Author: Personal Liberty News Desk

According to a new study recently presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, people who consume a diet rich in vitamin K may have a considerably decreased risk of developing Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

For the study, a research team from the Mayo Clinic recruited 603 newly diagnosed Non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients as well as 1,007 control participants and had them answer food questionnaires regarding their dietary intake two years prior to enrollment in the trial.

Lead investigator James Cerhan and his colleagues found that respondents who had a vitamin K intake in the top quartile of the study had a 45 percent lower risk of being diagnosed with the disease compared to those in the bottom 25 percent. They also discovered that the link remained after accounting for a variety of risk factors, including age, sex, obesity and smoking.

"Whether the protective effect we observed is due to vitamin K intake, or some other dietary or lifestyle exposure, cannot be definitely assessed in this study," said Cerhan. "But these findings add to a lot of other data that support a diet that includes plenty of green leafy vegetables in order to prevent many cancers as well as other diseases."

Just weeks after announcing that it would be closing its doors due to bad press and financial concerns, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) continues to show its resolve.

Bertha Lewis, the chief executive officer of the controversial anti-poverty group, was on hand at an appeals court in New York on Tuesday to continue to fight for the organization’s federal funding, which was stripped by Congress last year in the wake of several voter fraud and tax evasion scandals.

Justice Department attorney Mark Stern argued that Congress had every right to take action against ACORN’s "widespread mismanagement" of resources, and asked the court to temporarily block a judge’s ruling that the funding cut-off was unconstitutional, according to the Associated Press (AP).

Jules Lobel, attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights, said that the group’s $25 million annual budget was needed to help distressed individuals receive government subsidies to stay in their homes. The three-judge panel has yet to rule on the case.

Lewis indicated after the hearing that a positive outcome in the case could lead to a resurgence for the struggling group.

"If we can survive this, inch by inch, little by little, this organization can build itself back up," she told the news source. "We’re going to fight like hell to stay alive."

Just days after Tea Party leaders announced their "targets" ahead of the midterm elections, a socially conservative organization has followed suit, singling out members of Congress who supported the healthcare overhaul to be voted out of office.

Family Research Council (FRC) Action PAC announced plans to raise and spend $500,000 to target the districts of 20 Democratic incumbents who voted for President Obama’s healthcare bill. The organization’s representatives allege that these lawmakers, despite their professed pro-life orientation, supported a bill that allows federal money to fund abortion services.

"As pro-life and pro-family voters, we must work together to change the Congress, state governments and ultimately the White House in 2012," said Connie Mackey, president of FRC Action PAC.

She added that her organization has spent time researching the most vulnerable races and "will have pro-life, pro-family candidates [ready] to fill the void."

Among those singled out for defeat in November, FRC Action PAC listed Representative Paul Kanjorski from the 11th district in Pennsylvania, Tom Perriello (Va., 5th) and Ann Kirkpatrick (Ariz., 1st).

Nearly eight in 10 Americans do not trust the Federal government and have little confidence that it is capable of solving the nation’s woes, according to a recently released survey from the Pew Research Center.

Specifically, the poll found that just 22 percent of respondents said that they can trust the federal government almost always or most of the time, marking one of the lowest public confidence rates in the last 50 years. Moreover, nearly 50 percent of those surveyed said that the government negatively affects their daily lives and is a "threat to their personal freedom," Politico.com reports.

The poll, which surveyed 2,505 adults, also found that an overwhelming majority of Americans hold an unfavorable view of Congress. Over the last 12 months, the congressional approval rating has fallen from 50 percent to a quarter-century-worst 26 percent.

Andrew Kohut, director of the research center, said that the waning public confidence in Washington is due to a "perfect storm of conditions associated with distrust of government—a dismal economy, an unhappy public, bitter partisan-based backlash and epic discontent with Congress and elected officials."

Amid the widespread protest of the Tea Party movement during Tax Day week, its leaders sought to define its goals, and in the process unveiled a list of friends and foes.

