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AUGUST 2015

Monday - August 31, 2015 - Today in History:

1852 - The first pre-stamped envelopes were created with legislation of the U.S. Congress.
1920 - The first news program to be broadcast on radio was aired. The station was 8MK in Detroit, MI.
1920 - John Lloyd Wright was issued a patent for "Toy-Cabin Construction," which are known as Lincoln Logs. (U.S. patent 1,351,086)
1964 - California officially became the most populated state in America.
1965 - The Department of Housing and Urban Development was created by the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.
1989 - Great Britain's Princess Anne and Mark Phillips announced that they were separating. The marriage was 16 years old.
1990 - U.N. Secretary-General Perez de Cuellar met with the Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz to try and negotiate a solution to the crisis in the Persian Gulf.
1990 - East and West Germany signed a treaty that meant the harmonizing of political and legal systems.
1991 - In a "Solidarity Day" protest hundreds of thousands of union members marched in Washington, DC.
1993 - Russia withdrew its last soldiers from Lithuania.
1994 - A cease-fire was declared by the Irish Republican Army after 25 years of bloodshed in Northern Ireland.
1994 - Russia officially ended its military presence in the former East Germany and the Baltics after a half-century.
1997 - Britain's Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris at age 36.
1998 - A ballistic missile was fired over Japan by North Korea. The missile landed in stages in the waters around Japan. There was no known target.
2009 - Walt Disney Co. announced it was acquiring comic book giant Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion.
2010 - President Barack Obama ended the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, declaring no victory after seven years of bloodshed.

World News

NATO kicks off naval drills in Black Sea with Ukraine
RT - Ukraine is hosting naval military exercise in the Black Sea with NATO forces, involving 2,500 troops and some 150 military vehicles, from warships and helicopters to armored cars. The host nation of Sea Breeze 2015 has deployed 1,000 troops, nine warships and eight aircraft for the drill. The US has sent 1,000 troops as well as five warships, two submarines and six aircraft. The remaining 500 troops, six warships, three submarines and 6six aircraft were provided by Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Turkey, the UK and the non-NATO nations Moldova and Sweden.... NATO is also currently conducting another war game, called Swift Response, in Germany, Italy, Bulgaria and Romania. It is one of the largest such events since the Cold War and is planned to last until September 13. A separate exercise, called Simple Strike, is under way in the Baltic.

Saudi-led airstrike kills 36 civilians at north Yemen bottling plant
RT - At least 36 people have been killed after an airstrike by Saudi-led coalition forces hit a bottling plant in northern Yemen, residents told Reuters. "The process of recovering the bodies is finished now. The corpses of 36 workers, many of them burned or in pieces, were pulled out after an airstrike hit the plant this morning," the agency learned from one resident, Issa Ahmed, by phone. Since the Saudi-led forces started their bombing campaign in March, ostensibly to halt the advance of the Shiite Houthi rebels, more than 4,300 people have lost their lives, while the country is in a state of complete collapse, with millions at risk… The news comes days after it became apparent that the country could no longer tolerate the situation unless some form of humanitarian intervention was to take place, with some 13 million Yemenis at risk of starvation, of which about half face a critical situation, according to the UN's World Food Programme (WFP).

Malaysia's ex-PM calls for 'people power' mass protests to topple govt
RT - Former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad called for the current prime minister to be ousted in a speech to tens of thousands of people, who have gathered for a second day of anti-government protests in Kuala Lumpur. The protesters want PM Najib Razak to resign over a financial scandal. "The only way for the people to get back to the old system is for them to remove this prime minister," Mahathir told media before going to the protests in downtown Kuala Lumpur. And to remove him, the people must show people's power. The people as a whole do not want this kind of corrupt leader."... The Saturday rally attracted 300,000 people, according to the organizers' count.

US to Create Elite Police Unit in Ukraine
Sputnik News - Canadian and American military instructors in Ukraine will create a new Special Forces - the elite police unit for rapid response. The first stage of selection and training of the elite police is due to begin soon. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said that the selection of the troops for the new unit will be tough. But preference may be given to the former Special Forces veterans and Kiev-led military soldiers… The new Special Forces are designed to replace all existing Interior Ministry units in the future, combining them into one similar unit like the American SWAT.

Gold Standard Marks Its Unlikeliest Return With Islamic State
Sputnik News - In yet another attempt to behave as if they were the government of a nation, the notorious terrorist group Islamic State has just reintroduced a warped version of the gold standard the way it existed a century ago. With the announced ‘return of the gold dinar’, Islamic State seemingly hopes to provide substantial support to their black-market oil-based economy. Whilst the new ‘currency’ will hardy gain international convertibility, the move might have significant consequences for the global economy, one of them being larger and less predictable fluctuations in gold prices, as the scale of black market operations with precious metals is inevitably poised to grow.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

U.S. developing sanctions against China over cyberthefts
Washington Post - The Obama administration is developing a package of unprecedented economic sanctions against Chinese companies and individuals who have benefited from their government’s cybertheft of valuable U.S. trade secrets. The U.S. government has not yet decided whether to issue these sanctions, but a final call is expected soon — perhaps even within the next two weeks, according to several administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.... Any action would also come at a particularly sensitive moment between the world’s two biggest economies. President Xi Jinping of China is due to arrive next month in Washington for his first state visit — complete with a 21-gun salute on the South Lawn of the White House and an elaborate State Dinner.

University of Texas Removes Jefferson Davis, Woodrow Wilson Statues
Infowars - Statue removal follows nationwide campaign to take down historical items deemed “racist.” Statues of Jefferson Davis and Woodrow Wilson were removed from the campus of the University of Texas at Austin Saturday after a local Confederate heritage group failed to block the move at the state Supreme Court. Announcing the plan earlier this month, University President Greg Fenves stated that the statue of Davis, a leader in the Confederacy, would be removed from UT’s Main Mall because “it was no longer in the university’s best interest to continue commemorating” him, reports the Statesman. Wilson, a Democrat president known for praising the KKK, was moved as well merely to “maintain symmetry on the mall.”
Election News

Rand Paul Promises To Shut Down NSA Data Center If He Becomes President
Inquisitr - Republican Senator Rand Paul has been one of the few vocal critics of the U.S. government’s spying programs. He’s the only presidential candidate that has made NSA spying a central topic of their campaign. NSA spying is so important to Rand that he’s promised to shut down the NSA data center if he becomes president. After he stops the indiscriminate collection of Americans’ data, he’ll convert the data center into a “Constitutional Center” where the Fourth Amendment will be studied. “I’m on my way to the airport, but we decided to stop by the NSA facility in Utah. When I become President, we’ll convert it into a Constitutional Center to study the Fourth Amendment! Bulk data collection must end!”

MI6 spy Gareth Williams found dead in bag had 'hacked Clinton secrets'
International Business Times - A MI6 spy who was discovered dead in a holdall at his apartment in 2010 had hacked into sensitive information about former US President Bill Clinton, it has been claimed. The spy had obtained Clinton’s diary for an event and passed it to a friend. Gareth Williams, 31, hacked into the event’s guest list as it was to be attended by President Clinton, passing it to his friend who was also to be a guest at the party, according to sources speaking on condition of anonymity to the Sun on Sunday. “The Clinton diary hack came at a time when Williams’s work with America was of the most sensitive nature,” one source said. “It was a diplomatic nightmare for Sir John Sawers, the new director of MI6 at the time.” The death of Williams remains an unsolved case after five years.

“Dark-Complexioned Male”: AP Refuses to Call Cop Killer “Black”
Paul Joseph Watson - Surveillance footage clearly shows suspect is African-American. Some media outlets are refusing to identify the race of the suspect involved in the murder of a sheriff’s deputy in Houston last night, despite the fact that he is clearly black. At around 8:30pm last night, Deputy Darren Goforth was pumping gas into his vehicle in full uniform before he was approached by a man who shot him from behind multiple times. “Police described the suspect as a dark-complexioned male who is believed to be between 20 and 25 years old, and stands about 5-foot-10 to 6-feet tall,” reports the Associated Press.
* Related: Texas Deputy Executed Days After Black Radical Group Calls for Killing Cops

Baltimore Sun: July violence: 45 murders in 31 days
Baltimore Sun - July saw 45 homicides across Baltimore, a toll that matched the deadliest month in the city’s modern history and came amid a violent crime surge that has stretched the entire summer. The killings occurred across the city, overwhelmingly in historically impoverished neighborhoods. The victims included a 5-month-old boy and a 53-year-old grandmother, a teen stabbed to death in a dispute over a cell phone and a carryout deliveryman killed in a robbery. The Baltimore Sun sought to profile each victim, through interviews with relatives, friends, neighbors and police, as well as information on social media — and to chronicle the impact on those left behind.

Whistleblower’s Daughter is Terrorized, Detained, and Kidnapped
Health Impact News - The following two videos recorded the scene on the night of April 14, 2014, when Cheyenne and Randy Davis were followed for at least a mile by law enforcement, pulled over, and brutally separated by Sampson County Deputies. No reasons were given for the stop and subsequent arrest of Randy, nor the abduction of his daughter, Cheyenne. The second video shows officers assaulting and forcibly removing Cheyenne from the car and away from her father. Another adult female, along with her son, were also in the vehicle, and the officers removed her child also. There was apparently no court order from a judge to take the children into custody. The officers were simply following directions from CPS social workers. This is what we refer to as legal kidnapping in the United States today.

The Illusion of Choice … 90% of American Media Controlled by 6 Corporations
Activist Post - It is worth repeating again and again that the bulk of America’s mainline media is owned and controlled by a mere 6 corporations. This, of course, means that unless you’re already consciously avoiding these mainline media sources, then most of the news and entertainment that makes it onto your screen and into your mind comes from a small pool of corporate sources, all of which play important roles in delivering propaganda, social programming and perpetual crisis narratives to the public. The conglomerates are: General Electric, News Corp., Disney, Viacom, Time Warner and CBS.

Election News

Trump Wins Nashville Grassroots Straw Poll With 52 Percent
Breitbart - After delivering an energetic 50 minute speech using no notes or teleprompter, GOP frontrunner Donald Trump easily won a presidential straw poll conducted at the annual convention of the National Federation of Republican Assemblies, garnering 52 percent of the votes cast. Tea Party favorite Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) finished second with 24 percent, and Dr. Ben Carson, another political outsider and Tea Party friend, finished behind Cruz in third.

Economy & Business

Blame the Federal Reserve, Not China, for Stock Market Crash
Ron Paul - Following Monday’s historic stock market downturn, many politicians and so-called economic experts rushed to the microphones to explain why the market crashed and to propose "solutions” to our economic woes. Not surprisingly, most of those commenting not only failed to give the right answers, they failed to ask the right questions. Many blamed the crash on China’s recent currency devaluation. It is true that the crash was caused by a flawed monetary policy. However, the fault lies not with China’s central bank but with the US Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve’s inflationary policies distort the economy, creating bubbles, which in turn create a booming stock market and the illusion of widespread prosperity. Inevitably, the bubble bursts, the market crashes, and the economy sinks into a recession.

Citigroup braces for global recession, calls for QE in China
Hang The Bankers - China has bungled its attempt to slow the economy gently and is sliding into “imminent recession”, threatening to take the world with it over coming months, Citigroup has warned. Willem Buiter, the bank’s chief economist, said the country needs a major blast of fiscal spending financed by outright “helicopter” money from the bank to avert a deepening crisis. Speaking on a panel at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York, Mr Buiter said the dollar will “go through the roof” if the US Federal Reserve lifts interest rates this year, compounding the crisis for emerging markets. Professor Zhiwu Chen from Yale University told the same event that China will be doing well if it can contain its slow-motion crisis to mere stagnation for the next 10 years, given the dangerous levels of debt in the system.

In 2008, Fewer Than 30 Million Used Food Stamps. Now 46 Million Do
The Daily Signal - The number of Americans using food stamps in 2014 declined slightly from the previous year… In 2008, it was below 30 million. By 2013, it had hit 47.6 million. It has since dipped a bit… One out of every seven Americans received SNAP benefits in 2014, and the program cost $74.1 billion, making it one of the largest means-tested welfare program. Before the 2008 recession, 55 percent of SNAP households consisted of children and the elderly. Now, however, a slight majority of recipients are non-elderly, able-bodied adults. There has also been an uptick in the number of working-age, able-bodied adults on SNAP who are not working… At least part of the reason can be traced to the waiving of work requirements for childless, able-bodied, working-age adults during the recession.

Illinois Pays Lottery Winners In IOUs After $30K/Month Budget "Guru" Fails To Produce Deal
Zero Hedge - After years of struggling financially, Susan Rick thought things were looking up when her boyfriend won $250,000 from the Illinois Lottery last month. She could stop working seven days a week, maybe fix up the house and take a trip to Minnesota to visit her daughter. But because Illinois lawmakers have not passed a budget, she and her boyfriend, Danny Chasteen, got an IOU from the lottery instead. Under state law, the state comptroller must cut the checks for lottery winnings of more than $25,000. And lottery officials said that because lawmakers have yet to pass a budget, the comptroller's office does not have legal authority to release the funds. Prizes of $25,000 or less will still be paid at lottery claim centers across the state, and people who win $600 or less can cash in their ticket at the place where they bought it.

1,100 union workers to strike at nuclear weapons plant
Knoxville News Sentinel - Union workers at the Pantex nuclear weapons plant — a sister plant to Y-12 in Oak Ridge — this week rejected a final contract offer and voted to go on strike, effective at midnight Friday. The strike by more than 1,100 workers at the national security site received the necessary blessing of the Metal Trades Department of the AFL-CIO in Washington, and it reportedly will be the first strike by the main workforce at Pantex since 1970. Pantex and Y-12 are managed by Consolidated Nuclear Security, a Bechtel-led contractor team, and union negotiations at Y-12 have been on hold for months while the situation at Pantex played out.... Clarence Rashada, president of the umbrella labor group, said union workers were upset by proposed cuts to their benefits, and he said that was the primary reason for the 3-to-1 rejection of CNS's final contract offer and their vote — with a two-thirds majority — to strike.

Housing Market

When the Bank Robs You: Wells Fargo Contractors Allegedly Stole Family Heirlooms Rescued From Nazis
The Intercept - The few remaining defenders of the Obama administration’s failure to prosecute the executives who helped cause the 2008 financial crisis argue that the bankers’ actions were unethical but not criminal.... The president might want to take this up with David Adier, who says he was victimized by Wells Fargo breaking and entering into his family’s home in Morris Township, New Jersey, and then committing property damage and theft. Burglary is a felony subject to prison time — if anybody but a bank does it. Adier’s case is doubly disturbing because of what was taken: items his father retrieved from his family’s apartment in France before fleeing the Nazis in 1940, including a Kiddush cup, a Seder plate and a sewing machine used by his grandmother. Adier has since filed suit against Wells Fargo. According to the complaint, Wells Fargo’s contractors deemed the house abandoned, despite explicit instructions that it was not.

Energy & Environment

Three Category 4 Hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean: How Rare Is That?
Weather.com - A very rare meteorological event occurred Saturday evening into early Sunday morning when three Category 4 hurricanes were ongoing simultaneously in the Pacific Ocean. At 11 p.m. EDT Saturday, Hurricane Kilo (135 mph) was located well southwest of the Hawaiian Islands followed by Hurricane Ignacio (140 mph) to the east of Hawaii and Hurricane Jimena (140 mph) in the eastern Pacific.... This is the first recorded occurrence of three Category 4 hurricanes in the central and eastern Pacific basins at the same time. In addition, it's also the first time with three major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger) in those basins simultaneously, according to hurricane specialist Eric Blake of the National Hurricane Center.

Technology & Science

Joe Biden's Son Blames "Russian Agents" For Ashley Madison Profile
Zero Hedge - [...] Vice-President Joe Biden's son "Hunter" has unleashed his own set of excuses for member ship of the extramarital affairs website, as Breitbart reports - Biden thinks international agents, possibly Russian, who objected to his board membership with a Ukrainian gas company set up a fake account to discredit him. However, IP mapping suggests otherwise... account information shows that the profile, which was confirmed by a credit card purchase in 2014, was used at the latitude/longitude point of 38.912682, -77.071704… A source close to Biden told People Magazine after the first Breitbart story ran that the IP address for the account traces to Jacksonville, Florida. That latitude-longitude point just happens to exist on the Georgetown University campus, at an administrative building on Reservoir Road. And Hunter Biden just happened to be teaching there around the time the account was set up.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Industry Watchdog Asks USDA to Ban Use of Wastewater From Fracking and Sewage Systems for Organic Food Production
Cornucopia News - The organic industry watchdog has launched a national petition drive to the USDA calling for new regulations to prohibit the wastewater practices. Cornucopia pointed to research that shows that the copious amounts of wastewater, a byproduct of the hydraulic fracturing technique in gas and oil production, is contaminated with toxic chemicals and oil. Recent reporting has indicated its use in the growing of organic food in California. Effluent from sewage plants, which co-mingles waste from domestic and industrial sources, can contain pathogens and drug residues in addition to heavy metals and toxic chemicals. This is also a concern of Cornucopia’s. “Because of these potential contaminants, spreading sewage sludge is explicitly banned in organic production,” said Mark A. Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst at The Cornucopia Institute.

Center for Food Safety Sues Department of Agriculture for Withholding Genetically Engineered Crop Records
Center for Food Safety - Center for Food Safety (CFS) today filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), alleging that APHIS has violated FOIA by routinely failing to respond to requests for records related to genetically engineered (GE) crops, unlawfully delaying its responses, and withholding public disclosure of information. APHIS has failed to provide a timely final response to at least 29 of CFS’s FOIA requests or appeals. Of these, APHIS has entirely failed to provide a final response to 10 requests and 2 appeals. The lawsuit asks the court to direct APHIS to promptly provide CFS with the requested information and to order APHIS to stop its practice of failing to respond to FOIA requests related to GE crops.

State Orders Dairy To Label All-Natural Milk ‘Imitation’
Off the Grid News - The owners of an dairy are dumping hundreds of gallons of skim milk down the drain because of a state order to label their all-natural product “imitation.” Under Florida state rules, the only way the Ocheesee Creamery can market its product as skim milk would be to inject it with artificial Vitamin A – and thus avoid the imitation label. The owners of the creamery have sued the state and are being represented by the Institute for Justice.

Health

Last Chance to Stop Forced Vaccinations for Adults in California
Health Impact News - SB792 is the FIRST vaccine mandate for adults in the US. CA Assembly Floor Vote is next Monday Aug.31. Call and write to urge a NO voteTODAY! Currently SB792 mandates SEVEN vaccines – DPT, MMR and Flu – for ALL daycare and preschool workers, including home day care providers – WITHOUT personal belief exemptions as a condition of employment. If SB792 passes the Assembly next week it goes back to the Senate for a concurrence vote on the Assembly Amendments. Go ahead and contact CA Senators as well. Don’t wait! Do it now! The original bill included the full CDC Adult Vaccine Schedule.There has been great progress during the legislative process to reduce the bill to SEVEN vaccines. It’s not really 3 vaccines. You cannot get the whopping cough vaccine or measles vaccines by themselves. You have to get the Dtap, or Tdap (3 vaccines in 1 shot), and the MMR (again, 3 vaccines in 1 shot). They are in effect mandating SEVEN vaccines.

9 Surprising Risk Factors Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease
Natural Society - In a new study published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, scientists have found 9 surprising risk factors that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease... The disease, which is a form of dementia, affects one in 14 people over age 65, according to the Alzheimer’s Society. There is currently no documented treatment, although anecdotal evidence suggests coconut oil may be effective. For the research, researchers analyzed more than 300 studies to identify the most common risk factors for the disease. They not only found these 9 risk factors for Alzheimer’s, they also uncovered evidence suggesting that some of the treatments for high blood pressure, hormones and vitamins, may also help decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. It was also announced this week that another group of scientists believe they have found a simple and inexpensive way to diagnose Alzheimer’s.... Jennifer Stamps, a neuroscientist at the University of Florida in Gainesville, and colleagues found that by placing a glob of peanut butter on one end of a ruler and holding the other end to a patient’s nose, they could figure out if there was a problem with the olfactory system.

Humor & Satire

The day Al Gore was born there were 7000 polar bears on Earth
Today, only 26,000 remain.
 



Friday - August 28, 2015 - Today in History:

1774 - The first American-born saint was born in New York City. Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton was canonized in 1975.
1830 - "The Tom Thumb" was demonstrated in Baltimore, MD. It was the first passenger-carrying train of its kind to be built in America.
1833 - Slavery was banned by the British Parliament throughout the British Empire.
1907 - "American Messenger Company" was started by 2 teenagers, Jim Casey and Claude Ryan. It's name was later changed to "United Parcel Service."
1916 - Italy's declaration of war against Germany took effect during World War I.
1917 - Ten suffragists were arrested as they picketed the White House.
1922 - The first radio commercial aired on WEAF in New York City. The Queensboro Realty Company bought 10 minutes of time for $100.
1939 - The first successful flight of a jet-propelled airplane took place. The plane was a German Heinkel He 178.
1963 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his "I Have a Dream" speech at a civil rights rally in Washington, DC. More than 200,000 people attended.
1981 - "The New York Daily News" published its final afternoon edition.
1990 - Iraq declared Kuwait to be its 19th province and renamed Kuwait City al-Kadhima.
1995 - The biggest bank in the U.S. was created when Chase Manhattan and Chemical Bank announced their $10 billion deal.
1996 - A divorce decree was issued for Britain's Charles and Princess Diana. This was the official end to the 15-year marriage.
2004 - George Brunstad, at age 70, became the oldest person to swim the English Channel. The swim from Dover, England, to Sangatte, France, took 15 hours and 59 minutes.
2008 - In China, the Shanghai World Financial Center officially opened. The observation decks opened on August 30.
2014 - Google announced its Project Wing. The project was aimed at delivering products across a city using unmanned flying vehicles.

World News

Who slipped? How fake report on ‘Russian soldier deaths’ in Ukraine set MSM on fire
RT - A Forbes report on alleged Russian army casualties in Ukraine citing a dodgy Russian website has sparked a media and Twitter storm. Some said Russia had “finally slipped” with the leak on its troops in Ukraine; others were baffled by the “fake publication.” RT decided to investigate. A Forbes contributor, Paul Roderick Gregory, published an article on Wednesday citing a Russian web source called “Delovaya Zhizn” (translated as Business Life), which was said to reveal “official figures on the number of Russian soldiers killed or made invalids in eastern Ukraine.” The report, dated March 2015 and entitled “Increases in Pay for Military in 2015,” was altered, with the relevant information being removed, after the Forbes publication came out. However, the original copy was webcached by Google.

Fake Goldman Sachs bank found in China
Hang The Bankers - Famous for making fake iPhones, Louis Vuitton bags and Rolex watches, China managed to surprise the world once again. A Goldman Sachs (Shenzhen) Financial Leasing Company was found operating in the country without any connection to the US investment giant. “We don’t have any connection with the US Goldman Sachs, we just picked the name out, and it’s not intentionally the same,” a woman who answered the company’s listed phone number told AFP. Bloomberg made a filing with the Shenzhen government that reveals the replica Goldman Sachs has been operating since May 2013. It’s not the first case of setting up fake banks in China. A 39-year-old man in eastern China’s Shandong Province was arrested this month after starting a fake branch of the China Construction Bank with card readers, passbooks, teller counter and convincing looking logos, the Xinhua news agency reported. The bank was taking deposits but didn’t allow withdrawals.

Russia, Egypt support forming anti-ISIS coalition with Syria - Putin
RT - Russia and Egypt support the creation of a broad anti-terrorist coalition, which would include Syria, to fight Islamic State militants, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a joint media conference with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel el-Sisi. “We underline the fundamental importance of the formation of a broad anti-terrorist front involving key international players and regional countries, including Syria,” Putin said on Wednesday. “We have common views on the need to intensify the fight against international terrorism, which is relevant, considering the aggressive ambitions of radical structures, particularly the so-called Islamic State.”

Total War in Yemen Totally Ignored by Western Media
Tony Cartalucci - With almost a whimper, the Western media reported that the US-backed regimes of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and their auxiliary fighters drawn from Al Qaeda have begun carrying out what is the ground invasion of Yemen. Along with an ongoing naval blockade and months of bombing raids, the ground invasion adds a lethal new dimension to the conflict – for both sides. Landing at the port city of Aden on Yemen’s southern tip, it is reported that an “armor brigade” consisting of between 1,000 – 3,000 troops primarily from the UAE are now moving north, their ultimate destination Sana’a, the capital of Yemen. Columns of the UAE’s French-built Leclerc main battle tanks were seen moving out of the port city though their numbers are difficult to establish. Reports claiming that the UAE unit is brigade-sized might indicate as many as 100 tanks involved – a third of the UAE’s total armored force.

France Prepares For Mass Unrest, Radicalized Immigrants Taking Over Cities
Paul Joseph Watson - French security forces are preparing for mass civil unrest and radicalized immigrants taking over entire neighborhoods, according to intelligence sources. The Army is making contingency plans for the “reappropriation of national territory,” winning back areas of cities, in the event of immigrant populations obtaining weapons and becoming openly hostile to authorities. “There are a lot of alienated and angry fourth-generation immigrant kids in the suburbs and the prospect of radicalisation is increasingly likely,” the intelligence source told the Telegraph, adding that highly organized networks of Islamist militants have smuggled Kalashnikov automatic rifles and anti-tank missiles into the country.

It's Official: China Confirms It Has Begun Liquidating Treasuries, Warns Washington
Zero Hedge - As Bloomberg reports, "China has cut its holdings of U.S. Treasuries this month to raise dollars needed to support the yuan in the wake of a shock devaluation two weeks ago, according to people familiar with the matter. Channels for such transactions include China selling directly, as well as through agents in Belgium and Switzerland, said one of the people, who declined to be identified as the information isn’t public. China has communicated with U.S. authorities about the sales."

Latvia and Greece Start Green Wave of GM Crop Bans across Europe
Sustainable Pulse - Latvia and Greece are the first countries in the EU to have had their geographical opt-out’s from growing GM crops accepted by Monsanto. Many other EU countries, including Germany and France, are expected to request geographical opt-outs from growing Monsanto’s MON810 GM Maize over the next month. Under the EU law signed in March individual countries can seek geographical exclusion from any approval request for GM cultivation across the EU. While the European Commission is responsible for approvals, requests to be excluded also have to be submitted to the company making the application i.e. Monsanto for MON810.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

American taxpayers spend nearly $10 million a day fighting ISIS
RT - The Pentagon has spent nearly $4 billion fighting Islamic State across Syria and Iraq since operations began a year ago, according to statistics released this week. The average daily cost of the campaign is $9.9 million, or $6,785 a minute. A colossal $3.7 billion in expenses have been racked up since the campaign began on August 8, 2014 up to August 15 of this year. President Barack Obama authorized a bombing campaign against the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS/ISIL) last year, sending 3,400 American soldiers to Iraq to advise and train Iraqi forces. Since Operation Inherent Resolve began, the US and its coalition allies say they have conducted a total of over 6,000 airstrikes in the region. Of those strikes, nearly 4,000 have been made in Iraq and nearly 2,500 in Syria.

Inspiration Behind ‘Black Lives Matter’ is on the FBI’s ‘Most Wanted Terrorists’ List
Paul Joseph Watson - The inspiration behind the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement – the individual cited by its founder and regularly quoted by its supporters – is a convicted cop killer who is on the FBI’s ‘Most Wanted Terrorists’ list. ‘Black Lives Matter’ was founded by militant feminists Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opel Tometi, with Garza widely recognized as the most influential of the three. In an article which details the philosophical foundation of ‘Black Lives Matter’, Garza cites, “Assata’s powerful demand in my organizing work.” Assata is a reference to Assata Shakur, otherwise known as Joanne Deborah Chesimard, a radical feminist and Marxist revolutionary who escaped from prison in 1979 while serving a life sentence for the murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster.

Virginia gunman followed TV station's order to seek outside help, boss says
The Guardian - The television news reporter who shot dead two former colleagues during a live broadcast complied with an order from management that he seek outside help for persistent performance and behavioral issues, the general manager of WDBJ confirmed on Thursday. The 10 months Vester Flanagan worked as a multimedia journalist at WDBJ7, a CBS affiliate in Roanoke, Virginia, were fraught with workplace disputes and flare-ups, as detailed in a series of memos obtained by the Guardian – including a mandatory referral to a third-party program dedicated to counseling.

Savannah State University on Lockdown After Shooting, Officials Say
ABC News - Shots rang out on Savannah State University's campus Thursday, with one student killed and the university placed on lockdown. The shooting, which occurred at the SSU Student Union building, was sparked by an altercation, the university said in a statement. Christopher Starks, a junior from the metro Atlanta area, died in the shooting, the school said. At this point, no arrests have been made. The campus was put on lockdown following the shooting. The lockdown order was later lifted.

Muslims Buying Up Christian Churches Across U.S.
Kit Daniels - Muslims are exponentially buying up Christian churches and converting them into mosques, which indicates Islam could be a dominant U.S. religion by the 22nd century.... The demand for mosques is being driven primarily by refugees from Syria, Somalia and other countries where Islam is a dominant religion. And it’s not just the demand driving this religious transformation; Christian churches are going bankrupt as Americans become increasingly secular, meaning it’s a buyer’s market for newly-arrived Muslims looking for church property to call home.

Associated Press sues US DoJ over access to FBI records
RT - The lawsuit concerns a 2014 Freedom of Information request to obtain documents in the case of a 15-year-old boy who was suspected of making bomb threats to his school in the state of Washington. The FBI decided to send a web link to the MySpace profile of the suspect which led to a fake article on a bogus Seattle Times website. By clicking on stories with headlines such as “Bomb threat at high school downplayed by local police department” and “Technology savvy student holds Timberline High School hostage,” the teenager infected his computer with surveillance software that helped reveal his location and Internet address.“The FBI both misappropriated the trusted name of The Associated Press and created a situation where our credibility could have been undermined on a large scale,” AP General Counsel Karen Kaiser wrote in a letter to then-Attorney General Eric Holder in 2014... “... the individual could easily have reposted this story to social networks, distributing to thousands of people, under our name, what was essentially a piece of government disinformation.”

‘Race War’ Shooter Passed Government Background Check, Used Legal Firearm
Steve Watson - It has emerged that Vester Flanagan, the reporter in Virginia who shot two of his ex colleagues in cold blood while on live TV passed a government-required background check and acquired his gun legally. Buzzfeed reports that it has spoken with Thomas Faison, a spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, who confirmed that Flanagan’s Glock 19 pistol was bought “weeks ago,” and that Flanagan had successfully passed all the required background checks. Faison also noted that Flanagan had purchased a second gun. The finding again makes void arguments made by those calling for universal background checks. One such person was Democratic Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, who within 3 hours of the killings was calling for new gun control legislation to ensure checks for all gun purchases.

Suddenly Media Worried Over Reporting Race-Based Motive of Killer of White Reporters
Breitbart - During the reporting of the murders in a black church in Charleston, the assumed racist motive of the shooter, white man Dylann Roof, was immediately the talk of the media. But now, after an African American murdered two white former co-workers and then released a 23-page, race-tinged manifesto, some in the media are suddenly squeamish about reporting the race-based motives of the killer.... CNN, for instance, wrote an entire report focused on Flanagan’s mental state but mentioned his comments about race only once in a 1,500 word story. A CBS report never mentioned the shooter’s racial comments at all. The piece did tiptoe around the shooter’s problems with race in two paragraphs, but never actually stated his race rhetoric seen in the explicit terms revealed in his manifesto. Then, a piece in the Chicago Tribune called the killer “off kilter” and “bizarre” but steered clear of fully reporting on his racist ideas.

5 Yrs. after Earthquake U.S. Extends “Temporary” Amnesty for Haitian Illegal Aliens
Judicial Watch - In yet another depiction of the nation’s flawed immigration policies, the Obama administration is extending a humanitarian measure designed to temporarily shield illegal immigrants from deportation during emergencies for the fifth time in five years. It’s officially known as Temporary Protected Status (TPS) but should be renamed permanent—or at least long-term—protected status. It involves tens of thousands of Haitians, who were originally granted TPS after an earthquake devastated the poverty-stricken Caribbean island in 2010. Then Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the benefit would last only 18 months and be limited to Haitian nationals who were in the United States as of January 12, 2010.... More than five years later the Obama administration continues to allow the same group of foreigners, who would otherwise be deported, remain in the U.S. under the never-ending “temporary” measure.

Meet America’s First School District to Serve 100% Organic Meals
Common Dreams - When schools in California’s Sausalito Marin City District return to session this August, they will be the first in the nation to serve their students 100 percent organic meals, sustainably sourced and free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). More than 500 students at Bayside MLK Jr. Academy in Marin City and Willow Creek Academy in Sausalito will eat fresh, local food year-round, thanks to a partnership with the Conscious Kitchen, a project of the environmental education nonprofit Turning Green.... The organization says meals will be accompanied by nutrition and gardening education.

Election News

Trump: The Problem is Not Guns, It is Mental Illness (Video)
Kurt Nimmo - During an interview with CNN on Thursday, presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said the issue in the wake of the shooting in Virginia is not guns, but mental illness. “This isn’t a gun problem, this is a mental problem,” Trump said. “It’s not a question of the laws, it’s really the people.” “In the old days they had mental institutions for people like this because he was really, definitely borderline and definitely would have been and should have been institutionalized,” Trump told CNN. “At some point somebody should have seen that, I mean the people close to him should have seen it.” Pressed by CNN’s Chris Cuomo on the gun issue, Trump said he supports the Constitution. “I’m a very strong 2nd Amendment person,” he said.

Rand Paul: Black Lives Matter Should Change Its Name
BuzzFeed News - Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul said on Wednesday night that the Black Lives Matter movement should change its name. “I think they should change their name, maybe — if they were ‘All Lives Matter’ or ‘Innocent Lives Matter,’” Paul said during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show. “I am about justice, and frankly I think a lot of poor people in our country, and many African-Americans, are trapped in this war on drugs, and I want to change it. But commandeering the microphone and bullying people and pushing people out of the way I think really isn’t a way to get their message across.”

Energy & Environment

Media Blackout: Canada Plans To Dump Nuclear Waste Less Than Mile From US Border
Zero Hedge - Over the last few years, the United States has not had the best track record with Deep Geologic Repositories (DGR) for nuclear waste. In February of 2014, the U.S.’ DGR, known as the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), had two separate incidents that compromised the integrity of the project by releasing airborne radioactive contamination. While most U.S. citizens were relatively unaffected by the events, our Canadian neighbors have proposed a plan to construct a DGR 0.6 miles from America’s largest source of fresh water, the Great Lakes — and the U.S. State Department is remaining relatively uninvolved.

EPA withholds mine spill documents from Congress
Tori Richards - A congressional committee blasted the Environmental Protection Agency today for blocking release of documents related to the Gold King mine disaster, which poured deadly chemicals into the largest source of drinking water in the West. “It is disappointing, but not surprising, that the EPA failed to meet the House Science Committee’s reasonable deadline in turning over documents pertaining to the Gold King Mine spill,” said Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX). “These documents are essential to the Committee’s ongoing investigation and our upcoming hearing on Sept. 9. But more importantly, this information matters to the many Americans directly affected in western states, who are still waiting for answers from the EPA.”

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

9 Foods You Didn’t Know You Could Dehydrate
Off the Grid News - Many homesteaders and off-gridders dehydrate food but limit themselves to the “basics.”... We all know the usual stuff that gets dehydrated... And then there are all the foods you may not have known could be dehydrated. Here’s a list of nine, although you may know of others...

Health

Blood pressure drugs increase risk of breast cancer
(NaturalHealth365) Hypertension and pre-hypertension have become out-of-hand in the U.S., and the number of people developing the disease is increasing all the time. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 2 in 3 adults are either hypertensive or pre-hypertensive – many of them women. The risk of high blood pressure increases with age, affecting approximately half of all post-menopausal women over age 55.... One class of drugs in particular – calcium channel blockers (CCBs) – has been linked to very serious health consequences for post-menopausal women.... This is not the first time a link has been found between CCB and breast cancer. In fact, data can be traced back to the mid-1990s, when two studies hypothesized the anti-hypertensive drugs could cause breast cancer.

There are 271 New Vaccines in Big Pharma’s Pipeline
Health Impact News - “No vaccine manufacturer shall be liable…for damages arising from a vaccine-related injury or death.” – President Ronald Wilson Reagan, as he signed The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (NCVIA) of 1986, absolving drug companies from all medico-legal liability when children die, become chronically ill with vaccine-induced autoimmune disorders or are otherwise disabled from vaccine injuries. That law has led directly to an expected reckless, liability-free development of scores of new, over-priced, potential block-buster vaccines, now numbering over 250. The question that must be asked of Big Medicine’s practitioners: How will the CDC, the AMA, the AAFP and the American Academy of Pediatrics fit any more potentially neurotoxic vaccines into the current well-baby over-vaccination schedule? -

Adrenal Fatigue Treatment – 15 Essential Rescue & Recovery Tips
Natural Society - Adrenal fatigue symptoms are often confused for other health issues, and are largely ignored by mainstream medicine. Just as with thyroid conditions, those who are easily fatigued, full of anxiety, or exhausted constantly can face a battle that not many others understand. If you suspect you might have adrenal fatigue (and so many of us do), it is time to uncover adrenal fatigue treatment and solutions that could really work.

9 amazing health benefits of chamomile tea
Natural Society - Chamomile, meaning ‘ground apple,’ has been imbibed for centuries in the Roman Empire, during Egyptian rule, and in ancient Greece. Prized for its special flavanoids, chrysin, chamomile (Matricaria recutita, or Matricaria chamomilla) offers numerous health-boosting benefits. Here are 9 amazing health benefits of chamomile tea that every foodie should know about....

Pet News

A Vet's Dire Warning: "This Product Can Kill Your Cat"
Dr. Becker - Earlier in the year, after cats in two different households became ill, the FDA issued a safety alert for flurbiprofen-containing topical pain medications. Flurbiprofen is a human non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) applied to the skin to relieve muscle, joint, or other pain. The FDA’s safety alert was prompted by reports of five cats that became ill after their owners applied prescription topical medications on their neck or feet. The medications contained flurbiprofen and a variety of other active ingredients including cyclobenzaprine (a muscle relaxer), baclofen, gabapentin, lidocaine, or prilocaine. Since the pet owners applied the medicated cream or lotion to their own bodies and not directly to their cats, according to the FDA, it isn’t known exactly how the cats became exposed to the medication. However, it’s reasonable to assume one of three likely scenarios occurred...
 



Thursday - August 27, 2015 - Today in History:

1831 - Charles Darwin set out on a voyage to the Pacific aboard the HMS Beagle. Darwin's discoveries during the voyage helped him form the basis of his theories on evolution.
1845 - Dr. Crawford Williamson Long used anesthesia for childbirth for the first time. The event was the delivery of his own child in Jefferson, GA.
1859 - Edwin L. Drake drilled the first successful U.S. oil well near Titusville, Pa.
1904 - James Barrie's play "Peter Pan" premiered in London.
1945 - The World Bank was created with an agreement signed by 28 nations.
1947 - The children's television program "Howdy Doody," hosted by Bob Smith, made its debut on NBC.
1965 - The BP oil rig Sea Gem capsized in the North Sea, with the loss of 13 lives.
1979 - Soviet forces seized control of Afghanistan. Babrak Karmal succeeded President Hafizullah Amin, who was overthrown and executed.
1992 - The U.S. shot down an Iraqi fighter jet during what the Pentagon described as a confrontation between a pair of Iraqi warplanes and U.S. F-16 jets in U.N.-restricted airspace over southern Iraq.
1996 - Muslim fundamentalist Taliban forces retook the strategic air base of Bagram, solidifying their buffer zone around Kabul, the Afghanistan capital.
2001 - U.S. President George W. Bush granted China permanent normal trade status with the United States.
2002 - North Korea ordered U.N. nuclear inspectors to leave the country and said that it would restart a laboratory capable of producing plutonium for nuclear weapons.
2008 - Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois was nominated for president by the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

World News

Moscow outraged as US restricts Russian upper house chair’s visa for intl conference in NYC
RT - Washington has derailed Russian plans to take part in an inter-parliamentary conference at UN headquarters by issuing a highly restrictive visa to the head of Russia’s delegation, upper house chair Valentina Matviyenko, the Foreign Ministry said. Matviyenko, who is the chair of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, and the country’s highest-ranking female politician, was invited to attend the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) – an international group founded in 1889, which closely works with the UN. She was also going to take part in the IPU’s 10th Meeting of Women Speakers of Parliament that precedes the event, scheduled for August 31 – September 2.

EU countries sidestep international refugee law with tear gas, razor wire
Al Jazeera - Police in Hungary on Wednesday used tear gas against refugees trying to cross into the country through its border with Serbia, the latest in several recent incidents in which member states of the European Union used force against asylum seekers, in what experts say might be a violation of international law. Hungarian politicians resolved to send mounted police, dogs and even helicopters to the area in order to stem the tide of refugees pouring in each day, mostly from Syria, Afghanistan and Eritrea. Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said the lawmakers would debate a possible military deployment next week.

Court awards French woman disability allowance of €29,000 for 'sensitivity to gadgets'
RT - A French court has awarded a monthly disability grant of some €800 to a woman claiming to have an allergy to electromagnetic radiation from gadgets such as cellphones. Most countries, including France, do not recognize the condition as a medical disorder. Marine Richard, a 39-year-old former radio documentary producer, hailed the unprecedented ruling as a "breakthrough" for people affected by Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS), AFP reported.

Despite US Bombings, Taliban Capture District in Afghan's Helmand Province
Sputnik News - Keeping the Musa Qala’s district headquarters out of the hands of the Taliban is seen as a vital strategic move. Recaptured by NATO and Afghan security forces in 2007, the region was once a major cog in the Taliban’s opium trade. On Saturday, the US launched three air strikes against insurgents to defend the district. Supporting Afghan ground forces, the strikes reportedly killed 40 Taliban fighters… With most foreign security forces withdrawing from Afghanistan last December, fighting has intensified in recent months. Roughly 12,000 NATO troops remain in the country, but with the goal of training the Afghan military. The Taliban has used the transition to their advantage, pushing to reclaim territory. Last month, the group seized the Nawzad district, also in Helmand province.

1000s Of Political Figures Are Stashing Cash In Swiss Accounts, Foreign Ministry Admits
Zero Hedge - In spite of all the attention the nation has received in recent years, SCMP reports that thousands of so-called "politically exposed persons”, or PEPs - a category that includes heads of state and other top officials - hold Swiss bank accounts, a Swiss foreign ministry official said. But, perhaps not for much longer as Bern aims to finalize a law aimed at simplifying the process of freezing and unblocking such funds… Switzerland has repeatedly been embarrassed by revelations, splashed across front pages worldwide, of global political heavyweights hiding funds - sometimes embezzled from public coffers - in the Alpine nation’s famous banks. But the country has not taken such scandals sitting down: it has been freezing suspicious assets for a quarter century.

Malaysia To Introduce RFID Tracking For Every Vehicle
Tech Dirt - A new vehicle security tracking system suitable for all types of vehicles -- the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) -- will be implemented nationwide by the Road Transport Department (JPJ) by 2018.... This new system will enable the police and other authorities to effectively track down criminals. And: the RFID technology will herald a new era for vehicle security in Malaysia and it could be the answer to combat vehicle theft and cloned vehicle syndicates.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Fort Bragg Troops Train for Domestic Emergency: “This Exercise Is About the Home Front”
Mac Slavo - Slightly below the surface, these Fort Bragg Army engineers are also training — this time in Florida — to assist local authorities in the event of domestic disorder and potential chaos — prepared to quell civil unrest, riots, mass unrest or even the aftermath of terrorist attacks. Scenarios which could all be really coming to America. And that’s when the potential for martial law kicks in. ABC11 out of North Carolina reports: Early Friday morning, more than 300 20th Engineer Brigade soldiers prepped convoys. Over the next five days they will join more than 400 additional troops in an Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise. […] While the soldiers may be called on domestic or foreign disasters, this exercise is about the home front, and how to handle a situation that’s overwhelming to local and state officials. “It’s absolutely essential to ensure trained and ready forces,” Gilberti said. “I don’t believe we’re never ‘not ready.’ You can never be ready enough.”

Pentagon Investigating Centcom for Allegedly Hiding Expansion of ISIS
Mikael Thalen - Officials at United States Central Command are being investigated by the Pentagon’s inspector general for allegedly downplaying the expansion of ISIS by altering intelligence reports. According to the New York Times, a whistleblower within the Defense Intelligence Agency told Pentagon officials he had obtained evidence showing Centcom had altered “the conclusions of intelligence assessments prepared for policy makers, including President Obama.” “The prospect of skewed intelligence raises new questions about the direction of the government’s war with the Islamic State, and could help explain why pronouncements about the progress of the campaign have varied widely,” the Times notes.

White House Pushes Race War, Then Blames Guns For Flanagan’s “Race War”
Kit Daniels - The Obama administration is blaming guns for the WBDJ-TV shooting, even though the shooter, Vester Flanagan, was influenced by the White House’s race baiting. The White House has been falsely insinuating that racism is the dominant factor behind numerous events over the past several years, even those that didn’t involve race at all, and although Flanagan admitted he was motivated by a “race war,” the administration’s now blaming gun owners. “As you’ve heard me in the past, this is another example of gun violence that’s becoming all too common in communities large and small, all across the United States,” said W.H. Press Secretary Josh Earnest, who wasted no time to politicize the tragedy. But in reality, the shooting is an example of what happens when the Obama administration racially divides the country.
*Related: Breaking Updates: TV Reporter & Cameraman Shot Dead Live On Air

Warning Graphic Video: WDBJ Live Shooter Filmed Himself as He fired
Live Leak - The fellow who shot the two reporters live on the air posted this video to his Facebook account. He actually filmed himself as he shot those two individuals. Unbelievable. We've entered a new age of reality folks.

North Dakota Becomes First State to Legalize Drones Weaponized with Tasers, Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets & Sound Canons
Liberty Blitzkrieg - It is now legal for law enforcement in North Dakota to fly drones armed with everything from Tasers to tear gas thanks to a last-minute push by a pro-police lobbyist. With all the concern over the militarization of police in the past year, no one noticed that the state became the first in the union to allow police to equip drones with “less than lethal” weapons. House Bill 1328 wasn’t drafted that way, but then a lobbyist representing law enforcement—tight with a booming drone industry—got his hands on it.

Census: Anchor Baby Delivered Every 88 Seconds
Breitbart - One out of about every twelve newborns in the United States is an anchor baby, or the U.S.-born child of illegal migrants, according to a Pew Research Center study. This means that one anchor baby is delivered every 93 seconds, based on the 2008 census data analyzed by the Pew. The huge number of foreign children born on U.S. soil– roughly 340,000 per year— is also an economic imposition on Americans, who pay taxes to help raise, feed, and educate those children of illegal migrants. Eventually, those 340,000 U.S.-born foreign children can join the U.S. workforce and compete for wages against the roughly four million children of U.S. parents that enter the slow-growing U.S. economy each year.

Judge illegal Aliens — Have Second Amendment Rights!
Breitbart - In a case regarding a specific gun control law which bans “unauthorized aliens” (illegal immigrants) from possessing firearms in the United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit did the work of a contortionist by upholding the law while also pointing out that they “see no principled way to carve out the Second Amendment and say that the unauthorized (or maybe all noncitizens) are excluded.” In a word—illegal immigrants have Second Amendment rights too.

Charlie Daniels Pens Open Letter to 'Burned-Out Political Hacks' in Congress
Breitbart - Charlie Daniels, of Charlie Daniels Band fame, penned an open letter to Congress on Monday blasting the “sold-out, jaded, burned-out political hacks” for what he called their lack of courage. “The courageous politicians that once championed this nation have been replaced, for the most part, by a breed of milksop, politically correct, scared of their own shadow, pushover, pathetic excuses for public servants who are supposed to be representing a constituency of citizens who have to live with the circumstance of their timid folly,” the rocker wrote on the band’s Facebook page. Check out Daniels’ full letter…

California home school interest surges as parents look to sidestep vaccine law
The Guardian - With the passage of a new law this summer mandating vaccines for schoolkids in California, home school advocates and organizations say they are seeing surging interest in off-campus education options that would exempt them from the requirement.... The controversial mandate, co-authored by state Senator Richard Pan, a pediatrician backed by the California Medical Association, requires any student in public or private school to have 10 vaccinations as an attendance requirement, with some exceptions for medical conditions. En route to passage, the proposal sparked scathing controversy on both sides of the issue, with opponents (wearing red to symbolize children who have been harmed by vaccines and often with their own kids in tow) regularly flooding hearings at the state capitol to protest.

