Scientists at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI) say that they have had their first ever &;quot;contact call&;quot; – with a whale.SETI may seem like an unlikely organization to concern themselves with whale song‚ given that their brief is to search for proof of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. The thing that interests SETI is that whales can serve as a proxy for contacting such alien intelligences. Studying the calls used by humpback whales‚ the team hoped to learn about how much information their vocalizations can convey‚ measure the complexity of their &;quot;language&;quot;‚ and perhaps discover rules of communication that could be applied to alien contact.&;quot;As astrobiology uses Antarctica as a proxy for Mars‚ so we are using non-human but complex communication systems as a proxy for an ETI signal if and when one may be received‚&;quot; SETI explains of the project on their website. &;quot;Humpback whales grew up on the same planet‚ and around the same star‚ as humans did‚ but their communication systems are certainly not human&;#33; Thus we can deprovincialize our thinking and approach to the detection of intelligent life in space.&;quot;Using the knowledge gained from this project‚ the team attempted to make conversation with humpback whales in research published in November 2023‚ playing calls to them in the hope of getting a response. Though most whales ignored the calls‚ one humpback whale named Twain approached the team's boat and circled it‚ while seemingly responding to the call with vocalizations of its own.“We believe this is the first such communicative exchange between humans and humpback whales in the humpback ‘language’‚” Dr Brenda McCowan of the University of California‚ Davis said in a statement at the time.         So‚ what was the &;quot;conversation&;quot; about&;#63; We don't really know. In fact‚ we don't really know what the vocalizations the researchers sent out meant‚ let alone Twain's response. But some sort of attempted communication took place‚ with the whale appearing to respond based on its vocalizations and behavior.“It was a contact call‚” animal behaviorist Dr Josie Hubbard told the New York Post. “It’s how the whales call to each other; they make whoops and thrups‚ and we believe that’s how they determine each other’s locations. And here we were having a unique encounter with Twain. She gave a resounding response.”The team hopes that attempting to communicate with whales could teach us something about communication with intelligent aliens‚ and from this interaction‚ we may have learned a little about the willingness of other species to communicate back‚ and what kind of communication the animals may prefer. In this case‚ Twain appeared more interested at the beginning of the interaction. The calls played to the group of whales had been recorded the previous day‚ and included Twain herself.&;quot;We can only speculate that this initial strong response to our whup call exemplar was due to either a mirroring effect of playing back Twain’s own call to herself or increased interest due to the fact that the call was identifiable to one of her group members‚&;quot; the team wrote in their study. &;quot;Although perhaps unlikely‚ the former would suggest a highly evolved cognitive capacity of self-recognition in humpback whales that could be further explored using a type of interactive adaptive design.&;quot;&;quot;If the latter‚ the initial and then eventual waning of engagement found across the playback exchange provides us with deeper insights into how we can improve future playback designs for unraveling vocal structure and meaning in animal communication.&;quot;The team varied the response time to the whale‚ and found that the animal matched its response time. Eventually‚ however‚ Twain grew bored.&;quot;While our results certainly indicate the importance of dynamical control over the temporal element in a playback‚ a major limitation in our playback study was the inability to modify anything other than the timing of the playback‚&;quot; the team added. &;quot;This limitation may have either frustrated or disinterested the whale over the course of the three phases as indicated by her surface behavior.&;quot;Fingers crossed aliens don't get similarly bored if we eventually do make contact.The study is published in PeerJ.

