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Top 10 reasons to join the March Against Monsanto tomorrow! (Saturday, May 25, 2013)

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Fri, 24 May 2013 05:15:00 +0000

from NaturalNews.com: The global March Against Monsanto happens tomorrow! Nearly three hundred cities will host what's sure to be hundreds of thousands of protesters and activists around the globe who are taking a stand against Monsanto and GMOs.

YOU can join in the activities, too! Check this site to see if there's a march planned near you:
http://occupy-monsanto.com/march-against-monsanto-may-25-2013/

And learn more about the event at this FB page: www.facebook.com/MarchAgainstMonstanto

Here are the top 10 reasons to attend the March Against Monsanto!

#1) There will be tons of press coverage, so your voice will be heard

#2) Send a powerful message to Monsanto that their corporate evil will not be tolerated by the people of the world

#3) Learn more about GMOs and why they're so dangerous for life on our planet

#4) Listen to great speakers who share a message of inspiration and solidarity

#5) Meet and interact with like-minded people

#6) Send a global message to food retailers that they should drop GMOs

#7) Get some outdoor exercise while joining a noble cause

#8) Raise your spiritual karma score by standing up for universal justice

#9) Show off your cool protest sign!

#10) Be part of a truly grassroots, non-hierarchical, non-centralized global protest

Learn more @ www.marchagainstmonsanto.com

Study Finds Frogs And Other Amphibians Declining Around US At Alarming Rate

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:15:00 +0000

from foxnews.com: A new study has determined for the first time just how quickly frogs and other amphibians are disappearing around the United States, and the news is not good. The U.S. Geological Study says populations of frogs, salamanders and toads have been vanishing from occupied sites at a rate of 3.7 percent a year. That puts them on a path to disappearing from half the occupied sites nationwide in 20 years. USGS ecologist Michael Adams says the alarming news is that even species thought to be doing OK are declining, though at a slower rate. It has been known that amphibians are in trouble around the world from a killer fungus, habitat loss and a changing climate, but this is the first time that decline has been measured.

CDC Still 'Investigating' Alabama Mystery Illness As Cases Climb

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Thu, 23 May 2013 06:24:00 +0000

from myfoxal.com: The number of mystery illness cases affecting Alabama is growing. Wednesday, Alabama Department of Public Health spokeswoman Dr. Mary McIntyre confirmed the number rose to ten overnight from a previous report of seven. Two people have died. "Since we sent out the alert to providers last night, we have had three additional patients/cases," Dr. McIntyre told WSFA 12 News. "These patients all have the same symptoms of cough, shortness of breath and "something" on their chest x-rays," she explained.

UK health officials threw away £74m of bird flu ‘wonder-drug’

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Wed, 22 May 2013 06:07:00 +0000

from RT.com: UK’s Department of Health threw away £74m worth of Tamiflu, the antiviral drug, before its expiry date, due to unsafe storage procedures. In total the country has spent £600 million since 2006 on drugs to fight a flu pandemic that has not materialized.

The figures, revealed by the National Audit Office (NAO), demonstrate a "shocking example of incompetence", according to Public Accounts committee chairwoman Margaret Hodge.

Prompted by several public panics over possible avian flu pandemics in the mid-2000s, the UK government decided to create a national stockpile of Tamiflu (produced by Swiss company Roche) and Relenza (made by London-based GSK) – two relatively new and supposedly revolutionary drugs that neutralized the flu virus.

Between 2006 and 2013 40 million units of Tamiflu alone were purchased. A quarter of those had to be written off.

During the pandemic of swine flu (which turned out to be less deadly than the common variant) in 2009 and 2010 the Department of Health panic-bought up huge emergency supplies as governments competed with each other to secure the dwindling supply.

It did not possess the logistical and storage capacities, and distributed about 6.5 million units to the NHS. When the demand failed to appear, these had to be written off, as no one could guarantee that they had been preserved in appropriate conditions.

“There is simply no excuse for this waste,” Hodge told parliament.

More importantly, there are growing questions about the efficacy of the thirty million of the units that were used.

"Although Tamiflu speeds up recovery times, experts do not agree over its ability to reduce complications and hospitalizations,” said Hodge.

Roche had persistently refused to release data on more than a fraction of (successful) clinical trials of Tamiflu (generic name oseltamivir), which has been on the market since 2002, until leading independent medical research independent research group Cochrane Collaboration started encouraging governments to sue the Swiss company. Roche finally relented, and promised to hand its research data to Cochrane last month.

The Department of Health promised to “consider the recommendations of the NAO” report, but stood by its anti-flu policies.

"The UK is recognized by the World Health Organization as being one of the best prepared in the world for a potential flu pandemic,” said a statement.

The war against the organic mafia

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:26:00 +0000

from presseurop.eu: Fraud in the organic farming sector has become a thriving international industry made up of a complex network of companies that bears all the marks of traditional organised crime.

