Canada Moves One Step Closer to Outlawing Natural Health Products

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2534645
The National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) says pharmacists cannot be assured the products are safe until they are granted a government licence.

Makers of natural-health products say they are bracing for widespread layoffs and millions of dollars in losses after Canada's pharmacy regulators issued a surprise directive recently urging druggists to stop selling unlicensed natural remedies.
The order affects thousands of herbal treatments, multi-vitamins and other products, most of them waiting for approval from Health Canada under a backlogged, five-year-old program to regulate natural-health goods.
The National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) says pharmacists cannot be assured the products are safe until they are granted a government licence, and should not sell them in those circumstances. "Pharmacists are obliged to hold the health and safety of the public or patient as their first and foremost consideration," said the association's recently issued position statement.

Pentagon Looks to Breed Immortal ‘Synthetic Organisms,’ Molecular Kill-Switch Included

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/02/
The Pentagon’s mad science arm may have come up with its most radical project yet. Darpa is looking to re-write the laws of evolution to the military’s advantage, creating “synthetic organisms” that can live forever — or can be killed with the flick of a molecular switch.
As part of its budget for the next year, Darpa is investing $6 million into a project called BioDesign, with the goal of eliminating “the randomness of natural evolutionary advancement.” The plan would assemble the latest bio-tech knowledge to come up with living, breathing creatures that are genetically engineered to “produce the intended biological effect.” Darpa wants the organisms to be fortified with molecules that bolster cell resistance to death, so that the lab-monsters can “ultimately be programmed to live indefinitely.”
Of course, Darpa’s got to prevent the super-species from being swayed to do enemy work - so they’ll encode loyalty right into DNA, by developing genetically programmed locks to create “tamper proof” cells. Plus, the synthetic organism will be traceable, using some kind of DNA manipulation, “similar to a serial number on a handgun.” And if that doesn’t work, don’t worry. In case Darpa’s plan somehow goes horribly awry, they’re also tossing in a last-resort, genetically-coded kill switch:

Develop strategies to create a synthetic organism “self-destruct” option to be implemented upon nefarious removal of organism.

The project comes as Darpa also plans to throw $20 million into a new synthetic biology program, and $7.5 million into “increasing by several decades the speed with which we sequence, analyze and functionally edit cellular genomes.”

Phoenix gives OK to 2% tax on food

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/
Desperate to save police, fire and other city jobs, a divided Phoenix City Council on Tuesday approved a sales tax on grocery items that will generate tens of millions of dollars a year.
The 2 percent food tax will take effect April 1 and expire after five years, though Mayor Phil Gordon said the council has the option of reversing its decision after it hears from the public during 15 budget hearings planned for this month.
The tax on milk, meat, vegetables and other food purchased by shoppers will generate an estimated $12.5 million for the fiscal year that ends June 30. It will raise another $50 million for fiscal 2011. Food purchased with food stamps will not be taxed.

Ex-BofA chief Lewis charged with fraud

http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/04/news/
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Thursday it was bringing civil charges against senior Bank of America executives, including former company CEO Ken Lewis, for their role in the company's controversial purchase of Merrill Lynch.
Separately, the Securities and Exchange Commission said it had struck a $150 million settlement agreement with BofA over its decision to pay billions of dollars in bonuses to former Merrill employees.
Bank of America's last-minute decision to purchase the ailing Merrill in September 2008 has remained a central issue in the wake of the financial crisis, prompting both federal and state probes into the matter.

Police sent to hypnosis courses

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/
Officers are being encouraged to sign up to a course by Tom Silver, who is better known as a 'celebrity hypnotherapist' on American chat shows, in an attempt to gain more information from suspects.
Mr Silver, who has appeared on the Montel Williams and Ricki Lake chat shows on US TV, where he gave a guest an "orgasmic handshake", normally charges £1,000-a-day for courses in his home country.
But after being contacted by PC Mark Hughes, of Cheshire police, Mr Silver - a master hypnotist - agreed a 'free one day taster course' for cops before they sign up to his six day course, costing £1,500.

