Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Common weed helps treat herpes, study finds
Common weed helps treat herpes, study finds
(NaturalNews) Tansy, a flowering plant that has long been used as a folk remedy to treat fevers, rheumatism, and other conditions, may now have another known health benefit. According to a recent study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research, antiviral compounds naturally present in tansy show effectiveness in treating the herpes virus.
Dr. Solomon Habtemariam from the University of Greenwich in the UK and Professor Francisco Parra from the Universidad de Oviedo in Spain together set out to research the medicinal properties of tansy and verify the plant's efficacy. They not only observed the plant to be a powerful antiviral, but they also identified which substances are responsible for this effect.
"Our research focused on the antiviral properties of tansy, especially the potential treatment it may represent for herpes," said Parra. "[W]e found that tansy does contain known antiviral agents including 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (3,5-DCQA) as well as axillarin, which contributes to its antiherpetic effect," adding that the multiple antiherpetic agents present in tansy work together to fight viruses.
A 2008 study out of Morocco found that tansy, also known more properly as Tanacetum vulgare, is effective at treating hypertension and promoting rapid relaxation. And a 2006 study explains that tansy leaves have also been commonly used in folk medicine as a effective diuretic.
Other known uses for tansy include treating nervousness, fatigue, head ailments, mental irritability, ear ringing, stomach pains, digestive problems, and respiratory ailments. Tansy extracts also kill internal parasites and works as an effective insect repellant.
Certain compounds in tansy are highly toxic, however. Ingesting tansy oil can cause liver and digestive tract problems, for instance, when not used correctly. Be sure to consult your physician before undertaking any protocol involving tansy.
Sources for this story include:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_relea...
http://www.webhomeopath.com/homeopa...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031510_weed_herpes.html#ixzz1FChH59i1
(NaturalNews) Tansy, a flowering plant that has long been used as a folk remedy to treat fevers, rheumatism, and other conditions, may now have another known health benefit. According to a recent study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research, antiviral compounds naturally present in tansy show effectiveness in treating the herpes virus.
Dr. Solomon Habtemariam from the University of Greenwich in the UK and Professor Francisco Parra from the Universidad de Oviedo in Spain together set out to research the medicinal properties of tansy and verify the plant's efficacy. They not only observed the plant to be a powerful antiviral, but they also identified which substances are responsible for this effect.
"Our research focused on the antiviral properties of tansy, especially the potential treatment it may represent for herpes," said Parra. "[W]e found that tansy does contain known antiviral agents including 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (3,5-DCQA) as well as axillarin, which contributes to its antiherpetic effect," adding that the multiple antiherpetic agents present in tansy work together to fight viruses.
A 2008 study out of Morocco found that tansy, also known more properly as Tanacetum vulgare, is effective at treating hypertension and promoting rapid relaxation. And a 2006 study explains that tansy leaves have also been commonly used in folk medicine as a effective diuretic.
Other known uses for tansy include treating nervousness, fatigue, head ailments, mental irritability, ear ringing, stomach pains, digestive problems, and respiratory ailments. Tansy extracts also kill internal parasites and works as an effective insect repellant.
Certain compounds in tansy are highly toxic, however. Ingesting tansy oil can cause liver and digestive tract problems, for instance, when not used correctly. Be sure to consult your physician before undertaking any protocol involving tansy.
Sources for this story include:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_relea...
http://www.webhomeopath.com/homeopa...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031510_weed_herpes.html#ixzz1FChH59i1
Red meat linked to stomach, esophageal cancers
Red meat linked to stomach, esophageal cancers
(NaturalNews) Red meat consumption increases the risk of both stomach and esophageal cancer, according to a study conducted by researchers from the nonprofits World Cancer Research Fund and Cancer Research, and published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
The researchers questioned 494,979 U.S. residents between the ages of 50 and 71 about their lifestyle and diet habits, including consumption of red meat and their favored cooking methods, then followed them for approximately 10 years.
They found that after adjusting for potentially confounding factors such as age, exercise, smoking and weight, participants who ate the most red meat had a 79 percent higher risk of developing a cancer of the upper esophagus known as esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Participants who ate the most food containing higher levels of one type of heterocyclic amine (HCA) had a 44 percent higher risk of a cancer of the upper stomach known as gastric cardia.
HCAs are carcinogens formed when meat is cooked at high temperature. The HCA monitored in the study is called DiMelQx.
Prior studies looking for a link have had mixed results because they failed to look at different varieties of stomach and esophageal cancer separately, the researchers said. No connection was found between red meat consumption and other such cancers, which have separate risk factors. Adenocarcinoma of the lower esophagus, for example, is more strongly linked to smoking and heavy drinking.
High red meat consumption has also been linked to other severe health problems, including heart disease and other forms of cancer.
"[One] study of more than 90,000 women found that the more red meat the women consumed in their twenties, thirties, and forties, the greater their risk for developing breast cancer fueled by hormones in the next twelve years," writes Gabriel Cousens in his book There Is a Cure for Diabetes.
"Those who consumed the most red meat had nearly twice the risk of those who ate red meat infrequently. "
To learn more about how to fight disease with a healthy diet, read the free NaturalNews.com report Nutrition Can Save America! at
http://www.naturalnews.com/report_N....
Sources for this story include: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS....
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031514_red_meat_cancer.html#ixzz1FCfoStbN
(NaturalNews) Red meat consumption increases the risk of both stomach and esophageal cancer, according to a study conducted by researchers from the nonprofits World Cancer Research Fund and Cancer Research, and published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
The researchers questioned 494,979 U.S. residents between the ages of 50 and 71 about their lifestyle and diet habits, including consumption of red meat and their favored cooking methods, then followed them for approximately 10 years.
They found that after adjusting for potentially confounding factors such as age, exercise, smoking and weight, participants who ate the most red meat had a 79 percent higher risk of developing a cancer of the upper esophagus known as esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Participants who ate the most food containing higher levels of one type of heterocyclic amine (HCA) had a 44 percent higher risk of a cancer of the upper stomach known as gastric cardia.
HCAs are carcinogens formed when meat is cooked at high temperature. The HCA monitored in the study is called DiMelQx.
Prior studies looking for a link have had mixed results because they failed to look at different varieties of stomach and esophageal cancer separately, the researchers said. No connection was found between red meat consumption and other such cancers, which have separate risk factors. Adenocarcinoma of the lower esophagus, for example, is more strongly linked to smoking and heavy drinking.
High red meat consumption has also been linked to other severe health problems, including heart disease and other forms of cancer.
"[One] study of more than 90,000 women found that the more red meat the women consumed in their twenties, thirties, and forties, the greater their risk for developing breast cancer fueled by hormones in the next twelve years," writes Gabriel Cousens in his book There Is a Cure for Diabetes.
"Those who consumed the most red meat had nearly twice the risk of those who ate red meat infrequently. "
To learn more about how to fight disease with a healthy diet, read the free NaturalNews.com report Nutrition Can Save America! at
http://www.naturalnews.com/report_N....
Sources for this story include: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS....
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031514_red_meat_cancer.html#ixzz1FCfoStbN
'I Won't Pay' movement grips debt-ridden Greece
ATHENS, Greece ---- They blockade highway toll booths to give drivers free passage. They cover subway ticket machines with plastic bags so commuters can't pay. Even doctors are joining in, preventing patients from paying fees at state hospitals.
Some call it civil disobedience. Others a freeloading spirit. Either way, Greece's "I Won't Pay" movement has sparked heated debate in a nation reeling from a debt crisis that's forced the government to take drastic austerity measures ---- including higher taxes, wage and pension cuts, and price spikes in public services.
What started as a small pressure group of residents outside Athens angered by higher highway tolls has grown into a movement affecting ever more sectors of society ---- one that many say is being hijacked by left-wing parties keen to ride popular discontent.
A rash of political scandals in recent years, including a dubious land swap deal with a rich monastery and alleged bribes in state contracts ---- has fueled the rebellious mood.
At dawn last Friday, about 100 bleary-eyed activists from a Communist Party-backed labor union covered ticket machines with plastic bags at Athens metro stations, preventing passengers from paying their fares, to protest public transport ticket price hikes.
Other activists have taped up ticket machines on buses and trams. And thousands of people simply don't bother validating their public transport tickets when they take the subway or the bus.
"The people have paid already through their taxes, so they should be able to travel for free," said Konstantinos Thimianos, 36, an activist standing at the metro picket line in central Syntagma Square.
In one of their frequent occupations of the toll booths on the northern outskirts of Athens recently, protesters wore brightly colored vests with "total disobedience" emblazoned across their backs, and chanted: "We won't pay for their crisis!"
The tactic has cropped up in the health sector, with some state hospital doctors staging a blockade in front of pay counters to prevent patients from paying their 5-euro flat fee for consultations.
Critics deride the protests as yet another example of a freeloading mentality that helped lead the country into its financial mess.
"The course from initial lawlessness to final wanton irresponsibility is like a spreading cancer," Dionysis Gousetis said in a recent column in the respected daily broadsheet Kathimerini.
"Now, with the crisis as an alibi ... the freeloaders don't hide. They appear publicly and proudly and act like heroes of civil disobedience. Something like Rosa Parks or Mahatma Gandhi," Gousetis wrote. "They're not satisfied with not paying themselves. They are forcing others to follow them."
Many accuse left-wing parties and labor unions of usurping a grass-roots movement with legitimate grievances for their own political ends.
"You think that lawlessness is something revolutionary, which helps the Greek people," Prime Minister George Papandreou said recently, lashing out in Parliament at Coalition of the Left party head Alexis Tsipras. "It is the lawlessness which we have in our country that the Greek people are paying for today."
But there is something about the "I Won't Pay" movement that speaks to something deeper within Greek society: a propensity to bend the rules, to rebel against authority, particularly that of the state.
It is so ingrained that many Greeks barely notice the myriad small, daily transgressions ---- the motorcycle driving on the sidewalk, the car running the red light, the blatant disregard of yet another government attempt to ban smoking in restaurants and bars.
Less innocuous is persistent and widespread tax avoidance, despite increasingly desperate government measures.
"There is a general culture of lawlessness, starting from the most basic thing, tax evasion or tax avoidance, which is something that Greeks have been exercising since their state was created," said social commentator Nikos Dimou.
But many see the "I Won't Pay" movement as something much simpler: the people's refusal to pay for the mistakes of a series of governments accused of squandering the nation's future through corruption and cronyism.
"I don't think it's part of the Greek character. Greeks, when they see that the law is being applied in general, they will implement it too," said Nikos Louvros, 55, the chain-smoking owner of an Athens bar that openly flouts the smoking ban.
"But when it isn't being applied to some, such as when there are ministers who have been stealing ... Well, if the laws aren't implemented at the top, others won't implement them."
http://www.nctimes.com/business/article_82f9827f-be43-59c5-a35c-300fade72cd8.html
Some call it civil disobedience. Others a freeloading spirit. Either way, Greece's "I Won't Pay" movement has sparked heated debate in a nation reeling from a debt crisis that's forced the government to take drastic austerity measures ---- including higher taxes, wage and pension cuts, and price spikes in public services.
What started as a small pressure group of residents outside Athens angered by higher highway tolls has grown into a movement affecting ever more sectors of society ---- one that many say is being hijacked by left-wing parties keen to ride popular discontent.
A rash of political scandals in recent years, including a dubious land swap deal with a rich monastery and alleged bribes in state contracts ---- has fueled the rebellious mood.
At dawn last Friday, about 100 bleary-eyed activists from a Communist Party-backed labor union covered ticket machines with plastic bags at Athens metro stations, preventing passengers from paying their fares, to protest public transport ticket price hikes.
Other activists have taped up ticket machines on buses and trams. And thousands of people simply don't bother validating their public transport tickets when they take the subway or the bus.
"The people have paid already through their taxes, so they should be able to travel for free," said Konstantinos Thimianos, 36, an activist standing at the metro picket line in central Syntagma Square.
In one of their frequent occupations of the toll booths on the northern outskirts of Athens recently, protesters wore brightly colored vests with "total disobedience" emblazoned across their backs, and chanted: "We won't pay for their crisis!"
The tactic has cropped up in the health sector, with some state hospital doctors staging a blockade in front of pay counters to prevent patients from paying their 5-euro flat fee for consultations.
Critics deride the protests as yet another example of a freeloading mentality that helped lead the country into its financial mess.
"The course from initial lawlessness to final wanton irresponsibility is like a spreading cancer," Dionysis Gousetis said in a recent column in the respected daily broadsheet Kathimerini.
"Now, with the crisis as an alibi ... the freeloaders don't hide. They appear publicly and proudly and act like heroes of civil disobedience. Something like Rosa Parks or Mahatma Gandhi," Gousetis wrote. "They're not satisfied with not paying themselves. They are forcing others to follow them."
Many accuse left-wing parties and labor unions of usurping a grass-roots movement with legitimate grievances for their own political ends.
"You think that lawlessness is something revolutionary, which helps the Greek people," Prime Minister George Papandreou said recently, lashing out in Parliament at Coalition of the Left party head Alexis Tsipras. "It is the lawlessness which we have in our country that the Greek people are paying for today."
But there is something about the "I Won't Pay" movement that speaks to something deeper within Greek society: a propensity to bend the rules, to rebel against authority, particularly that of the state.
It is so ingrained that many Greeks barely notice the myriad small, daily transgressions ---- the motorcycle driving on the sidewalk, the car running the red light, the blatant disregard of yet another government attempt to ban smoking in restaurants and bars.
Less innocuous is persistent and widespread tax avoidance, despite increasingly desperate government measures.
"There is a general culture of lawlessness, starting from the most basic thing, tax evasion or tax avoidance, which is something that Greeks have been exercising since their state was created," said social commentator Nikos Dimou.
But many see the "I Won't Pay" movement as something much simpler: the people's refusal to pay for the mistakes of a series of governments accused of squandering the nation's future through corruption and cronyism.
"I don't think it's part of the Greek character. Greeks, when they see that the law is being applied in general, they will implement it too," said Nikos Louvros, 55, the chain-smoking owner of an Athens bar that openly flouts the smoking ban.
"But when it isn't being applied to some, such as when there are ministers who have been stealing ... Well, if the laws aren't implemented at the top, others won't implement them."
http://www.nctimes.com/business/article_82f9827f-be43-59c5-a35c-300fade72cd8.html
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Reports: Libyan pilots refuse to bomb city, eject from plane
Benghazi, Libya (CNN) -- Even as Moammar Gadhafi called on the military to crack down on anti-government protesters, reports emerged Wednesday that the Libyan leader was facing growing international and domestic opposition, including from his own military.
An opposition figure told CNN that a pilot who had been ordered to bomb oil fields southwest of Benghazi refused to do so and instead ejected from the plane.
Citing military sources, the Libyan newspaper Quryna reported that the two people aboard -- the pilot and co-pilot -- parachuted out and that the plane then crashed into an uninhabited area west of Ajdabiya, 160 kilometers (100 miles) southwest of Benghazi.
Quryna itself is a sign of the changes sweeping through Libya. When protests began last week, it carried regime propaganda. But it later reported on the protests and casualty figures.
CNN could not confirm reports for many areas in Libya. The Libyan government maintains tight control on communications and has not responded to repeated requests from CNN for access to the country. CNN has interviewed numerous witnesses by phone.
A Libyan Arab Airlines plane was denied permission to land in Malta on Wednesday, Maltese government sources said. Permission was denied for "clearance reasons," because officials did not know who was on board, the sources said.
Gadhafi vows to stay as regime crumbles
Eastern Libya slips from Gadhafi's grip
Eastern Libyan: I'm a free man
Libya Interior Minister joins revolution
Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini characterized the situation as a civil war, "with the authorities of the capital ordering attacks against the same Libyan people -- bombings and acts of unprecedented violence." In a speech to the Italian Senate, Frattini said, "Unconfirmed reports spoke of 1,000 deaths; other sources have given even higher figures." He said the claim from official sources that put the total number of deaths nationwide at 200 to 300 deaths "frankly lacks credibility."
The head of the largest trauma hospital in Benghazi told CNN on Wednesday that 202 people have been confirmed dead in the city since protests began last week. The opposition now controls Benghazi and much of the rest of eastern Libya.
