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MAY 2015

Friday - May 29, 2015 - Today in History:

1789 - A regular army was established by the U.S. War Department with several hundred men.
1829 - The first public appearance by London's re-organized police force was met with jeers from political opponents. The force became known as Scotland Yard.
1962 - U.S. President John F. Kennedy nationalized the Mississippi National guard in response to city officials defying federal court orders. The orders had been to enroll James Meredith at the University of Mississippi.
1967 - The International Monetary Fund reformed monetary systems around the world.
1982 - In Chicago, IL, seven people died after taking capsules of Extra-Strength Tylenol that had been laced with cyanide. 264,000 bottles were recalled.
1983 - The War Powers Act was used for the first time by the U.S. Congress when they authorized President Reagan to keep U.S. Marines in Lebanon for 18 more months.
1984 - Irish officials announced that they had intercepted the Marita Anne carrying seven tons of U.S. purchased weapons. The weapons were intended for the Irish Republican Army.
1988 - The space shuttle Discovery took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. It was the first manned space flight since the Challenger disaster.
1990 - "Millie's Book" by First Lady Barbara Bush was the best-selling non-fiction book in the U.S.
1994 - The U.S. House voted to end the practice of lobbyist buying meals and entertainment for members of Congress.
2008 - The Dow Industrial Average lost 777 points. It was the largest one-day decline to date. The drop came after the U.S. House of Representatives had voted down a $
700 billion bank bailout plan.
2010 - In China, Canton Tower became operational.

World News

Russia Will Respond to NATO's Missile Defense Buildup in Europe – General
Sputnik News - Russia will adequately respond to what it sees as an “unrestrained expansion” of NATO’s missile defenses, a top defense ministry official said on Friday. “In a situation of an unrestrained expansion of NATO’s missile defense shield, capable of intercepting the Russian ICBMs, Russia will, as we have repeatedly warned, find it necessary to adequately respond to this expansion,” General Anatoly Ivanov told a news briefing in Moscow.

Islamist militants capture last Syrian govt stronghold in Idlib province
RT - Islamist militants have claimed full control over the strategic Syrian city of Ariha, with government forces admitting withdrawal from their last stronghold in Idlib province after heavy clashes with al-Qaeda affiliated groups. Ariha, once a city of some 40,000 people and up until now the last remaining under government control in the Idlib province, bordering Turkey, has fallen to the rebels, Syrian television reported citing army sources.

Japan volcano eruption triggers highest alert, locals' evacuation (VIDEO)
RT - A sudden volcano eruption on the small southern Japanese island of Kuchinoerabu-jima has forced authorities to raise the alert to the highest level and advise evacuation of the immediate area. Residents have fled by boat to the nearest neighboring island.... Mount Shindake suddenly erupted at around 10:00 a.m. local time, sending a large plume of black smoke some 9,000 metersinto the sky. The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued a level five warning for the area, the highest on its scale.

Stuxnet 2.0: US launches cyber attack on Iran’s oil ministry
Hang The Bankers - Iran has foiled a hacking attack on its Ministry of Petroleum, which originated from the US, head of the Iranian Cyber Police has said.The website of Cyber Police (FATA) quoted Gen. Kamal Hadianfar as saying that the hackers had launched their attack during holidays in Iran.... “The IP used by the hackers originated from America which we have announced to (the Americans) in a formal letter. We have also submitted an international court order which is being followed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Hadianfar added.

BRICS summit in Russia to launch New Development Bank & currency pool - Putin
RT - Russia expects to launch the $100-billion BRICS New Development Bank along with a currency reserve pool worth another $100 billion at the July summit in Ufa, said Russian President Vladimir Putin. We expect to reach agreement in Ufa on the launch of practical operations of the BRICS Bank and a pool of currency reserves," Putin said on Thursday at a ceremony to receive the credentials of ambassadors of foreign states, TASS reports.

EU threatens 11 members with court if they fail bank recovery program
RT - The European Commission may subpoena eleven countries, including France and Italy unless they implement a directive to protect taxpayers from the aftermath of financial crisis and shift the burden of paying debts of struggling lenders to shareholders. Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Malta, Poland, Romania and Sweden missed the deadline set by the commission and haven’t applied the the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD).... The directive is designed to protect taxpayers from having to bail out problem-plagued lenders, making creditors and shareholders commit to the rescue in a process known as "bail-in".

"The Greek Endgame Is Here": Probability Of IMF Default Now 70%, Says Deutsche Bank
Zero Hedge - Amid accelerating deposit outflows and an hourly flow of conflicting headlines, Deutsche Bank is out with a fresh take on the Greek endgame including an analysis of both the political wrangling that would need to take place in order for parliamentary approval of concessions to creditors and the mechanics of a default to the IMF.
* Related: Greece Owes $1.2 Billion To Drugmakers As Government Can No Longer Afford Basic Medical Supplies

It's Official: Austria Repatriates Gold, Confirms Loss Of Faith In Bank Of England
Zero Hedge - Earlier today the Austrian Central Bank confirmed the Kronen-Zeitung report, and said that by the year 2020, it would hold 50%, or 140 tons, of its gold domestically, up from 17% currently. This means that Austria will withdraw some 140 tons of gold from the BOE which holds 80% of Austria's gold currently and send 92.4 tons back home to Vienna with another 47.6 tons being sent to Switzerland. Which is also the biggest news: Austria is explicitly demonstrating a lack of confidence in the "pro-western" system of which the Bank of England is a critical cog, and instead opting for "neutral" Switzerland, which will hold nearly 50 tons of the gold formerly located at the Bank of England.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Immigration Overhaul May Be in Limbo Until Late in Obama’s Term
NY Times - President Obama’s overhaul of the nation’s immigration system, which he announced in a prime-time speech to the nation last November, may remain under a cloud of legal uncertainty until months before he leaves office in 2017, legal experts and administration officials said Wednesday. Officials from the Justice Department said in a statement that they would not ask the Supreme Court for permission to carry out the president’s immigration programs — which seek to provide work permits and deportation protection to millions of undocumented immigrants — while a fight over presidential authority plays out in the lower courts. That legal battle may extend for a year or more, officials said, undermining any hope of putting the president’s plan into effect until right before the 2016 election.

Thanks to #BlackLivesMatter, More Black People are Now Being Killed in Baltimore
Paul Joseph Watson - Thanks to last month’s riots and looting, which were advocated by many corners of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, more black people are dying in Baltimore as a result of massively reduced police patrols and criminals feeling more emboldened. The city is currently undergoing its deadliest month in 15 years, with a 31-year-old woman and a young boy becoming the 37th and 38th homicide victims. Arrests have dramatically fallen, with police afraid to detain suspects because they “often have 30 to 50 people surrounding them at any time” and fear getting arrested themselves for making mistakes, according to Police Commissioner Anthony Batts. “So far this month, arrests are down roughly 56 percent. Police booked just 1,045 people in the first 19 days of May, an average of 55 a day. In the same time period last year, police arrested 2,396 people, an average of 126 a day,” reports the Associated Press.

Student Punished for Bringing Hot Pepper to School
Adan Salazar - The family of a Long Island student is suing his high school after administrators punished him for bringing hot peppers to lunch. The mother of Nick Lien, a 10th grader at Centereach High School, says her family has a healthy appreciation for spicy food.... Nick had brought ghost peppers to school and made the mistake of allowing his less-spicy-tolerant classmates to try them.... “I was told that it’s equivalent to giving someone LSD,” Nick said. “I was shocked, because I didn’t realize that giving someone a pepper could get me into as much trouble as I was in.” The Liens’ attorney asserts the school overstepped their boundaries in attempting to regulate the type of foods a student can bring to lunch.

Election News

Hillary Clinton's GMO Ties Spark Backlash in Iowa
Natural Society - GM corn and soy are at the heart of Iowa’s economy, but people are still ditching Clinton like yesterday’s trash. This was evidenced recently at a meeting of the Tri-County Democrats, where members gauged support for the former secretary of state. As one website reports: “A large faction of women voiced strong support for Mrs. Clinton’s candidacy until the GMO issue came up, prompting them to switch allegiances to Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont, a liberal stalwart challenging her for the Democratic nomination. “I was surprised, because these women were really pushing for Hillary until they found out about the Monsanto connection, and then they dropped her like a hot potato,” said James Berge, Democratic Party chairman for Worth County, Iowa.”

Economy & Business

Pentagon Spent $176Bln to Create Jobs Overseas Instead of US
Sputnik News - The US Department of Defense has spent $176.8 billion over the past eight years buying foreign imports through more than 307,000 waivers to the Buy American Act, US Senator Chris Murphy aid in a press release published on Thursday. Buy American Act waivers are intended to allow US federal agencies to purchase goods or services from foreign companies, but only in extraordinary circumstances. “Everywhere I go in Connecticut, people are outraged that their taxpayer dollars are being used to create jobs overseas, instead of here in America.”

In Shocking Move, Goldman Slashes America's Long-Run "Potential GDP" From 2.25% To 1.75%
Zero Hedge - Having recently cut its estimate of US trend productivity growth to 1.5%, in a shocking move earlier today, Goldman admitted US trend growth is far less than previously speculated and lowered its long-term potential GDP. The bank says: "after adjusting for a drag from government sector productivity and incorporating an updated assessment of trend labor force growth, we now see long-run potential GDP growth at 1¾%, half a percentage point below our prior estimate." This is a huge deal as Goldman just recalibrated every single economic (i.e., inflation, employment) and financial (i.e., bond rates, leverage) equation by more than 20%, not to mention the amount of implied residual slack in the economy. In short, an absolutely massive amount!

McDonald's is Losing so Much Money it Stopped Telling Us How Much
Natural Society - As Bloomberg reports in an article entitled “McDonald’s to Stop Reporting Monthly Same-Store Sales Data,” the move has come after 11 straight months of declining sales. Specifically, the fast food titan has even been forced to close more than 700 stores. Meanwhile, the sales of organic food continue to boom. It’s part of the new health paradigm that millions around the world continue to adapt — a system in which real, organic food reigns supreme.

Monsanto’s Biggest Fears Are Coming True
Off the Grid News - One of America’s most popular and fastest growing “fast-casual” chains, Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG), has decided to stop using any GMO ingredients – and it’s but the latest blow to biotech giants such as Monsanto. The restaurant chain sent out a press release noting that all the ingredients served at its taco and burrito restaurants and its subsidiary, ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, are now non-GMO.... Chipotle is also one of the hottest investments on Wall Street. Its stock was trading at $621.08 a share on May 26. Fast food industry observers blame the recent troubles at McDonald’s on the success of “fast-casual” chains like Chipotle.

Energy & Environment

Powerful 7.0-Magnitude Quake Rocks Alaskan Island West of Nome
Sputnik News - The quake’s epicenter was situated 63 miles of the island of Chirikov located to the west of Nome on Alaska’s mainland. No tsunami warnings have been issued and there are so far no reports of damage from the earthquake.

An American Indian Prophecy Coming True
Activist Post - Dane Wigington of GeoEngineeringWatch.org answered some definitive questions in the hour-long conference call regarding “The Push For Legal Action To Expose Climate Engineering,” [Video] which I encourage everyone who breathes to listen to.... Dane points out that the Texas weather problems of late May 2015 have been seen on radar and are due to generated frequencies associated with weather manipulation.... However, at one place in the conference call, a gentleman from Toronto, Canada, phoned in to say that the tops of the trees in Toronto are dying or dead! That comment struck me to the core and reminded me of an American Indian prophecy I had heard umpteen years ago, which was attributed to the Hopi Tribe. What I had heard stated was that humans would know the end times were near when the trees were dying from the top down.
* Related: Evidence Texas Floods and Loss of Life Caused by Weather Weapons
* Photos from the Flooding in Wimberley, TX sent to us from Susan

VIDEO: 'Heartbreaking': More Rain on the Way as Search for Texas Flood Victims Goes On
NBC News - Rescue crews have already pulled more than 100 people from rushing floodwaters in Texas, some of them swept downstream more than 10 miles, Lt. Gov. Dan Perkins said Thursday. But rivers are still rising, and more rain is on the way. In Wharton, an hour outside Houston, hundreds of people were being asked to leave their homes Thursday because of danger posed by the swollen Colorado River. Outside Dallas, hundreds more were encouraged to leave as the Brazos River rose.

Science & Technology

US Special Forces Are Experimenting With Bug Drones
Defense One - If you hear this tiny flying bug drone buzzing around your head, an Army Special Forces team might not be far behind. The 18-gram PD-100 Black Hornet from Norway’s Prox Dynamics can bear regular and thermal cameras about a kilometer and stay aloft more than 25 minutes.... The PD-100 has been in operational use for three years, including wide use by British Brigade Reconnaissance Force in Afghanistan. “This is what they use when they check out enemy compounds,” said Arne Skjaerpe, CEO and president of Proxdynamics USA.

Governments Eye New Stingray-Detecting System
Mikael Thalen - A new system designed to detect and track IMSI catchers, commonly referred to as “Stingrays,” is grabbing the attention of Western governments as revelations of widespread cellular surveillance continue to emerge. IMSI catchers, known best for their use by law enforcement, are suitcase-sized devices that mimic cell towers in order to capture anything from a mobile phone’s current location to text and voice data.... Fearing deployment by foreign and rogue actors, who have the ability to build such devices for less than $1,500, governments have now approached those same security experts to acquire “Overwatch,” the first real-time IMSI catcher detection system.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Crops being drenched with cancer-causing glyphosate immediately before harvest
(NaturalNews) Vast quantities of non-organic crops are deliberately doused with the carcinogenic herbicide glyphosate (trade name Roundup) in order to provide farmers with a more profitable harvest.... The practice of killing good crops with Roundup right before harvest is described in a 2010 paper by Roundup manufacturer Monsanto. The purpose, the company says, is to cause the crops to all die at the same time, thus drying uniformly and providing an earlier and more profitable harvest. "Uneven maturity and green tissue delays harvest," the paper reads, directing the reader's attention to photographs showing the "uniform" and "complete" desiccation of fields of corn and sunflowers killed by Roundup.
* Related: Call to action on a Monsanto Roundup class action suit

Health

Remove intestinal parasites with these effective natural remedies
(NaturalNews) Many people tend to assume that intestinal parasites are a Third World problem, but the truth is that they also affect millions of people in the Western world. In fact, intestinal parasites have risen to epidemic levels in the United States.... Diatomaceous earth is arguably the most effective natural anti-parasitic remedy available today. A naturally occurring sedimentary rock that is usually sold in powdered form, diatomaceous earth has a long history of use as a natural insecticide and pesticide. It is believed to work by dehydrating parasites in the intestinal tract, allowing our bodies to excrete them painlessly.

Coconut Water: A New Alzheimer's Disease Treatment?
Green Med Info - We have reported previously on coconut oil and Alzheimer's research, but it appears another coconut product: coconut water, which contains no fatty acids of physiological relevance, may also have great value for those suffering with Alzheimer's disease. Coconut water is one of nature's best forms of hydration due to its isotonic properties (it is able to pass through cell membranes easily). And while the focus on brain health has been primarily on brain structures, e.g. neurons, brain plaque, etc., little focus has been on the role of water in brain health, and particularly dehydration as a factor in chronic neurodegeneration illness.
* Related: How To Buy The Healthiest Coconut Water And Avoid The Worst!

19 Second Breathing Technique Induces Sleep ‘Almost Instantly’
Natural Society - Of all the relaxation techniques, one can utilize none is as effective and fast-working as breathing techniques.... “The 4-7-8 breathing technique was pioneered by Dr. Andrew Weill from Arizona, who describes the yoga-inspired method as ‘utterly simple, takes almost no time, requires no equipment and can be done anywhere.’ Dr.Weill claims that 4-7-8 breathing can help people fall asleep in just 60 seconds by acting as a ‘natural tranquilizer for the nervous system’ that reduces stress and tension in the body.”

Pet News

Texas Flood: Lost Pets Need Your Help To Find Their Humans
HNGN - Tons of lost pets lost in the Texas floods are relying on you to help them be reunited with their humans in this disaster! Facebook pages 2015 Flood Houston Volunteers for Lost and Found Pets and Wimberley Adoption Group & Rescue are flooding - both literally and figuratively - with posts of worried humans who lost their furry friends in the storm. The Austin Animal Center, which is already over capacity, keeps being brought more pets every day but they were forced to close their doors, reported My Pawsitively Pets. Some amazing humans, despite the tragedy, are opening their doors to become temporary foster parents and give the homeless animals a dry place to stay for the night.... For those outside Texas who want to help these animals contact Texas based rescues, such as Lost Dogs Of Texas, to send blankets and food for the animals.

Petsmart Himalayan Ruff Roots Dog Treat "Voluntary" Recall
Susan Thixton - Himalayan Corporation has issued a voluntary recall of specific Ruff Roots All-Natural Dog Chew Toys due to potential metal contamination. From the Petsmart website: Himalayan Corporation has issued a voluntary recall of specific Ruff Roots All-Natural Dog Chew Toys due to potential metal contamination. While this recall affects all lots of the Ruff Roots Dog Chew Toys sold by PetSmart, no other Himalayan Corporation products are impacted by this issue.

 



Thursday - May 28, 2015 - Today in History:

1805 - Napoleon was crowned in Milan, Italy.
1863 - The first black regiment left Boston to fight in the U.S. Civil War.
1892 - The Sierra club was organized in San Francisco, CA.
1900 - Britain annexed the Orange Free State.
1918 - Azerbaijan declared independence.
1928 - Chrysler Corporation merged with Dodge Brothers, Inc.
1929 - Warner Brothers debuted "On With The Show" in New York City. It was the first all-color-talking picture.
1934 - The Dionne quintuplets were born near Callender, Ontario, to Olivia and Elzire Dionne. The babies were the first quintuplets to survive infancy.
1937 - President Roosevelt pushed a button in Washington, DC, signaling that traffic could cross the newly opened Golden Gate Bridge in California.
1940 - During World War II, Belgium surrendered to Germany.
1957 - National League club owners voted to allow the Brooklyn Dodgers to move to Los Angeles and that the New York Giants could move to San Francisco.
1961 - Amnesty International, a human rights organization, was founded.
1976 - The Peaceful Nuclear Explosion Treaty was signed, limiting any nuclear explosion - regardless of its purpose - to a yield of 150 kilotons.
1977 - Fire raced through the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, KY. 165 people were killed.
1985 - David Jacobsen, director of the American University Hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, was abducted by pro-Iranian kidnappers. Freed 17 months later.
1995 - An earthquake in the Russian town Neftegorsk killed at least 2000 people. It had a magnitude of 7.5.
1996 - U.S. President Clinton's former business partners in the Whitewater land deal were convicted of fraud.
1998 - Pakistan matched India with five nuclear test blasts. The U.S., Japan and other nations imposed economic sanctions. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said "Today, we have settled the score with India."
1998 - Dr. Susan Terebey discovered a planet outside of our solar system with the use of photos taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
1999 - In Milan, Italy, Leonardo de Vinci's "The Last Supper" was put back on display after more than 20 years of restoration work.
2002 - Russia became a limited partner in NATO with the creation of the NATO-Russia Council.

World News

Who Would Win A Conflict In The South China Sea: The Infographic
Zero Hedge - As regular readers are no doubt aware, the US and China are racing towards a maritime conflict stemming from Beijing’s construction of what Washington has condescendingly called “sand castles” in the Spratly archipelago. Atop these man-made islands are cement plants, air strips, and soon-to-be lighthouses, as China boldly asserts its territorial claims on what are heavily-contested waters though which trillions in seaborne freight pass each year. Now, with Beijing set to enforce what is effectively a no-fly zone over its new sovereign ‘territory’ we bring you the following graphic from WSJ which shows that when it comes to sheer size, China’s air force and Navy are beyond compare.

Russia, Venezuela agree on massive $14bn oil & gas investment deal
RT - President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro says his country has reached an agreement with Russia, which will see investment of $14 billion in the oil and gas sector over the next few years. The agreement was reached between the Venezuelan state oil firm, PDVSA (Petroleos de Venezuela) and the Russian oil giant, Rosneft, after talks in the South American country’s capital, Caracas, between Maduro, the president of PDVSA, Eulogio Del Pino, and the president of Rosneft, Igor Sechin.

Australian Media Spies Imaginary Weapons in South China Sea
Sputnik News - As tensions continue to rise in the South China Sea, Australian media outlets are reporting that China has installed weapons on its artificial islands. This despite citing no evidence, and despite the fact that Beijing has consistently stressed that the islands will be used for peaceful purposes. On Tuesday, Japan announced that it would join in the Talisman Sabre, joint military exercises typically conducted by the United States and Australia. The newly formed trifecta of Pacific allies was largely seen as the latest in an attempt to bolster defenses against an alleged Chinese threat.

Netanyahu demands ‘up to $45 bn’ in US military aid for Israel to deter Iran, Gulf States
RT - Israel is hoping to receive $4.2-$4.5 billion a year in military aid from the United States for ten years, to counter the threat from Iran and oil-rich Middle East states that have been re-arming rapidly, a senior Israeli source has told Defense News. Under a 10-year deal signed in 2007, Israel receives just over $3 billion a year in American aid, with stipulations that over 70 percent of that aid has to be spent buying US military hardware. An extension of that agreement, running to 2028, was principally agreed on by Barack Obama during a visit to Israel in 2013, but according to Haaretz, talks on its terms have been “preliminary and unofficial.”

Greece likely to miss payment deadline as talks stall - Bloomberg
RT - Greece may miss a deadline for a deal with creditors this week, as the parties haven’t made any progress in talks, Bloomberg sources close to the negotiations said, accelerating fears of an Athens default. Greece remains too far from striking a debt deal with its international creditors, unnamed sources who wished to remain anonymous told Bloomberg. Last week German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande set a target to reach a deal by the end of May. As the stalemate in negotiations drags on, Greece is losing liquidity and the economy is being pushed deeper into recession. Deposit withdrawals are growing rapidly, and inability to make debt payments have aroused new doubts about the country’s ability to stay in the eurozone.

World Trade Organization to force Taiwanese citizens to eat radioactive food from Fukushima
(NaturalNews) Japan could turn to the globalist World Trade Organization to force Taiwan to import seafood and other products that might be tainted with radiation from the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. In recent days, the government of Taiwan began imposing stricter rules on inspecting food products imported from Japan that might have originated from areas exposed to radioactive fallout from the crippled plant. That prompted the Japanese government to warn that it could call on the WTO for a trade ruling unless Taiwan eases up on its restrictions.

UK Psychiatrist Is Calling for Psychedelic Drugs to Be Reclassified
Motherboard - In the UK, psychedelic drugs such as LSD and psilocybin are more legally restricted than heroin and cocaine. In an editorial in the BMJ medical journal, one psychiatrist writes that it’s time that changed. James J H Rucker of Kings College London calls for psychedelics to be reclassified, so that researchers can more easily conduct trials with the drugs as potential treatments for psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, and addiction. He writes that the classification of psychedelic drugs in 1967 as schedule 1, class A substances—the most strictly controlled—“denoted psychedelic drugs as having no accepted medical use and the greatest potential for harm, despite the existence of research evidence to the contrary.” The drugs are placed in schedule 1 in the US, too.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Here's how much corporations paid US senators to fast-track the TPP bill
The Guardian - Using data from the Federal Election Commission, this chart shows all donations that corporate members of the US Business Coalition for TPP made to US Senate campaigns between January and March 2015, when fast-tracking the TPP was being debated in the Senate: Out of the total $1,148,971 given, an average of $17,676.48 was donated to each of the 65 “yea” votes. The average Republican member received $19,673.28 from corporate TPP supporters. The average Democrat received $9,689.23 from those same donors. The amounts given rise dramatically when looking at how much each senator running for re-election received.
* Related: How Your U.S. Senator Voted on Fast-Tracking Obama Trade

Pentagon “Accidentally” Shipped Live Anthrax to Labs in 9 States
Daily Sheeple - Today in “I can’t believe this is happening again” news, the Pentagon has admitted that – oops – the U.S. military accidentally shipped samples of live anthrax to private research labs in nine states.... The samples were shipped to labs in California, Texas, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York last week. An official said that a laboratory in Maryland detected that their shipment contained live samples and contacted the CDC. The CDC said the anthrax was being used to develop a test in case someone used the bacteria as part of a bioterror attack... Live anthrax is supposed to be handled in a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) lab – one that is equipped to protect people from the bacteria and from the spores it produces.

Open and Shut? Aurora Shooter James Holmes’ Notebook Released to the Public on Wednesday
Daily Sheeple - What is being hailed as “the Aurora movie theater shooting’s most critical piece of evidence,” the 35-page notebook now marked People’s Exhibit #341 that accused shooter James Holmes allegedly mailed to his psychiatrist just prior to the July 20, 2012 attack has now been released in full to the public.... The notebook translates to an open-and-shut case with Holmes’ mental illness history and the deleterious effect of psychotropic medications all laid out from start to murderous finish, in addition to specific details of how he would carry out his heinous crime.... The 35-page document can be read here.

Election News

Supreme Court to consider redefining 'one-person, one-vote' principle
USA Today - The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to define what it meant by "one person, one vote" a half century ago. The justices will consider a challenge brought by two rural voters in Texas who claim their state Senate ballots carry less weight than those cast in urban areas with large numbers of non-citizens ineligible to vote. Under the current system in nearly all states, state legislative districts are drawn with roughly equal populations. The standard dates back to decisions made by the Supreme Court in the early 1960s. If the justices change the standard from total population to legal voters, illegal and some legal immigrants would not be counted, along with children and most prisoners who have committed felonies. That would equalize the power of each vote but result in districts of unequal population.

Economy & Business

LA Labor Leader Pushing For Unions To Be Exempted From $15...
Truth in Media - As Los Angeles legislation mandating a $15/hr. minimum wage reaches finalization, the leader of one of the country’s largest union federations has abruptly called for a provision that would exempt unions from the mandate.... The Los Angeles Times noted that union activists have spent several months pushing back against consideration of special provisions for certain business owners, including restaurant owners. Some small business owners had argued earlier this year that the minimum wage hike would leave few options to absorb the additional cost of doing business. A similar city ordinance that specifically regulates wages at large hotels in LA contains an exemption for hotels with a unionized workforce.

Energy & Environment

Clean Water Act: EPA Mandate Places 60 Percent Of U.S. Waters Under Control Of The Federal Government
The Inquisitr - EPA officials and the United States Army have announced a new regulation pertaining to the Clean Water Act. The Clean Water Rule clarification details exactly what types of bodies of water fall under the stringent protections enacted by the federal government. The new rules will reportedly apply to 60 percent of waters in the United States.... The Clean Water Act and the newly proposed EPA regulations mean that pond and streams located on private property could soon be controlled not by the landowners that pay taxes on the property, but the federal government agency.... The controversial Clean Water Act has been deemed nothing more than a water rights power grab by some Americans. The EPA mandates could ultimately permit the federal government to control streams, ditches, gullies, and low spots where just a little bit of water collects on a seasonal basis.

Recovery effort continues after flooding in Texas and Oklahoma; death toll rises to 19
Washington Post - Residents and authorities on Wednesday continued to recover from devastating storms, trying to learn the extent of the damage while searching for people still believed missing. Meanwhile, additional rainfall loomed, and officials near Dallas warned early Wednesday about a possible dam breach. Just a day after flooding was responsible for at least 19 deaths, more rain was expected in areas including Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

Texas dam on Padera Lake ‘breaches’ following massive floods
RT - A Texas dam on Padera Lake has fractured as a result of unprecedented flooding, local media report. Authorities are issuing warnings, as the dam may break in the coming hours, placing anyone in its path in peril. Local media has been sounding the alarm, with CBS affiliate KRLD reporting the dam had been breached at around 12pm GMT. However, no immediate danger was reported.

Science & Technology

Yahoo must face email spying class action: U.S. judge
(Reuters) - A U.S. judge ordered Yahoo Inc to face a nationwide class-action lawsuit accusing it of illegally intercepting the content of emails sent to Yahoo Mail subscribers from non-Yahoo Mail accounts, and using the information to boost advertising revenue. n a decision late Tuesday night, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California said people who sent emails to or received emails from Yahoo Mail subscribers since Oct. 2, 2011 may sue as a group under the federal Stored Communications Act for alleged privacy violations.

TISA: Yet Another Leaked Treaty You've Never Heard Of Makes Secret Rules for the Internet
Activist Post - TISA completes a trifecta of trade agreements that the administration could sign under Fast Track without full congressional oversight.... As far as we know, it presently includes twenty countries plus Europe (but notably excluding the major emerging world economies of the BRICS bloc), who, with disdainful levity, have adopted the mantle “the Really Good Friends of Services”. Like its sister agreements, TISA will enact global rules that impact the Internet, bypassing the transparency and accountability of national parliaments. The only difference is that its focus is on services, not goods.

IRS Blames Taxpayer Data Breach On Russian "Crime Syndicates"
Zero Hedge - "The IRS believes that a major cyber breach that allowed criminals to steal the tax returns of more than 100,000 people originated in Russia", CNN says, in what amounts to an escalation of what Washington claims is a cyberwar against a growing list of so-called "cyberadversaries."

Got a wearable? Almost anybody can track you using simple technology
PandoDaily - Wearable products need to transmit data to function. Many don’t work without a connection to a smartphone. And because it would be silly to walk around with a cord between the devices, that connection is made via Bluetooth Low Energy. Context Information Security has found that these connections can be used to identify smartwatches, fitness trackers, and other products that rely on BLE. And they’ve released an Android app that can track these signals to prove it. Here’s how Context’s Scott Lester explained the issue to Help Net Security: ‘Using cheap hardware or a smartphone, it could be possible to identify and locate a particular device – that may belong to a celebrity, politician or senior business executive – within 100 meters in the open air. This information could be used for social engineering as part of a planned cyber attack or for physical crime by knowing peoples’ movements.’

Health

The Vaccine Racket: Amazing infographic reveals financial connections behind criminally-run vaccine industry
(NaturalNews) Today we are officially releasing our Vaccine Racket Infographic which details the financial connections behind the criminally-run vaccine industry. (Tweet #VaccineRacket) ... The infographic documents the nefarious players of the vaccine industry: the mainstream media, the CDC, deceitful vaccine propagandists like Paul Offit, the secretive vaccine court, the cover-up of vaccine-injured children, mainstream media propaganda that programs the public to worship vaccines, and much more.

Airlines Spraying Fliers With Pesticides Inside the Plane
Natural Blaze - Have you ever felt sick after a flight but couldn't pin it as a virus? Do you ever feel like a bug? A few countries require pesticide spraying on flights, yet most countries have quietly reserved the right to do so with or without "need." Many spray for "passenger safety" from rodents and insects - however, bug sprays are among the worst chemicals for human exposure.[1] Previously, flight attendants told Mother Jones that it had nothing to with safety but keeping up appearances - who would want to see pests in their plane? But, is it really necessary to spray you while you're on board?

10 Health Benefits of Black Seed (Nigella Sativa) - Part 1
Natural Society - You may or may not have heard of Black seed (nigella sativa) before. It goes by many names, including black caraway, Roman coriander, and black cumin, to name a few. But no matter what you call it, these seeds are loaded with health benefits that we are only beginning to understand. From eliminating harmful bacteria to regenerating the body’s cells and tissues, here are 10 awesome research-backed health benefits of black cumin.

Pet News

FDA pulled the Rug Out From Under Pet Food Consumers
Susan Thixton - The one thing FDA did to help consumers know the difference between a pet feed and a pet food is gone - without warning. FDA has left us absolutely defenseless against marketing lies of pet food. Over this past weekend, I received a tip that FDA has ended the pet food human grade ingredient verification process (known as FDA Letter of No Objection). This devastation to pet food consumers was confirmed yesterday by the Pet Food Committee of AAFCO. (Questions were sent to FDA, more than 24 hours ago – they have not responded.)
 



Wednesday - May 27, 2015 - Today in History:

1813 - Americans captured Fort George, Canada.
1907 - The Bubonic Plague broke out in San Francisco.
1919 - A U.S. Navy seaplane completed the first transatlantic flight.
1933 - In the U.S., the Federal Securities Act was signed. The act required the registration of securities with the Federal Trade Commission.
1935 - The U.S. Supreme Court declared that President Franklin Roosevelt's National Industrial Recovery Act was unconstitutional.
1937 - In California, the Golden Gate Bridge was opened to pedestrian traffic. The bridge connected San Francisco and Marin County.
1941 - U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed an "unlimited national emergency" amid rising world tensions.
1941 - The German battleship Bismarck was sunk by British naval and air forces. 2,300 people were killed.
1944 - U.S. General MacArthur landed on Biak Island in New Guinea.
1969 - Construction of Walt Disney World began in Florida.
1986 - Mel Fisher recovered a jar that contained 2,300 emeralds from the Spanish ship Atocha. The ship sank in the 17th century.
1988 - The U.S. Senate ratified the INF treaty. The INF pact was the first arms-control agreement since the 1972 Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I) to receive Senate approval.
1995 - In Charlottesville, VA, Christopher Reeve was paralyzed after being thrown from his horse during a jumping event.
1996 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin negotiated a cease-fire to the war in Chechnya in his first meeting with the leader of the rebels.
1997 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the sexual harassment suit filed by Paula Jones could continue while President Clinton was in office.
1998 - Michael Fortier was sentenced to 12 years in prison for not warning anyone about the plot to bomb an Oklahoma City federal building.
1999 - In The Hague, Netherlands, a war crimes tribunal indicted Slobodan Milosevic and four others for atrocities in Kosovo. It was the first time that a sitting head of state had been charged with such a crime.
2010 - Universal Studios reopened its back lot. The area had been destroyed by a fire two years before.

World News

NATO General Warns, Putin Is A “Dangerous Gambler… Willing To Use Nuclear Weapons”
Zero Hedge - Hot on the heels of George Soros’ warnings that we stand on the verge of World War 3, demanding Washington back off its anti-Yuan pressure, it appears “the good guys” are fighting back with their own good-cop, bad-cop propaganda. As Sputnik News reports, General hans-Lothar Domrose, NATO Commander of the Brunssum Allied Joint Force Command, said in an interview with German magazine Focus Online that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a tough-minded, forward-thinking politician who is capable of foreseeing situations, but also regards him as a dangerous “gambler,” who “is willing to use nuclear weapons against NATO troops.”

US Troops Ready to ‘Fight Tonight’ in Korea - General
Sputnik News - US forces in South Korea are ready to deal with any unpredictable threat from North Korea, US Army Pacific (USARPAC) Deputy Commander Major General James Pasquarette said at Fort Shafter, Hawaii in comments reported by the Department of Defense News. Pasquarette explained USARPAC deployed 100,000 troops, with 80,000 of them based in Hawaii, Alaska and on the US West Coast, and the remaining 20,000 stationed in South Korea and Japan. “We are risk-averse — we have to be there based on the North Korean threat, which is unpredictable,” Pasquarette told the News in an interview published on Tuesday.

Pharma Giants Set to Profit From TTIP Talks After Massive Lobbying
Sputnik News - Lobbyists on behalf of the global pharmaceutical industry are in Brussels on Wednesday pressing the EU over the controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) which critics say will play into the hands of the pharma giants and boost their profits. The European Union TTIP negotiating team for the pharmaceuticals, medical devices and cosmetics sectors are meeting in Brussels to discuss issues related to TTIP and health. They will be joined by lobbyists on behalf of the major drug companies such as Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck and AstraZeneca, whose industry collectively spends $43 million a year on lobbying within the EU alone.

EU dropped pesticide laws due to US pressure over TTIP, documents reveal
The Guardian - EU moves to regulate hormone-damaging chemicals linked to cancer and male infertility were shelved following pressure from US trade officials over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) free trade deal, newly released documents show. Draft EU criteria could have banned 31 pesticides containing endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). But these were dumped amid fears of a trade backlash stoked by an aggressive US lobby push, access to information documents obtained by Pesticides Action Network (PAN) Europe show.

Fukushima leak 'could cause hydrogen explosion' at nuclear plant
The Telegraph - If the concentration level is high, a spark caused by static electricity could cause a container to explode' - Nuclear Regulation Authority official | 25 May 2015 | Leaking containers at Japan's embattled Fukushima nuclear power plant are at risk of possible hydrogen explosions, experts have claimed. Almost 10 percent of recently inspected containers holding contaminated water at the nuclear plant in northeast Japan were found to be leaking radioactive water. The leakages, discovered during inspections by Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), the operators of the plant, were thought to be caused by a build-up of hydrogen and other gases due to radiation contamination.

Japan to Join Huge US-Australian Pacific War Games As China Tensions Mount
Sputnik News - The US continues to push its allies to take a larger role in patrolling the waters of the Pacific. To that end, the United States and Australia have brought Japan into its regular war games, a move signaling a renewed front against a perceived Chinese threat… In recent months, Washington has conducted military exercises with several nations who also lay claim to the South China Sea, including Indonesia and the Philippines. The US also announced earlier this month that it would begin patrols of the Spratly Islands, a move which has been heavily criticized by Beijing.

A Color Revolution for Macedonia — Paul Craig Roberts
Paul Craig Roberts - [...] According to Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, Washington spent $5 billion in Ukraine grooming politicians and creating NGOs as Washington’s Fifth Columns. When Ukraine’s president Viktor Yanukovich refused to align Ukraine with Washington’s interests, Washington unleashed its Fifth Columns, and Yanukovich’s government was overthrown with violence. Despite Washington’s talk about democracy, the fact that Yanukovich’s government was democratically elected and a new election was only a few months away did not stop Washington from overthrowing Yanukovich. Now the same fate seems in store for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgystan, and Macedonia.

Nuclear weapons tests: Ministry of Defence admits it irradiated civilians in the Cold War
Mirror Online - The Ministry of Defence has admitted ­thousands of civilian staff were irradiated in nuclear weapons tests during the Cold War. But is still denies that veterans of the nuclear tests, which began in 1952 when Britain exploded its first device, were harmed. A newly uncovered government study details the death and cancer rates of 174,541 people who were exposed to radiation at nuclear facilities. Of those, 64,909 were employed by the MoD in non-military roles such as maintaining nuclear submarines and weapons… The study of civilians shows higher doses increased the risk of thyroid, lung and rectal cancers, leukaemia and heart disease. Yet while test veterans suffer the same cancers and have fathered children with 10 times the normal rate of birth defects, the Government spent millions fighting negligence claims.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Texas SWAT Throws Grenade into 81-Year-Old Innocent Man’s Home
Sputnik News - An 81-year-old Texas man filed a lawsuit claiming the local law enforcement SWAT team stormed his home, threw him to the ground and broke his hip, then left him injured and unable to call for help. The suit accuses officers of using "excessive, inappropriate and improper use of force" while serving a search warrant on Herman Crisp's home in Georgetown, about 40 miles north of Austin. Crisp was sitting on his porch in late September when, according to the suit, the Williamson County SWAT team – which was looking for the man's nephew – tossed a flash grenade at the octogenarian. Crisp was sitting on his porch in late September when, according to the suit, the Williamson County SWAT team – which was looking for the man's nephew – tossed a flash grenade at the octogenarian.

Feds Demand Cleveland Police Stop Bashing People in the Head With Guns
Sputnik News - After five months of negotiations between the city of Cleveland and the US Justice Department, both sides have come to at least one key agreement: the practice of pistol-whipping, evidently commonly deployed by the city’s police department, should probably just stop.... As part of the new settlement, released on Tuesday, the department "will expressly provide that using a firearm as an impact weapon is never an authorized tactic."

Judge Who Blocked Release of Osama bin Laden Death Photos Now Blocks Release of Senate Torture Report
AllGov - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the release of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s full report on the CIA interrogation program. The executive summary of the report was previously made public, albeit with numerous redactions. But U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg rejected the ACLU’s request, ruling the report remains a congressional record and thus isn’t subject to the FOIA. When Congress created FOIA in 1966, it made sure to exempt the legislative branch from its provisions. Boasberg, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, appears to be the go-to judge if you don’t want something released to the public.

US appeals court rules against Obama's plan to shield 5 million from deportation
The Guardian - Federal court refuses to lift temporary hold on president’s plan to shield 5 million undocumented immigrants, which was imposed by a Texas judge in February. The White House accused a federal appeals court of “misinterpreting the facts and the law” on Tuesday after it dealt a potentially devastating blow to Barack Obama’s hopes of granting legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants before he leaves office. Lawyers for the department of justice had sought an immediate stay against an earlier decision by a lower court in Texas that froze the programme after it was challenged by a number of Republican-controlled states. But Tuesday’s ruling by the US fifth circuit rejected the request for a stay, forcing the programme to remain mothballed while the administration continues the lengthy process of legal appeals.

Rand Paul: ‘Disingenuous’ Obama Can Stop NSA Spying Any Time He Wants
Steve Watson - resh from his marathon filibuster of the proposed extension to the government snooping enabling section of the Patriot Act, Senator Rand Paul slammed the President this morning, accusing Obama of being deceitful over the issue. Appearing on CBS, Paul noted “Here’s the thing about the president: He’s disingenuous about this,” the Kentucky Republican said on ‘This Morning.’ “The president started this program through executive order — he could end it anytime.”

Government Aircraft Fly Secret Surveillance Missions Over Several US Cities
Sputnik News - The US government has already faced heated criticism over its use of drones in the Middle East. But the airspace above Afghanistan and Yemen isn’t the only place inhabited by US surveillance aircraft. A new report suggests that the Department of Justice has dozens of airplanes and helicopters covertly patrolling the skies of American cities… A new investigation by civil liberties activists has uncovered that the Justice Department maintains a fleet of 100 small aircraft and helicopters in major cities across the United States.

DHS/Police are going into bars with Breathalyzers!
MassPrivateI - Sacramento, California cops rolled out a new program on Memorial day to allegedly combat drunk drivers. If you were at a bar this weekend, cops were approaching patrons and asking them to blow into breathalyzers. DUI roadblocks are apparently not invasive enough, now police are going to bars 'asking' wink, wink patrons to blow into breathalyzers! How long before police nationwide will go into bars and force people to blow into breathalyzers and check for possible public inebriation or use 'Drug Breathalyzers' on innocent people? California's ‘Drug Breathalyzer’ bill is set to do just that.

Popular Radio Host and Guest Censored by Radio Station Over Vaccines
Activist Post - Gary Null has been a popular, longtime radio host with the longest running health talk show which airs on Progressive Radio Network. He has authored and directed dozens upon dozens of books and documentaries. A few weeks ago, he was asked as an honored guest on Bonnie Faulkner's show, Guns and Butter which talks about the politics of economics and airs on Pacifica KPFA public radio stations. In the spirit of truth, Bonnie wanted listeners to hear the other side of the vaccine talk, not the "case closed" version. What you're not being told about vaccines. And specifically SB277, the California bill to mandate vaccines for virtually all Californian school children. When it came time to air, however, they were told they weren't allowed - or rather, they were outright censored and the show was cut - the first time for Guns and Butter in over 11 years.

Alabama Senate Approves Bill to Abolish Marriage Licensing
The 10th Amendment Center - This week, the Alabama state Senate passed a bill that would end the practice of licensing marriages in the state, effectively nullifying both major sides of the contentious national debate over government-sanctioned marriage. Introduced by Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Bay Minette), Senate Bill 377 (SB377) would end state issued marriage licenses, while providing marriage contracts as an alternative. It passed through the Alabama state Senate by a 22-3 margin on May 19.... The bill would replace all references to marriages “licenses” in state law with “contracts.” The legislation would not invalidate any marriage licenses issued prior to the bill being passed.

Veteran News

Active Duty US Airman Identified as Shooter in Grand Forks Wal-Mart
Duluth Tribune - Marcell Travon Willis, originally from Springfield, Tenn., fatally shot one Wal-Mart employee and injured another before turning the gun on himself early Tuesday. The motive remains unknown, said Grand Forks Police Lt. Derik Zimmel, adding police believe the victims were strangers to Willis. As of Tuesday afternoon, there was no indication Willis was suffering from a mental illness, Zimmel said. He did not know whether Willis was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the shooting.

VIDEO: U.S. Navy Vet: Veterans Affairs Gun Locks ‘Another Obama Back Door Gun Control Measure’
Breitbart - According to an earlier NPR report noting veteran suicide statistics, “The VA is trying to help with a program that offers gun locks to veterans for free. The thinking is that if they lock their guns up they might not reach for them in the spur of the moment.” But many critics argue this is a government form used to get veterans to identify if they own a firearm, creating a federal registry. Anderson supplied three letters he received in a packet from the VA. One is titled “Veterans Crisis Line Public Fact Sheet” detailing the VA help line. Another document is a gun safety pamphlet, providing gun safety facts and statistics. The third document is a lock order form to be returned to the VA once it is completed with paid postage supplied by the VA. It requires the veteran’s name, address and exact number of gunlocks needed.

