JANUARY 2017
Tuesday - January
31, 2017
Today In History:
1865 - In America, General Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief of
the Confederate armies.
1865 - The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed by the
U.S. House of Representatives. It was ratified by the necessary number
of states on December 6, 1865. The amendment abolished slavery in the
United States.
1876 - All Native American Indians were ordered to move into
reservations.
1893 - The trademark "Coca-Cola" was first registered in the United
States Patent Office.
1917 - Germany announced its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare.
1940 - The first Social Security check was issued by the U.S.
Government.
1944 - During World War II, U.S. forces invaded Kwajalein Atoll and
other areas of the Japanese-held Marshall Islands.
1945 - Private Eddie Slovik became the only U.S. soldier since the U.S.
Civil War to be executed for desertion.
1946 - A new constitution in Yugoslavia created six constituent
republics (Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Macedonia) subordinated to a central authority, on the model of the
USSR.
1949 - The first TV daytime soap opera was broadcast from NBC's station
in Chicago, IL. It was "These Are My Children."
1950 - U.S. President Truman announced that he had ordered development
of the hydrogen bomb.
1958 - Explorer I was put into orbit around the earth. It was the first
U.S. earth satellite.
1971 - Astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell and Stuart A.
Roosa blasted off aboard Apollo 14 on a mission to the moon.
1971 - Telephone service between East and West Berlin was re-established
after 19 years.
1995 - U.S. President Clinton invoked presidential emergency authority
to provide a $20 billion loan to Mexico to stabilize its economy.
2001 - A Scottish court in the Netherlands convicted one Libyan and
acquitted a second in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie,
Scotland, that occurred in 1988.
US-UK Trade Talks To Begin Immediately In Defiance Of EU Rules:
What's Trump Up To?
Zero Hedge - Congratulations to UK prime minister Theresa May
for poking a finger into the eyes of EU nannycrats. EU rules say
members cannot negotiate trade deals until exit from the block
is finalized, but you can kiss that rule goodbye. The Wall
Street Journal reports British PM Theresa May Says U.K.-U.S.
Trade Talks to Begin Immediately.... " While the U.K. is in
preliminary talks on trade in more than a dozen countries, under
EU law, the U.K. can’t finalize any trade deals with other
countries while still a member of the bloc. The U.K. has tested
the limits of that rule. Over lunch at the White House on
Friday, Mrs. May and Mr. Trump agreed to maintain the same
trading relationship the U.S. currently has with the U.K. in the
immediate aftermath of Brexit to ensure stability for
businesses, Downing Street said. Mr. Trump has said he wants to
agree as soon as possible to a trade deal with the U.K."....
Working out a deal now to be signed the moment Brexit is
official seems more like a violation of rules as opposed to
“testing the limits”. Regardless, what... can the EU do about
it?
Mexico earmarks $50 million to back migrants in US
The Pantagraph - Mexico's top diplomat said Monday his country
will spend about $50 million to hire lawyers for migrants in the
United States facing deportation. The money will be channeled
through Mexican consulates in the U.S. and also go to outreach
programs "to promote respect for Mexicans' rights." Foreign
Relations Secretary Luis Videgaray said the effort "isn't about
obstructing the enforcement of the law in the United States, or
much less opposing law enforcement." "We are going to focus the
money on one fundamental objective, which is the defense of the
rights of Mexicans. This means legal advice, informational
campaigns, the hiring of lawyers where it is necessary."
Mexican Official Threatens to Combat President Trump By
“Unleashing Drug Cartels”
Mac Slavo - Jorge Castañeda Gutman, former Secretary of Foreign
Affairs in Mexico, took things a step further during an
interview on CNN with Fareed Zakaria when he suggested that
Mexico’s previous cooperation with the U.S. in curbing the flow
of drugs and illegal immigrants could end. Instead, the cartels
could be essentially unleashed upon the U.S. – retribution for
tough policies on Mexico and other immigrant-producing countries
in the Latin American world. These astonishing words could open
up an economic gang war against the U.S. – very irresponsible
words that reveal just how connected Mexico’s leadership is with
the violent drug cartels who operate from their territories…
“The Media Coverage on Syria is the Biggest Media Lie of our
Time”: Interview with Flemish Priest in Syria
Global Research - Flemish Father Daniël Maes (78) lives in Syria
in the sixth-century-old Mar Yakub monastery in the city of Qara,
90 kilometers north of the capital Damascus. Father Daniel has
been a witness to the “civil war” and according to him, Western
reports on the conflict in Syria are very misleading. In short:
“the Americans and their allies want to completely ruin the
country.” “The idea that a popular uprising took place against
President Assad is completely false. I’ve been in Qara since
2010 and I have seen with my own eyes how agitators from outside
Syria organized protests against the government and recruited
young people. That was filmed and aired by Al Jazeera to give
the impression that a rebellion was taking place. Murders were
committed by foreign terrorists, against the Sunni and Christian
communities, in an effort to sow religious and ethnic discord
among the Syrian people. While in my experience, the Syrian
people were actually very united….
Fukushima breakthrough? Japan’s TEPCO finds possible nuclear
fuel debris
RT - The operator of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant may
have finally found a portion of nuclear fuel debris responsible
for a lot of the lingering contamination from six years ago. If
confirmed, it will dramatically improve clean-up efforts. One of
the most difficult aspects of the cleanup was getting to those
hard-to-reach places where residual nuclear material remained.
The substance is so toxic that even specially-made robots
designed to probe the underwater depths beneath the power plant
crumble and shut down.... The feeling is they could have hit
gold with the find. After several years of very risky and often
unsuccessful operations, the find would mark a major
breakthrough.... The untold costs of cleaning up nuclear debris
and carrying out tasks such as removing spent nuclear fuel rods
have all yielded some progress in an effort that’s projected to
take decades to have any meaningful effect.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
Trump to announce Supreme Court pick on Tuesday
USA Today - Trump did not disclose the identity of his nominee,
but told reporters that his pick is "unbelievably highly
respected" and people will be "very impressed" by the selection.
The scheduling announcement came via Trump's Twitter feed: :I
have made my decision on who I will nominate for The United
States Supreme Court. It will be announced live on Tuesday at
8:00 P.M. (W.H.)." Trump's nominee will likely face intense
opposition from Democrats in the Senate,
Pre-Emptive Attack Iran Bill Active in US House
Ron Paul Liberty Report - As we know well, what eventually
became the PATRIOT Act -- one of the single greatest attacks on
civil liberties in US history -- started out and spent much of
its early life as a sugar-plumb fairy dancing in neocon
fantasies. Then came 9/11 and it was dusted off and imposed on
the American people.... So it may well be with H.J.Res. 10,
introduced in the House just as the new Congress began at the
beginning of this month. The title of the bill tells the tale: a
bill "To authorize the use of the United States Armed Forces to
achieve the goal of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear
weapons." This legislation, introduced by Rep. Alcee Hastings
(D-FL), is as it appears: an authorization for the President to
use military force against Iran. But it is much worse than
that.... Because it specifically authorizes the president to
launch a pre-emptive war on Iran at any time of his choosing and
without any further Congressional oversight or input. The
operative sentence in the resolution reads, "The President is
authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as the
President determines necessary and appropriate in order to
achieve the goal of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear
weapons.".... And thanks to ongoing US and allied sabre-rattling
in the Persian Gulf, tensions continue to escalate. At the end
of this month, the UK, US and allied military forces will take
part in operation "Unified Trident," a joint exercise in the
Persian Gulf that will simulate a military confrontation with
Iran.
Mutiny? Acting Attorney General Orders Justice Department Not To
Defend Trump Executive Order
Zero Hedge - … Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, who is the
current acting Attorney General, has given orders to the Justice
Department not to defend Trump’s executive order. [per] Her just
released statement ...: "On January 27, 2017, the President
signed an Executive Order regarding immigrants and refugees from
certain Muslim-majority countries. The order has now been
challenged in a number of jurisdictions. As the Acting Attorney
General, it is my ultimate responsibility to determine the
position of the Department of Justice in these actions....
Consequently, for as long as I am the Acting Attorney General,
the Department of Justice will not present arguments in defense
of the Executive Order, unless and until I become convinced that
it is appropriate to do so." While it is clear that Yates is
making a purely political statement, her glaring insubordination
to the Trump administration will take on a largely symbolic hue,
and may be imitated by various other government agencies which
still have interim or permanent democratic leadership, as is the
case with every instance of political "mutiny." That said,
Donald Trump's response, once he realizes he may have a mini
mutiny on his hands, should be interesting.
Donald Trump didn’t come up with the list of Muslim countries he
wants to ban. Obama did
Mic.com - According to the draft copy of Trump's executive
order, the countries whose citizens are barred entirely from
entering the United States is based on a bill that Obama signed
into law in December 2015. According to the draft copy of
Trump's executive order, the countries whose citizens are barred
entirely from entering the United States is based on a bill that
Obama signed into law in December 2015. Though outside groups
such as the American Civil Liberties Union and NIAC Action — the
sister organization of the National Iranian American Council —
opposed the act, the bipartisan bill passed through Congress
with little pushback. At the initial signing of the
restrictions, foreigners who would normally be deemed eligible
for a visa waiver were denied if they had visited Iran, Syria,
Sudan or Iraq in the past five years or held dual citizenship
from one of those countries. In February 2016, the Obama
administration added Libya, Somali and Yemen to the list of
countries one could not have visited — but allowed dual citizens
of those countries who had not traveled there access to the Visa
Waiver Program.
Trump administration to allow 872 refugees into U.S. this week
Yahoo News - The U.S. government has granted waivers to let 872
refugees into the country this week, despite President Donald
Trump's executive order on Friday temporarily banning entry of
refugees from any country, according to an internal Department
of Homeland Security document seen by Reuters. A Homeland
Security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed
the waivers, noting that the refugees were considered "in
transit" and had already been cleared for resettlement before
the ban took effect.
Video: Anti-Trump Rioter Knocks Out Trump Supporter at Portland
Airport
Paul Joseph Watson - The incident took place on Sunday during
demonstrations against Trump’s travel ban on individuals from
terror-linked countries. The clip shows anti-Trump protesters
pushing and shoving their way into the airport aggressively as
they yell “peace! peace!” A confrontation then quickly arises
before one of the anti-Trump radicals punches a man from behind,
knocking him out cold…. It subsequently emerged that the victim,
39-year-old Grant Chisholm, a member of the Bible Believers
group, was hit with “something metallic”…. Having been
radicalized by the mainstream media’s legitimization of hysteria
and violence, so long as it is directed towards Trump
supporters, anti-Trump radicals are becoming more and more
unhinged.
Breaking: Lead Plaintiff In Trump’s ‘Muslim Ban’ Lawsuit Has
Ties To Hamas, Supports Sharia
Breitbart - A Federal lawsuit in the United States District
Court Eastern District of Virginia was filed against Trump on
Monday and the lead plaintiff, Linda Sarsour has ties to
terrorist organization, Hamas. …Linda Sarsour who was one of the
leaders of the ‘Women’s March’ is pro-Sharia law…
Cincinnati Mayor: We Are Now a Sanctuary City
Breitbart - Mayor John Cranley announced, alongside Muslim,
Jewish and Christian religious leaders, that his city would
“stand in solidarity with the immigrant community,” and declare
itself a sanctuary city, despite the threat of losing federal
funding under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Court Rules That Those Carrying Concealed Are Presumed to Be
Dangerous
The New American - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth
Circuit (Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and
West Virginia) ruled last week that an individual carrying
concealed gives up essential Fourth Amendment rights under the
presumption that since he is armed, he is also dangerous. The
ruling issued on Monday, January 23, United States v. Robinson,
reversed an earlier decision by the court’s three-judge panel,
claiming that the Supreme Court, in two relevant decisions,
concluded that “armed and dangerous” meant “armed and therefore
dangerous” rather than “armed” as a fact and “dangerous” based
on reasonable judgments surrounding the case.... The court's
decision is abominable because it signals out the possession of
a possible deadly tool to lose one's constitutionally protected
rights, and that's wrong. First, the Constitution protects both
the Second and Fourth Amendments equally, and the Founders
didn't put in wording allowing one to preempt the other. It is,
in fact, pure sophistry, the rationalizing of breaking of the
Constitution.... If the Fourth Circuit Court’s decision isn’t
challenged and overturned, not only will those carrying
concealed become second-class citizens and lose their Second and
Fourth Amendment rights, they could also, during a simple
traffic stop, lose their lives.
Trump signs '2-for-1' order to reduce regulations (Video)
The Hill - President Trump on Monday signed an executive order
that would require agencies to revoke two regulations for every
new rule they want to issue. The executive order is aimed at
dramatically rolling back federal regulations, one of his top
campaign promises. Trump met with a handful of small business
owners at the White House prior to signing the order. He called
the executive order “a big one," according to a pool report. “We
want to make ... life easier for small businesses,” he said,
adding that it would also benefit large businesses. “There can’t
be any discrimination.” The order requires agencies to control
the costs of all new rules within their budget. Agencies are
also prohibited from imposing any new costs in finalizing or
repealing a rule for the remainder of 2017 unless that cost is
offset by the repeal of two existing regulations. Trump's order
does make exceptions for emergencies and national security.
Ron Paul Warns: “Second Financial Bubble Going To Burst Soon…
Even Trump Can’t Stop It”
Jack Burns - “The Federal Reserve’s policies of printing
trillions of dollars back in ’08-09 have locked into place a
serious financial crisis at some point in our future,” Paul
stated. Going so far as to intimate the financial collapse will
occur at least some time in the next two years Paul wrote, “It’s
unavoidable, and even Donald Trump can’t stop it.” Paul said
Trump will be the patsy for the supposed impending financial
ruin. Just like everyone blamed Obama for the financial collapse
in 2009, this time, “Trump will unfairly get the blame,” the
former Texas representative wrote. Paul bases his comments on
reports he says he’s read which concludes that within the next
18-24 months, the collapse will happen.
Virginia House Votes 99-0 to Pass Bill that Would Help Support
Sound Money
Tenth Amendment Center - A Virginia bill that would remove sales
taxes from some purchases of gold and silver unanimously passed
the House last week. The legislation would take an important
first step toward encouraging its regular use as currency and
breaking the Federal Reserve’s monopoly on money.
New York Bill Would Allow Customers to Opt Out of Smart Meters,
Undermine Federal Program
Tenth Amendment Center - A bill introduced in the New York Assembly
would allow customers to opt out of installing “smart meter” technology
on their homes and businesses. Passage of this bill would allow New
Yorkers to protect their own privacy, and it would take a step toward
blocking a federal program in effect.
Positive thoughts can help you survive cancer
What Doctors Don't Tell You - A positive outlook can be the most
powerful ‘drug’ for surviving cancer. People who are anxious or
distressed about their cancer diagnosis are up to four times
more likely to die from the disease, new research has found.
Although the cancer patients were given standard therapies, such
as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, their survival rates varied
widely—and one key factor was their psychological response to
the disease, say researchers from University College London.
People who were distressed or anxious about having cancer were
far less likely to survive across a range of different cancers.
Leukaemia seems to be the one that is most affected by our
mental outlook: people with negative thoughts were nearly four
times more likely to die from the disease. Negative thoughts
also influenced pancreatic cancer, with the death rate 2.76
times greater than in people with a neutral or more positive
outlook, while those distressed by cancer of the oesophagus were
2.59 times more likely to die. Gloomy thoughts also made
prostate cancer 2.42 times more deadly. Researchers discovered
this extraordinary mind-body connection when they analyzed
data—that had never before been published—on 163,363 men and
women.
5 Herbal Supplements That Can Reverse Diabetes Symptoms
Natural Blaze - 1. Turmeric - It is thought to have a number of
medicinal properties which come from a compound that the herb
contains, called curcumin. Studies of curcumin have shown that
it can lower blood sugar levels, possibly decreasing them by 18%
by taking just 300mg a day of highly purified curcuminoids.
Other studies have found that taking just 1.5 grams of curcumin
for nine months can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.
The compound has also been found to contain anti-inflammatory
and antioxidant properties which could lower the risk of heart
disease. 2. Ginger - A study that was carried out on 88
participants found that taking just 3 grams of ginger each day
can reduce fasting blood sugar and HbA1c levels. 3. Cinnamon - A
number of studies have shown that cinnamon may help to improve
insulin resistance, fight inflammation, and decrease the
absorption of glucose following a meal. 4. Black Seed - It has
since been proven to fight inflammation, lower blood lipids,
fight bacteria and protect the heart and liver from disease.
Researchers from the Indian Council of Medical Research have
also found that black seed oil can increase lowered serum
insulin concentrations….
Monday - January
30, 2017
Today In History:
1798 - The first brawl in the U.S. House of Representatives took place.
Congressmen Matthew Lyon and Roger Griswold fought on the House floor.
1847 - The town of Yerba Buena was renamed San Francisco.
1862 - The U.S. Navy's first ironclad warship, the "Monitor", was
launched.
1933 - "The Lone Ranger" was heard on radio for the first time. The
program ran for 2,956 episodes and ended in 1955.
1933 - Adolf Hitler was named the German Chancellor.
1948 - Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi was murdered
by a Hindu extremist.
1964 - January 30 - The U.S. launched Ranger 6. The unmanned spacecraft
carried television cameras and was intentionally crash-landed on the
moon. The cameras did not return any pictures to Earth.
1968 - The Tet Offensive began as Communist forces launched surprise
attacks against South Vietnamese provincial capitals.
1972 - In Northern Ireland, British soldiers shot and killed thirteen
Roman Catholic civil rights marchers. The day is known as "Bloody
Sunday."
1979 - The civilian government of Iran announced it had decided to allow
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to return. He had been living in exile in
France.
1989 - The U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan was closed.
1995 - The U.N. Security Council authorized the deployment of a
6,000-member U.N. peace-keeping contingent to assume security
responsibilities in Haiti from U.S. forces.
1997 - A New Jersey judge ruled that the unborn child of a female
prisoner must have legal representation. He denied the prisoner bail
reduction to enable her to leave the jail and obtain an abortion.
2002 - Slobodan Milosevic accused the U.N. war crimes tribunal of an
"evil and hostile attack" against him. Milosevic was defending his
actions during the Balkan wars.
2002 - Japan's last coal mine was closed. The closures were due to high
production costs and cheap imports.
2005 - In Iraq, the first free Parliamentary elections since 1958 took
place.
Kremlin Confirms Trump-Putin Call Was "Friendly, Constructive,
Mutually Beneficial", Prioritized "Fighting Terrorism"
Zero Hedge - .... the readout of the conversation between the
two leaders per the Kremlin: .... During the conversation, both
sides expressed their readiness to make active joint efforts to
stabilize and develop Russia-US cooperation on a constructive,
equitable and mutually beneficial basis. Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump
had a detailed discussion of pressing international issues,
including the fight against terrorism, the situation in the
Middle East, the Arab-Israeli conflict, strategic stability and
non-proliferation, the situation with Iran’s nuclear programmed,
and the Korean Peninsula issue. The discussion also touched upon
the main aspects of the Ukrainian crisis. The sides agreed to
build up partner cooperation in these and other areas. The two
leaders emphasized that joining efforts in fighting the main
threat – international terrorism – is a top priority. The
presidents spoke out for establishing real coordination of
actions between Russia and the USA aimed at defeating ISIS and
other terrorists groups in Syria. The sides stressed the
importance of rebuilding mutually beneficial trade and economic
ties between the two counties’ business communities, which could
give an additional impetus to progressive and sustainable
development of bilateral relations. Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump
agreed to issue instructions to work out the possible date and
venue for their meeting.... The two leaders agreed to maintain
regular personal contacts.
War With US Becoming A "Practical Reality" Chinese Military
Warns
Zero Hedge - In the harshest warning yet that China is actively
contemplating a worst case scenario for its diplomatic relations
with the US, a senior Chinese military official said that “a war
within the president’s term’ or ‘war breaking out tonight’ are
not just slogans, they are becoming a practical reality.” The
remarks, first reported by the [South China Morning Post] SCMP,
were published on the People’s Liberation Army website in
response to the escalating rhetoric towards China from America's
new administration, and as Beijing braces itself for a possible
deterioration in Sino-US ties, with a particular emphasis on
maritime security.... The most recent deterioration in US-Sino
diplomacy follow a statement by Trump spokesman Sean Spicer who
told a press conference on Monday that the US would prevent
China from taking over territory in international waters in the
South China Sea. Spicer told the press “the US is going to make
sure that we protect our interests there,” when asked about US
President Donald Trump’s position on the South China Sea. “It’s
a question of if those islands are in fact in international
waters and not part of China proper, then yeah, we’re going to
make sure that we defend international territories from being
taken over by one country,” he said. Foreign ministry
spokeswoman Hua Chunying responded by telling the US “to be
cautious in what it says and does, so as to avoid harming the
peace and stability in the region.”
Saudi king agrees in call with Trump to support Syria, Yemen
safe zones: White House
Reuters - Saudi Arabia's King Salman, in a phone call on Sunday
with U.S. President Donald Trump, agreed to support safe zones
in Syria and Yemen, a White House statement said. Trump, during
his presidential campaign last year, had called for Gulf states
to pay for establishing safe zones to protect Syrian refugees. A
statement after the phone call said the two leaders agreed on
the importance of strengthening joint efforts to fight the
spread of Islamic State militants. "The president requested and
the King agreed to support safe zones in Syria and Yemen, as
well as supporting other ideas to help the many refugees who are
displaced by the ongoing conflicts," the statement said.
Iranian Pastor now free, tells what Trump did for his family
while imprisoned in Iran
State of the Nation - Iranian-American Pastor Saeed Abedini is a
very well-known… He was held captive as an Iranian prisoner for
being a Christian and spreading the gospel, but there is a part
of his story that you’ve probably never heard about. From
Christian Today: In a surprising revelation, Abedini said the
Republican presidential nominee helped provide for the needs of
his family in Boise, Idaho while he was locked up in an Iranian
prison for his faith. The pastor said Trump gave his family
$10,000 while he was imprisoned for three and a half years. “I
am finally free in a free country. Last year on the same day I
was sick and in chains for Christ, and now I can vote to choose
my next president,” Abedini said in a post on his Facebook page
on Sunday. “And most amazingly, I can vote for someone that I
know fought for me and called my name so many times. He met my
family and gave them a $10,000 gift. I think his ideas are more
biblical than the other candidates,” he added.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
President Trump Signs Executive Order Temporarily Halting All
Refugees
Breitbart - The executive order, “Protecting the Nation from
Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States,” contained these
key elements: Suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for
120 days, prohibiting the arrival of refugees into the United
States from any country during that period; Ordered the
Secretaries of State and Homeland Security to undertake a
complete review of the refugee vetting process; Permanently
banned Syrian refugees until President Trump determined
otherwise; and lowered the ceiling of refugees allowed to enter
the United States during FY 2017 to 50,000.... The executive
order did however, allow the Secretaries of State and Homeland
Security the discretion, on a case by case basis, “to process...
those refugee claims made by individuals on the basis of
religious-based persecution, provided that the religion of the
individual is a minority religion in the individual’s country of
nationality,”.... The executive order also included a temporary
block on visas for 90 days for “immigrants and non-immigrants”
from Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, Iran, and Iraq, and
specifically directed the Secretary of State to “request all
foreign governments that do not supply such information
[regarding refugee vetting] to start providing such information
regarding their nationals within 60 days of notification.”
Trump Slams Media Criticism of Refugee, Visa Reforms
Breitbart - President Donald Trump debunked high-volume claims
from the media, Muslim and left-wing critics who claim his new
90-day visitor safeguard policy and refugee reform is a blanket
“Muslim ban.” “This is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely
reporting,” Trump said in the Sunday statement, as left-wing and
Islamist groups decried his new visitor safeguards in airports
around the nation, and protested his planned reduction in
refugee inflow to 50,000 per year. “This is not about religion –
this is about terror and keeping our country safe. There are
over 40 different countries worldwide that are majority Muslim
that are not affected by this order,” Trump said. “My policy is
similar to what President Obama did in 2011 when he banned visas
for refugees from Iraq for six months,” said Trump. “The seven
countries named in the Executive Order are the same countries
previously identified by the Obama administration as sources of
terror,” he added.... The order also cuts the annual inflow of
refugees back to 50,000 per year, roughly level with the annual
inflows in Obama’s first term.
* Related:
The Latest Updates On Trump's Refugee Ban
20 'Vetted' Refugees Who Turned to Terrorism After Being Allowed
Into America
Information Liberation - While the lying media is perpetuating
the lie refugees do not pose a terrorist threat, the facts show
otherwise. Senator and soon-to-be Attorney General Jeff Sessions
compiled this list of refugees-turned-jihadists in 2016 while
Obama was pushing to dramatically increase the amount of
so-called "refugees" allowed into the United States….
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard Speaks the Truth on Syria, Gets
Smeared by the Mainstream Media
Sputnik News - Gabbard, a Bernie Sanders supporter who resigned
from her position as vice-chair of the Democratic National
Committee to support the anti-war candidate last February,
traveled to Syria on a fact-finding mission earlier this month,
where she had an unexpected meeting with Syrian President Bashar
Assad. A combat veteran with two tours of duty in Iraq under her
belt, Gabbard has been outspoken among US politicians in pushing
for peace in Syria. Shortly after Trump's election, Gabbard
surprised pundits and many members of her own party by meeting
with the President-elect to discuss Syria and the fight against
Daesh…. "I'll tell you what I heard from the Syrian people that
I met with walking down the streets in Aleppo, in Damascus," the
Congresswoman said. "They expressed happiness and joy in seeing
an American walking through their streets, but [asked] a
question: Why is it that the United States, its allies and other
countries are providing support and arms to terrorist groups
like al-Nusra (al-Qaeda), Ahrar al-Sham, ISIS who are on the
ground there raping, kidnapping, torturing and killing the
Syrian people?"
* Related: Video:
Pro-Trump Democrat Turns on Obama’s Policy of
Arming ISIS
Four top career officials at the State Department left the same
day Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson paid a visit
New York Post - The Washington Post reported that he and
Assistant Secretary of State for Administration Joyce Anne Barr,
Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Michele Bond
and Ambassador Gentry O. Smith, director of the Office of
Foreign Missions, had all resigned rather than serve under
President Trump. But a source close to the White House denied
that. “Pat Kennedy was fired. He may be saving face and
pretending that he resigned but he was let go. The poorly
performing senior leaders at State will also be pushed out. You
should expect other ‘resignations’ there, too,” the source told
The Post. All were long-time staffers who had served under both
Democratic and Republican administrations. And they weren’t the
first to go. Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic
Security Gregory Starr retired Jan. 20 — the day Trump was
inaugurated — and the director of the Bureau of Overseas
Building Operations, Lydia Muniz, left the same day. CNN said
they had all gotten letters from the White House telling them
their services were no longer needed.
Abortion Ban Incoming: VP Mike Pence, Kellyanne Conway Speak At
‘March For Life’(Video)
Information Liberation - Vice President Mike Pence, the highest
ranking official ever to speak at the annual march, said plainly
President Trump asked him to speak there. He told the crowd
“life is winning” and “we will not rest until we restore a
culture of life in America.” Kellyanne Conway was introduced as
being “one of us” and gave a similar pro-life speech to massive
cheers…. From The New York Times: Opponents of abortion gather
every year on the National Mall and march to the Supreme Court.
Usually their defiance is not much more than symbolism — the
court is the origin of Roe v. Wade, the decision in 1973 that
they have sought for more than 40 years to overturn. This year
they have ample reason to believe that under a
Republican-dominated government, they will begin to see movement
for the first time in more than a decade.
Republican Congress: With Reid Gone from Senate, ‘Kate’s Law’
Back on the Table (Video)
The GatewayPundit - Kate’s Law is named after Kate Steinle who
was murdered by an illegal alien that was a convicted felon from
Mexico. Kate’s Law “amends the Immigration and Nationality Act
to increase penalties applicable to aliens who unlawfully
reenter the United States after being removed.”
Trump Sets 5-Year and Lifetime Lobbying Ban for Officials
Associated Press - President Donald Trump acted Saturday to
fulfill a key portion of his pledge to “drain the swamp” in
Washington, banning administration officials from ever lobbying
the U.S. on behalf of a foreign government and imposing a
separate five-year ban on other lobbying.
Video: President Trump's weekly address from the White House
USA Today - In his first weekly address to the nation from the
White House, President Trump talks about the executive orders
and other work he has done since taking the oath of office.
Bombshell: At Least 25 Million Dead and Fraudulent
“Registered Voters” in 2016
Kit Daniels - A study revealing that over 800,000 non-citizens
voted for Hillary Clinton doesn’t account for dead and
fraudulent voters, which accounted for over 25 million
“registered voters” during the 2012 presidential election – and
little has changed since then. Illegal alien voters combined
with dead and “multiple state” voters could easily explain
Clinton’s “popular vote” margin over Donald Trump in the 2016
presidential election, especially considering that her “victory”
came from Democratic-controlled counties known for illegal
immigration and loose voter ID laws such as in New York and
California.
* Related:
Project Veritas releases five years worth of
video evidence
|
Gardening, Farming & Homesteading |
Court Rules Against Monsanto, Allows California To Put Cancer
Warning On Roundup
CBS News - California can require Monsanto to label its popular
weed-killer Roundup as a possible cancer threat despite an
insistence from the chemical giant that it poses no risk to
people, a judge tentatively ruled Friday. California would be
the first state to order such labeling if it carries out the
proposal. Monsanto had sued the nation’s leading agricultural
state, saying California officials illegally based their
decision for carrying the warnings on an international health
organization based in France.
Improve Liver, Adrenal Gland And Kidney Functions With
Activated Charcoal
Daily Health Post - A study in the American Journal of
Gastroenterology found that activated charcoal prevents
intestinal gas following a typical gas-producing meal (6). The
substance is also said to to help relieve bloating and cramps
caused by gas. Charcoal can also absorb bad cholesterol within
the stomach and intestines (7). In one study, total cholesterol
decreased by 25 percent, LDL cholesterol decreased by 41
percent, while HDL increased by 8 percent in just four weeks.
The participants (who suffered from hypercholesterolaemia) were
treated with activated charcoal at a dose of 8 g three times a
day. Research shows that activated charcoal may help reduce
nitrogen-containing waste products. A low-protein diet combined
with activated charcoal has been found to benefit elderly people
who have advanced kidney disease. Charcoal helps prevent toxic
build up in the liver and kidneys by absorbing toxins in the
stomach and intestines, preventing them from being absorbed into
the body and reaching these organs. This ensures that the liver
and kidney don’t become overrun with toxins. It also increases
bile flow, which is used to expel toxins from the body.
* Related:
Combination of oral activated charcoal plus
low protein diet as a new alternative for handling in the old
end-stage renal disease patients.
Pumpkin Seed Oil Found to Help Reverse Balding
Green Med Info - Researchers from the Republic of Korea's Pusan
National University have confirmed that pumpkin seed oil
increases hair growth among balding men. The medical researchers
tested the pumpkin seed oil on 76 male patients with moderate
androgenic alopecia – male pattern hair loss. None of the
patients had tried any previous medication, supplement or
topical therapy for at least three months prior to the beginning
of the study. The researchers recruited 90 patients, but
excluded those with high liver enzyme levels…. Other research
has found pumpkin seed oil can inhibit the 5-alpha reductase
enzyme - implicated in slowing and stopping hair growth. This
enzyme is involved in steroid conversion, including aldosterone,
testosterone, cortisol and others.
Biologist Proves Measles Isn’t A Virus, Wins Supreme Court Case
Against Doctor
Natural Blaze - In a recent ruling, judges at the German Federal
Supreme Court (BGH) confirmed that the measles virus does not
exist. Furthermore, there is not a single scientific study in
the world which could prove the existence of the virus in any
scientific literature. This raises the question of what was
actually injected into millions over the past few decades. Not a
single scientist, immunologist, infectious disease specialist or
medical doctor has ever been able to establish a scientific
foundation, not only for the vaccination of measles but any
vaccination for infants, pregnant women, the elderly and even
many adult subgroups. […] the “measles virus” contains typical
cell’s natural components (ribosomes, the protein factories of
the cell). Since the vaccination against measles contains whole
“whole measles virus”, this vaccine contains cell’s own
structures. This explains why vaccination against measles causes
frequent and more severe allergies and autoimmune reactions than
other types of vaccination. […] with regard to ribosomes in the
measles virus, the thesis of existence of measles virus has been
falsified.
80 Percent of Tested Dog Foods Contain High Fluoride Levels
Dr. Becker - A 2009 Environmental Working Group (EWG) study found that 8
out of 10 dog food brands contained fluoride 2.5 times higher than the
EPA national drinking water standard. According to the study, “When
fluoride in drinking water is taken into consideration, a 10-pound puppy
would be exposed to 3.5 times more fluoride than EPA allows in drinking
water. Large breed puppies may be exposed to even more fluoride.”
Excessive fluoride exposure has been linked to the development of
osteosarcoma in young boys; dogs — especially large breeds — have a
significantly higher risk for osteosarcoma than humans Tips to minimize
fluoride exposure in your dog include offering commercial dog food that
doesn’t contain either bone meal or animal byproducts and offering
fluoride-free drinking water.
Friday - January
27, 2017
Today In History:
1888 - The National Geographic Society was founded in Washington, DC.
1927 - United Independent Broadcasters Inc. started a radio network with
contracts with 16 stations. The company later became Columbia
Broadcasting System (CBS).
1943 - During World War II, the first all American air raid against
Germany took place when about 50 bombers attacked Wilhlemshaven.
1945 - Soviet troops liberated the Nazi concentration camps Auschwitz
and Birkenau in Poland.
1951 - In the U.S., atomic testing in the Nevada desert began as an Air
Force plane dropped a one-kiloton bomb on Frenchman Flats.
1967 - At Cape Kennedy, FL, astronauts Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward
H. White and Roger B. Chaffee died in a flash fire during a test aboard
their Apollo I spacecraft.
1967 - More than 60 nations signed the Outer Space Treaty which banned
the orbiting of nuclear weapons and placing weapons on celestial bodies
or space stations.
1973 - The Vietnam peace accords were signed in Paris.
1977 - The Vatican reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's ban on female
priests.
1981 - U.S. President Reagan greeted the 52 former American hostages
released by Iran at the White House.
1992 - Former world boxing champion Mike Tyson went on trial for
allegedly raping an 18-year-old contestant in the 1991 Miss Black
America Contest.
1997 - It was revealed that French national museums were holding nearly
2,000 works of art stolen from Jews by the Nazis during World War II.
1998 - U.S. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared on NBC's "Today"
show. She charged that the allegations against her husband were the work
of a "vast right-wing conspiracy."
1999 - The U.S. Senate blocked dismissal of the impeachment case against
President Clinton and voted for new testimony from Monica Lewinsky and
two other witnesses.
2010 - Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad tablet computer during a
presentation in San Francisco.
Trump Proposal For Syria "Safe Zones" To Escalate US Military
Involvement In The Region
Zero Hedge - According to the WSJ, the safe-zone proposal
represents a significant policy reversal from the administration
of Barack Obama, who long resisted pressure for such an approach
from Congress and U.S. allies in the Middle East because he
believed it would draw the U.S. too deeply into another war.
Establishing safe zones in Syria would mark an escalation in
America’s military involvement there: in addition to the initial
military buildup that likely would be needed to create the
zones, ground troops and additional air power will be needed to
protect them. Such zones would also put U.S.-allied forces in
dangerous proximity to foreign troops, including forces from
Russia and the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
* Related:
Trump didn’t consult Moscow on Syria safe zone plan, should
consider all consequences’ – Kremlin
Trump Greets U.K.'s May as World Leaders Look For Cues
Bloomberg - Theresa May will provide the first test for how
world leaders can deal with Donald Trump when she arrives in the
U.S. to welcome the new president to the global stage and lay
the groundwork for a U.S.-U.K. trade deal…. The good news for
May, who’s due to meet Trump at the White House on Friday, is
that he’s eager to cement relations and nail down a U.K. trade
deal too -- for his own reasons. He’d like to further drive a
wedge into a fractured Europe and strengthen at least one trade
relationship as he exits the Trans-Pacific Partnership and
prepares to renegotiate Nafta. A close relationship between the
U.S. and U.K. would prove that neither nation is turning inward
-- Trump after an election victory fueled by his “America First”
campaign, and May as she takes Britain out of the European Union
after last year’s Brexit referendum. So May is opting to brush
aside the worldwide protests that followed Trump’s inauguration
and worked hard to secure Trump’s first meeting in office with a
foreign leader…. But while May will offer reassuring words in
her speech to the gathering of lawmakers, she will implicitly
reject the idea of a U.S. withdrawal from international
entanglements. “The leadership provided by our two countries
through the special relationship has done more than win wars and
overcome adversity,” she’s planning to say. “It made the modern
world. The institutions upon which that world relies were so
often conceived or inspired by our two nations working
together.”
Euro could collapse in 18 months, predicts Trump’s pick for EU
ambassador
RT - Brexiteer professor Ted Malloch, who is likely to become
the United States ambassador to the European Union, has
predicted the looming failure of the single European currency. I
think it is a currency that is not only in demise but has a real
problem and could in fact collapse in the coming year, year and
a half…The one thing I would do in 2017 is short the euro,” he
told the British broadcaster. Malloch added that Washington and
London could clinch a free trade deal within 90 days of the UK
triggering Article 50 to leave the EU…. The US is expecting a
"clean" Brexit from Britain. Once the UK is out of the single
market, it could bypass "the bureaucrats in Brussels" and sign a
free trade treaty with the US, Malloch said.
Pena Nieto Snubs Trump: Tells White House Won't Attend Meeting,
Peso Tumbles
Zero Hedge - Thursday morning the feud between the US and Mexico
deepened after president Pena Nieto said he cancelled a planned
summit with Donald Trump over the US president’s insistence that
Mexico pay for his proposed border wall between the two
countries…. The fresh deterioration in diplomatic relations
between the US and Mexico came after the US president tweeted
earlier on Thursday that if “Mexico is unwilling to pay for the
badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the
upcoming meeting”. “The US has a 60 billion dollar trade deficit
with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of
Nafta with massive numbers of jobs and companies lost,” Trump
added on Twitter, underlining his determination to renegotiate
the North American Free Trade Agreement…. Mexico now finds
itself in a double bind, squeezed not only by Trump, but also by
its partner Canada, which as we reproted last night, has left
Mexico on its own. Recall that Canada will focus on preserving
its U.S. trade ties during talks to renegotiate NAFTA and may
not be able to help Mexico avoid being targeted by the Trump
administration, Canadian government sources say.
* Related Video/Article:
Trump calls for 20% tax on Mexican imports to pay for border
wall
‘Stop Soros’ Movement Sweeps Europe
Jamie White - A new initiative called Stop Operation Soros (SOS)
is launching in the Balkan nation of Macedonia to counter the
influence of globalist billionaire George Soros. The founders of
the group called on all “free-minded citizens” to join them in
the “fight against one-mindedness in the civil sector, which is
devised and led by George Soros,” reports a Slovenian newspaper.
Soros-funded non-government organizations have monopolized civil
society in Macedonia and used their influence to suppress
dissenting views, said SOS cofounder Nikola Srbov. “The Open
Society Foundation, operating under the Soros umbrella, used its
funding and personnel to support violent processes in
Macedonia,” he said in a press conference Tuesday. “That is
unacceptable and goes beyond the principles of civic
organizing.” Soros set up the Open Society Foundation in in the
1980s with the stated goal of helping former Soviet bloc
countries transition from communism, but in reality, the
foundation is used to destabilize governments and foment
discontent within countries…. Earlier this month, Hungary’s
Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that the Hungarian
government would begin cracking down on any organizations linked
to Soros. “In every country, they will want to displace Soros,”
Orban said in December. “In the coming year, Soros and his
forces will be squeezed out.” In 2014, Soros openly admitted on
CNN that the OSF was involved in the violent overthrow of
Ukraine’s government, which resulted in Russia banning Soros and
his NGOs from the country the following year, calling him a
“security threat” to the former Soviet nation.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
Watch: Trump addresses Congressional Republicans at annual
policy retreat
USA Today - President Donald Trump addressed Congressional
Republicans Thursday at their three-day annual policy retreat in
Philadelphia. Republicans are using the retreat to plan an
aggressive legislative agenda that includes repealing and
replacing Obamacare, overhauling the tax system, rebuilding the
military and figuring out a way to pay for President Trump's
border wall.
Video: McConnell Says Congress Moving Ahead With $12 - $15
Billion To Build Trump's Wall"
Zero Hedge - Trump's Mexican border wall from improbable is
rapidly becoming imminent. First, it was Paul Ryan telling Greta
Van Susteren that he is prepared to pay $8-$14 billion for
Trump's "massive wall"...
Border Patrol Union: Trump’s Border Plan ‘Gives Us the Tools We
Need’
Breitbart - As President Donald J. Trump prepares to kick off
his new border security plan, various news outlets have begun to
criticize the effort by focusing on the border wall. However,
members from the union representing the men and women from the
U.S. Border Patrol stated that the proposal comes from listening
to agents instead of politicians.
It Begins… 90 Somalis, 2 Kenyans Deported From US After Trump
Takes Office
Government Slaves - A plane carrying 90 Somali nationals
deported from the United States landed in Mogadishu airport this
past week…. The flight took place before President Trump’s
signing of executive orders for a temporary ban on most refugees
from several terrorist nations.
Drain the Swamp: Trump Triggers Mass Resignations at State Dept.
Kit Daniels - The entire senior level of the State Dept.
resigned on Wednesday, underscoring how the department was in
step with both the Obama administration and the globalist
agenda. The mass resignations provide President Trump with a
clean slate to reboot the State Dept. which, over the past few
years, became synonymous with corruption and violent regime
changes overseas. Those who resigned even made the point to do
so when President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, Rex
Tillerson, was visiting the Harry S. Truman Building where the
State Dept. is located…. And it’s worth mentioning that several
of those who resigned were likely part of the Clinton State
Dept. and its numerous scandals. Ironically, this has left the
anti-Trump Washington Post with very few insider sources of
information at State…. The resignations weren’t just limited to
headquarters; career foreign service officers at regional
bureaus also resigned, which will cause pain in the short-term
but will allow a cleaner atmosphere at the State Dept. to
flourish.
Fraud on voters? S. Dakota lawmakers repeal lobbying, financing
reforms passed by residents
RT - The South Dakota Legislature has wasted little time in
attacking an ethics reform package approved by state voters in
November that limits lobbyist gifts, lowers campaign
contribution limits and creates public funding for campaigns.
Beginning Monday, the Republican-led Legislature in Pierre has
sought to pass a repeal bill that would void the ethics
provisions passed via a ballot initiative two months ago. The
measure, passed by more than 51 percent of voters, is known as
Initiated Measure 22 (IM 22). IM 22's provisions also include
the formation of a state ethics commission, more frequent
campaign contribution reporting and limits on when former
lawmakers can become lobbyists. The repeal bill was scheduled
for a full state Senate vote on Thursday after passing through a
Senate committee on Wednesday and a full House of
Representatives vote on Tuesday. However, further debate on the
legislation was postponed in the afternoon. The Senate will pick
up debate next week, according to AP.
"Doomsday Clock" Advances To Two And A Half Minutes To Midnight,
Trump Blamed
Zero Hedge - For the first time in 64 years, atomic scientists
reset their symbolic "Doomsday Clock" to its closest time to
midnight on Thursday, saying the world was closer to catastrophe
due to threats such as nuclear weapons, climate change and
Donald Trump's election as U.S. president. The timepiece,
devised by the Chicago-based Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
and displayed on its website, is widely viewed as an indicator
of the world's vulnerability to disaster. The "clock's" hands
were moved to two minutes and 30 seconds to midnight, from three
minutes…. The last time the "clock" was set this close to
midnight was 1953, marking the start of the nuclear arms race
between the United States and the Soviet Union. While the clock
was unchanged last January, the Clock was changed in 2015 from
five to three minutes to midnight, the closest it had been since
the arms race of the 1980s.
Student Threw A Paper Airplane. He Now Faces 30 Days In Jail
Off the Grid News - Elliott was arrested, booked into the
Georgetown County Detention Center in South Carolina, and
released on a $1,087.50 bond on Jan. 10, The South Strand News
reported. He was arrested and charged after throwing a paper
airplane that struck teacher Edward McIver in the eye during
class at Andrews High in Georgetown, S.C. “That’s the law
enforcement side,” Andrews High School Principal Michelle Greene
said. “That is a violation of school policy, but if law
enforcement … deem it necessary to get a warrant for it, then
that’s what happens. The school does not interfere with law
enforcement business, and they don’t interfere with ours.”
School resource officer and Georgetown County Sheriff’s Deputy
Paul Glover decided to charge Elliott with third-degree assault
and battery, a misdemeanor, after the 17-year-old said he was
trying to hit McIver in the head with the paper plane. McIver
instead was hit in the eye, which appeared very red, The South
Strand News reported. McIver recently had had ocular surgery.
Texas Teacher Pretends to Shoot Trump in Class
Breitbart - A Dallas public school teacher was filmed in her
classroom mockingly shooting President Donald Trump as a live
feed was projected of his inauguration ceremony. In the short
clip, the teacher can be heard shrieking, saying the word “die”
and then routinely shooting at the projected image of Trump with
a toy gun…. The Dallas Independent School District confirmed to
Breitbart Texas in a written statement the person depicted is
indeed a DISD employee at W.H. Adamson High School, but would
not share more until its investigation was complete. The teacher
has been placed on administrative leave.
Transcanada Applies For Keystone XL Pipeline Presidential Permit
Zero Hedge - "This privately funded infrastructure project will help
meet America's growing energy needs as well as create tens of thousands
of well-paying jobs and generate substantial economic benefit throughout
the U.S. and Canada," said Russ Girling, TransCanada's president and
chief executive officer.
The Anti-Trump Resistance: US Govt Scientists Defy Trump With "Rogue"
Twitter Accounts
Zero Hedge - Following a new Trump directive mandating that all EPA
research must undergo "political review" prior to release, a number of
anonymous employees from more than a dozen U.S. government agencies have
established a network of unofficial "rogue" Twitter feeds in defiance of
what they see as attempts to censor federal climate change research and
other science. Seizing on Trump's favorite mode of discourse, scientists
at the Environmental Protection Agency, NASA and other bureaus have
privately launched Twitter accounts - borrowing names and logos of their
agencies - to protest restrictions they view as censorship and provide
unfettered platforms for information the new administration has
curtailed.
Breathometer's 'A01 Smartphone Breathalyzer' billed as the "world's
first smartphone breathalyzer" is a failure!
MassPrivate I - The Breathometer company which ran a successful
crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, received $1 million from wealthy
investors on 'Shark Tank' to develop a smartphone breathalyzer.
Breathometer claimed they could accurately calculate a person's blood
alcohol content from 0.000% to 0.250%. But the FTC discovered, it was
all a lie. Breathometer is also permanently banned from making any
breathalyzers or Breathometer apps. unless such claims can be supported
by rigorous testing. The company's CEO Charles Michael Yim also agreed
to compliance monitoring and reporting for TEN years. As of today 'Shark
Tank Products' is still promoting, the Breathometer!
40+ Drugs to Be Dropped By Insurance
GoodRX - In 2017, the nation’s largest insurance companies will
likely exclude up to 154 different drugs from coverage. If
you’re taking one of these prescriptions, your co-pay is about
to go way, way up. Last year, popular drugs including Viagra and
Qsymia were dropped by major insurance plans for 2016. The trend
continues this year. Almost 50 popular brand-name and generic
drugs will likely no longer be covered by one of the nation’s
largest prescription insurance providers. Who’s removing these
drugs? Express Scripts and Caremark, companies that handle
pharmacy benefits for more than 200 million Americans, are once
again removing drugs from their national preferred formularies.
Other pharmacy benefit managers will likely announce similar
restrictions in the coming weeks. Express Scripts and Caremark
are companies that administer prescription drug benefits for
many health insurance companies and Tricare. While you may have
health insurance from Anthem, Aetna or another insurer, your
pharmacy benefits are usually handled by these companies or
their competitors. They create a formulary—a list of drugs they
will cover—in conjunction with employers and health plans….
Below, you can find all of the new removals from both
formularies in 2017. For a full list of all excluded drugs and
covered alternatives, see the Express Scripts list here and the
Caremark list here. If you’re not sure which company provides
your pharmacy benefit, contact your insurance…. These changes DO
NOT apply to Medicare plans; if your Medicare benefit is managed
by Express Scripts, you should check your coverage with your
pharmacist or online through the Medicare.gov portal.
How To Drink Papaya Leaf Juice to Detoxify Liver, Reverse Fatty
Liver and Stop Liver Cancer
Natural Blaze - It was found through studies that papaya leaf
juice and it’s phytonutrient compounds act in synergy to display
a strong antioxidant and immune boosting impact throughout the
body and bloodstream. Papain, alkaloids and phenolic compounds
are responsible for their positive biological effects.
The Baking Soda Trick that Will Change Your Exercise Routine
Forever
Living Traditionally - According to Food and Nutrition Sciences,
a build-up of acid inside the muscle cell is a factor
responsible for muscular fatigue. Thus, the total muscular
capacity is limited by the progressive increase in acidity
within the muscles caused by an accumulation of lactate and H+
ions. This inhibits energy transfer and the ability of muscles
to contract. The body’s defense against this is bicarbonate
buffers, which help neutralize the acid produced by intense
exercise.
How much glyphosate is in pet food? An alarming amount
Susan Thixton - Even at allowable levels (FDA and EU), a new study links
the pesticide glyphosate to fatty liver disease. This is some very
concerning research that effects most pet food consumers (and most human
food consumers)…. In September 2015, Dr. Anthony Samsel analyzed
multiple pet foods for glyphosate. He provided pet food consumers with
the results – including brand names. As you review Dr. Samsel’s results,
keep in mind that this recent research links fatty liver disease to
glyphosate levels of 0.1 parts per billion……. What can pet owners do?
Purchase organic pet food/non-GMO pet food – as you can afford. For home
prepared food – use organic/non-GMO ingredients as you can afford.
Thursday - January
26, 2017
Today In History:
1784 - In a letter to his daughter, Benjamin Franklin expressed
unhappiness over the eagle as the symbol of America. He wanted the
symbol to be the turkey.
1788 - The first European settlers in Australia, led by Captain Arthur
Phillip, landed in what became known as Sydney. The group had first
settled at Botany Bay eight days before. This day is celebrated as
Australia Day.
1802 - The U.S. Congress passed an act calling for a library to be
established within the U.S. Capitol.
1837 - Michigan became the 26th state to join the United States.
1841 - Britain formally occupied Hong Kong, which the Chinese had ceded
to the British.
1861 - In the U.S., Louisiana seceded from the Union.
1870 - The state of Virginia rejoined the Union.
1939 - In the Spanish Civil War, Franco's forces, with Italian aid, took
Barcelona.
1942 - The first American expeditionary force to go to Europe during
World War II went ashore in Northern Ireland.
1961 - U.S. President John F. Kennedy appointed Dr. Janet G. Travell as
the first woman to be the "personal physician to the President".
1962 - The U.S. launched Ranger 3 to land scientific instruments on the
moon. The probe missed its target by about 22,000 miles.
1992 - Russian president Boris Yeltsin announced that his country would
stop targeting U.S. cities with nuclear weapons.
1996 - First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton testified before a grand
jury concerning the Whitewater probe.
1998 - President Clinton denied having an affair with a former
White House intern, saying "I did not have sexual relations with that
woman, Miss Lewinsky."
1999 - Saddam Hussein vowed revenge against the U.S. in response to
air-strikes that reportedly killed civilians. The strikes were U.S.
planes defending themselves against anti-aircraft fire.
2014 - In the U.S., the First Class postage rate increased to 49 cents.
Jihadists crush Syria rebel group, in a blow to diplomacy
Reuters - A powerful jihadist group has crushed a Free Syrian
Army rebel faction in northwestern Syria, in an attack that
threatens to deal a critical blow to the more moderate wing of
the Syrian rebellion and derail new Russian-backed peace talks.
The Jabhat Fateh al-Sham jihadist group, formerly known as the
Nusra Front, launched an attack on a number of FSA groups in
northwestern Syria on Tuesday, accusing them of conspiring
against it at peace talks in Kazakhstan this week. The fighting
has engulfed the rebels' last major territorial stronghold in
northwestern Syria, prompting a major Islamist insurgent faction
to warn on Wednesday that it could allow President Bashar
al-Assad and his allies to capture the area.
‘Obsolete & unnecessary’: Germany to scrap law restricting
insults against foreign heads of state
RT - Germany is to get rid of the lèse-majesté law protecting
heads of state or government from being publicly offended. The
decision came after last spring the law was evoked by Turkish
President Erdogan who tried to sue a German comedian for a
satirical poem he found too insulting. “The idea of ‘injured
majesty’ comes from a long-gone epoch and it doesn’t fit in our
criminal code anymore,” Justice Minister Heiko Maas said, adding
that the “regulation is obsolete and unnecessary,” as cited by
the Justice ministry website. Insults against head of states
will still be punishable, but “not more or less than that of any
other person,” Maas also said. Previously, the main difference
between the laws dealing with defamation cases involving
political leaders and ordinary people was the extent of the
sentence. A person charged with insulting a head of state faced
up to three years in prison, while insulting an ordinary person
could cost an offender no more than one year in prison.
‘Not one euro more’ of austerity, says Greek Prime Minister
RT - Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras promised the
government wouldn't pass any new austerity measures as talks
with bailout lenders have stalled over their demands for deeper
cuts. “There is no way we are going to legislate even one euro
more than what was agreed in the bailout,” Tsipras told Greek
daily EfSyn (Efimerida ton Syntakton), marking his two-year
anniversary in office. “The demand to legislate more measures,
and contingent ones, no less, is alien not just to the Greek
Constitution but democratic norms,” said the Prime Minister.
Crisis-torn Greece agreed to austerity measures, including
overhauling the pension system and unpopular tax measures, as
part of the bailout deal the country sealed with international
creditors in August 2015. Under the terms of the agreement,
Athens has received about €32 billion of the €86 billion bailout
program. It’s the country’s third bailout agreement since 2010.
The eurozone finance ministers will meet on Thursday to discuss
Greece’s bailout review. EU lenders want the country to achieve
and maintain a primary budget surplus of 3.5 percent of GDP
beyond 2018. However, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says
that’s too optimistic and calls for more austerity. The surplus
will only reach 1.5 percent, says the IMF, insisting Greece
needs to cut the income-tax threshold and pensions to meet the
target. Athens instead proposed to extend a fiscal contingency
mechanism already in place until the bailout expires in 2018.
The mechanism automatically triggers unspecified spending cuts
if bailout targets are missed for an additional year to 2019.
Paris deploys soldiers to protect mega-rich tourists
The Telegraph - Paris has introduced extra security measures to
reassure the rich and famous in town for Haute Couture Fashion
Week of their safety in the wake of a series of high-profile
robberies. Additional bodywand scans and identity checks will be
in place at luxury events taking place across the French capital
this week, as well as bag inspections. Armed military personnel
have been stationed at some of the city’s most popular
monuments, including the Grand Palais, where many of the fashion
houses' high-end shows and parties are taking place. Cement
barriers, too, have been installed…. The luxury shopping sector
is big business for the city, with an estimated €10 billion
spent annually, according to Bain & Company, a business
management consultancy, with nearly two thirds of that
attributed to foreign visitors. And the city’s tourism chiefs
are keen to protect them…. Paris has seen its security concerns
rise and visitor numbers fall ever since the Charlie Hebdo
shootings and November attacks in 2015. In November, French
authorities announced a plan to revive its ailing tourism
industry, including the introduction of mobile police station at
key spots and new English-speaking “tourism volunteers”…. The
Foreign Office says there remains a high threat from terrorism
across France. “Due to ongoing threats to France by Islamist
terrorist groups, and recent French military intervention
against Daesh (formerly referred to as ISIL), the French
government has warned the public to be especially vigilant and
has reinforced its security measures,” the Foreign Office advice
states.
German Newspaper Publisher: Murder Trump to Get Him Out of
Office (Video)
Paul Joseph Watson - Newspaper publisher Josef Joffe came up
with a not so novel idea to remove Donald Trump from office;
have someone in the White House murder him. After a caller to
the show asked the panel if there was “still a way out of the
Trump catastrophe” to remove him from office, one female
panelist began discussing how she thought Trump might be
impeached before his first term was up. “There has to be a
qualified two-thirds majority of the Senate in order for a
removal of office to take place. These are politically and
legally pretty high hurdles, a lot would have to happen for it,
we’re far away from that,” she said. Joffe then calmly
responded; “Murder in the White House, for example.” “Josef,
remain serious,” the woman responded. The host of the show
appeared to be on edge and eager to move on quickly. Joffe is
the publisher-editor of Die Zeit, a weekly German newspaper. He
is also a courtesy professor of political science at Stanford
University. As we have covered on innumerable occasions before,
the same leftists who would have been outraged at anyone hinting
at violence against Barack Obama routinely make jokes about
assassinating Trump.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
Trump admin stalls Obama’s last-moment $221mn handout to
Palestine – report
RT - Washington has reportedly frozen the transfer of the
multimillion aid bound for West Bank and Gaza, which Barack
Obama is said to have authorized just hours before Donald
Trump’s inauguration. A senior Palestinian source told the Times
of Israel that the Palestine Authority (PA) leadership was
notified by US officials that it should not expect the payout,
authorized on January 20 by then-President Obama despite strong
Republican opposition, any time soon…. Initially, the funds were
approved by Congress in the fiscal years 2015 and 2016, however,
at least two Republican lawmakers put a hold on the transfer,
voicing concerns that the money could fall into the wrong hands,
such as “the families of Palestinian prisoners and suicide
bombers,” according to Rep. Ed Royce (R-California). Rep. Kay
Granger (R-Texas), another GOP lawmaker, who placed a hold on
the measure, labeled the Obama’s last-minute decision to
discount Republicans’ opposition and go ahead with the release
of funds “inappropriate.”
ABC News Orders Strict Rules on First White House Interview
Wed Jan 25 2017 09:49:30 ET
Drudge Report - Following are usage rules for the ABC News
special 'President Trump: The First Interview,' a one-on-one
interview with 'World News Tonight' Anchor David Muir airing
Wednesday, January 25, 2017 (10:00 -- 11:00 pm ET) on ABC News.
1. Excerpts of no more than THREE MINUTES (3:00) of actualities
from ABC News may be incorporated in your regularly scheduled
news program's broadcast. Material can no longer be used after
February 1. 2. A mandatory on-screen credit must be aired during
the entire excerpt you broadcast. You must include the mandatory
'ABC News' bug visible with no company logos over the above
footage. 3. The excerpt must be introduced with an audio credit
'In President Trump's first interview on ABC News' 4. You must
advise your affiliates and any other entities to which you
provide material for broadcast that they must abide by the same
usage and credit guidelines to incorporate any excerpts in their
locally originated programming. 5. Domestic networks may not
redistribute the material as clips or raw material to
international affiliates or agencies. Re-distribution of an
entire segment or program containing the clip is allowed as long
as the affiliates are advised that no excerpting of the clip or
cataloguing for future use is allowed. 6. If the video interview
is used on the Internet, online services or interactive
multimedia transmissions, you MUST use the embed code, which
will be provided. ABC News reserves all of its rights and
remedies in the event of any violation of its rights.
* Related:
Video: ABC News Claims Ownership Of The American President’s
Words
Trump to choose Supreme Court justice nominee on Feb. 2
Reuters - Trump announced the date in Twitter message one day
after meeting with key U.S. senators and promising to unveil his
nominee to fill the vacancy left by the death of conservative
Justice Antonin Scalia nearly a year ago. Three U.S. appeals
court judges are among those under close consideration by Trump,
who took office last Friday and had said he would act on a
nominee next week. Appointment as a Supreme Court justice
requires Senate confirmation for the lifetime post. Trump's
fellow Republicans control the Senate with a 52-48 majority, but
Democrats could potentially try to block the nomination using
procedural hurdles. On Tuesday, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck
Schumer said he told Trump in the meeting that Democrats would
fight any nominee they consider to be outside the mainstream….
The current frontrunners include three conservative jurists who
were appointed to the bench by Republican former President
George W. Bush: Neil Gorsuch, a judge on the Denver-based 10th
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; Thomas Hardiman, who serves on
the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; and
William Pryor, a judge on the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals.
Senate delays Sessions' confirmation vote
Politico - Sen. Jeff Sessions' confirmation vote for attorney
general in the Senate Judiciary Committee will wait another
week. The powerful panel officially agreed to delay the official
committee vote on his nomination due to requests from Democrats,
who said they wanted more time to review Sessions and the
paperwork surrounding his nomination. The vote will now be Jan.
31, and his nomination will head to the Senate floor after that.
Sessions, an Alabama senator, submitted nearly 200 pages of
written responses to questions to the Senate Judiciary Committee
on Sunday. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on
the Judiciary Committee, said Democratic staffers need more time
to review those answers. Senators may have more questions for
Sessions, she said. Feinstein also invoked last weekend’s
Women’s March on Washington as a reason for the deliberate
consideration of Sessions’ nomination…. With support from
Republicans, Sessions is expected to be confirmed when his
nomination comes to the Senate floor, despite limited Democratic
support.
GOP Acknowledges It Won’t Meet Self-Imposed Deadline to Repeal
Obamacare
WSJ - Two days before Republicans’ self-imposed deadline for
producing legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act, GOP
lawmakers acknowledged they were unlikely to meet it. Both the
GOP-controlled House and Senate passed budgets this month
requiring four committees to deliver proposals by Jan. 27 to
roll back major tenets of the 2010 health-care law. The Friday
deadline is whizzing by in part because there are no
consequences for missing the Jan. 27 date, which was always
viewed as optimistic. In addition, the GOP strategy has shifted
after a sizable group of Republicans balked at repealing the
health care law without having a replacement in hand. President
Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to repeal and replace
the law at effectively the same time. To make that happen,
lawmakers are accelerating the development of the replacement
plan — and slowing down the law’s repeal…. Rep. Diane Black (R.,
Tenn.), the interim chairwoman of the House Budget Committee,
told reporters Wednesday she expected the legislation repealing
the health-care law would come to the House floor by late
February or early March.
Trump orders wall to be built on Mexico border (Video)
BBC - President Donald Trump has issued an executive order for
an "impassable physical barrier" to be built along the US border
with Mexico. He also signed an action to strip funds from US
cities that are sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants. Mr
Trump said in a TV interview with ABC News that Mexico would
"absolutely, 100%" reimburse the US for his wall. But Congress
would have to approve funding for the structure, which is
estimated to cost billions of dollars. Building a 2,000-mile
barrier along the Mexican border was one of Mr Trump's key
pledges in the election campaign…. He spoke of a "crisis" on the
southern US border as he signed the directives during a ceremony
at the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday. The orders
also called for hiring 10,000 immigration officials to help
boost border patrol efforts. "A nation without borders is not a
nation," he said. "Beginning today the United States gets back
control of its borders." Mr Trump said relations with Mexico -
whose President Enrique Pena Nieto he is scheduled to meet at
the end of the month - would get "better".
Bureaucrats Bring 500 Refugees Into Country One Day Before
Expected Ban
Breitbart - Bureaucrats at the State Department brought 500
refugees into the country on Tuesday, one day before President
Trump “is expected to order a multi-month ban on allowing
refugees into the United States except for religious minorities
escaping persecution, until more aggressive vetting is in
place,” according to Reuters…. Two hundred and twenty-six of the
500 refugees resettled in the United States on Tuesday, or 44
percent, came from six of those seven countries, according to
the State Department’s interactive website, as reported at 11:00
p.m. eastern on Tuesday: Syria (81), Iran (51), Iraq (46),
Somalia (43), Sudan (4), and Yemen (1). No refugees from Libya
were resettled in the United States on Tuesday. From the
beginning of FY 2016 on October 1, 2015 until January 24, 2017,
a total of 115,879 refugees have been resettled in the United
States, according to the State Department’s interactive website.
Fifty-two thousand and sixty-nine of those refugees, or 45
percent, came from those seven countries: Syria (17,341), Iraq
(14,613), Somalia (12,914), Iran (5,278), Sudan (1,887), Yemen
(32), and Libya (4).
Residents Shocked Local Walmart Transforming into Illegal
Immigrant Shelter
Adan Salazar - The shuttered retail building situated in
Brownsville will re-open in March to house an undisclosed number
of illegal immigrants under the age of 17, claimed a
representative for the non-profit group Southwest Key Programs.
The group contends the shelter is necessary to house the
immigrant influx entering the US illegally via Mexico from
Central American nations, according to KRGV News. The facility
is reportedly the 4th of its kind in Brownsville and the 7th
shelter to be built in Cameron County. Concerned tax dollars
could be better spent on American programs, several Rio Grande
Valley residents sounded off on the KRGV Facebook page. “How
about a shelter for our U.S. homeless veterans[?] Take care of
our own before extending a hand to foreigners,” one South Texas
resident commented…. In 2014 Southwest Keys, headquartered in
Austin, Texas, was the largest immigrant group receiving
hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants from the
Office of Refugee Resettlement…. Southwest Key operates several
facilities throughout the country, with shelters also located in
California, New York, Arizona, Wisconsin and Georgia…. On
Wednesday US President Donald Trump addressed the issue of
federal funding for towns labeled “sanctuary cities,” the effect
of the decree remains to be seen.
Trump Threatens To ‘Send In The Feds’ If Chicago Doesn’t Fix The
‘Carnage’
Daily Caller - President Donald Trump threatened to send federal
agents into Chicago if the city doesn’t curb its skyrocketing
murder rate. “If Chicago doesn’t fix the horrible ‘carnage’
going, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from
2016), I will send in the Feds!” said the president in a tweet
Tuesday. It was unclear which federal agents Trump was referring
to, but Chicago’s remarkably high murder rate has garnered
national attention over the past year. Trump claimed in August
that the city’s murder problem could be solved “in a week” if
police were allowed to be “very much tougher.” The President
generally only calls in federal officials in the worst case
scenarios, usually natural disasters such as the case in New
Orleans when Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city.
Donald Trump Calls for ‘Major Investigation’ into Voter Fraud
Breitbart - President Donald Trump continues to argue that the
2016 election was fraught with illegal voting, despite deafening
protest of the media that he lacks the evidence to prove it. But
Trump took a major step forward to further the narrative, by
calling for an investigation in a message written on Twitter on
Wednesday morning. “I will be asking for a major investigation
into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two
states, those who are illegal and even, those registered to vote
who are dead (and many for a long time),” he wrote. “Depending
on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!” Trump told
members of Congress on Monday that he would have won the popular
vote if there wasn’t illegal voting in the 2016 election.
CNN Quietly Releases Updated Pic Showing Trump’s Inaugural Crowd
Size Greater than Obama’s 2009 Inaugural Crowd
The GatewayPundit - CNN (Fake News) reported that President
Trump’s crowd size was much smaller than President Obama’s crowd
size in 2009, and CNN provided two pictures to show the
difference. However, the pictures in the article show the crowd
size for Obama when he was speaking during his 2009 inauguration
with the crowd from Trump’s inauguration approximately 3 hours
before Trump spoke…. Also, in CNN’s article they say that Obama
had 1.8 million people in 2009. This is now refuted and is more
likely closer to 800,000.
Surprise! Jerry Brown Praises Trump
Breitbart - California Governor Jerry Brown was expected to
deliver a combative State of the State address on Tuesday, as he
outlined his plans to fight President Donald Trump’s policies on
immigration, Obamacare and climate change. He did that — but
departed from his prepared text to praise Trump’s commitment to
spend federal funds on infrastructure and to use union labor.
Brown stated: Fourth is infrastructure. Now, here’s a topic
where the President has stated his firm intention to build and
build big. He then ad-libbed: And, in fact, he met with several
labor leaders yesterday, and committed to a $1 trillion
investment in public works across America. And I say: Amen to
that, man! Amen to that, brother! We’re America! The legislature
responded with a standing ovation. Brown continued: Here’s what
the president said in his inaugural address: “We will build new
roads, and highways, and bridges, and airports, and tunnels, and
railways all across our wonderful nation.” And in this, we can
all work together – here in Sacramento and also in Washington as
well. We have roads, we have tunnels, we have railroads, and
even a dam that the president could help us with. He then
interjected: “We should get some applause there, shouldn’t we?”
He was referring to Republicans in the legislature, who have
consistently pushed him to build more dams to increase the
state’s water storage as a response to the recent drought.
Sarasota deputy shoved pills down elderly victim’s throat;
charged with attempted murder
WFLA - An 18-year veteran of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s
Office has been arrested on numerous charges, including
attempted murder…. Sheriff Knight asserted Bybee took care of
the elderly woman’s dog, visited her in the hospital and
introduced her to his family – all in an effort to gain her
trust…. The initial reports began on December 20, 2016 with the
woman claiming the deputy was supposed to be watching her dog
while she was ill and in the hospital. Instead, the deputy is
accused of selling the dog on Craigslist. The SCSO said the dog
has been located and returned. According to arrest affidavits,
on January 9, four checks were written to Deputy Bybee in the
victim’s name. Investigators said, the former deputy is accused
of stealing checks from the victim’s house and writing them to
himself and his children in the amount of $65-thousand…. Three
days later, on January 12, the victim told officials Bybee
entered her home through an unlocked door. The victim said Bybee
was dressed in dark clothes and wearing latex gloves. According
to the arrest affidavit, Bybee was agitated with the elderly
woman for filing an initial complaint with the sheriff’s office.
The victim told officials the suspect “grabbed her face with his
gloved hands and pressed hard against her causing her to bleed
from her mouth,” the affidavit stated. The victim stated Bybee
tried to forced a handful of unknown pills into her mouth while
placing his knee in her pelvis before trying to “force” the
victim to take her own tranquilizer medication that was used to
help her sleep, the document stated. The victim lost
consciousness for a period of time before regaining
consciousness and noticing her kitchen door ajar to her garage,
her car running and the house filling with carbon monoxide….
Bybee was booked at the Sarasota County Jail on more than $1
million bond. He will be arraigned Feb. 24.
Dow Hits 20000 for First Time
WSJ Jan 25, 2017 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average just powered
through the 20000 level for the first time ever, setting an
all-time intraday high three trading days after the inauguration
of Donald Trump. Moments after the open, the Dow shot up to
20033.77. The new record comes as stocks have been on the rise
for much of the past three months, finding fresh legs since
Election Day to add to one of the longest bull-market runs in
U.S. history. The Dow industrials closed under 18000 as recently
as Nov. 4, but have risen 12% since then. The rally has been
dubbed the “Trump bump,” as most of the run higher has occurred
since Mr. Trump was elected president on Nov. 8. Investors have
been bidding up stocks on the belief that he’ll ramp up
infrastructure spending, cut corporate taxes, deregulate
industries and give the economy a boost. The broader S&P 500 and
Nasdaq Composite have also set several records since the
election, and are both flirting with fresh highs again Friday.
* Related:
Economist: Stock Market Gained $2T in Wealth Since Trump Elected
Stop Cooking – You’re Polluting the Environment (Video)
Natural Blaze - According to the Phys Org article “Research targets
cookstove pollution using supercomputers and NASA satellites,” science,
in my opinion, has gone from the sublime to the ridiculous. How will
that impact the all-American outdoor barbeque?… Will a NASA drone swoop
down and spray your cooksite? With information being released by science
research that reads like the following, one has to wonder. While a
single cookstove only produces a small amount of emissions, millions are
used daily around the world, and that pollution adds up. It is estimated
that every year between 370,000 – 500,000 people die prematurely from
exposure to fine particulate matter associated with residential
cookstoves in outdoor air. The heaviest cookstove use is in Southeast
Asia and throughout Africa, and environmental groups making better
cookstoves want to know where they can invest resources to have the
biggest positive impact. Targeting countries with the highest usage may
seem like an obvious choice, but this strategy turns out to often not
yield the largest impact per cookstove…. Targeting countries where
subsistence lifestyles depend upon individual outdoor cookstoves for
providing food, nourishment and nutrition, is nothing short of a
scientific shell game trying to distract from what’s really going on to
pollute the Planet…. It’s called Weather Geoengineering, Chemtrails,
Weather Modification, Aerial Spraying, Solar Radiation Management (SRM)
and SAI (stratospheric aerosol injection,) plus other names they want to
call the destruction of the biosphere, all while telling us it’s to
protect the environment!
Google Permanently Bans 200 "Fake News" Sites
Zero Hedge In a blog post by Scott Spencer, director of product
management for sustainable ads, posted on Wednesday, Google said it has
banned 200 publishers from accessing its Adsense advertising service for
posting fake news stories. Google said it had cracked down on sites
which contained 1) Ads for illegal products; 2) Misleading ads; 3) Bad
ads on mobile; 4) Ads trying to game the system and, 5) Promoting and
profiting from bad sites. But the emphasis was on the so-called "fake
news" category which has dominated media buzz for the past two months….
Google has faced criticism over its handling of fake news stories,
including allowing a fake news website to rise to the top of its results
displaying an incorrect story claiming that President Trump had won the
popular vote. In his post explaining how Google attempted to crack down
on “bad ads, sites and scammers,” Spencer explained that Google had
expanded its policies against misleading websites in November, leading
to the crackdown. From November to December 2016, we reviewed 550 sites
that were suspected of misrepresenting content to users, including
impersonating news organizations. We took action against 340 of them for
violating our policies, both misrepresentation and other offenses, and
nearly 200 publishers were kicked out of our network permanently.
Massive Networks of Fake Accounts Found on Twitter
BBC - Massive collections of fake accounts are lying dormant on Twitter,
suggests research. The largest network ties together more than 350,000
accounts and further work suggests others may be even bigger. UK
researchers accidentally uncovered the lurking networks while probing
Twitter to see how people use it. Some of the accounts have been used to
fake follower numbers, send spam and boost interest in trending topics.