Election News

Poll: Donald Trump Sets Record, Hits 40 Percent in New Poll
Breitbart - Donald Trump, the GOP frontrunner, hit the 40 percent marker in a recent Gravis Marketing poll. According to a report, this is the first time a candidate has reached above the 30 percent mark. Donald Trump, the GOP frontrunner, hit the 40 percent marker in a recent Gravis Marketing poll. According to a report, this is the first time a candidate has reached above the 30 percent mark. Trump, Carson, and Fiorina three of the top five GOP presidential candidates, have never held office.

GOP loyalty oath proposal in Virginia may signal trouble for Donald Trump
Washington Post - The Virginia Republican Party is considering requiring a loyalty oath from presidential primary contenders -- a move widely considered an early sign of GOP skittishness about Donald Trump's campaign. State party officials are debating whether to require candidates to pledge their support to the eventual nominee and promise not to run as a third-party candidate -- as Trump has hinted he might do. The development could be an early sign of trouble for Trump, particularly if other state parties consider similar ideas. But it also is being debated cautiously by Republicans who worry that it could backfire and breed resentment among activists who are suspicious of attempts by the GOP establishment to control the party.

Economy & Business

CNN Tells Americans That The Stock Market Is Not Going To Crash
Economic Collapse - On Wednesday we witnessed the third largest single day point gain for the Dow Jones Industrial Average ever. That sounds like great news until you realize that the two largest were in October 2008 – right in the middle of the last financial crisis. This is a perfect example of what I wrote about yesterday. Every time the market crashes, there are huge up days, huge down days and giant waves of market momentum. Even though the Dow was up 619 points on Wednesday, overall we are still down more than 2,000 points from the peak of the market. During the weeks and months to come, we are going to see many more wild market swings, but the overall direction of the market will be down.

Despite Annual Budget of more than $27 Billion, Nuclear Security Administration Says it Doesn't have Enough Money to Protect against Fires
AllGov - Despite government claims of safety, officials admit that one way nuclear material could be spread into the atmosphere is if a nuclear facility was hit by a fire. Now a report says that a federal nuclear agency has failed to upgrade aging fire suppression systems in its buildings. The agency, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), claims it doesn’t have enough funding to replace aging water pipes and other infrastructure intended to prevent or fight fires at nuclear weapons facilities. The NNSA has a budget of $27 billion, but insists it has “a constrained budget” when it comes to fire suppression. The watchdog group Project on Government Oversight (POGO) calls this claim by NNSA “curious” considering the agency sought a $1.2 billion budget increase and insists on building unneeded new facilities.

Energy & Environment

Leaked report cites design flaws in Hanford plant built to treat nuclear waste
Washington Post - A nearly completed government facility intended to treat the radioactive byproducts of nuclear weapons production is riddled with design flaws that could put the entire operation at risk of failure, according to a leaked internal report. A technical review of the treatment plant on the grounds of the former Hanford nuclear site identified hundreds of “design vulnerabilities” and other weaknesses, some serious enough to lead to spills of radioactive material. The draft report is the latest in a series of blows to the clean-up effort at Hanford, the once-secret government reservation in eastern Washington state where much of the nation’s plutonium stockpile originated.

Yellowstone Alert: Man + Dogs burned alive in Challis Idaho hot springs — Earthquake Swarm Location
Dutchsinse - A man hiking in the Idaho “Salmon” wilderness around Challis, ID suffered severe burns, and his dogs were burned alive after jumping into a volcanic hot springs normally fit for human swimming. Challis Idaho is a location I have covered in detail for the past 2 years due to a large EARTHQUAKE SWARM which has been happening in the area. The man + dogs were burned in the Salmon Wilderness near Challis Idaho along the deep Western edge of the Yellowstone supervolcano magma chamber. The magma chamber has been confirmed to reach down over 30 miles, and cover an area the size of 11 Grand Canyons (filled with magma).... These are signs of magma movement associated with the Yellowstone supervolcano. Shallow magma is causing major heating, thus causing earthquakes, and hot springs to have major issues.

Health

Most Medicines Create Superbugs, Not Just Antibiotics
Health Impact News - Careless prescriptions and cattle fattening antibiotics are blamed for the rise of superbugs resistant to everything in the hospital arsenal, but that’s all wrong. Antibiotics fail, because we are all abusing common medicines that also have powerful antibiotic activity. All painkillers, anti-inflammatories, statins, antidepressants, and the whole list of common pharmaceuticals are the problem. We simply use too many drugs. Common drugs should also be labeled as antibiotics, because they kill the sensitive bacteria in your gut and leave behind just the resistant bacteria. Unfortunately, the genetic mutations that make your gut bacteria resistant to drugs, also provide resistance to antibiotics needed to stop infections and that broad resistance to antibiotics can spread to pathogens that then become the dreaded superbugs.

Unique Gene Expression Study Shows Roundup Causes Massive Kidney and Liver Damage at Low Doses
Sustainable Pulse - A new ground-breaking peer-reviewed study has been published in Environmental Health Journal that shows the levels of glyphosate-based herbicides which the general public are commonly exposed to in drinking water, altered the gene function of over 4000 genes in the livers and kidneys of rats. The study results suggest that long-term exposure to an ultra-low, environmental dose of Roundup at an glyphosate-equivalent concentration of only 50 ppt (parts per trillion), in an established laboratory animal toxicity model system, can result in liver and kidney damage, with potential significant health implications for humans as well as domesticated animal and wildlife populations.

This One Simple Exercise Can Restore and Repair Your Vision
Natural Blaze - Palming, as it is called, is perhaps the most important exercise you can do for good eye health, and the benefits can be felt the very first time you try it.... The method is simple and is based upon the principle of completely relaxing the muscles, nerves, eyelids, and parts of the eye itself that are continuously being strained by whatever behavior is causing the tension. In essence, this is done by briefly loosening up the neck and shoulders, then sitting at a table with the palms of the hands gently pressed against the orbits of the eyes while the breath is concentrated on filling the upper body and eyes with air. This is done for as long as is possible, meaning that you can do it for a few minutes, or relax into it for 30 minutes or an hour in order to experience extremely beneficial deep relaxation of the eyes. Yoga for the Eyes can be seen in its entirety here. The course begins with a detailed explanation of palming and warm-up exercises. Enjoy!

Our guide to selecting a primary-care physician who will work with you to get the alternative treatments you want and need
The American Holistic Health Association - The search for a doctor who combines conventional medical expertise with hard-core knowledge of alternative practices or, at the very least, who is open-minded and willing to refer a patient to alternative practitioners, can be a difficult, time-consuming process. In fact, there are more people interested in holistic health care than there are doctors to provide it. Why? Joel Evans, M.D., an obstetrician-gynecologist practicing in Stamford, Conn., suggests that the problem is a matter of economics. Effective alternative therapies, such as acupuncture and nutrition, take more time than most conventional treatments. Because their insurance reimbursements have decreased under the managed-care system, physicians are pushed to see more patients a day. "It's faster to prescribe a pill than to talk to patients about other options or administer them," says Evans.... Use these steps to guide your own search for a primary-care doctor and any alternative practitioners you consult.
 



Wednesday - August 26, 2015 - Today in History:

1842 - The first fiscal year was established by the U.S. Congress to start on July 1st.
1896 - In the Philippines, and insurrection began against the Spanish government.
1920 - The 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect. The amendment prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex in the voting booth.
1934 - Adolf Hitler demanded that France turn over their Saar region to Germany.
1937 - All Chinese shipping was blockaded by Japan.
1945 - The Japanese were given surrender instructions on the U.S. battleship Missouri at the end of World War II.
1957 - It was announced that an intercontinental ballistic missile was successfully tested by the Soviet Union.
1957 - The first Edsel made by the Ford Motor Company rolled of the assembly line.
1973 - A U.S. Presidential Proclamation was declared that made August 26th Women's Equality Day.
1978 - Sigmund Jahn blasted off aboard the Russian Soyuz 31 and became the first German in space.
1981 - The U.S. claimed that North Korea fired an antiaircraft missile at a U.S. Surveillance plane while it was over South Korea.
1987 - The Fuller Brush Company announced plans to open two retail stores in Dallas, TX. The company that had sold its products door to door for 81 years.
1990 - The 55 Americans at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait left Baghdad by car and headed for the Turkish border.
1991 - Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev promised that national elections would be held.
1992 - A "no-fly zone" was imposed on the southern 1/3 of Iraq. The move by the U.S., France and Britain was aimed at protecting Iraqi Shiite Muslims.
1998 - The U.S. government announced that they were investigating Microsoft in an attempt to discover if they "bullied" Intel into delaying new technology.
2003 - Investigators concluded that NASA's overconfident management and inattention to safety doomed the space shuttle Columbia as much as damage to the craft did.

World News

French Expert Slams F-22 Deployment in Europe as Provocation
Sputnik News - Richard Labeviere, chief editor of the Defense magazine of the French Institute of Higher Studies of National Defense, has described the planned US F-22 deployment in Europe as a NATO provocation, which he said is seeking to bolster its global clout. "There are several aspects related to this decision, which, briefly speaking, is a provocation on the part of NATO and indicates the growth in the alliance's presence in Europe and other parts of the world", Labeviere said.

China stocks down again on volatile Asia trading
RT - It was a choppy Wednesday session for Chinese stocks, which finished down 1.27 percent, falling for the sixth consecutive session. At the start of trading, the Shanghai Composite Index opened down 2 percent, briefly falling below 3,000 points before recovering to 3 percent higher. In the last hour of trading, Chinese stocks collapsed, dragging most of Asia's markets down with them.

Saudi Arabia ‘could cut billions’ from budget amid plunging oil prices – report
RT - Saudi Arabia is preparing to cut billions of dollars from its budget amid a steady drop in crude oil prices, a Bloomberg report suggests. Reportedly, Riyadh is currently working with advisers to review capital spending plans and delay some projects.... According to the sources, besides reviewing its capital spending, the Saudi government may delay or reduce some of its projects to save money. However, spending items such as public sector salaries would not be affected, the report claims. The Saudi budget, which draws some 90 percent of its revenue from the petroleum sector, has been heavily hit by a 50 percent drop in oil prices and is expected to incur a deficit amounting to 20 percent of GDP in 2015, the International Monetary Fund has estimated.

Global stocks surge as China cuts interest rates
RT - The People’s Bank of China has lowered its interest rate for the fifth time since November boosting European and US stocks higher in Tuesday's trading. The one-year lending rate has been reduced by 25 basis points to 4.6 percent, which is record low for China. The decision by the central bank immediately sent European stocks higher. London’s FTSE is up over 2 percent, the German DAX and France's CAC are gaining 4.5 percent and Russia's RTS is almost 5 percent higher as of 15:00 GMT. Wall Street opened in positive territory on news from China. The Dow Jones Industrials and the S&P 500 were up over 2 percent, while the Nasdaq was 3 percent higher at opening bell. Oil prices have also rebounded from Monday’s lows. Brent crude is trading 2 percent higher at $43.52 per barrel, while US benchmark WTI is up 3 percent, trying to get back up to $40 per barrel as of 15:30 GMT.

Chinese Central Banker Blames Fed For Market Rout
Zero Hedge - While the western mainstream media meme is that "this is all China's fault" - despite the fact that the real break happened after the FOMC Minutes last week - As Xinhua reports, A researcher with China's central bank on Tuesday blamed wide expectation of a Fed rate rise in September for the global market rout. Yao Yudong, head of the People's Bank of China's Research Institute of Finance, said the expected Fed rate hike next month had been the "trigger" for the wild market swings. Analysts worried that the Fed rate hike could accelerate the plunge of U.S. stocks and trigger a sell-off of assets worldwide and even a new global credit crisis.

Devaluation Stunner: China Has Dumped $100 Billion In Treasurys In The Past Two Weeks
Zero Hedge - ... in the past two weeks alone China has sold a gargantuan $106 (and over) billion in US paper just as a result of the change in the currency regime! But wait, there's more: recall that one months ago we posted that "China's Record Dumping Of US Treasuries Leaves Goldman Speechless" in which we reported that China has sold some $107 billion in Treasurys since the start of 2015. When we did that article, we too were quite shocked at that number. However, we - just like Goldman - are absolutely speechless to find out that China has sold as much in Treasurys in the past 2 weeks, over $100 billion, as it has sold in the entire first half of the year!

Scottish National Party Welcomes German Moves to Ban GM Crops
Sustainable Pulse - German Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt has informed German states of his intention to use a new EU law, passed in March, to ban the use of GM crops. This follows the Scottish Government’s announcement earlier this month that they will take similar action to protect Scotland’s clean, green status. The German announcement also comes as Professor Carlo Leifert, Professor of Ecological Agriculture at Newcastle University, said that he strongly believes the Scottish Government ban on GM crops is right and that “there are likely to be significant commercial benefits from Scotland being clearly recognized as a GM-free region”.

Russia Removes Colgate-Palmolive, Procter & Gamble Products Over ‘high levels of toxins’
(AP) - Russian authorities have begun to remove foreign brands of detergents from stores, claiming that they pose health risks. The Russian Consumer Protection Agency said in a statement Tuesday that recent inspections of selected goods by top foreign brands such as Colgate-Palmolive and Procter & Gamble have found high levels of toxic ingredients in them.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

State Dept.: We Expect to Welcome 5,000 to 8,000 Syrian Refugees in FY16
CNS News - It was the final question at Monday's State Department news briefing: How many Syrian refugees does the United States expect to take in this year? "We expect to welcome between 1,000 and 2,000 Syrian refugees this fiscal year, and 5,000 to 8,000 Syrian refugees in next fiscal year, 2016," spokesman John Kirby responded. "There are 15,000 Syrian refugee referrals in the pipeline from UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). You know, we continue to be a leader in this regard, both in terms of refugees we bring in, but also the amount of money that we contribute to the effort.

New Consumer Reports Study Finds that Nearly All Ground Beef Sold in America Has Feces in It
Free Thought Project - Consumer Reports tested several hundred packages of ground meat from stores across America, and their findings were shocking, to say the least. According to the report, New lab tests conducted by Consumer Reports found that of the 300 packages of ground beef purchased in stores across the country, almost all contained bacteria that signified fecal contamination. More than 40 percent contained Staphylococcus aureus. Almost 20 percent contained Clostridium perfringens, which causes nearly 1 million cases of food poisoning annually, many related to beef. A significant amount also contained superbugs, bacteria that are resistant to three or more classes of antibiotics. A key reason is the overuse of antibiotics on cattle farms. The irony here is that local organic farmers who have harmed no one, are being raided by SWAT teams for selling raw milk, eggs, or grass fed beef. Meanwhile, millions of people are getting sick and dying across the country by government-subsidized factory farms.

New Video: Planned Parenthood Baby Parts Buyer Asks For “Another 50 Livers Per Week”
Steve Watson - In an EIGHTH damning video released by the Centre for Medical Progress, the CEO of baby parts buying company StemExpress admits that Planned Parenthood sells intact fetuses, and describes the organization as “a volume institution.” While sipping red wine, Cate Dyer also laughs about wanting “another fifty livers a week” from aborted babies, while weirdly laughing about how dirty and bacteria-laden abortion clinics are.

TSA airport style searches on all Amtrak trains!
MassPrivateI - Our government is stepping up its plans to search EVERYONE, ANYWHERE, whether you're traveling by air, rail, ferry or bus. Beginning this week and almost four years since writers warned Americans that our government wants to search people on trains... The Baltimore Sun reported Amtrak will begin searching all passengers: “Passengers failing to consent to security procedures will be denied access to trains.”

Austin Police Institute "No Refusal" Blood Draws Until "End Of Summer"
Adan Salazar - “The no refusal initiative is an effort to enforce DWI laws, keep the public safe, and to conduct blood search warrants on suspects who refuse to give a breath or blood specimen as required by law,” the department claimed in a press release. “A high number of DWI arrests are made in Austin each year.” “No refusal” means police can forcibly extract blood or breath samples against a person’s will after they have refused, enabling law enforcement to secure evidence which may aid in future prosecution. A judge is typically on hand to sign warrants, an effort to give the blood draws an air of legitimacy in the face of Fourth Amendment violations.

Innocent Couple Shocked At What Happens When CPS Worker Goes Rogue
Off the Grid News - A state social worker deliberately tormented her neighbors with false child abuse claims – claims that resulted in multiple law enforcement visits to the home, police say. Social worker Beth A. Bond and her fiancé were charged with six counts of making false reports to a state child abuse hotline, court records in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, indicate. The calls led to late-night visits from police, six child abuse investigations and drug tests for the innocent couple, April Rodgers and Corey Chaney, The Courier-Journal newspaper reported. To make matters worse, officials with the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services refused to listen to Chaney and Rodgers until police proved the claims were false.... “There is no way to hold a rogue social worker accountable,” Chaney told The Courier-Journal. “There’s got to be a system in place to protect families. There’s everything in place to protect anonymous callers.”

School Fingerprints Elementary Students for Lunch Program
EAG News - The southern Indiana school district is one of the latest to deploy technology which “biometric identification to match a finger scan with a personal identification number,” WAVE reports. According to a notification issued by the New Albany Floyd County school system, the technology is used to “eliminate pin numbers, eliminate misused pin numbers, maintain the privacy of students on subsidized food programs and speed up the amount of time in the lunch line.” School administrators “refused” to go on camera to discuss the new technology. But the change in the name of convenience has some parents very concerned.

Researchers Find Horse Meat and Other Undeclared Species in Products Labeled Ground Beef
Natural Society - Most people don’t give much thought into what is in a package of ground beef, but 2 shocking new studies conducted by Chapman University researchers show that what the labels on meat products say and what consumers actually consume are sometimes very different things. One study focused on identification of species found in ground meat products, while the other zeroed in on game meat species labeling. All of the products examined were sold on the U.S. commercial market. Researchers found examples of species mishandling in both studies.

Election News

Give Up Already: Almost Half Of Americans Say Hillary Should Halt Presidential Campaign
Steve Watson - As she faces possible criminal charges and even prison time, almost half of Americans surveyed believe that Hillary Clinton’s Presidential campaign is done, and that she should quit now. The findings come from a Rasmussen poll released today, showing that 46 percent of Likely U.S. Voters believe Clinton should suspend her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination until the legal implications of her use of a private e-mail server while Secretary of State are resolved. The survey reveals that even a quarter of Democrats think Hillary is done.

Donald Trump Goes Head to Head with Univision Reporter on Immigration
Infowars - Presidential candidate Donald Trump had Univision reporter Jorge Ramos temporarily removed from an Iowa press conference Tuesday after the journalist unexpectedly stood up and began demanding answers on the Republican frontrunner’s proposed immigration policy. Ramos, who peppered the business mogul with questions as soon as he reached the podium, refused to sit down as Trump attempted to call on other reporters. “Sit down,” Trump said repeatedly. “Excuse me, sit down. You weren’t called.” After being told to “go back to Univision,” Ramos was physically removed from the room by what appeared to be a member of Trump’s staff. The reporter, who was eventually allowed back in the room and permitted to ask his question, argued that it would be impossible to deport millions of illegal immigrants and to build a wall on the country’s Southern border. Trump’s back and forth with the journalist, which covers everything from drug smuggling to the deportation of violent Mexican gang members, can be viewed below.
* Related: FULL Donald Trump Press Conference Before Dubuque, Iowa Rally

Economy & Business

During Every Market Crash There Are Big Ups, Big Downs And Giant Waves Of Momentum
Economic Collapse - This is exactly the type of market behavior that we would expect to see during the early stages of a major financial crisis. In every major market downturn throughout history there were big ups, big downs and giant waves of momentum, and this time around will not be any different. As I have explained repeatedly, markets tend to go up when things are calm, and they tend to go down when things get really choppy. During a market meltdown, we fully expect to see days when the stock market absolutely soars. Waves of panic selling are often followed by waves of panic buying. As you will see below, six of the ten best single day gains for the Dow Jones Industrial Average happened during the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009. So don’t be fooled for a moment by a very positive day for stocks like we are seeing on Tuesday. It is all part of the dance.

Nearly 1 Million Left Homeless in 9 Years in L.A., Report Says
RT - About 13,000 of the two million LA county residents receiving some form of public assistance slip into homelessness every month, according to a new report entitled “All Alone.” Researchers said that 70 percent of the 13,000 people tumbling into homelessness quickly find work or rely on family to get off the streets. However, a quarter of those people, amounting to some 3,700, were experiencing periods of “continuous, unremitting, chronic homelessness,” when they were homeless four or more times within three years. The problem is escalating despite 10,000 people having been placed in housing over the last three years, according to the report produced by a research organization based in Los Angeles called the Economic Roundtable. The population of Los Angeles County was estimated to be over 10 million by the 2014 United States census.

Energy & Environment

Scientists Shocked by Dimensions of The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Sputnik News - A research expedition, sponsored by Ocean Cleanup, has returned on Sunday with devastating news. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, floating between California and Hawaii, is much bigger than the scientists could imagine. Using 30 boats, the team of scientists spent a month collecting samples and measuring the dimensions of the patch which they hope to clean up in the future. According to those findings, the cleanup effort could take much longer than previously anticipated, as the collection of discarded plastic waste is nightmarishly big. The stretch of accumulated pollution is roughly twice the size of Texas.

Science & Technology

There were only 3 ZIP codes in America without any Ashley Madison accounts — here they are
Business Insider - Gawker’s Gabrielle Bluestone has uncovered that there are precisely three ZIP codes across the country that have no record of Ashley Madison users. That’s ZIP codes, not area codes. And what do they have in common? They're partially lacking two things: the internet and a large amount of people. Gawker’s discovery highlights a pretty dark truth. These three ZIP codes are probably the only ones in the United States that don't house spouses looking to cheat — at least not by using Ashley Madison.

Health

Vaccines deliver 4,925 mcg of aluminum by 18 months, safe limit is 25 mcg
(NaturalHealth365) While parents across the country are led to believe they are doing the best thing for their children by vaccinating them according to a childhood vaccination schedule, the little known fact is that those vaccines can introduce toxic aluminum into the body at nearly 200 times the safe level.... Scientists at the University of British Columbia point out that aluminum clearly causes a negative impact on the nervous system of all ages. Yet, immunizations continue to administer this toxic substance directly into the systems of some of the most vulnerable to its effects.

Vaccine Alternative Homeoprophylaxis to be Explored by Leading Experts
Natural Blaze - Medical doctors, homeopaths, an immunologist, an attorney specializing in vaccine exemptions, researcher sand other experts from around the world will converge in Dallas this October for the 1st international conference on homeopathic prophylaxis, a three-day event that examines the non-toxic alternative to educating the immune system and preventing infectious disease.... This first of its kind, international event is sponsored by Worldwide Choice, an educational organization focused on supporting parents’ right to choose health practices, and providing them information about healthy alternatives to vaccination for disease prevention. It will take place October 2-4, 2015 in Dallas, Texas.

How is This Doctor Accused of False MS Diagnoses Still Practicing Medicine?
Natural Blaze - Dr. Sean Orr is the former head of neurology for Baptist Health and one of the doctors accused of violating that sacred trust on multiple occasions. In 2013, Dr. Orr’s license was suspended for a year after he faced allegations of sexual misconduct with one of his patients from 2011. Dr. Orr used his position of authority to trick his patient into having sexual relations with him, even claiming that the relationship would benefit her health. The next year, Baptist Health ─ a chain of hospitals and care offices based in Jacksonville, Florida ─ faced a lawsuit after a whistleblower reported that the organization had been overfunded by the Medicare program through false claims made by Dr. Orr, supported by misdiagnosis and mistreatment. They eventually paid a $2.5million settlement to the U.S. government while Orr agreed to pay $150,000. Now, several patients have come forward with a different issue, accusing Dr. Orr of misdiagnosing them with MS. One of them is Amber Taylor, who claims her regular doctor referred her to Dr. Orr for her chronic migraines. After only a couple months, Dr. Orr diagnosed Taylor with MS.

Humor & Satire

Here’s a Simple Way to Teach Your Kids About Taxes...
 



Tuesday - August 25, 2015 - Today in History:

1718 - Hundreds of colonists from France arrived in Louisiana. Some settled in present-day New Orleans.
1814 - The U.S. Library of Congress was destroyed by British forces.
1825 - Uruguay declared independence from Brazil.
1916 - The National Park Service was established as part of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
1920 - The first airplane to fly from New York to Alaska arrived in Nome.
1921 - The U.S. signed a peace treaty with Germany.
1941 - Allied forces invaded Iran. Within four days the Soviet Union and England controlled Iran.
1941 - U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt signed the bill appropriating funds for construction of the Pentagon.
1944 - Paris, France, was liberated by Allied forces ending four years of German occupation.
1944 - Romania declared war on Germany.
1950 - U.S. President Truman ordered the seizure of U.S. railroads to avert a strike.
1972 - In Great Britain, computerized axial tomography (CAT scan) was introduced.
1983 - The U.S. and the Soviet Union signed a $10 billion grain pact.
1987 - Saudi Arabia denounced the "group of terrorists" that ran the Iranian government.
1988 - Iran and Iraq began talks in Geneva after ending their eight years of war.
1990 - Military action was authorized by the United Nations to enforce the trade embargo that had been placed on Iraq after their invasion of Kuwait.
1997 - The tobacco industry agreed to an $11.3 billion settlement with the state of Florida.
1998 - A survey released said that 1/3 of Americans use the Internet.

World News

Chinese markets crash again in biggest collapse in 20 years
RT - The key Shanghai Composite Index sank another 7.63 percent Tuesday, extending its worst four-day rout since 1996. The index has fallen 22 percent since August 19. Investors were rattled as the China Securities Regulatory Commission made no attempt to reassure markets after Monday’s crash, as they did a month ago after an 8.5 percent drop. It’s panic selling and an issue of confidence,” Wei Wei, an analyst at Huaxi Securities in Shanghai, told Bloomberg News. "The government won’t step in to rescue the market again, as it’s a global selloff and it’s spreading everywhere now. It’s not going to work this time.”

S. Korea agrees to end propaganda as North expresses regret for provocations
The Washington Post - North and South Korea reached an agreement early Tuesday morning to resolve the showdown on the divided peninsula, with Pyongyang expressing regret for recent provocations, including a land mine attack that severely injured two Southern soldiers. In return, Seoul agreed to turn off the loudspeakers that had angered Pyongyang so much that it had entered a “quasi state of war.” They will be silenced at noon local time Tuesday. The deal came after three days of marathon talks, during which North Korea was moving troops and military equipment to the border, apparently trying to signal it was ready for combat, while South Korea declared it would retaliate against any provocation.

Stock up on canned food for stock market crash, warns former Gordon Brown adviser
The Independent - A former adviser to Gordon Brown has urged people to stock up on canned goods and bottled water as stock markets around the world slide. mDamian McBride appeared to suggest that the stock market dip could lead to civil disorder or other situations where it would be unreasonable for someone to leave the house. “Advice on the looming crash, No.1: get hard cash in a safe place now; don't assume banks & cashpoints will be open, or bank cards will work,” he tweeted. “Crash advice No.2: do you have enough bottled water, tinned goods & other essentials at home to live a month indoors? If not, get shopping. “Crash advice No.3: agree a rally point with your loved ones in case transport and communication gets cut off; somewhere you can all head to.”

Aussie stockmarket tumbles amid growing fears over health of global economy
Herold Sun August 24, 2015 - Australian shares have taken their biggest tumble since the global financial crisis with $59 billion stripped from the market as uncertainty grips global markets. The benchmark ASX 200 index has closed down 4.1 per cent, with the losses felt across the board from banks to resources stocks.

Powerful Lobby Group Calling For Mandatory Vaccinations In Canada
Dave Mihalovic - Canada's largest doctors’ group are calling for the same policies under heavy influence by the American Medical Association to change the way medicine is practiced in Canada. At its annual meeting in Halifax, August 23-26 the 80,000 member group of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is intending to vote on a "mandatory vaccination" resolution requiring that all children registering for school or daycare show proof they are fully vaccinated. Under the guidance of some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, and in addition to calling for proof of vaccination, the CMA board is endorsing a multi-year plan to increase vaccination rates.

Record-breaking typhoon to make direct hit on Japan's only restarted nuclear plant
ENE News - Record-breaking typhoon to make direct hit on Japan’s only restarted nuclear plant — 159 mph gust last night, strongest ever measured at location — Waves near 40 ft. high expected around island — Gov’t alerts for landslides and floods — Cracks and leaks already found at nuclear plant.

US media blackout: French oppose vaccines
Jon Rappoport - Here, from thevaccinereaction.org, is a shocker: “The French National Debate on Vaccines,” by Marco Caceres, August 19: Between 2005 and 2010, the proportion of French people in favour or very in favour of vaccination dropped from 90% to 60% (2013 INPES Peretti-Watel health barometer). The percentage of French people between the ages of 18 and 75 who are anti-vaccination increased from 8.5% in 2005 to 38.2% in 2010. In 2005, 58% of doctors questioned the usefulness of vaccines administered to children while 31% of doctors were expressing doubts about vaccine safety. These figures must surely have increased since then.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Exclusive: Hillary Clinton Sanctioned Child Rape in Afghanistan
Joe Biggs - A U.S. State Department directive issued under former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2012 ordered U.S. troops in Afghanistan to avoid criticizing certain “taboo” aspects of Afghan culture, including “pedophilia” and “women’s rights.” Now, three years after the policy change, a decorated Green Beret is being kicked out of the U.S. Army for a 2011 incident in which he shoved an Afghan police commander accused of raping a boy and beating his mother.

IRS finds yet another Lois Lerner email account
Washington Times - Lois Lerner had yet another personal email account used to conduct some IRS business, the tax agency confirmed in a new court filing late Monday that further complicates the administration’s efforts to be transparent about Ms. Lerner’s actions during the tea party targeting scandal. The admission came in an open-records lawsuit filed by Judicial Watch, a conservative public interest law firm that has sued to get a look at emails Ms. Lerner sent during the targeting. IRS lawyer Geoffrey J. Klimas told the court that as the agency was putting together a set of documents to turn over to Judicial Watch, it realized Ms. Lerner had used yet another email account, in addition to her official one and another personal one already known to the agency.

California Parents Blamed for SIDS Death – Lose Remaining Children to CPS
Health Impact News - Crystal Avenger of El Dorado, California states that 3-month old Alana Jo received a Hepatitis B vaccination in the hospital shortly before her death. Approximately one week prior to her death, in March 2015 they took her back to the hospital for a sick visit and she was diagnosed with a common cold. On the morning of March 18, 2015, Christopher awoke and noticed his daughter, Alana, didn’t look normal. His voice laden with emotion as he recalled, “I picked her up from the bed and her arms went completely limp.” He immediately called 911 and frantically followed the 911 operator’s instructions for CPR on his baby.... The baby was taken away in an ambulance, and her mother Crystal was not even allowed to go with her. An investigation began, and despite no evidence of abuse with the parents, the remaining four children were removed from the home by force, screaming as they were ripped away from their parents.

School band told to stop performing 'How Great Thou Art'
Fox News - There was no halftime show under the Friday night lights at Mississippi’s Brandon High School — the marching band had been benched. The band was ordered off the field because the Christian hymn “How Great Thou Art” was a part of their halftime show — in violation of a federal court order… During halftime of Friday night’s game - a lone voice began to sing the forbidden song… “We were just sitting there and then one by one people started to stand,” she told me. “At first, it started out as a hum but the sound got louder and louder.” She said it was a “truly incredible” moment to watch hundreds of people singing together in the stadium.

School District Responds To Confederate Flag Flap By BANNING ALL FLAGS
Steve Watson - In an act designed to prevent anyone from any background being perpetually offended, a school district in Tennessee has declared that ALL flags and banners are banned, even the stars and stripes.... Students were warned that they would be kicked out if they brought ANY flag with them to school. The decision was made “Based on some actions and behaviors of students displaying banners behind a vehicle.... The story drew the ire of Fox & Friends host Tucker Carlson, who lambasted the move as part of a general attack on expressions of patriotism. This is not about a school district in Tennessee,” Carlson said Sunday. “This is a about a long-term trend where the people who run everything — the elites in Washington, New York and L.A. — despise rural America and its culture, suspect anybody that doesn’t live in their cities of being a bigot, and they’re trying to crush that culture by banning its symbols.”

Election News

As China Goes, So Goes America… Trump Pounces as Foreign Markets Take Down American Stocks
John Nolte - As the American stock market opened to lows unseen since the 2008 economic meltdown, (as of this writing it is down only 373 points — a fairly typical down day), Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump took to Twitter to refresh his longstanding political message that the American economy allows “China and Asia to dictate the agenda”: "As I have long stated, we are so tied in with China and Asia that their markets are now taking the U.S. market down. Get smart U.S.A."... Regardless of how this stock day ends, this startling reminder that “so goes China, so goes America” is bound to unsettle many Americans and play into Trump’s decades-long message about our country being too reliant on China and other countries. Once again America is paying a price for following instead of leading.
* Related: Trump talks stock market slide...

Economy & Business

Dow off 588; S&P 500, Nasdaq in correction
USA Today - Investors hoping for a market bounce after the Dow's worst week in four years got a vicious plunge instead after the opening bell when the blue chip stock gauge went into freefall and fell 1,089 points in a dive described as a "huge whoosh," by Bespoke Investment Group. The Dow's closing point loss of 588.40 points, or 3.6%, to 15,871.35, was its 8th worse one-day point loss in history and worse daily point decline since Aug 8, 2011. The selling spree on Wall Street, which has been driven by a global growth scare sparked by fears of a severe economic slowdown in China, has now infected every corner of the U.S. stock market… The turbulence has Wall Street debating whether it is just a short-term correction that has created pockets of value in what had been an overpriced market or something worse.

Pension Funds Sue Big Banks over Manipulation of $12.7 Trillion Treasuries Market
AllGov - At least two government pension funds have sued major banks, accusing them of manipulating the $12.7 trillion market for U.S. Treasury bonds to drive up profits, thereby costing the funds—and taxpayers—millions of dollars. As with another case earlier this year, in which major banks were found to have manipulated the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), traders are accused of using electronic chat rooms and instant messaging to drive up the price that secondary customers pay for Treasury bonds, then conspiring to drop the price banks pay the government for the bonds, increasing the spread, or profit, for the banks. This also ends up costing taxpayers more to borrow money.

Energy & Environment

Danger of toxic ‘blow-out’ at Colorado mine known to EPA since 2014 – documents
RT - The Environmental Protection Agency knew about the danger of toxic water potentially spilling out of Colorado’s Gold King Mine more than a year ago, new internal documents show. It’s unclear what, if anything, the agency did to reduce the risk. Released on Friday, the documents show that no maintenance had been conducted at the mine since 1999, and in a document dated June 2014, officials warned that a 1995 mine portal collapse, as well as other subsequent internal collapses, made the mine more susceptible to “blow-out.” This condition has likely caused impounding of water behind the collapse,” the document reads. “Conditions may exist that could result in a blow-out of the blockages and cause a release of large volumes of contaminated mine waters and sediment from inside the mine, which contain concentrated heavy metals.”

Science & Technology

US man sues Ashley Madison for 'emotional distress' after infidelity site's hack
The Independent - A California man is suing the infidelity website Ashley Madison and its parent company for negligence, saying he has suffered emotional distress. The lawsuit, filed in US District Court in Los Angeles against Ashley Madison and Avid Life Media, seeks class-action status. It accuses the companies of failing to adequately protect clients' personal and financial information, and seeks unspecified damages. Data from about 37 million people using the Ashley Madison website was released online in August by a group calling itself The Impact Team.

Microsoft Increases Secrecy; Expands Spyware to Windows 7 and 8
The New American - The Windows 10 update that turns your PC into a portal for spying on you was just the beginning of what Microsoft is doing. As more and more people begin to adopt Windows 10… the Redmond Giant is building on that foundation to further violate users' privacy and liberty… Microsoft seems to be rolling out updates to Windows 7 and 8 that bring them into line with the "spyware" elements of Windows 10. Because Microsoft's Services Agreement and Privacy Policy apply to all products and services offered by Microsoft, it looks as though the company is expanding its spying to include Windows 7 and 8. The New American covered the specifics of these agreements in a previous article. According to hakspek.com, "new updates that are being deployed to all Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 machines will turn their computers into a big piece of spyware, just like" Windows 10.

Health

Iodine Supplements in Pregnancy May Boost Babies’ Brains
Dr. Mercola - Iodine is a vitally important nutrient that is detected in every organ and tissue in your body. Along with being essential for healthy thyroid function and efficient metabolism, there is increasing evidence that low iodine is related to numerous diseases, including cancer. Iodine might also severely affect your child's brain and intellectual prowess, as it is important for healthy brain development. New research now suggests an iodine supplement during pregnancy might help to boost children’s IQ scores while benefitting the economy. Research published in 2013 showed that mild iodine deficiency during pregnancy lead to decreased intellect in children. Those born to mothers with low iodine in early pregnancy had lower IQs at age 8, by an average of three points, compared to those born to mothers with healthy iodine levels. The children of low iodine mothers also had worse reading ability at age 9.

Adrenal Fatigue Treatment – 15 Essential Rescue & Recovery Tips
Natural Society - Adrenal fatigue symptoms are often confused for other health issues, and are largely ignored by mainstream medicine. Just as with thyroid conditions, those who are easily fatigued, full of anxiety, or exhausted constantly can face a battle that not many others understand. If you suspect you might have adrenal fatigue (and so many of us do), it is time to uncover adrenal fatigue treatment and solutions that could really work.

24 Unknown Facts Why Hydrogen Peroxide Should Be In Every Home
Natural News Blogs - Hydrogen peroxide is the only germicidal agent composed only of water and oxygen. Like ozone, it kills disease organisms by oxidation! Hydrogen peroxide is considered the worlds safest all natural effective sanitizer. It kills microorganisms by oxidizing them, which can be best described as a controlled burning process. When Hydrogen peroxide reacts with organic material it breaks down into oxygen and water.

Pet News

It's Hair in Pedigree Dog Food
Susan Thixton - Reports of pieces of "wire" in Pedigree dog food have been spreading on social media. Consumers are concerned what the wire like substances found sticking out of pieces of Pedigree kibble are. The answer - it's animal hair. Pedigree admits they are pig hair. In a response to a concerned consumer Pedigree stated “We understand your concern and our pet’s safety is our first priority too. Our team has conducted testing on affected kibble and determined these are natural fibers from meat and bone meal, like pig hair, that occur with products made using those ingredients.
* Related: Hair for the Dog (and Cat)

Dangerous School Supplies That Can Attract Your Pet Like a Moth to a Flame
Dr. Becker - It's that time of year when families start shopping for back-to-school supplies. And some can be like candy, especially to a dog. Be safe rather than sorry and know the top 10 most commonly used school supplies that don't belong anywhere near your pet.
 



Monday - August 24, 2015 - Today in History:

1814 - Washington, DC, was invaded by British forces that set fire to the White House and Capitol.
1932 - Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the U.S. non-stop. The trip from Los Angeles, CA to Newark, NJ, took about 19 hours.
1949 - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) went into effect. The agreement was that an attack against on one of the parties would be considered "an attack against them all."
1954 - The Communist Party was virtually outlawed in the U.S. when the Communist Control Act went into effect.
1968 - France became the 5th thermonuclear power when they exploded a hydrogen bomb in the South Pacific.
1986 - Frontier Airlines shut down. Thousands of people were left stranded.
1989 - Pete Rose, the manager of the Cincinnati Reds, was banned from baseball for life after being accused of gambling on baseball.
1990 - Iraqi troops surrounded foreign missions in Kuwait.
1991 - Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as the head of the Communist Party.
1992 - China and South Korea established diplomatic relations.
1998 - U.S. officials cited a soil sample as part of the evidence that a Sudan plant was producing precursors to the VX nerve gas. And, therefore made it a target for U.S. missiles on August 20, 1998.
2001 - The remains of nine American servicemen killed in the Korean War were returned to the U.S. The bodies were found about 60 miles north of Pyongyang. It was estimated that it would be a year before the identies of the soldiers would be known.
2001 - U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly was randomly picked to take over the Microsoft monopoly case. The judge was to decide how Microsoft should be punished for illegally trying to squelch its competitors.
2001 - NASA announced that operation of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite would end by September 30th due to budget restrictions. Though the satellite is best known for monitoring a hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica, it was designed to provide information about the upper atmosphere by measuring its winds, temperatures, chemistry and energy received from the sun.
2005 - The planet Pluto was reclassified as a "dwarf planet" by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Pluto's status was changed due to the IAU's new rules for an object qualifying as a planet. Pluto met two of the three rules because it orbits the sun and is large enough to assume a nearly round shape. However, since Pluto has an oblong orbit and overlaps the orbit of Neptune it disqualified Pluto as a planet.

World News

Black Monday: Biggest slide in Chinese stocks since 2007, Brent oil below $44
RT - Shanghai composite has closed down 8.5 percent in a brutal selloff, as Beijing’s measures have failed to ease investor concerns about the slowdown of the world's second-largest economy. China's stocks are now down for the year after being up 60 percent in June. “This is a real disaster and it seems nothing can stop it,” Chen Gang, Shanghai-based chief investment officer at Heqitongyi Asset Management Co., told Bloomberg. “If we don’t cut holdings ourselves, the fund faces risk of forced closure. Many newly-started private funds suffered that recently. I hope we can survive.” The ripple effects are being felt on the European markets.

Ukraine Comes Hat in Hand to Russia for Winter Gas Supply
Sputnik News - Reality is harsh: after all political jabs, Kiev is begging Moscow for gas to survive the winter. Brace yourselves, winter is coming: the chiefs of Ukraine's Naftogaz and Russia's Gazprom held an unexpected bilateral meeting for the first time since May 2014, Russian daily Kommersant reported. Naftogaz addressed Gazprom, asking for a prepayment for the transit of Russian gas to Europe via the Ukrainian territory. Kiev would then use the money to buy gas for the winter period. Kiev has 13,9 billion cubic meters of gas in its underground storages and needs three billion more to make it through the winter.

Al-Qaeda overruns parts of strategic Yemeni port 'liberated' by Saudi-led coalition
RT - Taking advantage of a power vacuum in Yemen following months of Saudi airstrikes and battles between Houthi militias and those loyal to exiled President Hadi, Al-Qaeda fighters have reportedly managed to capture key parts of the recently “liberated” strategic seaport city of Aden. According to military sources and witnesses on the ground, alleged Al-Qaeda militants have now managed to take several key neighborhoods in and around Aden, both AFP and AP reported. An anonymous Yemeni official told AFP that Al-Qaeda fighters entered Aden two weeks after Saudi-backed forces drove the Houthi fighters out on July 17 and the exiled Yemeni government announced the “liberation” of the port city.

Global Trade In Freefall: Container Freight Rates From Asia To Europe Crash 60% In Three Weeks
Zero Hedge - […] key shipping freight rates for transporting containers from ports in Asia to Northern Europe fell by 26.7 percent to $469 per 20-foot container (TEU) in the week ended on Friday. The collapse in rates is nothing short of a bloodbath: "it was the third consecutive week of falling freight rates on the world’s busiest route and rates are now nearly 60 percent lower than three weeks ago. Freight rates on the world’s busiest shipping route have tanked this year due to overcapacity in available vessels and sluggish demand in goods to be transported. Rates generally deemed profitable for shipping companies on the route are at about $800-$1,000 per TEU. Other Europe-focused freight rates did even worse, with container freight rates from Asia to ports in the Mediterranean plunging 32.1%, while those to the US West and East coast slid by 7.9% and 9.9%, respectively.

Gulf Markets Melting Down: Saudi Arabia Plunges 7%, Dubai Sold
Zero Hedge - Over the weeks, months, and years ahead we’ll begin to understand more about the fallout from the death of the petrodollar and nowhere is it likely to be more apparent than in Saudi Arabia where widening fiscal and current account deficits have forced the Saudis to tap the bond market to mitigate the FX drawdown that's fueling speculation about the viability of the dollar peg. As Bloomberg reports, the current situation mirrors a "very scary moment" in Saudi Arabia’s history.

Huge explosions at US army base in Japan as warehouse burns and emergency services rush to scene
Mirror Online - Several huge explosions were heard today at a US army base in Japan. At least 10 fire engines rushed to the scene in Sagamihara city, south of Tokyo, amid reports of a blast sparked by an unknown cause. Footage shows several small bangs and one huge explosion, which witnesses described on social media as like "a fireworks display.".. Pentagon spokesman US Navy Commander Bill Urban confirmed there are no injuries. The site is part of a US army complex next to the capital where three deliberate explosions were reported in April, in what police suspect was an act of left-wing Japanese extremists.

China rocked by second deadly chemical plant blast in two weeks
Reuters - A huge explosion ripped through a chemical plant in eastern China, killing one person and injuring nine, Xinhua news agency said, less than two weeks after two deadly blasts destroyed a warehouse storing chemicals in the northeast. The fire on Saturday night in Huantai in the eastern province of Shandong was put out after about five hours and authorities said no contamination has been detected, Xinhua said. But the disaster is bound to raise more questions about safety standards in a country where industrial accidents are all too common following three decades of fast economic growth… The factory produced adiponitrile, a colorless liquid that releases poisonous gases when it reacts with fire, according to Xinhua.

MH17 Crash: West Hushed Up Risks of Ukraine Overflights - Australian Media
Sputnik News - During a July 14, 2014 briefing Ukrainian officials told Western ambassadors that Russian tank units had intervened in the conflict resulting in a dramatic escalation in air combat… The German foreign office has said that civilian flights over eastern Ukraine and their safety were not discussed at the July 14 briefing. However, Correctiv says it has a copy of a report on the briefing by Dutch diplomat Gerrie Willems that contradicts the office's claim and insists that the staff of the embassies of the European Union member states, the United States, Canada, Brazil and Japan actually attended the briefing. Although there is no specific mention of civil aviation, the Willems' report refers to the escalation in aerial combat. The German foreign office had refused to release information about the briefing, arguing it had been confidential and that all those attending had acknowledged this.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

US airman says train attacker 'ready to fight to the end'
My Way - Three Americans, including two US service members, managed to overpower a gunman and thwart an attack on a high-speed train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris on Friday. The shooter has been identified as a 26-year-old Moroccan man with links to Islamist militant groups who had recently traveled to Syria… Stone and Skarlatos moved in to tackle the gunman and take his gun. The third young man, Anthony Sadler, 23, moved in to help subdue the assailant. "All three of us started punching" him, Stone said. Stone said he choked him unconscious. A British businessman then joined in the fray… Stone is also credited with saving a French-American teacher wounded in the neck with a gunshot wound and squirting blood. Stone described matter-of-factly that he "just stuck two of my fingers in his hole and found what I thought to be the artery, pushed down and the bleeding stopped."
* Related: French Leader to Award Highest Honor to Five Passengers for Stopping Gunman

Judge lifts restraining order on Planned Parenthood videos; new one released immediately
American Thinker - The prior restraint censorship of videos taken by the Center for Medical Progress of StemExpress officials discussing the trafficking in baby parts has ended, as a judge who understands the First Amendment lifted a restraining order. In response, the CMP immediately released a short new video… The new release consists of bits and pieces of old videos, but with one new section: The one new section featured Cate Dyer, the CEO of StemExpress in a lunch meeting with undercover operatives posing as representatives of a biotech firm. Dyer is seen laughing about how StemExpress purchases fully intact aborted babies from Planned Parenthood. As she paid the check, Dyer is laughing about how shippers of the aborted babies should give a warning to lab workers to expect such a whole (intact) baby.
* Related: Massive Planned Parenthood Protests Across US

AZ Sheriff Paul Babeu: Drug Cartels With AK-47s Control American Soil 30 Miles from Phoenix
Breitbart - Thursday on Fox News Channel’s “Your World With Neil Cavuto,” Pinal Co., AZ Sheriff Paul Babeu said drug cartels armed with AK-47’s “control many areas on American soil” noting that they are only 30 miles from Phoenix. Babeu detailed touring the border yesterday with Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson and said, “We flew him in our helicopter, showed him the drug smuggling routes, the actual caves—these cartel scouts live on top of mountains, 30 days at a time. And how on mountain top to mountain top, over a 50-mile swath of land, and this is only 30 miles from Phoenix.” He continued, “This is literally an unsecured border. We have cartels that think they own the place. They control many areas on American soil and this how they freely move billions of dollars of drugs and hundreds of thousands of illegals into our country.”