Earlier, in the supposedly good old days, lone farmers or traders in the organic business stooped to cheating at their worst. Here, they sprayed a little pesticide on the field; there, they mixed in a handful of conventional low-cost eggs with the pricey organic eggs. Since neither the volume nor weight changed, hardly anyone twigged.

But organic fraudsters in Italy have long passed that stage. There, bands of professionals working with a whole network of companies in different countries have recently been slapping ‘organic’ labels on vast amounts of conventional products.

In April, it was announced that the public prosecutor's office in the Adriatic town of Pesaro is investigating 23 suspected members of a counterfeiting ring. Although all are from Italy, they work in Moldova, Malta and various places around western Europe and beyond. The suspects even include members of the Moldovan branch of an organic inspection agency from Italy, which should actually be on the trail of the fraudsters.

According to investigators, all of the suspects have been involved in issuing fake organic certificates for conventional foodstuffs from Moldova and Ukraine. To disguise the trail of the goods, they exploited a network of at least ten companies across different countries. The public prosecutor has already seized 1,500 tons of maize and 30 tonnes of soya in the large-scale operation tagged the Green War.

In previous cases, conventional goods were brought into the EU and relabelled there. “Now, however, the product is stamped ‘organic’ in Moldova for example, certified right on site, then exported and brought to the market,” Pesaro prosecutor Silvia Cecchi told TAZ. This ploy was meant to make it even tougher for the authorities to uncover the scam.

Large quantities, international flows of goods, a complex network of companies, corrupt supervisory bodies and notorious professionals – that’s what’s behind the term “organised crime”, as defined by the joint working group of the German judicial and police authorities in 1990. Paolo Carne Molla, President of Federbio, the umbrella organisation for organic producers, processors and distributors in Italy, also speaks candidly of “organised crime” within the organisation.

They have been able to carry on, says Carne Molla, because supervisors have failed time and time again to do their jobs. The Anti-Fraud Inspectorate in the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, for example, was headed until a few months ago by a man who is now under investigation for corruption in a different matter. That has already given rise to deep doubts about whether a resolute investigator was staffing the top desk in the supervisory authority.

So far, no suspicions have settled on the Italian ministry itself. In Moldova and Malta, things are different. Federbio chief Carne Molla finds it peculiar indeed that the imports into the EU, and hence the customs clearance and control of goods, went through Malta, where there is hardly any organic business. The investigation has been going ahead without any collaboration with the authorities there – or in Moldova, either. “We don’t know who we can trust to talk to, and we fear civil servants are involved there too.”

Monsanto Declares a Sneaky Social Media War Against Protesters

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Wed, 22 May 2013 03:44:00 +0000

from ActivistPost.com: One of the most powerful tools in the arsenal of the grass roots food freedom fight is social media. Google, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and many more networks allow people to instantly connect and provide a platform for information to be passed on exponentially. Facebook and Google are the two biggest websites in the entire world, and their reach is nearly unlimited.

Last week, the Monsanto Company made it very clear that they were under the gun via social media, and they went on the defense, weakly claiming that those who object with their toxic seeds and deadly farming methods were “elitist,” thereby attempting to undermine us as snobbish people who don’t see the big picture and who don’t care about world hunger.

This week, they’ve upped their game. Mysterious things have been occurring on the social networks: posts have disappeared, some posts are hidden from the timelines of readers, and trolls abound on pages promoting this weekend’s March Against Monsanto, happening worldwide on May 25.

Like any cornered rat, the leviathan seed company can see the very large threat coming their way, and it appears that they are pulling out all the stops to fight as dirty as they can. But the movement against the company is so powerful, that despite paid-off politicians and billions of dollars in the war chest, Monsanto knows that they’ve been outmatched. What we’re seeing now are the last, desperate attempts to keep the general public from learning about the manmade global disaster that was created by Monsanto.

‘Like hardened criminals’: UK police sample DNA from 120,000 children in 2 years

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Tue, 21 May 2013 07:12:00 +0000

from RT.com: British police collected the DNA of more than 120,000 children in just two years, with a thousand of them aged 10 at the time of the swab. Most of the youngsters have committed no punishable crime, but their DNA data will be stored for years.

“It is disappointing to see valuable crime-fighting resources being wasted on taking DNA samples from thousands of innocent children while serious offenses go undetected,” said Francis Crook, chief executive of the legal activists Howard League for Penal Reform.

The group was able to obtain the data for 2010 and 2011 with a Freedom of Information request. Other than the overall numbers, the biggest surprise was the age spread – showing that children aged 13 were almost as likely to be recorded in the police database as 17-year-olds.

Seven out of 10 swabbed under-18s were boys.

Most of the youngsters had been taken into police stations pending investigation, or as a caution for minor offences. The vast majority were never charged with recordable crimes.

“Children who get into trouble with the police are usually just up to mischief. Treating so many like hardened criminals by taking their DNA seems excessive,” said Crook.