Economy & Business

IRS system mined for over 100,000 taxpayer records by fraudsters
Ars Technica - In an official statement issued today, the IRS announced that it has shut down an online service to obtain tax records after determining that "unusual activity had taken place on the application, which indicates that unauthorized third parties had access to some accounts on the transcript application." An initial review of that activity revealed "access was gained to more than 100,000 accounts through the Get Transcript application," according to the IRS statement. After the IRS disclosed more information, it became clear the user data was not obtained because of a direct hack of government systems. Rather, weak authentication used by the IRS to protect access to taxpayer data is likely at fault. The attackers were able to acquire taxpayer records using stolen personal identifying information, possibly pulled from online financial fraud marketplaces.

Is The 505 Trillion Dollar Interest Rate Derivatives Bubble In Imminent Jeopardy?
The Economic Collapse - According to the Bank for International Settlements, the notional value of all interest rate derivatives contracts outstanding around the globe is a staggering 505 trillion dollars. Considering the fact that the U.S. national debt is only 18 trillion dollars, that is an amount of money that is almost incomprehensible. When this derivatives bubble finally bursts, there won’t be enough money in the entire world to bail everyone out. The key to making sure that all of these interest rate bets do not start going bad is for interest rates to remain stable… The key to making sure that all of these interest rate bets do not start going bad is for interest rates to remain stable. That is why what is going on in Greece right now is so important.

Holder Deadline for Prosecuting Wall Street Executives for Financial Crisis Passes without a Single Charge
AllGov - Holder’s shop had six years to build cases against key people at institutions like Citigroup and JP Morgan Chase. It’s not known if prosecutors ever did that. What is known is that the only charges actually filed by DOJ lawyers have been against smaller fish, namely those working at small and medium sized banks, according the Center for Public Integrity (CPI). The investigative news site reviewed enforcement actions and civil lawsuits filed by the Justice Department, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and found “these agencies have been far more likely to charge or sue individuals who work at small and medium sized banks, and foreign financial firms, than those that work at domestic banking giants such as J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. or Citigroup.”

Energy & Environment

Storms kill 17 in Texas, Oklahoma; Houston flooded
(Reuters) - Torrential rains have killed at least 17 people in Texas and Oklahoma, including four in Houston where floods turned streets into rivers and led to about 1,000 calls for help in the fourth-most populous U.S. city, officials said on Tuesday. The death toll is set to rise with numerous people still missing in Texas after the storms slammed the states during the Memorial Day weekend, causing record floods that destroyed hundreds of homes, swept away bridges, and even unearthed a coffin from a Houston cemetery. It washed ashore on the banks of a bayou.
* Related: Texas flash floods cause death and destruction - in pictures

Science & Technology

 
Sputnik News - The National Security Agency has tested user verification technology to recognize your finger-swiping "handwriting" on touch screens, in an effort to move past the age of passwords. But, perhaps predictably, the US spy body is keeping mum on how it might use the new tech. The feature — called "Mandrake" by its creators at Lockheed Martin — identifies the unique speed and form of a user's finger strokes across their device's touchscreen, reports NextGov. This field of development sometimes called "dynamic signature" biometrics, looks beyond the surface of the signature to the movements of the hand that makes it.

Health

A Truthful Vaccine Consent Form – That No Mom Could Ever Sign
Natural Blaze - The duty and responsibility for ascertaining the quality of the consent rests upon each individual who initiates, directs or engages in the experiment. It is a personal duty and responsibility which may not be delegated to another with impunity." Those are the closing words of the first tenet of the Nuremberg Code - informed consent – and make no mistake about it - from the most personal of parental perspectives, vaccination’s a macabre experiment, every time: no parent can be certain that a vaccine won’t permanently disable her child.(2) Egregiously, the administering doctor or nurse - or CVS pharmacist - in no way meaningfully fulfills his obligation by providing incomplete information, printed on a form he may or may not even offer, all the while touting the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.

500 Reasons Turmeric May Be The World's Most Important Herb
Green Med Info - While no food or herb is right for everyone, and everything has the potential for unintended, adverse side effects, turmeric is truly unique in its exceptionally high margin of safety vis-à-vis the drugs it has been compared with, e.g. hydrocortisone, ibuprofen, chemotherapy agents. Furthermore, nothing within the modern-day pharmaceutical armamentarium comes even remotely close to turmeric's 6,000 year track record of safe use in Ayurvedic medicine.

12 Ways Thyme Oil Can Heal, Help You Sleep, And Even Chase Away Bugs
Off the Grid News - Thyme essential oil, made from the herb Thymus vulgaris, has been traditionally used in the Mediterranean region for thousands of years as a common remedy for a number of ailments.... Below are some ways you can get the most out of this highly potent essential oil.
 



Tuesday - May 26, 2015 - Today in History:

1791 - The French Assembly forced King Louis XVI to hand over the crown and state assets.
1835 - A resolution was passed in the U.S. Congress stating that Congress has no authority over state slavery laws.
1836 - The U.S. House of Representatives adopted what has been called the Gag Rule.
1864 - The Territory of Montana was organized.
1865 - Arrangements were made in New Orleans for the surrender of Confederate forces west of the Mississippi.
1868 - U.S. President Andrew Johnson was acquitted, by one vote, of all charges in his impeachment trial.
1940 - The evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk, France, began during World War II.
1946 - A patent was filed in the United States for an H-bomb.
1948 - The U.S. Congress passed Public Law 557 which permanently established the Civil Air Patrol as the Auxiliary of the new U.S. Air Force.
1958 - Union Square, San Francisco became a state historical landmark.
1961 - A U.S. Air Force bomber flew across the Atlantic in a record time of just over three hours.
1969 - The Apollo 10 astronauts returned to Earth after a successful eight-day dress rehearsal for the first manned moon landing.
1972 - The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I) was signed by the U.S. and USSR. The short-term agreement put a freeze on the testing and deployment of intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles for a 5-year period.
1994 - U.S. President Clinton renewed trade privileges for China, and announced that his administration would no longer link China's trade status with its human rights record.
2004 - Terry Nichols was found guilty of 161 state murder charges for helping carry out the Oklahoma City bombing.
2009 - President Barack Obama nominated federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor to be the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court.
2011 - Congress passed a four-year extension of post-Sept. 11 powers contained in the Patriot Act to search records and conduct roving wiretaps in pursuit of terrorists.
2011 - Ratko Mladic, the brutal Bosnian Serb general suspected of leading the massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys, was arrested after a 16-year manhunt.

World News

Iraq Hopes for Russia to Supply Arms, Ammunition to Fight Against ISIL
Sputnik News - Baghdad is hoping for Moscow’s aid in delivering ammunition in order to fight against the Islamic State, Iraqi Interior Minister Mohammed Ghabban said Tuesday. Iraq is in need of training of both its police and military in the fight against ISIL, Ghabban said in an interview with RT television. “I think we can cooperate in a number of areas and Russia can seriously help us,” he added… The assistance Iraq currently receives from the United States is not enough to win over ISIL, Iraqi interior minister noted.

Fast-track authority stalls the Trans-Pacific Partnership and in turn a Canada-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement
The Council of Canadians - It appears that the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) "free trade" deal has been stalled over the issue of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), also known as fast-track authority, in the United States. That in turn could also be delaying progress on the proposed Canada-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (CJEPA).... The TPP ministerial that was supposed to take place starting tomorrow (May 26) in Guam has been cancelled because the Trade Promotion Authority, which would give the U.S. president the ability to conclude trade agreements without facing amendments by the U.S. Congress, has not been secured. Chile's deputy trade minister says that "most of the countries" at the TPP negotiating table objected to ministerial-level discussions without the assurance of fast-track legislation in the United States. As of yesterday (May 24) no new date had been set for the next Trans Pacific Partnership ministerial.

Greece Urges Creditors to Compromise as IMF Payment Nears
Bloomberg - Greece called on the country’s creditors to compromise on demands to break an impasse over the release of funds for its cash-strapped economy as a deadline neared for payments due next month to the International Monetary Fund. A day after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Greece can’t absorb any more austerity measures, Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said his government has met the euro area and IMF three-quarters of the way so it’s up to creditors to cover the remainder. Interior Minister Nikos Voutsis, who has no economic decision-making powers, went so far Sunday as to say Greece couldn’t and wouldn’t pay the IMF in June without a deal.
* Related: 'Breaking point': Greek hospitals out of painkillers, scissors and sheets due to austerity

Sri Lanka’s New President Puts Immediate Ban on Glyphosate Herbicides
Sustainable Pulse - Sri Lanka’s newly elected President Maithripala Sirisena announced Friday that the import of the World’s most used herbicide glyphosate will be banned with immediate effect. The release of already imported stocks has also been stopped. Sirisena, a farmer and ex Health Minister, stated that glyphosate is responsible for the increasing number of chronic kidney disease (CKDu) patients in Sri Lanka and added that the move would protect the Sri Lankan farming community.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

ISIS Planning US Nuclear Attack In Next 12 Months says report
Zero Hedge - Three weeks after the first supposed attack by Islamic State supporters in the US, in which two ISIS "soldiers" wounded a security guard before they were killed in Garland, Texas, the time has come to raise the fear stakes. In an article posted in the terrorist group's English-language online magazine Dabiq (which as can be see below seems to have gotten its design cues straight from Madison Avenue and is just missing glossy pages filled with 'scratch and sniff' perfume ads ) ISIS claimed that it has enough money to buy a nuclear weapon from Pakistan and "carry out an attack inside the United States next year."… Curiously, the author of the piece is John Cantlie, a British photojournalist who was abducted by ISIS in 2012 and has been held hostage by the organization ever since…

Senior NATO Official: “We’ll Probably be at War This Summer”
Paul Joseph Watson - A senior NATO official told former NSA intelligence analyst John Schindler that the world would “probably be at war” sometime this summer. “We’ll probably be at war this summer, if we’re lucky it won’t be nuclear,” the official told Schindler last week. Although the tweet was retweeted over 400 times, the comment garnered no mainstream media attention whatsoever, which is odd given that Schindler is a former U.S. Naval War College lecturer and is known to have many high level military contacts. Although not specified, the reference was almost certainly in relation to growing tensions between the United States and Russia. Although not specified, the reference was almost certainly in relation to growing tensions between the United States and Russia.

Secret Pentagon Report Reveals US "Created" ISIS As A "Tool" To Overthrow Syria's President Assad
Blacklisted News - …while speculation was rife that just like the CIA-funded al Qaeda had been used as a facade by the US to achieve its own geopolitical and national interests over the past two decades, so ISIS was nothing more than al Qaeda 2.0, there was no actual evidence of just this. That may all have changed now when a declassified secret US government document obtained by the public interest law firm, Judicial Watch, shows that Western governments deliberately allied with al-Qaeda and other Islamist extremist groups to topple Syrian dictator Bashir al-Assad. According to investigative reporter Nafeez Ahmed in Medium, the “leaked document reveals that in coordination with the Gulf states and Turkey, the West intentionally sponsored violent Islamist groups to destabilize Assad, despite anticipating that doing so could lead to the emergence of an ‘Islamic State’ in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

McConnell Strategy Falters and Patriot Act Powers Likely to Expire
The New American - The dogged insistence of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on renewing the expiring portions of the PATRIOT Act intact has created a logjam in the Senate that will likely lead to those provisions expiring at midnight on May 31. McConnell introduced a bill on April 21 (S. 1035) “to extend authority relating to roving surveillance, access to business records, and individual terrorists as agents of foreign powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 and for other purposes.”… Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the Senate’s strongest opponent to the government surveillance powers authorized under Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act, vowed immediately to prevent an extension of those powers…True to his word, Paul held the Senate floor for 10 and a half hours on May 20 to hold up McConnell’s bill… With Paul’s filibuster contributing to the delay in acting on McConnell’s temporary extension bill, it is very likely that the powers granting the NSA the authority to collect bulk phone surveillance records will no longer exist on June first.

West Virginia Bill to Keep Guard Troops Out of Unconstitutional Foreign Wars Killed by Pentagon Threats
Activist Post - Del. Pat McGeehan (R-Hancock, 1) sponsored the Defend the Guard Act (House Bill 2168), McGeehan served as a former Air Force intelligence officer and did tours in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Ten other delegates co-sponsored this bipartisan legislation. The bill would have prohibited West Virginia Guard units from deploying into active duty combat without an official Declaration of War from the US Congress, or as provided for under the three enumerated powers listed in the “militia clause” of the Constitution.... In spite of the initial momentum, the bill died shortly after Washington D.C. got wind of it. Its potential ramifications frightened the power structure. McGeehan said certain phone calls were made that brought HB2168’s progress to a screeching halt.

Five New York flights searched for bombs in 'chemical weapons' terror scare: Fighter jets scrambled after anonymous threats to flights into JFK
Daily Mail - Airline authorities have received anonymous threats warning about the risk of either 'chemical weapons' or bombs onboard at least five New York bound flights. Three warnings have been received about 'chemical weapons' including an Air France flight which was forced to make an emergency landing at JFK at 10:17 a.m. on Monday. Further warnings about 'chemical weapons' were phoned in relating to an American Airways flight landing from Birmingham, England, and a Delta flight coming into Newark. In addition bomb threats have been received in relation to a Saudi Airlines flight that landed safely at Kennedy airport from Jeddah and a cargo plane bound for Newark. The threat are not considered to be credible, but authorities are taking no chances and are following security protocols.

Veteran News

Senate Takes First Step to Allow Vets to Use Medical Marijuana
AllGov - The Senate Appropriations Committee voted Thursday to allow Veterans Administration doctors to recommend marijuana as a therapy for their patients in states that allow medical use of the drug. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Steve Daines (R-Montana) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), was attached to a Defense Department spending bill that is seen as one that almost certainly will be passed by the full Senate. “Veterans in medical marijuana states should be treated the same as any other resident, and should be able to discuss marijuana with their doctor and use it if it’s medically necessary,” Drug Policy Alliance policy manager Michael Collins said in a press release. “They have served this country valiantly, so the least we can do is allow them to have full and open discussions with their doctors.”

Economy & Business

Economist: Government Preparing to Seize 401(k) Pensions
Paul Joseph Watson - Economist Martin Armstrong warns that a Supreme Court ruling last week has set the stage for the federal government to begin seizing private pension funds. According to Armstrong, the outcome of Tibble v. Edison, which found that employers have a duty to protect their workers’ 401(k) plans from mutual funds that perform poorly, will grease the skids for the feds to seize private funds and prosecute companies who manage mutual funds badly. “Between the court ruling and the Obama administration’s push for stronger fiduciary rules,” the developments send a, “strong message that government can much easier seize the pension fund management industry of course to “protect the consumer,” writes Armstrong, warning that the ruling, “sets the stage to JUSTIFY government seizure of private pension funds to protect pensioners,” when the economy gets “messy”.

Science & Technology

Researchers Predicted In 1971 that Debit Cards Would Become the Ultimate Spy Tool
Washington's Blog - In late October of 1971 a group of academics and technologists gathered at a conference at Georgetown. They were given the task of devising the most comprehensive (yet invisible) surveillance program imaginable…. They imagined an electronic funds transfer system, or EFTS—a system that looks strikingly similar to the debit card system we all use today. “Not only would it handle all the financial accounting and provide the statistics crucial to a centrally planned economy,” Paul Armer wrote in 1975 recounting the KGB-infused thought experiment. “It was the best surveillance system we could imagine within the constraint that it not be obtrusive.”... In other words, if society becomes cashless, dissenters can’t hide cash. All of their transactions would be trackable, and all of the financial holdings would be vulnerable to seizure or attack by the government. This would be the ultimate form of control.

Boeing Unveils Amazing, Slightly Terrifying New Electromagnetic Pulse Weapon
Rich Smith - Boeing's "CHAMP," short for Counter-electronics High-powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project. It's essentially the old nuclear electromagnetic pulse weapon that we used to worry so much about -- but without the nuclear part. CHAMP carries a small generator that emits microwaves to fry electronics with pinpoint accuracy. It targets not nations or cities but individual buildings, blacking out their electronics rather than blowing up physical targets (or people). What makes CHAMP even more interesting is that, unlike a nuclear electromagnetic pulse weapon, which fires once, blacking out entire nation-states, CHAMP can fire multiple times, pinpointing and blacking out only essential targets.

The Pentagon Wants Special Ops To Carry DNA Scanners
Gizmodo - The United States’ most elite soldiers have been collecting DNA samples from suspected terrorists for years. But because analysis normally takes three weeks, it’s been a pretty useless chore. Now, however, U.S. Special Operations Command is testing a machine that can do it in 90 minutes. Get ready for advanced biometric warfare.

Health

New Study: HPV Vaccine ‘Increases Chance’ of Developing Other HPV Strains
Natural Society - Research presented at the 2015 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research has shown that women who were vaccinated against HPV had a higher risk of developing non-vaccine strains of the virus. Approximately 60% of over 600 women between the ages of 20 and 26 who had been given the Gardasil vaccine to protect them against one of four strains of HPV (6, 11, 16, and 18) ended up being more at risk for developing an infection caused by another strain of the HPV virus.

Coconut and Thyroid Connection: How It Supports Healthy Thyroid Function
Natural Blaze - Once termed a villain fat armed to destroy, coconut oil is now being embraced as the healthiest saturated fat on the planet — and for good reason… Coconut oil is truly a jam-packed therapeutic bullet that can tackle even some of the most health destroying conditions, including thyroid problems. It is rich in fatty acids, which support metabolism and provide energy.

Poisonberry: The 10 Most Contaminated Fruits & Vegetables
Natural News Blogs - The group, a non-profit focused on public health, scoured nearly 100,000 produce pesticide reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine what fruits and vegetables we eat have the highest, and lowest, amounts of chemical residue.… If you’re eating non-organic celery today, you may be ingesting 67 pesticides with it, according to a new report from the Environmental Working Group. A single grape sample contained 15 pesticides. The average potato had more pesticides by weight than any other food. Single samples of celery, cherry tomatoes, imported snap peas and strawberries showed 13 different pesticides apiece. When it comes to pesticides, fungicides, and other chemicals, all crops are by no means equal.
 



Monday - May 25, 2015 - Today in History:



1787 - The Constitutional convention opened in Philadelphia with George Washington presiding.
1911 - President of Mexico, Porfolio Diaz, resigned his office.
1925 - John Scopes was indicted for teaching the Darwinian theory in school.
1946 - Jordan gained independence from Britain.
1953 - In Nevada, the first atomic cannon was fired.
1961 - America was asked by U.S. President Kennedy to work toward putting a man on the moon before the end of the decade.
1968 - The Gateway Arch, part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, MO, was dedicated.
1970 - Boeing Computer Services was founded.
1977 - An opinion piece by Vietnam veteran Jan Scruggs appeared in "The Washington Post." The article called for a national memorial to "remind an ungrateful nation of what it has done to its sons" that had served in the Vietnam War.
1979 - An American Airlines DC-10 crashed during takeoff at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. 275 people were killed.
1985 - Bangladesh was hit with a hurricane and tidal wave that killed more than 11,000 people.
1986 - Approximately 7 million Americans participated in "Hands Across America."
1992 - Jay Leno debuted as the new permanent host of NBC's "Tonight Show."
1997 - U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond became the longest-serving senator in U.S. history (41 years and 10 months).
1999 - A report by the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China concluded that China had "stolen design information on the U.S. most-advanced thermonuclear weapons" and that China's penetration of U.S. weapons laboratories "spans at least the past several decades and almost certainly continues today."
2006 - In Houston, former Enron Corp. chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skillinng were convicted of conspiracy and fraud for the downfall of Enron.
2008 - NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander landed in the arctic plains of Mars.
2009 - North Korea announced that it had conducted a second successful nuclear test in the province of North Hamgyong. The United Nations Security Council condemned the reported test.

World News


* America Admittedly Behind ISIS 'Surge'

* Carter: Iraqis showed 'no will to fight' in Ramadi

* Plane-to-tower texting program to debut at Phoenix Sky Harbor

* New Orleans Cop Shot Dead in Cruiser

* 137 shots, no justice: Cleveland protests as another cop goes free
 

U.S. News, Politics & Government


* GM found guilty of criminal wrongdoings in ignition switch case

* Capitol Police destroy pressure cooker in suspicious car on National Mall

* Beloved Omaha officer killed a day before start of maternity leave

* Death Penalty for Boston Marathon Suspect Drives Nail in the Coffin of US Justice System
 

Veteran News

* Memorial Day Is A Hoax - Paul Craig Roberts

Energy & Environment

* At least 3 dead, hundreds of homes destroyed as flash flooding sweeps through Texas, Oklahoma

* Six Flags Over Texas and Hurricane Harbor Reopened After Flooding

Health

* Benefits You Can Receive From Eating These 7 Fruit Seeds
 



Friday - May 22, 2015 - Today in History:

1761 - In Philadelphia, the first life insurance policy was issued in the U.S.
1819 - The steamship Savannah became the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
1868 - Near Marshfield, IN, The "Great Train Robbery" took place. The robbery was worth $96,000 in cash, gold and bonds to the 7 Reno gang.
1872 - The Amnesty Act restored civil rights to Southerners.
1882 - The U.S. formally recognized Korea.
1939 - Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini signed a military alliance between Germany and Italy known as the "Pact of Steel."
1947 - The Truman Doctrine was enacted by the U.S. Congress to appropriate military and economic aid Turkey and Greece.
1955 - A dance to be headlined by Fats Domino was canceled by police in Bridgeport, Connecticut because "rock and roll dances might be featured."
1967 - "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" premiered on PBS.
1972 - U.S. President Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit Russia. He met with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.
1997 - Kelly Flinn, the U.S. Air Force's first female bomber pilot certified for combat, accepted a general discharge. She thereby avoided court-martial on charges of adultery, lying and disobeying an order.
1998 - New information came to light about the June 1996 bombing that killed 19 American airmen. The information indicated that Saudi citizens had been responsible and not Iranians as once believed.
1998 - A federal judge said that Secret Service agents could be compelled to testify before a grand jury in Monica Lewinsky investigation concerning U.S. President Clinton.
2002 - Chandra Levy's remains were found in Washington, DC's Rock Creek Park. She was last seen on April 30, 2001. California Congressman Gary Condit was questioned in the case due to his relationship with Levy.
2002 - In Birmingham, AL, a jury convicted former Ku Klux Klansman Bobby Frank Cherry of murder in the 1963 church bombing that killed four girls.

World News

Pentagon sending 2,000 anti-tank weapons to Iraq
The Hill - The Pentagon announced on Thursday it is sending 2,000 anti-tank weapons to Iraq, following the rout of U.S.-backed forces in Ramadi by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The weapons will arrive as early as next week, said Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren. He said the U.S. is also expediting the delivery of other equipment, including ammunition and other equipment to counter ISIS's increasing reliance on vehicle-borne bombs. Within the last 30 days, the U.S. also helped to deliver coalition donations of 22 million rounds of small arms ammunition and 12,000 mortar rounds to the Iraqi army, Warren said.

NATO Sending Warships to EU Eastern Partnership Summit
Sputnik News - The ships, arriving for a port visit on Friday on the second day of the two day Summit, include the missile cruiser USS Vicksburg, capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles, Turkish frigate TCG Goksu, and the Dutch frigate HNLMS Tromp. The press release from the US Embassy in Riga announcing the visit says the stopover is aimed at "promoting peace and stability in the Baltic region," adding that the ships will make their presence known "as part of an ongoing effort by NATO to strengthen ties with its allies and regional partners."

George Soros, NATO, US Color Revolution Machine Behind Unrest in Macedonia
Brandon Turbeville - With tensions heating up between the United States and Russia over a number of issues - Ukraine, BRICS, sanctions, and NATO encirclement to name a few - the West continues its move in toward Russia's borders. The latest target in the Anglo-American destabilization campaign has now come forward - Macedonia. In the attempt to destroy the elected government of Macedonia, George Soros, NATO, and the Western Color Revolution apparatus have all come together to ensure that the will of the Macedonian people is denied as is the will of populations in all Western-style democracies. As informed observers might well suspect, any color revolution taking place in Eastern Europe will involve the heavy hand of George Soros.
* Related: What In The World Is Happening In Macedonia?

ISIL Captures Last Syria-Controlled Border Crossing With Iraq
Sputnik News - "IS seized control of the Al-Tanaf border crossing on the Syrian-Iraqi border…after regime forces withdrew, leaving the Syrian regime with no control over its border with Iraq," the Syrian Observatory for Human rights said, reports the AFP. Security forces from both Iraq and Syria have withdrawn from the crossing — known as al-Waleed in Iraq and al-Tanf in Syria — in Homs province. The only border between the two countries not in control of the Islamic State is one in Syria’s northeast, which is held by the Kurdish militia, YPG.

The slaughter of Palmyra's citizens begins: First images emerge from Syrian city over-run by ISIS
Daily Mail - Shocking images emerged today showing decapitated bodies strewn across blood-filled streets in Palmyra – victims of the Islamic State's unrelenting savagery as they stormed the ancient city. The terror group have now seized full control of the historic settlement, putting the world heritage site and its priceless 2,000-year-old artifacts at risk of destruction. The jihadis have also captured the military air base, intelligence headquarters and its notorious prison, where hundreds of inmates have reportedly been liberated.

China offers to build 1st high-speed rail link to Russia
RT - Jilin Province in China has offered to build a railway to Vladivostok for Russia’s Far East Region of Primorsky Krai. It would be the first cross-border high-speed rail link between the two countries and Russia’s major Pacific port.... Beijing has already agreed to invest about $6 billion in the construction of Russia’s first high-speed railroad between Moscow and Kazan which is to be extended to China. The railway will become part of the grand Silk Road project, a Chinese economic corridor with Russia and Mongolia.

Israel Punishes the Poor: "No Vaccines, No Child Support"
Natural Blaze - Times of Israel reported on a decision that citizens had no say in whatsoever: When United Torah Judaism inked its coalition agreement with Likud on April 29, party members triumphantly hailed the reversal of a slew of legislative measures implemented by arch-nemesis Yair Lapid, including an increase in monthly child allowances — but it came with one caveat. Under the terms of the coalition deal, which appointed party member Yaakov Litzman deputy health minister, “the National Insurance law will be amended, such that child allowances will not be given in cases where a parent refuses to vaccinate their child.”

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Leftist Media Pushing White-On-White Crime Narrative in Waco
Truth Revolt - The leftist media is busy injecting the narrative of white-on-white crime into the biker gang shooting that left nine people dead in Waco, Texas Sunday. The common thread of complaint centers on how blacks are portrayed in news coverage versus whites when it comes to violent crime. Also among the complaints are how the police reacted at the scene, most reports saying they were calm or “minimally attentive,” juxtaposed with the how police responded during the Ferguson and Baltimore riots. Here is a small example of the headlines coming from the top media on the left...
* Related: Police arrest 192 suspects after mass brawl that left nine dead

‘Fast Track Authority’ Bill Advances Through Senate
Truth in Media - As Memorial Day weekend draws near, U.S. politicians are negotiating a number of important issues that will affect all Americans. The first of these is the extension of section 215 of the USA Patriot Act, which has been used to justify mass surveillance programs by the National Security Agency.... The other pressing matter that is being considered is the reauthorization of trade promotion authority (TPA), or “fast track” authority. On Thursday, supporters of fast track gained the support of enough senators to advance the bill to the next stage. In a procedural vote, 62 senators voted in favor of the bill (49 Republicans, 13 Democrats), with 38 voting against (31 Democrats, 5 Republicans, 2 Independents). USA Today reported that, “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., wants to finish work on the bill before the Senate adjourns for the Memorial Day recess. The House is expected to take up TPA in June.” The final Senate vote could happen on Friday afternoon.

CIA torture report won’t be released to public, judge rules
RT - A federal judge ruled Thursday that the Senate’s nearly 7,000-page report on the CIA’s torture practices during interrogations in the wake of 9/11 will not be made public, marking a setback for civil liberties advocates.... Washington, DC US District Judge James E. Boasberg, in his 26-page decision, said the complete report compiled by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and the related “Panetta review,” are exempt from the dictates of the Freedom Information Act. He said the Senate Committee report remains under congressional control and Congress made sure to exempt itself from FOIA requests.

Congress Moves to Eliminate Labels Showing Consumers Where Meat Comes from Following WTO Ruling
Michael Krieger - A House committee has voted to get rid of labels on packages of meat that say where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered. The House Agriculture Committee voted 38-6 to repeal a “country-of-origin” labeling law for beef, pork and poultry Wednesday — just two days after the World Trade Organization ruled against parts of the law.... Debbie Barker of the Center for Food Safety said the WTO’s ruling, and the House’s action, show no regard for shoppers who want to know where their meat comes from. “It’s stunning that some members of Congress are so quick to respond to a closed-door, international trade body with no apparent regard for the wishes of American consumers,” Barker said.

Soros: US on the Brink of World War III with China
Sputnik News - Military spending is on the rise in China, where there is an effort to transition to a domestic-demand-led economy from exports, Soros said at the Bretton Woods conference at the World Bank. If that move falters, he said, there is a "likelihood" that China’s leaders would promote an external conflict – possibly with a US ally – to keep the country together and hold on to power. "If there is conflict between China and a military ally of the United States, like Japan, then it is not an exaggeration to say that we are on the threshold of a third world war," Soros was quoted as saying by MarketWatch.

VIDEO: Sen. Sessions: 10 Myth-Busters on Obama's Trade Effort
Breitbart - Wednesday, Sessions took on arguments for the trade deal with a series of what he office says are “myths” versus “truths” about the trade deal under consideration in Congress. In the myth buster account, Sessions’ office says not only will fast-track erode congressional power over the trade process but the trade agreements implemented under that authority will trump U.S. law.

Six Baltimore police officers indicted in death of Freddie Gray
Washington Post - The officers, each of whom faces multiple counts, now also face a charge of reckless endangerment, Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said at a press conference Thursday. Charges of false imprisonment against three of the officers are no longer part of the case.... Goodson faces the most serious charges — second-degree depraved heart murder, involuntary manslaughter and assault, among other counts. Porter, Rice and White each face involuntary manslaughter and other charges. Nero and Miller face charges that include second-degree assault, misdemeanors. The officers are expected to arraigned on July 2 in Circuit Court, which could mean making their first public appearances before a judge.

FOI Commission: State Police Must Turn Over Lanzas’ Papers – Hartford Courant
Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information - State police must make available to the public personal documents seized from Adam Lanza's house during the course of the investigation into the 2012 killings of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the state's Freedom of Information Commission unanimously ruled Wednesday. The ruling came as a result of a Freedom of Information Act request from The Courant seeking copies of documents mentioned in the state police's report into the massacre but never made available to the public.

Homeland Security is paying police to set up DUI checkpoints
MassPrivateI - The NHTSA used FORCIBLY collected oral fluid or blood samples from 11,100 drivers at 60 locations across the country to make the determination that drunk driving is decreasing. If drunk driving is down, why is there an increase in illegal no-refusal blood draw checkpoints across the country? Why would DHS pay police departments to set up DUI checkpoints? It's all about conditioning the public to accept illegal 4th. Amendment intrusions by DHS. The NHTSA/DHS are giving out MILLIONS in grant money, which is essentially paying police departments to set up checkpoints.

Veteran News

Memorial Day Is A Hoax — Paul Craig Roberts
Paul Craig Roberts - Memorial Day commemorates soldiers killed in war. We are told that the war dead died for us and our freedom. US Marine General Smedley Butler challenged this view. He said that our soldiers died for the profits of the bankers, Wall Street, Standard Oil, and the United Fruit Company. Here is an excerpt from a speech that he gave in 1933...

Economy & Business

It Is Mathematically Impossible To Pay Off All Of Our Debt
Economic Collapse - Did you know that if you took every single penny away from everyone in the United States that it still would not be enough to pay off the national debt? Today, the debt of the federal government exceeds $145,000 per household, and it is getting worse with each passing year. Many believe that if we paid it off a little bit at a time that we could eventually pay it all off, but as you will see below that isn’t going to work either. It has been projected that “mandatory” federal spending on programs such as Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare plus interest on the national debt will exceed total federal revenue by the year 2025.

Science & Technology

Report: NSA hijacked app stores to hack phones
The Hill - The National Security Agency planned to infiltrate the Google and Samsung app stores to plant spying software on smartphones, according to new documents published from files leaked by Edward Snowden. The Intercept and CBC News jointly published the documents Thursday, which outline the snooping efforts designed by the U.S. and its “Five Eyes” alliance: Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. The intelligence agencies came up with the strategy as a potential way to hack smartphones.

More People Reporting Wi-Fi Is Making Them Sick
Marco Torres - Wi-Fi signals are, unlike TV and radio signals, strong enough to penetrate concrete walls. Many health experts consider Wi-Fi radiation to be extremely dangerous to long-term health. Based on the existing science, many public health experts believe it is possible we will face an epidemic of cancers in the future resulting from uncontrolled use of cell phones and increased population exposure to Wi-Fi and other wireless devices. Now more people than ever are reporting unexplained symptoms causes by Wi-Fi.

General Motors says it owns your car’s software
Autoblog - Buy a General Motors vehicle lately? Check the fine print. The company says you may not own some parts of a vehicle that actually make it run. In comments sure to rankle customers, a GM attorney said Tuesday the company believes the software that controls every vehicle function belongs to them. Even after customers pay tens of thousands of dollars for a car, the company says users are merely signing a licensing agreement to use it over its lifetime. "It is our position the software in the vehicle is licensed by the owner of the vehicle," attorney Harry Lightsey said.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

How to Grow You Own Salad Sprouts
Health Impact News - After decades of poor results through the industrialized food system, it seems we are hearing about a homegrown revolution more and more. Indeed, growing one’s own food is a certain means of knowing exactly what is going into the many plants and animal products that go on the table. But there are many challenges that don’t make this simple task as easy as it may seem. Land, soil health, and seasonality all present challenges to the ideal of sowing the seeds of our supper with our own two hands. Thankfully there is a way to grow enzyme-rich raw vegetables right in the home kitchen without the need for soil or land. Some seeds, water, and simple equipment are all that is necessary.

Health

Almost No Medical Condition Qualifies for Medical Vaccine Exemption
Health Impact News - If you or your child are sick at the time of vaccination with a fever or on antibiotics, there is no medical vaccine exemption for you. If you are a pregnant health care worker and do not want to get a flu shot while you are pregnant because you do not want to risk a miscarriage, no medical vaccine exemption for you. If your child was injured or died after vaccination and you want to protect your other children from vaccine injury, no medical vaccine exemption for your children. If your baby was born prematurely and is low weight and struggling to survive, no medical vaccine exemption for your infant. For all practical purposes, the Centers for Disease Control and medical trade organizations now direct pediatricians and other vaccinators to deny the medical vaccine exemption to 99.99 percent of Americans.

Vaccines suppress your brain! Vaccine-Induced Brain Damage Syndrome (VIBDS) mirrors cognitive impairment caused by chemotherapy (Chemo Brain)
(NaturalNews) Vaccine-Induced Brain Damage Syndrome (VIBDS) is the phenomenon of impaired cognitive function caused by the brain-damaging toxic additives found in vaccines. It mirrors the well-documented cognitive impairment caused by chemotherapy, known across the medical establishment as Post-Chemotherapy Cognitive Impairment (PCCI).... What exactly causes brain damage from vaccines? The vaccine ingredients, of course: aluminum, mercury, formaldehyde, MSG, antibiotic drugs, etc. Each one of these is openly admitted by the CDC to still be used in vaccines, and each one is also exhaustively documented as a neurotoxin.

Benefits You Can Receive From Eating These 7 Fruit Seeds
Natural News Blogs - Fruits are some of the healthiest foods to eat since they provide antioxidants, fiber, enzymes, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates for energy, but did you know the seeds in some fruits you can eat too for nourishment. However, many people avoid eating the fruit seeds simply because of their belief in the old myth that they are poisonous.

Pet News

The Difference Between a Human Food Recall and a Pet Food Recall
Susan Thixton - Two food recalls, same year – one month apart. Recall #1 resulted in 700 illnesses, company responsible was fined $1l.2 million by government. Recall #2 resulted in 8,500 deaths, company responsible was fined $35,000. Guess which one was pet food. ConAgra Grocery Products – manufacturer of Peter Pan Peanut Butter – just announced a “plea agreement with U.S. attorneys” pleading guilty to a “single misdemeanor violation of the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.” The plea agreement between government and the peanut butter manufacturer is a fine of $11.2 million dollars (paid to the government).... So…a human food was penalized (plea agreement) $11.2 million dollars for one violation of the FD&C Act, what happens to a pet food that violates the exact same laws?
 



Thursday - May 21, 2015 - Today in History:

1790 - Paris was divided into 48 zones.
1819 - Bicycles were first seen in the U.S. in New York City. They were originally known as "swift walkers."
1832 - In the U.S., the Democratic Party held its first national convention.
1856 - Lawrence, Kansas was captured by pro-slavery forces.
1863 - The siege of the Confederate Port Hudson, LA, began.
1881 - The American branch of the Red Cross was founded by Clara Barton.
1927 - Charles A. Lindberg completed the first solo nonstop airplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The trip began May 20.
1929 - The first automatic electric stock quotation board was used by Sutro and Company of New York City.
1934 - Oskaloosa, IA, became the first city in the U.S. to fingerprint all of its citizens.
1956 - The U.S. exploded the first airborne hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean over Bikini Atoll.
1961 - Governor Patterson declared martial law in Montgomery, AL.
1968 - The nuclear-powered U.S. submarine Scorpion, with 99 men aboard, was last heard from. The remains of the sub were later found on the ocean floor 400 miles southwest of the Azores.
1970 - The National Guard was mobilized to quell disturbances at Ohio State University.
1982 - The British landed in the Falkland Islands and fighting began.
1991 - In Madras, India, the former prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a bouquet of flowers that contained a bomb.
1998 - An expelled student, Kipland Kinkel, in Springfield, OR, killed 2 people and wounded 25 others with a semi-automatic rifle. Police also discovered that the boy had killed his parents before the rampage.
1998 - In Miami, FL, five abortion clinics were hit by an butyric acid-attacker.

World News

ISIL Controls More Than 50% of Syria After Palmyra Seizure – Monitor
Sputnik News - According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the ISIL militants have now captured more than 95 thousand square kilometers of Syrian lands (some 36,700 square miles) and have a full or partial control of nine out of the country's 14 governorates. The terrorist group also controls "the vast majority of oil and gas fields." The Islamic State is a Sunni jihadist group that captured large areas in Iraq and Syria, proclaiming a caliphate on lands it has seized.

China Bails Out Brazil In $50 Billion Regional Power Grab
Zero Hedge - On the heels of pledging $46 billion in infrastructure aid to Pakistan, China is set to invest as much as $50 billion in Brazil including $10 billion on a cross-mountain railway that will connect Latin America's largest economy with Peru's ports in what Premier Li calls "a new road to Asia." The move is a dramatic example of China's growing foothold in what is ostensibly Washington's strongest sphere of influence.

US Urges Greece to Support Anti-Russia Sanctions - Greek Defense Minister
Sputnik News - The United States tried to urge Greece to support a new round of anti-Russia sanctions, but Athens viewed Russia as an ally, Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos said. Kammenos is currently on visit to the United States. On Wednesday, he met Christine Wormuth, US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (USDP). Greece lost more than €4 billion [$4.5 billion] due to the anti-Russia sanctions, the minister stressed.

Plotting Against Beijing? US Holds Asian Military Summit, Excludes China
Sputnik News - As the United States struggles to maintain influence in the South China Sea, it has pushed Pacific nations to assert themselves against Beijing. In that effort, Washington organized a gathering of military leaders from over 20 countries, specifically excluding China. A first-of-its kind event, the United States hosted the PACOM Amphibious Leaders Symposium in Hawaii for Pacific nation commanders to discuss amphibious military capabilities. In attendance are representatives from Japan, Australia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and many others.... A US spokesman insists that Beijing’s absence is due to a legal technicality prohibiting military-to-military exchanges between the two nations, but China did take part in joint naval exercises last year.

VIDEO: China warns U.S. surveillance plane
CNN - Above the South China Sea (CNN)The Chinese navy issued warnings eight times as a U.S. surveillance plane on Wednesday swooped over islands that Beijing is using to extend its zone of influence. The series of man-made islands and the massive Chinese military build-up on them have alarmed the Pentagon, which is carrying out the surveillance flights in order to make clear the U.S. does not recognize China's territorial claims. The militarized islands have also alarmed America's regional allies. Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell told CNN's Erin Burnett Wednesday night that the confrontation indicates there is "absolutely" a risk of the U.S. and China going to war sometime in the future.

Russia to take legal moves if Ukraine defaults on $3bn debt - finance minister
RT - Russia will appeal to the International Court of Justice if Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signs a moratorium on the payment of Ukraine’s external debt into law and fails to pay its debt to Russia, said Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. Siluanov said Ukraine was virtually defaulting on its debt, adding that Russia doesn’t yet have grounds to lodge any claims. If Kiev fails to pay $75 million in June, Moscow will use its right to appeal to the court, the Minister said.

Fleeing Iraqi Troops Leave U.S. Weapons for ISIS — Again
New American - The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed Tuesday that dozens of U.S. vehicles and weapons, including tanks, armored personnel carriers, and artillery pieces, were abandoned by fleeing Iraqi troops when Islamic State forces captured the city of Ramadi in central Iraq Sunday. A Pentagon spokesman, Colonel Steve Warren, estimated that a half-dozen tanks were abandoned, a similar number of artillery pieces, a larger number of armored personnel carriers, and about 100 wheeled vehicles such as Humvees, the Associated Press reported.

US Approves Huge Arms Sales to Israel, Including Bunker Buster Bombs
Sputnik News - The US State Department approved the sale of $1.87 billion in weapons and precision guidance kits to Israel in order to improve existing systems and make it easier for American and Israeli forces to work together.... If finalized, Israel will receive a supply of precision-guided munitions consisting of 750 bunker-buster bombs, 3,000 Hellfire missiles, 250 medium-range air-to-air missiles and 4,100 glide bombs.... Lawmakers have 15 days to block the potential sale, but such action is rare since deals are carefully vetted before they are formally notified to Congress.... The large scale of the deal suggests that it is meant to replenish IAF munitions after the summer's Gaza war.

Greece Says That It Will Default On June 5th, And Moody’s Warns Of A ‘Deposit Freeze’
Economic Collapse - The Greek government says that a “moment of truth” is coming on June 5th. Either their lenders agree to give them more money by that date, or Greece will default on a 300 million euro loan payment to the IMF. Of course it won’t technically be a “default” according to IMF rules for another 30 days after that, but without a doubt news that Greece cannot pay will send shockwaves throughout the financial world. At that point, those holding Greek bonds will start to panic as they realize that they might not get paid as well. All over Europe, there are major banks that are holding large amounts of Greek debt and derivatives that are related to the performance of Greek debt. If something is not done to avert disaster at the last moment, a default by Greece could be the spark that sets off a major European financial crisis this summer.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Domestic surveillance fate unclear after Rand Paul's lengthy Senate talk
CNBC News - Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul commandeered the Senate floor Wednesday to deliver a nearly 11 hours-long protest against renewal of the Patriot Act, calling the post-Sept. 11 law government intrusion on Americans' privacy.... He finished at 11:49 p.m., having not sat for more than 10 hours.... Although Paul called his action a filibuster, it technically fell short of Senate rules since the bill the Senate was considering was trade, not the Patriot Act.
* Related: 10 Great Points in Rand Paul's Patriot Act Attack

Pentagon: No One to Blame for Wasting $36 Million in Afghanistan
Sputnik News - In July of 2013, John Sopko, the Special Inspector-General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) published a letter (and a Flickr slide show for illustration) highly critical of the wasteful project — then calculated at $34 million — and calling for an investigation into how waste on such a massive scale could have come about. The result of that investigation — which revises the figure for money wasted upwards to $36 million — is that no one is to blame, and no one will be held accountable for building a 64,000 square foot Command and Control facility that has never been used by US military personnel.

US Declassifies Osama Bin Laden Docs as PATRIOT Act Set to Expire
Kurt Nimmo - Intelligence agencies in the United States have decided to make public more than 100 previously classified documents purportedly seized during a raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. “Today the ODNI (Office of the Director of National Intelligence) released a tranche of documents recovered during the raid,” Jeff Anchukaitis, spokesman for the ODNI, said. The alleged tranche of documents was announced days before the US PATRIOT Act is set to expire. The documents appear as Kentucky Senator Rand Paul promises he will do “everything humanly possible” to keep the Senate from reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act.
* Related: Declassified: Al-Qaeda Planned to Bomb Russian Gas Lines, US Embassy in Moscow

House Democrat Introduces Gun Registry Bill
Kit Daniels - Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) introduced a bill that would effectively create a firearms registry by forcing private sellers at gun shows to report sales to the Attorney General and by requiring gun show organizers to register with the Justice Dept. The bill, H.R. 2380, would also force gun show organizers to provide the identities of all their vendors to the Attorney General. “The legislation would call on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to hire investigators to inspect gun shows and examine records kept by gun show operators and vendors,” The Hill reported.