Media Ignores Constitutional Experts Debunking Birthright Citizenship
Breitbart News - Breitbart News first explained that the debate of who becomes an American citizen by virtue of being born on U.S. soil turns on the words “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.” And we later explained in greater detail how the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Citizenship Clause over time supports the original meaning of that clause, a clause which does not extend citizenship to the children of illegal aliens.... There are others. Professor Peter Schuck, who holds an endowed chair at Yale Law School (the top-ranked law school in America), and Professor Roger Smith, a political scientist who holds an endowed chair at the University of Pennsylvania (another Ivy League university), coauthored a scholarly treatise on this subject, Citizenship without Consent, and conclude in their book that “the framers of the Citizenship Clause had no intention of establishing a universal rule of birthright citizenship.”
* Related: The Original intent of the 14th Amendment

Too Many Rich Foreigners are Scamming the System that Allows them to Live in U.S. if they Create 10 Jobs and Pay $500,000
AllGov -Residents of China have accounted for 90% of the visas issued from DHS in 2014, according to government data. “For rich Chinese, a green card is a ticket out of China -- a way to escape heavy pollution or gain access to improved education options,” wrote CNN’s Sophia Yan. EB-5 has proven popular with scammers and possibly even spies who have used the program to gain entry into the country. The SEC reportedly received more than 100 tips of possible securities fraud connected to the EB-5. The program has proven to be very popular. For instance, DHS allotted 10,000 visas in 2014 for EB-5 applicants, and all of them were gone in just a matter of a few months. Residents of China have flooded the department with applications for EB-5, and accounted for 90% of the visas issued from it in 2014, according to government data compiled by CNNMoney.

“The War on Drugs is Over, and We Lost,” Meet the Police Chief Who’s Starting a Revolution
The Free Thought Project - Leonard Campanello is not your average police officer, which makes him even more of an atypical police chief. While police departments across the United States double down on the war on drugs with more military gear and violence, Campanello is doing it right. While cops continue busting down doors of suspected drug users, and killing their dogs, or killing them, Campanello is reaching out his hand.... “If you are a user of opiates or heroin, let us help you. We know you do not want this addiction. We have resources here in the City that can and will make a difference in your life. Do not become a statistic,” wrote Campanello. Campanello then got in touch with the local mayor and began the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) which would help drug addicts instead of lock them in cages.

Election News

Federal Election Commission Refuses to Release Study Relating to Computer Security Flaws
AllGov - The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is refusing to release an internal study of its vulnerable computer network, which Chinese hackers infiltrated two years ago. The Center for Public Integrity, which revealed the hacking from October 2013, filed a Freedom of Information Act request to see a nearly $200,000 study performed by an outside company, SD Solutions, but the FEC rejected the request. That study reportedly discusses the security flaws in the FEC computer network and provides recommendations for fixing them. FEC Chairwoman Ann Ravel told the center it would not publish the study because “the concern is that it contains information that details potential vulnerabilities.”

Trump gets biggest crowd of any 2016 candidate so far
NY Post - Donald Trump scored the biggest crowd of any presidential candidate so far this election year Friday, drawing 30,000 raucous, cheering fans to his rally at a college football stadium in ­Mobile, Ala. “I’m going to be the greatest jobs president that God ever ­created. You are going to be so proud,” he declared to tremendous cheers.... Some of The Donald’s diehard fans came from as far as LA and Pensacola, Fla., and waited up to seven hours in the steamy Alabama heat to score the best seats.
* Related: Donald Trump holds rally in Alabama - Full speech

VIDEO: Senator Jeff Sessions Joins Donald Trump on Stage in Alabama
Gateway Pundit - The AMAZING Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) joined Donald Trump on stage in Mobile, Alabama tonight sporting a Trump hat. Sessions is widely respected for his commitment to border security, American workers and immigration control.

Joe Biden Is Leaning Toward a 2016 Run
WSJ - Vice President Joe Biden, who has long been considering a presidential bid, is increasingly leaning toward entering the race if it is still possible he can knit together a competitive campaign at this late date, people familiar with the matter said.... “The vice president has not made a decision about his political future,” Biden spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said. “Anyone speculating that he has made a decision is wrong.” Mr. Biden would enter as a clear underdog. Polling shows Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton running far ahead of the vice president, who would be building a campaign team largely from scratch.

Veteran News

Colorado Board of Health Refuses to Allow Marijuana for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; Tells Veterans to Stick to Opioids
AllGov - The Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment and its Board of Health voted last month to deny those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) access to medical marijuana, despite the recommendation from the state’s chief medical officer that it add marijuana to the list of approved treatments… The six board members who voted against the proposal said it was because there’s not enough evidence that marijuana is a safe and effective treatment for the condition. “I’m struggling with the science piece,” board member Dr. Christopher Stanley said, according to the Post. Part of the reason for that is that the federal government makes it difficult to study marijuana’s therapeutic uses. So, victims of PTSD, many of them veterans, will continue to be treated with opioid drugs that can lead to addition, overdose and many other unpleasant side effects.

Economy & Business

U.S. banks moved billions of dollars in trades beyond Washington’s reach
Reuters - This spring, traders and analysts working deep in the global swaps markets began picking up peculiar readings: Hundreds of billions of dollars of trades by U.S. banks had seemingly vanished. The vanishing of the trades was little noted outside a circle of specialists. But the implications were big. The missing transactions reflected an effort by some of the largest U.S. banks — including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Bank of America, and Morgan Stanley — to get around new regulations on derivatives enacted in the wake of the financial crisis, say current and former financial regulators. The trades hadn’t really disappeared. Instead, the major banks had tweaked a few key words in swaps contracts and shifted some other trades to affiliates in London, where regulations are far more lenient. Those affiliates remain largely outside the jurisdiction of U.S. regulators, thanks to a loophole in swaps rules that banks successfully won from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in 2013.

This 2 Day Stock Market Crash Was Larger Than Any 1 Day Stock Market Crash In U.S. History
Economic Collapse - We witnessed something truly historic happen on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 530 points, and that followed a 358 point crash on Thursday. When you add those two days together, the total two day stock market crash that we just witnessed comes to a grand total of 888 points, which is larger than any one day stock market crash in U.S. history. It is also interesting to note that this 888 point crash comes in the 8th month of our calendar. Perhaps that is just a coincidence, and perhaps it is not.

VIDEO: Operation Choke Point: The Government's Covert War on Small Business
ReasonTV - Banks are sending notices of account closure out to small businesses across the country, to clients they've done business with for years, even decades. The reason? They often don't provide one. But a growing number of business owners believe they know why they're being cut off from the financial system. It's Operation Choke Point, ostensibly an attempt to crack down on fraudulent businesses, but in reality a dragnet that has ensnared innocent entrepreneurs unfairly classified as "high-risk" players.

7 Million People Haven't Made A Single Student Loan Payment In At Least A Year
Zero Hedge - Nearly seven million Americans have gone at least a year without making a payment on their federal student loans, a staggering level of default that highlights how student debt continues to burden households despite an improving labor market. As of July, 6.9 million Americans with student loans hadn’t sent a payment to the government in at least 360 days, quarterly data from the Education Department showed this week. That was up 6%, or 400,000 borrowers, from a year earlier. The figures translate into about 17% of all borrowers with federal loans being severely delinquent—and that share would be even higher if borrowers currently in school were excluded. Additionally, millions of other borrowers who haven’t hit the 360-day threshold that the government defines as a default are months behind on their payments.

Government Gives Away Billions In Grants To Students Who Never Graduate
Zero Hedge - [...] some $16 billion in loans to students attending colleges that graduated fewer than a third of their students after six years.... As NBC reminds us, "Pell grants are given to low-income families and, unlike student loans, do not need to be paid back - [they] are the costliest education initiative in the nation. [...] it turns out that despite the fact that taxpayers have dumped $300 billion into the program since 2000, "the government keeps no official tally of what proportion of those who receive the grants end up getting degrees."

Energy & Environment

EPA Sends Water Tanks Lined With Oil Residue To Navajo Farm
GovtSlaves - That toxic spill caused by the EPA out west continues to be a PR nightmare for the agency. Now they’re in even more trouble with the Navajo tribe, who couldn’t water their livestock because of the contamination. So the agency sent the tribe nine water tanks that turned out to be fouled with oil residue. Washington Times: Navajo Nation president Russell Begaye’s finger came up brown and oily after he ran it inside the spigot of a water tank, one of nine delivered by an EPA contractor to Shiprock, New Mexico, in the aftermath of the accident that sent orange mining waste down the Animas and San Juan rivers.

Two Major US Aquifers Found to Be Saturated with Uranium
The Daily Sheeple - They found that the parts of the High Plains Aquifer (also often referred to as the Ogallala) is saturated with uranium at a level that is 89 times higher than the EPA’s safe limit. The southern half of California’s Central Valley was even worse, with a uranium concentration that is 180 times higher than the EPA’s “maximum contaminant level.”

California Is Literally Sinking as Its Water Goes and Ag Industry Takes Hit
Natural Blaze - Overpumping of California's dwindling groundwater supply is causing the Central Valley to sink at a historic pace, in some places 2 inches per month, according to a NASA report released Wednesday. Satellite and aircraft images revealed sinking basins throughout the state, including an area near the California Aqueduct that sank 8 inches in four months last year. Land in the Tulare basin near Corcoran sank 13 inches in an eight-month stretch, according to the NASA report.

Science & Technology

Forget License Plate Readers On Police Cars, How About On Garbage Trucks?
Ars Technica - San Jose, California, America’s 10th largest city, isn’t just content to put license plate readers on police cars anymore—rather, it now wants to deputize garbage trucks to be an additional tool in its ongoing surveillance. According to the San Jose Mercury News, the mayor and one city councilman put forward a new proposal Wednesday that would allow sanitation vehicles to use the scanning devices and feed the data automatically to city police....
If passed, the city would likely become the first in the country to expand the law enforcement tool to another public entity besides parking enforcement.

Hackers dump SECOND, even bigger batch of Ashley Madison records
Daily Mail - Hacking group 'the Impact team' at lunchtime on Thursday released another mine of documents and confidential information to back up their first 9.7 gigabyte leak... The new documents were dumped with a taunting message to the adultery website's founder as exposed users began to publicly admit their involvement. 'Hey Noel, you can admit it's real now,' read the post - presumably directed at the company's millionaire CEO Noel Biderman, who has refused to admit the material is all legitimate. The 20GB is focused on the inner workings of the website rather than individual subscribers but the release will do little to calm the nerves of the cheaters whose personal details have been exposed.... AP traced their government Internet connections — logged by the website over five years — and reviewed their credit-card transactions to identify them. They included workers at more than two dozen Obama administration agencies, including the departments of State, Defense, Justice, Energy, Treasury, Transportation and Homeland Security. Others came from House or Senate computer networks

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Oregon County Set to Destroy Monsanto’s GMO Crops
Natural Society -Monsanto has been warned, and Syngenta already moved their operations outside the county. Notice was given by Josephine County, Oregon that citizens are very serious about the GMO ban (Measure 17-58) that was passed last year. The cultivation of GMO crops will not be tolerated. Biotech companies have until September 4th, just a few short weeks away, to either harvest their crops or destroy them, or they face monetary penalties.

Health

Flaxseed: Just An Ounce A Day May Extend Your Life
Green Med Info - A new study published in Experimental Gerontology indicates that consuming about an ounce a day of flaxseed (30 grams) may profoundly benefit elderly subjects, possibly neutralizing age-associated increases in inflammation, by modulating levels of a class of fat derived biomolecules known as oxylipins.

One Acupuncture Treatment Drops Blood Pressure For Over a Month Without Medication
April McCarthy - Emerging evidence from a research study shows acupuncture may be an effective treatment for hypertension. Acupuncture regulates blood pressure, blood flow and body temperature. Patients with hypertension treated with acupuncture experienced drops in their blood pressure that lasted up to a month and a half, researchers with the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine have found.

6 ways to speed up your metabolism with essential oils
(NaturalHealth365) Are you looking to speed up your metabolism? What gimmicks have you tried in the past? Did it work? Today, we’ll reveal how to speed up your metabolism naturally by using essential oils. Essential oils are organic compounds extracted from plants that contain many healing properties. Even though essential oils are not a weight-loss miracle, they can definitely help to increase your metabolism by curbing appetite, improving digestion, boosting metabolism, balancing mood and controlling blood sugar levels.

McDonald’s Kicked Out of Cleveland Clinic Cafeteria
Natural Society - Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, a top health care institution in the US, has finally given McDonald’s the boot upon the realization that fast food may just not be the best choice for the sick (or anyone, really). The riddance of the junk food restaurant is one of many changes the hospital is making to “promote healthy food choices, exercise, and a smoke free environment.” Cleveland Clinic spokeswoman Eileen Sheil said, “Our goal is to reduce the risk factors that contribute significantly to chronic diseases.”... Cleveland Clinic is the 7th hospital in the nation to remove McDonald’s from their cafeterias in the past six years



Friday - August 21, 2015 - Today in History:

1831 - Nat Turner, a former slave, led a violent insurrection in Virginia. He was later executed.
1878 - The American Bar Association was formed by a group of lawyers, judges and law professors in Saratoga, NY.
1912 - Arthur R. Eldred became the first American boy to become an Eagle Scout. It is the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America.
1923 - In Kalamazoo, Michigan, an ordinance was passed forbidding dancers from gazing into the eyes of their partner.
1943 - Japan evacuated the Aleutian island of Kiaska. Kiaska had been the last North American foothold held by the Japanese.
1945 - U.S. President Truman ended the Lend-Lease program that had shipped about $50 billion in aid to America's Allies during World War II.
1959 - Hawaii became the 50th state. U.S. President Eisenhower also issued the order for the 50 star flag.
1963 - In South Vietnam, martial law was declared. Army troops and police began to crackdown on the Buddhist anti-government protesters.
1991 - The hard-line coup against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev ended. The uprising that led to the collapse was led by Russian federation President Boris Yeltsin.
1993 - NASA lost contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft. The fate of the spacecraft was unknown. The mission cost $980 million.
1997 - Hudson Foods Inc. closed a plant in Nebraska after it had recalled 25 million pounds of ground beef that was potentially contaminated with E. coli 01557:H7. It was the largest food recall in U.S. history.
1997 - Afghanistan suspended its embassy operations in the United States.
2003 - In Ghana, businessman Gyude Bryant was selected to oversee the two-year power-sharing accord between Liberia's rebels and the government. The accord was planned to guide the country out of 14 years of civil war.

World News

North Korea Prepares to Bring Troops to Full Combat Readiness - Reports
Sputnik News - Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, has ordered the country’s army to bring the troops to full combat readiness following the Thursday exchange of fire between North and South Korea, the Yonhap News Agency reports. North Korea’s frontline forces should be fully prepared for an offensive starting from 17:00 local time on Friday (08:00 GMT), the South Korean news agency said, citing the North Korean Central Broadcasting Station. The order came after North Korea held a Central Military Commission session following an exchange of fire between North and South Korea across the demilitarized zone – the first major armed clash between the neighbors in five years.

Kiev's Renewed Assault on Donbass to Trigger US-Russian War – Stephen Cohen
Sputnik News - There are some worrisome signs emerging that Kiev may be planning a new military assault against Donbass, Professor Stephen F. Cohen notes, warning that a US/NATO involvement in the civil war in Ukraine may potentially prompt a backlash from Russia, leading to a direct standoff between the two nuclear powers.... Stephen F. Cohen emphasized that despite Western media labelling the Donbass independence supporters as Russia's "proxies," trying to deprive them of humanity, the people of eastern Ukraine are not attacking, but defending their homes. But why is Kiev considering escalating its military operation in the East? There are three possible reasons, according to the scholar.
* Related: As Donbas Heats Up, War Between US and Russia Seems Inevitable

Israeli strikes on Golan confirmed by Syrian state TV
RT - Syrian state television has confirmed Israeli strikes on Golan Heights, Reuters reports. Israel previously said that the bombardment was a response to rockets fired at its territory from Syria. Israel fired “several missiles,” which targeted a transportation center and a public building in a Syrian area of the Golan Heights, Quneitra, a military source told Syrian state TV. According to the IDF, earlier rockets came to Israel from the central part of the Golan Heights controlled by Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces.

Greek PM Tsipras steps down, calls early elections
RT - Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has confirmed his resignation and early election plans for Greece in a live address. The move comes after Athens managed to pay a huge chunk of its €3.4 billion debt to the ECB. “The political mandate of the January 25 elections has exhausted its limits and now the Greek people have to have their say,” Tsipras said in a televised address Thursday night. Tsipras said that he will now be looking for the Greek people to vote to continue the government program of his leftist Syriza party. Local media have been speculating about the possible upcoming announcement since Thursday morning. Citing a source in the government, Reuters reported that Tsipras would propose holding the snap elections on September 20.

Judge Overturns Mexico GMO Maize Ban in Tragic Ruling
Sustainable Pulse - Mexico’s XII District Court has overturned a 2013 ruling that prevented biotech companies, including Monsanto and Syngenta, planting genetically modified (GM) maize in Mexico. The decision has been appealed by Acción Colectiva del Maíz and will not come into force until the appeal/s have been heard and ruled on. The tragic ruling follows two years of 93 appeals by the Biotech Industry after the planting of GMO Maize was banned in September 2013 by the Twelfth Federal District Court for Civil Matters of Mexico City. Judge Jaime Eduardo Verdugo J. cited “the risk of imminent harm to the environment” as the basis for the decision.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

US Jails People for Cannabis While Govt Promotes It as Cancer Treatment
Sputnik News - Criminalized by the US federal government since 1937, cannabis is being advertised by the US Department of Health as "useful in treating the side effects of cancer and cancer treatment" on the agency's official cancer advice website. The National Cancer Institute claims cannabinoids, which are the active chemicals in cannabis, can be smoked, inhaled, eaten in baked products, drank in herbal teas, or even sprayed under the tongue as treatment.... Despite these studies, as well as a general push for decriminalization across the country, the US penal system imprisons a shocking number of individuals for nonviolent crimes related to marijuana. In 2013 alone, 609,423 individuals were arrested for possession of a substance which is now recommended by the US Department of Health.

Hillary Clinton Admits Classified Information Was Stored On Home Server
Zero Hedge - With the controversy unlikely to dissipate any time soon, and with many analysts claiming that the issue could well imperil her run for The White House, Clinton has now admitted that in fact, her private server did contain classified e-mails. Here’s the story from WSJ: Hillary Clinton’s campaign said Wednesday that emails on the private server she used when she was secretary of state contained material that is now classified, the clearest explanation thus far of an issue that has roiled her bid for the presidency. At the same time, the campaign sought to play down the disclosure by saying the material had been retroactively classified out of an abundance of caution by U.S. intelligence agencies. “She was at worst a passive recipient of unwitting information that subsequently became deemed as classified,” said Brian Fallon, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton’s campaign.
*Related: Everything You Need to Know About the Hillary Clinton Email Scandal in Two-and-a-Half Minutes

Federal Judge Orders DEA to Release Information about Illegal Mass Surveillance
AllGov - The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been ordered by a federal judge to provide information on its secretive mass surveillance program to a human rights group. Human Rights Watch (HRW), with legal help from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), sued the DEA and other federal agencies to stop the collecting of data on international phone calls made by Americans to overseas parties—a form of unauthorized surveillance that the DEA quietly performed for two decades, according to EFF.

16 Journalists Accept Planned Parenthood Awards – Despite Horrifying Abortion Videos!
News Busters - While the media stay away from the recent videos exposing Planned Parenthood’s trafficking of aborted baby parts, they are drawn to Planned Parenthood’s annual media awards ceremony. During Planned Parenthood’s Maggie Awards for Media Excellence Tuesday night, the abortion giant recognized 16 journalists for pushing “reproductive rights.” From Buzzfeed and Yahoo! to MSNBC, MRC Culture compiled a list of several prominent media attendees – and found a picture announcing the winners.

The September List: 36 Converging Events
The Daily Crow - There is an unprecedented convergence of events falling on this September. The only prediction I will make with certainty is that by the start of October life as we know it will change forever.Whether you are a prophecy buff, a skeptic or both, it is my belief that the overwhelming events of significance pointing to this month should cause anyone pause. The underlying premise for anyone to accept the magnitude of what follows is simply this: the nature of man is evil and there are forces at work who seek power and self interest above all else.

Election News

Trump Smash: Leads Jeb by +18 Points in Pennsylvania Primary
Breitbart - Just two months ago, in early June, a Quinnipiac poll showed Trump with only 4% support among Republican primary voters in Pennsylvania. The billionaire business was in tenth place. A new Quinnipiac poll released Thursday shows a startling reversal. Trump is not only in first place with 24% support, he’s beating second place Ben Carson by a whopping +11 points. Trump beats second and third place (Rubio) combined. Jeb Bush has dropped -4 points from 10% support to just 6%. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). According to the Real Clear Politics poll of polls, Trump leads in the early states of Iowa +7.6%, New Hampshire +13.5%, South Carolina +20%, and Florida +2.5%. Nationally, Trump leads the 16 person field by +11.3%.

Donald Trump's venue for Alabama rally moved to larger stadium
(CNN) - Donald Trump has been drawing large crowds at events throughout the country, but his next event in Alabama could draw his largest gathering yet. Trump is holding a Friday night "pep rally" in Mobile, Alabama, and because of increased expected attendance, a last minute venue change is taking place, the campaign said Thursday. Previously planned for the nearby Civic Center -- which can hold up to 4,000 people -- the event is now being moved to the 43,000-seat Ladd-Peebles Stadium, normally home to high school football games. As of Thursday morning, 35,000 tickets to the event have been distributed, according to the Trump Campaign.

How Google Could Rig the 2016 Election
Politico - Research I have been directing in recent years suggests that Google, Inc., has amassed far more power to control elections—indeed, to control a wide variety of opinions and beliefs—than any company in history has ever had. Google’s search algorithm can easily shift the voting preferences of undecided voters by 20 percent or more—up to 80 percent in some demographic groups—with virtually no one knowing they are being manipulated, according to experiments I conducted recently with Ronald E. Robertson. Given that many elections are won by small margins, this gives Google the power, right now, to flip upwards of 25 percent of the national elections worldwide. In the United States, half of our presidential elections have been won by margins under 7.6 percent, and the 2012 election was won by a margin of only 3.9 percent—well within Google’s control.

Economy & Business

We Have Already Witnessed The First 1300 Points Of The Stock Market Crash Of 2015
Economic Collapse - What has been happening on Wall Street the past few days has been nothing short of stunning. On Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 358 points. It was the largest single day decline in a year and a half, and investors are starting to panic. Overall, the Dow is now down more than 1300 points from the peak of the market. Just yesterday, I wrote about all of the experts that are warning about a stock market crash in 2015, and after today I am sure that a lot more people will start jumping on the bandwagon. In particular, tech stocks are getting absolutely hammered lately. The Nasdaq has fallen close to 3.5% over the past two days alone, and it has dropped below its 200-day moving average. The Russell 2000 (a small-cap stock market index) is also now trading below its 200-day moving average. What all of this means is that the stock market crash of 2015 has already begun.

Global markets down over Fed rate hike uncertainty
RT - Fading expectations of a US interest rate hike left global markets in the red on Thursday following the release of US Federal Reserve minutes of the July 28-29 meeting. The report left it unclear whether the Fed will raise rates at the policy meeting on September 16-17, stoking anxiety about the health of the global economy. “Most [officials – ed.] judged that the conditions for policy firming had not yet been achieved, but they noted that conditions were approaching that point,” said the minutes published Wednesday. This can be interpreted that the Federal Reserve is considering a rate hike in September. However, the Fed has been saying that its rate decision depends on whether inflation will reach the goal of two percent after running below that for more than three years.

Energy & Environment

Nestle Pays Only $524 to Extract 27,000,000 Gallons of California Drinking Water
Anti-Media - In 2013, the company drew 27 million gallons of water from 12 springs in Strawberry Canyon for the brand — apparently by employing rather impressive legerdemain — considering the permit to do so expired in 1988. But, as Nestle will tell you, that really isn’t cause for concern since it swears it is a good steward of the land and, after all, that expired permit’s annual fee has been diligently and faithfully paid in full — all $524 of it.... In 2014, Nestle used roughly 705 million gallons of water in its operations in California, according to natural resource manager Larry Lawrence. That’s 2,164 acre-feet of water — enough to “irrigate 700 acres of farmland” or “fill 1,068 Olympic-sized swimming pools,” as Ian James pointed out in The Desert Sun.

San Francisco's 4.0 Earthquake May Be Signaling the ‘Big One’ Coming Soon
Sputnik News - A 4.0 earthquake on August 18 along the Hayward fault line in northern California has caused worry among some residents that the “big one” may be coming. It was the first seismic event to take place along the fault line since 1868- when a massive 7.0 earthquake that was dubbed “the great San Francisco earthquake,” hit.

Science & Technology

Millions crash websites listing the names of Ashley Madison 'cheaters' as thousands of email addresses linked to banks, universities and America’s biggest companies are shared online
Daily Mail - Millions of panicked cheaters and their suspicious spouses have crashed websites claiming to host the 'cheat sheet' list of names leaked in the Ashley Madison hack. Several searchable databases of names, emails and sexual fantasies linked to the 9.7 gigabyte data leak had to shut down within minutes of going live because they could not cope with demand.It comes as lists of email addresses - purporting to show registered users of the adultery site - have been shared across the web and in the controversial forum 4chan - without any evidence or means of validation.
* Related: 'I have been the biggest hypocrite ever': Josh Duggar ADMITS being unfaithful to his wife after being exposed as an Ashley Madison user

It's A Divorce Lawyer Orgy: "Ashley Madison Hack Is The Best Thing To Happen Since Moses"
Zero Hedge - Husbands and wives across the world are waking up to their partners' extramarital affairs after, as AP calls it, a catastrophic leak at adultery website Ashley Madison spewed electronic evidence of infidelity across the Internet. Online forums were buzzing Thursday with users claiming to have found evidence that their significant others were on the site. But it's not all doom and gloom... as Reuters notes many professions stand to benefit from the unfolding saga, from lawyers to therapists to cyber security firms. Prominent divorce lawyer Raoul Felder said the release is the best thing to happen to his profession since the seventh Commandment forbade adultery in the Bible, "I've never had anything like this before." So hey, those cheating spouses are now helping the economy grow...

World’s Smallest Quadcopter Drone Now Available to the Public
Activist Post - You can now buy the Aerius drone for $50, and it’s about 3x3x3 cm in size. It has a 5 minute flight time, and is small enough to fit inside its own remote control, which doubles as a charger.... As you can imagine, something this small would make it incredibly easy to spy on someone without their knowing. Fortunately, it doesn’t have a camera, but the manufacturer mentioned in the YouTube comments of the video that “It’s a quadcopter, still working on a camera this small.” Make no mistake, we’re rapidly approaching the day when anyone can buy a bug sized spy drone for less than the cost of a cell phone.

No need for diets & exercise? Scientists find obesity gene with off switch!
RT - Researchers have managed to identify a generic ‘console’ that makes some people more prone to obesity. But this ‘console’ can be switched off. So those who enjoy a Big Mac and sitting in front of TV instead of working out can lose weight while asleep. The so-called FTO region that “harbors the strongest genetic association with obesity” was identified in the study conducted by scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University Medical School. The paper was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. "Obesity has traditionally been seen as the result of an imbalance between the amount of food we eat and how much we exercise, but this view ignores the contribution of genetics to each individual's metabolism," said senior author Manolis Kellis, an MIT professor of computer science.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Eco-Friendly 3D Printer Prints LIVING Gardens From Organic Ink
Natural Blaze - If you weren’t impressed by the Origami pot that grows with your plant, you’re bound to be inspired by this invention capable of producing living gardens. Project PrintGREEN is transforming 3D printers into on-demand gardeners after it created the world’s first “Green” 3D printer in 2013. The innovation is capable of producing living prints by printing customized objects in a variety of sizes and forms.... The eco-friendly “ink” is a combination of soil, seeds, and water which can be designed to print in any shape or letter. Once the ink dries, the muddy mixture holds its form and begins to sprout grass from the organic material.

8 Highly Medicinal Plants You Can Grow at Home
Natural News Blogs - Grow medicinal herbs in your home garden can provide convenient access to many natural home remedies, and you can save money at the same time.…

Health

The CDC Just Acknowledged What We All Fear About Bird Flu
Off the Grid News - Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are worried that a strain of flu that has killed 48 million birds this year could spread to humans. As of now there is no vaccine for the influenza, which could return to the United States this fall. “We don’t want to see any, but we are getting ready in case there are cases of human infection,” Dr. Michael Jhung, the head of the CDC’s Influenza Division, told CNBC’s On the Money. CDC researchers started researching the possibility that the flu could infect humans in April, USA Today reported. “These are the first of these types of viruses that we’ve seen in the United States,” Jhung said. “Because they’re new, we’re a little concerned because we don’t know how dangerous they could be.”

Drug-Resistant Head Lice Found in 25 States
Natural Society - Permethrin, part of the pyrethroid class of insecticides, has been used to fight head lice, mosquitoes, bedbugs, and other insects for years. Researchers say overuse of the drug has caused head lice and other insects to develop genetic mutations that make them completely resistant to permethrin.... So far, 25 states have tested positive for the genetically mutated lice, but results from several other states are still pending. According to Yoon, the majority of the lice are 100% immune to the effects of permethrin, a realization the scientist called “really alarming.” Completely-resistant bugs have been located in...
* Related: Natural Remedies For Lice

10 Natural Health Remedies For Numbness In The Extremities
Marianna Pochelli - A large percentage of the population suffers silently from numbing of the extremities, specifically the hands and feet. There are many different causes of numbness and in several cases, it can be an indication of a serious problem. However, there are many natural remedies to help increase circulation and assist with coping strategies to alleviate symptoms and even decrease their frequency. Numbness may or may not be accompanied by pain, tingling, weakness and prickling. Some of the causes of numbness include...

Pet News

How 3-D Printing Can Offer Enhanced Treatment Options for Animals
Tech Swarm - The 3-D printing process retains — and can enhance — the important information found on the scan that a doctor or veterinarian needs in making a diagnosis. Walter Renberg, an orthopedic surgeon and professor and head of small animal surgery at the Veterinary Health Center, said the 3-D models Castinado and Headley have produced are proving beneficial in a variety of ways. "While Kansas State University is not the first to use 3-D printing in veterinary medicine, we've thought about doing so for awhile," Renberg said. "It helps us with a couple of things clinically, particularly with bone deformities, which can be difficult to reconstruct with a CT scan. For example, when planning a surgery to correct a deformity or even determining whether such a surgery is necessary, the model can help us determine the right surgical approach or come up with less expensive alternatives to certain procedures."

VIDEO: Homeowner Turns House Into Amazing Cat Playland
Dr. Becker - Feral, at-risk cats threatened by nearby traffic are adopted by a new homeowner who turns his home into a cat’s crazy, truly amazing indoor playland!
 



Thursday - August 20, 2015 - Today in History:

1741 - Danish navigator Vitus Jonas Bering discovered Alaska.
1866 - It was formally declared by U.S. President Andrew Johnson that the American Civil War was over. The fighting had stopped months earlier.
1914 - German forces occupied Brussels, Belgium, during World War I.
1940 - France fell to the Germans during World War II.
1953 - It was announced by the Soviet Union that they had detonated a hydrogen bomb.
1964 - A $1 billion anti-poverty measure was signed by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.
1977 - Voyager 2 was launched by the United States. The spacecraft was carrying a 12 inch copper phonograph record containing greetings in dozens of languages, samples of music and sounds of nature.
1991 - A rally of more that 100,000 people occurred outside the Russian parliament building to protest the coup that removed Gorbachev from power.
1997 - NATO troops seized six police stations in Banja Luka that had been held by troops controlled by former Bosnian Serb President Radovan Karadzic.
1998 - Canada's Supreme Court announced that Quebec could not secede without the federal government's consent.
1998 - U.S. military forces attacked a terrorist camp in Afghanistan and a chemical plant in Sudan. Both targets were chosen for cruise missile strikes due to their connection with Osama bin Laden.
1998 - The U.N. Security Council extended trade sanctions against Iraq for blocking arms inspections.
2009 - Voting in Afghanistan's presidential election was marred by rampant ballot-box stuffing. (Hamid Karzai was declared the winner in November.)
2009 - The only man convicted of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 returned to Libya after his release from a Scottish prison on compassionate grounds.
2010 - The last American combat brigade exited Iraq after more than seven years after the U.S.-led invasion began.

World News

S. Korea orders civilian evacuation near western border, after exchanging fire with N. Korea
RT - South Korean military shelled the North’s border area in response to an apparent earlier shelling from the North. South Korean military fired dozens of artillery shells across the border on Thursday, the Yonhap news agency reported. The attack came in response to apparent shelling of the southern part of the border area by the North’s military.
* Related: S. Korea orders civilian evacuation near western border, after exchanging fire with N. Korea

Yemen bombed into Syria-grade catastrophe in just 5 months – Red Cross
RT - Five months of Saudi-led airstrikes and ground military campaigns in Yemen have created “catastrophic” conditions in the country and destruction which the Red Cross can only compare to the devastation of after five years of civil war in Syria. “Yemen after five months looks like Syria after five years,” the head of the international Red Cross, Peter Maurer told AP, after witnessing the destruction first hand. “The images I have from Sanaa and Aden remind of what I have seen in Syria.”

Chinese Report Details Role of Political Connections in Tianjin Blasts
The New York Times - On Wednesday, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported that two major shareholders in Rui Hai had admitted to using their political connections to gain government approvals for the site, despite clear violations of rules prohibiting the storage of hazardous chemicals within 3,200 feet of residential areas. Yu Xuewei, the company chairman, is a former executive at a state-owned chemical company, and Dong Shexuan, the vice chairman, is the son of a former police chief at the Tianjin port. The two executives, who deliberately concealed their ownership stakes behind a murky corporate structure, told Xinhua that they had leveraged their personal relationships with government officials to obtain licenses for the site. Both men have been detained. “The first safety appraisal company said our warehouses were too close to the apartment building,” said Mr. Dong, 34, referring to a residential complex that was severely damaged and now stands empty. “Then we found another company who got us the documents we needed.”

Insouciance Rules The West
Paul Craig Roberts - Europe is being overrun by refugees from Washington’s, and Israel’s, hegemonic policies in the Middle East and North Africa that are resulting in the slaughter of massive numbers of civilians. The inflows are so heavy that European governments are squabbling among themselves about who is to take the refugees. Hungary is considering constructing a fence, like the US and Israel, to keep out the undesirables. Everywhere in the Western media there are reports deploring the influx of migrants; yet nowhere is there any reference to the cause of the problem.

As Crisis in Yemen Worsens, US Steps Up Involvement in Saudi-Led Invasion
Sputnik News - Nearly 4,300 people have been killed in Yemen since Gulf allies began bombing the country in March, and roughly half of these people were civilians, according to the United Nations. A further 1.3 million people were forced to flee from their homes as a result of the fighting. Meanwhile, the United States has more than doubled the number of Pentagon advisors providing enhanced intelligence for coalition airstrikes. The Obama administration has maintained that the US is only acting in a non-combat advisory role, and it seems that role is only growing.

Israel preparing itself to face ICC
Press TV - Israel is facing fresh challenges in the wake of Palestinians' complaints filed against it at the International Criminal Court. Now the Israeli army has appointed a new Military Advocate General to deal with what it calls external and internal challenges. It is said that Sharon Afek has been asked to prepare for fighting a possible ICC verdict against Tel Aviv over its violation of Palestinians' human rights. Mona Kandil reports from Ramallah.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

State Dept. Says BlackBerries Issued to Clinton Aides Were Probably ‘Destroyed or Excessed’
Breitbart - The latest development in the lawsuit filed by Judicial Watch to examine the highly unusual terms of top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin’s employment at the State Department is a federal court filing in which State says the secure BlackBerry phones issued to Abedin and another Clinton aide, Cheryl Mills, have most likely been destroyed, or at least wiped clean and reissued to other employees.
* Related: State Department Did Not Give Hillary Clinton Her BlackBerry

Horror: Intact Fetus Moves Arms, Legs Outside Womb in Latest Planned Parenthood Video
Adan Salazar - A fully intact human fetus is seen moving its arms and legs outside of the womb, in the latest damning Planned Parenthood sting video released by the pro-life Center for Medical Progress. Ex-Stem Express procurement technician Holly O’Donnell appears again in the 7th installment of the group’s series, revealing even more horrific details about her former employer’s partnership with Planned Parenthood and their customized abortion for profit racket. “O’Donnell describes the harvesting, or ‘procurement,’ of organs from a nearly intact late-term fetus aborted at Planned Parenthood Mar Monte’s Alameda clinic in San Jose, CA,” CMP notes in their latest video’s description.

Three Violent Criminal Aliens Released In Arizona, Sheriff Sounds Alarm
Breitbart - An Arizona sheriff is sounding the alarm about three violent criminal aliens released into the state, and charging the Obama administration with not doing enough to keep such offenders off the streets.... The three offenders released into Arizona include: Dennis Valerievitch Tsoukano, an illegal immigrant from Russia who killed a police informant by burning him alive; Musa Salah Abdelaziz Abdalla, an illegal immigrant from Sudan with multiple assault arrests; and Nasser Hanna Hermez, a legal permanent resident from Iraq who killed his 7 week old daughter.... While the convicts ICE released appear to qualify as enforcement priorities under the administration’s guidelines, ICE said it did not have the legal authority to continue to detain them, as it could not verify the citizenship of the two illegal immigrants and Hermez is a lawful permanent resident.

Wisconsin High School To Randomly Drug Test Students
Steve Watson - Using loophole to violate Constitutional rights. A wisconsin high school district has been caught up in controversy over a new policy to randomly drug test students, much like a prison would inmates. The Crivitz school district will usher in the new policy in the fall, claiming that it is to “protect” students.... Tests will be conducted by randomly picking student identification numbers via computer every fortnight. Should a student test positive, or refuse to be tested, they will be barred from athletic involvement, mandated to attend counseling, and their parents will be alerted. The school says it will not expel any students or involve police.

City bans woman from living in tent on her own property
Off the Grid News - North Carolina resident Ingrid Larsen is being prevented from living in a tent on her own property because she has no sewer line. Larsen’s home was destroyed during Hurricane Ophelia in 2005 when a sewage pumping station failed, caused 10,000 gallons of human waste to flood Larsen’s home – for 10 straight hours. The sewage was so toxic that Larsen’s house became a biohazard that had to be torn down. She lost most everything she had owned. She wants to build again on the property but wants to use a septic tank already on the property instead of the sewer.... he local sewer district, the Southeast Brunswick Sanitary District, will not let her use the septic system because there is a sewer line near her property — the same sewer line that backed up and flooded her home. Typically, only homes away from sewer lines receive exemptions.

Election News

Trump could boost bill ending birthright citizenship
Washington Examiner - "I don't have any doubt that the immigration statement that Trump put out is going to help provide momentum for a number of different pieces of immigration enforcement legislation, and especially birthright citizenship," Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, told the Washington Examiner. King is the sponsor of a House bill that would restrict automatic birthright citizenship, but his legislation has stalled, as has a companion measure in the Senate. But the bill could get a boost from Trump, who released an immigration reform plan that also calls for ending the policy.... Watchdog groups say up to 400,000 children are born in the United States to illegal immigrants each year. If they are born on U.S. soil, they are entitled to citizenship under an interpretation of the 14th Amendment. Children of non-citizens who are born here can petition for legal status for their parents when they turn 21, which critics of the law say provides incentive for people to try to cross illegally into the United States in order to give birth.

It Begins - Hillary "Trump'd" By The Donald In Key Swing State
Zero Hedge - As The Hill reports, Donald Trump tops Hillary Clinton (45% to 42%) in the latest poll from swing-state North Carolina. Clinton tops Jeb Bush and Rand Paul, so there's that, but eight Republicans (including Trump) are beating the former secretary of state. Perhaps most notably however, is that a new survey from FOX shows Trump (45%) closing in on Hillary (51%) in the presidential election matchup.

Bland Monster Jeb Bush “Proud” of His Brother’s Torturing People
The Intercept - Maybe you’ve seen that Jeb Bush has refused to rule out more torture if he’s elected president. But what’s gone unnoticed — perhaps because Bush is so dreary it’s hard to listen to him without losing consciousness — is he actually said he’s “proud” of his brother’s torture policies. BUSH: I do think, in general, that torture is not appropriate. It’s not as effective, uh, and the change of policy that my brother did and was then put into executive order form by the president was the proper thing to do. I also would say that right after 9/11, I mean, we were attacked, and, uh, my presid — my brother — and I’m not saying this because I’m a Bush, I’m saying this because I love this country just like everybody in this room — I’m proud of what he did to create a secure environment for our country.

Economy & Business

A great 24 hour Markets Watch Website
Investing.com - Real Time Streaming Futures Quotes

Fraud was Worth It for Citigroup; Pays Only $180 Million after Gaining $3 Billion from Hedge Fund Investors
AllGov - Before the financial crisis of 2008, Citigroup talked up two hedge funds with investors, saying the investments carried about the same risk as municipal bonds. The pitch worked wonderfully for Citigroup, which wound up pulling in almost $3 billion for the ASTA/MAT fund and the Falcon fund from 2002 to 2007. Then Wall Street crashed the following year, and the 4,000 people who invested in the hedge funds watched them collapse along with their investments. Even as the funds were tanking, they took in another $110 million from investors, according to Courthouse News Service. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) went after Citigroup for making false and misleading claims about the funds and fined the corporation $180 million, or about 6% of the amount Citigroup flushed down the financial toilet via those funds.

Made in China: GM Might Introduce Chinese-Made Buicks to US Market
Sputnik News - Controversy is growing as Buick, one of America’s oldest automobile companies, may begin importing models to the US from China. General Motors, which oversees the brand, has been criticized by US automotive labor union UAW for considering the plan.... Automobile experts note that it’s much easier for GM to maintain production of the Envision in its current plant in northeastern Shandong province. Diversifying the manufacturing process to include American auto workers would add unnecessary costs.

China and the Decline in Quality (and Soon in Profits)
Washington's Blog - But planned obsolescence is not the entire problem; the quality of goods has declined dramatically due to shoddy manufacturing, poor quality control and low-quality materials. This trend has accelerated as production moved to China. A few decades ago, things built in the U.S.A. and elsewhere were built to last:not just tools and appliances, but electronics: My 31-Year Old Apple Mac Started Up Fine After 15 Years in a Box (February 28, 2015). Correspondent Mark G. has been sharing his experience with machine tools that were made in the U.S.A. 60 or 70 years ago that are still going strong. By his reckoning, table saws sold in the U.S. in the early 1960s–tools that are still working today–were only 10% to 15% more than current table saws (when adjusted for inflation) that are made of plastic and inferior components that won’t last a decade, never mind 60 years.

States ration birth, marriage, death certificates after paper company suddenly closes
Fox News - Someone call Dunder Mifflin: Several states are reporting a paper crisis, after an Ohio company that produces highly specialized paper for vital records closed without warning. California has been hit the hardest by the shortage, and several counties are now being forced to ration birth, marriage and death certificates. In California, the only other company that can meet its needs, under state law, is in Canada. Officials say it would likely take months for Canadian Bank Note Co. to get up to speed with the state’s paper needs – but that’s only after a contract is signed.

New York: Manhattan accommodation for $39 a night - if you sleep in a taxi
IB Times - The words 'New York City' and 'budget' tend not to go hand in hand. But a new venture offers budget travelers million-dollar views of Manhattan for about $39. Adventurous travelers can sleep overnight in a taxi, van or camper parked on the street in New York City. Entrepreneur Jonathan Powley started offering the rentals in April on the Airbnb website. He said the idea came to him after his van broke down on the side of the road. Powley said he now rents what he calls "rolling rooms" inside three vans, two campers and one taxi. While the prices vary, Powley said the lowest price for a night is $22.

Housing Market

HUD Subsidies Allow Nebraska Millionaire to Pay $300 Rent
Americans for Tax Reform - An individual worth $1.6 million living in Oxford, Neb. pays $300 a month for a one-bedroom apartment, but not because of the Nebraska housing market. This tenet is among the more than 25,000 well-off families and individuals that have a taxpayer-subsidized roof over their heads thanks to ‘egregious’ abuse of the public-housing system. According to an Inspector General (IG) audit of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released in July, thousands of ‘over income’ families have received housing assistance despite exceeding the program’s income eligibility limits.... The report estimated that taxpayers will pay over $104.4 million this year to keep these families in subsidized housing. Despite the IG’s report, HUD has no plans to evict any of these families. The department doesn’t require HUD officials to remove over income families –it urges them to stay.

Energy & Environment

The Agency That Contaminated the Animas River Looks to Regulate Water in Your Backyard
Breitbart - Unless a federal judge issues a preliminary injunction, the definition of the “Waters of the U.S.” will change on August 28—giving the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to regulate the water in your backyard. Thirty-one states, in four districts, have filed motions with the federal courts to block the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) from beginning to enforce the new “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule, which represents a new interpretation of the Clean Water Act (CWA). The Federal Register calls the new rule “definitional” and states: “The rule will ensure protection for the nation’s public health and aquatic resources, and increase CWA program predictability and consistency by clarifying the scope of ‘waters of the United States’ protected under the Act.”

Science & Technology

Thousands of government emails implicated in Ashley Madison affair
RT - The release of records pilfered by hackers from the infidelity website Ashley Madison may present a headache for thousands of US government and military personnel, who used their official emails to register. According to preliminary analysis of the data, which appeared on the 'dark web' on Tuesday, almost 60,000 members have addresses in Washington, DC, and over 15,000 accounts were affiliated with a .gov or a .mil address.
* Related: Josh Duggar revealed as having 'paid almost $1,000 for multiple Ashley Madison accounts'...

First almost fully-formed human brain grown in lab, researchers claim
The Guardian - The team behind the feat hope the brain could transform our understanding of neurological disease. Though not conscious the miniature brain, which resembles that of a five-week-old foetus, could potentially be useful for scientists who want to study the progression of developmental diseases. It could also be used to test drugs for conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, since the regions they affect are in place during an early stage of brain development. The brain, which is about the size of a pencil eraser, is engineered from adult human skin cells and is the most complete human brain model yet developed, claimed Rene Anand of Ohio State University, Columbus, who presented the work today at the Military Health System Research Symposium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Health

Large Study Shows Calcium and Magnesium Reduce The Risk of High Blood Pressure, High Blood Glucose and Excess Belly Fat
April McCarthy - Calcium and magnesium may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, a a cluster of conditions including increased blood pressure, a high blood sugar level, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol, but men need above and beyond recommended levels for this effect, say researchers. The researchers from the Case Western Reserve University in the US used 9,148 adults to test the theory that higher dietary intakes of calcium and magnesium decreased the risk of metabolic syndrome. Multiple health benefits from the super mineral magnesium include transmission of nerve impulses, body temperature regulation, detoxification, energy production, and the formation of healthy bones and teeth.
* Related: Stay Healthy: Boost Magnesium Levels with These Two Foods

Ginger Treats Osteoarthritis with Topical Application
Heal Naturally -Research from Australia’s Edith Cowan University has confirmed an ancient treatment – that osteoarthritis pain is decreased and mobility is improved with the application of ginger root topically.... This is not the first study to find that ginger has the ability to decrease inflammation and reduce pain in general, as well as among arthritis patients. Studies have found that ginger extract blocks cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and lipoxygenase-5 (LOX-5) enzymes.... The anti-inflammatory effects of ginger in osteoarthritis are also experienced when ginger is taken orally.