A record of anyone’s DNA, or unique genetic code, acts as a more complex version of a fingerprint, and allows any piece of physical evidence to be traced a potential perpetrator, victim or witness. The test usually involves taking a swab from the youngster’s mouth.

In total, the UK is storing over 1.2 million DNA samples taken from people when they were underage – as part of a DNA database that covers 6 million people, a tenth of the population, and one of the highest ratios in the world.

Amanda Cooper, the leading DNA expert for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said the sheer numbers concealed a more complex picture – in which the children were not always suspects.

"These may be when a child has been a victim of crime, when police would take DNA to confirm an incident took place and check whether it can be linked to a perpetrator. Others will be as part of criminal investigation where a child is the suspect. DNA samples are also taken to conduct criminal paternity tests as part of sexual offence investigations."

The unchecked growth of the country’s DNA database has been curbed with the Protection of Freedoms Act, which comes into force later this year.

"DNA evidence is a crucial tool in the fight against crime, but it must be used proportionately,” said a Home Office statement in light of the revelations.

"Through the Protection of Freedoms Act we are restoring common sense to the system by ensuring only those convicted of a criminal offence will have their DNA retained indefinitely."

Now, only under-18s convicted of serious crimes or at least two minor offenses will have their DNA preserved indefinitely, while those cleared of serious charges can have their samples stored in the database for five years.

But the Howard League for Penal Reform says this does not remove the problem of unnecessary tests, or personal freedom violations.

“We welcome the government’s decision to stop storing innocent people’s DNA indefinitely, but it remains unclear how this will affect the number of children having their DNA taken needlessly,” said Crook.

Researcher "Mapping The Food Genome" Of What Americans Eat

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Tue, 21 May 2013 03:53:00 +0000

from cbsnews.com: Do your kids love chocolate milk? It may have more calories on average than you thought. Same goes for soda. Until now, the only way to find out what people in the United States eat and how many calories they consume has been government data, which can lag behind the rapidly expanding and changing food marketplace. Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are trying to change that by creating a gargantuan map of what foods Americans are buying and eating. Part of the uniqueness of the database is its ability to sort one product into what it really is - thousands of brands and variations.

Vermont Pushing To Be First State To Mandate GMO Labeling

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Sun, 19 May 2013 07:48:00 +0000

from undergroundhealth.com: Vermont seemed more likely than ever to become the first US state to mandate the labeling of genetically modified food (GMO) after a bill passed the state house, though legislators worry about a lawsuit threat from biotech giant Monsanto.

Similar bills seeking to provide consumers with labels at the grocery store that highlight what products contain GMOs have recently failed. In California, a ballot initiative which bypassed Congress after receiving 850,000 signatures was defeated in 2012 after a large consortium of biotech companies including Monsanto spent some $50 million on an ad blitz against the legislation.

As RT reported in late April, a new federal bill which would mandate the labeling of GMOs, the Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act, was introduced by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR). Though few expect such laws to pass on a national level, the bill was notable for its inclusion of a wider base of bipartisan support, with nine Senate co-sponsors and 22 cosponsors in the House.

Other countries already require GMO labeling Though sixty-four other countries, including EU members, China, Russia, Brazil, India and Japan already have existing regulations in place to label GMOs for consumers the issue is a highly contentious one in the US, both at the federal and state level.

According to Senator Boxer, more than 90% of Americans support the labeling of genetically engineered products. Though the Food and Drug Administration requires the labeling of over 3,000 ingredients, additives and processes it does not consider GMOs to be “materially” different as they cannot be tasted, smelled or identified by consumers by other means.

Legally, part of the argument for labeling GMOs rests on the US Patent and Trademark Office determination that GMOs are in actually materially different and novel, at least for patents filed by the biotech companies that produce and sell these products.

As for Vermont’s bill, according to coverage by local public radio no state representatives had any opposition to transparency in food labeling, though some were concerned by a looming lawsuit by the biotech industry.

“Nobody else has passed a similar bill. They all seem to be waiting for Vermont to go first and lead the nation, ” said Representative Tom Koch (R-Barre).

“What they mean is they don’t want to risk their taxpayers’ money; they want us to risk Vermonters’ money. That is a $5 million to $10 million risk, and one I am not willing to take,” he added.

None of the House Representatives on Thursday argued against the overall concept of more transparent food labeling. The most frequent point of opposition voiced on the floor concerned a likely lawsuit from the biotech or food industries that the Attorney General’s Office estimates could cost the state more than $5 million.

Vermont’s legislation appears to have been watered down to partly guard against the threat of legal action taken by companies like Monsanto, exempting meat, milk and eggs from animals fed or treated with genetically engineered products, which would include GMO corn feed and the rBGH cattle hormone.

Genetically modified food is prominent in the US. As much as 90 per cent of corn, sugar beet and soybean crops are genetically altered, and some 70 per cent of processed foods at a typical supermarket contain GMOs. Other common GMO items include tomatoes, potatoes and squash.