On Twitter, bots are accounts that are run remotely by someone who
automates the messages they send and activities they carry out. Some
people pay to get bots to follow their account or to dilute chatter
about controversial subjects…. Mr Echeverria's research began by combing
through a sample of 1% of Twitter users in order to get a better
understanding of how people use the social network. However, analysis of
the data revealed some strange results that, when probed further, seemed
to reveal lots of linked accounts, suggesting one person or group is
running the botnet. These accounts did not act like the bots other
researchers had found but were clearly not being run by humans.
|
Gardening, Farming & Homesteading |
Why You Should Never Store Potatoes In The Garage, Cellar,
Fridge Or At Low Temperatures
April.McCarthy - We put often put vegetables in the fridge to
help prevent spoiling and keep them fresh. But keeping potatoes
at a chilly temperature will not only negatively affect their
taste, but it makes the starch turn into sugar faster and
leaving you with a tougher potato. Here's why…. At low
temperatures, an enzyme called invertase breaks down the sugar
sucrose in potatoes to glucose and fructose, which can form
acrylamide during cooking. Frozen food doesn't carry this
particular risk, as sucrose doesn't get broken down at very low
temperatures. Acrylamide is made by something called the
Maillard reaction, which browns cooked foods and gives them
their pleasing flavour. As sugars and amino acids react
together, they produce thousands of different chemicals.
Particularly high levels of acrylamide are found in starchy
foods, like potatoes and bread, when cooked at temperatures over
120 C. The chemical can also be present in breakfast cereals,
biscuits and coffee. Acrylamide is a genotoxic carcinogen that's
been linked to an increased risk of cancer. It was first
confirmed that acrylamide caused cancer in 2002 by the Swedish
National Food Authority, however many have long suspected that
heating any foods to high temperatures can pose problems to
long-term health.
Drugs Don’t Work!
Alliance for Natural Health - Every day, millions of people are
taking medications that will not help them,” says Nicholas J.
Schork, director of human biology at the J. Craig Venter
Institute and a professor at UC–San Diego. His article in the
journal Nature provides hard data about the effectiveness of the
top moneymakers for Big Pharma—and the scorecard is not good….
Of the top ten blockbuster drugs, the most effective ones work
for only one in four patients. Crestor (a statin) is effective
for only one in eighteen patients, and Nexium (an acid blocker)
helps only one in twenty-five. That’s a failure rate of 96%!
These drugs individually generate between $4 and $8 billion
dollars per year, which leads to the inevitable conclusion that
patients are wasting mind-boggling sums of money on drugs that
simply don’t work. Adding insult to injury, not only do these
drugs fail completely most of the time, they also create a host
of terrible side effects…. These side effects lead to even
higher healthcare costs, because now the side effects must be
treated as well—usually with more drugs, which have more side
effects!… One in four Americans over the age of forty-five takes
a statin—yet, as Dr. Schork cites in his article, these drugs
work for as few as one in fifty people! Since 2005, FDA-approved
drugs, vaccines, and medical devices have killed more than
786,000 people, as detailed on our FDA Death Meter page. Does
that look like a drug approval system that works? The FDA must
be reshaped and reformed so it sees the public, not the drug
companies, as its boss. If not, thousands more will continue to
suffer the consequences.
Broccoli and celery compound blocks most lethal form of breast
cancer
What Doctors Don't Tell You - One in five cases of breast cancer
are known as triple-negative, and are the most lethal form—but a
compound found in herbs such as thyme and parsley, and celery
and broccoli, stops them spreading, scientists have discovered
this week. The compound, luteolin, does what chemotherapy can’t,
and can locate the triple-negative cancer cells and stops them
metastasizing, or spreading, say researchers from the University
of Missouri. Triple-negative breast cancer cells are so called
because they lack three receptors that chemotherapy drugs
usually locate and latch onto, and so oncologists have to use
very aggressive and toxic therapies to try to combat their
spread. The researchers have found that luteolin does the job
instead. In one experiment, they found that the compound stopped
the triple-negative cells spreading to the lungs, and, in a
second study, they blocked their spread throughout the body. The
compound also kills the cancer cells. The tests have so far been
restricted to animal studies, but the researchers are hopeful
they’ll get the go-ahead to start tests on cancer patients
within the next couple of years. With around a hundred women in
the US alone dying every day from breast cancer, they’re hoping
the regulators will move quickly.
Super heart healthy turmeric ginger juice
STEPin2 - This super heart healthy turmeric ginger juice is
packed with some of the most potent ingredients in the world for
the heart and cardiovascular system. It is safe to say, there is
no spice in the world known by scientists that is more powerful
for health than turmeric…. Let’s take a closer look at the
ingredients in this super heart healthy turmeric ginger juice.
Carrots: Because of their high levels of antioxidants, carrots
are excellent for the heart. The protective abilities of
antioxidants are essential to our heart, especially the
arteries. In a recent study from the Netherlands, vegetables in
the orange/yellow color category were shown to have the most
protective benefits against heart disease. Coconut oil: oconut
oil is composed of a group of unique fat molecules known as
medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA). Although they are technically
classified as saturated fats, this kind fat can actually protect
the heart. Ginger: Ginger can significantly lower cholesterol
levels in the blood, which is important for keeping the arteries
healthy. Limes: New research shows that limes may have potent
heart health benefits. The study showed that lime juice slowed
down the process of plaque buildup on artery walls. Oranges:
Oranges are also great for lowering cholesterol. They have shown
in studies to reduce LDL cholesterol (bad kind) and raise HDL
cholesterol (good kind). Turmeric: Turmeric helps reduce the
buildup of plaque in the arteries that leads to heart attack and
stroke. A study from the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism
showed that turmeric is essential for blood vessel health, which
is an important aspect of heart health.
FDA warns Dogs are dying from toxic "skin cancer" medication cream
(Natural News) A popular skin cream for dogs that is used to treat and
prevent cancer has been associated with deaths of five beloved family
pets, after the pups accidentally consumed some of the product —
prompting the FDA to warn pet parents to keep the product out of reach.
The toxic cream in question is known as fluorouracil, which is sold
under the brand names Carac, Efudex, and Fluoroplex. The FDA reports,
“In one case, two dogs began playing with a tube of fluorouracil and one
punctured the tube before their owner could retrieve it. Within two
hours, the dog that punctured the tube began vomiting, experienced
seizures, and died 12 hours later.”… Additionally, the FDA has warned
that fluorouracil can also be toxic to cats — who could be accidentally
exposed to the product as well. The FDA notes that if an owner were to
touch a cat after applying the product to another pet, the amount
consumed while the cat grooms themselves would likely be enough to cause
a reaction…. What is mind-boggling about all of this is the simple fact
that dogs also lick themselves. If you have ever tried to put anything
on your dog, you know how quickly they will find a way to lick it off.
Wednesday - January
25, 2017
Today In History:
1858 - Mendelssohn’s "Wedding March" was presented for the first time at
the wedding of the daughter of Queen Victoria and the Crown Prince of
Prussia.
1881 - Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and others signed an
agreement to organize the Oriental Telephone Company.
1890 - The United Mine Workers of America was founded.
1915 - In New York, Alexander Graham Bell spoke to his assistant in San
Francisco, inaugurating the first transcontinental telephone service.
1946 - The United Mine Workers rejoined the American Federation of
Labor.
1950 - A federal jury in New York City found former State Department
official Alger Hiss guilty of perjury.
1959 - In the U.S., American Airlines had the first scheduled
transcontinental flight of a Boeing 707.
1961 - John F. Kennedy presented the first live presidential news
conference from Washington, DC. The event was carried on radio and
television.
1971 - Maj. Gen. Idi Amin led a coup that deposed Milton Obote and
became president of Uganda.
1981 - The 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444 days arrived in the
United States and were reunited with their families.
1999 - In Louisville, KY, man received the first hand transplant in the
United States.
2010 - In Arlington, TX, the International Bowling Museum and Hall of
Fame had its grand opening.
2011 - A revolution began in Egypt with the demonstrations that demanded
the end of President Hosni Mubarak's rule.
‘Dealing with enemies to save Syria’: Astana process paves way
for Geneva talks
RT - The talks on the Syrian peace process concluded in
Kazakhstan on Tuesday, with the three guarantor countries –
Russia, Turkey and Iran – issuing a joint statement establishing
trilateral support for the Syrian ceasefire and paving the way
for the Geneva talks due February 8. Russia, Iran and Turkey
have announced they will establish a trilateral mechanism to
support the ceasefire in Syria. In a joint statement issued at
the end of talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana, they said the
Syrian opposition had agreed to take part in peace talks on the
issue set for Geneva, Switzerland. “The delegations of the
Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and the
Republic of Turkey …support launching the talks between the
Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and the armed opposition
in Astana on January 23-24, 2017,” said a joint statement on
Tuesday. Moscow, Tehran and Ankara “express their conviction
that there is no military solution to the Syrian conflict and
that it can only be solved though a political process.”
Pakistan conducts 1st test of ‘Ababeel’ nuclear-capable
surface-to-surface missile
RT - Pakistan has for the first time successfully test-fired its
surface-to-surface ballistic missile capable of carrying
multiple nuclear warheads, the military press department said.
The missile, called Ababeel, has a maximum range of 2,200km and
“is capable of delivering multiple warheads, using Multiple
Independent Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology,” the
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media branch of the
Pakistani armed forces, said in a press release. It also
confirmed that the missile can carry nuclear warheads and is
able to “engage multiple targets with high precision, defeating
the enemy’s hostile radars.” It was developed as an answer to
the “growing … ballistic missile defense” capabilities of
Pakistan’s regional neighbors and is designed to “further
reinforce deterrence,” the press release says, apparently
referring to India’s nuclear arsenal.
Beijing to Trump: We'll Protect South China Sea Sovereignty
Sputnik News - Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying
issued a warning to the new White House administration that
Washington "is not a party to the South China Sea dispute," even
though the US Navy maintains a significant presence in the
global trade hub. After White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer
called the sovereignty of the Spratly islands into question,
Beijing responded in kind. "It’s a question of if those islands
are in fact in international waters and not part of China
proper, then yeah, we’re going to make sure that we defend
international territories from being taken over by one country,"
Spicer said on Monday. In what looks like a tit-for-tat game,
the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded, saying China’s
sovereignty over the Spratly islands was "irrefutable." "No
matter what changes happen in other countries, what they say or
what they do, China’s resolve to protect its sovereignty and
maritime rights in the South China Sea will not change," Hua
added…. On Sunday, Chinese state-media outlet The Global Times
stated in an op-ed that military exercises in the South China
Sea and the Taiwan Strait "will become a kind of normal,
extremely normal drills."
Brexit: Supreme Court says Parliament must give Article 50
go-ahead
BBC - The judgement means Theresa May cannot begin talks with
the EU until MPs and peers give their backing - although this is
expected to happen in time for the government's 31 March
deadline. But the court ruled the Scottish Parliament and Welsh
and Northern Ireland assemblies did not need a say. Brexit
Secretary David Davis promised a parliamentary bill "within
days". Sources have told the BBC the bill - to trigger Article
50 of the Lisbon Treaty and get formal exit negotiations with
the EU under way - will be introduced this Thursday, with an
expectation that it could pass through the House of Commons in a
fortnight. During the Supreme Court hearing, campaigners argued
that denying the UK Parliament a vote was undemocratic and a
breach of long-standing constitutional principles. They said
triggering Article 50 would mean overturning existing UK law, so
MPs and peers should decide. But the government argued that,
under the Royal Prerogative (powers handed to ministers by the
Crown), it could make this move without the need to consult
Parliament.
Paris bans cars registered before year 2000 in bid to combat
city pollution
The Independent - A law introduced in Paris on Monday requires
all cars to have a sticker indicating which of six categories it
fits into — indicating the year of the vehicle's registration,
its energy efficiency, and its emission quantity. Any diesel-run
vehicle showing a 'Level 5' sticker on their windscreen, which
indicates they were produced from 1997 to 2000, is not allowed
on the road. Around six per cent of France's 32 million cars
fall into this category. Vehicles registered from earlier than
1997 and trucks and buses from before 2001 are not assigned to
any category, meaning they are completely banned from driving in
the city from Monday to Friday between 8am and 8pm…. Anne
Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, said the policy was necessary to
encourage motorists to “change their transport modes” in order
to reduce traffic. Paris authorities have also urged commuters
to take public transport if possible, and have offered a
“pollution ticket”, rolled out on Monday, which costs €3.60 for
a whole day of travel anywhere in Paris…. Ms Hidalgo has also
increased the cost of parking, banned free parking on Saturdays
and the August holiday period…. The measures have been met with
anger by some French motorists, who claim it is unfair because
it ultimately targets the “poorest citizens”, who “cannot buy a
new vehicle”.
Mexico Warns It Is Ready To Quit NAFTA If Trump Crosses "Red
Lines"
Zero Hedge - Under relentless pressure from President Donald
Trump, Mexico is said to be ready to discuss changes to trade
rules about a product's country of origin to try to avoid a
disruptive fight with the United States over commerce. As the
two countries begin a difficult new relationship, Mexico sees
possible common ground with Trump on the "rules of origin" of
the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that binds the
two countries and Canada, Reuters reported. However, as AFP
adds, even before the talks started, Mexico has drawn red lines
ahead of the negotiations with Trump's administration, warning
it could quit the talks and a major trade pact if the
discussions hit a wall, no pun intended.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
Trump To Sign Executive Order Restricting Immigration From Seven
Countries
Zero Hedge - Trump's orders are said to involve restricting
access to the United States for refugees and some visa holders
from seven mostly Muslim nations including Iraq, Iran, Libya,
Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Additionally, Trump's
restrictions on refugees are likely to include a multi-month ban
on admissions from all countries until the State Department and
the Department of Homeland Security can increase the intensity
of the vetting process. According to AP, citing two admin
officials, among the executive orders will be plans for building
a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and other enforcement
measures…. As Reuters adds, to block entry from the designated
countries, Trump is likely to instruct the U.S. State Department
to stop issuing visas to people from those nations, according to
sources familiar with the visa process. He could also instruct
U.S. Customs and Border Protection to stop any current visa
holders from those countries from entering the United States.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Tuesday that the State
and Homeland Security departments would work on the vetting
process once Trump's nominee to head the State Department, Rex
Tillerson, is installed. Other measures may include directing
all agencies to finish work on a biometric identification system
for non-citizens entering and exiting the United States and a
crackdown on immigrants fraudulently receiving government
benefits, according to the congressional aides and immigration
experts.
PBS/NPR In Panic: Trump Administration To Defund/Privatize
The GatewayPundit - Currently, a half-billion dollars in
taxpayer money is given to National Public Radio (NPR) and
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) each year. Trump plans to do
away with that. The Hill has reported: “The Trump Administration
needs to reform and cut spending dramatically, and targeting
waste like the National Endowment for the Arts and National
Endowment for the Humanities would be a good first step in
showing that the Trump Administration is serious about radically
reforming the federal budget,” said Brian Darling, a former aide
to Paul and a former staffer at the Heritage Foundation. The
Regan Administration attempted something similar in the 1980s,
but was ultimately convinced against it. One of the cases made
was that the government owes the American people access to
news/information. Back then, there was no internet, only a few
dozen televisions/news radio stations. They saw it as an actual
public service (perhaps, rightly so). Today, however, broadcast
television and FM radio is in a major decline with fewer and
fewer viewers every year. After all, who feels like waiting for
the 6 o’clock news when you can just hop on the internet and get
real-time news and current events?
Senate Democrats Introduce $1 Trillion Infrastructure Plan,
Offer Trump Support If He Backs It
Zero Hedge - The plan includes $180 billion to rail and bus
systems, $65 billion to ports, airports and waterways, $110
billion for water and sewer systems, $100 billion for energy
infrastructure, and $20 billion for public and tribal lands.
Cited by the Times, Chuck Schumer said “our urban and rural
communities have their own unique set of infrastructure
priorities, and this proposal would provide funding to address
those needed upgrades that go beyond the traditional road and
bridge repair." The Senate Democrat leader adds that “We’re
asking President Trump to work with us to make it a reality" As
part of his agenda, Trump has promised to unveil an ambitious
infrastructure package during the first 100 days of his
presidency. “We will build new roads, and highways, and bridges,
and airports, and tunnels, and railways all across our wonderful
nation,” he vowed in his Inaugural Address. One of Trump’s top
advisers said Monday, however, that the president’s plan may run
into roadblocks in the Republican-led Congress. “He has to come
up with a financing plan, and I think there’s going to be a
little bit of a tug of war between the conservatives in the
Republican party who are concerned about deficits and the
president who’s concerned about jobs,” Richard LeFrak said on
CNBC’s "Squawk Box." “I think he will prevail, ultimately,
because he wants to put people to work.”
US House of Representatives Blocks Taxpayer Funding for
Abortions - Speaker Ryan
Sputnik News - Speaker Paul Ryan said that the US House of
Representatives passed legislation on Tuesday making permanent
the Hyde Amendment, which blocks taxpayer money from funding
abortions…. “We are a pro-life Congress,” Ryan stated on
Tuesday. “Today, we renewed our commitment to the Hyde Amendment
with the passage of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act.”
Ryan noted that defending all people must be the top priority of
lawmakers in order for the United States to remain a good and
moral country.
Conway gets Secret Service protection due to death threats
NY Post - President Trump’s adviser Kellyanne Conway is getting
Secret Service protection after receiving suspicious “white
substances” at her home, she revealed in a TV interview. The
White House counselor — Trump’s most visible adviser — is being
protected by the same agency tasked with his security after
receiving the threats, Conway told Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
“Because of what the press is doing now to me, I have Secret
Service protection,” she said. “We have packages delivered to my
house with white substances. That is a shame.” While Conway’s
Secret Service detail is unusual, it is not without precedent.
Barack Obama’s closest adviser, Valerie Jarrett, also was
protected by the agency.
Senior Secret Service agent suggests she wouldn't take 'a
bullet' for Trump
Washington Examiner - A senior U.S. Secret Service agent posted
Facebook condemnations of President Trump during the past seven
months, including one in which she said she wouldn't want to
"take a bullet" for him. She explained herself saying she viewed
his presidential candidacy as a "disaster" for the country, and
especially for women and minorities. Kerry O'Grady, the special
agent in charge of the Secret Service's Denver district,
oversees coordination with Washington-based advance teams for
all presidential candidate and presidential trips to the area,
including all upcoming or future trips by the president, vice
president or Trump administration officials. Despite her senior
security role, she has made her disdain for Trump and his
incoming administration clear to her Facebook followers, who
included current and former Secret Service agents and other
people who were employees at the time of the posts. O'Grady's
posts triggered at least one complaint to the office that
oversees investigations into Secret Service misbehavior, two
knowledgeable sources told the Washington Examiner…. Secret
Service employees are among those federal employees subject to
enhanced Hatch Act restrictions, including these two rules: •
May not post a comment to a blog or a social media site that
advocates for or against a partisan political party, candidate
for partisan political office, or partisan political group. •
May not use any email account or social media to distribute,
send or forward content that advocates for or against a partisan
political party, candidate for partisan political office, or
partisan political group.
DNC Chair Candidates Bash White People in Racially-Charged Forum
Grabien News - Candidates aspiring to take over as chairman of
the Democratic National Committee met Monday night to discuss
what went wrong in 2016 and how to get the party back on track.
Early into the event the candidates gravitated toward a
particular scapegoat for the party’s poor showing in November:
Political consultancies owned by white people. “We have to stop,
particularly with the consultants,” said the chairman of the
South Carolina Democratic Party, Jaime Harrison. “You cannot
come to the DNC and get a contract and the only minority face
you have is the person answering the phone.” Minority
consultants “need to get the same resources that the white
consultants have gotten,” said a Fox News analyst and candidate
for the chairmanship, Jehmu Greene. "The DNC did a piss poor,
pathetic job" attracting minorities, she said. Democrats must
provide “training” that focuses in part on teaching Americans
“how to be sensitive and how to shut their mouths if they are
white,” urged the executive director of Idaho’s Democratic
Party, Sally Boynton Brown, who is white. The event’s moderator,
MSNBC’s Joy Ann Reid, asked the candidates how the party should
handle the Black Lives Now movement. The candidates uniformly
emphasized that the party must embrace the activists
unreservedly…. Another candidate said black Americans are now
living with “justified fear” of being killed after Donald Trump
was elected president…. Asked whether they would agree to work
with President Trump, the candidates agreed they would never do
so, which drew some applause from the otherwise quiet crowd at
George Washington University.
Calexit: Record Number Of Californians Support Secession, New
Poll Finds
Zero Hedge - According to a new Reuters / Ipsos poll, a record
number of disaffected, Hillary-supporting Californians now
support secession from the United States because they're just so
"triggered" by Trump's victory. If successful, California would
become the single largest "safe space" in the world. Per the
poll, 1 in every 3 Californians now support a "peaceful
withdrawal from the union," which is a substantial increase from
the 20% who favored such a withdrawal the last time a similar
poll was conducted in 2014…. As Reuters notes, many Cali
residents felt triggered by Trump's promises to actually enforce
immigration laws and repeal Obamacare with one Democrat
consultant saying that "many citizens believe it would be
smarter to leave than fight.”… Meanwhile, Jerry Brown recently
struck a more aggressive tone saying that California was "ready
to fight" with the Trump administration over climate change
initiatives…. And not surprisingly, Californians continue to
express their frustration over their election loss with a series
of never ending protests and destruction of private
property...but clearly it's the fault of Republicans that
they're unemployed.
Must See: Former CIA Agent Blows Whistle On Secret Shadow
Government
Secret government expose..........
Cops want Americans charged with a hate crime for criticizing
police
Mass Private I - According to Louisiana's new law, citizens who
criticize first responders can be sentenced to prison for up to
six months and given a $500 penalty. If convicted of a felony,
they can receive an additional five years and fines up to
$5,000. What if a cop grabs a protester’s arm and they make a
movement the cop considers aggressive, a minor disturbing the
peace charge could be bumped up to a hate crime! Once a person
is charged with a hate crime, they'll be sentenced to an
additional 5 years behind bars. (Lawmakers in eight states are
trying to criminalize protesting). A newly enacted Oklahoma law
makes any “assault” on an off-duty cop a felony even if they're
acting in self-defense against a drunken off-duty cop. Any
physical contact with the cop is considered a felony.
College Fires President For Allowing Homeless Student To Sleep
In Library During Storm
True Activist - The former President of Vatterott College was
fired for allowing a homeless student to sleep in the school’s
library when the weather was -2 degrees F. On a Friday night in
Kansas City, Missouri, a student who suffers from schizophrenia
(and hadn’t been taking his medication) was about to head toward
the woods for the night when the President of Vatterott College,
Brian Carroll, stopped him. According to Inside Edition, Carroll
knew the student was homeless and feared the worst, especially
since temperatures were already at -2 degrees F and were
declining. To save the kid’s life, as he didn’t believe a
sleeping bag in the forest was enough shelter, he offered to let
the kid sleep in the library for the evening. His compassionate
gesture resulted in Carroll being fired the next Monday, on
January 9th. This resulted, despite him having served as the
school’s President for the past five years. When the California
resident was interviewed after the incident, he said the college
fired him because he put the facility’s building and equipment
at risk. However, he believes a student’s life is more
important, which is why he would do it again. Vatterott College
refused to disclose a statement to Insider Edition.
Days Into Trump Admin, Corrupt Employees Are Already Being Fired
At The VA
The Daily Caller - Days into Donald Trump’s administration,
heads are finally beginning to roll at the Department of
Veterans Affairs. Two notoriously corrupt employees in Puerto
Rico were fired this week, indicating that more may be on the
way. One is the hospital’s CEO, DeWayne Hamlin, who offered an
employee $305,000 to quit after she played a role in exposing
his drug arrest. “Mr. DeWayne Hamlin was removed from federal
service effective January 20, 2017”–inauguration day–the VA
said. Under former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Bob McDonald,
the agency ignored years of evidence about shoddy work ethic,
theft and whistleblower retaliation. The VA finally began a
months-long investigative proceeding last year, after an outside
agency, the Office of Special Counsel, prodded VA leadership.
Trump To Auto CEOs: "We Are Bringing Manufacturing Back To The
U.S. Big League”(Video)
Zero Hedge - During his anticipated first meeting of the day
with executives from GM, Ford and Chrysler, Trump pledged to cut
regulations and taxes in a "very big push" to have more auto
plants in the US, noting that environmentalism in the US is out
of control, although he said that he is "to large extent" an
environmentalist. Tuesday's gathering was the first time the
CEOs of the big three automakers have met jointly with a U.S.
president since a July 2011 session with former Democratic
President Barack Obama to tout a deal to nearly double fuel
efficiency standards to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. Fiat
Chrysler is the Italian-American parent of the former
Michigan-based Chrysler…. During the meeting Trump said that
while "it's not the construction of plants that we're looking
for, although that brings jobs, it's the long-term jobs that
we're looking for." "We're bringing manufacturing back to the US
big league, we're reducing taxes very substantially, and we're
reducing unnecessary regulations." Trump said that "we want
regulations but we want real regulations" although he did not
elaborate what those are. He vowed to make the process "much
more simple for the auto companies and everybody else that wants
to do business in the United States" and promised to make the US
"one of the most friendly countries for manufacturing."
Trump on Keystone: 'We'll See If We Can Get That Pipeline Built'--With
USA-Made Pipe
(CNSNews.com) - Continuing his "America first" blitz on Tuesday,
President Donald Trump signed five executive orders dealing with oil
pipelines, the pipe itself, and "regulatory burdens" he plans to lift.
"With regard to construction of the Keystone pipeline, something that's
been in dispute--and is subject to a renegotiation of terms by us--we
are going to renegotiate some of the terms, and if they'd like--we're
going to see if we can get that pipeline built," Trump said. "A lot of
jobs--28,000 jobs. Great construction jobs," he said, as he signed
executive order number one, holding it up for all to see. Next up: "This
is with respect to the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline."
Trump said, "subject to terms and conditions to be negotiated by us,"
that pipeline also will be built. The third order deals with the actual
pipelines: "I am very insistent that if we're going to build pipelines
in the United States, the pipe should be built in the United States. So
unless there's difficulty with that because companies are going to have
to gear up...from now on we're going to start making pipeline in the
United States," Trump said. "Going to put a lot of steelworkers back to
work," he said as he signed the document. "Okay, we will build our own
pipeline. We will build our own pipes...like we used to in the old
days." Trump said the fourth executive order will streamline "the
incredibly cumbersome, long, horrible permitting process" and reduce
regulatory burdens for domestic manufacturers. Trump said many of the
business leaders with whom he's been meeting have complained about the
length of time it takes to get the permits necessary to conduct their
business. "Sometimes it takes many, many years, and we don't want that
to happen." The final executive order expedites environmental reviews
for high-priority construction projects. "If we're going to fix our
country, our bridges, our roadways, we can't be in an environmental
process for 15 years if a bridge is going to be falling down, or if a
highway is crumbling. So we're expediting environmental reviews and
approvals."
Major Clinton Donor Suffers Crushing Blow After Keystone XL Approval
The Daily Caller - Tom Steyer, a California billionaire and one of
former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s biggest donors, was a
crucial cog in the campaign to reject the Keystone XL pipeline, and
spent millions trying to influence congressional Democrats to oppose it.
All his work opposing the line went down the drain after Trump signed an
executive order Wednesday approving the project.
Wyoming Moves to Ban Wind and Solar Power for Use by Electric Utilities
Natural Blaze - In the U.S., solar power now employs more people than
any other energy industry, including oil, natural gas, and coal
combined, proving that not only is clean energy good for the
environment, but it’s also good for the economy. Nevertheless, lawmakers
in the state of Wyoming have introduced legislation to prevent utility
companies from using energy derived from solar and wind power,
effectively outlawing the most viable sources of clean energy in the
state. Entitled, Electricity Production Standard, the measure outlines
requirements for the sources of energy that can be used in state or
imported from out of state…. Included in the measure are specifications
of the types of ‘eligible generating resources,’ which lists the types
of energy sources which qualify as legally acceptable for electric
utilities to use as supplies to their customers, requiring that 95% of
energy provided comes from these sources. “Eligible generating resource”
means an 7 electricity generating resource either located within 8
Wyoming or delivering electricity into Wyoming from another 9 state that
produces electricity from one (1) or more of the 10 following sources or
system: (A) Coal (B) Hydroelectric (C) Natural gas (D) Net metering
system, as defined by W.S. 19 37-16-101(a)(viii) (E) Nuclear (F) Oil.
Net metering systems are included in the list of eligible sources, which
would allow individuals to use renewable power generated on their own
properties; however, large-scale solar and wind projects would be
regulated out of the market, should this measure pass. Compliance would
be enforced with the levy of fines against utility companies for
supplementing their supplies with wind and solar sources.
|
Gardening, Farming & Homesteading |
Major Big Box Retailer Calls on Suppliers to Stop Using
Bee-Killing Chemicals
Natural Blaze - Major global big box retailer Costco has
recently called on their suppliers to limit non-essential
pesticides in products to be sold on its store shelves,
specifically discouraging the use of neonicotinoids, a class of
insecticides known to be exceptionally harmful to bees and other
critical pollinator insects. With 705 stores worldwide and
annual sales nearing $120 billion, the retail chain is a prime
position to lead a major movement against the use of these
harmful chemicals, which is vital today, given that bee
populations are in serious decline and a North American bee has
just been officially added to the endangered species…. Costco’s
decision to limit these bee-killing pesticides on garden plants
and increase its selection of organic products demonstrates it
is listening to its customers and taking into account the most
up-to-date sound science,” said Tiffany Finck-Haynes, food
futures campaigner at Friends of the Earth U.S. “However, we
know that Costco and other retailers can do even more to protect
bees. We urge Costco and other leading food retailers to
phase-out pollinator toxic pesticides in its food supply chain
to address the bee crisis.
Farming Preschool Would Teach Kids How to Grow Their Own Food
Natural Blaze - A few clever Italians have come up with an
amazing proposal, and their design of an innovative nursery
school just won them the AWR International Ideas Competition
award. Their project, titled “Nursery Fields Forever,”
reimagines what nurseries and daycares might look like if their
core, central concept was farming and sustainable agriculture….
In their proposal, part-farm and part-school daycares and
nurseries offer three approaches to learning: learning from
nature, learning from technique, and learning from practice. “We
think that kids should enjoy nature,” said Edoardo Capuzzo
Dolcetta to Fast Company. “So we designed this strange school:
No classrooms, but open spaces where vegetables grow inside and
animals can come in too. It’s a mixing of the two things, school
and nature.”
Want Your Kid to Have Asthma? Take Acid Blockers!
Alliance for Natural Health - Not only do they make your acid
reflux problems worse, they actually sicken your unborn child.
An analysis of eight different studies, including data from over
1.6 million patients, found that taking heartburn medication
during pregnancy significantly increases the risk for asthma for
the baby. The researchers found that proton pump inhibitors
(such as Prilosec or Nexium) increase the risk of babies
developing asthma by 30%; other acid blockers (like Pepcid and
Tagamet) increased the risk by 46%. These are huge numbers. The
reason for this effect is unclear, but some think that the drugs
interfere with digestion, resulting in undigested food allergens
being passed on to the fetus…. Acid blockers do not address the
root cause of stomach trouble, which is often too little stomach
acid, not too much. This means that in many cases, taking acid
blockers simply makes your stomach problems even worse. Public
health experts say between 60 and 70% of people who take these
drugs don’t need them.
5 Food Ingredients That Damage Your Brain
Natural News Blogs - Most of the ingredients in processed foods
aren’t good for your health. Some can even damage your brain.
The worst part is that these ingredients can ruin your health
even when taken for a short period. So try to avoid them as much
as possible. Here are 5 ingredients that may affect your brain
function. 1. Artificial sweeteners - There so many artificial
sweeteners out there. The common ones include aspartame (aminosweet),
saccharin (Equal Sweet N Low), or sucralose (splenda)…. Research
shows that aspartame contains chemicals that ruin brain function
and cause brain-related problems like depression, migraines,
memory loss and so on. 2. Gluten - Gluten is found in rye,
wheat, kamut, spelt, and, barley. This common ingredient is
known to weaken immune system and cause digestive problems. It
can cause inflammation in the brain for people with gluten
intolerance. Research shows there’s a link between gluten
sensitivity and brain function. It has been proven that gluten
can trigger dementia and cognitive impairment. 3. Monosodium
glutamate (MSG) - Not only does this chemical lower testosterone
levels, it can also affect your brain. MSG causes the brain to
produce excess dopamine with side effects. These side effects
can cause conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease,
dementia and lupus…. 4. Fluoride - Research shows that children
raised in high-fluoride areas have lower IQ. Studies have also
linked fluoride to memory impairment and fetal brain damage.
Avoid using products with fluoride. Avoid drinking unpurified
tap water as well. 5. Refined sugar - Refined sugar is found in
over 70 percent of processed foods. And it can weaken your
memory because it suppresses growth hormone (brain derived
neurotrophic factor) for the brain. It has also been linked to
brain fog, depression, and bad mood.
Tuesday - January
24, 2017
Today In History:
1848 - James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget at Sutter's Mill in
northern California. The discovery led to the gold rush of '49.
1908 - In England, the first Boy Scout troop was organized by Robert
Baden-Powell.
1924 - The Russian city of St. Petersburg was renamed Leningrad. The
name has since been changed back to St. Petersburg.
1943 - U.S. President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Churchill
concluded a wartime conference in Casablanca, Morocco.
1952 - Vincent Massey was the first Canadian to be appointed
governor-general of Canada.
1972 - The U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws that denied welfare
benefits to people who had resided in a state for less than a year.
1978 - A nuclear-powered Soviet satellite plunged through Earth's
atmosphere and disintegrated. The radioactive debris was scattered over
parts of Canada's Northwest Territory.
1980 - The United States announced intentions to sell arms to China.
1987 - In Lebanon, gunmen kidnapped educators Alann Steen, Jesse Turner,
Robert Polhill and Mitheleshwar Singh. They were all later released.
1989 - Ted Bundy, the confessed serial killer, was put to death in
Florida's electric chair for the 1978 kidnap-murder of 12-year-old
Kimberly Leach.
1995 - The prosecution gave its opening statement at the O.J. Simpson
murder trial.
2000 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Missouri law that limited the
contributions that individuals could donate to a candidate during a
single election.
2001 - In Colorado Springs, CO, Patrick Murphy Jr. and Donald Newbury
were taken into custody after a 5-minute phone interview was granted
with a TV station. They were the remaining fugitives of the "Texas 7."
2002 - The U.S. Congress began a hearing on the collapse of Enron Corp.
2002 - John Walker Lindh appeared in court for the first time concerning
the charges that he conspired to kill Americans abroad and aided
terrorist groups. Lindh had been taken into custody by U.S. Marines in
Afghanistan.
2003 - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security began operations under
Tom Ridge.
What could go wrong? Nuclear energy giant wants safety rules
relaxed
RINF - EDF Energy is asking the UK government’s nuclear watchdog
to allow its power station in Hunterston, North Ayrshire, to
continue running until it is 47 years old, and its facility in
Torness, East Lothian, to remain open until it is 42 years old.
The power plants were designed to last only 30 years, according
to investigative news site the Ferret. The revelation has caused
concern among experts and politicians, who fear continued use of
the nuclear reactors could put the public at risk.... The
Hunterston and Torness power plants have both already seen their
lifespans extended by seven years, until 2023 and 2030
respectively. A report for the Scottish Green Party by Pete
Roche, of the Edinburgh Energy and Environment Consultancy,
quotes a senior EDF figure as saying the lifespans of the plants
could be extended even further.... Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer
warned local communities would be concerned by the proposals....
Consulting nuclear engineer John Large has called for the plants
to be shut down immediately, according to the Ferret.
US Lawmakers Call for Action on Venezuela Food Corruption
The Epoch Times - Venezuelan officials may face U.S. sanctions
for profiting from food shortages that have exacerbated hunger
in the South American country. The calls by members of Congress
on both sides of the aisle come in response to an Associated
Press investigation that found trafficking in hard-to-find food
has become big business in Venezuela, with the military at the
heart of the graft.... U.S. prosecutors are investigating senior
Venezuelan officials, including members of the military, for
laundering riches from food contracts through the U.S. financial
system, the AP learned from four people with direct knowledge of
the probes.... The Associated Press cited documents and
testimony from business owners who pointed to food minister Gen.
Rodolfo Marco Torres and his predecessor, Gen. Carlos Osorio, as
key figures involved in fraudulent food imports. Neither
official responded to requests for comment, but in the past,
both have dismissed charges of corruption as empty accusations
propagated by political opponents.
Hungary’s Orban Praises Trump’s ‘End of Multilateralism’
Breitbart - Hungary’s prime minister says U.S. President Donald
Trump’s position that all countries have the right to put their
own interests first was the key phrase of his inaugural address.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban is interpreting Trump’s statement as
“the end of multilateralism” and as permission for Hungary to
also put itself in first place. Orban was an early supporter of
Trump and had praised his immigration policies. Speaking Monday
at an economic conference organized by the National Bank of
Hungary, Orban also implied that conservative Francois Fillon is
his preferred candidate to become the next president of France
and supported his desire for a new military alliance in Europe.
Orban said this new alliance could give Europe greater
self-confidence and the ability to negotiate with all parties,
including Russia.
Italian avalanche: hope for survivors after three puppies found
alive in rubble
The Guardian - Rescuers have recovered three puppies from under
the rubble of an Italian mountain hotel that was hit by an
avalanche five days ago, raising fresh hopes that some of the 22
people still missing could be found alive. Firefighter Fabio
Jerman said the discovery of the three shaggy white Abruzzo
sheepdog pups meant there were still air pockets in the
collapsed building – “an important sign of life, which gives us
hope,” he said.... Late on Sunday rescuers began attempting to
access the wreckage from another angle – a riskier enterprise
that could trigger snowfalls but would get them more quickly to
new search zones.... Though the avalanche risk was lowered from
four to three on a five-point scale, a special radar was
installed on the slopes to warn rescue teams of any fresh
slides, as snow and rain continued to fall on the area.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
Donald Trump signs three executive memos
CBS News - President Trump signed three executive memos on trade
Monday morning -- one withdraws the U.S. from the Trans Pacific
Partnership (TPP), another reinstates the Mexico City Policy
dealing with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and abortion
access, and a third freezes federal workforce hiring…. As he
signed the federal workforce hiring freeze, Mr. Trump noted that
the military was exempted from the hiring freeze. TPP also would
have required ratification by Congress, and President Obama had
hoped to see it ratified before he left office. The Mexico City
Policy was originally announced by President Reagan in 1984 and
required nongovernmental organizations to agree as a condition
of receiving any federal funding that they “would neither
perform nor actively promote abortion as a method of family
planning in other nations.”… On Friday evening, President Trump
signed one executive order that cancelled an FHA mortgage
premium cut that helps low-income home buyers and another that
waived provisions of the Affordable Care Act that impose a
financial burden on states or individuals.
On Trump's First Monday He's Being Sued for Violating the
Constitution
The AntiMedia - President Donald Trump’s first business day in
his new office included being sued by the Citizens for
Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). Their complaint,
filed in federal court, accuses Trump of violating the
“Emoluments Clause” of the U.S. constitution. According to the
suit, which was filed with New York’s Southern District federal
court in Manhattan on Monday, Trump is “submerged in conflicts
of interest,” which “can subtly sway even the most virtuous
leaders, and entanglements between American officials and
foreign powers could pose a creeping, insidious threat to the
Republic,” the lawsuit contends. Such conflicts, the suit adds,
are banned under the “emoluments” clause, a provision in the
constitution stating “no Person holding any Office of Profit or
Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress,
accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind
whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.” CREW
contends that any payments from foreign governments to the
president’s hotels, leases at Trump Tower in New York, rights to
rebroadcast or create different versions of Trump’s reality TV
show, and even rounds at his golf courses are all illegal.
Mattis Celebrates First Day At Pentagon By Blowing Up ISIS 31
Times
The Daily Caller - Newly minted Secretary of Defense James
Mattis celebrated his first full day at the Pentagon by
presiding over 31 strikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and
Syria. Mattis entered the Pentagon Saturday with a smile for his
first full day of work, and for good reason, considering the
significant bombardment ISIS forces received. A variety of
fighters, bombers and remotely piloted aircraft engaged in the
bombing run, which saw 25 strikes in Syria and six in Iraq. In
Syria, two strikes destroyed ISIS units and artillery near the
town of Bab. ISIS forces in Raqqa, the terrorist group’s de
facto capital, took a heavy beating, as 22 strikes destroyed 12
tactical units, nine fighting positions, two underground
improvised explosive bomb factories and an ISIS headquarters.
The final strike targeted two ISIS oil wells in Deir ez Zour.
ISIS forces in Iraq suffered several casualties as well. One
strike in the city of Rutbah destroyed a tactical unit and
vehicle, two weapons caches and a mortar. Another in Beiji left
a unit and vehicle destroyed. A strike in Kisik destroyed a
building and tactical unit. Another in Tal Afar also destroyed a
unit, truck and command node. The city of Mosul, which acts as
the terrorist group’s regional capital in Iraq, received two
strikes, which destroyed two units, three fighting positions, a
tank, and a car bomb factory. President Donald Trump promised
during his campaign that he would destroy ISIS as quickly as
possible. He said on his first day in office he would convene
his top generals and order them to provide a plan to eradicate
ISIS once and for all within 30 days.
AMEXIT: Bill Introduced In Congress To Remove The US From The
United Nations!
The GatewayPundit - The bill, titled the American Sovereignty
Restoration Act of 2017, was proposed on January 3. It is
cosponsored by a handful of Republican lawmakers, including
North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs,
Missouri Rep. Jason Smith, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie,
Tennessee Rep. John Duncan Jr., and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz.
Biggs said in a statement on Monday that he cosponsored the bill
because he believes that “our sovereignty as a country is harmed
by our membership in this body.” “We need to take a long look at
our relationship with the United Nations to ensure that American
interests are protected first and foremost,” Biggs said. “I’m
grateful to Congressman Mike Rogers for introducing this
legislation.”… The bill proposes barring the US from committing
funds or troops to UN peacekeeping operations worldwide and
stipulates that the UN must vacate property owned by the US
government. It would repeal the 1973 Environment Program
Participation Act, strip UN employees of diplomatic immunity in
the US, and repeal the US’s membership and participation in the
World Health Organization.
Report: Obama Gave $221 Million to Palestinians in Last Hours
Breitbart - The Associated Press reported Monday that former
President Barack Obama released $221 million in U.S. funding for
the Palestinian Authority on the morning of Friday, January 20 —
just hours before he was to leave office. The AP details: A
State Department official and several congressional aides say
the outgoing administration formally notified Congress it would
spend the money Friday morning, just before Donald Trump became
president. More than $227 million in foreign affairs funding was
released at the time, including $4 million for climate change
programs and $1.25 million for U.N. organizations. At least two
GOP lawmakers had placed holds on the Palestinian funds.
Congressional holds are generally respected by the executive
branch but are not legally binding…. This was not the first time
Obama had granted funding to the Palestinian Authority despite
Congress’s wishes. In 2012, for example, he unblocked nearly
$200 million that had been frozen in response to Palestinians’
unilateral actions at the United Nations, using a legal waiver
included in the Palestinian Accountability Act.
U.S. Senate confirms Mike Pompeo as CIA Director
Sott.net - President Donald Trump will have his top choice to
head up the CIA. The Senate confirmed Representative Mike Pompeo
(R-Kansas) to lead the spy agency. At least 24 senators voted
against, making it the closest of the three confirmation votes
held so far. The Senate was originally scheduled to vote on the
nomination Friday, but his confirmation was delayed to Monday
evening due to partisan sniping. In a deal between parties,
Republicans reportedly agreed to push back the start of Pompeo's
confirmation hearing by a day; in return, the Democrats were to
allow the Senate to vote on the congressman on Inauguration Day,
the Weekly Standard reported.... Pompeo has a background in the
military and in intelligence. He did indeed graduate first in
his class from the US Military Academy at West Point. He then
served in the Army, where he patrolled the Iron Curtain. After
getting out of the military, he graduated from Harvard Law
School. In January, he was sworn into his fourth term in
Congress, where he serves on the Energy and Commerce Committees.
He also served on the House Select Benghazi Committee.
Katie Rich of 'S.N.L.' suspended for tweet mocking Barron Trump
Sott.net - Katie Rich, a writer for "Saturday Night Live," has
been suspended from her position at that show following a widely
criticized post she made Friday on her personal Twitter account
in which she mocked Barron Trump, the 10-year-old son of
President Donald J. Trump. She was suspended immediately after
her tweet, and her suspension is indefinite, according to
someone familiar with the plans at "S.N.L.," who was not
authorized by NBC to comment on personnel matters. That tweet on
Friday, during Mr. Trump's inauguration ceremony, drew
widespread condemnation, and Ms. Rich subsequently deleted the
post (which said "Barron will be this country's first homeschool
shooter") and deactivated her Twitter account. Her name did not
appear in the closing credits of "Saturday Night Live" in its
broadcast on Saturday.
Texas Gov. Goes After Sheriff Who Protects Illegals
The Daily Caller - Sheriff [Sally] Hernandez ran for office
vowing to protect illegal immigrants in Travis County. On Friday
she announced that Travis County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO)
employees will not cooperate with Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) immigration detainers, unless for the most
serious of criminals. She also added that TCSO employees will
not be allowed inquire in jail or on patrol about a person’s
immigration status. This policy would be effective Feb. 1. Gov.
Abbott tweeted that day that “the Governor’s Office will cut
funding for Travis County adopting sanctuary policies. Stiffer
penalties coming.” In his letter Monday the Republican governor
justified this threat by saying that Hernandez had taken an oath
to upload the laws of the United States and that Sheriff
Hernandez’s outlined policy “betrays” her oath.... The Texas
governor said that the nearly $1.8 million Travis County
received last year in criminal justice division grant funds
would be rescinded if she followed through with the sanctuary
policies.
Mexican Cartel Stockpiling Grenade Launchers at Texas Border
Breitbart - The discovery was made after a special state police
unit designed to clash head-on with cartels, gathered
intelligence about a business being used to stockpile weapons,
information provided to Breitbart Texas by Coahuila authorities
revealed. Following their investigation and after receiving an
anonymous tip about a truck with gunmen arriving at the
business, investigators obtained a search warrant and had
members of Fuerza Coahuila raid a local junkyard in the Buena
Vista neighborhood of the city. Because of the high-risk
operation, federal police officers and the military arrived to
the house to provide backup. Authorities were not able to locate
the gunmen but found five, Soviet-era rocket-propelled grenades,
a launcher, 15 tactical vests with bulletproof metal plates,
assault rifles, various loaded ammunition magazines, 19
marijuana bundles, and an SUV without license plates.
Obama's Wildlife Director Moves To Ban Lead Ammo Use
Chris Eger - The day before the completion of his appointment
last week, the head of the federal agency dedicated to wildlife
conservation issued an order ending the use of lead ammo on
service lands within five years. Director Dan Ashe, a
second-generation career employee of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, issued the directive Thursday on the last full day of
the Obama Administration. It would require the use of “nontoxic
ammunition and fishing tackle to the fullest extent practicable”
on lands and waters controlled by the agency by January 2022.
“Exposure to lead ammunition and fishing tackle has resulted in
harmful effects to fish and wildlife species,” contends the
directive, noting that the mandate to end the use of lead shot
in duck and goose hunting in 1991 has resulted in thriving
waterfowl populations.... Few states currently have bans on lead
ammo in place, with most of those mandating non-toxic shot only
in some state wildlife management areas or for the taking of
some non-waterfowl game birds. Only California has a pending
complete ban on the use of lead ammunition for any hunting in
the state, scheduled to be implemented in stages by 2019. The
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies blasted the directive
from Washington as “unacceptable federal overreach into the
states’ authority to regulate the methods of take for sport fish
as well as complete disregard for the states’ concurrent
jurisdiction with the Service for the management of migratory
birds,” contending it stood to affect rural sportsmen without
redress. Gun rights groups and the trade association for the
firearms and hunting industry questioned the timing of the
order.
Connecticut to Cut Funding for 21 Gun Salutes at Veteran
Funerals – Too Costly
The GatewayPundit - Veterans are furious over a proposed state
budget cut that will eliminate the firing detail at veteran
funerals. The Connecticut state military said funding for the
gun salutes will run out around April. Meanwhile Connecticut
state university and colleges, along with Hartford and New
Haven, have declared themselves sanctuary cities. And state
employees were given fat raises at the end of December. Reader
Mark had this to say: “Since our budget is so bad, they are
considering not giving soldiers who are having funerals the 21
gun salute anymore. Keep in mind that Connecticut has stated
they will fight Trump on immigration issues. They have declared
the city of New Haven a sanctuary city. I find it funny they
have money to give to illegals but not to give to soldiers to
have a proper and decent burial and celebration of their
service.” Kevin Rennie at The Courant reported: The mask on the
Malloy administration has slipped again. What an ugly face it
revealed. How could it be otherwise when Gov. Dannel P. Malloy
whacked $469,533 out of the state budget for Connecticut Honor
Guard members to attend military funerals. The nasty cut would
reduce the honor guard unit to three members from the current
five. The reduction was made from a $40 billion, two-year state
budget. Everett Shepard, an official with the Connecticut
chapter of the American Legion, told FoxCT that the budget cuts
“would make it impossible for the remaining honor guard to
perform a rifle salute” at military funerals…. The governor’s
budget chief, Ben Barnes, who struggled to defend the Christmas
raises when they were announced, saw his salary increase from
$187,000 to $210,000 a year. He’s the official who declared
after November’s election that Connecticut is in a “permanent
fiscal crisis.” The Malloy-Barnes budget would rather see the
burden of that continuing crisis be borne by fallen veterans
than the selfish circle around the governor.
Trump tells business leaders he wants to cut regulations by 75%
or 'maybe more'
CNBC News - At the White House with 10 senior executives, he
repeated his campaign pledges to roll back rules on companies,
arguing that they have "gotten out of control.”… "We're going to
be cutting regulation massively," but the rules will be "just as
protective of the people," he told reporters at the meeting that
included Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk and Under Armour CEO Kevin
Plank…. Trump also reiterated campaign promises to cut taxes for
businesses, saying he aims to get the business rate "down to
anywhere from 15 to 20 percent" from the current 35 percent. He
also said he wants to reward companies that manufacture in the
U.S. and impose border taxes on products that American companies
make abroad…. As he did on the campaign trail, Trump said that
his plans to push American manufacturing and renegotiate trade
deals do not mean that he wants to abandon free trade
altogether. His statements came ahead of an expected executive
order to start the process of revising the North American Free
Trade Agreement and pulling out of the Trans-Pacific
Partnership. "What we want to do is bring manufacturing back to
our country ... That doesn't mean we don't trade because we do
trade. We want to make our products here," Trump said…. He has
also targeted some companies, particularly automakers, for
making parts abroad. Trump has pledged a tax on those products
that are sold in the U.S. Trump also touted his push to
"massively" cut taxes for the middle class. Some independent
analyses have concluded that Trump's across-the-board tax cut
proposals will balloon the national debt by trillions, but his
administration has argued that economic growth will cancel out
the effect.
Apple Supplier Foxconn Negotiating $7 Billion Plant in
Pennsylvania
The New American - Speaking at a meeting at company headquarters
in Taiwan on Sunday, Foxconn CEO Terry Gou expanded on his
company’s plans to build a $7 billion flat-panel display
facility in Pennsylvania. He said the factory could employ
between 30,000 and 50,000 people, depending on what kind of deal
he could strike with state officials. Those plans were
inadvertently disclosed following a meeting in December between
Donald Trump and Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son. A photo revealed a
clipboard Son was carrying that clearly said: “Commit to: Invest
$50 bn in US, generate 50k + 50k new jobs in US in next 4
years.” The Foxconn logo was prominent, raising questions that
Gou wasn’t immediately willing to answer. Said Gou: “I thought
it was a private conversation, but then the next morning it was
exposed. There is such a plan, but it is not a promise. It is a
wish.” A company statement added little more: While the scope of
the potential investment has not been determined, we will
announce the details of any plans following the completion of
direct discussions between our leadership and the relevant U.S.
officials. Now there is plan, and it involves Pennsylvania
officials and just how sweet a deal Gou and Foxconn are able to
cut with them. In 2014, similar discussions were held with
Pennsylvania, where Foxconn already has a small plant, but the
arrangement didn’t come together.
CDC
Quietly Cancels Long-Planned Climate Summit
E&E News - The Climate and Health Summit was scheduled to be held in
Atlanta, where the CDC is headquartered, in February. Agency leaders did
not directly address why the summit was canceled and instead forwarded
an email sent to participants indicating it may be rescheduled....
Former CDC directors say they are not surprised by the climate summit
cancellation, charging that the agency has a long history of political
retreats. Two officials accused the agency of backing down over fears of
reprisals from the Trump administration.... The summit involved months
of preparation and had solicited research papers. The theme would have
been on the “state of the science on climate and health, adaptation
efforts through interagency collaboration, and communication and
stakeholder engagement strategies,” according to a flier.... It would
have positioned climate change as a central issue for CDC, with a
political rival of Trump as a keynote speaker.... Richard Jackson, a
director of the CDC’s Center for Environmental Health from 1994 to 2004,
said the agency has backed off from other public health issues that were
politically toxic, like gun control, reproductive health and HIV
research. He said it is likely senior CDC officials see climate change
as “not an immediately winnable battle” and are unwilling to wage the
fight aggressively in the Trump era.
EPA Challenged in Court over Approval of Monsanto’s New Toxic Pesticide
Sustainable Pulse - Farmers and conservation groups filed a federal
lawsuit on Friday challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s
approval of Monsanto’s new “XtendiMax” pesticide. The approval, of the
pesticide company’s latest version of the older weed-killer known as
dicamba, permits it to be sprayed directly on Monsanto’s genetically
engineered (GE), dicamba-resistant soybeans and cotton. The decision
greenlights a massive increase in use of the toxic pesticide, increasing
risks to farmers, community health, and the environment. Because these
same crops are also engineered to withstand applications of Monsanto’s
Roundup, the overuse of that pesticide (containing the active ingredient
glyphosate) will continue at current high levels. Monsanto’s own
conservative estimates predict that dicamba use on soybeans would go
from 233,000 pounds per year to 20.5 million pounds per year, and
dicamba use on cotton could go from 364,000 pounds per year to 5.2
million pounds per year.
Floods and 34-Foot Waves Hit California, Tornadoes in South (VIDEO,
PHOTOS)
Sputnik News - Both the east and west coasts of the United States saw
extreme weather events over the weekend, as widespread storms and floods
occurred in California, as well as tornadoes in the South. At least 23
deaths have been reported. Thunderstorms, hail, strong winds, and
flooding all resulted from a winter storm that struck Southern
California. At least four people were killed. The National Weather
Service warned California residents to be ready for the biggest storm in
years. Rain and strong waves have claimed the lives of three people in
San Diego and and Los Angeles Counties, while firefighters launched
rescues for those trapped by surging waters. A falling oak killed a
woman in Mendocino County. Winds in excess of 60 mph were reported just
above Los Angeles in nearby Santa Barbara County. In Orange County,
roads were flooded and trees were toppled by heavy rain. Sunday rainfall
in Long Beach and Los Angeles broke single-day records. The Northern
California coast recorded monstrous waves, the tallest of which was an
astonishing 34.12 feet. The previous record for Monterey Bay, the
location of the giant waves, was 32.8 feet.
SEC set to grill Yahoo for failure to report 1.5bn user data breaches
RINF - An investigation has been opened by the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) into whether the internet company complied with civil
securities law requiring companies to disclose cybersecurity risks as
soon as they are deemed to have an effect on investors, reports The Wall
Street Journal. The SEC put in a request for documents relating to the
company’s handling of the data breaches last December. In September
2016, Yahoo announced a huge data breach of 500 million accounts which
they claimed was carried out by a “state-sponsored actor” back in 2014.
At the time, the company claimed they only became aware of the data
breach following a “recent investigation,” however an SEC filing in
November revealed the company were looking into an unspecified number of
employees who knew about the massive data breach in 2014. In December,
the company announced it had been subject to an earlier data breach,
this time of more than one billion user accounts, which they believe was
carried out by a separate hacker in August 2013. Both times Yahoo said
the hacker acquired the usernames, dates of birth, passwords, backup
email address, countries of origin and ZIP codes of users, but no
financial information. The investigation will likely center around the
2014 hack, “according to people familiar with the matter,” reports the
WSJ, and why it took two years for Yahoo to disclose the breach.
Five States Are Considering Bills to Legalize the 'Right to Repair'
Electronics
Motherboard - Lawmakers in five states have introduced legislation that
would enshrine the “Right to Repair” electronics, meaning manufacturers
will have to sell replacement parts to independent repair shops and
consumers and will also have to make their diagnostic and service
manuals public. The bills are squarely aimed at the “authorized repair”
model that creates aftermarket monopolies dominated by the manufacturers
themselves. For example, Apple has never authorized an independent
company to repair iPhones, even though hundreds of companies do so every
day (its authorized repair program is only for Mac computers).... These
bills wouldn’t just affect independent repair companies; repair parts
and diagnostic manuals would also be made available to consumers, making
it much easier to repair your own things. The legislation is being
pushed by Repair.org, a small lobbying group made up entirely of
independent repair companies.... The legislation is modeled on the Motor
Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act, a law passed in Massachusetts in
2012. That law effectively became national legislation, because auto
manufacturers feared having to deal with the intricacies of 50 different
state laws on the issue. The hope is that at least one electronics right
to repair law will pass this year, similarly opening the floodgates for
consumers and repair companies around the country.
|
Gardening, Farming & Homesteading |
Eggshells As Organic Pest Control and More
REALfarmacy - 1. Fertilizer - Eggshells are a great way to add
calcium to your compost. Because shells have a very high surface
area to volume ratio, they decompose very quickly. Don’t even
worry about sterilizing or grinding them up. Just toss your
shells on the pile or into the barrel and turn them under.
Alternately, you can incorporate crumbled eggshell directly into
the bottoms of your planting holes in the spring. During the
winter months, distribute your shells over the plot of land
where you will plant come springtime. Once the ground warms up,
you can till the shells into the soil. If you are adverse to the
idea of having eggshells on the ground all winter, you can also
clean and store the shells until planting season rolls around.
While calcium is considered a secondary nutrient for plants,
your garden will certainly appreciate the added minerals,
especially if you grow tomatoes or peppers as these plants are
the most easily affected by calcium-deficiency. 2.
Pest-Deterrent - If you have problems with slugs and snails in
your garden, try sprinkling coarsely-crumbled eggshells around
the plants where these slimy little pests like to dine. The
shells’ sharp edges deter snails and slugs by abrading the
sensitive foot of any land mollusc that attempts to cross the
barrier. Most snails and slugs will quickly emigrate from your
garden in search of easier pickings. 3. Seed-starter Pots -
Because eggshells quickly biodegrade when introduced into soil
in the garden, they also double as the perfect seed-starter
pots. When you open your eggs to remove the contents, try to
break just a small hole at the pointier end of the shell. Clean
the inside of the eggshells (boiling water works well for this)
and puncture a small drainage hole in the bottom of each empty
shell. You can then place them back into the carton, fill each
shell with moist potting soil, and add your seeds. Once the
seedlings outgrow their “pots” you can transplant them shell and
all directly into bigger pots or out into the garden.
40 Amazing Health Benefits of Milk Thistle
Natural Blaze - Milk thistle is probably the top herb for liver
care – but it is so much more…. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
– Milk thistle was found to be just as good as Fluoxetine –
another name for Prozac, Sarafem and Adapin, and a fluoride
derivative – the main drug used to treat OCD. Hepatitis C –
Basically, treating hepatitis C with alpha lipoic acid, milk
thistle and selenium, three patients studied in this study
avoided liver transplantation, recovered quickly and their
laboratory values remarkably improved. Other studies have shown
that used milk thistle and phosphatidylcholine found that it
worked faster with anti-virals than anti-viral medications
alone…. Yet another study found that when combined with
spirulina, the herb is again effective for Hep C…. Anti-Prostate
Cancer and Reducing PSA – One study showed silymarin’s
anti-prostrate cancer effects. Another study showed that there
was a statistically significant difference between patients
treated with milk thistle and selenium and a control group….
Radioprotective – Silymarin has shown itself to be a promising
protection against radiation damage…. Strong antioxidant –
Silibinin, a component of the herb has profound antioxidant
properties…. Anti-Inflammatory – Silymarin, a component of milk
thistle – outperforms piroxicam (feldene) and meloxicam (mobic).
A study revealed that silymarin did a better job than both at
reducing inflammation in patients with knee osteoarthritis….
Kidney health – It has a protective effect against oxidative
kidney damage…. Liver repair – Silymarin has hepatoprotective
effects in androgenic-anabolic steroid-induced liver damage…..
7 Food Combinations You Should Avoid
Natural Blaze - 1) Cold Drinks With Cheesy Foods - Sounds
tempting but definitely not healthy! Foods loaded with cheese
are not good for your health. But still, if you are a cheese
lover then avoid soft drinks along with it. These carbonated
beverages store surplus sugar, fats and calories in the body,
which doesn’t get easily digested and results in increased
problem of obesity. 2) Two Acid Forming Foods - Over acidity is
a dangerous condition that weakens all body systems, and it’s
very common. It gives rise to an internal environment conducive
to disease, as opposed to a pH-balanced environment which allows
normal body function necessary for the body to resist disease.
Check out our Acid-Alkaline Food Chart to create food pairings
that are neutral and not overly acidic. Coupling an acid-forming
food with a base-forming food is the best way to neutralize
acid. 3) Yogurt with Fruit - Ayurveda and food combining theory
don’t advise mixing any sour fruits with dairy as it can
diminish digestive fire, change the intestinal flora, produce
toxins and cause sinus congestion, cold, cough and allergies.
Ayurveda suggests avoiding congestive and digestive
fire-dampening foods like cold yogurt mixed with fruits.
However, if you can’t resist the temptation of a yogurt parfait,
there are ways to make it more digestion friendly. First of all,
go for a room temperature natural unflavored yogurt. Secondly,
mix a little bit of honey, cinnamon, and raisins instead of sour
berries. 4) Fruits After A Meal - The ideal way to consume
fruits is one hour before the meal as they work as an appetizer.
If fruits are consumed immediately after a meal, all the
nutrients don’t get absorbed properly. Try to give at least a
gap of thirty minutes between meal and a fruit snack. According
to Dr Manish Tiwari, “A person should definitely have one
seasonal fruit each day and if you feel hungry at night then
instead of junk or unhealthy food, eat fruits.”….
Monday - January
23, 2017
Today In History:
1789 - Georgetown College was established as the first Catholic college
in the U.S. The school is in Washington, DC.
1845 - The U.S. Congress decided all national elections would be held on
the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
1907 - Charles Curtis, of Kansas, began serving in the United States
Senate. He was the first American Indian to become a U.S. Senator. He
resigned in March of 1929 to become U.S. President Herbert Hoover’s Vice
President.
1943 - The British captured Tripoli from the Germans.
1964 - Ratification of the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was
completed. This amendment eliminated the poll tax in federal elections.
1968 - North Korea seized the U.S. Navy ship Pueblo, charging it had
intruded into the nation's territorial waters on a spying mission. The
crew was released 11 months later.
1973 - U.S. President Nixon announced that an accord had been reached to
end the Vietnam War.
1997 - A judge in Fairfax, VA, sentenced Mir Aimal Kasi to death for an
assault rifle attack outside the CIA headquarters in 1993 that killed
two men and wounded three other people.
2001 - A van used by the remaining two fugitives of the "Texas 7" was
recovered in Colorado Springs, CO. A few hours later police surrounded a
hotel where the convicts were hiding. Patrick Murphy Jr. and Donald
Newbury were taken into custody the next morning without incident.
2002 - John Walker Lindh returned to the U.S. under FBI custody. Lindh
was charge with conspiring to kill U.S. citizens, providing support to
terrorists and engaging in prohibited transactions with the Taliban
while a member of the al-Quaida terrorist organization in Afghanistan.
2003 - North Korea announced that it would consider sanctions an act of
war for North Korea's reinstatement of its nuclear program.
Presidential Frontrunner Marine Le Pen Threatens to Take France
Out of 'Dead' EU
Sputnik News - Le Pen, who is leading in opinion polls about
France's upcoming presidential elections, said that if she is
elected president, she will demand a range of concessions from
Brussels in return for France staying in the bloc. "I demand
from the European Union the return of independence in four
areas: (our) borders, currency, economy and legislature, — the
Front National leader explained.... Le Pen also hailed the
election of Donald Trump as US President. She said his election
signifies "the end of the old world which was ruled by the
market, a world in which nations were to be sacrificed to
neoliberalism, and disappear. The great return to the nation and
the people begins here," she said. In French regional elections
in December 2015, Front National won a 27 percent share of the
vote, and the latest opinion polls show that Le Pen is currently
the favored candidate for this April's presidential
elections.... According to a survey published in the French
newspaper Le Monde on Thursday, Le Pen has the support of 25-26
percent of prospective voters, ahead of nearest rival Francois
Fillon who commands 23-25 percent.... Fillon, who was French
Prime Minister from 2007-2012, won the presidential nomination
of France's The Republicans (formerly called the Union for a
Popular Movement) on Sunday.
Brazil graft probe judge buried after being killed in plane
Reuters - A Brazilian Supreme Court justice who had overseen the
investigation of politicians linked to the nation's largest
graft scheme was buried on Saturday, two days after he died in a
plane crash. Justice Teori Zavascki was killed when the small
aircraft he was in crashed in heavy rain on Thursday.... Four
others on board, including the pilot, also died.... Federal
police and prosecutors are conducting separate investigations to
reassure a suspicious public that no foul play was involved.
Zavascki was close to making public what is expected to be
explosive plea bargain testimony from 77 executives of the
Odebrecht construction conglomerate.... Investigators have said
Odebrecht was the company that gained the most from a vast graft
scheme involving billions in bribes to win contracts with
state-run oil firm Petrobras and other government-controlled
companies. Testimony from Odebrecht executives is expected to
implicate upward of 200 politicians and powerful figures from
the business community, greatly expanding an already massive
probe and possibly also implicating the sitting president,
Michel Temer, who has denied any wrongdoing. Temer, who attended
the funeral, said before the burial that he would not nominate a
justice to replace Zavascki until the top court has decided
which of the sitting judges would take over handling the graft
probe. That move helps avoid any accusations that Temer was
meddling in a case that has already ensnared some of his
ministers and members of his party.
Gladio Again: Germany Could've But Didn't Stop Berlin Attacker.
Why?
Activist Post - According to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW),
German security and intelligence agencies were particularly
familiar with the Berlin attacker, Anis Amri, long before he
plowed a large truck into a Christmas market, killing 12 and
injuring many more.... Germany’s weak excuses for not
apprehending a man who openly admitted he sought to acquire
weapons and take human lives echo similarly convenient excuses
provided by the French government following a string of fatal
attacks across its territory.... Such purposeful negligence
matches another chapter in Europe’s more recent history – that
during the Cold War in which NATO security and intelligence
agencies maintained a myriad of pan-European terrorist
organizations of every imaginable variety, used to assassinate
political opponents, carry out deadly and spectacular terror
attacks, and otherwise use violence, fear, and intimidation to
manipulate both public perception and political outcomes during
elections in respective states. Called “Operation Gladio,”...
The real question is – are there similar networks being created
and perpetuated by Western intelligence agencies today, to fill
both the ranks of foreign mercenary armies everywhere from Libya
and Yemen, to Syria and the borders of Iran – as well as
manipulate and impose fear upon the populations of Western
states at home?
Merkel Scours Trump Archive for Clues on How to Read Him
Bloomberg - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been poring over
old interviews and video of Donald Trump, seeking clues on how
to influence the incoming U.S. president when they first meet,
according to two people familiar with her preparations. Merkel,
the European leader who’s been most in Trump’s sights before his
inauguration, was struck by the frenzied supporters at his
post-election “Thank You” tour rallies and by an archived
interview with Playboy magazine that quoted Trump as saying he’d
only run for president if he saw the U.S. “continue to go down
the tubes,” said the people, who asked not to be named
discussing private conversations. Merkel is trying to take the
new president’s measure while gearing up her own campaign for a
fourth term in Germany’s fall election, where she’s already
using Trump as a foil. The chancellery in Berlin has reached out
to Trump’s transition team to suggest an early meeting, which
would give Merkel a chance to get Trump’s ear and counter his
dismissive views on the European Union, NATO and free trade,
according to another government official…. Some of Merkel’s red
lines are already becoming clear, including any attempt by Trump
to undermine the EU at a time when the 27-nation bloc is losing
the U.K. and under threat from nationalist parties.
Rothschild Family Wealth is Five Times that of World's Top 8
Billionaires Combined
Waking Times - A recent report by Oxfam International highlights
the dramatic rise in income equality by noting that the combined
wealth of the world’s top 8 individual billionaires is more than
the lower half of the world’s population, some 3.6 billion
people.... however, the report failed to hit the mark on this
serious issue by not acknowledging the greatest problem with the
world’s economy, which is the global central banking model of
privately owned debt-based fiat currencies. The current banking
model is the product of hundreds of years of planned
development, structuring, manipulation, force and trickery which
began in earnest with Mayer Amschel Rothschild, who first
established banking and finance houses in Germany in the 18th
century.... Fast forward to 2016, the Rothschild family is a
dynasty of unimaginable wealth which manages to somehow conceal
it for the most part, never quite being publicly credited as the
richest and most influential family in the world....
Investopedia estimates the family’s total wealth at over $2
trillion in assets and holdings, including some of the world’s
oldest living corporations.... At $2 trillion plus, the family’s
reported wealth is closing in on five times as much as the
combined wealth of the world’s top 8 individual billionaires,
meaning that the Rothschild family alone controls more wealth
than perhaps three-fourths or more of the world’s total
population.
Text alert scheme will ensure families in India get the message
on organ donation
The Guardian - Doctors in India are to get text alerts reminding
them to ask families to donate the organs of deceased loved ones
as part of a campaign to solve the country’s organ shortage,
which has fuelled a black market trade.... According to
government data, up to 200,000 people are on the waiting list
for kidneys in India while 25-30,000 are currently awaiting a
liver. Legal donations meet about 3% to 5% of the demand....
Donations to a patient by a close relative are allowed but few
occur. In desperation, some patients on the waiting list seek
the services of middlemen to procure organs for money. The
middlemen scout villages for potential donors, whom they
sometimes lure with money and false promises of a job.... [Head
of India’s organ transplant programme, [Anil] Kumar’s department
has been alerted to various forms of organ trade – from
advertisements on websites offering money to donors, to
kidnappings for organs, as well as people from Nepal trying to
sell organs in India to rebuild their homes after the
earthquake. Campaigners say the organ supply-demand gap can be
bridged if doctors, particularly those working in the intensive
care units of major hospitals, are sensitised to counsel
families to donate organs.
Automatic recognition system to replace passport control at
Australian airports
RT - The Australian Department of Immigration and Border
Protection (DIBP) announced that it will proceed with the
transition to a “contactless” ID check system this year under
the initiative first announced in 2015.... Passengers will not
need to show their passports or any other ID documents as well
as to contact customs officers or other officials, as they will
be instead processed through biometric recognition of their
face, iris and fingerprints that will be matched to existing
data.... By 2020, the government wants the system to process 90
per cent of travellers automatically, with no human involvement.
“Biometric capability will reduce manual processes, allowing a
fast, seamless self-processing experience for up to 90% of
travellers and enable border control officers to concentrate on
passengers of interest,” the DIBP said in its 2015 statement,
according to the Guardian.... Meanwhile, [head of border
security at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, John]
Coyne assumed that the passengers are likely to be asked to pass
through a sort of a corridor with their biometrics being
captured and checked without them even stopping. The analyst
also stressed that the proposed innovation could be possible due
to the massive amount of passenger data - including ticket
information, travel history and criminal records - collected and
stored globally.... Australia is not the only country developing
such technology as similar innovations have been tested by the
US Customs and Border Protection in John F. Kennedy
International Airport and Washington Dulles International
Airport in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The US also plans to
introduce such technology at all major airports, although it has
not set any specific deadlines yet, the International Business
Times reports.
No signs of life on fourth day of Italian avalanche rescue
The Local - As the painstaking rescue operation entered a fourth
day, firefighters and mountain rescue experts again had to
battle extreme weather conditions as they tried to locate the 23
people thought to be trapped under a vast pile of snow and the
mangled ruins of the Hotel Rigopiano. Nine people have been
pulled alive from the rubble since rescuers first reached the
remote hotel in the mountains of central Italy early on
Thursday. All of them were located on Friday and no other
potential survivors have been identified since then. But with
scores of them working round the clock, the rescuers were
refusing to give up hope that more people could still be
clinging to life somewhere under the wreckage.... The avalanche
followed four earthquakes of more than five magnitude in the
space of four hours earlier on Wednesday. The death toll from
the quake, not including the avalanche victims, rose to five on
Saturday. Some 33,000 homes were still without power and more
than 8,000 troops and emergency services were deployed in the
relief effort.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
Trump gets to work: Donald enters the Oval Office for the first
time as President and immediately signs executive order to 'ease
the burden of Obamacare' (Photos) (Videos)
Daily Mail 20 January 2017 - President Trump's Obamacare order
directs every government agency that implements or enforces the
'Obamacare' law to grant waivers, deferments, exemptions and
delays in order to minimize or eliminate any costs associated
with implementing Obama's signature medical insurance scheme. It
also orders agencies to bend over backwards in order to 'provide
greater flexibility to States and cooperate with them in
implementing healthcare programs.' It also orders agencies to
bend over backwards in order to 'provide greater flexibility to
States and cooperate with them in implementing healthcare
programs.' Moments earlier Trump had signed government
commissions making James 'Mad Dog' Mattis the secretary of
Defense and John Kelly the Homeland Security secretary. Both men
are retired U.S. Marine Corps generals, and were sworn in
moments earlier by Vice President Mike Pence.