Richard A. Viguerie, chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, who spoke at an April 15th rally at Yowell Meadow Park in Culpeper, Virginia told activists their efforts could help restore the Founding Fathers’ vision for America.

"The Tea Parties are an unfettered new force of the middle class tapping into the anger and disappointment felt not only towards Republicans and Democrats, but most major American institutions," he said, listing Wall Street, education, Hollywood, the media and big labor as those who have "betrayed their public trust."

"This new force, unlike most conservative leaders, is unfettered by old relationships and ties," Viguerie stressed.

In a similar vein, leaders of the Tea Party Express marked Tax Day by revealing their list of "heroes" and "targets" ahead of the midterm elections in November.

Among the "heroes" was Sharron Angle, a former Republican member of the Nevada Assembly who is running against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on an anti-tax platform; California State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, who is vying with former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina for a Senate seat and Former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, who is facing off against Governor Charlie Crist for the GOP nomination.

Meanwhile, the list of "enemies" includes Senators Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) and Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.).

Frustrated by Washington’s apparent inability to deal with the growing immigration crisis, the Arizona State House voted 35-21 to pass Support Our Law Enforcement and the Safe Neighborhood Act in an effort to protect state residents from a wave of illegal immigration.

SB 1070 will make it a state misdemeanor to fail to comply with federal law requiring that foreign nationals register and carry their documents with them. It also requires police officers, if they have a "reasonable suspicion" that someone is an illegal immigrant during a lawful stop, to determine that person’s immigration status and, if necessary, transfer them into federal custody.

The bill furthermore prohibits state and local agencies from adopting "sanctuary" policies that prevent police from inquiring about immigration status.

"[This] is a no-nonsense, common-sense example of a state acting where the federal government is failing," said Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

However, the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), has expressed its disappointment with the law, saying it will jeopardize the safety of Arizona communities and result in the racial profiling of Latinos.

USHCC has called on Governor Jan Brewer to veto the bill, something commentators say she is unlikely to do.

According to a new study published in the most recent issue of the journal Stroke, people who consume foods rich in B vitamins may be less likely to die from cardiovascular disease.

For the study, a team of Japanese researchers analyzed the dietary questionnaires of 23,119 men and 35,611 women between the ages of 40 and 79 who took part in the nation’s Collaborative Cohort Study.

After an average of 14 years of follow-up, the team found that 424 people had died from heart disease, a total of 986 from stroke and 2,087 from other conditions associated with the cardiovascular system.

The investigators discovered that men with the highest blood levels of folate and vitamin B6 suffered significantly fewer deaths from heart failure compared to men with the lowest levels of the nutrient. Meanwhile, women who consumed a diet rich in B vitamins had a decreased risk of dying from stroke, heart disease and other cardiovascular-related events.

Health Day News reports that fish, meats, liver and whole grains are the best sources of vitamin B6, while fruits, beans, legumes and fortified cereals are well-known sources of folate.

The harmful effects of a vitamin D deficiency have been well documented over the past few years. Low blood levels of the nutrient have been linked to an increased risk of developing high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and bone loss.

According to a recently released study, inadequate vitamin D levels are also associated with inferior lung function and increased medication use in asthmatic children.

"Asthmatic children in our study who had low levels of vitamin D were more allergic, had poorer lung function and used more medications," said lead author Daniel Searing.

"Conversely, our findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation may help reverse steroid resistance in asthmatic children and reduce the effective dose of steroids needed for our patients," he added.

For the study, Searing and his colleagues from the National Jewish Health Center analyzed the medical data of 100 pediatric asthma patients, finding that 47 percent of the group were suffering from a vitamin D deficiency. After examining each respondent, the research team found that patients with low nutrient levels had higher allergy markers, decreased lung function and responded positively to more allergens in a skin prick test.

Following the successful passage of a new state law designed to protect Arizona residents from a recent wave of illegal immigration, the states two Republican Senators John McCain and John Kyl sent a proposal to Washington April 19 calling for 3,000 more National Guard troops to be deployed along the Mexican border.