Chamomile Tea Reduces Thyroid Cancers, Thyroid Conditions
Heal Naturally - The research – published in the European Journal of Public Health – found that drinking chamomile tea regularly over a 30-year period reduced the risk of thyroid cancer by nearly 80 percent. More specifically, those who drank chamomile tea two to six times each week reduced their risk of any thyroid disease by 74 percent.

Pet News

Oregon Vet Ramps Up Campaign Warning About Xylitol and Dogs
Food Safety News - An Oregon veterinarian is expanding efforts to get the word out that a sugar alcohol-derived sweetener used in an increasing number of foods poses a serious, and potentially fatal, threat to dogs. Dr. Jason Nicholas of Portland (Preventive Vet) has posted a list of products containing xylitol, along with two online petitions seeking warning labels from manufacturers and related action from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In Case of Emergency
Susan Thixton - This is a great idea sent to me by one of the TAPF followers…a emergency alert card to carry in your wallet to notify authorities you have pets at home that need to be cared for in case you are injured or become ill. Many pet owners live alone and worry that should an accident or illness occur, who would care for their pets. Below is an example card (business card size) you can print to carry in your wallet (or design your own).
 



Wednesday - August 19, 2015 - Today in History:

1812 - "Old Ironsides" (the USS Constitution) won a battle against the British frigate Guerriere east of Nova Scotia.
1848 - The discovery of gold in California was reported by the New York Herald.
1909 - The first car race to be run on brick occurred at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
1919 - Afghanistan gained independence from Britain.
1929 - "Amos and Andy," the radio comedy program, made its debut on NBC starring Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll.
1934 - Adolf Hitler was approved for sole executive power in Germany as Fuehrer.
1940 - The new Civil Aeronautics Administration awarded honorary license #1 to Orville Wright.
1942 - About 6,000 Canadian and British soldiers launched a raid against the Germans at Dieppe, France. They suffered about 50 percent casualties.
1960 - Francis Gary Powers, an American U-2 pilot, was convicted of espionage in Moscow.
1974 - During an anti-American protest in Nicosia, Cyprus, U.S. Ambassador Rodger P. Davies was killed by a bullet while in the American embassy.
1981 - Two Libyan SU-22s were shot down by two U.S. Navy F-14 fighters in the Gulf of Sidra.
1991 - Soviet hard-liners announced that President Mikhail Gorbachev had been removed from power. Gorbachev returned to power two days later.
1998 - The first piece of the 351 foot bronze statue of Christopher Columbus arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
1999 - In Belgrade, thousands of Serbs attended a rally to demand the resignation of Yugoslavia's President Slobodan Milosevic.
2004 - Google Inc. stock began selling on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The initial price was set at $85 and ended the day at $100.34 with more than 22 million shares traded.

World News

German Parliament overwhelmingly approves Greek bailout
AP - Germany's Parliament has overwhelmingly approved a third bailout package for Greece despite misgivings by some conservative lawmakers of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic party.... Lawmakers in Spain and Estonia approved it Tuesday, while those in the Netherlands are expected to do so Wednesday as well. The deal needs to clear all hurdles so Greece can get the first tranche of money available and make a big debt repayment to the European Central Bank due on Thursday. Under the terms of the deal, Greece has to make further spending cuts and tax increases and implement big reforms to its economy.

Israel “Drills” Ground Incursion In Syria; Pretext Fighting Terror Israel Helped Create
Brandon Turbeville - According to reports coming from both Israel and Europe, the Israeli Defense Forces appear to be preparing for a ground incursion of Syrian territory in the Golan Heights area. Whatever the plans of the IDF, the Israeli military clearly engaged in wide-scale maneuvers on the border with Syria on Sunday which simulated an incursion into Syrian territory and the evacuation of Israelis currently residing in border towns. The justification for the concern over the Golan border area is that “Iran has opened a new front against Israel on the Golan Heights.” This accusation is leveled repeatedly throughout the articles detailing the drills and preparations being made by Israel yet neither the media outlets nor the Israeli government has offered credible evidence to buttress their claims.

NATO Constructs Tent City in Spain for Largest Military Drills in History
Sputnik News - More than 30 countries are to participate in the Exercise Trident Juncture 2015 in Spanish Zaragoza. NATO is constructing a tent city in the Spanish city of Zaragoza to host more than 650 command and control staff in preparation for the largest joint exercise in more than a decade, the alliance announced in a press release on Tuesday. Approximately 36,000 personnel from more than 30 NATO and partner nations will participate in Exercise Trident Juncture 2015. The drills are scheduled to take place in September throughout southern and central Europe, and across the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

U.S. Navy on alert: China, Russia to launch largest-ever joint navy exercise
Washington Times - The Chinese and Russian navies are gearing up for their largest ever joint exercises, slated to begin Thursday in the Pacific with more than 20 ships from the two nations and to feature anti-submarine operations as well as a joint-beach landing. The exercises, dubbed “Joint Sea 2015 II” will run through Aug. 28 in the Sea of Japan and off the coast of Vladivostok, the Russian port city situated roughly 100 miles north of the Chinese and Russian borders with North Korea.

China's Richest Traders Are Rushing To Dump Their Stocks To The Retail Masses, Just Like In The US
Zero Hedge - As it turns out it is not just in the US that the "smart money" is bailing out as fast as it can: according to Bloomberg, the wealthiest investors in China’s stock market are also scrambling for the exits. To wit: "The number of traders with more than 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) of shares in their accounts shrank by 28 percent in July, even as those with less than 100,000 yuan rose by 8 percent, according to the nation’s clearing agency. While some of the drop is explained by falling market values, CLSA Ltd. says China’s rich have taken advantage of state buying to cash out after the nation’s record-long bull market peaked in June."

Greece to Receive 1,000 Bitcoin ATMs as Trust in Banks ‘Long Gone’
CoinTelegraph - Bitcoin service provider and exchange Cubits has partnered with Greek bitcoin exchange BTCGreece to install 1,000 bitcoin ATMs and help small and medium sized businesses move money. “We are creating the ecosystem of bitcoin and blockchain solutions in the Greek market.” BTCGreece founder Thanos Marinos told CoinTelegraph. “That will include the rollout of 1,000 ATMs and solutions for the e-commerce and tourism industry. Partnering with best of breed companies in the bitcoin space will enable us to provide the Greeks with solutions that will ease the difficulties of the capital controls.” Today, many Greek businesses have failed to pay their suppliers and partners outside of the country due to the countries record high financial problems and the recent capital controls, which froze all bank accounts, credit cards and debit cards in the country for weeks.

Greek Liquidation Sale Begins: German Company Wins Privatization Bid For 14 Greek Regional Airports
Zero Hedge - A German company, airport operator FRAPORT won the bid to operate and maintain 14 regional airports, considered to be top of the top in Greece. With an offer of 1.23 billion euro, the consortium of Fraport-Slentel (a unit of Greek energy group Copelouzos) won the bid to lease the regional airports for 40+10 years. Among the 14 regional airports are those on most popular tourist Greek islands like Mykonos, Rhodes, Kos, Santorini and Corfu. It is the first privatization deal under SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government and the biggest privatization deal in Greece since beginning of the crisis and the bailout programs in 2010.

Global population will soar to 11.2bn by 2100 - with Africa accounting for much of the growth, says UN forecast
The Independent - Fertility rates – the average number of children born per woman – have declined globally but they are not decreasing as fast in Africa as on other continents, said John Wilmoth, director of the UN Population Division in New York. In countries such as Nigeria – Africa’s most populous nation – there are now signs that fertility rates are once more on the increase, which could have a significant impact on future estimates of the global population, Mr Wilmoth said… “Africa has the highest fertility level, with around 4.7 children per woman. Even assuming a continued decline in fertility, given this high starting point, we should anticipate a continued rapid growth of the African population, which will roughly double in size between now and 2050,” he said… Africa is the only major region of the world that will continue to experience substantial population growth after 2050, even if there is a significant reduction in fertility levels in the near future, the UN said.
* Related: Polio Vaccines Laced with Sterilizing Hormone Discovered in Kenya – WHO is Controlling Population?

EU Commission Declares Report on Glyphosate Risk Assessment A Secret
Sustainable Pulse - In a letter to Testbiotech dated 10 August 2015, the Commission says that the documents made available to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) by the German government “are protected in their entirety” as confidential. The EU Commission can see “no overriding public interest” that would justify access. There is, however, clearly public interest in the matter since the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World health Organisation (WHO) has already declared that glyphosate is probably carcinogenic to humans. However, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), is claiming there would be no risk to human health.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Hillary's email firm was run from a loft apartment with its servers in the BATHROOM, raising new questions over security of sensitive messages she held
Daily Mail - The IT company Hilary Clinton chose to maintain her private email account was run from a loft apartment and its servers were housed in the bathroom closet, Daily Mail Online can reveal. Daily Mail Online tracked down ex-employees of Platte River Networks in Denver, Colorado, who revealed the outfit's strong links to the Democratic Party but expressed shock that the 2016 presidential candidate chose the small private company for such a sensitive job. One, Tera Dadiotis, called it 'a mom and pop shop' which was an excellent place to work, but hardly seemed likely to be used to secure state secrets. And Tom Welch, who helped found the company, confirmed the servers were in a bathroom closet.

These Alarming New Passport Laws Are Being Snuck Through Congress Right Now
Daniel McAdams - Just the other day we wrote about a U.S. House “suspension” bill that would give the Secretary of State the authority to cancel your passport if he decided that you had “aided” an organization that he rules is terrorist. There is no definition of what “aided” means, no chance to dispute the Secretary’s decision, no trial or presentation of evidence, and in fact any evidence the government has can be classified as secret so that you may not see it. In effect the Secretary of State can unilaterally consign you to internal exile and there is nothing you can do about it.

32 Cops, Fired 600 Bullets into 1 Car Full of Hostages, Killing a Hostage
Free Thought Project - On July 16, 2014, three suspects, armed with handguns and an AK-47, robbed a Bank of the West branch and took three women hostage before fleeing in a bank employee’s SUV. A lengthy and dangerous chase ensued which spanned three counties, 63 miles, and reached speeds in excess of 120 mph. During the chase, police and bank robbers exchanged fire. By the time the chase came to a stop, 32 officers were amped up and ready to let loose, so they did. According to the report, some officers were so primed to start firing that they engaged in “sympathetic fire,” meaning they only fired their weapons because other officers were shooting. Complete lunacy.

US Plans to Provide $20 Million in Defense Assistance to Georgia - Pentagon
Sputnik News - The announcement came after US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter met with Georgian Minister of Defense Tinatin Khidasheli in Washington, DC earlier in the day. "The leaders reviewed ongoing US security assistance to Georgia's armed forces, including plans for the $20 million in additional funding in 2015 through the European Reassurance Initiative." Carter explained in the release that the United States is committed to continue defense cooperation with Georgia, including via bilateral and multilateral exercises and training. He noted that the United States, together with its allies, remains committed to "supporting Georgia through the NATO-Georgia Commission and the Substantial NATO-Georgia package agreed at the 2014 Wales Summit."

30 Million Illegal Immigrants in US, Says Mexico’s Former Ambassador
Breitbart - Mexico’s former ambassador to the U.S. said that 30 million “undocumented immigrants” are living in the United States in the beginning of an interview before later stating a different number at the conclusion. The former diplomat, Arturo Sarukhan, took to MSNBC to attack presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s recently released plan to secure the border and deport illegal immigrants. The MSNBC clip began with presidential hopeful and Florida Senator Marco Rubio claiming that only 12 or 13 million illegal immigrants are in the country. The former ambassador stated,” If you were to deport the 30 million undocumented immigrants in the United States that’s going to cost you about 130 billion dollars.”... Many conservative and border watchdog groups have long contended that the actual number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. is closer to 30 million while the U.S. government contends the number is closer to 11 million.

Biggest Gay Lobby Group in America Urges Schools to Ban Words ‘Boy’ and ‘Girl’
Paul Joseph Watson - The biggest gay rights lobby group in the United States has called on schools to eliminate “gender stereotypes” by training staff to avoid using the words “boy” and “girl” in class. A new back to school guide published by the Human Rights Campaign designed to make classrooms “gender inclusive” urges teachers to “avoid using gender to divide and address students” so as to prevent any transgender students from becoming upset. “Instead of addressing your class using “boys” and “girls,” try something new. Words like “friends,” “students” or “scholars” allow all students to feel included, expand student vocabulary and model inclusive language and behavior for other students and teachers,” states the guide.

Parents Not Charged for Leaving Toddler in Hot Car Until She Died, They Both Work for the System
Free Thought Project - Prosecutors have declined to file charges against the parents responsible for leaving their 16-month-old daughter in a sweltering hot car for hours killing her. Although many parents are often arrested for negligence or murder for leaving their infants and toddlers in locked cars, these neglectful parents work for the Third Judicial Circuit of Florida. In a similar case, an Arkansas judge remains free after recently leaving his 18-month-old son to die in a scorching car.... Under Florida law, it is illegal to leave a child under 6 years old in a vehicle for more than 15 minutes.

Election News

Rand Paul Says He’ll Pay for Kentucky to Switch from Primary to Caucus
Breitbart - Republican Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) says he has contributed $250,000 and pledged another $200,000 to pay for a proposed GOP presidential caucus in his home state of Kentucky next year. State GOP officials are scheduled to vote Saturday on rules for the proposed March 5 caucus. The state party’s proposed switch from a primary to a caucus would allow Paul to run for president and re-election to his U.S. Senate seat simultaneously without violating a state law banning candidates from appearing on the ballot twice. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Monday that Paul is sticking to his commitment to defray caucus costs. McConnell has endorsed the caucus.

Latest CNN Republican Poll Has Donald Trump at 24%
NY Times - Support for Donald J. Trump remains robust among Republicans after the first debate, according to a new poll from CNN that shows nearly a quarter of the party's likely voters would support his nomination for president. According to the latest survey, Mr. Trump leads the Republican field by a large margin with 24 percent supporting his White House bid. Former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, whose standing dipped after the debate, is in second place with 13 percent, and Ben Carson, whose prospects have improved, comes in third at 8 percent.

Economy & Business

If History Is Any Indication, Junk Bonds And Copper Are Telling Us Exactly Where Stocks Are Heading Next
Economic Collapse - Yields on the riskiest junk bonds are absolutely soaring and the price of copper just hit a fresh six year low. To most people, those pieces of financial news are meaningless. But if you understand history, and you are aware of the patterns that immediately preceded previous stock market crashes, then you know how how huge both of those signs are. During the summer of 2008, junk bond prices absolutely cratered as junk bond yields skyrocketed. This was a very clear signal that financial markets were about to crash, and sure enough a couple of months later it happened. Now the exact same thing is happening again.

Energy & Environment

Cost of EPA’s toxic spill could soar to nearly $30 billion
Washington Examiner - The cost of cleaning up a major toxic waste spill in the West caused by an Environmental Protection Agency contractor could soar as high as $27.7 billion. That’s the conclusion of study released Tuesday morning by the right-leaning American Action Forum. The group is one of the first to attempt to estimate the clean-up cost of what will likely be remembered as one of the biggest environmental disasters of 2015.

200 US Army soldiers to fight wildfires in Western states as budgets shrink
RT - With dozens of wildfires raging in multiple Western states, the US Army is preparing to deploy 200 soldiers in order to help firefighters. The federal government is quickly burning through its annual budget as it struggles to keep flames from spreading. The move marks the first time since 2006 that troops have been sent out against fires.... Meanwhile, National Guard troops were mobilized to fight fires in Washington State, the Military Times reported. There are roughly 95 wildfires currently burning in seven states, according to the Interagency Fire Center.... The Forest Service is burning through more than $100 million every week and that the entire yearly budget for fighting wildfires will be spent this week. "We're out of crews, we're out of engines, we're out of helicopters," Carol Connolly of the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, which coordinates firefighting efforts inside Oregon and Washington with the state and federal governments, said to NBC.

Science & Technology

Hackers release data of millions of Ashley Madison cheating site users
RT - A group of hackers who threatened to release sensitive data about millions of Ashley Madison cheating website users last month have apparently fulfilled their promise after the site’s owner refused to take the resource “offline permanently in all forms.” A massive dump of data just short of 10 gigabytes was released on the dark web on Tuesday by the Impact Team group claiming to be behind the scandalous Ashley Madison hack. The data appear to include sensitive customer information, such as payment transaction and credit card details, emails, names, addresses, phone numbers and member profiles. Although the leaked data did not include full credit card details and billing information, the hack is still a major embarrassment to Avid Life Media Inc., which owns the site, and some 38 million of its users whose private data was exposed.

Health

New Warning: Diabetes drugs shown to cause heart failure and pancreatic cancer
Natural Blaze - There are several types of diabetes drugs used in the U.S. and around the world, some of the most common of which are GLP-1 agonists and SGLT2 and DPP-4 inhibitors. Keep this in mind, big pharma will manufacture these drugs under competing names, but nearly all have been linked to serious complications and risks.... A study of more than 95,000 patients published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology found that nearly 10 percent of people taking these drugs eventually suffer a serious cardiovascular problem or event, while approximately 4 percent experience heart failure. Equally concerning is the increased risk for pancreatic cancer... In 2013, and independent study found that people taking certain DPP-4 and GLP-1 diabetes drugs were twice as likely to be admitted to hospitals for inflammation of the pancreas than people taking other types of medications.

Olive Oil Compound Kills Cancer Cells in 30 Minutes
Green Med Info - Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) already has a reputation as a superfood. It contains an abundance of antioxidants that are proven to confer health benefits. Studies show that one phenolic compound in EVOO – oleocanthal (OC) – provides many of the health benefits we see from diets rich in EVOO like the Mediterranean diet. Recently researchers put oleocanthal from EVOO to the test against cancer. They found that OC can induce rapid death in cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact. The researchers from Hunter College, Rutgers University, and the Monell Chemical Senses Center investigated the effect of oleocanthal on prostate, breast, and pancreatic cancer cells. They found that OC induced the loss of cell adhesion within as little as 30 minutes. Within 24 hours 100% of the cancer cells were non-viable.

Overuse of Antibiotics Linked to Juvenile Arthritis
Natural Society - A recently published study in the journal Pediatrics adds more credence to experts’ warnings that the overuse of antibiotics is making people sick, including the littlest of patients. Researchers now say that antibiotics increase children’s risk of developing juvenile arthritis, a painful and chronic disease. More than 400,000 British children were analyzed by researchers, including 152 that were diagnosed with juvenile arthritis. The researchers discovered that youngsters who were prescribed antibiotics had twice the risk of developing the illness compared with those the same age who didn’t take antibiotics.... The risk of juvenile arthritis increased with the number of courses of antibiotics prescribed. The study was conducted because previous studies have shown that antibiotics disrupt microbes in the gut, which can predispose children to autoimmune diseases.
 



Tuesday - August 18, 2015 - Today in History:

1735 - The "Evening Post" of Boston, MA, was published for the first time.
1846 - Gen. Stephen W. Kearney and his U.S. forces captured Santa Fe, NM.
1894 - The Bureau of Immigration was established by the U.S. Congress.
1914 - The "Proclamation of Neutrality" was issued by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. It was aimed at keeping the U.S. out of World War I.
1916 - Abraham Lincoln's birthplace was made into a national shrine.
1920 - Tennessee ratified the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Amendment guaranteed the right of all American women to vote.
1937 - The first FM radio construction permit was issued in Boston, MA. The station went on the air two years later.
1938 - The Thousand Islands Bridge was dedicated by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The bridge connects the U.S. and Canada.
1940 - Canada and the U.S. established a joint defense plan against the possible enemy attacks during World War II.
1966 - The first pictures of earth taken from moon orbit were sent back to the U.S.
1982 - The longest baseball game played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL, went 21 innings before the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cubs 2-1.
1990 - The first shots were fired by the U.S. in the Persian Gulf Crisis when a U.S. frigate fired rounds across the bow of an Iraqi oil tanker.
1998 - Mrs. Field's Original Cookies announced that they would acquire the Great American Cookie Co.
2004 - Donald Trump unveiled his board game (TRUMP the Game) where players bid on real estate, buy big ticket items and make billion-dollar business deals.

World News

23 Nations Around The World Where Stock Market Crashes Are Already Happening
Economic Collapse - All over the world, stock markets are already crashing. Most of these stock market crashes are occurring in nations that are known as “emerging markets”. In recent years, developing countries in Asia, South America and Africa loaded up on lots of cheap loans that were denominated in U.S. dollars. But now that the U.S. dollar has been surging, those borrowers are finding that it takes much more of their own local currencies to service those loans. At the same time, prices are crashing for many of the commodities that those countries export. The exact same kind of double whammy caused the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s and the Asian financial crisis of the 1990s.

Chinese stocks sink dragging Asian markets with them
RT - The Shanghai Composite Index sank 6.15 percent to 3,748.16 points; the biggest daily fall since July 27. The Shenzhen Composite plunged even further - 6.58 percent - to 2,175.42 points. Other Asian markets also closed in the red. The Japanese Nikkei lost 0.32 percent, the Hang Seng – 1.16 percent with the Taiwan TSEC 50 Index depreciating 0.44 percent. The weak Chinese stock market and a slowdown in the real economy add to worries about the country’s economic growth despite continued government measures.

Greek bank bonds collapse on bailout promises
RT - Greece’s biggest lenders are seeing their bonds plummet, on the promise of the Eurogroup president to protect depositors from any losses in the €86 billion bailout. According to Bloomberg, as of 9:30am GMT, Greece’s Eurobank senior unsecured 4.25 percent June 2018 bonds were sinking 33 percent to 37 cents on the euro. The second worst performer was Piraeus Bank that saw its senior unsecured 5 percent March 2017 bonds drop 27 percent to 38 cents. Alpha Bank’s senior unsecured 3.375 percent notes due June 2017 stumbled 15 percent. Greece’s four banks – National Bank of Greece, Piraeus Bank, Alpha Bank, and Eurobank – account for 91 percent of Greek banking assets.

Greek Deposits Become Eligible For Bail-In On January 1, 2016
Zero Hedge - Earlier today an EU official was reported as saying that Greek banks will exclude all depositors from losses until the EU’s Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive rules go into effect on Jan. 1, 2016. Needless to say this was vastly different to Dijsselbloem's blanket guarantee statement from Friday, and suggests that depositors will indeed be bailed-in, but not right now: only after BRRD rules come in place on the first day of 2016.

China Says No to US Pork Due to Feed Additives
Sputnik News - American pork producers face giant financial damages, as China has banned the importation of meat produced with the use of a popular growth hormone which is widespread in the US. Europe will deliver more pork to China this year than the US despite the latter being considered a world leader in the export of pig products, Robobank reported. The reason is simple — Beijing has banned a growth-inducing hormone which is fed to 80 percent of hogs in the US, according to Bloomberg. The drug, called Ractopamine, promotes quick weight gain in animals which are raised for their meat, and according to the agricultural regulators of most countries throughout the world, poses a threat to human health as well. Imports of American pork to China have decreased by 41 percent year over year in the first six months of 2015, the worst results since 2010.

Bombing rocks tourist area in Bangkok, 19 dead & scores injured
RT - A motorcycle bomb has exploded in a commercial and tourist center in Thailand's capital Bangkok, killing 19 people, according to police. Over 120 others were injured, local media reported. At least three foreigners were among those killed. According to the latest information provided by the Royal Thai Police Office, 12 of the 19 victims died at the scene of the attack… The explosion took place at the Ratchaprasong intersection near Erawan shrine, a tourist attraction in the downtown Chidlom district… Erawan is a Hindu shrine which is visited by thousands of people every day. Located on a main road, the shrine is surrounded by three major shopping malls and is popular among both tourists and locals… Two more devices were found near the scene and detonated, the Bangkok Post reported. Police have also recovered an electronic circuit, suspected to be part of the original device, about 30 meters from the blast scene, according to the Bangkok Post.

ISIS Document Reportedly Discovered by Think Tank Calls for End of the World Battle
Kurt Nimmo - A think tank linked to the neocon-centric Hudson Institute claims it has discovered an Islamic State version of “Mein Kampf” in Pakistan. The American Media Institute says the 32-page Urdu language document calls for an end of the world conflict in what the Israeli newspaper Arutz Sheva characterizes as a “final solution,” a distinct reference to the Third Reich’s mass extermination of Jews. The document also allegedly calls for a single worldwide caliphate to rule over more than a billion Muslims.

Away From Dollar: Russia, China to Create Entirely Different Gold Market
Sputnik News - While key Western banks are artificially restraining gold prices to breathe life into the diluted and devalued dollar system, Russia, China and other emerging economies are involved in "the genial move" to establish an entirely different gold market, F. William Engdahl underscores. Key central banks, particularly the Federal Reserve and Bank of England, and Western market players have long been accused of clandestine gold price manipulating aimed at preserving the dollar's role "as world reserve currency primus,"… Furthermore, Western banks are issuing numerous paper "gold-futures" and other speculative contracts which are in fact disconnected from real physical gold… This new approach is connected closely with the China-led New Silk Road project and the Shanghai-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). In May 2015 Beijing announced it had established a state-run gold investment fund, aiming to bolster China's role in global gold trade.

8 Reasons Why The Telegraph Thinks The Market Doomsday Clock Is One Minute To Midnight
Zero Hedge - “Time is now rapidly running out,” warns The Telegraph’s John Ficenec as the British paper takes a deep dive into the dark realities behind the mainstream media headlines continued faith in central planning. Sounding very “Zero Hedge”, Ficenec warns that from China to Brazil, the central banks have lost control and at the same time the global economy is grinding to a halt. It is only a matter of time before stock markets collapse under the weight of their lofty expectations and record valuations. There are signs things could get a whole lot worse..

China Shutters 50 Websites for ‘Inciting Panic’ Over the Tianjin Disaster
Time -Beijing’s internet regulators have suspended or shut down 50 Chinese websites in the wake of last week’s explosions at a chemical warehouse in the city of Tianjin — the world’s 10th largest port — claiming they incited panic by spreading unconfirmed information about the blasts.... Among the rumors about Tianjin that have flared up online are claims that the disaster’s death toll was above far higher than stated; that looting had erupted; and that the city’s political leadership was in flux. Meanwhile, by midday Monday local time, the official fatality count in Tianjin was 114, with hundreds injured and at least 70 people still unaccounted for in the rubble of the blast site, CNN reported.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

US Military Prepares Drastic Escalation of Global Drone Program
Common Dreams - The U.S. Pentagon is poised to dramatically increase the deployment of surveillance drones over "global hot spots" such as Ukraine, Iraq, Syria, the South China Sea, and North Africa, as well as expand its capacity for lethal drone strikes, the Wall Street Journal revealed on Monday. Citing exclusive interviews with senior U.S. officials, the WSJ's Gordon Lubold reports that the number of daily flights by aircraft such as MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper drones will surge an estimated 50 percent. Further, the expanded drone program will "draw on the Army, as well as Special Operations Command and government contractors," in addition to the U.S. Air Force, which currently carries out most of the operations for the Pentagon and Central Intelligence Agency.

New Clinton email count: 305 documents referred with potentially classified information
Washington Times - More than 300 of former Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton’s emails — or 5.1 percent of those processed so far — have been flagged for potential secret information, the State Department reported to a federal court Monday. Officials insisted, however, that the screening process is running smoothly and they are back on track after falling behind a judge’s schedule for making all of the emails public. The reviewers have screened about 20 percent of the 30,000 emails Mrs. Clinton returned to the department, which means if the rate of potentially secret information remains steady, more than 1,500 messages will have to be sent to intelligence community agencies, known in government as “IC,” to screen out classified information.
* Related: State Dept. Finds 17,855 Missing Hillary Clinton Adviser Emails

Bob Woodward compares Clinton emails to Nixon tapes
The Hill - Veteran Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward on Monday compared Hillary Clinton’s private email account to the Nixon tapes. “Follow the trail here,” Woodward said on MSNBC's “Morning Joe,” noting that emails erased from Clinton’s private server when she led the State Department were either sent or received by someone else, too. “You've got a massive amount of data. It, in a way, reminds me of the Nixon tapes: thousands of hours of secretly recorded conversations that Nixon thought were exclusively his,” Woodward said. Woodward as a younger reporter helped break the Watergate scandal that eventually led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation. He noted the tapes Nixon kept documenting conversations in the Oval Office were eventually turned over.

FBI Evidence Proves Innocence of Accused Boston Marathon Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
Paul Craig Roberts - I have been contacted by attorney John Remington Graham, a member in good standing of the bar of the Minnesota Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court. He informs me that acting in behalf of Maret Tsanaeva, the aunt of the accused Tsamaev brothers and a citizen of the Kyrgyz Republic where she is qualified to practice law, he has assisted her in filing with the US District Court in Boston a pro se motion, including an argument of amicus curiae, and an affidavit of Maret Tsarnaeva. The presiding judge has ordered that these documents be included in the formal record of the case so they will be publicly accessible. The documents are reproduced below.

This is What Americans Want from Police: Dramatic Video Shows Hero Cop Save Trucker’s Life
The Free Thought Project - In April, truck driver John Depue had a medical emergency while he was driving his semi through Miami County. His distress caused him to run off the road, sending his 18-wheeler careening off of an embankment. Trooper Eric Devers of the Piqua Post was the first person on the scene, who arrived approximately 12 minutes before paramedics. When Devers found Depue, he was losing consciousness, and his eyes were rolling back into his head. He was barely breathing. The sound from the officer’s mic picked up the event that happened next and paints a heroic picture. Depue stopped breathing, and Devers began to perform CPR. You can hear the officer pleading with the driver to “keep breathing” and telling Depue “don’t die on me!”

Election News

Virginia Finally Drops America's 'Worst Voting Machines'
WIRED - If you voted in a Virginia election any time between 2003 and April of this year, your vote was at serious risk of being compromised by hackers. That’s the assessment reached by Virginia’s board of elections, which recently decertified some 3,000 WINVote touchscreen voting machines after learning about security problems with the systems, including a poorly secured Wi-Fi feature for tallying votes. The problems with the machines are so severe that Jeremy Epstein, a computer scientist with SRI International who tried for years to get them banned, called them the worst voting machines in the country. If the WINVote systems weren’t hacked in a past election, he noted in a recent blog post and during a presentation last week at the USENIX security conference, “it was only because no one tried.”

Chris Christie Said To Be “Seriously Considering” Dropping Out Of Race By End Of August…
DCWhispers - Though Rick Perry’s lack of campaign dollars received the most attention this week, whispers are now circulating of a possible second GOP candidate giving serious consideration to dropping out of the race by the end of this month – New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Christie is facing the very real possibility of not qualifying with the other ten first-tier candidates in what will be the second Republican presidential debate scheduled for September. His performance at the first debate last week was most notable for the heated back and forth between himself and Senator Rand Paul regarding government surveillance and the need to abide by the confines of the 4th Amendment.

Economy & Business

Economic Crisis: Soros-Linked Billionaire Buys Up Gold
Kit Daniels - A billionaire hedge fund manager linked to George Soros bought up gold shares after multiple financial experts warned a stock market crash is coming. Stanley Druckenmiller, who runs Duquesne Capital after previously working for Soros, now owns 2.88 million shares of SPDR Gold Trust, making it his largest single holding and long position. That means if the price of gold goes up, Druckenmiller profits tremendously. “Druckenmiller’s [SPDR Gold Trust] stake had a value of $300.3 million at the end of the quarter based on the June 30 closing share price of $104.27,” Business Insider reported. “Druckenmiller has previously said that when he sees something that really excites him he will ‘bet the ranch on it.'”

US Steel Permanently Closing Alabama Plant
Kelly Poe - The US Steel blast furnace in a Birmingham suburb won’t just be idled – it’ll be shut down permanently on or after Nov. 17, the Pittsburgh company announced Monday. It’s been a turbulent year for the steelmaker which has sent potential layoffs for more than 4,000 of its workers, including about 1,800in Fairfield, where the company has operated a blast furnace and flat-rolled finishing operations. Today about 2,000 people work at the US Steel operations in Fairfield, about 1,300 of which work at Fairfield Works. About 1,100 people will lose their jobs as a result of the closure, a US Steel spokeswoman told AL.com.

Energy & Environment

EPA Chief McCarthy Faces “Criminal Liability” For “False, Misleading Statements”
The New American - The EPA’s toxic mega-spill of millions of gallons of heavy metal-laden wastewater into Colorado’s Animas River is not EPA Chief Gina McCarthy’s (shown) only problem; a congressional committee has sent her a letter posing the possibility of charging her with “criminal liability” for making “false and misleading” statements during her testimony at a committee hearing on July 9. A key issue of the hearing, which was entitled “Examining EPA’s Regulatory Overreach,” was the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s use of “secret science” to further its ever-expansive, intrusive, oppressive, and enormously expensive regulatory agenda. EPA critics have been charging for some time that the agency has been basing many of its most outrageous claims and grabs for power upon supposed “scientific studies” and data that are not available for public examination, or even for members of Congress to evaluate.

New Research Proves Coal Fly Ash Is The Source Material for "Chemtrails"
Green Med Info - The new study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health titled, "Evidence of Coal-Fly-Ash Toxic Chemical Geoengineering in the Troposphere: Consequences for Public Health," offers a convincing explanation for what is behind the so-called "chemtrail" phenomenon, revealing that the source material used to create artificial weather visible throughout the world is the extremely toxic waste material from the electric industry known as coal fly ash.... Coal fly ash is a fine particle residue generated by coal combustion and is an extremely toxic material for the primary 3 reasons:...

Science & Technology

IRS hackers hit 334,000 accounts, almost 3 times worse than first reported
RT - Hackers who breached the networks of the Internal Revenue Service may have stolen data from as many as 334,000 taxpayer accounts, the agency announced on Monday – nearly three times more than originally believed. When the hack was first reported by the IRS in May, the agency said that hackers were able to gain access to taxpayer information from roughly 114,000 accounts via the “Get Transcript” service. On Monday, the IRS said a new analysis of 23 million service requests revealed the number is actually far higher.... Additionally, the IRS stated that hackers tried to gain access to an additional 170,000 taxpayer accounts but were unsuccessful. That, in addition to the 111,000 failed attempts announced in May, brings the total number of unsuccessful attempts up to 281,000.

Watch Google's terrifying humanoid robot running through a forest as firm pledges it will soon be MORE agile than a human
Daily Mail - According to Google owned Boston Dynamics, Atlas is a 'high mobility, humanoid robot designed to negotiate outdoor, rough terrain. 'Atlas can walk bipedally leaving the upper limbs free to lift, carry, and manipulate the environment. 'In extremely challenging terrain, Atlas is strong and coordinated enough to climb using hands and feet, to pick its way through congested spaces.'

My browser visited Weather.com and all I got was this lousy malware (Updated)
Ars Technica - Millions of people visiting weather.com, drudgereport.com, wunderground.com, and other popular websites were exposed to attacks that can surreptitiously hijack their computers, thanks to maliciously manipulated ads that exploit vulnerabilities in Adobe Flash and other browsing software, researchers said…A few hours after Ars published this article, Malwarebytes updated the blog post to say the campaign had moved to yet another ad network, which happens to be associated with AOL. Visitors to eBay were among those who were exposed to the malicious ads distributed through the newly discovered network. Malvertising is a particularly pernicious form of attack because it can infect people who do nothing more than browse to a mainstream site. Depending on the exploit, it can silently hijack computers even when visitors don't click on links.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

California To Confiscate 300 Farms By Eminent Domain, For Unapproved Water Project
GovtSlaves - State contractors have readied plans to acquire as many as 300 farms in the California delta by eminent domain to make room for a pair of massive, still-unapproved water tunnels proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown, according to documents obtained by opponents of the tunnels. Farmers whose parcels were listed and mapped in the 160-page property-acquisition plan expressed dismay at the advanced planning for the project, which would build 30-mile-long tunnels in the delta formed by the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers.... Opponents say the tunnels would jeopardize delta farming and destroy vital wildlife habitat.... Under the plan, landowners would have 30 days to consider and negotiate a one-time state offer, while officials simultaneously prepare to take the land by forced sale if owners declined to sell. “Negotiations to continue in parallel with eminent domain proceedings,” the plan notes. Contractors also appear to call for minimal public input.

Survival/Preparedness

12 Ways to Make Your Food Last Longer
Dr. Mercola - A study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found Americans throw away $165 billion worth of food a year, which amounts to up to $2,200 per household. Many Americans succumb to grocery store marketing tactics that encourage impulse buys and larger purchases, yet when they bring such perishables home find they end up spoiling before being eaten. The tips below, from TIME, can help you to make your food last longer so, ultimately, you waste less.

Health

GcMAF, Nagalase and the Immune System
Natural Blaze - This blog will be short and to the point, since the important information is to be heard in the link that discusses the researcher’s theory as to why some very prominent doctors have left the planet recently. Doctors Jeff Bradstreet and Nicholas Gonzalez apparently were on to the biochemistry of what was causing autism and many chronic diseases. Their research apparently had zeroed in on a specific set of proteins and enzymes that can cause the human immune system to malfunction.... Apparently, the European company that manufactured GcMAF had been shut down in July 2015. Also, another coincidence is that many of the dead doctors were visited by U.S. government agency officials in the weeks prior to their deaths.
* Related: Another Doctor (Osteopath) Found Slain in Her Home

Questionable Big Pharma Company Could Soon Release First ‘Female Viagra’ Drug
Natural Society - Sprout, founded by a husband-and-wife team, once ran Slate Pharmaceuticals, which marketed an implantable testosterone pellet to men with low levels of the hormone. Sprout is facing harsh criticisms due to Slate’s misleading and unsupported statements concerning the benefits of testosterone therapy while downplaying the risks, breaking federal rules. Last year, the FDA held a meeting to examine the over-prescribing of testosterone and used Slate’s commercial as an example of inappropriate marketing. Sprout’s critics are frustrated with the company’s aggressive push to win the new drug’s approval. The medication has already been rejected twice due to a lack of efficacy and because of side effects including nausea, dizziness, and fainting. Sprout “already has a history of unethical marketing,” said Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman of Georgetown University. “If approved, I think this drug will be widely prescribed, and we would see an epidemic of adverse effects.

Obama-Appointed Judge Gives Potentially Breakthrough Ruling Giving Drug Companies the Right to Market Drugs for Uses not Approved by FDA
AllGov - A federal court has given a drug company preliminary approval to market a drug for a condition not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Amarin Pharma’s drug Vascepa is approved for use in treating extremely high levels—over 500 milligrams per deciliter—of fats known as triglycerides, in the blood. Amarin also wanted to promote the drug for use in patients with “persistently high levels,” from 200 to 499, of triglycerides. The FDA denied approval for that use earlier this year, concerned that Vascepa wouldn’t help such patients avoid heart disease or heart attacks. Amarin then went to court, claiming its First Amendment rights allowed it to give information to physicians. Physicians have long prescribed drugs for “off-label” uses, but drug companies have been forbidden to market their products for those purposes.

Pineapple juice is 500% more effective than cough syrup, study shows (Recipe)
(NaturalNews) Back in 2010, researchers in India – which has a strong history of natural healing due to its Ayurvedic traditions – compared the effects of over-the-counter syrups to a natural mixture of pineapple juice, salt, pepper and honey on the coughs of tuberculosis patients. It was found that the natural mixture was far more effective at soothing down coughs and throat irritation than the commercial preparation. This sparked other studies on the subject, and scientists came to the conclusion that the reason that pineapple juice is so effective for taming a cough is the presence of bromelain, an enzyme that has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which allow it to reduce irritation of the throat and thus relieve even persistent coughing.


Monday - August 17, 2015 - Today in History:

1790 - The capital city of the U.S. moved to Philadelphia from New York City.
1807 - Robert Fulton's "North River Steam Boat" (known as the "Clermont") began heading up New York's Hudson River on its successful round-trip to Albany.
1815 - Napoleon began serving his exile when he arrived at the island of St. Helena.
1863 - Federal batteries and ships bombarded Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC, harbor during the Civil War.
1896 - The Klondike gold rush was set off by George Carmack discovering gold on Rabbit Creek in Alaska.
1903 - Joseph Pulitzer donated a million dollars to Columbia University. This started the Pulitzer Prizes in his name.
1939 - The movie "Wizard of Oz" premiered in New York. It had premiered in Hollywood on August 15.
1943 - The Allied conquest of Sicily was completed as U.S. and British forces entered Messina.
1961 - The Communist East German government completed the construction of the Berlin Wall.
1982 - The U.S. Senate approved an immigration bill that granted permanent resident status to illegal aliens who arrived in the United States before 1977.
1996 - Ross Perot was announced to be the Reform Party's presidential candidate. It was the party's first-ever candidate.
1998 - U.S. President Clinton admitted to having an improper relationship with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern.
2010 - A mistrial was declared on 23 corruption charges against ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. (He was convicted of 17 counts of corruption in a retrial.)

World News

US to pull Patriot anti-air missiles from Turkey
RT - The US has followed in Germany’s footsteps, announcing that it will not be renewing its Patriot defense system in Turkey once it expires in October. The anti-air missile units will be shipped home for upgrades. The information was released in a joint statement by Washington and Ankara. “The United States has informed the Turkish government that the US deployment of Patriot air and missile defense units in Turkey which expires in October will not be renewed beyond the end of the current rotation,” said the message posted on the US Embassy in Turkey’s website. The statement added that the units will be sent back to the US to be upgraded. “

Several US wines recalled from Russian market over harmful chemicals
RT - The Russian agency for health and consumer rights has banned several batches of US-made wines after tests found they contained excessive amounts of harmful substances. The tests showed the wines had phthalate and bifenazate insecticide in them. The discovery prompted further checks of other US-made alcohol products. All in all, wines of three American wineries have been withdrawn from the market: Geyser Peak Winery (dry red merlot), Crane Lake Cellars (white sweet Crane Lake moscato), and Delicato Family Vineyards (white semidry Gnarly Head chardonnay). The tests have established that these three wines contain phthalate and bifenazate insecticide in quantities exceeding the maximum permissible dose. The bifenazate pesticide is used in grape cultivation against plant-feeders.

Brazil street protests demand removal of Dilma Rousseff from power
The Telegraph - Anti-government protests took place across Brazil on Sunday as voters repeated calls for the removal of Dilma Rousseff, the president, from power. Crowds of thousands marched through streets in at least 13 states and the federal district Brasília, wearing the green and gold of the Brazilian flag, with many calling for military intervention to end the ruling Workers’ Party government… Public dissatisfaction with the government has swelled since the revelations of a massive corruption scandal within state-controlled oil company Petrobras, which has resulted in the arrest of several public officials. Ms Rousseff, who was chairman of Petrobras at the time of the multi-billion pound kickback scheme, was then re-elected last October in a closely fought vote. Meanwhile, the economy has struggled and positive approval of the president has fallen to just eight per cent.

Japanese volcano alert issued just miles from newly reopened nuclear reactor
The Independent - Officials have raised their alert to its second highest level after it detected a spike in seismic activity in a volcano on Saturday near the offshore volcano Sakurajima, Agency France Presse reported. They have warned an evacuation of the city of just over 600,000 people may be necessary… It comes as a nuclear reactor 50 kilometres (31 miles) away was switched back on for the very first time on Tuesday after it was closed in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in 2011. Critics had warned that the reopening of the Sendai plant, the first in Japan’s renewed nuclear programme, was premature and Japan’s nuclear reactors are still vulnerable to natural disaster.

China Sends In Chemical Warfare Troops, Orders Tianjin Blast Site Evacuation After Toxic Sodium Cyanide Found
Zero Hedge - Initially the government did everything in its power to cover up the spread of deadly contaminants. As we reported yesterday, People’s Daily openly lied to the local population: “Authorities tasked with marine monitoring announced there were no hazardous chemicals detected in waters off the blast site in north China's port city Tianjin on Friday. A statement from the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) said major measurement of seawater composition did not show any anomaly compared with historical records… Which is why we were not surprised to learn that Chinese authorities ordered the evacuation of residents within a 3km radius of the Tianjin blast site “over fears of chemical contamination” according to BBC. Replace fears with reality: the evacuation came as police confirmed the highly toxic chemical sodium cyanide was found near the site… According to a tweet by The People's Daily, anti-chemical warfare troops have entered the site to handle highly toxic sodium cyanide which had been found there.
* Related: Tianjin explosions: sodium cyanide on site may have been 70 times allowed amount

Sydney fishermen film the moment they remove fishing line and plastic from a whale's head after it 'came up to them for help'
The Independent - A group of fishermen have captured extraordinary footage of the moment they helped free a whale from entangled rubbish after it seemed to seek out their help. Michael Riggio, 17, and Ivan Iskenderian told the local Manly Daily newspaper they were sailing home from a fishing trip when they noticed the animal, thought to be a southern right whale, near Sydney, Australia… “He had a big scar on his back, and some fishing line and two plastic bags on his head,” Mr Kovacs said. “He [kept] popping his head up so you could reach out and remove the garbage. He tried on my boat bit [it was] a bit harder as we are a bit higher – I made one grab for the bag but missed. “He later came up to a trailer boat and presented his head as they removed the bag and [then] the fishing line. It was as if he wanted them to take it off.”

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Number of Hillary Clinton's emails flagged for classified data grows to 60 as review continues
Washington Times - While media coverage has focused on a half-dozen of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s personal emails containing sensitive intelligence, the total number of her private emails identified by an ongoing State Department review as having contained classified data has ballooned to 60, officials told The Washington Times. That figure is current through the end of July and is likely to grow as officials wade through a total of 30,000 work-related emails that passed through her personal email server, officials said. The process is expected to take months… State officials and the intelligence community are working to resolve questions about those and other emails with possible classified information, a process that isn’t likely to be completed until January.

Pentagon Trained "Rebel" Group in Syria Pledges Allegiance to ISIS-aligned Al-Nusra
Kurt Nimmo - Division 30, also known as the New Syrian Forces, was created by the United States as part of a propaganda campaign to counter the fact virtually all of the mercenaries in Syria have gone over to the Islamic State… In early July two-thirds of the Division 30 mercenaries, including the group’s commander Nadim al-Hassan, were captured in Syria north of Aleppo by Jabhat al-Nusra fighters… Late Saturday it was reported seven members of Division 30 were released by al-Nusra and it was hoped Nadim al-Hassan would be released soon. The Division 30 statement described al-Nusra as “brothers” and went on to declare the Pentagon trained group is on the “same page with all holy warriors in Syria.” Division 30 represented the last “vetted” non-jihadi mercenary group fighting to overthrow al-Assad in Syria. In November the Syrian Revolutionary Front handed over bases and weapons to Jabhat al-Nusra in the Idlib province.

US Military Uses IMF and World Bank to Launder 85% of Its Black Budget
Anti-Media - Though transparency was a cause he championed when campaigning for the presidency, President Obama has largely avoided making certain defense costs known to the public. However, when it comes to military appropriations for government spy agencies, we know from Freedom of Information Act requests that the so-called “black budget” is an increasingly massive expenditure subsidized by American taxpayers. The CIA and and NSA alone garnered $52.6 billion in funding in 2013 while the Department of Defense black ops budget for secret military projects exceeds this number. It is estimated to be $58.7 billion for the fiscal year 2015.

Sen. Brown blocks Obama nominee for deputy US trade representative over administration's refusal to grant his staff access to key TPP documents
Huffington Post - Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is blocking an Obama nominee for deputy U.S. trade representative over the administration's refusal to grant his staff access to key trade documents, reigniting an intraparty battle over the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Brown, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and many other Democratic critics have long maligned the intense secrecy provisions that the administration imposes on negotiation drafts of the controversial trade pact with 11 other Pacific nations. The administration treats the text as classified information, making it a crime for lawmakers to publicly air specific complaints about the deal. Throughout the TPP talks, the administration has continued to impose barriers that have prevented Brown's top trade staffer from reviewing negotiation documents unless Brown himself is physically present in the room with her. Brown has said such standards are stricter than the government's information controls for some Iran sanctions work and CIA briefings.