WATCH THE REPLAY: Trump’s Inauguration & Parade (Full Video)
NBC News - Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of
the United States on Friday, outlining his forceful vision of a
new national populism and echoing the same "America first"
mantra that swept him to victory last November.
President Trump halts new federal regulations
Washington Times - President Trump put a hold on all new and
pending federal regulation on his first day in office Friday,
with a White House memorandum ordering federal agencies to
subject the regulations to review by incoming secretaries.
Rolling back federal regulation was a top campaign pledged from
Mr. Trump, who promised to impose a rule that two existing
regulation had to be eliminated for each new regulation created.
He has said the regulations had a stranglehold on businesses and
slowed job creation and economic expansion. The memorandum from
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus ordered the agencies
to delay sending any new regulation to the Office of Federal
Register (OFR) until reviewed by the Trump-appointed secretary
or director. It ordered regulations sent to OFR but not
published to be withdrawn and regulations published but not put
in effect to be delayed 60 days. All of those regulations would
them be subjected review by the new secretaries or their
designees. The order exempted regulations identified by the
Office of Management and Budget for emergency situations or
urgent “other urgent circumstances relating to health, safety,
financial, or national security matters.”
President Trump orders a standing ovation for Hillary and Bill
Clinton - and finally gets them to smile after humiliated couple
sit glumly through his swearing-in and hear crowd chant 'lock
her up' (Photos) (Videos)
Daily Mail 20 January 2017 - Donald Trump extended an olive
branch to Hillary Clinton on Friday afternoon in the form of a
30-second standing ovation for his political nemesis after a
luncheon with members of Congress. And at long last, she offered
a broad smile. Trump's moment of generosity came after Clinton,
the Democratic Party's unsuccessful White House candidate,
braved an inauguration ceremony that she had expected would mark
the beginning of her own presidency. She and her husband, former
president Bill Clinton, sat through that ceremony stone-faced,
betraying little of the regret and disappointment that comes
along with losing the world's most consequential election.
Adding insult to injury, a pocket of Trump supporters in the
crowd chanted 'Lock her up!' when the Clintons were introduced.
President Donald Trump held his first swearing in ceremony for
30 senior staff members in the East Room of the White House on
Sunday afternoon (Photos) (Videos)
Daily Mail January 22, 2017 - Trump took to the podium around
2:30pm (ET) for the start of the brief ceremony, as his oldest
daughter, Ivanka Trump, was present for the notable occasion
since her husband, Jared Kushner, was sworn in as a senior
advisor in his administration. The 70-year-old stood by as Vice
President Mike Pence officially swore in the senior staff
members that included Trump's son-in-law, Steve Bannon,
Kellyanne Conway, Sean Spicer, Reince Priebus and Omarosa
Manigault. Before the ceremony began, the billionaire shared
that he found a letter that was left for him written by former
President Obama inside the Oval Office…. 'I just went to the
Oval Office and found this beautiful letter from President
Obama,' Trump said while holding up the letter simply addressed
'Mr. President'. 'It was really very nice of him to do that. And
we will cherish that. We will keep that. And we won't even tell
the press what's in that letter.'
President Trump returns bust of Churchill to Oval Office
Washington Times January 20, 2017 - On his first day in office,
President Trump brought back a bust of the legendary British
prime minister to the West Wing, after President Obama had
removed it. Mr. Obama replaced it with a bust of Martin Luther
King Jr. Reporters who were summoned to the Oval Office Friday
night to witness Mr. Trump signing an executive order noticed
the Churchill bust had been returned to the Oval Office. British
Foreign Minister Boris Johnson had speculated that Mr. Obama
removed Churchill’s bust in part because he is “part-Kenyan,”
and was motivated by anti-colonial feelings. Mr. Obama refuted
that, saying he had moved the bust to a place of prominence in
his private office in the White House residence. “I love Winston
Churchill, I love the guy,” Mr. Obama said. Mr. Trump did more
redecorating, replacing Mr. Obama’s crimson drapes in the Oval
Office with gold ones. He also added a bust of Teddy Roosevelt
on one of the bookshelves, and swapped out some of Mr. Obama’s
artwork in the presidential office.
* Related:
Trump Calls Out Time Magazine For Fake News Story About Removing
MLK Bust From Oval Office
MSNBC, ABC hosts deem Trump inaugural address as 'militant,'
'anti-Semitic'
Fox News - Immediately following President Donald Trump's
inaugural address, MSNBC and ABC pundits and hosts slammed the
newly-sworn in President's speech for its "militant" and "dark"
anti-Semitic overtones. MSNBC's Rachel Maddow emotionally
proclaimed Trump's "America's First" slogan has "very dark
echoes in American history." "There was an America First
Committee that formed in this country, hundreds of thousands of
people in this country, some of the richest businessmen in the
country who were part of it, they were formed to keep us out of
World War II. They were infiltrated by the Nazis, many of them
are anti-Semitic, part of why they weren't alarmed by Hitler's
rise in Germany," Maddow said. Over on ABC, journalist Terry
Moran echoed Maddow's comments saying Trump's speech reminded
him of the 1930s. "It carries with it overtones from the 1930s
when an anti-Semitic movement saying, 'We don't want to get
involved in Europe's war. It's the Jews fault in Germany!”
D.C. police report 217 arrested during Inauguration Day riots
Washington Times - Police and protesters clashed in the nation’s
capital during Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremonies Friday —
leading to more than 200 arrests after a faction of
anti-establishment activists smashed storefront windows and
threw bricks at law enforcement. Thousands of Trump supporters
as well as protesters demonstrated peacefully along the National
Mall, but police said officers outfitted in riot gear deployed
pepper spray and crowd control munitions to disperse a small
faction of protesters who engaged in violent skirmishes outside
the parade’s security perimeter. The 217 people arrested during
a clash Friday morning were all charged with rioting and were
expected to appear in court Saturday, according to interim D.C.
police Chief Peter Newsham. Many of the protesters engaged in
violence exhibited black bloc-style tactics, donning masks to
hide their identities and wearing all black clothing. Police
said the rioters came armed with hammers and crowbars and
smashed the windows of several banks and chain restaurants,
later dragging trash cans and newspaper boxes into the middle of
the street and lighting refuse and even a limousine on fire. At
least six police officers were injured during the skirmishes,
three when they were struck in the head with projectiles.
Earlier in the morning, protesters descended on security
checkpoints around the National Mall, intent on forming
blockades to prevent access to the Inauguration Day parade
route.
Billionaire George Soros has ties to more than 50 ‘partners’ of
the Women’s March on Washington
NYT Live - This was NOT a grass roots demonstration. …Soros has
funded, or has close relationships with, at least 56 of the
march’s “partners,” including “key partners” Planned Parenthood,
which opposes Trump’s anti-abortion policy, and the National
Resource Defense Council, which opposes Trump’s environmental
policies. The other Soros ties with “Women’s March”
organizations include the partisan MoveOn.org (which was
fiercely pro-Clinton), the National Action Network (which has a
former executive director lauded by Obama senior advisor Valerie
Jarrett as “a leader of tomorrow” as a march co-chair and
another official as “the head of logistics”). Other Soros
grantees who are “partners” in the march are the American Civil
Liberties Union, Center for Constitutional Rights, Amnesty
International and Human Rights Watch. March organizers and the
organizations identified here haven’t yet returned queries for
comment.
Obama Drops 1,500 Pages Of Regulations On Final Day
Daily Caller - Government agencies must file final rules and
proposed rules in the Federal Register, which has had a busy
couple of months, The Hill reports. “There is a huge increase in
the volume [of rules we receive] toward the end of an
administration,” Miriam Kleiman, a spokeswoman for the Federal
Register told The Hill. The end of President Barack Obama’s
administration has been particularly heavy on regulations,
however. The Federal Register published 1,464 pages of rules
Thursday, which is only the second-highest number of pages since
President-elect Donald Trump won the election. The government
published 1,465 pages on Nov. 18, 10 days after the election….
The cost of rules finalized and proposed earlier in January
would cost $111.2 billion, according to American Action Forum,
which tracks regulatory costs…. Trump plans to repeal any “job
killing” energy regulations on first day in office (which he
considers to be the Monday after the inauguration). Fox News
contributor Judge Napolitano said Trump could immediately sign
hundreds of executive orders on his third full day in office.
Congresswoman Who Accused US of Funding ISIS Takes “Secret” Trip
to Syria
The AnitMedia - Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, the
representative who recently accused the U.S. of directly arming
ISIS and introduced a bill to put a stop to it, has taken a
“secret” trip to Syria and Lebanon. It is not clear when she
will be returning. According to Politico, Gabbard’s office won’t
say who is funding the Hawaii Democrat’s controversial trip.
Gabbard spokeswoman Emily Latimer did say, however, that the
trip was not funded using taxpayer dollars and confirmed the
visit was approved by the House Ethics Committee.... Gabbard has
staunchly opposed American intervention in Syria, even
condemning previous efforts to do so as she believes this will
lead to more instability in an already volatile region.
According to the Atlantic, her trip to Syria may violate the
Logan Act, which prohibits unauthorized individuals from
contacting a foreign government that’s engaged in a dispute with
the U.S. (how many countries would that add to the list of
prohibited countries, given the number of disputes the U.S. has
across the globe)? The Washington Post previously dubbed Gabbard
the “Democrat that Republicans love and the DNC can’t control.”
Her trip to Syria will likely frustrate many of her fellow
Democrats. However, absent from any criticism of her trip is the
fact that she is actually taking the initiative to visit Syria
for herself and not relying solely on the biased corporate media
narrative for her decision-making, something that can’t be said
of many of our beloved, peace-loving politicians.
Meet the Harvard whiz kid who wants to explain Trumpism
Politico - ... Julius Krein, a 2008 Harvard graduate who has
spent most of his admittedly short career in finance, is
launching a journal of public policy and political philosophy
with an eye toward laying the intellectual foundation for the
Trump movement.... “We hope not only to encourage a rethinking
of the theoretical foundations of ‘conservatism’ but also to
promote a broader realignment of American politics,” Krein
said.... Krein’s journal marks the first attempt to build an
intellectual home for the Trump movement and to generate ideas
and policy proposals that the new president can tap. “Not nearly
enough of that is happening around the changes we’ve seen in
this election,” said [National Affairs Yuval] Levin.... Trump
won largely without the support of the ideas-men who have
populated right-leaning magazines and think tanks for the past
six decades, advancing the philosophical arguments and
generating the policy proposals that have served as the
lifeblood of successful political movements. The leading
conservative magazines, National Review and the Weekly Standard,
opposed his nomination. American Affairs will try to fill the
void, particularly in the realm of trade and international
economics, where Trump generated an upswell of support during
the campaign but around which there has been little deep
thinking on the right.... “Our goal is to provide a forum for
people who believe that the conventional ideological categories
and policy prescriptions of recent decades are no longer
relevant to the most pressing problems and debates facing our
country,” he [Krein] said.
Charges: Cop left out gun that girl, 8, used to kill herself
Associated Press - A police officer left his personal
.357-caliber revolver loaded and unsecured on a shelf before his
8-year-old daughter fatally shot herself, prosecutors said
Friday as they announced criminal charges against him. Kenneth
Righter, of Stratford, was charged with three counts of child
endangerment as well as the disorderly persons offense of
storage of firearms if minors may have access, Camden County
Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo said. The girl was found
unresponsive on the afternoon of New Year's Eve. Her mother took
her to the hospital, where she died from her wounds. Righter's
other children were 14 and 17 at the time of the shooting.
Authorities haven't said how the shooting occurred but have
concluded that only family members were in the house at the time
of the shooting…. Wixted said Righter went to the prosecutor's
office voluntarily Thursday. The case will now be presented to a
grand jury. Righter, 46, has been suspended without pay, the
prosecutor's office said. The Stratford Police Department's most
recent annual report lists him as an assistant firearms
instructor, among other assignments.
Mom sues to stop Bible study classes in West Virginia schools
Fox News - A kindergartner's mother is suing her public school
system in West Virginia, asking that it discontinue a 75-year
practice of putting kids in Bible classes that violate the U.S.
and state constitutions. The woman, identified as "Jane Doe" in
the federal lawsuit backed by the Freedom From Religion
Foundation, says her child will be forced either to take these
weekly classes at her Mercer County elementary school or face
ostracism as one of the few children who don't. Her daughter is
called “Jamie” in the suit. “Jamie will either be forced to
attend Bible indoctrination classes against the wishes and
conscience of Jane Doe, or Jamie will be the only or one of only
a few children who do not participate,” the lawsuit says. “Jamie
will therefore be made conspicuous by absence, and essentially
be identified as a non-Christian or nonbeliever, subjecting
Jamie to the risk of ostracism from peers and even school
staff.” A call to Mercer County Public Schools Superintendent
Deborah Akers wasn't immediately returned Friday. Teresa
Russell, another county schools official, told the Charleston
Gazette-Mail that the Bible courses are voluntary, financed by a
nonprofit group and that the system's 19 elementary and middle
schools provide alternative courses at the same time.
Chicken Tax Makes Trucks Expensive and Unavailable
Pontiac Tribune - During... [a] conversation with a salesman, he
told us that the Australian VW sells a superb high-end pickup
truck called an Amorak that is not sold in Canada or the United
States. “Why not?” I asked. “That,” said the salesman, “is a
long story. Google Volkswagen and Chicken Tax to get the
answer.”.... According to Wikipedia, the Chicken Tax is a 1963
tariff imposed by the United States on potato starch, dextrin,
brandy and light trucks. It was a tit for tat response to
tariffs imposed by France and West Germany on U.S. chickens. The
period from 1961-1964 was actually known as the Chicken War....
The Dutch claimed that U.S chickens were being priced below the
cost of production. The Germans accused the Yanks of “fattening
chicken artificially with arsenic”. Tariffs were imposed, first
by France and then by Germany. This resulted in a 25 percent
decline in U.S. chicken exports.... After diplomacy failed,
“President Johnson imposed a 25 percent tax (almost ten times
the average U.S. tariff)” on the aforementioned items. The
tariff took effect in January of 1964. How did trucks get into
the mix you might ask. Politics! Lyndon Johnson wanted support
from the United Auto Workers union for his civil rights plans,
and he wanted to avoid a strike before the 1964 election. UAW
chief Walter Reuther wanted the President to stifle import of
Volkswagen trucks into the U.S. They high-fived and the rest is
history.... It is absurd that, except for light trucks, all
other components of this tax have been repealed. It is also
absurd that the Chicken Tax is ten times that of a normal
tariff..... And it is almost criminal that the tax on light
trucks came about because of graft in the Lyndon Johnson
administration.
"The Travesty Is We Have 23.5 Million Americans Aged 25-To-54
Outside The Labor Force"
Zero Hedge - ... the demise of productivity is vastly overstated
and that is because the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is
likely vastly overstating labor input, and I’m talking here
about how hours worked are estimated. But the real travesty, and
what I think deserves top priority (but I don’t see it), is that
we have, in addition to 7.5 million officially unemployed (a
number that is closer to 15 million when all the hidden
unemployment is accounted for), 23.5 million Americans aged
25-to-54 who reside outside the confines of the labor force. And
at a time when job openings are at record highs.... The problem
is that unqualified applicants for these openings also are at a
record high. The number of jobs available that are not being
filled because the skill set is absent is at an unprecedented
level — and this was an overriding theme in the latest edition
of the Fed's Beige Book.... While deregulation and simplifying
the tax code obviously are constructive segments of the Trump
plan, they are not the most important obstacles in the way of
growth. Neither is globalization. Even the most ardent
''supply-sider" would admit that labor input is key to the
outlook and this should really be at the top of the agenda —
closing the widening and unprecedented gap between job openings
and new hiring. There simply is no replacement for excellent
education achievement with respect to maximizing labor
productivity.
Georgia and Mississippi tornado - 15 dead as Florida on storm warning
Daily Express - Georgia and Mississippi have been hit by scores of
tornadoes killing 15 people and injuring two dozen more, with the storm
path heading to Florida next. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency
said almost a dozen had died in the southern Cook, Brooks and Berrien
counties. That tornado was one of 16 reported so far this weekend, with
11 of them in Georgia.... Brooks County Coroner Michael Miller confirmed
that two people had been killed in his country which borders Florida
with five more in Cook County to the north and four more in Berrien
County. The deaths are on top of the four people that died in the area
of Hattiesburg, Mississippi on Saturday morning after a large tornado
hit which wrecked homes leaving residents trapped, collapsed buildings
and brought down power lines.... The National Weather Service in
Atlanta/Peachtree City said a "significant tornado outbreak" was
expected on Sunday around the Florida-Georgia border, with storms
expected from noon onwards. It added in a tweet that there had been a
large amount of rainfall in the past 24 hours, with the city of
Charlotte getting 13.6cm (5.3 inches). A severe thunderstorm warning is
in effect for northwest Florida.
Trump Pledges Federal Aid After Georgia Storms Kill 11 in State
The Patch - Speaking during a White House ceremony, Trump said he had
spoken with Gov. Nathan Deal. "I expressed our sincere condolences for
the lives taken," Trump said. "The tornadoes were vicious and powerful
and strong. And they suffered greatly, so we'll be helping out the state
of Georgia.”… Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has declared a state of emergency
in seven south central Georgia counties.
Popular Selfie App Sending User Data to China, Researchers Say
The Intercept - Meitu, a Chinese selfie editing app, has amassed
billions in downloads since launching in 2008.... But there’s a
serious privacy and security issue with the app, according to
mobile security researchers who performed tests running the
application, primarily on Android phones. The code instructs
users’ phones to send a large amount of data back to China, and
possibly around the world.... Some of the application’s
permissions, presented before users download the app, include
access to the calendar, camera, geolocation data, contacts,
screen resolution, photos, the contents of the phone’s USB
storage, and other data. The application also appears to be
collecting the unique ID, the IMEI number, of users’ phones....
Meitu published a statement on Friday in response to concerns
about the application’s privacy and security, saying that the
company takes “personal data very seriously” and only collects
information to improve performance of the app. Meitu “does not
sell user data in any form,” the statement says. However, if
hackers got ahold of this data, it would provide them a lot of
detailed information on millions of people who have downloaded
the app, according to Linares. “Imagine pairing this data with
other compromised data,” he said, noting the massive theft of
security clearance information from the Office of Personnel and
Management announced in 2015—a breach often tied to China.
|
Gardening, Farming & Homesteading |
Who thought Skittles were cow food?
Associated Press - The case began when a Wisconsin sheriff
posted on Facebook this week that "hundreds of thousands of
Skittles" had been found spilled on a highway. Later, he updated
the post to say the candy had fallen off a truck on its way to
be cattle feed…. A variety of food byproducts are commonly used
for animal feed, and Mars says it has procedures for discarding
foods for that purpose. However, the company says the Skittles
in question came from a factory that doesn't sell unused
products for feed. "We don't know how it ended up as it did and
we are investigating," Mars said…. Linda Kurtz, a corporate
environmental manager at Mars, said the company sells unused
candies and ingredients to processors that incorporate them with
other materials to make animal feed. She said Mars does not sell
directly to farmers, and its procedures follow Food and Drug
Administration regulations…. Josh Cribbs, a cattle nutritionist
and director of commercial development for the American
Maine-Anjou Association, which promotes a particular cattle
breed, said that the food byproducts that get used for cattle
feed vary depending on what's available in the region and
particular time of year. Cribbs said specific byproducts would
be mixed with other ingredients to achieve a particular
nutritional profile. "You might think, 'Oh my gosh, they might
be eating a Skittle.' In reality, that piece of candy is being
broken down," he said.
Measles outbreak grows in L.A.'s Orthodox Jewish community
despite California's strict new vaccination law
LA Times - Six months after California’s strict vaccine law took
effect, a measles outbreak has infected 20 people, most of them
in Los Angeles County, prompting a search for others who may
have been exposed to the highly contagious virus. Most of the
patients live in western areas of the county, including L.A.’s
Westside, the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Fernando
Valley. Santa Barbara and Ventura counties each reported one
case. At least 15 of the 18 L.A. County patients either knew one
another or had a clear social connection, said Dr. Jeffrey
Gunzenhauser, interim health officer for the L.A. County
Department of Public Health. None of the 18 could provide proof
of vaccination, he said…. Hershy Z. Ten, a rabbi who runs Jewish
healthcare foundation Bikur Cholim in L.A.’s Beverly Grove
neighborhood, said county health officials told him a measles
outbreak was affecting the county’s Orthodox Jewish community.
He convened a panel last week to discuss steps that Jewish day
schools and synagogues could take to stem the outbreak and
ensure unvaccinated children are immunized…. A measles outbreak
that began at Disneyland in 2014 infected 145 people across the
United States, as well as dozens in Canada and Mexico. It led to
the passage of a law in California requiring all children to be
vaccinated unless a doctor provides a medical exemption. The law
took effect in July.
State Bill to Mandate Children to Receive Every Vaccine —
Citizens Fighting Back
Natural Blaze - Oklahoma State senator and physician, Ervin Yen
won’t give up his personal vendetta to force all Oklahomans to
vaccinate their children. For the third year in a row, Yen has
introduced a bill requiring all children in the state to be
vaccinated, with the only exception being children who already
have a serious medical condition. Yen’s fear is that students
won’t be vaccinated (even though OK already has a 90 percent
compliance rate), and an outbreak will occur — killing thousands
of the state’s schoolchildren. “I’m worried about those kids who
are immune compromised, who cannot be vaccinated, I don’t want
them going to school and being exposed,” said Yen. He’s urging
his colleagues to bring Senate bill 83 to a vote. “I’d like to
get it passed right away before we have a huge outbreak and a
lot of people die,” said Yen. Yen’s is just the latest
exhibition of the corporatocracy at work. The melding of big
pharma with government is almost imperceptible but present
nonetheless. After all, who doesn’t want all children to be
healthy?… Pushing back against Senator Yen is the group
Oklahomans for Vaccine and Health Choice-PAC. They’ve invited
producer and filmmaker Del Bigtree to come to a planned rally
(Feb. 7-8) against Yen’s legislative overreach. The bill, if it
becomes law will essentially force all Oklahoman schoolchildren
to take the shot, and literally drive up rates of Autism,
especially within the Black community.
What's Doubling Brain Tumors In Denmark?
Natural Blaze - Since 1990 brain tumors and tumors of the
central nervous system (CNS) have more than doubled, according
to a report by the Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation
Stralskyddsstiftelsen published January 20, 2017. The number of
patients is on a steady increase since 2004-2005. Is that
coincidental with the increase of smart technology, which uses
microwaves to implement instant access and networks? In 1990 the
rate was 827 patients, whereas in 2015 it more than doubles to
1807 patients or 2.185 times! The rise in malignant and
non-cancerous tumors is happening in younger patients, those who
are more likely to be using smart technology gadgets, e.g.,
iPhones and Wi-Fi at school or work.... The Swedish Radiation
Protection Foundation report is only one of hundreds, if not
thousands, of reports and/or published studies indicating that
cancer, whether it is CNS or some other etiology, definitely is
on the increase, especially in folks using microwave technology
and its ‘smart’ gadgets.... Currently, there’s a huge disconnect
between microwave industry-promoted science and those
independent scientists who are finding what’s called non-thermal
radiation adverse health effects. Here’s where it’s at:
Microwave Industry studies find 32 percent harmful effects and
68 percent no effects; whereas Non-industry studies find 70
percent harmful effects and 30 percent no effects. Whoever funds
the research really matters.
Friday - January
20, 2017
Today In History:
1801 - John Marshall was appointed chief justice of the United States.
1887 - The U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in
Hawaii as a naval base.
1891 - James Hogg took office as the first native-born governor of
Texas.
1937 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to be
inaugurated on January 20th. The 20th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
officially set the date for the swearing in of the President and Vice
President.
1942 - Nazi officials held the Wannsee conference, during which they
arrived at their "final solution" that called for exterminating Europe's
Jews.
1944 - The British RAF dropped 2,300 tons of bombs on Berlin.
1981 - Iran released 52 Americans that had been held hostage for 444
days. The hostages were flown to Algeria and then to a U.S. base in
Wiesbaden, West Germany. The release occurred minutes after the U.S.
presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.
1986 - The U.S. observed the first federal holiday in honor of slain
civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
1987 - Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite was kidnapped in Beirut,
Lebanon. He was there attempting to negotiate the release of Western
hostages. He was not freed until November 1991.
1994 - Shannon Faulkner became the first woman to attend classes at The
Citadel in South Carolina. Faulkner joined the cadet corps in August
1995 under court order but soon dropped out.
1997 - Bill Clinton was inaugurated for his second term as president of
the United States.
1998 - American researchers announced that they had cloned calves that
may produce medicinal milk.
2000 - Greece and Turkey signed five accords aimed to build confidence
between the two nations.
Obama's Last Attack: US B-2 Bombers Strike ISIS Camps In Libya,
Killing Dozens
Zero Hedge - With just 24 hours left in Obama's tenure, the U.S.
president launched his final airstrike on ISIS after two B-2
bombers carried out airstrikes on two ISIS camps in Libya
overnight, defense officials said Thursday, part of an operation
targeting militants driven out last year from their coastal
stronghold. The stealth bombers struck jihadis 45 kilometers
southwest of Sirte, located halfway between Tripoli and
Benghazi. A U.S. official told NBC News that "several dozen"
militants were believed to have been killed in the strikes.
According to Reuters the mission was coordinated with Libya’s
UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). The Pentagon
added that many of the targets had previously been inside Sirte
until it was liberated from ISIS late last year.
‘Stop Operation Soros’ movement begins in Macedonia
RT - A new initiative, Stop Operation Soros (SOS), dedicated to
countering the influence of American billionaire activist George
Soros, has been launched in Macedonia. In a press conference on
Tuesday, the founders of the group called on all “free-minded
citizens,” regardless of ethnicity or religion, to join them in
the “fight against one-mindedness in the civil sector, which is
devised and led by George Soros,” the Vecer newspaper reported.
The movement says it will first focus on uncovering ‘subversive’
activities by Soros-funded NGOs. According to Nikola Srbov, a
columnist for pro-government news portal Kurir and co-founder of
SOS, Soros-funded NGOs have monopolized civil society in
Macedonia and used their position to suppress dissenting views.
We've witnessed the takeover of the entire civil sector and its
abuse and instrumentalization to meet the goals of one political
party. That is unacceptable and goes beyond the principles of
civic organizing,” Srbov said at the press conference. “The Open
Society Foundation, operating under the Soros umbrella, used its
funding and personnel to support violent processes in Macedonia.
It has monopolized the civil society sector, pushing outside any
organization which disagrees with the Soros ideology,” he
stated.
High time? German MPs legalize medical marijuana for severely
ill
RT - The German parliament has adopted an amendment to drugs
regulations that will make marijuana legal for severely ill
people. Prescriptions for cannabis products are to be covered by
patients’ health insurance. The proposed draft bill put forward
by the Health Ministry was unanimously adopted in the Bundestag
(German parliament) on Thursday…. The law provides for a new
state-run “cannabis agency” to be set up to manage and control
cultivation and distribution of the drug. The self-cultivation
of cannabis will still be prohibited, and although private
producers will have a chance to apply for a permit to grow
marijuana, there will be strict requirements in place…. The
price for a month’s supply, almost always paid for by the
patient, could be up as high as €1,800 (over US$1,900), Die Zeit
reported…. Along with the legalization, Germany is also planning
to launch research to study the positive effects of such
therapy, the appropriate dosage of the drug, and also its side
effects.
Venezuela’s New Highest Denomination Bills Can Barely Get You a
Big Mac
Economic Policy Journal - New currency began circulating in
Venezuela this week, the 500, 5,000 and 20,000 bolivar notes
appearing first and which, many have pointed out, are barely
enough to purchase even the cheapest of items, reports Orlando
Avendaño for the PanAm Post. The 20,000 bolivar note can only
buy, for example, two Big Macs at McDonalds. The sandwich costs
about 8,000 bolivars now, though two weeks ago it cost only
6,000. This is what hyperinflation looks like.
Dozens Feared Dead After Huge Avalanche Buries Luxury Italian
Hotel After Series Of Earthquakes
Zero Hedge - Following a series of strong earthquakes, a huge
avalanche ploughed into a luxury mountain hotel in central Italy
with up to 30 people feared to be buried under the snow,
officials said on Thursday. The disaster happened at the base of
the Gran Sasso mountain range near the Rigopiano di Farindola
hotel. The avalanche struck on Wednesday evening, just hours
after four earthquakes with a magnitude of above 5.0 hit central
Italy, sparking fears about possible avalanches. In addition to
the quakes, the country has been pounded by heavy snowfall and
rain. Rescue battled blizzard conditions during the night to
reach the isolated hotel on skis. They arrived in the dark to
find most of the four-storey structure submerged under a
mountain of snow and debris Reuters reports.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
Watch: Lee Greenwood Performs ‘God Bless the USA’ at Trump
Inauguration Concert
Breitbart - Country singer Lee Greenwood performed his hit song,
“God Bless the U.S.A.,” at the “Make America Great Again:
Welcome Celebration” concert in Washington, D.C. ahead of Donald
Trump’s inauguration on Thursday. The 74-year-old singer joined
the Frontmen of Country to perform the hit song, which he wrote
in 1983.
* Related Video:
Lincoln Memorial Pre-Inaugural Concert - Full Event
Video: Trump, Pence Lay Wreath at Arlington National Cemetery
ABC News - On Thursday Donald Trump and Mike Pence will lay
wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National
Cemetery.
Donald Trump Inauguration 2016: Live Updates
Breitbart - Day one: 7:55 PM: Protesters wearing black masks
confronted police Thursday outside the National Press Club,
where the pro-Trump “DeploraBall” event is being held. As
Breitbart News’ Brandon Darby reports: “the event inside drew
the ire of the hundreds of anarchists and their associates. Many
of the mask-clad protesters physically resisted police efforts
to clear the sidewalk as others shot their middle fingers to the
police officers.”…
CNN: If Trump is Killed During Inauguration, Obama Appointee
Would be President
Paul Joseph Watson - CNN has been criticized for airing a report
which revealed that an Obama appointee would become president if
Donald Trump was killed during an attack on the inauguration…
Entitled Disaster could put Obama cabinet member in Oval Office,
the report admits that there is no specific threat targeting the
inauguration, but goes on to speculate about “who would be in
charge if an attack hit the incoming president….just as the
transfer of power is underway”. An individual named the
“designated presidential successor” will not attend the
inauguration as a security precaution, “but it won’t be a Trump
cabinet secretary….it will be an Obama appointee,” reports CNN.
The report emphasizes that “a president from the prior
administration” will take power if there is an attack due to the
fact that none of Trump’s cabinet secretaries have been
confirmed yet. According to CNN, the designated presidential
successor is likely to be Tom Shannon, the Under Secretary For
Political Affairs, and an Obama appointee. The report teases the
potential for an attack on the inauguration by asserting it
would create “chaos” and “high theater,” before airing clips
from ABC’s Designated Survivor show in which Kiefer Sutherland
plays an obscure cabinet secretary who is “unexpectedly thrust
into the presidency after an attack at the capitol during a
State of the Union address.” Given the huge number of death
threats leveled at Trump – including one family friend of
Hillary Clinton who was arrested after he threatened to
assassinate Trump at the inauguration – is CNN irresponsible in
drawing attention to this issue?
Michigan 4th Grade Teacher Won't Let Students Watch Trump
Inauguration Speech
Fox News - A teacher in Michigan reportedly will not allow his
fourth-grade students to watch President-elect Donald Trump's
inauguration speech on Friday. In an email to parents, Brett
Meteyer, who teaches at Explorer Elementary in Williamston,
Michigan, said he will allow students to tune into the
Inauguration Day ceremony but not Trump's speech, due to the
president-elect's "inflammatory and degrading" language.
"Because I am concerned about my students and your children
being exposed to language and behavior that is not in concert
with the most conservative social and family values, I have
decided to show the inauguration Donald Trump this Friday, but
we will not view Mr. Trump's inauguration speech," he wrote,
according to conservative radio talk show host Steve Gruber, who
posted the email on Facebook.
Girl Scouts blasted on social media for agreeing to march at
Trump’s Inauguration
RT - The Girl Scouts of America faced an avalanche of criticism
on social media for its decision to march at Donald Trump’s
Inauguration. The organization usually takes part in the parade,
but Trump’s stunning election win prompted calls for a boycott.
The Girl Scouts were listed along the Boy Scouts of America when
the Presidential Inaugural Committee earlier this week,
announced the participants and their order of appearance for the
parade. The announcement unleashed the Twitter storm.,,, After a
steady stream of protests, the Girls Scouts responded with a
statement on Wednesday saying the group has traditionally
marched in the parade “reflecting on girl scouts’ history of
civic action,” and 75 members had volunteered to be in the
parade. “As part of this unique experience, these girls will
gain insight into the time-honored democratic tradition of a
peaceful transition of power,” stated the Girl Scout Blog.
Obama Approved One More Anti-Gun Rule Before He Left Office
Off the Grid News - During his final days in office, President
Obama’s administration ushered in a federal firearms rule
deeming tens of thousands of disabled citizens “mental
defectives” simply because they receive a Social Security
disability check. Americans with mental disabilities who receive
a Supplemental Security Income (SSI) monthly benefit check may
now have to decide which is more important to them — money or
their firearm. The National Rifle Association (NRA) fought hard
to prevent the Obama administration from creating the new rule,
but lost the battle. During the public comment period about the
federal gun restriction rule, more than 91,000 Americans stood
up in opposition to the plan in comments to the Social Security
Administration. “It will affect those who receive SSI or
disability insurance because of a listed mental health
impairment and who have been assigned a representative payee to
manage the benefits because of the person’s mental condition,”
the NRA reported. “The bottom line, however, is that tens of
thousands of completely harmless, law-abiding people will lose
their rights every year under the rule, a premise the SSA did
not even try to refute.” The Social Security Administration
“essentially ignored the NRA’s comments and the tens of
thousands of others pointing out problems with the plan,” the
NRA added.
Mexico extradites notorious drug lord El Chapo to US
RT - Infamous Mexican drug lord, Joaquin Guzman – better known
as El Chapo – has been extradited to the United States where
he’ll face multiple drug, homicide and money laundering charges,
the country’s Foreign Ministry has announced. The Fifth
Collegiate Criminal Court in Mexico City has denied notorious
drug lord, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, protection under the
country’s laws according to a statement by the Mexican Foreign
Ministry. Therefore, permission to extradite Guzman to the US
has been issued, and the “Government of the Republic delivered
today to Mr. Guzmán to the authorities of the United States of
America,” reads the statement…. Guzman faces charges in seven US
states. Its widely believed that he might first appear in
Brooklyn, New York, to stand trial on federal charges. El Chapo
is already in US custody and is being flown to New York,
according to a US official quoted by ABC News.
Obama Commutes Life Sentences of Four Mexican Cartel Leaders
Breitbart - Four family members who ran one of the largest
cartel smuggling operations in south Texas had their life in
prison sentences commuted and will likely be returning to this
border city from where they ran their criminal empire. One of
the main destinations that the criminal organizations delivered
drugs to was Chicago, Illinois. This week, outgoing President
Barack Obama commuted the sentences of 209 convicted criminals
and pardoned 64 others. The majority of the convictions were
from drug trafficking or production offenses. Four of those
convicted criminals who had been sentenced to life in prison
will be released by May 17. They ran a criminal organization
made up of close to 80 men and women who worked with Mexico’s
Gulf Cartel to move between 100,000 to almost 750,000 pounds of
marijuana into the U.S. during a 10-year period. The drugs were
moved into Houston and then distributed to Atlanta, Chicago, and
other major metropolitan areas.
Undocumented worker sues San Francisco for violating sanctuary
law
(Reuters) - An undocumented immigrant from El Salvador is suing
San Francisco alleging police violated the city's sanctuary city
policy by turning him over to U.S. immigration authorities after
he reported his car stolen. The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday on
behalf of Pedro Figueroa Zarceno, 32, in federal court in San
Francisco against the city and its police chief for violating
his right to due process and breaking an ordinance barring
municipal employees from cooperating with federal immigration
authorities seeking to deport a person. Figueroa walked into a
police station in November 2015 to report his car stolen,
according to the lawsuit. Two days later, the car was found and
when he went to recover it, he was handcuffed and led outside
where federal immigration agents were waiting for him, the
lawsuit said…. "We'll obviously have to review the lawsuit
before we can comment on it," John Cote, a spokesman for the San
Francisco city attorney, said by phone. "That being said, San
Francisco has strong policies in place to encourage victims and
witnesses to report crimes without fear of being deported."
Obama Leaves U.S.A $9,335,000,000,000 Deeper in Debt
(CNSNews.com) - President Barack Obama will leave the federal
government approximately $9,335,000,000,000 deeper in debt than
it was when he took office eight years ago, according to data
released today by the U.S. Treasury. The increased debt incurred
under Obama equals approximately $75,129 for every person in the
United States who had a full-time job in December. The
$9,334,590,089,060.56 that the debt had increased under Obama as
of the close of business on Wednesday is far more debt than was
accumulated by any previous president. It equals nearly twice as
much as the $4,889,100,310,609.44 in additional debt that piled
up during the eight years George W. Bush served as president.
When Obama took office on Jan. 20, 2009, the federal debt was
$10,626,877,048,913.08. As of the close of business Wednesday,
it was $19,961,467,137,973.64.
US Government Caught Massively Fabricating Student Loan Default
Data
Zero Hedge - An the WSJ reported… many more students have
defaulted on or failed to pay back their college loans than the
U.S. government previously believed." The admission came last
Friday, when the Education Department released a memo saying
that it had overstated student loan repayment rates at most
colleges and trade schools and provided updated numbers. This
also means that the number of loan defaults in various cohorts
is far greater than previously revealed. A spokeswoman for the
Education Department said that the problem resulted from a
"technical programming error.”… When The Wall Street Journal
analyzed the new numbers, the data revealed that the Department
previously had inflated the repayment rates for 99.8% of all
colleges and trade schools in the country. In other words,
virtually every single number was made to appear better than it
actually was. According to an analysis of the revised data, at
more than 1,000 colleges and trade schools, or about a quarter
of the total, at least half the students had defaulted or failed
to pay down at least $1 on their debt within seven years.
Is Geoengineering the Cause of High Levels of Aluminum in Bumblebees?
Natural Blaze - The University of Sussex study titled Bumblebee Pupae
Contain High Levels of Aluminum shows that: Mean aluminum content was
shown to be a significant negative predictor of average pupal weight in
colonies. While no other statistically significant relationships were
found relating aluminum to bee or colony health, the actual content of
aluminum in pupae are extremely high and demonstrate significant
exposure to aluminum. Bees rely heavily on cognitive function and
aluminum is a known neurotoxin with links, for example, to Alzheimer’s
disease in humans. The significant contamination of bumblebee pupae by
aluminum raises the intriguing spectre of cognitive dysfunction playing
a role in their population decline. A University of Pittsburgh study
published that “bees are at risk of ingesting toxic amounts of aluminum
and nickel found in flowers growing in polluted soil.” So where is the
aluminum coming from? One cause could be from geoengineering
experiments. A short time ago, military whistle-bower Kristen Meghan
came forward and exposed aluminum barium as an ingredient in weather
modification. Air, soil and water all tested positive for Aluminum
Barium, Strontium Oxide and Sulfates.
Here’s How Crooks Steal Your Credit Card At The Gas Pump
Off the Grid News - A simple gadget called a skimmer can let bad guys
steal numbers from hundreds of people without the card owners even
knowing it. A skimmer is a device placed over a card reader. When you
swipe your card, it reads the numbers but lets you complete the
transaction normally. Some skimmers collect data for criminals to pick
up later, while others transmit it to the bad guys via Bluetooth or a
wireless phone call…. Crooks can steal your credit or debit card numbers
at: • Gas pumps. This is the most common location for skimming, because
people are often in a hurry to fill the tank. The Minnesota Commerce
Commission found nine skimmers on pumps in the Minneapolis area during a
sweep in April 2016, the local CBS affiliate reported. • Skimmers have
been found on regular and self-service checkout lines at several
supermarkets, including Safeway. The Consumerist reported that one
looked like a normal card reader and even stole pin numbers. Skimmers
also were found at the self-checkout lanes at Walmart stores in Virginia
and Kentucky in April 2016, security expert Brian Krebs reported. •
Train stations. In November 2014, police found skimmers on ticket
machines at three Denver-area light rail stations. • Skimmers have been
popping up on ATMs for several years now, Krebbs reported. Crooks also
place false pin readers on ATMs to steal your data…. Here are some tips
for spotting a skimmer and protecting your accounts: 1. Grab the card
reader, pull it hard and jiggle it around. If it is loose, it might be a
skimmer, the Northport, Ala., Police Department said. Always tug on
readers at gas pumps and ticket machines. 2. Look for hidden cameras and
cover the hand that is entering data. Thieves sometimes place cameras in
discrete locations to steal PIN numbers. Any pinhole or clear area near
the PIN reader might contain one….
Empty Shelves & Madness (In America): A Minor Winter Storm Drove
People Into "Panic Buying Of Food And Basics”(Photos)
Zero Hedge - A couple of weeks ago, in early January, there was
a relatively minor storm in the South and Southeast U.S. Cold
weather, threat of the power going out, snow and ice and empty
store shelves…. Shortages, and ill prepared people scrambling
about for the final available resources. The angry race to the
checkout line probably elicited road rage, fights and arguments…
the storm that is brought out in people poses perhaps an even
larger threat than the natural disaster, etc. itself. After a
few short hours ahead of a short-lived bitter cold, practically
everything was gone – and nothing even happened yet. None one
had gone without, and things hadn’t even gotten the chance to
turn ugly. If this had been a true crisis, and not just extreme
weather over the weekend, people would have killed and died over
a cart of groceries, some bottles of water or some fuel… and
they could have prepared instead…. Becoming self-sufficient, and
cutting yourself out of the loop of dependency on the system,
supply chain and people around you might be a good thing to do.
At the very least, a couple extra weeks of everything you might
need in a crisis should be the minimum step to take – as
political and economic unrest may well be coming, along with
perhaps more than the average level of natural disasters and
extreme weather events. These are not normal times.
Feds force doctors & pharmacists to spy on 60% of Americans
MassPrivateI - In nearly every state, doctors and pharmacists
are being forced to spy on drug prescription users. The name of
the national prescription drug spying program is called 'PMP
InterConnect'. "PMP InterConnect facilitates the transfer of
prescription monitoring program (PMP) data across state lines.
It allows participating state PMPs across the United States to
be linked, providing a more effective means of combating drug
diversion and drug abuse nationwide.”… According to a Drug
Enforcement Agency report, big brother is collecting patients
names, DOB, addresses, phone numbers, demographics, prescriber
and pharmacy names, as well as prescription information (drug
names, quantities and day supply). A Foundation Care whitepaper
claims, that as of 2016 a total of 48 states have enacted
legislation for prescription drug monitoring programs. The PDMP
Training and Technical Assistance Center claims, every state
except the District of Columbia has created a prescription drug
monitoring program. According to sources, 60% of Americans or
119 million people take prescription drugs. Which means they're
spying on 60% of Americans. Big brother is one state away from
creating a NATIONAL PRESCRIPTION SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM.
As New State Legislative Sessions Begin, Renewed Efforts to
Increase Mandatory Vaccines
Health Impact News - 2017 has started off with a bang. We are
only about one week into legislative sessions across the country
and so much is happening. New State vaccine legislation is being
introduced daily - all over the country. Here's the status of
State bills throughout the US as of 1/17/17. If you live in one
of the following states, there are already vaccine bills filed
that can affect your rights…This week there are hearings in IN
and MO…. Here is a breakdown of the bills filed that we are
tracking as of 1/17/17. EXEMPTIONS and INFORMED CONSENT:
Restricting Vaccine Exemptions – MN, NY, TX, Eliminating Vaccine
Exemptions – AR, NY, OK, PA, Required School Exemption
Disclosure – VA, Expand Vaccine Exemptions – NJ, NY, Add to Who
Can Sign Medical Exemptions – TX, Prohibit Docs from Throwing
Exempting Patients out – TX, Forced Detention and Treatment on
Suspicion of Vaccine Preventable Disease – NY, Expand Vaccine
Informed Consent – OR, TX MANDATES: Adding New Vaccine Mandates
– IN, KY, MO, NJ, NY, OR, VA, Restricting Vaccine Mandates – NH,
NJ, Prevents Vaccine Mandates for Adults – MS. VACCINE TRACKING
AND REPORTING: Eliminate OPT-IN Consent for Vaccine Tracking –
TX, Expand Vaccine Tracking – NY, TX. VACCINES: Prohibit Certain
Ingredients in Vaccines – MO, Required Vaccine
Promotion/Marketing – NE, TX, Pharmacists Administer Even More
Vaccines – MT, NY.
Black Seed Oil Puts Deadly Asthma Meds To Shame
Green Med Info - A new study published in the journal
Phytotherapeutic Research reveals that a powerful little black
seed known as nigella sativa -- once referred to as ‘the remedy
for everything but death’ -- may provide a powerful alternative
to pharmaceutical medicine in the treatment of asthma. This is
extremely promising for the millions of chronic asthma sufferers
who are still taking medications like long-acting beta agonist
which the FDA warned back in 2006 actually increased the risk of
dying from asthma…. The study provides insight into why
nutritionally-based interventions are superior to conventional
drug-based ones. With the 2006 discovery by asthma drug
manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline that asthma medications actually
increase the risk of death from the very condition being
treated, the need for safer and more effective asthma solutions
has never been clearer. One of the primary criticisms of
monotherapy with long-acting beta agonists is that they do not
address the underlying inflammation that is closer to the root
cause of asthma. This is why conventional approaches now default
to combining corticosteroids with beta-agonists.
Corticosteroids, however, have a wide range of adverse health
effects, including immunosuppression and even severe psychiatric
side effects. The fact that black seed oil extract can improve
overall clinical parameters of asthma, as well as significantly
reduce blood eosinophil levels (the target of steroid drugs) to
the point of “normalization,” is amazing.
Warning Signs Your Turmeric is Fake
Living Traditionally - Did you know that according to the Food
Fraud Database, turmeric powder is often adulterated with Sudan
dye and a yellow dye called “metanil yellow,” which isn’t
approved for human consumption and may cause damage to the
nervous system? The use of metanil yellow colour and lead
chromate are most common. The use of color is common in
countries like India. Thus is unfortunate as India is largest
producer, consumer and exporter of turmeric in the world.
Turmeric powder has also been found to contain rice powder,
starches, and even lead. Metanil yellow: Widely used in Indian
sweets like jalebis and ladoos, it is highly dangerous as it
causes degenerative changes in the lining of the stomach,
kidneys and liver. It also adversely affects the ovaries and
testes, proving to be dangerous to reproductive organs. It is
commonly used to add colour to ladoos and biryanis and
consumption of this colour has reported symptoms of giddiness,
weakness and food poisoning. How to check if turmeric is pure?
Dissolve half a spoon full of besan or turmeric powder in 20 ml
of lukewarm water. Add a few drops of hydrochloric acid or any
commonly available acid at home. If the water turns pink, violet
or purple, it shows the presence of Metanil yellow.
Safe Flea Control for Pets: No Pesticides and No Drugs (+ video)
Healthy Home Economist - A quick tour around the internet demonstrates
just how common serious reactions to conventional flea products truly
are. Emergency trips to the vet, convulsions, staggering, lethargy,
vomiting, seizures and even death are not uncommon. Thousands of pet
deaths have been reported from pyrethroid containing flea products
alone. Believe it or not, these same insecticides are used on cotton
crops, fruits and lettuces that are polluting waterways…. According to
the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), cat flea collars contain
some of the most dangerous insecticides, including tetrachlorvinphos,
carbaryl, and propoxur. Some of the collars posing the greatest risk are
already being phased out of production. The NRDC is suing the EPA to ban
the rest…. There are a number of products on the market that use natural
essential oils (EOs) to repel or kill fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. Dr.
GreenPet and Sentry offer popular sprays or drops using therapeutic
grade essential oils diluted to safe levels…. Vitamins and herbs
sprinkled on a pet’s food to repel fleas is another natural method to
consider. The ingredients of these supplements vary quite a bit. For
example, the Flea Free Pet Supplement contains primarily vinegar (28%)
as the active ingredient with smaller amounts of garlic (3%) , citrus
(2%) and herbs (2%). Others such as NuLife Flea and Tick Repellent
utilize garlic and the B vitamins in Brewers Yeast as the primary
repellent…. I have found that a simple dusting of your pets once every
week or two with food grade diatomaceous earth does the trick with no
side effects. Diatomaceous earth works by scratching the exoskeleton of
fleas and other insects hiding in the fur. This causes slow dehydration
and eventually death. In essence, diatomaceous earth acts as a nontoxic
flea powder. It is used basically the same way without all the
chemicals. It is completely safe for animals and humans.
Thursday - January
19, 2017
Today In History:
1764 - John Wilkes was expelled from the British House of Commons for
seditious libel.
1793 - King Louis XVI was tried by the French Convention, found guilty
of treason and sentenced to the guillotine.
1861 - Georgia seceded from the Union.
1937 - Howard Hughes set a transcontinental air record. He flew from Los
Angeles to New York City in 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds.
1942 - The Japanese invaded Burma (later Myanmar).
1949 - The salary of the President of the U.S. was increased
from $75,000 to $100,000 with an additional $50,000 expense allowance
for each year in office.
1955 - U.S. President Eisenhower allowed a filmed news conference to be
used on television (and in movie newsreels) for the first time.
1971 - At the Charles Manson murder trial, the Beatles' "Helter Skelter"
was played. At the scene of one of his gruesome murders, the words
"helter skelter" were written on a mirror.
1977 - U.S. President Ford pardoned Iva Toguri D'Aquino (the "Tokyo
Rose").
1981 - The U.S. and Iran signed an agreement paving the way for the
release of 52 Americans held hostage for more than 14 months and for
arrangements to unfreeze Iranian assets and to resolve all claims
against Iran.
1983 - China announced that it was banning purchases of cotton, soybeans
and chemical fibers from the United States.
1996 - U.S. first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton was subpoenaed to appear
before a federal grand jury. The investigation was concerning the
discovery of billing records related to the Whitewater real estate
investment venture.
2001 - Texas officials demoted a warden and suspended three other prison
workers in the wake of the escape of the "Texas 7."
2006 - NASA's New Horizons spacecraft was launched. The mission was the
first to investigate Pluto.
2013 - In Scottsdale, AZ, the original Batmobile for the TV series
"Batman" sold at auction for $4.6 million. It was the first of six
Batmobiles produced for the show.
Russian, Turkish Air Forces conduct first joint anti-ISIS op in
Syria
RT - Moscow and Ankara are carrying out their first joint
military operation against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL)
in the Syrian province of Aleppo, the Russian Defense Ministry
has announced…. Nine Russian and eight Turkish planes are
involved in the operation which has been coordinated with the
Syrian government, Russia's Defense Ministry said, adding that
36 terrorist positions are being targeted. Based on the initial
results, the joint effort has proved successful, the Defense
Ministry official added. At the same time, the Russian military
is involved in a separate operation against Islamic terrorists
in Syria, assisting the Syrian Army in eastern Deir ez-Zor
province to fend off the militants' recent large-scale
offensive, Rudskoy said. The jihadists there are using their
numerical superiority and are constantly attacking Syrian forces
that are defending civilians in Deir ez-Zor, according to the
military official. If the terrorists manage to capture the city,
"a real genocide awaits its citizens," Rudskoy said, adding that
"the whole Deir ez-Zor population might be completely
exterminated." So far, Syrian government forces in the city,
supported by the Russian Air Force, have managed to resist the
IS assault, he said, describing the situation in Deir ez-Zor as
"difficult."
NASA to Rely on Russian Shuttles for ISS Missions Until 2019
Sputnik News - If NASA intends to continue sending astronauts to
the International Space Station (ISS) or the moon, the space
agency has little choice but to rely on Roscosmos’ Soyuz
spacecraft, at least until 2019. On Tuesday, NASA filed a "presolicitation"
requesting that private firms reach out to NASA if they can
transport astronauts to and from the orbital research platform.
NASA is “considering contracting” with Boeing on a
noncompetitive basis, primarily because there may not be a
suitable alternative. The Chicago-based aerospace firm has ties
with Russia, allowing it to serve as a middleman to get American
astronauts on board the Soyuz (Russian for 'union').
Particularly, Boeing won the seats NASA now seeks from Energia,
a Russian aerospace firm, in a settlement negotiated in late
2016. The transportation services include one astronaut in the
fall of this year and another in the spring of 2018, according
to a document published by the General Services Administration
(GSA). Procuring seats on the Soyuz will "maximize ISS science
utilization," it notes.
UK, Germany, & France ‘grossly interfered’ in US election –
Russian FM
RT - Leaders and top officials from the UK, Germany, and France
have “grossly interfered” in US internal affairs, “campaigned”
for Hillary Clinton, and openly “demonized” Donald Trump,
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. Speaking at a press
conference following a meeting with Austrian counterpart
Sebastian Kurz, Lavrov said Moscow “is tired" of accusations it
meddled in the US election. In fact, Lavrov said, it is time to
“acknowledge the fact” that it was the other way around. “US
allies have grossly interfered in America’s internal affairs, in
the election campaign,” Lavrov said. “We noticed that Angela
Merkel, Francois Hollande, Theresa May, and other European
leaders” did so. He added that official representatives of some
of the European countries did not mince words, and essentially
“demonized” Donald Trump during the election campaign. In August
last year, German Foreign Minister Frank Walther Steinmeier
called Trump a “hate preacher.” Reacting to Trump’s statement
that parts of London are ‘no-go areas,’ UK Foreign Secretary
Boris Johnson said in December that Trump is “unfit” to be US
president. Later on, however, Johnson said that Trump’s
presidency might be a “moment of opportunity.” The Russian
government, on the other hand, has expressed its willingness to
work with the US under Donald Trump. “Trump says that if the
promotion of US national interests would lead to a chance of
working with Russia, it would be foolish not to do that,” Lavrov
said.
Tourists Flee ‘Nightmare’ Paris Amidst Rising Theft, Assaults,
Terror
Breitbart - President of the Chinese Association of Travel
Agencies in France, Jean-François Zhou, said “increasingly
violent” thefts and assaults are turning France into “one of the
worst destinations for foreign tourists”. President of the
Chinese Association of Travel Agencies in France, Jean-François
Zhou, said “increasingly violent” thefts and assaults are
turning France into “one of the worst destinations for foreign
tourists”…. Rising violence and aggression account for the drop,
according to Mr. Zhou, who said: “For a number of Chinese
tourists, the dream of visiting France and Paris has turned into
a nightmare. Rising violence and aggression account for the
drop, according to Mr. Zhou, who said: “For a number of Chinese
tourists, the dream of visiting France and Paris has turned into
a nightmare. Violent incidents in France have “sparked panic” on
social media in Chinese, Mr. Zhou said, recalling one in which
an 80-year-old man was seriously injured as he tried to resist
thieves, and he reported how female tourists have been pushed to
the ground while criminals steal bags containing all their
papers.
Italy Pummeled by 10 Earthquakes in Four Hours
Breitbart - Having not yet recovered from the severe earthquakes
of recent months, central Italy was struck by 10 earthquakes in
succession over a four-hour period Wednesday, all of them
registering over 4.0 on the Richter Scale. Wednesday’s
earthquakes varied in magnitude between 4.1 and 5.7, and several
lasted a significant amount of time. The first quake, measuring
5.3, struck the beleaguered city of Amatrice at 10:25am local
time, and the shock waves could be felt in contiguous regions
and all the way south in Rome. Amatrice had already been laid
waste by a powerful earthquake last August 24, which destroyed
the town and left nearly 300 dead. After the quake, the mayor of
Amatrice announced: “The town is gone.” The second quake—the
strongest of all—hit just a few miles from the epicenter of the
first, 45 minutes later. In all, five of the 10 quakes struck
within five miles of Amatrice. The bell tower of the church of
Sant’Agostino was one of the few monuments in Amatrice to
survive last summer’s earthquake, but Wednesday’s quakes
finished the job, bringing the tower crumbling to the ground. To
add insult to injury, central Italy had been covered with snow
prior to the quakes and was suffering from exceptionally cold
temperatures.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
Sean Spicer: Trump to Impose Up to Five Executive Orders on Day
One
Breitbart - President-elect Donald Trump is set to impose a
range of executive orders immediately after his inauguration on
Friday, according to his transition team. “He’s got a few of
them, probably in the area of four or five, that we’re looking
at for Friday,” said incoming press secretary Sean Spicer at the
Trump transition headquarters. “Then there are some other ones
that I expect him to sign with respect to a couple of issues
that have been high on his priority list,” he continued…. The
most likely executive order to be repealed on Friday is the
Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action
for Parents of Americans (DAPA), which grant amnesty to
thousands of illegal immigrants. Other orders that will
inevitably be repealed on Friday or in the near future include
the Clean Power Plan, as well as orders pertaining to gun
control and religious liberty.
Fake News from CNN: Left Attacks Trump’s HHS Pick over
‘Questionable Stock Purchase’… That Would Earn Him $300
Breitbart - The Presidential Transition Team called a CNN story
about Dr. Tom Price (R-GA) “junk reporting” and late Tuesday
requested “that CNN retract this blatantly false story,” noting
that the network failed to accurately report all the facts.
Though the term “fake news,” which President-elect Trump used in
a news conference last week to describe CNN’s reporting, was not
specifically used, it is clear the Presidential Transition Team
considers this latest story from CNN yet another report from
that network to which those words also apply. Price, who will
appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Committee on Wednesday for his confirmation hearing to become
the secretary of Health and Human Services, is one of eight
Trump cabinet nominees Schumer has vowed to stop. A legal expert
familiar with the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge
(STOCK) Act of 2012 tells Breitbart News that allegations made
by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Tuesday and
first reported by CNN that “Donald Trump’s pick to quarterback
the replacement of Obamacare, Tom Price, might have broken the
law with a questionable stock purchase” are baseless and
“entirely about politics.”
Here are the Democrats Who are Skipping Trump’s Inauguration
Breitbart - At last count, over 50 Democrats have announced they
will be skipping President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on
Friday, January 20. The majority of them are from the deep blue
state of California. According to Roll Call, Democrats who are
planning to skip Trump’s historic swearing-in ceremony include
Reps. John Lewis (D-GA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Jerrold Nadler
(D-NY), Don Beyer (D-VA), Mark Takano (D-CA), Yvette Clarke
(D-NY), Ted Liu (D-CA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), John Conyers
(D-MI), Mark Desaulnier (D-CA), Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY),
Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)…
Exclusive: Trump Operative Roger Stone Survives Assassination
Attempt
Infowars - Former Trump adviser Roger Stone was recently
targeted for assassination, he revealed on the Tuesday edition
of the Alex Jones Show. The renowned Republican operative says
he’s usually very healthy, but became violently ill unexpectedly
several weeks ago. “I am generally a healthy person. I have been
a runner and a weight lifter. I am very careful in my diet. I’m
a user of the Infowars supplements. I have been treated with
acupuncture by perhaps the greatest acupuncturist in the state
of Florida if not the United States,” Stone told radio host Alex
Jones. Stone went on to describe that his symptoms presented
themselves first as a “routine stomach virus,” but that he
eventually grew “exceedingly ill.” “So I ultimately went to the
doctors at Mt. Sinai hospital in Miami Beach, my own personal
physician. They conducted extensive blood tests. Those blood
tests were passed on to CDC.” “The general consensus is that I
was poisoned,” Stone says. “I was poisoned with, they now say, a
substance that may have been polonium or had the characteristics
of polonium. This made me exceedingly ill. The conjecture of all
the doctors was that I did not receive a large enough dose to
kill me, but I have never been this ill.” Polonium-210 is a
radioactive substance that releases extremely harmful alpha
particles throughout the body producing cancer-causing free
radicals. It has been used in numerous high profile
assassinations, including that of former KGB spy Alexander
Litvinenko, and was suspected in the death of former PLO leader
Yassar Arafat.
Video: Rand Paul Doubles Down: Someone Needs To Go To Jail For
Fake Trump Leaks
Steve Watson - …“I think it’s unseemly that people in our
intelligence community, the CIA director, is out there giving
press conferences, criticizing the incoming president — I think
that’s inexcusable and I would not have anybody in the CIA
that’s publicly criticizing the president.” Paul told CNN’s Wolf
Blitzer, who has continued to defend CNN’s coverage of the
Trump/Russia blackmail fake news story. “It’s not their job,
it’s not their role and it’s frankly, unseemly, and it takes
away from the credibility.” Paul continued. “Look, the
intelligence community has had a great loss of credibility in
the last couple of years. James Clapper came to the Senate and
lied under oath. Now we have the head of the CIA publicly
criticizing the incoming president. I think that’s not the role
of the CIA.” the Kentucky Senator urged. “The CIA should be in
the background trying to protect our country and not out there
trying to score political points. I think it’s a terrible and
tragic day, and it hurts all of our intelligence gathering and
their credibility to have the head of the CIA out there doing
this.” Paul, who is a member of the Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs….
Protester tries setting self on fire outside Donald Trump’s D.C.
hotel: ‘We have a dictator that has been elected’
NY Daily News - A man set a pile of debris ablaze and claims he
tried torching himself across the street from the Trump
International Hotel in Washington D.C. to protest the incoming
“dictator” on Tuesday night. The man was reportedly hospitalized
with burns but did not appear hurt when explaining his motives
to a reporter outside the real estate magnate’s hotel venture,
which opened in October 2016. “We have a dictator that has been
elected,” the man told WRC-TV, just as his small fire erupted
with what he described as “denatured alcohol.” The firebug
seemed startled by the small explosion but assured witnesses
that the worst was over. The reporter immediately asked, “Why
would you do this?” “I tried to set myself on fire as an act of
protest … to protest the fact that we’ve elected somebody
completely incapable of respecting the constitution of the
United States,” he added. The apparent arsonist was not
immediately identified except that he was from California,
according to the television station.
Florida man charged with making online threat against Trump
The Associated Press - A South Florida man has been charged with
threatening to kill President-elect Donald Trump in a video
posted online. A Miami Beach police report released Wednesday
identified the suspect as 51-year-old Dominic Puopolo. Jail
records show Puopolo is being held without bail on state charges
of threatening harm against a public servant. Court records do
not list a lawyer for him. The police report says Puopolo on
Monday posted a video on his Twitter account stating that he
would "be at the review/inauguration and I will kill President
Trump, President-elect Trump" while in Washington. The report
says he was arrested a short time later at a Miami Beach Subway
restaurant and admitted to officers he had posted the
threatening video. Police say Puopolo told them he is homeless.
Conservative students ARRESTED for handing out Constitutions
(Video)
Campus Reform - Kellogg Community College is being sued after
campus police arrested three conservative activists and college
students while they were handing out pocket Constitutions and
signing students up for a conservative student organization. As
detailed in video footage obtained exclusively by Campus Reform,
a KCC student and two fellow conservative activists spent two to
three hours handing out Constitutions and recruiting for a Young
Americans for Liberty (YAL) chapter on campus in September
before they were accosted by administrators and ultimately
arrested for trespassing…. They were first stopped by Drew
Hutchinson, the manager of Student Life at KCC, who told them
they couldn’t approach students outside or engage them in
conversation because it could “obstruct the student’s ability to
get an education.”
CIA unveils new rules for collecting information on Americans
Reuters - The Central Intelligence Agency on Wednesday unveiled
revised rules for collecting, analyzing and storing information
on American citizens, updating the rules for the information age
and publishing them in full for the first time…. The new
procedures, under development for years, were signed on Tuesday
by CIA Director John Brennan and Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
While the 1982 guidelines were made public two years ago,
sections were blacked out. The updated procedures were posted in
full for the first time on the CIA's website on Wednesday. The
updated procedures include what the CIA must do when it
clandestinely obtains a computer hard drive holding millions of
pages of text, hours of videos and thousands of photos
containing information on foreigners and U.S. citizens. Because
extensive time and many analysts are required to assess such
large volumes of data, the new rules regulate the handling of
material whose intelligence value cannot be promptly evaluated.
They also regulate how such data can be searched and create
strict requirements for dealing with unevaluated electronic
communications, which must be destroyed no later than five years
after the are first examined. The rules were unveiled a week
after civil liberties groups decried new guidelines approved by
the Obama administration expanding the NSA's ability to share
communications intercepts with other U.S. intelligence agencies,
including the CIA.
CIA Releases 13 Million Pages Of Declassified Documents: Include
Psychic Experiments, UFO Research
Zero Hedge - The Central Intelligence Agency has published
nearly 13 million pages of declassified files online, documents
which previously were physically accessible only from four
computer terminals at the National Archives in College Park,
Maryland…. The release has been a long time coming: Bill Clinton
first ordered all documents at least 25 years old with
"historical value" to be declassified in 1995. The agency
complied, however anyone who wanted access had to trek all the
way to the US National Archives in Washington DC to get a peak.
In 2014, a nonprofit journalism organization called MuckRock
filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit pressing the
CIA to post all of its documents online, but the agency said it
would take up to six years to scan everything according to
engadget. At the same time, journalist Mike Best crowd-funded
more than $15,000 to visit the archives to print out and then
publicly upload the records, one by one, to apply pressure to
the CIA. "By printing out and scanning the documents at CIA
expense, I was able to begin making them freely available to the
public and to give the agency a financial incentive to simply
put the database online," Best wrote in a blog post…. The online
records, shed light on the agency's activities throughout the
Vietnam, Korean and Cold War conflicts; they also includes
documents relating to UFO sightings and psychic experiments from
the Stargate program, which has long been of interest to
conspiracy theorists. The archives also cover events from the
1940s the 1990s (each year, a new batch are declassified) and
include details about the flight of war criminals from Nazi
Germany, the quarter-mile Berlin tunnel built to tap Soviet
telephone lines, internal intelligence bulletins and memos from
former CIA directors, UFO reports and more…. The archives cover
events from the 1940s the 1990s. It can be accessed at the
following link.
Video: Bernie Sanders Lectures Ex-SEAL Team 6 Member For
Criticizing VA
Mikael Thalen - President-elect Donald Trump’s interior
secretary nominee Ryan Zinke was lectured by Sen. Bernie Sanders
Tuesday over the quality of healthcare provided by the United
States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). During Zinke’s
confirmation hearing, Sen. Sanders questioned the former Navy
SEAL team 6 member on the state of healthcare in the Native
American community. “As bad as the VA is…” Zinke began. As Zinke
attempted to finish his point, Sanders, who has never served in
the armed forces, interrupted to defend the government-run
healthcare system. “Some of us don’t accept that,” Sanders said.
The VA has been plagued by scandal in recent years concerning
the coverup of massive waiting lists, which led to the death of
numerous veterans, and an incident in which hundreds were
infected or exposed to HIV, Hepatitis B and C. As noted by the
Washington Free Beacon, Sanders has repeatedly lashed out
against any criticism of the VA. “As the chairman of the Senate
Committee on Veterans Affairs, the socialist senator attempted
to explain away the deaths of patients as a Koch brothers
conspiracy in May 2014,” the Beacon writes. “There is, right
now, as we speak, a concerted effort to undermine the VA,”
Sanders said at the time.
Report: 300,000 Small Business Jobs Lost Due to Obamacare
Free Beacon - The American Action Forum, a center-right policy
institute, released findings Wednesday that rising premiums and
regulations under the Affordable Care Act have had “dire”
consequences for the labor market. The report found the law has
cost $19 billion in lost wages per year and forced 10,000 small
businesses establishments to close their doors. The study
covered employers with 20 to 99 employees…. Aside from wage
losses and job cuts, Obamacare has cost the economy $51 billion
and added 172 million hours of paperwork through regulations,
the American Action Forum said. “To put that in perspective, it
would take more than 86,200 employees working full-time (2,000
hours annually) to complete a year of new ACA paperwork, roughly
the population of Miami Beach, Fla.,” the report said…. “There
are many reasons policymakers have called for significant
amendments to the ACA,” the American Action Forum said. “Higher
premiums are typically cited as a top concern. However, these
higher premiums have broader consequences for the labor market.
As AAF’s research has shown, ACA regulations have contributed to
at least $19 billion in lost wages, 10,000 fewer establishments,
and nearly 300,000 lost jobs.
Barack Obama transfers $500m to Green Climate Fund in attempt to protect
Paris deal
The Guardian - Barack Obama has heeded calls to help secure the future
of the historic Paris agreement by transferring a second $500m
installment to the Green Climate Fund, just three days before he leaves
office. The fund was a key aspect of the Paris agreement signed in 2015,
which aims to keep global warming “well below” 2C and aspires to keep
warming to 1.5C…. The US committed to transferring $3bn to the fund. The
new installment leaves $2bn owing, with the incoming president, Donald
Trump, expected to cease any further payments. The move followed a large
campaign, with more than 100 organizations and nearly 100,000 people
calling for Obama to transfer the full $2.5bn owed to the fund.
Army Corps starts Dakota Access Pipeline environmental study
RT - The Army Corps of Engineers have began studying the environmental
impact of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline crossing of Lake Oahe
in North Dakota, but a federal judge could stop that effort. The notice
was posted on the Army Corps’ website on Wednesday. It invites anyone
interested “to help identify potential issues, concerns, and reasonable
alternatives” that should be considered in an environmental impact
statement (EIS). The notice was posted on the Army Corps’ website on
Wednesday. It invites anyone interested “to help identify potential
issues, concerns, and reasonable alternatives” that should be considered
in an environmental impact statement (EIS). The Texas-based developer of
the pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), is barred from working on
the pipeline under Lake Oahe, while the study is being conducted. Lake
Oahe is the water source for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.
National Guard Deploys Missile Launchers at Dakota Access Protest Site
Sputnik News - Two surface-to-air missile launchers have been deployed
by the North Dakota Army National Guard to surveil protesters near a
disputed Dakota Access Pipeline construction site. Activists at the site
have posted video and photos of Avenger missile systems spotted on
January 16. Self-described citizen-journalist Jon Ziegler wrote,
"Anti-drone missile system confirmed on top of a hill guarding the DAPL
drill pad. Many water protectors made it further around the bend to the
east closer to the drill site and were met with police and (there are)
reports of mace used. We climbed up the hill on the west side right up
next to the launcher." The Avenger missile-system launcher tubes are
empty, according to William Prokopyk, National Guard spokesman, who told
the Daily Beast, "These systems have observation capabilities and are
used strictly in the observation role to protect private property and
public safety.
Facebook blocks RT from posting until after Trump inauguration
RT - RT has been blocked from posting content to its Facebook page. The
ban, according to the Facebook bot, will last until Saturday 10:25pm
Moscow time (2:25pm EST) and will extend across US president-elect
Donald Trump’s inauguration. A misplaced live-rights strike during RT's
broadcast of President Obama's final press conference seems to have
triggered the ban. RT’s Head of Social media, Ivor Crotty, said “the
live-rights strike seems to be part of an algorithmic failure to
acknowledge rights acquired by broadcasters, and we hope it will be
resolved in the short term.” While Facebook is a powerful distributor of
live-streams it is struggling with the rights ramifications. RT will
continue text-only posts to Facebook until the issue is resolved,”
Crotty added.
The US Postal Service Wants to Hunt Down Dark Web Criminals
Motherboard - The FBI isn't the only US law enforcement agency on the
dark web. Considering that the digital drug trade relies on snail mail
to transport goods, the US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) works on
related investigations too, and is now looking to expand its
intelligence operations with more analysts. USPIS is the law enforcement
arm of the US Postal Service (USPS). According to a recent job listing
sent to members of the information security community, the USPIS has an
opening for an “Investigative (Internet) Analyst,” to start as soon as
possible. The investigator will use data from a number of sources,
including open research and classified sources too. “The cybercrime
program reviews network data, collects forensic images, researches tools
and technologies, administers hardware and software, conducts online
investigations into black market/dark web activities affecting the USPS,
its customer and employees,” another similar job listing for an
“Intelligence Gathering Specialist” reads. Quite a bit of the analyst
role will center around investigating dark web markets, judging by the
description, which looks for experience with the “darknet,” the Tor
network, and bitcoins. The ultimate goal for much of this is to
“determine physical attribution of an Internet identity,” the listing
reads. In other words, unmasking someone online. (The listing also looks
for other skills, such as analyzing research results using graphical
techniques, and using “cyber intelligence tools” to mine the open
internet for information).
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC security update installs Chrome spyware
Infoworld - The latest version of the venerable (and oh-so-holey) PDF
viewing routine, Acrobat Reader DC 15.023.20053, released this week,
looks for information about your Google Chrome surfing habits. Without
your knowledge or consent, the security patch installs a Chrome browser
extension that's spyware, pure and simple. The situation's a little more
complex, but for most people using Adobe Acrobat Reader, Chrome spyware
comes along for the ride. If you haven't looked at the Adobe Acrobat
Reader lately -- I haven't used it in years, due to security concerns --
this latest privacy twist warrants your attention. Unfortunately, there
are three distinct versions of Acrobat Reader making the rounds, and
this spyware "feature" affects only one of them. In April 2015, Adobe
put Acrobat Reader in the cloud, creating Acrobat DC. Those who haven't
gone to the cloud are still running Reader XI, which will lose support
in October 2017. Acrobat DC is split into two branches, the "continuous
release track" -- the one affected by the spyware this month -- and the
"classic release track," which freezes the feature set at 2015 levels.
An insidious new Gmail phishing attack is tricking even the most careful
of users
BGR - A new phishing technique is fooling internet users into giving
hackers access to their Gmail accounts. According to WordPress security
plugin creator Wordfence, the way that the attack works is that hackers
send emails to the contacts of compromised accounts containing a
seemingly innocuous attachment. When the user clicks the attachment, a
new tab opens in the browser that looks nearly identical to the Google
sign-in page. If the user inputs their log-in information, it goes
straight to the attacker. On Hacker News, a commenter describes an
incident that occurred at his school last year in which several
employees and students were tricked into handing over their account
information to attackers after receiving compromised emails and opening
the attachments, thus perpetuating the cycle…. While the idea of having
your Gmail account serve as a host for the chain of hacks to continue is
frightening enough, the hackers will also have the ability to download
and read through all of your private emails, as well as gain access to
other information connected to your Google account (or whichever service
is hacked). Here’s what you need to look out for in your address bar to
avoid this attack….
