Italian designers Stefano Gabbana (L) and Domenico Dolce appear at women's fashion week in Milan on February 24, 2013. An Italian court has sentenced fashion house duo Dolce & Gabbana to one year and eight months in prison for tax evasion of around one billion euros ($1.33 billion), according to media reports.

 An Italian court Wednesday sentenced fashion house duo Dolce and Gabbana to one year and eight months in prison for tax evasion of around one billion euros ($1.33 billion), according to media reports.

Lawyers for Dolce and Gabbana, whose celebrity clients include Beyonce and Madonna, immediately said they will be appealing, and under Italian law the sentence will be suspended in the meantime.

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana were accused of having transferred control of their brands to a shell company in Luxembourg in 2004 and 2005 to avoid paying Italian taxes.

Prosecutors had argued that setting up the Luxembourg company Gado -- an acronym of the surnames of the two designers -- while the company was operating out of Italy was a bid to defraud the state.

In her closing speech, prosecutor Laura Pedio said there was "rock-solid proof" that the duo had committed "sophisticated tax fraud".

She said Gado was "a sort of cloud with the consistency of gas," while fellow prosecutor Gaetano Ruta said it was "an artificial construction the aim of which was to get a tax advantage".

Investigators completed a probe into the designers, as well as five other people, in 2010 and the case was dismissed in April 2011 but reopened in November last year and went to trial.

Founded in 1985, Dolce and Gabbana employs more than 3,000 people and has 250 shops in 40 countries around the world.

Source:

AFP

The FBI uses drones for domestic surveillance purposes, the head of the agency told Congress early Wednesday.

Robert Mueller, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, confirmed to lawmakers that the FBI owns several unmanned aerial vehicles, but has not adopted any strict policies or guidelines yet to govern the use of the controversial aircraft.
“Does the FBI use drones for surveillance on US soil?” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) asked Mr Mueller during an oversight hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“Yes,” Mueller responded bluntly, adding that the FBI’s operation of drones is “very seldom.”

Asked by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) to elaborate, Mueller added, “It’s very seldom used and generally used in a particular incident where you need the capability.” Earlier in the morning, however, Mueller said that the agency was only now working to establish set rules for the drone program.

Mueller began answering questions just after 10 a.m. EDT. He briefly touched on the recently exposed NSA surveillance program that has marred the reputation of the United States intelligence community. Mueller said 22 agents have access to a vast surveillance database, including 20 analysts and two overseers.

When Sen. Al Franken (D-Minnesota) asked Mueller later in the morning if he’d consider being more open about the FBI’s surveillance methods, the director expressed reluctance to be more transparent. Mueller said the FBI has and will continue to weigh the possibility of publishing more information about its spy habits, but warned that doing so would be to the advantage of America’s enemies.

“There is a price to be paid for that transparency,” Mueller said. “I certainly think it would be educating our adversaries as to what our capabilities are.”

Source:

RT

In a display of effective consumer activism, Chipotle Mexican Grill has become the first US restaurant chain to go ahead and label all GMOs sold through their locations on the menu. And unlike Whole Foods and other grocers, who are making similar strides but are actually years away from actual implementation, Chipotle has already launched the labeling initiative into existence.

In case you've never heard of Chipotle, it is a ‘natural’ Mexican food restaurant that you could say is essentially a fast food hybrid. The chain actually had a major investment from McDonald’s back in 1998, but the fast food titan ultimately divested from Chipotle in 2006. Subsequently, that’s when Chipotle really started to explode with over 500 locations — now hitting 1,400 chain locations with an income of $278 million. In other words, we’re talking about a major fast food chain that is highlighting the issue of GMOs in a way that’s really important.

Chipotle has always marketed itself as a ‘natural’ restaurant within the fast food dynasty of restaurant chains, but it still is serving up very unnatural GMOs and dangerous ingredients. That said, thanks to aggressive consumer activism, Chipotle has officially announced that it will not only be labeling GMOs on the ingredients list of food products, but phasing out all GMOs on the menu. The chain has already made some steps in removing additives in dairy and other items, but the new announcement signals a major recognition of the growing movement against Monsanto and GMOs at large.

From the Chipotle website:

“Our goal is to eliminate GMOs from Chipotle’s ingredients, and we’re working hard to meet this challenge…For example, we recently switched our fryers from soybean oil to sunflower oil. Soybean oil is almost always made from genetically modified soybeans, while there is no commercially available GMO sunflower oil. Where our food contains currently unavoidable GM ingredients, it is only in the form of corn or soy.”

Overall the announcement is one of the many results we are seeing through spreading the word about Monsanto and GMOs, partaking in key activism movements, and deciding to purchase GMO-free organic foods. The latest of which is the Monsanto Video Revolt, which I recently announced as an initiative I am launching along with major natural health websites and organizations like Mike Adams of NaturalNews and Dr Edward Group of Global Healing Center.

Source:

naturalsociety.com

 You can visit this non-GMO product list site for organic brands you can buy.

Baby Food ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Nabisco (Phillip Morris)
-Arrowroot Teething Biscuits
-Infant formula Carnation Infant Formulas(Nestle)
-AlSoy
-Good Start
-Follow-Up
-Follow-Up Soy

Enfamil Infant Formulas (Mead Johnson)
-Enfamil with Iron
-Enfamil Low Iron
-Enfamil A.R.
-Enfamil Nutramigen
-Enfamil Lacto Free
-Enfamil 22
-Enfamil Next step (soy and milk-based varieties)
-Enfamil Pro-Soybee
Isomil Infant Formulas (Abbot Labs)
-Isomil Soy
-Isomil Soy for Diarrhea
-Similac(Abbot Labs)
-Similac Lactose Free
-Similac with Iron
-Similac Low Iron
-Similac Alimentum

Baking ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Aunt Jemima (Quaker)
-Complete Pancake & Waffle Mix
-Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix
-Cornbread Mix
-Easy Mix Coffee Cake

Betty Crocker (General Mills)
-Pie Crust Mix
-Original Pancake Mix
-Complete Pancake Mix
-Buttermilk Complete Pancake Mix
-Muffin Mixes
-Banana Nut
-Lemon Poppy Seed
-Blueberry
-Wild Blueberry
-Chocolate Chip
-Apple Streusel
-Quick Bread Mixes Banana
-Cinnamon Streusel
-Lemon Poppy Seed
-Cranberry Orange
-Gingerbread
-Cookie Mixes Chocolate Chip
-Double Chocolate Chunk
-Sugar
-Peanut Butter

Bisquik (Betty Crocker/General Mills)
-Original
-Reduced Fat
-Shake ‘n Pour Pancake Mix
-Shake ‘n Pour Buttermilk Pancake Mix
-Shake ‘n Pour Blueberry Pancake Mix

Duncan Hines (Aurora Foods)
-Muffin Mixes
-Kellogg’s All-Bran Apple Cinnamon
-Kellogg’s All-Bran Blueberry
-Blueberry
-Blueberry Crumb
-Chocolate Chip

Hungry Jack (Pillsbury)
-Buttermilk Pancake Mix
-Extra Light & Fluffy Pancake Mix (all varieties)
-Jiffy
-Corn Muffin Mix
-Blueberry Muffin Mix
-Raspberry Muffin Mix
-Pie Crust Mix

Mrs. Butterworths (Aurora Foods)
-Complete Pancake Mix
-Buttermilk Pancake Mix

Pepperidge Farms (Campbell’s)
-Buttermilk Pancake Mix
-Pillsbury
-Quick Bread & Muffin Mixes
-Blueberry
-Chocolate Chip
-Banana
-Cranberry
-Lemon Poppyseed
-Nut
-Hot Roll Mix
-Gingerbread

Bakers (Kraft/Phillip Morris)
-Unsweetened Chocolate
-Semi-Sweet Chocolate
-German Sweet Chocolate
-White Chocolate
-Hershey’s
-Semi-Sweet Baking Chips
-Milk Chocolate Chips
-Mini Kisses
-Nestle
-Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
-Milk Chocolate Chips
-White Chocolate
-Butterscotch Chips
-Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bars

Bread ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Holsum (Interstate Bakeries)
-Holsum Thin Sliced
-Roman Meal
-12 Grain
-Round Top
-Home Pride
-Buttertop White
-Buttertop Wheat

Pepperidge Farms (Campbell’s)
-Cinnamon Swirl
-Light Oatmeal
-Light Wheat
-100% Whole Wheat
-Hearty Slices
-7 Grain
-9 Grain
-Crunchy Oat
-Whole Wheat
-Light Side
-Oatmeal
-Wheat
-7 Grain
-Soft Dinner Rolls
-Club Rolls
-Sandwich Buns
-Hoagie Rolls