On Wednesday, the ninth day of protests, Gadhafi faced more defections from within his regime and new international pressure to halt military actions against demonstrators.
Uncertainty surrounded the whereabouts of one prominent defector. Abdul Fattah Younis al Abidi, the country's interior minister, told CNN Wednesday in a telephone interview that he had resigned Monday and was supporting the opposition after hearing that 300 unarmed civilians had been killed in Benghazi. "Gadhafi told me he was planning on using airplanes against the people in Benghazi and I told him that he will have thousands of people killed if he does that," al Abidi said.
He accused Gadhafi of planning to attack civilians on a wide scale but predicted that protesters would emerge victorious in "days or hours."
But hours after that interview, the Libyan government announced Wednesday that the former interior minister had been kidnapped. State media reported that "gangs" had abducted him in Benghazi.
But Benghazi, now solidly in the camp of the protesters, was peaceful Wednesday. The only shooting that could be heard was celebratory gunfire. Crowds cheered as international journalists drove through the city, thanked them for arriving and threw them candy.
Absent Gadhafi's influence, residents formed ad hoc committees to take over the business of running the city, ensuring that hospitals were adequately staffed and supplied, banks were protected, electricity was flowing and garbage was picked up.
They also formed a security force to defend the city in the event that forces loyal to Gadhafi were to attack.
Gadhafi: Profile of a dictator
Can Gadhafi survive? Two people to watch
Gadhafi: 'I will be a martyr'
Libyan protests threaten oil prices
RELATED TOPICS
* Libya
* Moammar Gadhafi
One member of the ad hoc government said forces here have been in telephone contact with tribes in the west of the country, many of whom remained loyal to Gadhafi, and have tried to persuade them to reject him.
In New York, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon left no doubt about where the world body stands on Libya. "The reported nature and scale of the attacks on civilians are egregious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law," he told reporters. "I condemn them loudly and without qualification. Those responsible must be held accountable in courts of law."
He noted that the Security Council and the League of Arab States on Tuesday each issued strong statements on the matter. "The world has spoken with one voice," he said. "The government of Libya must meet its responsibility to protect its people."
Ban added that he was sending his senior advisers to the region.
In Washington, President Barack Obama said the United States condemns the use of violence. "The suffering and bloodshed is outrageous and it is unacceptable," he told reporters as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stood beside him. Libya "must be held accountable" for its failure to meet its responsibilities, he said, adding, "The entire world is watching."
He said he was sending Clinton to Geneva for international meetings about Libya.
The United States is considering a range of tools to pressure Libya to end the violence and respect the rights of its people, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Wednesday. "That certainly includes sanctions that could be imposed either bilaterally or multilaterally," Crowley said.
Peru and Botswana announced they were breaking diplomatic ties with Libya. Peruvian President Alan Garcia said his country suspended diplomatic relations after condemning "the repression unleashed by Gadhafi."
Botswana's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement that it was joining the international community, "which is calling for action to be taken against those persons who have committed crimes against humanity in the continuing conflict in Libya and hopes that such persons shall be referred to the International Criminal Court to account for their deeds."
But ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo noted that Libya is not a party to the Rome Statute, which set up the court. "Intervention by the ICC on the alleged crimes committed in Libya can occur only if the Libyan authorities accept the jurisdiction of the court," his statement said. "In the absence of such step, the United Nations Security Council can decide to refer the situation to the court. The Office of the Prosecutor will act only after either decision is taken."
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for prompt European Union sanctions against Libya on Wednesday, such as "a ban on access to EU territory and financial monitoring."
Residents in the Libyan capital of Tripoli heard sporadic gunshots overnight, a resident said Wednesday. By daybreak, the main roads in the city had been "cleaned off as if nothing happened," she said.
More checkpoints have been set up, especially near the city center, restricting residents' movements, she said. And a food shortage is getting worse, she said. When her family tried Wednesday morning to buy bread, they found the bakeries were closed.
Police cars and downed trees blocked many of the roads in the neighborhoods, and security officials were not allowing pictures to be taken. Witnesses reported seeing about 10 burned-out civilian cars and bodies lying in the streets. Many of the streets were stained with blood, a witness said.
In Tripoli's Dahra neighborhood, people driving white vans cleared away makeshift barricades, a witness said.
Wednesday evening, planes circled overhead and shots were fired, though it wasn't clear whether the shots were coming from the air or the ground, a witness said. The streets were largely deserted, but one man could be heard in the street screaming in Arabic, "There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet!" -- a liturgical slogan often invoked by Muslims in challenging situations, the witness said.
Witnesses said security forces increased their presence after Gadhafi defended his regime in a defiant speech Tuesday. He vowed to die a "martyr" and blamed the unrest on "rats" who are "agents" of foreign intelligence services. He warned that people found to be cooperating with outside forces fomenting discord and those who carry weapons against the country will be executed.
A government spokesman blamed U.S. and Israeli intelligence operatives for the unrest. "We will get rid of them, in collaboration with our people in the eastern province," he said.
Referring to reports that the military had attacked civilians, the spokesman said, "We have reports and evidence they are not using arms unless against those who attacked the barracks."
The government version of events differed markedly from what witnesses reported, including helicopter gunships firing into crowds of protesters.
Those caught up in the unrest include asylum seekers and refugees, the U.N. refugee agency said, as it urged neighboring countries not to turn them away.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Switzerland, the chief spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said she had received troubling reports about their plight.
"A journalist has passed information to us from Somalis in Tripoli who say they are being hunted on suspicion of being mercenaries," Melissa Fleming said. "He says they feel trapped and are frightened to go out, even though there is little or no food at home."
The U.N. refugee agency praised Tunisia and Egypt for "positive indications" that they will keep their borders open to people fleeing Libya. The agency's staff is working at the Tunisian border to monitor the situation and identify "vulnerable individuals for whom immediate assistance is needed -- such as children without parents, women with children, and the elderly," the agency said in a statement.
An English-speaking Egyptian fleeing Libya told CNN of systematic destruction of cell phone cards and cell phone memory chips at checkpoints on the road to the border with Tunisia.
He also reported thousands of people gathering at the Tripoli airport, both inside and outside.
Meanwhile, the United Nations terminated Gadhafi's daughter's stint as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. Development Program. U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said Aisha Gadhafi was appointed goodwill ambassador for Libya in 2009 to address HIV/AIDS and violence against women in the country. Nesirky said the U.N. agency ended its agreement with her given recent events in Libya.
In an interview on Libyan state-run television, Aisha Gadhafi said she had heard the news. "I can't verify if it's true or not, but all the Libyans who know me ... know that I am the goodwill ambassador with or without the United Nations."
On Wednesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged leaders of regional countries to let people express their opinions, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. The Iranian official news agency also reported that Ahmadinejad wondered how the ruler of a country could kill his own people using guns and tanks.
But after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's regime was toppled this month following 18 days of protests, Iranian protesters emulated them by taking to the streets, where they were met with force.
Korean Bank Run Spreading: Eighth Bank Closes Following “Massive Withdrawals”
Korean Bank Run Spreading: Eighth Bank Closes Following “Massive Withdrawals”
Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Feb 23, 2011
The quietest bank run that has so far completely evaded mainstream attention, that of Korea, is spreading, and an eighth bank has now shuttered after “Domin Bank, a savings bank with a capital adequacy ratio below 5 percent, voluntarily decided yesterday to suspend its operations temporarily because of massive withdrawals.” As JoongAng reports: “The decision took both depositors and financial regulators by surprise since it was the first time that a local bank shut its doors on its own.” Apparently the courageous decision by the Financial Services Chairman Kim Seok-dong to deposit $17,864 in a troubled bank has not done much if anything to prevent the locals from realizing that their banking system is built on a house of cards.
From JoongAng Daily:
Domin Bank, which has six branches in Gangwon, was placed on a watch list last week by the Financial Services Commission. The move triggered a bank run on Domin Bank.
According to Domin Bank, deposits amounting 31.8 billion won ($28.2 million) were withdrawn since last Thursday, including 18.8 billion won on Monday.
The news of Domin Bank’s temporary closure came as FSC Chairman Kim Seok-dong was visiting Mokpo, South Jeolla, where recently suspended Bohae Savings Bank is located.
Seok-dong unhappy:
“This savings bank was supposed to submit a management improvement plan to the FSC by Feb. 24,” said Kim. “We will now have to review whether [the closure] is even legally O.K.”
Korean Bank Run Spreading: Eighth Bank Closes Following “Massive Withdrawals” 101210banner4
More classic quotes follow:
Bae Joon-soo, senior FSC deputy director, said, “I think it is legally and morally wrong for a financial firm to do such a thing.”
Now we get it: according to the banking cartel’s ethical standard it is “legally and morally wrong” for a bank to admit it is insolvent. Perhaps if America had made this clear 2 years ago, we could have spared ourselves two years of fingerpointing and fictitious lawsuits. After all, say what you will about the tenets of banker national socialism, at least it’s an ethos.
The financial regulator and the Federation of Savings Banks failed to persuade Domin Bank to resume its operation yesterday.
The bank in notices posted on the doors of every branch said that it had taken the move “as a means to soothe the crisis involving massive withdrawals.”
The notice continued, “We will resume operation after we are reborn as a sound savings bank by increasing our paid-in capital to achieve a capital adequacy ratio of 8 percent.”
We repeat our appeal for the FDIC and Treasury to send our crack fraud and book cooking team to guarantee to the Koreans that their bankrupt banks are perfectly ok before this thing gets really out of control, and migrates to China, where a billion man bank run will be a little harder to keep under wraps.
Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Feb 23, 2011
The quietest bank run that has so far completely evaded mainstream attention, that of Korea, is spreading, and an eighth bank has now shuttered after “Domin Bank, a savings bank with a capital adequacy ratio below 5 percent, voluntarily decided yesterday to suspend its operations temporarily because of massive withdrawals.” As JoongAng reports: “The decision took both depositors and financial regulators by surprise since it was the first time that a local bank shut its doors on its own.” Apparently the courageous decision by the Financial Services Chairman Kim Seok-dong to deposit $17,864 in a troubled bank has not done much if anything to prevent the locals from realizing that their banking system is built on a house of cards.
From JoongAng Daily:
Domin Bank, which has six branches in Gangwon, was placed on a watch list last week by the Financial Services Commission. The move triggered a bank run on Domin Bank.
According to Domin Bank, deposits amounting 31.8 billion won ($28.2 million) were withdrawn since last Thursday, including 18.8 billion won on Monday.
The news of Domin Bank’s temporary closure came as FSC Chairman Kim Seok-dong was visiting Mokpo, South Jeolla, where recently suspended Bohae Savings Bank is located.
Seok-dong unhappy:
“This savings bank was supposed to submit a management improvement plan to the FSC by Feb. 24,” said Kim. “We will now have to review whether [the closure] is even legally O.K.”
Korean Bank Run Spreading: Eighth Bank Closes Following “Massive Withdrawals” 101210banner4
More classic quotes follow:
Bae Joon-soo, senior FSC deputy director, said, “I think it is legally and morally wrong for a financial firm to do such a thing.”
Now we get it: according to the banking cartel’s ethical standard it is “legally and morally wrong” for a bank to admit it is insolvent. Perhaps if America had made this clear 2 years ago, we could have spared ourselves two years of fingerpointing and fictitious lawsuits. After all, say what you will about the tenets of banker national socialism, at least it’s an ethos.
The financial regulator and the Federation of Savings Banks failed to persuade Domin Bank to resume its operation yesterday.
The bank in notices posted on the doors of every branch said that it had taken the move “as a means to soothe the crisis involving massive withdrawals.”
The notice continued, “We will resume operation after we are reborn as a sound savings bank by increasing our paid-in capital to achieve a capital adequacy ratio of 8 percent.”
We repeat our appeal for the FDIC and Treasury to send our crack fraud and book cooking team to guarantee to the Koreans that their bankrupt banks are perfectly ok before this thing gets really out of control, and migrates to China, where a billion man bank run will be a little harder to keep under wraps.
Canada, U.S. agree to use each other’s troops in civil emergencies
Canada, U.S. agree to use each other’s troops in civil emergencies
Canada and the U.S. have signed an agreement that paves the way for the militaries from either nation to send troops across each other’s borders during an emergency, but some are questioning why the Harper government has kept silent on the deal.
Neither the Canadian government nor the Canadian Forces announced the new agreement, which was signed Feb. 14 in Texas.
The U.S. military’s Northern Command, however, publicized the agreement with a statement outlining how its top officer, Gen. Gene Renuart, and Canadian Lt.-Gen. Marc Dumais, head of Canada Command, signed the plan, which allows the military from one nation to support the armed forces of the other nation during a civil emergency.
The new agreement has been greeted with suspicion by the left wing in Canada and the right wing in the U.S.
The left-leaning Council of Canadians, which is campaigning against what it calls the increasing integration of the U.S. and Canadian militaries, is raising concerns about the deal.
“It’s kind of a trend when it comes to issues of Canada-U.S. relations and contentious issues like military integration. We see that this government is reluctant to disclose information to Canadians that is readily available on American and Mexican websites,” said Stuart Trew, a researcher with the Council of Canadians.
Trew said there is potential for the agreement to militarize civilian responses to emergency incidents. He noted that work is also underway for the two nations to put in place a joint plan to protect common infrastructure such as roadways and oil pipelines.
“Are we going to see (U.S.) troops on our soil for minor potential threats to a pipeline or a road?” he asked.
Trew also noted the U.S. military does not allow its soldiers to operate under foreign command so there are questions about who controls American forces if they are requested for service in Canada. “We don’t know the answers because the government doesn’t want to even announce the plan,” he said.
But Canada Command spokesman Commander David Scanlon said it will be up to civilian authorities in both countries on whether military assistance is requested or even used.
He said the agreement is “benign” and simply sets the stage for military-to-military co-operation if the governments approve.
“But there’s no agreement to allow troops to come in,” he said. “It facilitates planning and co-ordination between the two militaries. The ‘allow’ piece is entirely up to the two governments.”
If U.S. forces were to come into Canada they would be under tactical control of the Canadian Forces but still under the command of the U.S. military, Scanlon added.
News of the deal, and the allegation it was kept secret in Canada, is already making the rounds on left-wing blogs and Internet sites as an example of the dangers of the growing integration between the two militaries.
On right-wing blogs in the U.S. it is being used as evidence of a plan for a “North American union” where foreign troops, not bound by U.S. laws, could be used by the American federal government to override local authorities.
“Co-operative militaries on Home Soil!” notes one website. “The next time your town has a ‘national emergency,’ don’t be surprised if Canadian soldiers respond. And remember — Canadian military aren’t bound by posse comitatus.”
Posse comitatus is a U.S. law that prohibits the use of federal troops from conducting law enforcement duties on domestic soil unless approved by Congress.
Scanlon said there was no intent to keep the agreement secret on the Canadian side of the border. He noted it will be reported on in the Canadian Forces newspaper next week and that publication will be put on the Internet.
Scanlon said the actual agreement hasn’t been released to the public as that requires approval from both nations. That decision has not yet been taken, he added.
Canada and the U.S. have signed an agreement that paves the way for the militaries from either nation to send troops across each other’s borders during an emergency, but some are questioning why the Harper government has kept silent on the deal.
Neither the Canadian government nor the Canadian Forces announced the new agreement, which was signed Feb. 14 in Texas.
The U.S. military’s Northern Command, however, publicized the agreement with a statement outlining how its top officer, Gen. Gene Renuart, and Canadian Lt.-Gen. Marc Dumais, head of Canada Command, signed the plan, which allows the military from one nation to support the armed forces of the other nation during a civil emergency.
The new agreement has been greeted with suspicion by the left wing in Canada and the right wing in the U.S.
The left-leaning Council of Canadians, which is campaigning against what it calls the increasing integration of the U.S. and Canadian militaries, is raising concerns about the deal.
“It’s kind of a trend when it comes to issues of Canada-U.S. relations and contentious issues like military integration. We see that this government is reluctant to disclose information to Canadians that is readily available on American and Mexican websites,” said Stuart Trew, a researcher with the Council of Canadians.
Trew said there is potential for the agreement to militarize civilian responses to emergency incidents. He noted that work is also underway for the two nations to put in place a joint plan to protect common infrastructure such as roadways and oil pipelines.