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Gardening, Farming & Homesteading |
FDA Approves New Gmo Pineapple Without Independent Safety
Testing: Here’s What You Need To Know
March Against Monsanto - Costa Rica is one of the most diverse
and natural paradises in the world, but now the country is
expected to be the site of the latest GMO experiment: an “extra
sweet pink flesh” pineapple…. “Del Monte’s new pineapple has
been genetically engineered to produce lower levels of the
enzymes already in conventional pineapple that convert the pink
pigment lycopene to the yellow pigment beta carotene. Lycopene
is the pigment that makes tomatoes red and watermelons pink, so
it is commonly and safely consumed.” According to the company’s
information the product is “safe,” but the process itself has
many questioning it, wondering if perhaps any unintended
consequences will come from “playing God” with such a widely
consumed food. While genetic engineering can be explained simply
in a surface way, it also can create unseen changes at a
cellular level that the everyday person is not aware of, critics
say. When GMOs were originally approved, the FDA ignored its own
scientists’ warnings about potential allergens and long-term
health concerns…. According to the NBC report, the pineapple
will simply be labeled “extra sweet pink flesh pineapple,”
suggesting that no special labels showing that it is genetically
engineered will be required.
Toddler dies from mumps virus in MMR vaccine
What Doctors Don't Tell You - The MMR (measles-mumps-rubella)
vaccine has been directly blamed for the death of a
five-year-old boy in the UK. Doctors have confirmed that the boy
died from a mumps virus in his brain, which came from the ‘live’
vaccine. The boy, who has not been named, was given the vaccine
when he was 18 months old, and was diagnosed with Severe
Combined Immunodeficiency Disease (SCID) four months later. Over
the following months, he was treated with drugs to treat
symptoms of fever, rash, diarrhoea, lethargy and seizures. MRI
scans detected encephalitis, or brain inflammation caused by
infection. The symptoms worsened, and by the time he was four,
he was uncoordinated and was losing his sight. Further tests
discovered damage to the central nervous system and chronic
inflammation, but despite being given antibiotics, antivirals
and antifungal drugs, he died when he was five, by which time he
was blind. In post mortem examinations, researchers at
University College London found a virus strain that came from
the MMR in the boy’s brain. Lead researcher Sofia Morfopoulou
says the boy may have had an impaired immune system before he
was vaccinated, which made him more susceptible to a severe
reaction. A similar case happened in 2015 when a 13-month-old
girl died from encephalitis after being given the MMR.
Why We Should Be Eating Wild Rice (even if grain free)
Healthy Home Economist - Imagine a nutrient dense, traditional
food that is equal to pastured meats but is completely storable
for many years without refrigeration or freezing required. Seems
hard to believe, but this humble food known simply as wild rice
is surprisingly not technically grain at all, but a traditional
grass based food native to both North America and Asia. This is
news to people who might regularly consume white or brown rice
and may have not considered the healthier, wild alternative!
Wild rice is a wetland growing grass known scientifically as
Zizania aquatica and Zizania palustris. It was a crucial staple
food used by Native Americans as a source of nourishment and for
other purposes…. As shown in the chart below, gram for gram,
wild rice is equal or superior to grass-fed beef!
Video: No Wonder Cats Love These Classes so Much
Dr. Becker - I am continually amazed by the genius of so many animal
shelter and rescue organizations that are always designing new and
creative ways to get deserving homeless pets in front of people who just
might give them a home. Recently, I read about a no-kill cat shelter in
Marietta, Georgia called Good Mews, and their "yoga with cats" class.
The shelter has a cage-free adult cat room that for three evenings a
month transforms into a yoga studio…. The Good Mews yoga with cats
classes are a big hit. They sell out as soon as the times are announced
online. Similar classes are now taking place in New York City, San
Francisco, Des Moines, Iowa and Mobile, Alabama. Participants like the
fact that the sessions are relaxing and more like fun than work.
"There's not as much pressure to make my form perfect," says Katie
Misencik, a volunteer and regular yoga practitioner…. The Good Mews
kitties definitely seem stimulated by the humans in their midst and all
the yoga-inspired goings-on. Their natural curiosity drives them to
interact with the exercisers, and in return, they get lots of individual
attention, affection and socialization. For class participants, it's a
chance to help shelter cats become even more adoptable while doing
something healthy for themselves.
Wednesday - January
18, 2017
Today In History:
1803 - Thomas Jefferson, in secret communication with Congress,
sought authorization for the first official exploration by the U.S.
government.
1778 - English navigator Captain James Cook discovered the Hawaiian
Islands, which he called the "Sandwich Islands."
1943 - During World War II, the Soviets announced that they had broken
the Nazi siege of Leningrad, which had began in September of 1941.
1943 - U.S. commercial bakers stopped selling sliced bread. Only whole
loaves were sold during the ban until the end of World War II.
1957 - The first, non-stop, around-the-world, jet flight came to an end
at Riverside, CA. The plane was refueled in mid-flight by huge aerial
tankers.
1964 - The plans for the original World Trade Center in New York were
unveiled to the public.
1987 - For the first time in history the Public Broadcasting System
(PBS) was seen by over 100 million viewers. The audience was measured
during the week of January 12-18.
1990 - A jury in Los Angeles, CA, acquitted former preschool operators
Raymond Buckey and his mother, Peggy McMartin Buckey, of 52 child
molestation charges.
1990 - In an FBI sting, Washington, DC, Mayor Marion Barry was arrested
for drug possession. He was later convicted of a misdemeanor.
1991 - Eastern Airlines shut down after 62 years in business due to
financial problems.
1993 - The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was observed in all 50 U.S.
states for the first time.
1995 - The "yahoo.com" domain was created.
2002 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the
approval of a saliva-based ovulation test.
2012 - Wikipedia began a 24-hour "blackout" in protest against proposed
anti-piracy legislation (S. 968 and H.R. 3261) known as the Protect
Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online
Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House. Many websites, including Reddit, Google,
Facebook, Amazon and others, contended would make it challenging if not
impossible for them to operate.
ISIS cut off Deir ez-Zor airbase, threaten 120,000 civilians –
RT reporter
RT - A large group of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL)
militants have been making massive advances in Deir ez-Zor
province, cutting off a key air base supplying both
anti-jihadist fighters and civilians in the region, RT's Lizzie
Phelan reported from Syria. "Frightening developments" is how
Phelan has described the situation unfolding in the eastern
Syrian province near the Iraqi border over the last few days.
She said the terrorists had succeeded in cutting the last
government-held patch of the Deir ez-Zor city in two, and
severed a government-held military base from the rest of the
city. The airbase had been used by the Syrian government to
deliver supplies to an estimated 120,000 civilians trapped in
the city, which has been under the siege by the militants who
had blocked all other delivery routes. Helicopters, which have
been the only source of aid deliveries, including food and
medical supplies, are now unable to land at the base, the RT
crew reported…. It is believed the Islamists now involved in the
Deir ez-Zor offensive came from the Iraqi city of Mosul, where
they had been forced out by a US-led military operation against
the terrorists. Last month, the Russian Defense Ministry warned
that more than 5,000 terrorists had moved to Syria's Raqqa and
Deir ez-Zor from Iraq's Mosul.
Taiwan Begins Massive Drills Simulating Chinese Attack
Sputnik News - In what may be a response to a recent show of
force by the transit of the Chinese aircraft carrier through the
Strait of Taiwan, Taipei initiated defense preparation exercises
over the weekend while vowing to "enhance training 365 days a
year." aipei simulated a scenario in which China’s sole aircraft
carrier, the Lioaning, crossed the dividing line of the Taiwan
Strait in a simulated attack on the island, home to some 23
million people. China does not acknowledge Taiwan as a sovereign
nation, claiming instead that the island country belongs under
the principle of "One China" and, as such, is merely a Chinese
province. Beijing has indicated that upholding this principle is
non-negotiable, and would resort to force should Taipei be
acknowledged as independent.
UN ‘estimates’ death toll in Yemen war surpassed 10,000
RT - The death toll in the Yemeni conflict has surpassed 10,000
people, according to “estimates” from a senior UN official,
amidst the ongoing chaos in the war-torn country suffering a
tremendous humanitarian disaster. “I don’t know the figures but
the estimates are that over 10,000 people have been killed in
this conflict and almost 40,000 people injured,” UN Yemen
Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick told the reporters at
a press conference in Sanaa. The estimates seem to be pretty
rough, since McGoldrick stated in August last year that “at
least 10,000 people” had been killed in the protracted
conflict…. “This is a war of aggression being waged by Saudi
Arabia. Civilians are being targeted, they are not simply
collateral damage,” Brian Becker, National coordinator of the
ANSWER coalition told RT. While McGoldrick gave no breakdown on
civilian casualties, October figures from the UN Office of the
High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), states the conflict
has claimed the lives of at least 4,125 civilians and left at
least 7,207 wounded, with the majority of the casualties caused
by coalition airstrikes. These people are committing war crimes
routinely, systematically against the people of Yemen. This
amounts to Holocaust, not just war crimes it’s Holocaust,” Kim
Sharif, a human rights lawyer and director of Human Rights for
Yemen, told RT.
Western ‘messiahship’ bred Ukrainian crisis, Arab Spring, &
refugee flood – Lavrov
RT - The foreign policies of Western nations have been driven by
‘messiahship’ and attempts to export their values worldwide,
Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday. This approach ultimately led to the
Ukrainian crisis, the ‘Arab Spring’ & the refugee crisis. “The
export of values continues to sow crises in international
relations. This export of values and the demand to adhere only
to a European perspective launched the crisis in Ukraine,”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. “Exporting
democracy led to the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ [and] gave birth to
the export of refugees into Europe,” Lavrov said at a press
conference on the results of Russian diplomacy in 2016. He also
noted that from his point of view, current Western values are
not traditional for Europe itself. If we talk about the Western,
European values that we are all constantly reminded of as
exemplary, they are not the values that were professed by the
ancestors of modern-day Europeans, they are something new,
modernized.” “I would describe them as post-Christian values
[that] are fundamentally at odds with the values of our country,
which we want to keep and pass on,” Lavrov said. He called the
attempt to impose these ‘post-Christian values’ on Russia
“indecent from the humane point of view,” and “a colossal
mistake and unacceptable revaluation of one’s own influence on
international relations.”
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U.S. News, Politics & Government |
Is this proof America is preparing for war with Russia? US plane
is spotted in a mock dogfight with a Russian jet above the top
secret Area 51 base
Daily Mail - These are the amazing scenes which show a
Russian-built fighter jet taking on a US Air Force F-16 in a
mock dogfight – in what could be a sign that America is
preparing for the possibility of war with Moscow. The images
were captured by air traffic controller Phil Drake in the skies
above Area 51 in Nevada, one of the world’s most secret military
bases, on the day Donald Trump was elected President. According
to Drake, the aircraft in the photographs are a single seater
Sukhoi Su-27P and America’s veteran F-16…. He said the Russian
jet was a Su-27P Flanker-B - which has never been officially
imported into the United States. 'This aircraft was anonymous
and unidentifiable, apart from the Soviet style camouflage it
wore,' he said. 'After they finished their mission they flew
into Groom Lake's highly restricted airspace.
McCain Proposes Massive $5 Trillion, 5-Year Defense Budget;
Blames "Flawed Obama Defense Strategy"
Zero Hedge - Just weeks after it was revealed that the Pentagon
attempted to bury a study, that it itself had actually
commissioned, which revealed staggering financial waste on
Department of Defense programs, John McCain has proposed a new
military budget that would exceed Obama's proposed spending by
$430 billion over 5 years and total over $5 trillion, in
aggregate. In a 33-page white paper called "Restoring American
Power", McCain described his proposals as just a start toward
repairing the "damage that has been done to our military over
the past eight years" under the Obama administration…. In a
scathing review of the Obama administration's military strategy,
McCains blasts the "flawed assumptions" that justified
substantial military spending cuts over the past eight years and
resulted in a "military caught in a downward spiral of depleted
readiness and deferred modernization.”… Of course, as we pointed
out in a post entitled "Pentagon Buries Study Revealing $125
Billion In Waste On 'Bloated Bureaucracy'", the Pentagon seems
to already be under the impression that they're wasting about
$125 billion per year on mismanagement and bloated bureaucracy
so that might be a good place for McCain to find some of the
money for his proposal.
Chelsea Manning to Be Released Early as Obama Commutes Sentence
NY Times - President Obama on Tuesday commuted all but four
months of the remaining prison sentence of Chelsea Manning, the
army intelligence analyst convicted of a 2010 leak that revealed
American military and diplomatic activities across the world,
disrupted his administration and brought global prominence to
WikiLeaks, the recipient of those disclosures. The decision by
Mr. Obama rescued Ms. Manning, who twice tried to kill herself
last year, from an uncertain future as a transgender woman
incarcerated at the men’s military prison at Fort Leavenworth,
Kan. She has been jailed for nearly seven years, and her 35-year
sentence was by far the longest punishment ever imposed in the
United States for a leak conviction. At the same time that Mr.
Obama commuted the sentence of Ms. Manning, a low-ranking
enlisted soldier at the time of her leaks, he also pardoned Gen.
James E. Cartwright, the former vice chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff who pleaded guilty to lying about his
conversations with reporters to F.B.I. agents investigating a
leak of classified information about cyberattacks on Iran’s
nuclear program. The two acts of clemency amounted to a
remarkable final step for a president whose administration
carried out an unprecedented criminal crackdown on leaks of
government secrets. In addition, Mr. Obama on Tuesday commuted
the sentence of Oscar Lopez Rivera, who was part of a Puerto
Rican nationalist group that carried out a string of bombings in
the late 1970s and early 1980s; the other members of that group
had long since been freed. Mr. Obama also granted 63 other
pardons and 207 other commutations — mostly of drug offenders.
Manning commutation could set up Assange extradition to US
RT - Now that President Barack Obama has commuted much of
whistleblower Chelsea Manning’s prison sentence, will Wikileaks
founder Julian Assange follow through on his promise to accept
extradition to the US? On Tuesday, Obama announced that he was
granting clemency to Manning, along with 208 other people. The
former US Army intelligence analyst will be freed on May 17,
rather than in 2045 as originally intended by his conviction
under the Espionage Act. Assange has been living in the
Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012. The Australian has
previously fought extradition to Sweden over accusations of
rape, which he denies. He has claimed the Swedish effort is a
way to have him transferred to the US, which, as of May 2016,
was actively investigating WikiLeaks’ activities. WikiLeaks and
Assange released a statement in reaction to the announcement by
the Obama administration, thanking “everyone who campaigned for
Chelsea Manning's clemency.” Although Assange did not
immediately specify whether or not he will honor his promise and
risk potential extradition to the US, where he could face
possible espionage charges, his lawyer Melinda Taylor confirmed
that “everything that he has said he's standing by.”
Florida Airport Shooter Claims He Carried Out Attack For ISIS
Zero Hedge - Accused Florida gunman, Esteban Santiago, who is
charged with opening fire at a Florida airport, killing five
victims and wounding six others, told investigators that he
spoke with ISIS terrorists in “jihadi chat rooms” and carried
out the deadly Jan. 6 attack on behalf of ISIS, authorities said
Tuesday during a bond hearing. Speaking at a bond hearing in
Florida, FBI Special Agent Michael Ferlazzo testified that
Esteban Santiago did not specify whether he was acting on ISIS'
orders or was inspired by the group, according to CNN. Ferlazzo
said Santiago told him that he was in touch with like-minded
individuals on jihadi web forums as they plotted similar
attacks. He previously admitted to carrying out the mass
shooting, according to authorities cited by AA.com…. Santiago
faces multiple charges related to the Jan. 7 shootings at Fort
Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, including using and
carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of
violence; performing an act of violence against a person at an
airport serving international civil aviation that caused serious
bodily injury; and causing the death of a person through the use
of a firearm. If convicted, he could face the death penalty on
the last two charges.
Trump to Take Oath on Lincoln Bible
Breitbart - President-elect Donald Trump will swear in as
president on a Bible used by Abraham Lincoln during his first
inauguration as president. The Lincoln Bible is currently part
of the Library of Congress collection and was used by Obama to
swear in as president after the 2008 and 2012 elections. Only
Obama and Lincoln have used that copy of the Bible to swear the
oath of office. “In his first inaugural address, President
Lincoln appealed to the ‘better angels of our nature,’” said
Presidential Inauguration Committee Chairman Tom Barrack. “As he
takes the same oath of office 156 years later, President-elect
Trump is humbled to place his hand on Bibles that hold special
meaning both to his family and to our country.” According to a
statement from the Inauguration committee, Trump will also use
his family Bible that was given to him by his mother after he
graduated from Sunday Church Primary School at First
Presbyterian Church in 1955.
Video: Desperate: Democrat Calls For Trump Impeachment, Claims
Russia Fed Him The Term ‘Crooked Hillary’
Steve Watson - A Democratic Congresswoman has called for Donald
Trump to be impeached on the grounds that he coined the term
‘crooked Hillary’ in collusion with the Russian government, even
suggesting that the Kremlin was feeding Trump such lines to use
during his campaign. California Congresswoman Maxine Waters was
egged on by MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews to explain why Trump’s
presidency is ‘not legitimate’. Matthews and Waters then engaged
in some of the most dumb speculation ever aired on a broadcast.
Matthews suggested that the Russian government engaged in
“collusion” with the Trump campaign, and asked Waters “Does that
make Trump subject to impeachment? Waters struggled to find a
valid answer, so went with the following remarkable utterance:
“If we discover that Donald Trump or his advocates played a role
to help provide strategy — if they’re the ones who came up with
‘Crooked Hillary,’ if they’re the ones who came up with, ‘she’s
ill, something’s wrong with her energy,’ and the way that he
basically described her during the campaign — I think that is
something that would put the question squarely on the table
whether or not he should be impeached.” Waters went as far as to
suggest that the nicknames Trump used against all his political
opponents, even Republicans, were fed to him by Russia. “So, you
think you can commit an impeachable offense before you take
office?” Matthews probed further. “Well, I think that at the
point that investigations discover and confirm and can document
any of that role in helping to strategize — they had a role in
attempting to determine the outcome,” Waters said, not answering
the question. She attempted further reasoning on the fly, again
failing to deliver any logical conclusion…
Putin Warns Of "Maidan-Style" Attempt To Delegitimize Trump;
Doesn't Believe Trump Used Hookers In Moscow
Zero Hedge - Warning that a "soft coup" is being waged against
Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he sees
attempts in the United States to "delegitimize" US
President-elect Donald Trump using "Maidan-style" methods
previously used in Ukraine, where readers will recall president
Yanukovich was ousted in 2014 following a violent coup, which
many suspect was conducted under the auspices of the US State
Department and assorted US intelligence operations. "I have an
impression they practiced in Kiev and are ready to organize a
Maidan in Washington, just to not let Trump take office," Putin
said, apparently referring to anti-government protests in the
Ukrainian capital in 2014, which resulted in the leadership
being ousted. The campaign to discredit the president-elect
shows that certain "political elites in the West, including in
the US," have "significantly" worsened, the Russian president
added. Putin said he doesn’t believe that Donald Trump met with
prostitutes in Russia, calling the accusations part of a
campaign to undermine the election result, and said reports
spread in the Western media accusing Trump of frolicking with
prostitutes in a Moscow hotel, the Russian president said he
doubted that a man who had been organizing beauty pageants for
years and had met "some of the most beautiful women of the
world" would hire call girls in the Russian capital. The Russian
leader also called the allegations that Moscow might have
blackmail material on the US president-elect "evidently fake.”…
Unsubstantiated allegations made against Trump are “obvious
fabrications,” Putin told reporters in the Kremlin on Tuesday.
“People who order fakes of the type now circulating against the
U.S. president-elect, who concoct them and use them in a
political battle, are worse than prostitutes because they don’t
have any moral boundaries at all,” he said.
Secret Service Taking Extraordinary Measures To Protect Against
"Unprecedented" Inauguration Threats
Zero Hedge - Just yesterday we noted the latest undercover video
from Project Veritas which revealed anarchist groups plotting to
disrupt the Trump inauguration by dumping butyric acid into the
heating and ventilation systems of buildings expected to be used
for this weekend's festivities. Add to that, the fact that
~750,000 protesters are expected to descend upon Washington D.C.
with a stated intent to "paralyze the city" and Obama's
"extremely unusual" move to fire the D.C. National Guard Chief
just days before the inauguration ceremonies and you have a
recipe for disaster. Describing the situation to Washington Top
News, Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy acknowledged that
the threat level at this ingratiation is "different" from
previous ones saying that, after a contentious 2016 campaign
cycle, people "are willing to do things they may not have been
willing to do in the past.”… In addition to D.C. being a
perpetual high-profile target for terrorist attacks, Clancy
notes that, as confirmed by the latest Project Veritas video,
the bigger threat is likely coming from anarchist groups who
will stop at nothing to disrupt the inauguration ceremonies in
some way…. this year's inauguration will include large
perimeters that will be heavily fortified with "trucks,
dumpsters, buses and the like" to defend against terrorist
attacks similar to those that struck Nice, France and Berlin,
Germany in 2016 as rogue trucks plowed through masses of
people…. And, if all else fails, we're sure the "Bikers For
Trump" will be available on short order to form a "wall of meat"
to protect the President-elect.
Ads in two dozen cities offer protesters up to $2,500 to agitate
at Trump inaugural
Fox News - Donald Trump may have a point about paid protesters:
Job ads running in more than 20 cities offer $2,500 per month
for agitators to demonstrate at this week’s presidential
inauguration events. Demand Protest, a San Francisco company
that bills itself as the “largest private grassroots support
organization in the United States,” posted identical ads Jan. 12
in multiple cities on Backpage.com seeking “operatives.” “Get
paid fighting against Trump!” says the ad. “We pay people
already politically motivated to fight for the things they
believe. You were going to take action anyways, why not do so
with us!” the ad continues. “We are currently seeking operatives
to help send a strong message at upcoming inauguration
protests.” The job offers a monthly retainer of $2,500 plus “our
standard per-event pay of $50/hr, as long as you participate in
at least 6 events a year,” as well as health, vision and dental
insurance for full-time operatives.
Radical Leftists Target DC Metro Rail Line to Block Inauguration
Access (Video)
Adan Salazar - Far left agitators are reportedly planning to
block access to the 2017 presidential inauguration by disabling
the Washington DC metro line, a potentially terroristic act
which may constitute a federal offense. In the latest sting
video covertly filmed by Project Veritas, leaders from several
left-wing organizations conduct training workshops informing
“comrades” how anti-inauguration events will proceed…. “Which
include, they can include shutting down major bridges and
highway access points as well as shutting down metro rail. So to
do that we are going to try to break into several teams kind of
like the checkpoints,” Carrefour says. “So fears in doing that,
we don’t think these are going to be necessarily arrestable
actions but there is a possibility you could be; so keep that in
mind if you want to participate,” he continues, evidently
cognizant the actions may be illegal. In another video clip,
Carrefour goes on to describe how agitators would go about
shutting down not just one, but “every single line in the city”…
As Project Veritas founder and investigative journalist James
O’Keefe notes, the acts discussed could be construed as
terroristic acts violating federal law. “Disabling trains
constitutes an act of terrorism” under 18 USC 1992, O’Keefe
says, which states offenders “…shall be fined under this title
or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both, and if the
offense results in the death of any person, shall be imprisoned
for any terms of years or for life, or subject to death.”
Another leftist organizer appearing in the exposé also tells
workshop attendees it’s OK to punch Trump supporters in the
throat.
Here's What It's Like To Attend The Satanic Temple's Black Mass
LAist - On Saturday, the Satanic Temple of Los Angeles held
their biggest event ever: a massive satanic mass, complete with
a live bloodletting ritual. The purpose of the mass, according
to the Satanic Temple's website, was "to inspire personal and
societal liberation." The event, which was held in partnership
with Das Bunker, doubled as a fundraiser for a number of causes
including the women’s reproductive rights campaign, lawsuits
concerning violations of the First Amendment, and providing
education and assistance to individuals incarcerated in our
for-profit prison system. Once attendees made it past the
massive line to get in, there was live painting, and
first-come-first-serve tattooing. The event was essentially a
goth/industrial show, with many attendees dressed in costume.
There was a mosh pit and crowd surfing. There was a demonic cat
lecture by Paul Koudounaris, and a destruction ritual, along
with an invocation ritual. The invocation included a statement
of principals of the Satanic Temple (aka the Seven Tenets),
including a call to question everything and standing up to
racial and gender inequality, and ending with chants of "Hail
Satan." Coven of Ashes performed a bloodletting ritual, and the
bands Lumerians, Author + Punisher, and 3Teeth performed.
She Corrected A Student’s Spelling. Then The School Fired Her
Off the Grid News - Katie Nash lost her job as “web experience
coordinator” at the Frederick County Public Schools after
telling a student how to spell “tomorrow,” The Frederick
Post-News reported. Nash, who ran the school Twitter account,
responded, “But then how would you learn how to spell
‘tomorrow?’ :)” Her response was certainly popular on Twitter,
generating 1,000 likes and leading to the hashtag #KatiefromFCPS
going viral. Even though the unidentified student did not mind
the response, Nash’s superiors told her not to send out more
Tweets. But she kept Tweeting calendar updates. Then on Jan. 13,
Nash was told she was being terminated from her $44,066-a-year
job. Michael Doerrer, a spokesman for the Frederick Public
Schools, would not say why she was terminated. Nash is now
tweeting from her personal account, @KatieNash. The mother of
two is not ashamed of what she did…. She’s received lots of
support on social media, with people inundating the @FCPSMaryland
feed with words of criticism for the school.
Walmart to Create 10,000 Retail Jobs, 24,000 Construction Jobs
Breitbart - The new jobs will be retail jobs for Walmart’s 59
new stores planned for the next fiscal year that starts in
February or e-commerce jobs, but there will also be 24,000 new
construction jobs created in order to build the new stores,
Reuters reports. Walmart said the number of new jobs is about
the same as previous years, and is part of $6.8 billion in
capital investments in the U.S. for the new fiscal year which
starts Feb. 1. The investments also include construction and
remodeling of stores and distribution centers as well as
expansion of new services such as online grocery pickup, KWTV
reported. “Our 2017 plans to grow our business … will have a
meaningful impact on the country,” Executive Vice President Dan
Bartlett said in a statement. Walmart also said it would open
160 training academies around the country, adding to the 40 that
already exist. The company aims to provide up to six weeks of
specialty training to 225,000 workers, the company said.
Walmart’s job announcement comes after the store had to close
154 poor-performing U.S. stores and slash 10,000 jobs in January
2016, USA Today reports.
Virginia Bill Would Set the Foundation to Reject EPA Clean Power Plan
Tenth Amendment Center - A bill introduced in the Virginia House would
take a small, but important, first step in setting the foundation to
reject the EPA’s “Clean Power Plan” in practice. Del. Israel O’Quinn
(R-Bristol) introduced House Bill 1974 (HB1974) on Jan. 10. The
legislation would prohibit the Department of Environmental Quality from
unilaterally implementing EPA Clean Power Plan emission requirements.
Under the proposed law, the Department of Environmental Protection would
be required to consider a number of specific factors when developing any
state plan to comply with EPA emission standards. Before submitting any
plan to the federal agency, the DEQ would have to submit it, along with
a detailed report, to the state legislature for approval. While the
proposed law would not guarantee the state would reject compliance with
EPA mandates, it sets the foundation to do so. It also brings the entire
process into the public spotlight, allowing Virginia residents to have
input into it. As it currently stands, the Department of Environmental
Quality and the EPA can work behind the scenes to adopt such plans
without any public or legislative input at all. The department acts, in
practice, like a part of the federal government. HB1974 reasserts some
state authority over the Department of Environmental Protection and the
entire process…. Passage would begin to place the process back in the
hands of the state, thus diminishing the power of the federal agency.
The legislation also sets the stage for more aggressive action such as
refusing cooperation with the enforcement of EPA rules and regulations.
What Actually Happens to Your Donated Clothing?
Dr. Mercola - Most people will drop clothes off at a donation center
such as Goodwill, thinking they will get re-sold to someone with limited
means who really needs them. In reality, much of the discarded clothing
ends up in landfills. In 2013 alone, a staggering 12.8 million tons of
textiles were sent to landfills — that's more than 7 percent of the
total U.S. landfill waste — costing charitable organizations millions of
dollars in various fees and transport expenses, to boot…. It's also
worth noting that those used clothing donation bins you may find
scattered throughout your neighborhood typically belong to for-profit
textile recycling companies that sometimes falsely disguise themselves
as charitable organizations. According to Huffington Post associate
lifestyle editor Suzy Strutner, Goodwill will sort through donations to
determine what can be sold and what cannot. If it's in near-perfect
condition, it will remain on the sales floor for four weeks. After that,
the item gets sent to a "Buy the Pound" liquidation outlet. Whatever
isn't sold in these outlet stores gets sent on to Goodwill auctions,
where you bid on entire bins without knowing precisely what you're
getting. Whatever still remains at this point is sent to textile
recycling organizations such as SMART, a trade association for textile
recyclers. Of the clothing SMART acquires, approximately 5 percent is
discarded to landfill, 30 percent gets cut into rags for industrial use,
20 percent is processed for fiber fill that gets used in furniture and
insulation, and 45 percent is resold into the American and international
second-hand clothing markets.
Feds want facial biometrics that can idenitfy people based on facial
hair, skin tone, weight and more
MassPrivateI - The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
otherwise known as the Dept. of Commerce plans to evaluate facial
biometrics for the government. Beginning next month, the NIST will begin
evaluating facial recognition technology algorithms. The NIST calls it
the 'Face Recognition Vendor Test' (FRVT). "The FRVT is aimed at
measurement of the performance of automated face recognition
technologies applied to a wide range of civil, law enforcement and
homeland security applications including verification of visa images,
de-duplication of passports, recognition across photojournalism images,
and identification of child exploitation victims." Page 7, Table 4 of
the FRVT explains how people can be identified from booking photos,
driver's licenses, magazine photos and personal photos. Page 9, Table 10
of the FRVT explains how biometrics can identify a person using their
skin type, facial hair, height & weight. The Feds also want biometric
cameras that can estimate a person's age and sex. The NIST is also
evaluating fingerprint recognition systems for government use. The NIST
calls it the 'Minutiae Interoperability Exchange' or MINEX III. Since
2014, the NIST has been working with NEC Corporation of America to
install facial recognition cameras across the country. According to
NEC's "It's All About The Face (Facial Recognition)" whitepaper, retail
stores and hotels in America have begun secretly using facial
recognition cameras…. Already, a dozen top stores and exclusive hotels
in Britain, America and Asia have been testing the face recognition
technology provided by NEC. It works even when people wear sunglasses
and other items that cause other face recognition technologies to
stumble." Last year, I warned everyone that hotels, malls and retailers
were using facial recognition cameras to spy on everyone. (KFC, just
started using facial recognition in China. Hotels like the Hilton in
Texas, admit to using 3VR facial recognition
In Pain? Feds Don’t Care!
Alliance for Natural Health - The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
is moving against cannabidiol (CBD), a supplement used to
control pain and inflammation. The circumstances are extremely
suspicious. Late last year, the DEA published a final rule that
classifies marijuana and hemp extracts, including CBD, as
Schedule 1 controlled substances—a category that includes
heroin, LSD, mescaline, and MDMA. Note that none of the CBD
extracts contains significant amounts of the psychoactive
chemical in marijuana—only the non-psychoactive painkilling
chemicals. There are thousands of published scientific studies
on CBD and its beneficial health effects on pain, inflammation,
seizures, rheumatoid arthritis, and other inflammatory
conditions. CBD is available as a dietary supplement…. This is
not a merely irrational move by the DEA—it’s a deeply suspicious
one. The US government holds a patent on CBD that covers the use
of CBD to protect the brain from degeneration and the treatment
of diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Sound familiar?
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been obsessed with
natural remedies that can treat Alzheimer’s. So far, the agency
has attacked supplements such as picamilon, vinpocetine, and
pyridoxamine, essentially clearing the field for expensive Big
Pharma-owned Alzheimer’s drugs that they know don’t work. The
government seems to be employing the same playbook against CBD.
One of Big Pharma’s most loyal puppets is Sen. Claire McCaskill.
A powerful democrat from Missouri, she has waged an all-out war
against vinpocetine.
Are Vaccinations Safe for Children with Allergies?
Health Impact News - In 2010, the National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) published a paper titled
Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy in
the United States. The paper described how the NIAID had joined
forces with 30 professional organizations, federal agencies and
patient advocacy groups to set guidelines for the management and
safety of patients suffering from food allergies. One of the
sections highlighted was a section titled Vaccinations in
Patients with Egg Allergies. The authors wrote: "In Summary:
Patients who have generated IgE antibodies to an allergen are at
risk for anaphylaxis with systemic exposure to that allergen.
Thus, patients who have IgE-mediated egg allergy are at risk for
anaphylaxis if injected with vaccines containing egg 17
protein." The CDC appears to be completely unaware of the NIAID
guidelines. The advice that they give to patients with an
allergy to eggs is the polar opposite to the advice given in the
NIAID guidelines.
3 Ultra Healthy Superfoods That are Rich in Essential Vitamins
and Minerals
Moringa: This easy-to-grow tropical plant species contains over
90 protective compounds and is rich in essential vitamins and
minerals. It is known to have extraordinarily high levels of
calcium, iron, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, a full spectrum
of B vitamins and complete protein. It’s also rich in
antioxidants like quercetin, which have a number of beneficial
effects in the body from fighting inflammation to protecting
cells from degeneration. Wheatgrass: Wheatgrass is one of the
most nutritious foods on the planet, rightly earning its title
as one of the top superfoods known to man, and is a power-packed
source of chlorophyll, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and 98
different essential minerals found in soil, including
phosphorus, calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium as well as
essential enzymes and 19 amino acids. Spirulina: …a natural
algae that is incredibly high in protein and is a world class
source of antioxidants, B-vitamins, minerals and other essential
daily nutrients. It’s also rich in phycocyanin, a potent
anti-inflammatory compound. pirulina is one of nature`s richest
food sources of the hard to get Vitamin B-12 and also contains
more iron than spinach or beef liver, both important supplements
to a sometimes-deficient vegan diet. Additionally, it is rich in
Vitamin E, beta-carotene, calcium, and chlorophyll. Its oils are
richer in Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) than evening primrose oil.
Studies have indicated that GLA helps lower blood cholesterol
and high blood pressure and eases such conditions as arthritis,
premenstrual pain, eczema and other skin conditions.
Tuesday - January
17, 2017
Today In History:
1773 - Captain Cook's Resolution became the first ship to cross the
Antarctic Circle.
1806 - James Madison Randolph, grandson of U.S. President Thomas
Jefferson, was the first child born in the White House.
1900 - The U.S. took Wake Island where there was in important cable link
between Hawaii and Manila.
1900 - Yaqui Indians in Texas proclaimed their independence from Mexico.
1946 - The United Nations Security Council held its first meeting.
1961 - In his farewell address, U.S. President Eisenhower warned against
the rise of "the military-industrial complex."
1966 - A B-52 carrying four H-bombs collided with a refuelling tanker.
The bombs were released and eight crewmembers were killed.
1977 - Double murderer Gary Gilmore became the first to be executed in
the U.S. in a decade. The firing squad took place at Utah State Prison.
1991 - Coalition airstrikes began against Iraq after negotiations failed
to get Iraq to retreat from the country of Kuwait.
1992 - An IRA bomb, placed next to a remote country road in County
Tyrone, Northern Ireland, killed seven building workers and injured
seven others.
1994 - The Northridge earthquake rocked Los Angeles, CA, registering a
6.7 on the Richter Scale. At least 61 people were killed and about $20
billion in damage was caused.
1997 - A court in Ireland granted the first divorce in the Roman
Catholic country's history.
1998 - President Bill Clinton became the first U.S. president to testify
as a defendant in a criminal or civil suit when he answered questions
from lawyers for Paula Jones, who had accused Clinton of sexual
harassment.
2000 - British pharmaceutical companies Glaxo Wellcome PLC and
SmithKline Beecham PLC agreed to a merger that created the world's
largest drugmaker.
2001 - Faced with an electricity crisis, California used rolling
blackouts to cut off power to hundreds of thousands of people.
US Marines land in Norway for contested deployment
The Local - Some 300 US Marines arrived in Norway on Monday for
a rotational deployment in the Scandinavian country, to
neighbouring Russia's dismay amid rising tensions with the
West.... Nato member Norway announced in October it had accepted
a US request to station troops on its soil. The deployment, by
rotation so as not to anger Moscow, has been presented as a
one-year test to enable the Marines to train and conduct
exercises with the Norwegian army in harsh conditions. The
initiative has however annoyed Russia, amid rising tensions with
the West over the Ukraine crisis and the conflict in Syria. This
"for sure won't make better (the) security situation in Northern
Europe," a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Oslo, Maxim
Gurov, told AFP in an October email. Before joining Nato in
1949, Norway allayed Russian fears by pledging not to open its
territory to foreign combat troops "as long as it is not under
attack or threat of attack." The Norwegian government has argued
that Nato troops regularly carry out exercises in the country
and that deployment by rotation is not the same as opening a
permanent US base. Until now, the US has had large quantities of
military materiel pre-positioned in tunnels dug into Norway's
mountains, but no troops.
Europe Gears Up for ‘Record Levels’ of New Migrants in 2017
Breitbart London - “Come next spring, the number of people
crossing over the Mediterranean will reach record levels,” said
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of Malta, the current Presidency of
the Council of the EU. “The choice is trying to do something
now, or meeting urgently in April, May… and try to do a deal
then.”.... The total number of migrants that reached Europe in
2016 ran to 363,348, with Italy receiving the largest share,
followed closely by Greece. Given recent data, the trend shows
no signs of abating. Hundreds have already attempted the
perilous sea crossing this month, despite freezing
temperatures.... The characteristics of Europe’s immigrants have
changed as well. Of the top ten countries of origin of Italian
immigrants in 2016, all but one were from Africa, with Nigeria
topping the list. They are not refugees from war, but job
seekers looking for better economic opportunities. Muscat
reportedly wishes to enlarge on an agreement Italy is
negotiating with Libya by sweetening the deal with EU funds and
other support. Of the many difficulties with this plan, Libya is
still in a state of political turmoil with no central authority
to deal with.... All seem to agree that Europe’s migrant crisis
requires immediate action, which may involve unpopular decisions
and political compromise.
Germany Slams Trump Criticism: Urges US To "Build Better Cars",
Accuses Washington Of Causing Refugee Crisis
Zero Hedge - In his interviews with Bild and the Times, the US
president-elect had indicated that he would aim to realign the
“out of balance” car trade between Germany and the US. “If you
go down Fifth Avenue everyone has a Mercedes Benz in front of
his house, isn’t that the case?” he said. “How many Chevrolets
do you see in Germany? Not very many, maybe none at all … it’s a
one-way street.” So, when asked what Trump could do to make sure
German customers bought more American cars, [leader of the
centre-left Social Democratic party, Sigmar] Gabriel had a
simple suggestion: “Build better cars.”.... Responding to
Trump’s comments that Merkel had made an “utterly catastrophic
mistake by letting all these illegals into the country”, Gabriel
said the increase in the number of people fleeing the Middle
East to seek asylum in Europe had partially been a result of
US-led wars destabilising the region. Slamming US foreign policy
- and thus the Obama regime, not to mention Angela Merkel's
close friend Hillary Clinton - as a culprit for the European
refugee crisis, Gabriel said that “there is a link between
America’s flawed interventionist policy, especially the Iraq
war, and the refugee crisis, that’s why my advice would be that
we shouldn’t tell each other what we have done right or wrong,
but that we look into establishing peace in that region and do
everything to make sure people can find a home there again,”
Gabriel said.... Gabriel, who will likely run as the centre-left
candidate against Merkel in Germany’s federal elections in
September, said Trump’s election should encourage Europeans to
stand up for themselves.
Suspect in New Year's Eve Attack on Istanbul Nightclub Captured
Alive: Turkish Police Sources
ABC News - The man authorities suspect of being behind the New
Year's Eve attack on an Istanbul nightclub has been captured
alive, according to Turkish police sources. The alleged attacker
was caught with his son in a raid on the Esenyurt suburb of
Istanbul, sources said. He was arrested at the home of a friend,
who was also detained. Three women were also in the house, which
Turkish police believe may have been an ISIS cell, according to
sources. Police are confident that the man they arrested is the
suspect they were looking for, sources said. Thirty-nine people
were killed in the attack and dozens more were injured.
Authorities said the gunman fired 180 rounds of 7.62-mm bullets,
which are commonly used in AK-47 assault rifles. The attacker
also used flares to illuminate the inside of the nightclub
during the attack, according to police. Police said they don't
believe the weapon used in the attack came from inside Turkey.
The serial number on the weapon had been defaced.... The gunman
allegedly killed a policeman and a civilian outside the Reina
nightclub before he began to shoot in a "cruel and merciless way
on innocent people," said Vasip Sahin, the governor of Istanbul.
Most of the victims were shot at close range or took bullets
directly to the head, according to a report from the morgue.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
F-35 has 276 deficiencies and counting, unfit for combat
operations – Pentagon report
RINF - The F-35 stealth fighter jet suffers from hundreds of
problems and won’t be fully combat-capable before 2020, says a
scathing report from the Pentagon’s top evaluator. New issues
keep cropping up, and fixing them all may cost over $1
billion.... “The Services have designated 276 deficiencies in
combat performance as ‘critical to correct’ in Block 3F, but
less than half of the critical deficiencies were addressed with
attempted corrections,” says [the Pentagon’s director of
operational test & evaluation, Dr. Micheal] Gilmore’s report,
referring to problems in the F-35’s software. “Deficiencies
continue to be discovered at a rate of about 20 per month,” the
report added. “Much more testing is needed to assess the
cybersecurity structure of the air vehicle and supporting
logistics infrastructure system,” the report says, “and to
determine whether, and to what extent, vulnerabilities may have
led to compromises of F-35 data.” Worse yet, the program is
trying to skip many of the tests and declare the systems
development phase over early, shifting the testing to the
Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) process starting
in August 2017, the report noted. Rushing the tests means
shifting the risks onto operational testing, follow-on
modernization, and to the pilots intended to fly the planes into
combat. The F-35 program office “has no plan to adequately fix
and verify hundreds of these deficiencies using flight testing
within its currently planned schedule and resources,” Gilmore
wrote.
Report: CNN/Buzzfeed to Release Damaging New Trump Tape 48 Hours
Before Inauguration
Paul Joseph Watson - A source claiming to work for NBC has
contacted Infowars to warn of a CNN/Buzzfeed plot to release a
damaging video tape of Donald Trump just 48 hours before he is
inaugurated as president. According to the source, who wishes to
remain anonymous, a two minute clip has been cut from out-takes
of Trump’s appearances on The Apprentice which is “very
damaging” and “nuclear in impact”. The tape has been circulating
for a while in an effort to attract rich backers such as Mark
Cuban or Larry Flynt who would be prepared to take the
substantial legal risk of releasing the video. owever, with
Trump’s inauguration looming, “the plan is to leak it to CNN and
Buzzfeed on Wednesday at 3pm,” claims the source. The source
added that he had the names of the people who were set to leak
the tape and would be getting in touch with Trump’s Senior
Counselor Steve Bannon to pass on the information.
National Black Leaders Condemn Promotion of ‘Civil Unrest’
Against Trump
Breitbart - Led by Rev. William Owens (pictured), the Coalition
of African American Pastors (CAAP) convened in Washington, D.C.
Saturday to formally “denounce racial over tones against
President-elect Donald Trump and challenge other black leaders
to cease pushing division among people of Color for political
expediency.” “Leadership has to be proven,” Owens said. “The
current path by Democrats and some Republicans is aimed
strategically to disrupt, where in the end, it’s the citizenry
that will lose; we need strong leadership to move America
forward.”.... Owens is extending the same premise to Trump,
explaining the new president “must have the same platform – the
chance to prove himself president, without intentional
bombardment from both sides of the aisle.” CAAP’s president is
also inviting Rev. Al Sharpton and his organization, the
National Action Network, to a “dialogue” to “discuss critical
issues related to the future of the African American community.”
Owens observes he would like Rev. Sharpton to “consider
discussing the disastrous policies his office has sometimes
promoted–policies that serve to entrap blacks and minorities in
a cycle of dependency and require their allegiance to a party
and system that does not serve their interests.”
‘Women’s March’ Removes Pro-Life Group After Feminist Media
Uproar
NewsBusters - On Sunday, pro-life group New Wave Feminists
announced that the women’s march officially accepted them as
partners. “Super pumped to rep prolife feminism at theWomen's
March on Washington,” [sic], the group’s Facebook post read....
The group, led by Destiny Herndon-De La Rosa, made headlines
when an Atlantic story declared Monday morning that, “These
Pro-Lifers Are Headed to the Women’s March on Washington.”. “For
their part, the [march] organizers say pro-lifers will be
welcome to march on January 21st,” wrote staff writer Emma
Green. But hours later, New Wave Feminists had disappeared from
the march's partner list (that boasts organizations like Planned
Parenthood and NARAL [National Association for the Repeal of
Abortion Laws]). In response, Herndon-De La Rosa told MRC
Culture that the women's march organizers "have not reached out
to me officially, just removed us from their site." She added,
"so I can only assume they caved to the backlash on social media
after the Atlantic piece came out saying we were listed as
partners.".... So much for supporting all women.... The Women's
March organizers issued a statement on Twitter to "apologize"
for the "error" of admitting the "anti-choice" New Wave
Feminists.
James O'Keefe of Project Veritas: Anti-Trump Activists Planning
'Stink Bombs' at DeploraBall
The Epoch Times - Specifically, the D.C. Anti-Fascist Coalition,
which is part of the anti-Trump inauguration group called
#DisruptJ20, wants to force the cancellation of the DeploraBall—a
sold-out gathering slated for Thursday at the National Press
Building, as captured on video by Project Veritas, the
brainchild of controversial conservative firebrand James
O’Keefe. “I was thinking of things that would ruin their
evening, ruin their outfits and otherwise make it impossible to
continue with their plans. So they get nothing accomplished,”
says a man identified in the video as Scott Green, the leader of
the D.C. Anti-Fascist Coalition. Another man, identified as Luke
Kuhn, described their potential plans. “If you had a pint of
butyric acid, I don’t care how big the building is, it is
closing,” he says in the clip, which was captured in a sit-down
meeting at the Comet Ping Pong pizza place in Washington, D.C.
Butyric acid is commonly used to produce stink bombs.... Another
activist in the video can be heard issuing tacit threats to the
Washington, D.C. city government. He says, “The message has to
be, we do not recognize the city government either. If you try
to close us down we will look for your house, we will burn it.
We will physically fight the police if they try to steal one of
our places. We will go to war and you will lose.” But in a
Monday post on its website, #DisruptJ20 dismissed the Project
Veritas video and suggested that O’Keefe is using actors. It
said he has used “sad aspiring actors to go undercover to get
video of leftists in order to chop up the film to make up a news
story. Hilariously enough, we have nothing to hide.” It,
however, did not refute whether the men in the video were
associated with #DisruptJ20 or the D.C. Anti-Fascist Coalition.
State Department Held Stress Workshops After Trump’s Win
Free Beacon - The State Department held stress management
sessions following Donald Trump’s presidential election victory,
providing employees tips for how to cope with change so they do
not “become paralyzed by fear.” he workshops, titled “The
Emotional Transition: Managing the Stress of Change,” were held
by the State Department’s Bureau of Medical Services on Dec. 8
and 14, just one month after the department’s former boss,
Hillary Clinton, was defeated. “Change is an inevitable part of
the human experience,” an email invitation obtained by the
Washington Free Beacon reads. “We can become paralyzed by fear
or allow the experience of change to propel us closer to
self-actualization.” The purpose of the post-election seminars,
which were open to all Foggy Bottom employees, contractors,
interns, and workers for the U.S. Agency for International
Development, was to dive into the “emotional cycles” of change….
Workers were given excused absence from their work duties in
order to attend the one-hour sessions.
Sensenbrenner: Close up the ATF
Washington Examiner - Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., has
proposed legislation that would dissolve the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... His bill, the ATF
Elimination Act, would impose a hiring freeze at the ATF,
require the Justice Department to "eliminate and reduce
duplicative functions and waste," and mandate a report to
Congress detailing how it would shut down the ATF and transfer
its responsibilities to the FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency and
other departments. Sensenbrenner would see the FBI assume the
ATF's enforcement of firearms, explosives and arson laws while
the DEA would absorb its responsibility for ensuring that
alcohol and tobacco are not illegally distributed. The FBI would
take over the ATF's building and assets.... The veteran lawmaker
first proposed eliminating the ATF after 2010's "Operation Fast
and Furious" gun-walking scandal, in which the ATF intentionally
allowed gun traffickers to sell guns to Mexican cartels in hopes
of bringing down the cartels. Instead, the ATF lost track of
most of the guns it allowed to flow across the U.S.'s southern
border.
Rep. Steve King Introduces Bill to Ban Aborting Babies With
Heartbeats
CNS News - The legislation, the Heartbeat Protection Act of
2017, says that “any physician who knowingly performs an
abortion and thereby kills a human fetus without determining,
according to standard medical practice, whether the fetus has a
detectable heartbeat; without informing the mother of the
results of that determination; or after determining, according
to standard medical practice, that the fetus has a detectable
heartbeat, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not
more than 5 years, or both.” The bill has an exception for the
life of the mother in the case of “a life-endangering physical
condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself, but
not including psychological or emotional conditions.” It also
clarifies that “a mother upon whom an abortion is performed” is
not liable and may not be prosecuted under the legislation. ...
In June, the Supreme Court upheld a July 2014 federal judge’s
ruling on a similar North Dakota heartbeat bill which struck
down the bill on the basis that Roe v. Wade “unequivocally said
no state may deprive a woman of the choice to terminate her
pregnancy at a point prior to viability.”
MLK Assassination Exposed as Conspiracy of 'Governmental
Agencies & Others' in Court Victory
The Free Thought Project - As the world remembers the life, and
death, of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., one little-known fact
regarding his assassination is that in 1999 the family of Dr.
King won a civil lawsuit against Loyd Jowers and others,
including governmental agencies, for the wrongful death of King
in the case of the King Family versus Jowers and Other Unknown
Co-Conspirators.... While a civil court trial uses a
preponderance of evidence standard, rather than a reasonable
doubt standard, there is no mistaking the dark picture painted
by the evidence over the course of the trial. King family friend
and attorney William F. Pepper won the civil trial, which found
‘US governmental agencies’ guilty of being part of a conspiracy
that resulted in the wrongful death/assassination of Dr.
King.... Once Ray realized that he was being scapegoated for the
killing of King, being solely blamed for the assassination, he
attempted to recant his guilty plea and ask for a trial – which
was summarily denied. Ray went so far as to produce a letter
from his attorney stating the promise of a trial if he would
plead guilty in a convoluted bit of legalese. The King family
themselves repeatedly voiced their support for a criminal trial
for Ray, but their requests repeatedly fell on deaf ears as
their pleas were continually denied by both the state and
federal government. In fact, the U.S. government has repeatedly
denied the King family’s requests for an independent
investigation, in spite of the vast amount of new evidence
presented at the 1999 civil trial. In 2000, the U.S. Department
of Justice issued a report that explained they had investigated
themselves and found they had done nothing wrong — concluding
that there was no evidence to warrant any further investigation.
Race Baiting Reporters Plead With Mlk III To Attack Trump
NewsBusters - On Monday afternoon, reporters stationed inside
Trump Tower begged with Martin Luther King III to attack
President-elect Trump over tweets concerning Democratic
Congressman John Lewis (Ga.) following a meeting on the day
honoring King’s father Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King began by
stating that he and Trump had “a very constructive meeting” with
most of the focus being on voting rights, but the topic shifted
to Lewis when reporters interjected with questions. ABC
correspondent Tom Llamas snuck in the first pathetic question
baiting King into blasting Trump: “Mr. King, as you know,
Representative Lewis still has the scars from the March on
Selma. Were you offended by the President-elect’s tweet that
Representative Lewis is all talk and no action?” King responded
by stating the Lewis is, like “many others,” a “bridge builder”
but added that “in the heat of emotion, a lot of things get said
on both sides.” With the press corps not satisfied, an
unidentified male reporter trotted out this second-hand claim by
a woman he saw on Sunday at Trump Tower: Sir, you know many
African Americans are very concerned about a Trump presidency. A
woman came in here last week and told me he's going to have
black people up against the wall, both literally and
figuratively. Did he allay your concerns that he'll be a
president for all people, black and white? Once again, King
didn’t take the bait as he ruled that “certainly he said that,
that he is going to represent Americans” and he’ll “continue to
evaluate that” throughout Trump’s presidency.
* Related:
Donald Trump PRAYS with Martin Luther King's son to 'heal the
nation'
2 suspects in custody after MLK park shooting in Florida, 8
reported injured
Metro - Authorities say two suspects and two weapons are in
police custody after a shooting near Martin Luther King, Jr.
Memorial Park in Florida on Monday. The shooting occurred in
northeast Miami-Dade on the day set aside to honor Martin Luther
King, Jr., the activist who believed in peaceful disobedience.
Eight people were injured, three of whom had been shot, WSVN's
Ann Kiel tweeted. One of the patients is in critical condition,
NBC6 Miami reported.
North Dakota Bill Would Protect Drivers Who ‘Accidentally’ Hit
And Kill Protesters
Huffington Post - Republican lawmakers in North Dakota are
taking aim at protesters with a handful of bills that would make
another pipeline protest far more dangerous. The oil-friendly
legislature argues that its constituents are frustrated over the
protests, which led federal authorities to halt construction of
the $3.8-billion Dakota Access Pipeline as thousands of
protesters braved cold weather and violence for months. A bill
that state GOP Rep. Keith Kempenich introduced would exempt
drivers from liability if they accidentally hit a pedestrian,
according to the Bismarck Tribune. House Bill 1203 was written
up in direct response to groups of protesters blocking roadways,
Kempenich told the paper. He claims protesters were seen jumping
out in front of vehicles. “It’s shifting the burden of proof
from the motor vehicle driver to the pedestrian,” Kempenich
said. “They’re intentionally putting themselves in danger.”…
Other new bills would be a thorn in the side of protesters and
the federal government. One measure would make it a crime for
adults to wear masks nearly across the board, while another
would allow the state to sue the federal government over
millions in extra police costs, according to ABC News. At this
point, it’s unclear whether any of these measures stand a
chance, and there’s no committee hearing set for HB1203. It
might be crazy to think they’re anything more than posturing,
dissenters say.
Video: Vaccine Syndrome Film Debuts about Forced Military
Anthrax Vaccine
Health Impact News - The online FREE Vaccines Revealed
Docuseries just released the World Premier of the documentary,
VACCINE SYNDROME. The film claims that over 35,000 soldiers have
died from the anthrax vaccine, according to a “RAC-GWVI
Government Report” published in 2008. Compare that to how many
soldiers have died in combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan, which
is 6753 at the time of the filming. The film starts out with a
dramatized recreating of Lance Corporal Jared Schwartz, who
refused to receive the anthrax vaccine. He had to face a
military tribunal without legal counsel, and read a prepared
statement. That statement can be found online, such as at the
GulfWarVets.com website. The film also mentions how
pharmaceutical companies have legal immunity from any injuries
or deaths resulting from vaccines, and that the civilian
population only has recourse to sue the federal government in a
special Vaccine Court. However, military personnel are
prohibited from suing in this court, which is part of the
National Vaccine Compensation Program. To view the remaining
FREE episodes of the Vaccine Revealed Docuseries, sign up here.
You will also be given the opportunity to purchase the episodes
you missed…. Polly Tommey, one of the producers and part of the
VAXXED film team, filmed an interview with Sherrie Saunders, a
former military medic and now whistleblower regarding military
vaccines. Sherrie discovered that the animal protein in the
anthrax vaccine was causing Gulf War syndrome in some soldiers,
some who even died. When she reported it to her commander, she
got a visit from someone in Washington, D.C. and was told to
keep quiet about it. She is no longer keeping quiet. Listen to
this interview which is going viral on the Internet…
GM Will Invest Over $1 Billion In New US Factories, Create More
Than 1,000 Jobs
Zero Hedge - the latest automaker to respond to Trump's Twitter
criticism is General Motors, which according to the WSJ, will
announce this week plans to invest at least $1 billion across
several U.S. factories "a move aimed at underlining its
commitment to U.S. manufacturing jobs in the wake of
President-elect Donald Trump’s criticism of the auto maker’s
imports from Mexico." The company will also announce that it
will create more than 1,000 new jobs stemming from the
investment but doesn’t plan to specify which of its factories
are in line for more work. The move comes days after Mr. Trump
publicly ratcheted up pressure on the nation’s largest auto
maker.... “I hope that General Motors will be following. And I
think they will be,” Mr. Trump said. They did indeed, even if
GM's response was largely predictable. Recall that GM CEO Mary
Barro was appointed to Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum, which
as a reminder "is composed of some of America’s most highly
respected and successful business leaders, will be called upon
to meet with the President frequently to share their specific
experience and knowledge as the President implements his plan to
bring back jobs and Make America Great Again." It would look
confusing if one of Trump's own economic policy advisors looked
the other way when practicing what Trump is preaching.
Wall Street Faces 20 Years Of Retirement Withdrawals As Boomers
Hit 70 1/2
Zero Hedge - Over the next 30 years, the U.S. economy will face
an unrelenting demographic transition as ~75 million baby
boomers exit the highest wage earning years of their life and
start to draw down what little retirement savings they've
managed to tuck away while wreaking havoc to the public "safety
net" ponzi schemes, like Social Security, that will almost
certainly be insolvent in a decade. Per the U.S. Census Bureau,
over the 30 years, the number of people in the U.S. over the age
of 65 is expected to double while those 85 and up will triple.
Needless to day, the overall population growth of the United
States is a fraction of that which means that millennials are
about to get crushed by their parents....so it's probably a good
thing they already live in mom and dad's basement.... But while
the Boomers, and by extension taxpayers, are facing a harsh
future, Wall Street has made a killing in fees off of managing
the ever growing balance of retirement accounts as Baby Boomers
have come of age. But that all looks set to change as America's
aging population is forced by IRS regulations to take retirement
withdrawals once they hit 70 1/2 years of age.... Moreover,
mandatory withdrawals, as set by the IRS, grow exponentially as
America's Boomers get older. While mandatory annual withdrawals
are only ~3.5% of assets at age 70.5, that number grows to 8% by
age 90. And even though it may not sound like a lot, 3.5% of $10
trillion is $350 billion worth of assets that would have
otherwise been paying Wall Street a handsome annual management
fee.
Amazon to Accept Food Stamps Under New Obama Regs
Kit Daniels - The Obama administration claims it’s the
government’s responsibility to provide “healthy food choices” to
food stamp users, and Amazon is already selling groceries
through “Prime Pantry,” which offers cookies, baked goods,
Kool-Aid and more. “It marks the latest of many costly
experiments by the administration to expand the fraud-infested
program, which has seen a record-high number of beneficiaries
under President Obama,” reported Judicial Watch. “To eliminate
the welfare stigma, the administration renamed food stamps
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the rolls
swelled to an astounding 46.5 million in 2016.” That’s roughly
1/6th of the U.S. population, and it’s costing taxpayers at
least $70 billion annually. Even more, many of the recipients
are illegal aliens. In 2012, the USDA, which administers the
food stamp program, was working with the Mexican government to
“increase participation in SNAP,” according to the Daily Caller.
The USDA even printed Spanish-language flyers targeted to
illegal immigrants, telling them that they do not need to
“divulge information” regarding their “immigration status” to
receive welfare benefits for their children. But why is
President Obama expanding the food stamp program with only days
left in his presidency? Simple: he’s creating conditions for
mass rioting if President Trump cuts the program. By encouraging
mass dependency on the welfare system, the Obama administration
has ensured civil unrest due to program cuts which the
establishment could then blame on President Trump.
Actor Mark Ruffalo Just Added To Terror Watch List Before Anti-Fracking
Documentary Screening
Alternative Media Syndicate - Ruffalo recently drew the attention of
Pennsylvania’s Office of Homeland Security after organizing screenings
for the documentary Gasland, according to the Guardian. The Telegraph
confirmed that Ruffalo was added to the list, as far back as 2010. That
documentary recently won the special jury prize at this year’s Sundance
film festival. Ruffalo said he was “concerned about the impact of
drilling on water supplies.” For some time now, the well-known actor has
addressed the subject, including in the latest edition of of the
magazine GQ. Gasland was directed by Josh Fox. The documentary follows
the film-maker’s visits to communities in Pennsylvania where natural gas
has been drilled with some clearly disturbing effects on the environment
and community. Fox documented his trip after a natural gas company wrote
to him in 2008 with an offer to lease his family’s land in Milanville,
Pennsylvania for $100,000. The documentary has attracted attention for
one particular scene where a local man shows that he is able to set his
tapwater on fire. Others claim they are suffering from numerous health
issues due to their water having been contaminated. Gasland has been
fiercely opposed by the natural gas industry, and many are saying that
this is the reason why Ruffalo has now been targeted by the FBI. While
Ruffalo was added to the Terror Watch List, he confirmed that he was
still allowed to fly. While most are unaware, the reality is that most
people are the No Fly List are actually permitted to fly after being
subjected to additional screening requirements and the FBI being
contacted.
KFC's New Facial Recognition Software Is Troubling For A Few Reasons
Huffington Post - The fast food chain recently debuted facial
recognition technology at a restaurant in Beijing, China, thanks to a
partnership with the Chinese search engine Baidu. A spokesperson for KFC
told The Guardian that the artificial intelligence-enabled system
provides meal recommendations based on a consumer’s age and mood.
According to a Baidu press release obtained by Tech Crunch, the machine
would offer a male customer in his early 20s something like “a set meal
of crispy chicken hamburger, roasted chicken wings and Coke.” On the
other hand, a female customer in her 50s would be given a recommendation
of “porridge and soybean milk for breakfast.” After making the meal
assessment based on your features, the AI-enabled machine can reportedly
save the picture of your face to remember your order for future KFC
visits. Perhaps the most troubling thing about this kind of technology ―
aside from fast food giants gathering personal data on your eating
habits and the sexist and ageist suggestions ― is that eating is an
incredibly personal (and human) experience. Food is all about choice.
Choosing what you want to eat, where you want to eat it, how much you
want to pay for it and who you want to eat it with. Of course you can
override the machine’s suggestions from this KFC assessment, but why
would you want them in the first place?
14 Winter Survival Items Everyone Should Store In Their Vehicle
Off the Grid News - Wintertime is hard on cars, so they need to
be in good shape. …before the first real freeze hit. I checked
all the fluids, the rubber on my tires, the battery, and the
condition of all of the “regular maintenance” items, like hoses
and belts. Better to spend a few bucks replacing one when it’s
convenient, than getting stuck because you didn’t (which will
cost more). Te next important thing was the gas tank. In the
wintertime, I’d always keep a minimum of half a tank of gas.
That way, if I did get stuck somewhere, I could use the engine
for heat. Used cautiously, running the engine only in short
bursts, that half a tank will last the night. In addition to
those two items, I’d put some things in the trunk, to help my
car or the car of someone else who was stranded: 1. Sand - The
extra weight of two bags of sand made a huge difference in
traction. Of course, that was rear-wheel drive, so it’s not so
important today. But if you drive a pickup truck, you’ll need to
add some weight over the back wheels, where they are notoriously
light. 2. Chains - If your state allows chains, get some. Just
be sure to take them off, if you get to dry pavement or even
spotty drive pavement. Otherwise, they’ll break. 3. Shovel – You
never know when you might have to dig your own car out. 4. Tow
strap – I prefer the nylon straps to a chain, but to each his
own. 5. Basic tools – For emergency repairs. 6. Spare battery –
Batteries are one of the things that go out easily in the cold.
I’d carry a spare, as crazy as that might sound…. I also carried
the following: 7. Plastic bags – To use as a makeshift toilet….
8. High energy food – High calorie food bars will help your body
produce heat. 9. Water - The trick here is keeping it from
freezing. I kept mine in the passenger compartment…..
Arguments from Authority and Intimidation Support Vaccine
Propaganda
Government Rag - A recent AP article attempts to present Donald
Trump and Robert F. Kennedy as Kooks for talking about an
investigation of the efficacy and safety of vaccines. The
article titled, “Trump asks skeptic to probe vaccine safety,
alarming doctors” is a carefully crafted vacuous “Argument From
Authority and Intimidation” defending the $41 billion dollar a
year vaccine industry from any reasonable attempt to
independently and reputably investigate the safety and efficacy
of vaccines. The Associate Press presents Donald Trump’s
willingness to question and even investigate the effects and
safety of vaccines as “reviving long debunked attempts to link
vaccines to autism.” The Associated Press (AP), presenting
Donald Trump’s meeting with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to discuss
chairing a commission on vaccination safety, as the act of an
ignorant naive who has neglected to read Big Pharma’s bible and
last word on vaccine safety and its connection to Autism…. AP
attempts to connect the opinions of licensed, as Allopathic
‘Medical Doctors’, by medical monopoly organizations benefiting
and controlling access to medical professions and procedures –
to the safety and efficacy and the sensibleness of the decades
old enforced-by-law practice of vaccinating children. According
to AP, Kennedy met with the Trump and stated the
“President-elect Trump has some doubts about the current vaccine
policies and he has questions about it,” Kennedy added, “we
ought to be debating the science.”
Don’t remove your appendix: it’s a safe house for our good gut
bacteria
What Doctors Don't Tell You - After discovering a ‘new’ organ in
the gut last week (see WDDTY News), medicine has this week
learned that our ‘useless’ appendix has a vital role in play.
It’s a reservoir for beneficial gut bacteria, say researchers.
The appendix is routinely removed, especially after in becomes
inflamed, but the surgery could be a mistake, say researchers
from Midwestern University who have researched its function
across a range of different mammals. They have discovered that
the appendix has evolved in 30 different groups that have a more
advanced immune system, and especially have higher
concentrations of lymphoid (immune) tissue in the cecum, a sac
that is between the small and large intestines. It seems to play
a vital role as a secondary immune organ, and is a ‘safe house’
for good gut bacteria. The appendix hasn’t disappeared in any
species, which suggests it’s far from useless, and has evolved
along with other parts of the intestine, say the researchers.
Even seated yoga helps improve arthritis pain
What Doctors Don't Tell You - Doing yoga while sitting—known as
chair yoga—can ease the pain of osteoarthritis in the lower part
of the body, such as the hip, knee, ankle or foot. It’s an
effective alternative for people who cannot perform the usual
yoga positions, say researchers at Florida Atlantic University
who tested the effects of chair yoga on a group of 131 people
with osteoarthritis. Those who participated in the eight-week
class reported greater flexibility, less pain and improved
quality of life overall than those who instead took part in a
health education programme. Chair yoga was developed by Kristine
Lee for people with mobility and flexibility problems; people
can perform the positions while seated or while standing and
holding a chair for support.
* Related:
10 Chair Yoga Poses for Home Practice
The New Functional Food That's Anything but Healthy or Functional
Dr. Becker - Molasses made from sugar beets is a different type of
molasses and the one being marketed to the pet food industry…. Beet
molasses is 50 percent sugar, predominantly sucrose, but contains
significant amounts of glucose and fructose. Beet molasses isn’t
considered a human-grade food, so it’s used in animal feed…. There are
apparently no regulatory restrictions on the use of molasses in pet
food…. Added sugar has no place in a healthy dog’s (or cat’s diet).
Sugary pet food and treats can lead to obesity and all the health
problems that go along with it, including diabetes and cancer. Sugar
also feeds yeast and other opportunistic pathogens in the small
intestine. A high-quality pet treat won’t contain grains or unnecessary
fillers, rendered animal byproducts, added sugar (masquerading as
molasses or honey), chemicals, artificial preservatives or ingredients
known to be allergenic. These criteria rule out the vast majority of
commercial pet treats on the market…. Your dog or cat has no biological
requirement for the carbs in these treats, and in addition, they’re
pro-inflammatory…. If your dog likes dehydrated chicken strips (chicken
jerky), you can make your own quite easily. Just buy some boneless
chicken breasts, clean them and slice into long, thin strips — the
thinner the better. Place the strips on a greased or non-stick cookie
sheet and bake them for at least three hours at 180 degrees F. The low
temp dries the chicken out slowly, and the strips wind up nice and
chewy. Let the strips cool, and then store them in plastic bags or
another airtight container. You can also freeze them.
Don’t Ignore This Odd Behavior, It Can Be a Sign of a Medical Emergency
Dr. Becker - Head pressing is when your pet compulsively pushes the top
of her head against a stationary object. Usually it’s a wall, but not
always. It can be a couch, a corner or another hard surface. She presses
her head very intently against the object for an extended period of
time, or over and over again. A pet who is head pressing will often push
continuously, moving along the item against which she’s pressing until
she reaches a corner and gets “stuck” there with her head pressed
against it…. There are a number of potential causes of head pressing,
all of which are quite serious. They include: Prosencephalon disease,
which involves damage to the forebrain and thalamus. Hepatic or renal
encephalopathy, which means blood-borne toxins have crossed the
blood-brain barrier. Exposure to toxins. Brain tumor. An infection of
the nervous system, such as rabies or a fungal infection. Stroke….
Obviously, regardless of the cause, head pressing is a serious medical
emergency. If your dog or cat is doing it, you need to make an
appointment with your veterinarian for the next day or go to the nearest
emergency animal hospital if your pet can’t seem to stop the behavior.
It's also important to note that a normal behavior of healthy cats and
some dogs is head butting or head bunting, as it is sometimes called.
…when your healthy, happy kitty rubs her face against you or bumps her
head against yours in an affectionate gesture…. Often there are other
symptoms along with head pressing that depend on the underlying cause of
the problem. For example, there can be abnormal vocalization, and
compulsive pacing and circling that seems to have no end and results in
sores on your pet’s feet.
Monday - January
16, 2017
Today In History:
1883 - The United States Civil Service Commission was established as the
Pendleton Act went into effect.
1900 - The U.S. Senate consented to the Anglo-German treaty of 1899, by
which the U.K. renounced rights to the Samoan islands.
1919 - The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibited the
sale or transportation of alcoholic beverages, was ratified. It was
later repealed by the 21st Amendment.
1920 - Prohibition went into effect in the U.S.
1925 - Leon Trotsky was dismissed as Chairman of the Revolutionary
Council of the USSR.
1944 - General Dwight D. Eisenhower took command of the Allied invasion
force in London.
1979 - The Shah of Iran and his family fled Iran for Egypt.
1982 - Britain and the Vatican resumed full diplomatic relations after a
break of over 400 years.
1998 - Researchers announce that an altered gene helped to defend
against HIV.
1991 - The White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm.
The operation was designed to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.
1998 - The first woman to enroll at Virginia Military Institute withdrew
from the school.
1998 - NASA officially announced that John Glenn would fly aboard the
space shuttle Discovery in October.
1998 - It was announced that Texas would receive $15.3 billion in a
tobacco industry settlement. The payouts were planned to take place over
25 years.
1998 - Three federal judges secretly granted Kenneth Starr authority to
probe whether U.S. President Clinton or Vernon Jordan urged Monica
Lewinsky to lie about her relationship with Clinton.
2002 - U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced that John Walker
Lindh would be brought to the United States to face trial. He was
charged in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, VA, with conspiracy to
kill U.S. citizens, providing support to terrorist organizations, and
engaging in prohibited transactions with the Taliban of Afghanistan.
2002 - The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted sanctions against
Osama bin Laden, his terror network and the remnants of the Taliban. The
sanctions required that all nations impose arms embargoes and freeze
their finances.
2009 - The iTunes Music Store reached 500 million applications
downloaded.
Missiles Deployed Around Moscow as U.S. Troops Arrive in Poland
Breitbart - Russia responded to the arrival of 3,000 U.S. troops
in Poland by deploying advanced S-400 anti-aircraft missiles
around Moscow.... The UK Independent reports that the first
deployment will take up positions in Podolsk, 15 miles south of
Moscow. The Russians announced that S-400s would be deployed to
Kaliningrad, near the Polish and Lithuanian borders, in November
— a position that would give them the ability to target NATO
aircraft over most of the Baltic region. The Independent
observes that Russian officials gave no indication of which
“enemy” they expected to launch airstrikes on vital
infrastructure around Moscow. On Friday, Chinese government
media reported that China and Russia are working together on
“countermeasures” to the THAAD anti-missile system the United
States is deploying in South Korea, to defend against North
Korean threats. “China and Russia urged the United States and
South Korea to address their security concerns and stop the
deployment of THAAD on the Korean Peninsula,” read a joint
statement quoted by Reuters.... CNN cites analysts who say the
Chinese foreign policy establishment sees THAAD as a threat to
the region on par with North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. In
essence, the Chinese and Russians worry that the U.S. is
building an anti-missile and anti-aircraft fence around them.
US launches ‘self-defense strike’ during raid against Shabaab
Long War Journal - US Africa Command announced that it launched
an airstrike against Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in Somalia,
while US advisors accompanied Somali and African Union forces in
a counterterrorism exercise on Jan. 7. AFRICOM described the
offensive under the guise of a “self-defense strike,” as it did
on nine other occasions in 2016, when it was really another
skirmish in a decade-long military operation against Shabaab....