Obama Surrendering Internet to Foreign Powers

http://newsmax.com/Headline/obama-internet-iana-united/2010/01/31/id/348514
Without the ingenuity of America’s brightest minds and the investment of U.S. taxpayer dollars, there would be no Internet, as we now know it today.

Now, the Obama administration has moved quietly to cede control of the Web from the United States to foreign powers.

Some background: The Internet came into being because of the genius work of Americans Dr.Robert E. Kahn and Dr. Vinton G. Cerf. These men, while working for the Department of Defense in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in the early 1970s, conceived, designed, and implemented the idea of "open-architecture networking."

Airport-security plan calls for 500 body scanners in '11

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2010-02-02-body-scanner_N.htm

WASHINGTON — Body scanners that look under airline passengers' clothing for hidden weapons could be in nearly half the nation's airport checkpoints by late 2011, according to an Obama administration plan announced Monday.

The $215 million proposal to acquire 500 scanners next year, combined with the 450 to be bought this year, marks the largest addition of airport-security equipment since immediately after the 9/11 attacks. There are only 40 body scanners in a total of 19 airports now.

UN agency calls for global cyberwarfare treaty, ‘driver’s license’ for Web users

http://rawstory.com/2010/01/agency
The world needs a treaty to prevent cyber attacks becoming an all-out war, the head of the main UN communications and technology agency warned Saturday.
International Telcommunications Union secretary general Hamadoun Toure gave his warning at a World Economic Forum debate where experts said nations must now consider when a cyber attack becomes a declaration of war.
With attacks on Google from China a major talking point in Davos, Toure said the risk of a cyber conflict between two nations grows every year.

Secret Banking Cabal Emerges From AIG Shadows: David Reilly

http://www.bloomberg.com/...
Jan. 29 (Bloomberg) -- The idea of secret banking cabals that control the country and global economy are a given among conspiracy theorists who stockpile ammo, bottled water and peanut butter. After this week’s congressional hearing into the bailout of American International Group Inc., you have to wonder if those folks are crazy after all.
Wednesday’s hearing described a secretive group deploying billions of dollars to favored banks, operating with little oversight by the public or elected officials.
We’re talking about the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, whose role as the most influential part of the federal-reserve system -- apart from the matter of AIG’s bailout -- deserves further congressional scrutiny.

Poll: Americans pretty clueless about politics, world

http://rawstory.com/2010/01/poll-americans-pretty-clueless-politics-world/
Only one in four Americans know how many votes a Senate filibuster requires. One in three know the name of the chairman of the Republican Party. One in two know the Democratic leader of the US Senate.
Health care? Fewer than one in three Americans even know that no Republicans voted for the Senate health care overhaul.
Americans' ignorance about politics isn't new, but the latest results from the Pew Poll suggest few are really paying attention.

Bin Laden Rebukes U.S. on Climate Change

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/30/world/middleeast/30binladen.html
Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda, blamed the United States and developed countries for not halting climate change and said that the global economy should immediately abandon its reliance on the American dollar, according to an audiotape released Friday by the broadcaster Al Jazeera.
“Talk about climate change is not an ideological luxury but a reality,” Mr. bin Laden was quoted as saying in a report on Al Jazeera’s English-language Web site. “All of the industrialized countries, especially the big ones, bear responsibility for the global warming crisis.”
The authenticity of the tape could not be immediately confirmed, and Al Jazeera, which is based in Qatar, did not say how it had obtained the message.

Senate Reappoints Bernanke

http://online.wsj.com/article/
The Senate voted 70-30 to reappoint Ben Bernanke for a second four-year term as chairman of the Federal Reserve.
Earlier, senators voted 77-23 to end debate, clearing the way for a final vote. During more than two hours of debate on the Senate floor, Bernanke backers warned that voting him down risked sparking turmoil in U.S. and foreign markets and thwarting a budding economic recovery. They said the Fed chairman deserved an opportunity to finish what he started.
"To vote against confirmation could unnerve investors and exacerbate economic uncertainty in the marketplace, which is exactly what we do not need at this time," said Sen. Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey. "We need the wisdom of patience," he said. "Let us not judge the man or the work prematurely."

