February 2014

Friday - February 28, 2014 - Today In History:
1827 - The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad became the first railroad incorporated for commercial transportation of people and freight.
1844 - Several people were killed aboard the USS Princeton when a 12-inch gun exploded.
1849 - Regular steamboat service to California via Cape Horn arrived in San Francisco for the first time. The SS California had left New York Harbor on October 6, 1848. The trip took 4 months and 21 days.
1854 - The Republican Party was organized in Ripon, WI. About 50 slavery opponents began the new political group.
1861 - The U.S. territory of Colorado was organized.
1885 - AT&T was incorporated. The company was capitalized on only $100,000 and provided long distance service for American Bell.
1893 - Edward G. Acheson showed his patent for Carborundum.
1900 - In South Africa, British troops relieved Ladysmith, which had been under siege since November 2, 1899.
1951 - A Senate committee issued a report that stated that there were at least two major crime syndicates in the U.S.
1974 - The U.S. and Egypt re-established diplomatic relations after a break of seven years.
1983 - "M*A*S*H" became the most watched television program in history when the final episode aired.
1993 - U.S. Federal agents raided the compound of an armed religious cult in Waco, TX. The ATF had planned to arrest the leader of the Branch Davidians, David Koresh, on federal firearms charges. Four agents and six Davidians were killed and a 51-day standoff followed.
1994 - NATO made its first military strike when U.S. F-16 fighters shot down four Bosnian Serb warplanes in violation of a no-fly zone over central Bosnia.
2002 - In Ahmadabad, India, Hindus set fire to homes in a Muslim neighborhood. At least 55 people were killed in the attack.
2005 - Lebanon's pro-Syrian prime minister, Omar Karami, resigned amid large anti-Syria street demonstrations in Beirut.

*** PUBLIC SERVANT'S QUESTIONNAIRE - Public Law 93-579

Crimean parliament sacks regional government, approves referendum
RT - The Supreme Council of Ukraine’s Autonomous Republic of Crimea has dismissed the regional government, electing a pro-Russian party leader as its new chair. The MPs have also voted in favor of holding a referendum to decide the future of Crimea on May 25.

Central Banker Appointed as Prime Minister of Ukraine
Kurt Nimmo - A reshuffled Ukrainian Parliament installed following a coup last week has voted to appoint Arseniy Yatsenyuk as the new prime minister of the country.

Yanukovich in Russia, to hold press-conference in Rostov-on-Don Friday - source
RT - Viktor Yanukovich will hold a news conference in Russia's Rostov-on-Don at 1700 local time (1300 GMT) on Friday, reports Itar-Tass citing sources close to Ukraine's ousted president.

Russia Puts Fighter Jets on Combat Alert as Tensions Mount
Paul Joseph Watson - Russian fighter jets along the country’s western border have been put on combat alert as tensions mount over fears that Moscow is preparing to intervene militarily to protect its interests in Ukraine.

Syria's starving hordes: In a biblical picture of suffering, crowd stretching for as far as the eye can see gathers amid the rubble of Damascus for UN food hand-outs
Daily Mail - Hundreds of men, women and children fight to get to the front of the queue as a refugee camp in Damascus receives food parcels after being cut off for months.

VIDEO: ISIL extorts gold from Syrian Christians
Press TV - An al-Qaeda-linked militant group has called on Christians in a Syrian city it controls to pay a levy in gold and curb displays of their faith in return for protection.

VIDEO: International female delegation to visit Gaza
Press TV - A delegation of more than 100 women is planning to visit the Israeli blockaded Gaza Strip to meet Palestinian women in the coastal enclave on International Women's Day. The members of the delegation come from countries such as France, Belgium, the United States and Ireland.

Rome Is On The Verge Of Detroit-Style Bankruptcy
Zero Hedge - WSJ reports, is "teetering on the brink of a Detroit-style bankruptcy."
Rome, the eternal city, which survived two millennia of abuse from everyone may be preparing to lay its arms at the hands of unprecedented corruption, capital mismanagement and lies.

Armed 'self-defense squads' partially withdraw from Simferopol airport
RT - A few dozen armed men identified by airport officials as “self-defense squads” are leaving the Simferopol airport in Crimea, following their overnight raid of the airport terminal and their patrol of the grounds outside that followed.

12 Signs That Russia Is Ready To Fight A War Over Crimea
Economic Collapse - Russia will never, ever give up Crimea without a fight. Anyone that thinks otherwise is just being delusional. The Russian Black Sea fleet's main base at Sevastopol is far too strategically important.

Fukushima clean-up system hit by new problem – TEPCO
RT - The radioactive water clean-up system at the stricken Fukushima plant was hit by another issue as its alarm went off. The warning alerted that one of the two clean-up pumps had stopped functioning.

DARPA going to war with bootleg electronics
RT - The United States Department of Defense is asking engineers to develop a nearly microscopic-sized component that could be used to help identify and combat counterfeit or otherwise suspect electronic parts.

Supreme Court Rules Police May Search A Home Without Obtaining A Warrant
RT reports that the US Supreme Court has ruled that police may search a home without obtaining a warrant despite the objection of one occupant if that occupant has been removed from the premises.

First State Calls For Convention Limiting Federal Government
Off the Grid News - In a landmark move, Georgia’s House and Senate have called for a constitutional convention to limit the size and power of the federal government... Opponents believe it could threaten the basic rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights “It’s open-ended, and it’s dangerous,” State Sen. Steve Thompson (D-Marietta) said, according to The Macon Telegraph. Thompson voted no on the resolution.

Tennessee Bill To Nullify Some Federal Roadside Checkpoints Moves Forward
Tenth Amendment Center - Tennessee state Rep. Jimmy Matlock introduced HB1652 back in January. The bill would bar “voluntary” roadblocks designed to collect blood, saliva or DNA. It passed a House subcommittee Tuesday. Sen. Mike Bell filed a companion bill (SB1485) in the Senate. It passed on Jan 27 unanimously by a 37-0 vote.

Boston Athletic Association Implements TSA Style New Rules for Participants in This Year’s Marathon
Daily Sheeple - The Boston Athletic Association would make the TSA proud with their list of new rules and regulations for this year’s marathon. They stop short of full body searches, but just barely.

What to Say If Stopped By a Cop
Activist Post - Cops are legally allowed to lie to you when you are stopped. Know what to do. You have rights, use them.

California Police Unveil Armored Surveillance Vehicle
Mikael Thalen - Police in Modesto, California unveiled a newly acquired surveillance vehicle this week which will video and audio record local residents throughout the city. The Armadillo, a refurbished armored truck, is equipped with four high definition cameras, four wide-angle lens cameras and advanced audio recording capabilities.

Obamacare: Now Appearing On Your Restaurant Bill
Zero Hedge - That the bulk of Americans (especially those 4+ million whose insurance policies have recently been cancelled as a result of the ACA) have to pay more for healthcare as a result of Obamacare, is now largely accepted and well-known. But did you know that the cost of Obamacare is slowly metastasizing to other places? Such as your restaurant bill.

Fed Doesn't Have Authority to Regulate Bitcoin, Yellen Says
National Journal - The Federal Reserve Board doesn't have the authority to regulate bitcoin, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said Thursday.... Yellen was responding to questioning from Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who sent the Fed and other banking regulators a letter on Wednesday calling on them to ban—or at least curb—the decentralized, virtual currency's use in the United States.

Fed Offers Public $90,000 for Ideas on How to Reduce Its $9 Billion Annual Travel Expenses
AllGov - The General Services Administration says it’s willing to pay $90,000 for solutions to bringing down Washington’s annual travel cost of $9 billion. Anyone with ideas can go to a new GSA website, Travel Data Challenge, which is operated by the agency’s Office of Governmentwide Policy.

Houston police kick out veteran with service dog from restaurant
RT - A Houston, Texas, police officer allegedly kicked a US Army and Navy veteran out of a local restaurant for bringing in a service dog on the grounds that he wasn’t actually blind.

V.A. Doctor Says She was Fired for Refusing to Prescribe Higher Doses of Narcotic Painkillers
AllGov - A physician working at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs(VA) hospital in Missouri claims she was fired for refusing to prescribe higher doses of addictive painkillers to patients.

Health benefits of coconut sugar
STEPin2 - One of the great things about coconut sugar is that in addition to being sweet, it is also a good source of vitamins and minerals, unlike table sugar. It is a good source of minerals such as calcium, zinc, iron, manganese, copper, potassium and magnesium. It is also a good source of B-vitamins.

10 Surprising Ways Apples Are Good for Your Health
Care2 - New research gives more reasons than ever to plant apple trees and enjoy their delicious and nutritious fruit. Here are ten surprising reasons to sink your teeth into an apple today...

Magnesium consumption linked to lower risk of hip fractures
(NaturalNews) A higher intake of magnesium may reduce the risk of hip fractures, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and published in the journal Bone.

Could polio or other vaccinations be behind the new "polio-like" Illness outbreak in California?
(NaturalNews) According to reports, there are now about 25 or more cases, and counting, of a new "polio-like" outbreak in California children. Disease control officials have yet to determine the cause of the outbreak and they are looking for a new virus. Perhaps one direction they should take a look at is polio and other childhood vaccinations.

Insecticide Chemicals Found in Two-Thirds of Americans and Homes Tested
AllGov - Furthermore, 99% of floor samples taken from test homes and 65% of the study participants, all in Northern California, had traces of chlorpyrifos, a chemical banned for household use in 2001 because of the risks it poses to children’s brain development. Chlorpyrifos are still allowed for use on crops.

Azodicarbonamide yoga mat chemical confirmed in 500+ everyday foods and grocery items
(NaturalNews) Today, the Environmental Working Group published a hard-hitting report providing yet more evidence in support of exactly the point I've been making. EWG researchers confirmed the presence of azodicarbonamide, the "yoga mat chemical," in hundreds of brand-name foods, including brands that promote themselves as "healthy" or "natural." Food brands found to contain the chemical include...

