Archive for April 6, 2012


Health

 

Age 10 the ‘New Norm’ for Puberty in Girls Thanks to Chemicals Like BPA

 

There is an ongoing and unusual trend that is steadily becoming more recognized by the public. Why are girls going into puberty at such young ages? Furthermore, what are the causes and implications of this strange new trend?

Girls as young as 7 are now beginning to undergo body changes that their mothers hadn’t experienced until years later. At this rate, by the time that they’ll be taught about puberty in the school curriculum, they will have already finished it. This trend is so puzzling, and yet slowly is becoming considered an inevitable “new norm” rather than being highlighted as an aggravated health condition.

Toxic BPA is featured in the vast majority of plastics used commercially today. This chemical has the property of mimicking estrogen when leeched into the body. The delicate hormonal balance in the developing human body is being offset by the introduction of BPA and other chemicals into an average child’s life. Nearly out of the womb, children who are given plastic toys, pacifiers or bottles all come under the influence of this hormone disruption incredibly early.

 

Read Full Article Here

 

 

 

Vaccine failure admitted: Whooping cough outbreaks higher among children already vaccinated

 

By Mike Adams,

 

(NaturalNews) For several years, NaturalNews has maintained that many vaccines actually cause the very infectious diseases they claim to prevent. Measles vaccines, for example, actually cause measles. And flu shot vaccines actually increase susceptibility to the flu. (See sources below.) Now we have an open admission of precisely this point. New research reported by Reuters reveals that whooping cough outbreaks are HIGHER among vaccinated children compared with unvaccinated children. This is…

 

Read Full Article Here

 

 

Heart defibrillators not as safe as your doctor says they are: Study shows multiple deaths caused by faulty wires

 

By Jonathan Benson,

 

(NaturalNews) Many doctors hail them as miracle devices that can prevent heart patients from dying of cardiac arrest. But heart defibrillators may not be as safe and effective as the medical industry claims they are, as a new study published in the journal Heart Rhythm has found that defects inherent in many of the devices can actually kill patients. A recent New York Times (NYT) piece explains that at least 22 people have died from heart defibrillators that short circuited, an electrical malfunction…

 

Read Full Article Here

 

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Holistic Health

 

The immune boosting power of garlic

 

By Dr. David Jockers,

 

(NaturalNews) Garlic is a pungent herb and one of nature’s best anti-biotics. Due to the powerful sulfur containing nutrients and immune stimulators within garlic, it is classified as a superfood herb. Consumption of garlic daily may be one of the best defense’s against infection and inflammatory based disease. Garlic has been used by many cultures throughout the history of mankind as a medicinal tool. The Sumerians and other groups around the Mediterranean region had a great reverence for its…

 

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Five great herbs for fighting depression naturally

 

By Jonathan Benson,

 

(NaturalNews) Depression is a ubiquitous condition that afflicts millions of Americans, many of whom have been convinced by the psychiatric industry that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and various other antidepressant drugs are their only options for treatment and healing. Truth be told, there are a number of herbal alternatives to these dangerous pharmaceuticals that have been scientifically proven to help remediate depression naturally, and without causing negative side effects…

 

Read Full Article Here

 

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Pet Health

 

Allergic Shock in Dogs

Anaphylaxis in Dogs

 

Anaphylaxis is an emergency condition that occurs when an animal reacts adversely to a particular allergen. In extreme situations, this reaction can be fatal. The condition is fairly unpredictable, as almost any substance can potentially cause a reaction. The expected outcome is often good if the reaction is caught early and treatment administered.

The condition or disease described in this medical article can affect both dogs and cats. If you would like to learn more about how this disease affects cats, please visit this page in the PetMD health library.

Symptoms and Types

Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction include shock, trouble breathing, vomiting, urination, and trouble controlling their bowels. The onset can be quick, often within minutes of exposure to the allergen.

 

Read Full Article Here

 

 

Hormone Responsive Dermatosis and Alopecia in Dogs

 

Alopecia and dermatosis are skin and hair disorders related to an imbalance of reproductive hormones. More specifically, alopecia is characterized by a loss of hair leading to baldness, and dermatosis is characterized by a diseased condition of the skin. There are a lot of reasons for why a dog would have these types of reactions, but if all indications point to an imbalance in hormones related to reproductive functioning, your veterinarian will try supplemental therapy to either lower or raise hormone levels to a normal amount. Identification of hormone related alopecia and/or dermatosis is assured when the conditions spontaneously resolve after the use of reproductive hormone therapy.

Symptoms and Types

Symptoms:

Soft, or dry brittle fur
Secondary dandruff
Itching
Darkening of the skin
Blackheads on the skin
Abnormal skin or shape of nipples, mammary glands, vulva, prepuce (foreskin of the penis or clitoris), testicles, ovaries and prostate gland
Secondary bacterial infection
Inflammation of the outer ear with wax build-up
Wetting the floor

Types:

Alopecia (Early stage hair loss)
Perineum (area between the vulva/scrotum and the anus)
Stomach
Thighs
Back of the neck

Alopecia (Later stage hair loss)
Rump
Flank

Dogs with testicular tumors will have
Enlargement of the tail gland
Enlargement of the perianal glands (around the anus)

 

Read Full Article Here

 

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Wildlife

 

Catastrophy for Dolphins in Peru

Over 600 Dead Dolphins Found in Peru Coasts -

 

Uploaded by BlueVoiceOrg on Apr 3, 2012

 

After receiving reports of a massive die-off of dolphins along Peru’s north coast, BlueVoice Executive director Hardy Jones traveled to the scene. Working with Dr. Carlos Yaipen Llanos, Hardy covered 135 kilometers of beach and found 615 dead dolphins. At the moment he cause is unknown. Research into the die-off will continue.

 

 

 

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Positivity Mind and Body

 

Using Positivity to Bounce Back from Inevitable Setbacks

 

Uploaded by bu on Apr 13, 2010

Barbara Fredrickson, Boston University’s 2009-2010 Templeton Fellow, is the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Author of the book Positivity, she delivers a lecture titled Using Positivity to Bounce Back from Inevitable Setbacks, one of the final three lectures in the public component of the Danielsen Institute’s Religious and Psychological Well-being Project. Her lecture focuses on positive emotions as the fundamental ingredient in allowing people to be resilient and bounce back from adversity.

 

 

 

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Articles of Interest

 

Medical madness: Researchers develop genetically-engineered ‘pharm’ goats that produce vaccines in milk

 

By Jonathan Benson,

 

(NaturalNews) Just as predicted, the scientific community’s genetic engineering fetish is quickly degenerating into a no-holds-barred, genetic-tampering freak show of dastardly proportions. According to the Houston Chronicle, researchers at Texas A&M University (A&M) have unveiled a new line of genetically-modified (GM) goats that produce a malaria vaccine directly in their milk. Mark Westhusin, a professor at A&M’s Reproductive Sciences Laboratory, and his colleagues have decided to assume the…

 

Read Full Article Here

 

 

Bye bye Coumadin, so long Plavix – Say hello to five natural blood thinners that protect against strokes and blood clots

 

By JB Bardot,

 

(NaturalNews) The November 2011 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine reports that most emergency hospital visits for the elderly are caused by side effects and overdosing from taking blood thinners to prevent strokes and blood clots. Conventional doctors wait until you’re at risk of a stroke or have had your first stroke to prescribe blood thinners in hopes of preventing additional strokes. What they don’t warn you about are the serious possible side effects from these drugs including internal…

 

Read Full Article Here

 

 

Monsanto Threatens to Sue Vermont if Legislators Pass a Bill Requiring GMO Food to Be Labeled

What it really comes down to this: Elected officials are abandoning the public interest and public will in the face of corporate intimidation.