Thomas’ (Bestfoods)
-English Muffins Original
-Cinnamon Raisin
-Honey Wheat
-Oat Bran
-Blueberry
-Maple French Toast
Toast-r-Cakes Blueberry
Toast-r-Cakes Corn Muffins

Wonder (Interstate Bakeries)
-White Sandwich Bread
-Country Grain
-Buttermilk
-Thin Sandwich
-Light Wheat
-100% Stoneground Wheat
-Fat Free Multigrain
-Premium Potato
-Beefsteak Rye
-Wonder Hamburger Buns

Breakfast ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Kellogg’s
-Pop Tarts (all varieties)
-Pop Tarts Snack Stix (all)
-Nutri-Grain Bars (all)
-Nutri-Grain Fruit Filled Squares (all)
-Nutri-Grain Twists (all)
-Fruit-Full Squares (all)

Nabisco (Nabisco/Phillip Morris)
-Fruit & Grain Bars (all varieties)
-Nature Valley (General Mills)
-Oats & Honey Granola Bars
-Peanut Butter Granola Bars
-Cinnamon Granola Bars

Pillsbury (General Mills)
-Toaster Scrambles & Strudels (all varieties)

Quaker
-Chewy Granola Bars (all varieties)
-Fruit & Oatmeal Bars (all varieties)
-Aunt Jemima Frozen Waffles
-Buttermilk
-Blueberry

Eggo Frozen Waffles (Kellogg’s)
-Homestyle
-Buttermilk
-Nutri-Grain Whole Wheat
-Nutri-Grain Multi Grain
-Cinnamon Toast
-Blueberry
-Strawberry
-Apple Cinnamon
-Banana Bread

Hungry Jack Frozen Waffles (Pillsbury/General Mills)
-Homestyle
-Buttermilk

Cereal ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

General Mills
-Cheerios
-Wheaties
-Total
-Corn Chex
-Wheat Chex
-Lucky Charms
-Trix
-Kix
-Golden Grahams
-Cinnamon Grahams
-Count Chocula
-Honey Nut Chex
-Frosted Cheerios
-Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
-Multi-Grain Cheerios
-Frosted Wheaties
-Brown Sugar & Oat Total
-Basic 4
-Reeses Puffs
-French Toast Crunch

Kellogg’s
-Frosted Flakes
-Corn Flakes
-Special K
-Raisin Bran
-Rice Krispies
-Corn Pops
-Product 19
-Smacks
-Froot Loops
-Marshmallow Blasted Fruit Loops
-Apple Jacks
-Crispix
-Smart Start
-All-Bran
-Complete Wheat Bran
-Complete Oat Bran
-Just Right Fruit & Nut
-Honey Crunch Corn Flakes
-Raisin Bran Crunch
-Cracklin’ Oat Bran

Country Inn Specialties (all varieties)
-Mothers Cereals (Quaker)
-Toasted Oat Bran
-Peanut Butter Bumpers
-Groovy Grahams
-Harvest Oat Flakes
-Harvest Oat Flakes w/Apples & Almonds
-Honey Round Ups

Post (Kraft-Phillip Morris)
-Raisin Bran
-Bran Flakes
-Grape Nut Flakes
-Grape Nut O’s
-Fruit & Fibre date, raisin and walnut
-Fruit & Fibre peach, raisin and almond
-Honey Bunch of Oats
-Honey Nut Shredded Wheat
-Honey Comb
-Golden Crisp
-Waffle Crisp
-Cocoa Pebbles
-Cinna-Crunch Pebbles
-Fruity Pebbles
-Alpha-Bits
-Post Selects Cranberry Almond
-Post Selects Banana Nut Crunch
-Post Selects Blueberry Morning
-Post Selects Great Grains

Quaker
-Life
-Cinnamon Life
-100% Natural Granola
-Toasted Oatmeal
-Toasted Oatmeal Honey Nut
-Oat Bran
-Cap’n Crunch
-Cap’n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch
-Cap’n Crunch Crunchling Berries

Chocolate ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Cadbury (Cadbury/Hershey’s)
-Mounds
-Almond Joy
-York Peppermint Patty
-Dairy Milk
-Roast Almond
-Fruit & Nut
-Hershey’s
-Kit-Kat
-Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
-Mr. Goodbar
-Special Dark
-Milk Chocolate
-Kisses
-Symphony

Kraft (Kraft/Phillip Morris)
-Toblerone (all varieties)
-Mars

-M&M (all varieties)
-Snickers
-Three Musketeers
-Milky Way
-Twix

Nestle
-Crunch
-Milk Chocolate
-Chunky
-Butterfinger
-100 Grand

Carnation (Nestle)

Hot Cocoa Mixes:
-Rich Chocolate
-Double Chocolate
-Milk Chocolate
-Marshmallow Madness
-Mini Marshmallow
-No Sugar

Hershey’s
-Chocolate Syrup
-Special Dark Chocolate Syrup
-Strawberry Syrup

Nestle
-Nesquik
-Strawberry Nesquik

Swiss Miss (ConAgra)
-Chocolate Sensation
-Milk Chocolate
-Marshmallow Lovers
-Marshmallow Lovers Fat Free
-No Sugar Added

Condiments ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Del Monte (Nabisco/Phillip Morris)
-Ketchup
-Heinz
-Ketchup (regular & no salt)
-Chili Sauce
-Cocktail Sauce
-Heinz 57 Steak Sauce

Hellman’s (Bestfoods)
-Real Mayonnaise
-Light Mayonnaise
-Low-Fat Mayonnaise

Hunt’s (ConAgra)
-Ketchup (regular & no salt)
-KC Masterpiece
-Original BBQ sauce
-Garlic & Herb Marinade
-Honey Teriyaki Marinade

Kraft (Kraft/Phillip Morris)
-Miracle Whip (all varieties)
-Kraft Mayonnaise (all)
-Thick & Spicy BBQ sauces (all varieties)
-Char Grill BBQ sauce
-Honey Hickory BBQ sauce

Nabisco (Nabiso/Phillip Morris)
-A-1 Steak Sauce
Open Pit (Vlasic/Campbells)
-BBQ sauces (all)
-Chi-Chi’s (Hormel)
-Fiesta Salsa (all varieties)
-Old El Paso (Pillsbury)
-Thick & Chunky Salsa
-Garden Pepper Salsa
-Taco Sauce
-Picante Sauce

Ortega (Nestle)
-Taco Sauce
-Salsa Prima Homestyle
-Salsa Prima Roasted Garlic
-Salsa Prima 3 Bell Pepper
-Thick & Chunky Salsa

Pace (Campbells)
-Chunky Salsa
-Picante Sauce

Tostitos Salsa (Frito-Lay/Pepsi)
-All Natural
-All Natural Thick & Chunky
-Roasted Garlic
-Restaurant Style

Cookies ~Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Delicious Brands (Parmalat)
-Animal Crackers
-Ginger Snaps
-Fig Bars
-Oatmeal
-Sugar-Free Duplex
-Honey Grahams
-Cinnamon Grahams
-Fat Free Vanilla Wafers
-English Toffee Heath Cookies
-Butterfinger Cookies
-Skippy Peanut Butter Cookies

Famous Amos (Keebler/Flowers Industries)
-Chocolate Chip
-Oatmeal Raisin
-Chocolate Sandwich
-Peanut Butter Sandwich
-Vanilla Sandwich
-Oatmeal Macaroon Sandwich

Frookies (Delicious Brands/Parmalat)
-Peanut Butter Chunk
-Chocolate Chip
-Double Chocolate
-Frookwich Vanilla
-Frookwich Chocolate
-Frookwich Peanut Butter
-Frookwich Lemon
-Funky Monkeys Chocolate
-Ginger Snaps
-Lemon Wafers

Keebler (Keebler/Flowers Industries)
-Chips Deluxe
-Sandies
-E.L. Fudge
-Soft Batch Chocolate Chip
-Golden Vanilla Wafers
-Droxies
-Vienna Fingers
-Fudge Shoppe Fudge Stripes
-Fudge Shoppe Double Fudge & Caramel
-Fudge Shoppe Fudge Stix
-Fudge Shoppe Peanut Butter Fudge Stix
-Country Style Oatmeal
-Graham Originals
-Graham Cinnamon Crisp
-Graham Chocolate
-Graham Honey Low Fat
-Crème Filled Wafers
-Chocolate Filled Wafers