“Are we going to see (U.S.) troops on our soil for minor potential threats to a pipeline or a road?” he asked.
Trew also noted the U.S. military does not allow its soldiers to operate under foreign command so there are questions about who controls American forces if they are requested for service in Canada. “We don’t know the answers because the government doesn’t want to even announce the plan,” he said.
But Canada Command spokesman Commander David Scanlon said it will be up to civilian authorities in both countries on whether military assistance is requested or even used.
He said the agreement is “benign” and simply sets the stage for military-to-military co-operation if the governments approve.
“But there’s no agreement to allow troops to come in,” he said. “It facilitates planning and co-ordination between the two militaries. The ‘allow’ piece is entirely up to the two governments.”
If U.S. forces were to come into Canada they would be under tactical control of the Canadian Forces but still under the command of the U.S. military, Scanlon added.
News of the deal, and the allegation it was kept secret in Canada, is already making the rounds on left-wing blogs and Internet sites as an example of the dangers of the growing integration between the two militaries.
On right-wing blogs in the U.S. it is being used as evidence of a plan for a “North American union” where foreign troops, not bound by U.S. laws, could be used by the American federal government to override local authorities.
“Co-operative militaries on Home Soil!” notes one website. “The next time your town has a ‘national emergency,’ don’t be surprised if Canadian soldiers respond. And remember — Canadian military aren’t bound by posse comitatus.”
Posse comitatus is a U.S. law that prohibits the use of federal troops from conducting law enforcement duties on domestic soil unless approved by Congress.
Scanlon said there was no intent to keep the agreement secret on the Canadian side of the border. He noted it will be reported on in the Canadian Forces newspaper next week and that publication will be put on the Internet.
Scanlon said the actual agreement hasn’t been released to the public as that requires approval from both nations. That decision has not yet been taken, he added.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
University receives government grant to grow bomb-sniffing plants
University receives government grant to grow bomb-sniffing plants
(NaturalNews) The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has embarked on an unconventional new counter-terrorism program aimed at detecting bombs and other explosives. According to CBS 4 in Denver, Colo., DOD has given $8 million to Colorado State University (CSU) to grow plants that are capable of detecting dangerous weapons at places like airports, malls, and sports arenas.
Published in the journal PLoS ONE, the paper by CSU scientists outlining the research explains that through genetic modification, plants can be programmed to change color in the presence of various chemical contaminants like explosives. So instead of passengers having to be herded through invasive screening contraptions at airports, security agents could instead walk them through a pleasant, bomb-detecting garden, claim researchers.
"If this plant would sense an explosive or an environmental pollutant, it would turn white," explained CSU biology professor Dr. June Medford, who is leading the research. "They can detect multiple substances and they can turn different colors."
Since each plant can be programmed to detect a different substance, the marketability of the concept is widespread, according to researchers. If an average person wanted to detect the presence of radon or carbon monoxide in his or her home, for instance, he or she could purchase a custom-made plant designed specifically for such purposes.
At this point, the experimental plants take several hours to actually change color in the presence of chemicals, so they are not yet ready for commercial use. But with enough tweaking, the team claims the plants may eventually be quick enough to replace many common security protocols.
Scientists are also working to ensure that the bomb-sniffing plants in particular only change color in response to explosive chemicals, and not other chemicals like perfume scents. Medford says that it will likely be at least another five to seven years, though, before the technology will be ready for mainstream use.
Sources for this story include:
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2011/01/...
http://www.plosone.org/article/info...
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031406_explosives_plants.html#ixzz1Ej7AHp7i
(NaturalNews) The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has embarked on an unconventional new counter-terrorism program aimed at detecting bombs and other explosives. According to CBS 4 in Denver, Colo., DOD has given $8 million to Colorado State University (CSU) to grow plants that are capable of detecting dangerous weapons at places like airports, malls, and sports arenas.
Published in the journal PLoS ONE, the paper by CSU scientists outlining the research explains that through genetic modification, plants can be programmed to change color in the presence of various chemical contaminants like explosives. So instead of passengers having to be herded through invasive screening contraptions at airports, security agents could instead walk them through a pleasant, bomb-detecting garden, claim researchers.
"If this plant would sense an explosive or an environmental pollutant, it would turn white," explained CSU biology professor Dr. June Medford, who is leading the research. "They can detect multiple substances and they can turn different colors."
Since each plant can be programmed to detect a different substance, the marketability of the concept is widespread, according to researchers. If an average person wanted to detect the presence of radon or carbon monoxide in his or her home, for instance, he or she could purchase a custom-made plant designed specifically for such purposes.
At this point, the experimental plants take several hours to actually change color in the presence of chemicals, so they are not yet ready for commercial use. But with enough tweaking, the team claims the plants may eventually be quick enough to replace many common security protocols.
Scientists are also working to ensure that the bomb-sniffing plants in particular only change color in response to explosive chemicals, and not other chemicals like perfume scents. Medford says that it will likely be at least another five to seven years, though, before the technology will be ready for mainstream use.
Sources for this story include:
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2011/01/...
http://www.plosone.org/article/info...
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031406_explosives_plants.html#ixzz1Ej7AHp7i
Join OCA in grassroots fight to stop GMO takeover
Join OCA in grassroots fight to stop GMO takeover
(NaturalNews) The Obama Administration's landmark decision last month to overrule the ban on genetically-modified (GM) alfalfa will likely go down in the books as one of the administration's biggest betrayals of the natural health community. But a grassroots campaign currently underway by the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is seeking to essentially "overrule" the overruling on the local level, or at least put enough pressure on local and state lawmakers, as well as health food retailers like Whole Foods Market, to label GMO products so consumers can make educated decisions about the foods they buy -- and thus eventually rid the market of GMOs completely.
Former Iowa governor and staunch biotechnology industry lapdog Tom Vilsack, who currently happens to be the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary, went against everything Obama and his mouthpieces promised concerning GMOs on the campaign trail, and conceded to Monsanto's demands to fully deregulate GM alfalfa. The decision came after many months of deliberation in court over the matter, as the USDA initially deregulated GM alfalfa without a proper Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) proving its safety.
USDA scientists were unable to ever prove that GM alfalfa was safe, however, and what they did find actually reinforces the concerns brought forth by those opposed to GM alfalfa. The perennial plant is highly contagious, they admit, in that its pollen and other materials easily contaminate nearby crops, including those several miles away. And since alfalfa is a primary feed stuff for the nation's conventional livestock, the spread of GM alfalfa and its contamination of other crops is a very real and highly-disturbing threat.
But none of these facts seemed to phase Vilsack, who decided to fully deregulate the "frankencrop" anyway. A slap in the face to the entire organic and natural products industry that has been working hard to maintain clean, GMO-free foods, the decision was immediately met by proposals for at least a compromise. Whole Foods and several others in the industry began to suggest a "coexistence" plan of deregulation, which they have repeatedly stated is better than nothing. But this plan is impossible, given the nature of GM alfalfa and what it will do to agriculture if it is introduced into the environment (http://www.blenderbottle.com/produc...).
Vilsack and his co-minions for Monsanto rejected the compromise option altogether, though. They remain insistent on full deregulation with no limitations, no labeling requirements, no anything. These betrayers of the People have literally given free reign to Monsanto to plant a crop that benefits nobody but Monsanto; that will introduce countless tons of new pesticide applications into the environment; that will ruin the integrity of non-GMO and organic agriculture; and that will hand over near-complete control of American agriculture to a single, multinational corporation that cares only about profits and power.
But all is not lost. Rather than concede or try to compromise, Ronnie Cummins, founder and director of OCA, is banding together those in the organic community and urging local volunteers to step up and begin initiating "Truth-in-Labeling" campaigns in their towns, cities, counties, and states. These campaigns will include the following courses of action:
-Urging organic and natural grocery retailers like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's to begin voluntarily labeling products they sell that contain GMOs. Many "natural" products that are not certified organic contain ingredients like soy protein, soy lecithin, and canola oil, all of which are typically of the GM variety when not organic.
-Pushing local and state lawmakers to mandate GMO labeling is the next step. By initiating laws similar to those that have successfully banned smoking in bars and restaurants, restricted the use of BPA in plastics, and even outlawed toys in Happy Meals, legislation can be introduced and passed requiring GMO products to be labeled.
-Initiating lawsuits against GMO farmers whose products are contaminating nearby fields. The legal precedent of "Toxic Trespass" has been firmly established, according to Cummins, meaning that any damage caused by GMOs, the pesticides and herbicides sprayed on them, or any other application involved in their cultivation, is grounds for legal action.
-Continuing to educate friends, family members, and neighbors about the dangers of GMOs. Some local groups have even begun "sticker" campaigns by which they affix small stickers on GM products in stores, warning customers that such products contain GM ingredients, and directing them to a website for more information.
Simply talking about the issue and signing petitions is no longer enough to stop the food tyranny that is taking place. Concrete action is needed if agriculture is to be saved from the total takeover that Monsanto and others are working towards.
To sign up to become an OCA Millions Against Monsanto and Factory Farms Truth-in-Labeling Campaign coordinator, visit:
http://www.viaorganica.org/oca-volu...
Also, be sure to catch the grassroots action event webinar with Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, and Ronnie Cummins, on February 24. The two will discuss the matter in more detail and provide information about what you can do to help. To register for the webinar, click here.
Sources for this story include:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/art...
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031416_GMOs_food_labeling.html#ixzz1Ej5jipfZ
(NaturalNews) The Obama Administration's landmark decision last month to overrule the ban on genetically-modified (GM) alfalfa will likely go down in the books as one of the administration's biggest betrayals of the natural health community. But a grassroots campaign currently underway by the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is seeking to essentially "overrule" the overruling on the local level, or at least put enough pressure on local and state lawmakers, as well as health food retailers like Whole Foods Market, to label GMO products so consumers can make educated decisions about the foods they buy -- and thus eventually rid the market of GMOs completely.
Former Iowa governor and staunch biotechnology industry lapdog Tom Vilsack, who currently happens to be the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary, went against everything Obama and his mouthpieces promised concerning GMOs on the campaign trail, and conceded to Monsanto's demands to fully deregulate GM alfalfa. The decision came after many months of deliberation in court over the matter, as the USDA initially deregulated GM alfalfa without a proper Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) proving its safety.
USDA scientists were unable to ever prove that GM alfalfa was safe, however, and what they did find actually reinforces the concerns brought forth by those opposed to GM alfalfa. The perennial plant is highly contagious, they admit, in that its pollen and other materials easily contaminate nearby crops, including those several miles away. And since alfalfa is a primary feed stuff for the nation's conventional livestock, the spread of GM alfalfa and its contamination of other crops is a very real and highly-disturbing threat.
But none of these facts seemed to phase Vilsack, who decided to fully deregulate the "frankencrop" anyway. A slap in the face to the entire organic and natural products industry that has been working hard to maintain clean, GMO-free foods, the decision was immediately met by proposals for at least a compromise. Whole Foods and several others in the industry began to suggest a "coexistence" plan of deregulation, which they have repeatedly stated is better than nothing. But this plan is impossible, given the nature of GM alfalfa and what it will do to agriculture if it is introduced into the environment (http://www.blenderbottle.com/produc...).
Vilsack and his co-minions for Monsanto rejected the compromise option altogether, though. They remain insistent on full deregulation with no limitations, no labeling requirements, no anything. These betrayers of the People have literally given free reign to Monsanto to plant a crop that benefits nobody but Monsanto; that will introduce countless tons of new pesticide applications into the environment; that will ruin the integrity of non-GMO and organic agriculture; and that will hand over near-complete control of American agriculture to a single, multinational corporation that cares only about profits and power.
But all is not lost. Rather than concede or try to compromise, Ronnie Cummins, founder and director of OCA, is banding together those in the organic community and urging local volunteers to step up and begin initiating "Truth-in-Labeling" campaigns in their towns, cities, counties, and states. These campaigns will include the following courses of action:
-Urging organic and natural grocery retailers like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's to begin voluntarily labeling products they sell that contain GMOs. Many "natural" products that are not certified organic contain ingredients like soy protein, soy lecithin, and canola oil, all of which are typically of the GM variety when not organic.
-Pushing local and state lawmakers to mandate GMO labeling is the next step. By initiating laws similar to those that have successfully banned smoking in bars and restaurants, restricted the use of BPA in plastics, and even outlawed toys in Happy Meals, legislation can be introduced and passed requiring GMO products to be labeled.
-Initiating lawsuits against GMO farmers whose products are contaminating nearby fields. The legal precedent of "Toxic Trespass" has been firmly established, according to Cummins, meaning that any damage caused by GMOs, the pesticides and herbicides sprayed on them, or any other application involved in their cultivation, is grounds for legal action.
-Continuing to educate friends, family members, and neighbors about the dangers of GMOs. Some local groups have even begun "sticker" campaigns by which they affix small stickers on GM products in stores, warning customers that such products contain GM ingredients, and directing them to a website for more information.
Simply talking about the issue and signing petitions is no longer enough to stop the food tyranny that is taking place. Concrete action is needed if agriculture is to be saved from the total takeover that Monsanto and others are working towards.
To sign up to become an OCA Millions Against Monsanto and Factory Farms Truth-in-Labeling Campaign coordinator, visit:
http://www.viaorganica.org/oca-volu...
Also, be sure to catch the grassroots action event webinar with Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, and Ronnie Cummins, on February 24. The two will discuss the matter in more detail and provide information about what you can do to help. To register for the webinar, click here.
Sources for this story include:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/art...
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031416_GMOs_food_labeling.html#ixzz1Ej5jipfZ
LSU coastal scientist dies (suddenly) at 54 fron unknown illness
The LSU community is reeling after the sudden death Thursday of prominent LSU coastal scientist Gregory Stone.
Stone, who was quoted extensively in many publications internationally after last year’s BP oil leak, was the director of the renowned Wave-Current Information System.
The system is used by many fishermen and scientists to monitor wind, waves and currents off the Louisiana coast.
Chris D’Elia, dean of the LSU School of the Coast and Environment, said Stone was a great researcher, teacher, mentor and family man.
“We’re all dazed and stunned,” D’Elia said. “He was a lynchpin at this place. It’s a tremendous loss. He was loved by his staff. People who worked with him adored him.”
D’Elia said Stone was admitted into intensive care late last week from an unknown illness. The thought was that Stone was improving but then news came that he died Thursday, D’Elia said.
Stone, 54, was a native of Ireland. He was first hired at LSU in 1990 after receiving his doctorate at the University of Maryland.
Longtime LSU colleague Harry Roberts said in a statement, “Greg always projected a genuine sense of happiness and feeling of accomplishment when he talked about his students and they loved working for him in the educational environment he created.”
Stone is survived by his wife, Ann, and his 16-year-old son, Carter.
A memorial service will be held at noon Monday at Rabenhorst Funeral Home on Government Street.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the LSU Foundation Coastal Studies Institute Unendowed Account. Checks should be made payable to the LSU Foundation, with the notes section indicating LSU School of the Coast and Environment’s Coastal Studies Institute.
Donations can be mailed to the LSU Foundation at 3838 W. Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808. Donations may also be given online at www.lsufoundation.org/contribute.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/latest/LSU-coastal-scientist-dies-at-54.html
Stone, who was quoted extensively in many publications internationally after last year’s BP oil leak, was the director of the renowned Wave-Current Information System.
The system is used by many fishermen and scientists to monitor wind, waves and currents off the Louisiana coast.
Chris D’Elia, dean of the LSU School of the Coast and Environment, said Stone was a great researcher, teacher, mentor and family man.
“We’re all dazed and stunned,” D’Elia said. “He was a lynchpin at this place. It’s a tremendous loss. He was loved by his staff. People who worked with him adored him.”
D’Elia said Stone was admitted into intensive care late last week from an unknown illness. The thought was that Stone was improving but then news came that he died Thursday, D’Elia said.
Stone, 54, was a native of Ireland. He was first hired at LSU in 1990 after receiving his doctorate at the University of Maryland.
Longtime LSU colleague Harry Roberts said in a statement, “Greg always projected a genuine sense of happiness and feeling of accomplishment when he talked about his students and they loved working for him in the educational environment he created.”
Stone is survived by his wife, Ann, and his 16-year-old son, Carter.