The Long War Journal has recorded 30 such operations against
Shabaab or the Islamic Courts since 2006 [list at link]. The
number of US military operations in Somalia may well be higher,
however, it has been difficult to track strikes against Shabaab
as there are multiple actors involved in targeting the group,
including Kenyan and Ethiopian sources. The US military has not
released statements for every encounter. Additionally, for a
long period of time, Iranian news outlets muddied the waters by
attributing every nearly every action against Shabaab in
southern Somalia as a US drone strike. Verifiable press
reporting has also been inconsistent.
German court rules synagogue torching not anti-Semitism, but act
to 'criticize Israel'
Washington Times - A Wuppertal judge last Friday upheld a lower
court’s 2015 ruling that German-Palestinians convicted of arson
against the city’s synagogue did so merely to “criticize Israel”
and “bring attention to the Gaza conflict.” Fire damage caused
by 31-year-old Mohamad E., 26-year-old Ismail A. and 20-year-old
Mohammad A. (full names withheld by German authorities) totaled
almost $850. The court went on to cite Israel’s Operation
Protective Edge against Hamas in the summer of 2014 — and the
criminals’ consumption of alcohol — as the apparent impetus for
the crime, the Jerusalem Post reported Friday…. The is not the
first time Wuppertal’s court system has made national news in a
story linked to Islam. Its district court judges ruled last
November that gangs of men who harangued citizens in 2014 while
wearing “shariah police” vests did not break any laws. A judge
ruled that there was no “intimidating effect” from the group’s
behavior, which was headed by extremist preacher Sven Lau,
Deutsche Welle reported Nov. 21, 2016.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
Congresswoman Says US Is Arming ISIS, Introduces Bill to Stop It
The AntiMedia - Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has
broken free of the corporate media’s narrative by accusing the
United States of funding and arming terror groups al-Qaeda and
ISIS. “If you or I gave money, weapons or support to al-Qaeda or
ISIS, we would be thrown in jail,” Gabbard tweeted on Saturday.
Most importantly, however, is her introduction of the “Stop
Arming Terrorists Act,” which she presented last Thursday. In
her presentation of the bill, Gabbard cited prominent
publications such as the New York Times and the Wall Street
Journal to show that the rebels the U.S. is supporting in Syria
are aligned with al-Nusra (which is essentially al-Qaeda in
Syria). She is co-sponsoring the bill with Rep. Thomas Massie,
who says the bill “would prohibit the U.S. government from using
American taxpayer dollars to provide funding, weapons, training,
and intelligence support to terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and
ISIS, or to countries who are providing direct or indirect
support to those same groups.”.... The bill would prohibit any
federal agency from supporting a terrorist group or funneling
support through other countries that directly or indirectly
support terror groups. It is also co-sponsored by lawmakers
Peter Welch, Barbara Lee, and Trump ally Dana Rohrabacher.
FAKE NEWS: Lib Media Says Donald Trump Will Meet Putin in First
Foreign Trip as President – NOT TRUMP
The GatewayPundit - The liberal media widely reported that
Donald Trump will meet Vladimir Putin in his first foreign trip
as president. The Sunday Times reported: “Donald Trump is
planning to hold a summit with Vladimir Putin within weeks of
becoming president — emulating Ronald Reagan’s Cold War
deal-making in Reykjavik with Mikhail Gorbachev. Trump and his
team have told British officials that their first foreign trip
will be a meeting with the Russian leader, with the Icelandic
capital in pole position to host the superpower talks as it did
three decades ago. In a bid to reset western relations with the
Kremlin, Trump will begin work on a deal limiting nuclear
weapons.” Trump White House Spokesperson Sean Spicer came out
last night to refute the leftist rumor…. ”not true – report is
100% false” — Sean Spicer.
Trump Team May Move West Wing Briefings to Expand Capacity
Bloomberg - The incoming Trump administration is considering
moving White House press briefings out of the West Wing to
accommodate more than the “Washington media elite,”
President-elect Donald Trump’s press secretary said. “This is
about greater accessibility, more people in the process,” Sean
Spicer said Sunday on Fox News Channel’s “Media Buzz.” Involving
more people, including bloggers and others who aren’t from the
mainstream media, “should be seen as a welcome change,” he said.
Spicer and other Trump officials said no decisions had been
made. Their comments followed a report Saturday by Esquire,
citing unidentified officials from the transition team, that the
new administration may move the press corps out of the main
White House building altogether because of antagonism between
Trump and the media. Any change would be made for logistical
reasons, in response to heavy demand from media organizations,
Vice President-elect Mike Pence said Sunday.
Fake News: Wash Post Changes Story on Trump 'Firing' D.C. Nat'l
Guard General
Breitbart - The Post’s original report set off a wave of stories
across the world, causing raised eyebrows over Trump’s
“extremely unusual” decision to fire a general in the middle of
the presidential oath of office ceremony, especially during
these dangerous times.... But the Post’s early reporting on the
“firing” of General Schwartz contains no statements from the
Trump transition office and also leaves out key points such as
the fact that the general of the D.C. National Guard
traditionally supplies his letter of resignation to every new
president who is about to take office. Subsequent to the
publishing of the paper’s story making Trump appear incompetent,
news emerged that the incoming Trump administration offered to
let General Schwartz keep his position through inauguration day,
but it was the general himself who refused the offer, preferring
instead to quit at 12 noon on January 20, the hour Trump takes
his oath of office. The general then ran straight to the media
to “argue his case in the press,” as a recent Fox News report
noted....The current version of the story now on the paper’s
website added two important paragraphs that change the flavor of
its earlier story. Among other changes, one of the paragraphs
added makes it clear that it is customary for such generals to
submit their resignation, and in this case Trump accepted it.
The paragraph also tries to cover for the paper’s poor reporting
by insisting that the Trump team “provided contradictory
versions” of the general’s situation — another fact not in the
original story.
Inauguration Protesters Plan To Destroy Property
The Daily Caller - On the day of President-elect Donald Trump’s
inauguration protesters are planning an anti-capitalist march,
road blockades and disruptions to inauguration balls. The
protests will likely include property destruction, a source with
intimate knowledge of the protest plans told The Daily Caller
Friday. The blockades are not limited to roads but will also be
at every security checkpoint, the source said. The source added
that the protesters blockading each checkpoint will represent a
different liberal cause such as climate change or money in
politics. A group called #DisruptJ20 is the most active in the
planned protests for the inauguration. Organizers for
#DisruptJ20 are planning to kick off the inauguration protests
on Jan. 18 with a gay dance party outside of Vice
President-elect Mike Pence’s Chevy Chase, MD home.
BIKERS FOR TRUMP Vow to Defend Trump Inauguration – Form Wall of
Protection (Video)
The GatewayPundit - Chris Cox, Bikers for Trump founder, joined
Stewart Varney on Friday to discuss plans for next week’s
Inauguration. Bikers for Trump announced plans to protect Trump
and Inaugural attendees. Cox says the bikers will “form a wall
of meat” if needed…. We have the only pro- Trump permits for the
inauguration. Anti Trump groups have gobbled up all other areas
and are actively preparing and advertising for people to join
their effort to cause chaos and mayhem. Remember the Bikers For
Trump standing toe to toe against black lives matters and
shoulder to shoulder with law-enforcement at the RNC in
Cleveland, Ohio….
Trump Supporters Donate $366,000 To Black College Band To Attend
Inaugural
Donald Trump supporters want to see the Talladega College
marching band in the Inaugural Parade. So much so, the band’s
GoFundMe goal of $75,000 to attend the inaugural was surpassed
by over 500%. Fox & Friends reported Saturday morning that the
“historically black” Great Tornado Band’s fundraising haul had
reached $278,069. But as of Saturday afternoon, that total grew
by nearly $100,000, to $362,976. By Sunday morning, it was over
$366,000. Over 6,400 people gave contributions in just 11 days,
according to the band’s GoFundMe page. The band says the funds
will be used for “transportation, travel, lodging and other
expenses” related to their appearance.... “Every member of the
band should be so proud of themselves,” $200 donor Patricia Manz
wrote. “You are all about to participate in an event YOU will
never forget. Everyone should shake the hand of your schools
President for having the GUTS to stand up to political B.S. I
will be watching you all perform next week with pride in my
heart.”
The Clinton Foundation Is Laying Off 22 CGI Staffers
The Daily Caller - The layoffs will take effect April 15, the
Clinton Foundation said in a filing with the New York Department
of Labor Thursday, citing the discontinuation of the Clinton
Global Initiative. The move is part of a plan put in motion
ahead of the presidential election in order to offset a storm of
criticism regarding pay-to-play allegations during Clinton’s
tenure as secretary of state. The layoffs were reportedly
announced internally in September, ahead of Clinton’s stunning
loss to President-elect Donald Trump. Many other employees had
already begun looking for or accepting other jobs at that time,
as it had become clear the future of the initiative was in
doubt. It’s unclear how many of the once 200 strong staff might
remain at the Clinton Foundation in some other capacity. The
Clinton Foundation could not immediately be reached for comment.
Utah Rep. Mia Love renews call for single-subject bills in
Congress
Deseret News - Rep. Mia Love is renewing her efforts to increase
congressional transparency through single-subject bills with
clear titles. The Utah Republican introduced the bill last year
to curb the practice of passing complicated, multifaceted bills
or attaching unrelated items to crucial appropriations bills.
Love’s goal has been to force legislation to pass or fail on its
own merits, while increasing the transparency of policymaking.
The bill reflects similar policy in 42 states, including Utah,
which require legislation passed at the state level to follow
this method of simplicity and transparency with one subject and
an accurate title to reflect the proposed policy. Attaching
extra items to last-minute bills causes problems, Love said. "It
puts members in the position to vote for something that they
said they would never vote for that is attached to something
that they promised they always would vote for," she said
Thursday on KSL Newsradio’s “The Doug Wright Show.”…. While the
original bill did not pass last year's attempt, Love said she
believes there's more support for the measure and she has voiced
a determination in continuing to push the legislation until it
passes. Critics may argue that the measure would slow the
lawmaking process and require too many bills, but Love said it
would force Congress to reprioritize its efforts. An added
benefit in the proposed bill, she said, is making legislation
easier for the public to follow.
Mississippi Bill Would End All State Cooperation with Obamacare
Tenth Amendment Center - A bill introduced in the Mississippi
Senate would end all state support and cooperation with the
implementation and administration of Obamacare. Passage of this
bill would set the stage to bring down the federal health care
act in Mississippi. Sen. Michael Watson (R) introduced Senate
Bill 2300 (SB2300) Jan. 13. The legislation would prohibit all
Mississippi state agencies, political subdivisions and their
employees from enforcing any federal rules, acts, orders or
regulations designed to give effect to the Affordable Care Act,
and from providing material support to federal employees doing
the same. It would also bar the use of any state assets or funds
for the enforcement of such rules and regulations. In addition
to ending all state cooperation with the implementation and
administration of Obamacare, SB2300 would also prohibit state
expansion of Medicaid, an important part of the Obamacare plan.
At this point it remains unclear whether Congress will actually
send President-elect Trump a bill to repeal Obamacare. If so,
will it be a complete or just a partial repeal? Regardless,
state actions can help completely bring down the Affordable Care
Act.
Video: Passing driver kills man attacking Arizona trooper on
road
Associated Press - A man who shot and wounded an Arizona state
trooper Thursday along a remote highway and then started
slamming the helpless officer's head into the pavement as the
two struggled was shot to death by a passing driver, authorities
said. Trooper Edward Andersson, a 27-year veteran of the
Department of Public Safety, was shot in the right shoulder and
chest in what authorities called an ambush and was in serious
but stable condition after surgery at a Goodyear hospital. "My
trooper would not be alive without his assistance," DPS Director
Frank Milstead said of the driver who stopped. Arizona has a
"defense of third person" law that allows someone to use deadly
force against another who is threatening or injuring a third
person…. The drama unfolded at an early-morning rollover wreck
on Interstate 10 in the desert west of Phoenix that ejected and
killed a woman. Authorities believe the man who shot Andersson
was driving the car that crashed…. The man was on top of the
officer and "getting the better of him," slamming Andersson's
head against the pavement, Milstead said. That's when the
passing driver showed up and asked if the trooper needed help.
Andersson said yes, and the passer-by went back to his vehicle,
got his gun and told the suspect to stop the attack, Milstead
said. When he didn't, the driver shot him.
Trump Team Shunning Davos Meeting of World’s Economic Elite
Bloomberg - Donald Trump won’t send an official representative
to the annual gathering of the world’s economic elite in Davos,
taking place next week in the days leading up to his
inauguration, although one of the president-elect’s advisers is
slated to attend. Former Goldman Sachs President Gary Cohn, a
regular attendee in the past, told the group he would skip 2017
after being named in December to head the National Economic
Council, said people familiar with the conference. Other top
Trump appointees will also pass up the forum. A senior member of
Trump’s transition team said the president-elect thought it
would betray his populist-fueled movement to have a presence at
the high-powered annual gathering in the Swiss Alps. The
gathering of millionaires, billionaires, political leaders and
celebrities represents the power structure that fueled the
populist anger that helped Trump win the election, said the
person, who asked for anonymity to discuss the matter. Hedge
fund manager Anthony Scaramucci is planning to travel to Davos,
though. The founder of SkyBridge Capital and an early backer of
Trump’s campaign, Scaramucci was named on Thursday as an
assistant to the president. Scaramucci, who has attended the
forum several times, made plans before being selected for the
White House team and is traveling in an unofficial capacity,
said Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks.
Jerry Brown Wants 42% Gas Tax Hike
Breitbart - Despite tax collection increasing by 50 percent in
the last 9 years, California’s public pension insolvency is
forcing Gov. Jerry Brown to propose a dangerously unpopular 42
percent increase in gasoline taxes and a 141 percent increase in
vehicle registration fees. … on January 9 that Gov. Brown
announced that for the first time since 2012, California’s
$122.8 billion General Fund Budget is in deficit by $1.6
billion. Despite a near bankruptcy during the financial crisis,
California’s tax revenues have increased by about $43 billion in
the last 9 years…. Gov. Brown’s willingness to try raising
gasoline taxes by 17 cents a gallon, and on vehicle registration
fees by $65, is a sign of the insolvency risk from the exploding
cost of California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS)
public pensions. Brown’s draft 2017-2018 budget already includes
a $524 million increase for the public pension contribution.
That amounts to an 11 percent increase over this year’s $5.3
billion cost. The CalPERS contribution increase would have
actually been another $516 million more next year, but the
world’s biggest pubic pension is allowing the State of
California to “smooth” the higher pension funding cost by
reducing its projected investment return expectation from 7.5
percent to 7 percent. But that smoothing will lock California
into about a $524 million CalPERS contribution increase for each
of the next four years.
EPA locks in fuel economy standards through 2025, calls for 36 miles per
gallon
Washington Times - Just days before President Obama leaves office, his
Environmental Protection Agency on Friday finalized fuel economy
standards that call on cars and light trucks to get an average of 36
miles per gallon by 2025. The standards have come under fire from
conservatives and some auto industry leaders who say they’re
unrealistic, but the EPA argues that current technology will allow the
threshold to be met.... The rules apply to the “fleet-wide average” of
cars and light trucks, meaning not every single vehicle must hit the 36
miles-per-gallon target. Instead, the average of all vehicles must hit
the mark, meaning automakers can roll out some cars and light trucks
that have a better fuel economy and some that get fewer miles to a
gallon. The current fleet-wide average for cars and light trucks, the
EPA said, is about 26 miles per gallon.
EPA Refuses To Pay For Massive Disaster They Caused!
The Federalist Papers - Tough luck. That’s what the EPA told victims of
the massive mine waste spill they triggered in Colorado. Despite claims
totaling more than $1.2 billion in damages, the Environmental Protection
agency said they have no plans to pay for the losses. They claim that
federal law prohibits any payout and that any justice must come from
federal court or Congress. Attorneys for the dysfunctional agency claim
that “sovereign immunity” preclude any payout. Sovereign immunity
prohibits many lawsuits against the government – but not all. “The
agency worked hard to find a way in which it could pay individuals for
damages due to the incident, but unfortunately, our hands are tied,” EPA
spokeswoman Nancy Grantham said, according to CBS News. A total of 73
claims were filed, some by farmers who lost crops or had to haul water
because rivers polluted by the spill were temporarily unusable for
irrigation and livestock. Rafting companies and their employees sought
lost income and wages because they couldn’t take visitors on river
trips. Some homeowners sought damages because they said their wells were
affected.
Obama Opens NSA’s Vast Trove of Warrantless Data to Entire Intelligence
Community, Just in Time for Trump
The Intercept - With only days until Donald Trump takes office, the
Obama administration on Thursday announced new rules that will let the
NSA share vast amounts of private data gathered without warrant, court
orders or congressional authorization with 16 other agencies, including
the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Department of Homeland
Security. The new rules allow employees doing intelligence work for
those agencies to sift through raw data collected under a broad,
Reagan-era executive order that gives the NSA virtually unlimited
authority to intercept communications abroad. Previously, NSA analysts
would filter out information they deemed irrelevant and mask the names
of innocent Americans before passing it along. The change was in the
works long before there was any expectation that someone like Trump
might become president. The last-minute adoption of the procedures is
one of many examples of the Obama administration making new executive
powers established by the Bush administration permanent, on the
assumption that the executive branch could be trusted to police itself.
Hacker Steals 900 GB of Cellebrite Data
Motherboard - The hackers have been hacked. Motherboard has obtained 900
GB of data related to Cellebrite, one of the most popular companies in
the mobile phone hacking industry. The cache includes customer
information, databases, and a vast amount of technical data regarding
Cellebrite's products.... Cellebrite is an Israeli company whose main
product, a typically laptop-sized device called the Universal Forensic
Extraction Device (UFED), can rip data from thousands of different
models of mobile phones.... Cellebrite is popular with US federal and
state law enforcement, and, according to the hacked data, possibly also
with authoritarian regimes such as Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and
Turkey. The data appears to have been taken, at least in part, from
servers related to Cellebrite's website. The cache includes alleged
usernames and passwords for logging into Cellebrite databases connected
to the company's my.cellebrite domain.... The dump also contains what
appears to be evidence files from seized mobile phones, and logs from
Cellebrite devices.
|
Gardening, Farming & Homesteading |
Alaska Bill Would Legalize Raw Milk Sales; Important Step To
Nullify Federal Prohibition Scheme
Tenth Amendment Center - A bill introduced in the Alaska House
would legalize the sale of raw milk in the state, taking an
important step toward effectively nullifying a federal
prohibition scheme in effect. Rep. Geran Tarr (D) introduced
House Bill 46 (HB46) on Jan. 13. The legislature would allow
individuals to sell raw milk in the state. A person may sell a
raw milk product to a final consumer if the principal display
panel on the raw milk product prominently states that the raw
milk product is not pasteurized and may cause health concerns,
and if the person complies with any state requirements for the
sale of raw milk that do not conflict with this section. Current
Alaska law prohibit raw milk sales except in the form of cow
shares that individuals must purchase, making it difficult for
consumers to gain access.
9 Amazing Garden Hacks To Transform Your Yard
REALfarmacy - 1. Vacation Watering - For potted plants: this
trick will save your plants when away for a few days. Simply
place a glass of water next to the plants and run a train of
paper towel across the soil and into the cup. The water will
slowly draw into the paper towel and supply the plants with a
consistent level of moisture for up to three days…. 2. Eggshell
and Coffee Grinds - Mixing your old eggshells and coffee grinds
into your soil as compost will not only boost the nutrients in
the ground, but can help prevent blossom rot. 3. Baking Soda
Sweetener and Anti-Fungal Spray - Adding baking soda to your
soil can help lower the acidity levels and produce some of the
sweetest tomatoes you’ll ever taste. Don’t go too heavy.
Sprinkle just a little around established plants and make sure
to test it on one before adding it to you entire crop. If your
soil is already slightly alkaline you could throw your soil
balance off too much. Another use for baking soda with tomatoes
is to make an organic spray for fungal diseases. Just mix 1
gallon of water with 1 tbsp of baking soda and 2 1/2 tbsp of
vegetable oil in a spray bottle. Stir and add 1/2 tsp of castile
soap. Spray this solution on the foliage of tomato plants until
the disease vanishes. 4. Potato Roses - Using the stems of
roses, you can regrow a whole rosebush by simply poking them
into potatoes before planting them in the ground. Cut your
cuttings at a 45 degree angle to maximize surface area for new
roots to pop out! The potatoes help to keep the cutting moist
and help stabilize the rosebush roots.…
Video: Alternative Cancer Clinic in Arizona Uses Natural
Therapies with High Success Rate
Health Impact News - What if you knew of an all natural cancer
clinic that has survived in the USA for nine years with a very
high rate of remission and recovery rates? There is one in
Tempe, Arizona. It’s called NatureWorksBest Cancer Clinic.
Cancer patients come to that clinic after they’ve been diagnosed
with cancer from conventional oncologists. There are some USA
“integrative” cancer clinics and hospitals that offer natural
treatments to mostly support cancer patients through orthodox
oncology procedures. But the NatureWorksBest cancer clinic does
not use chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery at all while
using state of the art diagnostic methods to determine patients’
progress. Dr. Colleen Huber recorded 397 of her clinic’s patient
histories from start to finish up to 2015, including those who
left early, did chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, and refused
to comply with her dietary recommendations. Only a few died
while under her clinic’s care…. Dr. Huber’s dietary
recommendations center on excluding all processed carbohydrates
and added sugars, using only pure unadulterated stevia as a
sweetener. Recovery and remission was 85 percent with all
patients who completed their treatments and followed the
clinic’s food plan and up to 93 percent among patients in Stage
I through early Stage IV. The actual history of patients
documented through 2014 is available here. Conventional
oncology’s cancer patients are commonly served and encouraged to
eat cookies and ice cream while receiving IV chemotherapy to
make the experience “pleasant.”… Dr. Huber and her staff did a
study survey on their patients during and after their leaving
the clinic. Those who engaged in “dietary disputes” and refused
to give up sweets and processed carbohydrates had considerably
less than half the stable remission rate of those who had
complied with abstaining from added sugars, using only stevia,
after leaving the clinic…. Here is the NatureWorksBest website
that includes more details and contact information.
Video: College Student Gets HPV Cancer After Receiving Gardasil
Vaccine
Health Impact News - The VAXXED film crew recently interviewed
Erin Crawford in Nashville about her experience with the HPV
vaccine. Erin was a completely healthy college student who was
asked to take Gardasil as part of a trial. Within 24 hours she
was violently sick, vomiting, and went on to develop cervical
cancer within 18 months, the very thing the vaccine was supposed
to protect her from. [Learn how she cured herself of cancer]
Turmeric: Orange Is The New Black For Pain
Green Med Info - Widely available over-the-counter (OTC) pain
killers are labeled with strongly worded language listing
dangers, and many of the prescription versions now carry a black
box warning, the highest level of caution issued by the FDA for
drugs found to have serious and/or life threatening risks.
Consumers seeking safe, effective analgesic alternatives are
turning to turmeric, making orange the new black for pain. There
are six FDA approved oral analgesic categories, each with
specifics risks and benefits: 1. Acetaminophen, the most popular
over-the-counter analgesic in the US, is effective for mild to
moderate pain…. Acetaminophen is the most common cause of acute
liver failure in the US, and combining it with alcohol or drugs
that are metabolized in the liver, raises the risk of toxicity.
The FDA has continuously upgraded its warnings on this drug, now
advising of the risk of life threatening allergic reactions and
requiring black box labeling of prescription acetaminophen,
which has also been limited to 325mg per dosage unit. 2.
Non-aspirin non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NA-NSAIDs)
block COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes, which produce prostaglandins, the
chemicals that induce pain, inflammation and swelling. The
maximum recommended dose of 3200mg/day should not be exceeded,
and use should be limited to ten days, unless otherwise directed
by a doctor. Risks include life threatening allergic reactions
and gastrointestinal bleeding. In 2015, the FDA strengthened its
warnings for NA-NSAIDs because they all increase the risk of
heart attack and stroke, even with short term use, even in
healthy people, although the risk is higher in those with
pre-existing cardiovascular disease…. 3. Antidepressants,… These
drugs offer moderate pain relief for chronic conditions, but on
the down side, all commonly used anti-depressants carry a black
box warning for suicidal thoughts or actions, with highest
incidence in those below the age of 24. These drugs can lose
effectiveness if tolerance develops, and many users experience
significant sexual dysfunction. 4. Anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs)
work best for nerve pain… All AEDs are required by the FDA to
carry a label warning of an increased risk of suicidal thoughts
and actions with chronic use. AEDs have been associated with
weight gain, behavioral changes, confusion, drowsiness and
swelling of hands and feet….
Animal Rescue Getting Outdoor Dogs Off Chains & Into Heated Dog Houses
for Free
Dogington Post - “Every winter there are animals found dead, injured, or
ill because they are not being properly taken care of,” stated Robert
Misseri, founder and president of Guardians of Rescue, an animal rescue
organization. “Our team puts in a great effort to help as many pets as
we can, but we don’t do it all on our own. We are urging the communities
to get involved in helping to keep the pets in their area safe
throughout the winter chill.” Guardians of Rescue (GOR), which has a new
show called “The Guardians” that premiered on January 7, 2017 at 10 p.m.
on Animal Planet, has been actively seeking out those dogs in the areas
of New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia that are in need of proper
shelter. Their mission is to get dogs from being chained outside to at
least having a fenced-in area with a heated dog house, at no charge to
the pet’s owner…. Pets left outdoors once it freezes are at risk for
frostbite, hypothermia, and even death. … cold weather can also worsen
some medical conditions pets may have, including arthritis. There are
numerous things people can do to help protect their pets… including: •
Shorten your dog’s walk when it’s very cold to help protect you both.
Elderly pets may also have a difficult time walking on snow and ice. •
Short-haired pets will usually feel the cold more than those with more
fur and body fat. Keep this in mind when it comes to determining how
long to take them for a walk. If your dog will allow it, put a sweater
on them when taking them out on very cold days. When brining your pet
back in from a walk in the snow or on ice, be sure to wipe them down to
remove any deicing chemicals that may be on their fur. • Pets should
always be indoors during freezing temperatures. Once the temperature
drops below 40 degrees, pets should be brought indoors. For those who
cannot keep their dog inside, opt for having a heated dog house, so they
are kept warm during the winter….
6 Dog-Related Tax Deductions You May Be Eligible to Claim
Dogington Post - We all know our dogs are members of the family, but the
IRS doesn’t see them that way – they can’t be counted as dependents.
But, there ARE some dog-related expenses you might not be aware of! Of
course, you’ll want to check with your tax professional to make sure
your write-offs are legitimate. 1. Moving Your Dog: According to
Kiplinger, If you moved during the tax year, it might be possible to
deduct your moving expenses – including those specifically related to
moving your dog. For example, if moving your dog requires special
expenses, those expenses are treated no differently (in the federal
government’s eyes) than any of your personal effects…. 2. Guard Dogs:
According to tax expert, Cliff Ennico as reported in Entrepreneur, guard
dogs can be a legitimate write-off. This would include the cost of
caring for the dog, but not the dog itself. And, you can only deduct a
percentage based on how much time the dog spends guarding….. 3.
Charitable Donations to Dog Rescues/Shelters: The cost to adopt a dog is
not deductible. However, any donations made in excess of regular
adoption fees most certainly are. According to the law, only those
donations made where no goods or services are received in exchange
(i.e., your new dog) can be deducted. Should you choose to make
donations to your favorite 501c dog charity, make sure to ask for a
letter of receipt that states no goods or services were received…. 4.
Service/Therapy Dogs: According to IRS Publication 502, You can include
in medical expenses the costs of buying, training, and maintaining a
guide dog or other service animal to assist a visually-impaired or
hearing-impaired person, or a person with other physical disabilities….
Sit down!
When Donald Trump speaks, they listen!
Friday - January
13, 2017
Today In History:
1794 - U.S. President Washington approved a measure adding two stars
and two stripes to the American flag, following the admission of Vermont
and Kentucky to the union.
1893 - Britain's Independent Labor Party, a precursor to the current
Labor Party, met for the first time.
1900 - In Austria-Hungary, Emperor Franz Joseph decreed that German
would be the language of the imperial army to combat Czech nationalism.
1966 - Elizabeth Montgomery’s character, Samantha, on "Bewitched," had a
baby. The baby's name was Tabitha.
1966 - Robert C. Weaver became the first black Cabinet member when he
was appointed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by U.S.
President Johnson.
1986 - "The Wall Street Journal" printed a real picture on its front
page. The journal had not done this in nearly 10 years. The story was
about artist, O. Winston Link and featured one of his works.
1990 - L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia, the nation's first elected black
governor, took the oath of office in Richmond.
1992 - Japan apologized for forcing tens of thousands of Korean women to
serve as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II.
2002 - Japan and Singapore signed a free trade pact that would remove
tariffs on almost all goods traded between the two countries.
2002 - U.S. President George W. Bush fainted after choking on a pretzel.
2009 - Ethiopian military forces began pulling out of Somalia, where
they had tried to maintain order for nearly two years.
US tanks and soldiers in Poland pose threat to Russia – Kremlin
RT - Russia sees the deployment of US tanks and other military
vehicles, along with army personnel, as a threat to its national
security and interests, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov
said. “We see this as a threat. These actions pose a threat to
our interests and security,” Peskov told journalists on
Thursday, stressing “especially, when a third country is beefing
up its military presence along our borders with Europe.” “And
this is not even a European country,” he added. Eighty-seven
battle tanks, 144 Bradley fighting vehicles, and over 3,000
soldiers are on their way from Germany to Poland. An official
ceremony to mark the arrival of the US servicemen was scheduled
to take place on January 12. The brigades are to be deployed
mainly in the western part of Poland, but drills have been
planned that are to be conducted across the whole country. After
the military exercises, the soldiers are to be distributed among
Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, and the Baltic countries. A
headquarters unit will be stationed in Germany. The arrival of
American military equipment and personnel in Poland is another
step in Operation Atlantic Resolve, a large-scale military
undertaking that the US launched in April of 2014, right after
Crimea voted to join Russia, as a demonstration of “continued US
commitment to the collective security of Europe.” NATO describes
the buildup along Russia’s borders as a defensive measure
justified by Moscow’s alleged involvement in the Ukrainian
crisis.
Russia reduces military presence in Syria, Su-25 transfer to
Khmeimim is planned rotation – MoD
RT - The Russian Defense Ministry has said that it is continuing
to scale down its military presence in Syria, with the recent
transfer of four Su-25 aircraft to Khmeimim airbase part of a
planned troop rotation. “In accordance with the order of the
Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,
the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is
implementing measures to reduce Russia’s military presence in
the Syrian Arab Republic,” Defense Ministry spokesman
Major-General Igor Konashenkov said on Thursday. He added that
the Russian Navy’s aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, and
its group, which numbers more than 40 naval aviation aircraft,
will be the first to return from the Mediterranean Sea to their
base in Severomorsk, where Russia’s Northern Fleet is permanent
stationed. In addition, the first six Su-24 bombers have already
been relocated from the Khmeimim airbase to the territory of the
Russian Federation. The withdrawal of other aircraft, as well as
pilots and technical staff from the territory of the Syrian Arab
Republic is planned for the nearest future,” Konashenkov noted.
He also said that, in the meantime, four Russian Su-25
airplanes, which NATO calls Frogfoots, have been deployed at
Khmeimim, explaining that the transfer is part of a planned
troop rotation.
US raid on Afghan homes saw 33 civilians killed, probe confirms
RT - Thirty-three civilians were killed and 27 wounded as US
troops fired on Afghan homes during a shootout with the Taliban
in the northern Kunduz province in November, the US military in
Afghanistan has confirmed following an investigation. “The
investigation determined, regretfully, that 33 civilians were
killed and 27 wounded. To defend themselves and Afghan forces,
US forces returned fire in self-defense at Taliban who were
using civilian houses as firing positions,” the statement said.
Since the actions were defined as self-defense, no further
action will be taken. The probe followed allegations that
multiple civilian deaths resulted from airstrikes called in to
support Afghan and US troops under fire in the village of Buz.
"Regardless of the circumstances, I deeply regret the loss of
innocent lives," Gen. John Nicholson, commander of US Forces in
Afghanistan, said in a statement on Thursday…. According to the
US military, the ill-fated operation was conducted to capture
Taliban leaders and was carried out by Afghan special operation
forces backed by a “US element to provide advice and
assistance.”
Israeli Airstrikes Target Military Airport in Damascus - Syrian
State TV
Sputnik News - A Mezzah military air facility was struck by
several explosions near the Syrian capital of Damascus. Israeli
rockets took aim at an ammunitions hub, producing an enormous
explosion, according to Syrian state TV. "Rockets strike at
Mezzeh Military airport in Damascus minutes ago," Hadi al-Bahra,
former president of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution
and Opposition Forces said on Twitter in the early hours of
Friday, posting pictures of the explosions. The blasts were
reportedly caused by heavy bombing conducted by Israel, local
activists and journalists reported on Twitter. The airport is a
major strategic asset used by Syrian elites, military officials
and troops as a transit complex. The Syrian government also used
the airport as a military outpost to launch artillery shells at
former rebel-held areas in the suburbs of Damascus. The death
toll from the attacks has yet to be determined, according to a
journalist on the ground. The airstrikes "may have taken out
Syrian commanders," according to Georgetown Center for Security
Studies' John Arterbury.
‘Stop island-building, prevent access’: Tillerson threatens
tough stance over S. China Sea
RT - Beijing should be denied access to islands it has built in
the disputed South China Sea, according to Donald Trump’s
nominee for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, who likened the
construction to “Russia taking Crimea” from Ukraine. Asked
whether he was in favor of Washington taking a tougher stance
toward China, the former ExxonMobil CEO replied: “We’re going to
have to send China a clear signal that, first, the
island-building stops and, second, your access to those islands
also is not going to be allowed.” Tillerson did not elaborate on
how exactly Beijing might be blocked from the artificial islands
but said he considered its South China Sea activity "extremely
worrisome." It would be a threat to the "entire global economy"
if Beijing were able to dictate access to the waterway, he
added. Tillerson branded as "illegal" the Chinese declaration of
an air defense zone in the East China Sea, which Beijing
contests with Japan…. The former CEO, 64, blamed the situation
on what he called an inadequate response from the outgoing Obama
administration.
Ruckus erupts in Turkish parliament as MPs debate new
constitution (VIDEO)
RT - The fifth article of a constitutional reform package has
been adopted by the Turkish parliament amid a mass brawl between
the ruling party and members of the opposition. Lawmakers
convened in Ankara on Wednesday to debate an 18-article series
of constitutional reforms that will be put to a referendum later
this year. The fracas began when members of the Republican
People’s Party (CHP) complained about MPs from the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP) openly casting their votes
in what was supposed to be a secret ballot on the third article
of the new constitution. Opposition lawmakers were concerned
that the open vote was an attempt to put pressure on MPs who
might be considering casting their ballots against the reforms,
according to the Turkish daily Hurriyet.
China’s ‘war on pollution’ leads to 720 arrests, $63.6mn in
fines
RT - China detained 720 people and imposed fines totaling $63.6
million last year as part of its ‘war on pollution,’ according
to state media. The arrests and fines took place following
random inspections and public tip-offs. The central government
looked into 33,000 cases of potential violations of
environmental protection laws in 2016, according to data
disclosed at a national environment work conference, as cited by
state news outlet Xinhua. Fines totaling 440 million yuan
(US$63.6 million) were handed down, and 720 arrests were made….
It comes just one week after smog levels in China reached
historic levels, with as many as 32 cities under ‘red alert’ -
the country's most severe pollution warning. Two other red
alerts in Beijing forced the closures of schools and factories
in December, and half the city's cars being banned from the
roads.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
Rand Paul: Trump Intel Leakers ‘Should Go To Jail’
Steve Watson - Kentucky Senator Rand Paul said Wednesday that
those responsible for leaking intelligence pertaining to Donald
Trump, whether fake or not, should be prosecuted and jailed.
“What I would say is that if there is private information that
someone is blackmailing a public figure and the public figure or
someone takes it to the intelligence agencies, you would think
it would be private. And really, this is so important that I
think whoever leaked it should be prosecuted.” Paul told Fox
News’ Neil Cavuto. “Someone should go to jail. If this was an
intelligence agency head talked to the media, they should go to
jail. If it was the Obama administration, they should go to
jail.” Paul urged. “The reason is you don’t want your public
figures succumbing to blackmail.” Paul continued. “Now he’s
saying the information is false and I have to rely on his word
on that. But let’s say any public official is being blackmailed.
What are you supposed to do? You’re supposed to go to the FBI
and give them the information.” The Senator further noted. “But
if you can’t trust the FBI to keep it secret and the FBI is
going to tell the press what someone is blackmailing you about,
what will happen is it will lead to where more public figures
will be likely to be extorted or to be blackmailed.” Paul
lamented. Reports suggest that individuals named within the fake
dossier could take legal action against Buzzfeed, for
proliferating the salacious material.
They Go Low… Report: Obama Officials Used ‘Russia Blackmail’
Claims to Undermine Trump-Israel Relations
Breitbart - U.S. intelligence officials warned their Israeli
counterparts not to trust President-elect Donald Trump with
intelligence secrets, citing alleged fears that Russia held
blackmail information over Trump, according to a report today in
Israel’s respected Yediot Ahronot daily newspaper. The alleged
blackmail information that U.S. officials reportedly warned
Israel about seems to be in part referencing details contained
in a debunked document of mysterious origin purporting to be an
intelligence report alleging that Russia collected compromising
videos and information on Trump. In the report, investigative
journalist Ronen Bergman writes of a meeting that took place
“recently between Israeli and American intelligence officials
(the date of the meeting is not mentioned to protect the sources
of the report).”
Former MI6 officer Christopher Steele, who produced Donald Trump
Russian dossier, 'terrified for his safety' and went to ground
before name released
The Telegraph - Christopher Steele, 52, fled from his home in
Surrey on Wednesday morning after realizing it was only a matter
of time until his name became public knowledge. A source close
to Mr Steele said on Wednesday night that he now fears a prompt
and potentially dangerous backlash against him from Moscow….
With his cover about to be blown, Mr Steele hurriedly packed his
bags and went to ground hours before his name was published on
Wednesday…. Mr Steele, who spied in Moscow for the Secret
Intelligence Service in the 1990s, fled from his home in Surrey
after leaving his cat with a neighbor and telling them he would
be away “for a few days”.
Opposition Firm Behind Trump Dossier Is Also Hired Gun For
Planned Parenthood
The Daily Caller - The opposition research firm that hired a
former British spy to dig up dirt on Donald Trump is the same
shady outfit that was hired by Planned Parenthood to put a
positive spin on videos showing the sale of baby parts. The New
York Times reported on Wednesday that Washington D.C.-based
Fusion GPS is the firm that hired Christopher Steele, the former
British spy who authored the salacious but unsubstantiated
35-page Trump dossier that was published by BuzzFeed on
Tuesday…. After Steele was identified, the next mystery was the
identity of his employer. The Times cleared that up by
identifying Fusion GPS, an opposition research firm started by
former Wall Street Journal reporter Glenn Simpson in 2010.
According to The Times, Fusion GPS was hired to research Trump
in Sept. 2015 by a wealthy GOP donor who was vehemently opposed
to the real estate billionaire. But after Trump emerged as the
GOP nominee, the unidentified Republican donor dropped the
project. But Democrats who support Hillary Clinton had an
interest in the information, according to The Times.
Obama ends visa-free path for Cubans who make it to US soil
(AP) - President Barack Obama announced Thursday he is ending a
longstanding immigration policy that allows any Cuban who makes
it to U.S. soil to stay and become a legal resident. The repeal
of the "wet foot, dry foot" policy is effective immediately. The
decision follows months of negotiations focused in part on
getting Cuba to agree to take back people who had arrived in the
U.S. "Effective immediately, Cuban nationals who attempt to
enter the United States illegally and do not qualify for
humanitarian relief will be subject to removal, consistent with
U.S. law and enforcement priorities," Obama said in a statement.
"By taking this step, we are treating Cuban migrants the same
way we treat migrants from other countries. The Cuban government
has agreed to accept the return of Cuban nationals who have been
ordered removed, just as it has been accepting the return of
migrants interdicted at sea." The Cuban government praised the
move. In a statement read on state television, it called the
signing of the agreement "an important step in advancing
relations" between the U.S. and Cuba that "aims to guarantee
normal, safe and ordered migration."
Nutty Elizabeth Warren Tries To Trap Ben Carson at Hearing
(Video)
The GatewayPundit - On Thursday renowned neurosurgeon Ben Carson
sat before Elizabeth Warren in a Senate committee and was
questioned about his ability to lead the department of Housing
and Urban Development. President-elect Donald Trump’s decision
not to sell his businesses is providing opportunities for
Democrats who are in need of attention to try to embarrass him
and his Cabinet picks. Elizabeth Warren took on Ben Carson,
Trump’s choice to head the department of Housing and Urban
Development and tried to trap him on numerous occasions by her
line of questioning. “Can you assure me that not a single
taxpayer dollar you give out will financially benefit the
president-elect or his family?” Warren said. She said she was
trying to “highlight the absurdity” of Trump continuing to hold
business interests. “I will manage things that benefit the
American people,” he said, adding that using common sense and
reason are the best tools to use when making decisions.
Elizabeth Warren is a notorious liar who falsely claimed that
she was native american so she could get into Harvard Law School
earning her the nick name Pocahontas.
12 year old girl commits suicide online, Georgia cops struggling
to take down video
RT - The live broadcast of a 12-year-old girl committing suicide
has sparked outrage online, after authorities said they lack the
power to remove the video from the internet. Katelyn Nicole
Davis hung herself in the front yard of her Cedartown, Georgia,
house on December 30, streaming her death for the world to see.
The video reportedly runs for just over 40 minutes and
apparently ends only after the parents discover the body of the
girl. The suicide occurred after Davis announced that she had
been physically and sexually abused by a family member. Davis'
death has since been shared online, with Polk County Police
Chief Kenny Dodd stating that authorities have cannot force
websites to take down the footage, despite their best efforts….
According to reports by the local outlet Coosa Valley News,
three days prior to the suicide police launched an investigation
into Davis’ allegations of sexual abuse.
David Shulkin picked to head Department of Veterans Affairs
CNN - President-elect Donald Trump has tapped David Shulkin to
head the Department of Veterans Affairs, he announced
Wednesday…. Shulkin is the VA's current undersecretary for
health, a position in which he oversaw more than 1,700 health
care sites across the United States. Before joining the VA,
Shulkin was president and CEO of the Beth Israel Medical Center
in New York City and president of the Morristown Medical Center.
He was also the chief medical officer of the University of
Pennsylvania Health System…. Veterans' care advocates had said
they'd seen clear signs of progress and had lobbied Trump to
keep current VA Secretary Robert McDonald in the post…. After
joining the VA in 2015, Shulkin -- who is not a veteran --
pushed an initiative to expand nurses' authority to provide
care, part of an effort to reduce the VA's backlog. "My number
one imperative is to address the access issue among veterans,"
he told The Washington Post in 2016. "What we know about
American medicine is that our supply of health-care
professionals is not equally distributed. In rural areas, we
have severe shortages. I've seen firsthand how difficult it is
to recruit to some of the areas where our veterans live. We have
a shortage of both nurses and physicians. We are recruiting
thousands of doctors and advanced-practice nurses."
Time Warner Stocks Fall After Trump Labels CNN ‘Fake News’
Mikael Thalen - Media conglomerate Time Warner, which owns CNN,
saw its stocks fall Wednesday after President-elect Donald Trump
labeled the outlet “fake news,” a CNBC reporter says. According
to journalist Carl Quintanilla, the shares took a noticeable dip
during the president-elect’s first news conference moments after
Trump refused to answer questions from CNN Senior White House
Correspondent Jim Acosta. “Your organization is terrible…” Trump
said repeatedly. “I’m not going to give you a question. You are
fake news.” Steve Kopack, a social lead for CNBC’s breaking news
desk, also stated that shares “fell to session low.” While the
dip was just “1.2%,” Kopack asserted the incident showed the
“power of Trump’s comments.”
E.P.A. Accuses Fiat Chrysler of Secretly Violating Emissions
Standards
NY Times - The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday
accused Fiat Chrysler of installing secret software that allowed
more than 100,000 of its diesel vehicles to emit pollutants
above legal levels. The case has echoes of one against
Volkswagen, which on Wednesday pleaded guilty to criminal
conspiracy as part of a widespread emissions-cheating scheme. In
both cases, the government focused on software in vehicles that
can adjust emissions levels. The accusations against Fiat
Chrysler also appeared to be part of a last push by the Obama
administration to finish investigations and negotiations
involving companies…. Sergio Marchionne, chief executive of Fiat
Chrysler, mounted an impassioned defense, denying that the
company had intentionally broken the law…. The 104,000 affected
vehicles include the light-duty model year 2014, 2015 and 2016
Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Ram 1500 trucks with 3-liter
diesel engines sold in the United States, the E.P.A. said. At
issue is software installed in all modern diesel vehicles that
calibrates an engine’s performance and controls emissions
levels. Federal regulations allow diesel cars to shut off
emissions controls in certain situations — to protect an engine
from overheating, for example.
Record floods hit West Coast, Californians evacuate by the thousands
(Photos/Video)
RT - California has been hit by seven days of major rain storms, causing
flooding all over the state and prompting evacuations. More heavy rain
is forecasted for the Golden State in the coming days. After six years
of drought, parts of California have received record amounts of rain,
causing rivers to flood, roads to close, trees to fall, power to go out
and businesses to shut down. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued
several warnings across the state, and authorities have advised
thousands of Californians to evacuate their homes after rivers
overflowed…. The Russian River is predicted to reach its peak of 37.8
feet, more than 6 feet above flood level, according to the NWS…. The
storms have helped California out of a severe drought, filling the
state’s dwindling reservoirs to record levels. Precipitation filled the
reservoirs with 423 billion gallons of water, or enough to serve more
than 2.5 million families for a year, Maury Roos, a longtime state
hydrologist, told the Los Angeles Times.
Your Fingerprints Now Can Be Stolen From Selfie Pictures?
Off the Grid News - Your fingerprints might be a major threat to your
privacy. That’s because the images taken by smartphone cameras are so
full of detail that it is now possible to copy fingerprints from them,
Professor Isao Echizen of Japan’s National Institute of Informatics told
The Sankei Shimbun newspaper. “Just by casually making a peace sign in
front of a camera, fingerprints can become widely available,” Echizen
said. The problem: An increasing number of new technologies, including
iPhones, use fingerprints to unlock phones. Echizen said fingerprints
can be stolen from pictures taken from up to 10 feet away – in other
words, ever selfie you’ve taken where your fingerprints could be seen.
Many people post such pictures on social media. “Fingerprint data can be
recreated if fingerprints are in focus with strong lighting in a
picture,” Echizen told Yomiuri TV. Even worse, the professor said that
advanced technology is not needed to steal fingerprints. As Digital
Trends reported, “The problem is compounded by photos being shared and
stored online, creating a gallery of fingerprints for thieves to
exploit…. Echizen’s find has other privacy problems: Cops might be able
to identify and locate protestors via a news photograph. All they would
need to do is run the fingerprints from the picture through the
database.
Robot kill switches & legal status: MEPs endorse AI proposal
RT - A European Parliament committee has voted in favor of a draft
report that proposes granting legal status to robots, categorizing them
as “electronic persons”. The draft report, approved by 17 votes to two
and two abstentions by the European Parliament Committee on Legal
Affairs, proposes that “The most sophisticated autonomous robots could
be established as having the status of electronic persons with specific
rights and obligations, including that of making good any damage they
may cause.” Authored by Luxembourg MEP Mady Delvaux, the report proposes
definitions and outlines rules to govern how robots interact with humans
“now that humankind stands on the threshold of an era” that it claims
will see artificial intelligence (AI) “unleash a new industrial
revolution.” AI developers will have to ensure their creations follow a
set of rules that prohibit them from harming a human or allowing a human
to come to harm through their inaction. AI can protect their own
existence under the rules, if this does not harm any humans…. An opt-out
mechanism or kill switch is also proposed in the report, ensuring any
rogue robots can be turned off easily (provided the designer hasn’t let
their AI outsmart them).
|
Gardening, Farming & Homesteading |
DHS creates the 'National Livestock Readiness Program' to
control our food supply
MassPrivateI - Last year, DHS gave the National Agricultural
Biosecurity Center (NABC) $331,118 to develop the 'National
Livestock Readiness Program’…. The government created the FDA
and the USDA to control disease, foodborne pathogens etc., why
do we need a national livestock program run by DHS? The very
name Department of Homeland Security should give people pause….
Many of us have watched DHS turn America into a police state
ruled by fear. DHS has created fear of each other… fear of
drugs, fear of drunk & drugged driving, fear of terror and now
fear of hate crimes…. None of us could have imagined DHS
controlling our food supply. "The program also entails extensive
collaboration of academia, private industry and state
governments. The center is collaborating with the Kansas
Department of Agriculture to build relationships with other
state departments of agriculture to ensure adoption of best
emergency planning and management practices." "NABC has
extensive experience developing, implementing, and managing
research projects and training programs for multiple state and
federal agencies — ranging from the U.S. Departments of Defense,
Agriculture, and Homeland Security — to the intelligence
community." "NABC is dedicated to increasing public awareness of
agro-terrorism and developing solutions for improving
agricultural and food production safeguards." Americans have
something else to fear: 'agro-terrorism.' Where does the lunacy
end?
The Government – Placing Kill Orders On Homemade Cookies and
Muffins
Natural Blaze - The president of Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense
Fund* recently reported: The Michigan Department of Agriculture
and Rural Development (MDARD) has filed a complaint with the
Livingston County Circuit Court asking that the court order the
destruction of, among other foods, 18 homemade oatmeal cookies
and 17 homemade apple muffins. MDARD seized the cookies,
muffins, and other foods during a September 1, 2016 raid of
Dairy Delight Cow Boarding, LLC, a herd share dairy farm owned
and operated by Kris Unger in Cohoctah Township. FTCLDF members
have been subject to food seizures since the organization’s
inception, but just about all of the seizures have been of
either meat or dairy products; the enforcement action at Dairy
Delight marks the first seizure of baked goods. The Unger case
is great testimony for why a legal distinction needs to be
established between the public and private distribution of food
and why government agencies should leave the private
distribution of food alone…. Just as in raids of the past, when
there are complaints of or reports of illnesses such as E. coli,
authorities set their sights on small farm clubs often without a
whisper of proof. A raid will often take place on a Friday
afternoon or perhaps when the farmer is gone, and personal items
like computers are stolen for “evidence” and/or member contact
lists are demanded.
Urban Agrihood In America Feeds 2,000 Households For Free
REALfarmacy - Inhabitat reports that in the city of Detroit –
which is recognized as a location where many families are
affected by economic imbalance, America’s first urban ‘Agrihood’
exists and it feeds approximately 2,000 households. The Michigan
Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI) is responsible for implementing
the three-acre project. Two acres of the land is devoted to
growing crops, such as fruits and vegetables, and the remaining
one acre allows for a fruit orchard with 200 trees.
Additionally, a sensory garden has been constructed for kids to
experience and learn more about sustainable agriculture.
Is it Time for Your Flu Shot or Extra Nutrition?
Natural Blaze - The majority of individuals still fail to
realize that the flu vaccine is neither safe nor effective at
preventing influenza. It is considered one of the most dangerous
of all vaccinations. According to integrative physician Dr.
Mercola, the influenza vaccination has been responsible for
causing a serious neurological disease, Guillain-Barré Syndrome,
which, in severe cases can cause paralysis and death…. There are
an estimated 3-6,000 cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome each year.
The flu vaccine is known to contain unsafe amounts of the
neurotoxin mercury. Vaccines have also been found to increase
inflammation in recipients, which, in pregnant women, is linked
to brain damage in their newborns…. In a comprehensive report by
Barbara Loe Fisher of the National Vaccine Information Center,
Fisher revealed that several European scientific studies have
shown that unvaccinated individuals were less likely to become
ill with influenza and other respiratory illnesses, compared to
those vaccinated…. The following suggestions can be beneficial
for both prevention and treatment of respiratory illness and
flu. Rest. Drink fluids. Vitamin D: Increasing vitamin D intake
through supplementation or direct sun when possible is very
healing for illness. Take cod liver oil. Cod liver oil is an
excellent source of vitamins D and A, which work together to
ensure good health and healing. Vitamin C: Lots of research
supports the healing power of vitamin C. Adding lemon juice to
water, eating oranges and taking a vitamin C supplement can all
aid the body to heal. One can safely take 4-6 1,000 mg doses of
vitamin C throughout the day, no more than 1,000 mg per hour.
Frankincense essential oil: If it is organic, therapeutic grade
quality, then it is safe to take 2-3 drops in water 2 to 3 times
daily…. Cinnamon powder mixed with raw honey is a good immune
booster, about ½ to 1 teaspoon each, 3 times daily. Three cloves
of crushed garlic mixed with honey also boosts the immune
system, up to 3 times daily…. Oil of oregano capsules can help
fight infection. Two capsules taken twice daily can be
effective….
Video: Eleven states get failing grades for nursing home care
CBS News August 9, 2013 - More than one-and-a-half million
Americans live in nursing homes, but the quality of care varies
greatly. A report out Friday shows, for the first time, which
states do a good job of caring for seniors and which fail to
ensure that they won't be neglected or abused. Minnie Graham was
a great-grandmother. At 97, she suffered from dementia. "She was
a fine Christian woman," her granddaughter, Shirley Ballard,
says. "And very loving. She would do anything for anybody."
Graham lived in a nursing home outside Dallas for about a year
when her family noticed bruises on her, then two black eyes.
"They said she fell out of her wheel chair," Ballard says,
adding she "absolutely" did not believe that had happened.
Graham's family placed a clock, equipped with a hidden camera,
in her bedroom, recording video for weeks. Graham resisted being
changed; a nursing aide mocked her, pulled, pushed, then what
sounds like a slap can be heard. The video also caught another
aide shoving her. "That should never happen to people, ever, in
nursing homes, anywhere," says Brian Lee, executive director of
Families for Better Care. His nonprofit elder advocacy group
released what it says is the first comprehensive state-by-state
review of nursing home care…. States that got As: Alaska, Rhode
Island, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Oregon, Maine, Utah, Idaho, South
Dakota and North Dakota. States that got Fs: Texas, Louisiana,
Indiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Michigan,
Nevada, Illinois and Iowa. In Oklahoma, a hidden video caught a
nursing assistant shoving a glove in a 96-year-old woman's
mouth. In Ohio, which lacks staff, video caught a caregiver
flinging a senior onto her bed.
* Related:
Criminal Care Caught on Camera
5 Reasons to Throw Out Your Dry Cat Food – It’s Bad For Your Cat
Natural News Blogs - Dry food is the biggest-selling form of cat food in
the United States, despite the fact that it has been linked to urinary
tract disease, diabetes, dehydration, and obesity. Let’s break through
the ignorance and learn the unpleasant truth about dry cat food…. Cats
are obligate carnivores. They are biologically designed to eat meat in
the form of the prey they kill. Raw muscle meat, bones, and organs
provide the nutrition that your cat requires. Cats do not naturally
consume corn. Most dry cat foods are corn-based (read: cheap), and
therefore, carbohydrate-heavy. This is not a biologically appropriate
food for your cat. … Cats simply don’t get the hydration they need when
consuming a dry food diet. As obligate carnivores, cats naturally get
most of their hydration from eating their moisture-rich prey. Because a
cat’s biologically normal food is so rich in water, cats have very low
thirst drives. You typically won’t see a healthy cat chugging water
after a meal…. Since cats living off of dry food are constantly
dehydrated, their risk of suffering from urinary tract disease is high.
Even dry foods marketed as being good for urinary tract health are
dangerously dehydrating. If your cat develops a urinary tract disease,
it’s a definite sign that it’s time to stop feeding them dry food…. Many
dry cat food users engage in free-feeding, which encourages frequent
snacking throughout the day. Since dry food is less satiating than a
moisture-rich food, cats tend to eat more of it and will likely gain
weight. When your cat consumes a high-carb diet and is overweight, the
stage is set for feline diabetes.
Thursday - January
12, 2017
Today In History:
1773 - The first public museum in America was established in Charleston,
SC.
1896 - At Davidson College, several students took x-ray photographs.
They created the first X-ray photographs to be made in America.
1915 - The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a proposal to give
women the right to vote.
1915 - The U.S. Congress established the Rocky Mountain National Park.
1940 - Soviet bombers raided cities in Finland.
1942 - U.S. President Roosevelt created the National War Labor Board.
1945 - During World War II, Soviet forces began a huge offensive against
the Germans in Eastern Europe.
1948 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could not discriminate
against law-school applicants because of race.
1966 - President Johnson said in his State of the Union address that the
U.S. should stay in South Vietnam until Communist aggression there was
ended.
1973 - Yassar Arafat was re-elected as head of the Palestinian
Liberation Organization.
1986 - Space shuttle Columbia blasted off with a crew that included the
first Hispanic-American in space, Dr. Franklin R. Chang-Diaz.
1991 - The U.S. Congress passed a resolution authorizing President Bush
to use military power to force Iraq out of Kuwait.
1998 - 19 European nations agreed to prohibit human cloning.
1998 - Linda Tripp provided Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's office
with taped conversations between herself and former White House intern
Monica Lewinsky.
2000 - The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, gave police broad
authority to stop and question people who run at the sight of an
officer.
2006 - The U.S. Mint began shipping new 5-cent coins to the 12 regional
Federal Reserve Banks. The coin has an image of Thomas Jefferson taken
from a 1800 Rembrandt Peale portrait in which the president is looking
forward. Since 1909, when presidents were first depicted on circulating
coins, all presidents had been shown in profile.
US: Afghan Army Can’t Secure Country, Loses Territory to Taliban
Sputnik News - On Wednesday, a US government report stated that
Afghanistan’s security infrastructure must be stabilized to keep
from becoming a sanctuary for terrorists, but noted that Afghan
Security Forces are not yet equipped to secure the country
without assistance. The report by the Special Inspector General
for Afghanistan (SIGAR) rendered an assessment of the country
two years after NATO forces pulled out in 2014, leaving behind a
small training and assisting mission. SIGAR serves as an
oversight group for the spending of US reconstruction funds in
Afghanistan, and their high-risk evaluation notes that Kabul
only controls 63 percent of its territory despite some $70
billion spent to train, bolster and equip Afghan forces. "The
Afghan national defense and security force has not yet been
capable of securing all of Afghanistan and has lost territory to
the insurgency," the report reads. The document also observed
that several areas in the country have become hotbeds for drug
trafficking and corruption, with Inspector General John Sopko
saying, "To combat the Taliban and other threats, the United
States has provided more than $64 billion since 2002, including
$3.45 billion in fiscal year 2016 alone, to support the Afghan
National Army, the Afghan National Police, and the Afghan Air
Force."
US-led coalition ‘acts secretively in Syria,’ Americans often
absent from hotline – Russian military
RT - After senior US Air Force officers accused Russian jets of
flying dangerously close in Syria, Russia’s Defense Ministry hit
back. Moscow said US colleagues only reluctantly share plans for
combat aircraft operations, and are acting secretively in Syria.
According to the US Air Force, Russian planes allegedly don’t
‘squawk’ (carry transponders that send a four-digit number
allowing air-traffic controllers to identify them), and fail to
timely answer ‘guard calls,’ which are urgent summons on an
emergency radio frequency…. The Russian Defense Ministry noted
in a statement on Wednesday that it’s hard to say if the
allegations are Gen. Corcoran’s personal views or if they are
just part of “the farewell Russophobic performance by the
outgoing US administration.”… In any case, we have received no
such claims either from Gen. Corcoran or Pentagon
representatives during the regular videoconferences with the
Russian Defense Ministry on compliance with the memorandum on
the prevention of incidents in the Syrian sky,” Defense Ministry
spokesperson Gen. Igor Konashenkov stated on Wednesday. Both the
US Air Force and the US-led international coalition are trying
to act "secretively" during operations in Syria, he added. “Our
American colleagues don’t like to notify [us] about their plans
to use combat aircraft, only occasionally indicating the time
period and an approximate area. But not the specific types of
aircraft and their affiliation. This has allowed [the US] in the
case of tragic ‘mistakes’ of the coalition aircraft to avoid
responsibility for the deaths of civilians and destruction of
civilian objects. Suffice to recall the bombing of Kurdish
villages in Hasadjek, which led to the deaths of civilians in
October 2016.”
S-400 missile defense regiment takes up combat duty outside
Moscow (VIDEO)
RT - A surface-to-air missile regiment equipped with the
brand-new S-400 air defense system, Russia’s most advanced, has
come on duty in Moscow’s suburbs on combat alert. “The SAM
combat squads of the Moscow Region aerospace forces have put the
new S-400 Triumph air defense missile system into service, and
have gone on combat duty for the air defense of Moscow and the
central industrial region of Russia,” the Defense Ministry’s
Department of Information and Mass Communication told Interfax.
In December, the new SAM system arrived at its destination in
the Moscow Region from Kapustin Yar in the south Russia, where
drills at a military test range went successfully, the Defense
Ministry noted. The main task of the anti-aircraft missile
troops of the Russian Aerospace Forces is air defense and
protecting vital state, military, industry and energy
facilities, as well as the Armed Forces troops and transport
communications, from aerospace attacks,” the ministry stressed.
Gunman screaming 'Allahu Akbar' opens fire in Spanish
supermarket
Daily Mail - The attacker, who was reportedly carrying gasoline
and gunpowder, walked into the Mercadona shop, in the As Lagoas
region of the northwestern region Ourense, before opening firing
shots into the air. Several shoppers were inside the supermarket
when the man entered and fired several shots into the air,
causing emergency services to swoop on the building…. He was
reportedly carrying gasoline and gunpowder, and was later
detained after a struggle ensued… The incident, which happened
at around 2pm, did not result in any injuries but left many
extremely shaken.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
Trump to CNN: ‘You Are Fake News’
Breitbart - During a press conference on Wednesday,
President-Elect Donald Trump refused to take a question from CNN
Senior White House Correspondent Jim Acosta and told him “You
are fake news.” After Trump criticized CNN for its recent report
on Russia and him, Acosta asked if, since Trump was attacking
them, CNN could ask a question. Trump stated, “Your organization
is terrible. … Don’t be rude. No, I’m not going to give you a
question. … You are fake news.” Acosta replied that this wasn’t
appropriate. Later in the press conference, Trump did take a
question from CNN reporter Jeremy Diamond.
* Related:
WATCH: Donald Trump’s first press conference as president-elect
10 Key Moments and More From Trump’s News Conference
NY Times - President-elect Donald J. Trump made an important
concession about Russia. He criticized American intelligence
officials. He sparred with reporters and denounced “fake news.”
And that was all before he arrived at the ostensible reason for
holding his first formal news conference since July: his plans
to extricate himself from the operations of his vast business
holdings. Here are the highlights from the whirling, hour long
news conference in Trump Tower. Mr. Trump said that after his
briefing on Friday with American intelligence officials, he now
thought Russia was behind the effort to hack his election
opponents. “As far as hacking, I think it was Russia,” Mr. Trump
said. However, later in the news conference, Mr. Trump wavered
slightly when pressed on the matter. “But you know what, it
could have been others also,” he said when asked why he had been
so critical of American intelligence officials. He harshly
criticized the publication of unverified reports that claimed
Russia has salacious information about his behavior and
finances. “I think it was disgraceful, disgraceful that the
intelligence agencies let any information that turned out to be
so false and fake out,” he said. Explaining his Twitter post
comparing the United States to Nazi Germany, he said of the
leaks: “That’s something that Nazi Germany would have done and
did do.” … Mr. Trump said he was untroubled by other
intelligence reports that have been made public, which said
Russia preferred him over Hillary Clinton and that President
Vladimir V. Putin ordered the election meddling to benefit him.
“If Putin likes Donald Trump, guess what, folks: That is called
an asset, not a liability,” he said. He added that a strong
relationship could allow the two nations to work together on
difficult international issues. When asked whether he had a
message for Mr. Putin, Mr. Trump said: “He shouldn’t be doing
it. He won’t be doing it. Russia will have much greater respect
for our country when I am leading it.” He added: “There’s no
reset button. We’re either going to get along or we’re not.” …
McCain Admits He Gave Dossier Containing "Sensitive Information"
On Trump To The FBI
Zero Hedge - While hardly surprising considering the copious
amounts of bad blood between the President elect and John
McCain, earlier today the Arizona senator confirmed that he
passed along the 35-page report to the FBI that details
unverified allegations that President-elect Trump's team
coordinated with the Russian government to defeat Hillary
Clinton. In a statement released Wednesday, McCain said passing
the report along was the extent of his involvement in the
process. "Late last year, I received sensitive information that
has since been made public," McCain said. "Upon examination of
the contents, and unable to make a judgment about their
accuracy, I delivered the information to the director of the
FBI. That has been the extent of my contact with the FBI or any
other government agency regarding this issue." As The Washington
Examiner notes, reports surfaced Tuesday night that a foreign
contact of McCain's passed along the report detailing alleged
compromising information the Russian government has on Trump.
That report was published in full by Buzzfeed Tuesday evening,
despite being unverified information.
Russian tech expert named in Trump report says US intelligence
never contacted him
McClatchy - A Russian venture capitalist and tech expert whose
name and company are mentioned in the now-notorious document
alleging connections between the Donald Trump campaign and
Russian hackers says no intelligence officers have ever
contacted him about the accusations, which he says are false. A
report compiled by a former Western intelligence official as
opposition research against Trump was made public Tuesday when
BuzzFeed posted its 35 pages. The document included
unsubstantiated claims of collusion between the Trump campaign
team and the Kremlin. It also alleged that global tech firm XBT
Holding, with operations in Dallas, was instrumental in the hack
of leaked Democratic Party emails that embarrassed Hillary
Clinton and fellow Democrats.
Buzzfeed’s Trump report takes ‘fake news’ to a new level
NY Post - BuzzFeed decided to publish a series of memos that
have been floating around for months alleging all kinds of
terrible things about Donald Trump. Some of those terrible
allegations have to do with efforts to influence the American
elections and Trump. Some of them have to do with Trump’s
personal sexual conduct…. There is literally no evidence on
offer in these memos or from BuzzFeed that any single sentence
in these documents is factual or true. What’s more, we know most
major news organizations in America had seen them and despite
their well-known institutional antipathy toward Trump, had
chosen not to publish them or even make reference to them after
efforts to substantiate their charges had failed. BuzzFeed tells
us that “the document was prepared for political opponents of
Trump by a person who is understood to be a former British
intelligence agent.” Indeed, the memos are designed to read as
though they were cables sent from the field to the home office.
And they should set off the bull detector of every rational
person who reads them.
Trump To Donate All Money Paid To Trump Properties By Foreign
Govts To US treasury (Video)
The GatewayPundit - Trump’s tax attorney Sheri Dillon made an
announcement regarding possible conflicts of interest between
Trump’s business dealings and running the country as President.
At first Dillon stated that Trump did not believe that paying
for a hotel room would fall under the so called emoluments
clause which states: “no person holding any Office of Profit or
Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress ,
accept of any present, Emolument, Office or Title, of any kind
whatever, from any King, Prince or foreign state.” Dillon then
went on to make the announcement about Trump donating hotel
profits from foreign governments to the US treasury: Just like
with conflicts of interest, he wants to do more than what the
Constitution requires. So President-elect Trump has decided, and
we are announcing today, that he is going to voluntarily donate
all profits from foreign government payments made to his hotels
to the United States Treasury. This way it is the American
people who will profit. – Sheri Dillon, Trump tax attorney.
Mexico's peso hits record low on Trump talk of wall, auto tax
Reuters - The Mexican peso weakened to a historic low of 22.04
per dollar and the country's stock index fell on Wednesday,
after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump warned U.S. auto
companies would face a high tax for products made south of the
border. Speaking at a news conference in New York, Trump also
reiterated that the United States would start building a
southern border wall after he took office next week. He said
Mexico would reimburse the cost either through a tax or a
payment…. On Wednesday, Trump congratulated Ford and Fiat
Chrysler for announcing plant expansions in the United States.
He said General Motors, another major investor in Mexico, should
follow suit, reiterating the threat of new taxes on Mexican-made
autos. He said he would not wait for negotiations with Mexico to
be completed before starting to build a wall along the two
countries' border.
Trump says pharma 'getting away with murder,' stocks slide
Reuters - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said
pharmaceutical companies are "getting away with murder" in what
they charge the government for medicines, and promised that
would change, sending drugs stocks sharply lower. The benchmark
S&P 500 index .SPX slipped into negative territory after his
remarks at a news conference spooked investors. The iShares
Nasdaq Biotech ETF (IBB.O) dropped 4 percent at its session low
and ended down 3 percent, its largest daily percentage drop in
three months. "When the president-elect says we're going to
negotiate drug pricing, you have to take that seriously, but at
the same this is a complicated issue because there's not going
to be clarity on drug pricing reform anytime soon," said Brad
Loncar, manager of the Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy ETF (CNCR.O).
"When somebody that high profile says something that negative,
people do not want to invest in it.”… After his promise to bring
down drug spending, the ARCA pharmaceutical index gave up as
much as 2.6 percent and ended the day down 1.7 percent. The drug
industry has been on edge for two years about the potential for
more government pressure on pricing after sharp increases in the
costs of some life-saving drugs drew scrutiny in the press and
among lawmakers. The government is investigating Medicaid and
Medicare overspending on Mylan NV's (MYL.O) allergy treatment
EpiPen, for instance…. Trump's campaign platform included
allowing the Medicare healthcare program to negotiate with
pharmaceutical companies, which the law currently prohibits. He
has also discussed making it easier to import drugs at cheaper
prices.
California Lt. Gov: We’ll Stop Trump’s Wall with Environmental
Suits
Breitbart - California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom said in an
interview with ‘The Golden State Podcast’ that he would use
specific environmental laws in the state to stop the border wall
from being built, at least in southern California. “There’s
something called CEQA in California—NEPA at the federal level,”
Newsom told the podcast host. “There’s indigenous lands and
autonomies relating to governance on those lands. There are all
kinds of obstructions as it relates to just getting zoning
approval and getting building permits. All those things could be
made very, very challenging for the administration.” Newsom
hinted that if he could not actually stop the construction of
the border wall in California, he would at least try to tie it
up in bureaucratic battles. Trump’s border wall is reportedly in
the works, as he explained at a press conference at Trump Tower
today that he would not be waiting on payment from Mexico and
begin construction immediately.
Illegal Alien Gets 12 Years for Hit-and-Run Crash Killing
Pastor, Wife
Breitbart Texas - A prior report by Breitbart Texas notes that
De La Rosa Sosa has been placed on an immigration hold by
Immigration and Customs Enforcement since April 16, 2016, the
day after he was arrested. De La Rosa Sosa, a 22-year-old
Mexican national, pleaded guilty in the 180th Criminal District
Court in Harris County on Tuesday, court records obtained by
Breitbart Texas revealed. He received four, 12-year prison
sentences for each of the charges. Those charges include two
counts of Racing on a Highway Causing Serious Bodily Injury or
Death (a Class 2 felony), and two counts of Failure to Stop and
Render Aid in an Accident Involving Death (a Class 2 felony).
The sentences were set by the court to run concurrently, meaning
the man who killed Pastor Jesse Estrada Sabillon and his wife
Maria Alicia Sabillon will spend no more than 12 years behind
bars. An immigration detainer by federal officials should lead
to his removal to Mexico following release from prison.
Volkswagen to plead guilty to criminal charges, pay $4.3 billion
settlement in US
Deutsche Welle - The US Department of Justice said on Wednesday
that Volkswagen AG (VW) has agreed to plead guilty to
three-count felony of misinformation, including conspiracy to
commit fraud, obstruction of justice and entry of goods by false
statement. US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the German
carmaking giant is charged with conspiring to defraud the United
States and the company's US customers, as well as conspiring to
violate the Clean Air Act by using devices on its diesel
vehicles that evaded emissions standards. VW will also pay a
record $2.8 billion (2.6 billion euros) in criminal fines and
$1.5 billion in civil fines. The company already agreed to
additional settlements with car owners, dealers and for
environmental cleanup to the tune of $17.5 billion. The United
States will also charge six VW executives and employees for
their roles in the nearly 10-year conspiracy - including Oliver
Schmidt, who was in charge of VW's environmental engineering
office in Michigan. Volkswagen admitted that between 2006 and
2016 six unnamed supervisors agreed to mislead regulators and
customers about the standards of its diesel emissions. The
Department of Justice also said that in 2012 VW officials
instructed engineers to destroy a document that detailed the
cheating, while lawyers prodded employees to destroy other
documents.
Gold Nears $1200 As The Dollar Tumbles To 2017 Lows (Charts)
Zero Hedge - Gold is now up almost 4% year-to-date, approaching
$1200 - 8 week-highs - as the USD Index plunges to 2017 lows
after Trump's disappointing press conference...
Facebook launches 'Journalism Project' to fight spread of 'fake news'
Deutsche Welle - As part of the new "Journalism Project," Facebook said
on Wednesday that it would focus on improving its current storytelling
formats such as Live, 360 and Instant Articles. The company also plans
to test a feature using Instant Articles to allow readers to see
multiple stories at a time, as a package, from their preferred news
organizations. Working with third-party organizations, Facebook said it
will work to promote "news literacy" and help users decide which sources
are trustworthy and would also continue to work on curbing hoaxes.
Prestigious Karolinska Institute Forces EMF Researcher To Retire – A
Call To Action
Natural Blaze - One of the most respected electromagnetic frequency
researchers in the world, Professor Olle Johansson, is being forced to
retire from the Karolinska Institute apparently because Dr. Johansson’s
research proves non-thermal adverse health effects from EMFs/RFs from
microwave technology, things like Wi-Fi and AMI Smart Meters. The
Karolinska Institute namely wants Dr. Johansson to retire in advance of
his desire to do so, due to a) a lack of funding, and b) lack of need
for his services, i.e. the need for research concerning health effects
of electromagnetic fields and the functional impairment of
electrohypersensitivity, which does not exist any longer at the
Institute…. Those who are confronting the problems with AMI Smart
Meters, Wi-Fi in schools harming their children for several hours a day,
perhaps you ought to take seriously Dr. Johansson’s forced retirement
and what it will mean not to have valid research about what those who
promote microwave technology don’t want us to know…. Below are the
officers of Karolinska Institute you should send an email to demanding
Professor Olle Johansson NOT be forced to retire and his important EMF
research continue.