One family just wanted to make their child’s dream come true. However‚ they might have gotten a bit more than they bargained for after the one octopus they bought for their son multiplied into 51 octopuses.Cal Clifford‚ a 9-year-old from Edmond‚ Oklahoma‚ in the United States‚ had asked for a pet octopus at every birthday and Christmas for the last few years. Eventually‚ after getting in touch with a local aquarium store‚ the boy's parents agreed they could set up a tank and began documenting their octopus-owning journey on TikTok. “We really like to encourage our children’s interests‚” Cal's father Cameron Clifford told AP News. “It’s magical to see a kid embrace their dreams and bring them to fruition. Cal has been infatuated with the natural world and with marine biology since he was very little.”Terrance the California two-spot octopus (Octopus bimaculoides)‚ often referred to as a bimac from the scientific name‚ soon joined the family‚ and all seemed to be well – that is‚ until Terrance began laying eggs. The family thought these eggs would be unfertilized‚ but several weeks later the tank was filled with many tiny cephalopod hatchlings.                 IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.Even in perfect conditions‚ such as in an aquarium‚ only a small handful of these hatchlings would be expected to make it to adulthood. Currently‚ 23 of the 50 babies are still alive‚ writes the Washington Post. How Terrance came to be able to produce fertilized eggs is less of a mystery‚ as she was caught by a diver off the coast of California where this is a legal practice outside of protected marine areas. It is thought that Terrance bred before she was caught and then stored her eggs until she felt safe enough to lay them (the mystery pregnancy of Charlotte the stingray‚ however‚ continues). “It’s expensive‚ wet chaos‚” said Cameron Clifford‚ who the New York Times reports has spent thousands of dollars on tanks and various octopus paraphernalia to keep the young alive and Terrance happy. Unfortunately‚ octopus mothers often die soon after hatching – and while Terrance is still alive four months after her hatchlings arrived‚ bimac octopuses typically only live between 1-2 years. “I don’t know that we’ve been fully prepared for any of these challenges‚ but the hope is to re-home as many as we can‚” Clifford said. “And those that we can’t‚ we will figure out a way to keep them alive and be responsible. It’s not a real concrete plan‚ but we’re doing pretty good so far.”

Markers of immune dysfunction in a cohort of people with long COVID had largely resolved after two years‚ igniting hopes that a gradual recovery may be possible for some with the condition.The data for this research came from the ADAPT study‚ launched in 2020 to follow up with patients who had been infected with COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic in Australia. The participants were assessed at regular intervals‚ with blood tests‚ mental health screenings‚ and tests of their lung and brain function.Back in 2022‚ scientists working on the study published the first report showing evidence of immune system dysregulation persisting for eight months in people who’d recovered from COVID. By that time‚ many patients with long COVID had already been fighting for months or even years to be taken seriously by the medical establishment. Knowledge of the potential long-term effects of COVID on diverse bodily systems‚ from the brain and internal organs to sexual function‚ has increased enormously since then. Advances in detecting long COVID through blood biomarkers have recently sparked hopes for potential treatments‚ but the latest data from the ADAPT cohort offers even more reason for optimism.“Almost one and a half years [after the 2022 study]‚ we are pleased to see that among this same group‚ significant improvements were found in blood markers. For the majority of samples we analysed in the laboratory‚ the biomarkers previously indicating abnormal immune function have resolved‚” explained first author Dr Chansavath Phetsouphanh in a statement. The biomarkers included in the analysis covered many different aspects of immune function. Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2‚ the virus behind COVID-19‚ were measured. Markers of both helper and cytotoxic T cell activation were analyzed‚ as well as proteins like interferon-γ‚ which represent some of the body’s first lines of defense against invaders.At the eight-month follow up‚ the scientists had noted significant differences between patients with and without lingering COVID symptoms across these immunological markers. By 24 months‚ this observable difference was all but gone.When asked to report how they were feeling‚ 62 percent of the patients said their quality of life had improved. While this is encouraging news for them‚ it does raise questions for the researchers as to why some patients continue to see no change in their condition.“[T]here are still around one third of patients who identify some ongoing impact on their quality of life‚” said lead investigator Professor Gail Matthews. “This is likely explained by the reality that patients may have a range of underlying causes for their long COVID symptoms‚ not all of which are driven by immunological abnormalities and some of which are likely to persist even when the immunological environment has largely returned to normal.”This is an area the scientists are keen to explore further‚ and the rich data provided by the ADAPT study will be very valuable for this purpose. It’s also not clear how these findings might translate to a vaccinated cohort‚ those who contracted later variants of the virus‚ or those who had more severe disease‚ as the researchers acknowledge.But Professor Anthony Kelleher‚ Director of the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales Sydney‚ which runs the study‚ says that more can be done.“What we do know is that for most people with long COVID‚ both their symptoms and their biomarkers improve significantly over time‚ and this is a cause for optimism. Importantly‚ we will continue to undertake research to understand more about why some people don’t improve‚ and what can be done for those people.”The study is published in Nature Communications. 

Read more about avocados' origins here.

