natural antidepressant and calms anxiety
• Orange: refreshes and relaxes

Homemade oil diffusers
Oil diffusers are a great way to infuse your home with a continuous and subtle scent, while avoiding the potential danger of a flame from a candle. The cost of many these packaged diffusers is unfortunately not as pleasant, however, and they often contain unnatural ingredients that we don’t necessarily want diffused around the house along with the scent.

To skip the unwanted ingredients and the expense, try making your own oil diffuser using an essential oil of your choosing. Or, experiment with combining oils for a highly-personalized scent — just be sure to test out the combination by adding a drop or two of each of the oils to a cotton ball to make sure the blend is appealing to you.

You will need:

• A small, clean jar. A container with a wide base and a small opening works best, as they discourage evaporation.
• Reeds. A lot of health stores and candle shops carry reeds. They are also available for purchase online.
• Mineral oil. Available in grocery and drug stores. Mineral oil is less viscous than vegetable oil and is better at carrying the scent up the reeds.
• Vodka. Plain, unflavored, nondiluted vodka. The vodka helps thin out the oil so that it will move more easily up the reeds.
• Essential oil(s). A few suggested oil combinations are lavender and lemon, orange and cinnamon, and basil and peppermint.

How to assemble your oil diffuser:

1. Pour one-quarter cup mineral oil and two tablespoons vodka into a measuring cup and stir well to combine the liquids.
2. Add in one and one-half tablespoons of essential oil (the ratio should be about one part essential oil to four parts mineral oil and vodka).
3. Stir well and pour the oil mixture into your container. Insert as many reeds as will fit into the opening.
4. Flip the reeds every few days to optimize the scent diffusion.

Homemade air freshening spray

When your home needs a instant refresh, nothing is quicker and easier than a spritz of air freshener. Try making a couple of your own personalized sprays — use a combination of lemon and basil oils for the spray used in the living areas of the home and lavender for the bedroom.

You will need:

• A clean, empty spray bottle
• Water
• Vodka (unflavored and nondiluted)
• Essential oil

How to make your air freshening spray:

1. Pour one cup of water into a clean, reusable spray bottle.
2. Add in two tablespoons of vodka and about 20 drops of essential oils (keep in mind that some essential oils are stronger than others, so start off conservatively when adding the oil).
3. Screw on the top and shake well to combine the mixture.

9 NATURAL AIR FRESHENERS

1. Vinegar

Vinegar is one of the most effective and inexpensive air fresheners around. Just pour distilled white vinegar in a spray bottle and attack the problem areas head on. The vinegar scent may be overpowering at first, but as it evaporates, it’ll take the offensive odors with it.

2. Ground Coffee

To use coffee grounds as an air freshener, let them dry out (an important step to avoid mold) before transferring to a bowl or wrapping in an old stocking that you’ll place in an area that you want to freshen. If you’re not a coffee drinker, visit your nearby coffee joint and ask if you can take some of their used grounds off their hands.

3. Potpourri

There are many recipes to make all-natural, homemade potpourri, but try this video recipe for “green” potpourri. All you’ll need is a brown bag, dried flowers (passion, hibiscus), orris root, orange peel, juniper berries, sandalwood, and orange-scented essential oil. You can find all these organic ingredients in a natural herb store.

4. Vodka

The reason vodka makes such a great freshener is because it contains ethyl alcohol — the main ingredient in store-bought, chemical-laden fresheners — and when it dries, it leaves no odor. You can, however, enhance the smell of the vodka freshener with an essential oil — about 25 drops will do.

5. Citrus and Spices

Bring a pot of orange or lemon rinds and peels to a boil, add in a few cinnamon sticks and/or cloves, and enjoy the fresh, festive fall-like scent it sends through your home. While this freshener will begin to work immediately from the stove, there’s no reason you can’t bottle it for later use.

6. Essential Oils

Essential oils are an important part of several of these natural air fresheners in order to give the base a more pleasant scent. But outside of vodka and potpourri, you can add essential oils to just about anything — such as a homemade candle, perhaps — that will help facilitate easier breathing wherever you are.

7. Baking Soda and Essential Oils

Baking soda and essential oils are perfect to put in a small jar to make a natural air freshener for two reasons:

1. It’s small, unassuming, and aesthetically pleasing.
2. It’s perfect for gifting.

8. The Great Outdoors

Nature is Earth’s air freshener — which is something we often overlook. When there’s a foul odor permeating your abode, open the window — or several — and let the cool breeze travel through your home while pushing out any offensive stenches.

9. Lemons

To remove seafood smells for your hands, it’s recommend to rub them with lemons. Likewise, when your garbage disposal starts to stink, throw a few lemon slices down the hole and run the blades for a burst of citrusy freshness. When you want to deodorize your home, dissolve one-eighth of a cup of baking soda in two cups hot water and a half-cup of lemon juice for an instant air freshener.

Source:
sheknows.com
wisebread.com

Lord May of Oxford, former president of the UK’s Royal Society, has denounced the results conducted by a team under Professor Chen Hualan, the director of China’s National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory.