* Related:
Letter from Dr. Olle Johansson of Karolinska Institute to the California
Public Utilities Commission Warning of the Dangers of Smart Meters
Scientists can now grow a beating human heart from stem cells
The Independent - A team of scientists from Massachusetts General
Hospital and Harvard Medical School have used adult skin cells to
regenerate functional human heart tissue. The study, published in the
journal Circulation Research, detailed that the team took adult skin
cells, using a technique called messenger RNA to turn them into
pluripotent stem cells, before inducing them to become two different
types of cardiac cells. Then for two weeks they infused the hearts with
a nutrient solution, allowing them to develop under the same
circumstances a heart would grow inside a human body. After the two week
period, the hearts contained well-structured tissue, which appeared
similar to that contained in developing human hearts. When shocked with
electricity, they started beating. This represents the closest that
medical researchers have come to growing an entire beating human heart.
The next step, would be to find a way to help the cells mature faster
and perfect the mimicry of conditions under which the heart develops -
thus minimising the likelihood of the body rejecting a heart.
Vitamin C does reverse cancer—and now it’s on track for approval
as a chemo alternative
What Doctors Don't Tell You - High-dose vitamin C does kill
cancer—but only when it’s given intravenously. It’s now just a
few steps away from being approved as a safe and effective
cancer treatment alongside chemotherapy and radiation. Although
researchers have tested the vitamin as a cancer therapy many
times, they almost always concluded that it was ineffective—but
they were guaranteeing failure by giving it orally to patients.
When it’s given intravenously, it bypasses the gut and goes
directly into the bloodstream—where concentrations of the
vitamin are up to 500 times higher than when it’s taken
orally—and targets cancer cells, say researchers at the
University of Iowa. The therapy is now going through the
approval process, and could soon be available as an alternative
to chemotherapy or radiation, the two conventional cancer
treatments. It’s been proved to be effective in animal studies,
and phase 1 trials have demonstrated that it’s safe and
well-tolerated. Now doctors at the university are starting to
use it on patients with pancreatic cancer and lung cancer, and
are measuring their progress against other patients who will
continue to be given chemotherapy or radiation. Biologist Garry
Buettner, who works at the university, has worked out just why
vitamin C is so effective: the vitamin breaks down quickly in
the body, and generates hydrogen peroxide that kills cancer
cells. “Cancer cells are much less efficient in removing
hydrogen peroxide than normal cells, so cancer cells are much
more prone to damage and death from a high amount of hydrogen
peroxide”, he explained. “This explains how very, very high
levels of vitamin C do not affect normal tissue, but can be
damaging to tumour tissue.”
Here We Go Again: FDA Defies Congress
Alliance for Natural Health - In December 2015, Congress
included a provision in an end-of-the-year spending bill
ordering the FDA to issue a guidance document clarifying how
physicians and compounding pharmacists could continue the
“office use” of drugs. These are custom drugs that a doctor
keeps on hand for immediate treatment use. Congress could not
have been clearer: the agency was not to forbid office use. The
FDA has now answered—by ignoring it. The FDA now wants the
doctor to have to prescribe the drug—to have it compounded
separately for each patient, and then administered on follow up
visit. This is not only dangerous for patients who need
immediate treatment. It also vastly increases the cost of the
drug, wastes patient and doctor time, and is gross interference
with the practice of medicine, which is supposed to be regulated
by the states, not the federal government. In December 2015,
Congress included a provision in an end-of-the-year spending
bill ordering the FDA to issue a guidance document clarifying
how physicians and compounding pharmacists could continue the
“office use” of drugs. These are custom drugs that a doctor
keeps on hand for immediate treatment use. Congress could not
have been clearer: the agency was not to forbid office use. The
FDA has now answered—by ignoring it. The FDA now wants the
doctor to have to prescribe the drug—to have it compounded
separately for each patient, and then administered on follow up
visit. This is not only dangerous for patients who need
immediate treatment. It also vastly increases the cost of the
drug, wastes patient and doctor time, and is gross interference
with the practice of medicine, which is supposed to be regulated
by the states, not the federal government.
Worse than Zika, but Ignored. Why?
Alliance for Natural Health - This is a virus that most of us
are exposed to—one that is likely to shorten your life, and that
can destroy it. But you may not even have heard of it. Between
20,000 and 40,000 infants are born with cytomegalovirus (CMV)
each year, and the virus kills 400 of those infants annually.
These numbers compare with 1,600 babies exposed to Zika in the
continental US in 2016. Twenty percent of infants born with CMV
develop permanent disabilities such as hearing loss,
microcephaly (a condition where the baby’s head is significantly
smaller than expected), vision abnormalities, and intellectual
deficits. It is the most common congenital viral infection and
the leading non-genetic cause of deafness in children. If you
don’t get this virus in utero, you are lucky, but you are not
out of the woods. Half of adults have been exposed by age 40.
Like all viruses, it remains inside the body even after the
illness has passed. Like other herpes viruses, it tries to come
back, and challenges the immune system in order to do so…. It
should surprise no one that some in the public health community
are recommending antiviral drugs for infected infants. A study
in the New England Journal of Medicine seems to endorse that
view, finding that infants who took antiviral drugs for six
months had “moderately better” hearing than newborns who took
the drugs for just six weeks. The CMV antiviral drug, of course,
comes with a host of nasty side effects: tremors, nausea, and
diarrhea are among those acknowledged…. There are natural ways
of dealing with CMV and other viruses, including silver and
ozone, and also natural supplements to deal with the associated
inflammation—which may ultimately be what kills the patient, as
it was in the famous Spanish flu epidemic. These include fish
oil, resveratrol, curcumin, cherry extract, green tea extract,
and many others. Of course, these therapies don’t make money for
the drug companies, so don’t expect conventional doctors to
discuss them with you.
Can’t Sleep? Here are 13 Effective Ways to Fall Asleep Faster
Natural News Blogs - Having trouble falling asleep can lead to
getting not enough sleep or sleep deprivation, the most signs of
which are excessive daytime sleepiness, yawning, and
irritability. Chronic sleep deprivation can interfere with
balance, coordination, memory, decision-making abilities. Worse
still, it suppresses immune system function. …here are some
do-it-yourself suggestions: Avoid eating within 1 ½ – 2 hours of
bedtime - Eating especially right before your bedtime can be
very disruptive to sleep. Salt-filled snacks such as potato
chips, for instance, could make you feel thirsty. Drinking too
much fluid before bedtime may cause extra trips to the
bathroom…. Snacking on fats and proteins 2 hours of bedtime are
much safer than snacking on carbs especially processed carbs.
The reason is these foods would not cause sugar spikes. Fats
especially healthy fats such as coconut milk, cheese, full cream
milk and most proteins that contain an amino acid tryptophan may
help you to feel calm, which in turn make you falling sleep more
easily. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine - Caffeine,
nicotine, and sugar are stimulants if consumed close to bedtime
can prevent you from falling asleep. … Consider alternative
treatment/therapy - Some medications can cause disrupted sleep.
These are the most common ones said to cause it, including
alpha-blockers, beta-blockers, corticosteroids, SSRI
antidepressants, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, cholinesterase
inhibitors, H1 antagonists, glucosamine/chondroitin, and statins….
Turn off you mind - Convert your concern over something that
bothering such as worrying about next day’s event into some kind
of action plan and you will rest easier. Take a piece of paper
and jot down your top concerns. Then write down the steps you
will take to resolve the problems or situations. Don’t forget to
include how and when you want to materialize your planned
strategies….
Wednesday - January
11, 2017
Today In History:
1770 - The first shipment of rhubarb was sent to the United States from
London.
1805 - The Michigan Territory was created.
1861 - Alabama seceded from the United States.
1878 - In New York, milk was delivered in glass bottles for the first
time by Alexander Campbell.
1902 - "Popular Mechanics" magazine was published for the first time.
1913 - The first sedan-type car was unveiled at the National Automobile
Show in New York City. The car was manufactured by the Hudson Motor
Company.
1922 - At Toronto General Hospital, Leonard Thompson became the first
person to be successfully treated with insulin.
1935 - Amelia Earhart Putnam became the first woman to fly solo from
Hawaii to California.
1942 - Japan declared war against the Netherlands. The same day,
Japanese forces invaded the Dutch East Indies.
1964 - U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry released a report that said
that smoking cigarettes was a definite health hazard.
1988 - Vice President George Bush met with representatives of
independent counsel Lawrence E. Walsh to answer questions about the
Iran-Contra affair.
2000 - The merger between AOL and Time Warner was approved by the U.S.
government with restrictions.
2000 - The U.S. Postal Service unveiled the second Vietnam Veterans
Memorial commemorative stamp in a ceremony at The Wall.
2001 - The Texas Board of Criminal Justice released a review of the
escape of the "Texas 7." It stated that prison staff missed critical
opportunities to prevent the escape by ignoring a fire alarm, not
reporting unsupervised inmates and not demanding proper identification
from inmates.
2001 - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission approved the merger of America
Online and Time Warner to form AOL Time Warner.
Taliban attack near Afghan parliament kills more than 30
Reuters - Saleem Rasouli, a senior public health official, said
33 people had been killed and more than 70 wounded in the attack
on the Darul Aman road, near an annex to the new Indian-financed
parliament building. He said most of the victims were
parliamentary staff members. On the same day, at least another
14 people were killed and dozens injured in separate incidents
in the volatile southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar. The
Islamist militant Afghan Taliban movement, which immediately
claimed responsibility for the Kabul attack, said its target had
been a minibus carrying staff from the National Directorate of
Security (NDS), Afghanistan's main intelligence agency.... Hours
after the Kabul incident, at least seven people were killed and
18 wounded in an explosion in the southern city of Kandahar.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Among the
wounded were the provincial governor and the United Arab
Emirates ambassador, officials said. Afghan armed forces control
no more than two thirds of national territory, and have
struggled to contain the Taliban insurgency since the bulk of
NATO soldiers withdrew at the end of 2014. Several thousand,
mainly Americans, remain in training and counter-terrorism
roles. The United States has announced plans to send 300 Marines
to the volatile southern province of Helmand, large parts of
which are under Taliban control, as part of a regular rotation
of troops helping train and advise Afghan forces.
Hungary To Launch Crackdown On All George Soros-Funded
Organizations
Zero Hedge - The European Union member, and native country of
Soros, will use "all the tools at its disposal" to “sweep out”
NGOs funded by the Hungarian-born financier, which “serve global
capitalists and back political correctness over national
governments,” Szilard Nemeth, a vice president of the ruling
Fidesz party, told reporters on Tuesday. No one answered the
phone at the [Soros founded] Open Society Institute in Budapest
when Bloomberg News called outside business hours. “I feel that
there is an opportunity for this, internationally,” because of
Trump’s election, state news service MTI reported Nemeth as
saying. Lawmakers will start debating a bill to let authorities
audit NGO executives, according to parliament’s legislative
agenda. As a reminder, Orban was the first European leader to
publicly back Trump’s campaign, and was reportedly invited by
Trump to visit the US; he has ignored criticism from the
European Commission and U.S. President Barack Obama’s
administration for building a self-described “illiberal state”
modeled on authoritarian regimes including Russia, China and
Turkey. In 2014, Orban personally ordered the state audit agency
to probe foundations financed by Norway and said that civil
society groups financed from abroad were covers for “paid
political activists.” As a result of Trump's victory, Orban has
felt empowered to further last out against Europe's established
structures, and its core supporters.
Israel's military investigating why its soldiers fled from truck
driver terrorist
Daily Mail Online - The Israel Defence Forced (IDF) is looking
into footage of soldiers seemingly fleeing the scene as Fadi al-Qanbar,
28, drove a truck into a crowd of troops in Jerusalem.... it was
left to tour guide Ethan Rond to shoot the terrorist having
already been sent somersaulting by the truck.... The tour guide
initially thought it was a traffic accident, but when he saw the
truck reversing, he knew it was deliberate. As the truck
reverses, a video clip captures a group of soldiers appearing to
run away from the scene. Some of the troops did run towards the
incident.... 'I pulled out my gun and fired one shot at the
wheel and I realised this wasn't enough. 'As he was driving, I
ran to overtake him then I stood in front of him and started
firing my entire magazine until it was over.'.... MK Amir Ohana
(Likud) heaped praise on the tour guide, and told Israel
National News: 'Of particular note is the fact that a citizen, a
tour guide, was the first to shoot the terrorist to prevent the
attack from continuing. 'He joins a growing list of civilians
who have stopped terror attacks during this terror wave. 'I will
continue to push and encourage law-abiding citizens to carry
arms and to back those who do so according to the law.'
UK ‘first in line’ for US trade deal: Johnson
PressTV - UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says Britain is
“first in line” for striking a trade deal with the incoming
administration of US President-elect Donald Trump, seemingly
putting to rest concerns over President Barack Obama’s warnings
against Brexit..... “Clearly, the Trump administration-to-be has
a very exciting agenda of change,” he said. “One thing that
won't change though is the closeness of the relationship between
the US and the UK.”....“We hear that we are first in line to do
a great free trade deal with the United States. So, it's going
to be a very exciting year for both our countries,” Johnson
added.... The remarks amounted to a rebuttal of Obama’s last
year warnings that withdrawing from the European Union would put
London “in the back of the queue” for trade deals with the
US.... “Maybe some point down the line there might be a UK-US
trade agreement, but it’s not going to happen any time soon.”
Obama said during a visit to London in last April.
EU Boss: Citizens Should Not Get to Vote on Important Issues
The New American - The comments from the EU boss were crystal
clear. “I am asking EU leaders to stop with adventures like the
British and Italian referendums ... on domestic issues which
pose a threat to the EU,” said Slovak Prime Minister and EU
Council boss Robert Fico as he passed the rotating reins of the
EU Council to its next leader on January 2 of 2017. In essence,
Fico was calling for citizens of European countries ensnared in
the EU to lose their right to decide their own fate. Like many
other totalitarian-minded EU bosses from Eastern Europe, Fico
was a longtime Communist Party operative. The “adventures” such
as the British and Italian referendums he mentioned were a
reference to recent votes held in those nations, both of which
bucked the establishment. In the United Kingdom, voters defied
the entire globalist establishment by voting for a British exit,
or “Brexit,” from the controversial EU super-state. That
historic vote shocked the political class, which is still
scrambling for a way to defy the people without losing its
legitimacy entirely. In Italy, voters also rejected the demands
of the establishment in a vote that was compared to Brexit and
the election of anti-establishment maverick Donald Trump. By a
huge margin, Italian voters turned down a barrage of
globalist-backed constitutional reforms that would have made it
easier for globalists and the political class to expand
government, surrender sovereignty, and more. Before, during, and
after the vote, a “no” vote was portrayed as an anti-EU vote
that could doom the country. Obviously, the sky did not fall.
The Ukrainian Power Grid Was Hacked Again
Motherboard - The more recent attack occurred at a transmission
facility, as opposed to the 2015 attack that affected a
distribution facility, and was not as far-reaching (although it
could have been much worse—as disruptions to a transmission
facility could impact a wider area than distribution
facilities). But taken together, the implications of both
attacks and a series of other breaches around Ukraine suggest
that someone, or various individuals, may be using the country
as a testbed for refining attacks on critical infrastructure
that could be used across the world.... The attackers appear to
be testing out techniques, says Oleksii Yasynskyi, head of
research for Information Systems Security Partners in Ukraine,
who worked on the investigation for UkrEnergo. Their ultimate
goal is sabotage he says.... "The attack [was] not meant to have
any lasting dramatic consequences," [Ukrainian researcher for
Honeywell Industrial Cyber Security Lab, Marina] Krotofil told
Motherboard. "They could do many more things, but obviously they
didn't have this as an intent. It was more like a demonstration
of capabilities.".... The researchers say the attacks show that
Ukraine "has turned into a training playground for research and
development of novel attack techniques" — attacks that will
likely be used elsewhere once the hackers refine them. "Ukraine
uses equipment and security protections of the same vendors as
everybody else around the world," says Krotofil. "If the
attackers learn how to go around those tools and appliances in
Ukrainian infrastructures, they can then directly go to the
West."
Putin’s extreme plan to stub out smoking for good
Daily Express - Under plans to introduce legislations, anyone
born after 2015 would be banned from simply buying cigarettes
with penalties for the offence on a par with illegal drugs....
Mr Putin’s spokesman Dmitri Peskov said that the proposed band
would require serious discussion and added that various
ministries would need to be consulted beforehand.... The smoking
ban has sparked debate in Russia, with warnings that the move
could lead to a rise in black market cigarettes. Elena
Topoleva-Soldunova, a member of the Russian public chamber,
which advises the government on social policy, said:
“Counterfeit tobacco could lead to even more harm to people’s
health.” Cigarettes are relatively cheap compared to the price
of a pack of 20 in the UK. In Russia a packet of Marlboro Reds
costs 110 roubles (£1.10). A sizeable 43 per cent of the Russian
population smokes.
Mercury fillings face Europe-wide ban
What Doctors Don't Tell You - Dentists across Europe will stop
using amalgam fillings—which contain mercury—in pregnant and
nursing women and children under the age of 15 in 2018. The ban,
which affects dentists in all the 28 member-countries of the EU,
comes into effect in July next year. The ban needs to be
officially ratified, but this is expected to be a formality as
the European Commission, the European Council and the European
Parliament have already agreed to it. Health agencies in each of
the member countries must also submit plans as to how they will
be reducing the use of amalgam fillings in the rest of the
population by 2019. The edict is a triumph for consumer groups
who have played a major role in the six-year consultation
period—and a blow to the dental associations that still maintain
that amalgam fillings are safe. Groups such as the World
Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry predict the ruling marks the
beginning of the end for amalgam fillings across the developed
world. Amalgam fillings—which are a mix of silver, tin and
copper in liquid, or elemental, mercury—have been used by
dentists for more than 150 years because the material is
inexpensive and pliable. Dental associations have maintained the
mercury—which makes up around half the filling—is locked in, and
can’t escape. But, as WDDTY revealed last month... the mercury
does escape, and can damage our brain, heart, kidneys, lungs and
immune system—because our gut converts the elemental mercury
into methyl mercury, its most lethal form.
Pesticides Kill Over 10 Million Pollinators in Brazil
Sputnik News - The suspected cause of death is reported to be
airborne pesticides.... The offending pesticides were sprayed on
a nearby sugarcane field. The owner of the field, Ferrari Mill,
claims that they did not spray their pesticides over the apiary
and are not sure what caused the pesticides to migrate. São
Paulo's Public Prosecutor's office has announced an
investigation and potential litigation against Ferrari Mill.
Ferrari Mill has sent bee corpses to a biologist to investigate
whether their pesticides are what killed the bees....
Researchers from State University of São Paulo (UNESP) and the
Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) performed analyses on
damaged apiaries around the state and concluded that some 70
percent of mass bee deaths in São Paulo is the result of
pesticide misuse. Millions of other mass bee deaths were
recorded throughout São Paulo in 2015 and 2016.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
Democrats Call For Sept 11-Style Commission To Probe Russia
Zero Hedge - According to Reuters, the proposed "Protecting our
Democracy Act" would create a 12-member, bipartisan independent
panel to interview witnesses, obtain documents, issue subpoenas
and receive public testimony to examine attempts by Moscow and
any other entities to influence the election. The panel members
would not be members of Congress. The latest legislation
proposal is one of many calls by lawmakers to look into Russian
involvement in the presidential contest whose outcome stunned
so-called experts.... U.S. intelligence agencies on Friday
released a report saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin
ordered an effort to help Trump's electoral chances by
discrediting Clinton. "There is no question that Russia attacked
us," Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, told a news conference. Actually there is,
however when asked to show evidence of Russian hacking,
yesterday the state department said it would be "irresponsible."
Versions of the bill were introduced in both the Senate and
House. In the Senate it has 10 sponsors. In the House it is
backed by every member of the Democratic caucus, said
Representative Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House
Oversight Committee. However, the bill may end up going nowhere
as no Republicans currently back the bill, so its prospects are
dim, given Republican control of both houses of Congress.
James Comey: DNC denied FBI direct access to servers during
Russia hacking probe
Washington Times - FBI Director James B. Comey, in his first
public comments since the presidential election, said the bureau
requested but was denied direct access to the Democratic
National Committee’s servers and other hacked devices as part of
its probe of Russian hacking. Providing details Tuesday to the
Senate Intelligence Committee about the bureau’s investigation
into Russian hacks targeting the election, Mr. Comey said the
FBI made “multiple requests” for access but ultimately a private
company was the one to conduct the forensic review and then
shared details about what it found with investigators. “It’s not
the way we would prefer to do the investigation,” Mr. Comey
said. He said he did not know for sure why the DNC did not
provide the FBI direct access to the servers.
Sessions showdown fizzles
Washington Examiner - There was a lot of talk that the Senate
Judiciary Committee's confirmation hearing for attorney
general-designate Jeff Sessions would be an epic showdown....
But the epic showdown just didn't happen. The Democratic
questioners were sluggish and without focus; with one exception,
their questions lacked the sting of an opposition party that
really wants to bring down a nominee. And the protesters — well,
they just didn't bring their A game.... Sessions smoothly
handled questions that might have tripped up a less prepared
nominee.... It's not necessary to go down each line of
questioning in detail, but the bottom line is that few, if any,
laid a glove on Sessions.... Without the votes to win, Democrats
and the activist groups that support them just didn't bring the
energy to the Sessions showdown. The first Senate confirmation
battle of the Trump administration goes to Trump.
Trump puts RFK Jr in charge of new commission on vaccine safety
The Daily Mail - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed his new role
after a meeting at Trump Tower on Tuesday. He said Trump had
asked him to head a commission on 'vaccine safety and scientific
integrity' and that he had agreed to do so. Both Trump and
Kennedy have have raised suspicions about vaccines despite their
overwhelming support among scientists and physicians as a way to
prevent the spread of deadly diseases that can infect infants
and other children when the pool of protected people is
diminished. Kennedy said the purpose would be 'to make sure we
have scientific integrity in the vaccine process for efficacy
and safety effects.'.... 'President-elect Trump has some doubts
about the current vaccine policies and he has questions about
it,' Kennedy told reporters Tuesday. 'His opinion doesn't matter
but the science does matter and we ought to be reading the
science and we ought to be debating the science,' Kennedy added.
'And that everybody ought to be able to be assured that the
vaccines that we have – he's very pro-vaccine, as am I – but
they're as safe as they possibly can be.'.... Kennedy's
appointment marries vaccine skeptics on the left and right,
notwithstanding the widespread scientific consensus on the
benefit of vaccine use on a population. Trump tweeted about
vaccines in 2014: 'Healthy young child goes to doctor, gets
pumped with massive shot of many vaccines, doesn't feel good and
changes – AUTISM. Many such cases!' he wrote. In another 2014
tweet, he wrote: 'Lots of autism and vaccine response. Stop
these massive doses immediately. Go back to single, spread out
shots! What do we have to lose.'
Activists Are Hoping To Turn Donald Trump’s Inauguration On
January 20th Into One Of The Biggest Riots In U.S. History
Economic Collapse Blog - Radical leftists are planning to make
January 20th the most chaotic Inauguration Day in American
history. Their stated goal is to “disrupt” the Inauguration
festivities as much as possible, and they are planning a wide
range of “actions” to achieve that stated goal. Some of the more
moderate groups are using terms such as “civil resistance” and
“civil disobedience”, but others are openly talking about
“blockades”, jumping barricades, throwing projectiles and
“citywide paralysis”.... If you go to refusefascism.org, you
will discover that the protests that they are organizing in
Washington D.C. will begin on January 14th. They say that they
want to “stop the Trump-Pence regime before it starts”, and they
hope to have protests going “every day and every night” without
interruption through at least January 20th. Another group that
plans to kick things off on January 14th is DisruptJ20. Of
course that is short for “Disrupt January 20th”. If you go to
their official website, you will find a long slate of events
that have already been scheduled.... And these protests are not
going to end on January 20th. In fact, abortion advocates are
hoping to get close to a million women into Washington D.C. on
the day following the Inauguration to protest for abortion
rights.
Jury sentences Dylann Roof to death for Emanuel AME Church
massacre
postandcourier.com -The 12-member panel – three white jurors,
nine black – deliberated for a little less than three hours
before unanimously deciding that the 22-year-old white
supremacist should die for his crimes rather than spend his life
in prison without the possibility of parole. It will be up to
the presiding judge to formally impose that sentence, but he is
bound by law to follow the jury’s decision.... After Assistant
U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson delivered a two-hour closing
statement, Roof walked to the podium with a single sheet of
yellow notebook paper. He appeared to read from it, pausing at
times to glance down. His remarks lasted less than five
minutes.... Loved ones of the nine people Roof killed crammed
every seat in one side of the courtroom and listened with quiet
but intense focus as he spoke. None of Roof's family members
attended.
John Kelly promises to speed up deportations
Washington Times - President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to
head the Homeland Security Department vowed Tuesday to “rapidly”
deport illegal immigrants from the U.S. and said the biggest
threat to the country is a still-porous border, as he appeared
before Congress for his confirmation hearing. Retired Marine
Corps Gen. John Kelly chided the Obama administration for giving
“a pass” to most illegal immigrants, and said he believes the
job of the secretary is to enforce the laws on the books, which
includes deporting those who aren’t authorized to be in the U.S....
“I believe that there is a role for traditional prosecutorial
discretion, but we cannot refuse to enforce the laws on the
books,” Gen. Kelly said. The nominee also said a wall should be
part of the mix of border security, backing Mr. Trump’s
signature border security pledge from the campaign.
D.C. Will Create $500K 'Legal Fund' for Migrants
Breitbart - The nation’s capital is planning to use $500,000 to
help migrants circumvent deportation under President-Elect
Donald Trump’s and help pay the legal bills for individuals
looking to apply for asylum. The money will go from the pockets
of Washington D.C.’s taxpayers to the coffers of defense lawyers
who are willing to represent the region’s estimated 25,000
illegal immigrants in court, the Washington Post reported. Mayor
Muriel E. Bowser said her city was “doubling down” on their
sanctuary city status, saying the illegal immigrant population
would be supported by the “legal community.”.... Washington is
not the first in the country to begin a legal fund for migrants.
Los Angeles, California, has started a much more significant
fund, with nearly $10 million expected to be set aside to pay
for the legal expenses of the area’s massive illegal immigrant
population, as Breitbart Texas reported.
Thousands in California and Nevada told to evacuate due to flooding
12160 - Heavy rains and flooding along rivers forced the evacuation of
thousands of people in a California wine making region and an area of
Nevada east of Lake Tahoe on Monday, officials said, with more storms on
the way. Regions of California and Nevada, two states which have
suffered from drought for years, were walloped by storms over the past
week from a weather system called the "Pineapple Express" that sent
moisture streaming from Hawaii. The storms have knocked out power for
more than 570,000 customers of Pacific Gas and Electric in northern and
central California since Saturday, but electricity has been restored to
almost all of them, said company spokesman Tom Schmitz. The storms are
the latest in a wet winter expected to put a considerable dent in
California's years-long drought.... Officials in both California and
Nevada said they were still assessing flood damage on Monday. Over the
past week, the storms brought 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 cm) of rain and
snow to the Sierra Nevada mountains in California and lesser amounts of
precipitation in western Nevada, meteorologist Bob Oravec of the Weather
Prediction Center said by phone.
Viruses, Bacteria in Electrospun Nanofibers Can Be Sprayed on Crops,
Says Academia
Natural Blaze - Academics from Israel, Spain, the US and other places
have been writing papers about putting viruses, bacteria, drugs, and
chemicals into electrospun nanofibers, which can be sprayed on crops,
introduced to water supplies to treat the water, and be used to deliver
medicine. One notable academic figure involved in much of this research
is Prof. Zussman, of Universität Bayreuth. Israeli academics appear to
be prominently involved in this. While these particular papers are not
about biowarfare, could it explain why people report a plastic-like,
electronic smelling odor in the air after noticing spraying in the
skies? Could use of this technology be why people report illness after
they smell that, and after witnessing chemtrails?… Why did they choose
E. Coli and Staph to encapsulate in nanofibers? Another bacteria chosen
was rhizobia, which adds nitrogen to the soil…. The concept of spraying
nanoparticles of aluminum in the stratosphere to allegedly combat
climate change is now well known: rain tests and common sense
observation indicate aluminum, barium nanoparticles are already being
sprayed on us, but the flu like symptoms and other observed effects
after spraying have so far mostly been a mystery. Victims of the elusive
Morgellon’s Disease have reported fibers and strange things coming out
of their skin.
College Forced To Pay Hackers Thousands To Get Data Back
The Daily Caller - A Los Angeles college paid hackers $28,000 to remove
infected software from its computer systems after cybercriminals took
the school’s data hostage. The perpetrators infiltrated the servers of
the Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) and issued ransomware–a type of
infected software designed to take over a computer system and then block
access for the authorized user until a fee is paid.... The Los Angeles
Community College District made the payment after consulting “outside
cybersecurity experts and law enforcement,” according to an official
report of the incident. This isn’t the first time an academic
institution has succumbed to nefarious virtual pressure. The University
of Calgary was forced to pay roughly $15,700 in June to hackers who
infiltrated its information technology systems. But the majority of
cybersecurity experts say it is not advisable to pay cybercriminals when
they take data captive. Two primary reasons are that there is no
guarantee that data will be given back to its rightful owner, and
because there is no assurance that the cybercriminal will not blackmail
the person again–aside from the hacker’s word.
|
Gardening, Farming & Homesteading |
Gangsta Gardener Ron Finley Asks The World For Assistance To
Save His Garden
Activist Post - Ron Finley, affectionately known as the Gangster
Gardener, changes lives with his passion for urban farming, a
task he took on when one day he realized fast-food and
low-quality processed foods were killing his community, South
Central Los Angeles, inflicting far more damage than drugs and
crime.... His efforts have inspired and brought forth a new
generation of gardeners, something the world needs now more than
ever before as biodiversity in food seed is collapsing and
companies like Monsanto and other agrochemical giants are
poisoning the earth and monopolizing the global farming
industry.... The Ron Finley Project (RFP) is headquartered in
Los Angeles, now home to a massive edible community garden and a
center for urban renewal with classrooms and a host of community
projects. The building itself has been sold to a real estate
investment firm and now the project is faced with the choice of
purchasing it or finding a new location, something that would be
a colossal setback for this grassroots movement, and he needs
your help to save it. Over the last few years, the owner of the
RFP property has been battling with the bank and has made
several attempts to receive a loan modification to no avail. The
bank recently foreclosed on the property and sold it to
Strategic Acquisitions Inc. RFP has requested that Strategic
Acquisitions allow them to continue operating from the location
as to sustain with the important work they are doing in the
community. The only solution they have been offered is to
purchase the property, otherwise, face eviction.
10-month-old suddenly suffers 14 seizures a day after receiving
new meningitis vaccine, viral video spreads
(NaturalNews) As reported by the UK’s Daily Mail, Luke Maguire,
25, and Louise McKever, 22, said they’ve taken their son, Bobby,
to the hospital more than 55 times since he received all of his
vaccines this past summer. It’s yet another sad example of
vaccine injury that the ‘mainstream’ media and Big Pharma will
try to sweep under the rug. The Daily Mail noted that the
Bexsero Meningitis B vaccine has been administered to all babies
in the UK since September 2015, and seizures are known to be a
side effect. But the first-time parents say the vaccine has left
their son suffering from other problems as well, including night
terrors, allergies and stomach issues.... Little Bobby is now
undergoing several tests, perhaps to rule out a complex genetic
epilepsy disorder. But one expert in the condition who has seen
the video footage says it is not likely that the seizures are
related to the vaccine. That, of course, is coming from the UK
government. The government’s regulatory agency also said there
was “insufficient evidence” to link the meningitis B vaccine to
the fits. But the parents aren’t buy it.... Maguire said his son
began experiencing his seizures on the very day he received his
eight-week vaccinations, when his temperature spiked suddenly
and “he went floppy and unresponsive.”
Diatomaceous Earth: Safe Supplement that Supports Human
Detoxification and Restores Collagen
Health Impact News -
Diatomaceous earth (DE) is an inexpensive natural compound
with multiple uses. As a food grade powder it can be used to
detox heavy metals, parasites, and microbial pathogens. It also
distributes silica internally. Silica is an important component
of bone matter. So is magnesium, which is to a lesser extent
part of DE. Without silica and magnesium, supplementing calcium
alone is dangerous. Calcium’s assimilation into building bone
matter depends on both silica and magnesium as well as vitamin
D. Without proper assimilation into bone matter, calcium remains
in the blood and can literally calcify in the arteries, creating
arteriosclerosis. DE is known for its ability to safely
eliminate bugs of all types, including bedbugs, from dwellings,
gardens, and small organic farms. It’s safe because it is
non-toxic to humans and animals…. Diatomaceous earth particles
are quite tiny and hard. But food grade DE is crushed into an
extremely fine powder that makes it easy to mix into a solution
with water or juice. There’s only slightly chalky taste and
texture. Yet food grade DE is just abrasive enough to “gently
scrub” the inner walls of our gastrointestinal (GI) tract from
beginning to end without damage to the GI tract. Recommended
dosage from most sources: One teaspoonful mixed well in
water or juice away from food. Then two teaspoonfuls away from
food after feeling comfortable with that. This author has used
tablespoon amounts at times without problems. Note: Avoid
inhaling DE into your lungs or getting it into your eyes. Those
areas may not be so resistant to DE’s mild abrasive qualities.
The powder’s fine dusty quality could invade those areas and
cause harm over time. However, there are no recorded incidents
of eye and lung damage from DE….
UPDATE: Raised for meat in SKorea, dogs head for new homes in USA
Nataly Pak - Demi was one of 10 dogs rescued on Tuesday from a farm in
Wonju, 90 km (55 miles) from the South Korean capital, Seoul, where 200
dogs were being raised for human consumption, to start new lives as pets
under the HSI's campaign. The farm is the sixth that the group has
helped close down in South Korea since 2015, and follows six-months of
negotiations, medical examinations and vaccinations. Because airline
flights can only carry a limited number of dogs a day, it will take a
couple of weeks for HSI to rescue all 200 of the dogs at the farm….
Humane Society International hopes the government will ban the breeding
of dogs for meat ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics to be held in South
Korea. Recently, the mayor of the city of Seongnam, Lee Jae-myung, who
is running for president, ordered the closure of a big dog-meat section
of a city market. Seafood will be sold there instead.
Tuesday - January
10, 2017
Today In History:
1776 - "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine was published.
1870 - John D. Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil.
1901 - Oil was discovered at the Spindletop oil field near Beaumont, TX.
1943 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt sailed from Miami, FL, to
Trinidad thus becoming the 1st American President to visit a foreign
country during wartime.
1946 - The first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly took
place with 51 nations represented.
1957 - Harold Macmillan became prime minister of Britain, following the
resignation Anthony Eden.
1984 - The United States and the Vatican established full diplomatic
relations for the first time in more than a century.
1986 - The uncut version of Jerome Kern’s musical, "Showboat", opened at
the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
1994 - In Manassas, VA, Lorena Bobbitt went on trial. She had been
charged with maliciously wounding her husband John. She was acquitted by
reason of temporary insanity.
2000 - It was announced that Time-Warner had agreed to buy America
On-line (AOL). It was the largest-ever corporate merger priced at $162
billion. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved the deal on
December 14, 2000.
2001 - American Airlines agreed to acquire most of Trans World Airlines
(TWA) assets for about $500 million. The deal brought an end to the
financially troubled TWA.
2003 - North Korea announced that it was withdrawing from the global
nuclear arms control treaty and that it had no plans to develop nuclear
weapons.
2007 - The iTunes Music Store reached 1.3 million feature length films
sold and 50 million television episodes sold.
U.S. Navy ship fired warning shots at Iranian vessels
Reuters - A U.S. Navy destroyer fired three warning shots at
four Iranian fast-attack vessels near the Strait of Hormuz after
they closed in at high speed and disregarded repeated requests
to slow down, U.S. officials said on Monday. The incident, which
occurred on Sunday and was first reported by Reuters, comes as
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office on
Jan. 20. In September, Trump vowed that any Iranian vessels that
harassed the U.S. Navy in the Gulf would be "shot out of the
water." "This was an unsafe and unprofessional interaction, and
that is due to the fact that they were approaching at a high
level of speed with weapons manned and disregarding repeated
warnings," Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a
briefing. The warning shots were fired at the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps boats by the USS Mahan after it
established radio contact but failed to get them to slow down,
Davis said, confirming earlier accounts of U.S. defense
officials. Those officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of
anonymity, said the Iranian vessels came within 900 yards (800
meters) of the Navy destroyer, which was escorting two other
U.S. military ships. The Mahan also fired flares and a U.S. Navy
helicopter also dropped a smoke float before the warning shots,
they said.
Pakistan test-fires first nuclear-capable submarine cruise
missile Babur-3
Times of India - Pakistan on Monday successfully test-fired its
first Submarine-Launched Cruise Missile capable of carrying a
nuclear warhead up to 450km from an undisclosed location in the
Indian Ocean, giving the country a "credible" second-strike
capability, the military said. The missile, Babur-3, was fired
from an underwater, mobile platform and hit its target with
precise accuracy, the Inter Services Public Relations, the media
wing of the Pakistani military said in a statement.... While the
pursuit and now the successful attainment of a second strike
capability by Pakistan represents a major scientific milestone,
it is manifestation of the strategy of measured response to
nuclear strategies and postures being adopted in Pakistan's
neighbourhood, it said, in an obvious reference to India.
Peace Prize Nominated "Humanitarian" White Helmets Stand with
al-Qaeda, Hold Citizens Hostage in Damascus Without Water
The Daily Sheeple - Shortly after the liberation of Aleppo,
al-Qaeda fighters in the Barada Valley outside Damascus dumped
diesel fuel into the water supply to the city on December 22....
the Syrian government is ready to send teams to restore water to
Damascus, the lack of which only punishes civilians and holds a
vast number of people hostage under the possibility of thirst.
Terrorists, however, are denying access to the site and,
instead, are offering to allow teams access the facilities on
the condition that the Syrian military and Hezbollah end their
military siege of the city. In effect, the terrorists are
holding the people of Damascus hostage for military gain....
However, the White Helmets, who typically attempt to stay behind
the scenes (although they have been exposed for doing much more
than mere behind-the-scenes activity), have openly released a
statement of solidarity with al-Qaeda in Barada and Damascus.
Senior Palestinian Official: Moving U.S. Embassy To Jerusalem A
‘Declaration Of War On All Muslims’
Breitbart - If President-elect Donald Trump makes good on his
promise to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, it would be
considered “a declaration of war” on all Muslims, the
Palestinian Authority’s supreme Sharia judge Mahmoud Al-Habbash
declared on Friday. “The new American administration intends to
transfer its embassy to Jerusalem. In a simple, calm, and
rational manner, in clear words that need no explanation and
which are unambiguous: Such a step, for every Muslim, is a
declaration of war on all Muslims,” said Habbash in a Friday
sermon broadcast on the Palestinian Authority’s official
television network. The speech, which was attended by
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, was translated by Israeli
watchdog Palestinian Media Watch. “We are no one’s enemies, and
we do not want to be. We are not enemies of the US and we do not
want to be. However, when something harms our faith and our
existence, we cannot stand by and do nothing,” Habbash, who also
serves as a senior aide to Abbas, said. “Occupied Jerusalem is
our eternal capital, the capital of our existence and the
capital of our state. In politics, there can be compromises here
and there… In politics there can be negotiation. However, in
matters of religion, faith, values, ethics, and history, there
can be no compromises,” he added. Trump’s team has emphasized
that the president-elect is “firmly committed” to transferring
the embassy to Israel’s capital as soon as possible.
US Embassy in Mexico Warns Americans over Security Situation
Pontiac Tribune - The US embassy in Mexico called on US citizens
in Guadalajara to avoid leaving their homes unless highly
necessary following the recent attack on a consular official. A
man injured the consular employee early on Friday. According to
the video released by the US consulate, the perpetrator of the
attack had been waiting for the consular official and started
fire as the latter was driving out of a parking lot.... The
embassy also recommended the US citizens to change their
ordinary pattern of movement to prevent criminals from planning
attacks.
Terror suspects could be forced to wear electronic tags under
radical proposal from German justice minister
The Telegraph - Suspected Islamic extremists could be forced to
wear electronic tags without trial in Germany, under radical new
proposals put forward by the country’s justice minister. Heiko
Maas said he wanted to extend the use of electronic ankle tags
to those deemed a potential terror threat even if they have not
been convicted of any crime. The proposals come as senior
ministers in Angela Merkel’s government prepare to meet on
Tuesday to discuss security reforms in the wake of last month’s
Christmas market terror attack in Berlin, in which 12 people
died. Anis Amri, the attacker, was able to move freely around
Germany despite being identified as a terror threat because
police could not secure enough evidence to arrest him. Mr Maas
called for a “preventive offensive” against the threat from
Islamic extremism. “The use of ankle tags should not be only
available for convicted criminals after release from prison, but
for those identified as a general threat as well,” he said.
Under current German law, electronic tags are only possible for
convicted sex offenders after their release from prison, but Mr.
Maas called for their use to be expanded.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
As Americans Freaked Over Russian Fake News, FBI Quietly
Released New Clinton Investigation Docs
The Free Thought Project - The documents were released Sunday on
the bureau’s website, which has a page dedicated to the
investigation of Hillary Clinton.... The FBI did not make an
announcement related to the release.... The file is 299 pages
and many of the documents are part of the basics of building a
federal case including the preservation of records, evidence
chain of custody, and listing many seized items.... The first
document in the file is the initial report titled “Opening of
Full Investigation on a Sensitive Investigative Matter (SIM),”
which is dated July 10, 2015. It states the investigation is
designated as a SIM because of the “connection to a current
public official, political appointee or candidate,” which kept
the status of the case out of the public domain. The same report
also lists the case as a prohibited investigation, which
receives special classification for counterintelligence
needs.... On page 235 of the documents, the FBI admits the
Office of Inspector General found classified materials on
Clinton’s server. This means the FBI knew about this leak well
before anything was made public — and while Clinton was publicly
denying it the entire time.... The files are also showing signs
of details corroborating some pending theories about Hillary
Clinton’s corruption scandals, as evidenced by internet
forums.... The FBI’s timing in releasing the documents has been
questioned as it comes just days after the full report ordered
by U.S. President Barack Obama to investigate Russian influence
on the election in favor of Donald Trump.
Revealing evidence of Russia's hacking would be 'irresponsible'
State Dept
RT - Asked by RT’s Gayane Chichakyan if Friday’s public
intelligence report should have contained evidence, State
Department spokesman John Kirby said that no one should be
surprised that US intelligence agencies were keeping evidence
secret in order to protect their sources and methods. “Most
American people understand that they have the responsibility to
protect their sources and methods,” Kirby said, adding it would
be “irresponsible” to do otherwise. It is up to the agencies to
decide which information they share with the public. “We rely on
them to make that determination for themselves,” the State
Department spokesman said at Monday's press briefing.... When
Chichakyan brought up the 2003 intelligence assessment on the
Iraqi weapons of mass destruction – invoked by the Bush
administration to justify the US invasion and occupation of that
country – Kirby said the comparison was irrelevant, since that
was a long time ago. “We have moved on. We have learned a lot
from those mistakes,” he said.
Donald Trump musters a heartland army for his inauguration
Washington Times - Gleeful journalists who cackled over the
celebrity boycott of the presidential inauguration must now face
a new phenomenon. President-elect Donald Trump and his staff are
winning praise for their “refreshing” ideas as they return
inaugural culture to its more traditional, less complicated
origins. The event is not supposed to be Woodstock says Boris
Epshteyn, director of communications for the Inaugural
Committee. Mr. Trump himself insists his No. 1 guest is “the
American people,” and appears delighted with the heartland
heroes — all 8,000 of them — who will be with him on Jan. 20,
including Border Patrol officers, police color guards, high
school and university marching bands, Boy Scouts, equestrian
corps, first responders, wounded warriors, veterans, caissons
battalions and pipe and drum corps.
Senate Democrats Prepare For Their 2017 Theatrical Debut As
Confirmation Hearings Loom
Zero Hedge - Starting Tuesday Americans will be subjected to
what will feel like endless hours of torture as Senate Democrats
get their opportunity to question Trump cabinet appointees. The
hearings will undoubtedly focus on the wealth accumulation of
many of his nominees as key Democrats have already started to
apply pressure for them to turnover historical tax filings. That
said, given that Republicans control a 52-48 majority in the
Senate and that Democrats eliminated the 60-vote threshold in
2013, the Democrat theatrical displays this week will ultimately
amount to nothing more than an attempt to discredit and shame
Trump's appointees. As John Cornyn of Texas pointed out,
"[Democrats] can delay the process, they can’t stop it." Of
course, their lack of leverage (due to their own rule changes
which have now come back to haunt them in just 3 short years)
has Senate Democrats "triggered" over Republican efforts to fast
track the nomination approval process. As The Hill notes, Chuck
Schumer seems particularly upset about the amount of work he'll
have to do this week saying “It shouldn’t be the case that 6
hearings occur all on the same day." While all of Trump's picks
will be put through the wringer, a handful, including Rex
Tillerson (Secretary of State), Steve Mnuchin (Secretary of
Treasury), Jeff Session (Attorney General) and Betsy DeVos
(Secretary of Education), are expected to draw the most
criticism from the left.
Feds Admit To Putting Migrants on Planes for U.S. Destinations
Breitbart - Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have
admitted that they are not only releasing illegal immigrants at
bus stations, they are also “identify[ing]” and transporting
them to airports for travel to various destinations within the
country. Officials say these undocumented migrants are from
Central America. The migrants are given notices to appear and
are promising to later reappear before an immigration judge.
Missing from the recent announcement is an explanation of the
types of identification that are being used to board commercial
flights…. The Local 2455 Border Patrol spokesman said that the
planes being used by the migrants were “the same planes that the
American public uses for domestic travel.” Moreover, he said:
Not only are we releasing unknown illegal aliens onto American
streets, but we are allowing them to travel commercially using
paperwork that could easily be reproduced or manipulated on any
home computer. The Notice to Appear form has no photo, anyone
can make one and manipulate one. They do not have any security
features, no watermark, nothing. They are simply printed on
standard copy paper based on the information the illegal alien
says is the truth.
VA employees received millions of dollars in unjustified
incentives
Stars and Stripes - The Department of Veterans Affairs handed
out more than $30 million in employee incentives in one year
without justification, and it will continue to overspend if
changes aren’t made, according to a report released Thursday by
the agency’s internal watchdog.... Inspectors initiated the
investigation after allegations that the department was giving
out too many incentives to VA executives without cause – a
charge Republican lawmakers and VA leaders have quarreled about
in recent years.... Inspectors found $30.7 million of $66
million spent in fiscal 2014 to recruit, relocate or retain
employees was not fully justified. At that rate, they estimated
the VA could give out $158.7 million in unsupported incentives
through September 2019. Inspectors concluded VA officials did
not always confirm the incentives were being used to help fix
workforce gaps or were necessary to recruit and retain
employees. The VA also failed to recoup about $784,000 of
incentives that were awarded on conditions that employees then
did not meet. Inspectors estimated the VA could fail to collect
another nearly $4 million through fiscal 2019.... The findings
were issued about two weeks after Deputy VA Secretary Sloan
Gibson sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers lift spending
restrictions on employee bonuses that were put in place last
year.
Great Again: Apple to expand manufacturing in Arizona...
CNBC News - Amid pressure to build products at home, Apple is
seeking to conduct "high-tech manufacturing" at one of its
American plants, according to a federal government filing. Apple
has requested to make finished products in its facility in Mesa,
Arizona, according to the document, first reported by Business
Insider. Right now, it has permissions to make consumer
electronics components there, the filing said. Mesa first
announced the Apple manufacturing facility in 2013, when there
were expected to be 2,000 jobs created there. In 2015, Apple
said it would invest $2 billion to expand "a command center for
the company's global networks." The company currently has job
postings for "data center site services technicians" in Mesa.
Apple has reportedly been looking to expand its cloud services
to compete with rivals like Amazon and Google, The Information
reported last year. Meanwhile, president-elect Donald Trump has
said as president he would "create the incentives" to get Apple
to "build a big plant in the United States."
Trump Hails Fiat Chrysler's $1 Billion Investment in America
LifeZette - President-Elect Donald Trump celebrated Fiat
Chrysler Automobiles’ Sunday announcement that the company is
investing $1 billion in U.S. manufacturing while creating 2,000
jobs as another pre-inauguration economic victory Monday. Even
though Trump hasn’t assumed the presidency yet, the
president-elect has been hard at work delivering on campaign
promises to fight for U.S. workers, revitalizing the economy and
bringing jobs back to the country. After Fiat Chrysler made its
announcement Sunday, Trump lauded the move and expressed his
optimism for the future of American auto manufacturing.... In
its announcement, Fiat Chrysler said it would invest the $1
billion in revamping the two plants in the Midwest states. The
company also plans to manufacture new Jeeps and a new pickup
truck at the facilities, and indicated that it may halt
production of its Ram model in Mexico and move it to Michigan,
according to Reuters.
Fiat CEO Warns May Shut All Mexico Production If Trump Tariff
Too High
Zero Hedge - Agree with his proposed policies or not, it's
difficult to argue that Trump is delivering on his promises to
the autoworkers of the Midwest who single-handedly voted him
into the White House. Before even taking office, the mere threat
of import tariffs has caused Ford to cancel the construction of
a $1.6 billion new facility in Mexico, and has automotive CEO's
from Toyota to Chrysler walking on eggshells as they carefully
try to flaunt all of the capital investments they're making in
U.S.-based facilities. While likely secretly hoping for the
status quo, Fiat Chrysler's U.S. CEO, Sergio Marchionne,
admitted earlier today that if Trump's import tariffs are
"sufficiently large" he would be forced to shutter all of his
manufacturing capacity in Mexico as it would be rendered
"uneconomical.".... As it turns out, purchasing 18mm cars per
year, even if those purchases are fueled by a massive subprime
auto lending bubble, affords the U.S. some leverage on where
those vehicles are manufactured. And, as Marchionne points out,
the manufacturing capacity in Mexico was specifically designed
and tooled to manufacture vehicles for the U.S. market which
means that attempts to "re-purpose" the facilities for the
export market would almost certainly be uneconomical.... And
with America's United Auto Workers making just over 7x what
comparable workers make to build the same products in Mexico, we
suspect car shoppers in the U.S. should get accustomed to pay a
little more for their Ford Focus or Chevy Cruze.
GM Lied To The Public And To Trump About Where Chevrolet Cruze
Sedans Sold In The USA Are Assembled
Zero Hedge - On Tuesday, president-elect Trump tweeted about
General Motors, stating the GM was building its Chevrolet Cruze
in Mexico, importing them to the US tax-free, and selling them
at US car dealers. GM quickly denied Trump’s tweet, and in a
press release that same day, the company claimed that all Cruze
sedans sold in the US are “built in GM’s assembly plant in
Lordstown, Ohio”, and that GM builds the Cruze hatchback for
global markets in Mexico, with only a small percentage being
sold in the US…and the MSM and other liberal outlets were quick
to pounce on GM’s statement, using it to slander the
president-elect. ... So, who did the fact-checking work that the
MSM didn’t bother doing? Auto enthusiast and Twitter user E.W.
Niedermeyer, that’s who. …Niedermeyer quickly got to the
nitty-gritty of his argument, noting the the VIN sequence (3G1)
used at the beginning of GM cars made in Mexico……and finally,
Niedermeyer provided evidence on where the autos sold in the US
were built.... GM is selling Cruze sedans manufactured in
Mexico, in the same Ohio town that builds Cruze sedans. And at
the same time, GM is brazen enough to say it doesn’t sell Cruze
sedans built in Mexico in the US.... And GM did so in the face
of the president-elect of the United States accusing the company
of building Cruze sedans in Mexico, shipping them to America
tax-free, and selling them in your local dealerships.... If you
think GM is somehow more credible than Trump, recall that this
isn’t exactly the first time the auto maker has been caught
lying.... But the MSM gleefully took GM at their word, using any
chance it could get to refer to the president-elect as a
dangerous, reckless liar, when a simple fact-check has shown GM
was falsifying the truth, not Trump.
Seafood Companies Sue For Requiring They Track Every Fish
The Daily Caller - Under the rules from the National Marine
Fisheries Service, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, companies would have to prove where each fish or
cut of meat came from, down to the ship that caught it or the
farm that raised it. Fish sellers would be required to show the
origin for 13 of the most popular fish species — including most
types of tuna fish, crabs and cod — and when the seafood arrived
at U.S. customs stations.... Seafood fraud occurs when a company
intentionally mislabels a fish as a different species, either to
fetch a higher price or conceal illegal fishing, according to
Oceana, an environmental group that supports the regulations....
“These changes to food processing practices in every nation
would reduce exports into the United States and would
dramatically increase the cost of catching, processing and
importing seafood,” the lawsuit alleged. The National Fisheries
Institute is committed to fighting seafood fraud, which
according to an Oceana report, accounts for one-fifth of seafood
sold in the U.S., but disagrees that the rule as written will do
more help than harm. The lawsuit claims that the government’s
own studies have shown most seafood fraud occurs within the
border, “even though many U.S. importers subject imported
seafood to DNA testing to preclude fraud at the border.”
U.S. should pursue controversial GeoEngineering research, federal
scientists say for first time
˘The Liberty Beacon -The U.S. government office that oversees federally
funded climate research has recommended studies into two areas of
geoengineering research, marking the first time scientists in the
executive branch have formally called for studies in the controversial
field. The move, part of a climate science planning report sent today to
Congress, will likely further normalize discussion of deliberate
tinkering with the atmosphere to cool the planet, and of directly
collecting carbon from the sky, both topics once verboten in the climate
science community. Yet the new endorsement of geoengineering research
comes amid deep uncertainty about the direction that climate research
will take under the new administration of President-elect Donald
Trump.... The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), which
produced the report, coordinates climate research across 13 departments
and agencies. Currently, none expressly supports geoengineering
research, though federal climate science officials have been quietly
reviewing the idea for the entirety of the Obama administration. In
2009, in his first public interview after receiving Senate confirmation
for the job of White House science adviser, John Holdren said he had
discussed the controversial idea in his new position. A kerfuffle
followed over whether the White House was “considering” geoengineering
or not. In the aftermath, federal scientists rarely broached the topic
publicly, though influential institutions like the Royal Society in the
United Kingdom, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering,
and Medicine, and the House of Representatives science committee
subsequently called for government-funded geoengineering research.
New Study Links Neonicotinoid Pesticide To Negative Social Behavior In
Bees
Natural Blaze - While an increasing number of countries, particularly in
Europe, have taken action against neonicotinoids, the U.S. stubbornly
clings to their widespread use. This is happening even as the bumblebee
has been put on the endangered species list in the U.S. for the first
time. A new study has looked beyond what is documented to be a lethal
level of pesticide exposure for bees and has found disturbing changes in
bee behavior at sublethal levels. These effects, while not as dramatic
as millions of bees instantly dropping dead, hint at a more insidious
consequence of spraying. A team of researchers with the Planetary Health
Alliance at Harvard University noted that bees exposed to one type of
neonicotinoid called imidacloprid experienced dramatic changes in the
way they socialized within their hive. Essentially, they abandoned their
responsibilities and withdrew from interaction, even with protective
care and foraging…. This inability to attend to even the most basic
functions that ensure the survival of future generations should sound a
new alarm over the potential loss of such a key component of the
ecosystem upon which human beings depend.
Feds may let Playpen child porn suspect go to keep concealing their
source code
Ars Technica - In United States v. Michaud, Jay Michaud of Vancouver,
Washington allegedly logged on to Playpen in 2015. But unbeknownst to
him at that point, federal investigators were temporarily operating the
site for 13 days before shutting it down. As authorities controlled
Playpen, the FBI deployed a sneaky piece of software (a "network
investigative technique (NIT)," dubbed by many security experts as
malware), which allowed them to reveal Playpen users’ true IP addresses.
With that information in hand, identifying those suspects became
trivial. Since being apprehended, some of the Playpen defendants
immediately took plea deals. Others have challenged the government's NIT
and the single out-of-district warrant that authorized its use. In this
case, US District Judge Robert Bryan eventually ordered the government
to hand over the NIT's source code. Since that May 2016 order, the
government has classified the source code itself, thwarting efforts for
criminal discovery in more than 100 Playpen-related cases that remain
pending. In June 2016, prosecutors began the appeals process to the 9th
US Circuit Court of Appeals, but they ultimately decided to abandon
Michaud at the higher court.
This Underground Survival Community Proves Preppers “Don’t Just
Survive, They Thrive”
Amanda Froelich - In an unsuspecting location exists the world’s
largest survival community, where doomsday preppers can invest
in an eco-friendly bunker for just $25,000. In one of the most
unassuming locations exists the world’s largest survival
community, complete with 575 off-grid doomsday bunkers. Near the
southern edge of Edgemont, South Dakota (population 740), the
Vivos xPoint community can be found. Survivalists who wish to
prepare for the worst can lease an off-grid bunker in a
high-security area for $25,000. Additionally, there is a $1,000
per year ground lease that extends for 99 years. The survival
community was once an Army depot that used to store ammunition
and bombs from 1942 to 1967. Now, it exists as a potential
refuge located about 100 miles from the “nearest known military
nuclear targets.” In the case of WWIII, a zombie apocalypse, or
(more likely) an economic collapse, at least 5,000 people can
find security while the world falls apart. According to Vivos,
each bunker can endure a 500,000-pound internal blast – just to
be safe. Each bunker, which is approximately 1,800 to 2,400
square feet, is covered by a berm. Inside, residents will find
life-sustaining resources, including water which can be acquired
via two wells and is stored in reinforced concrete tanks. The
company claims 10 to 20 people can subsist in a bunker for an
entire year. And, those who lease a spot in the community can
hire a contractor to outfit the shelter however they please.
Why Are Nurses and Healthcare Workers Across the U.S. Refusing
Mandatory Flu Vaccines?
Health Impact News - Dr. Meryl Nass, M.D., a 36-year career
board certified internal medicine practitioner in Maine, has
written extensively about vaccine safety and vaccine policy. She
is most well-known for her work with hundreds of Gulf War
Veterans who became ill after receiving the anthrax vaccine. Her
most recent research has uncovered new information about a
nationally imposed flu vaccine policy for healthcare workers.
This policy also affects patients at hospitals and in pediatric
practices, and general practitioners who are being lobbied,
cajoled and sometimes deceived into getting flu vaccines. Dr.
Nass discovered that the Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs)
established by Medicare and organizations like the National
Quality Forum, a federally established, public-private health
quality assessment organization are created for the purpose of
enforcing policies that are selected as “quality improvement”
measures, whether or not they improve care or lower costs. They
are surrogate measures that can then be used to get institutions
to either comply or lose millions of dollars in reimbursements
(up to 4% of acute care hospitals’ total Medicare
reimbursements). The more employees and patients vaccinated, the
higher the reimbursement rate…. This is evidently not so much a
health policy, but a transactional policy: mandates are being
forced upon employees so that hospitals will reap financial
gain. Simply put, your practitioners’ health and autonomy are
being used as a bartering tool to increase Medicaid and Medicare
reimbursements, which can determine whether a hospital has a
profit and loss when margins are slim.
Groundbreaking Study Shows Roundup Herbicide Causes Liver
Disease at Low Doses
Sustainable Pulse - This study is unique in that it is the first
to show a causative link between consumption of Roundup at a
real-world environmental dose and a serious disease condition.
Dr. Antoniou stated Monday; “The findings of our study are very
worrying as they demonstrate for the first time a causative link
between an environmentally relevant level of Roundup consumption
over the long-term and a serious disease – namely non-alcoholic
fatty liver disease. Our results also suggest that regulators
should reconsider the safety evaluation of glyphosate-based
herbicides.” The results of this study demonstrate that
long-term consumption of an ultra-low, environmentally relevant
dose of Roundup at a glyphosate daily intake level of only 4
nanograms per kilogram of body weight per day, which is 75,000
times below EU and 437,500 below US permitted levels, results in
non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD currently
affects 25% of the US population. Risk factors include being
overweight or obese, having diabetes, high cholesterol or high
triglycerides in the blood. Rapid weight loss and poor eating
habits also may lead to NAFLD. However, some people develop
NAFLD even if they do not have any risk factors. Symptoms
include fatigue, weakness, weight loss, loss of appetite,
nausea, abdominal pain, spider-like blood vessels, yellowing of
the skin and eyes (jaundice), itching, fluid build-up and
swelling of the legs (edema) and abdomen (ascites), and mental
confusion. NAFLD can progress to the more serious condition
non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
Medicinal mushrooms boost immune function and prevent cancer
(NaturalHealth365) The main way medicinal mushrooms fight cancer
is through their ability to boost your immune system. In fact,
reishi extract from the reishi mushroom contains known
anti-cancer compounds, and it is registered with the government
for its anticancer abilities. Three decades of research have
substantiated medicinal mushrooms as having cancer-fighting and
tumor-shrinking properties. Cancer cell growth and tumor growth
seems to be inhibited by the compounds that medicinal mushrooms
contain. The extract of reishi mushrooms has been studied
extensively for its properties as an immune system booster. It
is believed it enhances immune functioning due to its ability to
increase the body’s production of the compound interleukin 1 and
2. Medicinal mushrooms like the reishi also lower blood
pressure, protect the liver, reduce inflammation and pain, and
naturally kill viruses. Cordyceps is another medicinal mushroom
that can help boost your immune system and prevent cancer.
Cordyceps mushrooms are stimulating to the immune system and
help to raise levels of natural cancer killing cells including T
cells. The long tradition of Chinese medicine considers
cordyceps mushrooms enhancing to the longevity of white blood
cells, which are instrumental in fighting and preventing cancer.
Other beneficial medicinal mushrooms include shitake mushrooms,
sometimes called “Elixir of Life.” These mushrooms are used in
miso soup and are known to help reduce cholesterol levels when
eaten regularly. Shitake mushrooms contain lentinan, a known
immune system booster and virus inhibitor. Shitake mushrooms
also contain AHCC, a glucan which can treat and prevent cancer
by boosting the immune system.
5 Headache-Curing Herbs Your Ancestors Used
Off the Grid News - Here are the top 5 herbs that have been used
for ages to stop headaches, before pharmacies, before pills, and
certainly before your boss was born! 1. Willow - The bark from
willow trees has a long history of pain relief, and not just for
headaches. Extracts from white willow bark was used by the
pioneers in the 1800s, but the Native people of America used it
well before that. Willow bark contains a compound, salicin,
which your body will convert into salicylic acid, known to you
and I as aspirin. 2. Ginger - It can be purchased in capsule
form, but the quickest way to relieve headaches — and the one
our ancestors used — was to put a half dozen thin slices of
fresh ginger root in two cups of water and boil it as a tea.
Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes and drink after it has cooled a bit.
3. Feverfew - This ancient herb, best known for reducing fevers,
is a terrific choice for migraines as it not only reduces pain
but is known to help alleviate nausea and sensitivity to light.
The leaves and flowers contain a compound that cause the blood
vessels to dilate….
Monday - January
9, 2017
Today In History:
1793 - Jean-Pierre Blanchard made the first successful balloon flight in
the U.S.
1788 - Connecticut became the 5th state to join the United States.
1799 - British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduced income
tax, at two shillings (10p) in the pound, to raise funds for the
Napoleonic Wars.
1848 - The first commercial bank was established in San Francisco, CA.
1861 - The state of Mississippi seceded from the United States.
1929 - The Seeing Eye was incorporated in Nashville, TN. The company's
purpose was to train dogs to guide the blind.
1936 - The United States Army adopted the semi-automatic rifle.
1940 - Television was used for the first time to present a sales meeting
to convention delegates in New York City.
1951 - The United Nations headquarters officially opened in New York
City.
1986 - Kodak got out of the instant camera business after 10 years due
to a loss in a court battle that claimed that Kodak copied Polaroid
patents.
1991 - U.S. secretary of state Baker and Iraqi foreign minister Aziz met
for 61/2 hours in Geneva, but failed to reach any agreement that would
forestall war in the Persian Gulf.
2002 - The U.S. Justice Department announced that it was pursuing a
criminal investigation of Enron Corp. The company had filed for
bankruptcy on December 2, 2001.
2003 - Archaeologists announced that they had found five more chambers
in the tomb of Qin Shihuang, China's first emperor. The rooms were
believed to cover about 750,000 square feet.
2007 - Steve Jobs, Apple Inc.'s CEO, announced the first generation
iPhone.
100’s of US tanks, heavy equipment flows into Europe to counter
‘Russian aggression’
RT - The Resolve cargo ship arrived on Wednesday, while two more
vessels – Freedom and Endurance – are expected in Germany on
Sunday, Deutsche Welle reported. The unloading of the ships
began on Friday, with the heavy equipment to be transported to
Poland via rail and road. The US plans to deliverer a total of
87 Abrams M1A1 tanks, 20 Paladin artillery vehicles and 136
Bradley fighting vehicles to Eastern Europe, according to
Reuters. Four thousand American troops will reportedly be spread
across Poland, the Baltic States, Bulgaria and Romania where
they’ll remain on rotation basis. Polish and US troops are
scheduled to hold joint “massing” drills in Poland later this
month, which NATO says is aimed at reassuring its European
allies in the face of what it calls aggressive Russian behavior.
The 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, with 50 Black Hawk
helicopters, 10 CH-47 Chinook helicopters and 1,800 personnel,
as well as a separate aviation battalion with 400 troops and 24
Apache helicopters are also scheduled for deployment in Eastern
Europe.... NATO calls it military buildup near Russia’s borders
a defensive measure, claiming it is justified after Moscow’s
reunion with Crimea in 2014 and its alleged involvement in the
Ukrainian crisis. Russia views the military bloc’s actions
aggressive and said the massive military is undermining the
security balance on the European continent.
Turkey let ISIS get bomb supplies, former counterterror official
says
Washington Times - Although Ankara denies it ever allowed
private companies to supply the terrorist group, Ahmet S. Yayla,
who held high-level Turkish law enforcement posts from 2010 to
2014, said the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had
a clandestine policy to facilitate cross-border transfers of
explosive materials to the group. “Police were told to close
their eyes when large shipping container trucks rolled across
the Syrian border with Turkey,” Mr. Yayla told The Washington
Times. “The protocol was that if national intelligence was
arranging the movement, there was [no] stopping for inspection.”
Mr. Yayla, an adjunct professor at George Mason University and
an outspoken critic of the Turkish government, made the
assertions amid growing scrutiny of Ankara’s suspected role in
arming the Islamic State... Turkish diplomats strenuously denied
the charges during a half-hour meeting at the Turkish Embassy
late last month.... In a national address this week after the
New Year’s massacre at an Istanbul nightclub claimed by the
Islamic State, Mr. Erdogan strongly rejected charges that his
government aided the jihadi terrorist group operating in
neighboring Iraq and Syria.... But a report last month by the
Britain-based tracking group Conflict Armament Research said
terrorists operating out of numerous workshops and factories in
the Mosul area produced tens of thousands of mortar rounds,
rockets and improvised explosive devices using precursor
materials originating in Turkish factories.
Turkey agrees to withdraw its troops illegally stationed in Iraq
Almasdar News - Following the announcement of a meeting between
Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Prime Minister
Haider al-Abadi, the two counterparts have agreed for the total
withdrawal of all Turkish soldiers illegally stationed in the
Bashiqa region near Mosul. Iraqi television quoted al-Abadi
confirming an agreement reached with Turkey on the withdrawal of
Turkish troops from northern Iraq.Turkish Prime Minister Ben Ali
Yildirim is expected to also meet President Fuad Masum and
Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jubouri following his meeting with
Abadi, as well as community leaders of Iraq's Turkmen minority.
The deployment of Turkish troops near Mosul caused a political
showdown between the two states, with the Iraqi Popular
Mobilization Units vowing to rid Iraq of Turkish troops after
defeating ISIS. Iraq also considered its options of attacking
the illegally stationed Turkish troops.
US State Dept. wants Gambia Embassy families to evacuate as
president refuses to give up power
RT - The US has ordered the evacuation of embassy personnel
families from Gambia, as tensions heat up ahead of the end of
President Yahya Jammeh’s term.... A statement from the US State
Department also warned Americans not to travel to Gambia,
“because of the potential for civil unrest and violence in the
near future.” Advising families of embassy staff to leave the
country, the statement said that those who choose to stay should
“prepare for the possible deterioration of security.” The
long-time president lost his position to opposition candidate
Adama Barrow on December 1. While Jammeh had initially accepted
the result, he later called for a new vote, leading to
widespread international criticism. The transition of power is
set to take place on January 19, as Jammeh’s cabinet failed to
get the Supreme Court to declare the election results null and
void. A final ruling is expected on January 10, with everyone
bracing for possible violence.... This was supposed to be the
first peaceful transition of power in West Africa since 1965,
after the British gave up the former colony.
Truck Rams Into Pedestrians In Jerusalem Killing Four, Wounding
15; Driver Shot (Video)
Zero Hedge - A truck rammed into a group of Israeli soldiers who
were disembarking from a bus in Jerusalem on Sunday, killing
four people and wounding 15 others, AP reported citing Israeli
police and rescue services said. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri
said the truck veered off course and rammed into the group on
the street at the Armon Hanatziv promenade overlooking the
walled Old City of Jerusalem.... Israel's rescue service MDA
said the four casualties were in their 20s and included three
women and a man. Of the 15 wounded, one was in serious
condition.... An Israeli bus driver who witnessed the incident
said on the radio the truck plowed into a group of soldiers, and
that they fired on the driver, who reversed direction and ran
over them again. "They shot him, until they neutralized him,"
said the bus driver, who gave his name only as Moshe....
Israel's police chief Roni Alsheich told reporters the attacker
was from an Arab neighborhood in east Jerusalem and forces had
no advance warning. He refused to elaborate and a gag order was
placed on further details pending an investigation. According to
a Times of Israel reporter, Hamas's Qassam brigades say
Jerusalem attacker, Fadi al-Qanbar, was a released prisoner.
Call him a "Mujahid." The Sunday attack, reminiscent of the
recent truck-ramming at the Berlin Christmas market which took
place in December and was perpetrated by an ISIS-supporter,
would rank as one of the deadliest in a more than yearlong wave
of Palestinian shooting, stabbing and vehicular attacks against
Israelis that had slowed of late. Sunday's incident marks the
first Israeli deaths in three months.
Gunman shoots, wounds US consular official in Mexico
AP - The Attorney General's Office said the official was wounded
in the attack Friday in Guadalajara. The city is the capital of
Jalisco state, which is dominated by the hyper-violent Jalisco
New Generation cartel. There was no immediate evidence of any
cartel link to the attack.... Surveillance video of the attack
shows the gunman following the official in a parking garage. The
official, whose name was not released, was dressed in shorts.
The attacker doesn't appear to try to approach the official
while he is walking, but instead waits for him to exit the
parking garage in his vehicle and fires a round into the car's
windshield. The consulate said on its Facebook page that the FBI
is offering a $20,000 reward for information on the attacker.
Guadalajara is Mexico's second largest city and is not
specifically singled out for any special precautions in the
latest U.S. travel warning updated on Dec. 8. The U.S. Embassy
in Mexico City said that for privacy reasons no further
information would be made available on the victim, including his
condition.
Government Will Not Request Prison Sentence for 'Child Migrant'
Who Raped 5 Year-Old Boy
Breitbart London - The Attorney-General’s Office (AGO) will not
request a prison sentence for a [15-year-old] “child migrant”
who raped a 5 year-old boy in late 2015, Breitbart London has
established. The migrant, who told the boy he would “break him
into pieces” if he told anyone about the attack, was handed a
non-custodial, three-year rehabilitation order by Judge Jonathan
Bennett.... Any member of the public can request that the Law
Officers of England and Wales appeal sentences of this nature
under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme. Breitbart London
reported last November that at least one unknown member of the
public had done so in this case. However, the AGO has since told
Breitbart London that Tory MP Robert Buckland, the
Solicitor-General, has “carefully reviewed the papers” and
“concluded that if the sentence imposed on the offender was
referred to the Court of Appeal, the Court would not increase
the sentence”.... The original sentence was just one of a series
of rulings which have encouraged accusations that the judiciary
are “out of touch” with the ordinary public, with some calling
for judges to be subject to retention elections, as in Japan and
several American states.... Criticism of the judiciary reached
fever pitch following a controversial ruling in the High Court
which deemed that MPs should have the final say over whether or
not the UK leaves the European Union (EU), a move which saw
senior judges branded “enemies of the people”. Furthermore, the
courts have proven keener to resort to imprisonment for offenses
which are seemingly much less serious but judged to be “racially
or religiously-motivated” in character.
Norwegian Murderer Of 77 Wins Verdict For "Inhumane" Prison
Treatment
Gateway Pundit - Anders Breivik, the most prolific murderer in
Norway’s history, was imprisoned after killing 77 people in a
gun attack in 2011. In April of 2016 Breivik won an ‘inhumane
conditions’ verdict for being kept in “inhumane and degrading”
conditions. What exactly were the “inhumane and degrading”
conditions that Breivik was experiencing? Cold coffee, Frozen
microwave dinners, Plastic cups and plates, Regular use of
handcuffs, “humiliating” strip searches, Being denied
opportunities to meet other Nazis, Being denied a chance to
marry a Nazi, Being banned from publishing books he has written.