Nabisco (Nabisco/Phillip Morris)
-Oreo,(all varieties)
-Chips Ahoy!(all varieties)
-Fig Newtons (and all Newtons varities)
-Lorna Doone
-Nutter Butters
-Barnum Animal Crackers
-Nilla Wafers
-Nilla Chocolate Wafers
-Pecanz Shortbread
-Family Favorites Oatmeal
-Famous Wafers
-Fudge Covered Mystic Sticks
-Honey Maid Graham Crackers
-Honey Maid Cinnamon Grahams
-Honey Maid Chocolate Grahams
-Honey Maid Oatmeal Crunch
-Teddy Grahams
-Teddy Grahams Cinnamon
-Teddy Grahams Chocolate
-Teddy Grahams Chocolate Chips
-Café Cremes Vanilla
-Café Crème Cappuccino

Pepperidge Farm (Campbell’s)
-Milano
-Mint Milano
-Chessmen
-Bordeaux
-Brussels
-Geneva
-Chocolate Chip
-Lemon Nut
-Shortbread
-Sugar
-Ginger Men
-Raspberry Chantilly
-Strawberry Verona
-Chocolate Mocha Salzburg
-Chocolate Chunk Chesapeake
-Chocolate Chunk Nantucket
-Chocolate Chunk Sausalito
-Oatmeal Raisin Soft Baked

Sesame Street (Keebler)
-Cookie Monster
-Chocolate Chip
-Chocolate Sandwich
-Vanilla Sandwich
-Cookie Pals
-Honey Grahams
-Cinnamon Grahams
-Frosted Grahams

Snack Wells (Nabisco/Phillip Morris)
-Devil’s Food
-Golden Devil’s Food
-Mint Crème
-Coconut Crème
-Chocolate Sandwich
-Chocolate Chip
-Peanut Butter Chip
-Double Chocolate Chip

Crackers ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Keebler (Keebler/Flowers Industries)
-Town House
-Club
-Munch ‘Ems (all varieties)
-Wheatables
-Zesta Saltines
-Toasteds (Wheat, Onion, Sesame & Butter Crisps)
-Snax Stix (Wheat, Cheddar & original)
-Harvest Bakery (Multigrain, Butter, Corn Bread)

Nabisco (Nabisco/Phillip Morris)
-Ritz (all varieties)
-Wheat Thins (all)
-Wheatsworth
-Triscuits
-Waverly
-Sociables
-Better Cheddars
-Premium Saltines (all)
-Ritz Snack Mix (all)
-Vegetable Flavor Crisps
-Swiss Cheese Flavor Crisps
-Cheese Nips (all)
-Uneeda Biscuits

Pepperidge Farm (Campbell’s)
-Butter Thins
-Hearty Wheat
-Cracker Trio
-Cracker Quartet
-Three Cheese Snack Stix
-Sesame Snack Stix
-Pumpernickel Snack Stix
-Goldfish (original, cheddar, parmesan, pizza, pretzel)
-Goldfish Snack Mix (all)

Red Oval Farms (Nabisco/Phillip Morris)
-Stoned Wheat Thin (all varieties)
-Crisp ‘N Light Sourdough Rye
-Crisp ‘N Light Wheat

Sunshine (Flowers Industries)
-Cheeze-It (original & reduced fat)
-Cheeze-It White Cheddar
-Cheeze-It Party Mix
-Krispy Original Saltines

Frozen Dinners ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Banquet (ConAgra)
-Pot Pies (all varieties)
-Fried Chicken
-Salisbury Steak
-Chicken Nugget Meal
-Pepperoni Pizza Meal

Budget Gourmet (Heinz)
-Roast Beef Supreme
-Beef Stroganoff
-Three Cheese Lasagne
-Chicken Oriental & Vegeatble
-Fettuccini Primavera

Green Giant (Pillsbury)
-Rice Pilaf with Chicken Flavored Sauce
-Rice Medley with Beef Flavored Sauce
-Primavera Pasta
-Pasta Accents Creamy Cheddar
-Create-a-Meals Parmesan Herb Chicken
-Cheesy Pasta and Vegetable
-Beef Noodle
-Sweet & Sour
-Mushroom Wine Chicken

Healthy Choice (ConAgra)
-Stuffed Pasta Shells
-Chicken Parmagiana
-Country Breaded Chicken
-Roast Chicken Breast
-Beef Pot Roast
-Chicken & Corn Bread
-Cheese & Chicken Tortellini
-Lemon Pepper Fish
-Shrimp & Vegetable
-Macaroni & Cheese

Kid Cuisine (ConAgra)
-Chicken Nugget Meal
-Fried Chicken
-Taco Roll Up
-Corn Dog
-Cheese Pizza
-Fish Stix
-Macaroni & Cheese

Lean Cuisine (Stouffer’s/Nestle)
-Skillet Sensations Chicken & Vegetable
-Broccoli & Beef
-Homestyle Beef
-Teriyaki Chicken
-Chicken Alfredo
-Garlic Chicken
-Roast Turkey

-Hearty Portions Chicken Florentine
-Beef Stroganoff
-Cheese & Spinach Manicotti
-Salisbury Steak

-Café Classics Baked Fish
-Baked Chicken
-Chicken a L’Orange
-Chicken Parmesan
-Meatloaf with Whipped Potatoes

-Everyday Favorites Chicken Fettuccini
-Chicken Pie
-Angel Hair Pasta
-Three Bean Chili with Rice
-Macaroni & Cheese

Marie Callenders (ConAgra)
-Chicken Pot Pie
-Lasagna & Meat Sauce
-Turkey & Gravy
-Meat Loaf & Gravy
-Country Fried Chicken & Gravy
-Fettuccini with Broccoli & Cheddar
-Roast Beef with Mashed Potatoes
-Country Fried Pork Chop with Gravy
-Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ore-Ida Frozen Potatoes (Heinz)
-Fast Fries
-Steak fries
-Zesties
-Shoestrings
-Hash Browns
-Tater Tots
-Potato Wedges
-Crispy Crunchies

Rosetto Frozen Pasta (Heinz)
-Cheese Ravioli
-Beef Ravioli
-Italian Sausage Ravioli
-Eight Cheese Stuffed Shells
-Eight Cheese Broccoli Stuffed Shells

Stouffer’s (Nestle)
-Family Style Favorites Macaroni & Cheese
-Stuffed Peppers
-Broccoli au Gratin
-Meat Loaf in Gravy
-Green Bean & Mushroom Casserole

-Homestyle Meatloaf
-Salisbury Steak
-Chicken Breast in Gravy

-Hearty Portions Salisbury Steak
-Chicken Fettucini
-Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes
-Chicken Pot Pie

Swanson (Vlasic/Campbells)
-Meat Loaf
-Fish & Chips
-Salisbury Steak
-Chicken Nuggets
-Hungry Man Fried Chicken
-Roast Chicken
-Fisherman’s Platter
-Pork Rib

Voila! (Bird’s Eye/Agri-Link Foods)
-Chicken Voila! Alfredo
-Chicken Voila! Garlic
-Chicken Voila! Pesto
-Chicken Voila! Three Cheese
-Steak Voila! Beef Sirloin
-Shrimp Voila! Garlic

Weight Watchers (Heinz)
-Smart Ones Fiesta Chicken
-Basil Chicken
-Ravioli Florentine
-Fajita Chicken
-Roasted Vegetable Primavera

Energy Bars & Drinks ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Power Bars

Power Bar (Nestle)
-Oatmeal Raisin
-Apple Cinnamon
-Peanut Butter
-Vanilla Crisp
-Chocolate Peanut Butter
-Mocha
-Banana
-Wild Berry
-Harvest Bars Apple Crisp
-Blueberry
-Chocolate Fudge Brownie
-Strawberry
-Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

Drink Mixes

Carnation Instant Breakfast Mix (Nestle)
-Creamy Milk Chocolate
-Classic Chocolate
-French Vanilla
-Strawberry
-Café Mocha

Heat & Serve Meals ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Chef Boyardee (ConAgra)
-Beefaroni
-Macaroni & Cheese
-Mini Ravioli
-ABC’s & 123′s

Dinty Moore (Hormel)
-Beef Stew
-Turkey Stew
-Chicken & Dumplings
-Hormel
-Chili with Beans
-Chili No Beans
-Vegetarian Chili with Beans

Kids’ Kitchen (Hormel)
-Spaghetti Rings with Meatballs
-Macaroni & Cheese
-Pizza Wedges with 3 Cheese

Franco-American (Campbell’s)
-Spaghetti O’s
-Mini Ravioli
-Power Rangers Pasta in Sauce

Meat & Dairy Alternatives ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Loma Linda(Worthington/Kellogg’s*)
-Meatless Chik Nuggest

Morningstar (Worthington/Kellogg’s*)
-Harvest Burger
-Better ‘n Burgers
-Garden Veggie Patties
-Grillers Burgers
-Black Bean Burger
-Chicken Patties

Natural Touch (Worthington/Kellogg’s*)
-Garden Vegetable Pattie
-Black Bean Burger
-Okra Pattie
-Lentil Rice Loaf
-Nine Bean Loaf

Worthington (Worthington/Kellogg’s*)
-Vegetarian Burger
-Savory Slices

Dairy Alternatives

Nutra Blend Soy Beverage(Bestfoods)
-Original
-Vanilla
-Apple
-Orange
*A company letter states that they are in the process of converting to non-genetically modified “proteins” in all products.