If passed by Vermont’s senate and signed into law, the new labeling requirements would likely not go into effect for another two years. Activists believe that the legislation stands a good chance, owing to its wide margin of support 107-37 in the house.

New Buycott App Lets You Take Control Of Your Food Choices

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:39:00 +0000

from undergroundhealth.com: Buycott app lets you vote with your wallet in the supermarket. A new app scans grocery barcodes and more for information about the brand’s parent companies and where those companies spend their money. Know which companies support GMO and where their money is going.

The app takes knowing where your food comes from further, telling you not only what brand belongs to what company, but what that company does with your dollars.

Here’s a concrete example. If GMO labeling is an issue that is important to you, you can join two campaigns on Buycott. The first is “Demand GMO Labeling.” If you join this campaign, any time you scan a product from a company that donated more than $150,000 to oppose GMO labeling in California, the app will tell you that you’re avoiding buying products from that brand.

Currently, the government doesn’t require that any GMO information be passed on to the consumer. Big food corporations want it to stay that way. Monsanto, for example, spends millions of dollars to keep GMO information off of packaging. How much? Buycott will tell you.

Importantly, and promisingly, users can join campaigns (both for and against) issues that they care about. The app keeps track of user input, making it easy to shop for products that don’t conflict with your beliefs. And this is what it is all about: knowing where your food comes from and where the dollars that buy it go.

If initial reaction is any gauge then it would appear this is something that consumers have been waiting for. There have been some negative user reviews as Buycott has been struggling to deal with the traffic. However, it’s worth keeping an eye on, just like your grocery basket.

Venezuela President: Food Shortages Due to 'Economic Warfare'

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:17:00 +0000

from venezuelanalysis.com: During a speech on Saturday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro blamed food shortages on an “economic war” from the Venezuelan private sector, and assured the government is taking measures to resolve the issue. Shortages of basic food items have been felt across the country in recent months, with Venezuela’s Central Bank reporting for the month of April the highest level of shortages since 2009.

Colorado House Unanimously Votes for Industrial Hemp

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Wed, 08 May 2013 02:09:00 +0000

from Tenth Amendment Center tenthamendmentcenter.com: The Colorado state house today voted to approve SB13-241 , a bill that would legalize the farming and production of “industrial hemp” within the state. If signed into law, the bill would effectively nullify the unconstitutional federal ban on hemp production in Colorado. The House voted unanimously on a slightly amended version of a bill already approved by the State Senate, 34-1. The legislation will now go back to the Senate, which is widely expected to send the legislation to Governor Hickenlooper for a signature. The United States is the only developed nation that fails to cultivate industrial hemp as an economic crop, according to the Congressional Resource Service. Recent congressional research indicates that the hemp market consists of over 25,000 various products. The same research found that America imports over $400 million worth of hemp from other countries. At this time of economic difficulty, 13-241 would not only expand freedom and support the Constitution, it would also be a great jobs bill. With the passage of Amendment 64, which legalized small amounts of marijuana for adults, hemp was removed from the state’s controlled substances list, though a provision of the initiative states that that hemp cultivation is contingent on legislative action – this bill would be that required action necessary to legalize hemp and authorize the state to begin distributing hemp licenses.Under the proposal farmers would have the option of applying for a 10-acre plot in order to study the viability of various hemp varieties, or they could apply for a larger, full-scale hemp farm - one that wouldn’t be limited by the number of plants, but rather by the THC content in said plants.

The More Illegal Immigrants That Go On Food Stamps The More Money JP Morgan Makes

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Wed, 01 May 2013 11:16:00 +0000

from activistpost.com: Recently uncovered documents prove that the Obama administration has been working with the Mexican government to increase the number of illegal immigrants on food stamps, and when more illegal immigrants go on food stamps JP Morgan makes more money. As you will read about below, JP Morgan has made at least 560 million dollars processing Electronic Benefits Transfer cards. Each month, JP Morgan makes between $.31 and $2.30 for every single person on food stamps (and that does not even include things like ATM fees, etc).

So JP Morgan has a vested interest in seeing poverty grow and the number of people on food stamps increase. Meanwhile, the Obama administration has been aggressively seeking to expand participation in the food stamp program. Under Obama, the number of people on food stamps has grown from 32 million to more than 47 million. And even though poverty in America is absolutely exploding, that apparently is not good enough for the Obama administration.

It has now come out that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has provided the Mexican government with literature that actively encourages illegal immigrants to enroll in food stamps. One flyer contains the following statement in Spanish: "You need not divulge information regarding your immigration status in seeking this benefit for your children." The bold and the underlining are in the original document in case you were wondering. Overall, federal spending on food stamps increased from 18 billion dollars in 2000 to 85 billion dollars in 2012, and at this point one out of every five U.S. households in now enrolled in the food stamp program. When people illegally or fraudulently enroll in the food stamp program, it makes it harder for those that desperately need the help to be able to get it.