Homeland “Security” Caught Busing in Illegal Somalis from Mexican Border
Daily Sheeple - The U.S. is bringing in 100,000 Muslims every year through legal channels such as the United Nations refugee program and various visa programs, but new reports indicate a pipeline has been established through the southern border with the help of the federal agency whose job it is to protect the homeland. They are coming from Somalia and other African nations, according to a Homeland Security official who was caught recently transporting a busload of Africans to a detention center near Victorville, California.

Obama’s Education Secretary Touts Government Boarding Schools
New American - In yet another scheme by the federal government to usurp an ever-expanding role in childrearing, the Obama administration’s top education bureaucrat, Education Secretary Arne Duncan (shown), called last week for government boarding schools. Claiming that there are “just certain kids we should have 24/7,” the controversial figure also proposed, citing inaccurate information, turning government schools across America into “community centers” that would offer students even more “after-school programming.” Despite escalating criticism of Duncan and his scheming — one analyst called it “scary” — the proposed plots were hardly surprising considering other elements of what senior officials often refer to as the “cradle-to-career” education agenda.

Nevada Governor signs bill allowing teacher licenses for immigrants
Houston Chronicle - Gov. Brian Sandoval signed a bill Wednesday that would make it easier for immigrants with temporary legal status to get a Nevada teaching license, saying it would help meet the needs of a "new Nevada." The old law allowed the state superintendent to give a teaching license to someone who is not a citizen but has a work permit only if there's a teacher shortage for a subject the person can teach. The new law, which passed the Senate and Assembly unanimously, allows those immigrants to get a teaching license if a district has a teacher shortage of any kind. The measure affects immigrants in the deferred action program, also known as DACA recipients or DREAMers.

Boy Scouts Banned From Water Pistol Fights Because They Involve “Simulated Firearms”
Steve Watson - Boy Scouts In the US have been all but prohibited from engaging in water gun fights and water balloon tomfoolery by scouting officials citing a lack of kindness in the activity. Water pistols and other toys such as rubber band guns and potato guns have been banned for anything other than target practice, and “eye protection must be worn,” according to page 99 of the 2015 Boy Scout handbook. The handbook also provides ludicrous guidelines, stating “For water balloons, use small, biodegradable balloons, and fill them no larger than a ping pong ball.”... Former scouts weighed in, declaring the rules, which will apply to hundreds of thousands of scouts, as “out of touch”.

Economy & Business

5 Major Banks Plead Guilty To Market Rigging, Fined $5.7 Billion
Truth in Media - On Wednesday, the Department of Justice announced that five major banks – Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, JPMorgan Chase, UBS and Citigroup – will be fined approximately $5.7 billion after pleading guilty to crimes involving the manipulation of global currencies and interest rates. The DoJ noted that four of the banks – Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scotland – have been forced to plead guilty to antitrust violations in the foreign exchange market, after they allegedly worked together to enhance their profits by manipulating the $5-trillion-a-day foreign exchange market to $10 billion.

Oregon to test pay-per-mile idea as replacement for gas tax
(AP) - Starting July 1, up to 5,000 volunteers in Oregon can sign up to drive with devices that collect data on how much they have driven and where. The volunteers will agree to pay 1.5 cents for each mile traveled on public roads within Oregon, instead of the tax now added when filling up at the pump. Some electric and hybrid car owners, however, say the new tax would be unfair to them and would discourage purchasing of green vehicles.... State officials say it is only fair for owners of green vehicles to be charged for maintaining roads, just as owners of gasoline-powered vehicles do.

Energy & Environment

VIDEO: State of Emergency Declared for Oil Spill Off Santa Barbara Coast
NBC Los Angeles - Oil floating off the Southern California coast after a spill from a broken oil pipe now stretches about 9 miles, an overnight expansion that was "more than we anticipated last night," a U.S. Coast Guard captain said Wednesday. The spill along the coast near Santa Barbara dumped possibly as much as 105,000 gallons of oil from a 2-foot pipeline onto the Refugio State Beach shore, creating miles-long slicks in the ocean after leaking for several hours before it was shut off.... Plains All American Pipeline says it then stopped the flow and blocked the culvert. "We are very sorry this accident happened. We're bringing all our resources to help," Palmer said. "Our focus remains on safety of first responders and protection of environment. We are committed to thorough cleanup of this accident. We are sorry for the inconvenience of this spill to the community." Related: All-American Pipeline has had 10 serious crude oil spills in four states

Indiana regulators reject Duke Energy’s $1.9B plan to install ‘smart’ meters (You may get a Forbidden Message but keep trying)
Take Back Your Power - State regulators have rejected a proposal from Duke Energy to raise customers’ rates. The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission said in a ruling on May 8th that the company didn’t provide enough details for its $1.9 billion, seven-year plan. The proposal would have put Duke Energy’s Indiana customers on smart grid technology and have installed privacy invading digital smart meters in every home, tracking detailed energy consumption and transmitting that data using potentially harmful radiofrequency emissions.... “This was a big win for consumers,” Kerwin Olson said, executive director of the Citizens Action Coalition. “Duke failed to meet their burden of proof. The law clearly spells out criteria that the utility has to get in order to meet this kind of approval. And this is a lot of money.”

Climate Blockbuster: New NASA Data Shows Polar Ice Has Not Receded Since 1979
Steve Watson - NASA has updated its data from satellite readings, revealing that the planet’s polar ice caps have not retreated significantly since 1979, when measurements began. Indeed, the polar ice has, for almost three years now, remained above the 35 year average.... Those alarmists, however, ignored the fact that total polar ice had only receded by a modest amount, no where near ten percent. Those alarmists, however, ignored the fact that total polar ice had only receded by a modest amount, no where near ten percent. Al Gore used the 10 percent figure and even warned that the Arctic ice cap could completely disappear by 2014.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Pollinator plan aims high, but falls short
Center for Food Safety - The White House Pollinator Health Task Force (WHTF) has just released its strategy to address the threats to bees, monarchs and other pollinators.... While the plan focuses heavily on improving pollinator habitat, it is blind to the fact that new habitat will simply become contaminated by insecticides still heavily in use, ultimately harming pollinators. We can’t just plant more wild flowers near crop land and expect insecticides to stop being a problem. Similarly, while efforts to restore milkweed habitat for monarchs are important, without addressing the agricultural practices responsible for the eradication of milkweed, monarch populations will not rebound to resilient, healthy levels.

The Perennial Garden: 8 Vegetables You Can Plant Once And Enjoy Forever
Off the Grid News - If you are the type of gardener who likes to grow vegetables but rarely has time to plan and plant a garden, a perennial vegetable garden may be a good choice for your lifestyle. There are vegetables you can plant once, then never have to plant again. You can have your garden, but with less effort than usual.

Health

County Seizes 2 Children Because They’re Not Vaccinated
Off the Grid News - Parents whose children are taken by social workers can fight back against the government and win. Los Angeles County agreed to pay a couple whose children were seized without a warrant $800,000 to settle a civil rights lawsuit. Among the allegations against the family: Their children were not immunized. “This lawsuit alleges that the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) violated plaintiffs’ civil rights arising from wrongfully detaining plaintiffs’ children,” a letter from LA County Senior Assistant County Counsel Patrick A. Wu to the LA County Board of Supervisors stated.

32 Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar (8 are Backed by Scientific Research)
Juicing with G - One of the most popular types of vinegar, the apple cider (or ACV) is touted by a lot of natural health advocates as having a lot of health benefits some of which include weight loss, diabetes control and improving cardiovascular health.... If you look around the web, you’ll see that there are a lot of benefits, some are backed by scientific research while some aren’t. My goal here is to enumerate all of these benefits I find here and link to the sources.

Can a Synthetic Version of Sulforaphane Offer the Same Benefits as Broccoli?
Dr. Mercola - The so-called “broccoli pill” (Sulforadex) consists of a stabilized, synthetic form of sulforaphane... One of broccoli's claims to fame is sulforaphane, an organic sulfur compound found in cruciferous vegetables, including not only broccoli but also Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, horseradish, and arugula. Broccoli sprouts are actually the richest source.... If you want to have your own ready supply of cancer-fighting nutrients, learn to grow sprouts.... Sprouts may be small, but they are packed with nutrition, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes that help protect against free radical damage.... The sulforaphane pill sounds promising, but as a synthetic version it may succumb to the pitfalls of other synthetic nutrient reproductions, which tend to not quite match up to the original (and sometimes have unintended side effects).

Pet News

Walmart's Private Label Jerky Treat linked to 23 Sick Dogs, 3 Deaths
Susan Thixton - To date, jerky treats imported from China have been killing and causing serious illness in dogs (and a few cats) for more than 8 years. FDA continues to tell pet food consumers they are investigating, but for some reason the FDA can’t seem to find the cause. Only with instances reported to FDA (a small percentage of the actual amount), jerky treats imported from China “are suspected in 4,800 pet illnesses and 1,000 dog deaths.”
 



Wednesday - May 20, 2015 - Today in History:

1775 - North Carolina became the first colony to declare its independence. This is the date that is on the George state flag even though the date of this event has been questioned.
1784 - The Peace of Versailles ended a war between France, England, and Holland.
1861 - North Carolina became the eleventh state to secede from the Union.
1861 - During the American Civil War, the capital of the Confederacy was moved from Montgomery, AL, to Richmond, VA.
1902 - The U.S. military occupation of Cuba ended.
1902 - Cuba gained its independence from Spain.
1916 - Norman Rockwell’s first cover on "The Saturday Evening Post" appeared.
1926 - The U.S. Congress passed the Air Commerce Act. The act gave the Department of Commerce the right to license pilots and planes.
1927 - Charles Lindbergh took off from New York to cross the Atlantic for Paris aboard his airplane the "Spirit of St. Louis." The trip took 33 1/2 hours.
1932 - Amelia Earhart took off to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She became the first woman to achieve the feat.
1939 - The first telecast over telephone wires was sent from Madison Square Garden to the NBC-TV studios at 30 Rockefeller Center in Manhattan.
1941 - Germany invaded Crete by air.
1942 - Japan completed the conquest of Burma.
1961 - A white mob attacked the Freedom Riders in Montgomery, AL. The event prompted the federal government to send U.S. marshals.
1969 - U.S. and South Vietnamese forces captured Apbia Mountain, which was referred to as Hamburger Hill.
1970 - 100,000 people marched in New York supporting U.S. policies in Vietnam.
1985 - The FBI arrested U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer John Walker. Walker had begun spying for the Soviet Union in 1968.
1990 - The Hubble Space Telescope sent back its first photographs.
1993 - The final episode of "Cheers" was aired on NBC-TV.
1996 - The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Colorado measure banning laws that would protect homosexuals from discrimination.
1999 - At Heritage High School in Conyers, GA, a 15-year-old shot and injured 6 students. He then surrendered to an assistant principal at the school.
2010 - Scientists announced that they had created a functional synthetic genome.

World News

Mortar attack on Russian embassy in Damascus an ‘act of terror’ – Moscow
RT - The Russian embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus was shelled on Tuesday, with Moscow stating that it considers the attack on its diplomatic mission an act of terror. Two mortar rounds landed on the premises of the Russian Embassy in the afternoon, “one of them fell near the main entrance, the other hit an administrative building," Asiya Turuchiyeva embassy's spokeswoman, told RIA Novosti.... “We treat the incident as terrorist act, aimed against the Russian Embassy. We strongly condemn its perpetrators, organizers and instigators. We reaffirm our solidarity with the Syrian authorities in their efforts to combat the terrorist threat in the territory of Syria,” Aleksandr Lukashevich, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, said.

Russia Promises Response to US Missile Defense Systems in Ukraine
Sputnik News - Earlier in the day, Ukrainian National Security Service Secretary Oleksander Turchynov said that Kiev may consider placing missile defense systems in its territory after consultations. “If this means that Ukraine plans to deploy elements of US missile defense systems on its territory, then, obviously, this could be understood as being completely negative because it would pose a threat to the Russian Federation,” Peskov told journalists. He said that if Ukraine made the step, then Russia would be forced to respond.

Western Coup Attempt Will Not Succeed in Macedonia
Sputnik News - Anti-government protests and a Western attempt to stage a coup in Macedonia will not succeed, as the majority of people are firmly behind current Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, a political expert specializing in Macedonian politics, told Sputnik. On Sunday, an anti-government protest took place on the streets of the Macedonian capital Skopje. During the protest, Macedonian opposition leader Zoran Zaev blamed the government of current Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski for Macedonia's social and economic problems, and accused several Cabinet members of corruption. Zaev demanded the resignation of the current government and called for the creation of a new transitional government. A day after that, a mass pro-government rally took place in Skopje. The event was attended by some 90,000 people in support of Gruevski's government.

Iran Coordinates Aid Deliveries to Yemen Directly With UN
Sputnik News - Iran has coordinated aid delivery to the conflict-torn Yemen directly with the United Nations, Director General of the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s Political and International Affairs Department Hamid Baidinejad told Sputnik Tuesday. "The coordination was made with the UN-related agencies delivering humanitarian aid, on provision that the ship [with aid] will moor in Yemen, not in Djibouti. It is now moving toward Yemen, and accompanied by warships of Iran," Baidinejad told Sputnik. The statement came days after US called on Iran to direct its aid ship, the Iran Shahed, to the UN aid distribution hub in Djibouti. The United States tracked Iran’s vessel escorted by warships amid fears that it carried military cargo.

Ukraine May Now Suspend Payment on Restructured Foreign Debt
Sputnik News - Ukraine's parliament adopted a government law on Tuesday allowing to suspend payments on restructured foreign debt. The law was adopted by 256 votes, while the minimum necessary for a bill to be pushed through the Ukrainian parliament amounts to 226. The new law also concerns Eurobonds, which Russia bought in 2013 from Ukraine in the amount of $3 billion. The law will be valid until July 1, 2016.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Sham cancer charities bilked donors for $187 mil, spent money on luxury – gov’t
RT - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), all 50 states, and the District of Columbia claim that the four foundations fraudulently told donors their money would help cancer patients. Instead, money from the donations overwhelmingly went into the pockets of charity operators, their families and friends, and professional fundraisers.... The complaint further alleges that the charity executives employed family members and friends, and spent the donated funds on “cars, trips, luxury cruises, college tuition, gym memberships, jet ski outings, sporting event and concert tickets, and dating site memberships.” Professional fundraisers hired by the charities often received 85 percent or more of every donation, the FTC said.

Weapons Companies Profit from Fear of Iran Campaign
AllGov - Iran has been a great bogeyman for American merchants of war by helping boost billions of dollars in military sales to oil-rich states in the Middle East. In the last five years, U.S. arms purchases by Gulf Arab countries have skyrocketed by 70%. Saudi Arabia alone has paid out $90 billion to American arms firms in that time. U.S. defense contractors have benefited by selling weapons systems and munitions to Persian Gulf countries that have worried about Iranian military plans in the region.

Shocking Jade Helm Training Video: Children Used in Mock FEMA Camp Roundups
Daily Sheeple - The footage below, released by the Marines and reported on by Gary Franchi of the Next News Network, shows our troops training to take on dissidents right here on American soil in the lead up to the unprecedented Jade Helm 15 training drill coming this summer. The video, shot by Sgt. Daniel Kujanpaa, shows Marines from 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division practicing “assault support tactics” on crisis actors in Yuma in a seven-week pre-training exercise leading up to Jade Helm as children look on. “This footage is probably the most shocking documentation of FEMA camp roundup training to date: children used alongside actors in a bloody confrontation on American soil,” Franchi reported.

I’ve read Obama’s secret trade deal, and Warren is right to be concerned
Politico - I’ve actually read the TPP text provided to the government’s own advisors, and I’ve given the president an earful about how this trade deal will damage this nation. But I can’t share my criticisms with you. I can tell you that Elizabeth Warren is right about her criticism of the trade deal. We should be very concerned about what's hidden in this trade deal—and particularly how the Obama administration is keeping information secret even from those of us who are supposed to provide advice.

Feds Exempt MRAPs from Prohibited Police Equipment Despite Admitting They’re “Militaristic in Nature”
Kit Daniels - Although Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs) are “militaristic in nature,” cops should use them because they have “significant utility for law enforcement operations,” according to President Obama’s task force on police equipment. The interagency Law Enforcement Equipment Working Group (LEEWG), which was established by Obama under Executive Order 13688, purposely exempted MRAPs and other military vehicles from a list of equipment prohibited from police use. To explain the exemption, LEEWG described MRAPs as equipment “that could be seen as militaristic in nature yet also may have significant utility for law enforcement operations.”

Mom Arrested, Shackled, Jailed Because Her Honor Roll Son Had 3 Unexcused Absences at School
Free Thought Project - Screven County, Georgia – Mother and substitute teacher Julie Giles was arrested this week because her son had too many unexcused absences from public school. Writing on her Facebook page before turning herself in, Giles said “If anyone feels the need to go public with this feel free to do so….the facts are Sam originally had what they consider 12 unexcused absences, 6 are allowed per year, so he had 6 more than is acceptable, but the doctor reissued 3 excuses that Sam didn’t turn in, so basically I am being arrested for THREE days.”

1,773,000: Homeschooled Children Up 61.8% in 10 Years
CNS News - In the ten-year period from 2003 to 2012, the number of American children 5 through 17 years old who were being homeschooled by their parents climbed by 61.8 percent, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Education. At the same time, the percentage of all U.S. students in the 5-through-17 age group who were homeschooled increased from 2.2 percent to 3.4 percent.

Economy & Business

World Trade Body Rejects Country of Origin Labels on Meat
Fox Business - Labels on packaged steaks and other cuts of meat in the United States that say where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered will have to be dropped or revised after a World Trade Organization ruling. The office of the U.S. Trade Representative said Monday that the WTO has rejected a final U.S. appeal, deciding that the U.S. "country of origin" labels put Canadian and Mexican livestock at a disadvantage. The Obama administration has already revised the labels to try to comply with WTO obligations. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has said that if the WTO ruled against the final U.S. appeal, Congress will have to weigh in to avoid retaliation from the two neighbor countries. The ruling is a victory for the U.S. meat industry, which has said the labels are burdensome.

Obama Administration Issues 184 Major Rules Costing $80 Billion Annually
CNS News - During the six years that President Obama has held office, the number and cost of regulations has continued to climb, with the issuance of 184 major rules estimated to cost $80 billion annually, according to the Heritage Foundation’s Red Tape Rising report. A major rule is “generally defined as having an expected economic impact of at least $100 million per year.” “The number and cost of government regulations continued to climb in 2014, intensifying Washington’s control over the economy and Americans’ lives,” the report stated. “The addition of 27 new major rules last year pushed the tally for the Obama Administration’s first six years to 184, with scores of other rules in the pipeline.

US Congress Moves to Put Ex-Presidents on an Allowance
Sputnik News - After leaving office, US presidents can count on a lucrative career delivering speeches and signing book deals. With personal income stretching into the millions, a Congressional panel has voted to impose new limits on how much taxpayer money ex-presidents can receive. Last year, US taxpayers paid $3.5 million in pensions and benefits for former presidents, according to the Congressional Research Service. $1.3 million of that went to George W. Bush. $950,000 went to Bill Clinton.

Energy & Environment

Pipeline rupture leaks oil on Santa Barbara beaches
LA Times - Emergency officials were responding Tuesday afternoon to a ruptured pipeline that was estimated to have leaked 21,000 gallons of oil into the ocean off Santa Barbara County, authorities said. By 3:45 p.m., the leak had left a four-mile-long sheen of oil extending about 50 yards into the waters along Refugio State Beach in Goleta, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Andrea Anderson. The ruptured pipeline is operated by Plains All America Pipeline and runs along the coast near Highway 101, Coast Guard officials said.

FBI Invokes National Security to Justify Surveillance of Tar Sands Protestors
The Intercept - The FBI has wide leeway to conduct surveillance on possible threats to “national security.” Where the rubber meets the road, of course, is who the Bureau decides constitutes such a threat. Both the president and the Pentagon have proclaimed that global warming is a threat to U.S. national security. But there’s no sign that the FBI is wiretapping fossil fuel company CEOs.... According to the Guardian, FBI files show it conducted an investigation into Tar Sands Blockade members in which the Bureau “collated inside-knowledge about forthcoming protests, documented the identities of individuals photographing oil-related infrastructure, scrutinized police intelligence and cultivated at least one informant.

Science & Technology

Progressive Insurance Tracking Device Disabling Vehicles While Driving, Thousands Claim
Mikael Thalen - Thousands of drivers across the country are blaming the Progressive Auto Insurance “Snapshot,” a small device which monitors and tracks a user’s driving habits, for disabling their vehicles without warning.... According to court documents obtained by WBZ-TV, Progressive has received as many as 8,121 similar complaints from Snapshot users. Although Progressive denies its customers reports, the company has paid out $582,009 in claims since February 2014.... Aside from what appears to be inherent safety issues, the Snapshot device has also been shown to be vulnerable to hackers.

Study: Average Attention Span Now 8 Seconds – Lower than a Goldfish
Natural Society - A study from Microsoft involving 2,000 people has found that the average attention span has dipped to a low 8 seconds – down from 12 seconds in 2000. A goldfish has an attention span of 9 seconds.... Because these various IT devices are often very close to a person’s body, they can and do have profound effects on the human bioelectric field. The key factor in this ever-intensifying dynamic between human and technology is the length of time of daily interaction. n other words, picking up a cellphone to make a couple of calls a day is one thing; being tied to your smartphone 24 hour a day, 7 days a week is something altogether different. Herein lies one of the key causes of the shrinking attention span.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Avian Flu Outbreak Among Chickens—What This Disaster Can Tell Us About Our Food Production (PBS video report)
Dr. Mercola - Confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are major warehouse-style growing facilities where animals are crowded together by the thousands, or in the case of chickens, tens of thousands. These animals are fed a completely unnatural diet of glyphosate-containing genetically engineered (GE) grains mixed with antibiotics—a surefire recipe for drug resistance and out-of-control spread of disease, both among animals and humans. This problem is certainly not restricted to chicken CAFOs. The same applies to cattle and hog farms as well. As an example, hog farmers are six times more likely than the general population to carry drug-resistant Staph bacteria.

Survival/Preparedness

What to Look for When Shopping for Food Storage
Natural Blaze - With all of the varying complexities of food storage and food storage companies, it may be difficult to sort through and prioritize what is important and what is not. I don’t know about you but with the dizzying array of things to take into consideration, you just might want to throw you hands up in dismay and yell “help me!!”

Health

11 Plants and Herbs That Clean Lungs and Heal Respiratory Infections
Natural News Blogs - Viral and bacterial infections is sweeping across the Northern Hemisphere and people are taking longer to heal from an array of symptoms within the respiratory system. If you are resorting to conventional medicine to address these infections with antibiotics, you are not only adding to the problems associated with antibiotic resistance, but you’re also doing little to address the healing mechanisms within your body to address the cause. Herbal remedies not only boost lung health, but they can heal infections and even repair lung damage. Here are 15 of the best herbs to boost lung health.

Majority of Physicians in U.S. Now Favor Medical Cannabis
Health Impact News - The use of marijuana for medical purposes is now legal in 23 states and, as of this writing, 9 states have pending legislation or ballot measures to legalize medical marijuana. Estimates are that between 85 and 95 percent of Americans are in favor of medical cannabis, and nearly 60 percent support complete legalization of marijuana. And doctors agree. In 2014, a survey found that the majority of physicians—56 percent—favor nationwide legalization of medical cannabis, with support being highest among oncologists and hematologists.

7 Ways To Prevent and Even Reverse Heart Disease With Nutrition
Green Med Info - Considering that heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the developed world, anything that can prevent cardiac mortality, or slow or even reverse the cardiovascular disease process, should be of great interest to the general public. Considering that heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the developed world, anything that can prevent cardiac mortality, or slow or even reverse the cardiovascular disease process, should be of great interest to the general public. Instead, they spend billions buying highly toxic cholesterol-lowering pharmaceuticals with known cardiotoxicity, among 300 other proven side effects, simply because their doctor told them to do so.

Pet News

Over 3,000 Complaints Tied to This Brand of Dog Food
Dr. Becker - Frank Lucido, a California pet owner, has filed a class action lawsuit against Nestlé Purina PetCare, claiming that Beneful kibble was responsible for sickening two of his dogs and killing a third. All three dogs had symptoms and clinical signs consistent with poisoning. The lawsuit cites Purina’s use of propylene glycol in all Beneful formulas, and the presence of mycotoxins as possible contributors to the Lucido dogs’ illness. The suit also alleges there are at least 3,000 additional consumer complaints online about Beneful. Purina, while calling the complaints “baseless,” admits that Lucido’s is the third class action lawsuit naming Beneful in recent years.
 



Tuesday - May 19, 2015 - Today in History:

1796 - The first U.S. game law was approved. The measure called for penalties for hunting or destroying game within Indian territory.
1856 - U.S. Senator Charles Sumner spoke out against slavery.
1864 - The Union and Confederate armies launched their last attacks against each other at Spotsylvania in Virginia.
1906 - The Federated Boys' Clubs, forerunner of the Boys' Clubs of America, were organized.
1911 - The first American criminal conviction that was based on fingerprint evidence occurred in New York City.
1921 - The U.S. Congress passed the Emergency Quota Act, which established national quotas for immigrants.
1926 - Thomas Edison spoke on the radio for the first time.
1958 - Canada and the U.S. formally established the North American Air Defense Command.
1962 - Marilyn Monroe performed a sultry rendition of "Happy Birthday" for U.S. President John F. Kennedy. The event was a fund-raiser at New York's Madison Square Garden.
1964 - The U.S. State Department reported that diplomats had found about 40 microphones planted in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
1967 - The Soviet Union ratified a treaty with the United States and Britain that banned nuclear weapons from outer space.
1974 - Erno Rubik invented the puzzle what would later become known as the Rubik's Cube.
1967 - U.S. planes bombed Hanoi for the first time.
1992 - The 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect. The amendment prohibits Congress from giving itself midterm pay raises.
1998 - In Russia, strikes broke out over unpaid wages.
2000 - The bones of the most complete and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton went on display in Chicago.
2011 - Katie Couric, the first regular solo anchorwoman of a network evening newscast, signed off the "CBS Evening News" for the last time after five years.

World News

Germany, France & Italy sign EU drone program, challenge US, Israeli alternatives
RT - Germany, France and Italy have agreed to start a European drone program aimed at reducing reliance on US and Israeli technology. The first EU-tailored drone is expected to be operating by 2025.... According to German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, this EU drone project “makes us, the Europeans, independent." "The goal of the Euro-drone is that we can decide by ourselves in Europe on where we deploy the Euro-drone and how we use it," she said. Poland and Spain have also expressed interest in the plan, officials said.

We must resist corporations’: Le Pen targets troubled TTIP deal in new campaign
RT - Leader of France’s National Front party, Marine Le Pen, has launched a month-long blitz against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) – a proposed EU-US treaty, which has been criticized for secretiveness and lack of accountability. "It is vital that the French people know about TTIP’s content and its motivations in order to be able to fight it. Because our fellow countrymen must have the choice of their future, because they should impose a model for society that suits them, and not forced by multinational companies eager for profits, Brussels technocrats sold to the lobbies, politicians from the UMP [party of former president Nicolas Sarkozy], who are subservient to these technocrats,” Le Pen said during a press conference in Paris.

Are They About To Confiscate Money From Bank Accounts In Greece Just Like They Did In Cyprus?
Economic Collapse - At this point, the Greek government has not received any money from the EU or the IMF since August 2014. As you can imagine, that means that Greek government accounts are just about bone dry. The new Greek government continues to insist that it will never “violate its anti-austerity mandate”, but the screws are tightening. Right now the unemployment rate in Greece is over 25 percent and the banking system is on the verge of collapse. It isn’t going to take much to set off a panic, and when it does happen there are already rumors that the EU plans to confiscate money from private bank accounts just like they did in Cyprus.

Pentagon: If Ramadi falls, US will help Baghdad return it
Worldbulletin News - While stopping short of confirming ISIL's statement it had seized full control of Anbar province's capital, the Defense Department appeared to leave open that possibility, which would mark a major defeat for the Baghdad government. "Ramadi has been contested since last summer and ISIL now has the advantage," Pentagon spokeswoman Elissa Smith said. She said the loss of the city would not mean the overall Iraq military campaign was turning in ISIL's favor, but acknowledged it would give the group a "propaganda boost." "That just means the coalition will have to support Iraqi forces to take it back later," Smith said, adding that the United States continued providing it with air support and advice.

Obama Promises U.S. Military will Defend Rich Arab Dictatorships
AllGov - High officials from six Persian Gulf countries got assurances last week from President Barack Obama at a meeting of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) that the United States would respond, perhaps with military force, to an “external threat” to any of the countries. The six countries represented at the meeting, Saudi Arabia; Kuwait; Bahrain; Qatar; Oman; and the United Arab Emirates, seem to have no problems dealing with what they perceive as internal threats, however. Amnesty International has cataloged human rights abuses in each of those countries.

Bombing in Yemen as humanitarian truce ends
Al Jazeera - Arab coalition nations have resumed air strikes against Houthi fighters in Yemen as a UN envoy called for an extension of a five-day humanitarian ceasefire that expired late Sunday. The coalition targeted Houthi rebel positions in al-Sawlaban and al-Arish in Aden province, Saudi military officials said early on Monday. Al-Masirah TV, a Houthi-backed channel, reported that Saudi troops were also shelling al-Manzala district in al-Dalih near the Yemen-Saudi border, in addition to Al-Ghawr mountain. "I call on all parties to renew their commitment to this truce for five more days at least," UN envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said earlier in Riyadh… His appeal followed clashes between rebels and pro-government forces across south Yemen on Saturday despite the truce, which has largely held since starting on Tuesday at 2000 GMT.

‘Nuclear disaster waiting to happen’: Royal Navy probes Trident whistleblower's claims
RT - The Royal Navy has launched an investigation into whistleblower William McNeilly, who exposed horrid security lapses in UK’s trident nuclear program which make it easier for intruders to access some secured areas than enter “most nightclubs.”UK authorities are “concerned for the whereabouts” of the 25-year old whistleblower, who went absent without leave and cooperated with WikiLeaks to post a detailed 18-page report called The Nuclear Secrets.... In his revelations, the whistleblower notes some 30 safety and security flaws on Trident submarines that are based out of Faslane on the Clyde, Scotland. McNeilly took his time outlining the ease at which potential terrorist can infiltrate the secured base.

Japan volcano hasn’t erupted in 800 years — Has now RISEN FOUR INCHES in 2-3 weeks!
Dutchsinse - Two weeks ago, at the beginning of May 2015, Japanese officials closed the area around Mount Hakone in Southeast Japan due to “gushing dangerous steam” which began to appear rather suddenly from areas which normally don’t show much activity. New reports today (May 17, 2015), indicate that the area has risen over FOUR INCHES (10cm) in the past few weeks. The sudden rise, as well as the major steaming geothermal activity indicate the near term threat of eruption is growing rapidly.
* Related: 40 Volcanoes Are Erupting Right Now, And 34 Of Them Are Along The Ring Of Fire

U.S. News, Politics & Government

VIDEO: All Charges Dropped Against Kent Hovind!
Judge Margaret Casey Rodgers drops all charges against Creation Science Evangelist Kent Hovind! Now we will await full restitution and damages for all of the false charges brought against Pastor Hovind since 2004. An innocent man has spend nearly NINE YEARS in prison.

Sen. Warren releases ‘Broken Promises’ report in face of Obama’s TPP vows
RT - One of the biggest critics of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal being touted by the White House raises questions about the Obama administration’s promises for the TPP in a new report. The 15-page “Broken Promises” study put out by the Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) on Monday this week contains what the lawmaker’s office describes as highlights from “two decades of failed enforcement by the United States of labor and environmental standards” related to past free trade agreements.
* Related: Broken Promises (pdf)

Newly Released Documents Indicate Key Hillary Clinton Claim on Emails Was Not True
The Blaze - Emails published by the New York Times Monday indicate that Hillary Clinton used more than one private email address during her time as secretary of state, contradicting previous claims from the Democratic presidential contender’s office. Multiple emails show Clinton used account “hrod17@clintonemail.com ” while serving in the Obama administration as secretary of state. Clinton’s attorney, David Kendall, had previously told Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) that that particular address had not “existed during Secretary Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State.” Another statement from Clinton’s office said she only used one address during her time as secretary of state.

Defense, State Department Documents Reveal Obama Administration Knew that al Qaeda Terrorists Had Planned Benghazi Attack 10 Days in Advance
Judicial Watch - Judicial Watch announced today that it obtained more than 100 pages of previously classified “Secret” documents from the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of State revealing that DOD almost immediately reported that the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was committed by the al Qaeda and Muslim Brotherhood-linked “Brigades of the Captive Omar Abdul Rahman” (BCOAR), and had been planned at least 10 days in advance.... The new documents also provide the first official confirmation that shows the U.S. government was aware of arms shipments from Benghazi to Syria. The documents also include an August 2012 analysis warning of the rise of ISIS and the predicted failure of the Obama policy of regime change in Syria.

Trade pact foes: Deal could cause flood of immigrants
Politico - Opponents of giving the Obama administration broad authority to negotiate a trans-Pacific trade deal, including Republican senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, are pushing a new argument: It could trigger a flood of immigrants into the country… who is circulating letters and memos to lawmakers warning that the fast-track legislation pending before both chambers could allow for a tide of foreign workers with little congressional oversight. “There are numerous ways TPA could facilitate immigration increases above current law — and precious few ways anyone in Congress could stop its happening,” Sessions wrote in a memo circulated Sunday. [There’s more to the letter than immigration concerns]

Rep. Louie Gohmert Suggests Feds Using Jade Helm to “Provoke a Fight” With Citizens
Paul Joseph Watson - Congressman Louie Gohmert has called for changes to the Jade Helm military exercise, arguing that the labeling of Texas and Utah as “hostile” states in Army documents related to the drill is “suspicious,” while suggesting that the federal government is trying to “provoke a fight” with citizens. In a piece published by the Highland County Press, Gohmert, who is Vice Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, suggests that the Utah and Texas may have been labeled negatively because they are red states. “Once I observed the map depicting “hostile,” “permissive” and “uncertain” states and locations, I was rather appalled that the hostile areas amazingly have a Republican majority and believe in the sanctity of the United States Constitution,” writes Gohmert.

Science and Reason Takes Back Seat to 9/11 Official Story In Historic AIA Resolution Vote
Activist Post - In a historic vote delegates of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) overwhelmingly voted down Resolution 15-6 which called for AIA to support a new investigation of the destruction of World Trade Center building 7 on September 11th 2001. The resolution, which was introduced by AIA member Dan Barnum FAIA, was voted down overwhelmingly by a vote of 3892 - 160 meaning 96% of the delegates voted to ignore the science, the facts, and the evidence which is today common knowledge about the destruction of WTC 7!

Warning: You WILL be interrogated for driving within 100 miles of the Canadian border
MassPrivateI - It's about to get much WORSE, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved Bill S.750 which gives Border Patrol/DHS agents “immediate access to federal land within 100 miles” of both national borders and prohibit the “Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture” from impeding any CBP activities. “Border Patrol already has unfettered access to protected federal public lands along the border,” Dan Millis, borderlands program coordinator for the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club. “In fact, Border Patrol currently has more access to the border and surrounding lands than the public.”.... “It demonstrates the overreach and overkill of waiving laws 100 miles inland. That’s what McCain’s bill does.”

No tanks! US police to lose some military equipment, but not all
RT - Under new rules endorsed by President Obama, US law enforcement will be banned from using some military equipment, such as tracked vehicles, grenade launchers, bayonets, heavy machine guns and most camouflage uniforms. According to the Law Enforcement Equipment Working Group report, released Monday, the police should not be allowed access to weapons and uniforms whose “appearance may undermine community trust when used in support of civilian law enforcement activities.” Link to T

Richland’s $4.1 million police station funded by civil forfeiture
Mississippi Watchdog - The Mississippi city of Richland has a new $4.1 million police station, a top-level training center and a fleet of black-and-white Dodge Charger police cars. All of it was paid for through civil forfeitures of property and cash seized during traffic stops of what police say were suspected drug runners on Interstate 20. Civil libertarians question the constitutionality of civil forfeiture, which has become a key part of revenue for state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide. Under the laws of many states, citizens can be deprived of their property or even cash if police merely suspect the owners to be involved in criminal activity.

Veteran News

Video of Iraq war vet dying in Texas jail after being mauled by riot guards
RT - In 2012, active-duty soldier James Brown reported to the El Paso County Jail to serve a two-day DWI sentence. New video of his time in custody has revealed aggressive force being used on him by officers, who ignored his repeated pleas for breath. KFOX14 obtained video recorded during Sergeant James Brown's custody, which finally sheds some light on a death the county sheriff's department claims was caused by a "pre-existing medical condition." Brown, 26, was an active-duty soldier at Fort Bliss in Texas who has served two tours of combat duty in Iraq. He had no previous criminal record.

Economy & Business

The Debt To GDP Ratio For The Entire World: 286 Percent
Economic Collapse - Did you know that there is more than $28,000 of debt for every man, woman and child on the entire planet? And since close to 3 billion of those people survive on less than 2 dollars a day, your share of that debt is going to be much larger than that. If we took everything that the global economy produced this year and everything that the global economy produced next year and used it to pay all of this debt, it still would not be enough. According to a recent report put out by the McKinsey Global Institute entitled “Debt and (not much) deleveraging“, the total amount of debt on our planet has grown from 142 trillion dollars at the end of 2007 to 199 trillion dollars today. This is the largest mountain of debt in the history of the world, and those numbers mean that we are in substantially worse condition than we were just prior to the last financial crisis.

Abolishing Cash – New Age of Economic Totalitarianism
Armstrong Economics - Europe is moving full speed ahead to eliminate all cash. Instead of reforming and tackling the economic problems, government always seeks to maintain the same course of thinking and that now leads us to the totalitarian approach coming from Brussels. To maintain the euro, they must maintain the banks. But the bank reserves are debts of all member states. As government becomes insolvent as in Greece, the banking system is undermined. The only way to prevent the banking collapse is to prevent people from withdrawing cash. Hence, we see this trend is surfacing in all the mainstream press to get the people ready for what is coming after 2015.75 – the elimination of cash.

So Much For The Oil Crash: Cali Gas Price Almost Back To Year Ago Levels; Los Angeles Gallon Rises Over $4.00
Zero Hedge - While one could, at least superficially, make the case that for the US consumer (if nobody else) lower oil prices are indeed better than the opposite, we wonder how the same pundits will spin that according to AAA, not only are Los Angeles gas prices now back over $4.00 per gallon, erasing almost all losses from a year ago.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

City Takes Family's Two Mini Dairy Goats; Pay Thousands in Fines or Same to Rewrite Code
Natural Blaze - The Agenda 21 lovin' code enforcers are at it again, stoking situations and aggression where there were none - and that is what is most disturbing to peace. A Visalia, California family was initially threatened $1,000 in fines per day for having two miniature dairy goats in their ample-spaced, fenced back yard. A mom decided to have them because she physically cannot breastfeed, and Visalia in the San Joaquin Valley prides itself on being "green" and tolerant of natural lifestyles. Apparently the city wants her to choose between GMO soy formula, paying fines in punishment OR paying over $3,500 for their having to rewrite the code. In the meantime - how does she get her Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats back?

Health

Statin drug use nearly doubles your risk of diabetes, study claims
(NaturalNews) Previous studies have shown a link between statin use and increased diabetes rates, but the new study is the first to show that statins seem to increase diabetes risk even in otherwise healthy people who are not predisposed to the disease. "In our study, statin use was associated with a significantly higher risk of new-onset diabetes, even in a very healthy population," lead author Ishak Mansi said. "The risk of diabetes with statins has been known, but up until now it was thought that this might be due to the fact that people who were prescribed statins had greater medical risks to begin with."


The Grain That Damages The Human Brain
Green Med Info - With increasing recognition among medical professionals and the lay public alike that the health of gut and brain are intimately connected (i.e. the 'gut-brain' axis), the concept that gluten-containing grains can damage the human brain is beginning to be taken more seriously.... A recent study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry titled, "Hyperexcitable brain and refractory coeliac disease: a new syndrome," has identified a "new syndrome" within the broader array of so-called "gluten related disorders (GRD)" which the authors are calling "Hyperexcitable brain and refractory celiac disease."... They point out that neurological manifestations of gluten-induced toxicity can occur with or without evidence of intestinal damage (enteropathy).

Probiotics and Prebiotics Influence Neuropsychological Conditions - 6 Surprising Facts About Microbes In Your Gut
Karen Foster - Researchers have long suggested a link between the gut-brain axis and neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism, depression, and eating disorders. Using probiotics and prebiotics to alter the gut microbiota and influence the gut-brain axis may open up new ways of influencing neuropsychological conditions, says a new review. The majority of the science for probiotics has focused on gut health, but as the understanding of the gut and the microbiome increases, probiotics are increasing linked to a range of beneficial effects, from weight management to immune support and allergy response, and from oral health to cholesterol reduction. Related: How to pick an effective probiotic supplement
 


Monday - May 18, 2015 - Today in History:

1792 - Russian troops invaded Poland.
1798 - The first Secretary of the U.S. Navy was appointed. He was Benjamin Stoddert.
1802 - Great Britain declared war on Napoleon's France.
1904 - Brigand Raizuli kidnapped American Ion H. Perdicaris in Morocco.
1917 - The U.S. Congress passed the Selective Service act, which called up soldiers to fight in World War I.
1931 - Japanese pilot Seiji Yoshihara crashed his plane in the Pacific Ocean while trying to be the first to cross the ocean nonstop. He was picked up seven hours later by a passing ship.
1934 - The U.S. Congress approved an act, known as the "Lindberg Act," that called for the death penalty in interstate kidnapping cases.
1951 - The United Nations moved its headquarters to New York City.
1974 - India became the sixth nation to explode an atomic bomb.
1980 - Mt. Saint Helens erupted in Washington state. 57 people were killed and 3 billion in damage was done.
1983 - The U.S. Senate revised immigration laws and gave millions of illegal aliens legal status under an amnesty program.
1994 - Israel's three decades of occupation in the Gaza Strip ended as Israeli troops completed their withdrawal and Palestinian authorities took over.
1998 - The U.S. federal government and 20 states filed a sweeping antitrust case against Microsoft Corp., saying the computer software company had a "choke hold" on competitors which denied consumer choices by controlling 90% of the software market.
1998 - U.S. federal officials arrested more than 130 people and seized $35 million. This was the end to an investigation of money laundering being done by a dozen Mexican banks and two drug-smuggling cartels.
2014 - Russian President Putin signed a bill to absorb Crimea into the Russian Federation.

World News

US to Sign $1-Billion Loan Guarantee With Ukraine Monday - Kiev
Sputnik News - The United States will sign a loan guarantee for $1 billion later in the day with Ukraine, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry’s press service said Monday.... Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko will sign the agreement on behalf of Ukraine, while the US government will be represented by US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey R. Pyatt and USAID's Ukraine director Jed Barton, according to the ministry.... Ukraine has already been promised $17 billion in bailout loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), $1.9 billion from the European Union, as well as various sums from national governments.

S. Arabia calls in off-the-shelf nuke option with Pakistan – report
RT - At the prospect of the international community’s nuclear deal with Iran, Saudi Arabia has reportedly taken a decision to call in an old favor from Pakistan and get some of its nuclear weapons. Saudi Arabia is widely believed to have bankrolled the Pakistani nuclear weapons program. In exchange, Riyadh reportedly expects Islamabad to provide missiles in times of trouble to defend the kingdom.

Russia's Rosneft Acquires Brazil's Solimoins Gas, Oil Fields
Sputnik News - Russia’s Rosneft oil and gas company has acquired the remaining shares of Brazil’s Solimoins oil and gas fields in the Amazon River basin, Rosneft announced Monday in a statement. “Rosneft’s subsidiary company and PetroRio have closed a deal that gives Rosneft Brasil [the remaining] 55 percent of share capital in the Solimoins project,” the statement reads.... Rosneft paid $55 million for the remaining shares in the Brazilian company that includes 16 licensed fields of around 41,500 square kilometers. The fields hold 11 open oil sites and according to D&M assessments, contain around 717 million barrels of C3 oil equivalents, 95 percent of which consists of natural gas.