Oath Keepers to Hold March Through #Ferguson With 50 Armed Black Protesters
Free Thought Project - Missouri chapter of the Oath Keepers are planning to hold an open carry march through downtown Ferguson, Mo., which will reportedly involve arming 50 black protestors with AR-15 rifles. The decision to hold the event transpired after St. Louis County officials, in violation of Missouri’s open carry law, insisted that members of the group could not open carry long barrel rifles within the city. In a video uploaded to YouTube, police chief Jon Belmar is seen warning a number of Oath Keepers that open carrying long barrel rifles would be a violation of the law.

Acoustic Cannon Sales to Police Surge After Black Lives Matter Protests
The Intercept - LRAD manufactures an acoustic cannon that can be used either as a mounted loudspeaker or as a weapon to fire deafening noises at crowds of people. Over the last year, following a wave of protests over officer-involved killings of black Americans, LRAD has seen an uptick in inquiries from police departments around the country. Brown told financial analysts in a May conference call about the “renewed interest” from police departments. “A lot of grant money starts to flow to law enforcement, and we’re getting a lot of inquiries” following protests, he said… Local law enforcement agencies have been courted by a range of companies hoping to sell next-generation crowd control and surveillance technology. In September 2014, just after the protests in Ferguson, the Military Policy Expo, a convention for companies supplying law enforcement, hosted an event in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for vendors to “showcase their products.”

Parents May Face Jail Over Owning a Child’s Swing Set
Anti-Media - The claim against the family swing set is that it infringed on HOA guidelines, which specifically state that play equipment must be “subdued and within harmony with other colors of the community.” Let’s note, for the record, that the definition of “harmony” is suspiciously missing from the HOA’s guidelines. Marla Stout, speaking for her family, said the dispute originally began over the color of the swing set, which was red. That color was deemed not in “harmony” by the HOA, and the Stout family was fined. They fought the HOA on that charge and the decision was reversed. To compromise, the family changed the color to purple, which also failed to appease the HOA. It went on to threaten further legal action.

Election News

Ben Carson Wants Forced Vaccines
The EdgyTruth - Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson is making waves yet again, this time because he announced his pro-mandatory stance on vaccines. Carson, who is [horrifyingly] second in the GOP polls behind Donald Trump, also wants schools to be set up to enforce the provisions.... This would men no religious or philosophical exemptions. This could also mean proposing stricter checkpoints at schools nationwide if Carson was to be elected. . His perspective on the matter runs in contrary to his GOP opponent, Rand Paul, who has said he does not believe vaccinations should be mandatory, although he himself receives vaccines.

Paul heads to Haiti for pro bono medical work
The Hill - Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is getting off the campaign trail briefly for a medical aid mission in the Caribbean. The presidential candidate is visiting Haiti this weekend and performing pro bono eye surgeries, according to The Washington Post. “We kind of suggested it,” he said of the trip’s genesis. “There was talk about Haiti being in great need, and it’s fairly close to the United States. Haiti, unfortunately, is famous for a long history of problems.” The University of Utah’s Moran Eye Center is conducting and sponsoring the philanthropic journey, according to the report. Paul previously partnered with that organization for a similar visit to Guatemala in 2014.

Jeff Sessions: Donald Trump’s Immigration Policy Is ‘Exactly the Plan America Needs’
Breitbart - Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) , the intellectual leader of the conservative movement and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest, issued a statement on Sunday afternoon praising 2016 Republican frontrunner Donald Trump’s immigration policy plan for America. ... “For too long, ‘immigration reform’ plans in Washington have served the special interests at the expense of working Americans. By contrast, this plan puts the needs of working Americans foremost, and develops an effective strategy for improving their wages and job prospects. “Crucially, this plan includes an emphasis on lifting struggling minority communities, including our immigrant communities, out of poverty — by preventing corporations from bringing in new workers from overseas to replace them and drive down wages.

Al Gore said to be looking at another run for president
MarketWatch - Yes, Al Gore is reportedly talking about a possible run for president in 2016. Gore, of course, won the popular vote 15 years ago but veered off in different directions, environmental and otherwise, after conceding the White House to George W. Bush. Having racked up an Oscar and a Nobel peace prize in 2007, Gore has been notably absent from the public eye in recent years. But that could change in a hurry. According to BuzzFeed, a senior Democrat said, “They’re getting the old gang together.” That team is said to be working on “figuring out if there’s a path financially and politically.”

Veteran News

Lightning Strikes 44 Soldiers and Instructors at Army Ranger School
Matthew Cox - Forty students and four Ranger instructors in the swamp phase of Ranger School were struck by lightning Wednesday afternoon. All 44 were evacuated to a local hospital, but many were discharged, according to a press release from Fort Benning, Georgia, home of the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade. Eleven soldiers remained hospitalized Thursday evening, according to a news report. “At the time of the incident, they were conducting lightning-protection protocols when lightning struck nearby,” the release states. This is the same class that includes two female candidates who are participating in the third and final phase of Ranger School at Camp Rudder at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. All of the lightning-strike victims were males. The group was in day seven of the 10-day training cycle during the so-called “swamp phase.”

Economy & Business

Ford announces new U.S production day after Trump blasts its $2.5 Mexican plant
Fox News - A day after GOP Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump slammed Ford Motor Company for its plan to invest $2.5 billion in plants in Mexico, Ford announced that it is actually moving production out of Mexico to a plant outside of Cleveland. While Trump's comments and Ford's announcement appear to have no connection, the move to build the medium-duty F-650 and F-750 commercial trucks at a plant in Avon Lake, Ohio is the first time that the Detroit-based company has returned its auto-manufacturing operation back to American soil from a foreign country. The shift back to the 41-year-old Ohio plant means that about 1,000 workers represented by the United Auto Workers union will keep their jobs, Jimmy Settles, United Auto Workers vice president, said in a statement released by Reuters.

Housing Market

Share of Income Used to Pay Rent Reaches Highest on Record
AllGov - Rents have risen steadily since the housing crisis, so much so that the share of income people spent on rent reached 30.2% during the second quarter this year. That rate is the highest recorded by real estate company Zillow, which has been tracking such data since 1979. The percentage was 29.5% during the second quarter of 2014. The median rent nationwide also is up from last year, by 4.3%. From the mid-1980s to 1999, the rate was about 24.4%... “Looking forward, the picture doesn’t look bright for renters,” Zillow’s Svenja Gudell wrote. “Rents will likely keep rising at roughly their current pace for at least the next few years, which will lead to a continued affordability crunch unless wage growth significantly improves.”

Energy & Environment

Forest Service Official Who Let Nestle Drain California Water Now Works for Them
Anti Media - San Bernardino National Forest — An ongoing investigation by The Desert Sun into Nestle’s contentious bottled water operations in drought-stricken California first disclosed that the company’s permit to draw water had a rather astonishing expiration date that occurred over a quarter century ago, in 1988. Recently, the Sun reported an update in the investigation with a jaw-dropping twist: the Forest Service — not Nestle — is the agency primarily responsible for failing to renew Nestle’s permit. In fact, judging by the government agency’s complete inability to even review Nestle’s long-expired permit — not to mention the lucrative job a retired Forest Service supervisor currently enjoys — there is an arguable case that collusion and corruption are at the heart of the entire issue.

Chinese Air Pollution "Exported" to U.S. Cancels Progress Made in American Emissions
AllGov - A new study by U.S. and Dutch researchers says pollutants from Chinese factories and cars have been blowing across the Pacific Ocean. The volume of ozone-causing chemicals is so great that it essentially erased the progress U.S. states made with their own reductions from automobiles and industrial production. Lead researcher Willem Verstraeten of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute said “the dominant westerly winds blew this air pollution straight across to the United States,” according to Phys.org. “In a manner of speaking, China is exporting its air pollution to the West Coast of America,” he said… This research revealed that China expanded its ozone levels by about 7% from 2005 to 2010, and that this pollution was enough to counter the 20% reductions in the U.S. during the same period.

Science & Technology

Exposed: Big Brother's 'Unique and Productive' Relationship with AT&T
RINF - Newly disclosed National Security Agency documents show that the U.S. government’s relationship with telecom giant AT&T has been considered “unique and especially productive,” according to a joint investigation by the New York Times and ProPublica published Saturday… AT&T has given the NSA access, “through several methods covered under different legal rules,” to billions of emails, metadata records, and cellphone call records as they have flowed across its domestic networks, according to the reporting. “The NSA’s top-secret budget in 2013 for the AT&T partnership was more than twice that of the next-largest such program, according to the documents,” the investigation revealed. “The company installed surveillance equipment in at least 17 of its Internet hubs on American soil, far more than its similarly sized competitor, Verizon. And its engineers were the first to try out new surveillance technologies invented by the eavesdropping agency.”

Survival/Preparedness

Did You Know That The U.S. No Longer Has Any Strategic Grain Reserves At All?
Economic Collapse - Once upon a time, it was popular to say that the U.S. government only had enough wheat stored up to provide everyone in America with half a loaf of bread. But that is not true anymore. Recently, I discovered that the U.S. does not have any strategic grain reserves left at all. Zero. Nada. Zilch. As you will see below, the USDA liquidated the remaining reserves back in 2008. So if a major food crisis hit this country, our government would have nothing to give us. Of course the federal government could always go out and try to buy or seize food to feed the population during a major emergency, but that wouldn’t actually increase the total amount of food that was available. Instead, it would just give the government more power over who gets it.

Health

Eat Half a Teaspoon of Turmeric and These 10 Things Will Happen to Your Body
Healthy Food House - Read  the 10 ways the body will benefit from your use of Turmeric in foods you eat regularly.

Scientists Develop ‘GMO Painkillers’ Using Rat DNA, Yeast
Natural Society - Are you in enough pain to swallow this pill? Stanford scientists have developed a new way of creating painkiller components like hydrocodone by injecting 23 different engineered genes from plants, bacteria, and rats into yeast.... As the New York Times reports: “Smolke’s yeast — which contains 23 engineered genes from plants, bacteria and rats — is capable of making a direct conversion from sugar to hydrocodone, as well as from sugar to thebaine, a precursor of opioid compounds that would essentially take the place of poppies in the production of pain medication, but would still requite refinement. But it doesn’t make much of it.”

FDA Approves Opiate Painkillers For Children
Natural Blaze - Yesterday [8/13/15], the Food and Drug Administration approved a powerful and addictive painkiller OxyContin for use in children ages 11 to 16 enduring sever and long-term pain. Purdue Pharmaceuticals notes that it reformulated its OxyContin in 2010 to hedge problems with addiction, overdose and death. Slower release was also a part of the reformulation. Sudden doses of opioids can cause overdose and death especially without previous exposure. Deaths from painkillers have been a controversial topic in recent years. So much so that states that have legalized medical cannabis have seen a 25% drop in painkiller death rates.

Splenda Contaminates 65% of Breastmilk Sampled, Gov. Study Finds
Green Med Info - An article soon to be published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health on the presence of synthetic sweeteners in breast milk is bound to upset the apple cart when it comes to assessing the toxicological risk of these chemicals to breastfed infants.... Even more concerning, when Splenda is heated at temperatures that occur in baking applications it produces dioxin, one of the most deadly chemicals known to man.

No Added Sugar, No Grains, Easy and Amazing Paleo Banana Bread
Natural Blaze - We all like a dessert, but we all don’t have the pleasure of eating it. Whether it be a food allergy or a weight problem fear no more, this banana bread will have you drooling. Most people love banana bread; it is a food staple in the homes of many, but some people simply cannot eat it. This bread is sugar-free, grain-free, and easy to make. It is wonderful toasted for breakfast, or simply as a delicious dessert. This is something you will feel good about giving to your family. All you need is a few ingredients, so grab them and let’s get to it!

Pet News

Just a Few Weeks of Love Can Transform These Pets Completely
Dr. Becker - Owners of rescue pets belong to a special club. They know what it means to be a homeless animal’s hero. People who welcome a shelter pet into their lives often feel that their pet rescued them instead of the other way around. Rescue pets are typically thriving after several weeks or months in their new homes, leaving the stress of shelter life behind.

VIDEO: Surviving Work with Your Cat
They walk on your printer, they walk on your keyboard, they drop your mouse, and they steal your pen, but bringing your cat into your work environment offers delightful perks.
 



Friday - August 14, 2015 - Today in History:

1805 - A peace treaty between the U.S. and Tunis was signed on board the USS Constitution.
1848 - The Oregon Territory was established.
1896 - Gold was discovered in Canada's Yukon Territory. Within the next year more than 30,000 people rushed to the area to look for gold.
1917 - China declared war on Germany and Austria during World War I.
1935 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. The act created unemployment insurance and pension plans for the elderly.
1941 - The U.S. Congress appropriated approximately $83 million to construct the Pentagon. The building was the new home of the U.S. War Department.
1941 - U.S. President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill issued the Atlantic Charter. The charter was a statement of principles that renounced aggression.
1945 - It was announced by U.S. President Truman that Japan had surrendered unconditionally. The surrender ended World War II.
1962 - A U.S. mail truck was held up in Plymouth, MA. The robbers got away with more that $1.5 million dollars.
1969 - British troops arrived in Northern Ireland to intervene in sectarian violence between Protestants and Roman Catholics.
1973 - The U.S. bombing of Cambodia ended. The halt marked the official end to 12 years of combat in Indochina by the U.S.
1980 - People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was incorporated.
1992 - The U.S. announced that emergency airlifts of food to Somalia would begin. The action was being taken to stop mass deaths due to starvation.
1998 - A U.S. federal appeals court in Richmond, VA, ruled that the Food and Drug Administration had no authority to regulate tobacco. The FDA had established rules to make it harder for minors to buy cigarettes.
2003 - A blackout hit the northeastern United States and part of Canada; 50 million people lost power.
2006 - Israel halted its offensive against Hezbollah guerrillas as a U.N.-imposed cease-fire went into effect after a month of warfare that killed more than 900 people.
2009 - Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a Charles Manson follower who tried to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975, was released from a Texas prison hospital after more than three decades behind bars.

World News

Greek Parliament Approves Third Bailout As Tsipras Support Tumbles, Snap Elections Imminent
Zero Hedge - Moments ago the Greek parliament, … gave its approval for the third Greek bailout when Tsipras secured votes of more than 151 lawmakers in country’s 300-seat parliament. As on previous cases, the vote passed with substantial opposition support… The measures to be passed immediately include diesel fuel tax for farmers going from 66 euros per 1,000 liters to 200 euros/1,000 liters from October 1, 2015, and to 330 euros by October 1, 2016. Farmers’ income tax to be paid in advance will rise from 27.5 percent to 55 percent. Income tax for farmers is set to rise from 13 to 20 percent for 2016 and to 26 percent for 2017. Freelancers will be subject to a gradual increase from 55 to 75 percent in advanced tax payments for income earned in 2015, increasing to 100 percent in 2016. The 2 percent tax break for single payments on income tax is also being abolished from January 1, 2015. Private education, previously untaxed, will be taxed at 23 percent…

China explosions: death toll rises to 50 as troops dispatched
The Guardian - Elite military units trained to deal with chemical, nuclear and biological disasters have been dispatched to the site of a deadly explosion in northern China, where fires still smouldered in a landscape of destruction more than a day after the original devastating blasts. At least 50 deaths have been confirmed and 701 people admitted to hospital with injuries -- 71 of those said to be "severe" -- after a fire at warehouse containing "dangerous chemicals" sparked a series of blasts on Wednesday night. Four vehicles carrying more than 200 soldiers trained to deal with nuclear, biological and chemical catastrophes were dispatched to Tianjin, which is around 100 miles from Beijing.

Earthquakes Hit Japan, One Near Fukushima Reactors
Sputnik News - A 5.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Fukushima prefecture located on the Honshu Island in central Japan, early in the morning. Later, a 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck the east of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, its epicenter located at a depth of about 49 miles. No information about damage or casualties was immediately available. A tsunami is not predicted.

‘We don’t want to be a mere buffer zone’: New polish president calls for more NATO troops
RT - Andrzej Duda, new Polish president, has called on the NATO countries to deploy more troops as well as create new permanent military bases in his country and other Central Europe saying Poland does not want to be a “buffer zone.” Duda, elected in May, criticized the alliance for not effectively adjusting itself to the recent Russia’s “imperialist actions” in Georgia and Ukraine as well as for treating his country as a “buffer zone” rather than an equal NATO member. He also urged the Atlantic bloc to strengthen its forces and increase its military presence in the Central Europe, particularly, by placing additional permanent bases in Poland. That, in his view, should symbolize recognizing Poland as a full-fledged NATO member.

Finnish Politician Suggests Tracker Implants for Welfare Recipients
Sputnik News - A politician from Finland’s conservative Finns Party suggested implanting welfare recipients with satellite-tracking chips following news that some recipients continued receiving payments after leaving the country to join ISIL. A member of Finland’s right-wing Finns Party, Pasi Maenranta, has suggested implanting all recipients of government assistance with satellite-tracked chips if they choose to leave the country. Maenranta made the proposal after Finnish media revealed that some recipients of government assistance continued to receive payments after leaving the country to join ISIL in Syria and Iraq. Maenranta does not believe that the idea raises privacy concerns because of existing tracking technology in services such as Facebook.

Russia Sanctions Triggered Worst EU Dairy Crisis in 30 Years
Russia Insider - European farmers take it on the chin for Uncle Sam. European dairy farmers are facing their most serious economic crisis in decades, largely as a result of the ongoing sanctions war between EU member countries and Russia. In a recent report on the subject, Radio Sweden explained that the ongoing Russian embargo of European agricultural products is expected to lead to a new wave of lowering milk prices in the near future. The broadcaster noted that “the current crisis is [already] regarded as one of the most serious in the last 40 years,”... The Association of Swedish Farmers is convinced that if the situation is not dealt with in the next six months, many of Sweden’s 4,200 private dairy farmers may simply begin go bankrupt, with 4 out of 5 already suffering serious economic difficulties.

India sues Nestle for nearly $100m over food safety
Al Jazeera - India's government is seeking damages of nearly $100m from Nestle India for "unfair trade practices" after the food safety regulator banned its hugely popular Maggi noodles brand in June for containing unsafe levels of lead. The government said on Wednesday that it has filed a suit with the country's top consumer court, National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), for 6,400 million rupees ($98.6m) in damages from the Indian arm of the Swiss food giant.... In April, laboratory tests ordered by some state governments found the noodles contained far higher levels of lead than legally allowed. The tests also detected the flavour enhancer chemical monosodium glutamate, or MSG, which is not mentioned in the product's list of ingredients.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Tech company which maintained Hillary's secret server was sued for 'illegally accessing' database and 'stealing White House military advisers' phone numbers'
Daily Mail - The Internet company used by Hillary Clinton to maintain her private server was sued for stealing dozens of phone lines including some which were used by the White House. It also seized 390 lines in a move that created chaos across the US government. Among the phone numbers which the company took - which all suddenly stopped working - were lines for White House military support desks, the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy, a lawsuit claims. Others were the main numbers for major financial institutions, hospitals and the help desk number for T2 Communications, the telecom firm which owned them. A lawsuit filed on behalf of T2 claims that the mess took 11 days to fix and demands that Platte River pay up $360,000 in compensation.

Hillary finally hands over her server—after it's been professionally wiped clean
The Observer - After years of holding herself above the law, telling lie after lie, and months of flat-out obstruction, HIllary Clinton has finally produced to the FBI her server and three thumb drives. Apparently, the server has been professionally wiped clean of any useable information, and the thumb drives contain only what she selectively culled. Myriad criminal offenses apply to this conduct.

Special Ops Soldiers Use Rental Trucks to Infiltrate & Occupy California Town
Paul Joseph Watson - U.S. Special Ops soldiers infiltrated and occupied a town in California using hay trucks and rental trucks, an admission that is sure to stoke concern amongst those wary of Jade Helm, an U.S. Army exercise that began last month amidst a whirlwind of controversy. The revelation is contained within an article by the Desert Dispatch’s Mike Lamb about U.S. Army exercises taking place throughout the High Desert area near Barstow, CA which began last month.

Hillary Clinton Requested Book With Tips On ‘How to Delete Something So It Stays Deleted’
Breitbart - According to ABC News, the latest dump of Hillary Clinton’s emails released by the State Department reveals that the Democrat presidential frontrunner asked to borrow a book that contained tips on how to permanently delete your emails: The last batch of Hillary Clinton emails released by the State Department included one from Clinton asking to borrow a book called “Send: Why People Email So Badly and How to Do It Better,” by David Shipley and Will Schwalbe. Take, for example, Chapter Six: “The Email That Can Land You In Jail.” The chapter includes a section entitled “How to Delete Something So It Stays Deleted.

White House warns states: Keep funding Planned Parenthood
RT - After secret videos showing sales of body parts from aborted babies provoked calls to defund the birth control clinic chain, federal officials warned the states that cutting off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood might violate federal laws. The federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told state officials in Louisiana and Alabama that their plans to cancel Medicaid provider agreements may illegally restrict beneficiary access to services. Federal laws require state Medicaid programs to cover family planning services and supplies for anyone of child-bearing age, according to a HHS spokesperson, who added that ending current arrangements with Planned Parenthood would limit beneficiaries’ access to care and services from providers of their choice.

Armed militias celebrate victory in Montana mine stand-off with federal govt
RT - The Oath Keepers and other militia groups are celebrating a victory after a conflict over surface rights for a mine in Montana was taken to court. The militias were brought in to protect mine owners from federal interference. "We will continue to remain vigilant and on site and make sure what we achieved yesterday is upheld," spokesman for the militias Chris McIntire told AP on Wednesday... The White Hope mine is located under the Helena National Forest near the town of Lincoln. The right for surface rights over the mine claim is contested between owners George Kornec and Phil Nappo and the Forestry Service.

Picture Perfect for Further Divide: Ferguson Revenge Shooter “Posed Holding Guns, Bragged About Being a Gangster”
Mac Slavo - With the right packaging, he is picture perfect to forward an agenda, as other shooters favored by the media have been. Check out how Tyrone Harris is portrayed in the Daily Mail and beyond: Armed teenager shot by police in Ferguson on anniversary of Michael Brown’s death called himself ‘Glocks’, posed with guns and boasted of being a gangster. Social media images posted by Tyrone Harris, 18, who was shot by police when he waved a handgun and opened fire in Ferguson, MO show he bragged about being a member of ‘pistol gang’.

‘I Want My Church Back!': Irate Man Interrupts Catholic Climate Change Confab
Paul Joseph Watson - An irate man interrupted a Catholic meeting about global warming in California this past weekend to accuse the church of selling its soul – another indication of how many Catholics feel uneasy about Pope Francis parroting rhetoric about global government and climate change. The event, organized by Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, featured a number of speakers, from relief workers to scientists, who parroted the official view that man is causing global warming and that anthropogenic climate change represents an environmental crisis.

School Officials Used Young Girl as “Bait” in Rape Sting, She Was Raped and they Covered it Up
Free Thought Project - In 2010, a 14-year-old Huntsville girl was approached by school officials who wanted to use her as bait in a “sting operation.” The plan was to use the young girl to catch a boy in the act who’d been accused of sexually harassing students.... The plan was for the girl not to do anything and teachers would burst in and catch the boy with a girl in the bathroom, but the boy changed bathroom locations. The girl, known in court records as BHJ, was not found by the incompetent school officials until after the student raped her. After their plan had failed, school officials attempted to sweep the incident under the rug. The boy never went to jail. Instead, he was placed in an alternative school, and his records shredded.

Veteran News

Police barge into man’s apartment with guns drawn because they thought he might be a squatter
Police State USA - What makes this all-too-common occurrence more notable is that the man on the receiving end of the raid is an Iraq War veteran and author, 30-year-old Alex Horton. He is now a public affairs specialist who writes for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and has written articles for the New York Times, the Guardian, the Atlantic, and more. “My situation was terrifying,” Horton wrote of his experience in a Washington Post article. “Lying facedown in bed, I knew that any move I made could be viewed as a threat. Instinct told me to get up and protect myself. Training told me that if I did, these officers would shoot me dead.” Mr. Horton admitted to having come home late the previous evening from a bar and neglected to close his apartment door fully. The cracked door alarmed neighbors who called for a police response, which arrived around 9:00 a.m. the following morning.... Mr. Horton, who ordinarily writes about veterans’ issues, now wrote that the treatment he received by local police reminded him of the military operations he used to be involved in while serving in Iraq. He wrote...

Economy & Business

46 million Americans go to food banks, and long lines for dwindling food supplies begin at 6:30 AM
Economic Collapse - Those that run food banks all over America say that demand for their services just continues to explode. It always amazes me that there are still people out there that insist that an “economic collapse” is not happening. From their air-conditioned homes in their cushy suburban neighborhoods they mock the idea that the U.S. economy is crumbling. But if they would just go down and visit the local food banks in their areas, they would see how much people are hurting. According to Feeding America spokesman Ross Fraser, 46 million Americans got food from a food bank at least one time during 2014. Because the demand has become so overwhelming, some food banks are cutting back on the number of days they operate and the amount of food that is given to each family. As you will see below, many impoverished Americans are lining up at food banks as early as 6:30 in the morning just so that they can be sure to get something before the food runs out.

Energy & Environment

Fifteen U.S. states seek to block EPA carbon rule
Reuters - "This rule is the most far-reaching energy regulation in the nation's history, and the EPA simply does not have the legal authority to carry it out," West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said. The Obama administration unveiled the final version of the Clean Power Plan on Aug. 3. It aims to lower emissions from the country's power plants by 32 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.... States, particularly those that have relied on coal for electricity, have argued the EPA has overstepped its regulatory authority. "The Clean Air Act was never intended to be used to create this type of regulatory regime, and it flies in the face of the powers granted to states under the U.S. Constitution," said Morrisey. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming joined West Virginia in requesting the stay.

EPA Contractor Behind CO Mine Spill Got $381 Million From Taxpayers
Daily Caller - The EPA may have been trying to hide the identity of the contracting company responsible for causing a major wastewater spill in southern Colorado, but the Wall Street Journal has revealed the company’s identity. Environmental Restoration (ER) LLC, a Missouri-based firm, was the “contractor whose work caused a mine spill in Colorado that released an estimated 3 million gallons of toxic sludge into a major river system,” the WSJ was told by a source familiar with the matter. The paper also found government documents to corroborate what their source told them.

Family Burned by Explosion of Well Contaminated by Fracking
AllGov - A Texas family is suing several companies involved in fracking after their water well exploded, injuring all four of them. In August 2014, Cody Murray and his father, Jim, went to inspect the family’s pump house after seeing pressurized water spraying from it. Upon entering the building and turning on a switch, a fireball erupted from inside the well. Cody sustained serious burns on his arms, upper back, neck, forehead and nose after pulling his father away from the explosion, which caused serious injuries to Jim, Cody’s wife and his 4-year-old daughter. Cody says he is unable to work and may never be able to do so again. Their attorneys say the explosion was caused by methane gas that leaked into the well from nearby fracking operations run by the defendants, EOG Resources, Fairway Resources LLC and three Fairway subsidiaries. Fairway Resources GP, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Goldman Sachs, according to Courthouse News Service.

Science & Technology

Military Facial Recognition Tech Now In The Hands Of Local Police
Cop Block - According to a new Washington Post report, facial recognition software utilized by intelligence agencies and the military is currently being imported from places like Iraq and Afghanistan to local United States police departments. Originally utilized to identify terrorists, the Post reports, the technology has currently been adopted by dozens of police departments around the country to track voluntary traders like drug dealers, prostitutes, and other victimless “criminals.” The software works to determine the distance between a suspects eyes or the shape of their lips – and is able to identify over 16,000 distinct points on a face. The technology then compares the points with thousands of other similar points in booking and other photos at a rate of more than one million faces per second.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

How to Make Your own Lacto-Fermented Salsa
Health Impact News - While canning pasteurizes the raw components of salsa, ridding them of their enzymes and most beneficial qualities, fermentation actually enhances these benefits, adding lactic acid bacteria to the mix. It is this lactic acid bacteria – widely loved for its probiotic potential – that preserves the salsa. The acidification keeps harmful bacteria at bay and allows the salsa to be preserved for weeks or even months in cold storage, if the process is done properly.

Health

Can Wild Oregano Oil Provide Relief From Engineered Diseases?
Green Med Info - Today we are faced with a plethora of "unusual" emerging illnesses sometimes causing practitioners to scratch their heads, bewildered. For example, the illness now termed "winter vomiting disease," has been seen globally. How about digestive disorders on the rise? Are bacteria or yeasts proliferating unchecked, creating havoc with our inner worlds? Its very possible, though the precise cause not clear yet. We are also dealing with new toxic consequences from engineered food (GM), as well as unknown bacteria in soils and water, intentionally modified viruses, etc ... There is a new name for these vague new diseases, sometimes referred to as GMO-D's, (genetically modified organism-disease) - no wonder we are getting odd new ailments! Some practitioners are using the benefits of Wild Oregano Oil for relief from assaults.

4 Natural (Legal) Herbs for Pain Relief You Don’t Know About
Natural Society - Ever heard of opium lettuce? How about kratom? These are just a few of the many natural herbs that have been used over the centuries as pain-killers. Read on to find out how to use natural herbs for pain to achieve pain relief without over-the-counter and pharmaceutical drugs.

6 Excellent and Overlooked Sources of Protein
Karen Foster - People always fall back to the same old sources of high quality proteins including meat, fish and eggs. Regardless if you are vegetarian or not, there are plenty of other excellent sources which can be incorporated into your diet. More people are modifying their choices for protein out of concern for their health, environment, and economy and the following are very worthy alternatives over the norm.

Pet News

FDA Denies Pet Food Consumers Freedom of Information
Susan Thixton - Nineteen months past the deadline federal law required them to respond, FDA told pet food consumers they are denying our Freedom of Information Act request (Chinese jerky treat) because “disclosure could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings.” The FDA response alludes to something more might be coming with the jerky treat investigation; ‘records compiled for law enforcement purposes could interfere with enforcement proceedings’. Sounds hopeful doesn’t it? Is this actually hope for thousands of Chinese jerky treat victims or is it something else?... [In] January 2014 TruthaboutPetFood.com published NY Department of Agriculture testing results of jerky treats showing the significant differences between what FDA told the public and the actual test results from NY. Such as…

Dogs Sent to Prison Get a New Chance at Life
Dr. Becker - Combine at-risk shelter dogs with prison inmates for 12 weeks, 24/7 and what do you get? Dogs that are given a new opportunity for life and inmates who receive a fresh start as well. The program, called a New Leash on Life, operates in the Philadelphia Prisons System and the Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution at Graterford, but hopefully other correctional institutions will adopt similar programs soon as, to date, the results have been phenomenal. The program enrolls dogs at greatest risk of being euthanized at animal shelters. During their stay in prison, specially trained inmates get them ready for the American Kennel Club’s (AKC) Canine Good Citizen test.
 



Thursday - August 13, 2015 - Today in History:

1792 - French revolutionaries took the entire French royal family and imprisoned them.
1784 - The United States Legislature met for the final time in Annapolis, MD.
1846 - The American Flag was raised for the first time in Los Angeles, CA.
1876 - The Reciprocity Treaty between the U.S. and Hawaii was ratified.
1889 - A patent for a coin-operated telephone was issued to William Gray.
1912 - The first experimental radio license was issued to St. Joseph's College in Philadelphia, PA.
1931 - The first community hospital in the U.S. was dedicated in Elk City, OK.
1932 - Adolf Hitler refused to take the post of vice-chancellor of Germany. He said he was going to hold out "for all or nothing."
1961 - Berlin was divided by a barbed wire fence to halt the flight of refugees. Two days later work on the Berlin Wall began.
1990 - Iraq transferred $3-4 billion in bullion, currency, and other goods seized from Kuwait to Baghdad.
1994 - It was reported that aspirin not only helps reduce the risk of heart disease, but also helps prevent colon cancer.
2004 - The 28th summer Olympic games opened in Athens.
2011 - Seven people were killed when a stage collapsed at the Indiana State Fair during a powerful storm just before a concert was to begin.
2011 - In Republican presidential politics, Rep. Michele Bachmann won the Iowa straw poll and Texas Gov. Rick Perry declared his candidacy.

World News

ISIS truck bomb in Baghdad kills more than 70 and injures 200
RT- A powerful truck bomb blast has hit the Shia-dominated Sadr-City district of the Iraqi capital, killing dozens and injuring more than 200 people. Islamic State fighters claimed responsibility for the explosion. There are conflicting reports of the number of casualties. The Associated Press cited Iraqi officials who said that at least 54 were dead and 86 wounded, while Agence France-Presse said that at least 33 people have been killed in the explosions. Reuters has given the highest numbers of casualties so far, at 76 dead and 200 injured.

ISIL to Shift Recruitment Focus to Caucasus, Central Asia, Indonesia
Sputnik News - The Islamic State (ISIL) jihadist group will soon shift its recruitment focus from the Arab region to the Caucasus, Central Asia and Indonesia, a report by the Egyptian flagship body for religious legal research said in a report. "After the beginning of the ideological and armed war with the Islamic State by the Arab world… the group is changing its recruitment strategies and expands from the Middle East, is looking for new safer regions for attracting new recruits disguising themselves with religion and slogans for protection of Islam and Muslims," the Egyptian House of Fatwa said in the report seen by RIA Novosti.

US planes begin bombing ISIS from bases in Turkey
RT - American bombers have begun operations against Islamic State militants from the Incirlik airbase in Turkey, the US military confirmed on Wednesday. Turkish aircraft were not involved in the missions. Six F-16 strike fighters were deployed to Incirlik Airbase near Adana in southeastern Turkey earlier this week. The US forces stationed there have already been conducting drone operations against Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS/ISIL), but Wednesday’s strikes were the first manned missions staged from Turkey under an arrangement reached with the government of President Erdogan in July.

ISIS releases ‘hit list of US military personnel’, claims hacking victory
RT - Islamic State terrorist group has released what it claims to be a list of US government and military officials, complete with personal data, obtained through hacking. There are doubts that the information is as authentic as it is claimed to be. he data was published on a website and advertised on social media by the self-proclaimed Islamic State Hacking Division, supposedly a group of hackers working for the radical Islamist group. It includes a spreadsheet with names, emails, passwords and contact information of some 1,500 people. There are also alleged bank card numbers and screenshots of what appear to be private Facebook conversations between serving US military personnel discussing operations.

Why More Conflict Is Inevitable In The Middle East
Zero Hedge - We all know how sectarian, religious and political differences have thrown many Middle Eastern countries into chaos and armed conflict. But there is a deeper factor at play which deserves greater recognition: severe water scarcity.... Using satellite data, scientists from the University of California (Irvine), NASA and the National Center for Atmospheric Research found that large parts of the arid Middle East region saw a dramatic loss of freshwater reserves over a seven-year period starting in 2003. Parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran along the Tigris and Euphrates river basins lost some 144 cubic kilometers of total stored freshwater – almost the total amount of water in the Dead Sea. The scientists attributed the majority of this loss to pumping from underground reservoirs.

Bibi Netanyahu threatened with arrest by British as anti-Semitic crimes increase
Examiner - When visiting London during an upcoming trip to the United Kingdom, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu will be met with crowds of protesters who have been pushing a petition calling for the arrest of the Jewish State's leader, according to news stories on Tuesday. A petition calling for the arrest of Netanyahu during his London visit has over 35,000 signatures and climbing, but the U.K. Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, told Israeli officials that there is no chance that anyone will take action on behalf of the signatories.

Black sea: IEA warns of biggest oil oversupply in 17yrs
RT - The excess of oil on the global market reached 3 million barrels per day (bpd) in the second quarter, says the International Energy Agency (IEA). The supply is growing "at breakneck pace" despite a collapse in oil prices. The main culprit seems to be Saudi-led OPEC, which is sticking to keeping its market share rather than defending the prices. The cartel boosted its output to 31.8 million bpd (OPEC says 31.5 million) in July, which is bigger that its quota it officially promised in June not to neither cut, nor increase. This is the highest output from King Salman-dominated bloc in three years. However, OPEC’s role in the global oversupply is only part of the story.

Big brother bailout: Troika to play hardball with Greece – report
RT - A document obtained by the Financial Times reveals the new draconian laws that are in store for Athens if it wants to get the €86 billion from its creditors. According to the 29-page document acquired by FT, it becomes obvious that Greece’s left-leaning government will have its hands tied on all aspects of economic policy, starting from drug prices to tourist rentals, let alone tax administration. The first package of austerity measures needs to be implemented before the deal. PM Alexis Tsipras’ Syriza government will have to cancel cross-border withholding taxes, introduced recently. Among the other measures are raising the retirement age to 67, cutting drug prices and liberalizing energy supplies to homes by 2018. After that, the austerity will continue, as Greece will have to adopt various fiscal, financial, regulatory and pension reforms and keep to a strict budget program.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Jimmy Carter Says He Has Cancer, Revealed by Recent Surgery
ABC News - Former President Jimmy Carter, who at age 90 still travels the world supporting the humanitarian endeavors that have consumed his time in the decades since he left office, announced Wednesday he has cancer that has spread to other parts of his body. "Recent liver surgery revealed that I have cancer that now is in other parts of my body," Carter said in the statement released by the Carter Center. "I will be rearranging my schedule as necessary so I can undergo treatment by physicians at Emory Healthcare."

Latest Video Shows Planned Parenthood Sold Aborted Baby Parts Without Patient Consent
Adan Salazar - Expectant mothers signed consent forms to donate fetal tissue often before agreeing to abortions, the latest video released by the pro-life Center for Medical Progress reveals. In the latest installment of their Human Capital exposé on Planned Parenthood’s reported sale of aborted baby body parts for profit, a former tissue procurement technician explains how she approached pregnant mothers at Planned Parenthood clinics and asked them to sign over their unborn baby’s blood, tissue and organs, often before patients had agreed to an abortion.

Harvard-trained Beverly Hills Doctor Mom Has 4 Children Kidnapped by LA County DCFS
Medical Kidnap - Dr. Susan Evans graduated from Harvard Medical School with dual medical degrees in dermatology and internal medicine. She established her medical practice specializing in dermatology in the heart of Beverly Hills, CA.... Dr. Susan’s expertise has been sought as a medical expert on Dr. Oz, Oprah, the Doctors, CNN, the TODAY show and many more.... However, like thousands of other parents in Los Angeles County, she has lost her 4 children to LA County Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS), even though no charges have ever been filed against her. Not only have no charges been filed against her, a dependency court judge ruled that there was no reason for DCFS to keep her children out of her custody, and dismissed the case with prejudice (meaning the evidence they presented could not be brought before the dependency court again). So why is she still battling LA County DCFS to get her children back?

City of Austin Considers Ban on Asking About Criminal History on Applications
Breitbart - In the latest “Ban the Box,” movement, an Austin, Texas city council member thinks that the city ought to adopt a “fair chance ordinance.” The movement is an attempt to force employers to stop stop tossing employment applications because of a checked box. Austin City Council member Greg Casar told Fox 7 News that it is good policy to give people a “fair shot at a job.” He said, “Fair chance ordinances have started spreading around the country which creates more opportunity for people’s job applications not to get tossed because they have a past criminal history.” The city councilmen added, “The point is we don’t want folks being discriminated in employment for criminal history that’s not relevant to a job they applied for.”

Majority of New Driver’s Licenses Issued in California This Year are to Undocumented Immigrants
AllGov - Undocumented immigrants have not hesitated to take advantage of a new law in California that allows them to get drivers licenses despite their legal status. Undocumented immigrants have received the majority of new drivers licenses issued in the state in 2015, thanks to AB 60, which went into effect this year. That law allows anyone with proof of residency and passing grades on driving and written tests to obtain a license, regardless of their immigration status.

Man Invades Home to Steal Confederate Flag, Attacks Owner, According to Police
Kit Daniels - A Racine, Wis., man invaded a woman’s home to steal her Confederate flag and assaulted her in the process, according to police. Although the suspect, 37-year-old Tajaun Boatner, faces multiple charges, including criminal trespassing and misdemeanor battery, the presiding judge set his bail at $100 over the recent incident spurred by a Confederate flag hanging in a window.

Election News

As Turkey Bombed Anti-ISIS Fighters, It Hired Lobbying Firm Tied to 2016 Candidates
The Intercept - On July 24, Turkey launched a massive military campaign that included sweeping attacks against Kurdish forces as well as minor strikes on Islamic State positions south of Turkey’s border. Just five days later, the Turkish government inked a contract to hire a team of prominent lobbyists to add to its already formidable army of influence-peddlers in Washington. The contract, revealed Wednesday in a filing with the Justice Department, shows that the law and lobbying firm Squire Patton Boggs was retained on July 29 on a $32,000 a month retainer — as a subcontractor to Gephardt Government Affairs, acting for Turkey on its own 10-month, $1.7 million contract. Squire Patton Boggs is no ordinary lobbying firm. It is among the highest grossing firms inside the Beltway, with a roster of former senior government officials and lawmakers. Individuals from the firm are now helping to fundraise for Jeb Bush and are among the top 20 donors to Hillary Clinton over the course of her political career.

Black Lives Matter Vows to Target Trump Campaign Events
Paul Joseph Watson - Following Donald Trump’s promise that he would physically remove any Black Lives Matter activists who interrupted his campaign events, a leader of the protest group today guaranteed that such action is being planned. Daunasia Yancey, founder and lead organizer of Black Lives Matter in Boston, told CNN’s Carol Costello that it was “terrible” that Trump had made “actual threats of violence against black people.”.... During a press conference yesterday, Trump accused Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders of “weakness” for allowing Black Lives Matter activists to derail his campaign stop this past weekend, before asserting that he wouldn’t allow similar behavior at his own event.... While Black Lives Matter demonstrators have targeted Sanders more than once and are now vowing to target Trump, their behavior towards Hillary Clinton has been noticeably less hostile. Clinton met with BLM activists after they complied with an order not to crash her forum in New Hampshire yesterday.

Audio: 52 minutes of Donald Trump: Hear his speech at Michigan event
MLive - Donald Trump, the current Republican frontrunner for president in 2016, drew a sell-out crowd of more than 2,000 people to the Birch Run Expo Center. It was his first Michigan campaign stop, arranged for a GOP fundraiser in Birch Run on Tuesday, Aug. 11. The event was so popular, organizers said, large numbers of people had to be turned away at the door after all available tickets sold out earlier in the day. Trump spoke for nearly an hour to the crowd, who repeatedly rose to give the candidate a standing ovation or launch into impromptu chants of "U.S.A." He talked about issues ranging from foreign trade policy to the national job climate to nuclear proliferation.... Here are some standout quotes from Trump's speech…

Economy & Business

A Death Cross, Wild Market Swings And A Currency War – And We Haven’t Even Gotten To September Yet
Economic Collapse - Things continue to line up in textbook fashion for a major financial crisis by the end of 2015. This week, Wall Street has been buzzing about the first “death cross” that we have seen for the Dow since 2011. When the 50-day moving average moves below the 200-day moving average, that is a very important psychological moment for the market. And just like during the run up to the stock market crash of 2008, we are starting to witness lots of wild swings up and down. The Dow was up more than 200 points on Monday, the Dow was down more than 200 points on Tuesday, and it took a nearly 700 point roundtrip on Wednesday. This is exactly the type of behavior that we would expect to see during the weeks or months leading up to a crash.

After 100 Years Of Making Oreos In The US, Nabisco To Lay Off Half Of It’s Workforce & Send 600 Jobs To Mexico
MAM - Mondelez International (Nabisco) will lay off half of its 1,200 employees in its bakery on Chicago’s Southwest Side after deciding to make a major investment in a Mexico plant rather than its long-standing facility here. The Nabisco company decided not to make a $130 million upgrade to the facility, the company’s largest U.S. bakery, which dates to the 1950s, because the three unions that represent workers either did not make a proposal to keep the work or their concession packages were inadequate, said Laurie Guzzinati, a Mondelez spokeswoman. The layoffs at the plant, at 7300 S. Kedzie Ave., will occur over the next year.

McDonald’s To Close 59 US Locations In the Next Four Months
The Blade - McDonald’s Corp. plans to shrink by 59 locations this year in the United States as the company cuts costs and tries to revive sales. The chain is closing 184 restaurants and opening 125 new ones in 2015, according to a franchise operations document filed with the Minnesota Department of Commerce last month. The company said in June that it was closing more U.S. restaurants than it was opening this year but didn’t give an exact figure. The world’s biggest restaurant chain, which had about 14,350 domestic locations at the end of last year, is shuttering stores across the country as it struggles to reverse its worst sales slump in more than decade. In the U.S., where it gets about 32 percent of revenue, same-store sales have dropped for seven straight quarters.

Energy & Environment

Hormone-Mimicking, Endocrine-Disrupting Nightmare? L.A. Just Dumped Millions of Plastic Balls into Its Drinking Water
Truthstream Media - You know it's bad when the people in charge have decided the "answer" to keeping the water from evaporating in the drought and turning carcinogenic due to toxic chemical reactions is to spend millions of dollars to pour millions of black plastic balls into reservoirs to block sunlight from hitting the water. Because we all know that hormone disrupting chemicals never leach into liquids from hot plastic... The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is buying 80 million 4-inch black polyethylene balls to cover the surfaces of three Los Angeles reservoirs that serve 4 million residents. At a cost of 33 cents each, the hollow spheres are designed to block sunlight from turning bromide and chlorine in the water into bromate, a suspected carcinogen.

EPA’s Gold King Mine Spill Was Predicted 6 Days In Advance
GovtSlaves - The environmental disaster the EPA caused at the Gold King mine in Colorado was predicted 6 days in advance: This letter to editor, posted below, was published in The Silverton Standard and The Miner local newspaper, authored by a retired geologist, one week before EPA mine spill. The letter detailed verbatim, how EPA officials would foul up the Animas River on purpose in order to secure superfund money. If the Gold King mine was declared a superfund site it would essentially kill future development for the mining industry. The Obama EPA is vehemently opposed to mining and development.

Science & Technology

Google using NASA partnership to test drones inside the US - report
RT - A partnership with NASA has enabled Google to test-fly its drones in US airspace, dodging federal aviation regulations. Citing current rules as too restrictive, several US tech companies have conducted their drone research elsewhere. While Amazon used a research facility in Vancouver just across the US border in Canada, Google tested its Project Wing drones in Australia. However, Google seems to have also tested its drones on US soil, using a partnership with NASA to obtain certificates of authorization (COA) to skirt restrictions imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), according to the Guardian’s Mark Harris.

As Phone Companies Ditch Copper, They Nix The Ability To Call During Blackouts
CS Monitor - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday put several new rules in place to regulate telecom companies looking to move away from the old copper wires that have carried voices across town and around the world for more than a century.... Phone companies have been making the move to fiber optic cable for a while now, says Mark Wigfield from the FCC’s Media Relations Office..... The biggest benefit to those old copper wires is that they carry their own electricity. So, when the power goes out, you can still make a call as long as your phone unit itself is still in operation. This is not so with fiber. “The Commission took this fact very seriously, especially as it related to 911 calling,” says Wigfield. “That means that the new rules include a mandate that requires phone companies to make direct-to-consumer offers of power backups.” Wigfield says that these backups would be at the consumer’s expense, but at least they would know exactly what they needed and where to get it.

Health

Can a fungus increase your cancer risk?
Natural Blaze - Mycotoxins are substances produced through the metabolic processes of certain micro fungi. According to the U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information, the most common forms of mycotoxins relevant to humans and animals are: aflatoxin, citrinin, ergot akaloids, fumonisins, ochratoxin A, patulin, trichothecenes, and zearalenone (ZEA). Mycotoxins, in general, can be quite harmful and even fatal to humans and animals. In fact, a few – such as aflatoxin – are classified as carcinogens. The following is some basic information you need to know to keep yourself and your family safe from modern mold toxins and the many health risks associated with them, including diseases like breast cancer.

Cranberry Juice Lowers Diabetes and Heart Disease Risk
Natural Blaze - Researchers from the University of Scranton previously suggested that nutrients found in cranberry juice can effectively reduce the risk of heart disease -- in some cases, up to 40 percent -- mostly by increasing levels of HDL, the "good" cholesterol. The juice was also shown to increase blood levels of antioxidant nutrients by up to 121 percent. Previous research has also shown that cranberry juice helped relax blood vessels clogged with high blood cholesterol and narrowed by atherosclerosis, according to a study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine.