Meal Mixes & Sauce Packets ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Betty Crocker (General Mills)
-Garden Vegetable Pilaf
-Creamy Herb Risotto
-Garlic Alfredo Fettuccini
-Bowl Appetit Cheddar Broccoli
-Macaroni & Cheese
-Pasta Alfredo

Knorr (Bestfoods)
-Mushroom Risotto Italian Rice
-Broccoli au Gratin Risotto
-Vegetable Primavera Risotto
-Risotto Milanese
-Original Pilf
-Chicken Pilaf
-Rotini with 4 Cheese
-Bow Tie Pasta with Chicken & Vegetable
-Penne with Sun-Dried Tomato
-Fettuccini with Alfredo
-Classic Sauce Packets Hollandaise

Béarnaise
-White
-Brown
-Lemon Herb
-Mushroom Brown
-Onion
-Roasted Chicken
-Roasted Pork
-Roasted Turkey

Pasta Sauce Packets Alfredo
-Four Cheese
-Carbonara
-Pesto
-Garlic Herb

Lipton (Unilever)
-Rice & Sauce Packets Chicken Broccoli
-Cheddar Broccoli
-Beef Flavor
-Spanish
-Chicken Flavor
-Creamy Chicken
-Mushroom

-Sizzle & Stir Skillet Supers Lemon Garlic Chicken & Rice
-Spanish Chicken & Rice
-Herb Chicken & Bowties
-Cheddar Chicken & Shells

Near East (Quaker)
-Spicy Tomato Pasta Mix
-Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil Pasta Mix
-Falafel Mix
-Lentil Pilaf
-Couscous
-Tomato Lentil
-Parmesan
-Toasted Pinenut
-Herb Chicken
-Broccoli & Cheese
-Curry

Pasta Roni (Quaker)
-Fettuccini Alfredo
-Garlic Alfredo
-Angel Hair Pasta with Herbs
-Angel Hair Pasta with Parmesan Cheese
-Angel Hair Pasta with Tomato Parmesan
-Angel Hair Pasta Primavera
-Garlic & Olive Oil with Vermicelli

Rice-a-Roni (Quaker)
-Rice Pilaf
-Beef
-Chicken
-Fried Rice
-Chicken & Broccoli
-Long Grain & Wild Rice
-Broccoli au Gratin

Uncle Ben’s (Mars)
-Long Grain & Wild Rice (Original & with Garlic)
-Brown & Wild Rice Mushroom
-Country Inn Mexican Fiesta
-Country Inn Oriental Fried Rice
-Country Inn Chicken & Vegetable
-Country Inn Chicken & Broccoli
-Natural Select Chicken & Herb
-Natural Select Tomato & Basil
-Chef’s Recipe Chicken & Vegetable Pilaf
-Chef’s Recipe Beans & Rice
-Chef’s Recipe Broccoli Rice

Frozen Pizza ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Celeste (Aurora Foods)
-Supreme
-Pepperoni
-Vegetable
-Four Cheese
-Deluxe
-Cheese

Tombstone (Kraft/Phillip Morris)
-Pepperoni
-Supreme
-Sausage & Pepperoni
-Extra Cheese
-Stuffed Crust
-Three Cheese

Totino’s (Pillsbury)
-Crisp Crust
-Pepperoni
-Combination

Snack Foods ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Act II Microwave Popcorn (ConAgra)
-Butter
-Extreme Butter
-Corn on the Cob

Frito-Lay* (PepsiCo)
-Lays Potato Chips (all varieties)
-Ruffles Potato Chips (all)
-Doritos Corn Chips (all)
-Tostitos Corn Chips (all)
-Fritos Corn Chips (all)
-Cheetos (all)
-Rold Gold Pretzels (all)
-Cracker Jack Popcorn

Healthy Choice Microwave Popcorn (ConAgra)
-Organic Corn (soy/canola oils)

Mothers Corn Cakes (Quaker)
-Butter Pop

Orville Redenbacher Microwave Popcorn (ConAgra)
-Original
-Homestyle
-Butter
-Smart Pop
-Pour Over
-Orville Redenbacher Popcorn Cakes
-Chocolate
-Caramel
-Orville Redenbacher Mini Popcorn Cakes
-Butter
-Peanut Caramel
-Chocolate Peanut

Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn (Betty Crocker/General Mills)
-Natural
-Homestyle
-Jumbo Pop
-Extra Butter
-Light
-94% Fat Free Butter

Pringles (Procter & Gamble)
-Original
-Low Fat
-Pizza-licious
-Sour Cream & Onion
-Salt & Vinegar
-Cheezeums
-Quaker Rice Cakes
-Peanut Butter
-Chocolate Crunch
-Cinnamon Streusel
-Mini
-Chocolate
-Ranch
-Sour Cream & Onion
-Apple Cinnamon
-Caramel Corn
-Quaker Corn Cakes
-White Cheddar
-Caramel Corn
-Strawberry Crunch
-Caramel Chocolate Chip
*Frito has informed its corn and potato suppliers that the company wishes to avoid GE crops, but acknowledges that canola or other oils and ingredients in its products may be from GE sources.

Soda & Juice Drinks ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Coca Cola (Coca Cola)
Sprite
Cherry Coke
Barq’s Root Beer
Minute Maid Orange
Minute Maid Grape
Surge
Ultra
PepsiCo
Pepsi
Slice
Wild Cherry Pepsi
Mug Root Beer
Mountain Dew
Cadbury/Schweppes
7-Up
Dr. Pepper
A & W Root Beer
Sunkist Orange
Schweppes Ginger Ale

Capri Sun juices (Kraft/Phillip Morris)
-Red Berry
-Surfer Cooler
-Splash Cooler
-Wild Cherry
-Strawberry Kiwi
-Fruit Punch
-Pacific Cooler
-Strawberry
-Orange
-Grape

Fruitopia (Coca Cola)
-Grape Beyond
-Berry Lemonade
-Fruit Integration
-Kiwiberry Ruckus
-Strawberry Passion
-Tremendously Tangerine

Fruit Works (PepsiCo)
-Strawberry Melon
-Peach Papaya
-Pink Lemonade
-Apple Raspberry

Gatorade (Quaker)
-Lemon Lime
-Orange
-Fruitpunch
-Fierce Grape
-Frost Riptide Rush

Hawaiian Punch (Procter & Gamble)
-Tropical Fruit
-Grape Geyser
-Fruit Juicy Red
-Strawberry Surfin

Hi-C (Coca Cola)
-Pink Lemonade
-Watermelon Rapids
-Boppin’ Berry
-Tropical Punch
-Smashin’ Wildberry
-Blue Cooler
-Blue Moon Berry
-Orange
-Cherry

Kool Aid (Kraft/Phillip Morris)
-Blastin’ Berry Cherry
-Bluemoon Berry
-Kickin’ Kiwi Lime
-Tropical Punch
-Wild Berry Tea
-Ocean Spray
-Cranberry Juice Cocktail
-Cranapple
-CranGrape
-CranRaspberry
-CranStrawberry
-CranMango

Squeeze It (Betty Crocker/General Mills)
-Rockin’ Red Puncher
-Chucklin’ Cherry
-Mystery 2000

Sunny Delight (Procter & Gamble)
-Sunny Delight Original
-Sunny Delight With Calcium Citrus Punch
-Sunny Delight California Style Citrus Punch
Tang juices (Kraft/Phillip Morris)
-Orange Uproar
-Fruit Frenzy
-Berry Panic

Tropicana Twisters (PepsiCo)
-Grape Berry
-Apple Raspberry Blackberry
-Cherry Berry
-Cranberry Raspberry Strawberry
-Pink Grapefruit
-Tropical Strawberry
-Orange Cranberry
-Orange Strawberry Banana

V-8 (Campbells)
-V8 Tomato Juices (all varieties)
-Strawberry Kiwi
-Strawberry Banana
-Fruit Medley
-Berry Blend
-Citrus Blend
-Apple Medley
-Tropical Blend
-Island Blend