Hair colorants and the cancer connection - Protect yourself with these natural alternatives
(NaturalNews) If you would like ditch standard hair dyes, without having to sacrifice beautiful color, Whole Living provides several alternatives. Using a few key ingredients once a week, "[y]ou'll get similar effects to using store-bought products, but without the fragrances, dyes, or chemicals," states Julie Gabriel, author of The Green Beauty Guide.

Thursday - February 27, 2014 - Today In History:
1801 - The city of Washington, DC, was placed under congressional jurisdiction.
1827 - New Orleans held its first Mardi Gras celebration.
1883 - Oscar Hammerstein patented the first cigar-rolling machine.
1896 - The "Charlotte Observer" published a picture of an X-ray photograph made by Dr. H.L. Smith. The photograph showed a perfect picture of all the bones of a hand and a bullet that Smith had placed between the third and fourth fingers in the palm.
1922 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the 19th Amendment that guaranteed women the right to vote.
1933 - The Reichstag, Germany's parliament building in Berlin, was set afire. The Nazis accused Communist for the fire.
1939 - The U.S. Supreme Court outlawed sit-down strikes.
1949 - Chaim Weizmann became the first Israeli president.
1951 - The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, limiting U.S. Presidents to two terms.
1972 - The Shanghai Communique was issued by U.S. President Nixon and Chinese Premier Chou En-lai.
1973 - The American Indian Movement occupied Wounded Knee in South Dakota.
1981 - Chrysler Corporation was granted an additional $400 million in federal loan guarantees. Chrysler had posted a loss of $1.7 billion in 1980.
1986 - The U.S. Senate approved the telecast of its debates on a trial basis.
1990 - The Exxon Corporation and Exxon Shipping were indicted on five criminal counts in reference to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
1991 - U.S. President George H.W. Bush announced live on television that "Kuwait is liberated."
1997 - In Ireland, divorce became legal.
1998 - Britain's House of Lords agreed to give a monarch's first-born daughter the same claim to the throne as any first-born son. This was the end to 1,000 years of male preference.
1999 - Nigeria returned to civilian rule when Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo became the country's first elected president since August of 1983.
2002 - In Boston, twenty people working at Logan International Airport were charged with lying to get their jobs or security badges.
2010 - An 8.8 magnitude earthquake and tsunami killed 524 people in Chile caused $30 billion in damage and left over 200,000 homeless.

Maidan protesters announce line-up of Ukrainian Cabinet, propose Yatsenyuk for PM
RT - Protesters in Kiev’s Maidan have announced a new government line-up and asked parliament to approve the candidatures. The Supreme Rada is expected to vote on the new cabinet members on Thursday.

Putin orders ‘combat readiness’ tests for western, central Russian troops
RT - Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an urgent military drill to test the combat readiness of the armed forces across western and central Russia. The drill included troops dealing with mock security and terrorist threats.

Russian military drill may be lead-in to Crimea occupation and Ukraine split
DEBKAfile - There is no way that President Vladimir Putin will relinquish Russian control of the Crimean peninsula and its military bases there - or more particularly the big Black Sea naval base at Sevastopol. This military stronghold is the key to Russia’s Middle East policy. If it is imperiled, so too are Russia’s military posture in Syria and its strategic understandings with Iran.

Kerry Promises Ukraine $1 Billion Bailout (Detroit, Not So Much)
Zero Hedge - Having threatened Russia that "any military move would be a grave mistake" and sounding awefully like a "line" to be crossed, US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters that the US is ready to bail out Ukraine...

Additional Marines sent to guard U.S. Embassy in Ukraine
marinecorpstimes.com - Members of the Marine Corps’ new Security Augmentation Unit have been dispatched to shore up security at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, as the country is on the brink of a meltdown following weeks of violent unrest after a growing protests over agreements made between the former president and Russian leaders.

Obama OKs nuke deal with Vietnam
The Hill - President Obama signed off Monday on a controversial civilian nuclear deal with Vietnam. The cooperation agreement with the communist nation allows the U.S. to sell nuclear fuel and technology to its former foe. It aims to help guarantee Vietnams' energy independence as China asserts a more prominent role in the region.

Russian flag over Crimea's parliament as people barricaded inside
RT - Local ethnic Russian ‘self-defense squads’ have taken control of and raised Russian flags over the buildings of the Crimean parliament and government in the region’s capital, Simferopol.

Yanukovich says he's still president, asks Russia to ensure his safety
RT - Viktor Yanukovich still considers himself the legitimate leader of Ukraine and warns against an internal military conflict, according to a statement. He also asks Russia to ensure his safety against the actions of “extremists” that took power in Ukraine.

Poles to stage massive protest at embassy in defense of traditional farming
(NaturalNews) According to The Ecologist, the Polish government is right now trying to enforce oppressive new sanitary standards for food production that make it near-impossible for local food producers to grow and sell their goods in local shops and restaurants, which they have done for many years without issue.

Obama Asks Court To Make NSA Database Even Bigger
Zero Hedge - The Obama administration has asked a special court for approval to hold onto National Security Agency phone records for a longer period–an unintended consequence of lawsuits seeking to stop the phone-surveillance program.

Republicans recall Lois Lerner to testify on IRS targeting
Daily Caller - Republicans on Capitol Hill are not giving up on getting testimony out of Lois Lerner, the disgraced IRS official at the center of last year’s scandal over the agency’s targeting of conservative groups for special review.

Supreme Court To Consider: Can Swat Teams Raid Gun Owners’ Homes?
Off the Grid News - Does exercising your Second Amendment rights mean that you automatically give up the Fourth Amendment protections guaranteed by the Constitution? That is the exact question one Texas man is asking the US Supreme Court to answer.

Pollster: Kiev-Style Revolt ‘Coming to America’
Paul Joseph Watson - Pollster and former presidential advisor Pat Caddell warns that the rise of “soft oppression” and corruption in the United States will facilitate a violent Kiev-style uprising in the streets of America.

Officers Who Shot a Homeless Man 11 Times Over a Stolen Cup of Coffee Won’t be Charged
From the Trenches - Saginaw, Michigan police officers who shot a man 11 times, and fired a total of 47 bullets, have been given the all clear by the U.S. Department of Justice.

For your hands only: Bond-style ‘smart gun’ controlled solely by owner is now real
RT - Californians can now buy the first ever handgun that only fires when operated by its owner – as wielded by Judge Dredd and James Bond.

Here Is The FT’s Gold Price Manipulation Article That Was Removed
Zero Hedge - Two days ago the FT released a clear, informative and fact-based article, titled simply enough "Gold price rigging fears put investors on alert" in which author Madison Marriage, citing a report by the Fideres consultancy, revealed that global gold prices may have been manipulated on 50 per cent of occasions between January 2010 and December 2013.

Bitcoin advocates insist Mt. Gox collapse just a bump in the road for digital currency
Reuters - The apparent collapse of Tokyo-based bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox isn’t bothering Anthony Hope and others who have ditched steady careers in government and finance to build bitcoin companies – and who stand to lose money they have in Mt. Gox.

As bitcoin exchange MtGox collapses, man who predicted the crash implores bitcoin holders to stop being suckered into a digital Ponzi scheme
(NaturalNews) The bitcoin infrastructure is subject to the whims of just one person running MTGox who can arbitrarily decide to shut it down whenever he thinks the market needs a "cooling period." This is nearly equivalent to a financial dictatorship where one person calls the shots.

Air Force Reservists Exposed to Agent Orange in Post-Vietnam Planes: Study
Activist Post - A new study shows higher exposure than previously acknowledged. The Air Force and Department of Veterans Affairs have previously denied benefits to these crew members.

Roundup Weedkiller Linked To Global Epidemic of Fatal Kidney Disease
Green Med Info - The mystery of what is causing thousands to die each year from a fatal kidney disease may now be solved, with evidence pointing to the world's most heavily used herbicide Roundup (glyphosate) as the primary culprit.

Lone Star Tick Bites Cause a Surge in Anaphylactic Reactions To Red Meat
Daily Sheeple - If you have been bitten and experience ANY unexpected symptoms after eating red meat go to the nearest emergency medical facility immediately. Anaphylaxis is a killer without prompt medical treatment. If you have an EpiPen in the house, even if it’s not yours, use it at the first sign of facial swelling, it will most likely save your life.

7 dangers of artificial sweeteners
STEPin2 - Artificial sweeteners have been the subject of controversy for years, ever since saccharin, the first no calorie sweetener was discovered. Researchers are finding new health concerns with these no calorie sweeteners. Let’s take a look at seven potential dangers of artificial sweeteners.

Top 4 ways to reduce muscle and joint pain
(NaturalNews) It seems that nearly everyone is dealing with some sort of muscle or joint pain. We often blame it on getting old, too much physical work or exercise, or other phantom factors that we obviously don't understand. Regardless of our notion of how it happened, we all really want it to go away. Here are some simple solutions to start.

Coming soon: Radiation-free cancer screening for children
(NaturalNews) The standard protocol for assessing the extent or development of cancer is through the usage of imaging machines like PET and CT scans, but such machines can expose the patient to loads of excessive radiation. Now, according to new research, scientists have developed a whole-body imaging technique for children suspected of having cancer that could eliminate the exposure risk altogether.

So you say you're a vegetarian? Have you fact-checked that?
(NaturalNews) Here's the deal: if you've been eating cheeses labeled as having no rBST hormones and the like, don't think for one minute that this means those farm-grazing cuties have been spared. Time to become familiar with the word, "rennet."

Taco Recipe Will Have You Rethinking What A Taco Is
preventdisease.com - Now that my dad has gone mostly plant based for health reasons, he occasionally feels like he misses meat. So I decided to make this for him for dinner, and let me tell you, it rocks. It’s tacos, but minus the meat, and minus the shell. Sound a bit weird? Trust me it works.