A memorial service will be held at noon Monday at Rabenhorst Funeral Home on Government Street.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the LSU Foundation Coastal Studies Institute Unendowed Account. Checks should be made payable to the LSU Foundation, with the notes section indicating LSU School of the Coast and Environment’s Coastal Studies Institute.
Donations can be mailed to the LSU Foundation at 3838 W. Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808. Donations may also be given online at www.lsufoundation.org/contribute.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/latest/LSU-coastal-scientist-dies-at-54.html
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Revealed: Air Force ordered software to manage army of fake virtual people
Update (below): HBGary Federal among bidders
These days, with Facebook and Twitter and social media galore, it can be increasingly hard to tell who your "friends" are.
But after this, Internet users would be well advised to ask another question entirely: Are my "friends" even real people?
In the continuing saga of data security firm HBGary, a new caveat has come to light: not only did they plot to help destroy secrets outlet WikiLeaks and discredit progressive bloggers, they also crafted detailed proposals for software that manages online "personas," allowing a single human to assume the identities of as many fake people as they'd like.
The revelation was among those contained in the company's emails, which were dumped onto bittorrent networks after hackers with cyber protest group "Anonymous" broke into their systems.
In another document unearthed by "Anonymous," one of HBGary's employees also mentioned gaming geolocation services to make it appear as though selected fake persons were at actual events.
"There are a variety of social media tricks we can use to add a level of realness to all fictitious personas," it said.
Government involvement
Eerie as that may be, more perplexing, however, is a federal contract from the 6th Contracting Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base, located south of Tampa, Florida, that solicits providers of "persona management software."
While there are certainly legitimate applications for such software, such as managing multiple "official" social media accounts from a single input, the more nefarious potential is clear.
Unfortunately, the Air Force's contract description doesn't help dispel suspicions. As the text explains, the software would require licenses for 50 users with 10 personas each, for a total of 500. These personas would have to be "replete with background , history, supporting details, and cyber presences that are technically, culturally and geographacilly consistent."
It continues, noting the need for secure virtual private networks that randomize the operator's Internet protocol (IP) address, making it impossible to detect that it's a single person orchestrating all these posts. Another entry calls for static IP address management for each persona, making it appear as though each fake person was consistently accessing from the same computer each time.
The contract also sought methods to anonymously establish virtual private servers with private hosting firms in specific geographic locations. This would allow that server's "geosite" to be integrated with their social media profiles, effectively gaming geolocation services.
The Air Force added that the "place of performance" for the contract would be at MacDill Air Force Base, along with Kabul, Afghanistan and Baghdad. The contract was offered on June 22, 2010.
It was not clear exactly what the Air Force was doing with this software, or even if it had been procured.
Manufacturing consent
Though many questions remain about how the military would apply such technology, the reasonable fear should be perfectly clear. "Persona management software" can be used to manipulate public opinion on key information, such as news reports. An unlimited number of virtual "people" could be marshaled by only a few real individuals, empowering them to create the illusion of consensus.
You could call it a virtual flash mob, or a digital "Brooks Brothers Riot," so to speak: compelling, but not nearly as spontaneous as it appears.
That's precisely what got DailyKos blogger Happy Rockefeller in a snit: the potential for military-run armies of fake people manipulating and, in some cases, even manufacturing the appearance of public opinion.
"I don't know about you, but it matters to me what fellow progressives think," the blogger wrote. "I consider all views. And if there appears to be a consensus that some reporter isn't credible, for example, or some candidate for congress in another state can't be trusted, I won't base my entire judgment on it, but it carries some weight.
"That's me. I believe there are many people though who will base their judgment on rumors and mob attacks. And for those people, a fake mob can be really effective."
It was Rockefeller who was first to highlight the Air Force's "persona" contract, which was available on a public website.
A call to MacDill Air Force Base, requesting an explanation of the contract and what this software might be used for, was answered by a public affairs officer who promised a call-back. No reply was received at time of this story's publication.
Other e-mails circulated by HBGary's CEO illuminate highly personal data about critics of the US Chamber of Commerce, including detailed information about their spouses and children, as well as their locations and professional links. The firm, it was revealed, was just one part of a group called "Team Themis," tasked by the Chamber to come up with strategies for responding to progressive bloggers and others.
"Team Themis" also included a proposal to use malware hacks against progressive organizations, and the submission of fake documents in an effort to discredit established groups.
HBGary was also behind a plot by Bank of America to destroy WikiLeaks' technology platform, other emails revealed. The company was humiliated by members of "Anonymous" after CEO Aaron Barr bragged that he'd "infiltrated" the group.
A request for comment emailed to HBGary did not receive a reply.
Update: HBGary Federal among bidders
A list of interested vendors responding to the Air Force contract for "persona management software" included HBGary subsideary HBGary Federal, further analysis of a government website has revealed.
Other companies that offered their services included Global Business Solutions and Associates LLC, Uk Plus Logistics, Ltd., NevinTelecom, Bunker Communications and Planmatrix LLC.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/18/revealed-air-force-ordered-software-to-manage-army-of-fake-virtual-people/
These days, with Facebook and Twitter and social media galore, it can be increasingly hard to tell who your "friends" are.
But after this, Internet users would be well advised to ask another question entirely: Are my "friends" even real people?
In the continuing saga of data security firm HBGary, a new caveat has come to light: not only did they plot to help destroy secrets outlet WikiLeaks and discredit progressive bloggers, they also crafted detailed proposals for software that manages online "personas," allowing a single human to assume the identities of as many fake people as they'd like.
The revelation was among those contained in the company's emails, which were dumped onto bittorrent networks after hackers with cyber protest group "Anonymous" broke into their systems.
In another document unearthed by "Anonymous," one of HBGary's employees also mentioned gaming geolocation services to make it appear as though selected fake persons were at actual events.
"There are a variety of social media tricks we can use to add a level of realness to all fictitious personas," it said.
Government involvement
Eerie as that may be, more perplexing, however, is a federal contract from the 6th Contracting Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base, located south of Tampa, Florida, that solicits providers of "persona management software."
While there are certainly legitimate applications for such software, such as managing multiple "official" social media accounts from a single input, the more nefarious potential is clear.
Unfortunately, the Air Force's contract description doesn't help dispel suspicions. As the text explains, the software would require licenses for 50 users with 10 personas each, for a total of 500. These personas would have to be "replete with background , history, supporting details, and cyber presences that are technically, culturally and geographacilly consistent."
It continues, noting the need for secure virtual private networks that randomize the operator's Internet protocol (IP) address, making it impossible to detect that it's a single person orchestrating all these posts. Another entry calls for static IP address management for each persona, making it appear as though each fake person was consistently accessing from the same computer each time.
The contract also sought methods to anonymously establish virtual private servers with private hosting firms in specific geographic locations. This would allow that server's "geosite" to be integrated with their social media profiles, effectively gaming geolocation services.
The Air Force added that the "place of performance" for the contract would be at MacDill Air Force Base, along with Kabul, Afghanistan and Baghdad. The contract was offered on June 22, 2010.
It was not clear exactly what the Air Force was doing with this software, or even if it had been procured.
Manufacturing consent
Though many questions remain about how the military would apply such technology, the reasonable fear should be perfectly clear. "Persona management software" can be used to manipulate public opinion on key information, such as news reports. An unlimited number of virtual "people" could be marshaled by only a few real individuals, empowering them to create the illusion of consensus.
You could call it a virtual flash mob, or a digital "Brooks Brothers Riot," so to speak: compelling, but not nearly as spontaneous as it appears.
That's precisely what got DailyKos blogger Happy Rockefeller in a snit: the potential for military-run armies of fake people manipulating and, in some cases, even manufacturing the appearance of public opinion.
"I don't know about you, but it matters to me what fellow progressives think," the blogger wrote. "I consider all views. And if there appears to be a consensus that some reporter isn't credible, for example, or some candidate for congress in another state can't be trusted, I won't base my entire judgment on it, but it carries some weight.
"That's me. I believe there are many people though who will base their judgment on rumors and mob attacks. And for those people, a fake mob can be really effective."
It was Rockefeller who was first to highlight the Air Force's "persona" contract, which was available on a public website.
A call to MacDill Air Force Base, requesting an explanation of the contract and what this software might be used for, was answered by a public affairs officer who promised a call-back. No reply was received at time of this story's publication.
Other e-mails circulated by HBGary's CEO illuminate highly personal data about critics of the US Chamber of Commerce, including detailed information about their spouses and children, as well as their locations and professional links. The firm, it was revealed, was just one part of a group called "Team Themis," tasked by the Chamber to come up with strategies for responding to progressive bloggers and others.
"Team Themis" also included a proposal to use malware hacks against progressive organizations, and the submission of fake documents in an effort to discredit established groups.
HBGary was also behind a plot by Bank of America to destroy WikiLeaks' technology platform, other emails revealed. The company was humiliated by members of "Anonymous" after CEO Aaron Barr bragged that he'd "infiltrated" the group.
A request for comment emailed to HBGary did not receive a reply.
Update: HBGary Federal among bidders
A list of interested vendors responding to the Air Force contract for "persona management software" included HBGary subsideary HBGary Federal, further analysis of a government website has revealed.
Other companies that offered their services included Global Business Solutions and Associates LLC, Uk Plus Logistics, Ltd., NevinTelecom, Bunker Communications and Planmatrix LLC.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/18/revealed-air-force-ordered-software-to-manage-army-of-fake-virtual-people/
60 Lab Studies Now Confirm Cancer Link to a Vaccine You Probably Had as a Child
Dr. Maurice Hilleman made astounding revelations in an interview that was cut from The Health Century -- the admission that Merck drug company vaccines had been injecting dangerous viruses into people worldwide.
Bear in mind that Dr. Hilleman was the developer of Merck's vaccine program. He developed over three dozen vaccines, more than any other scientist in history. He was a member of the U.S. National Academy of Science, the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. He received a special lifetime achievement award from the World Health Organization. Hilleman was one of the early vaccine pioneers to warn about the possibility that simian viruses might contaminate vaccines.
Sources:
The PPJ Gazette February 6, 2011
Paging Dr. Gupta, CNN Health February 1, 2011
PR Log January 24, 2011
The video above has circulated for awhile, and some of you may already have seen it. But I think it's important to revisit and remember history when it comes to vaccines, especially in light of current developments.
For starters, the HPV vaccine Gardasil, which is being vigorously pushed on unsuspecting young girls and women to theoretically guard against cervical cancer still has never been proven to actually prevent cancer. On the contrary, evidence suggests that under certain circumstances the vaccine increases your risk of precancerous lesions by nearly 45 percent, and an ever increasing number of girls are being seriously injured by this unnecessary vaccine.
As of December 13, 2010, 20,915 adverse reactions had been reported in the United States alone, including 89 deaths, 297 miscarriages or stillbirths, and 370 reports of abnormal pap smears post vaccination.
All of this from a vaccine that has only been on the market for four years!
Making matters worse, as of 2009 the US FDA approved Gardasil for use on young boys as well, and the first male death has also been reported. In September of last year, a young boy died just eight days after being vaccinated with Gardasil.
So what's going on here?
Is it possible that vaccines sold by drugmakers like Merck are causing lethal disease? Judging by history, the answer may be yes.
Contaminated Polio Vaccine Responsible for Human Cancer Cases
In 2002, the journal Lancet published compelling evidence that contaminated polio vaccine was responsible for up to half of the 55,000 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cases that were occurring each year.
What was it contaminated with?
SV40, a cancer-causing monkey virus. The puzzle began in 1994, when Dr. Michele Carbone, a Loyola University researcher, found the virus SV40, which had never before been detected in humans, in half of the human lung tumors he was studying. Since then, 60 different lab studies have confirmed the results, and SV40 has been found in a variety of human cancers, including lung-, brain-, bone-, and lymphatic cancer.
At first no one could fathom how the virus had been transmitted into the human population.
But in the censored interview with Dr. Maurice Hilleman above, Hilleman admits Merck's responsibility in unleashing this virus via their polio vaccine, as well as the likelihood that there was an importing and spreading the AIDS virus in the same manner.
Just Who is Dr. Maurice Hilleman?
Now, for those of you who may think Dr. Hilleman was just another crackpot (he passed away in 2005), think again. He was, and still is, the leading vaccine pioneer in the history of vaccines. He developed more than three dozen vaccines—more than any other scientist in history—and was the developer of Merck's vaccine program.
He was a member of the U.S. National Academy of Science, the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society, and received a special lifetime achievement award from the World Health Organization.
When he was chief of the Department of Respiratory Diseases with what's now the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, he discovered the genetic changes that occur when the influenza virus mutates, known as shift and drift. He was also one of the early vaccine pioneers to warn about the possibility that simian viruses might contaminate vaccines.So Dr. Hilleman knew what he was talking about. And in his own words, "vaccines have to be considered the bargain basement technology for the 20th Century."
Vaccines Can Cause the Very Disease They're Meant to Prevent, and Worse
For years, researchers suggested that millions of vials of polio vaccine, contaminated with SV40, infected individuals between 1953 and 1963 and caused human tumors, and by 1999, molecular evidence of SV40 infections were showing up in children born after 1982. Some experts now suggest the virus may have remained in the polio vaccine until as late as 1999.
Still, the FDA and health authorities turned a blind eye.
In addition, just like Gardasil may well increase your risk of cervical cancer rather than reduce it, the live polio vaccine has also been found to cause polio. And, in rare instances the virus in the vaccine has even been known to mutate into a much deadlier version. As reported by MSN News in 2009, genetic analysis has proven such mutated viruses have caused at least seven separate outbreaks in Nigeria.
According to the CDC the last case of wild polio in the US—meaning polio caused naturally and not due to the live polio vaccine—occurred in 1979. From 1980 through 1999, there were NO wild polio cases in the US. Instead we had 144 cases of vaccine-associated paralytic polio (VAPP) caused by live oral polio vaccine.
Polio outbreaks in Haiti and the Dominican Republic in 2002 were also traced back to a strain of oral polio vaccine (OPV) that mutated back to virulence.
According to a report by Neil Z. Miller of the Global Vaccine Institute, the live polio virus from the vaccine can remain in your throat for one to two weeks and in your feces for up to two months. So not only is the vaccine recipient at risk, but he or she can potentially spread the disease to others.
In 1999, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that the United States replace the live-virus vaccine with an inactivated "killed" virus vaccine, which is what remains in use today. However, the inactivated polio virus vaccine has not been without its share of serious side effects either.
Rotavirus Vaccine Contaminated with Pig Virus
Last year, the US FDA suspended the rotavirus vaccine Rotarix after an independent lab discovered it was contaminated with "a substantial amount" of DNA from the porcine circovirus. In pigs, this virus causes poor growth, weight loss, weakness, enlarged lymph nodes, skin rashes, difficulty breathing, jaundice, stomach ulcers, and sudden death.
As expected, both the FDA and GlaxoSmithKline spokespeople stated that the contaminated Rotarix vaccine carried no known human health risks. However, this is easy to say since there are no studies to confirm or deny a link between these viruses and human disease.
In the case of the polio vaccine, the link between the SV40 virus and human cancer wasn't discovered until 40 years later! It is actually surprisingly common for vaccines to contain various animal matter, including foreign animal tissues containing genetic material (DNA/RNA).
Once the Rotarix contamination was discovered, new technology was used to test eight infectious attenuated viral vaccines, and in addition to Rotarix, two others contained "unexpected viral sequences":
1. A measles vaccine was found to contain low levels of the retrovirus avian leukosis (AVL) virus—a virus known to cause cancer in chickens. This despite the fact that vaccine manufacturers have been required to use eggs from leucosis-free stocks for over 40 years.
2. Rotateq, Merck’s rotavirus vaccine, was found to contain a virus similar to simian (monkey) retrovirus—the SV40 virus previously linked to human cancer.
Are you willing to bet that they a) know what they're talking about, and b) are telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth about the potential health dangers of all these vaccines?
HPV Vaccine Now Routine for Boys as Well...
So far, very few parents have voluntarily lined up their sons for the HPV vaccine, but that may soon change. As reported by Paging Dr. Gupta, the American Academy of Pediatrics' 2011 schedule of recommended routine vaccines for children and teens now includes the HPV vaccine for boys aged 9-18 as well.
Folks, this is a disaster in the making. I shudder to think about the statistics we'll see in a few years if parents fall for this nonsense.