Haiti PM: Traffickers targeting Haiti's children, human organs

http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com/2010/01/27/haiti
(CNN) –  There is trafficking in children and human organs in the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated parts of Haiti, killed more than 150,000 people, and left many children orphans, Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said Wednesday.
"There is organ trafficking for children and other persons also, because they need all types of organs," Bellerive said in an exclusive interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

Geithner: 'I had no role' in an AIG cover up

http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/27/news/companies/aig_hearing/
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told lawmakers Wednesday that he had no involvement in an apparent attempt by government regulators to withhold crucial information about AIG's bailout from the public.
"I had no role in making decisions regarding what to disclose," Geithner testified at a hearing held by the House Oversight Committee Wednesday.
New York Fed officials instructed AIG not to disclose more than a dozen controversial transactions to the Securities and Exchange Commission in November 2008. At the time, Geithner was the president of the New York Fed, but he said he had recused himself from the day-to-day operations at that time because of his nomination to be Treasury secretary.
At least two lawmakers weren't buying Geithner's denial.

Obama’s spending freeze excludes Pentagon, Homeland Security

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/25/obama.spending.freeze/
Washington (CNN) -- President Obama will announce in Wednesday's State of the Union address that he's proposing to save $250 billion by freezing all nonsecurity federal discretionary spending for three years, according to two senior administration officials.
The proposed freeze, which could help position Obama in the political center by sharpening his credentials on fiscal discipline, would exempt the budgets of the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs, along with some international programs.
"We are at war, and we're going to make sure our troops are funded adequately," one of the senior officials said.

UN peacekeepers fire pepper spray on thousands of hungry Haitians waiting for food

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews
Thousands of hungry Haitians spilled into the streets defeating barbed wire and a tiny contingent of blue-helmeted UN peacekeepers distributing food.  The chaotic scene unfolded outside the wrecked presidential palace in Port-au-Prince where aid agencies struggled to control 4000-strong mass of desperate Haitians, two weeks after the devastating earthquake struck.  Security forces fired pepper spray into the air in an effort to disperse the thousands of men, women and children jostling for food.

Hoyer: It's Good for People to Make Money Because Then They Can Pay Taxes

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/60444
(CNSNews.com) – House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D.-Md.) said today in his weekly press briefing that it is good that Americans are making money again because it means they can pay taxes.

From Inside and Out, Climate Panel Is Pushed to Change

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/
There is growing pressure on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, from within and without, to change some practices to ensure the credibility of its future reports.
The latest push came on Monday in New Delhi, where leaders of countries that formed an influential bloc at last month’s Copenhagen climate talks were meeting to assess next steps. The Business Standard of India quoted Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, as calling for the panel’s next set of reports  to contain a broader set of scientific viewpoints on evidence for global warming:

“We need to adopt an open attitude to scientific research and incorporate all views…. Scientists are waiting for the fifth assessment report and amongst us, we will enhance cooperation in the report to make it more comprehensive.”

UN wrongly linked global warming to natural disasters

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article7000063.ece
THE United Nations climate science panel faces new controversy for wrongly linking global warming to an increase in the number and severity of natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods.
It based the claims on an unpublished report that had not been subjected to routine scientific scrutiny — and ignored warnings from scientific advisers that the evidence supporting the link too weak. The report's own authors later withdrew the claim because they felt the evidence was not strong enough.
The claim by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), that global warming is already affecting the severity and frequency of global disasters, has since become embedded in political and public debate. It was central to discussions at last month's Copenhagen climate summit, including a demand by developing countries for compensation of $100 billion (£62 billion) from the rich nations blamed for creating the most emissions.

Spy drones will monitor U.K. citizens

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/
LONDON, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Camera-equipped drones, developed by the British military for use in war, will be used in England to keep an eye on civilians from the sky, officials say.
Police in Kent and Essex counties plan to start using them in 2012 for routine monitoring of motorists, protesters, agricultural thieves and illegal dumping, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday.
Collaboration between the police departments and BAE Systems, maker of the drones, began in 2007, the Telegraph said.
A prototype for police use is expected to fly this year. Its high-resolution cameras can capture images from 20,000 feet.
"Fully autonomous unmanned air systems could be routinely used by border agencies, the police and other government bodies," BAE spokesman Andrew Mellors said.