Wednesday - February 26, 2014 - Today In History:
1815 - Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from the Island of Elba. He then began his second conquest of France.
1863 - U.S. President Lincoln signed the National Currency Act.
1870 - In New York City, the first pneumatic-powered subway line was opened to the public.
1907 - The U.S. Congress raised their own pay to $7500.
1919 - In Arizona, the Grand Canyon was established as a National Park with an act of the U.S. Congress.
1929 - U.S. President Coolidge signed a bill creating the Grand Teton National Park.
1933 - A ground-breaking ceremony was held at Crissy Field for the Golden Gate Bridge.
1945 - In the U.S., a nationwide midnight curfew went into effect.
1952 - British Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that Britain had developed an atomic bomb.
1986 - Corazon Aquino was inaugurated president of the Philippines. Long time President Ferdinand Marcos went into exile.
1987 - The Tower Commission rebuked U.S. President Reagan for failing to control his national security staff in the wake of the Iran-Contra affair.
1987 - The U.S.S.R. conducted its first nuclear weapons test after a 19-month moratorium period.
1991 - Iraqi President Saddam Hussein announced on Baghdad Radio that Iraqi troops were being withdrawn from Kuwait.
1993 - Six people were killed and more than a thousand injured when a van exploded in the parking garage beneath the World Trade Center in New York City. The bomb had been built by Islamic extremists.
2001 - A U.N. tribunal convicted Bosnian Croat political leader Dario Kordic and military commander Mario Cerkez of war crimes. They had ordered the systematic murder and persecution of Muslim civilians during the Bosnian war.
2009 - Former Serbian president Milan Milutinovic was acquitted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia regarding war crimes during the Kosovo War.
2009 - The Pentagon reversed its 18-year policy of not allowing media to cover returning war dead. The reversal allows some media coverage with family approval.

Russian Troops Take Up Positions In Sevastopol As Ukraine Teeters On The Brink Of Civil War
InvestmentWatch - Russian military vehicles have been photographed in the main square of Sevastopol, and there are fears that Ukraine is about to plunge into a very bloody civil war. The pro-Russian eastern half of Ukraine is in a state of shock, and many living there are openly calling on Russia to militarily intervene to protect them against the protest groups that have seized power in Kiev.

Dr. Ironfist Rides Crest of State Department Spawned Euromaidan Revolution
Kurt Nimmo - Vitali Klitschko is a creature groomed by the U.S. establishment. Earlier this month when Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Victoria Nuland and Geoffrey Pyatt, the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, were caught on tape discussing who should run Ukraine, Nuland cast aspersions on former boxer Vitali Klitschko.

Ukrainians Demand 2nd Amendment in New Constitution
Paul Joseph Watson - EU-friendly government unlikely to grant actual freedoms. The question of how much the Ukrainian revolution was a grass roots effort versus being driven by external influences will be put to the test by a demand from some Ukrainian citizens that a right to bear arms be included in the country’s new constitution.

Can Washington overthrow three governments at the same time?
Blacklisted News - Washington, which failed in 2011 to bomb Libya and Syria simultaneously, is now engaged in a new demonstration of its strength: organizing regime change in three states at the same time, in different regions of the world: Syria (CentCom), Ukraine (EuCom) and Venezuela (SouthCom).

Venezuelan diplomats given 48 hours to leave US in tit-for-tat move
RT - The US has given three Venezuelan diplomats 48 hours to leave the embassy in Washington DC, a week after three American consular officials were expelled from Venezuela on the order of President Maduro.

Russia condemns rumored Saudi plans to arm Syrian rebels with anti-air missiles
RT - The Russian foreign ministry has expressed “deep concern” at reports from anonymous sources that Saudi Arabia is planning to supply Syrian rebels with anti-tank and anti-aircraft missile launchers to “turn the tide” in the three-year conflict.

Bank of England and Federal Reserve Knew About – and Encouraged – Massive Interest Rate Manipulation by Big Banks
Washington's Blog - We noted in 2012 that bot the Bank of England and Federal Reserve knew about the Libor interest rate rigging scandal by the big banks. Newly-released minutes of the meeting of the Fed’s Open Market Committee confirm that the Fed knew about the Libor interest rate manipulation.

Russian Troops Take Up Positions In Sevastopol As Ukraine Teeters On The Brink Of Civil War
thetruthwins.com - Russian military vehicles have been photographed in the main square of Sevastopol, and there are fears that Ukraine is about to plunge into a very bloody civil war. The pro-Russian eastern half of Ukraine is in a state of shock, and many living there are openly calling on Russia to militarily intervene to protect them against the protest groups that have seized power in Kiev.

Ukraine Vows to Protect Bank Deposits as Government Vote Delayed
Bloomberg - Ukraine is weighing measures to stem cash withdrawals after as much as 7 percent of deposits were taken from banks during last week’s bloody uprising, underscoring the need for action to fend off a default.

Activist Predicts Ukraine-Style Uprising in China
Paul Joseph Watson - Exiled Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng says that Beijing should prepare for a Ukrainian-style uprising provoked by the Communist country’s hardening crackdown on human rights.

New Reports: Possible Israeli Bombing On Lebanese-Syria Border
Activist Post - Reports are now being circulated by the Western media outlets citing Lebanon’s National News Agency regarding an alleged Israeli bombing of the Lebanese-Syrian border on Monday February 24, 2014.

“Surrender Your Firearms,” Connecticut Tells Unregistered Gun Owners
Kit Daniels - The State of Connecticut is now demanding that gun owners across the state turn in all newly-banned, unregistered firearms and magazines or face felony arrest.

Report: Cops Continued Beating Dead, Unarmed Suspect
Adan Salazar - The lawyer for a family whose patriarch died after a one-sided confrontation with police says officers may have continued beating the man even after he was already dead. The attorney’s remarks come as outrageous new raw footage documenting the last moments of the man’s life is released.

Honor Student Drives Dad's Car to School, Random Search Crushes Scholarship Dreams and Results in Felony Charges
Daily Sheeple - In one of the most ridiculous examples of “zero tolerance” yet, a high school honor student in Clarksville, Tennessee has been so severely punished for a fishing knife found in his father’s vehicle on school property that he may lose his chance at a college scholarship.

New Senate Bill Proposes GE Labeling in California
ecowatch.com - The bill, if passed, would require GE food to be labeled as genetically engineered, but food containing only some GE ingredients could be labeled “Produced with Genetic Engineering” or “Partially Produced with Genetic Engineering.” The bill prohibits punishment for failure to label GE foods if less than 1 percent of the ingredients in packaged food is genetically engineered or if the producer didn’t know they were using – or didn’t intend to use – GE foods.

IRS Warns: Obamacare Tax Must Be Paid with Tax Return
atr.org - President Obama’s Internal Revenue Service today quietly released a series of Obamacare “Health Care Tax Tips” warning Americans that they must obtain “qualifying” health insurance – as defined by the federal government – or face a “shared responsibility payment” when filing their tax returns in 2015.

The Collapse Of Bitcoin
Economic Collapse - Bitcoin is a virtual currency that has no intrinsic value. The only thing giving bitcoin value is the faith that people have in it, and now that faith has been shattered. This week, the most prominent bitcoin exchange in the entire world, Mt. Gox, totally collapsed.

Department of Veterans Affairs employees destroyed veterans’ medical records to cancel backlogged exam requests
Daily Caller - Employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) destroyed veterans’ medical files in a systematic attempt to eliminate backlogged veteran medical exam requests, a former VA employee told The Daily Caller.

Cutting Salt May Increase Your Risk of Fatal Heart Disease
Green Med Info - February is the federally declared “American Heart Month.” With that comes a barrage of advice about how to prevent heart disease, including putting down the salt shaker. But where is the science supporting that recommendation?

The Longterm Health Impact of Toxic Food Packaging
Natural Blaze - Researchers are slowly, surely and quietly admitting the cumulative effects of handling food packaging and eating its contents over the years. What are they, and what can you do? Without having to wear a biohazard suit, of course.

Largest, Longest Study on Mammograms Again Finds No Benefit
Dr. Mercola - Over the course of the study, the death rate from breast cancer was virtually identical between those who received an annual mammogram, and those who did not. 22 percent of screen detected invasive breast cancers were also over-diagnosed, leading to unnecessary treatment. Beware of the “new and improved” type of mammogram called 3D tomosynthesis, as it exposes you to even HIGHER doses of radiation than a standard mammogram.

Massachusetts judge orders sick girl abused by medical system to be taken from family
(NaturalNews) CBS Boston and others report that 15-year-old Justina Pelletier, who for months has been wasting away in a mental facility upon orders from Boston Children's Hospital (BCH), will now be placed into foster care rather than go home with her parents following an outrageous ruling by a Boston judge.

'Dementia Village' offers natural alternative to soul-crushing nursing homes
(NaturalNews) A small village in the Netherlands just outside of Amsterdam provides a home for people with dementia, a place that doesn't confine them to a small area or force them to live in sterile hospital conditions. Residents need fewer medications and are able to live in comfortable apartments tailored to their individual style.

Studies show many health benefits from eating fermented foods
(NaturalNews) Although the human body is made up of 10 times as many bacteria as human cells, mainstream medicine and an unsuspecting public continue to kill off the bacteria that make up their body indiscriminately through the use of antibiotics and antibacterial products.

Red clover improves blood flow, bone density and alleviates menopause symptoms
(NaturalNews) They are a great source of important nutrients such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, niacin, thiamine and vitamin C. They are also considered to be a reasonably high source of isoflavones, providing very beneficial phytoestrogens that tend to mimic women's estrogens by helping to minimize the unpleasant effects caused by menstruation and most importantly menopause.

Hyperthyroidism: The Growing Epidemic that Can Make Your Cat Extra Hungry
Dr. Becker - Hyperthyroidism is epidemic in older cats. Over 10 percent of kitties 10 years and older have the disease. And a recent study points to a likely contributing factor: the concentration of iodine in commercial cat food.