From Yahoo: "A Norwegian court will on Tuesday examine the
state’s appeal against a ruling that right-wing extremist and
mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik has been treated inhumanely
since being jailed for killing 77 people nearly six years ago. A
lower court made waves in April when it found that Breivik’s
human rights were violated as he was subjected to “inhumane” and
“degrading” treatment in prison — a decision that disturbed many
families of the victims, mostly teenagers at a summer island
camp.".... Perhaps the most outrageous part of this case is the
actual prison sentence that Anders Breivik received. Breivik is
serving only a 21 year sentence for murdering 77 people and
injuring over 300 in a bombing and shooting attack.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
You're fired!' Donald Trump to sack Obama's diplomats
The Duran - Reports coming out of Washington say that Donald
Trump has unilaterally told all Obama US ambassadors abroad,
‘you’re fired’. This comes after Obama’s expulsion of Russian
diplomatic officials and their families just prior to western
Christmas. The New York Times first reported that a State
Department cable was sent to all ambassadors on December 23
informing them they have to vacate their posts by Jan. 20
“without exceptions.” Trump has been taking to Twitter to
express his consternation over Obama’s campaign of hatred
against Russia in his final weeks in power. By sacking many
Obama appointed diplomats, Trump is both symbolically and
materially taking the wind out of the foreign policy sails of
the Democrats. The move however has implications beyond the tit
for tat psychological war being waged between a lame-duck Obama
and the President-elect. Trump had long derided Obama for
rewarding important diplomatic positions to those who gave
substantial financial contributions to his campaign. Famously,
Trump mocked Obama for making Caroline Kennedy the US Ambassador
to Japan because ‘she was bored’.
In Stunning Last Minute Power Grab, Obama Designates Election
Systems As "Critical Infrastructure"
Zero Hedge - The statement from DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson
defines “election infrastructure” as “storage facilities,
polling places, centralized vote tabulations locations, voter
registration databases, voting machines” and all "other systems"
to manage the election process...so pretty much everything....
Of course, it’s likely not a coincidence that the DHS made this
announcement just hours after the "intelligence community"
declassified their "Russian Hacking" propaganda which basically
noted that RT has a very effective social media distribution
platform while once again providing absolutely no actual
evidence. Johnson’s statement goes on to note that while many
“state and local election officials are opposed to this
designation” he went ahead with his decision anyway…. Of course,
one of the most vocal opponents of this move has been Georgia
Secretary of State Brian Kemp who recently told Politico it is
nothing more than an attempt to "subvert the Constitution to
achieve the goal of federalizing elections under the guise of
security.” During an earlier interview with the site Nextgov,
Kemp warned: "The question remains whether the federal
government will subvert the Constitution to achieve the goal of
federalizing elections under the guise of security." Kemp told
POLITICO he sees a “clear motivation from this White House” to
expand federal control, citing Obama’s health care law, the
Dodd-Frank financial-reform legislation and the increased role
of the Education Department in local schools. To some election
officials, this sounds like the first stage of a more intrusive
plan. “I think it’s kind of the nose under the tent,” said
Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos, a Democrat. “What I think
a lot of folks get concerned about [is] when the federal
government says, ‘Well, look, we’re not really interested in
doing that, but we just want to give you this,’ and then all of
a sudden this leads to something else.’
Trump Demands Investigation into Potentially Classified NBC
Leaks
LifeZette - Late Friday morning, Trump tweeted: “I am asking the
chairs of the House and Senate committees to investigate top
secret intelligence shared with NBC prior to me seeing it.”....
The leaks to NBC first caught Trump's eye on Thursday night,
when he asked how the organization was reportedly getting the
names of Russian hackers who allegedly hacked Democratic email
accounts. "How did NBC get 'an exclusive look into the top
secret report he (Obama) was presented'?" Trump asked on
Twitter. "Who gave them this report and why? Politics!".... It
would be a serious violation of federal law if such classified
information were leaked to the media, especially by government
officials. By Friday, almost at noon, Trump had had enough, and
asked Congress to investigate leaks.
5,000 National Guard troops will be deployed for Trump swearing
in
Washington Examiner - Mayor Muriel Bowser said despite increased
security concerns, the city is prepared and ready for the event,
she said Friday at a press conference with U.S. Secret Service
and other security forces…. In addition to the 5,000 National
Guard troops being deployed in the city, 3,000 security officers
from multiple jurisdiction will also be on the ground, according
to security officials…. The city's interim police chief, Peter
Newsham, said the city is ready for all contingencies and is
monitoring social media to track activists and others looking to
disrupt the 58th inauguration. "Some folks that are indicating
on social media that they're coming to shut down the
inauguration or the events," Police Chief Newsham said. "[It] is
something that we will be prepared for." The inauguration will
cost the city $30 million, with $19 million appropriated by
Congress, according to the mayor. Bowser expects the remainder
to be reimbursed by the federal government.
Jill Stein's Recount Effort Was A Failure, But Not A Financial
One
Western Journalism - Stein used an online campaign to raise more
than $7 million to help pay for the recounts.... The state of
Wisconsin estimated it would need $3.5 million to pay for the
recount. But because each of Wisconsin’s 72 counties were
allowed to determine whether they wanted to use machines to
recount votes as opposed to hand tallies, most used the faster
machine counts. As a result, the cost of the recount was closer
to $2 million. So Stein will receive a refund of approximately
$1.5 million from Wisconsin. The cost to recount the votes in
Michigan was paid up front by Stein. Michigan charged $125 per
precinct for each of the states 7,786 precincts, for a total of
$973,250. But by the time the recount was stopped by the court,
a little more than 3,000 precincts had been recounted at a cost
of $381,250. This means Stein is due a reimbursement in Michigan
in the amount of $592,000.... Stein said she plans on using the
reimbursements to fund a new “voter integrity” group.
CNN Sara Ganim caught laughing at Chicago torture video
Media Circus - At first, CNN simply ignored the Chicago torture
of a special needs white man by four black leftist thugs. Then,
they had to report on it because the story and outrage grew
bigger and bigger. Now, it appears CNN is laughing at the
special needs man being tortured by four leftist black thugs. At
least Sara Ganim of CNN is laughing at it. Check out this video
of Ganim caught laughing when she thought the camera was off
here, then regaining composure when she realizes she on live
with Wolf Blitzer.
Ft. Lauderdale shooting suspect said US intelligence forced him
to watch ISIS videos
Fox News - Estaban Santiago, the 26-year-old airline passenger
accused of shooting up a baggage claim area at the Ft.
Lauderdale-Hollywood airport Friday, leaving five dead and eight
injured, visited the FBI Anchorage field office and told
officers he was being forced to watch ISIS videos, law
enforcement sources told Fox News. The visit took place last
November. The sources said Santiago told agents that US
intelligence had infiltrated his mind and were forcing him to
watch ISIS propaganda videos. “In November 2016, Esteban
Santiago walked into the Anchorage FBI Field Office to report
that his mind was being controlled by a U.S. intelligence
agency,” a senior federal law enforcement official said. “During
the interview, Santiago appeared agitated and incoherent, and
made disjointed statements. Although Santiago stated that he did
not wish to harm anyone, as a result of his erratic behavior,
interviewing agents contacted local authorities who took custody
of Santiago and transported him to a local medical facility for
evaluation. The FBI closed its assessment of Santiago after
conducting database reviews, interagency checks, and interviews
of his family members,” the official added. The sources also
said the November interaction with Santiago prompted the FBI to
open an investigation on him that led to interviews with family
members, database checks and an interagency review. The sources
told Fox that the FBI found no connections to foreign terror
organizations. At a late night news conference Friday, George
Piro, special agent in charge of the FBI's Miami divison, said
authorities were pursuing all leads and had not ruled out
terrorism - or anything else. Santiago's past has included a
series of run-ins with the law in recent years. Almost exactly a
year ago, he was charged with fourth-degree assault and damage
of property in Anchorage, Alaska where he lived from 2014 to
2016. One of the charges was dismissed by the local prosecutor
two months later, according to records found by Foxnews.com.
Santiago's involvement in a domestic violence case was
confirmed.
* Related:
Official: FLL shooter told FBI that gov’t controlled his mind
CNN LABELS Fort Lauderdale AIRPORT SHOOTER ‘WHITE HISPANIC’
International Business Times - After Esteban Santiago, the
alleged shooter who killed five people at the Fort
Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport Friday, was labeled “white
Hispanic,” Twitter discussed the meaning of the term…. The label
“white Hispanic” describes a person who physically appears
white, but is of “Latin American or Hispanic birth or heritage,”
the Huffington Post wrote in 2013. So, a person can be white and
Hispanic because white is a race and Hispanic is an ethnicity.
The discussion over Santiago’s race versus ethnicity is similar
to the one that happened with George Zimmerman, the man who
fatally shot Trayvon Martin Feb. 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida.
CNN came under fire after they labeled him a “white Hispanic,”
with many claiming the term was about political bias.
Baltimore in 'Crisis' Due to Officer Shortage After Months of
Anti-Police Policies
Breitbart - As officers retire, others quit, and as budget cuts
and policy changes affect still more, it appears that few new
recruits are lining up as replacements.... Police morale is also
at an all-time low in the city as officers have quit in droves
even as the murder rate soars. Baltimore ended 2016 with the
second-highest number of murders per capita in its history,
reports say. Meanwhile, the number of officers dropped another
6.1 percent in 2016. Since 2014, the force has seen hundreds of
officers leave the job. At the end of 2014, the city had a
2,805-officer force, but there were only 2,634 officers at the
end of 2015. By the closing days of 2016, that number had fallen
to 2,445 officers, according to Yahoo News. Not only has
political pressure due to various department prosecutions hit
morale hard, but budget cuts, even in the face of rising crime,
have also put a crimp in the department. With the political and
media scrutiny, Baltimore officers have felt like they are
“walking on eggshells.”.... The worst pressure began after the
death of suspect Freddie Gray in 2015. The man’s death while in
police custody sparked months of riots and property destruction,
all masking a sharp rise in crime rates, including murder.
Kathryn Steinle's Family Gets Go-Ahead to Sue Federal Government
Breitbart - U.S. Magistrate Joseph Spero said Steinle’s parents
can sue but stressed that the suit may be dismissed if there is
no evidence that the illegal alien–Juan Francisco
Lopez-Sanchez–stole the gun from a federal agent. The gun in
question came from the car of a federal agent—a car from which
the gun was stolen. On August 28, 2015, Breitbart News
previously reported that the .40 caliber round that killed
Steinle was fired from a Sig Sauer handgun that had been stolen
from a Bureau of Land Management agent. However, it appears the
case will turn on whether Lopez-Sanchez stole the gun
himself.... But the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Spero
said the Steinle family “can sue the federal government for
negligence because a ranger allegedly left the gun used in the
shooting in his unlocked car.” He added, “Leaving a gun loaded
makes (its) capability for harm readily accessible in the same
way as leaving the key in the ignition of a vehicle.” Spero
dismissed Steinle’s parent’s suit against the City of San
Francisco, even as he gave the go-ahead for the suit against the
federal government. He “rejected [her parent’s] claims that the
city was legally responsible for releasing Lopez-Sanchez without
contacting the federal government and that federal immigration
officials, who had known the city was holding him, had a duty to
pick him up and deport him.”
Illinois School District Bars Students From Announcing Prayer
Gatherings on Facebook Page
Wayne City Community Unit School District 100 in Illinois has
barred students at Wayne City High School from using the
school's public Facebook page to encourage their peers to
participate in prayer gatherings and religious events after the
Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation complained
about a Facebook post announcing a prayer gathering during a
"Bring Your Bible to School Day" event in October. The post,
which was published on the Wayne City High School Facebook page
by a student on Sept. 30, invited students to bring their Bibles
to school on Oct. 6 and advertised a meeting in the school
library at 7:50 a.m. "to pray over the day." "Everybody is
welcome to join in on this activity," the post read. "We will be
carrying our Bibles around school this day. This is not just a
Wayne City thing, it's happening nationwide." Needless to say,
such an advertisement of religion on the school's official
Facebook page drew the ire of at least one local resident, who
complained to the FFRF, an atheist legal group that pressures
public schools around the nation to crack down on any perceived
endorsement of religion. FFRF attorney Ryan Jayne sent a letter
to the school district's Superintendent, Jeff Mitchell, on Oct.
5 arguing that such a posting violates the Establishment Clause
of the First Amendment.
Illinois
law enlists hairstylists to prevent domestic abuse
(AP) - An Illinois law that takes effect Sunday aims to take
advantage of the trusted relationship between hairstylists and
their clients to prevent domestic violence. Stylists, barbers,
cosmetologists, estheticians, hair braiders and nail technicians
in Illinois will receive an hour of mandated abuse-prevention
training as part of the licensing process. The law does not
require them to report any violence, and it shelters them from
any liability…. Hairstylists are well situated to notice signs
of abuse, said Vi Nelson, spokeswoman for the industry group
Cosmetologists Chicago. Abusers "tend to try to find places
where it could be an accident or it's not as visible," Nelson
said. "They may hit them in the back of the head, and there's a
bruise or a bump. The hairdresser is touching you and can see
things that cannot be visible to the casual observer." Clients
and stylists often develop yearslong relationships, said Karen
Gordon, who owns J. Gordon Designs salon in Chicago. "We get
very close with our clients, even so far to say we love our
clients," she said. "You know people through life's ups and
downs. When people come into a safe environment like a beauty
salon, they tend to open up."
Manufacturing Jobs Declined by 45,000 in 2016; Government Jobs
Increased by 183,000
CNS News - Jobs in manufacturing in the United States increased
by 17,000 in December—the first post-election month—climbing
from 12,258,000 in November to 12,275,000 in December, according
to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even
so, over all of 2016, manufacturing jobs declined by 45,000...
At the same time, jobs in federal, state and local government
increased not only from November to December, but over the
course of the entire year.... Last December, government jobs in
the United States outnumbered manufacturing jobs by 9,720,000.
This December, government jobs outnumbered manufacturing jobs by
9,948,000.... The 22,223,000 who now work for federal, state or
local government in this country, according to the BLS, is more
than ever worked in manufacturing. Manufacturing employment
peaked in June 1979 at 19,553,000. Since then, manufacturing
employment has declined by 7,278,000—or 37.2 percent—to its
current level of 12,275,000.
Bernie Sanders Supporters Launch Glass-Steagall Drive
Wall Street On Parade - Northwest Ohio supporters of Senator
Bernie Sanders in his run for President have launched a
nationwide push to enlist other organizations to send it letters
and take to social media to endorse a demand that
President-elect Donald Trump fulfill a campaign pledge. Trump
made the pledge on October 26 of this year in a speech he
delivered in Charlotte, North Carolina, promising to enact a
21st Century Glass-Steagall Act to reform Wall Street. Such
legislation has been sitting dormant in both the House and
Senate for years. If enacted, it would separate the
deposit-taking, taxpayer-insured commercial banks from the
globe-trotting, high-risk trading casinos known as investment
banks on Wall Street. The 1933 Glass-Steagall Act kept the
financial system of the United States safe for 66 years until
its repeal in 1999 during the Bill Clinton presidency. It took
only nine years after its repeal for Wall Street to blow up the
financial system in a replay of 1929. All that prevented another
Great Depression was a massive, secret money drop by the Federal
Reserve.... Sanders’ supporters have good reason to be holding
Trump’s feet to the fire on his pledge to restore Glass-Steagall....
Trump has nominated Steven Mnuchin, a 17-year veteran of Goldman
Sachs to be his Treasury Secretary; named Stephen Bannon,
another former Goldman Sachs banker, as his Chief Strategist in
the White House; and nominated Gary Cohn, the current President
of Goldman Sachs, to head the National Economic Council. Just
this week, Trump nominated a Goldman Sachs outside lawyer, Jay
Clayton of Sullivan & Cromwell, to serve as Wall Street’s top
cop as Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. In an
added insult to the public’s sensibilities, Clayton’s wife
currently works as a Vice President at Goldman Sachs.
Climate Scientist Resigns Over Climate Change
PJ Media - Former chair of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
at Georgia Tech Judith Curry announced her resignation in a blog post on
Tuesday. While her resignation is technically "a retirement event," and
she is "cashing out" to get her pension, Curry explained that "the
deeper reasons have to do with my growing disenchantment with
universities, the academic field of climate science and scientists.”
Curry is known for her scientifically astute explanations of the
uncertainties in climate science. Indeed, she has been attacked as
"anti-science" by other researchers who repeat the rote "scientific
consensus" that man-made global warming is a catastrophic threat to
humanity. In a cruel sort of irony, the universities — ostensibly the
bastion of academic freedom — have become unsafe for those who, using
good scientific methods, are skeptical of the received wisdom on climate
change. "A deciding factor was that I no longer know what to say to
students and postdocs regarding how to navigate the CRAZINESS in the
field of climate science," Curry wrote. "Research and other professional
activities are professionally rewarded only if they are channeled in
certain directions approved by a politicized academic establishment —
funding, ease of getting your papers published, getting hired in
prestigious positions, appointments to prestigious committees and
boards, professional recognition, etc."
First of Its Kind Study Shows that Change in Diet Alone — Not
Drugs — is Curing Diseases
(NaturalHealth365) Dr. David Suskind, a gastroenterologist at
Seattle Children’s, is breaking the mold. Suskind has produced
the first clinical evidence that food can indeed be medicine. In
a first-of-its-kind-study led by Suskind, published today in the
Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, diet alone was shown to
bring pediatric patients with active Crohn’s and [ulcerative
colitis] into clinical remission… In the small, prospective
study, patients were put on a special diet called the specific
carbohydrate diet (SCD) for 12 weeks as the sole intervention to
treat their Crohn’s or UC. SCD is a nutritionally balanced diet
that removes grains, dairy, processed foods and sugars, except
for honey. The diet promotes only natural, nutrient-rich foods,
which includes vegetables, fruits, meats and nuts. At the end of
the 12 weeks, eight out of the 10 patients who finished the
study showed significant improvement and achieved remission from
the dietary treatment alone…. Food as medicine may prove to have
applications outside of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as
many diseases may be related to chronic inflammation. For
example, the charred meat prevalent in American diets is
associated with prostate inflammation which can lead to prostate
cancer…. This approach to treating illness is anathema to Big
Pharma, which thrives as people pop more pills. Diet, exercise
and being fully informed have no value to the corporatocracy.
This One Mineral Reduces Oxidative Stress, Repairs DNA, And
Leads To Mechanisms Which Extend Life
Mae Chan - One of the biggest mineral deficiencies in the world
is Zinc, with as many as two billion people around the world
being in a daily deficit. A modest 4 milligrams of zinc extra
every day in the diet may reduce DNA strand breaks and improve
levels of proteins involved in DNA repair, oxidative stress, and
inflammation. A study published in the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, is said to be the first to show that a
modest increase in dietary zinc reduces damage to DNA which
extends life. Dietary shortages of crucial minerals like zinc
may be keeping almost a third of the world's people from
optimizing their immune system. Studies at Oregon State
University and elsewhere are raising concerns about the health
implications this holds for infectious disease, immune function,
DNA damage and cancer.
Splenda Suppresses Thyroid Function, Promotes Weight Gain
Green Med Info - A concerning new study published in the
European Journal of Nutrition entitled, "Type of sweet flavour
carrier affects thyroid axis activity in male rats,” is the
first study of its kind to evaluate the effects of Splenda (Sucralose)
on mammalian thyroid function and metabolism. Their findings
reveal that sucralose has endocrine disruptive properties on the
hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis (HPA axis), resulting in
thyroid hormone suppression, increased appetite, and weight
gain.
Live in This State? Your Pet Can Now Be Treated by EMTs and First
Responders
Dr. Becker - If you can believe it, until very recently it was against
the law for a firefighter or first responder to give cats or dogs the
basic first aid care they needed after being rescued from a house fire,
car crash or other emergency that might be life threatening to the
animal. This was the case in Ohio and still is in several other states.
The reasoning was that only licensed veterinarians were deemed
qualified. But fortunately, a new law was passed in mid-2016, making the
Buckeye State one of the first in the union to have this law passed, in
effect protecting first responders who acted as Good Samaritans to
helpless animals who might die or suffer debilitating injuries without
their aid. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(ASPCA), Ohio Voters for Companion Animals, Inc. (OVCA), the Ohio Fire
Chiefs’ Association (OFCA) and Ohio Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA)
all supported the bill, passed unanimously out of the General Assembly,
and subsequently signed by Gov. John Kasich. “The bill simply allows
animals to receive critical care at the earliest possible moment, which
is in the best interest of the animal,” said Jack Advent, executive
director of the OVMA…. According to AP News, fear of liability was an
issue because pet owners have sued first responders who treated animals
that ended up dying. “The law will allow first responders to, without
fear of liability, provide oxygen, perform mouth-to-snout resuscitation,
try to stem bleeding, bandage and even administer the overdose antidote
naloxone to dogs or cats that have ingested opiates.”
* Related:
Video: Fire Rescues: Pet Oxygen Masks Put To Use
Video: When You Buy Pet Food, Are You Being Pet Fooled?
Dr. Becker - How much do you really know about what goes into those cans
or bags of pet food you buy for your furry family member? 'Pet Fooled'
is a documentary film for pet owners that strips away some of the
secrecy surrounding commercial pet food and the industry that produces
and promotes it.
Friday - January
6, 2017
Today In History:
1720 - The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble published its
findings.
1759 - George Washington and Martha Dandridge Custis were married.
1838 - Samuel Morse publicly demonstrated the telegraph for the first
time.
1900 - Off of South Africa, the British seized the German steamer
Herzog. The boat was released on January 22, 1900.
1912 - New Mexico became the 47th U.S. state.
1930 - The first diesel-engine automobile trip was completed after a run
of 792 miles from Indianapolis, IN, to New York City, NY.
1942 - The first commercial around-the-world airline flight took place.
Pan American Airlines was the company that made history with the feat.
1942 - The National Collegiate Football Rules Committee abolished the Y
formation.
1945 - The Battle of the Bulge ended with 130,000 German and 77,000
Allied casualties.
1967 - U.S. and South Vietnamese forces launched a major offensive,
known as Operation "Deckhouse V", in the Mekong River delta.
1982 - William G. Bonin was convicted in Los Angeles, CA, of being the
"freeway killer" who had murdered 14 young men and boys.
1994 - Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed on the right leg by an
assailant at Cobo Arena in Detroit, MI. Four men were later sentenced to
prison for the attack, including Tonya Harding's ex-husband.
1998 - The spacecraft Lunar Prospect was launched into orbit around the
moon. The craft was crashed into the moon, in an effort to find water
under the lunar surface, on July 31, 1999.
1999 - The 106th U.S. Congress opened. The first item on the agenda was
the impeachment proceedings of U.S. President Bill Clinton. The trial
was set to begin January 7, 1999.
2004 - In the United Arab Emirates, construction began on the Burj
Khalifa skyscraper. Upon completion it was the world's largest building.
Turkey car bomb and gun attack on courthouse in Izmir
BBC News - Two attackers, a policeman and a court worker have
been killed in a car bomb and gun assault on a courthouse in the
Turkish city of Izmir, state media say. Officials blamed Kurdish
militants for the attack. A third attacker is reportedly still
being sought. The attackers drove a car to the courthouse
entrance, sparking an exchange with police and then detonating
the car bomb. A number of people were wounded in the explosion,
some critically.... Izmir's Governor Erol Ayyildiz the attackers
were armed with Kalashnikov rifles and grenades. Deputy Prime
Minister Veysi Kaynak added that, judging by the weapons found
following the raid, a much larger attack was being planned.
Images from the scene showed two cars ablaze. The governor said
that the second had been destroyed in a controlled explosion.
US Reaffirms Extending Nuclear Deterrent to Protect South Korea,
Japan
Sputnik News - On Thursday, U.S. Blinken, Japanese Vice Minister
for Foreign Affairs Shinsuke Sugiyama, and Korean First Vice
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lim Sung-nam met in Washington, DC,
for the sixth round of Trilateral Vice Foreign Ministerial
consultations. “Blinken underscored that the United States
remains steadfast in its defense commitments to Japan and the
ROK [Republic of Korea]… providing extended deterrence, backed
by the full range of its nuclear and conventional defense
capabilities,” the statement, issued by the State Department on
Thursday, noted. The trilateral series of meetings began in 2016
following North Korea’s nuclear tests and missile launches in
defiance of UN Security Council resolutions that year, the fact
sheet noted.
'All those terror attacks': Sweden's nuclear sites to get armed
guards
RT - Sweden has decided to tighten up security around nuclear
plants by requiring guards to be armed. The measures will be
introduced following recent terrorists attacks across the globe.
"Just look at all the terror attacks, for example in Istanbul
recently. We have to keep up and protect our operations as best
we can," Anders Österberg, spokesperson for OKG AB, a Swedish
corporation which owns and operates the country's Oskarshamn
Nuclear Power Plant, said, according to Sveriges Radio on
Thursday. Starting from February 4, guards at three Swedish
nuclear plants – in Ringhals, Oskarshamn, and Forsmark – will be
equipped with guns, Österberg later told TT news agency. Under
new regulations, security officers are required to use guard
dogs for patrolling nuclear power sites. Until now, the guards
were only allowed to carry batons.
Japanese company replaces office workers with artificial
intelligence
The Guardian - ... at an insurance firm in Japan...more than 30
employees are being laid off and replaced with an artificial
intelligence system that can calculate payouts to policyholders.
Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance believes it will increase
productivity by 30% and see a return on its investment in less
than two years. The firm said it would save about 140m yen (£1m)
a year after the 200m yen (£1.4m) AI system is installed this
month. Maintaining it will cost about 15m yen (£100k) a year.
The move is unlikely to be welcomed, however, by 34 employees
who will be made redundant by the end of March.... The system is
based on IBM’s Watson Explorer, which, according to the tech
firm, possesses “cognitive technology that can think like a
human”, enabling it to “analyse and interpret all of your data,
including unstructured text, images, audio and video”. The
technology will be able to read tens of thousands of medical
certificates and factor in the length of hospital stays, medical
histories and any surgical procedures before calculating
payouts, according to the Mainichi Shimbun.... Japan’s
shrinking, ageing population, coupled with its prowess in robot
technology, makes it a prime testing ground for AI. According to
a 2015 report by the Nomura Research Institute, nearly half of
all jobs in Japan could be performed by robots by 2035.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
Hyped Up Senate Hearing on Russian ‘Hacking’ Ends Up Being a
Flop
Sputnik News - No evidence was presented during the Senate Armed
Services Committee hearing on Thursday to support allegations
that Russia hacked the US Presidential election… The
highly-anticipated hearing was expected to lay out the basis for
US intelligence agency claims of Russian interference, but that
was not the case. Instead, it was two hours of unsubstantiated
statements, calls for aggression towards Russia, and hyperbole.
Testifying before the committee were Director of National
Intelligence James Clapper and National Security Agency chief
Michael Rogers. "I don't think that we have ever encountered a
more aggressive or direct campaign to interfere in our election
process," Clapper told the committee, while refusing to provide
evidence to back up his claims. Committee chairman and
Republican Arizona Senator John McCain used strong language
during the hearing, including saying that the alleged hack was
"an unprecedented attack on our democracy.” When questioned by a
Sputnik reporter following the hearing about the debunking of
the Joint Annual Report by security experts, including the
finding that 43 percent of the IP addresses attributed to
‘Russian hackers’ were generic web-browser Tor exit nodes, the
Senator responded by saying that he had “no idea” what she was
talking about. As Sputnik previously reported, a whopping 367 of
the IPs addresses that were claimed to be ‘proof’ of Russians
hacking into the Democratic National Committee network, were
simply Tor exit nodes, according to recent expert analysis. This
means anyone using a Tor web browser, whether in Ireland,
Nigeria, Alaska, or in mom’s basement in Ohio, could leave an IP
trace that would apparently reveal them to be crème de la crème
Russian computer hackers, according to the logic of the US
intelligence community’s report.
Report: Trump Set To Overhaul ‘Politicized’ Intelligence
Agencies - UPDATE
Steve Watson - The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that
Trump is seeking to overhaul at least two major intelligence
agencies, one being the CIA, and the other being the Office of
the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). The view from the
Trump team is the intelligence world [is] becoming completely
politicized,” an inside source commented. “They all need to be
slimmed down. The focus will be on restructuring agencies and
how they interact.” Sources close to Trump say that the new
president believes that the ODNI, which was another fallout of
the 9/11 attacks, has become overtly politicized, and needs to
be restructured. The agency was established to build better
communication between the different intelligence agencies and
encourage more information sharing. However, Trump and his
advisors believe it has become too ‘bloated’ and wieldy,
according to the report. The report indicates that retired Lt.
Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump’s nominee for security adviser, as
well as Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Ky.), Trump’s pick for CIA director,
are heading up the intelligence re-vamp.
Related:
UPDATE: Trump says the Wall St Journal report is FAKE NEWS
GOP Plans 'Pre-Emptive' Law Crackdown On Liberal City Agendas
Zero Hedge - ... as The Hill points out, the consolidation of
power in state capitals as a result the 2016 election has many
Republican state legislatures looking to fight back against
their rogue bastions of liberalism. "Republican state
legislatures are planning so-called preemption laws, which
prevent cities and counties from passing new measures governing
everything from taxes to environmental regulations and social
issues. Republican legislators around the country say liberal
cities and counties vastly overstepped their bounds by
implementing new taxes on sodas and sugary beverages, by raising
local minimum wages or through strict new environmental
regulations.".... In fact, in the last month alone both Michigan
and Wisconsin passed state laws preventing individual cities
from banning plastic grocery bags. Moreover, the state of Ohio
overturned Cleveland's effort to raise its minimum wage....
Meanwhile, rather than addressing new rules and regulations
individually, other states are considering "blanket preemption"
laws that would automatically cut off state funding for cities
that pass legislation that runs contrary to state law.... And
Trump has been quite clear that he intends to pursue a similar
strategy when it comes to withholding federal funding from
states that refuse to enforce federal laws, like harboring
illegal immigrants.
Video: Michelle Obama Tells Oprah: “People Don’t Understand How
Hard This Is”
The GatewayPundit - Michelle and Barack Obama’s family travels
cost Americans over $96 million. Her wardrobe cost American
taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars. The Obama White House is
notorious for late night parties with Hollywood stars and music
legends. On Wednesday Michelle Obama whined to Oprah about how
hard it’s been. “People don’t really understand how hard this
is. And it’s not something you just cavalierly just ask a family
to do again… Let me just tell America, This is hard.”… Americans
are out of work, paying five times the amount they used to for
insurance, eating soup and noodles because of her husband’s
failed policies and she’s whining about HOW HARD IT’S BEEN on
her and her family?
Legal Weed is Killing Cartels and Corporate Media Is Trying to
Say that's a Bad Thing
The Free Thought Project - According to a video segment on Fox
News, seizures of marijuana flowing out of Colorado into
neighboring states has risen from 58 in 2008, to 394 in 2015....
Mason Tvert, of the Marijuana Policy Project, told FNC, “If
anything, what’s happening is no different than it was before.
People are still using marijuana, it’s just that they’re more
likely to be using marijuana that didn’t come from a Mexican
drug cartel.” According to FNC and University of San Diego
professor David Shirk, that fact has now been confirmed. It
seems, as marijuana proponents asserted, the Mexican cartels are
getting out of the illegal marijuana trade. Shirk says the
cartels are turning their backs on marijuana in favor of other
“more predatory criminal activities” such as, “kidnapping,
extortion, larceny…stealing petroleum from petroleum lines,”....
Had drugs not been illegal in the US, the cartels would have
been extremely hard pressed to amass the money and power they
now have. Rest assured, however, that kidnapping and larceny are
not nearly as sustainable as the drug industry as it is much
easier for politicians to look the other way on drug smuggling
than it is for them to ignore children being stolen from
parents.... FNC concluded their marijuana segment by saying
President-elect Donald Trump doesn’t seem to have a problem with
medicinal marijuana but added he does not approve of
recreational marijuana. Whether or not Trump will allow the
continuation of progress in the legalization of marijuana is yet
to be seen. Certainly, Colorado will put up a fight if the newly
named Attorney General Jeff Sessions seeks to overturn CO’s
legal weed business as it’s now providing millions of dollars to
help fund the educational system in that state.
Texas Leaders at Odds Over Subsidized Tuition for Migrants
Breitbart - Texas House Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) told
the San Antonio Express-News the current law is “perfectly
acceptable” in an interview published on Thursday. The statement
comes in stark contrast with the position of the state’s Lt.
Governor, Dan Patrick, who leads the Texas Senate and opposes
the current law. “Why do we charge an American student, maybe a
Mexican-American student, maybe who lives in Oklahoma, who wants
to come to a school in Texas — why would we charge him three or
four times as much as the illegal student who is here in Texas
who wants to go to college?” Patrick asked in an interview with
Fox News in December.
Uber Accuses NYC Of Snooping On Its Passengers: "They Want Full
Details Of Every Trip You Ever Take"
Zero Hedge - ... Uber got in trouble with privacy advocates when
it was revealed that the ride-hailing company can now track its
passengers' locations after they are dropped off and even when
their app has been closed. As revealed in a new update to Uber's
app, the global taxi service could collect passenger data up to
five minutes after a journey has finished.... And while mobile
apps tracking every habit of its users is hardly new, a new
twist emerged this morning, when Uber sent out a notification to
its users, accusing none other than New York City of demanding
that it hand over all its "sensitive" passenger info data,
including "where you’re dropped off, as well" in an attempt to
"to piece together the full details of every trip you ever
take," a move which creates "serious privacy risks." From the
email sent to clients: Today, New York City requires Uber and
other companies to hand over a lot of sensitive personal
passenger data, including where you're picked up on every trip.
Now, New York City wants more. They're trying to force companies
to tell them where you’re dropped off, as well. In other words,
they want to piece together the full details of every trip you
ever take. Several independent privacy experts have said this
policy creates "serious privacy risks." And that it would give
the government "and anyone else who accesses this information a
comprehensive, 360-degree view into the movements and habits of
individual New Yorkers."
It’s Happening: Tucker Carlson To Take Over Megyn Kelly’s Prime
Time Slot
Adan Salazar - On Thursday, Fox News announced it would be
rearranging its prime time lineup after it was revealed Kelly
would be leaving the conservative network for NBC…. Carlson will
leave his current 7pm time slot following a rise in ratings in
recent months after he broke out as one of the media’s and the
network’s few outspoken supporters of President-elect Donald
Trump…. Carlson’s knack for debating liberals has earned him
respect from much of the Trump-supporting online community,
where videos of his intense, often-humorous arguments are
regularly shared and celebrated. On the other hand, Megyn
Kelly’s popularity among Trump supporters has been declining
since her public spats with the president elect, stemming from
the first US presidential debate where served as a moderator. On
a related note, Carlson’s was one of the only programs Wednesday
to report on and air footage of the Facebook beating of a white
Trump supporter by a group of black teens, as pointed out by
Infowars’ Paul Joseph Watson.
Chicago torture video: 4 charged with hate crimes, kidnapping
CNN - Four suspects have been charged in connection with the
attack on a special-needs teen that was streamed on Facebook
Live. Jordan Hill, 18; Tesfaye Cooper; 18; Brittany Covington,
18; and Tanishia Covington, 24, have each been charged with a
hate crime, felony aggravated kidnapping, aggravated unlawful
restraint and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Hill,
Cooper and Brittany Covington also face charges of residential
burglary. Hill also faces charges of possession of a stolen
motor vehicle…. The teen was tied up for four or five hours,
Cmdr. Kevin Duffin of the Chicago Police Department told
reporters. The victim will recover from his injuries and is at
home with his parents, police said.
World-Renowned Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Reducing
Workforce by 1,000
Breitbart - The cancer hospital has had $110 million in
operating losses from September through November this year,
reported the Houston Chronicle. Approximately 800 to 900 will be
laid off, and the remainder of the five percent planned for
staff reductions will occur through attrition and retirements,
Dan Fontaine, MD Anderson’s chief financial officer confirmed to
the Chronicle. Doctors at the hospital will not be affected by
the cuts. In all, the center has about 20,000 workers…. KPRC in
Houston reported in December that the institution was facing the
issue of how to fund its quality research programs with a
decreasing number of patients.
Is Your Sears Or KMart Store About To Close?
Zero Hedge - One day after Macy's announced it would fire more
thousands of workers after another holiday spending debacle, and
will shut down dozens of stores as the overhyped consumer
recovery fails to materialize for the 7th consecutive year,
today struggling Sears Holdings, owner of K-Mart announced that
the near-insolvent, anachronistic retail chain has obtained some
more last-second liquidity after selling its Craftsman brand to
Stanley Black and Decker for $900 million. That was not enough
however, as Sears needed another billion dollar which it got
courtesy of its controlling shareholder Eddie Lampert who gave
the company a $1 billion loan. The company, which has been near
death for years and years, issued the latest dire warning about
its holiday business on Thursday, when it announced same-store
sales fell as much as 13% in November and December, compared
with a 2.1% drop at Macy’s Inc.... Meanwhile, it now appears
that instead of a long-overdue "big bang" bankruptcy, Sears will
continue instead melting away with periodic closures of its
thousands of badly run, inefficient stores. And indeed, this
morning Sears said it would continue to shrink by closing 108
Kmart and 42 Sears stores, including the original Kmart location
that opened in Garden City, Mich., in 1962. Over the past
decade, the company has closed or sold more than 2,000 stores,
or two thirds of its locations. So is your neighborhood Sears or
KMart store one of the 150 that are about to shut down as the
heat around the melting Sears ice cube is raised by one more
degree? [List at link]
This Wondrous National Park … Brought to You By McDonald’s?
Natural Blaze - Despite outcry from citizens, documented in public
testimony and hundreds of thousands petition signatures, the director of
the National Park Service Jonathan B. Jarvis announced on December 28
that he had signed an order—officially titled Order #21 on Donations and
Philanthropic Partnerships—which, among other changes, ends an outright
ban on commercial advertising and lifts restrictions on naming rights in
parks. “It is disgraceful that the parks service plans to sell our
national parks to the highest bidder despite overwhelming public
opposition to increased commercialism in our national parks,” said
Kristen Strader, campaign coordinator for Public Citizen, which
organized against the proposed reforms. Strader cited more than 215,000
petition signers and hundreds of individuals who submitted official
objections to the NPS…. “Now that this policy has been finalized,”
Strader warned, “park visitors soon could be greeted with various forms
of advertisements, like a sign reading ‘brought to you by McDonald’s’
within a new visitor’s center at Yosemite, or ‘Budweiser’ in script on a
park bench at Acadia.”… This order, Strader concluded, is “a dangerous
shift toward opening our parks up to an unprecedented amount of
commercial influence.”
Pentagon’s DARPA Develops Kit Turning Aircraft Into Drones
Sputnik News - The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA)
envisions a future in which aircrew members are obsolete and
high-powered aircraft are autonomous, a concept that was recently
successfully demonstrated. DARPA’s Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation
System (ALIAS), a technical toolkit that transforms US military aircraft
into drones operated by robotic pilots, was announced just days before
Christmas. The accomplishments include flight demonstrations of two
Cessna 208 planes, a 44-foot Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, and a twin
piston, four-seater Diamond DA-42 aircraft. The fleet responded
successfully to simulated mid-flight crises, including system failures.
Installing and taking out the kit did not impact "airworthiness," DARPA
noted.
Hacker breaches FBI for the second time, calls their security ’lazy’
RT - The latest hack revealed personal data on 155 agents in the FBI,
including their names, passwords, and email accounts. [the hacker]
CyberZeist warned other agencies that are currently using the Plone CMS
that they too are vulnerable to a similar attack, including the EU
Agency for Network & Information Security, Intellectual Property Rights
Coordination Center, and Amnesty International.... CyberZeist breached
the FBI’s site and found they were running an old version of the open
source operating system (OS) FreeBSD. While the most recent version,
11.0, was released in October 2016, the FBI is still using version 6.2,
which was released in January 2007. While exploiting the code,
CyberZeist discovered that the FBI’s webmaster had “a very lazy attitude
as he/she had kept the backup files (.bck extension) on the same folder
where the site root was placed (Thank you Webmaster!)” Authorities in
the US have not yet responded to the CyberZeist hacks. CyberZeist claims
that they did not discover the vulnerability in the CMS. “I was assigned
to test out the 0day vulnerability on FBI and Amnesty website,” because,
as they claim, the vendor was “too afraid to use it against the FBI
website.”
The Entire Internet Will Shut Down For 24 Hours In 2017, Major Company
Predicts
Off the Grid News - LogRhythm, headquartered in Boulder, Colo., released
its seven predictions for 2017 just before the New Year and said it
believes the “internet will be shut down for up to 24 hours.” “We’ll see
a rise in attacks on fundamental protocols of internet communications.
We already started seeing it with DNS,” the company said, referencing a
Domain Name System attack that brought down Amazon, Netflix and Twitter
in 2016. “In 2017, we’re going to see it hit big sometime, somewhere. If
the internet goes down, financial markets will tank.” James Carder,
LogRhythm’s chief information security officer and vice president, said
the attacks that brought down Amazon “were really just tests.” If you
can prove that you can take down massive sites and a large chunk of the
US internet for a few hours, a 24-hour outage seems pretty easy to do,”
Carder told Business Insider. LogRhythm also predicted that “portions of
the U.S. power grid will be shut down.” “If portions of the power grid
go down, there will be lack-of-confidence and trust issues with the
government, which will have long-lasting ripple effects,” LogRhythm
said. The company has offices in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Mexico,
France, Germany, Brazil, Australia, Hong Kong and the United Arab
Emirates.
White House Releases Strategy in Case of ‘Killer Asteroid’
Sputnik News - The White House has published a 25-page report on
‘National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy,’ detailing
preparations in the event that a celestial object such as a ‘killer
asteroid’ is found to be on a collision course with Earth. The report
was written by the Interagency Working Group (IWG) for Detecting and
Mitigating the Impact of Earth-bound Near-Earth Objects (DAMIEN)…. It
outlined seven strategic goals, including to improve the detection and
characterization of NEO's, to improve modeling and predictions of their
behavior, to develop methods to deflect and disturb them, to develop
emergency procedures in an impact scenario, to establish impact response
and recovery procedures, to leverage and support international
cooperation in the event of a potential NEO impact, as well as to
coordinate communications of related US government agencies and
establish a series of procedures if a potential NEO impact is detected.
Self-Driving Cars Already Are Deciding Who Lives & Dies
Off the Grid News - For example, an autonomous vehicle would decide who
lives and who dies if it swerved to avoid a pedestrian but, by doing
that, put its on-board passengers in danger. Or, it could keep its
passengers safe by running over the pedestrian. The decision would be
made by the computers and sensors in the vehicle – and by extension, the
computer programmers. “On one hand, the algorithms that control the car
may have an explicit set of rules to make moral tradeoffs,” Iyad Rahwan,
a scientist at MIT, told Business Insider. “On the other hand, the
decision made by a car in the case of unavoidable harm may emerge from
the interaction of various software components, none of which has
explicit programming to handle moral tradeoffs.” Rahwan added, “Every
time the car makes a complex maneuver, it is implicitly making trade-off
in terms of risks to different parties.” Google X founder Sebastian
Thrun in 2014 said the company’s automated car would hit the smallest
object in the road if it could not find a clear path. “If it happens
that there is a situation where the car couldn’t escape, it would go for
the smaller thing,” he said.
|
Gardening, Farming & Homesteading |
The Cheap Mini-Greenhouse That Makes Seed-Starting Easier
Off the Grid News - … I was excited to stumble across the idea
of winter sowing. In a nutshell, winter sowing is planting seeds
in repurposed plastic containers, which act as mini-greenhouses.
Once planted, the containers should be put outside — even in
freezing temps, and even in the snow. As the temperature warms
up, the seeds will germinate, and the seedlings will stay toasty
in their little greenhouses. The containers will naturally
collect moisture through their various openings. The plants
should chug along on their own, and naturally harden off. You do
have to do some work, though: Once the temperatures stay above
freezing, the seedlings should be transplanted into your garden.
Since it all sounds logical (and easy!), I’m going to give it a
whirl. Tall translucent or clear plastic containers work best so
that sunlight reaches the plants. Containers need to hold 3-4
inches of soil, and still allow room for seedlings to grow.
Consider using containers like these: • Milk jugs • Distilled or
filtered water jugs • Large vinegar bottles • Family-size juice
bottles • Soda/pop bottles • Rotisserie chicken deli containers
• Clear tote boxes. All containers will need holes drilled or
cut into the bottom, both for drainage and so that seedlings can
suck up available water. Additionally, the containers will need
at least one hole in the top so that moisture can get in that
way, too. Vessels like milk, water and juice jugs already have
that hole built in. A bonus is that if you live in an area that
experiences heavy rains, you can use the jug lid as a way to
moderate moisture levels….
Groundbreaking Study Shows Prescription Painkillers Prolong
Chronic Pain
Natural Blaze - A research team out of University of
Colorado-Boulder (CU-Boulder) has found that prescription
opioids may actually worsen chronic pain. The study also
discovered that these drugs may in fact prolong the condition
that they are supposed to help placate. This may explain why in
the U.S., prescriptions of opioids, such as methadone, oxycodone
(such as OxyContin®) and hydrocodone (such as Vicodin®), have
quadrupled since 1999…. During the opioid study, morphine
treatment in rats resulted in opioids sending repeated signals
to the glial cells. This increased the activity of these nerve
cells in the spinal cord, resulting in intensified chronic pain
that continued for several months. We are showing for the first
time that even a brief exposure to opioids can have long-term
negative effects on pain. We found the treatment was
contributing to the problem. ~ Peter Grace, CU-Boulder Assistant
Research Professor and Faculty Member in the Department of
Psychology and Neuroscience.
13 Ways to Uncover Cancer Causing Toxins In Your Home
Natural News Blogs - 1- Your cloths may be tox-sick. Research
states synthetic materials, thermoplastics and wrinkle free
cloths can be filled with formaldehydes. Formaldehyde is viewed
as a carcinogen for humans and respiratory cancer. Additionally,
exposure to paint, lacquer, glue and cleaning products which
contain formaldehyde can increase risk for nasal cancer. If you
live next to a fracking facility, they can increase your
exposure to unsafe amounts of formaldehyde. Volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) are chemicals causing liver damage, kidney
damage, and central nervous system damage. 2- Electromagnetic
frequencies can harm brain cells, eyes and neurotransmitters.
Avoid EMF blue light from computers, wifi, cells phones,
televisions and other electrical devices in or near where you
sleep, such as smart meters. EMF’s can not only disrupt our
sleep and hormones they can be linked to disrupted DNA. 3- Make
sure your mattress isn’t treated with a flame retardant which
can impact thyroid disease and thyroid cancer. 4- A professional
dry cleaner may put your health at risk. Trichloroethylene is an
organic chemical that has been used in dry cleaning and linked
to liver and kidney cancer. There are non-toxic sustainable ways
of dry-cleaning your cloths. 5- What pesticides are you spraying
on your lawn? Environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals
including pesticides have been linked to cancer, especially
breast and prostate cancer. Atrazine is one of the most widely
used herbicides in the U.S., and is sprayed on our lawns, golf
courses and found in our water supply. Atrazine is also sprayed
on conventional foods including corn, sugarcane, and wheat. It
helps to know your farmer….
Video: Now you can HEAR chemistry: Health Ranger translates molecules
into music in stunning video demonstration that will blow your mind (and
your ears)
(NaturalNews) In the video below, I demonstrate what I now call
“Elemonics” — the science of translating chemistry and molecules into
audible music by sequencing elements using the inverse of their atomic
mass units (i.e. frequencies) as documented in the Table of Elements.
(The video explains it in more detail.) In essence, I have discovered a
way to map the elements to a standard 88-key keyboard using their
documented atomic masses. Hydrogen is mapped to 3,520 Hz (high A7 key on
the keyboard) as the only arbitrary choice in this mapping, and the rest
of the elements are mapped in relation to Hydrogen. Since Carbon has a
mass of 12, for example, it gets mapped to 3,520 / 12 which equals 293.3
Hz. That corresponds to the D4 key on an 88-key keyboard. Using this
translation, I was then able to play molecules as musical sequences,
allowing the world to HEAR nutritional chemistry for the first time. In
this video demonstration, I play the musical sequences for many
different molecules of life, including water, oxygen (O2), carbon
dioxide, magnesium oxide, calcium carbonate and even progesterone. Using
the same mathematical translation of physical elements into musical
tones, I was also able to sequence organophosphate pesticides and toxic
herbicides such as glyphosate. In the video below, you can now “hear”
toxic pesticides, fluoride and even toxic heavy metals like mercury,
lead and cadmium. What you’ll notice in experiencing all this is that
highly toxic elements like Fluorine, commonly used in psychiatric drugs
and toxic pesticides, sound disturbing and destructive. This is not mere
coincidence.
Thursday - January
5, 2017
Today In History:
1781 - Richmond, VA, was burned by a British naval expedition led by
Benedict Arnold.
1885 - The Long Island Railroad Company became the first to offer
piggy-back rail service which was the transportation of farm wagons on
trains.
1896 - It was reported by The Austrian newspaper that Wilhelm Roentgen
had discovered the type of radiation that became known as X-rays.
1914 - Ford Motor Company announced that there would be a new daily
minimum wage of $5 and an eight-hour workday.
1925 - Mrs. Nellie Taylor Ross was sworn in as the governor of Wyoming
She was the first female governor in the U.S.
1933 - In California, construction of the Golden Gate Bridge began.
1940 - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) got its very first
demonstration of FM radio.
1944 - The London "Daily Mail" was the first transoceanic newspaper to
be published.
1948 - Warner Brothers-Pathe showed the very first color newsreel. The
foota1956 - In the Peanuts comic strip, Snoopy walked on two legs for
the first time.
1972 - U.S. President Richard M. Nixon ordered the development of the
space shuttle.
1987 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan underwent prostate surgery.
1998 - U.S. Representative Sonny Bono died in skiing accident.
2002 - A 15 year-old student pilot, Charles Bishop, crashed a small
plane into a building in Tampa, FL. Bishop was about to begin a flying
lesson when he took off without permission and without an instructor.
US sends special forces to Russian Border as Nato is poised to
strike back against Vladimir Putin’s ‘aggression’
The Sun - President Obama has deployed US special forces troops
along Lithuania’s border with “aggressive” Russia. Tensions
between Washington and the Kremlin have reached Cold War levels
amid reports Vladimir Putin is deploying nuke-ready missiles in
the Russian province of Kaliningrad – which borders Poland,
Belarus and Lithuania. And Lithuanian Defence Ministry
spokeswoman Asta Galdikaite confirmed America has offered
additional military support following Russia’s annexation of
Crimea. She said: “The United States was the first to offer
additional safety assurance measures to the Baltic countries
following the deterioration of the security situation in the
region after the annexation of the Crimea.” She added: “US
Special Operations Forces presence in Lithuania is one of the
deterrents” against military threats by Putin’s aggressive
regime, reports the Express…. The US and its Nato allies will
send battalions of up to 1,200 to each of the three Baltic
states – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – and Poland by spring
this year, reports the New York Times.
US coalition spared ISIS oil production facilities in Syria –
Russian MoD
RT - The US-led international coalition did not bomb oil
production facilities captured by Islamic State (IS, formerly
ISIS/ISIL) militants in Syria, Russian Defense Ministry
spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov has stated.
“Miraculously, only oil fields, captured by ISIS allowing the
militants to earn tens of millions of dollars every month on
illegal oil sales and recruit mercenaries from all over the
world, did not come under the US bombardment,” Konashenkov said.
CIA Director John Brennan stated earlier that Russia is using a
“scorched-earth policy” in Syria. “What the Russians have done
in Syria in terms of some of the scorched-earth policy that they
have pursued that have led to devastation and thousands upon
thousands of innocent deaths, that’s not something that the
United States would ever do in any of these military conflicts,”
Brennan told PBS on Tuesday. The CIA head “should have known and
remembered” history, Konashenkov said, pointing out the US
nuclear bombings of Japan during WW2, as well as its later
military operations in Vietnam and Laos, “for which no one in
the US has been punished yet.” “I would also like to remind
[John Brennan] that international wars of the past decades
unleashed by the US thanks to false CIA data in Yugoslavia,
Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya have all been started, continued,
and finished with a destroyed economic infrastructure of these
states by the US Air Force,” Konashenkov said. It was
“doubtfully a coincidence” that American companies close to the
CIA and the Pentagon had “always” been among the first to
receive contracts to rebuild damaged infrastructure, he added.
“John Brennan is perfectly aware of the real results of Russia’s
actions in Syria. Specially for the CIA and special services
alike, we announced them during the Russian Defense Ministry’s
final board meeting,” Konashenkov stated on Wednesday.
What Mainstream Media Won’t Show You: Life in ‘Fallen’ Aleppo
Returns to Normal
Sputnik - Last month, the brutal four year battle for Aleppo
ended, and the Syrian government began the enormous task of
rebuilding the city. Toward the end of the battle for the city,
much of the mainstream media spent so much time covering the
‘fall’ of Aleppo that they forgot what happens afterward:
rebuilding, restoration, and most importantly, peace. Sputnik
has obtained footage of the effort now underway to rebuild the
completely ruined eastern portions of the city, most of them
held by militants for four years until the sudden and unexpected
victory of government forces last month. Residents are shown
rebuilding their homes, while small factories (those that hadn’t
been disassembled, looted and taken across the border to Turkey)
are shown humming once again, producing what appear to be
textiles and other goods…. Last month, Aleppo Province Governor
Hussein Diab told Sputnik that the damage caused by the fighting
was “terrible.” Nevertheless, he stressed that life in the city
is “gradually returning to normal life.” He explained that the
government is doing everything possible to get people to return
to their homes in the liberated areas, thus alleviating the
strains of internally displaced persons currently living in
makeshift government-administered shelters outside the city.
France: Muslim Men Ban All Women from Public Spaces (Video)
Information Liberation - In the new France, a country now
occupied by over 6 million Muslims, women are effectively banned
from public spaces in majority Muslim suburbs and subject to
threats if they dare step into a café. In this report aired on
state TV channel France 24, the lying media hilariously spends
three minutes acting like it’s a “gender” issue before
reluctantly acknowledging it’s a result of hostile Muslims
working to impose Islam. Rather than demand these hostile
foreigners go back their home countries where this the norm,
women’s groups are organizing dine-ins where they go to these
Muslim owned businesses and give them their money in order to
“take back” these public spaces. It really doesn’t get any
clearer that this mass migration is in fact a hostile invasion,
one which is likely to end in civil war.
Learn ‘terrorism first aid’ in case of an attack, public told
RT - Britons are being urged to learn “terrorism first aid” in
the event they are caught up in an attack. Military medics from
CitizenAID have developed a phone app and pocketbook designed to
coach people in how to provide potentially life-saving treatment
before the arrival of emergency services. Its creators say it
will be effective in the aftermath of an attack when emergency
services may be concerned with removing a threat, rather than
treating victims. They say it could take some time before it is
deemed safe for paramedics to arrive on the scene after an
attack. The idea is supported by counter-terrorism police.
Security services say a UK terrorist attack is “highly likely.”
Developers of CitizenAID say it is a good idea for people to
have a plan in place in case a terrorist attack occurs, even
though the chance is small…. Brig Tim Hodgetts, medical director
of the Defence Medical Services, told the BBC, said: “We don’t
know when the next incident will be that involves blasts or
gunshots so we need a critical mass of the general public to
learn these first aid skills.
Angry protests erupt across Mexico after 20% hike in gasoline
prices
The Guardian - Demonstrators have blockaded highways, looted
shops and forced service stations across Mexico to close in a
wave of angry protest triggered by a hike of more than 20% in
the government-set price of gasoline. The announcement of the
price increase came on 1 January – when long queues of cars were
already forming at pumps because national oil giant Pemex was
unable to supply all gas stations due to problems with oil
refining and fuel shortages caused by theft. The so-called
gasolinazo – as the price hike is known – added insult to
injury, and since then, protests have spiraled. Truckers, taxi
drivers and irate individuals have blocked the main highways
into Mexico City and major thoroughfares in the capital,
prompting bus lines to cancel service. The timing of the
protests could prove particularly troublesome as Mexico prepares
for the impact of US president-elect Donald Trump and his
promises to pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement
(Nafta) and build a wall on the northern border – moves
economists warn will throw the country into recession.
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U.S. News, Politics & Government |
Obama Shown With Rows of Empty Seats Behind Him at Farewell
Speech to Military
The GatewayPundit - President Barack Obama gave a farewell
address to the military Wednesday afternoon at Henderson Hall at
Joint Base Myer in Arlington, Virginia just across the Potomac
River from Washington, D.C. Live video of the speech showed
Obama speaking with row after row of empty seats behind him
leaving the impression of less than enthusiastic support for the
outgoing Commander-in-Chief. It was oddly inept staging given
the hundreds who were there to say goodbye to Obama. After the
speech, cameras panned the hall to show full rows of seating
extending around a good part of the hall but with many sections
empty. The floor itself was kept open for military marching
bands to perform and for the Obama farewell ceremony. The speech
was attended by Vice President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary
Ashton Carter and other dignitaries.
California Hires Eric Holder to Lead Legal Fight Against Trump
Breitbart - Democratic leaders of the California legislature
have hired former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to represent
the liberal state in future legal battles with the Trump
administration. “With the upcoming change in administrations, we
expect that there will be extraordinary challenges for
California in the uncertain times ahead,” California Senate
President pro Tempore Kevin de León and California Assembly
Speaker Anthony Rendon wrote in a statement Wednesday. “The
Legislature will work with the Governor and our next Attorney
General to protect California’s economy and our sensible
policies on climate change, health care, civil rights and
immigration,” the statement says. “The Legislature has retained
the services of an expert legal team from the
nationally-renowned Covington & Burling law firm, led by former
United States Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr.”… Holder’s
tenure in the Obama White House was plagued by scandal, a fact
not lost on one California lawmaker. “It is not surprising that
California Democrats would hire someone with a record of
lawlessness to represent them,” Assemblyman Travis Allen’s wrote
in a statement, responding to what he called the California
Democrats’ “Fast and Furious” hiring of Holder.
Rand Paul Reintroduces Legislation To "Audit The Fed"
Zero Hedge - Having been pursued, unsuccessfully, many times by
his father in previous years, today Senator Rand Paul, together
with Rep. Thomas Massie re-introduced legislation to “Audit the
Fed", after a similar effort stalled in the last Congress. While
in the past such a proposal, which has been vocally opposed by
Janet Yellen and Wall Street for obvious reasons, was quietly
shut down it may face its best odds ever of becoming law in the
current Congress according to the Hill. With both chambers
controlled by Republicans long critical of Fed’s policies, the
legislation could end up being a test of Donald Trump stated
resolve to putting the Fed to heel. In the past, the president
elect has heaped scorn on the central bank, and demanded
accountability from the "independent" Fed. To that end, Paul
specifically mentioned Trump in a statement about the bill
Wednesday, making clear the measure’s proponents believe they
have an ally in their cause coming to the White House.
Boulder Becomes Sanctuary City to ‘Defy Trump’
Breitbart - The affluent region of Boulder, Colorado has
declared itself a “sanctuary city,” to shield illegal immigrants
from federal agents ahead of President-Elect Donald Trump’s
inauguration. Boulder city council members said their effort to
reaffirm their sanctuary status was intended to reassure illegal
immigrants in the area that they would be protected, according
to the Daily Camera…. Boulder is so persistent on shielding
illegal immigrants from the law that it has configured exactly
how the City would operate, should a President Trump cut federal
funding for noncompliance…. Under the Boulder’s city council
sanctuary policy, officials are prohibited from cooperating with
federal immigration officials and local law enforcement is not
allowed to hold suspects solely based on their immigration
status.
New Hampshire Bill Would Require Courts to Inform Juries Of
Their Right to Nullify
Activist Post - House Bill 133 (HB133) would require courts to
“inform the jury of its right to judge the facts and the
application of the law in relation to the facts in controversy.”
An unusually short and concise bill by modern standards… HB133
is an important piece of legislation, as it would bring to light
the indispensable right of last resort for regular people
sitting in the jury box to stand up against laws that violate
their rights. Jury nullification is the ability to declare
someone not guilty in a case, even when it is clear he has
violated the law in question. Juries use this power to defend
people against laws that are unjust, immoral, or
unconstitutional. This power is one of the most untapped,
unknown, and powerful of any at the disposal of ordinary people
to stand up to tyranny…. Last year, the full house passed a
similar bill by a 184-145 margin, but the bill was ultimately
killed in the Senate. HB133 will first be assigned to a House
committee, where an “ought to pass” recommendation will greatly
influence the chance of passage in the full House.
Federal Debt Climbs $1,054,647,941,626.91 in 2016
CNS News - The federal debt climbed by more than a trillion
dollars during 2016, according to data released today by the
U.S. Treasury. On Dec. 31, 2015, the last business day of 2015,
the federal debt was $18,922,179,009,420.89. On Dec. 30, 2016,
the last business day of 2016, it was $19,976,826,951,047.80.
The one-year increase in the federal debt during calendar year
2016 was therefore $1,054,647,941,626.91. That increase in the
debt equaled $8,860.65 for each of the 119,026,000 households
the Census Bureau estimated there were in the United States as
of September.
Macy's, Kohl's Crash After Reporting Abysmal Holiday Sales; Cut
Guidance; Announce Mass Layoffs, Store Closures
Zero Hedge - First, it was Kohl’s, which announced it was
slashing its full year forecast, and now sees FY2017 adjusted
EPS of $3.60-$3.65, down from $3.80-$4.00 less than two months
ago, in the day after the election (ironically). It wasn't just
the future: the company revealed that comp sales were also down
2.1% y/y in fiscal months November and December combined…. But
an even greater surprise was revealed moments later by retail
bellwether Macy's, which not only reported a drop in same store
sales, not only slashed guidance, but also announced it would
close 68 stores and lay off over 10,000 workers.
Diablo Canyon nuclear plant cited for cooling system problem
PennEnergy (San Luis Obispo, CA) - Federal regulators have cited the
Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant for a problem that may have knocked
out a reactor cooling system for a year-and-a-half. The Tribune of San
Luis Obispo reported that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a
"white finding" on Thursday...During a test in May, workers found that
an emergency cooling system for one of the two reactors wasn't working
-- and may not have been operating since it was last checked in October
2014.
BLM Pushes Sage Grouse Protection By Restricting Mining on 10 Million
Acres in 6 States
CNS News - As the Obama Administration comes to a close, the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) is pushing ahead with its plan to restrict more
federal land from future mining operations by putting 10 million acres
in six states off limits. “As part of its continuing efforts to conserve
habitat vital to healthy populations of the Greater Sage-Grouse in the
West, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today announced the draft
proposal to withdraw a subset of lands that are sage-grouse strongholds
from future mining claims,” read a press release posted on the BLM
website on Thursday. The announcement about the restrictions on land in
Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming, which was published in
the Federal Register on Friday, said a 90-day public comment period will
take place until March 30, 2017 and that the agency will host eight
public meetings in the West next month…. The agency said the move is
part of its effort to protect the Greater Sage-Grouse even as it decided
not to list the bird under the Endangered Species Act. But Luke Popovich,
vice president for external communications at the National Mining
Association, said the move by the agency is not only not necessary, but
also is destructive to the mining industry and to the larger national
economy.
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Gardening, Farming & Homesteading |
Paraquat - Banned in EU While US Increasing Use of This Toxic
Killer
Dr. Mercola - In the U.S., farmers dependent on genetically
engineered (GE) Roundup Ready soybean crops are increasingly
running into a problem. Weeds are quickly becoming resistant to
Roundup herbicide, leaving the farmers desperate for an
effective chemical alternative. Paraquat is being marketed as
one such alternative, but this pesticide is highly toxic to
humans, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), to the extent that just one sip can be fatal.1 Sadly,
it's become an herbicide commonly used for suicide attempts, but
in countries that have banned its use, such as South Korea,
suicide rates dropped significantly…. Europe is ahead of the
game, as they've already prohibited the use of paraquat. In all,
32 countries have banned the chemical…. Paraquat is banned in
Europe not only because of its highly lethal nature but also
because it's linked to Parkinson's disease. The EPA is aware of
the issue, and reported "a large body of epidemiology data on
paraquat dichloride use and Parkinson's disease.” They're
currently reviewing whether to allow continued use in the U.S.,
but not with the urgency one would expect; a decision isn't even
expected until 2018. In the meantime, its connection to
Parkinson's disease grows…. Paraquat is often applied in the
same areas as another pesticide, maneb, and it's believed the
two have synergistic effects. One study published in the
American Journal of Epidemiology revealed that exposure to both
pesticides within 500 meters of the home increased the risk of
Parkinson's disease by 75 percent…. Paraquat is not approved for
household use in the U.S., but it is sprayed on more than 100
crops globally, including coffee, almonds and oranges. Its use
in food crops may be particularly problematic when used as a
pre-harvest desiccant, such as on cereal grains.
Paleo-type diet reversing Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis
What Doctors Don't Tell You - Crohn’s disease and ulcerative
colitis are being reversed solely by diet—essentially a Paleo
diet. The non-drug approach has been successful in 80 per cent
of children who’ve been put on the special diet. The diet—called
the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD)—has been pioneered by Dr
David Suskind, a gastroenterologist at Seattle Children’s
Hospital. The diet excludes grains, dairy, processed foods and
sugars, other than honey, and promotes natural, nutrient-rich
foods, including vegetables, fruits, meats and nuts. hildren are
going into complete remission after just 12 weeks on the diet, a
new study has discovered. Ten children with inflammatory bowel
disease (IBD)—an umbrella term for Crohn’s and ulcerative
colitis—were put on the diet, and eight were completely
symptom-free by the end of the study.Suskind started exploring a
dietary approach to IBD because he became convinced that the
standard medical treatment of steroids or other medication was
inadequate. “For decades, medicine has said diet doesn’t matter,
that it doesn’t impact disease. Now we know that diet does have
an impact, a strong impact. It works, and now there’s evidence,”
he said.
You Will Never Eat McDonald’s Again After You Read These
Horrifying Facts
Natural Blaze - Here are some of the most disgusting additives
you’re eating when you hit the drive-thru: 1.) Ammonium Sulfate
- Nothing helps mass-produce bread like ammonium sulfate.
Unfortunately, nothing fertilizers soil or kills bugs like it
either. 2.) Silicone Oil - Chicken McNuggets are full of
dimethylpolysiloxane, a silicone oil that is often used for
making contact lenses and other medical items. 3.) Cysteine-L -
Fast food restaurants use Cysteine-L, an amino acid synthesized
from human hair or duck feathers, to flavor their meat and
soften their breads and pastries. 4.) TBHQ - This additive can
be found in 18 McDonald’s menu items. It’s potentially lethal,
but don’t worry, the FDA says it’s generally regarded as safe
(GRAS). 5.) Propylene Glycol - Propylene glycol is a chemical
compound that can be found in anti-freeze, e-cigarettes, and
that’s right! Fast food! 6.) Prescription Drugs - By testing
feathers, researchers from Johns Hopkins University found some
very interesting characteristics of factory-farm-raised poultry.
And you thought the pink slime scandal was bad? Anti-depressants
as well as other prescription drugs are added to chicken feed
for fast food “poultry” items. That’s right, those McChicken
sandwiches and McNuggets come from chickens that were raised on
a steady diet of prescription, over-the-counter, and even banned
drugs. 7.) Dimethylpolysiloxane - You’ll find this in almost any
fried fast food menu item and also in silly putty, contact
lenses, caulking, shampoo and conditioners, cosmetics, polishes,
heat resistant tiles, and the list goes on…
Possible Evanger’s Pet Food Recall
Susan Thixton - From our anonymous friend that has provided numerous
recall alerts in the past (prior to public notice), I am being told
Evanger’s Pet Food will be recalling canned Hunk Of Beef dog food…. A
Washington woman says her 4 pugs became gravely ill after eating
Evanger’s “hunk of beef” and another died. Recall is: Manufactured June
2016. Lot Number is 1816E06HB13. The information of the sick dogs can be
confirmed by
clicking here.
Four Children Die Linked to a Commonly Used Pet Food Fumigant
Susan Thixton - In a lawsuit brought against Mars Petcare we learned
about a commonly used fumigant used on food/pet food ingredients –
aluminum phosphide. This same fumigant was recently responsible for the
deaths of four children. How dangerous is aluminum phosphide to our
pets? In Amarillo Texas on New Years Day 2017, someone used a chemical
fumigant (aluminum phosphide) under a house. Four children in that house
died the next day. “When Aluminum Phosphide is mixed with water or any
moisture, it produces a toxic Phosphine gas, which is what took the
lives of these occupants. One resident of the east Amarillo home was
trying to kill mice and placed the pesticide underneath their home, then
applied water. They were already getting an odor and they were trying to
suppress the vapors.” Aluminum phosphide is directly linked to pet food
(and human food). Thanks to bits and pieces learned from a lawsuit filed
against Mars Petcare, we know that aluminum phosphide is commonly used
to fumigate pet food ingredients. The 2012 lawsuit claimed phoshine
gases “were allowed to accumulate and disburse into the Mars plant at
unsafe levels.” An anonymous employee of the pet food plant stated “We
know there was stuff coming in that was fumigated and was not listed as
being fumigated that went straight into making pet food.” In other
words, this anonymous employee claimed that a deadly fumigate was added
directly into the pet food. A statement made by Mars Petcare to KOAM TV
seems to confirm that it is common practice for aluminum phosphide to be
added into pet food. Julie Lawless (interesting last name) of Mars
Petcare provided KOAM TV with a statement, declaring “Our products are
tested by various state and federal agencies for phosphine.”
Wednesday - January
4, 2017
Today In History:
1885 - Dr. William Grant performed the first successful appendectomy.
The patient was Mary Gartside.
1896 - Utah became the 45th U.S. state.
1936 - The first pop music chart based on national sales was published
by "Billboard" magazine.
1944 - The attack on Monte Cassino was launched by the British Fifth
Army in Italy.
1948 - Britain granted independence to Burma.
1951 - During the Korean conflict, North Korean and Communist Chinese
forces captured the city of Seoul.
1958 - The Soviet satellite Sputknik I fell to the earth from its orbit.
The craft had been launched on October 4, 1957.
1962 - New York City introduced a train that operated without conductors
and motormen.
1965 - The Fender Guitar Company was sold to CBS for $13 million.
1965 - In his State of the Union address, U.S. President Johnson
proclaimed the building of the "Great Society."
1974 - U.S. President Nixon refused to hand over tape recordings and
documents subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee.
1991 - The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to condemn Israel's
treatment of the Palestinians in the occupied territories.
1999 - Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura was sworn in as
Minnesota's 37th governor.
2007 - Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
She was the first woman to hold the position.
2010 - In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the Burj Dubai (Dubai Tower)
opened as the world's tallest tower at 2,625 feet.
UK Won’t Deport Bin Laden-Linked Terror Suspect
Breitbart - An Algerian who entered the UK illegally will be
allowed to stay in the country, despite being a terror suspect
with alleged links to Osama Bin Laden, because his fight against
deportation damaged his “mental health”. The man has been
fighting deportation for 21 years, after entering the UK with a
fake French passport, and is thought to have sent young British
Muslims to terror training camps abroad. According to The
Telegraph, the judge ruled that the alleged jihadist’s
two-decade long deportation battle had affected his mental
health, such that he could not be deported in the end. The man,
who cannot be named, is also reported to be a father and uses a
wheelchair. Home Secretary Amber Rudd has repeatedly vowed to
change the law to make it easier to deport foreign criminals or
those thought to be a security risk, and this ruling is just the
latest blow to the government’s aims. The Home Office previously
refused to grant the migrant the right to remain in the UK and
had imposed restrictions on him, insisting he stayed at his home
address and report to a police station every month. However,
thanks to the judge, he will now also be allowed to study for a
degree in Algebraic Thinking at the Open University.
German interior minister wants federal ‘departure centers’ to
speed up deportations
RT - Germany is considering setting up special federal centers
to help speed up deportation process of rejected asylum-seekers.
The initiative, as suggested by Interior Minister Thomas de
Maiziere, forms part of general security shake-up inspired by
Berlin Christmas market attack. De Maiziere’s proposal was
released in a guest article in Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung (FAZ) on Monday. Anis Amri, the prime suspect in the
Christmas market attack that killed 12 people, is a Tunisian
asylum-seeker who’se application was rejected. He was supposed
to be deported from Germany but the process stalled because the
man reportedly didn’t have documents that could have confirmed
his identity. Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the
attack. De Maiziere put forward the idea of creating federal
“deportation centres” near airports where people who have been
told to leave Germany could live before being deported. German
state authorities are currently handling deportations, but De
Maiziere wants to give more powers to Berlin and is calling for
a “reorganization” of Germany’s security structures.
Czech Interior Ministry seeks right for citizens to use arms
against terrorists
RT - The Czech Republic is considering amending its constitution
to allow citizens to use legally obtained arms for defense
against terrorists following the attacks in Berlin and Nice….
The Interior Ministry plans to submit a proposal for a
respective gun law amendment before the country’s general
elections in October this year. “The possibilities of state
bodies to quickly and efficiently prevent casualties and other
damage are limited during such attacks,” according to the
Ministry as reported by the CTK news agency. This requires that
citizens who officially obtained their weapons get legal advice
in the event that they have to protect themselves against
terrorists, the Ministry said. Officials note that this would
increase the protection of people’s fundamental rights and
freedoms, CTK reports. The proposed amendment would apply only
to Czech citizens and not to people from other EU countries
staying in the Republic, the news agency writes.