Watchdog groups warn: ‘Corporate globalization’ of US elections is upon us

http://rawstory.com/2010/01/blogger-the-corporate-globalization
The Supreme Court may have ruled in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission days ago, but the decision's shockwaves are still rippling across American democracy.
Key among them is a concern first raised by Justice John Paul Stevens, who wrote in his dissent that the court, by removing all prohibitions against corporate or union money in U.S. elections, "would appear to afford the same protection to multinational corporations controlled by foreigners as to individual Americans."
"I guess this would be the corporate globalization of the U.S. electoral system," a blogger for watchdog group The Sunlight Foundation opined.

Tishman Surrenders Massive NYC Housing Complex

http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/
Commercial real estate developer Tishman Speyer said it will hand over the massive New York residential complexes Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town to its creditors after Tishman defaulted on the $5.4 billion property.
The failure of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village marks one of the biggest commercial real estate failures in recent history and offers another sign of just how much trouble there is in the nation’s housing market.
In a statement, Tishman said “it has become clear to us through this process that the only viable alternative to bankruptcy would be to transfer control and operation of the property, in an orderly manner, to the lenders and their representatives.”

Tax and Spend: U.N.'s Rx for New World Medical Order

http://www.foxnews.com/story/
A member of a World Health Organization (WHO) panel of experts that is pondering new global taxes on e-mails, alcohol, tobacco, airline travel and consumer bank transactions, has charged that she was given only selective information at group meetings, that deliberations were rushed and that group was "manipulated" by the international pharmaceuticals industry.
All of her charges were strongly denied by the head of WHO's Expert Working Group on Research and Development Financing (EWG), a 25-member panel of medical experts, academics and health care bureaucrats which is due to present a 98-page report in Geneva on Monday, after 14 months of deliberations on "new and innovative sources of funding" to reshape the global medical industry.
A copy of the executive summary of the report was obtained by Fox News on January 15 — the same day, as it happens, that the EWG's dissident member first aired her charges in a letter to members of WHO's 34-member supervisory Executive Board.

Godfrey Bloom Exposes the Climate Change Scam, Again

Bloom addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg on January 20, 2010.

Ron Paul Warns Of Coming “Social And Political Chaos”

Texas Congressman Ron Paul has delivered a riveting “State of The Republic” address on his Campaign for Liberty website, orating his thoughts on where the U.S. stands as a nation and what the future holds.
Paul warns that if the country continues along the course it is on, we will witness a three stage slide into social and political chaos, beginning with the current financial crisis, a coming dollar crisis, and culminating in mass unrest.
 

US rejects Latin American claim it is 'occupying' Haiti

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php
The United States has rejected accusations from several leftwing-ruled Latin American countries that its massive military deployment to quake-hit Haiti was an "occupation." "The presence of the United States in Haiti is basically a response to a request from Haiti's president (Rene Preval)," Maria Otero, an official in charge of international affairs at the US State Department said in a news conference in Bolivia's capital late Thursday.

Britain raises international terror threat level

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-world/

LONDON — Britain raised its international terrorism threat level to 'severe' -- its second highest level of terror alert -- from 'substantial' on Friday, Home Secretary (interior minister) Alan Johnson said.

"The Joint Terrorism Analysis Center has today raised the threat to the UK from international terrorism from substantial to severe. This means that a terrorist attack is highly likely, but I should stress that there is no intelligence to suggest than an attack is imminent," he said in a statement.

CIA Contractor Now Flying Spy Drone Over Haiti

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/01/cia-contractor-now-flying-spy-drone-over-haiti/ A controversial CIA contractor has found new work in Haiti, flying drones on disaster recovery duty.
When last we heard from Evergreen International Aviation, the Oregon-based firm was offering to post sentries at local voting centers during the 2008 election, ”detaining troublemakers” and making sure voters “do not get out of control.”
 Now, company vice president Sam White tells Aviation Week that the firm is flying at least one ScanEagle surveillance drone over Haiti. ”The company has a fleet of 747s and a fleet of large and small choppers, and has begun ferrying in supplies to Port au Prince,” the magazine’s Paul McLeary notes. “White wouldn’t say who the company is moving cargo for, saying only that ‘we’re working with different agencies, and we have one plane coming in tomorrow full of humanitarian supplies.’”