The 10-point plan also asks the federal government to increase aerial surveillance, construct new fences along the border and hire 3,000 more Customs and Border Protection agents for Arizona, the Associated Press (AP) reports.

Furthermore, Kyl and McCain proposed the expansion of the Operation Streamline program, which forces illegal immigrants who committed low-level crimes to spend time in prison rather than simply being deported. The senators noted that the program has significantly reduced illegal border crossings in the areas in which it is enforced.

"The communities in Arizona that suffer the negative impacts from illegal border crossings and the lawlessness along the southern border deserve the full support of the federal government," McCain said.

He added that of the 600,000 people who were recently detained while trying to illegally cross into Arizona, a total of 17 percent had previous United States criminal records, the Agence France Presse reports.

Taking advantage of the recent anniversaries of some of the deadliest shootings on United States school campuses, gun rights opponents have praised lawmakers who are working to close the gun show loophole, and have appealed to others to take up the cause.

In Virginia, the families of those killed or wounded and the survivors of the shooting have expressed their gratitude to U.S. Representatives Gerald Connolly (D-Va.), Jim Moran (D-Va.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.) for co-sponsoring H.R. 2324. The bill was introduced by Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) and Representative Mike Castle (R-Del.) and would require background checks on all firearm purchasers at gun shows.

"Even though [the previous lack of background check requirement] has been fixed at the state level in Virginia, a future shooter would still be able to walk into a gun show in more than 30 states and purchase a firearm(s) from an unlicensed seller without undergoing any background check whatsoever," the group complained in a statement issued by the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

Meanwhile, on the eve of the 11th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre, the father of one of the victims has asked why it has taken federal lawmakers more than a decade to require background checks at gun shows. Colorado voted overwhelmingly to close this loophole in 2000.

"This loophole in federal law needs to be closed by Congress, so that Colorado’s background check law becomes the law of the land," Tom Mauser said.

Mauser is launching a statewide radio advertising campaign this week, which asks voters to contact Senator Mark Udall (D-Colo.) to urge him to vote to eliminate the provision.

As America marked the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, some organizations have expressed concerns about the rise of rhetoric that can be perceived as anarchist and violent.

One of those organizations was the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a national Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, which called on Americans to challenge the recent resurgence of what it says is the same anti-government extremism that led to the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City masterminded by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.

"As we commemorate [this] anniversary … we must also recognize that the same anti-government extremism that led to the attack is growing and is unfortunately moving toward the mainstream," said CAIR national executive director Nihad Awad.

He also pointed to the recent attack on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) facility in Texas, the shooting of guards at the Pentagon and the arrests of anti-government militia members who allegedly planned to kill law enforcement officers to spark an anti-government revolt as examples of this type of danger.

Meanwhile, a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center, titled Rage on the Right, noted that "militias and other organizations that see the federal government as part of a plot to impose ‘one-world government’ on liberty-loving Americans came roaring back after years out of the limelight."

However, those who have spoken against the government say they are concerned about the administration’s growing reach into their lives, which includes higher taxes, healthcare system regulations and attempts to reduce access to guns.

Women who take multivitamins and calcium tablets on a daily basis may have a significantly decreased risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer, according to a new study recently presented at the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual meeting.

Lead author Jaime Matta and his colleagues from the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico found that while nutrient supplementation did not result in an immediate breast cancer risk reduction, it was linked to positive long-term effects when taken over many years.

For the study, the research team compared the lifestyle habits of 268 breast cancer sufferers to those of 457 healthy women. They found that women who routinely took multivitamins reduced their risk of developing the disease by nearly 30 percent compared to the control group. Furthermore, those who took nutritional supplements and calcium tablets reduced their risk by more than 40 percent.

Matta concluded that vitamin supplements may help subjugate cancer risk by enhancing DNA repair capacity.

"This process involves at least five separate pathways and is critical for maintaining genomic stability," he said. "When the DNA is not repaired, it leads to mutation that leads to cancer."