The recent event in Paraguay‚ South America‚ has been termed by many as a miraculous resurrection. A newborn baby girl‚ initially declared dead by doctors‚ stunned everyone when she showed signs of life just before her funeral rites. The incident occurred last Friday at Ciudad del Este Regional Hospital‚ where a 32-week pregnant woman was admitted due to breathing difficulties. Concerned about the baby’s well-being amidst oxygen deprivation‚ doctors recommended an urgent cesarean section to give the premature child a fighting chance. Although the operation was successful‚ the newborn exhibited no signs of life—no breathing‚ movement‚ or pulse. Despite efforts to revive her‚ she was pronounced dead‚ and her body was handed over to her father‚ Ignacio Medina Vega‚ for burial. Preparations for the funeral were underway‚ with a small white coffin purchased and the baby placed inside for at least four hours before the service. As the priest arrived to sprinkle holy water over the body‚ an uncle approached the coffin and noticed the seemingly lifeless baby’s head move. Upon closer inspection‚ it became evident that she was breathing‚ with a faint heartbeat. This astonishing discovery led to her immediate return to the hospital for further evaluation. The baby‚ weighing only 600 grams‚ was placed in an incubator in the intensive care unit‚ where she continues to defy the odds. Her father‚ overwhelmed with gratitude‚ expressed the terrifying realization that they could have buried her alive. In tribute to this extraordinary event‚ her parents intend to name her Milagros de Jesus‚ meaning “Miracle of Jesus.” Doctors are still giving a “cautious prognosis” for her condition and are trying to understand under what circumstances the child was declared dead and whether all the standard procedures for her case were carried out. Hospital spokesman Federico Schrodel told reporters that they were not ruling out the possibility of catalepsy‚ a condition characterized by a lack of response to external stimuli‚ loss of consciousness and immobility of the body. “Due to prematurity‚ what could have happened to her is that she was left with practically no signs of life‚” he added. The post Newborn comes back from the dead after being sprinkled with holy water appeared first on Anomalien.com.

PBS took another bite out of the surprise decision that recently emerged out of Arizona’s Supreme Court‚ on the Saturday edition of PBS News Weekend‚ anchor John Yang really loaded the ideological dice in his introduction: “The near-total abortion ban that the Arizona Supreme Court revived this week dates back to when Arizona wasn’t a state yet‚ when slavery was legal‚ and when only white men had the vote. Many Republican officeholders and candidate scrambled to distance themselves from the law.” Yang introduced PBS’s version of a Republican guest: “Barrett Marson is a Republican strategist based in Arizona….it’s a swing state in the presidential election. You got a toss-up Senate race‚ and you got a couple of congressional contests that are going to be very close. How is this‚ what happened this week‚ the Supreme Court decision‚ going to affect those races&;#63;” Barrett Marson: ….I think last week‚ we were a lean-Trump state. And I think this week‚ we’re a lean-Biden state. I think Kari Lake is on the wrong end of this issue. And‚ in fact‚ you know‚ I think a lot of Republicans who have quite frankly championed this kind of thing for what two generations are finding themselves‚ at least in Arizona‚ on the wrong side of how voters feel about this issue. Yang: Have the Democrats picked up on this&;#63; Are they pressing this&;#63; Marson: I mean‚ that is what they are doing. 24/7. And rightly so‚ I mean‚ look‚ right now‚ you know‚ again‚ a week ago‚ I would have said the border and immigration and the economy and inflation‚ were absolutely not only the top two issues‚ but they were very much Republican issues. And now‚ I think abortion is the number one and prevailing issue. It is the issue that will take the oxygen out of the room for any other issue…. Yang likened the Republican Party’s current status on the abortion issue to being “sort of like the dog that caught the car&;#63; They don`t know what to do with it now&;#63;” Marson again flashed pro-choice credentials: &;quot;[Arizona] will have an initiative on the ballot most likely‚ and that would allow abortion up to 24 weeks. And I think that will pass maybe now with 60-plus percent of the vote if‚ especially if it is a choice between zero abortions‚ and maybe something a little bit too far to the left but better something that’s legal than nothing.&;quot; When asked about Florida’s upcoming ballot initiative to preserve the abortion option‚ Marson embraced the idea of young people voting for Democrats: Marson: Well Florida has been trending Republican‚ for sure. But again‚ this ballot initiative has the chance‚ both in Arizona and Florida‚ to bring out so many young people‚ so many first-time voters‚ and we don’t know whether they will stick around‚ you know‚ come out for the abortion initiative‚ but stick around for Joe Biden and Ruben Gallego and‚ you know‚ and Senate candidates and House candidates down the ballot. Certainly they’re going to come out for the abortion initiative‚ and it’ll be up to the Democratic candidates up and down the ballot to convince them to stick around and vote for them as well. Last month Marson appeared on the NewsHour also to suggest moderate voters like himself could vote for