Texas Schoolkids Tagged With GPS Tracking Devices

http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/81988287.html
Bryan High students who skip school will soon be tracked 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It's called the Attendance Improvement Management Program or AIM, and it has been used across Texas and the United States.

Students who find themselves in Brazos County Justice of the Peace Tommy Munoz's truancy court will be enrolled.

Why Is The US Military Occupying Four Airports In Haiti?

http://www.politicaltheatrics.net/2010/01/why-is-the-us-military-occupying-four-airports-in-haiti/
The United States is now operating at four airports to ferry aid and relief supplies to quake-devastated Haiti, a senior US military commander said Thursday.
In addition to the Caribbean nation’s main port of entry, Port-au-Prince airport, US forces were also now at work at airports in the coastal city of Jacmel.
They were also operating in the neighboring Dominican Republic at San Isidro and Barahona, US Southern Command chief General Douglas Fraser said.
Around 11,000 US military personnel are currently controlling the operations both on the ground and offshore aboard US Navy and Coast Guard vessels, and another 4,000 US troops are expected to arrive in the coming days.
The Americans’ controlling of the aid operations has raised tensions with some countries. Bolivia and Venezuela have criticized its heavy presence and France earlier expressed annoyance after aid planes were delayed from landing.
French Secretary of State for Cooperation Alain Joyandet called on the United Nations to clarify the US role in Haiti, saying the priority was “helping Haiti, not occupying Haiti.”

First Climategate, now Glaciergate

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/
Hot on the heels of Climategate — the leaking of thousands of emails and computer files that show many of the world’s leading climate scientists fudging the results of their global warming research and contriving to keep skeptics from being published in academic journals — comes what could be called Glaciergate.
Prominent among the claims of impending environmental disaster in the UN’s fourth report on climate change, published in 2007, was the prediction that all of the 15,000 glaciers in the Himalayas could melt away by 2035. That’s just 25 years away. Now the Times of London has discovered that this claim was not based on scientific enquiry, but rather on speculation. And old speculation at that.

Chavez: US weapon test caused Haiti earthquake

H1N1 swine flu hoax falls apart at the seams

http://www.naturalnews.com/027984_swine_flu_vaccines.html
(NaturalNews) The great swine flu hoax of 2009 is now falling apart at the seams as one country after another unloads hundreds of millions of doses of unused swine flu vaccines. No informed person wants the injection anymore, and the entire fear-based campaign to promote the vaccines has now been exposed as outright quackery and propaganda.

Even doctors are now calling the pandemic a complete hoax. As reported on FoxNews, Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg, a leading health authority in Europe, says that drug companies "organized a 'campaign of panic' to put pressure on the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a pandemic. He believes it is 'one of the greatest medicine scandals of the century,' and he has called for an inquiry." (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933...)

H1N1 swine flu was never dangerous, and it never should have been escalated to a level-six pandemic in the first place. It was all a big marketing scam whose purpose was to simply sell vaccines. (And the CDC and WHO were in on it...)

And it worked! Big Pharma made out with billions of dollars in profits for a useless vaccine that's now being dumped by the truck load.

Six Deadly Chemicals You're Carrying in Your Body

http://www.naturalnews.com/027980_synthetic_chemicals
(NaturalNews) A recent biomonitoring study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, has revealed that out of 212 chemicals tested, all 212 were found to be in the blood and urine of most Americans. Six chemicals in particular, found in virtually every person, were identified by the CDC as probable health hazards.

The six most widespread chemicals identified, all of which are also highly dangerous, include polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PDEs), bisphenol A (BPA), Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), acrylamide, mercury, and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE).

Flame retardant PDEs are chemicals added to all sorts consumer products that are meant to decrease fire risk.