Soup ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Campbell’s
-Tomato
-Chicken Noodle
-Cream of Chicken
-Cream of Mushroom
-Cream of Celery
-Cream of Broccoli
-Cheddar Cheese
-Green Pea
-Healthy Request Chicken Noodle
-Cream of Chicken
-Cream of Mushroom
-Cream of Celery
-Campbell’s Select Roasted Chicken with Rice

-Grilled Chicken with Sundried Tomatoes
-Chicken Rice
-Vegetable Beef

-Chunky Beef with Rice
-Hearty Chicken & Vegetable
-Pepper Steak
-Baked Potato with Steak & Cheese
-New England Clam Chowder

-Soup to Go Chicken Noodle
-Chicken Rice
-Garden Vegetable
-Vegetable Beef & Rice

Simply Home Chicken Noodle
Chicken Rice
Garden Vegetable
Vegetable Beef with Pasta

Healthy Choice (ConAgra)
-Country Vegetable
-Fiesta Chicken
-Bean & Pasta
-Chicken Noodle
-Chicken with Rice
-Minestrone

Pepperidge Farms (Campbell’s)
-Corn Chowder
-Lobster Bisque
-Chicken & Wild Rice
-New England Clam Chowder
-Crab Soup

Progresso (Pillsbury)
-Tomato Basil
-Chicken Noodle
-Chicken & Wild Rice
-Chicken Barley
-Lentil
-New England Clam Chowder
-Zesty Herb Tomato
-Roasted Chicken with Rotini
-Fat Free Minestrone
-Fat Free Chicken Noodle
-Fat Free Lentil
-Fat Free Roast Chicken

Tomatoes & Sauces ~ Genetically Engineered Ingredients

Del Monte (Nabisco/Phillip Morris)
-Tomato Sauce

Five Brothers Pasta Sauces (Lipton/Unilever)
-Summer Vegetable
-Five Cheese
-Roasted Garlic & Onion
-Tomato & Basil

Healthy Choice Pasta Sauces (ConAgra)
-Traditional
-Garlic & Herb
-Sun-Dried Tomato & Herb

Hunts (ConAgra)
-Traditional Spaghetti Sauce
-Four Cheese Spaghetti Sauce
-Tomato Sauce
-Tomato Paste

Prego Pasta Sauces (Campbells)
-Tomato, Basil & Garlic
-Fresh Mushroom
-Ricotta Parmesan
-Meat Flavored
-Roasted Garlic & Herb
-Three Cheese
-Mini-Meatball
-Chicken with Parmesan

Ragu Sauces (Lipton/Unilever)
-Old World Traditional
-Old World with Meat
-Old World Marinara
-Old World with Mushrooms
-Ragu Robusto Parmesan & Romano
-Ragu Robusto Roasted Garlic
-Ragu Robusto Sweet Italian Sausage
-Ragu Robusto Six Cheese
-Ragu Robusto Tomato, Olive Oil & Garlic
-Ragu Robusto Classic Italian Meat
-Chunky Garden Style Super Garlic
-Chunky Garden Style Garden Combo
-Chunky Garden Style Tomato, Garlic & Onion
-Chunky Garden Style Tomato, Basil & Italian Cheese
-Pizza Quick Traditional

In addition, should you want more info concerning GMO products and the companies producing them, please take a look at this excellent list put together by Stephanie Ladwig-Cooper on Facebook.

Source:

 Shift Frequency

A patient came to my ER after noticing green slime coming up the straw from her Juicy Juice box. Her mom cut open the box – and brought her straight to the doctor. Here’s what we found in the unexpired juice box:

Her juice box was full of mold—green slime that lined the edges of the box. Apparently moldy juice boxes and juice pouches (such as those made by Capri Sun) are nothing new. If even a tiny bit of air gets into the container molds can grow. Air can get into a juice box through a hole that’s so small you can’t see it, and it doesn't cause leaking. Such a tiny puncture also permits the sugars in the juice to ferment, turning the product into a form of alcohol.

Juicy Juice and many other kid’s juice products are made without preservatives, permitting mold to grow even more easily.

The good news for my patient is that moldy, fermented juice is usually not very dangerous to drink. An upset stomach and a totally grossed out mom are the most common complications.

But I recommended she cut out the juice, anyway. Why? Because juice is so full of sugar and calories that some have called it a gateway drug. Sugar ingestion can actually cause release of natural opiates (really). Opiate release stimulates the desire for other sweets and junk food. High salt and high fat foods can also trigger release of pleasure-inducing opiates. This is why so many people binge on ice cream, potato chips, and other favorite junk foods like Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

The more sugar-laden juice your kids drink, the more opiates flood their system, and the more they will beg for another juice box. After drinking all those calories and stimulating their sweet tooth, chances are your kids won’t be interested in dinner. Some high sugar, high fat, high salt food might sound good, though. Sound familiar?

Too much fruit juice can also cause tooth decay, diarrhea, and flatulence. There are plenty of other healthy foods that contain the vitamins your kids need, and without the high sugar and calories. Kids just don’t need juice.

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers this guidance regarding kids and fruit juice.

• Juice should not be introduced into the diet of infants before 6 months of age, unless directed by your physician. Occasionally small amounts of fruit juice may be recommended as a treatment for constipation.
• In children ages 6 months -6 years, fruit juice offers no nutritional benefit over whole fruit. Whole fruits also provide fiber and other nutrients.
• If you do let your kids drink fruit juice, do not allow your child to carry a sippy cup, bottle or box of juice throughout the day. Intake of fruit juice should be limited to 4 to 6 oz/d for children 1 to 6 years old. For children 7 to 18 years old, juice intake should be limited to 8 to 12 oz or 2 servings per day.
• Never serve your kids unpasteurized juice.
• These recommendations are for 100% fruit juice, which differs from juice drinks. Fruit drinks often provide little to no nutritional benefit.

OK, I admit it, I’ve bought juice boxes for birthday parties and soccer games. They are convenient, they keep kids happy, and they’re probably healthier than soda. But you just can’t tell from looking at a juice box if it is moldy—you won’t know until you start drinking, and sometimes you won’t know until you get to the bottom… So as for my family, we’re going back to the cooler of ice water for soccer games. If the kids complain, we’ll hand out good snacks.

Sincere thanks to the patient and her mother who permitted the photography of their juice box and gave permission for the publication of this story.

Source:

 Childrens Mom Docs

Pope meeting with the board of directors of The Vatican Bank

Since 1871 the United States president and the United States Congress has been playing politics under a different set of rules and policies.  The American people do not know that there are two Constitutions in the United States.  The first penned by the leaders of the newly independent states of the United States in 1776.  On July 4, 1776, the people claimed their independence from Britain and Democracy was born.  And for 95 years the United States people were free and independent.  That freedom ended in 1871 when the original “Constitution for the united states for America” was changed to the “THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”.

The Congress realized that the country was in dire financial straits, so they made  a financial deal with the devil – international bankers — (in those days, the Rothschilds of London ) thereby incurring a DEBT to said bankers.  The conniving international bankers were not about to lend the floundering nation any money without some serious stipulations. So, they devised a way of taking back control of the United States and thus, the Act of 1871 was passed.  With no constitutional authority to do so, Congress created a separate form of government for the District of Columbia.

With the passage of  “the Act of 1871” a city state (a state within a state) called the District of Columbia located on 10 sq miles of land in the heart of Washington was formed with its own flag and its own independent constitution – the United States’ secret second constitution.

The flag of Washington’s District of Columbia has 3 red stars, each symbolizing a city state within the three city empire. The three city empire consists of Washington D.C., London, and Vatican City. London is the corporate center of the three city states and controls the world economically. Washington’s District of Columbia city state is in charge of the military, and the Vatican controls it all under the guise of spiritual guidance.  Although geographically separate, the city states of London, the Vatican and the District of  Columbia are one interlocking empire called “Empire of the City”

The constitution for the District of Columbia operates under tyrannical Vatican law known as “Lex Fori” (local law). When congress passed the act of 1871 it created a separate corporation known as THE UNITED STATES and corporate government for the District of Columbia. This treasonous act has unlawfully allowed the District of Columbia to operate as a corporation outside the original constitution of the United States and in total disregard of the best interests of the American citizens.

(POTUS Obama at the Vatican Corporate headquarters)

POTUS is the Chief Executive (president) of the Corporation of the United States operating as any other CEO of the corporation — governs w/a Board of Directors (cabinet officials) and managers (Senators/Congress) Obama as others before him is POTUS — operating as “vassal king” taking orders once again from “The City of London” through the RIIA (Royal Institute of Intl Affairs).  The Illuminati (founded by the The Society of Jesus or Jesuits, the largest Roman Catholic Religious Military Order headed by the Black Pope) created the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA) in 1919. The American equivalent to the RIIA is the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR). The RIIA and CFR set up Round Table Groups (based on the King Arthur myths).