Conquer drug-resistant superbugs with natural essential oils and traditional medicine validated by science
(NaturalNews) As antibiotic-resistant superbugs continue to thrive, it is becoming obvious even to mainstream diehard modern medicine folks that finding natural alternatives is imperative. While Obama's 2016 budget proposal includes $1.2 billion to fight antibiotic resistance, people everywhere are finally waking up to realize the natural answer is simpler, healthier and certainly much cheaper!... Here are five great all-natural antibiotics backed by scientific studies to consider including in your wellness cabinet...
 



Wednesday - August 12, 2015 - Today in History:

1865 - Disinfectant was used for the first time during surgery by Joseph Lister.
1867 - U.S. President Andrew Johnson sparked a move to impeach him when he defied Congress by suspending Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton.
1877 - Thomas Edison invented the phonograph and made the first sound recording.
1898 - The Spanish-American War was ended with the signing of the peace protocol. The U.S. acquired Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. Hawaii was also annexed.
1953 - The Soviet Union secretly tested its first hydrogen bomb.
1960 - The balloon satellite Echo One was launched by the U.S. from Cape Canaveral, FL. It was the first communications satellite.
1962 - The Soviet Union launched Pavel Popovich into orbit. Popovich and Andrian Nikolayev, who was launch a day before, both landed on August 15.
1964 - Mickey Mantle set a major league baseball record when he hit home runs from both the left and ride sides of the plate in the same game.
1977 - The space shuttle Enterprise passed its first solo flight test.
1981 - IBM unveiled its first PC.
1985 - A Japan Air Lines Boeing 747 crashed into a mountain killing 520 people.
1986 - It was announced by NASA that they had selected a new rocket design for the space shuttle. The move was made in an effort at correcting the flaws that were believed to have been responsible for the Challenger disaster.
1992 - The U.S., Canada, and Mexico announced that the North American Free Trade Agreement had been created after 14 months of negotiations.
1993 - U.S. President Clinton lifted the ban on rehiring air traffic controllers that had been fired for going on strike in 1981.
1994 - Major league baseball players went on strike rather than allow team owners to limit their salaries. The strike lasted for 232 days. As a result, the World Series was wiped out for the first time in 90 years.
1998 - Swiss banks agreed to pay $1.25 billion as restitution to World War II Holocaust victims.
1999 - Hang Thu Thi Ngyuen shot an arrow from a bow with her feet on "Guinness World Records: Primetime" and hit a target that was 16 feet and 5 inches away.

World News

China stuns financial markets by devaluing yuan for second day running
The Guardian - China stunned the world’s financial markets on Wednesday by devaluing the yuan for the second consecutive day, triggering fears the world’s second largest economy is in worse shape than investors believed. The move sent fresh shockwaves through global markets, pushing shares sharply lower and sending commodity prices further into reverse as traders feared the move could ignite a currency war that would destabilise the world economy. There were widespread losses in Asia, and in Europe stock markets suffered falls of about 1%, with the FTSE 100 tumbling almost 2% at one stage. The Chinese currency hit a four-year low on Wednesday after the People’s Bank of China set the yuan’s daily midpoint even weaker than in Tuesday’s devaluation.
* Related: Global stocks, yields tumble after China pushes yuan lower again

Greek MOU foresees rapid sale of ports, grid operator, airports
Reuters - Greece will move rapidly to privatize its ports, regional airports and its power grid operator under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreed with its international lenders. According to the 29-page MOU, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters, Greek privatization proceeds, excluding bank shares, are expected to total 6.4 billion euros between 2015 and 2017. The MOU lists a range of measures that the Greek government must implement in order to obtain a new three-year bailout program that is expected to total roughly 85 billion euros. Under the agreement, Athens has committed to take "irreversible steps" by October 2015 to privatize grid operator ADMIE unless an alternative scheme offering equivalent results is presented.

12 Signs That An Imminent Global Financial Crash Has Become Even More Likely
Economic Collapse - The devaluation of the yuan by China triggered the largest one day drop for that currency in the modern era. This caused other global currencies to crash relative to the U.S. dollar, the price of oil hit a six year low, and stock markets all over the world were rattled. The Dow fell 212 points on Tuesday, and Apple stock plummeted another 5 percent. As we hurtle toward the absolutely critical months of September and October, the unraveling of the global financial system is beginning to accelerate. At this point, it is not going to take very much to push us into a full-blown worldwide financial crisis. The following are 12 signs that indicate that a global financial crash has become even more likely after the events of the past few days…

Ousting Assad militarily would enable ISIS to seize Syria – Lavrov
RT - The ousting of President Bashar Assad by force would only lead to ISIS seizing power in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned, adding that Islamic State can only be defeated if all forces who are battling it unite. Speaking at a press conference after negotiations with his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, Russia’s foreign minister once again warned against a “military solution” regarding Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has been targeted by the west and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. “I would not want any powerful state involved in attempts to solve the Syrian crisis to believe that Assad issue may be solved militarily, because the only way of such a military solution is the seizure of power [in Syria] by Islamic State and other terrorists,” Lavrov said, adding: “I don’t think anybody wants that.”

NATO Braces for Possible Military Conflict With Russia - Think-Tank
Sputnik News - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia are bracing for a possible military confrontation, a European defense think-tank policy analysis revealed Wednesday. “Russia is preparing for a conflict with NATO, and NATO is preparing for a possible confrontation with Russia,” the European Leadership Network (ELN) brief stated. The London-based institute cited two major military exercises conducted this year as grounds for its prognosis. NATO held Allied Shield drills involving 15,000 personnel from 19 member states in a number of Eastern European nations in June. These included Trident Joust in Romania, BALTOPS, Saber Strike and Noble Jump – NATO’S first Very High Readiness Joint Task Force deployment – in Poland. In March, 80,000 Russian troops and thousands of units of equipment took part in nationwide snap combat readiness inspections.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Utah Transit Authority to conduct TRAX terrorism exercise at Salt Lake airport
Deseret News - The Utah Transit Authority, along with various other agencies, will test emergency response protocols during a live-action drill scheduled Wednesday. But don't worry, it's only a test. UTA, in conjunction with the Utah National Guard 85th Civil Support Team, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, Salt Lake City International Airport, Salt Lake City Fire Department and the Salt Lake City Police Department will conduct the exercise called “Operation Green Cloud.” The exercise will be a six-hour, full-scale emergency response drill simulating an attack on a Green Line TRAX train.

New surveillance footage shows Ferguson protester shot by cops had pistol – police
RT - St. Louis County police have released surveillance footage allegedly showing Tyrone Harris, a black teen, with a gun. Police said Harris fired the weapon at plainclothes officers before they shot back, leaving him critically wounded in Ferguson on Sunday. The 13-second video comes from a surveillance camera owned by Solo Insurance Services. It opens with people casually walking past a row of shops and parked cars.

US Chief of Staff Ray Odierno Warns Army Too Small to Deter Global Threats
Sputnik News - The US Army has been slashed in size so much by budget cuts that it is dangerously close to being too small to deal with potential threats, Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno warned in an interview published in the Army Times. If we get small enough where some of these [world] leaders don't believe the Army can respond or deter them… that increases the threats and danger to the United States,” Odierno said in an interview published on Tuesday.... Since 2012, the US Army has cut 80,000 soldiers and shut down 13 brigade combat teams, including two in Germany and one in South Korea, to reach an end-strength of 490,000, according to the Army Times.

‘Top Secret’ emails found as Clinton probe expands to key aides
McClatchy - As pressure builds on Hillary Clinton to explain her official use of personal email while serving as secretary of state, she faced new complications Tuesday. It was disclosed her top aides are being drawn into a burgeoning federal inquiry and that two emails on her private account have been classified as “Top Secret.” The inspector general for the Intelligence Community notified senior members of Congress that two of four classified emails discovered on the server Clinton maintained at her New York home contained material deemed to be in one of the highest security classifications - more sensitive than previously known.

Pentagon orders Ferguson Police to return Humvees amid concerns about police militarization
The Guardian - The city of Ferguson, Missouri, is being forced by the Obama administration to return two military vehicles that it obtained from the Pentagon, amid widespread concern and criticism over the deployment on American streets of equipment intended for war zones. The US Department of Defense will reclaim a pair of Humvees that were given to the beleaguered St Louis suburb under a controversial program to distribute surplus weapons, vehicles and other gear, according to several government officials involved in the process.

Media Launches New Demonization Campaign as Oath Keepers Arrive in Ferguson
Paul Joseph Watson - Despite the fact that the Oath Keepers immediately began educating Ferguson demonstrators on their constitutional rights and having constructive conversations about how the movement should be about unity and not race hate, the media jumped on their presence and instantly turned it into another opportunity for race baiting and division. Newsweek quoted the Southern Poverty Law Center, a George Soros-backed outfit that exists solely to smear conservative groups, accusing Oath Keepers of being “fiercely anti-government” and “militaristic”. St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar also said the group’s presence was “both unnecessary and inflammatory,” while #BlackLivesMatter activist Talal Ahmad questioned why “white citizens” were even allowed to enter a “black community” at all.
* Related: St. Louis County Police and Prosecutors Will Consult on Legality of Armed Oath Keepers in Ferguson

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence Signs Bill Saying Aborted Babies May be Buried or Cremated
After national controversy surrounding the Planned Parenthood abortion businesses’ sale of aborted babies and aborted baby body parts, Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed into law a new measure providing that aborted babies may be buried or cremated.... The aborted fetal remains bill (SEA 329), establishes rules as to how abortion facilities must dispose of aborted babies and allows the pregnant woman to choose a different method at her own expense (i.e. burial). As testimony revealed, the Indianapolis Planned Parenthood facility was disposing of aborted babies down a drain into the sewer system, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) implemented emergency disposal rules on July 1.

Target Stores Eliminating ‘Gender-Specific’ Labels and Colors for Kids’ Stuff
Breitbart - The Target department store chain has announced that it intends go “gender neutral” in its stores by eliminating the colors blue and pink in displays and signage and getting rid of the words “boys” and “girls” on clothing and toys wherever possible. In a statement posted to the corporation’s website, Target insisted that it “puts a lot of thought into how things are organized” in its stores and that the corporation is “listening” to customers who want a change.

Election News

Rand Paul: 'My tax plan gets rid of the payroll tax'
Washington Examiner - Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul had one regret from the GOP debate Thursday – the Fox News hosts didn't ask him about his tax plan. On "Fox News Sunday," Chris Wallace made up for ignoring the Kentucky Republican by interrogating him on the plan. Wallace questioned whether Paul's flat tax on personal income would lower revenue by $3 trillion, citing the Tax Foundation's analysis of Paul's plan. "It depends on how you look at it, Chris," laughed Paul. "I look at it as a $3 trillion gain for the taxpayer; and that's a debate we ought to have." "We ought to have a debate [about] whether you want the government to be bigger or smaller, and whether you want the private sector to be bigger or smaller," Paul said. "I want the private sector to be $3 trillion bigger. That's how jobs are created. Government doesn't create jobs. And this is a real debate we ought to have in our party."

Presidential Straw Poll Conducted Using Blockchain Voting Technology
Coinivore - Nearly 300 people attended the Republican debate party at New York’s Metropolitan Republican Club last Thursday night, a number of whom participated in the club’s post-debate straw poll giving their assessment of the night’s winner. The poll was the first of its kind conducted utilizing the technology underlying the bitcoin cryptocurrency– provided by the Blockchain Apparatus company, a subsidiary of Blockchain Technologies Corporation. Among other things, the company can conduct secure elections using the blockchain to ensure votes that are cast are unique and not counterfeit. “Blockchain Apparatus ran the most transparent poll I have ever been involved with,” said Jeff Goolsby, manager of the club. “I think what they bring to the voting process is the future of free and open elections.”

How Blockchain Technology Works for Secure Online Voting
Bitcoin Magazine - Just as Bitcoin users make transactions by sending the digital currency to the recipient’s digital wallet, blockchain voting systems involve creating wallets for each candidate or option in an election. All voters are then allocated a digital “coin” that represents one vote, which they can cast by sending their “coin” to the wallet of their choice. As in a bitcoin transaction, the entire process is recorded in the blockchain public ledger, meaning that unlike most current elections, a voter can verify that his or her vote was actually counted.

Economy & Business

The Fed Is Out Of Options, "QE Is All It Can Do Here" Art Cashin Predicts
Zero Hedge - Weakness in commodities "is not transitory," Art Cashin tells CNBC, if you look at things like copper, "this is really a deflationary push... where things can get a little out of control." The Fed says they must get off zero interest rates because,, as Cashin notes, "they can't do anything else." However, as the venerable floorman who has seen it all explains, "they're in a kind of silly loop where they did QE expecting a reaction... didn't get it.. and then they did QE again because it didn't live up to their expectations... but I think they have no other options, if things get negative on the economy, QE is all they can do."

Bundled Cable Death Watch: Another half-million subscribers quit cable, satellite in second quarter
Breitbart - The largest swindle big business ever played on the American people — forcing us to pay huge cable bills for dozens of channels we never watch — is slowly coming apart. Even with an ever-increasing population, the pay TV industry (cable and satellite) lost a net 566,000 subscribers last quarter. When you add in Q1, that’s a total of 887,000 lost customers in just six short months. There is just no question that customers are getting tech savvy and budget savvy. The result is a growing wave of cord-cutters (last quarter was the second biggest drop in pay TV customers in history) as people discover the beauty of streaming on budget-conscious services like Netflix and Amazon, that charge around $10 a month.

Energy & Environment

EPA won’t face fines for polluting rivers with orange muck
Washington Times - Unlike BP, which was fined $5.5 billion for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, the EPA will pay nothing in fines for unleashing the Animas River spill. “Sovereign immunity. The government doesn’t fine itself,” said Thomas L. Sansonetti, former assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s division of environment and natural resources.... What the EPA can be expected to cover is the cost of the cleanup and compensation for the damage caused, funding that would have to be appropriated by Congress, meaning that the taxpayers will foot the bill.

Health

Low Cholesterol Levels Associated with 990% Higher Mortality After Heart Attack
Health Impact News - A recent study in Critical Care Medicine is titled, “Lipid Paradox in Acute Myocardial Infarction- The Association with 30-Day In-Hospital Mortality.” This study followed 724 hospitalized patients who suffered an acute heart attack (i.e., myocardial infarction). The scientists attempted to clarify the relationship between the lipid profiles and the 30-day mortality in patients who suffered a heart attack.

VIDEO: Researchers (Funded By Coke) Say Soda May Not Be The Problem
Newsy - Coca-Cola's new research group has a message for consumers: Lack of exercise, not sugary drinks, might be the problem. "Most of the focus in the popular media and the scientific press is, 'Oh you're eating too much.' Blaming fast food, blaming sugary drinks and so on," said University of South Carolina professor Steve Blair. After the info-graphic heard 'round the world, Coca-Cola has a new message for consumers: Exercise more because we don't really know if sugary drinks are the problem. Coca-Cola is providing funding for a group of scientists to research proper "energy balance." Or in other words, the biggest soda company on the planet is paying for research that emphasizes the importance of exercising.
* Related: 10 things Coke, Pepsi and the soda industry won’t say

Why Agave is Harmful despite being a Natural Sweetener
Natural News Blogs - The agave sap contains compounds called fructans, which are found mostly found in foods such as wheat, onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, and artichokes. Fructans are generally harmless but over intake of these may pose certain health ill-effects such as abdominal discomfort, bloating, and other gastrointestinal problems. The agave syrup that we purchase off the shelves at supermarkets is the highly processed variety, which unfortunately does more harm than good. The processing of agave involves the breakdown of fructans into fructose via the action of enzymes and heat. This, as a result, destroys the nutritional benefits of the syrup. Also, the effects of prolonged consumption of agave nectar resemble those exhibited by high fructose corn syrup. Bottled agave syrups are excessively refined and unhealthy.

Click here to check out EWG’s Dirty Dozen: Cancer Prevention Edition.
Environmental Working Group - Scientists are only beginning to investigate how certain chemicals may interact to contribute to cancer development. But given that we live in a sea of chemicals, it makes sense to begin reducing exposures to ones we know are bad actors. Here are EWG's tips for avoiding 12 harmful chemicals that have now been found to also disrupt cancer-related pathways — known as cancer hallmarks.

Pet News

The Loving Pet with a Memory That's 192 Times Longer Than a Dog's
Dr. Becker - While the US can certainly be described as a pet-loving nation, there is at least a slight bias toward dogs. In one survey by Public Policy Polling, 52 percent of respondents said they preferred dogs while only 21 percent said they preferred cats (another 27 percent couldn’t decide).... As cat lovers know, cats can be equal parts loving, affectionate and loyal, with an independent streak that only adds to their appeal. If you’re not currently a cat owner, VetStreetrecently compiled seven great things you’re missing out on.
 



Tuesday - August 11, 2015 - Today in History:

1877 - The two moons of Mars were discovered by Asaph Hall, an American astronomer. He named them Phobos and Deimos.
1909 - The American ship Arapahoe became the first to ever use the SOS distress signal off the coast of Cape Hatteras, NC.
1924 - Newsreel pictures were taken of U.S. presidential candidates for the first time.
1934 - Alcatraz, in San Francisco Bay, received federal prisoners for the first time.
1941 - The Atlantic Charter was signed by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
1942 - During World War II, Pierre Laval publicly announced "the hour of liberation for France is the hour when Germany wins the war."
1945 - The Allies informed Japan that they would determine Emperor Hirohito's future status after Japan's surrender.
1965 - The U.S. conducted a second launch of "Surveyor-SD 2" for a landing on the Moon surface test.
1975 - The U.S. vetoed the proposed admission of North and South Vietnam to the United Nations. The Security Counsel had already refused to consider South Korea's application.
1984 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan was preparing for his weekly radio broadcast when, during testing of the microphone, the President said of the Soviet Union, "My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you that I just signed legislation that would outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."
1988 - Dick Thornburgh was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the next attorney general. He succeeded Edwin Meese III.
1990 - Egyptian and Moroccan troops joined U.S. forces in Saudia Arabia to help protect from a possible Iraqi attack.
1991 - The space shuttle Atlantis ended its nine-day journey by landing safely.
1994 - A U.S. federal jury awarded $286.8 million to about 10,000 commercial fishermen for losses as a result of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
1995 - All U.S. nuclear tests were banned by President Clinton.
1997 - U.S. President Clinton made the first use of the line-item veto approved by Congress, rejecting three items in spending and tax bills.
2003 - In Kabul, NATO took command of the 5,000-strong peacekeeping force in Afghanistan.
2006 - The TSA banned all liquids, gels and aerosols from passenger cabins on airliners one day after a thwarted terrorist attack

World News

Lifting of Anti-Iran Sanctions to Lower Global Oil Prices by $10 Per Barrel
Sputnik News - Lifting of the sanctions the West had imposed against Iran in relation to its nuclear program will lead to significant drop in global oil prices, the World Bank said in a press release. "Iran’s full return to the global market will eventually add about a million barrels of oil a day, lowering oil prices by US$10 per barrel next year, according to the World Bank," the bank said in a Monday press release.... Due to oversupply in the global market, oil prices have dropped more than twofold against the 2014 summer levels, when the price of Brent crude stood at about $115 per barrel. The prices are now hovering at about $50 per barrel.

China devalues yuan after poor economic data
Reuters - China devalued its currency after a run of poor economic data, a move it billed as a free-market reform but that some suspect could be the beginning of a longer slide in the exchange rate. The central bank set its official guidance rate down nearly 2 percent prior to market open to 6.2298 yuan per dollar - its lowest point in almost three years - from 6.1162 the previous day in what it said was a change in methodology to make it more responsive to market forces.
* Related: China "Loses Battle Over Yuan", And Now The Global Currency War Begins

Israeli jailed 6 months for burning baby and father to death, Palestinians jailed 20 years for throwing stones
Hang The Bankers - Israel has imprisoned two high-profile ultranationalists for six months without charge and arrested additional suspects in West Bank settlement outposts, security authorities have said. The crackdown on Jewish extremists follows the firebombing of a Palestinian home in the West Bank last month that killed an 18-month-old boy and his father and severely wounded his mother and brother. Israeli authorities said the arson attack on 31 July was an act of “Jewish terrorism”, and Israel’s security cabinet approved the use of tough measures to combat an increasing problem, including administrative detention, which allows suspects to be held for lengthy periods without charge. Such detentions have been mainly used against Palestinians suspected of involvement in militant groups, but rarely against Israelis.

Germany made €100bn profit on Greek crisis – study
RT - Greece’s biggest creditor Germany has made a huge profit on the country’s debt crisis over the last 5 years as it saved through lower interest payments on funds borrowed amid investor "flights to safety." Each time investors got bad news about Greece, they rushed to the ‘safe haven’ of Germany, with the interest rates on German government bonds falling, according to the study from the private, non-profit Leibniz Institute of Economic Research, Agence France-Presse reported Monday. The estimated €100 billion Germany had saved since 2010 accounted for over three percent of its GDP, the report said.... Berlin continues hindering the process. Last week, the creditors urged for more reforms from Athens, arguing that another two-or three-week bridging loan was better than hurriedly striking a three-year deal. Germany’s proposed option of a €5-billion bridging loan to give negotiators more time is still on the table.

Brazil’s Water Crisis So Bad That The Army Is Staging A Mass Uprising At A Water Utility
Tech Insider - The Brazilian megacity of São Paulo, currently dealing with Brazil's largest water crisis in 40 years, continues to experience severe drought over the next several months. The crisis deepens, and soon, some residents lose access to water altogether. The next step: a riot or crowd-driven attack on Sabesp, the local water utility. It's the kind of desperate measure that seems more like a distant post-apocalyptic situation for other drought-ridden places like California, but as one São Paulo water activist recently discovered, the Brazilian army is actually preparing for this possibility.

Spain Turns Down Oxitec GM Flies Release Again
Sustainable Pulse - After protests by a broad coalition of NGOs against plans to release genetically engineered olive flies in Spain, the UK company Oxitec has now withdrawn its application. As reported by Spanish media, Oxitec was informed by regional authorities that the experiments will not be allowed. After 2013, this is the second time that the company has failed to get approval for its application in Spain. Once released, the genetically engineered flies might spread throughout the Mediterranean region and all the locations where native populations of olive flies occur. A broad coalition of mostly representative organisations from Mediterranean countries are demanding that any release of these flies should be banned completely.

Russian cop rams his car into oncoming vehicle to save busload of children
Hang The Bankers - A Russian police officer risked his own life to prevent a road accident that put dozens of children in danger. He ran his patrol car into a vehicle, speeding head on into a convoy of children’s buses. The cop miraculously survived the crash. On Saturday, the officer, now hailed as a hero, Aleksandr Kosolapov, was escorting a convoy of nine buses transporting about 300 children from a summer camp to the city of Abakan, the capital of the Khakassia Republic in sourthern Siberia.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Psychology group bans members from harsh national security interrogations
Ars Technica - The American Psychological Association (APA) has approved a ban on psychologists' involvement in national security interrogations. The group approved its new ethics guidelines Friday in Toronto. The APA adopted the plan in the wake of 542-page independent investigation (PDF) that discovered psychologists worked with the Central Intelligence Agency to help silence dissent over harsh interrogation tactics being employed by the Bush administration (including torture). What's more, the report found that APA officials colluded with military officials to adopt APA ethics rules in order to allow psychologists to be a part of tortuous interrogations in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. Psychologists' involvement in torturous interrogations aided the President George W. Bush administration's assertions that the techniques, such as waterboarding, were legal. That's because having psychologists involved in interrogations helped the Justice Department draw up secret legal opinions saying that harsh interrogations were OK—and not torture—since health officials were taking part.

VIDEO: 4th night of Ferguson protests brings confrontation, arrests
AP - Police arrested nearly two dozen people in Ferguson during a fourth consecutive night of demonstrations marking the anniversary of the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown. The gathering that stretched into early Tuesday morning came a day after a protest along West Florissant Avenue that was interrupted by gunfire and a police shooting that left an 18-year-old critically injured. The violence set the St. Louis suburb on edge and had protest leaders worried about whether tensions would escalate.

U.S. Army in Secretive Purchase of “Riot Control” Agent
Paul Joseph Watson - The U.S. Army is buying an undisclosed number of riot control CS gas canisters in order for troops to “become familiar with the effects of the agent,” as concerns grow about civil unrest inside the United States. According to a solicitation posted on August 5, the U.S. Army is looking to secure a five year contract for the procurement of K765 CS Capsules. “The CS (ortho-chlorobenzylidene malono-nitrile) Riot Control Agent Capsule is used in training scenarios for troops to become familiar with the effects of the agent,” states the solicitation. The exact nature of the solicitation and the quantity of canisters being purchased remains secret as a result of the “Technical Data Package” that accompanies the order being classified.

NYPD spending $4.5million on Tasers and expanding stun gun arsenal to nearly 3,000
Daily Mail - In an effort to give officers more nonlethal alternatives when dealing with criminals, the New York Police Department is expanding its arsenal of stun guns. An NYPD spokesman confirmed the city is contracting to spend up to $4.5million on Tasers and officers are already undergoing training on how to use them. Currently, only patrol sergeants and members of the Emergency Service Unit are qualified to use the stun guns. There are currently 700 Tasers in use by the department and another 1,000 in inventory, the New York Post reported. Officials say all supervisors on patrol will be given Tasers.

State of emergency declared in St. Louis county; activists arrested at federal courthouse
RT - About 40 protesters, including prominent activist Cornel West, have been arrested during the rally in front of the federal courthouse in St. Louis. The rally was organized on the anniversary of Michael Brown’s killing. The ‘Day of civil disobedience’ march started at Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral in St. Louis and ended at the Thomas F. Eagleton federal courthouse, where dozens formed a living chain.... Meanwhile, St. Louis County has declared a state of emergency, authorizing Police Chief Jon Belmar to “exercise all powers and duties necessary to preserve order, prevent crimes, and protect the life and property of our citizens.”
* Related: VIDEO: Twice Looted Ferguson Market Owners Sit Outside Store With Shotguns

Protesters Declare They Are Ready For War As America’s Impoverished Inner Cities Threaten To Erupt
Economic Collapse - Are we about to witness a new round of racially-charged protests, riots and demonstrations all across the United States? On Sunday night, a protest that had been organized to commemorate the one year anniversary of Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, Missouri took a very violent turn. An 18-year-old named Tyrone Harris that is being described as a “real close” friend of Michael Brown opened fire on police with a stolen handgun. Police returned fire and Harris got hit. He is now in the hospital and his prognosis is uncertain. Of course this just raised tensions to an entirely new level, and at this point a state of emergency has been declared in Ferguson.

White House response to anti mandatory vaccine petition
Hang The Bankers - With the White House finally responding to the petition to pardon NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden with a big fat ‘NO’, the government went one step further and responded to an anti mandatory vaccine petition with a similar response. Both ‘We the People’ petitions exceeded the necessary 100,000 signatures, despite efforts to freeze the signature count, requiring the White House to respond. These petitions are nothing more than an avenue for the public to vent, no real action is ever taken despite the popularity of the petitions measured in signatures.... Here is the official response from the whitehouse.gov website...

Election News

Trump holds post-debate lead in Iowa
The Hill - Donald Trump has a healthy lead over the field of Republican presidential candidates in Iowa, according to the first poll of voters in the Hawkeye State since the GOP debate last week. A new poll from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling released Monday found Trump taking 19 percent support in Iowa, the first-in-the-nation caucus state. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Ben Carson are tied for second place at 12 percent support each, followed by Jeb Bush at 11 percent, businesswoman Carly Fiorina at 10 percent and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 9 percent. Walker spent months atop the polls in Iowa but in recent weeks has been overtaken by Trump, who has been surging.

Veteran News

VA Backs Down on Threat to Take Idaho Veteran's Guns
The New American - When Idaho State Representative Heather Scott learned that the Veterans Administration (VA) was about to descend on a veteran living in her district and confiscate his firearms, she enlisted the power of the Internet… By noon more than a dozen of Priest Lake, Idaho’s 1,700 residents walked over to veteran John Arnold’s home and waited for the officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs to show up. Those in the crowd besides Representative Scott included Representative Matt Shea from just over the border in Washington State and Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler. When the VA official arrived, Sheriff Wheeler confronted him, telling him that he would stop any inspection or attempt to confiscate Arnold’s firearms. He told the press: I took an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution and uphold the laws of Idaho. This seemed appropriate to show my support. I was going to make sure Mr. Arnold’s rights weren’t going to be breached.

Economy & Business

US Postal Service Reports $586 Million Net Loss For Spring
GovtSlaves - The U.S. Postal Service on Monday reported a net loss of $586 million this spring, a big improvement for the cash-strapped agency compared to a nearly $2 billion loss during the same period last year. Postal officials said the loss was mitigated largely because interest rates, which are associated with worker’ compensation expenses, swung in the agency’s favor. Operating expenses outside the Postal Service’s control dropped by $1.6 billion during the same period last year to $389 million this spring.

Chicago public schools to lay off 1,500 teachers and staff
Reuters - Chicago Public Schools on Monday began notifying nearly 1,500 teachers and support staff who are being fired amid a previously announced, $200 million budget cut and a shift in student enrollment. The announcement came as CPS released its $5.7 billion 2016 budget, which includes a historic $1.1 billion budget deficit driven by rapidly rising pension payments. The layoff notices will affect 479 teachers and 1,012 other staff members out of more than 41,500 employees, according to the school system.

What You Need to Know About Unwanted Robocalls
Fox Business - Some robocalls are perfectly legal. For instance, the one from your doctor’s office reminding you of your next appointment. Or the automated call you get about your child’s school being closed due to snow. The illegal kinds of robocalls are the ones you never signed up for. For instance, the telemarketing calls that try to sell you something. You know, those aggravating, dinner-disrupting, “Press 3 to sign up for a free trial” calls that make you want to throw your phone at the wall. They’re the latest technique scammers are using to trick you into giving them your credit card number or other personal information so they can wipe out your bank account.

Energy & Environment

Obama Pentagon Flogs Discredited Climate Fears
The New American - The Obama Defense Department is at it again, ratcheting up the global warming fear index in preparation for the big UN climate summits in New York (September) and Paris (December)… The Department of Defense released its latest alarmist salvo on the supposed dangers of anthropogenic (human-caused) global warming, or AGW, on Wednesday. Entitled National Security Implications of Climate-Related Risks and a Changing Climate, the 14-page report warns that “climate change is an urgent and growing threat to our national security.” Naturally, it was given abundant favorable coverage by the same establishment media choir that have been dutifully parroting every climate apocalypse prediction for the past 20-plus years. According to this most recent DOD warning, man's burning of carbon-based fuels is “contributing to increased natural disasters, refugee flows, and conflicts over basic resources such as food and water.”

Science & Technology

Someone At DEF CON Made a Drone That Hacks Computers
Defense One - You can buy it for $2,500 — and turn it into a flying malware injector. Forget Facebook drones that broadcast Wifi. The future is drones that hack from above. A company called Aerial Assault has turned a quadcopter into a flying hacker that scans the world below for insecure devices and vulnerable Wifi ports. Its makers say they built the tool for penetration testing — to help “good guys” diagnose their own weaknesses — but they concede that with a bit of modification, it could be used to exploit those vulnerabilities and install malware from the air. The unnamed drone, which may be the first unmanned aerial penetration tool for sale to the public, was on display at the DEF CON hacker conference here last week.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Minnesota Expands Food Freedom in New Cottage Food Bill
Freedom Works - Under the new law, bakers can sell directly from their homes and even online to buyers in state. The annual sales cap was also raised to $18,000, a huge relief for many bakers who are reliant on the money they make from their home businesses and have been unable to expand because of the burdensome regulations. The new law is not perfect. Though it “modif[ies] license exclusions for the direct sale of certain prepared food,” the bill still mandates that individuals register with the commissioner and pay a $50 fee every year unless they make less than $5,000 annually. Individuals must also take a course in handling food (up to eight hours long) every three years.

Health

Saturated Fat Helps Avoid Diabetes
Dr. Mercola - About one in four Americans now has diabetes or pre-diabetes. That's nearly 80 million people, the majority of whom suffer from type 2 diabetes – a preventable and, often, reversible condition. The problem is that many Americans are unaware that the foods they're eating could be setting them up for a dietary disaster, and this isn't their fault. Public health guidelines condemn healthy fats from foods like butter and full-fat dairy and recommend whole grains and cereals – the opposite of what a person with diabetes, or any person really, needs to stay healthy.

Are You Trading Heartburn for a Heart Attack?
Green Med Info - The burning pain of acid reflux can be unbearable. Most doctors offer a quick-fix in the form of drugs like Prevacid, Nexium, or Prilosec. But a new study finds those drugs may calm heartburn at the price of a heart attack. Researchers from Stanford University showed that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are linked to higher risks of myocardial infarction and death – even among people without heart disease. PPIs block acid production in the stomach to reduce or eliminate heartburn. They are prescribed primarily for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). But they've been called one of the most dangerous and over-prescribed medications on the market. The Stanford study published online in the journal PLoS One found that people taking PPIs were 16 percent to 21 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack and 122 percent more likely to die of cardiovascular disease.

Here's Why Every Mother-To-Be Should Be Taking Iodine
Karen Foster - One of the most significant and under-consumed minerals today is iodine. It plays an important role in regulating the thyroid gland and metabolism. In pregnancy, iodine also helps your baby's brain and nervous system develop. Iodine deficiencies are one of the most important causes of preventable intellectual disability and brain damage worldwide.... Iodine helps brain development, particularly in the womb and first months, and can improve a child's IQ by 1.22 points.... Pregnant women need a minimum of 220 micrograms (mcg) of iodine per day while breastfeeding women about 290 mcg.
 



Monday - August 10, 2015 - Today in History:

1792 - King Louis XVI was taken into custody by mobs during the French Revolution. He was executed the following January after being put on trial for treason.
1821 - Missouri became the 24th state to join the Union.
1846 - The Smithsonian Institution was chartered by the U.S. Congress.
1881 - Thomas Edison's exhibit opened the Paris Electrical Exhibition.
1885 - The first electric streetcar, to be used commercially, was operated in Baltimore, MD, by Leo Daft.
1914 - Austria-Hungary invaded Russia.
1921 - Franklin D. Roosevelt was stricken with polio.
1927 - Mount Rushmore was formally dedicated. The individual faces of the presidents were dedicated later.
1944 - U.S. forces defeated the remaining Japanese resistance on Guam.
1945 - The day after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan announced they would surrender. The only condition was that the status of Emperor Hirohito would remain unchanged.
1949 - In the U.S., the National Military Establishment had its name changed to the Department of Defense.
1988 - President Reagan signed a measure that provided $20,000 payments to Japanese-Americans who were interned by the U.S. gov't. during WWII
1993 - A massive deficit-reduction bill was signed into law by U.S. President Bill Clinton.
1994 - U.S. President Clinton claimed presidential immunity when he asked a federal judge to dismiss, at least for the time being, a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Paula Corbin Jones.
1995 - Norma McCorvey, "Jane Roe" of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, announced that she had joined the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue.
2003 - Ekaterina Dmitriev and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko were married. Malenchenko was about 240 miles above the earth in the international space station. It was the first-ever marriage from space.

World News

Overnight blast at police station, shooting at US consulate in Istanbul kill 1, injure 10 (PHOTOS)
RT - One police officer has been killed, with seven others and three civilians injured in a “bomb attack” which targeted a police station in Istanbul's suburb of Sultanbeyli. That blast was followed by an attack on the US consulate in the city. The explosion on Sunday night caused a fire at the police station, located in the Sultanbeyli neighborhood of Istanbul, injuring at least seven people, Anadolu Agency reported. Part of the three-story building collapsed and nearby structures were also damaged, as well as up to 20 vehicles nearby, Dogan news reported.

Turkey Protecting ISIL to Limit Kurdistan Workers' Party - PKK Leader
Sputnik News - Turkey is protecting the Islamic State (ISIL), in order to limit the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the country, PKK leader Cemil Bayik said Monday. "The Turkish claim they are fighting Islamic State… but in fact they are fighting the PKK… They are doing it to limit the PKK's fight against ISIL. Turkey is protecting ISIL," Bayik told BBC. According to Bayik, Turkish authorities are behind massacres allegedly committed by ISIL, and Istanbul's aim is to "stop the Kurdish advance against [ISIL], thus advancing [their] aim of Turkishness in Turkey."

China approves usage of ruble instead of US dollar for border city
RT - China's central bank has put the Russian ruble into circulation in Suifenhe City, Heilongjiang Province, launching a pilot two-currency (ruble and yuan) program. The ruble is being introduced in place of the US dollar. The announcement was made on Saturday by Jin Mei, deputy secretary for monetary policy at the opening ceremony of a trade exposition in Suifenhe, reported state-run Xinhua news agency. The newly-adopted initiative is to promote bilateral trade relations and boost tourism, enabling Russians traveling to the Chinese region to pay for their expenses directly in rubles. This year’s six month Russia-China financial results look promising with yuan-denominated payments reaching the value of $1.32 billion, added Mei.

'Syria ready to join intl. anti-ISIL bid'
PressTV - "Iraq's government has agreed [to join anti-ISIL coalition]; the Syrian government has never been requested, though, I am sure, if Damascus were approached, it could agree," Lavrov told Rossiya-1 television channel on Sunday. Russia’s top diplomat also lashed out at Washington and certain regional countries for their hypocritical disregard of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in their alleged fight against terrorism. “It is another example of double standards - for the purposes of eliminating the chemical weapon, Assad was quite a legitimate counterpart, but for fighting terrorism - for some reason - no," he added.

Saudi Arabia's Cash Reserves Dwindling, Forcing It to Borrow
The New American - In an astonishing admission that the Saudis have gambled with a bet that is now going sour, the Saudi Arabia Monetary Agency (the country’s central bank) reported: It is becoming apparent that non-OPEC producers [in the United States] are not as responsive to low oil prices as had been thought, at least in the short run… But patience will last only as long as their foreign reserves of cash, and Saudi Arabia’s reserves (immense though they be) are dwindling rapidly… It seems they didn't have any idea that 1) fracking was so much less capital intensive, and 2) so much more responsive to market prices. Not to mention how aggressive frackers have been in reducing their costs, which has allowed many/most of them to remain profitable even under the falling price scenario.

Scotland Announces Ban on Growing GMO Crops
Activist Post - Today, Scotland’s secretary of rural affairs, Richard Lochhead, announced a ban on growing genetically modified crops. According to the BBC: Richard Lochhead said the Scottish government was not prepared to “gamble” with the future of Scotland’s £14bn food and drink sector. He is to request that Scotland be excluded from any European consents for the cultivation of GM crops. But farming leaders said they were disappointed by the move. Mr Lochhead said the request for opt-outs from GM crop consent would cover an EU approved variety of genetically modified maize and six other GM crops that are awaiting authorization. He said that Scotland was known around the world for its “beautiful natural environment” and banning the growing of genetically modified crops would protect and further enhance its “clean, green status”.

Japan split over restart of first nuclear reactor since Fukushima disaster
The Guardian - After months of debate about safety, Japan will begin producing nuclear energy for the first time in almost two years close to the town of Satsumasendai as early as Tuesday. Restarting one of the Sendai nuclear plant’s two 30-year-old reactors represents a victory for the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who insists that without nuclear energy the Japanese economy will buckle beneath the weight of expensive oil and gas imports. But his call for Japan to confront its Fukushima demons has been greeted with scepticism by most voters, whose opposition to nuclear restarts remains firm, even in the face of rising electricity bills… Sendai reactor No 1 is one of 25 reactors being targeted for possible restarts.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

NASA signing $490M contract with Russia
The Hill - NASA informed lawmakers on Wednesday that because Congress has failed to fully fund its Commercial Crew Program for the last five years, it is signing a $490 million contract extension with Russia to send Americans to space. The new contract, running through 2019, means that NASA will continue to depend on Russia to get its astronauts to space even as tensions between Washington and Moscow escalate. It will put money in Russia’s pockets even as U.S. economic sanctions seek to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government over the conflict in Ukraine. It will also make the U.S. susceptible to threats from Russia, which in the past has suggested it could stop taking U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station. The U.S. has relied on Russia since retiring its space shuttle program.

Man shot in Ferguson identified as black 18yo Tyrone Harris, 'friend of Michael Brown'
RT - The person shot in Ferguson by a police officer after a day of commemorating the first anniversary of Michael Brown’s death has been identified by his father as 18-year-old Tyrone Harris Jr., of St. Louis, who was “real close” to Brown, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. "We think there's a lot more to this than what's being said," Harris Sr. said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, adding that his son had graduated from Normandy High School. Harris Sr. also added that his son had just come out of surgery early on Monday.
* Related: Man in critical condition after being shot by police in Ferguson

Fighting Caps on Military Budget, Top Defense Contractors Increase Lobbying Budget by 25%
AllGov - Companies such as Boeing, General Electric, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and many others ramped up their spending on lobbying, increasing their budgets by 25% in an effort to push Congress into giving the Pentagon more money in the coming years. The Center for Public Integrity reported that “an army of more than 400 lobbyists” invaded Capitol Hill to urge increased spending on military hardware. The center said total lobbying expenditures by the 53 top defense contractors was up to $58.5 million during the second quarter of this year, compared to $45.7 million during the same period in 2014.

FBI to begin offering therapy to would-be jihadists in the US
Bizpac Review - The Obama administration has launched a new approach to deal with potential ISIS supporters in the United States and it will require the FBI to offer therapy for the would-be jihadists. And an even more disturbing aspect of the plan is that there are “thousands of Americans” who fall into this category. The Wall Street Journal reports: Faced with a wave of potential homegrown Islamic State supporters, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is embarking on a new approach with some suspects: putting them in counseling rather than handcuffs… Proponents of the intervention model say it provides a possible “off ramp” from radicalization and addresses a hard truth: The FBI cannot effectively investigate all of the thousands of Americans who are believed to be interested in Islamic State, also known as ISIS.

Jade Helm Martial Law Forces Are Completely Occupying Every Corner of America
Dave Hodges - The martial law forces of Jade Helm are everywhere. In the United States, we are witnessing unprecedented troop movements. Some of the American people are becoming hyper vigilant as they know, from what they are seeing, that something is terribly wrong. The following is a small cross-section of what I receive everyday. The takeover of America well under way as the country sleeps its way through the major events and embraces the beginning of a new NFL season.

Los Angeles Mayor Signs Confiscatory Magazine Ban Into Law
Chris Eger - In 60 days, there will be no such thing as a legally grandfathered civilian-owned magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds in Los Angeles. Mayor Eric Garcetti signed the citywide ordinance Friday prohibiting the ownership of what the state deems large-capacity detachable firearm magazines. The controversial measure was introduced by City Councilman Paul Krekorian and passed the council by unanimous vote on July 28.

Here's the proof a NYC high school diploma is worthless
New York Post - “‘The Three Little Pigs’ story was read round-robin style in a grade 11 classroom, which demonstrated limited student access in this class to grade-level text,” according to the department’s Office of Accountability. A two-day review of the Chelsea school — which has been flagged for poor performance — found some obviously “low-level” texts in other classes as well. But some students at Landmark struggled to deal with age-appropriate books. “In classes where students were observed reading challenging text, when asked to answer simple questions about the text, most either reread the words in the text or said they did not know,” the report says.
* Related: Would You Have Wanted This Curriculum in High School?

Election News

Trump campaign: ‘Only a deviant’ would misunderstand Kelly remark
The Hill - Donald Trump is pushing back against the growing backlash over his most recent comments in an ongoing barrage of criticism against Fox News host Megyn Kelly. During a phone interview Friday night on CNN, Trump blamed Kelly’s alleged mistreatment of him during this week’s GOP debate on having "blood coming out of her wherever.” In a statement released Saturday morning, the Trump campaign insisted the billionaire businessman meant to say “blood was coming out of her eyes and whatever, meaning nose.” “Only a deviant would think anything else,” the statement continued. The fallout from Trump’s interview on CNN came swift, with excoriation from both the right and the left that culminated with Trump being uninvited to the 2015 RedState Gathering — a major conservative forum where many presidential candidates are due to speak — by RedState founder and Fox News contributor Erick Erickson.
* Related Video/Article: Donald Trump: No apology...

Economy & Business

Gerald Celente Is Predicting That A Stock Market Crash Will Happen By The End Of 2015
Economic Collapse - Gerald Celente of the Trends Research Institute has just gone on the record with a prediction that there will be a stock market crash by the end of this calendar year... Just a couple of days ago, he told Eric King the following: “I’m now predicting that we are going to see a global stock market crash before the end of the year.” Celente says that it won’t just be U.S. stocks either. He believes that crashes are also coming to “the DAX, the FTSE, the CAC, Shanghai, and the Nikkei”. It other words, it is going to be a truly global financial crisis and he says that there is “going to be panic on the streets from Wall Street to Shanghai and from the UK down to Brazil”.

Going Bankrupt Like Trump Did Is for High Rollers, Not Homeowners
The Intercept - Donald Trump took advantage of the nation’s bankruptcy laws four times in the last 24 years, and if ordinary Americans in this country were allowed to do the same, the country would be in markedly better shape economically, with a far stronger post-recession recovery… Only one group of people in America are denied this fully legal, fully rational, fully American opportunity to wipe the slate clean, and decried as deadbeats for even thinking about it: The homeowner of a primary residence, who by law cannot get mortgage debt discharged in bankruptcy… Only one group of people in America are denied this fully legal, fully rational, fully American opportunity to wipe the slate clean, and decried as deadbeats for even thinking about it: The homeowner of a primary residence, who by law cannot get mortgage debt discharged in bankruptcy.

Blue Shield of California Must Rebate Some of Huge Obamacare Profits
Breitbart - Blue Shield of California violated Obamacare’s mandated requirement that their medical expenditures be a minimum of 80 percent of healthcare premiums paid. Under the law, Blue Shield will be required to rebate almost $83 million to individuals and small businesses. But by destroying small and regional competition, the supposedly not-for-profit Blue Shield, after its rebate, still made $52 million more profit under Obamacare.

Mainstream Media Stock Prices Collapsing as People Choose Internet Over TV
Activist Post - The long-term decline in viewership for America’s big TV outlets is finally starting to catch up to their stock prices. Since 2009, media stocks have been some of the best performers in S&P 500, but the last few days have seen $50 billion wiped from these companies. According to Bloomberg, Ignited by a plunge in Walt Disney Co., shares tracked by the 15-company S&P 500 Media Index have tumbled 8.2 percent in two days, the biggest slump for the group since 2008…In just five stocks — Disney, Time Warner Inc., Fox, CBS and Comcast Corp. — almost $50 billion of value was erased in two days. Viacom slid 14 percent on Thursday alone, its biggest drop since October 2008.

Energy & Environment

EPA: Amount of mine waste water 3 times original estimate
9News - The Environmental Protection Agency said Sunday the amount of waste water that spilled from the Gold King Mine and turned the Animas River orange was three times its original estimate. Shaun McGrath, administrator from the EPA Region 8 Office, said three million gallons of the toxic water laced with heavy metals spilled into Cement Creek last Wednesday. McGrath said the agency updated its initial estimate of one million gallons after checking a U.S.G.S. stream gauge on Cement Creek… Sunday marked five days since an EPA team mistakenly released the waste water from the abandoned Gold King Mine in Silverton. The orange plume was still moving at about 500 feet per minute, thinning as it reached areas near Farmington, New Mexico.

Insanity: Turning Smart Meters into a Supercomputer Platform
Smart Grid Awareness - Forbes just published an article where a company called Hive Computing plans to connect smart meters and utilize their spare capacity to create a networked supercomputer... Hive Computing, a start-up company, has an idea that meshes smart meters and computing. Eric Frazier, Co-Founder of Hive, has noticed that utility smart meters sit idle over 95% of the time and have the computing capability of a cellphone.... If in fact the smart meter were to be used for purposes unrelated to delivery of electrical service, then the duty cycle for a smart meter could easily approach 50%. That is, the smart meter could be active 100% of the time, receiving transmissions 50% of the time and sending transmissions 50% of the time. This would be horrifying news to those who report that their health is already being negatively affected by smart meter emissions.