Tuesday - February 25, 2014 - Today In History:
1793 - The department heads of the U.S. government met with U.S. President Washington for the first Cabinet meeting on U.S. record.
1836 - Samuel Colt received a patent for a "revolving gun".
1901 - The United States Steel Corp. was incorporated by J.P. Morgan.
1913 - The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. It authorized a graduated income tax.
1919 - The state of Oregon became the first state to place a tax on gasoline. The tax was 1 cent per gallon.
1928 - The Federal Radio Commission issued the first U.S. television license to Charles Jenkins Laboratories in Washington, DC.
1933 - The aircraft carrier Ranger was launched. It was the first ship in the U.S. Navy to be designed and built from the keel up as an aircraft carrier.
1948 - Communists seized power in Czechoslovakia.
1956 - Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev criticized the late Josef Stalin in a speech before a Communist Party congress in Moscow.
1972 - Germany gave a $5 million ransom to Arab terrorist who had hijacked a jumbo jet.
1986 - Filippino President Ferdinand E. Marcos fled the Philippines after 20 years of rule after a tainted election.
1999 - William King was sentenced to death for the racial murder of James Byrd Jr in Jasper, TX. Two other men charged were later convicted for their involvement.
1999 - In Moscow, China's Prime Minister Zhu Rongji and Russia's President Boris Yeltsin discussed trade and other issues.
2000 - In Albany, NY, a jury acquitted 4 NYC police officers of 2nd-degree murder and lesser charges in the Feb. 1999 shooting death of Amadou Diallo.
2005 - Dennis Rader was arrested for the BTK serial killings in Wichita, KS. He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 life prison terms.

What Is Happening In Ukraine Is Far More Important Than Most People Realize
Economic Collapse - What the people of Ukraine are being put through is absolutely horrible. They are caught in the middle of a massive tug of war between the East and the West, and they are paying a great price for it. Ultimately, Ukraine will end up either being dominated by Russia (a bad outcome) or by the EU and the United States (another bad outcome).

Fake Photos Used to Vilify Venezuela
Latin American Bureau - Dozens of images are circulating at this moment on social networks and in the media in different countries, as a way of alleging that there is a 'cruel repression' by the security forces of Venezuela against opposition demonstrations. Alba Ciudad has compiled some of these images in order to challenge this campaign of lies against Venezuela.

Venezuela death toll rises to 13 as protests flare
Reuters - The demonstrations are the biggest challenge to President Nicolas Maduro's 10-month-old government, though there is no sign they could topple him or affect the OPEC member's oil shipments. Venezuela is Latin America's biggest exporter of crude oil and has the world's largest petroleum reserves.

Ron Paul: Leave Ukraine alone!
RT - Last week Ukraine saw its worst violence since the break-up of the Soviet Union over 20 years ago. Protesters occupying the main square in the capitol city, Kiev, clashed with police leaving many protesters and police dead and many more wounded. It is an ongoing tragedy and it looks like there is no end in sight.

In Ukraine uprising political groups once on the fringes are in the ascendancy
The Independent - Independence Square was a victorious arena; the hated enemy had been overthrown, his security forces driven from the streets; the capital and half the country belonged to the revolution. The other half, however, remains loyal to Viktor Yanukovych and the reckoning which will unfold in the coming days is likely to show the alarming rise in the power of paramilitaries.

Ukraine uprising: EU aims to woo new leadership with aid deal
The Independent - The European Union moved swiftly Sunday with offers of financial support to shore up its ties with the emerging government in Ukraine, but diplomats were keeping a wary eye on Moscow, which has fought hard to maintain its hold over the former Soviet state.

Egypt's military-backed government resigns
Al Jazeera - Egypt's interim prime minister announced Monday the resignation of his cabinet, a surprise move that could be designed in part to pave the way for the nation's military chief to leave his defense minister's post to run for president.

US training Japanese forces to 'invade, retake island': Report
Press TV - In an indirect forewarning to China, the United States is training Japanese troops during an annual training exercise to “invade and retake an island captured by hostile forces.”

Chinese foreign minister makes rare visit to Iraq
StratRisks - Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has held talks in Baghdad on issues ranging from trade to arming Iraq’s hard-pressed security forces. It is the first such visit in over a decade.

Brazil presses EU for progress on undersea cable to circumvent US spying
RT - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff pressed the EU to progress with plans to install an undersea communications cable directly to Europe on Monday. Rousseff is seeking to bypass the US following reports that the NSA has been spying on top officials.

Mexican drug lord moves to block US extradition
Yahoo News - Mexico's powerful drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman sought Monday to prevent any extradition bid by the United States, where he faces charges for smuggling massive amounts of cocaine.

GM crops: European scientists descend on Africa to promote biotech
The Guardian - Africa is expected to be the next target of GM food companies, as European scientists and policymakers travel to Ethiopia to boost the prospect of growing more of the controversial crops on the continent.

Secret U.S. Government Watchlist Forces Company to Place Hold on Orders
Paul Joseph Watson - A secret U.S. government watchlist is forcing companies to place orders on hold, according to an Australian named David Jones, whose name was flagged up as suspicious when he tried to purchase computer parts.

Virginia counter-terror training by anti-Muslim activist sparks outcry
The Guardian - A former FBI agent who believes that the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated the US government and that John Brennan, the director of the CIA, is a secret follower of Islam is poised to begin three days of counter-terrorism training with law enforcers in northern Virginia.

'Swatting' goes suburban, causing risky police standoffs
policeone.com - 'Swatting,' or making false 911 calls that trigger heavy response by police, is a growing concern and is becoming more common in other areas outside of Los Angeles, a popular target of prank SWAT calls.

Bill to punish gun-seizing cops gets full senate support
kboi2.com - A bill to punish law enforcement officers who obey a hypothetical federal mandate to seize the firearms of Idaho citizens found no opposition on the Senate floor. Lawmakers voted 34-0 in favor of the bill Wednesday, clearing its path to the House.

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Second Amendment Cases
Kurt Nimmo - Three cases involving Second Amendment issues were turned away from the Supreme Court on Monday. The cases concerned the right of Americans to carry firearms outside their homes for self-defense.

Piers Morgan Admits Gun Control Advocacy Led to Show Being Axed
Paul Joseph Watson - Decision sends clear message that Americans are rejecting networks acting as state media mouthpieces.

Obama Seizes Control of Late Night TV
Paul Joseph Watson - The recent replacement of Jay Leno with Obama cheerleader Jimmy Fallon is part of a White House coup d’état to take control of late night television. With more and more young Americans deserting news networks and getting their information and opinions from late night comedy/discussion shows, the establishment is moving into using the entertainment industry as its primary conduit for state propaganda.

Gates Foundation Launches Giant Database on School Children 'inBloom'
truthrevolt.org - The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave $100 million to fund a giant database to collect private information of American school children starting in early education and extending all the way through high school.

South Carolina City Implements Law Requiring $120 Permit To Feed The Homeless
Zero Hedge - One impacted charity that was interviewed by theFree Times, Food Not Bombs, has been serving food to the homeless in Finlay Park every Sunday for 12 years. The group’s organizer, Judith Turnipseed, noted that the group has an impeccable track record and always tidies up after the meal. But with the new crackdown, Food Not Bombs will have to pay at least $120 per week for the right to feed the homeless.

Another "Successful Banker" Found Dead
Zero Hedge - The dismal trail of dead bankers continues. As The Journal Star reports, a successful Lincoln businessman and member of a prominent local family died last week. Former National Bank of Commerce CEO James Stuart Jr. was found dead in Scottsdale, Ariz., the morning of Feb. 19.

Corporations Received 22,000% Return on Investment from Lobbying
Breitbart - In "Boomtown," a blockbuster one-hour investigative special that aired Friday on Fox News' "Hannity," Peter Schweizer, president of the Government Accountability Institute (GAI), and Steve Bannon, Breitbart News' Executive Chairman, revealed a study discovered that for every dollar corporations spent on lobbying in 2004, they received $220 in return.

House Prepares to Pass "Taxpayer Bill of Rights"
Forbes - The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on Tuesday on a pair of bills which could accurately be called a kind of “Taxpayer Bill of Rights.”

Proposal to Tax E-Cigarettes at 95% Will Hurt Washington State Small Businesses
atr.org - A bill before the Washington state Senate would redefine "vapor products" like e-cigarettes as "tobacco substitutes" and "tobacco products," subjecting them to a 95 percent state tax. Supporters of the bill have suggested this will generate more than $40 million annually for the state.

Melatonin could help prevent growth of breast cancer tumors
(NaturalNews) New research from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit suggests that breast cancer rates may be increasing due to lack of melatonin production in today's sleep deprived, light stimulated generation.

Fennel can help neutralize cancer and encourage weight loss
(NaturalNews) Fennel has been widely used to assist the bodily functions of the kidneys, spleen, liver, lungs and digestive system.

Apple Pie Smoothie Recipe
preventdisease.com - This apple smoothie gives you the best of both worlds, high on vitamins, antioxidants and great taste.

10 Reasons to Ignore Mainstream Medicine’s “Conventional Wisdom” on Salt
Natural Society - Do you still think salt consumption causes high blood pressure and heart attacks? The taboo on salt has been challenged - here is the truth about salt.

Brazil Nuts and Milk Found to Promote Better Sleep
Natural Society - The study looked at the health and sleep habits of more than 4,500 American adults. The researchers determined the selenium and potassium in Brazil nuts, along with the calcium in a glass of milk, could be just what the naturopath ordered.