I urge you to consider the risks already revealed in the four short years since Gardasil came on the market. Already, there are close to 21,000 reported incidents of adverse effects and death, despite the fact that only two out of every 10 women in the approved age group have gotten the vaccine so far.
Add to this the fact that an estimated 90 to 99 percent of all adverse effects are never reported, and the abnormally large risks of the HPV vaccine compared to other vaccines should give most people reason to pause.
Although the FDA ultimately dismisses all side effects, including deaths, as being within the norm, even they have stated that:
"In VAERS, a higher proportion of Gardasil reports were of syncope [fainting] and VTEs [venous thromboembolic events] compared with other vaccines."
And according to the National Vaccine Information Center, the incidents of miscarriage and still birth events from Gardasil supersede the same event from all other vaccinations.
According to a recent Sane Vax press release on PR Log:
"There is no doubt the vaccine's safety and efficacy has not been thoroughly investigated. And independent investigation on the safety and efficacy of the HPV vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix must be conducted before there are more injuries and deaths."
What's most frustrating about this is that not a single one of these 21,000 children and young women needed to be harmed or die.
Why?
There are still outstanding questions about whether HPV is or is not the direct cause of cervical cancer. The FDA knows there are many other co-factors involved with the development of cervical cancer, and as of 2003 acknowledged that "most infections (by HPV) are short-lived and not associated with cervical cancer." The same news release also states that "with proper screening, cervical cancer is avoidable, and if caught early, curable."
In essence, three years before the HPV vaccine came upon the scene, they knew that what was needed—if anything—was simply improved screening methods, such as regular pap smear testing for girls and women that are far less risky than getting an HPV shot.
Interestingly, and disturbingly, routine pap smears have DECLINED, coinciding neatly with the release of the HPV vaccine. Between 2007 and 2010, cervical cancer screening rates declined by nearly 7 percent, the New York Times reported in December of last year.
When you consider that the HPV vaccine increases your risk of cancer if you're already infected with certain types of HPV, this is a double-whammy of bad news since rarely, if ever, are girls and women given HPV pap screening before they get an HPV shot.
It's all madness! Not only is the HPV vaccine is one of the most unnecessary vaccines on the market, it is also the most dangerous! And now they want to unleash it on young boys, and they're trying to get it approved for older women as well.
Weighing Benefits versus Risks
Even without a potential contamination scare, there are serious risks to every vaccine. The HPV vaccine is a perfect example. So before vaccinating you really need to be certain that the benefits will outweigh those risks.
In the case of Rotarix, along with RotaTeq (a similar vaccine made by Merck), the benefits are very questionable, especially if you live in the United States or another developed country. Typically, when a child in the United States contracts rotavirus, and most do in infancy and early childhood, all that is required is lots of rest, good nutrition and plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration from diarrhea. This infection also provides natural immunity that will protect your child for life.
Along with showing little benefit for a disease that is typically entirely treatable with fluids and rest, a recent drug review by the FDA found that Rotarix is associated with an increase in pneumonia-related deaths in children, compared to a placebo.
So with this particular vaccine, children living in developed countries like the US are potentially taking on serious risks with what appears to be very little benefit -- and that was before the contamination was uncovered.
In the case of the HPV vaccine (Gardasil and Cervarix) the choice is clear. It has a high rate of risk and the potential benefits are unproven:
* In more than 70 percent of cases, HPV clears up on its own within a few weeks or months. In over 90 percent of cases, it's gone within two years, causing no symptoms or disease.
* Only about 26 percent of girls and women ages 14 to 59 have been exposed to any HPV strain at all; and
* Only 2 percent have been exposed to strains 16 or 18 – the two that Gardasil and Cervarix protect against – meaning this vaccine is completely unnecessary because HPV infection very rarely leads to cancer.
* Women whose partners wore condoms during vaginal intercourse are 70 percent less likely to become infected with HPV. That's a FAR greater level of protection than you can get from this vaccine!
For more in-depth information about the HPV vaccine along with the top 10 reasons why you don't need it, please see this previous article.
The moral of the story?
Do your homework before subjecting your children to any vaccine. A great way to get started is to simply use the Search Feature at the top of each of my Web pages and search my site as it contains a litany of research on vaccine safety, and the lack thereof. The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) also provides well-referenced information on vaccines and diseases, such as HPV, rotavirus and polio.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/02/18/leading-vaccine-doctor-states-cancer-linked-to-polio-vaccine.aspx
Insider Report: US Government Will Confiscate Gold When It Touches $2000
Insider Report: US Government Will Confiscate Gold When It Touches $2000
Mac Slavo
SHTF
Feb 19, 2011
It’s no secret that the US government is broke, the US dollar is crashing and losing credibility globally, and the IMF, China, France and others have publicly stated their desire to eliminate the dollar as the world’s primary reserve currency. The IMF, for example, recently issued a call to replace the Federal Reserve’s fiat paper, ironically suggesting that it should be replaced with yet another synthetic instrument known as the SDR, or Special Drawing Right. The SDR is essentially a monetary unit made up of a basket of other global monetary units that include the euro, Japanese yen, pound sterling, and U.S. dollar. Incidentally, prior to the collapse of the Bretton Woods gold-backed US dollar monetary system in 1973, the SDR was actually ‘backed by gold,’ with one SDR being worth roughly 0.88 grams of gold, or at the time, $1 US dollar.
It’s been suggested that a new SDR, which would likely include the Chinese Yuan within the basket, may also require some non-synthetic units of exchange such as gold.
We’ve learned from well known metals analyst and commentator Roger Wiegand, in an email to silver analyst David Morgan which was subsequently published in Morgan’s latest Silver Investornewsletter available only to subscribers, that several of Wiegand’s high level inside sources have reported that the puppeteers behind the US government, in order to facilitate a move into a new world currency are considering, or may have already begun moving forward with, a plan to confiscate gold and silver from the American public.
The following “Red Alert” was sent by Wiegand to other precious metals experts and analysts and is republished verbatim:
via Sherri Questioning All:
Editor: There is a plan to use the IMF (AKA US Treasury and Wall Street) to be the front man for the new world order and one currency.We also got disturbing news yesterday from an impeccable source that when gold touches $2,000 it’s confiscated in the USAfor about $200. Then it’s to be reissued by the Treasury for $10,000 per ounce to back the new IMF world currency using SDRS in 2011. Large physical gold is being moved to Canada.
We’ve previously commented on the possibility of gold confiscation and other steps that may be taken by our financier controlled government in the event that gold does reach certain thresholds. Reaching these new thresholds, for example $2000 or $5000 per ounce, would suggest that the US dollar has likely crashed or begun a final collapse into oblivion, at which point, all credibility for this unit of exchange will have been lost in the eyes of the rest of the world.
Will this lead to confiscation? Even David Morgan himself, in a recent Youtube interview, suggested that confiscation in the traditional sense was “ridiculous” and an argument that he doesn’t buy.
Confiscation, however, may happen in other forms, as has been suggested by trend forecasterGerald Celente and precious metals expert Jerry Western.
Celente, who has been forecasting $2000 gold for years, says that governments will intervene if the price gets too high:
We are projecting gold to go to $2000. It can go way higher, but we think that’s going to be the limit because the world governments will do something to push the price down.
The free market will certainly value gold appropriately over the long-term, but in the short-term we cannot underestimate the power of interested banking conglomerates and their marionettes within the halls of Congress and the White House to force the price of gold to whatever value they choose through the use of price controls, much like governments have attempted to do with things like rents and food in various parts of the world throughout history. In the case of Mr. Wiegand’s red alert email, it could be as low as $200 per ounce.
In his timely book Got Gold? Get Gold! covering everything you ever needed to know about precious metals, author Jerry Western writes:
So, will it happen again? I’d have to say overtly, probably not. Never say never, but I believe that covertly it has already begun.
Stock up with Fresh Food that lasts with eFoodsDirect (AD)
Insider Report: US Government Will Confiscate Gold When It Touches $2000 101210banner4
Mr. Western suggests that, while the government will not overtly confiscate, as they did in 1933 when the US dollar was backed by gold, there are other ways that the financial powers that be, who essentially own our government, will strip the people of their precious metals.
…there’s the matter of gold and silver Exchange Traded Funds. Many of these funds, including the largest, are thought by many informed individuals, not to hold the metal they are purported to. At some point, if they don’t have the metal, they will default on their obligations to shareholders. Those shareholders who thought they owned gold will not…They will have had their gold taken from them. Confiscated.
The two largest gold and silver ‘backed’ commodity ETFs currently have a total of nearly $70 billion in market capitalization. If the gold and silver aren’t there, as the fund managers claim, then if and when investors start requesting delivery of the physical metals, the funds will crash in the style of Ponzi and the paper representing their physical holdings will become worthless.
The other real possibility will be confiscation through taxes, writes Western:
The final implementation of confiscation will probably be in the form of confiscatory taxes. If taxes rise to 90% on any profit I must report, then it will be discouraging and not worth the effort to hold the metal.
With the passage of President Obama’s health care bill, the American people found out, after the fact as usual, of the new 1099 requirements which will force gold/silver merchants to declare all precious metals transactions over $600. Thus, the mechanism for tracking and taxing even small cash transactions has already been put into place.
We cannot, however, dismiss outright the suggestion that precious metals will be physically confiscated from the people. The reasoning behind the 1933 confiscation and ban on owning gold until the mid 1970’s was primarily because the US dollar was backed by gold. One US dollar represented a specific amount of gold, 0.888 grams in fact. Today, no such backing exists, and gold has been called a relic of the past by modern day monetary experts.
However, if the IMF gets its wish, and it very well may if the US dollar’s long term plunge continues unabated, then gold will become a part of the new world reserve currency unit, currently being referred to as the SDR.
If the United States is to retain a portion of that SDR basket, we will not be able to do it with our current monetary unit, the Federal Reserve Note, and a new currency domestically would be required. Sure, it may still be called the dollar, but it will likely need to be pegged to some physical asset, at least in part, for it to have any credibility globally and within the SDR basket. This means that the government is going to need to get its hands on some gold. There are supposed to be tons of it in Fort Knox, but we really don’t know because no accounting of those assets have been done for some 50 years. In the event we don’t have as much gold as the Federal Reserve says we do, then those precious metals are going to need to come from somewhere.
For this reason, we can’t dismiss the idea that confiscation may become reality.
So, if you’ve taken our past advice and hold physical precious metals, we recommend looking into some creative ways of making sure they don’t exist if someone ever comes knocking.
Mac Slavo
SHTF
Feb 19, 2011
It’s no secret that the US government is broke, the US dollar is crashing and losing credibility globally, and the IMF, China, France and others have publicly stated their desire to eliminate the dollar as the world’s primary reserve currency. The IMF, for example, recently issued a call to replace the Federal Reserve’s fiat paper, ironically suggesting that it should be replaced with yet another synthetic instrument known as the SDR, or Special Drawing Right. The SDR is essentially a monetary unit made up of a basket of other global monetary units that include the euro, Japanese yen, pound sterling, and U.S. dollar. Incidentally, prior to the collapse of the Bretton Woods gold-backed US dollar monetary system in 1973, the SDR was actually ‘backed by gold,’ with one SDR being worth roughly 0.88 grams of gold, or at the time, $1 US dollar.
It’s been suggested that a new SDR, which would likely include the Chinese Yuan within the basket, may also require some non-synthetic units of exchange such as gold.
We’ve learned from well known metals analyst and commentator Roger Wiegand, in an email to silver analyst David Morgan which was subsequently published in Morgan’s latest Silver Investornewsletter available only to subscribers, that several of Wiegand’s high level inside sources have reported that the puppeteers behind the US government, in order to facilitate a move into a new world currency are considering, or may have already begun moving forward with, a plan to confiscate gold and silver from the American public.
The following “Red Alert” was sent by Wiegand to other precious metals experts and analysts and is republished verbatim:
via Sherri Questioning All:
Editor: There is a plan to use the IMF (AKA US Treasury and Wall Street) to be the front man for the new world order and one currency.We also got disturbing news yesterday from an impeccable source that when gold touches $2,000 it’s confiscated in the USAfor about $200. Then it’s to be reissued by the Treasury for $10,000 per ounce to back the new IMF world currency using SDRS in 2011. Large physical gold is being moved to Canada.
We’ve previously commented on the possibility of gold confiscation and other steps that may be taken by our financier controlled government in the event that gold does reach certain thresholds. Reaching these new thresholds, for example $2000 or $5000 per ounce, would suggest that the US dollar has likely crashed or begun a final collapse into oblivion, at which point, all credibility for this unit of exchange will have been lost in the eyes of the rest of the world.
Will this lead to confiscation? Even David Morgan himself, in a recent Youtube interview, suggested that confiscation in the traditional sense was “ridiculous” and an argument that he doesn’t buy.
Confiscation, however, may happen in other forms, as has been suggested by trend forecasterGerald Celente and precious metals expert Jerry Western.
Celente, who has been forecasting $2000 gold for years, says that governments will intervene if the price gets too high:
We are projecting gold to go to $2000. It can go way higher, but we think that’s going to be the limit because the world governments will do something to push the price down.
The free market will certainly value gold appropriately over the long-term, but in the short-term we cannot underestimate the power of interested banking conglomerates and their marionettes within the halls of Congress and the White House to force the price of gold to whatever value they choose through the use of price controls, much like governments have attempted to do with things like rents and food in various parts of the world throughout history. In the case of Mr. Wiegand’s red alert email, it could be as low as $200 per ounce.
In his timely book Got Gold? Get Gold! covering everything you ever needed to know about precious metals, author Jerry Western writes:
So, will it happen again? I’d have to say overtly, probably not. Never say never, but I believe that covertly it has already begun.
Stock up with Fresh Food that lasts with eFoodsDirect (AD)
Insider Report: US Government Will Confiscate Gold When It Touches $2000 101210banner4
Mr. Western suggests that, while the government will not overtly confiscate, as they did in 1933 when the US dollar was backed by gold, there are other ways that the financial powers that be, who essentially own our government, will strip the people of their precious metals.
…there’s the matter of gold and silver Exchange Traded Funds. Many of these funds, including the largest, are thought by many informed individuals, not to hold the metal they are purported to. At some point, if they don’t have the metal, they will default on their obligations to shareholders. Those shareholders who thought they owned gold will not…They will have had their gold taken from them. Confiscated.
The two largest gold and silver ‘backed’ commodity ETFs currently have a total of nearly $70 billion in market capitalization. If the gold and silver aren’t there, as the fund managers claim, then if and when investors start requesting delivery of the physical metals, the funds will crash in the style of Ponzi and the paper representing their physical holdings will become worthless.
The other real possibility will be confiscation through taxes, writes Western:
The final implementation of confiscation will probably be in the form of confiscatory taxes. If taxes rise to 90% on any profit I must report, then it will be discouraging and not worth the effort to hold the metal.
With the passage of President Obama’s health care bill, the American people found out, after the fact as usual, of the new 1099 requirements which will force gold/silver merchants to declare all precious metals transactions over $600. Thus, the mechanism for tracking and taxing even small cash transactions has already been put into place.
We cannot, however, dismiss outright the suggestion that precious metals will be physically confiscated from the people. The reasoning behind the 1933 confiscation and ban on owning gold until the mid 1970’s was primarily because the US dollar was backed by gold. One US dollar represented a specific amount of gold, 0.888 grams in fact. Today, no such backing exists, and gold has been called a relic of the past by modern day monetary experts.
However, if the IMF gets its wish, and it very well may if the US dollar’s long term plunge continues unabated, then gold will become a part of the new world reserve currency unit, currently being referred to as the SDR.
If the United States is to retain a portion of that SDR basket, we will not be able to do it with our current monetary unit, the Federal Reserve Note, and a new currency domestically would be required. Sure, it may still be called the dollar, but it will likely need to be pegged to some physical asset, at least in part, for it to have any credibility globally and within the SDR basket. This means that the government is going to need to get its hands on some gold. There are supposed to be tons of it in Fort Knox, but we really don’t know because no accounting of those assets have been done for some 50 years. In the event we don’t have as much gold as the Federal Reserve says we do, then those precious metals are going to need to come from somewhere.
For this reason, we can’t dismiss the idea that confiscation may become reality.