U.S Special Forces Raid Syria, Kill ISIS Commander
New American - U.S. Special Operations forces killed a senior Islamic State commander during a raid conducted in eastern Syria Friday night and early Saturday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said. The raid was intended to capture Abu Sayyaf, but the ISIS commander fought the effort and was among the dozen ISIS fighters killed in the firefight at a residential building in Deir Ezzor, CNN reported. All the U.S. troops involved returned safely the report said.

Isis takes Ramadi: 'Islamic State' secures largest military victory for almost a year as last government troops flee Anbar state capital
The Independent - Iraqi military forces retreated from the city on Sunday, despite a desperate plea broadcast on state TV from the Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, begging them not to abandon their positions. There are fears that the fall of Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s biggest province Anbar, will establish a new stronghold for the jihadist group, and quickly be followed by new mass executions and slaughters as the last remaining government forces are wiped out… The US military said its strikes had targeted tactical units, a facility producing improvised explosive devices, and other buildings, but it appears to have failed to keep Isis out of the Anbar capital.

20,000 Macedonians demand resignation of Gruevski government
The Guardian - Around 20,000 demonstrators have taken to the streets in Macedonia to call for the government to stand down, a week after 18 people died in a bloody gun battle between ethnic Albanian guerrillas and police… Thousands of people gathered outside the government headquarters waving both Macedonian and Albanian flags to demand that the embattled conservative prime minister, Nikola Gruevski, resign… The international community has grown increasingly concerned about Macedonia as the opposition has released recordings that allegedly show Gruevski and other senior government officials conspiring to undermine the independent media, compromise the judiciary, and rig elections. The government has said that the tapes are doctored and accused opposition leader Zoran Zaev of the ex-communist Social Democrats (SDSM) of plotting to take power by non-democratic means.

Greece Will Default On June 5 Without Deal, IMF Leaks
Zero Hedge - Another week came and went with no breakthrough in negotiations between Greece and its creditors. The IMF is now fed up and has reportedly refused to be a part of any new bailout program for Greece, after Athens drew down its SDR [Special Drawing Rights] reserves to make its latest payment to the Fund. That money will now need to be repaid and in a move that surely marks the new gold standard for absurd circular funding schemes, Greece will likely look to use the next tranche of IMF money to pay back its IMF SDR reserve which it tapped to pay the IMF…. at the end of the day, here is the reality (via Bloomberg)… "Greece won’t be able to make IMF repayments, beginning with a June 5 payment, unless an agreement is reached with international partners, U.K.’s Channel 4 reports, citing a leaked IMF memo dated May 14."

UK government quietly rewrites hacking laws to give GCHQ immunity
Ars Technica - The UK government has quietly passed new legislation that exempts GCHQ, police, and other intelligence officers from prosecution for hacking into computers and mobile phones. While major or controversial legislative changes usually go through normal parliamentary process (i.e. democratic debate) before being passed into law, in this case an amendment to the Computer Misuse Act was snuck in under the radar as secondary legislation.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Republican Leaders Vow to Pass TPP Fast Track for Obama
Sputnik News - Republican leaders such as Senator Mitch McConnell and Representative Paul Ryan went on Sunday talk shows to say they would ensure that the White House-requested measure gets through.... The trade issue has made unlikely allies of Republicans in Congress and the president and split the president’s own Democratic Party. Only one Democrat Senator voted for it when the bill first went through the Senate.... While the Senate has passed the overall measure, ardent debate is still expected on a number of controversial amendments before it will be pushed over to the House. The debate will likely be even more heated in the House where many Democrats are opposed on the grounds that they believe it will cost American jobs.
* Related: What Law Says the Text of the TPP Must Remain Secret?

New Military Spending Bill Expands Empire But Forbids Debate on War
Ron Paul - On Friday the House passed a massive National Defense Authorization for 2016 that will guarantee US involvement in more wars and overseas interventions for years to come. The Republican majority resorted to trickery to evade the meager spending limitations imposed by the 2011 budget control act – limitations that did not, as often reported, cut military spending but only slowed its growth. But not even slower growth is enough when you have an empire to maintain worldwide, so the House majority slipped into the military spending bill an extra $89 billion for an emergency war fund. Such “emergency” spending is not addressed in the growth caps placed on the military under the 2011 budget control act. It is a loophole filled by Congress with Fed-printed money. Ironically, a good deal of this “emergency” money will go to President Obama’s war on ISIS even though neither the House nor the Senate has debated – let alone authorized – that war!

The DEA Strikes Again – Agents Seize Man’s Life Savings Under Civil Asset Forfeiture Without Charges
Liberty Blitzkrieg - All the money – $16,000 in cash – that Joseph Rivers said he had saved and relatives had given him to launch his dream in Hollywood is gone, seized during his trip out West not by thieves but by Drug Enforcement Administration agents during a stop at the Amtrak train station in Albuquerque. Rivers, 22, wasn’t detained and has not been charged with any crime since his money was taken last month. That doesn’t matter. Under a federal law enforcement tool called civil asset forfeiture, he need never be arrested or convicted of a crime for the government to take away his cash, cars or property – and keep it.

Family Outraged After Cop Pulls Over Entire Funeral Procession for Driving Too Slow (Video)
Free Thought Project - The CHP is under fire this week after one of their finest pulled over an entire funeral procession for driving too slow. In an ostensible attempt to prevent a traffic problem caused by the procession, the CHP officer caused a far worse problem after having 100 cars stopped along the freeway. The incident was captured on cell phone video as the family members were embarrassingly detained on the roadside during this somber time. A uniformed officer was acting as an escort for the procession as the cars drove to Forest Lawn Cemetery when they were stopped by another officer, apparently drunk on power.

House defies Obama veto threat, approves $612B defense bill
The Hill - Defying a veto threat from President Obama, the House on Friday passed a $612 billion defense bill in a 269-151 vote. All but eight Republicans voted in favor, along with 41 Democrats who went against Obama's veto threat and their party leaders, who whipped against it. Obama has threatened to veto the bill over its circumvention of spending caps. The bill keeps ceilings on defense spending in place under the 2011 budget deal that introduced sequestration spending limits, but would increase funding to the Pentagon's war fund. The legislation authorizes roughly $523 billion in base Defense Department spending. Another $90 billion is included in the war fund, formally known as the Overseas Contingency Operations fund. It includes $38 billion more for the war fund than had been requested by the White House. The extra spending is not offset by spending cuts or tax hikes.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference Calls for Amnesty for Rioters, Looters in Baltimore
Kurt Nimmo - According to the Rev. Cortly “C.D.” Witherspoon of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the protesters will march from McKeldin Square through the Inner Harbor demanding amnesty for those arrested during the Freddie Gray protests.... The Baltimore People’s Power Assembly admits the call for amnesty is for those who looted stores and destroyed private property. “How can city officials equate property damage with the life of a human being? The youth of Baltimore need our support. We demand: Drop all charges and grant full amnesty! The people of Baltimore, especially the youth, need full employment at a livable wage, decent education and housing, not jails, racism and police terror,” the group explains in a statement.

Video: School Orders Student To Remove “Offensive” US Flag From Truck
Steve Watson - As rreported by WBTV, 18-year-old senior Peyton Robinson was ordered to remove two flags by an administrator at York Comprehensive High School Wednesday.Speaking to reporters, Robinson noted that the official told him “‘We’re having some issues. Some people were complaining about the flags in your truck,’” and that the offending items should be removed before the student returned to school the next day.... By Thursday, however, the school completely reversed its position, following protests by students, parents, and veterans who flocked to school grounds waving US flags. School officials relented and said Robinson and other students are free to fly US flags on vehicles so long as they pose no hazard.

Huge Victory: USDA Introduces Official Non-GMO Label
Natural Society - Now, in response to the sounds of public outcry and vital activism, the United States Department of Agriculture is being forced to do something. The agency has developed a new government certification which companies can use to show that the product is completely free of GMOs.... The new seal is voluntary, and companies would have to pay for it. The food products adopting the label would have a seal that says “USDA Process Verified” with a claim that it is free of GMOs.... The downside of the USDA label is that it goes hand-in-hand with bills that are designed to block mandatory GMO labeling efforts across the country.

Veteran News

Court overturns $85 million award for Oregon soldiers
(AP) - The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned an $85 million jury award to a dozen Oregon National Guard soldiers who said they were sickened from guarding a water treatment plant during the Iraq War. The military contractor Kellogg, Brown and Root successfully argued that Oregon was not the proper jurisdiction for the case. KBR is based in Houston, and similar cases filed by soldiers from Indiana, West Virginia and South Carolina are pending in federal court there.

Economy & Business

Five Major Banks to Plead guilty to rigging currency markets
Information Clearing House - Five major international banks are expected to plead guilty as soon as next week to criminal charges in the US related to their deliberate manipulation of global foreign exchange markets, which allowed them to rake in billions of dollars at the expense of retirees, university endowments and municipalities. Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Barclays and UBS are expected to plead guilty to felony fraud and antitrust charges. They will pay fines totaling several billions of dollars, according to bank and regulatory officials who spoke anonymously with the New York Times, Bloomberg and Reuters. The effect of the guilty pleas will be essentially zero, beyond the immediate costs of the fines levied on the institutions. As the Times put it, “life will go on, probably without much of a hiccup.”

Chinese Government Inc. has Invested $81 Billion in U.S. in Last 10 Years
AllGov - Most of the investment has come in the finance, real estate, energy and technology sectors. Energy has been a key component of Chinese investments owing to the increasing requirements of its middle class, so $15 billion of China’s U.S. investments have come in that sector. The big winner is the world of finance, with $21.5 billion being put in that sector. But while Chinese companies are enjoying the benefits of buying up parts of U.S. companies, they’re also taking advantage of their country’s “firewall,” behind which corporate parents hide when their U.S. subsidiaries misbehave, according to a report (pdf) from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Energy & Environment

Billionaire Oil CEO Demands Scientists Terminated After Oklahoma Quake Study
Zero Hedge - The billionaire CEO of Continental Resources told a dean at the University of Oklahoma that he wanted earthquake researchers fired. In one of the most transparently oligarchic tactics we have seen yet during this 'recovery', oil tycoon Harold Hamm demanded certain scientists be dismissed following their findings that fracking wastewater disposal was the cause of the spike in Oklahoma earthquakes. Despite his protestations recently that "I don't try to push anyone around," as the following email obtained by Bloomberg, exposes, "Mr. Hamm is very upset at some of the earthquake reporting to the point that he would like to see select OGS staff dismissed."

Drought Blamed on Irreversible “Climate Change” Ends After Rainfall
Kit Daniels - The drought affecting Texas that was blamed on irreversible “climate change” is now over thanks to recent statewide rain. The U.S. Drought Monitor reveals that only small pockets of Texas are still undergoing drought conditions, in stark contrast to last year when the state was experiencing a severe drought which mainstream scientists blamed on permanent “global warming.”

Science & Technology

$3.8 Million in Grants from USDA to Develop and Promote Nanotech in Food
Activist Post - The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is giving millions of dollars to universities across America for the development and study of nanotechnology to be used in food. Despite research existing on the potential concerns over health and safety of nanotech in food, the USDA wants to push forward with nanotech in full force. This agency of the government is known for its revolving door relationship with Big Food.

Court Grants US Request to Keep Plan to Disable Cell Phones Secret
Sputnik News - US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia won't require the US to disclose its surreptitious policy regarding a cell service disabling plan. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), filed suit after being refused a FOIA request. A federal court has denied their request but EPIC appealed. The court of appeals declined, issuing a one-sentence decision. “Upon consideration of appellee's petition for rehearing en banc, the response thereto, and the absence of a request by any member of the court for a vote, it is ORDERED that the petition be denied,” they wrote. The government had argued that the Department of Homeland Security is authorized to withhold documents from a FOIA if their exposure could "endanger" public safety.

This Little 3-D Printed Robot Cracks Combination Locks in 30 Seconds
Wired - On Thursday, well-known hacker Samy Kamkar published on his website the blueprint and software code for a 3-D-printable Arduino-based lock-opening robot he calls the “Combo Breaker.” Attach it to any of millions of Master Lock combination locks, turn it on, and it can take advantage of a Master Lock security vulnerability Kamkar recently discovered to open the lock in a maximum of five minutes with no human interaction.

Health

Feds Pay for Drug Fraud: 92 Percent of Foster Care Kids Prescribed Antipsychotics for Unaccepted Uses
Huffington Post - The report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General examined in depth nearly 700 claims filed in 2011 in five of the biggest prescribing states — California, Florida, Illinois, Texas and New York — and discovered that two thirds of all the prescribing with these popular and costly “second generation antipsychotics” (SGAs) raised high-risk “quality of care” concerns. The report found 92 percent of all kids on Medicaid receiving antipsychotics don’t have any of the limited “medically accepted pediatric conditions” supposedly justifying their use. These “accepted conditions” include the authority to use antipsychotics even for autistic children as young as 5 for such dubious FDA-approved conditions as “irritability.”

Why Synthetic Vitamins Should Be Avoided Whenever Possible
Natural Society - Also known as retinyl palmitate and retinol palmitate, vitamin A palmitate is one of the most commonly found of all the synthetic vitamin isolates. Virtually all the homogenized milk that children have drank for decades has been fortified with the additive vitamin A palmitate. “The Environmental Working Group (EWG) and New York Senator Chuck Schumer have called attention to the fact that high doses of topical retinyl palmitate were shown to accelerate cancer in lab animals …” (Source: Wikipedia)... The debate about vitamin A palmitate has been raging in research institutions and university laboratories since it was first synthesized. Because it has been used in advertising for so long as a food and body product enhancer, revealing its downside health risks and adverse side effects would expose many a company to serious legal action and subsequent financial liability.

6 Little Known Reasons to Eat Cantaloupe this Season
Natural Society - The peak season for cantaloupe is almost here, and it will bring a great chance to buy some at a reasonable price. But what is cantaloupe good for? Is it worth buying over other fruit? Below you will learn all about cantaloupe and how numerous studies point to the fruit as a means of naturally boosting health at a reasonable price.
 



Friday - May 15, 2015 - Today in History:

1862 - The U.S. Congress created the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
1787 - Delegates began gathering in Philadelphia for a convention to draw up the U.S. Constitution.
1796 - English physician Edward Jenner administered the first vaccination against smallpox.
1916 - U.S. Marines landed in Santo Domingo to quell civil disorder.
1918 - Regular airmail service between New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, began.
1930 - Ellen Church became the first female flight attendant.
1940 - Nylon stockings went on sale for the first time in the U.S.
1942 - Gasoline rationing began in the U.S. The limit was 3 gallons a week for nonessential vehicles.
1957 - Britain dropped its first hydrogen bomb on Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean.
1970 - U.S. President Nixon appointed America's first two female generals.
1972 - Gov. George C. Wallace(AL) was shot by Arthur Bremer in Laurel, MD while campaigning for the U.S. presidency. He was paralyzed by the shot.
1975 - The merchant ship U.S. Mayaguez was recaptured from Cambodia's Khmer Rouge.
1988 - The Soviet Union began their withdrawal of its 115,000 troops from Afghanistan. Soviet forces had been there for more than eight years.
1997 - The Space shuttle Atlantis blasted off on a mission to deliver urgently needed repair equipment and a fresh American astronaut to Russia's orbiting Mir station.
1999 - The Russian parliament was unable a attain enough votes to impeach President Boris Yeltsin.
2007 - The trial of al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla opened in Miami. (He was later convicted of terrorism conspiracy and sentenced to 17 years in prison.)
2014 - The National September 11 Memorial Museum was dedicated in New York City.

World News

US, Gulf States to Develop Regional Ballistic Missile Defense System
Sputnik News - After meeting at Camp David on Thursday, President Obama and the Gulf Cooperation Council announced the creation of a regional missile defense system, which Washington has been pushing for some time. Gulf countries also promised to consult with the United States before taking any military actions beyond their borders. The United States could potentially receive billions of dollars in defense contracts after convincing Gulf states to create a regional missile defense system, which will integrate the military capabilities of participating Arab nations.

‘More air policing, more drills’: NATO to boost presence on Russia's doorstep
RT - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance is going to increase its activity at its eastern borders, with more air and sea patrols, amid non-stop exercises. Speaking at a media conference on Thursday after a meeting of NATO member state foreign ministers in Turkey's Antalya province, Stoltenberg said it was being done to "adapt the Alliance to new threats." "We are constantly discussing the adaptation of the Alliance and we have to always be able to fulfill our main responsibility and that is to defend and protect all our allies against any threat," the secretary general said. "NATO is the strongest military alliance in the world and we are going to keep NATO strong by adapting."

Ancient Palmyra ‘under threat’, ISIS militants approach UNESCO site
RT - Islamic State militants clashed with Syrian troops within two kilometers of ancient Palmyra, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Thursday. There’s a risk they will run rampant over the landmark UNESCO site. ISIS terrorists infiltrated al-Sikhneh and many regions in east Palmyra where units of the army clashed with them and foiled their attacks from many directions,” Homs governor Talal Barazi told the SANA news agency.

McCain appointed to Ukraine reform advisory team headed by fugitive Georgian ex-leader
RT - Georgia’s fugitive ex-president Mikhail Saakashvili and hawkish US Senator John McCain have been approved as members of the newly-formed International Advisory Group that will help Ukraine’s president in “conducting reforms.”

'We Are the World'.... order? Social media slams NATO’s charity song performance
RT - NATO foreign ministers got their rocks off and sang karaoke at the end of a meeting in Antalya, Turkey. Perhaps the song choice - “We Are The World” – was poor though. They got roasted on social media for their perceived peace-promoting hypocrisy. Since the millennium, the military alliance’s troops have been involved in wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, which has seen many thousands die in the conflicts. NATO has also used drone campaigns and bombing raids in its war on terror.

No wallet, no worries: Denmark considering cash-free shops
The Guardian - Scandinavia has long been the most cashless place on the planet. Now Denmark is considering whether to go a step further and allow retailers to ban cash altogether. The Danish Chamber of Commerce is recommending that shops and services be given the option of going completely cash-free. The proposal needs to be approved by parliament but if it gets the green light, retailers could begin rejecting cash from January 2016.

GlaxoSmithKline Found Guilty in Deaths of 14 Babies in Vaccine Trials in Argentina
Health Impact News - GlaxoSmithKline Argentina Laboratories Company was fined 400,000 pesos by Judge Marcelo Aguinsky following a report issued by the National Administration of Medicine, Food and Technology (ANMAT in Spanish) for irregularities during lab vaccine trials conducted between 2007 and 2008 that allegedly killed 14 babies. Likewise, two doctors -Héctor Abate, and Miguel Tregnaghi- were fined 300,000 pesos each for irregularities during the studies. The charges included experimenting with human beings as well falsifying parental authorizations so babies could participate in the vaccine-trials conducted by the laboratory from 2007 to 2008.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

‘Kentucky 10’ Mom Addresses Allegations, Says Life Without Her Children ‘Extremely Difficult’
Off The Grid News - The mother of the 10 children taken by state and local authorities posted an update to her Facebook page Thursday, responding to critics on several issues.... The living conditions of the off-grid home apparently were the state’s primary concern, although the state did mention in its initial complaint that the kids were not in school – leading many to wonder if their homeschooling also was a target. In her post, Naugler addressed...

Senator Nancy Schaefer: Did her Fight Against CPS Child Kidnapping Cause her Murder?
Medical Kidnap News - Georgia Senator Nancy Schaefer may have known more about State-sponsored kidnappings than any other politician in the United States before she was murdered in March of 2010. Her published report, The Corrupt Business of Child Protective Services, is reproduced below. It was the basis for many lectures and interviews she gave on the topic. She claims the report caused her to lose her Senate seat in the Georgia State Senate, but she stated: However, there are causes worth losing over. This cause was so big however, that there are some who believe she lost more than just her job. They believe she lost her very life.

Grassroots Alaska Kills Agenda 21 (Video)
Activist Post - Solutions Institute is thrilled to announce that the people of the Borough of Kodiak, Alaska have defeated a zoning bill that would have severely restricted property rights and changed the character of their community. Many residents were deeply concerned, but a coalition did not exist. Activism brought these people together, and all who contributed to the bill’s defeat are to commended for defending long-standing property rights. SI provided assistance, but the individuals who devoted their time and resources to the cause carried the day for Kodiak.

Victory! Facing Intense Pressure, IRS Drops Civil Forfeiture Case in North Carolina
Institute for Justice - Two months ago, U.S. Attorney Steve West told Lyndon McLellan that any attempt to garner publicity about his civil forfeiture case “doesn't help. It just ratchets up feelings in the agency. My offer is to return 50% of the money.” Yesterday, just two weeks after the Institute for Justice took on the case and brought it to the attention of the nation, the IRS and Department of Justice moved to voluntarily dismiss the case and give Lyndon back 100% of his hard-earned money. “I'm relieved to be getting my money back,” said Lyndon McLellan. "What’s wrong is wrong, and what the government did here is wrong. I just hope that by standing up for what’s right, it means this won’t happen to other people.”

Report: National Guard, Police Gearing Up for Potential Cleveland Race Riots
Kit Daniels - The Ohio National Guard is alerting soldiers to report to duty in preparation for potential riots following the trial of Cleveland, Ohio, police officer Michael Brelo, according to an insider. At least one National Guard company was ordered to report to home station on May 17 with 72-hour bags because the verdict for Brelo, accused of manslaughter for shooting two unarmed black suspects, is expected on May 18 or 19, said the source who spoke on the condition of anonymity. A Cleveland resident also tweeted that she saw police driving around with “riot shields sticking out of their trunks” in anticipation of the Brelo decision.

New Federal Vaccine Mandate Proposed: All Shots Required, No Parental Exemptions
Health Impact News - Florida Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (D-24) has introduced a bill, House Resolution H.R. 2232, that will require all states to mandate all students enrolled in public schools receive all the vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Policy, a federal body compromised of vaccine-industry representatives, which includes vaccines for HPV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Paul Offit’s rota virus vaccine, annual flu shots, and dozens of others. States that do not comply will not be eligible for grants for “preventive health services” under the Public Health Services Act.

CA Senate passes controversial vaccine bill
KCRA News - State senators passed a bill Thursday aimed at increasing California's school immunization rates after a measles outbreak at Disneyland last year. The bill was approved on a 25-10 vote after a series of emotional hearings this year at which opponents called for preserving parental rights on the matter. The measure would prohibit parents from seeking vaccine exemptions for their children because of religious or personal beliefs.... If the bill becomes law, California would join Mississippi and West Virginia as the only states with such strict requirements. Gov. Jerry Brown has not said if he would sign the bill.

House Bill Seeks to Eliminate Online Ammo Sales
Adan Salazar - A proposed House bill introduced by a freshman democrat would eliminate the ability for consumers to purchase ammo over the internet. Introduced on Tuesday by New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, H.R. 2283, known as the “Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2015,” primarily seeks to “require face to face purchases of ammunition.”... The bill, which has already been co-sponsored by 30 House Democrats, would also require the federal government to issue licenses to ammunition dealers, in addition to requiring them to report bulk ammo purchases of over 1,000 rounds by “unlicensed persons.”

2014: 51 Cops Killed VS 1,100 Citizens Killed by Cops
Anti Media - A new preliminary FBI report shows that in 2014, 51 police officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty. The FBI notes that this is an 89% increase from 2013, when only 27 officers were killed on the job. Though the media swiftly parroted this news and noted the “spike” in officers killed on duty, the details tell a more complicated story than a simple jump in homicides.

Another Train Derails In Pennsylvania, 10 Cars Off Track Near Pittsburgh
Zero Hedge - For the second time in a week, amid ongoing discussions on infrastructure spending, a train has derailed in Pennsylvania. As CBS Pittsburgh reports, emergency crews have been called to a train derailment in Hazelwood. At least 10 cars are off the track but no injuries have been reported yet.

Veteran News

Donations, food pour in for starving veteran in Fayetteville
ABC11 - ABC11 Together and people across the country are helping a starving veteran in Fayetteville who was in need of food. ABC11 first told 81-year-old Clarence Blackmon's story Tuesday night. Blackmon has cancer and can't leave his house. He called 911 Tuesday because he needed food... A 911 operator and Fayetteville police delivered some groceries in person, and many of you poured out your hearts with overwhelming offers to help. It went from an empty refrigerator to shelves and countertops overflowing with food.... Many of you asked how Blackmon could wind up in this situation. ABC11 asked DSS officials that same question. The director said they only became aware of Blackmon's plight when we told them. The private rehab center that discharged Blackmon failed to notify DSS officials that he was going home.

Seattle VA hospital strands veteran outside ER
Seattle Times - The Seattle VA hospital has apologized for telling a veteran to call 911 after he drove up to the emergency room with a broken foot but couldn’t walk in.... When Donald Siefken drove up to the Seattle VA hospital emergency room earlier this year with a broken foot, all he asked for was a little help getting inside. Instead, a hospital employee who answered Siefken’s cellphone call told him to call 911 himself, then hung up on him, Siefken said. Frustrated to tears, the 64-year-old retired truck driver and Army vet from Kennewick placed the emergency call while parked just feet away from the ER entrance. “They won’t come out and get me, do you believe that?” Siefken asked an emergency dispatcher, his voice wavering. “They told me to call 911 and hung up on me.”

Economy & Business

Why Are Exchange-Traded Funds Preparing For A ‘Liquidity Crisis’ And A ‘Market Meltdown’?
Economic Collapse - According to Reuters, the companies that run some of the largest exchange-traded funds in existence are deeply concerned about what a lack of liquidity would mean for them during the next financial crash. So right now they are quietly “bolstering bank credit lines” so that they will be better positioned for “a market meltdown”… Vanguard Group, Guggenheim Investments and First Trust are among U.S. fund companies that have lined up new bank guarantees or expanded ones they already had, recent company filings show. The measures come as the Federal Reserve and other U.S. regulators express concern about the ability of fund managers to withstand a wave of investor redemptions in the event of another financial crisis. They have pointed particularly to fixed-income ETFs, which tend to track less liquid markets such as high yield corporate bonds or bank loans.

Energy & Environment

Forbidden data: Wyoming just criminalized citizen science – First state to enact a law so expansive that it criminalizes taking pictures on public land
The Slate - Wyoming doesn’t, of course, care about pictures of geysers or photo competitions. But photos are a type of data, and the new law makes it a crime to gather data about the condition of the environment across most of the state if you plan to share that data with the state or federal government. The reason? The state wants to conceal the fact that many of its streams are contaminated by E. coli bacteria, strains of which can cause serious health problems, even death.... Wyoming prefers to pretend the problem doesn’t exist. And under the new law, the state threatens anyone who would challenge that belief by producing information to the contrary with a term in jail.

More 'flesh-eating bacteria' in Gulf of Mexico as waters warm up
Sun Herald - The warming of Gulf Coast waters in summer's approach means an increase in Vibrio vulnificus, often called "flesh-eating bacteria." It sounds frightening, and has been for at least two people who each had a leg amputated in April after fishing or beach trips. Families of both have said the flesh-eating bacteria was to blame.
* Related: Flesh Eating Bacteria Tied to BP Oil Spill Tar Balls

Science & Technology

Doctors can now put drugs straight into brains
The Independent - Doctors can now inject drugs straight into people’s brains, after making a major discovery in breaking through the barrier that keeps the nervous and circulatory systems apart. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) keeps us safe by ensuring that chemicals and microbes can't get through to our clean brain and cause it problems. But it filters out good and intentional molecules too, and has proven a stumbling block for doctors’ aim to get drugs straight to where they are needed.

'No tissue charring': New Russian laser could revolutionize medicine, smartphones
RT - Scientists at a Russian university have developed a unique metal-vapor laser, which can cut through bones, tissue or glass without burning or damaging them. They say the technology could be used in a wide range of fields – from medicine to smartphones. Researchers at Tomsk State University are excited by the new laser because it is multi-functional and has the potential to be used in a number of different spheres. For example the ability to cut bone and tissue with no side effects could prove revolutionary for the medical industry.

Baidu AI 'supercomputer' breaks Google's image recognition record
RT - Chinese search company Baidu says it has created a 'supercomputer' which raises the bar for artificial intelligence. The machine identified all but 4.58 percent of pictures in a set of one million images, beating Microsoft software, Google and humans. The supercomputer, called Minwa, has 72 powerful processors and 144 graphics processors known as GPUs – high-performance specialized chips typically used to deal with visual data. Minwa's accomplishments were detailed in a paper released by Baidu on Monday.

Hackers target Starbucks gift cardholders
CNBC News - Credit card hackers looking for new ways to drain money from consumers' bank accounts and evade increased bank security measures have discovered a clever side door—the Starbucks mobile payment app and gift cards. Criminals are hijacking consumers' coffee accounts, draining the stored value of their cards, and then using Starbucks' auto-reload function to hack consumers' associated debit and credit cards.

Health

7 Reasons to Get More Magnesium
Green Med Info - Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in your body. But few people fully appreciate this miraculous mineral. Here are just seven good reasons to get more magnesium today.

The #1 Best Way to Cleanse the Lymphatic System
Natural Society - There are many ways to cleanse the lymphatic system – which helps to purify bodily fluids and improve overall health. Though one of the best ways to achieve this is super easy and doesn’t even cost a dime – simply engage in a 20-30 minute vigorous walk. Because the lymphatic system has no pump, it is necessary for each individual to maintain a regular amount of activity that will serve to move the lymph. While the circulatory system relies on the heart to move the blood 24/7, the lymphatic system relies on body movement, especially walking.

10 reasons to eat chia seeds
STEPin2 - For hundreds of years, chia seeds were a major part of Mayan and Aztec diets. They are being rediscovered for their impressive health benefits and great variety of nutrition.



Thursday - May 14, 2015 - Today in History:

1787 - Delegates began gathering in Philadelphia for a convention to draw up the U.S. Constitution.
1796 - The first smallpox vaccination was given by Edward Jenner.
1897 - "The Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Phillip Sousa was performed for the first time and a statue of George Washington was unveiled.
1897 - Guglielmo Marconi made the first communication by wireless telegraph.
1904 - In St. Louis, the Olympic games were held. It was the first time for the games to be played in the U.S.
1913 - The Rockefeller Foundation was created by John D. Rockefeller with a gift of $100,000,000.
1940 - The Netherlands surrendered to Nazi Germany.
1942 - The Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) was established by an act of the U.S. Congress.
1948 - Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the independent State of Israel as British rule in Palestine came to an end.
1955 - The Warsaw Pact, a Easter European mutual-defense treaty, was signed in Poland by eight communist bloc countries including the Soviet Union.
1973 - Skylab One was launched into orbit around Earth as the first U.S. manned space station.
1975 - U.S. forces raided the Cambodian island of Koh Tang and recaptured the American merchant ship Mayaguez. All 40 crew members were released safely by Cambodia. About 40 U.S. servicemen were killed in the military operation.
1980 - U.S. President Carter inaugurated the Department of Health and Human Services.
1992 - Former Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev addressed members of the U.S. Congress, appealing to them to pass a bill to aid the people of the former Soviet Union.
1998 - The Associated Press marked its 150th anniversary.
1999 - North Korea returned the remains of six U.S. soldiers that had been killed during the Korean War.
2005 - About 1 million people rallied in Beirut, Lebanon, demanding Syrian withdrawal and the arrest of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's killers.
2008 - Protests led by Buddhist monks in Tibet turned violent, leading to an extensive crackdown by China's military.

World News

China Lashes Out At US: "Refrain From Provocative Action"
Zero Hedge - Beijing strongly condemned a proposed U.S. military plan to send aircraft and Navy ships near disputed South China Sea islands to contest Chinese territorial claims over the area. It didn't end there and China escalated verbally to a near breaking point when Beijing urged “relevant countries to refrain from taking risky and provocative action.”

US Urges Iran to Direct Aid Through UN as Stand-Off Looms Near Yemen
Sputnik News - A humanitarian crisis in Yemen prompted the Saudi Arabia-led coalition of mostly Arab Gulf states that conducts airstrikes against the Houthi rebels to call a five-day humanitarian ceasefire that went into effect on Tuesday. Regarding Iran's ambition to supply humanitarian aid to Yemen, US State Department spokesperson Jeff Rathke said: “We think aid should be organized and coordinated through the UN. We discourage any provocative actions and we encourage the provision of assistance through established channels.” An Iranian aid ship, backed by warships, is heading towards Houthi control areas despite the naval blockade of Yemen.

Vatican officially recognizes Palestine, while Israel fumes
RT - The Vatican has become the latest country to recognize the state of Palestine, after a new treaty was finalized on Wednesday. Unsurprisingly Israel has hit out at the move, saying that it damages prospects for peace in the region. The treaty, which was agreed, though has yet to be formally signed states the Vatican has switched its diplomatic allegiance from the Palestinian Liberation Organization to the state of Palestine. It was finalized days before the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is due to visit Pope Francis.

'Hold Israel accountable for occupation', eminent former European officials urge EU
RT - A group of prominent former European officials have called on the EU foreign chief to review the bloc’s policy towards the Palestinian issue and find an effective way to hold Israel accountable for its actions in the occupied territories. In their four-page letter to Federica Mogherini, the former top brass (which includes ex-foreign and prime ministers of France, Spain and Sweden, to name just a few) hold little faith in success for the peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians and “urgent action” in order to “construct a coherent and effective policy on the question of Palestine.”... Netanyahu has pledged that a Palestinian state would not be established on his watch.

Germany provides NSA with staggering 1.3bn pieces of metadata per month says report
RT - Germany's BND intelligence agency sends enormous amounts of phone and text data to the US National Security Agency (NSA) each month, Die Zeit Online reported, adding yet another layer to the spy scandal embroiling the German government. About a fifth of all metadata gathered by the BND each month, or some 1.3 billion pieces go to the NSA, the website reported on Tuesday, citing confidential German intelligence files it obtained. German media earlier revealed that BND was collecting 220 million metadata pieces per day, which amounted to an estimated 6.6 billion a month.

Nuclear waste stored in 'shocking' way 120 miles from Ukrainian ...
The Guardian - Concerns have been raised by environmentalists and atomic power experts over the way waste is being stored at Europe’s largest nuclear power station, in crisis-ridden Ukraine. More than 3,000 spent nuclear fuel rods are kept inside metal casks within towering concrete containers in an open-air yard close to a perimeter fence at Zaporizhia, the Guardian discovered on a recent visit to the plant, which is 124 miles (200km) from the current front line.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

US House approves bill to end NSA bulk data collection
RT - The House of Representatives voted to pass the USA Freedom Act on Wednesday, approving a bill that would change the way the National Security Agency gathers telephone data of American citizens. The bill now heads to the Senate. The USA Freedom Act was passed overwhelmingly with 338 votes in favor and 88 against.

House Republicans block Amtrak budget increase just hours after Philadelphia crash
Daily Mail - Republicans on a powerful House panel on Wednesday blocked a bid by Democrats to boost Amtrak's budget by more than $1 billion, including $556 million targeted for the railroad's Northeast corridor, site of a deadly crash. Budget laws have tied their hands, they said.... Idaho Republican Rep. Mike Simpson pushed back at [Rep. Chaka] Fattah and other Democrats for using the disaster as a politically opportune time to spend more money. 'You have no idea what caused this accident,' he said. 'Don't use this tragedy in that way. It was beneath you.'

Amtrak Train Going Twice Speed Limit Prior to Derailment
Breitbart - Using its verified Twitter account, the National Transportation Safety Board reported Wednesday afternoon that the Amtrak train that derailed Tuesday night in Philadelphia was moving at 100 miles per hour just prior to the derailment and crash that killed 7 and injured more than 200. According to the other reports, 100 miles per hour is twice the speed limit at the point of the crash, which was along a sharp curve.

Elderly Couple Honk At Off Duty Cop; Cop Breaks Man’s Nose, Smashes Teeth Out With Gun
Steve Watson - Mrs Akers was driving the car, when she was suddenly rushed upon by a large unmarked black truck. Fearing that the truck was going to collide with their vehicle, she honked her horn. “To let him know, hey, you’re coming over to hit us, and then he backed down, got behind us, and honked and honked and honked, all the way through the intersection,” said Janet. Not knowing that the driver of the truck was a cop, Mrs Akers pulled over to attempt to diffuse the situation, and suddenly found herself and her husband under attack at gunpoint.

Economy & Business

Economist: Ban Cash and Force Everyone to Have a Government-Controlled Bank Account
Paul Joseph Watson - A former Bank of England economist has called for a total ban on cash and its replacement with credit accounts controlled directly by governments. In a column for the London Telegraph, fund manager Jim Leaviss all but advocates economic fascism as a means of enabling authorities to respond to financial crises better by implementing a “cashless society.” “Forcing everyone to spend only by electronic means from an account held at a government-run bank would give the authorities far better tools to deal with recessions and economic booms,” states the introduction to Leaviss’ article.

Retail Collapse: 50% Of US Malls Will Close In The Next 15 Years
GovtSlaves - Within 15 to 20 years, retail consultant Howard Davidowitz expects as many as half of America’s shopping malls to fail. He predicts that only upscale shopping centers with anchors like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus will survive. “Middle-level stores in middle-level malls are going to be extinct because they don’t make sense,” said Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates, Inc., a retail consulting and investment banking firm. “That’s why we haven’t built a major enclosed mall since 2006.”

Egg, Turkey And Meat Prices Spike As Bird Flu Spreads Across America
GovtSlaves - Prices for eggs and turkey meat are rising as an outbreak of bird flu in the Midwest claims an increasing number of chickens and turkeys. Market experts say grocery stores and wholesalers are trying to stock up on eggs, but there’s no need to worry about having enough turkeys for Thanksgiving.

Energy & Environment

Drilling begins 3 miles from epicenter of BP oil spill
Chron - Drilling has begun in the closest work yet to the Macondo well, which blew wild on April 20, 2010, killing 11 people and fouling the Gulf with as much as 172 million gallons of crude in the nation's worst oil spill. Federal regulators gave their blessing last month to LLOG Exploration Offshore LLC. to drill the first new well in the same footprint where BP was digging before. The resumption of drilling at the former BP site comes as the oil industry pushes into ever deeper and riskier reservoirs in the Gulf. It reflects renewed industry confidence — even as critics say not enough has been done to ensure another disaster is avoided.

Abandoned Uranium Mines Plague Navajo Nation
Waking Times - In the 1940s, surveyors discovered significant uranium deposits throughout the once worthless desert landscape of the reservation. Between 1944 and 1986, as the US government aimed to cut off all dependence on imported uranium, nearly 4 million tons of ore were extracted to fuel the Cold War nuclear arm’s race. With the end of the war, the mining companies moved out. They were not required to clean up their mess and left behind the legacy of their extraction efforts, including mining waste and abandoned mines.

'The World is Watching' Seattle as Arctic Drilling Fight Heats Up
Common Dreams - The Seattle Port Commission on Tuesday passed a resolution asking Shell to delay the arrival of its Arctic drilling rig, bending to pressure from local citizens, environmentalists, and city officials who packed the hearing to express outrage over the Commission's unilateral decision to house the oil fleet.... Seattle Mayor Ed Mayor said that the Port Commission must apply for a new land-use permit in order to grant the oil giant a "homeport" lease for its drilling rig. However, the Commission did not go so far as to rescind the initial lease and, refusing to alter its drilling schedule, Shell still plans for its rig and support vessels to reach the port later this week before heading to Arctic waters.

The Greatest Water Crisis In The History Of The United States
Economic Collapse - What are we going to do once all the water is gone? Thanks to the worst drought in more than 1,000 years, the western third of the country is facing the greatest water crisis that the United States has ever seen. Lake Mead is now the lowest that it has ever been since the Hoover Dam was finished in the 1930s, mandatory water restrictions have already been implemented in the state of California, and there are already widespread reports of people stealing water in some of the worst hit areas. But this is just the beginning.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

California land mass sinking at record rate as farmers desperately drill new wells
(NaturalNews) The days of abundant water are a distant memory for farmers in California. For the Central Valley, the wells are about to run dry. California's Central Valley is now reportedly sinking at a rate never seen during the state's historic drought, and farmers are shouldering part of the blame as they continue to pump the land dry in an effort to keep their businesses afloat.

More than 40 percent of bee hives died in past year
GovtSlaves - Since April 2014, beekeepers lost 42.1 percent of their colonies, the second highest loss rate in nine years, according to an annual survey conducted by a bee partnership that includes the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “What we’re seeing with this bee problem is just a loud signal that there’s some bad things happening with our agro-ecosystems,” said study co-author Keith Delaplane at the University of Georgia. “We just happen to notice it with the honeybee because they are so easy to count.”

Health

SSRI drugs based on fabricated medical myths, says psychiatrist
(NaturalNews) The science backing selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, as an effective remedy for increasing serotonin levels in the brain and helping depression sufferers achieve mental "balance" is entirely nonexistent, warns a prominent psychiatrist in a new peer-reviewed editorial published in the esteemed British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Diabetes in midlife could lead to cognitive problems later in life, study shows
(NaturalNews) To help prevent diabetes, or to keep blood sugar levels in check in general, it's advised to avoid simple carbs such as refined sugars and high-fructose corn syrup. Ideally, consumption of healthy, fresh foods is essential. Lentils, kidney beans and black-eyed peas have been linked to maintaining blood sugar levels. Leafy greens and fruits such as apples, which are rich in soluble fiber, are also recommended. Other foods that keep blood sugar levels in check are ground flaxseeds, almonds and cashews.

Women Put an Average of 168 Chemicals on Their Bodies Daily
Dr. Mercola - Almost 13,000 chemicals are used in cosmetics, and only about 10 percent have been evaluated for safety. Although the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority to regulate harmful ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products, they doesn't often exercise it… The average US woman uses 12 personal care products and/or cosmetics a day, containing 168 different chemicals, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG). While most men use fewer products, they're still exposed to about 85 such chemicals daily, while teens, who use an average of 17 personal care products a day, are exposed to even more.

Pet News

Tularemia: Watch Out for This Easily Transmitted Fever You Can Catch from Your Pet
Dr. Becker - Tularemia, also called rabbit fever, is a relatively rare disease in the US, seen more often in cats than dogs. But a small outbreak in Fort Collins, Colorado last summer serves a heads-up for all of us with pets. Wild rabbits in the area were dying in unusually high numbers, and tularemia was determined to be the culprit in one rabbit that was tested. It is the Francisella tularensis bacteria that causes tularemia. In North America, the bacteria is primarily spread from one animal to another by ticks, including the American dog tick, the Lone Star tick, and the Rocky Mountain wood tick. Ticks pick up the infection by feeding on infected animals or birds, and can transmit the bacteria to other animals at any point in their two-year life cycle. Fleas and deer flies can transmit tularemia as well.



Wednesday - May 13, 2015 - Today in History:

1821 - The first practical printing press was patented in the U.S. by Samuel Rust.
1846 - The U.S. declared that war existed with Mexico.
1861 - Britain declared its neutrality in the American Civil War.
1864 - The Battle of Resaca commenced as Union General Sherman fought towards Atlanta during the American Civil War.
1865 - The last land engagement of the American Civil War was fought at the Battle of Palmito Ranch in far south Texas, more than a month after Gen. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, VA.
1918 - The first airmail postage stamps were issued with airplanes on them. The denominations were 6, 16, and 24 cents.
1949 - The first gas turbine to pump natural gas was installed in Wilmar, AR.
1954 - U.S. President Eisenhower signed into law the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Act.
1958 - U.S. Vice President Nixon's limousine was battered by rocks thrown by anti-U.S. demonstrators in Caracas, Venezuela.
1968 - Peace talks between the U.S. and North Vietnam began in Paris.
1985 - A confrontation between Philadelphia authorities and the radical group MOVE ended as police dropped an explosive onto the group's headquarters. Eleven people died in the fire that resulted.
1998 - India did a second round of nuclear tests. The first round had been done 2 days earlier. Within hours the U.S. and Japan imposed tough economic sanctions. India claimed that the tests were necessary to maintain India's national security.
2003 - The U.S. government unveiled a newly designed version of the $20 bill. It was the first to be colorized in an effort to stop counterfeiters.
2011 - Two suicide bombers attacked paramilitary police recruits heading home after months of training in northwest Pakistan, killing 87 people in what the Pakistan Taliban called revenge for the U.S. slaying of Osama bin Laden.