At 95, Hitler's Food Taster Talks Paranoia, Poison and Vegetarianism

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 03:09:00 +0000

from montrealgazette.com: They were feasts of sublime asparagus — laced with fear. And for more than half a century, Margot Woelk kept her secret hidden from the world, even from her husband. Then, a few months after her 95th birthday, she revealed the truth about her wartime role: Adolf Hitler's food taster.

Woelk, then in her mid-twenties, spent two and a half years as one of 15 young women who sampled Hitler's food to make sure it wasn't poisoned before it was served to the Nazi leader in his "Wolf's Lair," the heavily guarded command centre in what is now Poland, where he spent much of his time in the final years of World War II.

"He was a vegetarian. He never ate any meat during the entire time I was there," Woelk said of the Nazi leader. "And Hitler was so paranoid that the British would poison him — that's why he had 15 girls taste the food before he ate it himself."

With many Germans contending with food shortages and a bland diet as the war dragged on, sampling Hitler's food had its advantages.

"The food was delicious, only the best vegetables, asparagus, bell peppers, everything you can imagine. And always with a side of rice or pasta," she recalled. "But this constant fear — we knew of all those poisoning rumours and could never enjoy the food. Every day we feared it was going to be our last meal."

Fight to Patent Human Genes Heard by Supreme Court

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:42:00 +0000

from activistpost.com: On Monday, the Supreme Court heard Myriad Genetics plead their case on why they want to patent human genes. According to the biotech company, it discovered the gene linked to higher risks in breast and ovarian cancer and plans to further its research.

Related: Genetics have little influence over health, top stem cell biologist asserts

Duke Professor Suggests Simple Solution to Counter "Ag-Gag" Laws

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:19:00 +0000

from activistpost.com: Arguably, animal rights activists are the most tenacious; so much so, that they have routinely been labeled anarchists and terrorists by various governmental organizations the world over. Yet, beyond the general demonization campaign of anyone who professes sympathy for the proven suffering of factory farm animals, we arrive at much the same question asked by those who wish to know if their food has been genetically modified -- Do consumers have the right to independently investigate the origin and production of the food they choose (and pay) to ingest? The Big Ag lobby has countered investigations into animal cruelty and health hazards at industrial farm facilities with issues rooted in contractual agreements that bind employees to certain conduct, and the issue of private property rights.

Karen De Coster summarized the legal and moral issues very well when she stated: Indeed, there is a libertarian case to be made for private property rights, and thus the owners of property banning the filming of their business matters - right or wrong - within the confines of their property lines. This is something the public has a tough time dealing with because the emotional issues (animal abuse, disease, and degrading quality food) override reason in terms of understanding property rights and non-aggression against those rights. For instance, these same people would never allow for "whistleblowers" to enter their home property to film so-called "inappropriate" goings-on within their home. But while it is libertarian, and perfectly reasonable, for a private food producer to disallow video and photography on private property, there is a larger, moral issue here. (source)

We initially reported on new legislation in early 2011, and said the following in regards to both morality and the clear health impacts of being kept in the dark: Strangely, consumers may actually want to know if their meat is being electrocuted, beaten, or ground up alive as some recent videos have exposed. Consumers may also want to know what the animals eat, if they ever see sunlight, if they are injected with chemicals, or even genetically cloned. Since the FDA does little to shine light on these and other concerns, activists have been the only source of this information. Now, they will face jail time for doing so if this measure passes. (source, with some horrific videos)

At the time, we were focused only on new legislation being proposed for Iowa and the implication that other states might follow suit. In fact, Grist, published an article in May of the same year that suggested "Ag-Gag bills face tough row to hoe," citing three states (Florida, Minnesota and Iowa) most likely to pass legislation, while New York was proposing similar criminal penalties for whistleblowing. The Grist article noted that all but Iowa were on shaky ground. Yet, so-called "Ag-Gag" laws have already been on the books for twenty years in Kansas, Montana, and North Dakota. The difference is that those earlier laws focused strictly on property damage, while the newer laws focus on undercover investigations and employee whistleblowing. (source)

Now we have reached a point where there is momentum toward enshrining complete secrecy surrounding what we already know to be a serious problem within some facilities. In fact, Grist offered an update to their above conclusion when confronted with the wave of new legislation by asking, "Will 2013 be the year of ag-gag bills?" The article shows how 2011 saw 4 states consider measures, followed by 10 in 2012.

Call to Action as Portland, Oregon Readies to Vote on Water Fluoridation

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:55:00 +0000

from mercola.com: Water fluoridation is considered one of the most notable advancements in public health, and cities around the US spend millions adding fluoride to communal water supplies each year. But, as stated in the video above, 99 percent of that fluoridated water ends up on your lawn and in your toilet, where it’s really nothing but an environmental pollutant. Then there’s the issue of safety when ingested on a daily basis...

An increasing number of dentists and scientists are raising serious concerns about these chemicals, which by the way have never been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — the agency responsible for food and drug safety. Many do not realize that fluoride is a drug that is available only with a prescription. Yet it's added to municipal water supplies used by more than 180 million Americans, including infants and the elderly without any attention to personalized dosing or potential interactions.