 

Despite overwhelming public support and support from a clear majority of Vermont’s Agriculture Committee, Vermont legislators are dragging their feet on a proposed GMO labeling bill. Why? Because Monsanto has threatened to sue the state if the bill passes.

The popular legislative bill requiring mandatory labels on genetically engineered food (H-722) is languishing in the Vermont House Agriculture Committee, with only four weeks left until the legislature adjourns for the year. Despite thousands of emails and calls from constituents who overwhelmingly support mandatory labeling, despite the fact that a majority (6 to 5) of Agriculture Committee members support passage of the measure, Vermont legislators are holding up the labeling bill and refusing to take a vote.

Instead, they’re calling for more public hearings on April 12, in the apparent hope that they can run out the clock until the legislative session ends in early May.

What happened to the formerly staunch legislative champions of Vermont’s “right to know” bill? They lost their nerve and abandoned their principles after Monsanto representative recently threatened a public official that the biotech giant would sue Vermont if they dared to pass the bill. Several legislators have rather unconvincingly argued that the Vermont public has a “low appetite” for any bills, even very popular bills like this one, that might end up in court. Others expressed concern about Vermont being the first state to pass a mandatory GMO labeling bill and then having to “go it alone” against Monsanto in court…..

 

Read Full Article Here

 

 

 

[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]

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Earthquakes

GEONET Canterbury
Apr 05 23:05 PM
4.5 5.0 MAP

USGS Gulf Of Alaska
Apr 05 22:55 PM
3.8 12.0 MAP

GEONET Canterbury
Apr 05 21:49 PM
3.9 9.0 MAP

EMSC Western Turkey
Apr 05 20:32 PM
3.1 16.0 MAP

EMSC Samar, Philippines
Apr 05 20:29 PM
4.7 91.0 MAP

GEOFON Samar, Philippines
Apr 05 20:29 PM
4.7 10.0 MAP

USGS Virgin Islands Region
Apr 05 20:23 PM
3.2 90.0 MAP

USGS Mona Passage, Puerto Rico
Apr 05 19:48 PM
2.9 109.0 MAP

USGS Southern California
Apr 05 19:01 PM
3.0 3.6 MAP

GEOFON New Siberian Islands, Russia
Apr 05 18:42 PM
4.4 10.0 MAP

EMSC New Siberian Islands, Russia
Apr 05 18:42 PM
4.4 2.0 MAP

EMSC Caucasus Region, Russia
Apr 05 18:14 PM
3.8 10.0 MAP

USGS Channel Islands Region, California
Apr 05 17:58 PM
2.7 15.0 MAP

USGS Northern California
Apr 05 17:55 PM
2.7 2.0 MAP

EMSC Western Turkey
Apr 05 17:39 PM
2.5 8.0 MAP

USGS Southern California
Apr 05 17:30 PM
2.5 25.9 MAP

EMSC Eastern Turkey
Apr 05 16:55 PM
2.5 5.0 MAP

EMSC Eastern Turkey
Apr 05 16:49 PM
2.5 5.0 MAP

EMSC Eastern Turkey
Apr 05 16:45 PM
3.4 2.0 MAP

GEONET Canterbury
Apr 05 16:07 PM
3.3 11.0 MAP

EMSC Eastern Turkey
Apr 05 16:01 PM
2.5 24.0 MAP

EMSC Eastern Turkey
Apr 05 15:24 PM
2.5 5.0 MAP

EMSC Eastern Turkey
Apr 05 15:14 PM
2.4 28.0 MAP

EMSC Eastern Turkey
Apr 05 15:02 PM
3.5 5.0 MAP

GEOFON Northern Sumatra, Indonesia
Apr 05 14:19 PM
4.5 31.0 MAP

EMSC Nias Region, Indonesia
Apr 05 14:19 PM
4.7 20.0 MAP

USGS Andreanof Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska

Apr 05 13:19 PM
3.1 50.9 MAP

EMSC Western Turkey
Apr 05 12:23 PM
2.6 7.0 MAP

USGS Alaska Peninsula
Apr 05 12:14 PM
2.6 17.3 MAP

USGS Alaska Peninsula
Apr 05 11:04 AM
4.2 32.8 MAP

GEOFON Alaska Peninsula
Apr 05 11:04 AM
4.7 10.0 MAP

EMSC Alaska Peninsula
Apr 05 11:04 AM
4.7 10.0 MAP

EMSC Eastern Turkey
Apr 05 10:57 AM
2.7 9.0 MAP

EMSC Eastern Turkey
Apr 05 10:14 AM
2.5 18.0 MAP

EMSC Eastern Turkey
Apr 05 09:55 AM
2.6 19.0 MAP

EMSC Crete, Greece
Apr 05 09:43 AM
2.4 16.0 MAP

USGS Northern California
Apr 05 09:42 AM
2.9 6.3 MAP

EMSC Near East Coast Of Kamchatka
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4.0 40.0 MAP

USGS Western Texas
Apr 05 09:11 AM
2.9 4.9 MAP

EMSC Turkey-syria-iraq Border Region
Apr 05 08:41 AM
2.4 3.0 MAP

USGS Northern California
Apr 05 08:03 AM
2.7 7.8 MAP

USGS Southern California
Apr 05 07:22 AM
2.8 4.8 MAP

USGS Puerto Rico Region
Apr 05 06:54 AM
3.1 33.6 MAP

USGS Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Apr 05 06:40 AM
2.7 44.6 MAP