H7N9, most commonly referred to as bird flu, has been making headlines around the world recently after China confirmed 126 cases which had killed 24 people as of May 1, 2013. That virus, however, has not yet been confirmed to be human-to-human transmissible, which would greatly increase the risk of a pandemic.

That missing leap into human contagion is precisely what scientists as Harbin Veterinary Research Institute in China were interested in experimenting with, which ultimately led that laboratory to produce new viral strains by mixing the H5N1 bird-flu, which can be lethal, but is not easily transmitted between humans, with a 2009 strain of the H1N1 flu virus, which is highly communicable between humans.

According to Lord May, who spoke with The Independent, the experiment represents a breach of safety.

“The record of containment in labs like this is not reassuring. They are taking it upon themselves to create human-to-human transmission of very dangerous viruses. It’s appallingly irresponsible,” said May.

The research was conducted by Chen’s team within a laboratory with the second highest security level to prevent the virus escaping containment. According to results published by the periodical Science on Thursday the study produced 127 different viral hybrids among H5N1 and H1N1, five of which demonstrated airborne transmission between guinea pigs test subjects.

According to Chen, the value of what some experts seem to think is an unnecessary risk is to observe these human transmissible strains to head off a potential pandemic.

“High attention should be paid to monitor the emergence of such mammalian-transmissible virus in nature to prevent a possible pandemic caused by H5N1 virus,” Chen told The Independent.

Others viral experts are less than enthusiastic about Chen’s work, however. Professor Simon Wain-Hobson, a prominent virologist at the Pasteur Institute in France, lauded the work, but also questioned its usefulness.

“It’s a fabulous piece of virology by the Chinese group and it’s very impressive, but they haven’t been thinking clearly about what they are doing. It’s very worrying,” said Wain-Hobson to The Independent.

“The virological basis of this work is not strong. It is of no use for vaccine development and the benefit in terms of surveillance for new flu viruses is oversold,” he added.

A similar H5N1 experiment published in March was conducted by virologist Ron Fouchier of Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands. That experiment led scientists to impose a year-long moratorium on hybrid viral experiments due to the belief that safeguards were insufficient for that type of work.

Microbiologist Richard Ebright of Rutgers University, who was critical of Fouchier’s work, was equally skeptical of the Chinese laboratory’s research.

“The sole major difference is the use of guinea pigs in this paper and ferrets in that paper,” said Ebright.

“In my assessment, neither paper contains substantive new information that justifies the risks posed by the research,” he told Wired.

According to Wain-Hobson, hybrid viral experiments such as Chen’s could not, in the end, be extrapolated to determine the danger to humans.

“We don’t know the pathogenicity [lethality] in man and hopefully we will never know. But if the case fatality rate was between 0.1 and 20 per cent, and a pandemic affected 500 million people, you could estimate anything between 500,000 and 100 million deaths,” Wain-Hobson said.

Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) estimated that the UK government’s budgetary decisions in recent years will reverse improvements in child poverty rates made over the previous 10 years. By 2020, approximately 3.4 million children – about 1 in 4 children – will be living in poverty, nearly 1 million more than the current figure.

“Tax and benefit reforms introduced since April 2010 can account for almost all of the increases in child poverty projected over the next few years,” IFS said.

In 2007, David Cameron committed his party to addressing child poverty, saying that “Ending child poverty is central to improving child well-being.” The Child Poverty Act was passed in 2010, committing both current and future governments to take action to eliminate child poverty.

But the results are apparently the opposite: “The IFS verdict is clear – by both internationally recognized measures, this government is set to plunge over 1 million children into poverty by the end of this decade, undoing all the good work of the last Labour government.” Liam Byrne, the shadow work and pensions secretary, told Huffington Post.

Children in poverty are considered to be those from households with a yearly income below 60 percent of the national average. The IFS examined rates using two indicators: The first relative to what the median income is predicted to be in a given year, and a second absolute indicator measuring against what the median income was in 2010 and 2011.

Image from ifs.org.uk

The number of 3.4 million children in poverty is the most conservative estimate, based on incomes before housing costs are paid. Assessments including those costs and measuring incomes by 2010-2011 levels show that the number of UK children in poverty could be as high as 5 million by the year 2020.

Image from ifs.org.uk

The study was commissioned by the Northern Ireland Executive to assess poverty levels in the region, but it also examined the UK as a whole.

“The impact on an entire generation of children could be devastating, both in terms of their immediate wellbeing and their longer-term lack of opportunities,” the head of Save the Children Scotland, Neil Mathers, said.

However, officials caution that the research’s conclusions may be premature. “The IFS analysis does not fully take into account the dynamic and behavioral changes that will result from our welfare reforms,” a Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson told Huffington Post. “In fact, the changes under Universal Credit will make 3 million households better off and lift up to 250,000 children out of poverty.”

‘Universal Credit’ is a new welfare benefit in the UK that will replace a number of the main benefits and tax credits. The policy has come under a harsh criticism due to a separate study by the TUC and Child Poverty Action Group showing that 9 out of 10 families will see no benefit from the new system.