What did the Act of 1871 achieve?  The ACT of 1871 put the United States back under British rule (which is under Vatican rule).  The United States people lost their independence in 1871.

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is the constitution of the incorporated UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. It operates in an economic capacity and has been used to fool the People into thinking it governs the Republic. It does not! Capitalization is NOT insignificant when one is referring to a legal document. This seemingly “minor” alteration has had a major impact on every subsequent generation of Americans. What Congress did by passing the Act of 1871 was create an entirely new document, a constitution for the government of the District of Columbia, an INCORPORATED government.

Instead of having absolute and unalienable rights guaranteed under the organic Constitution, we the people now have “relative” rights or privileges. One example is the Sovereign’s right to travel, which has now been transformed (under corporate government policy) into a “privilege” that requires citizens to be licensed – driver’s licenses and Passports. By passing the Act of 1871, Congress committed TREASON against the People who were Sovereign under the grants and decrees of the Declaration of Independence and the organic Constitution.  The Act of 1871 became the FOUNDATION of all the treason since committed by government officials.

As of 1871 the United States isn't a Country; It’s a Corporation! In preparation for stealing America, the puppets of Britain’s banking cabal had already created a second government, a Shadow Government designed to manage what “the people” believed was a democracy, but what really was an incorporated UNITED STATES. Together this chimera, this two-headed monster, disallowed “the people” all rights of sui juris. [you, in your sovereignty]

The U.S.A. is a Crown Colony. The U.S. has always been and remains a British Crown colony. King James I, is not just famous for translating the Bible into “The King James Version”, but for signing the “First Charter of Virginia” in 1606 — which granted America’s British forefathers license to settle and colonize America. The charter guaranteed future Kings/Queens of England would have sovereign authority over all citizens and colonized land in America.

After America declared independence from Great Britain, the Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783 was signed.  That treaty identifies the King of England as prince of U.S. “Prince George the Third, by the grace of God, king of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, duke of Brunswick and Lunebourg, arch- treasurer and prince elector of the Holy Roman Empire etc., and of the United States of America“– completely contradicting premise that America won The War of Independence.

Article 5 of that treaty gave all British estates, rights and properties back to Britain.

It is agreed that Congress shall earnestly recommend it to the legislatures of the respective states to provide for the restitution of all estates, rights, and properties, which have been confiscated belonging to real British subjects; and also of the estates, rights, and properties of persons resident in districts in the possession on his Majesty’s arms and who have not borne arms against the said United States. And that persons of any other decription shall have free liberty to go to any part or parts of any of the thirteen United States and therein to remain twelve months unmolested in their endeavors to obtain the restitution of such of their estates, rights, and properties as may have been confiscated; and that Congress shall also earnestly recommend to the several states a reconsideration and revision of all acts or laws regarding the premises, so as to render the said laws or acts perfectly consistent not only with justice and equity but with that spirit of conciliation which on the return of the blessings of peace should universally prevail. And that Congress shall also earnestly recommend to the several states that the estates, rights, and properties, of such last mentioned persons shall be restored to them, they refunding to any persons who may be now in possession the bona fide price (where any has been given) which such persons may have paid on purchasing any of the said lands, rights, or properties since the confiscation.

And it is agreed that all persons who have any interest in confiscated lands, either by debts, marriage settlements, or otherwise, shall meet with no lawful impediment in the prosecution of their just rights.

It is becoming increasingly apparent to American citizens that government is no longer being conducted in accordance with the U.S. Constitution, or, within states, according to state constitutions. While people have recognized for more than 150 years that the rich and powerful often corrupt individual officials, or exert undue influence to get legislation passed that favors their interests, most Americans still cling to the naive belief that such corruption is exceptional, and that most of the institutions of society, the courts, the press, and law enforcement agencies, still largely comply with the Constitution and the law in important matters. They expect that these corrupting forces are disunited and in competition with one another, so that they tend to balance one another.

Mounting evidence makes it clear that the situation is far worse than most people think, that during the last several decades the U.S. Constitution has been effectively overthrown, and that it is now observed only as a façade to deceive and placate the masses. What has replaced it is what many call the Shadow Government – created with the illegal passing of the Act of 1871. It still, for the most part, operates in secret, because its control is not secure. The exposure of this regime and its operations must now become a primary duty of citizens who still believe in the Rule of Law and in the freedoms which this country is supposed to represent.

Source:

presscore.ca

President Barack Obama’s approval rating has dropped from 53 to 45 percent in the past month, with 61 percent of US poll respondents criticizing his handling of domestic government spying in wake of the NSA surveillance scandal.

The latest national CNN poll offers evidence that the president is suffering the political consequences of the National Security Agency’s spy tactics, which were first revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden this month.

The president’s approval rating is now the lowest it has been in more than a year and a half, with the majority of Americans expressing ill feelings toward Obama. Fifty percent of poll respondents said they do not believe Obama is honest and trustworthy, 54 percent disapprove of his job handling, and 61 percent disapprove of the way he’s handling US government surveillance, according to the CNN/ORC International survey.

About 60 percent of respondents also said that the US government is so large and powerful that it endangers American freedoms.

Obama’s disapproval rating has been on the rise for months, increasing from 51 percent in January to 54 percent in April and 57 percent in June.

“The drop in Obama’s support is fueled by a dramatic 17-point decline over the past month among people under 30, who, along with black Americans, had been the most loyal part of the Obama coalition,” CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said in the news agency’s release of the findings.

Obama’s approval rating among independent voters plummeted by 10 points in the last month, with only 37 percent agreeing with his job handling and 61 percent disapproving of it this month.

Holland believes the significant drop in Obama’s support comes as a result of recent government scandals, including the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups, the Justice Department’s criminal pursuit of journalists, and the revelation of the NSA’s extensive surveillance program.

“It is clear that revelations about NSA surveillance programs have damaged Obama’s standing with the public, although older controversies like the IRS matter may have begun to take their toll as well,” he told CNN.

Former President George W. Bush came under scrutiny for government surveillance when he was in office, but Obama’s disapproval rating is now lower than his predecessor’s. About 52 percent of Americans disapproved of Bush’s handling of government surveillance of US citizens in 2006, which is 9 points lower than the 61 percent who felt that way about Obama today.

But criticism of the Obama administration stretches beyond the US. The president has lost significant support in Europe, particularly in France, Germany, and Italy. Obama is likely to face tough questions about the NSA’s data collection program from policymakers at this year’s G-8 Summit in Ireland.

Peter Schaar, Germany’s freedom of information commissioner, told Reuters that he plans to ask questions “regarding these monstrous allegations of total monitoring of various telecommunications and Internet services.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel also said she would bring up the topic with Obama while he is in Europe this week.

“The most upset party in all of this, I think, is the Germans,” Michael J. Geary, an assistant professor at Maastricht University, told the National Journal. “The Germans were the most snooped-upon country, apparently, in March. In a country where memories of the former East German Stasi are still quite fresh, the response has been quite critical.”

Markus Ferber, a member of Merkel’s Bavarian sister party and a member of the European Parliament, last week accused Washington of using “American-style Stasi methods.”

“I thought this era had ended when the DDR fell,” he said, referring the German Democratic Republic.

Obama’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is equally likely to culminate in a discussion about the NSA’s surveillance program, especially since recent documents uncovered the agency’s interception of classified communications of former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

The unraveling of the NSA’s surveillance program has taken a hard hit at Obama’s reputation, both domestically and internationally. And as Obama meets with European leaders this week, he will likely face further criticism for a program that has thrust the discussion of government spying onto the global stage.

“We certainly understand that, like the United States, countries in Europe have significant interests in privacy and civil liberties,” Ben Rhodes of the National Security Council told the National Journal. And with the majority of Americans disapproving of their president’s job handling and European leaders publicly condemning Obama, the administration will face tough questions at the G-8 Summit and beyond.

There is less faith now in the public education system than there ever has been. Homeschooling has increased by 75 percent in the last 14 years, according to a recent report in Education News. Homeschooling is growing seven times faster than a K-12 public education. Researchers predict that the homeschooling boom will continue to explode over the next 10 years, as parents seek to provide their son/daughter with a better education, one that is less controlling and less controlled.