So, if you’ve taken our past advice and hold physical precious metals, we recommend looking into some creative ways of making sure they don’t exist if someone ever comes knocking.
Cleanse your blood with this powerful herb
Cleanse your blood with this powerful herb
(NaturalNews) One of the most revered herbs in Western Herbology is the herb burdock root. Indeed burdock root, as attested to by many natural practitioners, is a most effective blood cleanser or blood purifier. It is extremely beneficial to make a tea out of the root and to drink 2-3 cups per day to help purify the blood, especially in cases of any type of infection or skin disorder. For without clean and pure blood it is impossible to have good health.
The plant is native to Europe and Asia but has been introduced and naturalized in all temperate parts of the world according to Mark Pedersen in his work, Nutritional Herbology.
Writing of burdock root further Pederson says, "Western herbalists have long used burdock for its demulcent(a substance that soothes tissue) action both externally and internally and for is alterative(cleansing or purifying) effects on the blood and urinary system. The most popular Western use of burdock root is as a primary herb in blood purifier formulas."
The Sheer Power OF Burdock Root
The famed Dr. Edward E. Shook, N.D., D.C. in the work Advanced Treatise In Herbology wrote, "nature has not produced for us many herbs whose food and medicinal value equal this one. It's ancient history as a reliable remedy for bad blood, ulcers, tumors, and many skin diseases such as what we today call eczema, psoriasis, acne, lupus, etc., to say nothing of internal disorders such as syphilis, leprosy, cancer, etc., and the modern proofs of its marvelous efficacy in the treatment of humanities most fearsome and loathsome diseases is positive proof that very few if any herbs are more virtuous or possess more curative powers."
It should be noted that Dr. Shook was a very successful natural healer. In fact, the famed and imminent herbalist and naturopath Dr. John Christopher, N.D., was a student of Dr. Shook. Dr. Shook went on to say, with regard to burdock root: "to our certain knowledge, it has cured syphilis after all other treatments had failed. For the successful treatment of chronic skin diseases, especially eczema, burdock has no equal, while for boils its quick alterative and curative effect is truly remarkable."
Burdock root has also been combined with high dosages of vitamin C to clear up stubborn staph infection. Additionally, it has been used effectively by natural practitioners in helping to normalize blood sugar levels in those with diabetes.
Nutritional Profile Of Burdock Root
The nutritional profile of burdock root is one that includes at least 26 known substances. Burdock root contains aluminum, ash, calcium, carbohydrates, chromium, magnesium, iron, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, vitamins A, vitamin C, zinc, and many other nutrients.
Few Herbs Equal Burdock Root
Indeed it could be understood in light of the many nutrients contained in burdock root why Dr. Shook was compelled to declare, "nature has not produced for us many herbs whose food and medicinal value equal this one".
Sources: Nutritional Herbology, Mark Pedersen; Revised and Expanded Edition;1998
Advanced Treatise In Herbology,Edward Shook, N.D., D.C.
http://phase3ministries.com/wordpre...
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031390_blood_cleansing.html#ixzz1ENdPiZKn
(NaturalNews) One of the most revered herbs in Western Herbology is the herb burdock root. Indeed burdock root, as attested to by many natural practitioners, is a most effective blood cleanser or blood purifier. It is extremely beneficial to make a tea out of the root and to drink 2-3 cups per day to help purify the blood, especially in cases of any type of infection or skin disorder. For without clean and pure blood it is impossible to have good health.
The plant is native to Europe and Asia but has been introduced and naturalized in all temperate parts of the world according to Mark Pedersen in his work, Nutritional Herbology.
Writing of burdock root further Pederson says, "Western herbalists have long used burdock for its demulcent(a substance that soothes tissue) action both externally and internally and for is alterative(cleansing or purifying) effects on the blood and urinary system. The most popular Western use of burdock root is as a primary herb in blood purifier formulas."
The Sheer Power OF Burdock Root
The famed Dr. Edward E. Shook, N.D., D.C. in the work Advanced Treatise In Herbology wrote, "nature has not produced for us many herbs whose food and medicinal value equal this one. It's ancient history as a reliable remedy for bad blood, ulcers, tumors, and many skin diseases such as what we today call eczema, psoriasis, acne, lupus, etc., to say nothing of internal disorders such as syphilis, leprosy, cancer, etc., and the modern proofs of its marvelous efficacy in the treatment of humanities most fearsome and loathsome diseases is positive proof that very few if any herbs are more virtuous or possess more curative powers."
It should be noted that Dr. Shook was a very successful natural healer. In fact, the famed and imminent herbalist and naturopath Dr. John Christopher, N.D., was a student of Dr. Shook. Dr. Shook went on to say, with regard to burdock root: "to our certain knowledge, it has cured syphilis after all other treatments had failed. For the successful treatment of chronic skin diseases, especially eczema, burdock has no equal, while for boils its quick alterative and curative effect is truly remarkable."
Burdock root has also been combined with high dosages of vitamin C to clear up stubborn staph infection. Additionally, it has been used effectively by natural practitioners in helping to normalize blood sugar levels in those with diabetes.
Nutritional Profile Of Burdock Root
The nutritional profile of burdock root is one that includes at least 26 known substances. Burdock root contains aluminum, ash, calcium, carbohydrates, chromium, magnesium, iron, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, vitamins A, vitamin C, zinc, and many other nutrients.
Few Herbs Equal Burdock Root
Indeed it could be understood in light of the many nutrients contained in burdock root why Dr. Shook was compelled to declare, "nature has not produced for us many herbs whose food and medicinal value equal this one".
Sources: Nutritional Herbology, Mark Pedersen; Revised and Expanded Edition;1998
Advanced Treatise In Herbology,Edward Shook, N.D., D.C.
http://phase3ministries.com/wordpre...
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031390_blood_cleansing.html#ixzz1ENdPiZKn
USDA deregulates GMO corn engineered to produce fuel, not food
USDA deregulates GMO corn engineered to produce fuel, not food
(NaturalNews) Right on the heels of the USDA's decision to deregulate GM alfalfa (http://www.naturalnews.com/031196_G...), the U.S. Department of Agriculture has now decided to completely deregulate genetically engineered corn used for ethanol production. This is just the latest Frankenfood horror unleashed by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, who has firmly established himself as the regulatory puppet of Monsanto and other GMO giants.
The public spin on this decision is that it will allow the growing of corn engineered to produce more ethanol fuel, thereby improving the efficiency in the conversion of corn to fuel. This claim is, of course, scientifically invalid on so many levels that it's difficult to know where to begin. But I'll take a shot at it...
Remember when we used to actually EAT corn?
For starters, in a world where food prices are rapidly rising, where crops are failing due to radical weather events, and where food stockpiles are at their lowest levels in many decades, the idea of converting food to fuel is utterly ludicrous. Making matters even worse, there's the simple fact that the ethanol advocates simply refuse to admit: Growing corn for fuel consumes more fuel than it produces!
The whole corn-for-ethanol debacle is simply another government-run agricultural cluster shuck involving the wasting of billions of taxpayer dollars which disappear into the black hole of subsidies handed out to corn growers. The whole thing smacks of economic insanity combined with an almost alien view of the natural world. To look upon an acre of corn and think that it's supposed to be burned in combustion engines rather than consumed as nutrition represents a whole new level of mental illness -- an illness which has infected the minds of regulators and lawmakers. (Is there a vaccine shot to prevent it yet?)
Beyond that, the claim that this corn-to-fuel effort is now the justification for unleashing genetically contaminated GE corn across North America is not just bad thinking; it's dangerously bad thinking from people who should know better.
The end of agricultural genetic integrity
Because you know what happens next? With GE corn being planted everywhere, the wind will cross-contaminate regular corn crops, resulting in widespread genetic pollution of the corn grown in America. This, in turn, will result in America's corn being refused for importation by other nations which don't want to poison their people with genetically altered corn (unlike the U.S. government).
It will damage the entire U.S. corn industry, in other words, and further devastate U.S. farmers who are already squeezed by freak weather events.
"The USDA's decision defies common sense," said Margaret Mellon, director of the Union of Concerned Scientists Food and Environment Program. "There is no way to protect food corn crops from contamination by ethanol corn. Even with the most stringent precautions, the wind will blow and standards will slip. In this case, there are no required precautions."
Over at the Center for Food Safety, science policy analyst Bill Freese wrote, "Syngenta's biofuels corn will inevitably contaminate food-grade corn, and could well trigger substantial rejection in our corn export markets, hurting farmers." (http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/...)
An article at Truth-Out.org reveals some of the possible under-the-table financial links that may be behind this decision to deregulate GE corn: http://www.truth-out.org/big-win-bi...
The Alliance for Natural Health has also posted a very good summary on this situation. It's a great read: http://www.anh-usa.org/now-usda-has...
Our corn supply is being stalked by Monsanto
So what does it all mean? It means that between the GE corn, GE sugar beets, GE alfalfa, cotton, soy and other ingredients, we are living in a grand, dangerous experiment of playing God with seeds.
I've said this before: It's almost as if people like Tom Vilsack (and other Monsanto minions) are just begging Mother Nature to wipe out human civilization and start over. Here, everybody! Let's turn our food crops into pesticide absorbers, then feed them to cows and people!
It's all being done for corporate profits, of course. Because that's all it takes to compromise the future of life on our planet: Just another buck on the bottom line.
That's all it takes at the USDA, too: Just another promise of a sweet, cushy job in the corn industry after you've left the agency. Bend enough rules in favor of Big Ag, and you can name your salary a few years down the road. Because if there's a kernel of truth to be found in any of this, it's that corporations -- and regulators -- will operate with outrageous disregard for the integrity of the natural world.
By the way, this decision was made under the guise of "science." All the lies now being repeated about the safety of genetically engineered crops are being bolstered by the laughable claim that they are "scientific" and that anyone who opposes GMOs is, by default, "unscientific."
Read more about that in my article, "Unscientific" is secret code for anyone who opposes GMOs or pesticides (http://www.naturalnews.com/031093_u...).
While you're at it, be sure to visit the Institute for Responsible Technology (www.ResponsibleTechnology.org) where you can learn more about GMOs from Jeffrey Smith, who is also a featured contributing writer here on NaturalNews.
If you're up for some educational entertainment, check out my popular hip hop song, "Just Say No to GMOs" http://www.naturalnews.com/NoGMO.html
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031359_GE_corn_USDA.html#ixzz1ENX5bFcy
(NaturalNews) Right on the heels of the USDA's decision to deregulate GM alfalfa (http://www.naturalnews.com/031196_G...), the U.S. Department of Agriculture has now decided to completely deregulate genetically engineered corn used for ethanol production. This is just the latest Frankenfood horror unleashed by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, who has firmly established himself as the regulatory puppet of Monsanto and other GMO giants.
The public spin on this decision is that it will allow the growing of corn engineered to produce more ethanol fuel, thereby improving the efficiency in the conversion of corn to fuel. This claim is, of course, scientifically invalid on so many levels that it's difficult to know where to begin. But I'll take a shot at it...
Remember when we used to actually EAT corn?
For starters, in a world where food prices are rapidly rising, where crops are failing due to radical weather events, and where food stockpiles are at their lowest levels in many decades, the idea of converting food to fuel is utterly ludicrous. Making matters even worse, there's the simple fact that the ethanol advocates simply refuse to admit: Growing corn for fuel consumes more fuel than it produces!
The whole corn-for-ethanol debacle is simply another government-run agricultural cluster shuck involving the wasting of billions of taxpayer dollars which disappear into the black hole of subsidies handed out to corn growers. The whole thing smacks of economic insanity combined with an almost alien view of the natural world. To look upon an acre of corn and think that it's supposed to be burned in combustion engines rather than consumed as nutrition represents a whole new level of mental illness -- an illness which has infected the minds of regulators and lawmakers. (Is there a vaccine shot to prevent it yet?)
Beyond that, the claim that this corn-to-fuel effort is now the justification for unleashing genetically contaminated GE corn across North America is not just bad thinking; it's dangerously bad thinking from people who should know better.
The end of agricultural genetic integrity
Because you know what happens next? With GE corn being planted everywhere, the wind will cross-contaminate regular corn crops, resulting in widespread genetic pollution of the corn grown in America. This, in turn, will result in America's corn being refused for importation by other nations which don't want to poison their people with genetically altered corn (unlike the U.S. government).
It will damage the entire U.S. corn industry, in other words, and further devastate U.S. farmers who are already squeezed by freak weather events.
"The USDA's decision defies common sense," said Margaret Mellon, director of the Union of Concerned Scientists Food and Environment Program. "There is no way to protect food corn crops from contamination by ethanol corn. Even with the most stringent precautions, the wind will blow and standards will slip. In this case, there are no required precautions."
Over at the Center for Food Safety, science policy analyst Bill Freese wrote, "Syngenta's biofuels corn will inevitably contaminate food-grade corn, and could well trigger substantial rejection in our corn export markets, hurting farmers." (http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/...)
An article at Truth-Out.org reveals some of the possible under-the-table financial links that may be behind this decision to deregulate GE corn: http://www.truth-out.org/big-win-bi...
The Alliance for Natural Health has also posted a very good summary on this situation. It's a great read: http://www.anh-usa.org/now-usda-has...
Our corn supply is being stalked by Monsanto
So what does it all mean? It means that between the GE corn, GE sugar beets, GE alfalfa, cotton, soy and other ingredients, we are living in a grand, dangerous experiment of playing God with seeds.
I've said this before: It's almost as if people like Tom Vilsack (and other Monsanto minions) are just begging Mother Nature to wipe out human civilization and start over. Here, everybody! Let's turn our food crops into pesticide absorbers, then feed them to cows and people!
It's all being done for corporate profits, of course. Because that's all it takes to compromise the future of life on our planet: Just another buck on the bottom line.
That's all it takes at the USDA, too: Just another promise of a sweet, cushy job in the corn industry after you've left the agency. Bend enough rules in favor of Big Ag, and you can name your salary a few years down the road. Because if there's a kernel of truth to be found in any of this, it's that corporations -- and regulators -- will operate with outrageous disregard for the integrity of the natural world.
By the way, this decision was made under the guise of "science." All the lies now being repeated about the safety of genetically engineered crops are being bolstered by the laughable claim that they are "scientific" and that anyone who opposes GMOs is, by default, "unscientific."
Read more about that in my article, "Unscientific" is secret code for anyone who opposes GMOs or pesticides (http://www.naturalnews.com/031093_u...).
While you're at it, be sure to visit the Institute for Responsible Technology (www.ResponsibleTechnology.org) where you can learn more about GMOs from Jeffrey Smith, who is also a featured contributing writer here on NaturalNews.
If you're up for some educational entertainment, check out my popular hip hop song, "Just Say No to GMOs" http://www.naturalnews.com/NoGMO.html
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031359_GE_corn_USDA.html#ixzz1ENX5bFcy
Chinese companies mass producing fake rice out of plastic
Chinese companies mass producing fake rice out of plastic
(NaturalNews) The Chinese food contamination freak show is back in full swing with new reports out of Singapore indicating that certain Chinese companies are now mass producing and selling fake rice to unwitting villagers. According to a report in the Korean-language Weekly Hong Kong, the manufacturers are blending potatoes, sweet potatoes, and plastic industrial resin to produce the imitation rice.
A report in Very Vietnam states that an official from the Chinese Restaurant Association has announced that eating three bowls of this fake rice is the equivalent of eating an entire plastic bag. Consuming such plastic material is obviously a serious health hazard, and officials are allegedly gearing up to conduct an investigation into the factories accused of producing the phony rice.
The scandal is not a surprise when considering China's long legacy food problems, including the 2008 melamine-tainted milk incident where roughly 300,000 people were injured and at least six infants died as a result of being poisoned by the toxic chemical (http://www.naturalnews.com/024837_f...). Other tainted food from China has included melamine-tainted pet foods, lead-tainted children's cups, and even another fake rice case where a Chinese company added synthetic flavorings to ordinary rice to trick people into thinking it was the more expensive "Wuchang" variety.
Some media commentators have already begun to run wild with the fake rice story, comparing the imitation rice to what they say is the imitation reality in which the world lives.