EMSC Aegean Sea
Apr 05 06:25 AM
2.4 8.0 MAP

EMSC Western Turkey
Apr 05 05:57 AM
2.8 12.0 MAP

GEOFON Afghanistan-tajikistan Border Region
Apr 05 05:45 AM
4.2 157.0 MAP

EMSC Hindu Kush Region, Afghanistan
Apr 05 05:45 AM
4.3 158.0 MAP

USGS Hindu Kush Region, Afghanistan
Apr 05 05:45 AM
4.3 150.1 MAP

EMSC Crete, Greece
Apr 05 05:37 AM
2.5 20.0 MAP

EMSC Western Turkey
Apr 05 05:24 AM
2.4 6.0 MAP

USGS Near The East Coast Of The Kamchatka Peninsula

Apr 05 05:14 AM
4.4 62.3 MAP

EMSC Near East Coast Of Kamchatka
Apr 05 05:14 AM
4.4 50.0 MAP

GEOFON Near East Coast Of Kamchatka
Apr 05 05:14 AM
4.5 35.0 MAP

GEOFON Northern Algeria
Apr 05 04:56 AM
4.5 10.0 MAP

USGS Northern Algeria
Apr 05 04:56 AM
4.6 10.1 MAP

EMSC Northern Algeria
Apr 05 04:56 AM
4.2 10.0 MAP

USGS South Of Panama
Apr 05 04:40 AM
4.5 11.5 MAP

GEOFON South Of Panama
Apr 05 04:40 AM
4.5 10.0 MAP

EMSC South Of Panama
Apr 05 04:40 AM
4.4 10.0 MAP

USGS Puerto Rico Region
Apr 05 04:36 AM
3.2 64.5 MAP

GEOFON Near Coast Of Chiapas, Mexico
Apr 05 03:58 AM
4.5 65.0 MAP

USGS Offshore Chiapas, Mexico
Apr 05 03:58 AM
4.4 53.1 MAP

EMSC Offshore Chiapas, Mexico
Apr 05 03:58 AM
4.5 40.0 MAP

USGS Island Of Hawaii, Hawaii
Apr 05 03:32 AM
2.6 17.3 MAP

EMSC Lebanon – Syria Region
Apr 05 03:32 AM
2.9 12.0 MAP

EMSC Sicily, Italy
Apr 05 03:14 AM
2.4 20.0 MAP

EMSC Southern Italy
Apr 05 03:01 AM
2.9 7.0 MAP

EMSC Eastern Turkey
Apr 05 02:38 AM
2.9 2.0 MAP

EMSC Eastern Turkey
Apr 05 02:31 AM
2.5 5.0 MAP

EMSC Southern Italy
Apr 05 02:31 AM
2.5 8.0 MAP

EMSC Western Turkey
Apr 05 02:11 AM
3.2 20.0 MAP

EMSC Southern Italy
Apr 05 02:03 AM
2.4 24.0 MAP

EMSC Western Turkey
Apr 05 01:53 AM
2.7 5.0 MAP

EMSC Timor Region, Indonesia
Apr 05 01:44 AM
4.7 80.0 MAP

GEOFON Timor Region
Apr 05 01:44 AM
4.8 10.0 MAP

USGS Timor Region, Indonesia
Apr 05 01:44 AM
4.7 15.7 MAP

EMSC Central Turkey
Apr 05 01:27 AM
2.4 4.0 MAP

EMSC Albania
Apr 05 01:24 AM
2.4 24.0 MAP

EMSC Near The Coast Of Western Turkey
Apr 05 00:26 AM
2.4 5.0 MAP

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Volcanic Activity

Small, short explosion rocks Cleveland Volcano in Aleutians

The Alaska Volcano Observatory says a small explosion at Cleveland Volcano in the Aleutian Islands may have sent up a small ash cloud

Associated Press

The Alaska Volcano Observatory says a small explosion at Cleveland Volcano in the Aleutian Islands may have sent up a small ash cloud.

Clouds prevented satellite observation of an ash cloud.

The observatory says the explosion at 1:12 p.m. Wednesday was of short duration and similar to small events in December. Those explosions created ash clouds that dissipated quickly and did not affect air traffic.

Cleveland Volcano is a 5,675-foot peak on an uninhabited island 940 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Read Full Article Here

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Extreme Weather

Time to ditch the umbrella? 20 million hit by drought in southeast England

By Ian Johnston, msnbc.com

London has an undeserved reputation as a rainy city, with “things to do” when the U.K. capital is wet a popular topic of conversation among tourists.

But this year could see that image shattered in dramatic fashion, with much of southeast England gripped by a serious drought currently affecting about 20 million people.
Restrictions on the use of water were imposed Thursday from the southeast coast to the River Humber in the north and almost as far west as Wales.

By the time the Olympics comes to London in July, further controls could be introduced that will prevent aircraft, London’s famous double-decker buses and other vehicles from being washed. Other restrictions are also likely.

Brits revel in gloom ahead of London Olympics

Those arriving for the greatest show on Earth, may find a parched, somewhat grubby city. The event itself, however, will be exempt, so rest assured there will be water in the diving pool, the rowers will not in find themselves marooned and the smiles of the synchronized swimmers will remain fixed.

Read Full Article Here

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640

Drought hits 4 million hectares of China’s crops -Xinhua

(Reuters) – About 4 million hectares of crops are suffering from a severe drought in China that has hit 13 provinces including the major farming province of Sichuan in southwest China, state news agency Xinhua said.

The drought has left 7.8 million people and 4.6 million livestock without adequate drinking water in provinces including Yunnan, Hebei, Shanxi and Gansu as of Thursday, Xinhua said.

The dry spell has dried reservoirs and threatens spring planting, the agency said, citing the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

The province of Yunnan in southwest China, which borders Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, is so far the worst hit, Xinhua said, without giving details.

China, which has just 6 percent of the world’s fresh water resources but a fifth of its population, is frequently gripped by drought.

Last year parts of the country suffered their worst drought in 50 years, officials said, with rainfall 40 to 60 percent less than normal, damaging crops and cutting power from hydroelectric dams.

A drought in the top sugar-producing province of Guangxi last year also led to a surge in imports as China tried to ease tight sugar supply.

(Reporting by Koh Gui Qing, editing by Jane Baird)

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Solar Activity / Climate Change

Mars Melt Hints at Solar, Not Human, Cause for Warming, Scientist Says

Kate Ravilious

for National Geographic News

Simultaneous warming on Earth and Mars suggests that our planet’s recent climate changes have a natural—and not a human-induced—cause, according to one scientist’s controversial theory.

Earth is currently experiencing rapid warming, which the vast majority of climate scientists says is due to humans pumping huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. (Get an overview: “Global Warming Fast Facts”.)

Mars, too, appears to be enjoying more mild and balmy temperatures.

In 2005 data from NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor and Odyssey missions revealed that the carbon dioxide “ice caps” near Mars’s south pole had been diminishing for three summers in a row.

Habibullo Abdussamatov, head of space research at St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory in Russia, says the Mars data is evidence that the current global warming on Earth is being caused by changes in the sun.

“The long-term increase in solar irradiance is heating both Earth and Mars,” he said.

Read Full Article Here

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Mysterious Booms / Rumblings

Booms and Light Flashes in Baraboo, Wisc. – April 5, 2012

Uploaded by Sheilaaliens on Apr 5, 2012

http://sheilaaliens.net/?p=501 “BARABOO (WKOW) — It’s not just Clintonville–Baraboo Police are investigating weekend reports of booms and flashes of light.

Neighborhoods on Baraboo’s southwest side woke early Sunday morning to a loud boom and less than an hour later, another one. Both booms accompanied by a flash of light. More than a dozen callers described the sounds of an explosion, blasting dynamite or a gunshot.

A police officer on duty was parked along 8th Street at about 1:45 a.m. Sunday when he heard the boom and saw the flashing light. He immediately thought a transformer blew.

“When those things go off they make a really loud pop and usually there’s a flash of light as they’re surging off the electricity,” says Chief Mark Schauf.

But it wasn’t. Alliant Energy told authorities they had no outages or transformer problems.

27 Storm Track meteorologists say it is highly unlikely that what Baraboo experienced was weather related, because no storms traveled through the area–leading Schauf to the only explanation he can think of…fireworks.