An Oregon middle school teacher who attempted to organize efforts to "infiltrate" and "dismantle" Tea Party demonstrations has been placed on paid administrative leave while state officials investigate whether he used school time and resources to develop his website, CrashTheTeaParty.org.

Jason Levin, who indicated earlier in the week that he and his colleagues would work to make the conservative organization’s members look racist, ignorant and homophobic during their tax day protests, professed his innocence on Friday, stating that the charges are without merit.

"The fact that teachers are held to a higher standard when exercising their right to free speech (in their private lives) is patently unfair," Levin told TalkingPointsMemo.com.

Over the last few days, the Beaverton School District has been inundated with calls and emails from local residents who are outraged with the school teacher’s behavior and who are asking for him to be terminated.

Conservative radio host Lars Larson explained on his show on Wednesday that it is not a matter of free speech, but rather an issue of trusting someone to work with children who furthers their political goals "by lying, stealing and damaging somebody else’s reputation."

"If you ran a Klan website on your own time, do you think you would be excused?" Larson asked. "If you ran a porno website, which is also legal, do you think you would be excused in that kind of job?"

Meanwhile, Levin told the news source that he is now looking to sell his website to anyone who is interested.

The third anniversary of the Virginia Tech (VT) massacre has once again brought calls from anti-gun advocates for more stringent control to be imposed on the sale of weapons in the United States.

On April 16, 2007, VT student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people in the worst school shooting spree in U.S. history, and today the university planned to cancel classes to commemorate those who died.

Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus has also marked the anniversary by blasting the gun lobby’s push to permit the carrying of loaded handguns on college campuses.

"The gun lobby is not interested in the safety of students, faculty and staff," said Andy Pelosi, director of the campaign.

"They are using the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech as cover for their real agenda to push guns into every nook and cranny of society," he added.

He also urged colleges and universities to join in the effort to oppose guns on college campuses, saying that to date, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and more than 130 individual colleges and universities in 31 states have joined the campaign.

However, proponents of guns on campuses scored a significant victory just one day before the anniversary, when the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled in favor of students seeking the right to carry concealed weapons on campus.

The appeals court reversed an earlier ruling by El Paso County District Judge David Miller who dismissed a lawsuit filed in 2008 by Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, seeking to overturn the University of Colorado’s gun ban, according to Denver Daily News.

As airlines are trying to limit their financial losses by imposing new fees, consumer advocates are loudly criticizing these ideas as examples of these businesses trampling on travelers’ rights.

Earlier this month, discount carrier Spirit Airlines stirred controversy by announcing that it would charge passengers for carry-on luggage stowed in overhead bins. This caused the organization called FlyersRights.org to demand that Congress ban such practices permanently.

Its president and founder, Kate Hanni, has sought to expose airlines’ motivations behind such decisions by saying that the United States has become known as the "Land of the Fee" when it comes to air travel. She added that this is because fees are treated differently than other revenue in terms of the taxes airlines have to pay to fund the national aviation system.

"So not only do these latest gimmicks harm passengers, they are shortchanging all of us by skirting [the airlines’] responsibility to help maintain and upgrade our nation’s aviation infrastructure," Hanni stressed.

In a related development, European carrier Ryanair said it will begin charging passengers for in-flight bathroom use, and FlyersRights.org also urged Congress to prohibit U.S. carriers from doing this same.

According to a recent University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign study, consuming foods high in omega-3 fatty acids may help treat temporary male infertility.

In the study, a group of investigators led Manabu Nakamura, an associate professor of food science and human nutrition at the university, used a mouse model to examine the role that omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) plays in male fertility.

After depriving the subjects of DHA by shutting off a gene responsible for the creation of the enzyme, the researchers found that mice produced fewer sperm.

"We looked at sperm count, shape, and motility and tested the breeding success rate, and the mice lacking DHA simply were not able to breed," said Manuel Roqueta-Rivera, a doctoral student who also worked on the study.

However, once the mice were fed a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids, their fertility was quickly restored.

Dietary sources of omega-3 fatty acids include vegetable oil, canola oil, flaxseed and English walnuts. They are also available in certain fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna and sardines.