Biden‚ which makes him PBS’s ideal “Republican strategist.” This pro-abortion segment was brought to you in part by Certified Financial Planner. A transcript is available‚ click “Expand.” PBS NewsWeekend 4/13/24 7:05:51 p.m. (ET) JOHN YANG: The near total abortion ban that the Arizona Supreme Court revived this week dates back to when Arizona wasn`t a state yet‚ when slavery was legal‚ and when only white men had the vote‚ many Republican officeholders and candidate scrambled to distance themselves from the law. It underscores some of the political consequences of the U.S. Supreme Court`s decision to strike down the constitutional right to seek an abortion and leave it up to the states to decide whether to regulate it. Barrett Marson is a Republican strategist based in Arizona. And before we get going‚ Mr. Marson‚ something we should make clear to the viewers. You`re not working for any candidates on the ballot this fall. BARRETT MARSON‚ Republican strategist: No‚ I am not. And thanks a lot for having me on‚ John. JOHN YANG: Thanks. In Arizona‚ it`s a swing state in the presidential election. You got a toss-up Senate race‚ and you got a couple of congressional contests that are going to be very close. How is this what happened this week‚ the Supreme Court decision going to affect those races&;#63; BARRETT MARSON: Well‚ I think you said it all in that sentence there except for that was what was last week. This week now‚ I don`t know if the Senate race is a toss-up anymore. I don`t know. You know‚ I think last week‚ we were a lien Trumps state. And I think this week‚ we`re a lien Biden state. I think Kari Lake is on the wrong end of this issue. And‚ in fact‚ you know‚ I think a lot of Republicans who have quite frankly championed this kind of thing for what two generations are finding themselves‚ at least in Arizona‚ on the wrong side of how voters feel about this issue. JOHN YANG: Have the Democrats picked up on this&;#63; Are they pressing this&;#63; BARRETT MARSON: I mean‚ that is what they are doing. 24/7. And rightly so I mean‚ look‚ right now‚ you know‚ again‚ a week ago‚ I would have said the border and immigration and the economy and inflation‚ were absolutely not only the top two issues‚ but they were very much Republican issues. And now‚ I think abortion is the number one and prevailing issue. It is the issue that will take the oxygen out of the room for any other issue. So you will see abortion be front and center in every time Democrats open their mouths on the campaign stump‚ and Republicans right now just don`t have an answer for that. JOHN YANG: You mentioned Kari Lake‚ she`s running for Senate this time‚ two years ago‚ when she was running for governor‚ she called this a great law. And you`ve also mentioned other candidates and officeholders‚ who have been championing this law or this idea and now have to deal with it‚ how should they deal with it&;#63; How can they deal with it&;#63; BARRETT MARSON: Well‚ look‚ it`s been dogma in the Republican Party for‚ you know‚ again‚ two generations‚ three generations. So I think‚ frankly‚ just own it. You know‚ talk about why you are pro-life‚ talk about the benefits‚ talk about the need‚ maybe for more of a social safety net‚ but talk about the benefits of being pro-life‚ because there is no really running away. And they`re‚ you know‚ otherwise‚ just like Kari Lake‚ you look like a massive flip flopper. And you know‚ two years ago‚ she called this the model for other states. And now she`s talking about she`s pro-choice. So‚ you know‚ I think you should just a Republican candidate should just own this. They`ve been wanting to do this for a couple generations. They`ve done it‚ celebrate it and embrace it. JOHN YANG: To that point‚ you also mentioned this has been Republican dogma. They got it. They got what they wanted when they were when Roe was overturned. Is this sort of like the dog that caught the car&;#63; They don`t know what to do with it now&;#63; BARRETT MARSON: Well‚ it is certainly an Arizona where the electorate is at least willing to have some sort of legal abortion‚ whether it is we will have an initiative on the ballot most likely‚ and that would allow abortion up to 24 weeks. And I think that will pass maybe now with 60 plus percent of the vote if especially if it is a choice between zero abortions‚ and maybe something a little bit too far to the left but better something that`s legal than nothing. JOHN YANG: Florida‚ of course‚ finds itself in a similar situation their Supreme Court cleared the way for a six-week band to take effect at the beginning of May. They`ve got are likely to have a constitutional ballot initiative on their ballot as well. Is it going to have the same effect there&;#63; Or do you think it`s different&;#63; BARRETT MARSON: Well‚ you know‚ Florida is a‚ you know‚ has been trending Republican‚ for sure. But again‚ this ballot initiative has the chance‚ both in Arizona and Florida‚ to bring out so many young people‚ so many first time voters‚ and we don`t know whether they will stick around‚ you know‚ come out for the abortion initiative‚ but stick around for Joe Biden and Ruben Gallego and‚ you know‚ and Senate candidates and House candidates down the ballot. Certainly they`re going to come out for the abortion initiative‚ and it`ll be up to the Democratic candidates up and down the ballot to convince them to stick around and vote for them as well. JOHN YANG: Republican strategist Barrett Marson‚ thank you very much. BARRETT MARSON: Thank you.