Monday - February 24, 2014 - Today In History:
1803 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled itself to be the final interpreter of all constitutional issues.
1857 - The first shipment of perforated postage stamps was received by the U.S. Government.
1863 - Arizona was organized as a territory.
1866 - In Washington, DC, an American flag made entirely of American bunting was displayed for the first time.
1868 - The first parade to use floats occurred in New Orleans at Mardi Gras.
1868 - The U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson due to his attempt to dismiss Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. The U.S. Senate later acquitted Johnson.
1903 - In Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, an area was leased to the U.S. for a naval base.
1942 - The U.S. Government stopped shipments of all 12-gauge shotguns for sporting use for the wartime effort.
1942 - The Voice of America (VOA) aired for the first time.
1945 - During World War II, the Philippine capital of Manilla, was liberated by U.S. soldiers.
1981 - Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Britain's Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer.
1983 - The Dow Jones industrial average closed above the 1100 mark for the first time.
1983 - A U.S. congressional commission released a report that condemned the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.
1989 - Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini sentenced Salman Rushdie to death for his novel "The Satanic Verses". A bounty of one to three-million-dollars was also put on Rushidie's head.
1989 - A United Airlines 747 jet rips open in flight killing 9 people. The flight was from Honolulu to New Zealand.
1997 - The U.S. The Food and Drug Administration named six brands of birth control as safe and effective "morning-after" pills for preventing pregnancy.
1997 - Dick Enberg received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2006 - South Dakota lawmakers approved a ban on nearly all abortions.
2007 - The Virginia General Assembly passed a resolution expressing "profound regret" for the state's role in slavery.
2008 - Cuba's parliament named Raul Castro president. His brother Fidel had ruled for nearly 50 years.

‘I’m not leaving’: Yanukovich accuses opposition of coup d’etat, calls on EU to fulfill obligations
RT February 22, 2014 - Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich has called the latest developments in the country a coup d’etat, denying speculations of his resignation. He also accused international mediators of not fulfilling their obligations. Follow RT's Live Updates.

Ukrainian parliament appoints speaker as acting president
RT February 23, 2014 - The opposition-controlled Ukrainian parliament has voted to appoint its freshly-elected Speaker Aleksandr Turchinov as acting president. MPs supporting the move arguing that President Yanukovich has de facto resigned his office.

Yanukovich wanted over mass killings in Ukraine, whereabouts unknown
RT February 24, 2014 - The new Ukrainian authorities have put missing President Yanukovich on the wanted list on suspicion of involvement in mass killings during the riots in Kiev. He was reportedly last seen at his residence in Crimea.

Domino Effect: Ukraine Neighbor Belarus May Be Next
Kurt Nimmo - Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko Sunday made a point of stating that the Maidan revolution that has transformed Ukraine will not be a factor in Belarus.

EU Offers Conditional “Aid” For Ukraine’s “Catastrophic, Pre-Default” Economic State
Zero Hedge - "There is no money in Ukraine's Treasury account," exclaimed 'Interim President' Oleksandr Turchynov to the Ukrainian parliament; adding that the Ukraine economy is in a "catastrophic state."

Tymoshenko Promises to Deliver Ukraine to the Globalists
Kurt Nimmo - Plan to loot and further impoverish nation may now commence. On Saturday, oligarch, embezzler, murder suspect and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, released from a clinical hospital in the eastern industrial city of Kharkiv, told the Euromaidan revolutionaries in Kyviv’s Independence Square to stay the course.

Ambassador Rice Warns Moscow Not to Intervene in Ukraine
Kurt Nimmo - Obama’s UN ambassador said US will work with EU and IMF to “restructure” Ukraine’s debt. Obama’s ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, has warned Russia not to send troops to Ukraine to protect its assets in the country, including a naval base at Sevastopol on the Black Sea.

Venezuela revokes CNN journalists’ press credentials for ‘war propaganda’
RT - Venezuela has revoked or denied press credentials for seven CNN journalists working in the country for what President Nicolas Maduro called “war propaganda” amid coverage of anti-government protests.

VIDEO: Venezuelan rival groups hold fresh rallies
Press TV - Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have taken to the streets in another day of rallies to show their support or opposition to the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

Kerry's laughable remarks in Beijing
RT - US Secretary of State John Kerry delivered remarks both laughable and frightening after meeting with Chinese officials in Beijing on Friday. Regarding China's maritime territory disputes with its Asian neighbors, Kerry asked that China implement “a calmer, more rule-of-law based, less confrontational regime.”

US investigates illegal military equipment shipments from Israel to Iran
The Telegraph - US Homeland Security says Israeli arms dealers have been sending spare military jet parts to Iran in breach of sanctions.

Brazil will use robots to police the 2014 World Cup
Daily Caller - The Brazilian government has agreed to pay $7.2 million to Massachusetts-based iRobot for 30 of its PackBot robots, according to a Robohub report. The robots will be programmed to analyze suspicious-looking objects in 12 cities hosting World Cup match-ups across Brazil beginning in June.

Michigan Democrat Rep. Gary Peters threatens TV station licenses over Obamacare ad
Washington Examiner - While Julie Boonstra of Dexter, Mich., struggles to survive leukemia, she now also has to cope with being called a liar by the Democrat who wants to be her next senator. And the campaign of Rep. Gary Peters is also going after television stations airing ads in which her story is featured, threatening their licenses.

The Routine Use of Fake Images and Video Footage by the Western Media
Global Research - This process of manipulating the truth and presenting fake images is nothing new. When it is discovered, CNN or the BBC will invariably apologize for having used the “wrong image”, from the “wrong country” from its extensive archives. The February anti-government riots in Venezuela were “documented” by numerous fake images.

Freedom to discriminate? Controversial Arizona bill takes step toward becoming law
RT - The Arizona state Senate approved legislation Wednesday permitting businesses in the state to refuse service to potential customers based on an owner’s religious beliefs, infuriating equal rights advocates who claim the bill legalizes LGBT discrimination.

YouTube: NY State Senator Proposes Bill Requiring Government Mandated Parenting Classes
The State mandated parental reeducation camps classes, proposed by Democrat Senator Ruben Diaz, would be prerequisite to your child advancing to the next grade. Under the bill, employers would also be required to provide a paid day of leave in order for parents to attend the government instruction.

Liberal Politicians Launched the Idea of “Free Trade Agreements” In the 1960s to Strip Nations of Sovereignty and Hand Power Over to Global Corporations
Washington’s Blog - Liberals might assume that it is Republicans who are cheerleaders for global corporations at the expense of government. But, as shown below, liberal politicians have been just as bad … or worse.

Universities in FCC Newsroom Probe Have Close Ties to Soros, Got $1.8M in Funding
CNS News - The FCC may have suspended its invasion into American newsrooms, but the controversial "Critical Information Needs" study also has George Soros' fingerprints all over it.

FCC suspends controversial media study
Washington Examiner - Facing growing criticism over a plan to question journalists in newsrooms around the country to assess whether those journalists are meeting government-defined "critical needs," the FCC on Friday announced that it is suspending a pilot program until the entire project can be redesigned. The pilot study was to have taken place in Columbia, S.C., in the district of powerful Democratic Rep. James Clyburn, whose daughter Mignon Clyburn is an FCC commissioner and an advocate of the project.

Irresponsible lawmakers cause citizen revolt
gopusa.com - Reality is of little interest to Connecticut politicians when they're intent on making a statement. They thought that they could compel everyone to think as they do about gun control by threatening those who disagree with a felony. It didn't work. Faced with 300,000 potential offenders, officials must decide whether to ignore the new law, or enforce it by sending SWAT teams to raid the homes of anyone suspected of owning the most popular rifle in America, the AR-15.

Gun production in US sets new record with 30 percent increase
RT - Gun makers in the United States produced a record number of weapons in 2012, as new government data suggests Democratic presidents may actually be a boon to firearms manufacturers.

FAA risks losing drone war
Politico - Thanks to falling prices, spotty enforcement and the fact that it’s almost impossible to spot the devices being used, the FAA is often powerless to halt the growing drone swarm.

10 Stories From The Cold, Hard Streets Of America That Will Break Your Heart
Economic Collapse - If the economy is really "getting better", then why have millions upon millions of formerly middle class Americans been pushed to the point of utter despair?

WH: 'We Don't Want Deficit Reduction to Come at Expense of Investments'
CNS News - So much for deficit reduction. President Obama's Fiscal Year 2015 budget, due out in March, will focus on "investments" for "a stronger future," Obama's top economic adviser said on Thursday. Savings will be "directed towards the long-term."

Despite Obama Promise, Stimulus Funds Blown on Beltway Dog Parks
atr.org - The White House hasn’t said much this week to celebrate the five year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and it is no wonder. While some projects weren’t exactly “shovel ready,” two dog parks in tony DC neighborhoods were deemed pooper-scooper ready, a violation of President Obama’s promise in March 2009 to do “everything in our power” to prevent stimulus money from going to dog parks.

Pat Tillman 2.0: Tale of Sgt. Peralta’s ‘Iraq War Heroism’ in Fallujah Was Total Fiction
21st Century Wire - He was the Hispanic-American face of the Iraq War. His death was tragedy for his colleagues, friends and family. US Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta was killed during the Battle of Fallujah in 2004, from a bullet to the head. This is a fact, but what was added on top of this story… has now been exposed as a total fiction.

Swat Team Search Leaves Lakewood Landlord With Hefty Repair Bill
king5.com - One look at Dan Neary’s property and you know something’s not right. The garage door is off its hinges, all the windows are broken and the back gate is lying on its side. For this Army veteran, it’s like a flashback to his time at war. “This is kind of like an assault I would do in Afghanistan or Iraq,” said Neary.

American military banned from purchasing flags made in China
RT - Any American flag purchased by the US Defense Department from now on will be legally required to have been made in the United States.

Turmeric's Heart-Saving Properties Confirmed In New Diabetes Study
Green Med Info - A remarkable new study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry reveals the immense value of the ancient spice turmeric in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and the reversal of pathological states linked to its most deadly complication: atherosclerotic heart disease.