“There’s no evidence to suggest that there’s anything other than a man made cause at hand,” he says.

But many of those who’ve heard it say it sounded much more intense. We talked to a few people in Baraboo who say they heard the booms but had no idea what it was.

Many people have commented on our Facebook page, some saying the fireworks explanation is plausible, others say there has to be something else authorities are missing.

Police say there’s little they can do now, unless the city hears more booms.”

http://www.wkow.com/story/17337541/booms-light-flashes-in-baraboo

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Wildlife

Catastrophy for Dolphins in Peru

Over 600 Dead Dolphins Found in Peru Coasts -

Uploaded by BlueVoiceOrg on Apr 3, 2012

After receiving reports of a massive die-off of dolphins along Peru’s north coast, BlueVoice Executive director Hardy Jones traveled to the scene. Working with Dr. Carlos Yaipen Llanos, Hardy covered 135 kilometers of beach and found 615 dead dolphins. At the moment he cause is unknown. Research into the die-off will continue.

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Articles of Interest

CALAMITY UPON THE EARTH THREE MONTHS IN 2012

Uploaded by fidockave213 on Apr 2, 2012

NOTE THIS VIDEO DOES NOT IMPLY THE WORLD IS GOING TO END IN 2012

JANUARY FEBUARY and MARCH 2012 BIBLE PROPHECY UNFOLDING CLINTONVILLE BOOMS, RUMBLING, EARTHQUAKES, STRANGE WEATHER AND EARTH CHANGES. CALAMITY UPON THE EARTH.

Tepco Reports Another Radioactive Water Leak at Fukushima Plant

By Tsuyoshi Inajima

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said as much as 12 tons of radioactive water leaked from a pipe at its crippled Fukushima nuclear station, the second such incident in 11 days at the same pipeline, raising further doubts about the stability of the plant.

Part of the water may have poured into the sea through a drainage ditch, Osamu Yokokura, a spokesman for the utility, said by phone. The company known as Tepco stopped the leak from a pipe connecting a desalination unit and a tank today, he said.

“There will be similar leaks until Tepco improves equipment,” said Kazuhiko Kudo, a research professor of nuclear engineering at Kyushu University, who visited the plant twice last year as a member of a panel under the Nuclear and Industry Safety Agency. “The site had plastic pipes to transfer radioactive water, which Tepco officials said are durable and for industrial use, but it’s not something normally used at nuclear plants,” he said. “Tepco must replace it with metal equipment, such as steel.”

Tepco has about 100,000 tons of highly radioactive water accumulated in basements at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear station nearly 13 months after the March 11 quake and tsunami caused meltdowns and the worst radiation leaks since Chernobyl. The tsunami knocked out all power at the station, causing cooling systems for reactors to fail. The utility was forced to set up makeshift pumps to get cooling water to the reactors, with most of it then draining into basements.

Read Full Article

China Builds Scores of Dams in Earthquake Hazard Zones

TORONTO, Canada, April 4, 2012 (ENS) – More than 130 large dams built, under construction, or proposed in western China’s seismic hazard zones could trigger disasterous environmental consequences such as earthquakes and giant waves, finds a new report from the Canadian watchdog group Probe International.

The report shows that 98.6 percent of the dams being constructed in western China are located in high to moderate seismic hazard zones.

The location of large dams near clusters of recorded earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 4.9, and especially when the earthquake focal points are also close to the surface, “is cause for grave concern,” said the report’s author geologist “John Jackson.”

John Jackson is a pseudonym for a geologist with detailed knowledge of western China who wishes to remain anonymous to protect his sources.
Water rushes through the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in central China (Photo by Marshall Segal)

In a worst-case scenario, Jackson reports, dams could collapse, creating a giant wave that would inundate everything in its path, including downstream dams, causing great loss of life and property.

Should a dam suffer catastrophic collapse, says Probe International Executive Director Patricia Adams, Chinese citizens could direct their anger to the hydropower industry for threatening their lives with dangerous dams.

Read Full Article Here

[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]

Food Safety

 

CDC: No Source Confirmed in Outbreak That Has Sickened 93

Sushi or sashimi suspected

 

by Mary Rothschild

 

Ninety-three illnesses linked to an outbreak of Salmonella Bareilly have been reported from 19 states and the District of Columbia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Wednesday, but CDC officials said a specific food has not been identified as the source of the infections.
However, many of those infected recalled eating sushi, sashimi or a raw dish such as ceviche, in the days before they became ill, according to the public health agency.

In an investigation report released Wednesday afternoon, the CDC revealed the states reporting illnesses: Alabama (2), Arkansas (1), Connecticut (4), District of Columbia (2), Georgia (4), Illinois (8), Louisiana (2), Maryland (8), Massachusetts (4), Mississippi (1), Missouri (1), New Jersey (6), New York (23), North Carolina (2), Pennsylvania (2), Rhode Island (4), South Carolina (3), Texas (3), Virginia (5) and Wisconsin (8).

The CDC’s message follows an internal U.S. Food and Drug Administration email on the outbreak investigation that was inadvertently circulated beyond the agency. That emailed summary did not list all the affected states.

And although the FDA email said investigators were looking at sushi as a possible source of the illnesses, and singled out spicy tuna roll sushi as “highly suspect,” the CDC said no food item has been conclusively identified.

 

Read Full Article Here

 

 

 

Iowa Leaders Seek Congressional Hearing on Pink Slime Critics

 

by Helena Bottemiller

 

Congressman Steve King (R-IA) and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad are pushing for a congressional probe into what many in the meat industry are calling a “smear campaign” against Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB), a formerly obscure component commonly used in ground beef now known to the public as “pink slime.”

King has asked Frank Lucas (R-OK), chairman of the House Agriculture Committee to host a hearing that would bring in witnesses to testify on the media firestorm and consumer backlash over the product, which has led to three plant suspensions and sidelined 650 workers in Texas, Kansas, and Iowa — including some 200 workers in King’s district.

“Witnesses would be under oath and they’re of course obligated by law to tell the truth, those who have been the ones who have perpetrated this smear campaign against one of the stellar companies in the country,” King recently told an Iowa radio station. “I think they’ll have an obligation then to explain themselves why they could not base their allegations on facts and what they’ve done to damage an industry.”

The congressman said he believes the campaign is also an “assault” on meat. “I’d like to look at that further,” he said. “Right now, I’m focused on helping BPI get their brand back and their market share back.”

 

Read Full Article Here

 

 

 

BPA is FDA’s Latest Gift to Food Industry

 

By Michele Simon

 

In a long-awaited decision, last week the Food and Drug Administration disappointed health advocates once again by allowing Bisphenol A or BPA, a known endocrine disruptor, to remain approved as a chemical additive in food containers such as plastic bottles and metal cans.While the agency says it’s still studying the matter, a number of groups say the science is clear enough. Indeed, in the four years since the filing of a legal petition asking for a ban (a court order was needed to force FDA to respond), evidence of potential harm from BPA exposure has only increased. Of particular concern are young children, as the chemical often lines infant formula containers and baby bottles. Ironically, some of the more alarming research is funded by the federal government. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is spending $30 million to study BPA, with much of it published already and more to come. Not surprisingly, the chemical industry claims the additive is perfectly safe.