Stand-up comedian Kyle Lucey has faced cancelations after other comedians hurled insults at angry protesters who were upset over a joke about Lucey's own childhood.The comedian was on an upward trajectory as a headlining comic when COVID-19 lockdowns hit‚ and with comedy clubs across the world being forced to close their doors‚ Lucey did what a select few comedians like Bert Kreischer and Ben Bankas did: He took his talents outdoors.During an outdoor comedy show‚ passersby took grave offense at one of his most personal jokes and decided to sabotage his set.&;quot;I was doing a show at a park‚ and people came up to me and pushed my amp down because I was doing a joke‚&;quot; Lucey quickly recalled.&;quot;A lot of my comedy comes from my own personal trauma. So‚ I was doing a joke about how my mom sexually assaulted me. That's a very true story‚ it's a very vulnerable story‚ and it's a story that took me years to be comfortable talking about‚&;quot; he explained. &;quot;But I guess people who weren't sitting at the show‚ they were like 50 yards away (it was at a park). They just saw a guy onstage saying the words 'sexual assault‚' and they weren't even paying attention‚ and then they came up to us‚ pushed our amp over‚ and said‚ 'You guys are promoting rape culture&;#33;'&;quot;Lucey recalled that while the angry pedestrians were voicing their opinion‚ a different comic he wasn't familiar with heckled back and called one of the activists a &;quot;queer.&;quot; The comedian stated that during the outdoor shows‚ any number of unknown people would take the stage.&;quot;You're rubbing elbows with everybody ... there's people who have schizophrenia and then people who have been headlining for 10 years.&;quot;It was from that point that Lucey started seeing content circulating online that accused him of making light of sexual assault and being involved in a nonexistent comedy &;quot;troupe&;quot; that yelled homophobic slurs at people. This was followed by venues receiving threats‚ causing them to cancel Lucey's shows.To make matters worse‚ not only was Lucey not professionally involved with the other alleged comedian‚ he said that same person has made threats to him in other instances.&;quot;Imagine I was anything other than a white man‚ imagine any other demographic was brave enough to talk about their sexual assault and then had venues pull away from them based off of no one wanting to do the research. Based off of the words of another person who literally has threatened me with death threats online‚&;quot; the comic opined.As venues were harassed about booking the comedian‚ Lucey noticed that progressive &;quot;Antifa&;quot; types were contradicting their own dogma in blaming him for talking about his experience.&;quot;If I was a female comedian talking about my experience being sexually assaulted‚ I would be brave‚ but as a man‚ people see that and it's like there's no possible way I could be telling the truth. I'm making fun of it‚&;quot; Lucey went on. &;quot;To then put any blowback on me ... that's victim blaming‚ that's what you guys like to call it&;#33;&;quot;Who decides to cancel a comedian&;#63;In terms of officially making the call to cancel a show‚ Lucey said most promoters and bookers typically don't have an opinion on any comedian's content. It is usually the owners who are looking to avoid revenue loss or damage to property as opposed to having an ideological issue with a comic's routine.For example‚ some of the threats venues faced ahead of Lucey's shows included having bricks thrown through their windows or having the locks on their doors jammed or clogged. Due to coming off of the heels of COVID-19 lockdowns‚ certain venues told him that they didn't want to take the chance of losing any more customers. Some clubs suggested moving his shows or changing the title in order for the outrage to subside.&;quot;They're in contact with us‚ the comedian‚ they're not in contact with the mob. So‚ it's easier for them just to say to the comedian‚ 'Look‚ come back in a month‚ we'll change the name for your show‚ I can't have my building set on fire right now‚' and it's just crazy that that happens‚&;quot; Lucey pointed out.The young comedian explained that in terms of online comedy videos and in-person sets‚ the dynamic is completely different. &;quot;Starting the clip one second into my set as opposed to like 15 seconds&;quot; completely changes the dynamic of a joke‚ he said. This can lead to vastly different interpretations of a joke‚ especially when lacking context.&;quot;Sometimes a clip is not framed right if there's no context in it ... it's a completely different medium online‚ and so reality could definitely be bent in a way that suits whoever's reposting the video.