Now seeing that the federal government's no child left behind act has made public education into a factory line, more parents are finding alternative educations at home. As the government continues to intrude, it will be wise for parents to take a closer look at the looming common core standards that states are now adopting from the Obama Administration. These standards do even more damage, seeking to turn students and their emotions into stored, traceable data, using data mining techniques.

Regurgitating information and coloring in bubbles

The onslaught of government programs and standardized testing has rendered students just mere statistics in a database. Many parents feel like their child has become just another brick in the wall. The National Assessment of Educational Progress reports that the No Child Left behind Act did nothing over the last decade but pressure a narrow curriculum onto schools, a curriculum that taught straight to the tune of state testing guidelines. The subsequent inflated test scores never proved that real learning had improved, but instead created a brainwashing system. This standardized system has stunted creativity in children, scolded skepticism, herded achievement, and reigned in competition to an equal yoke, as kids learn nothing more than how to regurgitate information and color in a bubble.

Turning your children into a traceable number in a database

As government is continually looked to as the answer for education, new Common Core standards are being coerced into each state's public education system. These uniform standards make the No Child Left Behind Act look like a small appetizer. Common core goes deeper than standardized education. It seeks to turn children into digitized pets tied to a surveillance leash. In fact, Common Core standards reveal data mining techniques, which will record and log a student's facial expressions and reactions through iris and other biometric scans implemented through sensors on school computers.

Although common core looks like a state initiated plan, the program was actually coerced onto the states through a $4 billion grant from Obama's Race to the Top program. The federal government, run by controlling surveillance freaks, has effectively lassoed state support. There's an exception to that rule, though - Missouri. Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer from Missouri has recently wrote a letter to the US Department of Education, addressing several issues with the new Common Core standards.

"We understand that as a condition of applying for [Race to the Top] grant funding, states obligated themselves to implement a State Longitudinal Database System (SLDS) used to track students by obtaining personally identifiable information," Luetkemeyer said. "We formally request a detailed description of each change to student privacy policy that has been made under your leadership, including the need and intended purpose for such changes."

The Department of Education applauds the data mining techniques, saying in its February 2013 report, "Researchers are exploring how to gather complex affective data and generate meaningful and usable information to feed back to learners, teachers, researchers, and the technology itself. Connections to neuroscience are also beginning to emerge."

Nine states have already complied to this new technology, which goes farther than eyeballing student test scores. Students' personal information, including behavior and reactions are being sent to a database managed by In Bloom, Inc., which is a privately funded organization started by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Benefits of homeschooling

An Education News report actually shows that home schooled children ultimately attain four year degrees at much higher rates than publicly enrolled students. As a matter of fact, some of the top colleges in the US, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard, Stanford, and Duke University avidly recruit homeschooled children. Homeschooled children aren't as socially inept as what others stigmatize. In fact, homeschooled children complete their work faster at home and have more time for community, church, and neighborhood social activities. Family values and character, the most overlooked part of an education, are taught much more strongly from home, making homeschooled children more respectful, higher achieving, and beneficial members of the community. Furthermore, most public schools spend very limited time on three other very important life skills - proper nutrition, hands on skills, and entrepreneurship. These skills are passed on well in a home school environment.

All in all, homeschooling is on the rise as parents "wake up" to the reality that a public education has become nothing more than a watered down, standardized, brainwashing, data mining pool that sells their kids, brick by brick, up the crick for a lousy government granted paycheck.

Sources:

www.naturalnews.com

www.breitbart.com

www.opposingviews.com

www.thenewamerican.com

Bank of America’s mortgage servicing unit systematically lied to homeowners, fraudulently denied loan modifications, and paid their staff bonuses for deliberately pushing people into foreclosure: Yes, these allegations were suspected by any homeowner who ever had to deal with the bank to try to get a loan modification – but now they come from six former employees and one contractor, whose sworn statements were added last week to a civil lawsuit filed in federal court in Massachusetts.

“Bank of America’s practice is to string homeowners along with no apparent intention of providing the permanent loan modifications it promises,” said Erika Brown, one of the former employees. The damning evidence would spur a series of criminal investigations of BofA executives, if we still had a rule of law in this country for Wall Street banks.

The government’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), which gave banks cash incentives to modify loans under certain standards, was supposed to streamline the process and help up to 4 million struggling homeowners (to date, active permanent modifications number about 870,000). In reality, Bank of America used it as a tool, say these former employees, to squeeze as much money as possible out of struggling borrowers before eventually foreclosing on them. Borrowers were supposed to make three trial payments before the loan modification became permanent; in actuality, many borrowers would make payments for a year or more, only to find themselves rejected for a permanent modification, and then owing the difference between the trial modification and their original payment. Former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner famously described HAMP as a means to “foam the runway” for the banks, spreading out foreclosures so banks could more readily absorb them.

These Bank of America employees offer the first glimpse into how they pulled it off. Employees, many of whom allege they were given no basic training on how to even use HAMP, were instructed to tell borrowers that documents were incomplete or missing when they were not, or that the file was “under review” when it hadn’t been accessed in months. Former loan-level representative Simone Gordon says flat-out in her affidavit that “we were told to lie to customers” about the receipt of documents and trial payments. She added that the bank would hold financial documents borrowers submitted for review for at least 30 days. “Once thirty days passed, Bank of America would consider many of these documents to be ‘stale’ and the homeowner would have to re-apply for a modification,” Gordon writes. Theresa Terrelonge, another ex-employee, said that the company would consistently tell homeowners to resubmit information, restarting the clock on the HAMP process.

Worse than this, Bank of America would simply throw out documents on a consistent basis. Former case management supervisor William Wilson alleged that, during bimonthly sessions called the “blitz,” case managers and underwriters would simply deny any file with financial documents that were more than 60 days old. “During a blitz, a single team would decline between 600 and 1,500 modification files at a time,” Wilson wrote. “I personally reviewed hundreds of files in which the computer systems showed that the homeowner had fulfilled a Trial Period Plan and was entitled to a permanent loan modification, but was nevertheless declined for a permanent modification during a blitz.” Employees were then instructed to make up a reason for the denial to submit to the Treasury Department, which monitored the program. Others say that bank employees falsified records in the computer system and removed documents from homeowner files to make it look like the borrower did not qualify for a permanent modification.

Senior managers provided carrots and sticks for employees to lie to customers and push them into foreclosure. Simone Gordon described meetings where managers created quotas for lower-level employees, and a bonus system for reaching those quotas. Employees “who placed ten or more accounts into foreclosure in a given month received a $500 bonus,” Gordon wrote. “Bank of America also gave employees gift cards to retail stores like Target or Bed Bath and Beyond as rewards for placing accounts into foreclosure.” Employees were closely monitored, and those who didn’t meet quotas, or who dared to give borrowers accurate information, were fired, as was anyone who “questioned the ethics … of declining loan modifications for false and fraudulent reasons,” according to William Wilson.

Bank of America characterized the affidavits as “rife with factual inaccuracies.” But they match complaints from borrowers having to resubmit documents multiple times, and getting denied for permanent modifications despite making all trial payments. And these statements come from all over the country from ex-employees without a relationship to one another. It did not result from one “rogue” bank branch.

Simply put, Bank of America didn’t want to hire enough staff to handle the crush of loan modification requests, and used these delaying tactics as a shortcut. They also pushed people into foreclosure to collect additional fees from them. And after rejecting borrowers for HAMP modifications, they would offer an in-house modification with a higher interest rate. This was all about profit maximization. “We were regularly drilled that it was our job to maximize fees for the Bank by fostering and extending delay of the HAMP modification process by any means we could,” wrote Simone Gordon in her affidavit.

It is a testament to the corruption of the federal regulatory and law enforcement apparatus that we’re only hearing evidence from inside Bank of America now, in a civil class-action lawsuit from wronged homeowners, when the behavior was so rampant for years. For example, the Treasury Department, charged with specific oversight for HAMP, didn’t sanction a single bank for failing to follow program guidelines for three years, and certainly did not uncover any of this criminal conduct. Steven Cupples, a former underwriter at Bank of America, explained in his statement how the bank falsified records to Treasury to make it look like they granted more modifications. But Treasury never investigated. Meanwhile, the Justice Department joined with state Attorneys General and other federal regulators to essentially bless this conduct in a series of weak settlements that incorporated other bank crimes as well, like “robo-signing” and submitting false documents to courts.

These affidavits, however, should return law enforcement to the case. William Wilson, the case management supervisor, alleges in his statement that this “ridiculous and immoral” conduct continued through August of 2012, when he was eventually fired for speaking up. That means Bank of America persisted with these activities for at least six months AFTER the main, $25 billion settlement to which they were a party. So state and federal regulators could sue Bank of America over this new criminal conduct, which post-dates the actions for which they released liability under the main settlement. Attorneys general in New York and Florida have accused Bank of America of violating the terms of the settlement, but they could simply open new cases about these new deceptive practices.