We no longer have the votes to pass healthcare, Barney Frank reportedly says

http://rawstory.com/2010/01/we-votes-pass-healthcare-barney-frank-reportedly/
After posts suggesting that local constituents contact Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) about his comments on the prospects of the Democrats' healthcare bill, the powerful Massachusetts congressman has purportedly told callers his party doesn't have the votes in the House to ensure passage.
"I live in Barney Frank's district, and I called his office this morning," one constituent reportedly emailed Talking Points Memo. "To my surprise, he took my call and I asked him why on earth couldn't the House simply pass the Senate version of the health care bill. He told me straight up that the votes weren't there to pass the Senate bill. He said that labor is totally against it, the abortion caucus is against it, and more than a few progressives were against it."

Twitter joke led to Terror Act arrest and airport life ban

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/

When heavy snowfall threatened to scupper Paul Chambers's travel plans, he decided to vent his frustrations on Twitter by tapping out a comment to amuse his friends.

Unfortunately for Mr Chambers, the police didn't see the funny side. A week after posting the message on the social networking site, he was arrested under the Terrorism Act and questioned for almost seven hours by detectives who interpreted his post as a security threat. After he was released on bail, he was suspended from work pending an internal investigation, and has, he says, been banned from the Doncaster airport for life. "I would never have thought, in a thousand years, that any of this would have happened because of a Twitter post," said Mr Chambers, 26. "I'm the most mild-mannered guy you could imagine."

While it has happened in the United States, Mr Chambers is thought to be the first person in the United Kingdom to be arrested for comments posted on Twitter.

Brown Win in Massachusetts Signals Doom for Obamacare?

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress
WASHINGTON — It's gut-check time for President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats on their health care overhaul.

A stinging loss Tuesday in Massachusetts cost Obama the 60-vote Senate supermajority he was counting on to overcome Republican procedural obstacles and pass the far-reaching legislation. The outcome splintered the rank and file on how to salvage the bill, energized congressional Republicans and left Obama and the Democrats with fallback options that range from bad to worse.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to acknowledge that as a possibility as she left the Capitol near midnight Tuesday after meeting with her top lieutenants to discuss the way forward.

US accused of 'occupying' Haiti as troops flood in

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/
France accused the US of "occupying" Haiti on Monday as thousands of American troops flooded into the country to take charge of aid efforts and security.

The French minister in charge of humanitarian relief called on the UN to "clarify" the American role amid claims the military build up was hampering aid efforts.
Alain Joyandet admitted he had been involved in a scuffle with a US commander in the airport's control tower over the flight plan for a French evacuation flight.

"This is about helping Haiti, not about occupying Haiti," Mr Joyandet said.

Obama's TSA Nominee: War on Terror ‘Deserves to Perhaps Have Some Parity With Global Warming'

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/59986
(CNSNews.com) – Erroll Southers, President Barack Obama’s nominee to head the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), said the war on terror should be given “some parity” with other national priorities such as global warming, education, and the economy.

The TSA, an element of the Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for the security of U.S. transportation systems, including commercial aviation. Southers made his remarks in a 2008 video interview with the Videojug.com Web site.

The New Climate Change Scandal

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/152422/The-new-climate-change-scandal

FRESH doubts were cast over controversial global warming theories yesterday after a major climate change argument was discredited.

The International Panel on Climate Change was forced to admit its key claim that Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035 was lifted from a 1999 magazine article. The report was based on an interview with a little-known Indian scientist who has since said his views were “speculation” and not backed up by research.

It was also revealed that the IPCC’s controversial chairman, Dr Rajendra Pachauri, described as “the world’s top climate scientist”, is a former railway engineer with a PhD in economics and no formal climate science qualifications.

Is the left-right paradigm begining to unravel? 51% of Massachusetts voters are registered Independents

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0116/Massachusetts-Senate-race-hinges-on-independent-vote
Massachusetts is one of the most Democratic states in the country. But moderate Republicans have done well there too over the years, and independent voters are likely to make the difference in the special US Senate race.

Massachusetts has long been regarded as a liberal stronghold, but the special election to replace Sen. Edward Kennedy in the US Senate is showing Massachusetts has a more conservative streak as well.

State Sen. Scott Brown (R) is proving to be a major challenge for Attorney General Martha Coakley (D), who was heavily favored early in the race; a poll released late Thursday had Mr. Brown leading Ms. Coakley by 4 percentage points.

Brown’s success may have to do with his ability to appeal to independent voters in the Bay State – 51 percent of voters here are unenrolled.