Herbal Extract Combination Reduces Osteoarthritis Pain
Green Med Info - French hospital researchers have confirmed that a combination of herbs together with bromelain from pineapples can significantly reduce joint pain from osteoarthritis. The researchers gave a combination of two herbal extracts - Devil's claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) and Turmeric (Curcuma longa) – and bromelain – a enzyme complex from pineapples – to 42 patients with osteoarthritis.

Intravenous Vitamin C - A Cancer Killer The FDA Wants Banned
Prevent Disease - No matter how high the concentration, vitamin C does not harm healthy cells. Yet, through an array of enzymatic and metabolic reactions, vitamin C has an impressive ability to protect and treat and wide range of diseases, including cancer. When something is this effective at treating disease, the FDA will stop at nothing to prevent public access.

How Avocado Can Help with Weight Management
Dr. Mercola - Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fat that is easily burned for energy. They also provide close to 20 essential health-boosting nutrients, including potassium, vitamin E, B-vitamins, and folic acid, and enable your body to more efficiently absorb fat-soluble nutrients in other foods.

Study: Nearly Half Of Water Taps May Contain Bacteria That Causes Legionnaires’ Disease
(CBS) – The data is scary: Nearly half of water faucets sampled across the United States tested positive for the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease.

12 potentially life-threatening errors you're making in food preparedness and survival strategies
(NaturalNews) (NaturalNews) Although armed with good intentions, most preppers and survivalists are making critical errors -- perhaps fatal errors -- in their food preparedness strategies.
Health

Antidepressant Paxil, commonly precribed for depressed cancer patients, increases risk of breast cancer
(NaturalNews) New research suggests that one of the more popular antidepressants, Paxil, may actually contribute to the growth of cancerous tumors in women.

Top seven ways Big Food tricks you into eating cancer
(NaturalNews) Most people know that fast food, processed sugars, artificial sweeteners and vaccines (injections containing MSG [monosodium glutamate], aluminum, mercury and formaldehyde) cause cancer and Alzheimer's disease, but many people overlook questionable products that haven't been in the newspapers, on TV doctor shows or in their favorite "prevention" magazines.

5 reasons your digestive system isn't working properly
(NaturalNews) It seems nearly everyone has digestive issues these days. Crohn's, IBS, colitis, celiac, and dozens of other digestive disorders have made an industry out of sugar free, gluten free, and dairy free products. So why is it that those with digestive issues can't often fully fix them and have to follow a very strict diet or suffer the painful consequences?

California doctors refuse to perform back surgery on man with Obamacare coverage
A new case from California involves a mechanic who is being denied much needed back surgery. Hardly able to walk, due to the pain, the man has been searching for a surgeon who can accept him under his new affordable care plan. But the insurance coverage that he switched to under Obamacare is denying him back surgery because he is "out of network."

Friday - February 21, 2014 - Today In History:
1848 - The Communist Manifesto was published by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
1858 - The first electric burglar alarm was installed in Boston, MA.
1878 - The first telephone directories issued in the U.S. were distributed to residents in New Haven, CT. It was a single page of only fifty names.
1916 - During World War I, the Battle of Verdun began in France. The battle ended on December 18, 1916 with a French victory over Germany.
1925 - The first issue of "The New Yorker" was published.
1947 - Edwin Land demonstrated the Polaroid Land Camera to the Optical Society of America in New York City. It was the first camera to take, develop and print a picture on photo paper all in about 60 seconds. The photos were black and white. The camera went on sale the following year.
1965 - Malcolm X was assassinated in New York City at the age of 39 by assassins identified as Black Muslims.
1973 - Israeli fighter planes shot down a Libyan Airlines jet over the Sinai Desert. More than 100 people were killed.
1975 - Former U.S. Attorney General John N. Mitchell and former White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman were sentenced to 2 1/2 to 8 years in prison for their roles in the Watergate cover-up.
1988 - In Baton Rouge, LA, TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart confessed to his congregation that he was guilty of an unspecified sin. He announced that he was leaving the pulpit temporarily. Swaggart had been linked to an admitted prostitute.
1989 - U.S. President George H.W. Bush called Ayatollah Khomeini's death warrant against "Satanic Verses" author Salman Rushdie "deeply offensive to the norms of civilized behavior."
1999 - India's Prime Minister Atal Bihair Vajpayee concluded two days of meeting with Pakistan's Prime Minister Mohammad Nowaz Sharif.
2011 - Deep cracks opened in Moammar Gadhafi's regime, with Libyan government officials at home and abroad resigning, air force pilots defecting and a major government building ablaze after clashes in the capital of Tripoli.

Ukrainian parliament passes resolution to pull back troops from Kiev
RT - Amid a new spate of violence and bloodshed on Thursday, Ukrainian parliament voted to halt counter-terrorism operations in the country and pull back law enforcement from central Kiev. The resolution, though, would not be signed until Friday.

100 Dead in Ukraine as US and EU Move to Impose Sanctions
Kurt Nimmo - Senators John McCain and Chris Murphy are working with other members of Congress to get the United States more deeply involved in the internal affairs of Ukraine.

Exposed: Ukrainian ‘Protesters’ Backed by Kony 2012-Style Scam
Paul Joseph Watson - As they seize weapons, take over government buildings and fire on media outlets, the US-backed Ukrainian protesters are being afforded legitimacy with the aid of a Kony 2012-style viral video which triumphs the grass roots nature of the demonstrations yet is linked to shadowy NGOs that have been directly involved in staging phony ‘color revolutions’ in the past.

Is Ukraine Drifting Toward Civil War And Great Power Confrontation?
Paul Craig Roberts - People ask for solutions, but no solutions are possible in a disinformed world. Populations almost everywhere are dissatisfied, but few have any comprehension of the real situation. Before there can be solutions, people must know the truth about the problems. For those few inclined to be messengers, it is largely a thankless task.

Pharmaceutical Drug Trial Industry in Kenya
Natural Blaze - African continent countries are becoming “hot” drug trial markets for Phase I, II, and III drug trials, especially Kenya and South Africa. However, there are grave concerns about the safety, effective regulations, and ethical standards of trials conducted by international pharmaceutical companies.

Venezuela's President Maduro accuses Obama of fanning violence
RT - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused President Obama of promoting ongoing protests in the country, and of backing members of the opposition alleged to be behind violence.

New radioactive leak reported contained at Japan nuclear plant
VOA News - A new leak of highly radioactive water has been discovered at Japan’s tsunami-stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant. Plant operator TEPCO said Thursday that 100 tons of contaminated water leaked from a storage tank at the facility.

Study claims USS Reagan crew exposed to extremely high levels of radiation near Fukushima
RT - A new report on the nuclear crisis that started to unfold in Fukushima, Japan almost three years ago suggests that American troops who assisted with disaster relief efforts were exposed to unheard of radiation levels while on assignment.

Ukraine's President Yanukovich declares early elections, constitutional reforms
RT - Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovich has announced early presidential elections. He also said that the constitution of 2004, which limits presidential powers, will be returned. This was one of the main demands by the opposition.

The "Ukraine Situation" Explained In One Map
Zero Hedge - Sadly, everything you need to know about the crisis in Ukraine in one worrisome map which summarizes all the relevant "red lines." Given this - is there any doubt this will not end with peaceful resolution.

US downplays inciting remarks on China
Press TV - The US Department of Defense has played down remarks by a top Navy intelligence officer who recently said he believed that China is training its forces to become capable of carrying out a "short, sharp" war with Japan in the East China Sea.

China Starts To Make A Power Move Against The U.S. Dollar
Economic Collapse - In order for our current level of debt-fueled prosperity to continue, the rest of the world must continue to use our dollars to trade with one another and must continue to buy our debt at ridiculously low interest rates. Of course the number one foreign nation that we depend on to participate in our system is China.

Missing Military-Industrial-Complex Money
batr.org - When Major General Smedley Butler made his case,"War is a Racket" he did not pull any punches. "The normal profits of a business concern in the United States are six, eight, ten, and sometimes twelve percent. But war-time profits – ah! That is another matter – twenty, sixty, one hundred, three hundred, and even eighteen hundred per cent – the sky is the limit.

Minority Report Is Here: Chicago Residents Get Police Visit Based on Pre-Crime Surveillance List
Activist Post - We are now at the point where "Minority Report" is being used as a sound description of current technological applications, even in mainstream news, which means that the future is actually the present. Below you will find 10 signs that we have now entered the world depicted in fiction.

Seattle Police To Use DHS-Funded Facial Recognition Program
Mikael Thalen - Set to be purchased next month, the software will reportedly be used to scan and compare surveillance video to the city’s mugshot database. With the city facing mounting opposition for several other privacy issues, police were quick to claim that the software would only be used when surveillance video of a suspected crime was obtained.

Missouri Senate Votes to Nullify Federal Gun Control 23-10
Activist Post - A Missouri bill which seeks to nullify virtually every federal gun control measure on the books, “whether past, present or future,” passed the Senate Thursday. SB613 would ban the state from enforcing virtually all federal gun control measures, and includes criminal charges for federal agents attempting to violate the right to keep and bear arms in Missouri.

Plan To Split California Into Six States Gets OK To Gather Signatures
CBS News - Even if voters approve the plan, it would face an uphill battle in congress. “If the federal government approves the proposed creation of six new states, all tax collections and spending by the existing State of California would end, with its assets and liabilities divided among the new states.

12 Dates Which Led to the Destruction of America
Dave Hodges - Recently, I have been seeing allegations of fear monger, doom and gloom, etc., being thrown about at writers and broadcasters who dare to identify the threats facing the American people. Some people have gone so far as to engage in abject denial (e.g. cognitive dissonance) so they can continue to hide within their self-protected enclaves of mindless entertainment as a means to perpetuate self-deception.