VIDEO: EPA crew accidentally turns Animas River orange
CNN - According to the EPA, the spill occurred when one of its teams was using heavy equipment to enter the Gold King Mine, a suspended mine near Durango. Instead of entering the mine and beginning the process of pumping and treating the contaminated water inside as planned, the team accidentally caused it to flow into the nearby Animas River. Before the spill, water carrying "metals pollution" was flowing into a holding area outside the mine.

Massive Toxic Algae Bloom Spreading Across Pacific Coast
Sputnik News - The massive algae bloom emerged in May and spans from the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California to Alaska's Aleutian Islands… The bloom produces a profusion of demoic acid, a chemical compound that accumulates in shellfish, sardines, and anchovies. It also works like a neurotoxin on higher marine life such as sea lions. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, contaminated seafood can cause amnesic shellfish poisoning in humans which can lead to short-term memory loss, brain damage, and death… Researchers believe it was partially spawned by unusually warm water along the West Coast. Trainer said scientists are also concerned about the El Nino effect, a recurring phenomenon that alters sea currents and temperatures.

Science & Technology

Facebook Monitors Your Private Messages and Photos For Criminal Activity, Reports them to Police
Blacklisted News - The software will monitor individuals who have a ‘loose’ relationship on social media networks, according to an interview with Facebook Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan. Reuters interview with the security officer explains, Facebook’s software focuses on conversations between members who have a loose relationship on the social network. For example, if two users aren’t friends, only recently became friends, have no mutual friends, interact with each other very little, have a significant age difference, and/or are located far from each other, the tool pays particular attention. The scanning program looks for certain phrases found in previously obtained chat records from criminals, including sexual predators… The relationship analysis and phrase material have to add up before a Facebook employee actually looks at communications and makes the final decision of whether to ping the authorities.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

How to Harvest, Cure and Store 20 Storage Crops
Mother Earth News - Learn how to harvest, cure and store 20 favorite storage crops — from beans and potatoes to cabbage and carrots.

Health

Mumps outbreak strikes Illinois college students who already received TWO MMR vaccines
(NaturalNews) Reports indicate that some 69 cases of mumps have thus far been reported on the UIUC campus, and most of these, according to Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Nirav Shah, occurred among students who had previously received two rounds of the combination vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. As you may recall, the efficacy of the mumps component of the MMR vaccine was called into question by two former Merck scientists who filed a False Claims Act complaint in 2010. They allege that the vaccine giant fabricated study data to promote this controversial vaccine as effective, when in reality it doesn't actually work as claimed… And yet IDPH's Shah believes the solution is to push more MMR vaccines on students to supposedly curb the disease's spread. He told the media that, even though the first two rounds of MMR apparently didn't work amongst the affected students at UIUC, they should still opt for a third round of the vaccine because it "could help control the outbreak," reports Fox News.

These 2 Grapefruit Compounds May Act Through DNA to Stop Cancer
Natural Society - Just in the past few years, scientists have discovered that two compounds found in grapefruit can aid in repairing DNA damage, possibly bringing it closer to the 100% mark. Naringenin is a bioflavonoid found in all citrus fruits in very small amounts, but grapefruit is the only source of substantial amounts.... Apigenin is another bioflavonoid found in high amounts in grapefruit, and also in parsley, onions, and chamomile tea. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, as well as anti-tumor properties. Apigenin has been studied intently in the last few years too.

10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits and Unexpected Uses for Cinnamon
Natural News Blogs - Cinnamon has been widely used for thousands of years because of its medicinal properties. It’s quite potent and can take your health to the next level. Following are some health benefits that are supported by scientific research and the recommended ways you can use of this super spice. Try to incorporate it into your everyday routine to reap the most benefits.

Pet News

VIDEO: Service Dog Saves Blind Owner's Life During House Fire
NBC News - Yolanda is a special service dog who has now saved her blind owner twice from emergency. NBC10's George Spencer talks to Yolanda's grateful owner.

This Human Delicacy Could Poison Your Dog Fast
Dr. Becker - Chocolate contains the natural stimulants caffeine and theobromine, both of which are toxic for pets. Dogs are more often the victims of chocolate poisoning than cats. Small amounts of chocolate can cause problems for pets. Baker’s chocolate and dark chocolate are the most common causes of toxicosis in dogs. Symptoms of chocolate ingestion usually appear within 4 to 5 hours, progress rapidly, and can continue for 12 to 36 hours. Treatment involves inducing vomiting, administering activated charcoal, and providing supportive care.
 



Friday - August 7, 2015 - Today in History:

1789 - The U.S. War Department was established by the U.S. Congress.
1782 - George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart.
1914 - Germany invaded France.
1928 - The U.S. Treasure Department issued a new bill that was one third smaller than the previous U.S. bills.
1934 - The U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling striking down the government's attempt to ban the controversial James Joyce novel "Ulysses."
1942 - U.S. forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II.
1959 - The U.S. launched Explorer 6, which sent back a picture of the Earth.
1960 - The Cuban Catholic Church condemned the rise of communism in Cuba. Fidel Castro then banned all religious TV and radio broadcasts.
1964 - The U.S. Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which gave President Johnson broad powers in dealing with reported North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. forces.
1976 - Scientists in Pasadena, CA, announced that the Viking 1 spacecraft had found strong indications of possible life on Mars.
1981 - After 128 years of publication, "The Washington Star" ceased all operations.
1987 - The presidents of five Central American nations, met in Guatemala City, and signed an 11-point agreement designed to bring peace to their region.
1990 - U.S. President George H.W. Bush ordered U.S. troops and warplanes to Saudi Arabia to guard against a possible invasion by Iraq.
2003 - In California, Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he would run for the office of governor.
2003 - Stephen Geppi bought a 1963 G.I. Joe prototype for $200,000.

World News

ISIS abducts at least 230 after taking town in Homs province, Syria - monitor group
RT - The hostages were taken in the town of Al Quaryatayn, which is the biggest capture by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in Syria since the taking of Palmyra in May.... Al Quaryatayn was taken overnight after heavy fighting between IS and Syrian army fighters, which involved several suicide bombing attacks on military checkpoints. The town occupies a strategic position near a road connecting Palmyra to the Qalamoun Mountains, along the border with Lebanon.

US-Led Coalition Launches 27 Airstrikes Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq
Sputnik News - The coalition has carried out more than 5600 airstrikes in its air campaign against the Islamic State.... "The coalition and our partners on the ground are continuing to tighten the noose around Daesh [ISIL] in Iraq and Syria," the coalition’s Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Kevin Killea said in the statement. “Every member of the coalition plays a vital role in degrading the terrorist organization, and we are all working to dismantle Daesh [ISIL[ while limiting their ability to harm civilians," the commander added. The continuing airstrikes follows a damning report earlier this week by Airwars project, a group monitoring the anti-Islamic State coalition’s attacks, which found that more than 450 civilians have been killed in US-led airstrikes against ISIL in Syria and Iraq since the start of its campaign in 2014.

US Wants Russia to Become More Involved in Anti-ISIL Fight - State Dep't
Sputnik News - Washington wants Moscow to get more involved into the global fight against the Islamic State terrorist group, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner told journalists on Thursday.... “Russia hasn’t frankly been very involved with the coalition or with anti-ISIL [Islamic State] efforts. We certainly would like to see Russia to become more involved, but at this point we are still in discussion.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday Russia had no plans to send its military personnel to fight the ISIL militants in Syria or to join the coalition airstrikes against ISIL positions.

US Heavy Military Equipment May Be Deployed in Latvia in 2016
Sputnik News - Formal negotiations on the deployment of US heavy military equipment at the Adazi base were launched in July. "We do not know the details at the moment. The coordination with the neighboring countries where the equipment will also be placed, such as Lithuania and Estonia, is currently in progress. The implementation will start, more likely, next year," Bergmanis said Thursday, as quoted by Latvian internet-media TVNET.

Russia ready to build Suez Canal industrial zone – PM
RT - Russia is willing to take part in establishing a Russian industrial zone in the new Suez Canal project, Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev told Egypt’s daily Al-Ahram. The canal’s new 72-kilometer section aims to attract foreign capital to Egypt.... The two countries are discussing new joint projects in high-tech, heavy and light industries, conventional and renewable power engineering, transport engineering, agriculture, the telecommunications sector, pharmaceuticals, medicine and education. Egypt’s latest project, called the Suez Canal Axis, involves a new 37-kilometer waterway and deepening and expansion of the existing 145-year-old Suez Canal along a 35-kilometer stretch. Construction on the $8-billion canal extension started 10 months ago. The new route will reduce navigation time from the current 22 to 11 hours. Both canals will be connected by four smaller waterways and together will continue to provide the fastest route for shipping between Europe and Asia.

Greece Makes IMF Repayment Amid Talks With Creditors on Third Bailout
Sputnik News - The payment, made on Thursday, amounts to 186.3 million euros (about $203.6 million) and is the first timely transfer that Greece has made to the IMF since the beginning of June. Greece’s next repayment to the fund is scheduled for September 1. Athens and its creditors, which include the IMF, the European Central Bank (ECB) and Eurozone countries, are currently negotiating a new bailout package, which will be the third provided to Greece by the lenders since 2010. The press service of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Thursday that Athens and its creditors should finalize the third bailout deal right after August 15. On August 20 Greece is due to make a 3.4 billion euro ($3.8 billion) repayment to the ECB. If Athens does not reach an agreement with its creditors before that date, it will most likely need a bridge loan.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Democrat Think Tank Proposes Breaking Syria up Into “Autonomous Zones”
Kurt Nimmo - The Brookings Institute — the Democrat think tank funded by the Ford Foundation, the Rockefellers, and Goldman Sachs — has called for balkanizing Syria.... Brookings made the call a few days before the Obama administration declared war on Syria. It is essentially a rehash of the neocon agenda to balkanize states in the region not aligned with the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Russia hacks Pentagon computers: NBC, citing sources
CNBC News - U.S. officials tell NBC News that Russia launched a "sophisticated cyberattack" against the Pentagon's Joint Staff unclassified email system, which has been shut down and taken offline for nearly two weeks. According to the officials, the "sophisticated cyber intrusion" occurred sometime around July 25 and affected some 4,000 military and civilian personnel who work for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.... The officials say its not clear whether the attack was sanctioned by the Russian government or conducted by individuals. But, given the scope of the attack, "It was clearly the work of a state actor," the officials say.
* Related: The Same Ol’ Story: Russia Blamed for Pentagon Hack, Once Again, Without Evidence

Former intelligence officials DEMAND Hillary lose her security clearances
Bizpac Review - Intelligence officials who know the game think Hillary shouldn’t be a player anymore. In a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, a group of former intelligence and security officers called OPSEC are asking Kerry to revoke “any and all security clearances” security clearances the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton might hold. Hillary’s unapologetic use of a private email server during her days as the nation’s top diplomat – and her unwillingness to cooperate with investigators trying to determine whether classified information was compromised because of it, make Clinton and her advisers unworth of trusting with the nation’s secrets, the officers wrote.

Planned Parenthood Head Wants All ‘Bogus’ Videos Released At Once
Steve Watson - “Spoken like someone who REALLY wants to know how much dirt they have on her.” The Center for Medical Progress, responsible for producing the undercover exposé videos on Planned Parenthood, has hours more footage in the can, and is deliberately drip feeding it to the public to keep the issue of organ harvesting from aborted fetuses in the headlines – and Planned Parenthood head Cecile Richards HATES it. Richards took to Twitter yesterday to complain about the method in which CMP is releasing the videos: "If you’re concerned about what’s going on, you should release all at once. Leaking one at a time, that’s politics."

Planned Parenthood still claims they provide access to life-saving mammograms
LifeNews - [...] the Secretary of Obama’s Health and Human Services department defended federal funding for the abortion giant by mentioning mammograms. Sylvia Mathews Burwell said, “What I think is important is that our HHS funding is focused on issues of preventative care for women, things like mammograms.” However, the truth is Planned Parenthood does not provide mammograms or breast biopsies or ultrasounds. They don’t help women catch cancer; instead they refer women to legitimate health centers that offer those services.

Texas Launches Criminal Probe into ‘gruesome and barbaric’ Planned Parenthood Fetal Organ Harvesting Claims
Adan Salazar - The State of Texas has opened up a criminal probe into allegations that a Houston Planned Parenthood may be selling intact fetuses as part of an illegal organ harvesting scheme. Yesterday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick urged the Houston District Attorney’s office to investigate “gruesome and barbaric” claims made in a recent video produced by the pro-life Center for Medical Progress. “In this video, taped at the Houston Planned Parenthood Center, the Gulf Coast Director of Research, Melissa Farrell, discusses selling entire aborted fetuses for profit,” a statement released by Patrick said.

Texas Sheriffs: Fed Policy Allows Criminal Aliens to Bond Out and Disappear
Breitbart - Jackson County Sheriff Aj (Andy) Louderback, immediate past president of the Sheriff’s Association of Texas, told Breitbart Texas that the federal government’s PEP program “has created a sanctuary state for criminal aliens because it has gutted the immigration system.... The sheriffs complained that aliens are being brought into the criminal justice system in Texas but are being released into the community because of the federal policies. In the past, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) could place a 48-hour hold on illegal immigrants when they were wanted on immigration related issues. The PEP program replaced the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Secure Communities plan and now that is no longer possible.

Chicago Police Detained Thousands of Black Americans at Interrogation Facility
The Guardian - At least 3,500 Americans have been detained inside a Chicago police warehouse described by some of its arrestees as a secretive interrogation facility, newly uncovered records reveal. Of the thousands held in the facility known as Homan Square over a decade, 82% were black. Only three received documented visits from an attorney, according to a cache of documents obtained when the Guardian sued the police. Despite repeated denials from the Chicago police department that the warehouse is a secretive, off-the-books anomaly, the Homan Square files begin to show how the city’s most vulnerable people get lost in its criminal justice system People held at Homan Square have been subsequently charged with everything from “drinking alcohol on the public way” to murder. But the scale of the detentions – and the racial disparity therein – raises the prospect of major civil-rights violations.

Federal court rules that bumper stickers, air fresheners are reasonable suspicion of criminal activity
Police State USA - A panel of judges unanimously held that the presence of bumper stickers, air fresheners, and religious symbols in a vehicle can be considered “reasonable suspicion of criminal activity” during a traffic stop. The case stems from a March 9, 2011, traffic stop that took place along U.S. Highway 77 in Kingsville, Texas. Officer Mike Tamez of the Kingsville Police Department observed a Chevy Tahoe with a woman behind the wheel, going 2 MPH above the posted speed limit. The family vehicle had a man in the passenger seat and a young girl in the back. The vehicle’s bumper was decorated with a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) sticker and other “pro-police” decals. There were also a few rosaries hanging from the rear view mirror, and some air fresheners visible. From these visual clues alone, Officer Tamez “concluded that they were probably drug runners.” He pulled them over for speeding, with the premeditated intention of searching the vehicle for drugs.

Election News

VIDEO: 1st 2016 GOP Presidential Debate (8PM - Part 1 - #1) FOX News
This is the first "late debate" (at 8PM) consisting of Ted Cruz, Scott Walker, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Rand Paul, John Kasich, Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee, Jeb Bush, and Donald Trump. (Video #2 end of this segment after stream froze - 4-minutes long)
* Related: Transcript: Read the Full Text of the Primetime Republican Debate

US News & World Report Poll: Who won tonight's prime-time debate?

Drudge Poll: Who won the first republican debate '16?

Trump To Megyn Kelly: I Don’t Have Time For Political Correctness And Neither Does This Country
Real Clear Politics - The big problem this country has is being politically correct. I’ve been challenged by so many people and I don’t frankly have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn’t have time either. This country is in big trouble. We don’t win anymore. We lose to China, we lose to Mexico both in trade and at the border. We lose to everybody. Frankly what I say and oftentimes it’s fun, it’s kidding, we have a good time. What I say is what I say. And honestly, Megyn if you don’t like it, I’m sorry....

Sparks Fly During GOP Debate When Rand Paul Goes After Chris Christie: ‘Use the Fourth Amendment!’
The Blaze - Sen. Rand Paul faced off with Gov. Chris Christie over the Fourth Amendment Thursday during the first Republican presidential debate. The debate came after moderator Megyn Kelly asked the New Jersey governor about criticism he has leveled against Paul over the Kentucky senator’s opposition to the the NSA’s bulk collection of phone records.

Donald Trump’s Plan to Significantly Reduce Income Taxes
Kurt Nimmo - “Imagine your paycheck was 40 percent higher than it currently is.” Frontrunner Donald Trump’s plan to radically reduce income taxes will bolster his popularity with the American people.... The plan will abolish the estate or “death” tax, lower tax rates on capital gains and dividends, reduce corporate tax rate from 39 percent to zero to spur job growth, and implement a simple “1-5-10-15 income tax plan” to address and fix the country’s unfair tax system. On Sunday Trump told CBS he pays as little taxes as possible. “I fight like hell to pay as little as possible for two reasons. Number one, I’m a businessman. And that’s the way you’re supposed to do it,” he said. “The other reason is that I hate the way our government spends our taxes. I hate the way they waste our money. Trillions and trillions of dollars of waste and abuse. And I hate it.”

Trump Warns The Fed "Is Creating A Bubble That Could Explode"(Video)
Zero Hedge - Paul Volcker's "policy and demeanor were very solid," explains Donald Trump in a brief Bloomberg interview, point out that the inflation-taming Fed head is a role model for the type of central banker he would pick. While admitting he "has always done well in a low rate environment," Trumps slammed the current Fed's ZIRP for "creating a bubble.. and the bubble could explode." Trump had - as usual - plenty to say on topics from Ex-Im Bank (against it as not "free enterprise"), to campaign financing (favoring full transparency of money in politics) careful to brag - jabbing at The Kochs - that "I don't need anybody else's money." BloombergTV "With All Due Respect" Interview...

Veteran News

Former Halliburton Subsidiary is Suing Sick Military Veterans they Poisoned
Antimedia - Halliburton, the transnational oil field services company formerly run by former Vice President and accused war criminal Dick Cheney, is under public scrutiny again after it was revealed its former subsidiary is suing Iraq War veterans for $850,000.

Showdown: State Reps Rally to Stop VA-Ordered Gun Confiscation of Vietnam Vet
Mikael Thalen - State representatives and citizens alike are descending on Idaho in an attempt to stop the Department of Veterans Affairs from confiscating the firearms of a Vietnam veteran. Idaho State Representative Heather Scott, who first brought attention to the issue Thursday morning, stated that the veteran had issued a plea for help after the VA determined him unable to own firearms following a minor stroke. “Based on an assessment of a letter I received, I believe that the Department of Veterans Affairs is coming to a veteran’s home in Priest River today to check for and confiscate his guns based on nothing more than a stroke which has left him with some mild physical impairment,” Scott wrote on her Facebook page.

Job Cuts Soar To Highest Since September 2011 After Mass Army Terminations, Highest YTD Layoffs Since 2009
Zero Hedge - Challenger Gray, which has done a far better job of compiling true layoff data, and which reported that in July there was a whopping 105,696, up 136% from the 44,842 job cuts in June, and the highest in nearly four years, or since September 2011, which the last time there were more than more than 100,000 layoffs.... According to Challenger, more than half of the July job cuts were the result of massive troop and civilian workforce reductions announced by the United States Army. The cutbacks will eliminate 57,000 from government payrolls over the next two years.

Economy & Business

The Dow Has Already Fallen Nearly 900 Points From The Peak Of The Market
Economic Collapse - In an eerie repeat of what we witnessed in 2008, U.S. stocks are steadily sliding throughout the summer as we head toward the month of September. From August 1st, 2008 to September 1st, 2008 the Dow fell by nearly 700 points. And of course we all remember what happened the following month. Right now, we are watching a similar thing happen. The Dow has plummeted nearly 700 points since July 16th, and it is down nearly 900 points from the peak of the market back in May. At this point the Dow has now fallen for six days in a row and eleven of the last thirteen. Of course most of the talking heads on television are still insisting that everything is going to be just fine and that a repeat of 2008 is not possible. So what do you think? Should we trust them?

Housing Market

TBTF Mega Banks Lowering Downpayments and Credit Standards to Keep High End Housing Market Going
Liberty Blitzkrieg - What do you do when even wealthy people begin to face an increasingly hard time purchasing a home in a vertical market completely disconnected from income trends? You reduce downpayments and lower credit standards, of course. From the Wall Street Journal: The nation’s largest bank by assets plans to announce Wednesday that it is lowering the minimum credit score and down payment it requires for mortgages as big as $3 million. The New York firm’s moves follow similar steps at Bank of AmericaCorp., Wells Fargo & Co. and other banks on requirements for “jumbo” mortgages—those that exceed $417,000 in most parts of the country or $625,500 in pricier markets. At the same time, some big banks are backing away from smaller loans where they see higher regulatory costs and litigation risks. Guess it’s gonna be shipping container apartments for everyone else.

Energy & Environment

Gulf Of Mexico Dead Zone Has Grown In Size This Summer, NOAA Says
IBT - A dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, an area with low oxygen that is harmful to marine life, has grown in size this summer, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Tuesday. Heavy rainfall in June across the Mississippi River watershed and a loss of nutrients in the water were cited as possible causes. This year, the dead zone is over 5,000 square miles large and is equivalent to the combined size of Connecticut and Rhode Island, according to NOAA. Also known as hypoxia, the dead zone is formed mostly from the overuse of fertilizers on farming land.... Another dead zone is in the Chesapeake Bay, which researchers at the University of Michigan in June predicted would be below average this summer. However, they said that the dead zone would still remain significantly large.

Science & Technology

3D-Printed Drugs Will Bring Hope and Hazards to American Homes
Natural Society - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just approved a drug created by a 3D printer, in what is believed to be a first for the agency. The drug, Spritam, is made by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals and treats seizures. The medication is expected to reach the market in the first quarter of 2016.... Eventually, when medical facilities obtain their own 3D printers, it will allow doctors to tailor drugs to be more specific to individual patients’ needs. Hospitals could adjust medication doses for people by merely manipulating the software just a touch before printing, which would be outrageously expensive to do without the technology.... The inherent danger of 3D molecular printing is that it will allow people to make illicit drugs even more readily available, in every quality and quantity imaginable.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Top 10 Reasons to Bring Your Kids to the Farmers Market
Natural Blaze - The Farmers Market is a great place to bring your kids for so many reasons! The Farmers Market allows you to provide your family with wholesome, healthy food while supporting your local community at the same time. Here's the reality - Family farmers need your support! Now that large agribusiness dominates food production in the U.S., small family farms have a hard time competing in the food marketplace. Buying directly from farmers gives them a better return for their produce and gives them a fighting chance in today’s globalized economy.

Health

14-Year Study Reveals Top Heart Attack Predictor
Dr. Mercola - After reviewing more than 300 studies to ascertain how many hours of sleep most people need to maintain their health, an expert panel concluded that, as a general rule, most adults need right around eight hours per night. Getting less than seven hours has been shown to raise your risk of weight gain, by increasing levels of appetite-inducing hormones. Getting less than six hours of sleep leaves you cognitively impaired, which can have repercussions both at home, at work, and on the road. Even a single night of sleeping only four to six hours can impact your ability to think clearly the next day. Over the long term, sleep deprivation has been linked to health effects such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's, and even cancer. In one study, women who got less than four hours of shut-eye per night doubled their risk of dying from heart disease.

Liver Disease Linked to Gut Bacteria and Leaky Gut
Green Med Info - Much speculation has revolved around the causes for nonalcoholic liver disease and cirrhosis over the years. New findings provide surprising links between our gut bacteria, leaky gut and the liver's health.... This is a chronic disorder that has mystified medical researchers and doctors over recent years, as the incidence of nonalcoholic liver disease – also called NAFLD for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease – has become a crises among western countries.... Several studies have linked nonalcoholic liver disease with an increase in pathogenic bacteria within the small intestines.,,, The research found that the nonalcoholic patients had over double the frequency of small intestine bacterial overgrowth compared to the healthy patients.

8 Artichoke Health Benefits to Boost Total Health
Natural Society - When prepared right, artichokes can be delicious – this is no secret. But what many people aren’t aware of is that the spiny globes (actually called “globe artichokes”) pack quite a nutritious punch. Below you will learn of 8 artichoke health benefits that will keep you coming back for that delicious heart.

Independent Lab Confirms Kashi Go Lean Cereal Loaded with Toxic Glyphosate
Natural Society - An independent lab has found that Kashi’s ‘healthy’ GoLean Original breakfast cereal (owned by Kellogg’s) is loaded with the herbicide chemical glyphosate. What’s more, it actually contains 6x the amount of glyphosate previously found in Kellogg’s’ Froot Loops cereal.
 



Thursday - August 6, 2015 - Today in History:

1787 - At the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia debate began on the first draft of the U.S. Constitution.
1806 - The Holy Roman Empire went out of existence as Emperor Francis II abdicated.
1914 - Austria-Hungary declared war against Russia. Serbia declared war against Germany.
1945 - The American B-29 bomber, known as the Enola Gay, dropped the first atomic bomb on an inhabited area. The bomb named "Little Boy" was dropped over the center of Hiroshima, Japan. An estimated 140,000 people were killed. (8:16am Japanese time)
1960 - Nationalization of U.S. and foreign-owned property in Cuba began.
1965 - The Voting Rights Act was signed by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.
1985 - The 40th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing brought tens of thousands of Japanese and foreigners to Hiroshima.
1986 - William Schroeder died. He lived 620 days with the Jarvik-7 manmade heart. Known as the world's longest surviving recipient of a permanent artificial heart.
1990 - The U.N. Security Council ordered a worldwide trade embargo with Iraq. The embargo was to punish Iraq for invading Kuwait.
1993 - The U.S. Senate confirmed Louis Freeh to be the director of the FBI.
1995 - Thousands of glowing lanterns were set afloat in rivers in Hiroshima, Japan, on the 50th anniversary of the first atomic bombing.
1996 - NASA announced the discovery of evidence of primitive life on Mars. The evidence came in the form of a meteorite that was found in Antarctica. The meteorite was believed to have come from Mars and contained a fossil.
1998 - Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky spent 8 1/2 hours testifying before a grand jury about her relationship with U.S. President Clinton.
2012 - The Mars rover Curiosity landed on the floor of Gale Crater. The Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL, on November 26, 2011.

World News

Russian PM Says External Interference in Syrian Conflict 'Unacceptable'
Sputnik News - According to Medvedev, the actions of the US-led anti-Islamic State coalition in Syria, as well as Turkish air strikes on targets in Iraq raise doubts about their legitimacy as they are carried out without the consent of the UN Security Council or national governments. "I would like to emphasize that we consider any external intervention unacceptable. The Syrians must decide who should lead their country. Nobody has the right to do this for them," Medvedev said in an interview with Egyptian daily Al-Ahram ahead of his visit to Egypt.

US Rotates More Military Units Back to Iraq, Afghanistan - Pentagon
Sputnik News - In addition, 450 soldiers from III Corps, based at Fort Hood, Texas, will deploy to Kuwait in September for a 12-month rotation in the headquarters for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve. Some 1,250 soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York, will rotate to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the report cited Davis as saying. Another 300 troops from the 10th Mountain Division based in Fort Drum will deploy with 1,000 soldiers from the Fort Polk, Louisiana-based 3rd Brigade Combat Team to Afghanistan to support Operation Freedom Sentinel, the paper added.

ISIS branch in Egypt threatens to kill Croatian hostage ‘in 48 hours’
RT - An Islamic State affiliate in Egypt has kidnapped a Croatian citizen working for a French company. In a video released online, the jihadists are threatening to kill him if Muslim women kept in Egyptian prisons are not released. The hostage was identified as Tomislav Salopek, 30, from Croatia. He is employed by Ardiseis Egypt, a subdivision of CGG, a company specializing in oil and gas geology, and based in France. In the video titled ‘A message to the Egyptian government’, a masked man with a knife is seen standing near kneeling Salopek, who is dressed in an orange jumpsuit. The black flag of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/SIL) is clearly seen in the video.

You Can Add Iraq And Ukraine To The List Of Economies That Are Collapsing
Economic Collapse - The list of nations around the globe that have collapsing economies just continues to grow. In recent weeks I have written about the ongoing saga in Greece, the stock market crash in China, the debt crisis in Puerto Rico and the economic meltdown in South America. But there are more economic flashpoints that I have not even addressed yet. For example, did you know that a full-blown economic collapse is happening in Iraq right now? And did you know that the economy of Ukraine is contracting rapidly and that it cannot pay its debts? Back in 2008, the financial crisis was primarily centered on the United States, but this time around it is turning out to be a truly global phenomenon.

Putin, Hollande officially cancel Mistral contract, Paris to pay less than €1.2bn
RT - Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Francois Hollande have reached an agreement to cancel the contract for two Mistral helicopter carriers. Paris will pay Moscow all the costs for the canceled contact – the sum will be less than €1.2bn.... On Wednesday, the Russian president's press service said the parties agreed that Russia will be reimbursed what it had already paid under the contract. This includes all its equipment and materials.

Hiroshima remembers atomic bomb: 'Abolish the evil of nuclear weapons'
The Guardian - Hiroshima has marked the 70th anniversary of the moment the city was flattened by an atomic bomb with prayers, a moment’s silence, and vows to redouble efforts to halt nuclear proliferation. On a sweltering day in Hiroshima, tens of thousands of people lowered their heads and stood in silence at 8.15 am, the time the bomb was dropped on 6 August 1945, instantly killing 80,000 people and another 60,000 in the months that followed.... Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said that as the only country to have suffered a nuclear attack, Japan had an “important mission” to promote nuclear disarmament. Abe said Japan would submit a new resolution to the UN general assembly this autumn calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons.
* Related: The Guardian view on the Hiroshima legacy: still in the shadow of the bomb

US launches first anti-ISIS drone strikes from Turkey
RT - The US has launched its first drone strikes at northern Syria from a Turkish airbase, the Pentagon has reported. This comes as Washington struck a deal to use the base in its fight against Islamic State. A spokesman for Pentagon said on Wednesday that an unmanned drone was launched on Monday from Incirlik Air Base and that preparations were underway for strikes inside Syria by manned US warplanes, Reuters reported.

Greek stocks continue free fall, Tsipras says bailout talks on ‘final stretch’
RT - The bloodbath on the Greek stock market continued for the third day in a row, after the exchange reopened following a five-week shutdown. The Greek banking sector has led the rout, which has wiped out half their value this week.
Piraeus Bank, Eurobank and Alpha Bank sank almost 30 percent as of 12:30 GMT, while the National Bank of Greece plunged 25.62 percent. The four banks – National Bank of Greece, Piraeus Bank, Alpha Bank, and Eurobank – account for 91 percent of Greek banking assets.

Ebola news

Ebola tests negative for Birmingham patient, family members, firefighters
Alabama Media Group - A patient exhibiting Ebola-like symptoms tested negative for the virus, authorities confirmed this morning. Six Birmingham Fire and Rescue firefighters quarantined overnight have also been released after the test results, Battalion Chief C.W. Mardis said this morning. The patient has been diagnosed with malaria after two tests, Mardis said.... The laboratory results were returned Wednesday. While this person is no longer currently under investigation for Ebola, public health will continue to monitor until the 21-day period is over.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Obama accuses Iran deal opponents of luring Congress toward Middle East war
The Guardian - US president warns against heeding the ‘drumbeat of war’ ahead of congressional vote, saying the Iran deal’s dissenters also argued for the war in Iraq. Barack Obama turned his opposition to the Iraq war into a trump card against critics of the Iran nuclear deal on Wednesday, in a speech that accused “armchair” warmongers in Washington of luring Congress toward another military conflict in the Middle East. As US lawmakers prepare for a potentially crippling vote of disapproval, his verbal assault not just on arguments against the deal, but on the credibility of the hawks making them, marks a new chapter in what may prove the most intensive legislative battle of his presidency.

State Dept. ‘Doesn’t Know’ Legal Authority Behind Obama’s Green Light to Attack Syrian Troops
Paul Joseph Watson - When asked by RT’s Gayane Chichakyan what the legal basis was for this decision or whether it could be justified by Congressional backing, the State Department’s Mark Toner was left dumbfounded. “I frankly don’t know what the legal authority is,” Toner said, arguing that the measure was defensive in nature and would only be used if Assad’s forces attacked US-trained rebels (many of whom have gone on to join Al-Qaeda affiliate groups and ISIS itself). Toner refused to admit that the decision represented a major change in US policy, arguing, “There’s no change in the legal framework, our main goal is to take the fight against ISIL. Nothing’s changed in that regard.”

One person detained following reports of shootings at Camp Shelby
NBC News - Investigators are questioning a person of interest after shots were reportedly fired a second consecutive day near a military facility in southern Mississippi, officials said Wednesday. There were no reported injuries. At about 8 a.m. Wednesday, soldiers training at the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center reported shots fired into the air, said Lt. Col. Christian Patterson. It was in the same area where soldiers reported gunshots fired from a pickup truck a day earlier, Patterson said.

New Hampshire Executive Council Votes To Defund Planned Parenthood
Truth in Media - New Hampshire Executive Councilors Chris Sununu, David Wheeler and Joe Kenney voted to end the state’s contract with Planned Parenthood, essentially ending the state’s funding of the Planned Parenthood of Northern New England facilities. In a statement, New Hampshire Republican State Committee Chairman Jennifer Horn said: “The appalling videos showing Planned Parenthood executives discussing the sale of human body parts have raised serious and legitimate concerns. Instead of calling for an investigation of Planned Parenthood’s potentially criminal activity, Governor Hassan has turned a blind eye to this controversy and tried to give more taxpayer dollars to this scandal-plagued organization.

Aborted Human Fetus Brains Are Being Transplanted Into Mice
Steve Watson - While the Planned Parenthood harvesting scandal rumbles on, fewer news items have actually focused on what those who procure aborted fetal tissue and organs are actually doing with it. Pro life website LifeNews.com sheds some light on this today with a piece that reveals the brains of aborted babies are being transplanted into mice. The article notes that a recent commentary piece in The Scientist, entitled “When Does a Smart Mouse Become Human?” highlights how researchers at the University of Rochester injected lab mice with glial cells from human fetuses, and discusses the ethical issue of transplanting human cells into animals.... The article then goes on to reveal that the Glial cells were obtained from second trimester abortions (18–22 weeks), citing a paper in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Kentucky is Being Investigated for Corruption: Will the State’s Sordid History of Legal Kidnapping Finally be Punished?
Health Impact News - As part of the “End Corruption Now Campaign,” the FBI began an investigation into public corruption in Kentucky, just after a recent Harvard study identified Kentucky as “one of the most corrupt states in the country.” The FBI website noted that between 2003 and 2012, approximately 300 individuals were convicted of federal crimes related to public corruption. MedicalKidnap.com has exposed many stories revealing the corruption within Kentucky’s Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) and the unwarranted removal of children from loving homes. Often these stories reveal blatant violations of Kentucky citizens’ Constitutional Rights by social workers and law enforcement when conducting home visits, searching homes, and removing children, often without a warrant or exigent circumstances.

Illegal Alien on Probation Allegedly Rapes, Beats Woman with Hammer During Home Invasion
Breitbart - Victor Aureliano Martinez Ramirez, an illegal alien who allegedly broke into 64-year-old Marilyn Pharis’s home, raped her and savagely beat her with a hammer, had been arrested four times by Santa Maria police in California — and was on probation at the time of his arrest.... Pharis died eight days later. Ramirez may face additional charges for murder after an autopsy is conducted. Police say they “don’t care” that Ramirez is an illegal alien, who rather than being detained and deported, was free to rampage through the neighborhood.... Had he been deported, of course, Pharis would still be alive. Santa Maria police arrested Ramirez four times in the past two years, most recently in May 2014. He was on probation when he allegedly raped and beat Pharis in the dead of night.

Blue Bell gets approval to resume Alabama plant production
Nola.com - Blue Bell can resume production and sale of ice cream manufactured at its Alabama plant, the Alabama Department of Public Health announced Wednesday after being shut down in April because of concerns about listeria. Its ice cream was linked to 10 listeria illnesses in four states, including three deaths in Kansas. The recall prompted Blue Bell to lay off a third of its workforce.

Election News

Head of Rand Paul Super-PAC Indicted
The Hill - The FBI has charged three members of former Texas Rep. Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign with conspiracy, including Jesse Benton, who now runs the pro-Rand Paul super-PAC America’s Liberty. According to the indictment, Benton, Paul’s former Campaign Manager John Tate, and former Deputy Campaign Manager Dimitrios Kesari arranged payments of more than $70,000 to former Iowa Sen. Kent Sorenson to switch his endorsement from former Rep. Michele Bachmann, who was also running for president at the time.... Benton’s lawyer, Roscoe Howard, said his client has fully cooperated with the government during its multi-year investigation. He said the timing of the FBI’s announcement on the eve of the first Republican debate was evidence the investigation is politically motivated.

Appeals court strikes down 'discriminatory' Texas voter ID
Reuters - A U.S. appeals court struck down a Texas law on Wednesday requiring voters to show authorized identification before casting ballots, saying the measure violated the U.S. Voting Rights Act through its "discriminatory effects." The decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit pertained to one of a series of laws enacted in Republican-governed states requiring potential voters to show identification that Democrats saw as intended to disenfranchise minorities who typically support their party.

Science & Technology

'Funtenna' uses sound waves, radio to hack internet of things
RT - A new hacking technique that uses sound and radio waves can siphon data from devices even without internet access. Showcased at the Black Hat security summit in Las Vegas, the ‘Funtenna’ hack has the potential to unravel the Internet of Things. By uploading a malicious program to a device, the hackers can vibrate the physical prongs on general-purpose input/output circuits at a frequency of their choice. The resulting vibrations can be picked up by an AM radio antenna.

Fujifilm's New Camera Is The Closest You'll Get To X-Ray Vision
Medical Daily - Fujifilm says that when they created their X-T1 IR camera, they wanted to design something for crime-scene investigators, health care workers and scientists. When it comes to putting the bad guys behind bars, crime-scene investigators will use infrared imaging to analyze blood splatter, as well as deep-tissue injuries; they can even use infrared light to find preexisting text that was scratched-out of documents, or determine the authenticity of paintings based on the sketching below the surface. However, on top of all these really cool, efficient features of the new X-T1 IR comes the somewhat awkward ability to see through clothing, and capture it. While completely unintentional, X-T1 IR’s infrared sensing technology makes it capable of penetrating clothing, albeit very thin clothing, to uncover what is underneath.
* Related Video: New Digital Camera Can See You Naked Through Clothes

Wize Mirror May Soon Offer Health Consumers A Way To Detect Disease Risk Simply By Looking At Your Reflection
April McCarthy - Wize Mirror soon available to consumers, looks like a mirror, but incorporates 3D scanners, multispectral cameras and gas sensors to assess the health of someone looking into it. The mirror will assess health status by examining the person’s face, looking at fatty tissue, facial expressions and how flushed or pale they are, including telltale markers of stress or anxiety, while the gas sensors take samples of the user’s breath looking for compounds that give an indication of how much they drink or smoke. The 3D scanners analyse face shape to spot weight gain or loss, while the multispectral cameras can estimate heart rate or haemoglobin levels. Wize Mirror is being developed by a consortium of researchers and industry partners from seven European Union countries, with EU funding. Sara Colantonio and colleagues from the National Research Council of Italy, which coordinates the project, want to use Wize Mirror to address common long-term health issues that are difficult to treat once something has already gone wrong, like heart disease or diabetes.

Health

Adult with chicken pox prompted lockdown at Danville hospital
WKYT - Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center in Danville says a patient who tested positive for two strains of adult chicken pox is what prompted a lockdown at the facility Saturday evening. In a news release, the medical center says it was determined that isolation of the patient was appropriate. Because of the lockdown, other patients and visitors were contained until additional testing could be completed. To assure that there was no risk to the community, the medical center says it worked closely with local and state health officials and the Center for Disease Control.
* Related: Latest Vaccine Psyop? ER LOCKED DOWN over Chickenpox

The Major Role Soybean Oil Plays in Obesity and Diabetes
Dr. Mercola - Researchers recently designed a series of four diets to investigate the effects of saturated fats (coconut oil) versus unsaturated fat (soybean oil) as well as fructose on obesity and diabetes. Their results show just how very backward most nutritional advice is when suggesting vegetable oils are better than saturated fats…Mice fed a high-fat diet from coconut oil remained healthy, but when soybean oil was added in they had significant increases in weight gain, body fat, diabetes, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance. The addition of soybean oil proved to be even worse than fructose, the latter of which did lead to rectal prolapse and fatty liver. The soybean-oil diet was also found to upregulate genes involved in obesity, diabetes, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and cancer.

15 Serotonin Supplements To Boost Mood Naturally
Natural Blaze - Serotonin supplements like specific amino acids, vitamins, minerals and herbs increase serotonin levels helping depression and other brain-related disorders. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays a large role in mood, learning, appetite control, and sleep. It’s believed that low serotonin is the underlying cause of depression.

Revealing Graphic Shows What Happens When You Drink a Coca Cola
Natural Society - The following graphic provides shows how drinking a Coca Cola can have adverse effects on your health, starting with 10 minutes and ending with 60 minutes.... Because of the well-known ingredients in Coca Cola such as high fructose corn sweetener, sucrose in the form of refined sugar, phosphoric acid, caramel color, caffeine, coca extract, and glycerin, it’s easy to understand why it has various adverse effects on human health.
 



Wednesday - August 5, 2015 - Today in History:

1833 - The village of Chicago was incorporated. The population was approximately 250.
1861 - The U.S. federal government levied its first income tax. The tax was 3% of all incomes over $800. The wartime measure was rescinded in 1872.
1864 - During the U.S. Civil War, Union forces led by Adm. David G. Farragut were led into Mobile Bay, Alabama.
1884 - On Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor, the cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty was laid.
1914 - The electric traffic lights were installed in Cleveland, Ohio.
1944 - Polish insurgents liberated a German labor camp in Warsaw. 348 Jewish prisoners were freed.
1953 - During the Korean conflict prisoners were exchanged at Panmunjom. The exchange was labeled Operation Big Switch.
1963 - The Limited Test Ban Treaty was signed by the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union. The treaty banned nuclear tests in space, underwater, and in the atmosphere.
1964 - U.S. aircraft bombed North Vietnam after North Vietnamese boats attacked U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin.
1966 - In New York, groundbreaking for the construction of the original World Trade Center began.
1969 - The Mariner 7, a U.S. space probe, passed by Mars. Photographs and scientific data were sent back to Earth.
1974 - U.S. President Nixon said that he expected to be impeached. Nixon had ordered the investigation into the Watergate break-in to halt.
1981 - The U.S. federal government started firing striking air traffic controllers.
1990 - U.S. President George H.W. Bush angrily denounced the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
1991 - An investigation was formally launched by Democratic congressional leaders to find out if the release of American hostages was delayed until after the Reagan-Bush presidential election.
1991 - Iraq admitted to misleading U.N. inspectors about secret biological weapons.
1998 - Iraqi President Saddam Hussein began not cooperating with U.N. weapons inspectors.
2011 - NASA announced that its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter had captured photographic evidence of possible liquid water on Mars during warm seasons.
2011 - Juno was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on a mission to Jupiter. It was the first solar-powered spacecraft to go to Jupiter.
2011 - Standard & Poor's Financial Services lowered the United States' AAA credit rating by one notch to AA-plus.

World News

Greek Bank Stocks Crash Again Amid Fresh Signs Of Economic Disintegration
Zero Hedge - After trading limit-down on Monday when Greek stocks opened for trading for the first time since PM Alexis Tsipras called a referendum, shares of Greek banks once again flirted with the daily 30% loss limit on Tuesday as there were simply no bids for a set of institutions that everyone knows is insolvent. Meanwhile, Kathimerini reports that "the state’s losses from indirect taxes alone in the first couple of weeks of capital controls and the shuttering of banks [amounted to] more than half a billion euros.
* "Related: Greece needs wide debt relief to avoid permanent depression, thinktank warns

TEPCO Officials To Be Tried for Role In Fukushima Meltdown
Zero Hedge - A Japanese citizens’ judicial committee has overruled government prosecutors and forced them to bring three former executives of the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) to trial on charges of criminal negligence for their inability to prevent the 2011 nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. But it appears unlikely that the defendants can be convicted. The decision by the panel of 22 anonymous citizens, was reached July 17 but not announced until July 31. It overrules two previous decisions by the Tokyo prosecutors not to indict the former executives… Decisions by the prosecutors in September 2013 and in January 2015 said they lacked sufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against the three men… Such citizens’ committees became a powerful features of Japan’s judicial system after World War II in an effort to combat government abuse of power. Their members are chosen by lottery and the panelists’ identities are kept secret. While they’re powerful, these committees are seldom used.

Heartwarming pics of Beijing hero cop rescuing baby girl from public toilet (PHOTOS)
RT - The picture of a heroic Chinese cop rescuing a newborn baby girl, who was dumped in the pipe of a public toilet in Beijing, has captured a lot of hearts. The baby survived and is now recovering in a local hospital thanks to her guardian angel. A police station in western Beijing received a call from locals who said they heard baby crying in the public toilet. The officer Qian Feng immediately rushed to the scene and discovered the tiny infant.

Ebola news

Nine people in Birmingham being monitored after possible Ebola exposure
Alabama Media Group - A patient exhibiting Ebola-like symptoms was admitted to University of Alabama-Birmingham Hospital Tuesday night, and eight others are being quarantined or monitored after coming into contact with that patient...Two Birmingham rescue workers who came into contact with the patient were also taken to UAB Hospital, where they are being quarantined overnight. Two family members of the initial patient have been asked by officials to remain inside their home at 1612 17th Street SW, Birmingham police Lt. Joe Roberts said. Additionally, four other Birmingham emergency responders were quarantined outside the home and later taken to a "secure facility inside the (Birmingham) city limits," where they will remain overnight for monitoring.
* Related: Man with 'Ebola-like' symptoms under observation at UAB Hospital

The Ebola vaccine we dared to dream of is here
The Guardian - More than 7,600 people in Guinea have received the vaccine, known as rVSV-ZEBOV, in a study that targeted people from communities with cases of Ebola. None who received it immediately has so far contracted the virus. That’s an efficacy of 100%. And not only has it been shown to be so effective, it has also been well tolerated, with few side effects. This is rare for vaccines such as this one that contain a live virus, and it’s something to be thankful for. It is in fact incredibly unusual for any vaccine to show such efficacy, and so swiftly, too.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Pennsylvania to Become First State to Use “Precrime” Statistics in Criminal Sentencing
Liberty Blitzkrieg - Pennsylvania is on the verge of becoming one of the first states in the country to base criminal sentences not only on what crimes people have been convicted of, but also on whether they are deemed likely to commit additional crimes. As early as next year, judges there could receive statistically derived tools known as risk assessments to help them decide how much prison time — if any — to assign..

Fifth Planned Parenthood Video: Official Brags That WHOLE BODIES OF BABIES are “Just A Matter Of Line Items”
Steve Watson - A fifth video has been released that features a Planned Parenthood official haggling with potential ‘buyers’ (undercover reporters) about the sale of fetal body parts. This time the official discusses selling INTACT specimens – that is whole bodies of babies. The video, entitled Intact Fetuses “Just a Matter of Line Items,” for Planned Parenthood TX Mega-Center shows Melissa Farrell, director of research for Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, talking about how an abortion can be performed in a specific way to ensure “intact fetal cadavers.” “So, if we alter our process and we are able to obtain intact fetal cadavers, then we can make it part of the budget that any dissections are this, and splitting the specimens into different shipments is this,” she says, adding “I mean that’s — it’s all just a matter of line items.”
* Related: Democrats Who Voted Against Defunding Planned Parenthood Never Even Watched The Exposé Videos

Corporations including Coca-Cola pull sponsorship of Planned Parenthood; Pepsi drops use of aborted fetal cells
(NaturalNews) Planned Parenthood's corporate sponsors are dropping like flies after the women's healthcare nonprofit made national headlines for its involvement in an illicit organ trade scheme involving aborted fetal tissue. Coca-Cola, Xerox and Ford have all told Planned Parenthood to remove their names from its website, and other corporations like Pepsi that previously made use of aborted fetal cells in the manufacture of their products have announced that they're likewise cutting ties.