This is a significant problem, because once you add it to the water supply, you have no way of determining how much of the drug any particular person will consume on any given day. Also consider this: It is illegal, medical malpractice, and unethical for a physician to prescribe a drug without specifying dosage, and to fail to monitor your health for side effects from the drug. Yet, your water authority is not only allowed, but encouraged to add a toxic drug — fluoride — to your drinking water without your consent and without any way of knowing who in your household is drinking it, how much, and the effect it is having.

Worse yet, while scientific studies have been done on pharmaceutical grade fluoride, none have been made on the fluoride that is actually used for water fluoridation. This chemical (hexafluorosilicic acid) is an industrial waste product that is likely to be even more toxic than medical grade fluoride. It’s illegal to dump it into rivers and lakes or release the parent gases into the atmosphere. In fact, municipalities that decided to stop fluoridating their water had to keep going until all the chemicals were used up because they couldn’t afford the hazardous waste disposal fees!

Fukushima: Massive Leaks Continuing On a Daily Basis … For Years On End

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 01:44:00 +0000

from washingtonsblog.com: You may have heard that Tepco – the operator of the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plants – announced a large leak of radioactive water. You may have heard that the cooling system in the spent fuel pools at Fukushima has failed for a second time in a month. This is newsworthy stuff … but completely misses the big picture. Associated Press notes: Experts suspect a continuous leak into the ocean through an underground water system, citing high levels of contamination in fish caught in waters just off the plant.

Tepco graphics of the Fukushima plants even appear to show water directly flowing from the plant to the ocean... In fact, Japanese experts say that Fukushima is currently releasing up to 93 billion becquerels of radioactive cesium into the ocean each day. How much radiation is that?

A quick calculation shows that Chernobyl released around ten thousand times more radioactive cesium each day during the reactor fire. But the Chernobyl fire only lasted 10 days … and the Fukushima release has been ongoing for more than 2 years so far. Indeed, Fukushima has already spewed much more radioactive cesium and iodine 131 than Chernobyl. The amount of radioactive cesium released by Fukushima was some 20-30 times higher than initially admitted.

Fukushima also pumped out huge amounts of radioactive iodine 129 – which has a half-life of 15.7 million years. Fukushima has also dumped up to 900 trillion becquerels of radioactive strontium-90 – which is a powerful internal emitter which mimics calcium and collects in our bones – into the ocean. And the amount of radioactive fuel at Fukushima dwarfs Chernobyl … and so could keep leaking for decades, centuries or millenia.

The bottom line is that the reactors have lost containment. There are not “some leaks” at Fukushima. “Leaks” imply that the reactor cores are safely in their containment buildings, and there is a small hole or two which need to be plugged. But scientists don’t even know where the cores of the reactors are. That’s not leaking. That’s even worse than a total meltdown. So what are the consequences for people living outside of Fukushima itself? They could be quite severe, indeed.

BOOMTOWN 2: Taxpayers Have Spent $15 Trillion on 'War on Poverty'

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 22:53:00 +0000

from breitbart.com: Since President Lyndon Baines Johnson declared “war on poverty,” U.S. taxpayers have spent $15 trillion on so-called anti-poverty programs—a figure slightly less than the national debt.

In 1969, just 2.8 million Americans received food stamps. Today, over 47 million Americans are on food stamps. The Fox News special explained that one contributing factor to the massive expansion of the food stamp program is the crony capitalism that has cropped up around the anti-poverty program.

Soda makers, for example, bag an estimated $4 billion a year in taxpayer money through the food stamp program. Efforts to kill the so-called “soda subsidy” have been met with fierce resistance and lobbying by the soda industry.

In Florida, State Senator Ronda Storms (R-Valrico) introduced a bill last year that would keep taxpayer-funded SNAP benefits from being spent on non-essential items like sodas, candy, chips, ice cream, and other junk foods. “The biggest opponents I have right now are Coca Cola, the soda companies, the chip companies and the convenience store operators,” said Storms in an interview with Fox News.

New study: Fukushima meltdown correlates to hypothyroidism in American infants

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 01:59:00 +0000

from fukushimaupdate.com: Via Grist.org: Fallout from that Fukushima meltdown thing a couple years back? It’s not just the Japanese who are suffering, though their plight is obviously the worst. Radioactive isotopes blasted from the failed reactors may have given kids born in Hawaii and along the American West Coast health disorders which, if left untreated, can lead to permanent mental and physical handicaps.

Children born in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington between one week and 16 weeks after the meltdowns began in March 2011 were 28 percent more likely to suffer from congenital hypothyroidism than were kids born in those states during the same period one year earlier, a new study shows. In the rest of the U.S. during that period in 2011, where radioactive fallout was less severe, the risks actually decreased slightly compared with the year before.