But with the scientific studies piling up to show how BPA increases the risk of everything from cancer to heart disease to fertility problems, and more recently, even obesity, this latest industry-friendly move by FDA is especially troubling. Meanwhile, without a hint of irony, FDA also maintains several web pages with helpful information for parents and others wishing to avoid BPA, such as: “What You Can Do to Minimize Your Infant’s Exposure to BPA.”

So if FDA admits the chemical is scary enough to avoid and previous independent scientific advisory panels have derided the agency for ignoring the mounting evidence, why did the agency back down yet again?…..

 

Read Full Article Here

 

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Recalls

 

Tomme d’Or Cheeses Recalled in British Columbia

 

By News Desk

 

The British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) is warning the public not to eat Tomme d’Or cheese made by Moonstruck Organic Cheese on Saltspring Island because it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.Currently there are no illnesses linked to…

 

Read Full Article Here

 

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Articles of Interest

 

Lawsuit Claims Some Store ‘Honey’ Brands Are Deceptive

 

by Gretchen Goetz

 

A series of class action lawsuits has been filed in Florida against major food retailers who allegedly sell honey that may not be “honey” because it does not contain pollen.

Five Florida residents are bringing suits against four different grocery chains – Publix Super Markets, Inc., Target Corporation, Walgreen Co. and Aldi, Inc. – that all reportedly carry ultra-filtered honey under their own house brands.

Ultra-filtration is a special process by which honey is heated and then forced through tiny filters that don’t let pollen through. This process is different from traditional honey filtration, which uses bigger filters and is designed only to weed out visible contaminants such as bee parts, wax and debris.

In removing the pollen from honey, ultra-filtration essentially removes its footprint. The resulting product cannot be traced back to its source to determine whether it came from a legitimate supplier or one with a reputation for adulterated products.

When Food Safety News investigated ultra-filtration last year, it found that over 3/4 of honey sold in U.S. grocery stores lacks pollen.

Florida is one of a handful of states that has set a honey standard dictating what qualities a product needs in order to be called honey. Anything labeled as “honey” must contain pollen, says the standard. This rule gives legal clout to those who want to see pollen-free honey labeled as something other than honey.

The same clout does not exist at the federal level, because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has yet to issue a set of standards for honey, despite demands from both industry and Congress that it do so.

 

Read Full Article Here

 

 

FDA Warning Letters: Update

 

by News Desk

From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning letters posted since our March 27, 2012 update:

- Prospect Enterprises of Los Angeles, CA was warned that a January/February 2012 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility, American Fish & Seafood Company in Sacramento, CA revealed violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation so that its chilled, histamine-forming fish such as tuna, chilled, vacuum packaged Hamachi and tuna, as well as refrigerated ready-to-eat products such as vacuum packaged smoked salmon and trout, and pasteurized canned crabmeat, would be considered adulterated.

The FDA said the inspection also revealed deviations from the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for foods, including inadequate monitoring of cooler storage to control pathogen growth and toxin formation including Clostridium botulinum toxin.

- Plenus Group of Lowell, MA was warned that a February/March 2012 inspection of the company’s seafood processing facility revealed violations of the seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulation so that its refrigerated clam chowder in reduced oxygen packaged bags would be considered adulterated.

- Meherrin Agricultural & Chemical of Severn, NC was warned that a November/December 2011 inspection of the company’s Hampton Farms Industrial peanut butter processing plant revealed violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulation for foods, such as using a band saw to cut the bottoms off customer-returned 18 oz. plastic jars of peanut butter.

 

Read Full Article Here

 

 

[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]

Politics and Legislation

On the stump, Senate Dem candidates split with Obama over Keystone pipeline

By Andrew Restuccia

President Obama has steered clear of taking a firm stance on the Keystone pipeline, but many Democrats running for Senate don’t have the same luxury.

Eight of the 18 non-incumbent Democrats running for Senate surveyed by The Hill either steadfastly support the pipeline or oppose it outright, breaking with Obama’s decision to reserve judgment on the project until federal regulators conduct a full review.

Republican Senate hopefuls have made the pipeline — which would carry oil sands crude from Alberta, Canada, to refineries on the Gulf Coast — a top campaign issue. The emphasis on the pipeline has forced many Democratic candidates to stake out a clear position on the project, whether they like it or not.

TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL pipeline has ignited a firestorm in Washington.

The president denied a cross-border permit for the pipeline in January, infuriating Republicans and launching a thorny political debate in Congress that has forced vulnerable Senate Democrats to weigh in on the project. But Obama has said his decision to reject the pipeline was based not on its merits, but on a 60-day, GOP-backed deadline included in legislation to extend the payroll tax cut.

As gas prices near a national average of $4 per gallon, the Keystone fight on Capitol Hill has spread to the campaign trail, even in states that are nowhere near the pipeline route.

Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown (R) has attacked his opponent, Elizabeth Warren (D), for opposing the project.

“Elizabeth Warren is an ‘energy elitist’ who thinks we can power our country on renewable sources alone,” Jim Barnett, Brown’s campaign manager, said in a statement last week.

“Even with Massachusetts motorists shelling out nearly four dollars a gallon at the pump, she opposes key efforts to increase our supply of oil, including construction of the Keystone pipeline, which will not only help bring down gas prices but also create thousands of good construction jobs,” Barnett said.

Warren, whose office confirmed that she opposes the pipeline, hit back at Brown, painting him as a pawn of Big Oil for opposing legislation to repeal $24 billion in tax breaks for the largest oil companies over the next decade.

Read Full Article Here

Illinois Rep. Tim Johnson to retire

By Cameron Joseph and Emily Goodin

Rep. Tim Johnson (R-Ill.) will retire this year despite winning his GOP primary just a few weeks ago, The Hill has confirmed.

Democrats who controlled the redistricting process, in which Illinois lost a seat, made Johnson’s GOP-leaning district more Democratic.

That was a factor in Johnson’s decision, according to the Capitol Fax, an Illinois political newsletter, which first reported the news.

He will announce his decision Thursday, according to the report, which also stated Johnson felt comfortable with his decision given that perennial candidate David Gill will be the likely Democratic nominee. Johnson easily defeated Gill in 2010 with 64 percent of the vote. Gill was also the nominee against Johnson in 2004 and 2006.

Johnson handily won his March 20 primary. Local Republicans will pick the new GOP nominee to replace him.

Read Full Article Here

Carney: Obama remark about Supreme Court was misunderstood

By Jonathan Easle

In an occasionally testy exchange with reporters, White House press secretary Jay Carney defended President Obama’s remark that it would be “unprecedented” for the Supreme Court to overturn the administration’s healthcare law, saying the comment had been misunderstood.

Speaking at a Rose Garden news conference on Monday, Obama weighed in on the matter for the first time since last week’s high court hearings that left many Democrats fearful that the five conservative judges would band together to strike down his signature domestic achievement.

“Ultimately, I’m confident that the Supreme Court will not take what would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress,” the president said.

Republicans pounced on the remarks, citing more than 150 cases in which the Supreme Court had overturned an act of Congress.