&;quot;&;quot;Comedians are not doing anything wrong‚&;quot; Lucey continued. &;quot;It's our job to make fun of stuff‚ but sometimes you could just wake up one day‚ and someone took a little snippet of what you said‚ and they changed the context of it to make it sound very bad‚ then it goes online.&;quot;&;quot;I know for several comedian friends of mine ... what worked in front of the crowd they were in front of that night ends up being taken out of context in a clip. Then‚ they wake up to 100 death threats in the midst of being canceled‚ then venues just don't want crazy people to come to their shows.&;quot; View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kyle Lucey (@kyleluceycomedy) Hate speech and Justin TrudeauGrowing up in Ajax‚ Ontario‚ Canada‚ the threat of reprisal from a government acting upon hate speech laws is a very real worry to Lucey.In 2016‚ this very thing happened to Canadian comedian Mike Ward. Ward was paraded in front of a human rights tribunal over a joke about a disabled singer. He eventually won a Supreme Court appeal to overturn a $42‚000 fine he received. The legal battle lasted nearly a decade.A 2007 open mic in Vancouver‚ Canada‚ also resulted in a human rights tribunal after a comedian insulted two lesbians in the audience who were interrupting his show. &;quot;It's certainly very‚ very‚ very concerning‚&;quot; Lucey said of hate speech laws. &;quot;It's very alarming that laws like this could even be considered. [They could] damage comedy‚&;quot; he added.Lucey remarked that online content in Canada is &;quot;basically already there‚&;quot; in terms of censorship. The comedian cited a video of himself calling his own family &;quot;white trash&;quot; that was censored on Instagram. &;quot;I just said in a video‚ 'I'm white trash‚' and it got taken down for hate speech ... it's just a stupid robot that's behind putting things through or not‚ and it's insane.&;quot;&;quot;If things were to get down to the nitty-gritty and go to a human rights tribunal‚ I mean nobody would be creating anything‚&;quot; he added.As for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‚ Lucey described him as &;quot;one of the mean girls&;quot; from the movie of the same name and called the leader &;quot;exactly what's wrong with Liberals and Democrats.&;quot; &;quot;The hypocrisy‚ not following through on his promises‚ being all talk‚ no action‚ and f**king things up financially like Democrats.&;quot;&;quot;If he wants to run again‚ we should probably just do like a public pantsing‚&;quot; Lucey joked.The comedian doesn't think that the general public is radicalized or wants to stomp out free speech to cancel comedians. In fact‚ he called the idea of shaming comedians &;quot;radicalized&;quot; thinking in itself.&;quot;Most people you talk to don't prescribe to this radicalized thought of policing thought‚ of shaming thought. I think most people exist in the confines of the law ... nobody agrees with this.&;quot;In order to thrive‚ there can't be censorship of art‚ the comedian said. If everything is watered down to preapproved messaging‚ there will be no creativity.&;quot;What a weird‚ dull world would it be if you went to an art gallery and every painting was flowers. It would be too clean.&;quot;Without some off-color commentary‚ there would be &;quot;too much order‚ and it would just feel suffocating‚&;quot; Lucey concluded.Lucey has been touring as a headliner across Canada‚ and his tour dates can be found at KyleLucey.com. His first comedy special called &;quot;Damaged Goods&;quot; is on YouTube for free.Like Blaze News&;#63; Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here&;#33;

Just how pervasive is heart damage following even one dose of the COVID vaccine&;#63; A new study out of Saudi Arabia reveals that as many as 27% of a sample of 804 vaccine recipients reported being hospitalized for heart trouble at some point after receiving one of the COVID shots. We know the spike protein in the shots can cause a host of cardiovascular maladies. The media and medical professions have sought to downplay the prevalence and severity of the problem‚ but emerging data is confirming anecdotal evidence that the “died suddenly” phenomenon is real. Pfizer has already been fined by a European drug regulator for lying about the safety of the shots‚ yet they remain on the market. The Saudi study‚ which was published in Cureus and led by researchers at Ibn Sina National College for Medical Studies and King Faisal General Hospital‚ relied on self-reporting. Nevertheless‚ the study verified that 27% of those surveyed were‚ in fact‚ hospitalized within 12 months of receiving the vaccine. More than half of that cohort were admitted within a month of vaccination. So while not every case can be linked to the vaccine‚ given the numerous signals we already have‚ it’s a fair bet that the bulk of cases resulted from the jab. What is particularly jarring is that 58% of those hospitalized were admitted to a critical care unit‚ and about a third of the patients were hospitalized for four days or longer. More than 60% underwent at least 12 months of treatment‚ and some remained in continuous treatment through the time of the study. Just 31 of the 218 hospitalized for cardiac complications had their treatment completed in under six months. The study has some limitations. An inordinate number of the people surveyed also reported suffering from obesity‚ diabetes‚ and hypertension. If 27% seems impossibly high‚ the fact that the study cohort had so many comorbidities would help explain why. But that only raises an obvious question: Aren’t the very people who were most vulnerable to serious illness from the virus also most vulnerable to spike protein syndromes‚ particularly those affecting the heart‚ caused by the vaccine itself&;#63; The authors of the study‚ led by microbiologist and immunologist Muazzam M. Sheriff‚ tap-dance around the question by observing the study’s revelations provide “valuable insights into the safety profile of mRNA vaccines in the specific context‚ fostering informed public health strategies in Saudi Arabia.” Indeed‚ they do — especially when taken together with the wealth of research we already have linking the shots to cardiac damage. Let’s not forget that a confidential Pfizer document released by the European Medicines Agency showed that the manufacturer knew of extensive damage to nearly every organ system. The 393-page confidential Pfizer document‚ dated August 19‚ 2022‚ shows that Pfizer observed more than 10‚000 categories of diagnosis‚ many of them very severe and very rare‚ affecting 508‚351 individual case reports of adverse events containing 1‚597‚673 events. Among them were almost 127‚000 cardiac disorders‚ running the gamut of about 270 categories of heart damage‚ including many rare disorders‚ in addition to myocarditis. There were also 73‚542 cases of 264 categories of vascular disorders stemming from the shots. We could rehash three years of research‚ but let’s just focus on a few new revelations. Far from being “mild” and transient‚ a new Australian preprint found that 20 of 60 patients diagnosed with post-vaccine myocarditis still had persistent late gadolinium enhancement more than 12 months later‚ which often indicates heart scarring. Heart scarring doesn’t go away. The Epoch Times has a list of recent studies showing ominous signs of long-term heart damage from those diagnosed with myocarditis. The catastrophic fire we see from a steady stream of academic research was reflected in the “smoke” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control detected from the first day of the vaccines’ release in December 2020. Thanks to court-released documents from the secret V-Safe program‚ we are beginning to view the 780‚000 reports from some 523‚000 vaccinated Americans who reported dire injuries to the CDC in the first hours of the first days of its distribution.We already knew that 7.7% of this very large sample reported having to seek medical attention following vaccination. But the CDC did not establish a database to report‚ collate‚ and analyze injuries by category. Instead‚ they let people report back in 250 characters or less of text messages on how they felt post-jab. The Informed Consent Action Network‚ which obtained the V-Safe documents‚ learned that the very ailments that are showing up all over VAERS and in academic literature were being reported by desperate V-Safe users from day one. ICAN has received two batches of text messages so far‚ and they are remarkably consistent in reporting cardiac events‚ neurological complications‚ tinnitus‚ and miscarriages — all maladies for which we have growing evidence from academic literature and macro epidemiological data linking the explosion of these diagnoses to the shots. Oh‚ and remember when the FDA required Pfizer to conduct a study on subclinical myocarditis under the likely assumption that the diagnosed cases of heart damage were just the tip of the iceberg&;#63; Pfizer was supposed to have the study done by December 2022‚ but it still has not been produced. Pfizer has already been fined by a European drug regulator for lying about the safety of the shots‚ yet the shots remain on the market. In fact‚ the FDA rewarded Pfizer by approving its rushed‚ dangerous RSV shot for pregnant women and now seeks to expand approval to children. At this point‚ is there any amount of data or science that can stop the Pfizer juggernaut&;#63; If a generation of broken hearts is not enough to do it‚ we may be past the point of no return.