Missouri Republican: Common Core skeptics are paranoid lunatics, should wear tin foil hats
Daily Caller - Skeptical that the national Common Core standards will improve the quality of education in local schools? Then you must be a lunatic conspiracy theorist — at least according to Missouri State Rep. Mike Lair, a Republican, who set aside $8 — yes, $8 — in a recent appropriations bill to buy tin foil hats for opponents of the Common Core.

Tales from the TSA: Confiscating Aluminum Foil and Watching Out for Solar Powered Bombs
Time - A former TSA agent on why we shouldn't get (so) mad at the men and women working the security line, when it's their bosses who send down the ridiculous orders.... The memo advised the entire TSA workforce that terrorists were plotting to use solar powered improvised explosive devices in order to harm aviation interests. .

Bitcoin down another 87%, as exchange suffers new ‘security problems’
RT - Bitcoin has lost another 87 percent of its dollar value, dipping to below $100, as one of its key world exchanges Mt. Gox started to face new “security problems,” that “pushed back progress” in fixing technical issues that emerged two weeks ago.

The Rental Bubble Is Also Bursting
Zero Hedge - Even as the primary housing market was slowly circling the drain, the one silver lining was that the US rental market, largely dominated by several Wall Street investment firms, most notably Blackstone, was doing relatively well. It was doing so well that equity sponsors such as Blue Mountain couldn't wait to offload their prized REIT property to the public, culminating with last August's IPO of American Homes 4 Rent, the second-largest US homes-for-rent operator after Blackstone.

Fish in Gulf of Mexico experience heart attacks due to oil contamination
(NaturalNews) Swimming majestically in the open seas, with eyes wide on both sides of its face, the bluefin tuna gazes into... a curtain of crude oil. When the 2010 BP oil spill contaminated the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, beautiful wild fish like the bluefin tuna were forced to face new challenges for survival

Tahini Shown to Promote Heart Health Significantly
Natural Society - Research has found that raw and unprocessed tahini could be a superior food-medicine for preventing heart disease and the risk factors associated with it. A recent study from the Archives of Iranian Medicine reveals tahini as a possible substitution for risky drugs like statins, drugs prescribed for heart health and known to come with potentially dangerous side effects.

Hemp Power Smoothie
Prevent Disease - Hemp is one of my favorite proteins for many reasons. Most hemp protein powders on the market have no fillers or additives and it provides the 8 essential amino acids and fatty acids. You’ll need much less hemp protein than other types of proteins for equal benefit.

The Amazing Benefits of Himalayan Pink Salt
Natural Blaze - Have you heard about the amazing Himalayan crystal salt that comes directly from the Himalayan Mountains? It is packed with some pretty amazing benefits and is an amazing new staple to add to your pantry. It is an absolutely wonderful alternative to table salt, and soon I’ll explain why.

Why You Should Think Twice About Trying to Salvage Moldy Food
lifehacker.com - If you have a nice block of cheese or load of bread and part of it is growing mold, you might think it's okay to just slice off the moldy bits and enjoy the rest. In some cases, that's perfectly legit—but in others, it's a really bad idea.

Woman heals her psoriasis with infection-fighting properties of wild oregano oil
(NaturalNews) Dorothy Leibold had psoriasis for two years but ever since taking P73 wild oregano oil, she says she no longer has the skin condition. Her advice is to take it regularly and to make sure to take enough, which of course varies by an individual's situation.

MRSA could be wiped out with... OREGANO, say British scientists
Daily Mail 11/24/08 - Tiny quantities of carvacrol, a naturally occurring compound in oregano, were found to be a more effective antimicrobial agent than 18 pharmaceutical drugs, investigators found.... It can sterilise septic water, kill giardia, treat fungal infections such as candida and rivals pharmaceutical antibiotics such as streptomycin and penicillin in its ability to eliminate microbes. Preliminary research into the oil found that tiny doses are capable of wiping out fungi and bacteria, including MRSA.

Cancer causing chemicals in personal care products
(NaturalHealth365) Today, fragrances are approximately 95-100% synthetic. These synthetics are derived from crude oil or turpentine oil. [...] the other items, identified by an EPA study, include numerous carcinogenic chemicals, neurotoxins, respiratory irritants, solvents, hundreds of unregulated petrochemicals, phthalates, hormone disrupters and narcotics!

New high-tech glasses allow surgeons to 'see' cancer
(NaturalNews) The glasses give surgeons a unique ability to distinguish diseased cells from normal ones, which helps ensure that no stray cancerous growth remains in the body during surgery, the health website reported. The university said the technology is so new that the glasses have yet to be named.

Smile! Here's the next 'smart' product
CNBC News - Procter & Gamble is bringing the dentist into the bathroom with the world's first smartphone-connected toothbrush, a device that gives personalized advice to help people improve their brushing.

Many Men Risk Their Health by Taking Testosterone When They Don’t Need It
Dr. Mercola - Recent research found that men aged 65 and older who took testosterone DOUBLED their risk of having a heart attack within the first three months of use.

If both parents have Alzheimer's, the disease may show up in brain scans years before symptoms
(NaturalNews) Most people associate Alzheimer's disease with older individuals, and indeed, being diagnosed with the affliction generally does not happen until later in life. But a new study, which was published recently in the medical journal Neurology, has found that people who are currently dementia-free but whose parents have both been diagnosed with Alzheimer's may begin to show signs of the disease in brain scans decades before they begin to show symptoms.

Report confirms importance of eating pale produce, 'a forgotten source of nutrients'
(NaturalNews) The report, "White Vegetables: A Forgotten Source of Nutrients," outlines the benefits of pale produce and suggests that Americans consider incorporating more of them in their diets to obtain the nutrients that are often overlooked in favor of foods that have deeper hues.

Is Your Cat Stressed? It May Show Up as Feline Idiopathic Cystitis
Dr. Becker - Feline lower urinary tract disease is seen equally in male and female cats typically between the ages of two and six, who use an indoor litter box exclusively, are fed a dry food diet, don’t get adequate exercise, are overweight, and who are stressed by their environment. About half the cats that experience one episode of FLUTD will have a recurrence.

Thursday - February 20, 2014 - Today In History:
1792 - U.S. President George Washington signed the Postal Service Act thereby creating the U.S. Post Office.
1809 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the power of the federal government was greater than that of any individual state.
1815 - The USS Constitution, under Captain Charles Stewart fought the British ships Cyane and Levant. The Constitution captures both, but lost the Levant after encountering a British squadron. The Constitution and the Cyane returned to New York safely on May 15, 1815. The Cyane was purchased and became the USS Cyane.
1872 - The Metropolitan Museum of Art opened in New York City.
1873 - The University of California got its first Medical School.
1880 - The American Bell Company was incorporated.
1931 - The U.S. Congress allowed California to build the Oakland Bay Bridge.
1933 - The U.S. House of Representatives completed congressional action on the amendment to repeal Prohibition.
1944 - "Big Week" began as U.S. bombers began raiding German aircraft manufacturing centers during World War II.
1962 - John Glenn made space history when he orbited the world three times in 4 hours, 55 minutes. He was the first American to orbit the Earth. He was aboard the Friendship 7 Mercury capsule.
1965 - Ranger 8 crashed on the moon after sending back thousands of pictures of its surface.
1987 - A bomb exploded in a computer store in Salt Lake City, UT. The blast was blamed on the Unabomber.
1998 - American Tara Lipinski, at age 15, became the youngest gold medalist in winter Olympics history when she won the ladies' figure skating title at Nagano, Japan.
2001 - FBI Agent Robert Phillip Hanssen was arrested and charged with spying for the Russians for 15 years.
2002 - In Reqa Al-Gharbiya, Egypt, a fire raced through a train killing at least 370 people and injuring at least 65.
2003 - In West Warwick, RI, 99 people were killed when fire destroyed the nightclub The Station. The fire started with sparks from a pyrotechnic display being used by Great White. Ty Longley, guitarist for Great White, was one of the victims in the fire.

Obama Sets A New Red Line – This Time For Ukraine
Kit Daniels - Similar to his approach with Syria, President Obama announced today that the Ukrainian government would face “consequences” if it crosses “the line” in its response to the mayhem in Kiev.

Ukraine’s president, opposition agree to a truce
RT - Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich and opposition leaders agreed to a truce following a meeting which focused on how to end the crisis in Ukraine peacefully, the president’s press office confirmed.

Ukraine protests: EU calls for sanctions as 25 die in latest violence
The Telegraph - The European Union raised the spectre of sanctions against Ukraine's leaders after the death toll from the latest outbreak of street violence rose to 25, following a night of fighting in which police made territorial advances in Kiev's Independence Square.

France, Germany to send troops to Mali
Press TV - France and Germany say they will deploy troops to Mali as part of a joint military brigade in the West African country.

Israeli PM brands boycotters ‘anti-Semites,’ bent on ‘destruction of Jewish state’
RT - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the boycott movement against Israel as anti-Semitism in a modern guise. Blasting the initiative as an “outrage,” Netanyahu likened EU companies’ tactics to the Nazi policy of embargoing Jewish businesses.

Despite Majority Opposition, GMO Corn Gets Green Light in Europe
Waking Times - Corporations, backed by influential lobbyists and western governments, dealt major blows this month against activists who are fighting to limit the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Department of Homeland Security Terrorizes Americans With Another Made Up Terrorist Threat
Blacklisted News - Once again we see the Department of Homeland Security inventing another terrorist threat to scare people while at the same time using it to justify their existence.
* Related Article: Terror alert as British Airways cancels US flights

DHS Contracted To Purchase 704 Million Rounds of Ammo Over Next 4 Years
CNS News - Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is contracted to purchase 704,390,250 rounds of ammunition over the next four years, which is equal to a total of about 2,500 rounds per DHS agent, according to a January 2014 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report entitled Ammunition Purchases Have Declined Since 2009.

DHS cancels national license plate tracking plan
Washington Post - Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Wednesday ordered the cancellation of a plan by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to develop a national license plate tracking system after privacy advocates raised concern about the initiative.