On Tuesday, Obama said he meant the Supreme Court hadn’t overturned a law that involved the Commerce Clause, as the healthcare law does, in the last 80 years — since the New Deal.

Carney defended that take at a White House press briefing on Wednesday, when asked if the president regretted his initial remarks.

Read Full Article Here

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Economy

Food inflation seen back on the table as prices rise

* Strong correlation with high oil price

* Corn, soybeans gain on physical markets in March -FAO data

* U.S. soybean futures jump in March on tight supply concerns

By Svetlana Kovalyova

MILAN, April 5 (Reuters) – World food prices are likely to rise for a third successive month in March, and could gain further beyond that, with expensive oil and chronically low stocks of some key grains putting food inflation firmly back on the economic agenda.

Food prices grabbed world policy makers’ attention after hitting record highs in February 2011 and stoking protests connected to the Arab Spring wave of civil unrest in some north Africa and middle eastern countries.

Prices later receded, but an upturn which began in January, initially seen as a pause in the overall downtrend, has persisted.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will update its monthly Food Price Index on Thursday and the organization says prices could rise more in the short and medium term as grain supply tightens and energy prices stay high.

Read Full Article Here

Amazon: £7bn sales, no UK corporation tax

Online retailer’s British operation owned by company in Luxembourg which receives all payments for books, DVDs and other goods

Amazon.co.uk, Britain’s biggest online retailer, generated sales of more than £3.3bn in the country last year but paid no corporation tax on any of the profits from that income – and is under investigation by the UK tax authorities.

Regulatory filings by parent company Amazon.com with the US securities and exchange commission (SEC) show the tax inquiry into the UK operation, which sells nearly one in four books sold in Britain, focuses on a period when ownership of the British business was transferred to a Luxembourg company.

The SEC filings, highlighted by Bookseller magazine, show that in the past three years, Amazon has generated sales of more than £7.6bn in the UK without attracting any corporation tax on the profits from those sales.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) refused to confirm it was investigating Amazon.co.uk, and its inquiries could be a routine audit. But Amazon’s tax affairs are being investigated in the US, China, Germany, France, Japan and Luxembourg.

Read Full Article Here

Americans brace for next foreclosure wave

By Nick Carey

GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio

(Reuters) – Half a decade into the deepest U.S. housing crisis since the 1930s, many Americans are hoping the crisis is finally nearing its end. House sales are picking up across most of the country, the plunge in prices is slowing and attempts by lenders to claim back properties from struggling borrowers dropped by more than a third in 2011, hitting a four-year low.

But a painful part two of the slump looks set to unfold: Many more U.S. homeowners face the prospect of losing their homes this year as banks pick up the pace of foreclosures.

“We are right back where we were two years ago. I would put money on 2012 being a bigger year for foreclosures than 2010,” said Mark Seifert, executive director of Empowering & Strengthening Ohio’s People (ESOP), a counseling group with 10 offices in Ohio.

“Last year was an anomaly, and not in a good way,” he said.

In 2011, the “robo-signing” scandal, in which foreclosure documents were signed without properly reviewing individual cases, prompted banks to hold back on new foreclosures pending a settlement.

Five major banks eventually struck that settlement with 49 U.S. states in February. Signs are growing the pace of foreclosures is picking up again, something housing experts predict will again weigh on home prices before any sustained recovery can occur.

Mortgage servicing provider Lender Processing Services reported in early March that U.S. foreclosure starts jumped 28 percent in January.

Read Full Article Here

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Wars and Rumors of War

A Grad-type rocket fired from Sinai exploded in a residential neighborhood of Israel’s southernmost city early Thursday

PM on Eilat rocket: We can never stop fighting terror

By JPOST.COM STAFF

LAST UPDATED: 04/05/2012 13:58

Speaking at ceremony marking 40 years since Sabena hijacking, Netanyahu vows to strike back at those attacking Israel, says Sinai has become a “terror zone”; Egyptian official: No evidence rocket fired from Sinai.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Thursday vowed to strike at those who attack Israel and said the Jewish state can never stop fighting terrorism, speaking hours after a Grad rocket fired from the Sinai Peninsula exploded in Eilat.

Speaking at a ceremony marking 40 years since the operation to free hostages on hijacked Sabena Flight 571, during which as a young commando he was shot and wounded, Netanyahu said Israel must constantly fight against those who perpetrate and plan terrorism.” Israel must always fight terrorism, he continued, “It will not stop if we do not fight it.”

Sinai, he continued, has become a terrorism zone, something he said Israel is “dealing with.” The security fence being built along the southern border will not stop missiles, but a solution for that too will be found, he said.

A Grad-type rocket fired from Sinai exploded in a residential neighborhood of Israel’s southernmost city early Thursday morning. Residents reported hearing three explosions, but police sappers only located the remnants of one Grad rocket. Police were continuing to search for other rockets and holding security assessments in Eilat late Thursday morning, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak held a situational briefing in Tel Aviv Thursday with IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz in light of the rocket attack, which he called “a grave incident.”…..

Read Full Article Here

The ‘Legal Issue’ of Operation Cast Lead: ICC Rules That Palestinians Cannot Investigate Israeli War Crimes

Joe Wright
Activist Post

If one ever needed a better example of selective enforcement, or needed factual evidence that “human rights” are determined by bureaucratic institutions and not by compassionate human beings, look no further than the legal meanderings of the International Criminal Court now being used to deflect Operation Cast Lead.

For those who are not familiar, Operation Cast Lead was summarized by Amnesty International as 22 days of death and destruction — and few unbiased observers would disagree. The Operation was justified by Israel as a response to increased rocket attacks by Hamas following an agreed-upon cease-fire in late December of 2008. Israel’s response truly redefined the meaning of shock and awe, as an all-out assault was initiated by the Israeli Air Force which rained coordinated strikes upon the Gaza Strip that was followed by a ground invasion on January 3rd, 2009:

Human rights organizations estimated the number of dead at close to 1,400 Palestinians, including more than 1,000 civilians, and the wounded at more than 5,000. According to government figures, Palestinian deaths totaled 1,166, including 295 noncombatant deaths. The discrepancy over civilian deaths largely centered on whether the 248 Hamas police officers killed were considered civilians. There were 13 Israelis killed, including three civilians. (Source)

So why do Palestinians have no recourse to investigate such a horrific event?

According to Barak Ravid, reporting for Haaretz, an Israeli news source:

The reason for his (the ICC prosecutor) decision was that under the ICC’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute, only internationally recognized states can join the court.

In an official statement released Tuesday afternoon, the ICC said that ‘the current status granted to Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly is that of “observer”, not as a “Non‐member State”,” and that only “relevant bodies at the United Nations” or the group of states that make up the court could determine whether Palestinians can sign up to the Rome Statute.’ (Source: V\http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/operation-cast-lead.htm)

Read Full Article Here

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Articles of Interest

Marine sergeant files to block dismissal for his anti-Obama Facebook posts

By Jeremy Herb

Sgt. Gary Stein, the Marine facing dismissal for posts he made on Facebook criticizing President Obama and saying he would not follow orders, has filed a federal lawsuit to stop his discharge, saying his First Amendment rights had been violated.