Substantial quantities of the radioisotope iodine-131 were produced by the meltdowns, then wafted over the Pacific Ocean and fell over Hawaii, the American West Coast, and other Pacific countries in rain and snow, reaching levels hundreds of times greater than those considered safe.

After entering our bodies, radioactive iodine gathers in our thyroids. Thyroids are glands that release hormones that control how we grow. In babies, including those not yet born, such radiation can stunt the development of body and brain. The condition is known as congenital hypothyroidism. It is treatable when detected early.

Related: TEPCO admits it deserves blame for Fukushima nuclear meltdown

Canadian Scientists Charged with Smuggling Dangerous and Highly Contagious Pathogens from China

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 06:59:00 +0000

from http://www.cryptogon.com: Via: AFP: Canadian federal police on Wednesday charged two former government scientists with allegedly trafficking in dangerous and highly contagious germs. Klaus Nielsen and Wei Ling Yu, former researchers at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), are accused of attempting to export harmful pathogens that could infect humans and livestock to China.

Nielsen was apprehended as he was heading to the Ottawa airport last October with 17 vials of live brucella bacteria, which can cause infections of bovine reproductive organs, joints and mammary glands, as well as infertility. It mostly affects cattle, deer and horses, but can also be passed on to humans and cause flu-like symptoms. There is no vaccine and the only way to control its spread is to cull animals suspected of being infected.

Nielsen was reportedly praised in 2006 for helping to develop a quick test for detecting brucellosis in cattle. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said he and Yu were allegedly making “unlawful efforts to commercialize (the) intellectual property belonging to the CFIA and a private commercial partner.” US company Diachemix currently manufactures and licenses the test.

Nielsen is to appear in an Ottawa court on April 17 to face charges of breach of trust, failing to obtain an export permit, transporting dangerous goods, and violations under Canada's Human Pathogens and Toxins Act. A warrant has been issued for Yu's arrest but she is believed to have already fled the country.

“What safety measures were in place to guard this stuff?” Legault said. “If it works once, it could work again.”

Nearly Every Mass Shooting In The Last 20 Years Shares One Thing In Common, & It’s NOT Weapons

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:55:00 +0000

from ammoland.com: The overwhelming evidence points to the signal largest common factor in all of these incidents is the fact that all of the perpetrators were either actively taking powerful psychotropic drugs or had been at some point in the immediate past before they committed their crimes.

Multiple credible scientific studies going back more then a decade, as well as internal documents from certain pharmaceutical companies that suppressed the information show that SSRI drugs ( Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitors ) have well known, but unreported side effects, including but not limited to suicide and other violent behavior. One need only Google relevant key words or phrases to see for themselves. www.ssristories.com is one popular site that has documented over 4500 “ Mainstream Media “ reported cases from around the World of aberrant or violent behavior by those taking these powerful drugs.

The following list of mass shooting perpetrators and the drugs they were taking or had been taking shortly before their horrific actions was compiled and published to Facebook by John Noveske, founder and owner of Noveske Rifleworks just days before he was mysteriously killed in a single car accident. Is there a link between Noveske’s death and his “outting” of information numerous disparate parties would prefer to suppress, for a variety of reasons ?

Those focusing on further firearms bans or magazine restrictions are clearly focusing on the wrong issue and asking the wrong questions, either as a deliberate attempt to hide these links, or out of complete and utter ignorance. Don’t let them! Force our elected “representatives” and the media to cast a harsh spotlight on this issue. Don’t stop hounding them until they do.

Stanford creates biological transistors, the final step towards computers inside living cells

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 11:08:00 +0000

from extremetech.com: Bioengineers at Stanford University have created the first biological transistor made from genetic materials: DNA and RNA. Dubbed the “transcriptor,” this biological transistor is the final component required to build biological computers that operate inside living cells. We are now tantalizingly close to biological computers that can detect changes in a cell’s environment, store a record of that change in memory made of DNA, and then trigger some kind of response — say, commanding a cell to stop producing insulin, or to self-destruct if cancer is detected.

Stanford’s transcriptor is essentially the biological analog of the digital transistor. Where transistors control the flow of electricity, transcriptors control the flow of RNA polymerase as it travels along a strand of DNA. The transcriptors do this by using special combinations of enzymes (integrases) that control the RNA’s movement along the strand of DNA. “The choice of enzymes is important,” says Jerome Bonnet, who worked on the project. “We have been careful to select enzymes that function in bacteria, fungi, plants and animals, so that bio-computers can be engineered within a variety of organisms.”

Moving forward, though, the potential for real biological computers is immense. We are essentially talking about fully-functional computers that can sense their surroundings, and then manipulate their host cells into doing just about anything. Biological computers might be used as an early-warning system for disease, or simply as a diagnostic tool (has the patient consumed excess amounts of sugar, even after the doctor told them not to?) Biological computers could tell their host cells to stop producing insulin, to pump out more adrenaline, to reproduce some healthy cells to combat disease, or to stop reproducing if cancer is detected. Biological computers will probably obviate the use of many pharmaceutical drugs.