Although he garnered just 10 percent of the vote in the presidential primary in 2008, Representative Ron Paul (R-Texas) may give Barack Obama a run for his money if the two are matched up in the 2012 presidential election race, a Rasmussen Reports poll has found.

In the hypothetical election, a total of 42 percent of respondents said they would cast their vote for Obama, compared to 41 percent who indicated that they would support the Libertarian congressman.

While Obama earned nearly 80 percent of the Democratic vote, Paul—an outspoken critic of his own party’s leadership and direction—received just 66 percent of the GOP votes, according to Newsmax. However, respondents who were not affiliated with either party overwhelmingly supported the Texas representative, handing him a 47 percent to 28 percent edge over the president.

Many political pundits believe that Paul’s resurgence into the national spotlight is, in part, due to the Tea Party movement, which continues to gain momentum. The news source reports that nearly one-fourth of voters consider themselves supporters of the conservative group’s ideals.

John McCain’s reelection plans are facing a growing challenge from both the right and the left, and now a "third way" proponent has announce his candidacy for the Senate.

Jerry Joslyn, a small business owner who recently join the Green Party, said that both Democrats and Republicans have created a tax system that is too complicated and unfair to middle-class Americans.

"Today the richest Americans enjoy a lower tax rate than the middle class," he said, and to back up his claim he cited the statement from Warren Buffet, one of the richest people in the world, who said that while he earned $46 million in 2007, he paid only 17.7 percent tax. Meanwhile, Buffet’s secretary, who earned $60,000, paid 30 percent.

Among his proposals to remedy the situation is the elimination of the payroll tax.

"The payroll tax is a direct tax on jobs. Eliminating it would lower the cost of labor and increase the number of jobs," the candidate explained, adding that small businesses provide over two-thirds of Arizona jobs.

According to Rasmussen Reports, the incumbent John McCain now leads conservative challenger J.D. Hayworth for the Republican nomination by just seven points (48 to 41 percent). The Arizona Republican primary is set for Aug. 24.

Sarah Palin rallied huge crowds against the Barack Obama administration’s policies last week, urging Americans to “vote them out” this November. She was touring with the Tea Party Express which travelled across the country. The events culminated with a Tax Day Tea Party in Washington, D.C., on April 15.

On April 14, as a crowd of several thousand gathered on the Boston Common, Palin urged the audience to fight the Democrats’ policies and take back the government, according to media reports.

"Boston, it’s your turn to stand up and speak out!" she said, before proceeding to criticize President Obama for his healthcare overhaul, his foreign policy which she said was "alienating our allies," and his timid approach to energy independence by allowing only limited oil drilling.

However, in a development that drew attention of many political commentators, Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.)—whose election last January to the late Senator Ted Kennedy’s seat took most country by surprise—turned down the invitation to attend the event, although his office said he wished the rally success, according to CNN.

Meanwhile, a national poll released on April 14 by CNN/Opinion Research Corp found that some 10 percent of Americans have actively supported the Tea Party movement, and that they are older, better educated and more religious than the general public.

According to a recent University of Illinois study, consuming a diet containing high levels of omega-6 fatty acids may help maintain healthy skin and avoid chronic issues such as dermatitis.

Using a mouse model, the research team discovered that low blood levels of arachidonic acid caused the subjects to develop severe ulcerative dermatitis, a condition characterized by redness of the skin, inflammation and bleeding sores.

After feeding the mice diets that were rich in the compound, lead author Manabu Nakamura, associate professor of food science and human nutrition at the university, and his colleagues found that the condition subsided and the itching symptoms dissipated.

"This new understanding may have implications for treating the flaky, itchy skin that sometimes develops without an attributable cause in infants," said Nakamura. "This new knowledge is a starting point in understanding the mechanisms that are involved, and we need to do more research at the cellular level."

Common dietary sources for omega-6 fatty acids include vegetable oil, soybean oil, acai berries and a variety of nuts. The nutrient may also be taken as a dietary supplement.