Stein filed his lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Tuesday with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union and U.S. Justice Foundation, which seeks to delay his administrative hearing, scheduled for Thursday, and stop the Marines from discharging him.

Stein says the posts he made on his “Armed Forces Tea Party” Facebook page — where he called Obama a “domestic enemy” and said he would not follow some orders — were not made as a uniformed Marine.

He also alleged that the Defense Department directive that restricts political activity for service members violated his First Amendment rights because it is vague and overbearing.

“Though some of the language he used in discussing certain hypothetical unlawful orders might have been viewed as intemperate, he subsequently clarified … that he was only discussing the settled principle of military law that service members should not follow unlawful orders,” the lawsuit says.

Even if his actions did violate the Pentagon directive, the lawsuit says, the directive “violates the First Amendment as applied to Plaintiff, because it is vague and/or over-broad, unconstitutionally restricts core
speech, and/or unlawfully discriminates, based on content or viewpoint of speech.”

Read Full Article Here

Bush administration torture techniques report revealed

Uploaded by RTAmerica on Apr 4, 2012

A newly released document showcases the United States Defense Department’s torture techniques. The 37 page report details ways officials can torture detainees suspected of having ties to terrorism. In 2002, the document was handed to Bush administration officials, but is just now seeing the light of day. Now the particulars of the report are being called war crimes. Jason Leopold, lead investigative reporter for Truth-Out.Org, joins us for more.

Financiers and Sex Trafficking

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

THE biggest forum for sex trafficking of under-age girls in the United States appears to be a Web site called Backpage.com.

This emporium for girls and women — some under age or forced into prostitution — is in turn owned by an opaque private company called Village Voice Media. Until now it has been unclear who the ultimate owners are.

That mystery is solved. The owners turn out to include private equity financiers, including Goldman Sachs with a 16 percent stake.

Goldman Sachs was mortified when I began inquiring last week about its stake in America’s leading Web site for prostitution ads. It began working frantically to unload its shares, and on Friday afternoon it called to say that it had just signed an agreement to sell its stake to management.

“We had no influence over operations,” Andrea Raphael, a Goldman Sachs spokeswoman, told me.

Let’s back up for a moment. There’s no doubt that many escort ads on Backpage are placed by consenting adults. But it’s equally clear that Backpage plays a major role in the trafficking of minors or women who are coerced. In one recent case in New York City, prosecutors say that a 15-year-old girl was drugged, tied up, raped and sold to johns through Backpage and other sites.

Backpage has 70 percent of the market for prostitution ads, according to AIM Group, a trade organization.

Read Full Article Here

[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]

 

Environmental

Monsanto’s GMO Seeds Contributing to Farmer Suicides Every 30 Minutes

 

By Anthony Gucciardi
BlacklistedNews.com

 

In what has been called the single largest wave of recorded suicides in human history, Indian farmers are now killing themselves in record numbers. It has been extensively reported, even in mainstream news, but nothing has been done about the issue. The cause? Monsanto’s cost-inflated and ineffective seeds have been driving farmers to suicide, and is considered to be one of the largest — if not the largest — cause of the quarter of a million farmer suicides over the past 16 years.

According to the most recent figures (provided by the New York University School of Law), 17,638 Indian farmers committed suicide in 2009 — about one death every 30 minutes. In 2008, the Daily Mail labeled the continual and disturbing suicide spree as ‘The GM (genetically modified) Genocide’. Due to failing harvests and inflated prices that bankrupt the poor farmers, struggling Indian farmers began to kill themselves. Oftentimes, they would commit the act by drinking the very same insecticide that Monsanto supplied them with — a gruesome testament to the extent in which Monsanto has wrecked the lives of independent and traditional farmers.

 

Read Full Article Here

 

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Cyber Space

 

SOPA, PIPA, CISPA, ACTA: 354 companies that Supported SOPA!

 

Uploaded by GetThisThingCrunk on Jan 20, 2012

National Football League (NFL)
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
Nike, Inc
National Basketball Association (NBA)
The Walt Disney Company
CBS Corporation
NBC Universal
Viacom
Adidas America
Wal-Mart
Juicy Couture
Burberry
Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC)
Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA)
Universal Music Group
Beachbody, LLC
Bose Corporation
Coach
Comcast Corporation
Country Music Association
Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
Dolce & Gabbana USA, INC.
Dollar General Corporation
Electronic Arts, Inc.
Fender Musical Instrument Company
Ford Motor Company
Gibson Guitar Corp.
Graphic Artists Guild
Greeting Card Association (GCA)
Harley-Davidson Motor Company
HarperCollins Publishers
Johnson & Johnson
kate spade
Linda Olsen Photography
Liz Claiborne, Inc
L’Oréal USA
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.
News Corporation
NHL Enterprises, L.P.
Nintendo of America Inc.
PGA of America
Philip Morris International
Ralph Lauren Corporation
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
Reebok International Ltd.
Revlon
Rite Aid
Rolex Watch USA Inc.
Rosetta Stone Inc.
Sony Electronics Inc.
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association
The McGraw-Hill Companies
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
The Timberland Company
Tiffany & Co.
Time Warner Inc.
Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Virtual Chip Exchange USA, Inc.
Warner Music Group
Winestem Company
Xerox Corporation
Zippo Manufacturing Company
Zumba Fitness, LLC
1-800 Contacts, Inc.
1-800-PetMeds
3M Company
American Mental Health Counselors Association
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)
Applied DNA Sciences
Association of American Publishers (AAP)
AstraZeneca plc
Australian Medical Council
Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)
C. F. Martin & Co., Inc.
Caterpillar Inc.
Not a complete list, also look up ACTA

 

 

 

SOPA/PIPA, Internet 2 and The Trojan Horse of Control 1/3

 

Uploaded by TheAlexJonesChannel on Jan 18, 2012

SOPA/PIPA Battle Rages: Tell Congress We Will Not Accept Censorship
Kurt Nimmo

http://www.infowars.com/

http://www.prisonplanet.tv/

January 18, 2012

The underhanded effort to fundamentally alter the internet under the guise of protecting the copyrights of Hollywood and its transnational “entertainment” corporations was delivered a distinct set-back a few days ago when Congress retreated on its full-steam ahead effort to ram SOPA down our throats.

Faced with massive outrage and a political backlash, the Obama administration threatened a veto of the SOPA legislation and in response Congress shelved it.

Equally important is the battle to defeat PIPA, the Protect IP Act, which will soon be up for a vote. Congress needs to be told it must reject this legislation as well.

Even though the shelving of SOPA appears to be a victory, we cannot trust the government to not reintroduce the bill after sprucing it up as a kinder and gentler effort to rob of us our ability to freely disseminate information and speak our minds on the internet without fear of the censor’s truncheon crashing down. After all, in 2010 the government shut down 73,000 web sites under the cover of fighting copyright infringement.

We must continue to let our “representatives” in Congress know that in no uncertain terms will we accept any modification of the internet at the behest of large corporations and the globalists who intend by hook or by crook to neuter the only free communication medium left to the people.