"Fake stimulus, fake money printing, fake GDP growth, fake goods and services being produced, is ... forcing us to consume fake food because we can't afford real food, because we have no real growth, we have no real economy, we have no real industry, we only have fake stuff," bemoaned talk show co-host Stacy Herbert from Russia Today. "So it makes sense that we're only eating fake food."
Sources for this story include:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/...
http://veryvietnam.com/2011-01-22/c...
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031344_plastic_rice.html#ixzz1ENTRhrbk
(NaturalNews) The Chinese food contamination freak show is back in full swing with new reports out of Singapore indicating that certain Chinese companies are now mass producing and selling fake rice to unwitting villagers. According to a report in the Korean-language Weekly Hong Kong, the manufacturers are blending potatoes, sweet potatoes, and plastic industrial resin to produce the imitation rice.
A report in Very Vietnam states that an official from the Chinese Restaurant Association has announced that eating three bowls of this fake rice is the equivalent of eating an entire plastic bag. Consuming such plastic material is obviously a serious health hazard, and officials are allegedly gearing up to conduct an investigation into the factories accused of producing the phony rice.
The scandal is not a surprise when considering China's long legacy food problems, including the 2008 melamine-tainted milk incident where roughly 300,000 people were injured and at least six infants died as a result of being poisoned by the toxic chemical (http://www.naturalnews.com/024837_f...). Other tainted food from China has included melamine-tainted pet foods, lead-tainted children's cups, and even another fake rice case where a Chinese company added synthetic flavorings to ordinary rice to trick people into thinking it was the more expensive "Wuchang" variety.
Some media commentators have already begun to run wild with the fake rice story, comparing the imitation rice to what they say is the imitation reality in which the world lives.
"Fake stimulus, fake money printing, fake GDP growth, fake goods and services being produced, is ... forcing us to consume fake food because we can't afford real food, because we have no real growth, we have no real economy, we have no real industry, we only have fake stuff," bemoaned talk show co-host Stacy Herbert from Russia Today. "So it makes sense that we're only eating fake food."
Sources for this story include:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/...
http://veryvietnam.com/2011-01-22/c...
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031344_plastic_rice.html#ixzz1ENTRhrbk
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Ivory Coast Banks, Stock Exchange Close as Political Deadlock Triggers Run
Ivory Coast’s financial system is grinding to a halt with banks closing and the stock market suspended, sparking a run on the banks left open as the West African nation’s political crisis drags on.
Standard Chartered Plc, Citigroup Inc. and BNP Paribas SA have all closed their units in the world’s top cocoa producer because of security fears after a disputed Nov. 28 election left the country with two rival administrations.
The Central Bank of West African States has demanded banks in the region halt all transactions with its agencies in Ivory Coast after they were seized by Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent president. Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognized winner of the election, has also called on companies to stop paying taxes to Gbagbo’s administration and told coffee and cocoa shippers to halt exports for one month in a bid to starve Gbagbo of funds.
“This is a significant setback for Gbagbo’s administration,” Samir Gadio, a London-based emerging market strategist at Standard Bank Plc, wrote in an e-mailed note yesterday. “The financial system has virtually come to a standstill, which is likely to erode the regime’s base of support going forward, especially if public and private sector salaries are not serviced later this month.”
Gbagbo’s administration will take “judicial proceedings” against the local units of BNP and Citigroup for shutting their local branches, his Justice Ministry said on Feb. 15. That may further alienate global investors after the government defaulted on $2.3 billion of Eurobonds this month.
No Liquidity
Clients formed long lines at the banks that were left open in the commercial capital of Abidjan yesterday.
“We are living in a state of uncertainty,” said Alain Doffou, a 45-year-old high school teacher who waited with about 40 others in line for an automated teller machine in the Plateau neighborhood of Abidjan. “I want to withdraw my money because I prefer keeping my savings with me.”
Abou Traore, a 31-year-old police officer, said he tried to close his account and withdraw all his money at a branch of SGBCI, the unit of France’s Societe Generale SA in Ivory Coast. The lender denied the request, he said, “because it doesn’t have enough liquidity.”
“Given the increasingly challenging operating environment in the Ivory Coast, we have decided to temporarily suspend our operations there until it is safe to reopen,” Shaun Gamble, a London-based spokesman at Standard Chartered, said by e-mail yesterday.
Bond Default
The Bourse Regionale des Valeurs Mobilieres, where companies from eight West African nations trade their shares, was closed “until further notice” following the Feb. 9 seizure of its offices by Gbagbo’s administration, according to a statement issued Feb. 14 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Gbagbo called the move to halt trading on the market “void,” according to an e-mailed statement yesterday.
The nation failed to make a $29 million interest payment on its Eurobonds on Jan. 31 after a grace period, prompting the London Club group of commercial bank creditors to declare an “event of default” on Feb. 1.
The 2.5 percent note maturing in December 2032, sold in April 2020, fell to a record low of 36.25 cents on the dollar on Feb. 2, according to Bloomberg data.
Economy Contracting
Ivory Coast’s economy, once the second-biggest in West Africa after Nigeria, may contract in the first half of the year as the crisis deepens, Gadio and other Standard Bank researchers said last month. The European Union levied trade and travel sanctions on Gbagbo, his supporters, and institutions that aided his bid to stay in power last month.
At least 296 people have been killed in post-election violence, according to the United Nations. Ouattara remains holed up in the Golf Hotel in Abidjan, where he is protected by UN peacekeepers. Gbagbo retains control over the army, state television and over public institutions.
The UN yesterday authorized the deployment of three more infantry companies and one aviation unit, including three armed helicopters, for its peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
South African President Jacob Zuma will also visit the country on Feb. 21 as part of attempts by the African Union to resolve the political stalemate, South Africa’s Department of International Affairs and Cooperation said on its website yesterday.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-17/ivory-coast-banks-exchange-close-people-rush-to-withdraw-cash.html
Standard Chartered Plc, Citigroup Inc. and BNP Paribas SA have all closed their units in the world’s top cocoa producer because of security fears after a disputed Nov. 28 election left the country with two rival administrations.
The Central Bank of West African States has demanded banks in the region halt all transactions with its agencies in Ivory Coast after they were seized by Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent president. Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognized winner of the election, has also called on companies to stop paying taxes to Gbagbo’s administration and told coffee and cocoa shippers to halt exports for one month in a bid to starve Gbagbo of funds.
“This is a significant setback for Gbagbo’s administration,” Samir Gadio, a London-based emerging market strategist at Standard Bank Plc, wrote in an e-mailed note yesterday. “The financial system has virtually come to a standstill, which is likely to erode the regime’s base of support going forward, especially if public and private sector salaries are not serviced later this month.”
Gbagbo’s administration will take “judicial proceedings” against the local units of BNP and Citigroup for shutting their local branches, his Justice Ministry said on Feb. 15. That may further alienate global investors after the government defaulted on $2.3 billion of Eurobonds this month.
No Liquidity
Clients formed long lines at the banks that were left open in the commercial capital of Abidjan yesterday.
“We are living in a state of uncertainty,” said Alain Doffou, a 45-year-old high school teacher who waited with about 40 others in line for an automated teller machine in the Plateau neighborhood of Abidjan. “I want to withdraw my money because I prefer keeping my savings with me.”
Abou Traore, a 31-year-old police officer, said he tried to close his account and withdraw all his money at a branch of SGBCI, the unit of France’s Societe Generale SA in Ivory Coast. The lender denied the request, he said, “because it doesn’t have enough liquidity.”
“Given the increasingly challenging operating environment in the Ivory Coast, we have decided to temporarily suspend our operations there until it is safe to reopen,” Shaun Gamble, a London-based spokesman at Standard Chartered, said by e-mail yesterday.
Bond Default
The Bourse Regionale des Valeurs Mobilieres, where companies from eight West African nations trade their shares, was closed “until further notice” following the Feb. 9 seizure of its offices by Gbagbo’s administration, according to a statement issued Feb. 14 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Gbagbo called the move to halt trading on the market “void,” according to an e-mailed statement yesterday.
The nation failed to make a $29 million interest payment on its Eurobonds on Jan. 31 after a grace period, prompting the London Club group of commercial bank creditors to declare an “event of default” on Feb. 1.
The 2.5 percent note maturing in December 2032, sold in April 2020, fell to a record low of 36.25 cents on the dollar on Feb. 2, according to Bloomberg data.
Economy Contracting
Ivory Coast’s economy, once the second-biggest in West Africa after Nigeria, may contract in the first half of the year as the crisis deepens, Gadio and other Standard Bank researchers said last month. The European Union levied trade and travel sanctions on Gbagbo, his supporters, and institutions that aided his bid to stay in power last month.
At least 296 people have been killed in post-election violence, according to the United Nations. Ouattara remains holed up in the Golf Hotel in Abidjan, where he is protected by UN peacekeepers. Gbagbo retains control over the army, state television and over public institutions.
The UN yesterday authorized the deployment of three more infantry companies and one aviation unit, including three armed helicopters, for its peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
South African President Jacob Zuma will also visit the country on Feb. 21 as part of attempts by the African Union to resolve the political stalemate, South Africa’s Department of International Affairs and Cooperation said on its website yesterday.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-17/ivory-coast-banks-exchange-close-people-rush-to-withdraw-cash.html
Cancer causing chemicals found in cola coloring ingredient
Cancer causing chemicals found in cola coloring ingredient
Mike Adams
Natural News
Thursday, February 17, 2011
(NaturalNews) The “caramel coloring” used to color all the top cola brands isn’t natural caramel coloring at all. Instead, it’s made by reacting sugars with ammonia and sulfites at high temperatures. This reaction results in the formation of 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole, both of which are chemicals documented by the U.S. government to cause cancer in mammals.
This is all coming to light thanks to an effort by the CSPI, which has now filed a regulatory petition to ban these chemicals from colas (http://www.cspinet.org/new/20110216…).
The National Toxicology Program has conducted animal studies on these toxic chemicals found in colas, concluding there is “clear evidence” that 2-MI and 4-MI are animal carcinogens.
The call to ban these chemicals from use in foods was joined by five carcinogenesis experts who said, “The American public should not be exposed to any cancer risk whatsoever as a result of consuming such chemicals, especially when they serve a non-essential, cosmetic purpose.” (http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/experts-…)
That letter explains:
4-methylimidazole (4-MI) causes lung tumors in male and female mice and mononuclear cell leukemia in female rats. Other NTP studies found that 2-methylimidazole caused liver tumors in male and female mice, thyroid tumors in male mice, and precancerous thyroid changes in female mice. In rats, 4-MI caused an increased rate of tumors in thyroid follicular cells in females and an increased rate of hyperplasia in thyroid follicular cells in males.
Cancer causing chemicals found in cola coloring ingredient 260310banner2
Even the term “caramel coloring” is extremely misleading to consumers, because most people think it’s related to caramel candy, which is made by browning sugar under heat. But the “caramel coloring” used in colas is made by exposing sugars to industrial chemicals (ammonia and sulfites), resulting in a cocktail of cancer-causing chemicals.
Coke and Pepsi products may soon bear cancer warnings in California
California’s Proposition 65 law limits the consumption of 4-MI to no more than 16 micrograms per day from a single product. Yet colas contain roughly 200 micrograms of 4-MI in a 20-ounce bottle.
That’s over 12 times the allowable limit under Proposition 65, and that’s in every bottle! Many people drink several bottles a day, further multiplying their exposure to this potential carcinogen.
If cola companies are going to continue to sell their products in California, then, they must now carry cancer warning labels in order to be in compliance with Prop 65. You can bet that a desperate effort is now under way by the cola industry to lobby California regulators and make sure 4-MI gets removed from any enforcement of Prop 65.
The cola industry wants everybody to think its products are wholesome and natural while forgetting about the health effects of phosphoric acid, aspartame and high-fructose corn syrup. Now, with 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole in the picture, there’s yet another potentially cancer-causing chemical to worry about in colas.
Obviously, 2-MI and 4-MI can be avoided by drinking non-colored soft drinks, but those still contain phosphoric acid, high-fructose corn syrup, caffeine and even aspartame in diet sodas.
It turns out, there’s no such thing as a perfectly safe soda. All sodas and soft drinks carry health risks related to their ingredients. I have no doubt that this era of diabetes, obesity and cancer we’re living through right now is due in large part to the widespread consumption of sodas and soft drinks.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031383_caramel_coloring_cola.html#ixzz1EEug6syD
Mike Adams
Natural News
Thursday, February 17, 2011
(NaturalNews) The “caramel coloring” used to color all the top cola brands isn’t natural caramel coloring at all. Instead, it’s made by reacting sugars with ammonia and sulfites at high temperatures. This reaction results in the formation of 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole, both of which are chemicals documented by the U.S. government to cause cancer in mammals.
This is all coming to light thanks to an effort by the CSPI, which has now filed a regulatory petition to ban these chemicals from colas (http://www.cspinet.org/new/20110216…).
The National Toxicology Program has conducted animal studies on these toxic chemicals found in colas, concluding there is “clear evidence” that 2-MI and 4-MI are animal carcinogens.
The call to ban these chemicals from use in foods was joined by five carcinogenesis experts who said, “The American public should not be exposed to any cancer risk whatsoever as a result of consuming such chemicals, especially when they serve a non-essential, cosmetic purpose.” (http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/experts-…)
That letter explains:
4-methylimidazole (4-MI) causes lung tumors in male and female mice and mononuclear cell leukemia in female rats. Other NTP studies found that 2-methylimidazole caused liver tumors in male and female mice, thyroid tumors in male mice, and precancerous thyroid changes in female mice. In rats, 4-MI caused an increased rate of tumors in thyroid follicular cells in females and an increased rate of hyperplasia in thyroid follicular cells in males.
Cancer causing chemicals found in cola coloring ingredient 260310banner2
Even the term “caramel coloring” is extremely misleading to consumers, because most people think it’s related to caramel candy, which is made by browning sugar under heat. But the “caramel coloring” used in colas is made by exposing sugars to industrial chemicals (ammonia and sulfites), resulting in a cocktail of cancer-causing chemicals.
Coke and Pepsi products may soon bear cancer warnings in California
California’s Proposition 65 law limits the consumption of 4-MI to no more than 16 micrograms per day from a single product. Yet colas contain roughly 200 micrograms of 4-MI in a 20-ounce bottle.
That’s over 12 times the allowable limit under Proposition 65, and that’s in every bottle! Many people drink several bottles a day, further multiplying their exposure to this potential carcinogen.
If cola companies are going to continue to sell their products in California, then, they must now carry cancer warning labels in order to be in compliance with Prop 65. You can bet that a desperate effort is now under way by the cola industry to lobby California regulators and make sure 4-MI gets removed from any enforcement of Prop 65.
The cola industry wants everybody to think its products are wholesome and natural while forgetting about the health effects of phosphoric acid, aspartame and high-fructose corn syrup. Now, with 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole in the picture, there’s yet another potentially cancer-causing chemical to worry about in colas.
Obviously, 2-MI and 4-MI can be avoided by drinking non-colored soft drinks, but those still contain phosphoric acid, high-fructose corn syrup, caffeine and even aspartame in diet sodas.
It turns out, there’s no such thing as a perfectly safe soda. All sodas and soft drinks carry health risks related to their ingredients. I have no doubt that this era of diabetes, obesity and cancer we’re living through right now is due in large part to the widespread consumption of sodas and soft drinks.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031383_caramel_coloring_cola.html#ixzz1EEug6syD
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Obama Creates World’s First Superstate With US-Canada Merger
In a shocking coup d’état said to rival Nazi Germany’s 1938 Anschluss (German for “link-up”) of the Austrian Republic, the United States this past week effectively took control of Canada creating what is being called by Russian diplomatic officials as the world’s first 21st Century “Superstate”.
The United States announcement of this “merger” between these two North American Nations was made February 4th by a posting on the WhiteHouse.Gov website of President Obama and which, in part, says:
“Today, President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper have directed the creation of a United States-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC), composed of senior regulatory, trade, and foreign affairs officials from both governments. In recognition of our $1 trillion annual trade and investment relationship, the RCC has a two-year mandate to work together to promote economic growth, job creation, and benefits to our consumers and businesses through increased regulatory transparency and coordination.
They have directed that the first meeting of the RCC be convened within 90 days by the relevant agencies in the United States and Canada.”