During his State of the Union Address in March‚ Joe Biden pledged never to cut a single Medicare benefit and‚ if anyone tried to do so‚ he vowed‚ “I will stop them.” That didn’t last long. Biden’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services cut Medicare for 33 million seniors on April 1. It wasn’t an April Fool’s joke‚ and it is definitely not funny for a majority of American seniors since they access their medical benefits through the Medicare Advantage program‚ the public-private partnership that gives seniors more choices. The cuts to this vital program are tragic for both American seniors and taxpayers. This Medicare cut is rank hypocrisy on Biden’s part — especially since he will undoubtedly‚ and erroneously‚ claim Republicans want to cut entitlements. But it could be a winning issue for Republicans. In the swing states that voted for Donald Trump in 2016 but switched to Biden in 2020 — Arizona‚ Georgia‚ Michigan‚ Pennsylvania‚ and Wisconsin — a majority of seniors get their Medicare benefits through Medicare Advantage. In Michigan‚ the state Biden is tying himself in knots to secure‚ it’s nearly 60% More and more‚ seniors are choosing MA. Every year enrollment increases. This year 33 million Americans have enrolled. That is nearly 10% of the population — an enormous pool of voters. The Congressional Budget Office predicts 62% of eligible Americans will enroll in MA in the next 10 years. And close to 90% of enrollees are satisfied with their coverage and would recommend MA to friends and family. Why&;#63; Because‚ as research shows‚ MA plans achieve better health outcomes for their beneficiaries than traditional Medicare‚ including “fewer hospital readmissions‚ fewer preventable hospitalizations‚ and lower rates of high-risk medication use.” Medicare Parts A and B cover hospital stays and doctors but‚ lacking catastrophic coverage‚ seniors need to buy Medigap in case of an emergency. There is no out-of-pocket cap for beneficiaries in traditional Medicare Fee for Service and it includes no prescription drug plan and no hearing‚ vision‚ or dental coverage. To get those benefits‚ most eligible seniors choose Medicare Advantage plans that may even include gym memberships‚ groceries‚ transportation to medical appointments‚ and other perks. All these benefits come at a lower or even zero out-of-pocket cost. Now‚ Biden’s cuts to this important program will drive up costs to enrollees by nearly $400 a year. For seniors on a fixed income‚ that’s catastrophic. This Medicare cut is rank hypocrisy on the Biden’s part — especially since he will undoubtedly‚ and erroneously‚ claim it is in fact Republicans who want to cut entitlements. Reversing Biden’s cuts to Medicare Advantage would be good policy. And making those cuts a campaign issue is good politics. Thirty-three million seniors who vote with a 72% turnout rate — the highest of any age category — is a voting bloc that can easily make the difference in hotly contested races in an essentially 50-50 America. Biden is doing better with senior voters than with younger voters‚ and that may be because of his long-standing positioning as a centrist Democrat and his Scranton Joe persona. But these cuts are radical. In attacking MA‚ Biden is aligning himself with Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)‚ Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)‚ and Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) This presents Republicans with an opportunity to peel off voters who will certainly not be happy to hear that Biden is breaking his promise and cutting Medicare. And we must make sure they do hear about it. According to Pew Research‚ 37% of Republican voters are seniors. That’s our biggest age cohort. And given that most eligible seniors choose Medicare Advantage and about 90% of them are happy with it‚ we should ring the bell on this issue from now to November. Democrats constantly accuse Republicans of “pouncing” on this or that. Expect Republicans to‚ in fact‚ pounce on this issue. If I were advising my former congressional colleagues‚ I’d tell them that preserving Medicare Advantage is an issue that can make the difference in keeping the House come November.