True, Democrats outnumber Republicans 3-to-1, and the state can be counted on to elect Democratic presidential candidates by consistently wide margins – President Obama won here with a 26-point margin in 2008, Sen. John Kerry by 25 points in 2004.

U.N.’s World Health Organization Wants Tax on Internet

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,583127,00.html
The World Health Organization (WHO) is considering a plan to ask governments to impose a global consumer tax on such things as Internet activity or everyday financial transactions like paying bills online.
Such a scheme could raise "tens of billions of dollars" on behalf of the United Nations' public health arm from a broad base of consumers, which would then be used to transfer drug-making research, development and manufacturing capabilities, among other things, to the developing world.
The multibillion-dollar "indirect consumer tax" is only one of a "suite of proposals" for financing the rapid transformation of the global medical industry that will go before WHO's 34-member supervisory Executive Board at its biannual meeting in Geneva.

JPMorgan investment bankers to see record payday

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100115/bs_nm/us_jpmorgan_compensation
NEW YORK (Reuters) – JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) on Friday announced a record $9.3 billion payday for its investment-banking employees, setting the stage for competitors like Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) to also make eye-popping payouts.
On a per employee basis, JPMorgan investment bankers, sales staff and traders, on average, are set to make about $379,000 for 2009, up more than $100,000 from 2008, when the broader financial sector was mired in crisis.
"People looking at it from the outside look at the dollars and say they are high," said Kenneth Raskin, the head of law firm White & Case's executive compensation practice. "There is no question the dollars are high. The question is whether they were deserving."

U.S. to further raise airline security, official says

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34864969/ns/us_news-airliner_security/
WASHINGTON - The Department of Homeland Security is further increasing aviation security in response to intelligence indicating Islamist terrorists were planning another attack on the United States.

The new regulations — which are to be announced later Thursday — were not described in detail, but a senior U.S. official told NBC News on condition of anonymity that they would include further in-flight restrictions in passengers’ movement, more random pre-flight screening of passengers and an increase in the number of federal air marshals on flights.

First in the nation: California adopts mandatory green building code

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2010/01/green-building-code-california-usgbc.html
California's first-in-the-nation mandatory green building code will help the state meet its tough curbs on greenhouse gas emissions and its goal of deriving a third of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. "California continues to pave the way," said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, praising the code adopted Tuesday by the California Building Standards Commission.
The code, which takes effect in January 2011, will require that every new home, commercial building and public structure reduce water consumption by 20% below the current code. It mandates separate water meters for indoor and outdoor water use in non-residential buildings. Large landscaping projects will have to install moisture-sensing irrigation systems.

Actor Danny Glover Says Haitian Earthquake Caused by Climate Change

http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/pact_with_gaia/

Fake gold bars in Bank of England and Fort Knox

http://www.daily.pk/fake-gold-bars-in-bank-of-england-and-fort-knox-14477/
It’s one thing to counterfeit a twenty or hundred dollar bill. The amount of financial damage is usually limited to a specific region and only affects dozens of people and thousands of dollars. Secret Service agents quickly notify the banks on how to recognize these phony bills and retail outlets usually have procedures in place (such as special pens to test the paper) to stop their proliferation.
But what about gold? This is the most sacred of all commodities because it is thought to be the most trusted, reliable and valuable means of saving wealth.
A recent discovery — in October of 2009 — has been suppressed by the main stream media but has been circulating among the “big money” brokers and financial kingpins and is just now being revealed to the public. It involves the gold in Fort Knox — the US Treasury gold — that is the equity of our national wealth. In short, millions (with an “m”) of gold bars are fake!
Who did this? Apparently our own government.

Army Files Charges Against Single Mother

http://www.truthout.org/army-files-charges-against-single-mother56068
The Army has filed charges for a special court-martial against Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, a single mother of a one-year-old baby. Hutchinson missed her deployment to Afghanistan late last year when her child-care plans for her son, Kamani, fell through at the last minute.

Hutchinson and her attorneys had been working with the Army in good faith to resolve her situation administratively, rather than through the criminal process, and still hoped that would have been the most fair and compassionate way for the Army to deal with the difficult situation.