Concealed in the “diplo-speak” wording of this historic agreement, however, is the complete overturning of the sovereignty of both the American and Canadian peoples laws and regulations they have lived under for centuries, but which will now be “melded” together with no votes allowed by either of them ever again.
The shock and uproar in Canada over their Prime Minister’s, Steven Harper, signing away their sovereignty to the United States is unprecedented, but the same cannot be said of the American people who, according to Canada’s National Post, have not been allowed to know about it, and as we can read from their article titled “The security perimeter imaginarium of Dr. Harper”, and which, in part, says:
“The New York Times didn’t mention the Harper-Obama agreement (though it did quote some remarks the Prime Minister made about Egypt). There was a story inside the Wall Street Journal, but if any other U.S. media reported on the meeting and press conference, I can’t find it. There is no hint that the US Congress is interested either.”
Equally as shocking were the Canadian government’s deliberate actions to keep this merger secret from their own citizens, and as we can read as reported by the Toronto Star News Service in their article titled “Canada kept U.S. border talks under wraps” and which, in part, says:
“The federal government deliberately kept negotiations on a border deal with Washington secret while it planned ways to massage public opinion in favour of the pact, according to a confidential communications strategy.
The 14-page public relations document recommended that talks keep a “low public profile” in the months leading up to the announcement by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama. At the same time, the government would secretly engage “stakeholders” — interested parties such as big business groups and others — in a way that respected “the confidentiality of the announcement.”
In advance, the government departments involved — including industry, foreign affairs, international trade and citizenship and immigration — were to “align supportive stakeholders to speak positively about the announcement,” according to the strategy prepared by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews’ officials.”
One of the “supportive stakeholders” in the merger of Canada with the US is called the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE), who in their statement supporting it said, “This is the kind of government action that we in the business community have been seeking for years”.
Canada’s Pacific Free Press, however, has slammed this merger for what it really is, a capitalist corporate takeover of both the United States and Canada, and as we can read as reported in their article titled “New Harper/Obama Border Deal about Corporate Power – Not Security and Trade”:
“The Corporations behind this deal own the politicians who signed it, and the media that are telling us ‘how good it is’.
The CCCE is the secretive umbrella group that represents Corporate Canada. The CCCE is the banks, big oil, the drug companies and manufacturers and retailers and all the rest; the people and corporations who own our country. Many believe they ARE the government of Canada. They are the ones behind this deal.
Also in the Border Deal: A new ‘Council’ will ‘harmonize’ regulations between Canada and the United States (google: Regulatory Cooperation Council):
The Corporations want ONE SET of business-friendly rules for Canada and the United States, they want control of the rules and regulations that govern us, and that is what this deal is largely about.
Where is the Corporate Media? Where is the CBC? All silent – under Corporate orders.
Where are the Unions? The Environmental Groups? The Council of Canadians? The Social Groups. The other Political Parties? We are allowed to hear nothing from them either.
This powerful new agreement will further undermine our democracy, it is all about Corporate Power and Wealth.
Here in Victoria BC, our main Corporate radio station, CFAX, tells us the new border deal will be good for security and trade and nothing to worry about. That is just Corporate Propaganda, but only that one message is put out.
The border deal will ‘protect us’ from terror. That’s how it’s being ‘sold’, but in fact we are getting in bed with the number one terrorist nation in the world today, the United States of America; a nation that is also bankrupt and may be nearing social upheaval. Even worse, this deal gives more power to Corporations which have neither heart nor soul and who will happily see us ruined if it means increased Profit for them; we know this because it is what they do everywhere in the world. Why is Stephen Harper signing us into secret deals with these lunatics?
The new agreement will make it easier to cross the border. This is the other selling point for the deal, but of course the ‘tightening’ of the Canada/US border was done to give us ‘a problem’ that they are now going to solve with a new border around us – which was the Corporate Plan all along.
These are the kinds of games these lunatics play.”
The great British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) once said, “Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.”, and which, sadly, appears to be the case with this historic merger between the US and Canada as those who know and care won’t be heard, but those who do will reign in tyranny over those who live their lives in ignorance.
And yes it is true, and worth repeating, “These are the kinds of games these lunatics play”.
http://www.eutimes.net/2011/02/obama-creates-worlds-first-superstate-with-us-canada-merger/
The United States announcement of this “merger” between these two North American Nations was made February 4th by a posting on the WhiteHouse.Gov website of President Obama and which, in part, says:
“Today, President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper have directed the creation of a United States-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC), composed of senior regulatory, trade, and foreign affairs officials from both governments. In recognition of our $1 trillion annual trade and investment relationship, the RCC has a two-year mandate to work together to promote economic growth, job creation, and benefits to our consumers and businesses through increased regulatory transparency and coordination.
They have directed that the first meeting of the RCC be convened within 90 days by the relevant agencies in the United States and Canada.”
Concealed in the “diplo-speak” wording of this historic agreement, however, is the complete overturning of the sovereignty of both the American and Canadian peoples laws and regulations they have lived under for centuries, but which will now be “melded” together with no votes allowed by either of them ever again.
The shock and uproar in Canada over their Prime Minister’s, Steven Harper, signing away their sovereignty to the United States is unprecedented, but the same cannot be said of the American people who, according to Canada’s National Post, have not been allowed to know about it, and as we can read from their article titled “The security perimeter imaginarium of Dr. Harper”, and which, in part, says:
“The New York Times didn’t mention the Harper-Obama agreement (though it did quote some remarks the Prime Minister made about Egypt). There was a story inside the Wall Street Journal, but if any other U.S. media reported on the meeting and press conference, I can’t find it. There is no hint that the US Congress is interested either.”
Equally as shocking were the Canadian government’s deliberate actions to keep this merger secret from their own citizens, and as we can read as reported by the Toronto Star News Service in their article titled “Canada kept U.S. border talks under wraps” and which, in part, says:
“The federal government deliberately kept negotiations on a border deal with Washington secret while it planned ways to massage public opinion in favour of the pact, according to a confidential communications strategy.
The 14-page public relations document recommended that talks keep a “low public profile” in the months leading up to the announcement by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama. At the same time, the government would secretly engage “stakeholders” — interested parties such as big business groups and others — in a way that respected “the confidentiality of the announcement.”
In advance, the government departments involved — including industry, foreign affairs, international trade and citizenship and immigration — were to “align supportive stakeholders to speak positively about the announcement,” according to the strategy prepared by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews’ officials.”
One of the “supportive stakeholders” in the merger of Canada with the US is called the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE), who in their statement supporting it said, “This is the kind of government action that we in the business community have been seeking for years”.
Canada’s Pacific Free Press, however, has slammed this merger for what it really is, a capitalist corporate takeover of both the United States and Canada, and as we can read as reported in their article titled “New Harper/Obama Border Deal about Corporate Power – Not Security and Trade”:
“The Corporations behind this deal own the politicians who signed it, and the media that are telling us ‘how good it is’.
The CCCE is the secretive umbrella group that represents Corporate Canada. The CCCE is the banks, big oil, the drug companies and manufacturers and retailers and all the rest; the people and corporations who own our country. Many believe they ARE the government of Canada. They are the ones behind this deal.
Also in the Border Deal: A new ‘Council’ will ‘harmonize’ regulations between Canada and the United States (google: Regulatory Cooperation Council):
The Corporations want ONE SET of business-friendly rules for Canada and the United States, they want control of the rules and regulations that govern us, and that is what this deal is largely about.
Where is the Corporate Media? Where is the CBC? All silent – under Corporate orders.
Where are the Unions? The Environmental Groups? The Council of Canadians? The Social Groups. The other Political Parties? We are allowed to hear nothing from them either.
This powerful new agreement will further undermine our democracy, it is all about Corporate Power and Wealth.
Here in Victoria BC, our main Corporate radio station, CFAX, tells us the new border deal will be good for security and trade and nothing to worry about. That is just Corporate Propaganda, but only that one message is put out.
The border deal will ‘protect us’ from terror. That’s how it’s being ‘sold’, but in fact we are getting in bed with the number one terrorist nation in the world today, the United States of America; a nation that is also bankrupt and may be nearing social upheaval. Even worse, this deal gives more power to Corporations which have neither heart nor soul and who will happily see us ruined if it means increased Profit for them; we know this because it is what they do everywhere in the world. Why is Stephen Harper signing us into secret deals with these lunatics?
The new agreement will make it easier to cross the border. This is the other selling point for the deal, but of course the ‘tightening’ of the Canada/US border was done to give us ‘a problem’ that they are now going to solve with a new border around us – which was the Corporate Plan all along.
These are the kinds of games these lunatics play.”
The great British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) once said, “Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.”, and which, sadly, appears to be the case with this historic merger between the US and Canada as those who know and care won’t be heard, but those who do will reign in tyranny over those who live their lives in ignorance.
And yes it is true, and worth repeating, “These are the kinds of games these lunatics play”.
http://www.eutimes.net/2011/02/obama-creates-worlds-first-superstate-with-us-canada-merger/
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Arizona Sues Feds Over Illegals
By JACQUES BILLEAUD, Associated Press Jacques Billeaud, Associated Press – Thu Feb 10, 8:13 pm ET
PHOENIX – Gov. Jan Brewer sued the federal government Thursday for failing to control Arizona's border with Mexico and enforce immigration laws, and for sticking the state with huge costs associated with jailing illegal immigrants who commit crimes.
The lawsuit claims the federal government has failed to protect Arizona from an "invasion" of illegal immigrants. It seeks increased reimbursements and extra safeguards, such as additional border fences.
Brewer's court filing serves as a countersuit in the federal government's legal challenge to Arizona's new enforcement immigration law. The U.S. Justice Department is seeking to invalidate the law.
"Because the federal government has failed to protect the citizens of Arizona, I am left with no other choice," Brewer said as sign-carrying protesters yelled chants at her and at other champions of the immigration law.
Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler declined to comment on the filing. But a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which is in charge of policing the country's borders, called Brewer's lawsuit a meritless action and said Border Patrol staffing is higher than ever.
"Not only do actions like this ignore all of the statistical evidence, they also belittle the significant progress that our men and women in uniform have made to protect this border and the people who live alongside it," spokesman Matthew Chandler said. "We welcome any state and local government or law enforcement agency to join with us to address the remaining challenges."
Brewer's lawsuit seeks a court order that would require the federal government to take extra steps to protect Arizona — such as more border fences — until the border is controlled. Brewer also asks for additional border agents and technology along the state's border with Mexico.
The governor isn't seeking a lump-sum award, but rather asks for policy changes in the way the federal government reimburses states for the costs of jailing illegal immigrants who are convicted of state crimes. Such changes would give the state more reimbursement.
Arizona's enforcement law was passed amid years of complaints that the federal government hasn't done enough to lessen the state's role as the nation's busiest illegal entry point. Its passage ignited protests over whether the law would lead to racial profiling, and prompted lawsuits by the Justice Department, civil rights groups and other opponents seeking to have it thrown out.
The law would have required police, while enforcing other laws, to question a person's immigration status if officers had reasonable suspicion the person was in the country illegally. That requirement was put on hold by U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton, along with a mandate that immigrants obtain or carry immigration registration papers.
The judge, however, let other parts of the law take effect, such as a provision that bans people from blocking traffic while seeking or offering day-labor services on streets.
Brewer challenged Bolton's decision in an appeals court in San Francisco. She argued the judge erred by accepting speculation by the federal government that the law might burden legal immigrants, and by concluding the federal government likely would prevail. Brewer's appeal is still pending.
Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, one of the lawyers defending the law on behalf of the state, said Arizona bears staggering costs from illegal immigration, yet the federal government maintains the state is prevented from assisting in the enforcement of federal immigration law.
Horne said Washington has failed to protect the state against an invasion by illegal immigrants.
"The word 'invasion' does not necessarily mean invasion of one country by another country," Horne said. "It can mean large numbers of illegal immigrants from various countries."
The governor's filing hammers on the issue of the state's unreimbursed costs for jailed illegal immigrants. Brewer's predecessor, Janet Napolitano, who is now the Homeland Security secretary, regularly sent the Justice Department invoices seeking such reimbursement when she was governor.
The lawsuit doesn't say exactly how much reimbursement money the state is seeking. Instead, it asks the court to interpret the criteria on which the reimbursements are based, which the state believes will ensure it gets more funding.
Brewer's filing noted Arizona's latest annual reimbursement from the federal government totaled nearly $10 million and the state had to eat an additional $125 million.
Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Phoenix, an opponent of the law, said Brewer's filing was intended to draw attention from the state's budget woes. Sinema noted the federal government has hired 8,000 new Border Patrol agents and added hundreds of miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years.
"The state will be hard-pressed to show that we have been denied any promised benefit," Sinema said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_arizona_immigration%CA
PHOENIX – Gov. Jan Brewer sued the federal government Thursday for failing to control Arizona's border with Mexico and enforce immigration laws, and for sticking the state with huge costs associated with jailing illegal immigrants who commit crimes.
The lawsuit claims the federal government has failed to protect Arizona from an "invasion" of illegal immigrants. It seeks increased reimbursements and extra safeguards, such as additional border fences.
Brewer's court filing serves as a countersuit in the federal government's legal challenge to Arizona's new enforcement immigration law. The U.S. Justice Department is seeking to invalidate the law.
"Because the federal government has failed to protect the citizens of Arizona, I am left with no other choice," Brewer said as sign-carrying protesters yelled chants at her and at other champions of the immigration law.
Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler declined to comment on the filing. But a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which is in charge of policing the country's borders, called Brewer's lawsuit a meritless action and said Border Patrol staffing is higher than ever.
"Not only do actions like this ignore all of the statistical evidence, they also belittle the significant progress that our men and women in uniform have made to protect this border and the people who live alongside it," spokesman Matthew Chandler said. "We welcome any state and local government or law enforcement agency to join with us to address the remaining challenges."
Brewer's lawsuit seeks a court order that would require the federal government to take extra steps to protect Arizona — such as more border fences — until the border is controlled. Brewer also asks for additional border agents and technology along the state's border with Mexico.
The governor isn't seeking a lump-sum award, but rather asks for policy changes in the way the federal government reimburses states for the costs of jailing illegal immigrants who are convicted of state crimes. Such changes would give the state more reimbursement.
Arizona's enforcement law was passed amid years of complaints that the federal government hasn't done enough to lessen the state's role as the nation's busiest illegal entry point. Its passage ignited protests over whether the law would lead to racial profiling, and prompted lawsuits by the Justice Department, civil rights groups and other opponents seeking to have it thrown out.
The law would have required police, while enforcing other laws, to question a person's immigration status if officers had reasonable suspicion the person was in the country illegally. That requirement was put on hold by U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton, along with a mandate that immigrants obtain or carry immigration registration papers.
The judge, however, let other parts of the law take effect, such as a provision that bans people from blocking traffic while seeking or offering day-labor services on streets.
Brewer challenged Bolton's decision in an appeals court in San Francisco. She argued the judge erred by accepting speculation by the federal government that the law might burden legal immigrants, and by concluding the federal government likely would prevail. Brewer's appeal is still pending.
Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, one of the lawyers defending the law on behalf of the state, said Arizona bears staggering costs from illegal immigration, yet the federal government maintains the state is prevented from assisting in the enforcement of federal immigration law.
Horne said Washington has failed to protect the state against an invasion by illegal immigrants.
"The word 'invasion' does not necessarily mean invasion of one country by another country," Horne said. "It can mean large numbers of illegal immigrants from various countries."
The governor's filing hammers on the issue of the state's unreimbursed costs for jailed illegal immigrants. Brewer's predecessor, Janet Napolitano, who is now the Homeland Security secretary, regularly sent the Justice Department invoices seeking such reimbursement when she was governor.
The lawsuit doesn't say exactly how much reimbursement money the state is seeking. Instead, it asks the court to interpret the criteria on which the reimbursements are based, which the state believes will ensure it gets more funding.
Brewer's filing noted Arizona's latest annual reimbursement from the federal government totaled nearly $10 million and the state had to eat an additional $125 million.
Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Phoenix, an opponent of the law, said Brewer's filing was intended to draw attention from the state's budget woes. Sinema noted the federal government has hired 8,000 new Border Patrol agents and added hundreds of miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years.
"The state will be hard-pressed to show that we have been denied any promised benefit," Sinema said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_arizona_immigration%CA
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