Feds Investigating Cecil the Lion's Killer - but Planned Parenthood Still in Clear
The New American - Walter Palmer the hunter is now the hunted, with worldwide reprobation making him a social pariah and social-media threats driving him into hiding. And now a federal investigation into the Minnesota dentist who allegedly poached famed Cecil the Zimbabwean lion has been launched. Yet Planned Parenthood, revealed on video to have been selling the body parts of murdered babies, is receiving relatively little scrutiny… Then there was yesterday’s procedural vote to defund PP: It failed with only 53 yea votes, 7 short of the 60 needed to advance the bill. Forty-six senators opposed it, with all but two Democrats voting to maintain funding and all but two Republicans voting to strip it. This means that 46 percent of senators apparently have little problem with the trafficking in innocent children’s body parts — and with PP getting more than $500 million a year in your tax money to help fund the carnage.

FBI Raids Jade Helm Martial Law Preppers
Adan Salazar - Three North Carolina men accused of violating federal firearms laws were reportedly amassing a weapons arsenal to fight back against a government martial law takeover, the FBI claims. On Saturday, federal agents and local and state police raided a tattoo parlor and two other homes near Charlotte before arresting three men accused of building explosives and conspiring to violate federal firearms laws.... FBI documents reportedly claim the men were preparing to defend against a martial law scenario which could result out of the Jade Helm military exercises, the sophisticated, domestic multi-state US SOCOM training exercise seeking to “master the human domain.”... Reports have not shown why the FBI believes the men were prepping for a military exercise taking place in southwestern states nearly 1,000 miles from their location.

CPS Kidnaps 11 Children from Texas Homeschool Family
Medical Kidnap - Claire Rembis was sick, and had to spend 3 days in the hospital. Her attack of pancreatitis paled in comparison to what happened next. The mom from Plano, Texas, came home to a nightmare that no parent should ever have to face. CPS came and took her children, all 11 of them, because a “well-meaning” couple, members of her oldest son’s former youth group, didn’t think that the 16 and 14 year olds could handle babysitting their siblings while their dad took the baby to the hospital to visit Claire.... The children were returned after a few days, because the removal on July 7, 2015, was reportedly illegal. However, the family is terrified because the CPS involvement opened the door to a long list of “services” ordered by the court – services which threaten to rip the family apart.... Not only is their homeschooling under fire, but the social workers allegedly want her to discontinue breastfeeding their 3 month old baby.

Video Shows Cop Handcuffing Elementary School-Age Disabled Child
Paul Joseph Watson - The ACLU has filed a federal lawsuit in response to a video which shows a deputy from the Kenton County Sheriff’s Office handcuffing a disabled elementary school child to restrain him. Deputy sheriff Kevin Sumner handcuffed two children, an 8-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl.... The children are so small that the officer had to handcuff them around their biceps rather than their wrists. Both of the children have ADHD and other disabilities. The lawsuit charges that the actions of the officer caused the children trauma and pain. It also names names Kenton County Sheriff Chuck Korzenborn, accusing him of failing to adequately train and supervise Sumner.

Police Can Now Take Your DNA for Mere 'Suspicion' of A Violent Crime
Cop Block - On Monday August 3rd, 2015, the Dakota County (Minnesota) Sheriff’s Office became the first in the nation to implement a new Supreme Court ruling that allows police to collect DNA from those arrested for suspicion of a violent crime. The old laws stated that a conviction must occur before the state could steal your biological recipe… Although DNA evidence is often a powerful crime-fighting tool, its collection presents a number of ethical dilemmas. There remain many known and even more unknown dangers of an individuals genetic information being posted on the internet.

Texas introduces bill to mandate GMO labeling
(NaturalNews) Despite a major setback last month when the U.S. House of Representatives voted 275-150 to pass legislation that would prohibit states from enacting the labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the Right to Know movement continues to gain traction as it lays its eyes upon the Lone Star State.

Election News

Fox announces lineup for GOP debate -- with Trump at center stage
LA Times - Fox News has announced the lineup for the first Republican presidential debate, one that will probably be dominated by the figure standing at center stage, Donald Trump, whose attention-grabbing skills have allowed him to leap to the front of a crowded GOP field over the last six weeks. Flanking Trump in the 10-candidate debate lineup will be Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida and onetime GOP front-runner, and Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin. Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Govs. Chris Christie of New Jersey and John Kasich of Ohio and Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, will round out the field.

Bloomberg: Trump ‘Laps the Field’, Dominates GOP in Pre-Debate Poll
Breitbart - A new Bloomberg poll released Tuesday shows that billionaire Donald Trump continues to defy conventional political wisdom. Twenty-one percent of registered voters who identify as Republicans now selected Trump as their first choice for president, followed by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush at ten percent and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker at eight percent. According to Bloomberg, Trump is leading nearly all categories in the poll, including evangelicals and those with incomes over $100,000. Bush beat him by one point among those defining themselves as moderates.

Economy & Business

8 Financial Experts That Are Warning That A Great Financial Crisis Is Imminent
Economic Collapse - An increasing number of respected financial experts are now warning that we are right on the verge of another great economic crisis. Of course that doesn’t mean that it will happen. Experts have been wrong before. But without a doubt, red flags are popping up all over the place and things are lining up in textbook fashion for a new financial crisis. As I write this article, U.S. stocks have declined four days in a row, the Dow is down more than 750 points from the peak of the market in May, and one out of every five U.S. stocks is already in a bear market. I fully expect the next several months to be extremely chaotic, and I am far from alone. The following are 8 financial experts that are warning that a great financial crisis is imminent.

Chinese Companies Find Cheap Labor in the U.S. South
AllGov - Textile companies have started to relocate to states in the South where labor is cheap by American standards. “The reasons for Keer coming here? Incentives, land, the environment, the workers,” Zhu Shanqing, the Keer Group chairman, said on a recent trip to the United States, according to The New York Times. Keer opened a cotton mill earlier this year in South Carolina. Labor salaries have tripled in China over the past decade, from $4.35 to $12.47 an hour. The average manufacturing wage in the U.S. is $22.32, which is still higher than in China. But when the costs of energy and materials are factored in, Chinese executives have concluded their businesses may be better off in the U.S. American states can provide tax breaks and subsidies and the companies get better prices on natural gas and cotton.

Energy & Environment

List of Pesticides To Avoid If You Want To Help Save The Bees
True Activist - In recent months, we have been reporting on the worldwide bee die-off, which is likely the result of pesticides. Last week, we reported that in the past few years, bee populations in the US have actually begun to climb, as farmers and beekeepers avoid pesticides and seek alternatives. Luckily, you can be a part of the solution also, by avoiding over the counter pesticides that are known to hurt bees. 2 years ago, The Center For Food Safety released a list of 68 garden pesticides that are dangerous to the bee population.

Science & Technology

Homeland Security admits CISA info-sharing bill could 'sweep away' privacy protections
RT - The deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security has admitted that a new cybersecurity bill could “sweep away” privacy protections, adding that it raises privacy and civil liberties concerns. The bill could hit the Senate floor this week… The bill authorizes companies to share information about cyber threats with “any federal entity.” Any company participating in the data sharing would be immune from consumer lawsuits… The data would be exempt from Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) disclosures. Opponents of the bill have argued that minimal requirements are in place for businesses to erase personal information before circulating cyber threat information – dubbed “cyber threat indicators” – before sharing that data with the government. This has led to worries that such data could include a range of personal details including credit card histories, lists of goods purchased, and healthcare records.

FDA Issues its First-Ever Cybersecurity Alert
AllGov - The FDA warned that the Symbiq Infusion System, manufactured by Hospira, contains vulnerabilities in its software that could allow a hacker to adjust the dosage of a drug. The vulnerabilities were first detected by cybersecurity researcher Billy Rios, and later confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team… In addition, Rios said he has found similar vulnerabilities in other pumps made by Hospira. The company’s PCA LifeCare pumps; PCA3 LifeCare and PCA5 LifeCare pumps; and its Plum A+ model of pumps are all able to be accessed by hackers, according to Wired.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Idaho “Ag-Gag” Law Ruled Unconstitutional in Federal Court
ACLU - Idaho’s Ag-Gag law is unconstitutional, the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho ruled today. In a landmark victory for a broad-based public interest coalition of national nonprofits, including the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Idaho, and Center for Food Safety (CFS), the court held that the Ag-Gag law, Idaho Code sec. 18-7042, violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Today’s decision marks the first time a court has declared an Ag-Gag statute unconstitutional.

Organic faces growing pains as demand outpaces supply
GovSlaves - Organic food sales have risen by double digits annually as the public consumes more fruits, vegetables, pastas, dairy and meats raised and grown without pesticides, genetically modified crops or antibiotics, among other stringent requirements. Despite the organic farming’s booming growth — organic food revenue has tripled over the past decade to a record $36 billion last year... The industry’s growth isn’t expected to subside anytime soon, according to the Organic Trade Association. It predicts sales will increase 12-to-15 percent annually for the next three years. But the rapid growth has brought challenges the organic industry is struggling to address. One of those challenges is demand, which organic producers are struggling to meet. Shortages of some organic products has led to sky-high prices. And more livestock producers, hungry for organic feeds, are importing from overseas because they can’t find enough in the U.S.

Survival/Preparedness

How To Build An All-Natural Heal-Anything First-Aid Kit
Off the Grid News - Take a look inside the average first-aid kit and you’ll likely find chemical-filled antibiotic sprays and ointments. While these products tend to be quite effective and cheap, they are far from natural and holistic. Fortunately, you can create your own first-aid kit with healthier products relatively easily.

50 Reasons Why Preppers Need Vinegar in Their Stockpiles
Natural Blaze - As preppers, if we stored a different product for each of our cleaning needs, we’d need a storage room the size of Costco to put it all in. That’s why I love vinegar. Vinegar is multi-purpose, non-toxic and inexpensive. With the addition of a few drops of essential oil, it even smells good. There are about a million different ways to use it, and that’s before you even get into the use of vinegar in some of your recipes.

Health

Profit over Safety – Centers for Disease Control Names 271 New Vaccinations
Vac Truth - In a recent article published by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., titled Children at Risk – Vaccines, Government & Big Pharma’s Dirty Money, [1] he highlighted the fact that every vaccine introduced to the vaccine schedule guarantees its manufacturer millions of customers, increasing vaccine revenue by billions of dollars. However, it appears that a minimum of 56 doses of 14 vaccinations before the age of eighteen is not quite lucrative enough for the pharmaceutical industry, as according to Mr. Kennedy’s research, the CDC has 271 new vaccinations under development in the hopes that vaccine revenues will reach a staggering $100 billion by 2025.

FDA Adds Heart Attack and Stroke Warning to Some Painkillers - Try This Instead
Natural Blaze - Earlier this month, the FDA announced it would be strengthening its warnings on non-aspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), updating what is already printed on many NSAID labels about the drugs’ increased risk of heart attack or stroke. The updated labels will include language which warns that these serious side effects can occur as early as the first few weeks of using an NSAID; that the risk may increase with longer use of the NSAID; and that the risk appears greater at higher doses.... The good news is there is research and clinical evidence supporting natural solutions for pain that are non-addictive and cost-effective....

Boost Your Immunity Naturally — with Elderberry
Natural News Blogs - Battling a serious disease, such as cancer, is sometimes a matter of weighing the odds: potent, life-saving treatments may come with their own set of risks and side effects. A bout of chemotherapy or radiation may leave the body in a weakened state, with a compromised immune system. But natural supplements and health-giving extracts, such as those made with European Elderberry (Sambucus nigra), are giving new hope in the fight to return to health. Elderberry’s antibacterial and antiviral power may help shift the balance back to wellness faster, giving the immune system a much-needed boost against bacterial and viral infections.



Tuesday - August 4, 2015 - Today in History:

1735 - Freedom of the press was established with an acquittal of John Peter Zenger. The writer of the New York Weekly Journal had been charged with seditious libel by the royal governor of New York. The jury said that "the truth is not libelous."
1753 - George Washington became a Master Mason.
1790 - The Revenue Cutter Service was formed. This U.S. naval task force was the beginning of the U.S. Coast Guard.
1821 - "The Saturday Evening Post" was published for the first time as a weekly.
1914 - Britain declared war on Germany in World War I. The U.S. proclaimed its neutrality.
1922 - The death of Alexander Graham Bell, two days earlier, was recognized by AT&T and the Bell Systems by shutting down all of its switchboards and switching stations. The shutdown affected 13 million phones.
1944 - Nazi police raided a house in Amsterdam and arrested eight people. Anne Frank, a teenager at the time, was one of the people arrested. Her diary would be published after her death.
1972 - Arthur Bremer was found guilty of shooting George Wallace, the governor of Alabama. Bremer was sentenced to 63 years in prison.
1977 - U.S. President Carter signed the measure that established the Department of Energy.
1987 - The Fairness Doctrine was rescinded by the Federal Communications Commission. The doctrine had required that radio and TV stations present controversial issues in a balanced fashion.
1990 - The European Community imposed an embargo on oil from Iraq and Kuwait. This was done to protest the Iraqi invasion of the oil-rich Kuwait.
1997 - Teamsters began a 15-day strike against UPS (United Parcel Service). The strikers eventually won an increase in full-time positions and defeated a proposed reorganization of the company's pension plan.
2007 - NASA's Phoenix spacecraft was launched on a space exploration mission of Mars. The Phoenix lander descended on Mars on May 25, 2008.
2009 - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il pardoned two American journalists, who had been arrested and imprisoned for illegal entry earlier in the year.

World News

Saudi-Led Coalition Deploys Nearly 3,000 Troops in Yemen - Reports
Sputnik News - A ground force of 2,800 pro-government troops, accompanied by tanks and armored personnel carriers, pushed toward a Houthi-controlled military base in Yemen Monday as Saudi-led coalition airstrikes cleared their path. The al-Anad military base, located just north of Yemen’s port city of Aden, is the main Houthi encampment in the country's south… The ground forces are comprised mostly of Saudi special operations, intelligence and logistics personnel supported by personnel and equipment from the United Arab Emirates and trained Yemeni fighters, a coalition force told Defense News.

Anger in Athens as Troika Set to Demand More Austerity Measures
Sputnik News - The Greek bailout talks are set to hit troubled waters yet again, as it emerged that its creditors - the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Eurozone members - are set to demand Athens passes even more austerity measures. Negotiations over the third bailout since 2010 were only started Tuesday, following a series of delays. As a pre-requisite of the third bailout talks beginning, Greece was forced to pass legislation on tax and pension reform, as well as other issues.

VIDEO: Bin Ladens Die In Plane Crash In Perfect Conditions
InfoWars - Three members of the extensive Bin Laden family, Osama’s stepmother, half sister and her husband suspiciously died in a plane crash on Friday. The Saudi owned Embraer Phenom 300 private Jet crashed into a British Car Auction lot on the edge of the Blackbushe Airport in Hampshire, England, wiping out roughly 30 cars and killing everyone onboard, including the Jordanian pilot.
* Related: Osama Bin Laden's stepmother and sister 'killed in Hampshire private jet crash'

Taking sides in Syrian civil war? Obama authorizes airstrikes ‘to defend’ US-trained rebels
RT - The US president has reportedly authorized the Air Force to protect Syrian rebels trained by Washington to fight against Islamic State by bombing any force attacking them, including Syrian regular troops. Thus the US may become involved in the Syrian civil war on the rebel side. The change was first reported by US officials speaking on condition of anonymity with the Wall Street Journal Sunday. The first airstrikes to protect American trainees in Syria have already taken place on Friday, July 31, when the US Air Force bombed unidentified militants who attacked the compound of the US-trained rebels. So far the fighter jets of the anti-Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) US-led coalition have been bombing jihadist targets in Syria’s north and the national air defense units were turning a blind eye to foreign military aircraft in their airspace.

Hundreds of civilians killed in US-led air strikes on Isis targets – report
The Guardian - The air campaign against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has killed more than 450 civilians, according to a new report, even though the US-led coalition has so far acknowledged just two non-combatant deaths. More than 5,700 air strikes have been launched in the campaign, which nears its first anniversary this Saturday, with its impact on civilians largely unknown. Now Airwars, a project by a team of independent journalists, is publishing details of 52 strikes with what it believes are credible reports of at least 459 non-combatant deaths, including those of more than 100 children.

Greek shares nosedive as manufacturing data reveals economy in shock
The Guardian - The full extent of the damage caused by the Greek crisis was laid bare when the first day of stock market trading after five weeks of economic paralysis saw shares lose a sixth of their value. Bank stocks bore the brunt of a wave of pent-up selling that eclipsed anything seen in the past three decades on the Athens stock market, with three of the leading Greek financial institutions losing the maximum 30% permitted in a single day’s trading.

First Default By U.S. Commonwealth In History: Puerto Rico Fails To Make Required Debt Payment
Zero Hedge - Over the weekend Puerto Rico was supposed to make a modest principal and interest payment of some $58 million due on Public Finance Corp. bonds, which however few expected would be satisfied… Melba Acosta, president of the Government Development Bank, confirmed as much, when he announced that only $628,000 of the $58 million payment, or just about 1%, had been paid… In other words, small or not, PR has failed a mandatory principal repayment and is now in default under the PFC bonds. Up next, as per Bloomberg's preview "the default promises to escalate the debt crisis racking the island, where officials are pushing for what may be the biggest restructuring ever in the municipal market."

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Drones Buzzing Airports; THREE Planes Narrowly Miss UAVs As Homeland Security Warns Of Terror Attacks
Steve Watson - In three separate incidents this past weekend, drones were witnessed buzzing planes close to airports, with one pilot having to literally swerve to avoid hitting a remotely operated aircraft.... The reports come in tandem with a bulletin issued by The Department of Homeland Security warning police that there is an increasing risk that a terror attack will be carried out using drones. While the alert did not identity a specific security threat, it warned of “emerging adversary use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems present detection and disruption challenges.”... The FAA says it is now receiving on average two reports per day from pilots saying they have seen drones. The machines are banned within five miles of airports, and are not permitted to fly above 400 feet.

Huntington Park to allow immigrants in U.S. illegally to serve on commissions
LA Times - In a move likely to heighten debate about illegal immigration, a Huntington Park city councilman said Monday he will appoint two immigrants in the U.S. illegally to become commissioners on city advisory boards. The move is an effort to give people here illegally a voice in government in a part of Los Angeles County that has long drawn immigrants from Latin America.

Senate blocks Planned Parenthood defunding measure
Reuters - Republican legislation to cut off federal funding for Planned Parenthood failed to gather enough support in the U.S. Senate on Monday, halting at least for now moves to punish the women's health group for its role in gathering fetal tissue from abortions for medical research. Senate Democrats succeeded in stopping the bill on a procedural vote. Sixty votes were needed to advance it in the 100-person chamber. It received 53 votes, with 46 senators opposing it.... Republicans are likely to try again in September to stop Planned Parenthood from getting federal funds, which currently amount to more than $500 million a year.

Louisiana Cuts Off Planned Parenthood Funding
Kit Daniels - Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has cut off state taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood in the wake of shocking videos showing the organization harvesting baby organs for profit. Not only has Jindal blocked Medicaid money to Planned Parenthood of the Gulf Coast on Monday, but he also barred the State Dept. of Health and Hospitals from funding the organization.

Federal Court Rules 2-1 that Florida can Punish Doctors for Talking to Patients about Guns
AllGov - A federal appeals court for the second time has affirmed a Florida law that forbids physicians from asking patients about gun ownership. The Florida Firearm Owners Privacy Act prohibits doctors from asking patients whether there are guns in their home. It also bans recording information about gun ownership.... A federal judge subsequently halted enforcement of the law, ruling that it was a violation of the First Amendment. But two Republican-appointed judges on a panel from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the injunction, first in July 2014 and again on Tuesday.

73% of Inmates who Die in Jail Haven’t been Convicted of a Crime
AllGov -Being arrested for a crime isn’t supposed to be the same thing as being convicted, yet many people awaiting trial suffer the ultimate penalty—death—while they’re in custody. A report (pdf) by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) shows that 73% of those who die in jail haven’t been convicted of a crime. In addition, 29% of those who die are African-American, more than double their percentage of the U.S. population at large. Studies have shown that black people are more likely to be held while awaiting trial, partly because they are assigned higher bail amounts, by thousands of dollars, than whites are. For that reason, African-Americans are more likely to be stuck in jail awaiting trial even for minor offenses.

Election News

Rand Paul Names Russia, China as First State Visits if Elected
Sputnik News - The GOP senator from Kentucky was joined by 16 major and minor Republicans who had thrown their hats in the race. Multibillion real estate mogul Donald Trump, who leads all Republicans in the polls, was not included in the Voters First Forum. "As far as the first country I will travel to… I would say either China or Russia," Paul said at the Voters First Forum in New Hampshire via teleconference on Monday. Paul stressed it is important for the United States to "engage with the world." "I think that even though China is sometimes our adversary, Russia is sometimes our adversary, we do interact with these once great superpowers and emerging superpowers." The first sanctioned Republican debate is scheduled for Thursday.

Jimmy Carter Rages At What The U.S. Has Become: "Just An Oligarchy With Unlimited Political Bribery"
Zero Hedge - On July 28th, Thom Hartmann interviewed former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and, at the very end of his show (as if this massive question were merely an afterthought), asked him his opinion of the 2010 Citizens United decision and the 2014 McCutcheon decision, both decisions by the five Republican judges on the U.S. Supreme Court. These two historic decisions enable unlimited secret money (including foreign money) now to pour into U.S. political and judicial campaigns. Carter answered: "It violates the essence of what made America a great country in its political system. Now it’s just an oligarchy, with unlimited political bribery being the essence of getting the nominations for president or to elect the president. And the same thing applies to governors and U.S. senators and congress members. So now we’ve just seen a complete subversion of our political system as a payoff to major contributors, who want and expect and sometimes get favors for themselves after the election’s over."

Donald Trump Looms Large over First GOP Presidential Debate
Breitbart - While candidates and their teams have spent hours privately strategizing how best to tackle the billionaire businessman in Thursday’s debate, they publicly discounted the idea of Trump’s rise even as a new poll showed the billionaire businessman continuing a summer surge.... A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released on Sunday showed Trump as the first choice of 19 percent of GOP primary voters, followed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker at 15 percent and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at 14 percent. Fox News, host of the Aug. 6 debate, intends to allow onstage only the 10 candidates who fare best in polling averages from the five most recent national public opinion surveys as of Tuesday evening. Candidates who do not qualify for the debate will be invited to participate in a forum to be aired on the afternoon of the debate.

As debate looms, Rand Paul sees a chance to be the GOP dove
Washington Post - The first Republican debate of the 2016 presidential campaign, said Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, will be between him and people who “want to blow up the world.... “I want to be known as the candidate who’s not eager for war, who thinks war’s the last resort,” Paul said on a weekend swing through Iowa. “When we fight, we fight to win, but much of our involvement has led to consequences that made us less safe. You’ll see that come into sharp distinction.” Paul’s approach almost ensures that there will be a vigorous debate Thursday night over foreign policy, an issue that many Republicans see as a major distinction between them and Democrats.

Economy & Business

Crashing: Apple, Twitter, Oil, Commodities, Greek Stocks, Chinese Stocks
Economic Collapse - Tech stocks are crashing, oil is crashing, industrial commodities are crashing, Greek stocks crashed the moment that the Greek stock market reopened for trading, and Chinese stocks continue to crash. At this point we have not seen a broad crash of U.S. stocks yet, but it is important to note that the Dow is already down more than 700 points from the peak in May. If it continues to slide like it has in recent days, it won’t be too long before we will officially reach “correction” territory.

Veteran News

Adult Medical Kidnapping in New York: 1950s Air Force Veteran Held Hostage in Hospital
Health Impact News - Laredo Regular just wants to take his grandfather home, but a New York Hospital is keeping him hostage... Not happy with the medical treatment his grandfather was receiving, Laredo and his mom sought to transfer him to a different facility. They are the holder of a Health Proxy as well as POA (power of attorney) for their family member, and filled out the required forms for an AMA (or Against Medical Advice) hospital discharge. But the hospital would not discharge him, and later both Laredo and his mother were dragged out of the hospital room and banned from the hospital. The Laredo family has sought help through various legal entities—the police, attorneys, and the political system; all of whom, we are told, are in complete agreement with the family, but have not been able to get the hospital to budge from its decision to hold the grandfather against their will.

Housing Market

San Fran Residents Pay $1,000 a Month to Live in Shipping Containers
Liberty Blitzkrieg - Luke Iseman has figured out how to afford the San Francisco Bay area. He lives in a shipping container. The Wharton School graduate’s 160-square-foot box has a camp stove and a shower made of old boat hulls... “It’s not making us much money yet, but it allows us to live in the Bay Area, which is a feat,” said Iseman, 31, who’s developing a container-house business... Iseman used to pay $4,200 a month in San Francisco’s Mission District for a two-bedroom apartment with a slanted floor and mosquito-breeding puddles.

Energy & Environment

Monsanto sued over PCB contamination of Spokane River in Washington state
RT - Struggling with the pollution of the Spokane River, a town in the state of Washington is taking agrochemical giant Monsanto to court for selling chemicals that endanger human health and the environment, despite it allegedly having known of the hazard for decades.... “No company should be allowed to contaminate the environment and rely upon taxpayers to clean up the mess,” Attorney Scott Summy, a shareholder at Baron & Budd, P.C., one of two firms representing Spokane in the lawsuit said. “Monsanto, one of the most sophisticated chemical companies in the world, knew decades ago that PCBs were a significant contamination threat. And yet the company was concerned more with continuing profits than with protecting the public.”

VIDEO: California wildfires torch 134,000 acres -- and counting
(CNN) Firefighters worked Monday in steep terrain and other rugged conditions to fight California's Rocky Fire, one of nearly two dozen wildfires that have torched more than 134,000 acres of the parched state this year, according to state fire officials. That's nearly three times the state's 5-year wildfire average of 48,153 acres for this time of year, according to statistics posted by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. At 60,000 acres, the Rocky Fire is the largest ongoing blaze.

Science & Technology

‘Gene drive': Scientists sound alarm over supercharged GM organisms which could spread in the wild and cause environmental disasters
The Independent - The development of so-called “gene drive” technology promises to revolutionise medicine and agriculture because it can in theory stop the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses, such as malaria and yellow fever, as well as eliminate crop pests and invasive species such as rats and cane toads. However, scientists at the forefront of the development believe that in the wrong hands gene-drive technology poses a serious threat to the environment and human health if accidentally or deliberately released from a laboratory without adequate safeguards. Some believe it could even be used as a terrorist bio-weapon directed against people or livestock because gene drives – which enable GM genes to spread rapidly like a viral infection within a population – will eventually be easy and cheap to generate.

Are DHS 'front' companies capturing your kids irises and fingerprints?
MassPrivateI - Virginia Commonwealth University is the latest school to record your kids biometrics. VCU announced last week it had added two iris cameras to their campus dining hall. Students won't need their ID to enter the dining center anymore," said Stephen Barr, the director of campus services who oversees VCU Dining Services. "With iris identification, it’s as simple as a camera taking a picture of their eyes and two seconds later they walk through." The iCAM 7100 iris cameras, made by ColorID, take a high-definition photo of the user's iris and then identify 220-plus unique points. It then generates a number, which is associated with that individual meal plan holder's iris.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

How to Make Homemade Lacto-Fermented Crunchy Dill Pickles
Health Impact News - Besides the health benefits, one of the many wonders of using lactic acid fermentation as a means of preserving food is its versatility. While this recipe has that perfect dill and garlic cucumber pickle flavor, the recipe can be applied to any similar organic vegetable coming from the garden or market such as zucchini, yellow summer squash, Swiss chard stems, and even organic watermelon rinds.

Health

Blood Clots: ‘The Silent Danger of Road Trips’
Natural Society - Many are quick to dismiss the necessity of making ‘pit stops’ as they travel by automobile with the excuse that they must arrive at the destination on time. Many do not even consider the profound changes in the body which can occur by sitting in the same position for prolonged periods of time. Of course, there are multiple risk factors at play, including heredity, health status, and dietary intake, which ought to be taken into consideration. Likewise, there are various medical conditions and health problems that clearly increase the potential for deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot that forms in a vein deep in the body). Diabetes and obesity, metabolic syndrome, and hypertension are just a few of those which should alert an individual to their enhanced risk of a DVT event.

Exercise Reduces Your Cancer Risk
Dr. Mercola - For starters, exercise drives your insulin levels down, and controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risk. It's also been suggested that apoptosis (programmed cell death) is triggered by exercise, causing cancer cells to die. Exercise also improves the circulation of immune cells in your blood. The job of these cells is to neutralize pathogens throughout your body, as well as destroy precancerous cells before they become cancerous. The better these cells circulate, the more efficient your immune system is at defending itself against infections and diseases like cancer.

10 Signs You Need a Vacation
Dr. Mercola - Americans are taking fewer vacation days than they did 15 years ago, often not taking all of their earned vacation days, according to a survey by the US Travel Association. But the decision to put work over family and friends can lead to burnt bridges among personal relationships that can make your life richer for decades to come.... In short, many Americans find it hard to find a suitable work-life balance that allows them to pay the bills and earn financial security while still spending time with family and having ample free time for their own sanity. If it’s been awhile since your last vacation, you may be starting to feel it. Lack of adequate time off can manifest in many mysterious (and not so mysterious) ways, as the list below, compiled by TIME, explains.

4 Disturbing Reasons to Pay Attention to Your Salad Dressing
Natural Society - If you are using salad dressing from a salad bar, grocery store, or restaurant, you are likely indulging in GMO-riddled, unhealthy dressing.
 



Monday - August 3, 2015 - Today in History:

1492 - Christopher Columbus left Palos, Spain with 3 ships. The voyage led him to what is now known as the Americas.
1750 - Christopher Dock completed the first book of teaching methods. It was titled "A Simple and Thoroughly Prepared School Management."
1777 - During the Siege of Fort Stanwix the first U.S. flag was officially flown during battle.
1914 - Germany declared war on France. The next day World War I began when Britain declared war on Germany.
1923 - Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as the 30th president of the U.S. after the sudden death of President Harding.
1933 - The Mickey Mouse Watch was introduced for the price of $2.75.
1936 - The U.S. State Department advised Americans to leave Spain due to the Spanish Civil War.
1943 - Gen. George S. Patton verbally abused and slapped a private. Later, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered him to apologize for the incident.
1956 - Bedloe's Island had its name changed to Liberty Island.
1958 - The Nautilus became the first vessel to cross the North Pole underwater. The mission was known as "Operation Sunshine."
1981 - U.S. traffic controllers the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization, went on strike. They were fired just as U.S. President Reagan had warned.
1988 - The Iran-Contra hearings ended. No ties were made between U.S. President Reagan and the Nicaraguan Rebels.
1990 - Thousands of Iraqi troops pushed within a few miles of the border of Saudi Arabia. This heightened world concerns that the invasion of Kuwait could spread.
1992 - The U.S. Senate voted to restrict and eventually end the testing of nuclear weapons.
1995 - Eyad Ismoil was flown from Jordan to the U.S. to face charges that he had driven the van that blew up in New York's World Trade Center.
2004 - In New York, the Statue of Liberty re-opened to the public. The site had been closed since the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001.
2004 - NASA launched the spacecraft Messenger. The 6 1/2 year journey was planned to arrive at the planet Mercury in March 2011. On April 30, 2015, Messenger crashed into the surface of Mercury after sending back more than 270,000 pictures.
2009 - Bolivia became the first South American country to declare the right of indigenous people to govern themselves.

World News

Pentagon Authorizes Air Support for US-Backed Forces in Syria
Sputnik News - The United States, doubting the legitimacy of the Syrian government, has been supporting moderate Syrian opposition through training and equipment programs. The new rules authorize attacks even on the Syrian government forces if they clash with the US-trained groups. “President Barack Obama has authorized using air power to defend a new US backed fighting force in Syria if it is attacked by Syrian government forces or other groups,” the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. According to the Wall Street Journal, US officials consider that this decision finalized the discussion about the role of US army in the Syrian conflict.

Greek Shares Collapse as Exchange Market Reopens
Sputnik News - The Athens Stock Exchange lost 22.87 percent after the market opened for the first time in five weeks, the BBC said on Monday. Greece's four major banks, Piraeus Bank, National Bank, Alpha Bank, and Eurobank, suffered the biggest losses, falling on average by 30 percent each, according to the news outlet. The five-week suspension was instituted to prevent the Greek banking system from collapsing. Greece's total state debt currently stands at $350 billion, of which some $270 billion is owed to its main international creditors, the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund and some eurozone countries.

US to Continue Supporting Egyptian Army in Fight Against Terrorism – Kerry
Sputnik News - The United States will continue aiding the Egyptian military to help the country combat terror threat, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday. Earlier in the day, Kerry, who began his Middle East tour on Saturday, arrived in Cairo to meet with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri and President Abdel Fattah Sisi. It is the first leadership-level meeting between the two countries since 2009. Washington “will continue to provide robust training to the Egyptian military” in order to build capacity and professionalism to efficiently combat terrorism, Kerry said at the meeting in Cairo.

Calais migrant crisis: French riot police use chemical spray on migrants trying to enter Channel Tunnel
The Independent - French riot police have sprayed migrants with chemical irritants as they attempted to enter the Channel Tunnel late on Saturday night. An estimated 200 migrants broke down several security fences and were forced to retreat by riot police as they tried to break through the final fence near the entrance of the 30 mile English Channel. The group clashed with security forces for nearly an hour, reportedly chanting slogans such as “Open the border” and “We are not animals”. In recent weeks thousands of migrants have been scaling fences near the tunnel attempting to jump onto freight trains or trucks heading for Britain.

Productivity Soars When Chinese Factory Replaces 90% of Staff With Robots
Sputnik News - Replacing 90% of personnel with robots at a tech factory in China’s Dongguan city increased productivity by an astonishing 162%. The new robotic workforce at the Changying Precision Technology Company’s factory has rapidly expanded the facility’s production capacity from 8,000 items per worker to 21,000, almost tripling output, according to the People's Daily… A human staff of 650 has been whittled down to only 60. There are now 60 robotic arms, which work 24 hours a day on ten production lines, according to the Times of India. The facility is almost exclusively run by robots – almost every piece of equipment, including trucks for transporting the manufactured goods, work without human assistance.

UK: 3-Year-Old Deemed ‘Potential Terrorist,’ Placed Under Gov’t Care
Off the Grid News - A 3-year-old child in London has been labeled a “potential terrorist” and placed under social workers’ care and police surveillance because of his or her family’s religious beliefs. The unidentified child was one of 1,069 Londoners placed in an “anti-extremism program” by the British government, The Evening Standard newspaper reported. “The three-year-old is from Tower Hamlets [in London] and was referred as ‘part of a wider family group’ that had been displaying alarming behavior,” The Standard noted.... The idea behind the program is to prevent children who apparently come from Muslim families from being “radicalized” into Islamic terrorists and recruited into organizations like ISIS, The Standard reported.

Fukushima Daiichi Decommissioning: Follow The Money
Green Med Info - In Fairewinds' latest video, Chief Engineer and nuclear expert Arnie Gundersen updates viewers on what's going on at the Japanese nuclear meltdown site, Fukushima Daiichi. As the Japanese government and utility owner Tokyo Electric Power Company push for the quick decommissioning and dismantling of this man-made disaster, the press and scientists need to ask, "Why is the Ukrainian government waiting at least 100 years to attempt to decommission Chernobyl, while the Japanese Government and TEPCO claim that Fukushima Daiichi will be decommissioned and dismantled during the next 30 years?"

U.S. News, Politics & Government

NSA paid Utah over $1M to guard data center roads - records
(AP) - The National Security Agency has paid Utah more than $1 million over the past year and a half for state troopers to guard the entrance to the spy agency's massive data center south of Salt Lake City, according to Utah Highway Patrol records. From January 2014 through March of this year, the NSA has paid for state troopers to sit in their vehicles on roads outside the agency's data storage warehouse in Bluffdale and ensure no one blocks traffic. A group opposed to government surveillance has staged occasional protests outside the facility, but the NSA says the security contract was not prompted by any incident.

President Obama’s hopes for a globalist pact integrating economies on four continents ran aground in Hawaii on Friday
WND - Trade negotiators from 12 nations announced Friday they failed to reach a deal on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, TPP.... Negotiations stalled when national governments failed to accede to corporatist demands to open their borders and allow “people, goods, capital and information to flow freely through the zone,” as Japanese Trade Minister Akira Amari described TPP’s goals at a news conference Friday evening. Striking a deal over how long to protect data used to develop biologic drugs was described as the biggest source of frustration by a source from a non-U.S. negotiating nation. U.S. drug manufacturers want 12 years, but Australia wants five. A compromise of seven or eight years is seen as a possible compromise. “The US was on one side of the issue, while practically every other country were on the other side,” the source told Associated Press.

US Marines Say F-35 is Ready for War
Defense One - Seven years late and billions of dollars over its original budget, the Joint Strike Fighter is deemed ready to fight. The Pentagon has declared the U.S. Marine Corps version of the F-35 joint strike fighter ready for war, seven years later than planned in 2001, when the U.S. launched its ambitious project to build a common warplane for the military and its closest allies. The battle-ready milestone marks the most significant moment for the $400 billion program, the most expensive project in Pentagon history.

U.S. intel fears hundreds of secrets leaked in Hillary’s private emails
Washington Times - The U.S. intelligence community is bracing for the possibility that former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s private email account contains hundreds of revelations of classified information from spy agencies and is taking steps to contain any damage to national security, according to documents and interviews Thursday. The top lawmakers on the House and Senate intelligence committee have been notified in recent days that the extent of classified information on Mrs. Clinton’s private email server was likely far more extensive than the four emails publicly acknowledged last week as containing some sensitive spy agency secrets.

Obama Appointee Blocks More Video Releases By Group Behind Planned Parenthood Sting
The Federalist - Judge William H. Orrick, III, granted the injunction just hours after the order was requested by the National Abortion Federation. Orrick was nominated to his position by hardline abortion supporter President Barack Obama. He was also a major donor to and bundler for President Obama’s presidential campaign. He raised at least $200,000 for Obama and donated $30,800 to committees supporting him, according to Public Citizen.

Assailant in Garland, Texas, attack bought gun in 2010 under Fast and Furious operation
LA Times - Five years before he was shot to death in the failed terrorist attack in Garland, Texas, Nadir Soofi walked into a suburban Phoenix gun shop to buy a 9-millimeter pistol. At the time, Lone Wolf Trading Co. was known among gun smugglers for selling illegal firearms… What Soofi could not have known was that Lone Wolf was at the center of a federal sting operation known as Fast and Furious, targeting Mexican drug lords and traffickers…Soofi's attempt to buy a gun caught the attention of authorities, who slapped a seven-day hold on the transaction, ... Then, for reasons that remain unclear, the hold was lifted after 24 hours, and Soofi got the 9-millimeter.

Naval officer that stopped active shooter to face charges for discharging weapon
Police State USA - When a deranged killer crashed a vehicle into a military reserve center and began shooting, a Naval officer drew a personal handgun and helped stop the attack. Now it is being reported that the officer, regarded as a hero to many, will be facing federal charges because he discharged a weapon on federal property… Despite the prohibition on carrying personal weapons on base, at least two servicemen apparently broke that rule, risking consequences but ultimately saving innocent lives by hindering the efforts of the active shooter.

Election News

New Rand Paul video ad attacks Planned Parenthood
Washington Examiner - Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has a new video ad touting his bill to defund Planned Parenthood in the wake of the undercover videos that reveal high-level executives haggling prices for fetal organs. “Over half a billion tax dollars every year. They perform abortions and sell baby body parts,” says a voice-over in the video. “Rand Paul is taking action. As a pro-life doctor, Rand Paul cared for premature babies to save their site. As a conservative leader, Rand is forcing a vote this week to end taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood. Standing for life from day one — Dr. Rand Paul for President.”

On Disputed No-Fly Zone, Clinton Campaign Got Its Way With the FAA
The Intercept - The morning after the Hillary Clinton campaign was told that the New York City mayor’s office wasn’t going to bar news helicopters from buzzing her official campaign launch event on Roosevelt Island, the Secret Service expressed concerns to the Federal Aviation Administration about aircraft “loitering” over the event, according to emails obtained by The Intercept. And the Clinton campaign got its way: On the eve of the event held last month, the FAA announced a “national defense airspace” over the island, threatening to shoot down anything airborne that appeared to present an imminent security threat.

Veteran News

Veterans learn VA hospital dumped patient records with Social Security, personal info
Fox News - A Veterans Affairs hospital in South Dakota has waited more than two months to notify 1,100 patients that files containing their Social Security numbers and other personal information were dumped in a trash bin. The Rapid City Journal reports that the data breach at the VA Hot Springs hospital took place in May, but it wasn't until July 29 that anyone was notified. The paper said the breach was the most recent in a string of embarrassments that has engulfed the nation’s VA system over charges of doctored wait lists, poor care and wasteful spending. The VA Black Hills Health Care System blamed the breach on an employee who mistakenly tossed the patient files in a Dumpster. The records were found two days later by another employee who fished them out of the trash and notified hospital security guards.

Economy & Business

Obama’s Climate Fascism Is Another Nail In The Coffin For The U.S. Economy
Economic Collapse - Is Barack Obama trying to kill the economy on purpose? On Sunday, we learned that Obama is imposing a nationwide 32 percent carbon dioxide emission reduction from 2005 levels by the year 2030. When it was first proposed last year, Obama’s plan called for a 30 percent reduction, but the final version is even more dramatic. The Obama administration admits that this is going to cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars a year and that electricity rates for many Americans are going to rise substantially. And what Obama is not telling us is that this plan is going to kill what is left of our coal industry and will destroy countless numbers of American jobs. The Republicans in Congress hate this plan, state governments across the country hate this plan, and thousands of business owners hate this plan. But since Barack Obama has decided that this is a good idea, he is imposing it on all of us anyway.

700,000 U.S. Seniors Owe $18 Billion in Student Debt; Fed Taps Retirees' Social Security Checks
AllGov - Ninety-one thousand seniors with student loan balances are in default, putting their Social Security payments at risk of being garnished. The government can garnish up to 15% of a Social Security check to repay a student loan, as long as the check amount does not drop below $750 a month. The federal government sucked a total of $150 million out of seniors’ checks in 2013 to satisfy student loan debt, according to the Government Accountability Office, which also made it clear that 82% of senior still owe money for their own student loans rather than those of their children or other dependents. Social Security checks used to be entirely protected from any kind of garnishment. But that changed in 1996, when Congress carved out an exception for student loan debt.

USA to Issue More Green Cards Than Populations of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina Combined
Breitbart - The overwhelming majority of immigration to the United States is the result of our visa policies. Each year, millions of visas are issued to temporary workers, foreign students, refugees, asylees, and permanent immigrants for admission into the United States. The lion’s share of these visas are for lesser-skilled and lower-paid workers and their dependents who, because they are here on work-authorized visas, are added directly to the same labor pool occupied by current unemployed jobseekers.

Economics 101: Wal-Mart Hikes Minimum Wages, Prepares To Fire 1000
Zero Hedge - [...] an internal memo sent to employees of Northwest Arkansas recruiting firm Cameron Smith & Associates… references an expected wave of layoffs at Wal-Mart's home office in Bentonville... The first such sacrifice (apparently) were the 2,500 or so employees at the five locations with intractable plumbing problems, but clearly that was not enough which is why now, the company is moving to cut 1,000 higher paying jobs in Bentonville… Just don’t dare suggest that the cuts are the indirect or even direct result of the wage hikes that will cost the retailer around $1 billion this year, because that would mean that critics of the push to hike the pay floor are correct to assert that forcing employers to pay more will immediately result in equal and offsetting layoffs.

Science & Technology

Incredibly intrusive’: Windows 10 spies on you by default
RT - According to Zach Epstein of BGR News, all of Windows 10’s features that could be considered invasions of privacy are enabled by default. Signing in with your Microsoft email account means Windows is reading your emails, contacts and calendar data.... As examples, Porta cited Microsoft having access to contacts, calendar details, and “other associated input data” such as “typing and inking” by default. The operating system also wants access to user locations and location history, both of which could be provided not just to Microsoft, but to its “trusted partners.”... Opting out of all these default settings requires navigating 13 different screens and a separate website, the bloggers have found.
* Related: How to stop Windows 10's prying eyes

Off-the-Grid Text Messaging: No Need for WIFI or Data Plan (Video)
Coinivore - Open Garden wants you to forget SMS and IM and go with OM — off-the-grid messaging — using their peer-to-peer mesh network.... Open Garden’s encrypted texting app FireChat allows private messaging to groups or individuals without an Internet connection. The app has become popular at protests when authorities try to shut down or spy on centralized channels of communication. The new video clearly explains how mesh networks work without WIFI or cell service plans, and how it gains in speed, strength and usefulness as more users are added. If they grow large enough, decentralized mesh networks like these may one day replace how we access the Internet, making current Internet service providers (ISP) obsolete.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Are Aquaponics and Hydroponics Better than Organic?
Natural Society - The USDA decided to give an organic label to produce that is grown in controlled, water-based environments. The decision to label aquaponics and hydroponics as organic has angered a lot of people.... According to experts and critics of the USDA’s decision to label this produce as organic, there is a huge difference between plants that grow in this environment and plants that grow in soil. First of all, plants that grow in aquaponics and hydroponics methods depend on what people put in the water. Additionally, if the quality of water isn’t monitored properly, it can decrease the value of produce. Moreover, according to Jeff Moyer, farm director of the Rodale Institute, plants that grow in water don’t have same level of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients as plants that grow in soil, as plants need soil in order to develop properly.

Health

Rhode Island Mandates 7th Graders Get Dangerous HPV Vaccine – Adverse Reactions Hidden from Parents
Health Impact News - It was announced this week that 7th graders in Rhode Island would be required to have the Gardasil HPV vaccine as a requirement for attending school. The Providence Journal reports: Starting this fall, seventh-graders in all public and private schools will be required to get a vaccine that protects against a sexually transmitted virus linked to various genital cancers, especially cervical cancer in women. Students who fail to get the vaccine for HPV — or the human papillomavirus — will be precluded from attending school unless their parents seek an exemption for medical or religious reasons.

Robotic Surgical Systems Linked to 144 Deaths, 1,000+ Injuries in 14 Years
Natural Society - In the last 14 years, at least 144 people have died and more than 1,000 have been injured in the U.S. as a result of undergoing robotic surgery. The injuries, many of them fatal, were the result of broken instruments falling into patients’ bodies, electric sparks burning patients’ tissues, and system errors making surgical procedures take longer than planned.... Robotic surgery is intended to reduce infection and help patients heal more quickly, but surgeons have complained that the robots are sometimes too powerful for simple procedures. What’s more, many doctors have complained that they didn’t receive adequate training or were pressured by the manufacturer to start performing robotic surgery before they felt comfortable. Although surgeons are trained in how to use the machine, they are not trained in how to use it for specific operations.

This One Fruit Kills Malignant Cells of 12 Different Types of Cancer
Natural Society - Mainstream media reports that the fruit known as graviola, also known as soursop fruit, guanabana, or guyabano, is not a noteworthy cancer-fighter, but there are studies showing it effectively fights ovarian, colon, breast, prostate, lung, liver, cervical, lymphoma, and pancreatic cancers.... Graviola contains potent anticancerous agents called acetogenins which play a key role towards many varieties of cancer. Acetogenins are potent inhibitors of NADH oxidase of the plasma membranes of cancer cells.

The Top 24 Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Mae Chan - Researchers at the University of South Carolina, including James Hebert, ScD, and Philip Cavicchia, PhD, scored foods and food components thought to positively or negatively affect levels of inflammation, based on a review of peer-reviewed studies relating to diet and inflammation that were published between 1950 and 2007. Since then, research is bringing the index closer to "prime time"--ready to be used in epidemiological and clinical studies.



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