Monsanto's GMO Corn Linked To Organ Failure, Study Reveals

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
In a study released by the International Journal of Biological Sciences, analyzing the effects of genetically modified foods on mammalian health, researchers found that agricultural giant Monsanto’s GM corn is linked to organ damage in rats.

According to the study, which was summarized by Adam Shake at Twilight Earth, “Three varieties of Monsanto’s GM corn – Mon 863, insecticide-producing Mon 810, and Roundup® herbicide-absorbing NK 603 – were approved for consumption by US, European and several other national food safety authorities.”

Monsanto gathered its own crude statistical data after conducting a 90-day study, even though chronic problems can rarely be found after 90 days, and concluded that the corn was safe for consumption. The stamp of approval may have been premature, however.

Hundreds of Workers Harmed by Vaccines in UK

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/150804/Fury-at-vaccine-scandal

HUNDREDS of public sector workers who claim their lives have been wrecked by vaccines say the Government has abandoned them.

Up to 200 doctors, nurses, firefighters, prison officers, police officers, forensic scientists and binmen say they have developed serious physical and mental health problems after injections essential for their work over the past 10 years. All have given up their jobs and some are now 60 per cent disabled.

American Republic replaced by “Council of Governors”?

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/18890
Quietly—even stealthily—in the opening days of the New Year, President Barack Obama has set up a “Council of Governors”.
Like the 30-plus czars running America with neither the people’s nor the congress’s blessings, the Council of Governors is already a done deal.
“Is this a first step towards Martial Law, or a tie to the InterPol, RAND National Police Force stuff we’ve been hearing about,” asked a Texas patriot who tipped off Canada Free Press (CFP) after finding news of the new Council of Governors on Twitter.  “Is this a sort of Homeland Security Politburo?
“I do know it’s another sleuth order executed without any announcement, OR EXPLANATION to the People.”
Patriots know by now that the promised Obama “transparency” is a fog.

The Federal Reserve Funds 91% Of 2009 U.S. Deficit

http://www.zerohedge.com/article/ultimate-shell-game-federal-reserve-funds-us-deficit
In the current hodge podge of abstract finance, it is easy to get lost in the numbers and lose sight of the forest for the trees. Which is why we provide the ultimate simplification: In calendar (not fiscal) 2009, the US grew its budget deficit by $1.47 trillion. In the same time, the Federal Reserve grew its securities holdings from $500 billion to $1.85 trillion, a $1.34 trillion increase. Keeping it simple: 91% of the budget deficit increase in 2009, under the authority of President Obama, was funded by the... United States.

A sign of empire pathology: More US soldiers commit suicide than killed in action

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=268359
Here is a shocking statistic that you won't hear in most western news media: over the past nine years, more US military personnel have taken their own lives than have died in action in either the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. These are official figures from the US Department of Defence, yet somehow they have not been deemed newsworthy to report. Last year alone, more than 330 serving members of the US armed forces committed suicide - more than the 320 killed in Afghanistan and the 150 who fell in Iraq (see wsws.org).

Since 2001, when Washington launched its so-called war on terror, there has been a dramatic year-on-year increase in US military suicides, particularly in the army, which has borne the brunt of fighting abroad. Last year saw the highest total number since such records began in 1980. Prior to 2001, the suicide rate in the US military was lower than that for the general US population; now, it is nearly double the national average.

Airport shut down by TSA after jars of honey flagged as explosives

http://www.naturalnews.com/027905_TSA
At the Bakersfield airport in California, TSA authorities recently shut down the entire airport after finding what they thought was a container of liquid explosives.

Luggage screeners discovered five Gatorade bottles full of an "amber" liquid. TSA agents then opened the bottles and complained they smelled "a strong chemical odor." They then complained of nausea and were taken to the local hospital for treatment.

According to Reuters, "Kern County Sheriffs deputies, fire crews, FBI agents and members of a joint terrorism task force responded to the scene and spent the day questioning Ramirez before further tests showed that the liquid was honey."

In other words, Ramirez was interrogated by the FBI for hours while being presumed to be a terrorist. (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS...)

And then it turned out the "explosive amber liquid" was just HONEY.