Low-Carb Diet May Slow Alzheimer’s Disease

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:43:00 +0000

from mercola.com: Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. This fatal and progressive condition destroys brain cells, resulting in memory loss and severe thinking and behavioral problems (aggression, delusions, and hallucinations) that interfere with daily life and activities. The cause is conventionally believed to be a mystery. While we know that certain diseases, like type 2 diabetes, are definitively connected to the foods you eat, Alzheimer's is generally thought to strike without warning or reason. That is, until recently. A growing body of research suggests there may be a powerful connection between the foods you eat and your risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, via similar pathways that cause type 2 diabetes. Some have even re-named Alzheimer's as "type 3 diabetes."

Faulty insulin (and leptin), signaling caused by a high non-fiber carb diet is an underlying cause of insulin resistance, which, of course, typically leads to type 2 diabetes. However, while insulin is usually associated with its role in keeping your blood sugar levels in a healthy range, it also plays a role in brain signaling. In a 2012 animal study,1 researchers were able to induce dementia by disrupting the proper signaling of insulin in the brain. All in all, it seems clear that your diet plays a tremendous part in Alzheimer’s, and the low-fat craze may have wrought more havoc than anyone could ever have imagined. It was the absolute worst recommendation possible, limiting the nutrient you, and your brain, need the most in your diet.

Dr. Ron Rosedale, a prominent expert in the low-carb, high-quality fat approach to improving your health, was possibly the first person to advocate both a low-carb and moderate protein (and therefore high fat) diet. Most low-carb advocates were very accepting of, if not promoting, high protein, and protein was, and still is, often recommended as a replacement for the carbs. However, a high-fat, low-carb diet is very different than a high-protein, low-carb diet and this is a major source of confusion by both the public and researchers when doing studies and publishing conclusions as if all low-carb diets are the same. You cannot live without protein, as it’s a main component of your body, including muscles, bones, and many hormones. We also know that protein was instrumental in advancing our intelligence. However, most people today are indulging in hormone laced, antiobiotic loaded meats conveniently available at fast food restaurants and processed meats in grocery stores.

Your healthiest option is to ensure your carbs come primarily from fresh, organic vegetables, high-quality protein, and eat primary a high fat diet. Depending on the type of carbs (high fiber or not), most people need anywhere between 50-75 percent fat in their diet and sometimes even higher for optimal health.

The Latest McFib: “Our Food Is Healthy”

mediamonarchy@gmail.com — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 01:01:00 +0000

from civileats.com: Last week, in what is yet another example of Big Food’s symbiotic relationship with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), McDonald’s Director of Nutrition, Registered Dietitian Cindy Goody, spoke to her fellow colleagues at the Utah Dietetic Association meeting about the chain’s new “healthy initiatives.” McDonald’s is such a good friend of AND that it is also a “gold sponsor” at next month’s California Dietetic Association meeting.Speaking engagements like these are nothing more than free publicity for the fast food giant, cloaked under the guise of science and nutrition. The food industry is especially adept at co-opting health professionals to help provide a public perception of caring about health. Remember that at one point Dr. Dean Ornish joined forces with the Golden Arches.

A recent interview Goody did with the Salt Lake Tribune about McDonald’s new “healthy” options is chock-full of flagrant instances of deception, healthwashing, myopic nutritionism, and the usual Big Food talking points. Goody starts by claiming that McDonald’s is “making nutrition more mainstream” with the likes of fruit and maple oatmeal and premium chicken sandwich buns that offer eight grams of whole grains. The chain’s fruit and maple oatmeal contains approximately 24 grams (6 teaspoons) of added sugar (though it clocks in at a total of 32 grams, some of those are from naturally-occurring sugar in milk, apples, and raisins). Order it without the brown sugar topping and you’re still starting your day with approximately four teaspoons’ worth of sugar thanks to the sweetened dried fruit.

The oatmeal’s “light cream” reads like a science fair project, consisting of: Milk, cream, sodium phosphate, Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Ester of Monoglyceride (a synthetic emulsifier commonly derived from soy) sodium stearoyl lactylate (an additive commonly found in shampoo and soap), sodium citrate, and carrageenan (a controversial seaweed-based thickener). As for those premium chicken sandwiches that offer a dusting of whole grains (eight grams of whole grain is roughly what you would get in one-sixth of a cup of cooked oats), the ingredient lists tell a rather gruesome tale. This much-revered bun contains over 20 ingredients, including high fructose corn syrup, soybean oil, and azodicarbonamide, a dough conditioner banned in Australia and the European Union (the United Kingdom being the exception). “Natural flavor” is also tacked on.

The grilled chicken filet, meanwhile, contains maltodextrin (a byproduct of GMO corn), and is prepared with liquid margarine, comprised of liquid soybean oil, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, and–trans fat alert!–partially hydrogenated soybean oil. I can not understand how Goody, as a nutrition professional, can claim any of the above-mentioned products are nutritious.