They would have no shortage of evidence, in addition to the sworn affidavits. According to Theresa Terrelonge, most loan-level representatives conducted their business through email; in fact, various email communications have already been submitted under seal in the Massachusetts civil case. State Attorneys General or US Attorneys would have subpoena power to gather many more emails.

And they would have very specific targets: the ex-employees listed specific executives by name who authorized and directed the fraudulent process. “The delay and rejection programs were methodically carried out under the overall direction of Patrick Kerry, a Vice President who oversaw the entire eastern region’s loan modification process,” wrote William Wilson. Other executives mentioned by name include John Berens, Patricia Feltch and Rebecca Mairone (now at JPMorgan Chase, and already named in a separate financial fraud case). These are senior executives who, if this alleged conduct is true, should face criminal liability.

Bank accountability activists have already seized on the revelations. “This is not surprising, but absolutely sickening,” said Peggy Mears, organizer for the Home Defenders League. “Maybe finally our courts and elected officials will stand with communities over Wall Street and prosecute, and then lock up, these criminals.”

Sadly, it’s hard to raise hopes of that happening. Past experience shows that our top regulatory and law enforcement officials are primarily interested in covering for Wall Street’s crimes. These well-sourced allegations amount to an accusation of Bank of America stealing thousands of homes, and lying to the government about it. Homeowners who did everything asked of them were nevertheless pushed into foreclosure, all to fortify profits on Wall Street. There’s a clear path to punish Bank of America for this conduct. If it doesn’t result in prosecutions, it will once again confirm the sorry excuse for justice we have in America.

Read the full affidavits from the active court case here.

Source:

www.salon.com

David Dayen

According to scientists, sugar is the greatest single threat to health

Experts say that the white stuff contributes to 35 million deaths each year

Today it is found in everything from bread to wine and savory sauces

  Along with causing obesity and diabetes, it also wreaks havoc on the skin

My name is Polly and I’m a sugar addict. When I’m tired, upset or hormonal I reach for a chocolate bar, biscuit or cupcake. I add sugar to my coffee and tea and stir honey into my porridge every morning.

I've had a sweet tooth since childhood and, until now, I didn't think it was a major problem. I like desserts — so what?
But a growing number of scientists believe sugar is the greatest single threat to human health, contributing to 35  million deaths worldwide each year.

They say it not only causes illnesses including obesity, type-2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and liver problems, but also wreaks havoc on our skin and ages us prematurely.
It has even been linked to fertility problems in women and increases the risk of dementia and rheumatoid arthritis. Crikey.

Luckily, I’m neither overweight nor unhealthy, so I figure I don’t need sweet rehab quite yet — or do I?
Last month it was revealed the average Briton consumes 238 teaspoons of added sugar every week — an all-time high. Surely to eat that much you’d have to munch on Mars bars while drinking liters of Coke and stuffing your face with Jelly Babies?
But when I work out my daily sugar consumption I’m surprised: 85 teaspoons a week is less than half the national average but it’s still 425g — almost half a normal bag of sugar — a week.
Even more disturbing was how much of it came from what experts call ‘invisible sugar’. This is sneaked into savory foods including bread, pasta sauces and even bacon by manufacturers to make them tastier.
A Which? report found some savory foods contain more sugar than ice cream. So while sales of raw sugar have fallen over the past 50 years, there has been a threefold increase in the amount of sugar we consume and ‘invisible sugar’ is mainly to blame.

'Food manufacturers have a lot to answer for,' says nutritionist Dr Sam Christie. 'Over the past 30 years, they've doubled the amount of sugar they add to their products and our bodies haven’t adapted.
'We absorb sugar very quickly, which causes our pancreas to produce insulin in order for our cells to turn the sugar into energy. If we eat a lot of sugar, over time our cells become insulin resistant and we develop type-2 diabetes.
'We also become overweight. Glucose is delivered to the liver, and when the liver’s reserves are full, a biochemical process converts it into fat.'

So time for a detox: a month without any added sugar. Cutting out the white stuff en masse is what the growing 'No Sugar' movement is all about.

Its chief proponent, endocrinologist Robert Lustig, whose lecture Sugar: The Bitter Truth, has been viewed more than three million times on YouTube, claims sugar, rather than fat, is to blame for our sky-rocketing obesity levels. This could explain how we've become so much fatter despite consuming fewer calories than we used to.
The average energy intake per person was 28 per cent lower in 2010 than in 1974.

'Even for people who aren't at risk of diabetes or obesity, eating less sugar is greatly beneficial,' says Dr Christie.

'Unrefined food contains more nutrients to protect our health, fewer empty calories, and allows us to avoid peaks and troughs in blood sugar, keeping our moods and energy levels stable.'
Only when giving up sugar did I realize that I was far more dependent on it than I’d assumed. And when I began to research its impact, I realized why. Sugar cravings are real. French scientists have reported in animal trials that rats chose sugar over cocaine.

The good news is it’s possible to reverse the impact of a sweet tooth by replacing it with natural foods including wholegrain, vegetables and fish, which contain nutrients to replenish our stores of insulin.
Dr Christie also recommends you take a supplement, such as Nature’s Best Multi-Guard Balance (£19.95 for 120 tablets, naturesbest.co.uk) to help your body cope with the process.

My first challenge was finding sugarless foods to eat. I love toast, but the packet of my usual Hovis granary loaf showed it contained 1.6g of sugar per slice. And that’s before I’d added my preferred spread, peanut butter, which has almost 1g of sugar in 10g.

The honey I use to sweeten my porridge had to go, as did the teaspoon of sugar I usually add to my morning cup of tea. Breakfast tasted the way I imagine Oliver Twist’s workhouse gruel would have.

After a couple of mouthfuls of undrinkable bitter tea, I realized I’d have to give up caffeine, too. It wasn't a great start.
Lunch was similarly difficult. Without bread, options were severely limited, so I opted for a salad, only to find I was hungry again a couple of hours later.
Unable to snack on chocolate or crisps (they also contain sugar) I ate a handful of cashew nuts to boost my blood-sugar levels.

For dinner, I eschewed my usual pasta (the Sacla sauce I use contains a whopping 6.6g of sugar) and cooked salmon and vegetables. I felt virtuous, but slightly annoyed.
My biggest challenge was alcohol. I love wine and rarely have a day without at least a couple of glasses, but a glass of my favorite sauvignon blanc contains 6.4g of sugar. Red wine is better sugar-wise, but I opted for gin and slimline tonic when I met a friend for drinks.

As I reluctantly refused to share a bottle of wine with her, she said: 'You won’t be much fun this month, will you?' I couldn't disagree.
On my third no-sugar day, I felt awful. Cheery colleagues irritated me and I snapped at someone for offering me a cup of tea. I felt exhausted, teary and had the shakes. In short I was detoxing.

When Princeton University scientists fed rats sugar as well as their regular food, then stopped it, the rats — like me — showed signs typical of drug addicts.
How terrifying that something we eat every day can cause such severe withdrawal symptoms.
Later that week, when my blood sugar levels had evened out and I felt less jittery, I absent-mindlessly stuffed a miniature brownie into my mouth when offered it by a colleague.
I used to love them, but it tasted strangely synthetic — and sweeter than a bowl of sugar cubes. For the first time I was pleased I’d started to retrain my taste buds.
By the second week, I had less frequent spikes in my energy-levels, too. I was cooking more from scratch to avoid too much ‘invisible sugar’ and my skin was clearer.

'Sugar attaches to fats and proteins in the cells in a process called glycation,' explained Dr Christie.
'The proteins in skin most prone to glycation are the same ones that make the skin plump and springy — collagen and elastin. Sugar attacks them and makes the skin less radiant and more wrinkly and saggy.'
I also started to taste the natural sweetness in fruit such as strawberries — previously I automatically added more sugar.
The following week, I noticed I’d lost a couple of pounds and my cravings for chocolate had vanished. I still hadn't trained myself to drink tea and coffee without sugar, but I was surprised by how quickly I got used to porridge without honey.
At lunch, I opted for sushi and salads and ate plain yogurt, adding my own berries rather than buying sugar-laden fruit flavors.

By the end of the month, I felt more energized and alive, probably because I was no longer trapped in a cycle of blood sugar peaks and troughs. I felt calmer and less prone to mood swings.
So I’ll continue trying to avoid sugary food where possible. After a month without cakes and chocolate, what would be the point of reminding my taste buds how delicious I’d once found them?

Source:

www.dailymail.co.uk