World News

Full Alert: ISIL Plots to Infiltrate Italy, Malta on Migrant Boats
Sputnik News - Terrorists from the violent Islamic State militant group plan to set sail for Italy and Malta soon under the guise of migrants, the Libyan information chief for the internationally-recognized government told Italian media. "In the coming weeks, Italy will experience the arrival not only of poor African immigrants but also of boats carrying Daesh (IS)," Omar Gawari told Italy's ANSA news agency on Tuesday. Gawari added that the island country of Malta, located on the major migrant route between Libya and Italy's Sicily, could also be targeted for terror attacks.

U.S. military proposes challenge to China Sea claims
MarketWatch - The U.S. military is considering using aircraft and Navy ships to directly contest Chinese territorial claims to a chain of rapidly expanding artificial islands, U.S. officials said, in a move that would raise the stakes in a regional showdown over who controls disputed waters in the South China Sea. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has asked his staff to look at options that include flying Navy surveillance aircraft over the islands and sending U.S. naval ships to well within 12 nautical miles of reefs that have been built up and claimed by the Chinese in an area known as the Spratly Islands.

Kerry: Poroshenko Should 'Think Twice' Before Using Force in Donbass
Sputnik News - Following an extensive six hour discussion between US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and President Putin, Kerry stressed that any Ukrainian efforts to seize the Donetsk Airport through force would violate the Minsk Protocol and would face strict opposition from Washington. On Monday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko vowed to retake Donetsk Airport by whatever means necessary, despite the fact that doing so would directly violate the Minsk deal to move heavy weapons away from the demarcation line.

Iran Responds To US Naval Escalation, Sends Warship Escort For Yemen Aid Vessel
Zero Hedge - The Iranian Navy is escorting Yemen-bound ships which Tehran says are carrying humanitarian aid for those caught in the crossfire between the Houthis and the Saudis. Given 'coalition' suspicions surrounding the possibility that Iran is arming militiamen, expect the US to be very interested in inspecting the aid vessels, setting the stage for a possible "accident" off the war-torn country's coast.

Greece Effectively Defaults To IMF Using SDR Reserves To "Repay" Fund; 1 Month Countdown Begins
Zero Hedge - As Bloomberg reports, citing Kathimerini, Greece tapped IMF reserves to pay .. well, to pay the IMF: Greece used up ~EU650m reserves from its SDR IMF holdings account to meet loan payment of ~EU750m due to Fund today, Kathimerini newspaper reports, without citing anyone. Reserves kept in IMF holdings account need to be replenished within one month. IMF agreed over weekend for their use, given Greece’s liquidity situation; without use of those reserves, payment due today wouldn’t be possible.
* Related: Greece repaying €750mn in interest, will run out of cash in ‘weeks’ without debt deal

US Drug War Setback: Colombia to Ban Monsanto Herbicide Used to Kill Coca
Sputnik News - Colombia has announced that it will stop using Monsanto's controversial herbicide glyphosate - the active ingredient in its bestselling RoundUp - on illicit coca crops as part of state efforts to eradicate the plants. Colombia has been using RoundUp in aerial fumigations to strip the leaves off of illegal fields of coca plants, from which cocaine is manufactured. Countries across Latin America have been using the chemical as part of US-sponsored anti-narcotics programs for nearly two decades. The chemical was recently declared to be "probably carcinogenic" by the World Health Organization (WHO), though Monsanto has vocally criticized the classification and demanded it be retracted.

Powerful 6.8 earthquake strikes off Japan’s Honshu island
RT - A powerful 6.8 earthquake has struck off the eastern coast of Japan’s Honshu island, shaking the same area devastated by a quake and tsunami four years ago, USGS and Japan Meteorological Agency report. No casualties or damage have yet been reported. The quake struck at 6:13am local time at a depth of almost 50 kilometers. While USGS originally reported the quake at 6.9 magnitude, JMA measured it at 6.6. No casualties or damage have yet been reported.
* Related: Dutchsinse: Hits North of expected area

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Special Forces Train With Cops For House to House Raids
Paul Joseph Watson - Special Forces out of Fort Bragg are training with SWAT officers in Richland County, South Carolina this week for house to house raids, another unnerving sign of the militarization of domestic law enforcement. The late night and pre-dawn exercises, which will involve the 3rd Special Forces Group out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, have been running since May 8 and will conclude on Friday. Previous exercises conducted by the 3rd Special Forces Group, seen in the video above, show troops conducting house to house raids and arresting individuals at gunpoint. Residents in Lower Richland County have been warned that they may encounter military vehicles and “hear ordinance being set off or shots being fired.”

VIDEO: Sugar Pine Mine – Proof Of BLM Document Destruction
Oath Keepers - The BLM has been destroying important historical documents concerning mining claims in Oregon. The Oath Keepers of Josephine County has the proof. Watch the video and take a look at the PDF file Joseph Rice refers to: HERE

You Can’t Read the TPP, But These Huge Corporations Can
The Intercept - So who can read the text of the TPP? Not you, it’s classified. Even members of Congress can only look at it one section at a time in the Capitol’s basement, without most of their staff or the ability to keep notes. But there’s an exception: if you’re part of one of 28 U.S. government-appointed trade advisory committees providing advice to the U.S. negotiators. The committees with the most access to what’s going on in the negotiations are 16 “Industry Trade Advisory Committees,” whose members include AT&T, General Electric, Apple, Dow Chemical, Nike, Walmart and the American Petroleum Institute.

Rand Paul Plans To Filibuster Patriot Act
The Huffington Post - Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said this week that he intends to mount a fight against the reauthorization of the Patriot Act, the post-Sept. 11 law that gives the National Security Agency much of its authority to conduct surveillance programs. "I'm going to lead the charge in the next couple of weeks as the Patriot Act comes forward. We will be filibustering. We will be trying to stop it. We are not going to let them run over us," Paul told the New Hampshire Union Leader on Monday.

Trade bill fails procedural vote in Senate
CNBC News - The Pacific trade agreement failed its first test in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday after a key Democrat said he would vote against a procedural vote to support President Barack Obama's diplomatic pivot to Asia. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said Tuesday that he will vote "no" in the procedural hurdle to grant the president Trade Promotion Authority—or so-called "fast-track" status for trade deals. The final vote saw 52 "yea" and 45 "nay" votes—shy of the 60 affirmatives required to pass the procedural hurdle. An aide to Wyden, the senior Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said the senator was concerned about a lack of enforcement provisions he wants to be included before going forward.

Report: TSA Screening Equipment Not Being Maintained; Safety Of Americans In Jeopardy
Steve Watson - A report published by a government accountability group states that the TSA is jeopardizing the safety of travelers and aircraft because it is not adequately maintaining security equipment. The report, by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, states that the TSA does not know which screening equipment is working correctly or in need of repair because maintenance procedures have not even been implemented.

Election News

Shock Poll: Americans Hate Jeb Bush More Than Hillary
Kit Daniels - Sixty percent (60%) of Americans would not consider Jeb Bush for president, compared to 51% who said the same about Hillary Clinton, according to national poll of mostly conservative voters. The George Washington University Battleground Poll of 1,000 registered voters, of which only 16% identified with the Tea Party, also found that 48% of voters have an unfavorable view of Bush compared to only 44% who have an unfavorable impression of Joe Biden. Overall, Americans have a more favorable view of Clinton (47%) and Biden (39%) than they do of Bush (35%).

Economy & Business

Off the rails: US railway crisis blamed on lack of funding, crumbling infrastructure
RT - The latest Amtrak train crash has left at least five people killed and dozens injured, with the cause of the crash remaining unknown. It came on the eve of the railway budget bill that could see the funding for Amtrak slashed by 20 percent, from $1.4 to 1.13 billion. In comparison, China’s railway budget for the next fiscal year is an estimated $128 billion, the Atlantic news portal reported.
* Related:
5 dead, 50+ injured after Amtrak train derails in Philadelphia

Cost of Federal Regulations Are Now $15,000 per Household
Daily Sheeple - . A new report from the Competitive Enterprise Institute found that Americans are collectively paying $1.88 trillion due to federal regulations. When a new regulation is enforced on a particular industry, those costs are passed down to the consumer, so the things we buy and the services we use have a hidden tax that doesn’t show up on the price tag.... The report found that the federal bureaucracy—made up of 60 agencies, departments, and commissions—has 3,415 regulations in the process of being finalized, meaning that the number of regulations far surpasses the number of laws passed by Congress.

What Recovery? Los Angeles Homeless Population Rises by 12%
Sputnik News - The homeless population of Los Angeles County - already the second largest in the nation - grew by 12% over the last two years, amid hard times for low-wage workers and a sluggish economic recovery. The homeless population of the nation's second largest metropolitan area rose to 44,300 people, about a 5,000 person increase from 2013, according to a report released Monday by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). This includes people living on the streets, in cars, in abandoned buildings or in shelters and temporary or "transitional" housing.

Energy & Environment

190 Scientists & Experts Urge UN to Deal with Emerging Wireless Public Health Crisis (Video)
Activist Post - 190 scientists from 38 nations have submitted the International EMF Scientist Appeal to the United Nations, UN member states and the World Health Organization (WHO) requesting they adopt more protective exposure guidelines for electromagnetic fields (EMF) and wireless technology in the face of increasing evidence of risk from this rapidly increasing environmental pollutant. The scientists who have signed the Appeal have collectively published over 2,000 peer-reviewed papers on the biological or health effects of non-ionizing radiation. It was submitted on 11 may 2015 to His Excellency Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, to Dr. Margaret Chan, MD, Director General of the World Health Organization, and to the United Nations Member States.

Activism at Work: Boulder City, Colorado Nixes Bee-Killing Neonicotinoids
Natural Society - Boulder City, Colorado has just become the first locality in the state to pass a comprehensive resolution banning the use of bee- and butterfly-killing neonicotinoids. As reported by Beyond Pesticides, the resolution was successful primarily due to the efforts of grassroots activists, especially a local organization called Bee Safe Boulder. City officials also ended up supporting the ban. This and other efforts, like the $450-million, class-action suit filed against Syngenta and Bayer by thousands of bee-keepers and honey-makers in Canada, are what keep biotech from destroying our food supply entirely.

Science & Technology

One step closer to artificial intelligence: Scientists create cells replicating human brain processes
RT - Australian scientists have for the first time developed an electronic long-term memory cell that mimics the work of a human brain. Researchers say the discovery is a step towards creating a bionic brain. Researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) have created the world’s first electronic multi-state memory cell which mirrors the brain’s ability to simultaneously process and store multiple strands of information, according to the university’s press-release.

Feds drop case in which cops nailed webcam to utility pole to spy on house
Ars Technica - The Justice Department on Tuesday withdrew its appeal of a lower court's December ruling that said it was illegal for police to attach a webcam to a utility pole and spy on a suspected drug dealer's house in rural Washington state for six weeks. The government did not comment on its decision to drop the appeal in a brief filing to the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals. The video camera operated 24 hours a day. Footage was synced to the computer of a Kennewick Police Department detective who could operate the camera from afar via its pan-and-zoom capabilities.... "The American people have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the activities occurring in and around the front yard of their homes particularly where the home is located in a very rural, isolated setting," the judge ruled.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Bird flu outbreak hits Nebraska poultry farm: USDA
(Reuters) - The fast-spreading avian flu virus was confirmed for the first time in Nebraska, at a commercial egg-laying farm that housed a flock of 1.7 million chickens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday. The case in Dixon County, Nebraska, brings the number of states affected by the outbreak to 16, and the U.S. tally of birds that have either died or will be killed to 32 million.... Authorities do not know how the H5N2 virus reached the Nebraska farm....The H5 strains in the current U.S. outbreak pose a low risk to human health, experts say, and no human infections have been identified so far. There have been three strains of H5 identified in North America in this outbreak.

Health

Broccoli and watercress may target cancer stem cells
STEPin2 - Broccoli and watercress may target cancer stem cells, according new research from South Dakota State University. A compound and an enzyme that are found in cruciferous vegetables including broccoli, watercress, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts may help prevent the spread and recurrence of some cancers, according to associate professor Moul Dey of the South Dakota State University Department of Health and Nutritional Sciences.... When chemotherapy is used to treat cancer, the tumor dies, but the cancer stem cell survives. “These cells are frequently resistant to conventional therapies,” Dey explained.

The Potatoes You Should Never, Ever Eat
Living Traditionally - Potatoes aren’t nearly as bad as some people make them out to be. Potatoes contain all 22 amino acids that form complete proteins after being easily digested. Potatoes are rich in minerals and loaded with Vitamin C and B6. As a fact, potatoes have more potassium than bananas. You might ask why would we want to avoid potatoes if they are so good for you? There is a huge difference between conventional and organically grown potatoes. Root vegetables easily absorb pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. Pesticides that may be applied to conventionally grown potatoes, which have been identified as acutely toxic, include: Aldicarb, Clothianidin, Methamidophos, Methyl parathion, and Propargite. According to the USDA’s Pesticide Data Program, 37 different pesticides have been found on conventional potatoes: 7 carcinogens, 12 hormone disruptors, 9 neurotoxins, 6 reproductive toxins.

How Air Fresheners Are Killing You. Use This DIY Baking Soda Air Freshener Instead
Living Traditionally - Air fresheners have become extremely common, but they are wreaking havoc on health. Most commercial air fresheners contain dangerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like benzene, limonene, formaldehyde, and petroleum distillates. These chemicals cause asthma and other respiratory symptoms, eye irritation, bone damage and leukemia. Almost all air fresheners contain dichlorobenzene, a chemical made of chlorine and benzene. It is a known carcinogen, and an EPA-registered pesticide. Animals exposed to it developed liver and kidney tumors. It is found in the bloodstream of almost every American.

Pet News

Feral Cats Take Over San Diego Jetty (Video)
Breitbart - They may not be living the lavish life of famed Disney felines The Aristocats, but a colony of approximately 40 kitties, who were likely abandoned by their owners, have made a jetty in San Diego’s Ocean Beach their home.... The county reportedly knows about the jetty and that cats are abandoned there but have said that there is nothing they can do about it. The food and water that passers-by feed the cats helps to keep them alive and in control of the jetty. 10News notes that there were once 80 cats there, but with the help of a local group that captures the cats, gets them fixed, and then brings them back to the jetty, they’ve managed to reduce that number to roughly half.



Tuesday - May 12, 2015 - Today in History:

1780 - Charleston, South Carolina fell to British forces.
1870 - Manitoba entered the Confederation as a Canadian province.
1926 - The airship Norge became the first vessel to fly over the North Pole.
1940 - The Nazi conquest of France began with the German army crossing Muese River.
1942 - The Soviet Army launched its first major offensive of World War II and took Kharkov in the eastern Ukraine from the German army.
1943 - The Axis forces in North Africa surrendered during World War II.
1945 - The aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill was attacked and severely damaged by two kamikaze aircraft off Okinawa; according to the U.S. Navy's official website, 346 men were killed, 43 were left missing, and 264 were wounded.
1949 - The Soviet Union announced an end to the Berlin Blockade.
1975 - U.S. merchant ship Mayaguez was seized by Cambodian forces in international waters.
1978 - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that they would no longer exclusively name hurricanes after women.
1984 - South African prisoner Nelson Mandela saw his wife for the first time in 22 years.
1999 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin dismissed Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov and named Interior Minister Sergei Stepashin as his successor.
2002 - Former U.S. President Carter arrived in Cuba for a visit with Fidel Castro. It was the first time a U.S. head of state, in or out of office, had gone to the island since Castro's 1959 revolution.
2003 - In Texas, 59 Democratic lawmakers went into hiding over a dispute with Republican's over a congressional redistricting plan.
2008 - In the U.S., the price for a one-ounce First-Class stamp increased from 41 to 42 cents.

World News

Russian-Chinese Drill in Mediterranean Sends Signal to US – Western Media
Sputnik News - The Russian and Chinese navies began joint naval exercises in the Mediterranean Monday in the latest sign of strengthening ties between the two countries. The naval drill, to include live-fire exercises in the strategic sea connecting Europe, Africa and the Middle East, is seen by Western media as a signal being sent to Washington of a powerful new alliance emerging “in the very backyard of Western Europe”.

In September, The UN Launches A Major Sustainable Development Agenda For The Entire Planet
Economic Collapse - The UN plans to launch a brand new plan for managing the entire globe at the Sustainable Development Summit that it will be hosting from September 25th to September 27th. Some of the biggest names on the planet, including Pope Francis, will be speaking at this summit. This new sustainable agenda focuses on climate change of course, but it also specifically addresses topics such as economics, agriculture, education and gender equality. For those wishing to expand the scope of “global governance”, sustainable development is the perfect umbrella because just about all human activity affects the environment in some way. The phrase “for the good of the planet” can be used as an excuse to micromanage virtually every aspect of our lives.

Drug-resistant typhoid tracked worldwide, public health threat 'critical' - study
RT - A deadly typhoid ‘superbug’ is spreading across Africa and Asia, creating a “previously under-appreciated and ongoing epidemic,” a groundbreaking international study warns. H58, driven by a single family of the bacteria, is resistant to most antibiotics. Researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, who have been studying the far-reaching infection, say typhoid affects around 30 million people each year. According to researchers, H58 has emerged and spread throughout Asia and Africa over the last 30 years. Evidence of a recent unreported wave of H58 transmission in many countries in Africa has also been found. The scientists say the study results add to the message that "bacteria do not obey international borders."

Magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes Nepal close to Everest
RT - A 7.4-magnitude quake has rocked Nepal, followed by two major aftershocks. At least four people have been killed in Nepal. It comes weeks after another disastrous quake left over 8,000 people dead, affecting millions. Two more people have been killed in India, according to Indian state officials.... The latest tremor struck near the base camp for Everest, and was felt across the country, including the capital, Kathmandu. Everest Base Camp was evacuated after an avalanche caused by the last quake killed 18 climbers.

Saudi Arabia moves 'strike force' to Yemen border, over 150+ rockets have been fired
Investment Watch Blog - Saudi Arabia has moved its “strike force” to its border with Yemen, according to local media. Although a five-day truce is looming, the Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels are continuing to trade heavy fire. Al Arabiya TV showed a column of tanks being moved atop military trucks, describing the scene as “the arrival of reinforcements from the strike force to the border.” The “reinforcement” move followed the intense artillery and rocket battles across the border earlier Monday. The Saudis have reportedly fired more than 150 rockets targeting Yemen’s Saada and Hajjah provinces.

Mediterranean migrant crisis: EU seeks UN approval for gunship plan and 'use of force' to deter boats from Libya
The Independent - The EU will seek United Nations backing for a plan to seek and destroy the boats used by people traffickers to ferry migrants from the Libyan coast to the shores of Europe. The plan is likely to face tricky questions over its mandate in Libyan waters, while aid agencies say it will do nothing to stop the crisis… The draft calls for the “use of all means to destroy the business model of the traffickers”, in international high seas. The text rules out the destruction of boats while they are in Libya’s territorial waters or of vessels sailing under international flags, but it does seek permission to seize vessels in high seas, as well as Libyan territorial waters and Libyan coast before they embark with migrants.

Mysterious, well-trained fighters attack shopping malls and sporting events in Macedonia, leaving at least 22 dead
National Post - The 40 plus-strong group was targeting state institutions, sports events and shopping malls and was made up of well-trained fighters who had participated in attacks in the region and the Middle East, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski told reporters in the capital of Skopje. “One of the aims of the group, at least, was to destabilize Macedonia,” Gruevski added. The fighting comes as Macedonia is grappling with its deepest political crisis since its independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. The government and the opposition have accused each other of planning to destabilize the country to take or preserve power, and some analysts fear leaders on both sides are ready to provoke ethnic clashes.

Russia Asks Greece To Join BRICS Bank
Zero Hedge - Reportedly, Tsipras was pleasantly surprised by the proposal. As Bloomberg reports, Russian Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak spoke with Greek PM Alexis Tsipras today, proposed that Greece become 6th member of New Development Bank set up by Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, a Greek govt official says in e-mail to reporters.

Canadian Govt Threatens Hate Crime Charges For Those Who Boycott Israel
Sputnik News - The Canadian government has implied that it will use hate crime laws against domestic advocacy groups that encourage boycotts of Israel. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), such a move would target organizations such as religious groups and churches, campus protest groups and labor unions. It also would raise legal questions under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been outspoken in his support of Israel and fellow conservative, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Two Babies Die, 37 Others Sickened by Vaccines in Southern Mexico
LAHT - Two babies from rural communities died and 37 others were hospitalized in the southern state of Chiapas after having an allergic reaction to vaccinations administered by Mexican Social Security Institute, or IMSS, personnel, state officials said. “The Chiapas Health Secretariat is treating 37 children in the town of La Pimienta, outside the city of Simojovel, after they experienced allergic reactions to a vaccine supposedly administered by IMSS health personnel,” state health officials said. A total of “14 children are in serious condition, 22 are stable and one is in critical condition,” the Chiapas Health Secretariat said in a statement.... “Until the investigations are completed, administration of these vaccines has been suspended at the national level as a preventative measure,” the IMSS said.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

State to Retain Custody of “Free Range” Children (Video)
Paul Joseph Watson - Authorities in Kentucky will retain custody of ten children belonging to ‘off grid’ parents Joe and Nicole Naugler while an investigation into the family’s “back to basics” lifestyle continues. Although the result of yesterday’s court hearing was not made public, and the parents refused to conduct media interviews, a posting on the family’s Facebook page suggests that the children will not be returned until the parents have proven their competency to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS).... Both Joe and Nicole Naugler will appear again in court today on misdemeanor criminal charges. Sheriff Todd Pate accused them of engaging in violent threats and being resistant to police every time authorities attempt to inspect the property.

Obama’s Pacific Trade Push Faces a Senate Vote This Week
NY Times - President Obama’s most aggressive and sustained legislative push since the Affordable Care Act faces a crucial first test this week when a divided Senate considers a bill that would grant him accelerated power to complete a massive trade accord with 11 nations across the Pacific Rim. But after lobbying members of Congress in a campaign that has included rides on Air Force One, meetings in the West Wing, private vows of political support and public attacks on critics in his own party, Mr. Obama’s top legislative priority remains at risk. A vote scheduled for Tuesday on legislation that would grant him trade promotion authority, also known as “fast track,” has become mired in a procedural thicket, with Democrats — many of them loyal to labor unions bent on killing the bill — vowing to oppose it.

Records Show Thousands of People Arrested in Baltimore Were "Too Injured" to Enter Jail
The Daily Sheeple - Now it has been revealed that many detainees in Baltimore are too injured to enter the jail when they are brought in by the arresting officers. According to documents obtained by The Baltimore Sun, correctional officers at the Baltimore City Jail actually refused to admit close to 2,600 suspects because they were too badly injured. These arrests reportedly took place between June 2012 and April 2015.

Man Shoots At George Zimmerman In Florida
Truth in Media - Florida news station WKMG-TV reports that George Zimmerman was shot in the face on Lake Mary Boulevard, near Rinehart Road, in Lake Mary on Monday.... Zimmerman’s attorney, Don West, told the Associated Press that Zimmerman was injured, but clarified that he was not hit by a bullet; Zimmerman was hit by shards of glass entering the vehicle after the window was shot. According to West, Zimmerman’s injuries are minor and he may know the person who shot at him.

Veteran News

Report: Veterans Told to Avoid Targeting by ISIS ‘Lone Wolves’… Don’t Act ‘Pompous’ Online, Hide Your Military Service
Breitbart - Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson warned that “lone wolf” terrorists, such as the jihadis who attacked the Mohammed Art Exhibit in Garland, Texas, could “strike at any moment.” He described this as a new and challenging security environment, but added, “we are not discouraging Americans from doing the things they do on a daily basis.” That disclaimer might not be entirely accurate, judging by what Fox 13 has been hearing from the military community in Tampa. “Military personnel, veterans and their families at military bases like MacDill are being advised to be careful what they post online and talk about in public,” says the report.

NFL Teams Paid To Thank Troops at Games
Jonathan Miltimore - It's a familiar scene to most Americans. The poignant moment when a soldier is honored for his or her service before a cheering crowd during halftime of an NFL game. It turns out, however, that at least some of these patriotic displays are not what they seem. A New Jersey-based website, NJ.com, has a detailed report that reveals the Department of Defense is paying millions of dollars to many NFL teams in what are essentially paid promotions to honor America's heroes.... This does not mean, of course, that all halftime events featuring troops or veterans are paid promotions. However, the fact that many are could undermine such efforts and "leaves a bad taste in your mouth" one lawmaker said.

Economy & Business

Almost Half Of US States Are Officially Broke
Zero Hedge - An Associated Press analysis of statehouse finances around the country shows that at least 22 states project shortfalls for the coming fiscal year. The deficits recall recession-era anxiety about plunging tax revenue and deep cuts to education, social services and other government-funded programs. The sheer number of states facing budget gaps prompted Standard & Poor's Ratings Service to call the trend a sort of "early warning." "After all, if a state is grappling with a budget deficit now, with the economic expansion approaching its sixth anniversary, what will be its condition when the next slowdown strikes?" credit analyst Gabriel Petek wrote in a recent report.

Energy & Environment

Shell Oil wins approval to drill in the Arctic
RT - The Obama administration has given conditional approval to a renewed plan for Royal Dutch Shell Pfc to drill for oil off of Alaska's Arctic coast in the Chukchi Sea. The decision comes three years since Shell's work in the Arctic was halted.... The Obama administration's new decision has drawn harsh condemnation based on Shell's previous operational and safety mishaps in the region coupled with concerns related to both long-term climate change and more immediate ecological ramifications of drilling in the Arctic.

Dozens injured, houses destroyed: Powerful storms ravage central US (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)
RT - Snow, flooding and powerful tornadoes have ripped through many central US states, emergency officials said. The most affected were Texas and South Dakota where dozens of people have been injured and many houses were left in ruins.

Science & Technology

Woman fired for uninstalling app on company phone that tracked her 24 hrs a day
RT - A California woman has sued her former employer, which fired her shortly after she disabled a GPS tracking feature on her company iPhone. The app was used to monitor employees even on their personal time, the lawsuit alleged. Myrna Arias has claimed that her boss, John Stubits, at money transfer service Intermex in Bakersfield boasted about monitoring employees' locations while they were not on the job, according to the lawsuit filed in Kern County Superior Court.

Self-Driving Cars Getting Into Accidents During Tests
(AP) - Four of the nearly 50 self-driving cars now rolling around California have gotten into accidents since September, when the state began issuing permits for companies to test them on public roads. Two accidents happened while the cars were in control; in the other two, the person who still must be behind the wheel was driving, a person familiar with the accident reports told The Associated Press.... Google and Delphi said their cars were not at fault in any accidents, which the companies said were minor.

Companies Patenting Alarming Amount Of Mind Reading Technology
GovSlaves - Fewer than 400 neuro-technology related patents were filed between 2000-2009. But in 2010 alone that reached 800, and last year 1,600 were filed, according to research company SharpBrains. The patents are for a range of uses, not just for the healthcare technology that might be expected. The company with the most patents is market research firm Nielsen, which has 100. Microsoft also has 89 related patents. Other uses of the technology that have been patented include devices that can change the thoughts of feelings of those that they are used on.

Health

Unleash the Power of Oregano Oil: The Plant-Derived Antibiotic and Antiseptic
Natural News Blogs - Oregano oil is the ultimate antibiotic. Oregano is a powerful herb with unique healing properties. Did you know that oregano has eight times more antioxidants than apples and three times as much as blueberries? Antioxidants are needed to protect our body against free radical damage. They boost the immune-system naturally. Oregano Oil is the most potent plant oil in the world!

Think All Amino Acids are the Same? The Shocking Revelation!
Eldon Dahl - Amino acids are either produced by fermentation or by chemical extraction and the differences are discovered by delivery to the cell. Did you know that cheaper grades of amino acids are derived from human sewage, duck feathers, or human hair, and are chemically produced?... Before buying amino acids read what is on the label or check the company’s website in order to see if was produced by fermentation, and is non-GMO with no risk of cross contamination. Some brands are produced by corn but no guarantee that the corn was not GMO.

Yerba Mate: The Powerhouse Nutrient For Healing, Anti-Aging and Enhanced Health
Natural News Blogs - Yerba mate has been used as a base for herbal medicines in South America for centuries, and the plant’s benefits and therapeutic properties have recently been verified by a number of scientific studies. The chemical components of yerba mate are similar to those found in green tea; however, yerba mate is more nutritious than green tea. Yerba mate contains 24 vitamins and minerals, amino acids 15 and 11, polyphenols; a group of phytochemicals (biologically active compounds found in plants) that act as powerful antioxidants. Besides polyphenols, yerba mate contains saponins. Saponins are phytochemicals that strengthen the immune system and protect the body against disease.
** Get your Certified Organic Yerbamate from The Power Mall today!



Monday - May 11, 2015 - Today in History:

1792 - The Columbia River was discovered by Captain Robert Gray.
1816 - The American Bible Society was formed in New York City.
1858 - Minnesota was admitted as the 32nd U.S. state.
1910 - Glacier National Park in Montana was established.
1927 - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded.
1934 - A severe two-day dust storm stripped the topsoil from the great plains of the U.S. and created a "Dust Bowl." The storm was one of many.
1944 - A major offensive was launched by the allied forces in central Italy.
1947 - The creation of the tubeless tire was announced by the B.F. Goodrich Company.
1949 - Siam changed its name to Thailand.
1960 - The first contraceptive pill is made available on the market.
1995 - The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty was extended indefinitely. The treaty limited the spread of nuclear material for military purposes.
1996 - An Atlanta-bound ValuJet DC-9 caught fire shortly after takeoff from Miami and crashed into the Florida Everglades. All 110 on board were killed.
1998 - India conducted its first underground nuclear tests, three of them, in 24 years. The tests were in violation of a global ban on nuclear testing.
1998 - A French mint produced the first coins of Europe's single currency. The coin is known as the euro.
2001 - U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced his decision to approve a 30-day delay of the execution of convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. McVeigh had been scheduled to be executed on May 16, 2001. The delay was because the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had failed to disclose thousands of documents to McVeigh's defense team. (Oklahoma)
2009 - An American soldier in Iraq opened fire on a counseling center at Camp Liberty in Bagdhad, leaving 5 other US soldiers dead and 3 soldiers wounded.

World News

Ruble-yuan settlements booming, set to reshape global finance
RT - Settlements in local currencies between Russia and China now account for 7 percent of the bilateral trade, but the potential for growth is tremendous, experts tell RT. Yuan-ruble trade in Russia has grown 700 percent in a year. Growing cooperation between Russia and China has become one of the hottest topics in the global economy. It is signaling the emergence of a strong alliance of one the world’s richest and strongest economies, which is expected to reshape the existing western-dominated economic model. While energy deals between the resource – rich Russia and resource – hungry China look natural, bringing the countries’ finances closer looks like a real challenge to the US dollar system, experts agree, although the transition won’t be quick.

Russia intends to restore Cuban spy base – MP
RT - As Russia restores its military-industrial cooperation with Cuba it may soon reopen the Lourdes signal intelligence center near Havana, claims a senior member of the State Duma Security Committee. “I think that in the nearest future we can restore the radio intelligence base in Lourdes that had been used first by the USSR and then by the Russian Federation,” MP Dmitry Gorovtsov (Fair Russia) said in comments to RIA Novosti.

Isolated? China & Russia Celebrate Victory Day Together, Obama Absent
Zero Hedge - When a Chinese honor guard joins a military parade in Russia’s capital this weekend, watched by China’s President Xi Jinping, it will mark more than just a symbolic recognition of the two countries’ contributions to the Allied victory in 1945. China’s participation also reflects an upgrade of its military ties with Russia, including joint naval exercises and a revival of arms purchases, that could complicate U.S.-led efforts to counter both nations’ expanding military activities, analysts and diplomats say. They’ve basically come to a consensus that despite their differences over some national interests, they really face the same common enemy,” said Gilbert Rozman, an expert on China-Russia relations at Princeton University.

US Tells Greece To Reject Putin Pipeline Marking Return To Cold War Politics
Zero Hedge - The US is applying political pressure to Greece in an effort to dissuade Athens from participating in Russia's Turkish Stream Pipeline project which has been implicitly used, at various times, as a negotiating tactic in discussions with EU creditors. As the Times suggests, this is further evidence that Washington is becoming increasingly concerned that the world is rapidly shifting away from the US-dominated, unipolar model that has existed, in one form or another, since the collapse of the Soviet Union. This consternation is beginning to manifest itself in the revitalization of Cold War politics.

GMO Contamination Risk is Too High, Say Groups from Canada, Australia and Japan
Sustainable Pulse - Civil society organisations from Canada, Australia and Japan have jointly issued a warning about contamination risks from genetically modified organisms (GMOs), after the recent EU commission authorisation of 17 new GMOs for food and feed. “Learn the lessons from our countries – GMO is not worth the risk. If allowed, you will have GMO contamination of non-GM crops and nearby land for many years to come” said Jessica Harrison, Coordinator of the GM-Free Australia Alliance (GMFAA). “GM canola was first grown commercially in 2008 in Australia. We find GM canola weeds on roadsides, truck spillages have dispersed GM seeds and GM pollen has contaminated honey.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Update: Court Hearing Today For ‘Off Grid Family’ Who Had 10 Children Seized by CPS (Video)
Paul Joseph Watson - Joe and Nicole Naugler had their children taken after cops arrived at their 27 acre rural property in Breckinridge County, Kentucky following an anonymous tip about the kids living in “squalor”. “A couple faces a hearing Monday to regain custody of their 10 children, whom Child Protective Services put into foster care Wednesday following a confrontation between their mother and a Breckinridge County sheriff’s deputy,” reports KMOV. Audio from the arrest of Nicole Naugler highlights the anguished confrontation she had with law enforcement officers before her children were taken...

Report: Obama lied about bin Laden raid
The Hill - An expose published on Sunday [See this link] alleges that President Obama deceived Americans with his narrative of the 2011 assassination of Osama bin Laden. Author Seymour M. Hersh accuses Obama of rushing to take credit for the al Qaeda leader's death. This decision, Hersh argues in the London Review of Books, forced the military and intelligence communities to scramble and then corroborate the president’s version of events… Hersh based his report on a single, anonymous source. This individual, he said, is a “retired senior intelligence official who was knowledgeable about the initial intelligence about bin Laden’s presence in Abottabad.” Hersh’s source alleged that the Pakistani government had an active role in approving and implementing the raid on bin Laden’s compound.

TPP trade deal ‘a disaster,’ other countries will ‘dupe’ US – Donald Trump
RT - US real estate mogul and billionaire Donald Trump slammed the Obama administration over its Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, labeling it as disastrous and warning that it will encourage US companies to slash domestic jobs.... Trump stressed that the deal would encourage US companies to move their production abroad, weakening US domestic job market.

Two Mississippi Cop Killer Suspects Are Felons, Barred From Gun Possession
Breitbart - Felons, like the Curtis brothers, face 100 percent gun control and are completely barred from gun possession. But the deaths of Deen and Tate show that even this level of gun control does not curtail the actions of persons with alleged criminal intent. We saw this same thing on May 4, when NYPD Officer Brian Moore died after being shot with a stolen gun. New York has an “assault weapons” ban, a “high capacity” magazine ban, a universal background check requirement, and firearm registration, but none of it stops criminals.
* Related: Mississippi Town Mourns Two Officers Murdered in The Line of Duty

DHS, IRS, Debt Collectors Fight to Expand Use of License Plate Tracking Devices
GovSlaves - Despite the objections of millions of Americans and civil liberties advocates, the Department of Homeland Security refuses completely to abandon its license plate tracking program. And now, other government and industry agencies are joining in the surveillance…Last year Bloomberg reported that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Forest Service (among others) awarded nearly half a million dollars to Vigilant Solutions, a California-based company that provides tools for tracking license plates and for accessing license plate databases.

VIDEO: Jade Helm: 'Honor or Deception?'
Gary Franchi @ NextNewsNetwork - Is the largest military exercising in American history about impending martial law? Or is it really the prelude to war with IRAN? Globally the top story right now, if you are paying attention, is JADE HELM. The domestic military exercise that has america very concerned. Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, the Governor of Texas and even Chuck Norris are raising concerns....

Pentagon boosts alert level at military bases following ISIS threats
RT - The US military has increased the security level at US military bases due to unspecific warnings involving the radical Islamic State terrorist group. The alert level is now at its highest since the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The order to boost the security level on US military bases to “Bravo” – the third of five levels of alert - was ordered by Admiral William Gortney, head of the US Northern Command (NORTHCOM), which commands all military installations on American territory.

Congress Tells Court That Congress Can't Be Investigated for Insider Trading
The Intercept - In a little-noticed brief filed last summer, lawyers for the House of Representatives claimed that an SEC investigation of congressional insider trading should be blocked on principle, because lawmakers and their staff are constitutionally protected from such inquiries given the nature of their work. In 2012, members of Congress patted themselves on the back for passing the STOCK Act, a bill meant to curb insider trading for lawmakers and their staff... But as the Securities and Exchange Commission made news with the first major investigation of political insider trading, Congress moved to block the inquiry.

Caught On Tape: Stunned Reporter Grills State Department Why Hillary's Breaches Won't Be Investigated
Zero Hedge - The most shocking development took place yesterday when the US State Department, via spokesman Jeff Rathke, told reporters that while it "regrets" that it did not get to review the new foreign government funding, it does not plan to look into the matter further, spokesman Jeff Rathke said on Thursday. "The State Department has not and does not intend to initiate a formal review or to make a retroactive judgment about items that were not submitted during Secretary Clinton's tenure," Rathke told reporters. And while the "unbiased" media kept its mouth shut, on person who did speak up was AP's Matt Lee who asked why the State Department wouldn't investigate further to determine if the tens of millions of dollars in donations had influenced her decisions while she was SecState.

Economy & Business

Social Security Forecasts Miscalculated By Over $1 Trillion
Breitbart - According to new data compiled by researchers from Harvard and Dartmouth universities, the Social Security Administration’s actuarial projections over the last 15 years have been overly optimistic about the health of the program’s trust funds and missed the mark by over $1 trillion. “These biases are getting bigger and they are substantial. (Social Security) is going to be insolvent before everyone thinks,” said Gary King, co-author of the reports and director of Harvard’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science. He added that the SSA’s forecasts have been “systematically biased and overconfident.” According to the report, the SSA’s actuarial projections in the 1980s underestimated revenues and overestimated costs by $27 billion; in the 1990s, that figure was $200 billion. Now, in the first ten years after 2000, the forecasts overestimated revenue and underestimated costs to the total of $1 trillion.

The Average Age Of A Minimum Wage Worker In America Is 36
Economic Collapse - One of the big reasons for this is that we have created two classes of workers in the United States. “Full-time workers” are entitled to an array of benefits and protections by law that “part-time workers” do not get. And thanks to perverse incentives contained in Obamacare and other ridiculous laws, we have motivated employers to move as many workers from the “full-time” category to the “part-time” category as possible. It may be hard to believe, but right now only 44 percent of all U.S. adults are employed for 30 or more hours each week.

Energy & Environment

Oil Seeps into Hudson River After Nuclear Plant Transformer Catches Fire
(Reuters) Oil leaked into the Hudson River on Sunday after a transformer fire and explosion a day earlier at the Indian Point nuclear plant north of New York City, and Governor Andrew Cuomo said he was concerned about environmental damage. When the transformer exploded, it released oil into a holding tank, which then overflowed, sending oil onto the ground and into the river, Cuomo told reporters on Sunday after he was briefed by emergency and plant officials. He said crews were working to contain and clean up the oil spill but it was not clear yet how much oil had been released.

Transformer Explosion At The Indian Point Nuclear Facility Near New York Is 'Contained'
Zero Hedge - The words "explosion", "New York", "black smoke", and "nuclear" strike fear into the heart of most people but according to Entergy - who runs Indian Point, "the nuclear facility has been safely shutdown following a transformer failure." Reports of a loud blast at the nuclear facility just 38 miles north of New York, with dense black smoke rising from Unit 3 are no concern and represent "no danger to public health and safety." The plant, which dates back to 1962 (although the currently used reactors were installed later in the 70s) had just been brought back online on Friday, after being shut down for a steam leak repair.

Fracking Companies Selling Their Waste Water to Farmers for Our Crops
Activist Post - Care2 reports that Big Oil has farmers over a barrel, so to speak. To the tune of of 21 million gallons of waste water per day — sold to Kern County for farming for $30 per acre-foot, and potentially damaging the end product - our food. Untreated, untested. They are getting rich, while normally they'd be required to pay for disposal. Scientist Scott Smith conducted independent tests on the waste water only to find "traces of oil as well as high concentrations of methylene chloride (considered a carcinogen) and acetone in the water." Chevron denies that they use those chemicals, hides behind "trade secrets" and claims safety. It is also unfortunately salt-ridden.

BP wins right to appeal some Gulf spill damages claims
(Reuters) A U.S. federal appeals court said on Friday BP Plc (BP.L) deserves the right to appellate review of some damage claims awarded to people and businesses in connection with the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans could help BP limit its payout to victims of the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which killed 11 workers and caused the largest U.S. offshore oil spill.

The grass IS greener in Hollywood: Aerial photos expose how stars keep their gardens lush despite state's worst drought in history
Daily Mail - In response to the crippling drought, Gov Jerry Brown has enacted even tighter rules on water consumption calling for an up to 36 per cent cut. Las Virgenes Municipal Water District which, supplies many of these opulent homes with their water supplies says they are trying to get A-listers 'on the bus' but that a maximum fine of $100 dollars doesn't exactly inspire huge motivation to millionaires. Gov Brown promised to get new legislation passed that could up the penalty to a $10,000 fine, though no such bill has been introduced as of yet.

Science & Technology

Federal Courts Green Light Police Access to Cellphone Tower Records without a Warrant
AllGov - The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (pdf) Tuesday that police were justified in asking a mobile phone provider to hand over the records of Quartavious Davis, who was convicted of committing seven armed robberies in South Florida in 2010. As part of the evidence used against Davis, prosecutors presented data showing that Davis’ phone was using cell towers near sites of robberies. In a 9-2 vote, the court said that mobile phone users should have no expectation of privacy. The ruling closely followed the reasoning in a 2013 decision from the Fifth Circuit. The ruling overturned a previous decision (pdf) last June by a three-judge panel of the court that said a warrant was necessary. Tuesday’s ruling was from the entire 11th Circuit.

Armed Drones Seen as Dogfight-Ready in (Not-Too-Distant) Future
Bloomberg - As the fighter jet of the future rolls and climbs to outmaneuver an enemy plane and bore in for the kill, one thing will be missing: a pilot. That’s the vision of Northrop Grumman Corp., which is working on an autonomous fighter programmed for aerial combat without human control. Northrop has already refueled its experimental X-47B unmanned combat jet in flight and made takeoffs and landings from an aircraft carrier.... While a dogfighting drone remains “a ways out,” as Winship put it, the time frame for achieving that capability may be measured in years, not decades.

Health

California Wants to be First State to Classify Unvaccinated Adults who Work with Children as Criminals
Health Impact News - SB 792, would eliminate an adult’s right to exempt themselves from one, some, or all vaccines, a risk-laden medical procedure. This bill would make California the first state to require mandated vaccinations for all childcare workers, including all private and public school early childhood education programs (Headstart, Private preK and preschools), family daycares, and daycare centers. ALL employed adults must be up-to-date on each vaccine listed on CDC’s adult immunization schedule (except HPV) or be denied employment. SB 792, would eliminate an adult’s right to exempt themselves from one, some, or all vaccines – a risk-laden medical procedure.

Why 80% of Us Are Deficient In Magnesium
Green Med Info - Few people are aware of the enormous role magnesium plays in our bodies. Magnesium is by far the most important mineral in the body. After oxygen, water, and basic food, magnesium may be the most important element needed by our bodies; vitally important, yet hardly known. It is more important than calcium, potassium or sodium and regulates all three of them.... The first symptoms of deficiency can be subtle – as most magnesium is stored in the tissues, leg cramps, foot pain, or muscle 'twitches' can be the first sign. Other early signs of deficiency include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weakness. As magnesium deficiency worsens, numbness, tingling, seizures, personality changes, abnormal heart rhythms, and coronary spasms can occur.

VIDEO: How to Make Your Own Fruit and Vegetable Wash
Commercial fruit and vegetable washes fail to work better than tap water, but there is a cheap do-it-yourself solution that may completely eliminate certain pesticide residues.

Pet News

This Could Mean Life or Death for Your Pet... Are You Ready?
Dr. Becker - It makes sense to have a plan drawn up and supplies gathered in advance of these potential emergencies because at that moment, it could be too late. Doing so now will save you time, anxiety, and even panic when the worst happens.
 