‘Israeli shoot-to-kill policy belongs to western movie laws’ –
HRW official to RT
RT - Human Rights Watch has urged top Israeli officials to
publicly denounce the excessive use of lethal force against
Palestinians. A HRW representative told RT that Israel is not
governed by Biblical or western movie laws to employ such
extreme policies. HRW has condemned Israel’s “shoot-to-kill
policy” and has accused some senior Israeli officials of openly
supporting and encouraging the practice. A new HRW report
suggested that some senior Israeli officials openly encourage
the Israeli Defense Force and police to deliberately kill
Palestinians who they suspected of attacking Israelis, even if
the threat of attack has passed. The report takes in statements
made by top officials since October 2015, including Israel’s
defense minister Avigdor Lieberman, who not only failed to
condemn cases of excessive lethal force, but even encouraged it.
Greece bans cash: Tax-allowance possible only through payments
via plastic money
Keep Talking Greece - Greece is banning the use of cash the soft
way. As of 1.1. 2017, taxpayers will be granted tax-allowance
and tax deduction only when they have made payments via credit
or debit cards. The new guidelines refer to employees,
pensioners, farmers but also unemployed. Accepted expenditure
will be: purchases for food and supermarket products, electronic
and electric devices, household equipment, footwear, clothing,
fuel, furniture, cigarettes*, drinks. Restaurants, cafeterias,
bars and hotels. Services like by hairdressers and beauty
parlors, gyms and dance schools, car repair, plumbers,
electricians, painters, carpenters, lawyers and accountants. For
doctors and pharmacy the same practice will be valid as in last
year. The tax office will accept the expenditure only if
payments are made per credit card or bank transfer. Expenditure
for utility bills, landlines and mobile phones, heating, rent,
loan repayments that in fact swallow the largest amount of
monthly expenditure for private households will not be accepted.
Also not accepted is expenditure for toll and transport
tickets…. Should a taxpayer will not be able to spend the
necessary percentage of the annual income according to the
guidelines, the punishment will be a penalty of 22% imposed on
the missing difference…. Exempted from the compulsory usage of
credit/debit cards are seniors over 70 years old, residents of
remote areas and people with disability over 80%.
Silver Company CEOs Prepare For War On Big Banks: Class Action
Lawsuit For Price Rigging
Activist Post - …Deutsche Bank has agreed to turn over documents
implicating other banks in related schemes, major mining
companies are preparing lawsuits of their own. Straight-shooting
First Majestic Silver CEO, Keith Neumeyer, who in 2015 was the
first mining company head to issue a public statement on the
manipulation of precious metals prices by a small concentration
of players, has said that the company’s legal team is closely
monitoring the situation. Citing loss of revenue, jobs and
shareholder value Neumeyer said in an interview with SGT Report
that his company will likely be preparing legal action against
the bullion banks involved in the rigging of prices.
France Bans Pesticides in Public Green Spaces
Sustainable Pulse - French children will soon be able to frolic
in the grass without risk of intoxication. Pesticides will be
banned in all public green spaces from Sunday (January 1 2017)
while non-professional gardeners will no longer be able to buy
pesticides over the counter. The new measure is part of a larger
green program adopted by French lawmakers that also includes a
ban on plastic bags for vegetables. The pesticide ban covers
public forests, parks and gardens, but local authorities are
still allowed to use pesticides in cemeteries. The new law also
stipulates that pesticides will be prohibited in private gardens
from 2019.
Massive quake off Fiji triggers tsunami warning within 300km
radius
RT - A powerful earthquake has struck off the coast of Fiji,
triggering a tsunami warning within 300km of the epicenter. The
USGS downgraded the quake to 6.9 while the PTWC measured it at
7.0, warning that waves up to 1 meter might hit the island
nation. The quake, initially measured at 7.2 magnitude, was
centered some 221 km southwest of Nadi at a depth of 15.2 km,
the USGS said. A series of strong aftershocks measuring between
4.9 and 5.8 struck the same area within an hour after the
initial quake. “The tsunami threat from this earthquake has now
passed,” the PTWC said in their latest update after the Center
warned that waves of up to 1 meter could hit the coast of Fiji.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
Trump Tells DHS To Prepare For Border Wall Construction
Zero Hedge - In a wide-ranging request for documents and
analysis, President-elect Donald Trump's transition team asked
the Department of Homeland Security last month to assess all
assets available for border wall and barrier construction. The
requests were made in a Dec. 5 meeting between Trump's
transition team and Department of Homeland Security officials…
The document offers a glimpse into the president-elect's
strategy for securing the U.S. borders and reversing polices put
in place by the Obama administration…. The transition team also
asked for copies of every executive order and directive sent to
immigration agents since Obama took office in 2009, according to
the memo summarizing the meeting. Trump has said he intends to
undo Obama's executive actions on immigration, including a 2012
order to allow children brought to the U.S. illegally by their
parents to remain in the country on temporary authorizations
that allow them to attend college and work. The program, known
as DACA, collected information including participants' addresses
that could theoretically be used to locate and deport them if
the policy is reversed. Another request of the transition team
was for information about whether any migrant records have been
changed for any reason, including for civil rights or civil
liberties concerns, according to the internal memo seen by
Reuters…. One program the transition team asked about, according
to the email summary, was Operation Phalanx, an aerial
surveillance program that authorizes 1,200 Army National Guard
airmen to monitor the southern border for drug trafficking and
illegal migration. The program once deployed 6,000 airmen under
President George W. Bush but was downsized by Barack Obama, a
move blasted by some conservatives who argue the surveillance is
vital to border security.
Feds Continue to Drop Migrants at Texas Bus Stops
Breitbart - Bus station employees are reporting that illegal
immigrants continue pour into the Texas border town of Laredo.
They have seen a holding center for Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) carrying between 20 and 40 undocumented women
during at least five bus trips. The local NBC affiliate,
8KGNS-TV first heard that 400 migrants were headed to the border
city but it has been difficult to get a concrete number of
released individuals from the agency. Officials report that
these women meet certain release eligibility requirements set by
the federal government. Local officials say that federal
representatives did not notify anyone in the City of Laredo, and
that a similar problem was created in 2014 when there was a
surge of Central Americans in the Texas border town. What is
adding to the flood of migrants crossing the border from Central
America is the fact that some countries are refusing to
repatriate their own.
Senate Begins Process To Repeal Obamacare
Zero Hedge - …the Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi
released a 2017 budget resolution setting up the process to
partially repeal Obamacare early in President-elect Donald
Trump’s administration. The Senate will consider the bare-bones
budget on the floor starting this week with votes expected next
week. Once the House and Senate agree on a resolution a
reconciliation bill repealing parts of Obamacare could proceed.
Of course, using the reconciliation process allows Republicans
to avoid a Democratic filibuster in the Senate which is the same
process that Democrats used to pass the controversial
legislation in the first place. Of course, as we pointed out
last week, Obama has summoned top Democrats to a meeting on The
Hill tomorrow to "strategize" on how they might fight Trump's
repeal efforts. Unfortunately for Dems, given that Republicans
will control all three branches of government in about 17 days
and only a simple majority vote will be required to repeal the
law in the Senate through the reconciliation process, they're
pretty much powerless.
* Related:
Conway: Nobody will lose coverage under ObamaCare replacement
Trump Wins Again: House GOP Reverses On Ethics Office Overhaul
Zero Hedge - Following House Republican's vote to strip the
Ethics Office of independence, Trump lashed out with a tweet
suggesting Congress' time be better spent on other things... and
just minutes ago, following an emergency meeting, Republicans
have confirmed the amendment has been pulled. As a reminder,
House Republicans abruptly voted on Monday night to eliminate
the independence of the Office of Congressional Ethics, the
chamber’s nonpartisan ethics board which investigates lawmakers'
alleged misconduct, largely stripping it of its power, leading
to pushback from Democrats and government watchdog groups. House
Republicans, meeting as a group Monday night, approved an
amendment from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte
that would place the office under the oversight of the
lawmaker-run House Ethics Committee.
Face to Face Once More: Bill & Hillary Will Attend Trump’s
Inauguration
Breitbart - New York magazine cited “well-placed sources” to the
Clintons saying they “decided to do so out of a sense of duty
and respect for the American democratic process.” Former
President George W. Bush and his wife Laura Bush will also
attend the inauguration. In a statement, the Bushes said they
were “pleased to be able to witness the peaceful transfer of
power – a hallmark of American democracy” by attending the
ceremony in Washington, D.C.
WikiLeaks Hints At Huge Upcoming Revelations: "2017 Will Blow
You Away"
Blacklisted News - Ahead of Jullian Assange's interview tonight
on Fox News with Sean Hannity, in which as we previewed last
night the Wikileaks founder will again deny on the record that
Russia was the source of hacked Democratic emails, stating that
"our source is not the Russian government and it is not a state
party", Wikileaks decided to engage in some creative marketing
and, on Monday afternoon promised that 2017 will be an even
bigger year for leaks than 2016, which saw the whistleblowing
site publish thousands of documents exposing the dirty laundry
of the Clinton campaign, US political secrets, covert trade
deals and private communications from global leaders.
Ford cancels Mexico plant. Will create 700 U.S. jobs in 'vote of
confidence' in Trump
CNN Money - The $700 million investment will go to the Flat
Rock, Michigan plant to produce more electric and self-driving
cars. Ford believes electrified vehicles will outsell
gas-powered vehicles within the next 15 years…. This is a major
U-turn for Ford. Trump repeatedly slammed Ford on the campaign
trail for shipping U.S. jobs to Mexico (a claim the company said
was wrong). The president-elect has kept up the pressure. Just
hours before the Ford announcement, Trump criticized GM (GM) for
producing cars in Mexico. All of the big car manufacturers
currently have some production in Mexico. Last year, Ford
announced it would invest $1.6 billion in Mexico to transfer
production of the Ford Focus from Michigan to Mexico to save
costs. Now the Focus will be built at an existing plant in
Hermosillo, Mexico, and Ford will instead expand its plant in
Michigan. Trump threatened to slap a 35% tariff on Ford vehicles
made in Mexico and sold in the U.S., although experts say it is
not possible for Trump do that to a single U.S. company. The
president-elect reiterated that threat again to GM Tuesday,
tweeting, "Make in U.S.A. or pay big border tax!" Ford's CEO
tried to walk a delicate line on how much Trump influenced this
major change in the company's plans. He praised Trump for his
vows to cut taxes and scale back regulations on businesses, but
stressed Ford's decision was "done independently" of the
president.
* Related:
Trump slams GM on Twitter
Mexico Responds To Ford's Decision To Scrap Its New Plant
Zero Hedge - Mexico "regrets" Ford's decision to scrap the plan
to build a plant in the central Mexican state of San Luis
Potosi, the Economy Ministry said on Tuesday, adding that it has
made sure Ford will reimburse any costs and expenses from the
state government to facilitate the now defunct investment. […]
Mexico vowed to maintain its commitment to making Mexico a
competitive nation to attract investment, and reiterated its
commitment to modernizing NAFTA in a way that strengthens
competitive capacity of North America.
Apple’s FaceTime blamed for girl’s highway crash death in new lawsuit
Ars Technica - According to the latest figures available, US highway
deaths increased by more than 10 percent year-over-year during the first
half of 2016. One big reason? Distracted driving with mobile phones.
Apple, maker of the ever-popular iPhone, is being sued on allegations
that its FaceTime app contributed to the highway death of a 5-year-old
girl named Moriah Modisette. In Denton County, Texas, on Christmas Eve
2014, a man smashed into the Modisette family's Toyota Camry as it
stopped in traffic on southbound Interstate 35W. Police say that the
driver was using the FaceTime application and never saw the brake lights
ahead of him. In addition to the tragedy, father James, mother Bethany,
and daughter Isabella all suffered non-fatal injuries during the crash
two years ago. The Modisette family now wants Apple to pay damages for
the mishap. The family alleges the Cupertino, California-based
technology company had a duty to warn motorists against using the app
and that it could have used patented technology to prohibit drivers from
utilizing the app. According to the suit filed in Santa Clara County
Superior Court… The patent referenced, issued by the US patent office in
April 2014, is designed to provide a "lock-out mechanism" to prevent
iPhone use by drivers. The patent claims a "motion analyzer" and a
"scenery analyzer" help prevent phone use. The reliability of such
lock-out services, however, has come into question.
New human organ discovered, purpose of ‘mesentery’ unknown
RT - A new human organ has been discovered hiding in the human digestive
system. The mesentery’s purpose isn’t fully understood, but its presence
could hold the key to treating digestive diseases. It was previously
thought that the organ was an unimportant group of structures, but it
has now been classified as one single organ, which connects the abdomen
to the intestine. The discovery that the mesentery was a single
structure was first made by Irish researcher J Calvin Coffey at
University Hospital Limerick in Ireland in 2012. Since then, he and his
team studied the mesentery to prove it should be classified as an organ.
"When we approach it like every other organ,” Coffey explained, “we can
categorise abdominal disease in terms of this organ." The organ’s
reclassification findings have been published in ‘The Lancet
Gastroenterology & Hepatology’. "In the paper, which has been peer
reviewed and assessed, we are now saying we have an organ in the body
which hasn’t been acknowledged as such to date," Coffey said. "The
anatomic description that had been laid down over 100 years of anatomy
was incorrect. This organ is far from fragmented and complex. It’s
simply one continuous structure.”… “The next step is the function,”
Coffey explained. “If you understand the function you can identify
abnormal function, and then you have disease. Put them all together and
you have the field of mesenteric science … the basis for a whole new
area of science."
|
Gardening, Farming & Homesteading |
Texas Wineries Worry EPA Approval of Monsanto, Dow Herbicides
Will 'Kill' Industry
EcoWatch - Wineries in Texas are worried that federal approval
of two highly volatile and drift-prone herbicides used on
neighboring genetically modified (GMO) cotton fields will cause
widespread damage to their vineyards, The Texas Tribune details.
The herbicides in question are Monsanto's dicamba-based
XtendiMax with VaporGrip Technology, which was approved in
November by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and
Dow AgroSciences' 2,4-D-based Enlist Duo, which the EPA also
proposed to register for use on GMO cotton seeds. Enlist Duo is
already used on GMO corn and soybean crops in 15 states. "The
approval of these formulations will wind up affecting every
vineyard up there," explained Paul Bonarrigo, a Hale County
vintner who believes that his withering grapevines have been
damaged by the illegal spraying of dicamba and 2,4-D on nearby
cotton farms. Bonarrigo believes that the state's $2 billion
wine industry is in jeopardy. The debacle is yet another chapter
in the expanding issue of herbicide-resistant weeds, or
superweeds, that have evolved to resist the herbicide glyphosate,
or Roundup. In response to weeds such as pigweed that have
infested farms across the U.S., agribusinesses such as Monsanto
and Dow have developed ever stronger weedkillers to help
farmers.
Video: France to Ban People with Down Syndrome from Smiling
Health Impact News - Another big step was taken towards the mass
persecution of children with Down syndrome. On November 10th,
the French ‘State Counsel’ rejected an appeal made by people
with Down syndrome, their families and allies to lift the ban on
broadcasting the award winning “Dear Future Mom” video on French
television. The ban was previously imposed by the French
Broadcasting Counsel. Kids who are unjustly described as a
‘risk’ before they are born, are now wrongfully portrayed as a
‘risk’ after birth too. The video features a number of young
people from around the globe telling about their lives. Their
stories reflect today’s reality of living with Down syndrome and
aims to reassure women who have received a prenatal diagnosis.
Their message of hope takes away the fears and questions these
women may have, often based on outdated stereotypes. The video
was produced in 2014 to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day. A day
created by Down Syndrome International and officially recognized
by the United Nations for the promotion of the human rights of
people with Down syndrome. The State Counsel said that allowing
people with Down syndrome to smile was “inappropriate” because
people’s expression of happiness was “likely to disturb the
conscience of women who had lawfully made different personal
life choices”…. Women must continue to believe in the myth that
society and medical professionals portray; that Down syndrome is
a life of suffering, a burden to their family and society.
Obviously, if the truth gets out that 99% of people with Down
syndrome are happy with their lives, society may start to
question the systematic screening and deliberate mass
elimination*) under the pretense of health-care and women’s
rights.
* Related Article/Video:
Couple sues and wins $2.9 million because they would have
aborted their little girl had they known she had Down Syndrome
Video: Sailor Jumps to Safety in Rough Waters – And Saves His Pet Cat!
The Catington Post - The US Coast Guard released a video showing the
dramatic moment when a man jumped from his 30-foot sailboat onto a
rescue ship in rough seas while holding his cat. According to the Coast
Guard, Manu Wattecamps activated his emergency beacon when his sailboat
lost its rudder, leaving him helpless and his boat battered by 20-foot
seas about 400 miles south of Cold Bay, Alaska. A nearby oil drilling
vessel was able to rescue the sailor, and the Coast Guard monitored the
rescue by airplane, where they captured this video, in which you see the
Frenchman tuck his pet cat into his clothes before making a daring leap
onto the rescue boat to safety.
Tuesday - January
3, 2017
Today In History:
1777 - The Battle of Princeton took place in the War of Independence, in
which George Washington defeated the British forces, led by Cornwallis.
1823 - Stephen F. Austin received a grant from the Mexican government
and began colonization in the region of the Brazos River in Texas.
1833 - Britain seized control of the Falkland Islands in the South
Atlantic. About 150 years later, Argentina seized the islands from the
British, but Britain took them back after a 74-day war.
1938 - The March of Dimes was established by U.S. President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt. The organization fights poliomyelitis. The original
name of the organization was the National Foundation for Infantile
Paralysis.
1947 - U.S. Congressional proceedings were televised for the first time.
Viewers in Washington, Philadelphia and New York City saw some of the
opening ceremonies of the 80th Congress.
1959 - In the U.S., Alaska became the 49th state.
1961 - The U.S. severed diplomatic relations with Cuba.
1962 - Pope John XXIII excommunicated Cuban prime minister Fidel Castro.
1967 - Jack Ruby died in a Dallas, TX, hospital.
1988 - Margaret Thatcher became the longest-serving British Prime
Minister in the 20th century.
1993 - U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Russian President Boris
Yeltsin signed the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) in
Moscow.
1995 - WHO reported that the cumulative total of officially reported
cases of AIDS had risen to 1,025,073 in 192 countries as at the end of
1994.
2001 - The ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) charged the
"Texas 7" with weapons violations. An autopsy showed that Office Aubrey
Hawkins, killed by the convicts, had been shot 11 times and run over
with a vehicle.
2004 - NASA's Spirit rover landed on Mars. The craft was able to send
back black and white images three hours after landing.
Islamic State claims responsibility for New Year’s Day attack at
Istanbul nightclub
Long War Journal - The so-called caliphate says that its “hero
soldier” assaulted one of Turkey’s “most famous nightclubs,”
because it is a location where “Christians celebrate their
polytheistic [pagan] holiday.” The jihadist group also attempts
to justify the attack by portraying Turkey as a “protector of
the cross” and accusing Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government of
spilling the “blood of Muslims” with its planes and guns. This
is likely a reference to Turkey’s military operations in
northern Syria, where its forces and allied rebel groups fight
Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s men on a daily basis. Of course, most of
the Islamic State’s victims are Muslims, meaning its accusation
against Turkey is hollow. Many of the victims at Reina were
likely Muslims as well. Amaq News Agency, a propaganda arm of
Baghdadi’s enterprise, released its own statement hours after
the Islamic State’s first claim was posted online.... Initial
reports indicate that at least one gunman assaulted Reina. Some
local accounts claim that he was dressed like Santa Claus, or in
similar holiday garb. However, that detail and many others
remain unconfirmed. Turkish authorities have arrested several
people suspected of being tied to the Islamic State’s network
inside Turkey, but the terrorist responsible for the killings
has not yet been identified or detained.
Syrian refugee who asked ISIS for €180,000 for bombings in
Europe detained in Germany
RT - A Syrian asylum seeker has been detained in Germany on
suspicion of asking ISIS for money to buy and booby trap cars to
kill a large number of "non-Muslim" people in “Germany, France,
Belgium and the Netherlands,” German authorities say. The
38-year old man was detained early Saturday by German special
forces in his flat in the city of Saarbrucken in the Federal
State of Saarland. Official confirmation of the operation and
further details emerged only on Monday. The Syrian refugee was
arrested after Saarland police received a tip off from the
Federal Criminal police. According to the Prosecutor’s office,
the man in custody is suspected of having reached out to an
Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorist group’s contact
person in December “who he knew was in a position to obtain IS
money for terror financing.” The asylum seeker apparently “asked
him [IS contact person] to provide €180,000 so he [the suspect]
can use the money to buy vehicles, which he planned to bobby
trap with explosives,” a statement by the Prosecutor’s office
reads. The Syrian asylum seeker allegedly planned to buy eight
cars - €22,500 each - booby trap the vehicles and drive them
into the crowds to “kill a large number of non-Muslim people.”
He reportedly said 400 to 500 kilograms (882 to 1,100 pounds) of
explosives would be placed in each car.
1000+ Migrants Attempt to Break Into Spanish Territory
Breitbart - Footage has emerged of the “extremely violent and
organized” attempt by over one thousand would-be African
migrants to break into Spain’s North African territory of Ceuta
on Sunday. Five Spanish policemen and around 50 members of the
Moroccan forces were injured during the massive border raid,
including one who lost an eye. The army of migrants used weapons
including metal bars as they attempt to breach gates and double
fences to enter the small piece of Spanish territory.... Both
Spanish and Moroccan authorities have responded with aggressive
rhetoric, promising to punish and deport those responsible....
Spain is keen for its small enclaves in Africa not to become
easy entry points into Europe. Once inside the fenced off areas,
migrants can claim asylum and are often transported to mainland
Europe. To stop this, Spain has built substantial fences and
actively works to keep the exact location of the official border
secret so migrants can be removed even if they cross the
barriers.
Bedlam: Video Shows Migrants in Sweden Aiming Fireworks at
People
Paul Joseph Watson - This is the perfect illustration of the
“cultural enrichment” that has invaded Malmo, a city that has
been besieged by arson attacks on a routine basis, with cars
regularly being torched by Muslim migrants. The terror group
ISIS even claimed one of the attacks. The scenes are
disturbingly reminiscent of what happened Cologne last year
before the mass molestation of hundreds of German women. The
only difference here is that there appear to be no native Swedes
in attendance, with virtually everyone in the clip appearing to
be of Middle Eastern or North African origin. At one point in
the clip, a woman appears to have been injured by a firework as
she ducks behind a vehicle, holding her face. Migrants are seen
picking up boxes of fireworks that are shooting vertically into
the sky and aiming them horizontally to target people down the
street. A toddler is also being held high on the shoulders of
one of the migrants, despite the clear danger of fireworks being
shot off in all directions. The fireworks are also placed in the
middle of the road despite cars attempting to pass through.
Police vehicles are seen driving through the melee but speed off
and make no attempt to stop the insanity. Reports suggest that
similar scenes were witnessed in other Swedish towns and cities,
with “rockets” and “firecrackers” being “directed against
people” as well as police officers, houses and apartment blocks.
More than 250 rioters smash kebab shop after 'group of Arab men
stab young local to death'
Expess- A staggering 300 rioters stormed the streets in a
peaceful suburban town after a group of Arab men allegedly
stabbed a lone local to death near a kebab restaurant, according
to reports. The rioters descended on the town of Elk, Poland,
after a group of Arab -- reportedly of Morocco, Algeria and
Tunisia descent -- chased a young man out of a restaurant in the
town and repeatedly stabbed him. The man, known only as Daniel
R, was stabbed last Saturday around 11pm local time, got into a
brawl with four other men after reports suggest he threw a
firecracker inside a kebab diner.
France sees 650 cars torched on New Year's Eve
The Local - New Year's Eve "went off without any major incident"
but "saw some troubles with public order", the Interior Ministry
has said in a statement.... Meanwhile, in something of a
tradition for the French, vandals torched a whopping 650 parked
cars. While the figure is worse than the 602 the year before,
the ministry was quick to point out that there has been a 20
percent drop over the last five years. Meanwhile, Le Monde
newspaper accused the ministry of deflating the figures,
reporting that 945 cars were actually on fire during the night -
an increase on the 804 that it reported were torched the year
before. The paper said that the government was only reporting on
the cars that were "directly" torched, ignoring those that
caught fire nearby from leaping flames. A ministry spokesperson
responded that the figures released were the "most pertinent and
the most coherent".... The custom of setting vehicles alight on
New Year’s Eve reportedly began in the east of the country,
around Strasbourg, in the 1990s, in the the city’s poorer
neighbourhoods. It was then quickly adopted by youths in cities
across the country.... Authorities have previously refrained
from reporting on the number of torched cars on New Year's Eve
after it was discovered that a district-by-district breakdown
was fuelling destructive competition between rival gangs.
France introduces opt-out policy on organ donation
The Guardian - France has reversed its policy on organ donations
so that all people could become donors on their death unless
they join an official register to opt out. The new law presumes
consent for organs to be removed, even if it goes against the
wishes of the family. Until 1 January, when the legislation took
effect, unless the person who had died had previously expressed
a clear wish for or against donation, doctors were required to
consult relatives who, in almost a third of cases, refused.
Those who do not want all or any of their organs to be used must
now put their name on a “refusal register” – so far 150,000
people have signed up. The authorities have promised to make it
easier for those who wish to refuse by allowing them to join the
register online instead of by registered post. Alternatively,
those vehemently opposed to their organs being used can leave a
signed document with their next-of-kin or transmit their wish
orally to relatives who must make a written declaration of
non-consent to doctors at the time of death.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
DC Appeals Court: Law Required Kerry to Ask AG to ‘Initiate
Enforcement Proceedings’ to Retrieve Clinton Emails
CNS News - A federal appeals court judge ruled on Tuesday that
under the Federal Records Act (FRA), Secretary of State John
Kerry was required by law to ask Attorney General Loretta Lynch
to “initiate enforcement proceedings” to help him and U.S.
Archivist David Ferriero recover emails that his predecessor,
Hillary Clinton, kept on her private accounts. The ruling by
Senior Circuit Judge Stephen Williams for the D.C. Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia pointed out that not only
does the FRA “strictly limit the circumstances under which
records can be removed from federal custody or destroyed,” the
statute also gives agency heads “no discretion to determine
which cases to pursue.” The decision was the result of a lawsuit
filed by Judicial Watch in May 2015 that sought to compel
Kerry’s compliance with the FRA after he refused to ask Lynch to
help him retrieve tens of thousands of emails sent by Clinton
and her top aides while she was secretary of state that had not
been turned over to the State Department.... The appellate
ruling “rejects the Obama State Department’s excuses justifying
its failure to ask the attorney general, as the law requires, to
pursue the recovery of the Clinton emails,” Judicial Watch
president Tom Fitton also said. “This ruling means that the
Trump administration will have to decide if it wants to finally
enforce the rule of law and try to retrieve all of the emails
Clinton and her aides unlawfully took when they left the State
Department.”
Obama could still force Merrick Garland onto court during
‘intersession recess’
Washington Times - President Obama will have one last chance to
force Judge Merrick Garland onto the U.S. Supreme Court on
Tuesday — but it’s a legal gamble and one that has so many
pitfalls that even those who say he could get away with it
believe it isn’t worth the fight. Mr. Obama’s moment will come
just before noon, in the five minutes that the Senate gavels the
114th Congress out of session and the time the 115th Congress
begins. In those few moments the Senate will go into what’s
known as an “intersession recess,” creating one golden moment
when the president could test his recess-appointment powers by
sending Judge Garland to the high court. A smattering of
activists has asked him to give it a try, but Mr. Obama has
given no indication that he’s thinking about it. The White House
didn’t respond to a request for comment for this story. The move
would be a legal gamble under the high court’s last ruling in
2014 on recess appointments. That 9-0 decision overturned a
handful of Mr. Obama’s early 2012 picks, saying the Senate was
actually in session when the president acted, so he couldn’t use
his powers.
Sanctuary cities free more than 2,000 illegal immigrants rather
than cooperate with feds
Washington Times - The Obama administration has made significant
headway in cutting down the number of sanctuary cities, but 279
municipalities are still holding out, refusing to cooperate with
federal authorities on at least some cases involving illegal
immigrants.... Those sanctuary communities released more than
2,000 illegal immigrants back onto the streets rather than turn
them over to federal authorities in fiscal year 2016, and were
on pace for even more in the first two months of fiscal year
2017, which began Oct. 1.... Last year, ICE caught 114,000
illegal immigrants, the lowest number in Mr. Obama’s tenure.
That represented only 1 percent of the estimated 11 million
illegal immigrants believed to be at large in the U.S. More than
90 percent of those ICE apprehended had criminal convictions,
had gang ties, were deemed national security risks, were new
illegal arrivals or were defying active orders of deportation.
Security analysts say that makes the number of people released
by uncooperative sanctuary cities even more troubling. The Obama
administration wouldn’t be asking for them unless they were
priorities for deportation, either as convicted criminals,
national security risks or people who are ignoring recent orders
of deportation.
1,565 Refugees Diagnosed with Active TB Since 2012, Three Times
More Than Previously Reported
Breitbart - In October, Breitbart News reported that 476 cases
of active TB among refugees have been reported in the fifteen
states that made that data available. Thirty-five states did not
make the data available, even though they had apparently
reported it to the CDC: At least eight cases of active TB were
diagnosed among refugees upon their arrival in Minnesota in
2015, bringing the total number of cases of active TB among
refugees in Minnesota over the past six years to at least 304.
That also increases the number of active TB cases diagnosed
among refugees over the past six years in the fifteen states in
which Breitbart News has been able to obtain data to 476, broken
down as follows: Minnesota (304), Wisconsin (27), Nebraska (21),
Louisiana (21), Michigan (19), Vermont (17), Colorado (16),
Florida (11), Ohio (11 in one county), Idaho (7), Kentucky (9 in
one county), North Dakota (4 in one county), Indiana (4),
California (3), and Tennessee, where two refugees have been
diagnosed with the very dangerous, multi-drug resistant (MDR)
TB. Until Breitbart News discovered the public, but effectively
hidden, CDC reports, the scale of the TB problem among refugees
was underreported by more than 1,000 cases over recent years –
off by a factor of more than three.
Nevada's universal gun background check law deemed
unenforceable, put on ice
Washington Times - At issue with the Nevada ballot initiative,
which 50.4 percent of voters approved on Nov. 8, is who would be
responsible for conducting background checks during gun
transactions between private citizens.... Under the initiative,
transactions are subject to federal screenings through the
FBI-run National Instant Criminal Background Check System. But
the FBI on Dec. 14 alerted the Nevada Department of Public
Safety that it would not conduct the checks. The bureau said in
a letter to state officials that it is the state’s
responsibility to facilitate the checks and that the ballot
measure’s approval “cannot dictate how federal resources are
applied.” Nevada is one of 12 “points of contact” where states
handle their own gun background checks.... But the
Bloomberg-backed initiative specifically prohibits private sales
checks from being run through the state’s central repository,
leaving the state with no authority to perform checks for
private sales, according to an opinion issued by Nevada Attorney
General Adam Laxalt, a Republican. “It is manifestly unjust to
criminally penalize someone for failing to perform an act that
is impossible to perform,” Mr. Laxalt wrote in an opinion
Wednesday deeming the ballot initiative unenforceable.
Shane Ralston, Penn State professor: Stop 'coddling the young
adult mind'
Washington Times - An associate professor at Penn State
University Hazleton recently argued that colleges are treating
young adults like infants and setting them up for a lifetime of
failure. Shane Ralston, an associate professor of philosophy,
wrote in an article for Intellectual Takeout last week that
university trends like instituting “safe spaces” and “trigger
warnings” are to blame for young adults failing to “develop
perseverance and grit,” The College Fix reported.... “How are
safe spaces, trigger warnings, parental health coverage until
age 26 and living at home into one’s thirties signs of living in
bad faith?” he asked. “In college, administrator-designed safe
spaces create a false sense of security, denying young people
the opportunity to experience the world’s uncomfortable
realities (e.g. hate, sexism, racism, and homophobia) and make
life choices accordingly. Trigger warnings about shocking or
controversial class topics and materials, usually shared with
students by professors, have the same effect: coddling the young
adult mind. “Parental coverage of health insurance until age 26
and living at home into one’s thirties create more cocoons that
inhibit free choice,” he wrote. “There’s even a euphemism for
living with the parents past an acceptable age: failure to
launch. One out of three young adults (18-35 year olds) fail to
launch, rely on mom and dad’s generosity far too long and
deceive themselves into believing that they couldn’t choose to
do otherwise.”
California lawmakers advance bill to decriminalize prostitution
for minors
LA Times - [California Senate bill] SB 1322, authored by Sen.
Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), would make the crimes of
solicitation and loitering with intent to commit prostitution
misdemeanors inapplicable to children younger than 18. It also
would allow law enforcement to take sexually exploited children
into temporary custody if leaving them unattended would pose an
immediate threat to their health or safety.... SB 1322 drew the
support of a large coalition of advocates who said the bill was
a step further in that direction, taking young victims entirely
out of the juvenile justice system. But law enforcement
officials oppose the move, saying the state's child welfare
system is woefully low on resources.... But while supporters of
the bill argued that it would provide a better way to connect
young victims with social services, opponents countered that it
would prevent law enforcement from helping vulnerable children
who often don’t see themselves as victims, run away from
unsecured shelters and remain tied to their traffickers through
complicated psychological and emotional bonds.
Pennsylvania Democrats Pass $3 Tax on $6 Sugary Drinks
The GatewayPundit - Now a $3 pack of sugary soda will cost you
$6. Customers are already feeling the impact of the new sugary
drink tax. The new law adds 1.5 cents per ounce on most drinks.
Oregon Couple Told They Have No Water Rights, Forced to Destroy Their
Own Pond
Natural Blaze - The Jackson County Watermaster’s office has told Jon and
Sabrina Carey to destroy their 2-acre pond — built 40 years ago, long
before they bought the 10-acre property off Butte Falls Highway two and
a half years ago — as they don’t have any water rights. “I basically
bought a lemon. That’s how they explained it to me.” The county had no
issues with the pond until Jon sought to grow legal medical cannabis on
his property. He was then required to produce proof that he had a viable
source of water for cannabis cultivation. Although the county records
clearly show the pond, the Watermaster’s Office claimed the previous
owners had not received a permit for the pond so the Careys were now in
violation of Oregon regulations — and they would have to shoulder the
cost of draining the water. As a result, the Careys stopped using pond
water and resorted to trucking in water from Butte Falls for their
household and garden needs.
White House fails to make case that Russian hackers tampered with
election
Ars Technica - While security companies in the private sector have said
for months the hacking campaign was the work of people working for the
Russian government, anonymous people tied to the leaks have claimed they
are lone wolves.... Sadly, the JAR, as the Joint Analysis Report is
called, does little to end the debate.... "This ultimately seems like a
very rushed report put together by multiple teams working different data
sets and motivations," Robert M. Lee, CEO and Founder of the security
company Dragos, wrote in a critique published Friday.... The sloppiness,
Lee noted, included the report's conflation of Russian hacking groups
APT28 and APT29—also known as CozyBear, Sandworm, Sednit, and Sofacy,
among others—with malware names such as BlackEnergy and Havex, and even
hacking capabilities such as "Powershell Backdoor." The mix up of such
basic classifications does little to inspire confidence that the report
was carefully or methodically prepared.... The writers showed a similar
lack of rigor when publishing so-called indicators of compromise, which
security practitioners use to detect if a network has been breached by a
specific group or piece of malware. As Errata Security CEO Rob Graham
pointed out in a blog post, one of the signatures detects the presence
of "PAS TOOL WEB KIT," a tool that's widely used by literally hundreds,
and possibly thousands, of hackers in Russia and Ukraine, most of whom
are otherwise unaffiliated and have no connection to the Russian
government.
Fridges and washing machines could be vital witnesses in murder plots
The Telegraph - High-tech washing machines and fridges will soon be used
by detectives gathering evidence from crime scenes, experts have
forecast. The advent of ‘the internet of things’ in which more devices
are connected together in a world of ‘smart working’ could in future
provide important clues for the police. Detectives are currently being
trained to look for gadgets and white goods which could provide a
‘digital footprint’ of victims or criminals. Mark Stokes, the head of
the digital, cyber and communications forensics unit at the Metropolitan
Police told The Times: “Wireless cameras within a device, such as
fridge, may record the movement of owners and suspects. “Doorbells that
connect directly to apps on a user’s phone can show who has rung the
door and the owner or others may then remotely, if they choose, to give
controlled access to the premises while away from the property. “All
these leave a log and a trace of activity. The crime scene of tomorrow
is going to be the internet of things.” The new Samsung Family Hub
Fridge has cameras that carry a live feed of its contents, so shoppers
can tell what they need when they are out at the shop. The dates and
times that people logon to the fridge, therefore could provide alibis or
prove people were not were they said they were. Mr. Stokes said
detectives of the future would carry a ‘digital forensics toolkit’ which
would allow them to analyse microchips and download data at the scene,
rather than removing devices for testing. However the police could come
up against opposition from companies making the gadgets, who are
concerned about the privacy of their customers.
Hidden Side Effects: Medical Studies Often Leave Out Adverse
Outcomes
Scientific American - Approximately half of studies published on
new medical treatments leave out at least some of the adverse
effects they uncovered, according to a recent analysis in PLOS
Medicine. A team of British researchers conducted the review
after coming across individual cases of missing side effects in
medical literature, which includes studies from pharmaceutical
companies, hospitals and academics. To determine how widespread
the problem was, they analyzed 28 journal articles that together
cross-checked the published data from more than 500 clinical
studies with their original data sets. The review's results
quantitatively confirm that some drugs may have side effects not
even doctors know about—which means treatments may not be as
safe as they appear, says Yoon Loke, a physician and lecturer at
the University of East Anglia in England.... Starting this
month, U.S. investigators conducting clinical trials will have
to make all their findings publicly available—no matter what
outcome a study has—thanks to a new rule from the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. National
Institutes of Health. Meanwhile the Evidence-Based Medicine Data
Lab at the University of Oxford released a new online tool
called TrialsTracker that reveals exactly who is withholding
data.
* Related:
TrialsTracker: Who's not sharing their clinical trial results?
At $125,000 Per Dose, Will This Be the Most Expensive Drug in
the World?
AllGov -The FDA has approved Spinraza, the first drug to treat
patients with spinal muscular atrophy, a disease that can kill
infants before they turn 2. Biogen, which is licensing it from
Ionis, said one dose will cost $125,000--equaling up to $750,000
to cover the the first year, and about $375,000 annually after
that. Patients presumably take it the rest of their lives. The
pricing could put it in the cross hairs of lawmakers and perhaps
discourage insurers from covering it.
Why You Should Take Your Apple Cider Vinegar at Night
Dr. Mercola - No doubt, you’ve seen them — lists touting the
amazing curative power of apple cider vinegar for an amazing
number of ills. “ACV” (as it’s sometimes referred to in studies)
has been praised for its ability to balance you pH, increase
good gut bacteria and help control your weight, as well as many
other beneficial things. Here’s the kicker: All those are true,
and more besides. One of the most sensational is its ability to
balance your blood sugar. A study1 at Arizona State University
tested 11 volunteers with type 2 diabetes (diagnosed by a
doctor) who weren’t taking insulin but continued taking their
prescription medications. Each participant took 2 tablespoons of
apple cider vinegar with a snack — an ounce of cheese — before
bedtime. The researchers demonstrated that in the morning, the
study subjects had lower blood sugar readings than when they had
the same snack with 2 tablespoons of water. This is important
and potentially life-changing news for half of the American
population, as NBC News reports that half the country suffers
from either high blood sugar or full-blown diabetes…. Another
thing apple cider vinegar provides is detoxification of your
lymphatic system, which then helps optimize homeostatic function
in your body. This may be as a result of the antioxidants in ACV
reducing oxidative damage by free radicals, while improving both
your blood and organs.
The iodized salt scam. And why You SHOULD NOT Buy this Type of
Salt
Living Traditionally - During the past hundred years the
industry has made the unfortunate move towards increased
processing and fortification (albeit often with good intentions
such as decreasing Iodine deficiencies). However, heavy
processing during the production of conventional table salt,
strips out the other minerals aside from Sodium Chloride.
Natural salt contains 85.62% Sodium Chloride and 14.38% other
minerals (often; sulphate, magnesium, calcium, potassium,
bicarbonate, bromide, borate, strontium and fluoride). So, by
heavily processing the salt (in an effort to produce it in mass
quantities at low cost) 15% of the nutritional value from salt
is eliminated, some of these minerals are hard to replace in a
conventional diet. In addition to removing valuable minerals
from salt, the processing used to produce conventional table
salt includes introducing man made additives (US law allows for
2% additives in table salt). These are usually bleaching, drying
and anti-clumping agents. Also added is Iodine. However, the
levels of Iodine needed to overcome the Iodine deficiencies
mentioned above would require a unhealthy level of salt intake.
In addition, Iodine is present in sufficient quantities and form
in sea food, cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale and other fruits
and vegetables.
Monday - January
2, 2017
Today In History:
1788 - Georgia became the 4th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1882 - The Standard Oil Trust agreement was completed and dated. The
document transferred the stock and property of more than 40 companies
into the control of nine trustees lead by John D. Rockefeller. This was
the first example of what became known as a holding company.
1892 - Ellis Island opened as America's first federal immigration
center. Annie Moore, at age 15, became the first person to pass through.
1893 - The first commemorative postage stamps were issued.
1900 - U.S. Secretary of State John Hay announced the Open Door Policy
to prompt trade with China.
1935 - Bruno Richard Hauptmann went on trial for the kidnap-murder of
Charles Lindbergh's baby. Hauptmann was found guilt and executed.
1942 - The Philippine capital of Manila was captured by Japanese forces
during World War II.
1953 - "The Life of Riley" debuted on NBC-TV..
1960 - U.S. Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts announced his
candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.
1968 - Fidel Castro announced petroleum and sugar rationing in Cuba.
1971 - In the U.S., a federally imposed ban on television cigarette
advertisements went into effect.
1974 - U.S. President Richard M. Nixon signed a bill requiring all
states to lower the maximum speed limit to 55 MPH. The law was intended
to conserve gasoline supplies during an embargo imposed by Arab
oil-producing countries. Federal speed limits were abolished in 1995.
1991 - Sharon Pratt Dixon was sworn in as mayor of Washington, DC. She
was the first black woman to head a city of that size and prominence.
2004 - NASA's Stardust space probe collected samples from the comet Wild
2. The samples returned to Earth on January 15, 2006.
2008 - The price of oil hit $100 per barrel for the first time.
Gunman in New Year slayings at Istanbul club still at large
CNS News - Turkish police struggled Sunday to track down an
assailant who gunned down New Year's Eve revelers at a popular
Istanbul nightclub in an attack that killed at least 39 people,
most of them foreigners. The attacker, armed with a
long-barreled weapon, killed a policeman and a civilian outside
the popular Reina club at around 1:15 a.m. before entering and
firing on people partying inside.... Close to 70 others were
injured.... There was no immediate claim of responsibility for
what authorities immediately called a terrorist attack....
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the gunman, who has not
been identified, remains at large. [Prime Minister Binali]
Yildirim said the attacker left a gun at the venue and escaped
by "taking advantage of the chaos" that ensued.... The U.S.
Consulate General in Istanbul on Sunday warned American citizens
to keep their movements in the city "to an absolute
minimum.".... The U.S. Embassy in Ankara said in a statement
that "contrary to rumors circulating in social media, the U.S.
Government had no information about threats to specific
entertainment venues, including the Reina Club."
War in Syria: Ceasefire holds despite government air strikes
Sydney Morning Herald - Syrian government planes carried out air
strikes and low-level clashes persisted, but a ceasefire
brokered by Russia and Turkey has largely held on its third day,
a monitoring group and rebels say.... But opposition groups did
not follow through on threats made on Saturday to abandon the
truce altogether, raising hopes for an end to almost six years
of fighting. A military news outlet run by Lebanese group
Hezbollah, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said the
Syrian army had destroyed an armoured vehicle belonging to the
former Nusra Front in southern Aleppo province. The army has
said the group, previously al-Qaeda's Syria branch, is not
included in the ceasefire deal but rebels say it is. The latest
truce agreement is the first not to involve the United States or
the United Nations – a reflection of Moscow's growing diplomatic
influence after a long campaign of Russian air strikes helped
Assad recapture the northern city of Aleppo last month. The
truce was endorsed by the United Nations on New Year's Eve.
U.S. Special Operations Numbers Surge in Africa’s Shadow Wars
The Intercept - In 2006, just 1% of commandos sent overseas were
deployed in the U.S. Africa Command area of operations. In 2016,
17.26% of all U.S. Special Operations forces — Navy SEALs and
Green Berets among them — deployed abroad were sent to Africa,
according to data supplied to The Intercept by U.S. Special
Operations Command.... As recently as 2014, there were
reportedly only about 700 U.S. commandos deployed in Africa on
any given day. Today, according to [chief of U.S. Special
Operations Command Africa, Brigadier General Donald] Bolduc,
“there are approximately 1,700 [Special Operations forces] and
enablers deployed… at any given time. This team is active in 20
nations in support of seven major named operations.” Using data
provided by Special Operations Command and open source
information, The Intercept found that U.S. special operators
were actually deployed in at least 33 African nations, more than
60% of the 54 countries on the continent, in 2016.... According
to data provided to The Intercept by Special Operations Command,
elite U.S. troops are also deployed to Sudan, one of three
nations, along with Iran and Syria, cited by the U.S. as “state
sponsors of terrorism.”
Putin: Russia 'will not expel anyone' in US diplomatic row
EuroNews - ...Moscow “will not expel anyone” in response to
Washington’s expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats over alleged
cyber hacking to interfere with the US election.... Following
the US move to kick out 35 Russian diplomats, [Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei] Lavrov said “we cannot leave such steps
unanswered”. The foreign minister said he had asked President
Putin to declare 31 US embassy staff in Moscow “persona non
grata”, as well as four consulate staff in St Petersburg. But
reports then quickly emerged quoting Vladimir Putin saying
no-one would be expelled in response to the US sanctions. The
president went further, inviting the children of American
diplomats to New Year parties at the Kremlin.... Writing after
Obama’s order on Thursday and before the Russian response, US
President-elect Donald Trump said – without mentioning Russia
directly – that it was “time for our country to move on to
bigger and better things”, adding that he would meet with
intelligence leaders next week.
Russia Proposes Clear GMO Labeling for Eurasian Economic Union
Sustainable Pulse - Russia has officially proposed clear GMO
labeling on all food products that contain genetically modified
ingredients in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEC), starting in
2017. Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer
Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) announced last week
that it is inviting all EAEC countries to apply an additional
“GMO” icon on the packaging of food products that contain
modified organisms. The Rospotrebnadzor and the Eurasian
Economic Commission confirmed the proposed amendments to the
technical regulations on the labeling of food products in the
EAEC, despite objections from some European Union food
manufacturers, who claimed that the new GMO icon will cause
problems for international trade. According to the new
regulations the basic size of the GMO icon label must not be
less than 5 mm…. The Russian Government has stood strong in the
face of increasing pressure from U.S. biotech companies and they
have also managed to see through the Russian pro-GMO forces’
misleading claims and pseudoscience.
Alexandrov choir sings 'God bless America' in tribute posted by
Russian Embassy in US (Video)
RT - Mourning the victims of Sunday’s Tu-154 plane crash in
Russia, in which 92 people died, including 64 members of the
renowned Alexandrov Ensemble, the Russian Embassy in the US
posted on its official Twitter feed one particular song
performed by the artists. In the video, the choir and its
soloist Grigory Osipov, who was on board the fateful Tu-154
flight, sing the classic patriotic anthem “God Bless America.”
…. Written and revised in the first half of the 20th century by
the Russian-born American composer and lyricist, Irving Berlin,
the song was performed by the Russian choir at an international
music festival in Quebec, Canada…. The world-famous Alexandrov
Ensemble was en route to Syria to perform at the Latakia airbase
for Russian servicemen ahead of the New Year’s holiday
celebrations.
India money mess
Business Insider - [India Prime Minister] Modi's announcement
that 500 and 1,000 rupee bills — making up 86% of India's
currency — were no longer legal tender has posed an enormous
hardship for millions of people who use cash for everything from
salaries to cellphone charges. Almost immediately, serpentine
lines appeared at banks and ATMs as people waited hours to
deposit or exchange old currency notes for new bills.... Daily
commerce in essentials including food, medicine, and
transportation screeched almost to a halt. Worst affected were
the country's hundreds of millions of farmers, produce vendors,
small-shop owners and daily-wage laborers who usually are paid
in cash at the end of a day's work. Many lost their jobs as
small businesses shut down, compounding their poverty.... Real
estate, tourism, transportation, and gold and gems have been hit
the hardest, along with informal sectors that rely mostly on
cash. Prices are forecast to rise since the cash crunch is
pinching supplies of all sorts of goods. The country's banks,
however, are seeing banner business. The central bank said old
notes worth 13 trillion rupees ($191 billion) had been deposited
as of December 10, with many more expected by Friday's deadline.
That should improve bank liquidity and in turn encourage more
lending to boost economic growth.
Venezuela Military Trafficking Food as Country Goes Hungry
Epoch Times - With much of the oil country on the verge of
starvation and malnourished children dying in pediatric wards,
food trafficking has become big business in Venezuela. And the
military is at the heart of the graft, according to documents
and interviews with more than 60 officials, company owners and
workers, including five former generals.... “Lately, food is a
better business than drugs,” said retired Gen. Cliver Alcala,
who helped oversee border security.... In large part due to
concerns of graft, the three largest global food traders, all
based in the U.S., have stopped selling directly to the
Venezuelan government.... Officials sometimes keep ships waiting
at sea until they are paid off, according to a stevedore who
spoke anonymously because he feared losing his job. After the
cargo is unloaded, customs officials take their cut, refusing to
even start the process of nationalizing goods without a payment,
four customs workers said.... The demands for bribes delay
shipments, and state officials sometimes neglect to distribute
what they import.... The corruption doesn’t stop once cargo
leaves the port, according to truck drivers. The military has
set up checkpoints along highways to catch food traffickers, and
truck drivers say they have to pay bribes at about half of them.
At the end of the food chain, some soldiers partake in selling
food directly to citizens, according to business owners. Bakery
owner Jose Ferreira cuts two checks for each purchase of sugar:
one for the official price of 2 cents a pound and one for the
kickback of 60 cents a pound. He keeps copies of both checks in
his books, seen by the AP, in case he is ever audited.
|
U.S. News, Politics & Government |
Obama Quietly Signs The "Countering Disinformation And
Propaganda Act" Into Law
Zero Hedge - … while the passage of the NDAA - and the funding
of the US military - was hardly a surprise, the biggest news is
what was buried deep inside the provisions of the Defense
Authorization Act…. Long before the "fake news" meme became a
daily topic of extensive conversation on such discredited
mainstream portals as CNN and WaPo, H.R. 5181 would task the
Secretary of State with coordinating the Secretary of Defense,
the Director of National Intelligence, and the Broadcasting
Board of Governors to “establish a Center for Information
Analysis and Response,” which will pinpoint sources of
disinformation, analyze data, and … ‘develop and disseminate’
“fact-based narratives” to counter effrontery propaganda. In
short, long before "fake news" became a major media topic, the
US government was already planning its legally-backed crackdown
on anything it would eventually label "fake news.”Fast forward
to December 8, when the "Countering Disinformation and
Propaganda Act" passed in the Senate, quietly inserted inside
the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Conference
Report. And now, following Friday’s Obama signing of the NDAA on
Friday evening, the Countering Disinformation and Propaganda Act
is now law…. And so, with the likes of WaPo having already
primed the general public to equate “Russian Propaganda” with
“fake news"..., while the US media has indoctrinated the public
to assume that any information which is not in compliance with
the official government narrative, or dares to criticize the
establishment, is also "fake news" and thus falls under the
"Russian propaganda" umbrella, the scene is now set for the US
government to legally crack down on every media outlet that the
government deems to be “foreign propaganda." Just like that, the
US Ministry of Truth is officially born.
Clinton Foundation CEO Declared 'Missing' By the Internet After
Going Public Saying 'Follow the Money'
The Free Thought Project - Twitter users have started the
hashtag #WheresEric in reference to Eric Braverman, the former
CEO of the Clinton Foundation, because some think he has been a
possible missing person since before the November 2016 U.S.
election. Braverman’s last public activity, accessible via the
internet, was an October 12 retweet. A common understanding of
the events surrounding Braverman’s possible disappearance
centers around his abrupt resignation from the Clinton
Foundation in January 2015, which many thought was caused by his
discovery of internal corruption at the non-profit organization.
Braverman named was CEO in July 2013 during the immediate
aftermath of Hillary Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State
which ended February 2013.... Hillary Clinton’s campaign
chairman John Podesta thought Eric Braverman was the source of
information leaks to the media, according to a leaked email sent
March 8, 2015, which was published on October 22 of this year by
WikiLeaks. This email was one week after a March 1 POLITICO
article which detailed his struggle against the tenured Clinton
staff, titled “Eric Braverman Tried to Change the Clinton
Foundation. Then He Quit.” The article was described as “Not a
pretty read” and forwarded to Podesta less than 24 hours after
it was published. While these events occurred in 2015, many
believe that the ongoing FBI investigation of the Clinton
Foundation may be a factor in Eric Braverman’s lack of public
activity.
Washington Post Caught Spreading More Fake News About "Russian
Hackers"
Zero Hedge - The opening paragraph of WaPo's story directly
linked the "hack" of the Vermont utility to the same "Russian
hacking operation dubbed Grizzly Steppe" that the Obama
administration has blamed for the DNC and John Podesta email
hacks. Vermont's Governor, Peter Shumlin, told WaPo that
"Americans should be both alarmed and outraged" by these actions
perpetrated by "one of the world’s leading thugs, Vladimir
Putin," before seemingly calling for further retaliatory actions
from the Obama administration. Moreover, Vermont Senator Patrick
Leahy took the rhetoric to a whole new level by asserting a
diabolical Russian plot to shut down the U.S. electrical grid in
the middle of winter... Of course, it didn't take long for the
New York Times and ABC to latch on to the story since it fits
their "2016 election hacking" narrative so perfectly. Alas,
there was just one minor problem, namely that the entire article
was completely fabricated. Apparently the esteemed "journalists"
of the Washington Post didn't even bother to contact the
Burlington Electric Department to confirm their bogus
story...and why should they...it fit the "Russian hacking"
narrative so perfectly therefore it must be true, right? Well,
apparently not. The quick spread of WaPo's "fake news" story
forced the Burlington Electric Department to issue a clarifying
statement assuring worried residents that, indeed, their
electricity grid had not been hacked, but rather a single
"laptop not connected" to the grid had been found to have a
malware virus.
Trump Hints At "Russian Hacking" Revelations In Coming Days: "I
Know Things Other People Don't"
Zero Hedge - During a brief, informal exchange with reporters on
New Year's Eve at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Donald
Trump questioned the official version of the "Russians hacking
the election", saying it was possible "somebody else"
compromised the Democratic campaign’s servers, adding that he
will reveal some previously undisclosed facts in the coming days
by hinting that "I also know things that other people don’t
know, we they cannot be sure of the situation." Asked what that
information included, the Republican President-elect said, "You
will find out on Tuesday or Wednesday." .... Trump also
reiterated his belief that others might be responsible for the
cyberattacks: “I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very
hard thing to prove. So it could be somebody else. And I also
know things that other people don’t know, and so they cannot be
sure of the situation.” “I think it’s unfair if we don’t know.
It could be somebody else,” Reuters cited Trump as telling the
media.... The President-elect said he wanted to press U.S.
intelligence agencies to make sure they are correct in asserting
that Russia was behind a cyberattack aimed at disrupting the
2016 presidential race, asserting that the US intelligence
community has been wrong before. He made reference to a
government assessment before the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003
that the country’s former leader, Saddam Hussein, possessed
weapons of mass destruction. “And if you look at the weapons of
mass destruction, that was a disaster and they were wrong,” Mr.
Trump said, according to the press pool report. “And so I want
them to be sure. I think it’s unfair if they don’t know.”
Video: Media Freaked Out By Trump Using Twitter to Have a Direct
Conversation With Americans
Breitbart - Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” while defending
President-elect Donald Trump’s use of Twitter, the incoming
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said,”I think it freaks
the mainstream media out that he has this following of over
45-plus million people that follow him on social media, that he
can have a direct conversation. He doesn’t have to have it
funneled through the media.”
Obama seizes Bundy Ranch area in massive last minute land grab
IntelliHub - Startlingly, the area in Nevada includes the site
of the infamous Bundy Ranch standoff as well as land very close
to the Bundy Ranch itself. With this move Obama has possibly
triggered another armed standoff while also heading off any
moves set to be made by incoming president Donald Trump…. A
“fact sheet” put out by the White House reads:[in part] "Located
in Clark County, Nevada just northeast of the outskirts of Las
Vegas, the Gold Butte National Monument spans nearly 300,000
acres and will protect significant cultural resources, important
geological formations, and vital plant and wildlife habitat.”….
Right now it is extremely difficult to confirm exactly how much
of the land in and around the Bundy Ranch is now a national
monument but a map put out by the Las Vegas Review seems to line
up directly with the Bundy grazing allotment. Vocativ is
reporting that multiple individuals involved with the original
Bundy standoff have already made it clear that they plan to
stand up to this latest federal tyranny…. One has to wonder what
exactly are the reasons for this new land grab by President
Obama in the last days of his presidency. It’s extremely hard to
imagine that it is not at least partially connected to the
Bundy’s and the standoffs in both Nevada and Oregon. More
importantly, this area may actually include land that has
documented precious metals throughout it as detailed in the
video report below.
The City Told Her To REMOVE Her God Bless America Sign, What She
Did Next Is Amazing! (Video)
Q Political - [6 months ago] 5 Mile Cafe in Penfield, New York
is a family-owned restaurant known not only for serving
breakfast any time of the day, but also their patriotism. The
establishment is covered in American flags and patriotic decor
365 days a year, making it a truly inspiring sight to see. When
owner Jennifer Aquino was forced to take down her ‘God Bless
America’ banner, she responded in the best way ever. Here’s what
happened… Jennifer requested a town permit so she could display
a “God Bless America” banner on the front of her restaurant. A
proud patriot, Jennifer was hoping to hang the banner from
Memorial Day through Independence Day. However, there was just
one HUGE problem. The town of Penfield has a strict banner
allotment policy that prohibits businesses from displaying
banners for more than a total of three weeks out of the year —
and Jennifer had already used up her allotment, so her request
was declined…. Jennifer refused to feel defeated, so she decided
to post the ‘God Bless America’ banner inside of the restaurant
instead of the outside. Shortly after Jennifer’s courageous act
of patriotism, she received an email from the town telling her
to remove the banner with threats to face a possible fine for
violating the ordinance. What Jennifer did next restored my hope
for America — this really blew my mind. “I didn’t take it down
and I was willing to pay the fine,” Jennifer said. Despite the
town board’s disapproval, many locals seem to agree with
Jennifer’s sentiment. However, Jennifer revealed she never
imagined there would be a day like this in America — where you
can be punished for simply being patriotic.
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Houston Homeless 2016 (Photos) |
Houston Homeless Christmas Day 2016 (Photos)
Rolling Thunder Texas Chapter 2 would like to thank all The
Power Hour Team Members for EVERYTHING they did to help make
this possible....!!!
Trump says Sprint will bring 5,000 jobs back to the US; OneWeb
will create 3,000 jobs
CNBC News - President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday took
credit for Sprint's decision to keep 5,000 jobs in the United
States, as well as OneWeb's plan to add 3,000 jobs in the U.S.
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday took credit for
Sprint's decision to keep 5,000 jobs in the United States, as
well as OneWeb's plan to add 3,000 jobs in the U.S. While Trump
made a point to announce the Sprint job creation, those
positions are part of the previously-announced deal with
SoftBank, a Sprint spokesman told NBC News.
Virginia Bill Would Take a Step Towards Supporting Sound Money
Tenth Amendment Center - A Virginia bill prefiled for the 2017
session would remove sales taxes from some purchases of gold and
silver, a first step towards encouraging its regular use as
currency and breaking the Federal Reserve’s monopoly on money.
Sen. Frank Wagner (R-Virginia Beach) prefiled Senate Bill 934
(SB934) this week. The legislation would exempt some bullion or
currency purchases from state sales tax. The official bill
summary reads, in part: Exempts legal tender coins whose total
transaction sales price exceeds $1,000 from sales and use tax.
Under the proposed legislation, the exemption would remain in
place until June 30, 2022. Imagine if you asked a grocery clerk
to exchange $1000 in cash for smaller bills and he charged you a
$53 tax. Silly, right? After all, you were only exchanging one
form of money for another. But that’s essentially what
Virginia’s sales tax on gold and silver does. By removing the
sales tax on some exchanges of gold and silver, Virginia would
move towards treating specie as money instead of a commodity.
This represents a small step toward reestablishing gold and
silver as legal tender and breaking down the Fed’s monopoly on
money.
EPA hid planned radiation exposure 1,000s of times Safe Drinking Water
Act limits
Blacklisted News - In the last days of the Obama Administration, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is about to dramatically increase
allowable public exposure to radioactivity to levels thousands of times
above the maximum limits of the Safe Drinking Water Act, according to
documents the agency surrendered in a federal lawsuit brought by Public
Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). These radical
rollbacks cover the “intermediate period” following a radiation release
and could last for up to several years. This plan is in its final stage
of approval. The documents indicate that the plan’s rationale is rooted
in public relations, not public health. Following Japan’s Fukushima
meltdown in 2011, EPA’s claims that no radioactivity could reach the
U.S. at levels of concern were contradicted by its own rainwater
measurements showing contamination from Fukushima throughout the U.S.
well above Safe Drinking Water Act limits. In reaction, EPA prepared new
limits 1000s of times higher than even the Fukushima rainwater because
“EPA experienced major difficulties conveying to the public that the
detected levels…were not of immediate concern for public health.”
Attorneys General of 15 States Plan Court Action if Trump Scraps Clean
Power Plan
AllGov - Unveiled in August 2015, the plan envisioned a 32 percent
reduction of carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants across the
nation by 2030, relative to 2005 levels…. When the Environmental
Protection Agency published its guidelines months later, West Virginia
and Texas led roughly two dozen states in a lawsuit that went up to the
U.S. Supreme Court, which temporarily blocked Obama’s plan until the
courts had resolved it…. But New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman,
together with 14 other states and four localities, promised litigation
should Trump choose that path…. Other attorneys general signing the Dec.
28 letter represent California, New Mexico, Oregon, Hawaii, Rhode
Island, Illinois, Vermont, Iowa, Virginia, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Washington and the District of Columbia. City attorneys
and mayors of Boulder, Colo., New York City, South Miami and Broward
County, Fla., also signed on…. Despite promising to keep an “open mind”
on climate change, Trump has long attacked rising global temperatures as
a hoax, and he has appointed fossil fuel executives and environmental
opponents to top cabinet posts.
EPA To Alaskans In Sub-Zero Temps: Stop Burning Wood To Keep Warm
The Federalist - Smoke from wood-burning stoves increases small-particle
pollution, which settles in low-lying areas and can be breathed in. The
EPA thinks this is a big problem. Eight years ago, the agency ruled that
wide swaths of the most densely populated parts of the region were in
“non-attainment” of federal air quality standards. That prompted state
and local authorities to look for ways to cut down on pollution from
wood-burning stoves, including the possibility of fining residents who
burn wood. After all, a declaration of noncompliance from the EPA would
have enormous economic implications for the region, like the loss of
federal transportation funding. The problem is, there’s no replacement
for wood-burning stoves in Alaska’s interior. Heating oil is too
expensive for a lot of people, and natural gas isn’t available. So
they’ve got to burn something. The average low temperature in Fairbanks
in December is 13 degrees below zero. In January, it’s 17 below. During
the coldest days of winter, the high temperature averages -2 degrees,
and it can get as cold as -60. This is not a place where you play games
with the cold. If you don’t keep the fire lit, you die. For people of
modest means, and especially for the poor, that means you burn wood in a
stove—and you keep that fire lit around the clock.
Swarm of earthquakes hit California on New Year’s Eve
RT - Brawley, California residents had a shaky end to 2016, though not
on account of any over-exuberant festive celebrations but instead a
swarm of earthquakes of between 1.1 and 3.9 in magnitude striking off
the coast. The quakes stretched from San Francisco to Las Vegas and
along the border with Mexico. The first quake, with a magnitude of 1.1,
struck at 3.30am local time on December 31 in the Californian town of
Brawley, with over 100 aftershocks reported afterwards throughout the
early morning hours. The area was struck by a magnitude 5.4 earthquake
in 2012, although the strongest quake of this latest swarm was recorded
as magnitude 3.9. Scientists have said a stronger quake is still a
possibility in the coming days, however, according to KABC. No injuries
or serious damage has been reported at this stage. The swarm comes only
days after another series of 200 tremors rattled the California Nevada
border on Wednesday, which followed an earthquake measuring 5.7 early in
the morning, reported the LA Times.
Anonymous Just Hacked Bilderberg & Issued Ominous Threat --
'Work for Humanity' Or Lose It All
The Free Thought Project - Since the mainstream media refuses to
shed light on this secretive and power-hungry group, an
anonymous hacking group appears to have taken action. The
bilderbergmeetings.org website has been taken down by hackers
and the group has been issued a warning that they need to work
for the benefit of humanity - or their assets will be hacked
next. “Dear Bilderberg members, from now on, each one of you
have 1 year (365 days) to truly work in favor of humans and not
your private interests,” the hackers, who identified themselves
as the “HackBack movement and Anonymous,” said in a message
posted at bilderbergmeetings.org. “Otherwise, we will find you
and we will hack you,” they threatened the “Wealthy Elitico-Political
1 percent.” “Mind the current situation: We control your
expensive connected cars, we control your connected house
security devices, we control your daughter’s laptop, we control
your wife’s mobile. We tape your secret meetings, we read your
emails, we control your favorite escort girl’s smartwatch, we
are inside your beloved banks and we are reading your assets.
You won’t be safe anywhere near electricity anymore,” the
hackers said.
iPhone manufacturer Foxconn plans to replace almost every human
worker with robots
The Verge - The first phase of Foxconn’s automation plans
involve replacing the work that is either dangerous or involves
repetitious labor humans are unwilling to do. The second phase
involves improving efficiency by streamlining production lines
to reduce the number of excess robots in use. The third and
final phase involves automating entire factories, “with only a
minimal number of workers assigned for production, logistics,
testing, and inspection processes,” according to [general
manager of Foxconn’s automation committee, Dai] Jia-peng....
There is, however, a central side effect to automation that
would specifically benefit a company like Foxconn. The
manufacturer has been plagued by its sometimes abysmal worker
conditions and a high rate of employee suicide. So much so in
fact that Foxconn had to install suicide netting at factories
throughout China and take measures to protect itself against
employee litigation. By replacing humans with robots, Foxconn
would relieve itself of any issues stemming from its treatment
of workers without having to actually improve living and working
conditions or increase wages.
Drug Companies Flooded W.V. with more than 780 Million Pain
Pills
Natural Society - The United States is embroiled in a fierce
battle against opioid abuse. In 2014, there was a 3.4-fold
increase in the number of opioid overdose deaths in America. The
state hit hardest by the opioid crisis is West Virginia, where
drug companies pumped 782 million pain pills into the state over
the last 6 years. In 2015, West Virginia had the highest rate of
opioid overdose deaths in the country. Since 1999, overdose
deaths have quadrupled in the state. The Charleston Gazette-Mail
obtained previously confidential drug shipping sales records
sent by the DEA to West Virginia Attorney General Patrick
Morrisey’s office. The paper used the records to disclose the
number of pain pills sold to every pharmacy in the state, as
well as the drug companies’ shipments to all 55 counties in West
Virginia between 2007 and 2012. Their findings, both astounding
and infuriating, were documented in a report published in the
paper on December 17. One drug company shipped nearly 9 million
hydrocodone pills to a single pharmacy in Mingo County over the
course of 2 years. The rural, impoverished county has the
4th-highest prescription opioid death rate of any county in the
U.S. In Wyoming County, which has the highest overdose rate in
the entire nation, shipments of OxyContin doubled. One
privately-owned pharmacy in the town of Oceana received 600
times as many oxycodone pills as the Rite Aid pharmacy only 8
blocks away. In total, from 2007 to 2012, drug companies shipped
224,260,980 oxycodone pills to West Virginia. Wholesalers
flooded the state with 555,808,292 hydrocodone pills during the
same time period. That comes to about 433 pain pills for every
man, woman, and child in West Virginia…. The majority of the
painkillers came from the nation’s 3 largest prescription drug
wholesalers: McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health, and AmeriSource
Bergen Drug Co.
13-Year-Old Boy Permanently Disabled From Chicken Pox Vaccine
Wins His Case in Vaccine Court
Natural Blaze - A young man was recently awarded compensation in
the United States Court of Federal Claims Vaccine Court, for
injuries he sustained after being administered the hepatitis A
and varicella vaccinations in 2009. After five long years of
litigation, Health and Human Services (HHS), the Respondent in
all vaccine injury cases, conceded xthat the varicella
vaccination did in fact cause RD’s vaccine injury, transverse
myelitis, which has left him a tetraplegic. In November 2014,
HHS conceded that the vaccination caused RD’s injuries. Even
with this concession, his case continued for another year in the
damages phase, during which time the parties continued to
negotiate the amount of damages that RD would receive for his
injuries [The maximum amount a family is entitled to for pain
and suffering is $250,000.]…. RD was only 13 when his life
changed forever. At a routine well-child visit in 2009, the
doctor informed RD’s parents that he was due to receive the
hepatitis A and varicella vaccinations. His parents complied
with the doctor’s order and RD received the vaccinations. RD was
only 13 when his life changed forever. At a routine well-child
visit in 2009, the doctor informed RD’s parents that he was due
to receive the hepatitis A and varicella vaccinations. His
parents complied with the doctor’s order and RD received the
vaccinations. About 14 days later, RD began to experience
excruciating pain shooting through his body along with tingling,
numbness and paralysis of his limbs. After extensive testing and
many invasive procedures, RD was diagnosed with transverse
myelitis.
Can Milk Thistle Help Heal Breast Cancer?
Natural News Blogs - Milk Thistle has been studied for years for
its anti-tumor effects on several types of cancer, especially
prostate, lung and liver. Milk Thistle has been studied for
years for its anti-tumor effects on several types of cancer,
especially prostate, lung and liver. This year (2016), however,
was the year for this bristly-looking herb to prove its
effectiveness on breast cancer. In 2016 alone, there were 9
separate studies which verified Milk Thistle’s activity against
many forms of breast cancer, including ER positive and Triple
Negative. Silibinin is the active constituent in the flavonoid
called silymarin and the main reason why Milk Thistle is such a
healing herb. Silibinin has proven in scientific studies to
prohibit cancer cells from reproducing while also reducing the
life cycle of existing cancer cells…. What also makes Milk
Thistle so effective against breast cancer and other cancers of
the reproductive system, such as cervical and prostate, is its
detoxifying effect against xenoestrogens. The daily lives of
most individuals are filled with exposure to toxic chemicals in
food, the air, the water and home products. Some of these toxins
convert into “fake estrogens” in the body, which can build up
and overpower the system, leading to cancers of the reproductive
system. Milk Thistle has the ability to metabolize excessive
amounts of aggressive estrogens such as estradiol (which
xenoestrogens tend to mimic)…. Milk Thistle helps take the
burden off an over-taxed liver. One study found that workers
exposed to toxic chemicals for up to 20 years were able to
improve their overall liver function after being given Milk
Thistle extract (80 % silibinin) for just one month…. The
standard for a reputable source of Milk Thistle is between 70 to
80% silymarin. Be sure to investigate the source of your Milk
Thistle supplement to avoid toxic fillers and verify that the
herb comes from an organic source.
Court Rules Police Can Legally Execute Your Dog if It Does Anything But
Sit Silently
Activist Post - The incident occurred on April 17th, 2013, when police
were attempting to execute a search warrant on the home where the Browns
were living because a police informant reported another man, Vincent
Jones, was distributing heroin, cocaine, and marijuana from the
residence. Jones was apprehended before police arrived on the scene….
The Browns dispute the claims by police that the dogs were barking.
Officer Klein said the larger dog was barking and “lunged” at him, but
later admitted the pet “had only moved a few inches.” Despite there
being no attack, Klein fired a round at the dog. Both dogs ran away from
the officers to the basement, obviously fleeing in fear…. There, the two
dogs were shot and killed by the officers who felt that they could not
properly clear the room and effectively execute the search warrant on
the home, explaining they “did not feel [the officers] could safely
clear the basement with those dogs down there.”…. Going further, the
officers stated the “basement was loaded. You’ve gotta look under beds,
you’ve gotta do everything, and [the dogs] basically prevented us from
doing that, and they were protecting that basement.” Klein testified the
smaller pit bull was “just standing there” when it was shot and killed.
In spite of these sadistic admissions, the appellate court ruled in
favor of the officers, the police department, and the other defendants.
They agreed with the lower court ruling that the police officers were
covered under “doctrine of qualified immunity” and were therefore not
liable for compensating the plaintiffs in the case.The precedent has now
been set.
Video: Police Officer Knows Exactly How To Calm Aggressive Dogs
The Dodo - When aggressive dogs started charging and barking at him,
this police officer knew EXACTLY what to do.
Check For This Ingredient Before Feeding Your Dog Peanut Butter -- It
Could Kill Them
ViralNova - Peanut butter is the perfect food to fill a bone with to
keep your furry friend entertained during the day while you're at work
or to keep them from jumping all over your guests. Your dog might not
ever stop loving peanut butter, but some companies are using a new
ingredient that could be deadly. Here's what you need to know to keep
your pup safe. Some peanut butter companies are now using a sugar
substitute called xylitol. Xylitol is about 100 times more toxic for
dogs than chocolate. It can cause seizures, hypoglycemia, and even
death. The best way to protect your pet is to make sure you're using
all-natural peanut butter. Peanut butter brands that use xylitol include
Go Nuts, Co., Krush Nutrition, Nuts 'N More, and P28 Foods. It's always
best to check the list of ingredients just to be sure the brand you buy
won't hurt your best friend.