Use the links below to contact Congress now and speak your mind:

Congress:

http://www.contactingthecongress.org/

http://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Senate:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

STOP AMERICAN CENSORSHIP:

http://americancensorship.org/

Read the bills in full here:

SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act):

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-3261

PIPA (Protect IP Act):

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s112-968

CONGRESS:

http://www.youtube.com/user/househub

SENATE:

http://www.youtube.com/user/senatehub

YOU are the resistance.

 

 

CISPA: Nightmare Cybersecurity Bill

 

Uploaded by TheAlyonaShow on Apr 3, 2012

CISPA, or the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protect Act, also known as HR 3523 is a cybersecurity House bill that’s already gained over 100 sponsors and is perhaps the worst of them all. It would allow companies to collect and monitor private communications and share them with the government, and anyone else. So is it really as scary as it sounds? EFF’s Trevor Timm explains.

 

 

How to hide emails from government snooping

 

Despite coalition proposals to monitor public email, there remain numerous free or low-cost methods to keep messages private

 

By Jack Schofield, The Guardian

 

You already know how to keep messages private: you just encrypt the contents using a password. But although this kind of technology has been freely available to PC users since Phil Zimmermann launched PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) in 1991, hardly anyone uses it. The benefits of email and online messaging are that they are fast and relatively frictionless – you don’t need to address an envelope, find a stamp, walk to a post box and so on – and encryption becomes an annoyance.

The problem with the latest government attempts at snooping is that they are not concerned with the content of messages, but their existence. If you have found some suspected criminals or terrorists, then you will want to know who their friends are: the people they email or message most frequently. Each of these people can probably be identified by their internet protocol (IP) address: the number assigned by their ISP (internet service provider). Even an encrypted email will usually include the addresses of the sender and the recipient in its headers.

The general solution to privacy concerns is to use a non-UK “proxy server” to relay web pages, messages, anonymous email accounts and other content anonymously. Hackers who really want to hide their origins will use several proxy servers, including ones that are acting as proxies without their owner’s knowledge. Many websites publish lists of free proxy servers, which are updated continuously.

Of course, these servers may offer less privacy than your ISP, and some may be traps or “honeypots”. However, there are some trusted anonymous servers available either free or for modest payments.

Examples include hidemyass.com, anonymouse.org, Guardster, Proxify, IDzap and Megaproxy. Such servers usually have terms of service to prevent abusive or criminal behaviour. They will probably record your IP address and may report you if you breach them, so they’re not completely beyond government reach. However, they’re probably beyond government fishing expeditions…..

 

Read Full Article Here

 

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Activism

 

Raw Video: Calif. Students Pepper-sprayed

 

Published by AssociatedPress

 

Campus police pepper-sprayed as many as 30 demonstrators after Santa Monica College students angry over a plan to offer high-priced courses tried to push their way into a trustees meeting, authorities said.

 

 

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Articles of Interest

Families to lose average £511 a year in tax credits cull, warns Labour

 

Ed Balls accuses George Osborne of giving with one hand and taking more away with the other in budget changes

 

Families with children stand to lose an average of £511 a year on what is being described as black Friday, according to figures compiled for Labour by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

In what is likely to be a key battleground in the local elections, the Treasury said the figures were partial and chose to highlight the impact of the lifting of the personal allowances for most basic rate taxpayers.

The Labour analysis follows George Osborne’s budget last month and is on top of tax increases already introduced, such as last year’s VAT rise which is costing a family with children an average of £450 a year. The figures include the impact of raising the personal allowance.

Labour said more than 850,000 families on modest and middle incomes would lose all their child tax credit, worth about £545 a year. Up to 212,000 working couples earning less than £17,000 a year will lose all of their working tax credit – worth up to £3,870 a year – if they cannot increase their working hours. It is the first time the IFS has put these calculations in cash terms.

According to Labour, a couple with two children on the minimum wage will be better off quitting their jobs if they cannot work at least 19 hours a week. Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor, accused the government of giving with one hand and taking much more away with the other.

Balls said: “For all the government’s talk about increasing the personal allowance, these independent figures show that, while they may be giving one with one hand, they are taking much more away with the other hand. That is why families with children will be an average of £511 a year worse off from tomorrow.”

 

Read Full Article Here

 

 

 

Even Congress Wants To Know What The NSA Is Doing With This $2 Billion Utah Spy Center

 

Robert Johnson

 

Maybe you’ve heard of it and maybe you haven’t, but in Bluffdale, Utah alongside one of the largest polygamist sects in America, the NSA is building a one-million-square-foot data collection center — five times the size of the U.S. capital.

Despite immense secrecy, and construction workers with Top Secret clearances, news of the project made it to the pages of Wired last month. Intelligence authority James Bamford wrote that the center is part of President Bush’s “total information awareness” program that was killed by Congress in 2003 in response to public outrage over its potential for invading Americans privacy.

One senior intelligence official formerly involved with the project told Bamford “this is more than just a data center,” that it’s a code breaking megalopolis the likes of which the world has never seen.

Several years ago the NSA made a major leap in breaking complex encryptions used in everything from “financial information, stock transactions, business deals, foreign military and diplomatic secrets, legal documents, confidential personal communications.”

The official concluded by saying “Everybody’s a target; everybody with communication is a target.”

The story caused such a stir that the NSA’s chief General Keith Alexander was called before Congress last week to testify about the project and categorically denied the facility will be used to spy on American citizens.

“The NSA does not have the ability to do that in the United States,” Alexander told Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson. “We’re not authorized to do that, nor do we have the equipment in the United States to collect that kind of information.”

NSA public information officer Vanee’ Vines backed up Alexander in an email saying: “What it will be is a state-of-the-art facility designed to support the Intelligence Community’s efforts to further strengthen and protect the nation.”

Update: The NSA does not spy on Americans, they hire it out to the Israelis…..

 

Read Full Article Here

 

 

 

Americans brace for next foreclosure wave

 

By Nick Carey

 

GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio

 

(Reuters) – Half a decade into the deepest U.S. housing crisis since the 1930s, many Americans are hoping the crisis is finally nearing its end. House sales are picking up across most of the country, the plunge in prices is slowing and attempts by lenders to claim back properties from struggling borrowers dropped by more than a third in 2011, hitting a four-year low.

But a painful part two of the slump looks set to unfold: Many more U.S. homeowners face the prospect of losing their homes this year as banks pick up the pace of foreclosures.

“We are right back where we were two years ago. I would put money on 2012 being a bigger year for foreclosures than 2010,” said Mark Seifert, executive director of Empowering & Strengthening Ohio’s People (ESOP), a counseling group with 10 offices in Ohio.

“Last year was an anomaly, and not in a good way,” he said.

In 2011, the “robo-signing” scandal, in which foreclosure documents were signed without properly reviewing individual cases, prompted banks to hold back on new foreclosures pending a settlement.

Five major banks eventually struck that settlement with 49 U.S. states in February. Signs are growing the pace of foreclosures is picking up again, something housing experts predict will again weigh on home prices before any sustained recovery can occur.

Mortgage servicing provider Lender Processing Services reported in early March that U.S. foreclosure starts jumped 28 percent in January.

 

Read Full Article Here

 

 

 

[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]

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