Friday - May 8, 2015 - Today in History:

1794 - The United States Post Office was established.
1846 - The first major battle of the Mexican War was fought. The battle occurred in Palo Alto, TX.
1886 - Pharmacist Dr. John Styth Pemberton invented what would later be called "Coca-Cola."
1904 - U.S. Marines landed in Tangier to protect the Belgian legation.
1914 - The U.S. Congress passed a Joint Resolution that designated the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.
1945 - U.S. President Harry Truman announced that World War II had ended in Europe.
1958 - President Eisenhower ordered the National Guard out of Little Rock as Ernest Green became the first black to graduate from an Arkansas public school.
1973 - Militant American Indians who had held the South Dakota hamlet of Wounded Knee for 10 weeks surrendered.
1984 - The Soviet Union announced that they would not participate in the 1984 Summer Olympics Games in Los Angeles.
1986 - Reporters were told that 84,000 people had been evacuated from areas near the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Soviet Ukraine.
1998 - A pipe burst leaving a million residents without water in Malaysia's capital area. This added to four days of shortages that 2 million already faced.
1999 - The first female cadet graduated from The Citadel military college.

World News

War in Ukraine. Kiev Economic Blockade Directed against Donbass, Humanitarian Crisis
Global Research - Pro-Kiev forces have destroyed a gas pipeline and a cafe building in Donetsk with artillery shelling. “After an explosive object hit, roof and floor were destroyed on an area of 2,500 meters in the Dilyara cafe on Marshal Zhukov Street. A shell also damaged a gas pipeline on Signalnaya Street,” the press service Donetsk city administration said on Wednesday. The DPR emergencies ministry has confirmed information about shellings. According to its reports around 300 explosive objects were found near Lisichanskaya, including 105 artillery shells of 152mm, 14 of 125mm and 20 mines for a 120mm mortar. Explosive objects were also found near Khartsyzsk, Debaltsevo and Gorlovka.

Pyongyang Warns of 'Targeted Strikes' Against South Korea's Navy
Sputnik News - Pyongyang signaled its readiness to stage "unannounced targeted strikes" at South Korea's navy, which North Korea said allegedly violated its territorial waters off the Korean Peninsula's west coast, sources said.... The KPA claimed that South Korean naval speedboats made a "military provocation" by crossing into the North's territorial waters in the Yellow Sea in the first week of May "under the pretext" of intercepting Chinese fishing boats.

Cameron Sweeps to Victory in Shock UK Elections
Sputnik News - British Prime Minister David Cameron has shot to victory against all predictions in the general election that has seen his Labour opponent Ed Miliband trounced and his former Liberal Democrat coalition partners decimated.
* Related: UKIP's Nigel Farage fails to win Thanet South seat in #GE2015

US Begins Combat Training of Syrian Opposition - Defense Secretary
Sputnik News - The United States has started combat training of Syrian opposition forces, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said during a press briefing on Thursday. “Combat training has begun for a company size group of new Syrian forces,” Carter said. “The program is a critical and complex part of our counter ISIL [Islamic State] efforts.” Carter added that a second group of Syrian soldiers will begin training in a couple of weeks.

Al-Qaeda leader who claimed responsibility for Charlie Hebdo killed - report
RT - Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has reportedly announced that one of its senior officials was killed in a US airstrike along with his eldest son and other fighters. Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi was killed in a US airstrike, according to SITE jihadist monitoring group, citing an Al-Qaeda announcement. The report suggests he died on the night of April 21-22 in the port city of Al Mukalla in the south of Yemen. According to witnesses, an apparent drone strike destroyed a vehicle parked near the presidential palace there, killing the six Al-Qaeda militants inside. The information cannot be independently verified so far.

Canada Approves Nuclear Waste Site on Great Lakes Shore
Sputnik News - The Joint Review Panel made its recommendation in a report to Canada's environment minister, Leona Aglukkaq, who is expected to issue a decision within 120 days. "The Panel concludes that the project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects" given the measures contemplated to curb them, says the 457-page report. Despite 152 communities voicing opposition to the project, the panel endorsed the Deep Geologic Repository (DGR), which would see nuclear waste buried some 2,000 feet underground near the shore of Lake Huron.

Ebola news

Ebola is found in doctor's eye months after virus left blood
(AP) - For the first time, Ebola has been discovered inside the eyes of a patient months after the virus was gone from his blood.... The new report concerns Dr. Ian Crozier, a 43-year-old American physician diagnosed with Ebola in September while working with the World Health Organization in Sierra Leone. He was treated at Emory University Hospital's special Ebola unit in Atlanta and released in October when Ebola was no longer detected in his blood. Two months later, he developed an inflammation and very high blood pressure in one eye, which causes swelling and potentially serious vision problems.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Secret Deal Could Contain a Myriad of Gun Restrictions, Ammo Bans!
Gun Owners of America - Gun import bans … Microstamping of firearms … Ammunition bans … The full implementation of the anti-gun UN Arms Trade Treaty … Illegal amnesty which locks in millions of new, anti-gun voters. This anti-gun wish list could be part of the secret trade agreement that President Obama is getting ready to spring on the Congress. This trade pact is called “fast track,” and what it means is that Obama can write any form of gun control he chooses into a trade agreement — import bans, amnesty, etc. And this agreement DOESN’T need two-thirds vote in the Senate, as a treaty would. When completed, the agreement is merely subject to a majority vote in both Houses … it can’t be filibustered … it can’t be amended … and the GOP can’t refuse to consider it.

San Francisco probe of police racism puts 3,000 cases under review
RT - Thousands of arrests will be reviewed as part of an investigation into San Francisco police officers who exchanged racist and homophobic texts. Prosecutors will look for traces of possible officer bias in some 3,000 criminal cases. Fourteen officers are currently being investigated by the San Francisco District Attorney’s office over derogatory text messages using racial slurs against blacks, Mexicans, Filipinos and gays, and repeatedly using the phrase “white power.” The texts were sent in 2011 and 2012, and surfaced earlier this year in a federal case involving a corrupt SFPD officer.

VIDEO: Meet The Patriot Act 2.0
Blacklisted News - The U.S. government is on the verge of passing a surveillance bill that some are calling the Patriot Act 2.0. The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, aka CISA, will double down on all the bulk data the government has already been collecting on you. Plus now it’ll allow businesses to share your personal info with the government and with each other – if they deem what you’re doing a threat. But we all know that’s open to interpretation.
* Full Bill Text: S.754 - Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015

17 Different Videos Showing Military Preparations for Obama’s “Martial Law” Exercises
Conservative Tribune - If you doubted the seriousness and the scope of President Barack Obama’s Jade Helm 15 domestic military exercise, you need to look at these videos. These 17 videos on YouTube show that Jade Helm 15 — a set of special operations exercises many believe might be a precursor to martial law — isn’t anything to sneeze at.

Town Installs License Plate Scanning Cameras in Cactuses
Paul Joseph Watson - The town of Paradise Valley in Arizona has installed license plate scanning cameras in fake cactuses with no public consultation whatsoever, just days after the DHS announced its intention to revive a nationwide version of the program. Residents were alarmed to see the cactus cameras popping up throughout the town over the last few days with no indication of what they were being used for as city officials refused to explain their purpose until all the cameras were installed.

Rookie officers suing fellow cops who 'intimidated' them and illegally searched their cellphones
MassPrivateI - An investigation of a rowdy graduation party involving rookie Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police officers unconstitutionally relied on searches of their private cellphones, the union for officers claimed in a lawsuit. The Port Authority Police Benevolent Association cited what it calls "widespread, ongoing and unconstitutional searches" of private cellphones in a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court. It sought unspecified damages for the handling of the probe, which resulted in the firings of nine officers and the suspensions of several others.

BREAKING: Police Seize 10 Children From Homeschool Family Because They’re Off-Grid
Off the Grid News - Until Wednesday, Joe and Nicole Naugler lived with their 10 kids in a cabin on 26 acres in Breckinridge County, about an hour southwest of Louisville.... Acting on an anonymous tip about the family’s off-grid lifestyle, sheriff’s officers entered the property and home Wednesday, and even blocked the access road to the family property, the family says. Joe and eight of the children were away, but Nicole – who is five-months pregnant – was home with the two oldest kids. Sheriff deputies then seemingly allowed Nicole and the two children to drive away but they got only a short distance before deputies pulled them over and took the two children away from the mom, who was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.... Later, the sheriff ordered Joe to turn over the other children by 10 a.m. or be arrested for felony charges, the family says. He complied.
* Related: The Naugler Family's Blessed Little Homestead Blog and Facebook Page

Trade associations still seeking injunction against Vermont’s GMO-labeling law
RT - The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), the Snack Food Association (SFA), the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) are seeking a preliminary injunction against a Vermont law that requires companies to label foods that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). US District Court Judge Christina Reiss denied the group’s request for a preliminary injunction at the end of April. On Wednesday, the group filed a notice of appeal in Burlington’s US District Court and is working on a legal brief outlining their grounds for appeal in the coming weeks, GMA said in a statement.

Economy & Business

New York Gives Out First Bitcoin Exchange License to ItBit
Sputnik News - The trust company charter, granted by the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYSDFS) gives the exchange a status similar to a that of a bank. It also means that ItBit can start serving customers across the country.,,, Bitcoin companies have often run into difficulties opening accounts with banks who viewed them as risky or unstable. Establishing itself as bank-like entity itself obviates the need for itBit to rely on other banking institutions.

U.S. Pays $3B for UN--More Than 185 Other Countries Combined
CNS News - American taxpayers will pony up around $3.024 billion this year towards the United Nations’ regular and peacekeeping budgets, more than what 185 other countries combined are paying, an expert on the international body told U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday. While the U.S. contribution in 2015 to the U.N. regular budget is $621.9 million, the 35 countries contributing the least will pay just $28,269 each, Heritage Foundation scholar Brett Schaefer told the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee responsible for multilateral institutions. And where the U.S. will pay $2.402 billion towards the separate peacekeeping budget, the 20 countries contributing the least will pay just $8,470 each.

Farmland Prices Down 9%, Predicted to Drop Another 25%
Breitbart - ...in January that farmland prices were estimated to have fallen 3 percent, for their first fall since 1986. But the Chicago Federal Reserve just upped the decline to 8.9 percent, and “Grant’s Interest Rate Observer” warns that farmland is now in a long-term “bear market” with prices vulnerable to another 20-to-25 percent decline.... The U.S. Department of Agriculture documents that net American farm income after peaked at a record $129 billion in 2012; fell by 32 percent in 2013 to $108 billion; and in 2014 dropped another 27 percent to $73.6 billion, the lowest income since the 2009 financial crisis.

Energy & Environment

VIDEO: 5/07/2015 -- Noteworthy Texas 4.0M earthquake @ fracking operation south of Dallas
Dutchsinse - A noteworthy (and rare) 4.0 magnitude earthquake has struck South of Dallas Texas in Venus, TX ---- directly below a fracking operation. Texas officials have been DENYING the fracking is causing earthquakes in their region. Over the past few months, multiple 2.0M – 3.0M+ earthquakes have struck around the Dallas Texas area. The Texas Railroad Commission, those charged with the approval of gas wells for the State of Texas, literally denied a fracking earthquake connection.

California Sued to Halt Dumping of Toxic Oil Waste
Sputnik News - Environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the US state of California to stop the oil industry from dumping millions of gallons of toxic oil waste into dwindling underground water supplies, the Center for Biological Diversity said in a press release.... The lawsuit challenges new state regulations that would allow oil companies to inject fluids into aquifers until February 2017 in violation of state and federal law and despite a water-scarcity crisis caused by the worst drought on record, the release explained.

Science & Technology

Victory: Federal Appeals Court Declares NSA Domestic Spying on Telephone Calls Illegal, ‘Staggering’ in Scope, and Unauthorized by USA Patriot Act
The Rutherford Institute - Describing the National Security Agency’s (NSA) domestic spying program that collects data about virtually all telephone calls made in the United States as “staggering” in its scope and unauthorized by the Patriot Act, a federal appeals court has struck down the agency’s surveillance program, ruling that the program violates a federal law authorizing more limited investigations in support of national security.
* Related: Senate GOP leader pushes for phone spying after court says it’s illegal

Here's What Just a Few Days Without Electronic Devices Did For Children Reading Human Emotion
Marco.Torres - Researchers suggest children's social skills are declining as they have less time for face-to-face interaction due to their increased use of digital media, according to a UCLA psychology study. Scientists found that sixth-graders who went five days without even glancing at a smartphone, television or other digital screen did substantially better at reading human emotions than sixth-graders from the same school who continued to spend hours each day looking at their electronic devices.

Health

Pasteurized Milk Speeds Death, Heart Disease, Cancer, Bone Fractures; Yogurt and Cheese Have Opposite Effects
Green Med Info - Following a large study, surprise has coursed through the veins of the medical media that milk is not as good for you as once thought. But the less hyped impact of this large study reveals another, greater lesson: Pasteurized milk is harmful to our health while fermented dairy such as yogurt and cheese extends life and reduces cancer and heart disease.

A Delicious & Easy Way To Boost Your Immunity
Green Med Info - Here is a delicious and easy way to boost your body's ability to respond to allergies, infections and inflammatory conditions. Medicinal mushroom experts have been telling us for years that mushrooms can help prevent numerous immunological conditions, including cancer and inflammatory ailments. Is this simply wishful thinking? No. These effects have been backed with hard science. Now we find that even so-called culinary mushrooms also have many of these immunity-boosting effects. Once again, clinical research is providing the evidence.

Vegetarian Protein: 55+ Awesome Protein Sources for Vegetarian
Natural Society - Getting my essential amino acids (you need 20 of them) is key to eschewing beef, chicken, pork, and other meats in favor of vegetables. Even if you aren’t a complete vegetarian or vegan, and you choose to minimize meat consumption (which Harvard says is good for you) you have to be sure you are getting your amino acids (protein) in another bio-available form.

Pet News

Why Carrageenan Can Be Dangerous to your Pet
Susan Thixton - The Cornucopia Institute published a very detailed report of carrageenan in 2013 that provides some very concerning evidence regarding this common canned/moist pet food ingredient. It is unknown why so many pet food manufacturers continue to ignore the science linking serious illness to this ingredient. Finding a canned/moist pet food without carrageenan is not easy; far too many pet foods use this ingredient as a thickener in moist pet foods. Sourced from seaweed, pet food (and human food) continues to claim it is safe – but science is proving the opposite.... To read the full Cornucopia Institute report on carrageenan, Click Here
 



Thursday - May 7, 2015 - Today in History:

1763 - Indian chief Pontiac began all out war on the British in New York.
1789 - The first U.S. Presidential Inaugural Ball was held in New York City.
1800 - The U.S. Congress divided the Northwest Territory into two parts. The western part became the Indiana Territory and the eastern section remained the Northwest Territory.

1915 - A German torpedo sank the British liner Lusitania off the Irish coast, killing nearly 1,200 people.
1939 - Germany and Italy announced a military and political alliance, the Rome-Berlin Axis.
1954 - The Battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam ended after 55 days with Vietnamese insurgents overrunning French forces.
1977 - Seattle Slew won the Kentucky Derby on his way to horse racing's Triple Crown.
1984 - A $180 million out-of-court settlement was announced in the Agent Orange class-action suit brought by Vietnam veterans.
1992 - A 203-year-old proposed constitutional amendment barring Congress from giving itself a midterm pay raise was ratified when Michigan became the 38th state to approve it.
2000 - President Vladimir Putin took the oath of office in Russia's first democratic transfer of power.
2000 - Russian President Vladimir V. Putin named First Deputy Premier Mikhail Kasyanov as premier.
2004 – American businessman Nick Berg is beheaded by Islamic militants. The act is recorded on videotape and released on the Internet.
2008 - Dmitry Medvedev was sworn in as Russia's president.
2013 - The Dow Jones industrial average closed at 15,056.20. It was the first time it had closed over 15,000.

World News

Yemen govt calls on UN to ‘save’ country with foreign boots on the ground says report
RT - The Yemeni government has sent a letter to the UN asking “to quickly intervene by land forces to save” the nation. The contested cities of Aden and Taiz are of particular concern to anti-Houthi forces, according to the letter seen by Reuters. Yemen’s UN envoy Khaled Alyemany reportedly sent the letter on Wednesday. Such a move could provide a legal ground for putting foreign boots on the ground in the war-torn country. Addressed to the UN Security Council, the letter also asks human rights groups to record “barbaric violations against a defenseless population” and blames the Houthi Shiite rebels for the death of civilians.

CIA 'mission accomplished' in Afghanistan: Afghan poppy farmers say new seeds will boost opium output
(AP) - It's the cash crop of the Taliban and the scourge of Afghanistan — the country's intractable opium cultivation. This year, many Afghan poppy farmers are expecting a windfall as they get ready to harvest opium from a new variety of poppy seeds said to boost yield of the resin that produces heroin. The plants grow bigger, faster, use less water than seeds they've used before, and give up to double the amount of opium, they say. No one seems to know where the seeds originate from.

7.2 earthquake hits off Papua New Guinea, warning of 'hazardous tsunami waves'
RT - An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 struck off Papua New Guinea on Thursday, the US Geological Survey reported. This is just two days after a 7.4-magnitude jolt shook the southern coast.... A tsunami alert has been issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre for islands in the region. "Hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within 300km of the epicenter along the coasts of Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea," the agency has warned.
* Related Video: Dutchsinse: More signs of major global seismic unrest

US Aims to Block Russia, China from Vetoing Renewal of Iranian Sanctions
Sputnik News - The United States wants to ensure that any nuclear deal between Iran and major powers includes the possibility of restoring United Nations sanctions if Tehran breaks the agreement. It’s a stipulation Moscow and Beijing stand firmly against. That so-called “snapback” is a major sticking point for US and European negotiators, who want to be able to automatically reverse the easing of any UN sanctions if Iran reneges on the deal, sources told Reuters. At the same time, Washington does not want to risk vetoes from Russia and China, which oppose such a snapback.

Obama to Push For Creation of Persian Gulf Missile Defense System
Sputnik News - The White House is preparing to make its pitch to Gulf allies next week for the creation of a region-wide defense system against Iranian missiles, which President Barack Obama hopes will calm their nerves over a nuclear deal with Tehran. The offer could include enhanced security commitments, new arms sales and more joint military exercises, US officials told Reuters, as Obama tries to reassure Gulf Arab countries that Washington is not forsaking them in its work toward a deal with Iran.

5-star resort opens for ISIS supporters in Iraq
RT - The battlefield is a place of few comforts, so the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) has decided to re-open a luxury hotel in conquered territory to give its jihadists a bit of R&R. The Ninawa International Hotel in Mosul used to be one of the most luxurious in Iraq, catering to foreign guests and local dignitaries. However, its 262 rooms will now be used by extremist terror group.... The re-opening of the hotel is one of the latest moves by the IS to try and present a view that life is running as normal in the areas under its control in Iraq and Syria.

Western anti-Russia sanctions could cost Japanese business $10bn
RT - The cost to Japanese business of sanctions imposed against Russia by Western countries could be $10 billion according to the Russian Trade Mission in Japan. Trade between Moscow and Tokyo was almost $30.4 billion in 2014. “In the medium term we can talk about up to $10 billion. This is a very substantial damage," Sergey Egorov, the Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in Japan told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

Roboforce: Chinese plant replaces 90 percent of workers with robots
RT - A Chinese company has begun building the first factory in the Dongguan manufacturing hub in the south of the country which will be staffed almost exclusively by robots, in a countrywide automation drive. Initially about 1,000 robots will be used at the factory of the Shenzhen Evenwin Precision Technology Co, which produces components for mobile phones. "The use of industrial robots will help the company to reduce the number of frontline workers by at least 90 percent," said Chen Xingqi, the chairman of the company’s board, China Daily reported. "When all the 1,000 industrial robots are put into operation in the coming months, we will only need to recruit fewer than 200 software technicians and management personnel."

Denmark suspends fracking over ‘hazardous’ chemicals
RT - Denmark has suspended the first exploratory drilling for shale gas which lasted only one day after it discovered that French gas-giant Total, in charge of the project, had used “unauthorized” chemicals. They used a product that was not part of those authorized" for the procedure, Ture Falbe-Hansen, a Danish Energy Agency spokesman told AFP Wednesday. The type of defoamer known as Null Foam is used in fracking to extract shale gas and is considered hazardous to the environment, according to Danish public broadcaster DR.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

VIDEO: Asymmetric Warfare: The Sleeping Giant Awakens on Live TV
Prison Planet - Americans confront military colonel on C-SPAN over “mock US city” training center. Americans flooded the C-SPAN phone lines Wednesday with questions for Colonel John Petkosek, commander of the U.S. Army Asymmetric Warfare Group at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia, on a multitude of issues including the facility’s resemblance to the United States and gun confiscation by military soldiers during Hurricane Katrina. Link to CSPAN video.

SIS Targeting States With Strict Gun Control Laws
Kit Daniels - ISIS reportedly released a list of five states it’s ready to attack, three of which have some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation. The states, which were named in a message signed by Abu Ibrahim Al Ameriki and shared on Twitter, included California, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan and Virginia. “Four out of the five states listed have passing grades from groups that support MORE gun control and disarming the populace,” an AR-15.com forum member pointed out.

ISIS threatens controversial blogger Pamela Geller in message boasting of '71 trained soldiers in 15 different states'
NY Daily News - ISIS appears to declare war on controversial blogger Pamela Geller on Tuesday in an ominous online message claiming it has fighters across America ready to attack "any target we desire."

Corporate Media Connects Garland Shooters to ISIS Through British Hacker
Kurt Nimmo | Junaid Hussain spent time in British prison for hacking PM Tony Blair’s account. The Daily Mail reports one of the two suspects in the Garland, Texas shooting were assisted by Junaid Hussain, described as a British hacker loyal to ISIS. From Daily Mail: Just hours before the shooting in Garland, Texas took place, a Twitter account understood to belong to gunman Elton Simpson, 31, demanded readers follow a second account controlled by a notorious ISIS fighter who uses the nom de guerre Abu Hussain al-Britani. That man is known to be Junaid Hussain, 21 – a former computer hacker turned jihadi who joined ISIS after fleeing his home city of Birmingham in 2013.

Rep. Gohmert on Jade Helm: We Never Named a State ‘Hostile’
Kit Daniels - “I have participated in or observed military exercises; however, we never named an existing city or state as a ‘hostile,’” he said. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), a U.S. Army veteran, said it was unprecedented for the military to list U.S. cities and states as “hostile” during a war game.

Baltimore cop argues Freddie Gray had illegal knife
USA Today - In a motion filed Monday, one of Nero's attorneys, Marc Zayon, states the knife is illegal under both city and state law. City law prohibits the sale, possession or carrying of "any knife with an automatic spring or other device for opening and/or closing the blade," commonly called a switchblade. The state statue applies to a knife "having a blade that opens automatically by hand pressure applied to a button, spring, or other device in the handle." "We will litigate the issues of the legality of the arrest of Freddie Gray in the courtroom," Zayon said in a statement. "I am quite confident Officer Nero will be acquitted."

The FBI’s secret air force watched the streets of Baltimore
Ars Technica - As tensions eased and protests continued this past weekend in Baltimore, a small squadron of aircraft circled neighborhoods affected by the riots and other violence of April 27—providing Baltimore City Police with an eye in the sky to monitor the protests and other "possible criminal activity," as an FBI official told the Washington Post. These aircraft (or at least some of them) were part of the FBI's secret surveillance air force—small planes with sensors perfected for battlefield intelligence in Iraq and Afghanistan that have quietly seen service all over the country. The aircraft, equipped with high-definition day and night surveillance systems, gave police a way to spot curfew-breakers on the streets from the sky.

Economy & Business

It Begins: US Government Issues $700,000 Fine Against A Digital Currency
Zero Hedge - By going after Ripple (a major player in the industry), FinCEN is trying to scare all the smaller players into ratting out their customers. You don’t see rich, stable countries doing this sort of thing. In fact, the exact opposite. An official from HK Treasury recently stated that: “the Government does not consider it necessary to introduce at the moment new legislation to regulate trading in such virtual commodities or prohibit people from participating in such activities.”

Repatriation Of Gold From Fed Suggests Historic Vote Of No Confidence
Zero Hedge - Since 2012, there’s been an unprecedented call from foreign nations to repatriate their gold from Federal Reserve vaults in the U.S. This is an incredible development given many countries’ 71-year reliance on the Fed as a custodian for their bullion. Something huge must of happened in the last few years to prompt such action. That something may be a break in foreign gold holders’ trust in the Fed as a custodian of their precious metals.

Military Site’s Forecast for 2025: Economic Collapse Will Lead to Massive 78% Depopulation in America
Mac Slavo - With economic malaise on the horizon and any number of triggers ready to set things into motion, military site Deagel.com recently posted their global forecast for 2025. The site, rumored to be a front for various alphabet intelligence agencies, says that America will soon see a large reverse migration as those who came here seeking riches and safety will emigrate out of the country following a serious, multi-year crisis. According to the report the economy of the United States will dwindle from a GDP of $17.4 trillion today to just over $800 billion in the next 10 years – a decline of about 95% with respect to the goods and services produced within our own borders. Such a decline would be staggering, but it’s not the most ominous aspect of the report.

This Is Why They Are Militarizing: ‘The World Will Become Baltimore When People Realize They Cannot Acquire Basic Resources’
Mac Slavo - No matter the negative economic news or weak corporate earnings, stock markets continue to reach news highs and mainstream media pundits tow the party line. But how is this possible, given that tens of millions are out of the workforce, on food stamps and completely broke? The answer, according to Gregory Mannarino, is quite simple. The world’s central banks and governments have been left with no other option. They are throwing absolutely everything they can at the problem in an effort to keep the system propped up for as long as possible. But as Mannarino notes in his recent interview with Greg Hunter’s USA Watchdog, it’s nothing more than a setup that will leave most of the world’s population, especially the middle class in first-world countries, totally wiped out and impoverished.

Science & Technology

Ancestry.com Is Now Sharing Your DNA With The Police
Activist Post - The police state just took a very dark turn. We all know that private corporations tend to side with the government on privacy issues, and they’re more than willing to hand over our information when the government asks for it.... Sometimes, it involves our DNA, which is what Michael Usry Jr. learned when the police called him in for questioning in regards to a bogus hit and run incident. In reality, they were trying to solve a cold case involving the 1994 murder of Angie Dodge in Idaho Falls. So why did they think he was the killer? Because, his father’s DNA, which was a very close match the killer’s, had been submitted to Ancestry.com.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Bird Flu Has Already Killed More Than 20 MILLION Turkeys And Chickens In The United States
Economic Collapse - Are you prepared to go without turkey this Thanksgiving? Yes, it might actually get that bad. So far, the worst outbreak of bird flu in U.S. history has claimed the lives of more than 20 million turkeys and chickens, and the pandemic continues to rage wildly out of control. Once one bird becomes infected, this particular strain of the virus is so virulent that it can virtually wipe out an entire flock in just a matter of days. At this point, scientists think that this virus is being spread by wild birds, but they have no idea how it is getting inside barns and other enclosed facilities so easily.

Texas “Free Enterprise” Raw Milk Bill Scheduled for Vote
Health Impact News - Texas lawmakers will have the opportunity to make it easier for consumers to buy raw milk on Thursday (May 7, 2015), when House Bill 91 is scheduled to come up for a vote on the floor of the House. The bill, which was approved by the Public Health Committee, will loosen the current regulations that only allow raw milk to be sold on the farm by allowing dairy farmers to sell raw milk at farmers’ markets and to make delivery arrangements with their customers.

Health

Heightened BPA Exposure Linked to Diabetes
Green Med Info - New research from the West Virginia University School of Medicine has confirmed other research finding that Bisphenol A (BPA) – found among various plastics and resins in consumer goods – may lead or contribute to both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Vegetarian Protein: 55+ Awesome Protein Sources for Vegetarian
Natural Society - As an ‘almost’ vegetarian myself, I often get asked how I can consume enough protein just eating plants in order to be healthy. I love to cook my own healthful meals where I use ingredients that I either grew myself or can be 100% sure are organic and non-GMO. But for vegans and vegetarians there are other health risks that get overlooked – such as signs of protein deficiency, which can cause serious health issues.

6 FDA-Approved Foods Banned in Other Countries
Natural Society - Did you know that various food ingredients and foods found in the United States are actually banned in other countries? Indeed, some nations have found the following foods so bad for your health that they have made them illegal, yet the US Food and Drug Administration says to eat up!

Pet News

Think Your Pet Has Arthritis? This Could Make Him Puppy-Like Again
Dr. Becker - According to Professor Éric Troncy of the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, arthritis pain in dogs can be alleviated, with no side effects, by a combination of medicinal plants and dietary supplements. “While acupuncture and electrical stimulation are two approaches that have been shown to have positive effects on dogs, until now few studies have investigated a plant-based approach to therapy,” explained Troncy, who is senior author of a study detailing his findings that was published in the journal Research in Veterinary Science.
 



Wednesday - May 6, 2015 - Today in History:

1835 - James Gordon Bennett published the "New York Herald" for the first time.
1861 - Arkansas became the ninth state to secede from the Union.
1877 - Chief Crazy Horse surrendered to U.S. troops in Nebraska.
1882 - The U.S. Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act. The act barred Chinese immigrants from the U.S. for 10 years.
1889 - The Universal Exposition opened in Paris, France, marking the dedication of the Eiffel Tower.
1937 - The German airship Hindenburg crashed and burned in Lakehurst, NJ. Thirty-six people (of the 97 on board) were killed.
1941 - Bob Hope gave his first USO show at California's March Field.
1942 - During World War II, the Japanese seized control of the Philippines. About 15,000 Americans and Filipinos on Corregidor surrendered to the Japanese.
1960 - U.S. President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1960.
1962 - The first nuclear warhead was fired from the Polaris submarine.
1981 - A jury of international architects and sculptors unanimously selected Maya Ying Lin's entry for the design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
1994 - Former Arkansas state worker Paula Jones filed suit against U.S. President Clinton. The case alleged that he had sexually harassed her in 1991.
1997 - Army Staff Sgt. Delmar G. Simpson was sentenced to 25 years in prison for raping six trainees at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
1997 - Four health-care companies agreed to a settlement of $600 million to hemophiliacs who had contracted AIDS from tainted blood between 1978-1985.
1999 - A parole board in New York voted to release Amy Fisher. She had been in jail for 7 years for shooting her lover's wife, Mary Jo Buttafuoco, in the face.
2001 - Chandra Levy's parents reported her missing to police in Washington, DC. Levy's body was found on May 22, 2002 in Rock Creek Park.

World News

Greece introduces cashpoint tax in desperate bid to raise revenue and stop run on banks as country teeters on brink of bankruptcy
Daily Mail - Greece has revealed it is to introduce a surcharge for all cashpoint withdrawals and financial transactions in a desperate attempt to prevent citizens withdrawing their money from the country's beleaguered banks. Ministers hope the controversial move could raise as much as €180 million, which the Athens government hopes will help the country avoid defaulting on debts owed to international creditors. As the Greek economy teeters on the verge of bankruptcy, millions of panicking citizens have completely cleared their accounts - pulling more than €28 billion out of banks and pushing the total cash revenue held in the country's financial institutions to a 10-year low.

Yemen Rebels Shell Saudi Arabian City, Casualties Reported; Saudis Vow Retaliation
Zero Hedge - After the Saudis allegedly halted their air campaign against Yemen's Houthi rebels on April 21 (allegedly because it promptly resumed the very next day to almost no public announcement), the Yemen civil war and the "skirmishes" by Houthi rebels along the border with the world's biggest oil exporter were quickly forgotten. Until this morning, when the Saudi press and social media has been overrun with reports that the Saudi city of Najran was shelled by Houthi mortars, an attack which Saudi advisor to the armed forces Ahmed Asiri said "will not pass without a response".

$500-million program to train anti-Islamic State fighters appears stalled
LA Times - Eleven months after President Obama announced plans to arm opposition fighters to confront Islamic State militants in war-torn Syria, the $500-million program to train a proxy force has yet to begin, raising questions about its viability and effectiveness. The lack of a reliable partner on the ground has restricted the U.S. ability to gather intelligence and to target airstrikes against Islamic State leaders in Syria. The Sunni Muslim extremist group continues to lure recruits, raise money and maintain strongholds despite the U.S.-led bombing effort that began in September. Adding to the challenge, the four countries where the military training will take place — Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar — sharply disagree with Washington on what the proposed proxy force should do.

Norway Uses Its Fund Planned for Future Generations to Fix Economy Today
Sputnik News - The plunge in global oil prices forced the Norwegian government to start using its $900 billion national oil fund, said Yngve Slyngstad, the director of the fund, according to Bloomberg. Norway has a rule according to which the government has a right to cap the use of the oil fund's money. However, the current minority coalition announced in late 2014 that it would use a record 164 billion kroner ($21.8 billion) in 2015, or nearly 3 percent of the oil fund.

France passes new surveillance law in wake of Charlie Hebdo attack
The Guardian - The new bill, which allows intelligence agencies to tap phones and emails without seeking permission from a judge, sparked protests from rights groups who claimed it would legalise highly intrusive surveillance methods without guarantees for individual freedom and privacy. Protesters for civil liberties groups launched a last-ditch campaign against the bill under the banner “24 hours before 1984” in reference to George Orwell’s dystopian novel about life under an all-knowing dictatorship. Groups including Amnesty International warned of “extremely large and intrusive powers” without judicial controls.

Despite Civil Liberties Uproar, Canada Set to Ram Through Mass Surveillance Bill
Common Dreams - Canada's House of Commons on Tuesday is poised to pass Bill C-51, a so-called "anti-terror" law, despite widespread outcry from civil liberties advocates who say the legislation would allow law enforcement to spy on civilians and violate Canadians' constitutional rights with little or no accountability. The bill, introduced by the Conservative Party and backed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, would give up to 17 government agencies access to Canadian citizens' private information, including their financial status, medical history, and religious and political beliefs. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service would also be authorized to spy on Canadians and foreign nationals living in the country, while the Royal Canadian Mounted Police would be granted increased power to make preventive arrests.

UN’s Solution to Nepalese Children Displaced by Earthquake? Vaccinate Them!
Adan Salazar - The United Nations, the World Health Organization and Nepalese authorities have announced efforts to vaccinate some 500,000 children against measles amid last week’s earthquake that killed more than seven thousand people. Claiming a measles epidemic could sweep through temporary makeshift villages erected in the wake of the earthquake... While touting the vaccine’s efficacy, health authorities have suspiciously neglected to inform citizens of the various adverse side effects that can often accompany MMR immunizations, of which there have been 6,962 serious events documented as of December 14, 2014. Merck’s MMR vaccine has caused the following adverse reactions, according to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) database...

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Military Readies Mountain Fortress to “Shield Against EMP Attack”
Activist Post - [...] Now, the military is making preparations to spend more than $1 billion to move vital equipment and personnel back to the Cheyenne Mountain bunker-fortress. Essential to Cold War contingencies and operations, today, the facility offers a place for continuity of government (COG) to take hold in case of the worst. According to Fox News: New concerns are being raised that the nation’s electrical grid and critical infrastructure are increasingly vulnerable to a catastrophic foreign attack — amid speculation over whether officials are eyeing a former Cold War bunker, inside a Colorado mountain, as a “shield” against such a strike. North American Aerospace Defense Command is looking for ways to protect itself in the event of a massive electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, attack — a deliberate burst of energy that could disrupt the electrical grid and cripple NORAD’s ability to defend the nation.

ISIS Claims Credit for Garland Shooting
Breitbart - The terrorist group ISIS is claiming credit for Sunday’s attack on the Mohammad Art Exhibit and Contest. The group called the gunmen “soldiers of the caliphate” and promised more attacks will follow. The message was transmitted in an audio statement through the group’s Al Bayan radio station, according to an AP report published on the website for ABC13 News in Houston. It was not clear if the shooters were acting under direct orders from the Islamic State, or if they pledged their allegiance to ISIS and then acted on their own.

Pentagon: Texas has nothing to fear from upcoming military exercise
McClatchy - Defense officials Monday dismissed as “wild speculation” an Internet-fueled claim that a massive summertime exercise called Jade Helm 15 for special operations commandos is a covert operation by President Barack Obama to take over Texas. That claim was given legitimacy by Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott’s order last week for the Texas State Guard to monitor the exercises… Abbott, however, on Monday defended his decision. “We are playing a pivotal role of government and that is to provide information to people who have questions,” Abbott told reporters after a prayer breakfast in North Austin, according to the Texas Tribune, a nonprofit media organization based in Austin. The Texas State Guard, established in 1871, has 1,900 members. Unlike the Texas National Guard, it cannot operate outside Texas and cannot be pressed into national service by the president.

US Military Personnel Stole at Least $50M During Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
Sputnik News - At least 115 enlisted military personnel deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan have been convicted since 2005 for committing theft, bribery, and contract rigging crimes which have totaled  more than $52 million in damages. All soldiers who have been convicted had little to no criminal histories and are currently serving sentences ranging from three months to over 17 years... The crimes have been blamed on poor management within the military, loose oversight, a local culture of corruption in the area, and a heavy dependence on hard-to-track cash transactions. The US Inspector General has said these cases are only the tip of the iceberg, and that far more fraud has been committed than has been prosecuted.

Extreme secrecy eroding support for Obama's trade pact
Politico - If you want to hear the details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal the Obama administration is hoping to pass, you’ve got to be a member of Congress, and you’ve got to go to classified briefings and leave your staff and cellphone at the door. If you’re a member who wants to read the text, you’ve got to go to a room in the basement of the Capitol Visitor Center and be handed it one section at a time, watched over as you read, and forced to hand over any notes you make before leaving. And no matter what, you can’t discuss the details of what you’ve read.

Feds Panic on Mass Common Core Test Refusals, Threaten Reprisals
New American - Public resistance to Common Core is exploding across America, and officials are not happy about it. The Obama administration’s Department of Education, along with pro-Common Core government officials across the country under pressure from the feds, appear to be in panic mode. Facing a growing nationwide “opt out” movement to refuse participation in the unconstitutional federally funded testing regime aligned with the Obama-backed national school standards, senior bureaucrats, including Education Secretary Arne Duncan, have actually started resorting to lawless threats against parents, teachers, students, and entire state governments. Some parents were threatened by officials with jail time. Even small children are being punished by the state for “opting out” of the deeply controversial tests, with one California mother telling The New American that her daughter was publicly denied ice cream in retaliation.

Election News

Echoes of an Obama third term: Hillary to call for citizenship path for all illegals
Washington Times - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton will call for a full path to citizenship for illegal immigrants at an event Tuesday in Nevada, as she goes all-in on the issue in pursuit of Hispanic votes. Mrs. Clinton is expected to say in her remarks that a “true solution” to the country’s immigration problems would include “nothing less than a full and equal path to citizenship,” according to a campaign advisory provided to Reuters. She will stress during a stop at a Las Vegas high school that any proposal that stops short of opening a route to citizenship is “merely a ‘second-class’ status,” said the advisory.

Economy & Business

US Trade Deficit Soars To Worst Since Financial Crisis; Will Push Q1 GDP Negative
Zero Hedge - Ironically, just as the "harsh winter" was found to lead to a GDP boost due to a surge in utility spending, so the West Coast port strike which was blamed for the GDP drop, was actually benefiting the US economy as it lead to a plunge in imports. In March, however, the pipeline was cleared, and US imports from China soared by over $10 billion to $38 billion. End result: prepare for upcoming Q1 GDP downgrades into negative territory.
* Related: US trade deficit jumps to 6-year high of $51.4 billion

Gold Withdrawals From NY Fed Vault Refuse To Stop: 200 Tons Of Gold Repatriated In Past Year
Zero Hedge - We can officially confirm that the gold redemptions from the world's (allegedly) largest gold vault have continued, and another 10 tons of gold was put on a ship (or plane) in March in an unknown direction. Since Germany and the Netherlands started repatriating a portion of their gold held in Manhattan, some 217 tons of gold has been redeemed starting in February 2014 and just under 200 tons in the past 12 months.

There’s a new cryptocurrency coming, and it’s backed by gold
Business Insider - There’s a new cryptocurrency coming to the market. What makes it unique to existing cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin? It’s backed by gold. Anthem Vault, the metals and technology company, will launch the coin on May 25. The coin will “be valued at 1 gram of gold at the day’s market price, [and] will serve as a more secure store of value than Bitcoin,” according to the press release. It will be called the Hayek, “after the Nobel-winning Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek.”

Housing Market

Government Using Subprime Mortgages To Pump Housing Recovery - Taxpayers Will Pay Again
Zero Hedge - It seems hard to believe, but your government is purposely recreating the mortgage debacle of 2007 and putting you on the hook for the billions in losses coming down the road. In their frantic effort to generate the appearance of economic recovery they are willing to gamble with taxpayer’s money while luring unsuspecting blue collar folks into buying houses they can’t afford… How could politically motivated government apparatchiks insuring subprime mortgages with down payments of 3.5%, using weak underwriting standards, easing restrictions on borrowers with past foreclosures, in a housing market poised to drop by 20% when this next Fed/Wall Street housing bubble pops possibly go wrong?

Energy & Environment

California Water Rationing Begins Amid Ongoing Drought
Sputnik News - The regulations were adopted by the State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday to meet Gov. Jerry Brown's order mandating reductions in urban water use by an average of 25 percent from 2013 levels across the state. The order was issued in April as California tries to deal with a four-year drought. The unprecedented water-savings targets call for cities and water agencies to reduce water usage by amounts ranging from 8 percent to 36 percent. The cuts will fall hardest on the Sacramento region which is an area of heavy water consumption.

Science & Technology

The app that can tell when passengers are ill or afraid: Flight attendants could soon use sensors in plane seats to monitor travellers' health
Daily Mail - University students in the Netherlands have worked with KLM employees to design an app that would allow flight attendants to identify passengers who are feeling anxious or ill. The Flightbeat app would monitor the physical and mental well-being of passengers through heart rate sensors built into their seats, said Flaminia Del Conte, who worked on the project with four others. She told MailOnline Travel that the app is still a concept, but the sensor technology exists and is being looked at by at least one major car manufacturer.... Privacy concerns would be an obvious hurdle going forward.

NSA Converting Our Spoken Words Into Searchable Text
Washington's Blog - Voice communications can be collected by the NSA whether they are being sent by regular phone lines, over cellular networks, or through voice-over-internet services. (Anyone who has tried dictating into their smart phone – or who uses software like Dragon – knows how incredibly accurate this kind of technology can be.) The NSA refused to tell the Intercept how widely the speech-to-text programs are used on Americans. But high-level NSA whistleblowers Bill Binney, Thomas Drake and Russell Tice have all told Washington’s Blog that NSA is recording the content – and not just the metadata – of Americans’ phone calls.

New GPS technology that identifies locations within centimetres could open way for advances in virtual reality, scientists say
The Independent - Humphreys and his team in the Radionavigation Lab have built a low-cost system that reduces location errors from the size of a large car to the size of a penny coin - a more than 100 times increase in accuracy. Centimetre-accurate positioning systems are already used in geology, surveying and mapping, but the survey-grade antennas these systems employ are too large and costly for use in mobile devices. The breakthrough by Humphreys and his team is a powerful and sensitive software-defined GPS receiver that can extract centimetre accuracies from the inexpensive antennas found in mobile devices.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

U.S. boosts bird flu emergency funds as H5 avian influenza strains spread to 14 states
(Reuters) - The U.S. government approved the use of an additional $330 million in emergency funds to help contain the worst avian influenza outbreak in U.S. history, as infected bird cases soared and hundreds of Minnesota poultry workers learned they would lose their jobs. The funds became available after the federal Office of Management and Budget granted U.S. Agriculture [Agriterrorism] Secretary Tom Vilsack's request for additional emergency funds, USDA sources confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday. Virulent H5 avian influenza strains have spread to 14 states in five months and affected about 24 million birds so far, mostly egg-laying hens and turkeys, according to USDA.

Health

Cancer Drugs Reach All-Time High: The $100 Billion Disease that Depends on No Cure
Health Impact News - The 2014 sales figures for cancer drugs were just published by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. Sales of cancer drugs have hit a new all-time record: $100 billion. That's up more than 10 percent from 2013, and up from $75 billion five years earlier. Cancer is obviously big business, as many new cancer drugs and now even cancer vaccines are in the pipe line. Forty-five new drugs for cancer hit the market between 2010 and 2014, including 10 last year alone. These new drugs come with steep price tags, usually over $12,000.00 per month, or well over $100,000.00 per year. Cancer is much too big of a business now to allow anyone to cure it.

Artificial Sweeteners: Avoid Them At All Costs for Breast Health
Green Med Info - If you are on the natural healing path because of a breast cancer diagnosis or you are simply living a lifestyle that promotes Breast Cancer prevention, then you probably already know the drill when it comes to sugar. What is cancer's best friend? You guessed it- sugar. "It's been known since 1923 that tumor cells use a lot more glucose than normal cells," says says Don Ayer, Ph.D., a Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and professor in the Department of Oncological Sciences at the University of Utah. And a recent study done at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center proved how easy it is to kill cancer cells: simply deprive them of glucose. What in the world can you turn to instead, then, when the craving for something sweet strikes? There are healthy alternatives to sugar and other high-glucose products; Stevia certainly tops that list. Unfortunately, there are also substances that may say they are safe on the label, but are anything but.

Why Eating Late is Harming Your Health
Green Med Info - Nighttime snackers take note: eating late is harming your health, or so suggests a recent study out of San Diego State University. While the study looked at fruit flies, and not humans, the findings do provide compelling reasons to investigate further whether there is a causal link between late night eating and heart health, amongst other health measures. I have been saying for some time, it is not just WHAT you eat, but WHEN you eat too.
 



Tuesday - May 5, 2015 - Today in History:

1798 - Secretary of War William McHenry ordered that the USS Constitution be made ready for sea. The frigate was launched on October 21, 1797, but had never been put to sea.
1809 - Mary Kies was awarded the first patent to go to a woman. It was for technique for weaving straw with silk and thread.
1814 - The British attacked the American forces at Ft. Ontario, Oswego, NY.
1862 - The Battle of Puebla took place. It is celebrated as Cinco de Mayo Day.
1865 - The Thirteenth Amendment was ratified, abolishing slavery in the U.S.
1891 - Music Hall was dedicated in New York City. It was later renamed Carnegie Hall.
1912 - Soviet Communist Party newspaper Pravda began publishing.
1916 - U.S. Marines invaded the Dominican Republic.
1945 - The Netherlands and Denmark were liberated from Nazi control.
1945 - A Japanese balloon bomb exploded on Gearhart Mountain in Oregon. A pregnant woman and five children were killed.
1955 - The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) became a sovereign state.
1961 - Alan Shepard became the first American in space when he made a 15 minute suborbital flight.
1987 - The U.S. congressional Iran-Contra hearings opened.
2010 - Preliminary plans for a mosque and cultural center near ground zero in New York were unveiled, setting off a national debate over whether the project was disrespectful to 9/11 victims and whether opposition to it exposed anti-Muslim biases.

World News

7.4 quake, aftershocks hit Papua New Guinea prompting tsunami scare
RT - A strong 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the southern coast of Papua New Guinea, US Geological Survey reported. A tsunami warning was issued for an area within 300 km of the epicenter, including the Australian coast, before being downplayed.... The quake was followed by a 5.9-magnitude aftershock just 10 minutes later. The series of aftershocks continued with 5.6 and 5.2 tremors. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) issued a preliminary warning message immediately after the first tremor, saying that “hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 300km of the earthquake epicenter.”

Russia is creating a $100 billion rival to the IMF
Business Insider - Russian President Vladimir Putin ratified an accord Saturday to set up a $100 billion reserve fund for the so-called BRICS — the leading emerging economies Russia, China, Brazil, India, and South Africa. Moscow is expected to contribute $18 billion to the reserve, well behind the $41 billion China has promised to pour into the fund, which was set up after an agreement signed in July in Brazil. The emerging economies also plan to form their own international bank based in Shanghai to challenge western dominance over international money markets.

IMF Splinters From Rest Of Troika, Threatens To Cut Off Greek Funding
Zero Hedge - "Greece is so far off course on its $172bn bailout programme that it faces losing vital International Monetary Fund support unless European lenders write off significant amounts of its sovereign debt, the fund has warned Athens’ eurozone creditors," FT reports, indicating that the organization may force the ECB and implicitly the German taxpayer to take the hit if Greece wants to receive the last tranche of aid under its existing program.

Israeli Soldiers Admit to Shooting Palestinians for 'Fun' in Gaza War
Sputnik News - Israel’s war with Hamas last summer left more than 1,200 Palestinians dead and reduced the Gaza Strip to rubble. Tel Aviv has maintained that much of the damage resulted from Hamas’s use of civilians as human shields, but a recent report consisting of testimonies from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) tells a very different story. The report was released by the Israeli human rights NGO Breaking the Silence, made up of active and reserve duty soldiers. The group’s mission is to shed light on the IDF’s war practices… Breaking the Silence is viewed by many in Israel as anti-military, and has been accused by Tel Aviv of harboring an "anti-government" agenda.

Costa Rica Issues Red Alert Over Toxic Spill in Tourist Area
Sputnik News - he vessel, which capsized near Puntarenas, a tourist town on the country’s Pacific coast, carried 180 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, the commission said in a statement. The alert was issued for fishers and beach goers “in order to prevent people from going into the sea,” which could be harmful due to the spill. People in the region were advised to avoid all contact with sea water, including “fishing of any kind” in the area covered by the alert, while health care institutions were instructed to monitor possible consequences of the incident.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Congress' NSA Bulk Surveillance Reform Bill: Much Ado about Little
AllGov - he USA Freedom Act, a bill passed out of committee last week which would limit the government’s ability to spy on Americans’ communications, would hardly put a crimp in the National Security Agency’s (NSA) surveillance practices. The Freedom Act would stop most government collection of domestic calling metadata... But the bill doesn’t address data collection under Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act, which allows the collection of the actual content of some communications, including that of Americans, and the collection of information from overseas calls.

U.S. Cuts back its Watchdogs after Billions Lost and Billions More to be spent on Escalating Afghanistan War
AllGov - he Obama administration is attempting to slash the resources of the watchdog that has repeatedly exposed wasteful spending of billions of tax dollars in Afghanistan. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), John Sopko, has never shied away from reporting on the myriad mistakes and bad decisions on the part of the State and Defense departments in Afghanistan. For his honest and thorough assessments, Sopko may now have to make do with a much smaller staff to keep watch on how U.S. money is being spent. Sopko was told by the State Department that he must remove 40% of his staff from Afghanistan within the year. The reduction will mean the number of SIGAR staff members will fall from 42 to 25.

Clinton agrees to testify on Benghazi, emails this month
(AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton has agreed to testify on Capitol Hill later this month about the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, and about her email practices. Her lawyer David Kendall wrote to lawmakers Monday telling them she would agree to the request from a special panel investigating the September 2012 attacks that killed four Americans. But Kendall said Clinton would testify only for one session. The committee chairman, GOP Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, had requested that she appear twice, for a hearing on Clinton's use of private emails and for a separate session on Benghazi. Kendall said Clinton would answer all lawmakers' questions during one session and it would not be necessary for her to appear twice.

Garland Shooting: Gladio - Texas-Style
Global Research - Despite the event allegedly increasing chatter amongst “Islamic State” (ISIS) groups online, and despite the suspect Elton Simpson being long under FBI surveillance and even sentenced to 3 years of probation resulting from a terror-related investigation, he was still able to conveniently conspire and carry out an attack on a highly provocative propaganda stunt in the state of Texas. As with all other staged provocations, including similar shootings in Paris, France, Copenhagen, Denmark, and Sydney, Australia, the suspects were well known to state security agencies for years, but allowed to conspire and carry out predictable, deadly, and politically highly convenient attacks. All of this echos the similar and long-since exposed staged provocations of the notorious “Operation Gladio,” carried out by NATO.

ATX Fusion Center Monitoring Garland
MyFoxAustin - The incident in Garland has put state homeland security operations into a higher gear. In a statement sent to FOX 7, officials with DPS say analysts here were monitoring the event in Garland. Important information gathered by federal agents was also passed on from here to help deal with the situation… House Homeland Security Chairman State Rep. Larry Philips (R) Sherman, told FOX7 the large presence of law enforcement in Garland Sunday afternoon was not by chance. "We had a perimeter, that outside perimeter, that took care of this may not have been there if we were not following, and doing what we need to do, to keep citizens safe." Intelligence gathering operations known as fusion centers have become a key part of being prepared. There are 6 in Texas.

Garland shooting: Twitter suspends account that warned about a ‘Texas attack’ 15 minutes before incident at anti-Muslim event
The Independent - Twitter appears to have suspended an account that tweeted about an attack in Texas 15 minutes before shots were fired at an anti-Muslim event in the city of Garland. Two gunmen were killed by police officers at the event which encouraged participants to submit cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed, offering a $10,000 prize for the “best”. The suspended account had an avatar picture depicting the US-born radical Islamist cleric and senior al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in a drone strike in September 2011.

Texas attack: Phoenix home raided after shooting at Muhammad cartoon event
The Guardian - Police raided an apartment in Phoenix on Monday after two unnamed gunmen were killed by a Texas traffic officer when they tried to get into a contest calling for cartoon depictions of the prophet Muhammad hosted by an anti-Islam group in a Dallas suburb. Police officials in the suburb of Garland, Texas, refused to confirm reports of the gunmen’s identity, their religious or political affiliations, or even if the shooting, which took place on Sunday, was related to the content of the event. The Associated Press, citing a federal law enforcement official, said one of the gunmen was named Elton Simpson. Investigators were searching Simpson’s property in Phoenix in connection with the case, the official told AP. Garland police department spokesman officer Joe Harn refused to confirm this.

Report: EMP Device Used to Disable Possible Explosives Following Garland Attack
Mikael Thalen - “… I guess we’ll have to add EMP devices to the growing list of military tech trickling down to domestic US law enforcement.” Several reporters at the scene of Sunday’s terror attack in Garland, Texas, stated that police used an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) device when examining the suspected shooters’ vehicle for explosives. According to NBC 5’s Kevin Cokely, an explosion sound was heard from the suspects’ vehicle shortly after the police bomb squad told media personnel to disable all electronics.

Economy & Business

Experts Are Warning That The 76 Trillion Dollar Global Bond Bubble Is About To Explode
Economic Collapse - Warren Buffett believes “that bonds are very overvalued“, and a recent survey of fund managers found that 80 percent of them are convinced that bonds have become “badly overvalued“. The most famous bond expert on the planet, Bill Gross, recently confessed that he has a sense that the 35 year bull market in bonds is “ending” and he admitted that he is feeling “great unrest”. Nobel Prize–winning economist Robert Shiller has added a new chapter to his bestselling book in which he argues that bond prices are “irrationally high”. The global bond bubble has ballooned to more than 76 trillion dollars, and interest rates have never been lower in modern history.

Why The Powers That Be Are Pushing A Cashless Society
Washington's Blog - People can’t pull cash out of their bank accounts – for political reasons, because they’ve lost confidence in the bank, or because “bail-ins” are enacted – if cash is banned. The Financial Times argued last year that central banks would be the real winners from a cashless society: Central bankers, after all, have had an explicit interest in introducing e-money from the moment the global financial crisis began… The introduction of a cashless society empowers central banks greatly. A cashless society, after all, not only makes things like negative interest rates possible, it transfers absolute control of the money supply to the central bank, mostly by turning it into a universal banker that competes directly with private banks for public deposits. All digital deposits become base money.

Energy & Environment

New technique shows shale-drilling additives in drinking-water taps near leak
ScienceBlog - The researchers used a new analytical technique on samples from the homes and found a chemical compound, 2-BE, and an unidentified complex mixture of organic contaminants, both commonly seen in flowback water from Marcellus shale activity. The scientists published their findings this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “These findings are important because we show that chemicals traveled from shale gas wells more than two kilometers in the subsurface to drinking water wells,” said co-author Susan Brantley, distinguished professor of geosciences and director of the Earth and Environmental Institute at Penn State.

Pipeline Problems: Keystone 1 Damaged by Major Corrosion - Reports
Sputnik News - A section of the Keystone 1 pipeline had to be shut down after just 2 years because of corrosion - the wall had corroded by 95% in one section - but both TransCanada and US federal regulators are keeping the cause of the damage secret, the DeSmogBlog reports. Documents obtained through a FOIA request show that in October of 2012, a section of the pipeline — which transports oil from the Alberta tar sands — was shut for several days in response to dangerous levels of erosion detected during a mandatory inspection of the pipeline.... Documents were also released relating to southern extension of the pipeline — known as the Gulf Coast pipeline, which runs from Cushing, Okla. to Nederland, Texas. A final inspection report of this extension cited at least seven areas of the pipeline that were deemed unsatisfactory in terms of code compliance.

Science & Technology

These GMO Bioengineered Tobacco Plants are Growing Pharmaceuticals of the Future
Mother Board - Plant-derived medicines have been around forever, but until the development of a process called biopharming, they've been restricted to whatever naturally-occurring medicines the plants themselves could produce. Now scientists are converting plantslike Nicotiana benthamiana and Nicotiana tobaccum into manufacturing platforms for a wide range of targeted protein-based therapies to treat Ebola, cancer and HIV/AIDS.

World's first anti-propaganda search engine launching soon that favors Independent Media while banning government and corporate disinfo
(NaturalNews) Next week, I'll be opening the webmaster URL submit page for the world's first independent, anti-propaganda search engine that filters out corporate propaganda and government disinformation. The search engine is free to submit to and free to use. It's funded entirely by advertising that appears on the search results page. Uniquely, this independent search engine either bans or flags (with a warning) all corporate propaganda and government disinfo websites. Just as Google flags search result URLs containing malicious code that can infect your computer, we will flag search result URLs containing malicious propaganda that can infect your mind.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Improving Garden Soil: Milk and Molasses Magic
Mother Earth News - Milk is a research-proven fungicide and soft bodied insecticide - insects have no pancreas to digest the milk sugars. Dr. Wagner Bettiol, a Brazilian research scientist, found that milk was effective in the treatment of powdery mildew on zucchini. His research was subsequently replicated by New Zealand melon growers who tested it against the leading commercially available chemical fungicide and found that milk out-performed everything else. To their surprise, they also found that the milk worked as a foliar fertilizer, producing larger and tastier melons than the control group.

Health

Nanoparticles In Food and Water Found to Alter Gut Microbiome
Natural Blaze - Nanotechnology - that is, metal oxide particles* such as titanium dioxide - are increasingly used in the commercial food supply, consumer goods, body care and in water treatment.... Researchers found that nanoparticles led to multiple, measurable differences in the normal microbial community that inhabits the human gut, and they write: Understanding the interactions between NPs and bacteria in an engineered model colon can indicate potential impacts of NP exposure on the gut, and therefore overall human health. Human microbiome health has important implications to overall individual health.... Overall, the NPs caused nonlethal, significant changes to the microbial community's phenotype, which may be related to overall health effects.

Arthritis: Almost Always Caused By What We Eat And Drink
Natural Society - Like so many ailments and diseases, medical science has ignored the true causes of arthritis for decades. Each of the major types of arthritis have been shown to have similar etiologies. It has also been postulated that Rheumatoid arthritis, Allergic arthritis, and Osteoarthritis can have similar triggers, specifically food triggers. Allergic arthritis, in particular, has been proven to have various trigger foods which sustain the medical condition as long as those foods are eaten. Nightshades, for instance, have been demonstrated by Dr. Norman Childers to be a common culprit for those who are allergic, intolerant, or hyper-reactive to solanine, a known natural food toxin.

Blackcurrant Extract Prevents What Statin Drugs Attempt To Treat
Mae Chan - The long-term consumption of blackcurrant has shown anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic actions in hypertensive subjects. The berry has been proven to help slash the risk of heart attacks, stroke and heart failure. New research show it prevents other metabolic dysfunctions induced by diets high in fat and cholesterol triggering the same mechanism as statin drugs.

Pet News

Alert: Feeding This to Your Pet Could Cause Allergic Reactions
Dr. Becker - If you have a pet with allergies or one who needs certain proteins to manage food sensitivities or a bowel disorder, you'll want to watch out for this... discovered after the horsemeat food fiasco triggered concern about pet foods.... I recommend you contact the manufacturer of the pet food you buy and ask how, and how often, they verify the authenticity of their ingredients. Another option is to feed your dog or cat species-appropriate meals from your own kitchen with fresh ingredients you select. If you decide to give it a try, remember that balanced nutrition is critically important when preparing homemade pet meals.
 



Monday - May 4, 2015 - Today in History:

1776 - Rhode Island declared its freedom from England two months before the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
1814 - Napoleon Bonaparte disembarked at Portoferraio on the island of Elba in the Mediterranean.
1863 - The Battle of Chancellorsville ended when the Union Army retreated.
1886 - A bomb exploded on the fourth day of a workers' strike in Chicago, IL. Eight people died in the violence that day.
1905 - Belmont Park opened in suburban Long Island. It opened as the largest race track in the world.
1916 - Germany agreed to limit its submarine warfare after a demand from U.S. President Wilson.
1942 - The Battle of the Coral Sea commenced as American and Japanese carriers launched their attacks at each other.
1942 - The United States began food rationing.
1961 - Thirteen civil rights activists, dubbed "Freedom Riders," began a bus trip through the South.
1970 - The Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on students during an anti-Vietnam war protest at Kent State University. Four students were killed and nine others were wounded.
1979 - Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first woman prime minister.
1994 - Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat signed a historic accord on Palestinian autonomy that granted self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho.
2000 - The citizens of London elected their mayor for the first time.
2010 - Pablo Picasso's "Nude, Green Leaves and Bust" sold for $106.5 million.

World News

S. Arabia bombs Yemen with US-supplied cluster bombs – HRW
RT - The Saudi Arabia-led coalition is using US-supplied cluster munitions in its airstrikes on Houthi forces in Yemen, Human Rights Watch reported. Targets include those close to villages, posing a threat from undetonated submunitions to civilians. In recent weeks the coalition has used cluster bombs in Yemen’s northern Saada governorate, a region bordering Saudi Ararbia, which is historically controlled by the rebels, HRW said. “These weapons should never be used under any circumstances. Saudi Arabia and other coalition members – and the supplier, the US – are flouting the global standard that rejects cluster munitions because of their long-term threat to civilians,” said Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch.

US will look into claim Friday air strike killed 52 civilians in Syria
The Guardian - The death toll from an air strike by US-led forces on the northern Syrian province of Aleppo has risen to 52 including seven children, a group monitoring the conflict said on Saturday. Rami Abdulrahman, who runs the British-based Observatory for Human Rights, said the death toll from Friday’s strike was the highest civilian loss in a single attack by US and Arab forces since they started air raids against hardline Islamist militant groups in Syria such as Islamic State. US-led forces are also targeting the group in Iraq. Major Curtis Kellogg, a spokesman for US Central Command, told the Associated Press there was no information to corroborate the Observatory’s claims. However, Kellogg said: “We take all allegations seriously and will look into them further.”

'Limited' coalition ground force in Aden, Yemen, more coming
RT - A "limited" Saudi-led force is on the ground in Yemen's strategic port of Aden and more troops are on their way, a government official has confirmed to AFP. About 20 troops have landed in the city for a "reconnaissance" mission, AP reports. "A limited coalition force entered Aden and another force is on its way" to Aden, the official and commander told the agency on terms of anonymity. The Saudi-led forces "will start helping us in fighting" the Houthi rebels, a leading member of the Popular Committees, also told the agency. The PC are a locally recruited militia loyal to expelled President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

China, Russia Unveil First-Ever Mediterranean Joint Naval Exercise
Zero Hedge - For the first time in history, Chinese and Russian navies will begin a significant joint naval exercise in The Mediterranean Sea in mid-May. As RT reports, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng, "The aim is to deepen both countries' friendly and practical cooperation, and increase our navies' ability to jointly deal with maritime security threats," but diplomatically added "these exercises are not aimed at any third party and have nothing to do with the regional situation." Against a background of this week's "upgraded Japan-American military relationship" following Abe's visit to Obama, as one analyst notes, "the geopolitical significance of its exercising alongside Russia will not be lost on the U.S. and NATO.

Humanitarian aid is piling up unused at Kathmandu airport because of import restrictions, UN warns
The Independent - Nepal’s government has been urged by the United Nations to relax import restrictions that are hampering the delivery of international humanitarian supplies to earthquake victims struggling to find basic food and shelter. In pointed remarks that underscore growing concern over the slow pace of relief to survivors of the earthquake that struck the Himalayan country nine days ago… The country lifted import taxes on tarpaulins and tents at the end of last week but consignments of aid are still piling up at Kathmandu airport, waiting to be taken to affected towns and villages, at the end of last week but Home Ministry spokesman Laxmi Prasad Dhakal insisted that all goods arriving from abroad still had to be inspected. “This is something we need to do,” he said.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

2 gunmen killed outside Mohammed ‘art event’ in Texas
RT - Rwo gunmen have been shot and killed in a parking lot outside a venue in Garland, Texas that had been hosting a controversial Mohammed art event dedicated to free speech. As a precaution police and SWAT have swept the area for possible explosive devices. The two suspects drove up to the center and opened fire, injuring a Garland ISD security officer in his leg, the city confirmed. The officer suffered non-life threatening injuries and was soon released from the hospital. Both attackers were killed in the shooting, but police proceeded to search the area for a vehicle that could allegedly have explosives in it..... According to tweets from IS followers, the attack was carried out by jihadi militants loyal to the terrorist group.

Media Censors Muhammad Cartoons After Garland Attack
Paul Joseph Watson - The media is censoring cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in its reporting of last night’s attempted terror attack on a free speech event in Garland, Texas, during which two suspected jihadists were shot dead.

Black Crime Facts That The White Liberal Media Daren’t Talk About
Paul Joseph Watson - Despite the revelation that half of the officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray – the incident that led to the Baltimore riots – are black, the narrative that black people are being disproportionately and unfairly targeted by predominantly white police officers and a racist criminal justice system in the United States continues to dominate.

96 Percent Of Americans Expect More Civil Unrest In U.S. Cities This Summer
Economic Collapse - According to a brand new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, 96 percent of all Americans believe that there will be more civil unrest in America this summer. That leaves only 4 percent of people that believe that everything will be just fine. In this day and age, it is virtually impossible to get 96 percent of Americans to agree on anything.

Senate committee approves bill to help Obama pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership
Vox - The Senate Finance Committee has approved "fast track" legislation granting President Obama expanded authority to negotiate trade deals. The proposal passed in a bipartisan 20 to 7 vote, with 7 Democrats and 13 Republicans voting in favor. The legislation is based on a deal struck last week by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI).

Baltimore mayor LIFTS curfew after five nights as calm descends now Freddie Gray cops have been charged... but top criminal lawyer slams the case against them as 'outrageous and irresponsible'
Daily Mail - Celebrations continue to erupt across Baltimore following the announcement that six officers have been charged in the brutal death of Freddie Gray and the outcome of the case will be watched closely. But while Baltimore's top prosecutor was praised for acting swiftly to secure charges against the officers in Gray's death, legal experts suggest it could be incredibly difficult to secure a conviction. Alan Dershowitz, a criminal lawyer from New York and professor at Harvard Law School, branded State Attorney Marilyn Mosby's move to charge the officers as 'outrageous and irresponsible.' In particular, he called into question her decision to charge the van driver with a second degree murder count under a legal principle known as 'depraved heart.'

To win convictions, prosecutors must get inside heads of Baltimore officers
LA Times - Prosecutors seeking to convict six Baltimore officers in the death of a young black man severely injured while in police custody will focus not on what the officers did but on what they allegedly failed to do: provide medical attention to 25-year-old Freddie Gray inside a police van on April 12. That will require prosecutors and jurors to get inside the heads of the officers to determine whether they willfully ignored what a prosecutor said was Gray’s increasingly frantic pleas for medical help during a 44-minute ride in the van.

200 Baltimore Businesses Destroyed In Riots
Breitbart - Maryland Governor Larry Hogan held a press conference after Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced the 10 pm curfew on the city has been lifted… Hogan said more than 200 businesses were destroyed – many of which did not have insurance – and that millions of dollars have been lost. Members of three Baltimore street gangs came together in unity during Monday’s riots to protect businesses — or at least some of them. Gang members from the Crips, Bloods and Black Guerrilla Family stood guard and protected black-owned businesses from looters and protestors in Baltimore during the riots. The gang members directed the looters instead to other businesses mostly owned by Asians and Arabs, The New York Times reported.

Shocking Video Shows Paramilitary Police Dousing Protesters with Pepper Spray in Denver, Threatening Them With Assault Rifles
PINAC - With much of the nation focused on the police abuse protests happening in Baltimore and New York City, the Denver police and their actions against a group of protesters on Wednesday has largely gone unnoticed. But police were dressed for war. Paramilitary style. And they weren’t going home without using a few cans of pepper spray and filling up a paddy wagon. Video that surfaced shows a group of about 100 protesters walking the streets of downtown Denver where they were met with line of motorcycle cops who forced the group on to the sidewalk. One overzealous officer can be seen breaking away from the pack chasing down pedestrians, using his motorcycle as a large weapon. At one point, the motorcycle cop rams a man on a bicycle, who had every right to be riding in the street.

Did You Know a Law Is On The Books to Disarm All Americans?
Kit Daniels - Public law 87-297, the Arms Control and Disarmament Act signed by President Kennedy in 1961, provides an impetus to not only ban civilian firearm ownership but to also transfer control of the U.S. military to the United Nations. “It is the purpose of this Act to provide impetus toward this goal by creating a new agency of peace to deal with the problem of reduction and control of armaments looking toward ultimate world disarmament,” the law states.

Economy & Business

Major U.S. Retailers Are Closing More Than 6,000 Stores
Economic Collapse - If the U.S. economy really is improving, then why are big U.S. retailers permanently shutting down thousands of stores? The “retail apocalypse” that I have written about so frequently appears to be accelerating. As you will see below, major U.S. retailers have announced that they are closing more than 6,000 locations, but economic conditions in this country are still fairly stable.... Most of these closures will take place this year, but in some instances the closures are scheduled to be phased in over a number of years. As you can see, the number of stores that are being permanently shut down is absolutely staggering…

Two Major Biotech Companies May Soon Merge into ‘Mega Monsanto’
Natural Society - As of now, chemical companies Bayer AG, BASF SE, and Dow Chemical a larger players than Monsanto. And while Monsanto has the hold on the seed market, Syngenta is still the world’s largest maker of crop chemicals. But with the fuse of Syngenta and Monsanto, Monsanto would become the golden player in the GMO seeds and chemical arena. What would come next is undoubtedly a multitude of more crop chemicals, more GMO seeds, more control over our food supply, and more shutting down of GMO labeling initiatives.

Energy & Environment

Dead zones: Places where no animal can survive found in Atlantic Ocean
RT - A team of German and Canadian marine biologists have for the first time ever witnessed so-called ‘dead zones’ in the Atlantic Ocean – places where no life can thrive, owing to there being almost no dissolved oxygen in the water. Zones depleted of oxygen do exist in nature and have previously been discovered along populated coastal areas off the eastern and southern coasts of the United States and the Baltic Sea. But this is the first time such a place has been observed in the open ocean.

Pesticide OK'd for Washington oyster beds amid concerns
(AP) - For decades, oyster growers in southwest Washington have battled to control native shrimp that burrow in the mudflats and make it hard for oysters to grow. Now, after getting state approval, a group of shellfish farmers plan to spray a widely-used neurotoxic pesticide on up to 2,000 acres of commercial shellfish beds in Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay. They insist it's a safe way to keep in check a threat to the area's multimillion-dollar shellfish industry. But critics, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, worry about unintended harm to other species.

Very rare 4.2 magnitude earthquake strikes in South Michigan
dutchsinse - An extremely rare 4.0 magnitude (4.2 revised upwards) earthquake has struck Southern Michigan. The fault zone in Michigan is directly related to (and influenced by) the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ).... The New Madrid had just experienced a borderline 3.0M earthquake less than 24 hours BEFORE this 4.0M in Michigan.
* Related: Rare Mississippi back to back 3.0M+ Earthquakes strike Gulf Coast

Survival/Preparedness

The natural medicine chest and first aid kit
(NaturalNews) If you are making a transition from conventional medicine to an all-natural, organic approach to wellness, it helps to know which items to stock up on so your medicine chest and first aid supplies are ready for action. Many of the items you will need are likely to be found in your pantry or refrigerator. Try to keep extra on hand - especially the essentials.

Health

Acrylamide Increases Women's Breast Cancer Risk
Green Med Info - Researchers from the Danish Cancer Society Research Center in Copenhagen have determined that acrylamide consumption – found with higher amounts in fried and grilled foods - significantly increases the risk of breast cancer among women.... Acrylamide content in foods reported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found that many fried and baked foods contain several hundred micrograms up to 2,500 micrograms per serving. Early research suggested that consumption of less than 0.2 micrograms per day was safe.

7 Nutraceuticals That Will Boost and Detox Your Liver
Natural Blaze - Optimizing liver function helps ensure the body can effectively rid itself of pollutants, heavy metals and various other toxins. Supporting liver health is paramount to our health and well-being. It becomes especially important as we age because liver function naturally declines. Herbs and nutraceuticals that improve liver health can help ensure it is working at peak capacity and no toxins slip through and damage our cells.

How Music ‘Radically’ Improves the Brain, Dementia, and Alzheimer’s
Natural Society - A scientific research study has now shown how serious mental afflictions can also be treated with certain kinds of music. As the following excerpt demonstrates, both dementia and Alzheimer’s disease have been shown to respond quite favorably for those who really “belt out their favorite show tunes.”

Pet News

Freshpet Pet Food having Mold Problems?
Susan Thixton - Social media and even stock market investors are concerned that Freshpet Pet Food is having mold problems with their pet foods. There has been no recall of this pet food.... The moldy products we found were unexpired and unopened, with no discernible damage to the packaging.” Below are some of the moldy pet food images...
 



Friday - May 1, 2015 - Today in History:

1707 - England, Wales and Scotland were united to form Great Britain.
1805 - The state of Virginia passed a law requiring all freed slaves to leave the state, or risk either imprisonment or deportation.
1877 - U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes withdrew all Federal troops from the South, ending Reconstruction.
1884 - The construction of the first American 10-story building began in Chicago, IL.
1898 - The U.S. Navy under Dewey defeated the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay in the Philippines.
1905 - In New York, radium was tested as a cure for cancer.
1915 - A German submarine sank the U.S. ship Gulflight.
1931 - The Empire State Building in New York was dedicated and opened. It was 102 stories tall and was the tallest building in the world at the time.
1937 - U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt signed an act of neutrality, keeping the United States out of World War II.
1944 - The Messerschmitt Me 262, the first combat jet, made its first flight.
1945 - Admiral Karl Doenitz succeeded Hitler as leader of the Third Reich. This was one day after Hitler committed suicide.
1960 - Francis Gary Powers' U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. Powers was taken prisoner.
1968 - In the second day of battle, U.S. Marines, with the support of naval fire, continue their attack on a North Vietnamese Division at Dai Do.
1970 - Students at Kent State University riot in downtown Kent, OH, in protest of the American invasion of Cambodia.
1986 - The Tass News Agency reported the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident.
1992 - On the third day of the Los Angeles riots resulting from the Rodney King beating trial. King appeared in public to appeal for calm, he asked, "Can we all get along?"
2001 - Chandra Levy was last seen in Washington, DC. Her remains were found in Rock Creek Park on May 22, 2002. California Congressman Gary Condit was questioned in the case due to his relationship with Levy.
2003 - President George W. Bush landed in a jet on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the California coast and, in a speech to the nation, declared major combat in Iraq over.
2011 - U.S. President Barack Obama announced that U.S. soldiers had killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

World News

US FAA Grounded Infamous Germanwings Pilot Over Mental Health Concerns
Sputnik News - In correspondence made public on the FAA website Wednesday, the agency did not issue Andreas Lubitz the certificate, needed to fly private and commercial aircraft, due to its awareness of his history of mental disorder. "Based on our review of the information submitted, we are unable to establish your eligibility to hold an airman medical certificate at this time," the FAA's letter dated July 8, 2010 reads. It follows up with a request to "submit a current detailed status report from your prescribing physician" detailing Lubitz's condition and treatment record. The status report, dated July 10, 2009 and translated July 21, 2010, states "considerable remission obtained by medication" leading to the "tapering" of Lubitz's treatment. Less than a month later, the FAA issued Lubitz a third-class medical certificate, the lowest license grade used to pilot private and recreational aircraft.

Inching Toward Conflict: US Navy To Escort Cargo Ships In Persian Gulf; Iran Refuses To Back Down
Zero Hedge - Moments ago there was yet another step up in the Persian Gulf naval escalation when CNN reported that the U.S. Navy will escort U.S.-flagged cargo ships through Strait of Hormuz in wake of Iran seizure this week, a US official says. Specifically, the Navy will henceforth accompany ships on concern that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard may seize them, CNN’s Jim Sciutto says in Twitter post, citing CNN’s Barbara Starr. It is unclear what happens if either the accompanied cargo ship, or the US Navy warship leaves international waters, and enters Iran territory, which as the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is virtually assured: a strait which as the following US Naval update map has become as busy for US traffic as the 405 Freeway during rush hour.

VIDEO: Saudi Arabia Is Burning Through Its Foreign Reserves at a Record Pace
Bloomberg - Saudi Arabia is burning through foreign reserves at a record pace as the largesse of the new king and regional turmoil ratchet up pressure on public finances already hurt by the oil price slump. The kingdom spent $36 billion of the central bank’s net foreign assets -- about 5 percent of the total -- in February and March, the biggest two-month drop on record, data released this week show. The fall was in part due to King Salman’s order to give government employees and pensioners a two-month bonus after he ascended to the throne of the world’s biggest oil exporter in January.

Whistleblower Targeted for Exposing UN Troops Raping Children
The New American - United Nations “peacekeeping” troops deployed on a UN “peace” mission in the Central African Republic were systematically raping and sexually exploiting starving young children, according to a leaked internal report that the global organization was seeking to conceal. Because UN leadership failed to take action against their soldiers' widespread sexual abuse of children — some of whom were less than 10 years old — an aid worker with the organization in the war-torn African nation handed the document to French authorities… the UN responded to the leak by suspending the whistleblower from his post and trying to cover it all up rather than dealing with the savagery.

Nepal Earthquake Lifted Kathmandu, But Shrank Everest
Yahoo News - According to the early analysis, a region 75 miles (120 kilometers) long by 30 miles (50 km) wide lifted upward by as much as 3 feet during the earthquake, said Tim Wright, a geophysicist at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. This uplift peaked only 10 miles (17 km) from Kathmandu, even though the city was relatively far from the earthquake's epicenter… The radar images reveal that some of the world's tallest peaks — including Mount Everest — dropped by about 1 inch (2.5 cm), according to the nonprofit UNAVCO, a geoscience research consortium.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Jade Helm canceled for Texas Crossroads area without reason
Investment Watch Blog - This comes two days after Governor Greg Abbott commands Texas State Guard to monitor Jade Helm Operation.. A controversial special operations realistic training expected to begin this summer will not take place in Victoria and Goliad counties, the Victoria County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Wednesday.

Baltimore cop in Freddie Gray arrest once hospitalized over mental health - report
RT - Records from the sheriff’s office and court show Baltimore Police Officer Lt. Brian Rice, a central figure in the arrest of Freddie Gray, was hospitalized three years ago over mental health concerns. He also had his gun confiscated.... The County Carroll Sheriff’s Office report quoted Rice as saying he “could not go on like this” and threatened to commit an act. The act itself was censored in the public version of report. Within the report, the sheriff’s deputies confiscated Rice’s official and personnel guns based on “credible information.” They also called his commanding officer and transported him to Carroll Hospital Center in April 2012.... Rice had twice been accused of domestic violence and was temporarily ordered by a court to stay away from the person in the second case.

Philadelphia #FreddieGray solidarity march pushes through police line (VIDEO)
RT - Brief scuffles between activists and policemen took place downtown Philadelphia, as residents of the nation’s first capital, marching in solidarity with the Baltimore protests over Freddie Gray’s death, pushed through the police line.... Police had reportedly used batons to fend off the crowd. Some light injuries have been reported in the tense exchange. After a few minutes of tense exchanges between the authorities and activists, the police yelled and let the protesters through. Reports of several arrests are being circulated on social media.

America’s Police Will Fight the Next Riot With These Stink Bombs
Defense One - As protestors and police officers clash on the streets of divided cities such as Baltimore, Maryland, and Ferguson, Missouri, some police departments are stockpiling a highly controversial weapon to control civil unrest. It’s called Skunk, a type of “malodorant,” or in plainer language, a foul-smelling liquid. Technically nontoxic but incredibly disgusting, it has been described as a cross between “dead animal and human excrement.” Untreated, the smell lingers for weeks. The Israeli Defense Forces developed Skunk in 2008 as a crowd-control weapon for use against Palestinians. Now Mistral, a company out of Bethesda, Maryland, is providing it to police departments in the United States, including the Ferguson PD.

Rep. Amash: Not Enough Votes in Congress to Reauthorize PATRIOT Act
Activist Post - Amash writes on his Facebook page: The latest USA Freedom Act does NOT end the government's unconstitutional bulk collection of private data on Americans. Congress should not mislead the public. House leadership has no leverage to stop genuine surveillance reform. The Patriot Act, which has been used to spy on all Americans, expires on June 1. There are not enough votes in Congress to reauthorize it. Members of Congress who favor surveillance reform should quit the defeatism. The USA Freedom Act is not the best we can do. We have the American people on our side, and we have all the leverage.

CBS: Special forces training fuels conspiracy theories in Texas (Video)
CBS News - A multi-state military exercise is the subject of intense speculation about the imposition of martial law. The training operation called "Jade Helm 15" was announced in March, and the Texas governor is deploying the state guard to monitor the exercises. Manuel Bojorquez reports from Dallas.
* Related article plus a video by Gary Franchi: CBS National News targets JADE HELM Conspiracy Theorists

Police Van Carrying Freddie Gray Made Previously Undisclosed Stop: Report
Common Dreams - The police van that carried 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who would die of injuries sustained during his arrest one week later, made a previously undisclosed stop on its way to the station, according to the Baltimore Police Department's initial findings, turned over to the state attorney's office on Thursday.

Pictures And Footage You Won’t See On TV: Baltimore Citizens Are Done With Mindless Rioters
Steve Watson - Following lead of Robert Valentine, community unites to put a halt to idiocy. It seems that the lone Vietnam veteran who took a stand against violent looters Monday has inspired a real uprising in Baltimore – against the rioters. Incredible scenes underreported and barely covered by the mainstream media unfolded just ahead of the designated curfew yesterday as citizens lined up, and even held hands in front police lines, putting themselves in the direct line of fire of bottles, bricks and rocks being thrown toward cops.

What Martin Luther King Jr. Said About Violence As Protest- 1964
Ben swann - “Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. I am not unmindful of the fact that violence often brings about momentary results. Nations have frequently won their independence in battle. But in spite of temporary victories, violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones. Violence is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding: it seeks to annihilate rather than convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends up defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers....

Security guards would face mental health exams under California bill
Reveal News - A bill that would require armed-guard applicants to undergo mental health evaluations is making its way through the California Senate. If approved by the Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown, the new law would make numerous changes to the regulation and oversight of security guards in the state... The proposal, sponsored by state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, follows a state audit and a Reveal investigation, which found that armed guards rarely are vetted for mental health problems before being granted permission to carry guns. Reveal also found that the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services has failed to track security guard shootings and conduct timely and thorough investigations.

Mandatory Vaccine Bill Clears Another Hurdle in CA
Breitbart - Hours of contentious debate in California’s Senate Judiciary Committee resulted in a 5-1 vote earlier this week to advance SB 277, a bill that would eliminate parents’ ability to exempt their children from required vaccinations on the basis of personal belief. On a previous stopover in the Senate Education Committee, heated debate kept the bill from easy passage. After a short delay and amendments narrowly expanding homeschool and independent study alternatives, it eventually passed with a 7-2 vote.

Feds Order Baby Returned After Massachusetts Kidnaps Baby Due to Mother's Disability
Health Impact News - In an unprecedented move, the federal government has ordered the Department of Children and Families to return a child to her mother. And on Tuesday, we are hearing for the first time directly from the child’s family about their 2-year battle with the department. FOX25’s Investigative Reporter Kerry Kavanaugh examines allegations the state discriminated against this young mother because of her disability. A newborn girl had yet to leave the hospital when DCF decided the 19-year-old mother, with an intellectual disability, was incapable of caring for her. The mother is publicly known by the pseudonym, Sara Gordon. Her battle to get her baby back is now seen as a victory for people with disabilities.

Texas Senate Bill Protects Pastors from Overbearing Government
Breitbart - Pastors and their sermons have moved one step closer to protection under Texas law. State Senator Joan Huffman (R-Houston) received unanimous approval for Senate Bill 2048, a bill necessitated by the actions of Mayor Annise Parker when she issued subpoenas to various local pastors related to her Houston Equal Rights ordinance (“HERO”). In mid-October, Breitbart Texas reported then-Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott sent a letter to Houston City Attorney David Feldman, asking him to immediately withdraw subpoenas served to several Houston-area ministers. The subpoenas sought production of sermons, private notes, and other information. Abbott called the action a “direct assault on the religious liberty guaranteed by the First Amendment.”

Economy & Business

Billionaire Hypocrisy: George Soros May Owe $7 Billion In Taxes
Zero Hedge - Via Bloomberg: While building a record as one of the world’s greatest investors, the 84-year-old billionaire used a loophole that allowed him to defer taxes on fees paid by clients and reinvest them in his fund, where they continued to grow tax-free. At the end of 2013, Soros—through Soros Fund Management—had amassed $13.3 billion through the use of deferrals, according to Irish regulatory filings by Soros… Congress closed the loophole in 2008 and ordered hedge fund managers who used it to pay the accumulated taxes by 2017. A New York-based money manager such as Soros would be subject to a federal rate of 39.6 percent, combined state and city levies totaling 12 percent, and an additional 3.8 percent tax on investment income to pay for Obamacare... Applying those rates to Soros’s deferred income would create a tax bill of $6.7 billion…

71% Of Wall Street Bankers Admit They Are Too Big To Fail (And Underpaid)
Zero Hedge - Wall Streeters are not happy. According to the latest Bloomberg poll, 48% believe they are paid less (or much less) than they had hoped for. With the biggest banks cutting costs as new regulations force derisking and deleveraging (in theory), pay is taking a hit (although not so much for the CEOs). As one headhunter noted, "they're still making decent money, but it’s nothing like 2007," but ironically, a massive 71% of Wall Street bankers admit that their banks are still Too Big To Fail.

Energy & Environment

Volcanic Eruption off West Coast United States! Oregon undersea volcano now erupting
dutchsinse - The new undersea volcanic activity is occurring approximately 300 miles off the shores of Central Oregon, along the Axial Seamount, where a fresh fissure has formed, producing new undersea lava flows, and seismic activity This undersea eruption FOLLOWS a series of earthquakes at dormant volcanoes along the West coast in California, and Nevada, as well as several large “steam plume” events from Hot Springs, Cold Springs, and dormant volcano locations.... Before the Japan mega-quake, there were a series of unexpected (and quite excessive) volcanic eruptions internationally (which occurred over a short period of time), multiple large repeat earthquakes, steam plumes on the West coast, Hawaii had a volcanic event at Kilauea , and the 2011 undersea eruption off the coast of Oregon. The same thing which occurred in 2011, is occurring now in 2015.

Pesticides alter bees' brains, making them unable to live and reproduce adequately
Natural Blaze - In research report published in the May 2015 issue of The FASEB Journal, scientists report that a particular class of pesticides called "neonicotinoids" wreaks havoc on the bee populations, ultimately putting some crops that rely on pollination in jeopardy. Specifically, these pesticides kill bee brain cells, rendering them unable to learn, gather food and reproduce. The report, however, also suggests that the effects of these pesticides on bee colonies may be reversible by decreasing or eliminating the use of these pesticides on plants pollenated by bees and increasing the availability of "bee-friendly" plants available to the insects.

Science & Technology

'You can Google it': Security experts raise alarm over online drone-hacking instructions
RT - Manuals on hacking military drones have been available online for quite some time, apparently. Research spotting weaknesses is alarmingly commonplace, an Israeli defense specialist warns, citing its possible use in the 2011 downing of a CIA drone by Iran… This seemingly dire situation is exacerbated by the fact that much of the infrastructure used to run the deadly machines is outdated, as security expert Marc Rogers explains. “Don’t want to trivialize it, it is actually quite a sophisticated hack, but so long as somebody supplies you with equipment and instructions, anyone can do it,” he told RT.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

New Study: Goats Who Eat Monsanto GM Soy Produce Abnormal Milk
Natural Society - Monsanto likes to say (with the FDA’s help) that their Round Up Ready GM soy is substantially equivalent to its non-GM counterparts. But a new study proves that GM-fed goat milk is completely abnormal – is human milk next? Is it any wonder that the US has such a high infant mortality rate compared to other ‘civilized’ nations? (Ours is more than twice the rate of countries like Sweden or Japan.) Though it is due to a confluence of factors, Monsanto is likely contributing to our atrocious infant mortality rate. When baby goats die more often due to their mothers eating Round Up Ready soy feed, it isn’t a far stretch to understand that human milk is being affected as well.

Health

Hopkins Physician Says Lyme Disease Patients Create Conspiracy Theories About Their Illnesses
Natural Blaze - Johns Hopkins physician Paul G. Auwaerter, MD, has told the Allentown Morning Call that Lyme patients invent ideas about what ails them. According to the article, Auwaerter likened Lyme disease to issues, such as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and global warming, issues that lend themselves to conspiracy theories. “When you don’t understand something,” said Dr. Auwaerter, “you try to insert a framework that makes sense to you.” Josh Cutler, co-founder of The Mayday Project, says the problem doesn’t lie with patients but rather with denialist physicians, such as Auwaerter, who refuse to take into consideration a large body of science-based evidence for the existence of chronic Lyme disease.

1 Gram of Turmeric Boosts Working Memory in Just 6 Hours
Green Med Info - Need a caffeine-free, memory-boosting alternative to coffee? Just one dose of turmeric powder (1 gram) was found to improve working memory in pre-diabetics in hours. Interest in turmeric as a tonic and regenerative agent for brain conditions is growing rapidly. Given the increased prevalence of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, as well as an alarming uptick in brain cancer and the cognitively impairing metabolic dysregulations associated with type 2 diabetes. Turmeric and its primary polyphenol curcumin hold great promise as an alternative to pharmaceuticals, none of which have been shown to address nor resolve the root causes of disease

Cumin Essential Oil Offers Relief for IBS in Clinical Study
Green Med Info - Research from Tehran University of Medical Sciences has concluded that cumin extract can significantly reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome – also referred to as IBS and sometimes referred as inflammatory bowel disease. Up to 20% of Americans have been diagnosed with IBS at some point. Irritable bowel syndrome is an increasingly prevalent worldwide disorder, and there are no known drugs that will resolve the condition.
 



APRIL 2015

Thursday - April 30, 2015 - Today in History:

1789 - George Washington took office as first elected U.S. president.
1803 - The U.S. purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million.
1812 - Louisiana admitted as the 18th U.S. state.
1889 - George Washington's inauguration became the first U.S. national holiday.
1900 - Hawaii was organized as an official U.S. territory.
1945 - Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide. They had been married for one day. One week later Germany surrendered unconditionally.
1968 - U.S. Marines attacked a division of North Vietnamese in the village of Dai Do.
1970 - U.S. troops invaded Cambodia to disrupt North Vietnamese Army base areas. It led to widespread protests when Nixon announced it.
1972 - The North Vietnamese launched an invasion of the South.
1975 - Communists North Vietnamese troops entered the Independence Palace of South Vietnam in Saigon. 11 Marines lifted off of the U.S. Embassy were the last soldiers to evacuate.
1980 - Terrorists seized the Iranian Embassy in London.
2001 - Chandra Levy, a federal government intern, went missing in Washington, D.C. (Her remains were found more than a year later in a city park.
2009 - Chrysler filed for bankruptcy protection.
2009 - British forces exited Iraq.

World News

Saudi Arabia training tribal ground force in Yemen – report
RT - In order to break the stalemate in the ongoing conflict in Yemen, Saudi Arabia has reportedly started training hundreds of Yemeni tribesmen to fight the Houthis on the ground, while Riyadh continues its bombardment campaign.... According to another Yemeni official source, some 300 fighters have already managed to return to Yemen after getting Saudi training. They were allegedly send the Sirwah district in the central Marib province to battle Houthis in the area. According to the source the newly trained unit managed to push the rebels back. Saudi Arabia’s coalition spokesman failed to either confirm or deny the reports.

US Moves to Scupper Russia-Greece Energy Deal
Sputnik News - The US is moving quickly to counter moves by Greece to benefit from a huge new gas pipeline proposed by Russian energy giant Gazprom, which is seeking to drive a new pipeline through Turkey. Europe is Gazprom's biggest export market and it has been keen for years to drive new supplies deep into Europe. Its previous pipeline project, South Stream — due to run through the Black Sea to Bulgaria and through Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia further to Austria — was abandoned following the Ukraine crisis and EU sanctions against Russia.

Saudi Arabia bombs Yemen runway ‘to stop Iranian flight landing’ (VIDEO)
RT - Saudi Arabia says it has bombed the runway in the Yemeni capital Sanaa to stop an Iranian flight from landing there because it allegedly refused to coordinate its flight with the coalition.... Iran’s state news agency IRNA said the plane belonged to the Red Crescent and was carrying food and medical supplies. They said Saudi jets tried to force it turn back but the pilots ignored these “illegal warnings”. Yemen is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe and the situation is being made considerably worse by the fact that the Saudi-led forces are not allowing any ships or planes including those carrying aid into Yemen unless they have been cleared by the military.

International Monetary System Is Wrong and Needs to Be Reset
Sputnik News - The European Central Bank's 1.1 trillion-euro quantitative easing program has sent bond yields to below zero on securities from Germany to Spain - which is having a negative impact into German bunds. Germany's government uses bunds to finance its spending. Long term bonds, those with durations of between ten and 30 years are issued the most. Bunds are auctioned off in the primary market and then traded in the secondary market. According to Jefferies this means that more than 30 percent of all government debt in the Eurozone is trading on a negative interest rate.

The Greek Modest Proposal To Savers: Please Bring Your Cash Home
Zero Hedge - "Greece is to allow money held abroad by its taxpayers to be declared without penalty and taxed at a discount rate, a move to help overcome a cash crunch threatening the country with bankruptcy," Reuters reports. This may sound like a good idea in principle, but we’re not entirely sure why this represents a compelling value proposition for those who are storing their euros in the safe confines of Swiss bank accounts.

Nepal PM Koirala faces ire of earthquake victims; death toll tops 6,000
FirstPost - Protests greeted Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala in relief camps as anger spilled over to the streets with people seizing food and water supplies, four days after a devastating quake claimed over 6,000 lives.... Thousands of desperate Nepalese, who have been staying in the open with no houses to return to and fearing more devastation from aftershocks, clashed with police and seized water-bottles and other essential supplies. Frayed tempers were also witnessed at the main bus station where quake victims had gathered to get out of Kathmandu but the promised buses failed to arrive. Scuffles broke out between angry crowds and the riot police which arrived there to control the situation.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

More than 120 arrested as cops and Freddie Gray protesters clash in NYC, and thousands demonstrate across US on third night of anger
Daily Mail - Baltimore has been the scene of near-nightly protests ever since the April 19 death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who is believed to have been fatally injured while in police custody. However, the most dramatic protests Wednesday night happened in New York City, where a group of activists started an illegal march. According to the New York Post, more than 120 protesters were arrested by police officers trying to maintain order on the streets. Activists started gathering after 5pm in New York's Union Square, and quickly grew to more than 1,000. All the while, police warned over loud speakers that they would start making arrests if the group moved out of the park.

Freddie Gray Severed His Own Spine Just Like Steve Biko Died of a 'Hunger Strike'
legitgov - On Wednesday we read: A prisoner sharing a police transport van with Freddie Gray told investigators that he could hear Gray "banging against the walls" of the vehicle and believed that he "was intentionally trying to injure himself," according to a police document obtained by The Washington Post. (See: Prisoner in van said Freddie Gray was 'banging against the walls' during ride 29 April 2015.) Are we to actually believe that while in police custody, 25-year-old African American Freddie Gray severed his own spinal cord -- and crushed his own larynx, too?

“You are suggesting broken windows are worse than broken spines” Activist Destroys CNN’s Wolf Blitzer (Video)
Ben Swann - Activist DeRay McKesson, who’s received accolades for his work in Ferguson, got into it Tuesday afternoon with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, who wanted him to outright condemn the violence in Baltimore Monday night. McKesson did so, but also demanded acknowledgement of the violence from authorities over the past year in Baltimore.

US Accused of Endangering Troops to Justify Ongoing Afghanistan Airstrikes
Sputnik News - Although President Barack Obama declared months ago that the United States’ war against the Taliban in Afghanistan has officially ended, the American military continues to launch airstrikes and ground operations. The White House has justified the continued presence of American forces in Afghanistan by claiming the troops’ responsibility is counterterrorism, and insisted that the Taliban are only being targeted under “force protection” – instances when they pose a threat to US troops.

Fight Over Domestic Spying Heats Up in Congress with 'USA Freedom Act'
Common Dreams - A bipartisan bill, designed to rein in the bulk collection of the private communications of American citizens, was introduced Tuesday by members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, ahead of an upcoming expiration date for key Patriot Act provisions that have given legal authority to some of the most controversial domestic surveillance practices revealed over the last two years.

1,100 Foreign Donors To Clinton Foundation Never Disclosed & Remain Secret
Zero Hedge - As a condition of becoming Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton signed a memorandum of understanding with the Obama Administration to disclose the donors to the Clinton Foundation due to the obvious potential conflicts of interest. Sounds good, but everyone knows the Clintons don’t pay by the rules, and they just went ahead and didn’t disclose 1,100 foreign donors to the faux charity. Interestingly, these 1,100 donors funneled the money through the Canadian wing of the Clinton slush fund, the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership (CGEP). This subsidiary of the Clinton Foundation was co-founded by Canadian businessman Frank Giustra, who’s sizable donations to the “charity” have been linked to getting a pass on human rights abuses in Colombia and crony uranium deals in Kazakhstan.

NYC, Washington, DC rally for Baltimore’s Freddie Gray
RT - As law enforcement in Baltimore looks to implement a weeklong curfew in the wake of protests and riots sparked by Freddie Gray’s death in police custody, demonstrators in New York City and Washington, DC organized rallies in solidarity. In New York, the Millions March coalition asked participants who support “social, economic, and racial justice” to head down to Union Square to “stand in solidarity with them and with their resistance because their resistance is for justice and their justice is our justice.”

VIDEO: National Guard Troops Kidnap Baltimore Protester Off the Street
Paul Joseph Watson - Shocking video broadcast live by CNN shows a prominent Baltimore activist being kidnapped off the street by five National Guard troops as an armored vehicle shields the scene from cameras. The clip shows Joseph Kent walking in front of a line of cops and National Guard troops before a humvee slowly drives towards him. The Guard troops quickly emerge from the line and accost Kent, with the vehicle being used to block news cameras from seeing the arrest. Kent was likely arrested for violating the 10pm curfew, although hundreds of others who did likewise were not arrested. Twitter soon exploded with outrage, as some blamed CNN for failing to even report on what their own live broadcast had just captured.

Baltimore Uprising: State Halts Civil Rights Protections for Those Arrested
Sputnik News - Over the last two days, Baltimore police have arrested hundreds. While 35 were taken into custody Tuesday night after the city’s week-long 10 pm curfew went into effect, 235 were arrested during Monday’s riots. According to the Guardian, most of those individuals are being held without charge. While Maryland’s habeas corpus law allows for 24-hour detention without charge, Governor Hogan has suspended that safeguard, claiming it was "necessary to protect the public safety."

Report: Walmart in Baltimore Refusing Ammo Sales
Paul Joseph Watson - A Walmart in Baltimore is refusing to sell ammo to customers in the aftermath of riots that swept the city this week, according to journalist Charles C. Johnson.... Some would probably applaud Walmart for the decision to restrict ammo given the chaotic scenes witnessed on Monday afternoon when rioters looted numerous stores across the city. However, in failing to exercise discretion in deciding who gets to purchase ammunition, Walmart is helping to ensure that property and business owners are left defenseless against violent mobs.

Economy & Business

16 Signs That The Economy Has Stalled Out And The Next Economic Downturn Is Here
Economic Collapse - If U.S. economic growth falls any lower, we are officially going to be in recession territory. On Wednesday, we learned that U.S. GDP grew at a 0.2 percent annual rate in the first quarter of 2015. That was much lower than all of the “experts” were projecting. And of course there are all sorts of questions whether the GDP numbers the government feeds us are legitimate anyway. According to John Williams of shadowstats.com, if honest numbers were used they would show that U.S. GDP growth has been continuously negative since 2005. But even if we consider the number that the government has given us to be the “real” number, it still shows that the U.S. economy has stalled out.

American Workers Clash with Homeland Security Dept. over Hiring of Spouses of Foreign Workers
AllGov - The controversy centers around DHS’ decision to offer H-4 visas to husbands and wives of foreign workers in the U.S. under the H-1B program. A group of former Southern California Edison computer workers who were replaced by foreign workers on H-1B guest-worker visas banded together under the name Save Jobs USA. They filed suit in federal court contending the H-4 visa program violates immigration laws and unfairly hurts them get new jobs. “The H-4 Rule is in excess of DHS authority and directly contradicts several provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act,” the lawsuit says. The utility forced the workers about to be laid off to train their foreign replacements in order to qualify for severance benefits.

Fraud, Waste, and Lies: Charter Schools Cheating Communities Out of Millions of Dollars
Common Dreams - Accepting and soliciting bribes. Diverting public funds for personal profit. Lying about the number of students. These are just a few examples of the fraud and malfeasance committed by charter school officials—cheating communities out of millions dollars that were supposed to go to education, a new report finds. The Tip of the Iceberg: Charter School Vulnerabilities to Waste, Fraud, and Abuse (pdf) was released Tuesday by the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools (AROS) and the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD). It concludes that, in 15 states alone—a third of states with charter schools—such waste cost more than $200 million.

Housing Market

Death Of The Middle Class: Homeownership Rate Drops To 29 Year Low As Average Rent Hits Record High
Zero Hedge - Earlier today the US Census released its latest quarterly data, which confirmed that for what is left of America's middle class, owning a home has become virtually impossible, with the homeownership rate tumbling from 64.0% to 63.7%, which is tied for the lowest historic print since the first quarter of 1986, with the only difference that then the trendline was higher. Now, as can be seen on the chart below, it isn't. At this rate, by the end of the 2015 and certainly by the end of Obama's second term, the US homeownership rate will drop to the lowest in modern US history.

Energy & Environment

Congress Coughs up $300 Million to Extend Work on Useless Nuclear Waste Plant
AllGov - What’s $300 million when a project could end up consuming more than $50 billion over its lifetime? That’s what Congress seems to have said about one of the greatest boondoggles by the Department of Energy (DOE): the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MOX). MOX was conceived more than a decade ago, when the U.S. and Russia were working on converting plutonium into mixed oxide fuel that could be used in commercial nuclear power plants.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Prominent Government Watchdog Asks Obama Administration to Remove Organic Leadership at USDA
Cornucopia News - The Cornucopia Institute yesterday sent a letter to USDA Secretary Vilsack and President Obama calling for the removal of Miles McEvoy as Deputy Administrator of the National Organic Program (NOP). McEvoy has repeatedly deferred to corporate interests with his lax enforcement of organic law on organic factory farms, and ignored National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) recommendations on nanotechnology, hydroponics and aquaculture, among others. With 200+ materials up for NOSB review this year, McEvoy has neither provided funds for needed Technical Reviews nor the customary third annual NOSB meeting which would allow the NOSB and the public adequate time to gather research and input. His unilateral gutting of the sunset procedure will be contested in court by 15 organic stakeholders, including Cornucopia.

Health

TV2 Denmark Documentary on HPV Vaccine Shows Lives of Young Women Ruined
Health Impact News - TV2 Denmark has done something no mainstream media network in the United States will dare to do: look into the controversial HPV vaccine that many have claimed has ruined the lives of so many young women, and publish an investigative report. In December of 2013 Katie Couric did a show on the HPV Gardasil Vaccine where she dared to interview the mother of a young woman who died shortly after receiving the vaccine.

6 Reasons to Start Using Coconut Oil as Toothpaste
Dr. Mercola - In a study to test coconut oil's biocidal properties against the bacteria responsible for tooth decay, the oil proved to be quite effective. The action of coconut oil was tested in its natural state and after being treated with enzymes, in a process similar to digestion. The oils were tested against strains of Streptococcus bacteria, which are common inhabitants of your mouth. They found that enzyme-modified coconut oil strongly inhibits the growth of most strains of Streptococcus bacteria, including Streptococcus mutans, an acid-producing bacterium that is a major cause of tooth decay.

Pet News

The Heart Problem That Can Remain Hidden for Years
Dr. Becker - If you’ve never heard of the canine disease called sick sinus syndrome, you might think a dog with the condition would do a lot of sneezing, snorting, or coughing. But in this case, the sinus involved isn’t in the respiratory tract. Sick sinus syndrome (SSS) actually refers to a sinus node located within the heart.... The exact causes of SSS are as of yet unknown. Genetics are suspected because while any breed can acquire the condition, it is primarily seen in middle-aged or older female Dachshunds, Cocker Spaniels, West Highland White Terriers, Pugs, and especially, Miniature Schnauzers. Any dog with sick sinus syndrome should not be bred.

Made with Real (Wheat) Meat
Susan Thixton - How can a consumer know if they are purchasing a real meat can of pet food or a fabricated meat-y can of pet food? We can’t. Lack of proper regulations allow consumers to remain in the dark about their pet food purchases.
 


Wednesday - April 29, 2015 - Today in History:

1852 - The first edition of Peter Roget's Thesaurus was published.
1856 - A peace treaty was signed between England and Russia.
1861 - The Maryland House of Delegates voted against seceding from Union.
1862 - New Orleans fell to Union forces during the Civil War.
1945 - The German Army in Italy surrendered unconditionally to the Allies.
1945 - In a bunker in Berlin, Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun were married. Hitler designated Admiral Karl Doenitz his successor.
1945 - The Nazi death camp, Dachau, was liberated.
1946 - Twenty-eight former Japanese leaders were indicted in Tokyo as war criminals.
1974 - U.S. President Nixon announced he was releasing edited transcripts of secretly made White House tape recordings related to the Watergate scandal.
1975 - The U.S. embassy in Vietnam was evacuated as North Vietnamese forces fought their way into Saigon.
1988 - Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev promised more religious freedom.
1990 - The destruction of the Berlin Wall began.
1992 - Exxon executive Sidney Reso was kidnapped outside his Morris Township, NJ, home by Arthur Seale. Seale was a former Exxon security official. Reso died while in captivity.
1992 - Rioting began after a jury decision to acquit four Los Angeles policemen in the Rodney King beating trial. 54 people were killed in 3 days.
1997 - Astronaut Jerry Linenger and cosmonaut Vasily Tsibliyev went on the first U.S.-Russian space walk.
1998 - The U.S., Canada and Mexico end tariffs on $1 billion in NAFTA trade.
1998 - Brazil announced a plan to protect a large area of Amazon forest. The area was about the size of Colorado.
2009 - NATO expelled two Russian diplomats from NATO headquarters in Brussels over a spy scandal in Estonia. Russia's Foreign Ministry criticized the expulsions.

World News

Pentagon: Iran seizes Marshall Islands-flagged ship, US destroyer on standby
RT - The Iranian Navy has reportedly seized a Marshall Islands-flagged ship with 24 crew members on board. It was previously reported by media that it was a US vessel, though the Pentagon denied those claims. The navy seized the Maersk Tigris under court order at the request of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization, Fars news agency reported. "The ship was seized after a relevant court order was issued for its confiscation," Fars quoted a source as saying.

California Highway Patrol Trains New Ukraine Police Force - US State Dep't
Sputnik News - The US state of California Highway Patrol (CHP) trained Ukraine’s new Patrol Police as part of its first deployment overseas, the US State Department announced in a statement. The Patrol Police will replace Ukraine’s traffic police as part of an effort to combat police corruption... The first Patrol Police force of approximately 2,000 officers will report for duty in Kiev in June 2015.

UPDATE: Chernobyl Forest Fires Exclusion Zone to Be Contained Wednesday
Sputnik News - Earlier in the day, it was reported that the background radiation in the wildfire area is normal and does not pose a health threat. Firefighters are likely to contain by Wednesday forest fires burning in the vicinity of Ukraine's inactive Chernobyl nuclear power plant, acting head of the country's State Emergency Service, Zoryan Shkiryak, said. “I think the fire will be localized today,” Shkiryak said on Ukraine’s 112 television channel adding that there is no current threat to the Chernobyl plant or surrounding structures.

9/11: Iranian General accuses US of organising September 11 terror attacks
The Independent - A top Iranian military commander has accused the United States of carrying out the 9/11 terror attacks in order to justify an invasion of the Middle East "with the goal of ruling it".... According to a translation by the US-based Middle East Media Research Institution, he referred to the current conflicts in Iraq and Syria, and told the interviewer: "These wars in the middle and these threats stem from a comprehensive American strategy.

Forest fires heading for Chernobyl nuclear plant – Ukraine Interior Ministry
RT - The Ukrainian National Guard has been put on high alert due to worsening forest fires around the crippled Chernobyl nuclear power plant, according to Ukraine Interior Minister Arsen Avakov.... "The forest fire situation around the Chernobyl power plant has worsened," a statement on Interior Minister Arsen Avakov's Facebook page says. "The forest fire is heading in the direction of Chernobyl's installations. Treetop flames and strong gusts of wind have created a real danger of the fire spreading to an area within 20 kilometers of the power plant. There are about 400 hectares [988 acres] of forests in the endangered area."

Trojan Horse trade policy provides loophole for banned GMOs to enter Europe
(NaturalNews) Even though the biotech moguls have attained near-total control over the conventional U.S. food supply, they're not content with this monopolistic feat. A new trade agreement being proposed with the European Union seeks to dump more American food exports into Europe, a move that will require European food safety standards, which are among the most rigorous in the world, to be drastically lowered.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Police Arrest Ten People First Night of Baltimore Curfew Following Riots
Sputnik News - On Tuesday a week-long citywide emergency curfew was declared in Baltimore, Maryland. Citizens are required to stay in from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. On the first night, some 200 people gathered in downtown Baltimore, refusing to follow the curfew and clashed with police. Police used tear gas, smoke and pepper balls to disperse the crowd. Baltimore police have made 10 arrests since the 10 p.m. curfew went into effect Tuesday night," Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said, quoted by CNN. According to Batts, two people of the ten were arrested for looting, one for disorderly conduct and the rest for violating the curfew. He added that the curfew is working and the city is now "stable."

12 Unanswered Questions About The Baltimore Riots That They Don’t Want Us To Ask
Economic Collapse - Police brutality has been a major problem in Baltimore and much of the rest of the nation for many years. But could it be possible that the anger that the people of Baltimore are feeling is being channeled and manipulated for other purposes? The following are 12 unanswered questions about the Baltimore riots that they don’t want us to ask…

How Freddie 'Pepper' Gray, 25, lived off a lead paint settlement after being poisoned as a child and was well known to police following at least 18 arrests
Daily Mail - Freddie Gray was a 25-year-old African-American who grew up in Baltimore's impoverished west side Nicknamed 'Pepper', he was described by an ex-girlfriend as happy-go-lucky with an infectious sense of humor. The Baltimore police knew him, however, as a 5ft-8ins felon who had notched up at least 18 arrests and a handful of convictions - mainly for Class A drugs but also burglary, assault and illegal gambling.

The Economics at Ground Zero of Riot Central Baltimore
EPJ - It's about kids educated in a rotten public school system, where minimum wages laws prevent youth from getting that all important first job and where government welfare payments rage on destroying the incentive to maintain the nuclear family..

US District Court Upholds Vermont GMO Labeling Law
Sustainable Pulse - Act 120 was signed into law on May 8, 2014. The Grocery Manufacturer’s Association (GMA), which represents the country’s largest food manufacturers and has poured tens of millions of dollars into anti-labeling campaigns in other states, sued Vermont just over a month after the bill was signed into law. In the denying the Plaintiffs’ injunction, Judge Reiss declared, “Because the State has established that Act 120’s GE disclosure requirement is reasonably related to the State’s substantial interests, under Zauderer, Act 120’s GE disclosure requirement is constitutional.”

Baltimore Mayor Key Player in Obama’s Federal Takeover of Local Police
Kit Daniels - Mayor’s link to Justice Dept. explains why she gave rioters “space to destroy.” Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who gave rioters “space to destroy” property and reportedly told police to stand down, was a key player in the Justice Dept.’s plan to expand federal control over local law enforcement. Rawlings-Blake was one of three mayors who provided broad input into President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, which advocates the federalization of police departments across the country by forcing them to adhere to stricter federal requirements when they receive funding.

CNN Anchor Blames Military Veterans for Baltimore Riots… Says They’re ‘Ready for Battle’
Breitbart - After more than a year of CNN pouring gasoline all over America with hysterical, and oftentimes phony, stories of American racism, the left-wing network's afternoon anchor Brooke Baldwin finally took it to the next level by blaming American veterans for the Baltimore riots.

Watch the Citizens of Baltimore Stand up to the Mob
Daily Sheeple - Despite the best attempts of some to portray the unrest in Baltimore as a kind of righteous resistance against an unjust system, the evidence suggests otherwise.... But as is usually the case, not everyone showed up to fight the police or pillage their community. Some just wanted to have a peaceful protest, and did everything they could to stop the violence. One video of an unidentified man has gone viral after he was filmed standing between a police line and several protestors.... It’s a relief to see that there are still some good people out there who are willing to do the right thing. It seems plainly obvious that what happened to Freddie Gray was wrong, but the response of so many kids in that city has been inexcusable.

Army Tries to Explain Operation Jade Helm ’15 to Central Texas Community: They Say ‘No’
Breitbart - Another small town in Texas is turning “thumbs down” on scheduled Army Special Warfare operation this summer. Bastrop County had a public hearing Monday, where the Army sent an officer to explain what will be happening across Texas and stretching west to California. Monday morning brought more than 150 people to the Bastrop County Commission chambers, where Army Lieutenant Colonel Mark Lastoria showed maps of the planned operation, according to an article in the Austin American-Statesman by Sean Collins Walsh. He then answered dozens of questions from people who said things like “I don’t trust you” and others who admitted to not trusting the government. Residents recounted stories about the wildfires of 2011 where federal help never arrived and the President would not sign a declaration of disaster.

Texas governor directs state guard to monitor Jade Helm 15
KVUE - Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the Texas State Guard to oversee Jade Helm 15, a military exercise scheduled to take place in Bastrop County this summer.... A letter from Abbott to Betty states he wants the Texas State Guard to monitor the operation "To address concerns of Texas citizens and to ensure that Texas communities remain safe, secure and informed about military procedures occurring in their vicinity."Abbott said he wants to make sure it doesn't risk anyone's safety or infringe on their constitutional, property or civil rights.

Election News

Clinton gets competition: Bernie Sanders to run for president in 2016
RT - US Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent lawmaker from Vermont, is set to announce a bid for the presidency on Thursday, Vermont Public Radio reported. He will reportedly run as a Democrat. Citing several unnamed sources, the news outlet said Sanders will make the announcement by releasing a short statement, with a campaign event to be held in Vermont a few weeks later. His campaign will focus on how wealthy Americans and corporations have gotten richer at the expense of the middle class, as well as strong opposition to the 12-nation international trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP.)

Economy & Business

Colleges Shut Down — Had $1.2B in Student Debt
Breitbart - Corinthian Colleges is officially shutting down all of its remaining 28 ground campuses, displacing about 16,000 students. The action comes less than two weeks after the U.S. Department of Education announced it had fined the for-profit institution $30 million for misrepresentation. According to the Colleges’ latest SEC filings, their schools generated $1.2 billion in government loans last year.

Science & Technology

iGrounded: Pilots’ Glitchy iPads Bring American Airlines Flights to a Halt
Sputnik News - American Airlines pilots were left without their navigation charts and flight plans on Tuesday night due to a software problem with the iPads they use in the cockpit, causing delays to several dozen flights. "More than a couple dozen flights" were affected, said American Airlines in a statement, explaining that its planes "are experiencing an issue with a software application on pilot iPads." "In some cases, the flight has had to return to the gate to access a WiFi connection to fix the issue."

DARPA Announces Successful Live-Fire Test of EXACTO "Smart" Bullets
Activist Post - DARPA seems to always be at the leading edge of finding more creative and effective means of killing. They first announced in July, 2014 their EXACTO Project (Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance) - the first ever guided low-caliber "smart" bullets. Now DARPA is announcing that they have successfully completed "its most successful round of live-fire tests to date." Perhaps most notably, even a novice shooter using the system for the first time was able to hit a moving target with the guidance system.... The 'continuous guidance of a small-caliber bullet to target' seems to be tailor made for a robot army controlled by artificial intelligence.

New Spy Tech to Watch: Automated Vehicle Occupancy Detection
EFF - The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), a government umbrella group that develops transportation and public safety initiatives across the San Diego County region, estimates that 15% of drivers in High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes aren’t supposed to be there. After coming up short with earlier experimental projects, the agency is now testing a brand new technology to crack down on carpool-lane scofflaws on the I-15 freeway. Documents obtained by CBS 8 reporter David Gotfredson show that Xerox's system uses two cameras to capture the front and side views of a car’s interior. Then “video analytics” and “geometric algorithms” are used to detect whether the seats are occupied.

Health

7 Health Benefits of Bee Propolis
Green Med Info - Bees make more than honey. They also make gunk called propolis. And this "bee glue" is a powerful health balm. In fact, studies show it has anti-cancer properties.... Modern studies confirm a long list of health benefits offered by propolis. A search of PubMed shows over 2,000 studies on bee propolis. Here are just a few of its health benefits.

Groundbreaking Discovery: Animal Cells Powered by Sunlight/Chlorophyll
Green Med Info - A groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Cell Science reveals an entirely new reason why it is essential that we all 'eat our greens,' as mother always said, namely: it enables your body's mitochondria to produce more ATP energy when exposed to Sunlight. The study titled, "Light-harvesting chlorophyll pigments enable mammalian mitochondria to capture photonic energy and produce ATP", indicates that by eating a chlorophyll-rich diet mammals (and by implication humans) can capture specific wavelengths of sunlight radiation that will translate into increased energy within the powerhouses of the cell known as the mitochondria.
 



Tuesday - April 28, 2015 - Today in History:

1788 - Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the U.S. constitution.
1789 - A mutiny on the British ship Bounty took place when a rebel crew took the ship and set sail to Pitcairn Island. The mutineers left Captain W. Bligh and 18 sailors adrift.
1818 - U.S. President James Monroe proclaimed naval disarmament on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain.
1910 - First night air flight was performed by Claude Grahame-White in England.
1916 - The British declared martial law throughout Ireland.
1919 - The League of Nations was founded.
1932 - The yellow fever vaccine for humans was announced.
1952 - The U.S. occupation of Japan officially ended when a treaty with the U.S. and 47 other countries went into effect.
1965 - The U.S. Army and Marines invaded the Dominican Republic to evacuate Americans.
1992 - The U.S. Agriculture Department unveiled a pyramid-shaped recommended-diet chart.
1994 - Former CIA official Aldrich Ames, who had given U.S. secrets to the Soviet Union and then Russia, pled guilty to espionage and tax evasion. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
1996 - President Clinton gave a 4 1/2 hour videotaped testimony as a defense witness in the criminal trial of his former Whitewater business partners.
1997 - A worldwide treaty to ban chemical weapons took effect. Russia and other countries such as Iraq and North Korea did not sign.
1999 - The U.S. House of Representatives rejected (on a tie vote of 213-213) a measure expressing support for NATO's five-week-old air campaign in Yugoslavia. The House also voted to limit the president's authority to use ground forces in Yugoslavia.
2001 - A Russian rocket launched from Central Asia with the first space tourist aboard. The crew consisted of California businessman Dennis Tito and two cosmonauts. The destination was the international space station.
2004 - The first photos of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal were shown on CBS' "60 Minutes II."
2011 - President Barack Obama reshuffled his national security team, with CIA Director Leon Panetta succeeding Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Gen. David Petraeus replacing Panetta at the CIA.

World News

Iran insists Israel 'give up the bomb' as Tehran seeks nuclear-free Middle East
RT - Mohammad Javad Zarif was speaking at the United Nations for the non-aligned group of countries. Israel has never admitted or denied the widespread assumption it has nuclear weapons. However, Zarif says Israel’s assumed nuclear arsenal was a threat to regional security. The Iranian Foreign Minister said the non-aligned movement regards Israel’s nuclear program as, “a serious and continuing threat to the security of neighboring and other states, and condemned Israel for continuing to develop and stockpile nuclear arsenals,” according to Reuters… Zarif added that the non-aligned bloc are looking to create a nuclear free-zone in the Middle East “as a matter of high priority,” which will only be possible, if Israel abandons its nuclear stockpile.

Report: Obama Opposes Egypt's Plan to Launch Large Assault Against ISIS in Libya
Breitbart - Egypt is getting ready to launch a large air and ground attack against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) in eastern Libya DebkaFile reports, quoting military and intelligence sources. The Obama administration is reportedly opposed to the operation… ISIS’ presence in eastern Libya and Sinai poses an unacceptable threat to El-Sisi’s country, noted the report. “He has been warned in a number of intelligence reports that the Islamic State’s terrorists have already penetrated some Egyptian towns and even infiltrated certain army units,” it said.

Officials Warn Senkakus Fall Under US Protection; Japan To Take "More Assertive" Military Role
Zero Hedge - Following meetings with Sec. of State John Kerry, Defense Sec. Ashton Carter, Japanese officials, it appears, have been shown the endgame now that the Keynesian farce is over... As AFP reports, Japan’s military to take on more assertive role, according to Japanese officials as Japan and US bolster their alliance for the first time in 18 years. Noting the alliance "serves as the cornerstone of peace in AsiaPac," and that the Senkakus will fall under protection of this new treaty, we suspect the Chinese will have more than a few things to say about this.

'Islamic State in West Africa': Boko Haram Rebrands
Breitbart - Months after accepting a pledge of allegiance from Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, the Islamic State has released propaganda through its social media outlets in which the Nigerian group refers to itself as “Islamic State West Africa Province” (ISWAP), suggesting their merger is finally complete. The Nigerian terrorist group released a set of new images and video over the weekend, in which they referred to themselves with the new name and, for the first time, appeared unmasked and easily recognizable… The Independent adds that the images, unlike much of ISIS’s output, does not focus on specific arguments justifying their jihad, nor does it appear to attempt to portray the jihadists as capable of reconstructing society into a Sharia-compliant tyranny.

Iran and Russia officially ditch the dollar
Hang the Bankers - Bank officials in Iran said on Sunday that a mechanism to transfer money to the country’s banks from Russia is now on stream. Gholam-Reza Panahi, the deputy governor for currency affairs of Bank Melli of Iran (BMI), said the mechanism enables Iranian exporters to transfer payments in rubles from their Russian clients to Iran through the Moscow-based Mir Business Bank. Panahi said BMI is ready to support Iranian exporters to receive the ruble payments of their Russian clients through Mir Business Bank, IRNA reported.

Greek Municipal Union Refuses To Hand Over "Confiscated" Cash To Central Bank
Zero Hedge - Earlier today, while the European markets were caught in the latest myopic buying frenzy resulting from the hope that an imminent termination of Yanis Varoufakis may mean a Greek debt deal is imminent, the Central Union of Municipalities and Communities of Greece ("KEDE") held a meeting in which it said that while it "declares it support for the national negotiating effort", it would not transfer any funds to the Bank of Greece.

Damage in Nepal estimated up to $10 billion, potentially half entire GDP
RT - The total economic cost of the destruction from Nepal’s earthquake and aftershocks could total between $1-10 billion, up to 50 percent of the country’s $19.29 billion GDP. “Estimated economic losses may exceed the GDP of Nepal,” the United States Geological Survey wrote on its website.

Jimmy Carter to Meet Hamas Militants in Gaza This Week
Breitbart - Former U.S. Democratic President Jimmy Carter will travel to the Gaza Strip on Thursday and meet with officials from Hamas, the Jihadist terror organization that rules the Palestinian territory.... He will attempt to seek reconciliation between Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah, the latter which rules the Palestinian areas of the West Bank. Carter has urged Saudi officials to help with his mediation efforts.... Carter plans to arrive in the region on Thursday for a 3-day tour of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. His request to meet with Israel’s President and Prime Minister was denied. In refusing to meet with the 39th U.S. President, both offices cited his anti-Israel, pro-Hamas sentiments.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Huge fires set across Baltimore as Freddie Gray rioters torch city, loot stores and injure fifteen police officers
Daily Mail - More than 1,000 Maryland police officers, the Maryland National Guard, and 5,000 officers from neighboring states are on standby in the city and the president has been briefed on the situation as violence continues to escalate. It is the same level of reinforcement the city requested during the riots of 1968 after Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated.... Fifteen police officers have been injured, many suffering broken bones, and at least one appeared 'unresponsive'. Two of the 15 are in hospital in a serious condition. At least 27 people have been arrested. A $16 million nursing home built by a Baptist church, which was due to open in December after eight years of construction, has been burned to rubble on the city's east side as violence spread from the west of the city. Just two blocks away, a housing development was also ablaze.

In Every City In America There Are People Ready To Riot, Loot And Set Things On Fire
Economic Collapse - The social decay that has been eating away at the foundations of our society for generations is now manifesting in some very ugly ways. We have raised an entire generation of young people in a “value free” environment, and now we are getting to experience some of the consequences of our foolishness. And what we are witnessing in Baltimore right now is just the start. Eventually, we are going to see scenes like this all over the nation.

Baltimore Officers Injured After High Schoolers Call for ‘Purge’ LIVE UPDATES
Breitbart - Police has sustained broken bones after black Baltimore high schoolers calling for “The Purge” struck them with heavy bricks, rocks, and pipes. One officer is unconscious, non-responsive. The city’s transportation has been crippled by the raging violence and residents are urged by city officials to avoid several, out-of-control areas.

Baltimore PD Warns: Gangs Are 'Teaming-Up' To "Take Out Cops" After Freddie Gray Funeral
Zero Hedge - Baltimore police said Monday they've received credible information that various gangs, including the Black Guerilla Family, the Bloods and the Crips, have "entered into a partnership to 'take-out'" law enforcement officers. The warnings of a threat came as the funeral of Freddie Gray unfolded at a Baltimore church. Hundreds gathered to pay their respects to Gray, 25, who died in police custody — making his death the latest flashpoint in a national debate over police treatment of racial minorities. Baltimore police advised law enforcement agencies to take "appropriate precautions" to make sure their officers were safe. No further details were immediately available as to where or when the incidents may occur or when the threats were received.

Clinton Foundation Put On Watch List Of Suspicious ‘Charities’
Breitbart - The New York Post reports that Charity Navigator, which describes itself as “the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities,” has added the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation to its “watch list” of problematic nonprofits. “The Clinton family’s mega-charity took in more than $140 million in grants and pledges in 2013 but spent just $9 million on direct aid,” notes the New York Post. “The group spent the bulk of its windfall on administration, travel, and salaries and bonuses, with the fattest payouts going to family friends.”

Motel 6 Sending Guests’ Personal Info to Police Every Night
Mikael Thalen - A Motel 6 in Rhode Island is quietly sending its daily guest list to police, completely unbeknownst to its customers, a report detailed earlier this month. According to Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian, local police secured the deal with several of the motel chain’s corporate managers after the company complained about a rash of criminal activity.... Upon receiving the list, police will examine the backgrounds of each motel guest in order to check for outstanding warrants, a policy Avedisian deems necessary due to suspected human trafficking in the area.

Walmart Closings: Is it Coincidence?
Dave from Texas - Plumbing problems? Really? Is this the reason five Walmart stores from California to Florida abruptly closed earlier this month as shocked employees were told to leave. Closed for up to six months to repair problems neither employees, customers or code enforcement officers had ever noticed.

Chipotle becomes the first major US restaurant chain to ditch GMOs
Ars Technica - On Monday, Chipotle began only serving food that is free of genetically modified (GMO) ingredients. According to The New York Times, it's the first major chain to take such a policy. “This is another step toward the visions we have of changing the way people think about and eat fast food,” Steve Ells, founder and co-CEO of Chipotle, told the Times. “Just because food is served fast doesn’t mean it has to be made with cheap raw ingredients, highly processed with preservatives and fillers and stabilizers and artificial colors and flavors.”

Economy & Business

Labor Troubles Return To Los Angeles, Long Beach Ports As Truck Drivers Strike
International Business Times - Weeks after West Coast shippers and dockworkers resolved a tense and costly contract dispute, labor strife is returning to California ports. Backed by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union, hundreds of truck drivers went on strike indefinitely Monday at companies that service the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation’s busiest cargo hub. Together, the four targeted companies -- Pacific 9 Transportation, Intermodal Bridge Transport, Pacer Cartage and Pacer subsidiary Harbor Rail Transit -- employ about 500 drivers, according to Teamsters official Barb Maynard.

Energy & Environment

Huge magma reservoir discovered under Yellowstone supervolcano
EarthSky - University of Utah seismologists have discovered a reservoir of hot, partly molten rock 12 to 28 miles beneath the Yellowstone supervolcano that is 4.4 times larger than the shallower, long-known magma chamber.... The hot rock in the newly-discovered, deeper magma reservoir would fill the 1,000-cubic-mile Grand Canyon 11.2 times, while the previously known magma chamber would fill the Grand Canyon 2.5 times, says postdoctoral researcher Jamie Farrell, a co-author of the study published online April 23, 2015 in the journal Science.

Grand Canyon in the Crosshairs? Risky Mega-Development Moves Forward
Common Dreams - 'The Forest Service is paving the way for foreign investors to exploit America's most treasured natural landmark all to turn a profit,' says Earthjustice. The U.S. Forest Service is considering approval for a mega-development on the outskirts of the majestic Grand Canyon—a project the superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park has called one of the greatest threats in the 96-year history of the park.The Stilo Development Group, based in Italy, has proposed a sprawling urban development for the tiny town of Tusayan, near the southern edge of the Grand Canyon, which would include more than 2,100 housing units and 3 million square feet of retail space along with hotels, a spa, and conference center.

US lowers fluoride levels in drinking water for first time in over 50 years
The Guardian - The government is lowering the recommended amount of fluoride added to drinking water for the first time in more than 50 years. Some people are getting too much fluoride because it is also now put in toothpaste, mouthwash and other products, health officials said Monday in announcing the change. Too much fluoride has become a common cause of white splotches on teeth in children. One study found about two out of five adolescents had tooth streaking or spottiness.

Science & Technology

Toddlers Using Tablets Before They Can Talk
Cryptogon - More than a third of American babies are tapping on smartphones and tablets even before they’re walking or talking, according to a new study. And by their first birthday, one in seven infants is using devices for at least an hour a day.... The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages the use of entertainment media such as televisions, computers, smartphones and tablets by children under two-years-old.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

National Guard Called in to Fight Bird Flu in Minnesota
Sputnik News - The National Guard on Monday answered the call from the Minnesota State Emergency Operations Center to deliver water for use in the effort to contain the rapidly spreading avian flu virus, the center said in a statement released to Reuters. Thirty National Guard soldiers and 15 military water trucks started supplying large volumes of water that are needed for the foam-based systems being used to cull flocks on infected turkey farms in a bid to contain the spread of the H5N2 virus.

15 Plants That Teach Us Sacred Geometry At Its Finest
Josh Richardson - Plant growth is governed by the Fibonacci sequence, which can be understood as a law of accumulation. The role of the Fibonacci sequence in the growth of plants is a intriguing example of the unifying order behind all creation. These patterns exist at all levels and permeate the universe, reminding us that the same swirling energy is shaping, sunflowers, whirlpools, spinning galaxies, and our own DNA. Sacred Geometry is the meeting of science and spirituality, ‘the blueprint, the structure of spacetime that organizes matter.’ It is an ancient science that explores and explains the language or building blocks of all things in our Universe.

Health

50 Reasons To Drink Wheatgrass Everyday
thechalkboardmag.com - Read the fifty reasons you need to try this powerful shot of greens. For some of us, fifty reasons are what it takes!!!

6 Veggies You Never Knew You Could Pickle
RodalesOrganicLife.com - Why stick with cucumbers when pickled chard stems, rhubarb, and edible weeds are calling? Pickled vegetables taste amazing, and they also introduce healthy probiotics into your diet, turning your healthy produce into superfoods.

Golden Milk Recipe with Turmeric and Virgin Coconut Oil
Health Impact News - Golden Milk is an ancient Ayurvedic drink made using turmeric and milk – and it’s one of the best ways I know to incorporate turmeric into one’s daily diet. Turmeric is known to have so many health benefits due to curcumin, a powerful polyphenol antioxidant that also gives turmeric its beautiful golden color.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy – Beneficial for Various Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Natural News Blogs - Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) has become a popular alternative treatment option for several neurodevelopmental disorders, especially Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Although not approved by FDA as a treatment for autism and other issues, several parents have reported that HBOT has proved to be effective and beneficial for their children with autism.



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