Fourth Georgia hospital closes due to Obamacare payment cuts
Daily Caller - The fourth Georgia hospital in two years is closing its doors due to severe financial difficulties caused by Obamacare’s payment cuts for emergency services.

Cops Taser Deaf Man Having Diabetic Attack
Steve Watson - Yet another case of police tasering a deaf person who did not respond to verbal communication has emerged this week. However, this time the man in question was also in the midst of a diabetic episode.

Child Gunned Down by Cop for Answering Door Holding Wii Controller
Libertarian Republic - A Euharlee police officer opened fire on 17-year-old Christopher Roupe while serving a warrant for probation violation on the child’s father, claiming the boy pointed a gun at her. But when neighbors ran up the home, they instead found a Wii remote in the boy’s dead hands.

Sarasota man, 101, running for Congress
wfla.com - Sarasota man says he has the experience necessary to earn a seat in Congress. At 101-years old, Joe Newman certainly knows a thing or two, so the centenarian is launching a bid for the U.S. House of Representatives. Newman is competing for Florida's 16th Congressional District; fighting for Vern Buchanan's seat.

29 Percent Of All U.S. Adults Under The Age Of 35 Are Living With Their Parents
Economic Collapse - According to a stunning Gallup survey that was recently released, nearly three out of every ten adults in the United States under the age of 35 are still living at home with Mom and Dad.

2 former Navy SEALs found dead on ‘Captain Phillips’ ship
Washington Times - Two security officers have been found dead aboard the Maersk Alabama container ship, the same vessel portrayed in the movie “Captain Phillips,” police said Wednesday.

11 Facts That Show Pro-Vaccine Propaganda In Action
Natural Blaze - Do pharmaceutical companies believe in their product? They believe in money and power – they answer only to their stock holders. If they believed in their products, they wouldn’t require legal protection from their product harming children through Public Law 99-660 (the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986).

Vaccination by Force: Oregon Law Makes it Hard for Parents to Refuse Vaccines
Natural Society - Due to a new law passed by Oregon legislators, parents will have increasing difficulty getting an immunization exemption for their children. Starting next Monday, parents won’t be able to refuse immunizations for diseases like whopping cough, polio, diptheria, and hepatitis as easily as they did in years prior, and pediatricians are even supporting this malarchy of removing parent’s rights concerning their children.

Genetically Modified DNA Transfers From Food to Human Blood
Prevent Disease - The inclusion of genetically modified (GM) plants in the human diet has raised concerns about the transfer of transgenes from GM plants to humans. Contrary to the claims by biotech giants such as Monsanto, a report in PLOS One shows that that meal-derived DNA fragments are large enough to carry complete genes as they enter the human circulatory system. In some of the human samples studied the relative concentration of plant DNA was higher than the human DNA.

An Apple A Day Helps Prevent Heart Disease In Just One Month
Green Med Info - Folklore has always claimed an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Now we also know apples are fast-acting. Eating just one a day for a month can get you significant cardiovascular benefits.

Wednesday - February 19, 2014 - Today In History:
1807 - Former U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr was arrested in Alabama. He was later tried and acquitted on charges of treason.
1846 - The formal transfer of government between Texas and the United States took place. Texas had officially become a state on December 29, 1845.
1864 - The Knights of Pythias was founded in Washington, DC. A dozen members formed what became Lodge No. 1.
1881 - Kansas became the first state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages.
1942 - U.S. President Roosevelt signed an executive order giving the military the authority to relocate and intern Japanese-Americans.
1945 - During World War II, about 30,000 U.S. Marines landed on Iwo Jima.
1959 - Cyprus was granted its independence with the signing of an agreement with Britain, Turkey and Greece.
1963 - The Soviet Union informed U.S. President Kennedy it would withdraw "several thousand" of its troops in Cuba.
1985 - William Schroeder became the first artificial-heart patient to leave the confines of the hospital.
1986 - The U.S. Senate approved a treaty outlawing genocide. The pact had been submitted 37 years earlier for ratification.
1986 - The Soviet Union launched the Mir space station.
1987 - A controversial, anti-smoking public service announcement aired for the first time on television. Yul Brynner filmed the ad shortly before dying of lung cancer. Brynner made it clear in the ad that he would have died from cigarette smoking before ad aired.
2004 - Former Enron Corp. chief executive Jeffrey Skilling was charged with fraud, insider trading and other crimes in connection with the energy trader's collapse. Skilling was later convicted and sentenced to more than 24 years in prison.
2005 - The USS Jimmy Carter was commissioned at Groton, CT. It was the last of the Seawolf class of attack submarines.
2008 - Fidel Castro resigned the Cuban presidency. His brother Raul was later named as his successor.
2010 - The FBI concluded that Army scientist Bruce Ivins acted alone in the 2001 anthrax mailings that killed five people, and formally closed the case.

Syrians hold demo in support of army
Press TV - Thousands of Syrians have taken to the streets in support of President Bashar al-Assad and the army, which is battling a foreign-sponsored insurgency.

Shocking moment 500lb bomb is dropped on US soldiers by mistake
Metro - The American troops were reportedly engaged in combat with Taliban forces in the Paktika province when a simultaneous airstrike was called. However, the operation went dramatically wrong when the bomb was dropped on a US army infantry outpost in error, according to military website funker350. Amazingly, there were no casualties from the bungled operation.

China concerned by reports of Japan holding weapons-grade plutonium
StratRisks - China said it was “extremely concerned” by a report that Japan has resisted returning to the United States more than 300kg of mostly weapons-grade plutonium, the latest dispute between the two Asian neighbours.
* Related Article: Japan’s Plutonium Problem

Japan Prepares For War With China
Kit Daniels - Japan is now considering future weapon transfers to other Asian countries as it builds alliances for a potential war with China.... Although Japan and ASEAN discussed joint cooperation in response to natural disasters and anti-terrorism, Japan’s Parliamentary Vice Minister of Defense revealed that the true intent of the meeting was to bolster defense against China’s “unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force.”

Four killed in Thai clashes; PM to face charges over rice scheme
Reuters - In a day of tangled developments in Thailand’s long-running political crisis, the country’s anti-corruption body announced it was filing charges against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra relating to a rice subsidy scheme that has fuelled middle-class opposition to her government.

Algeria invites Gazprom, Lukoil to jointly develop oil and gas
RT - Algeria, with Africa’s second biggest gas reserves, has asked Russia’s Gazprom and Lukoil to tender for the joint development and exploration of some of the 30 fields that make up a fifth of the country, says Gazprom International.

China Sells Second-Largest Amount Of US Treasurys In December: And Guess Who Comes To The Rescue
Zero Hedge - Chinese Treasury holdings plunged by the most in two years, after China offloaded some $48 billion in paper, bringing its total to only $1268.9 billion, down from $1316.7 billion, and back to a level last seen in March 2013! This was the second largest dump by China in history with the sole exception of December 2011.

Man Falls to Death From JPMorgan Building Roof in Hong Kong
Bloomberg - “A Chinese male in his thirties” was found in front of the building at about 1:55 p.m. yesterday, Lee Kwok Wing, senior manager for security and support services of building owner Hongkong Land Holdings Ltd., said at the scene.

European Endgame: All Italians "Money Launderers Until Proven Innocent"
Activist Post - The news is pouring in: after .1% growth in the fourth quarter of 2013, Italy's recovery has begun. (That 2012 $600 billion dollar bailout clearly worked for Italy) But this .1% growth might not be enough to put the minds of politicians at ease. Another less reported Italian based event has taken place in the shadows.

US blames Ukrainian govt. for crisis, Moscow slams West for turning ‘blind eye’ on radicals
RT - An American diplomat has said that “the USA holds Yanukovich responsible” for the escalation of crisis in the country. Russia believes that this kind of stance actually encourages radicals on the streets of Kiev to provoke violence.

Embattled Ukraine: Kiev’s vicious cycle of violence rages on LIVE UPDATES
RT - Rioters and police in central Kiev are exchanging smoke and stun grenades, as a fresh wave of violence is gripping the Ukrainian capital.

‘Ukraine is just a stepping stone in Europe’s global game’
RT- Protests in Ukraine would not have reached such violence if the forces behind the unrest were not backed by powerful sponsors, Christophe Hoerstal, a consultant to Germany's government, told RT. But is proclaimed democracy in Ukraine really the main goal?

VIDEO: Ukrainian protesters with guns caught on tape
Live Leak - What the media won't show - rifles, pistols, etc..

Obama's TPP negotiators received huge bonuses from big banks
RT - A controversial trade deal being touted by the White House is expected to give American corporations broad new authority if approved. Now according to newly released documents, big banks gave millions to the execs that are now orchestrating the agreement.

Why is the Obama Administration Putting Government Monitors in Newsrooms?
aclj.org - The Obama Administration’s Federal Communication Commission (FCC) is poised to place government monitors in newsrooms across the country in an absurdly draconian attempt to intimidate and control the media.

Former CIA Analyst Ray McGovern Sues State Dept. For Putting Him on Watch List
justiceonline.org - The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of U.S. military veteran and former CIA analyst Ray McGovern against John Kerry, in his capacity as the Secretary of State, and against officers at George Washington University.

New Hampshire State Legislator Hopes To Push Back Against Police Militarization With New Bill
techdirt.com - The proposed legislation is now in committee. If it’s passed and signed into law by the governor, state and municipal agencies in New Hampshire will be barred from buying or even accepting free offers of “military style equipment” for police use, except with the approval of the assembled citizenry at a public town meeting.

CBO: Obama Minimum Wage Hike Could Kill 1 Million Jobs
atr.org - In the President’s weekly address, he again pushed for a minimum-wage hike to $10.10 per hour, claiming that it “would lift millions of Americans out of poverty.” He’s even gone as far as to say that “there’s no solid evidence that a higher minimum wage costs jobs.” But on Tuesday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published a report which sharply discredits President Obama’s wishful thinking.

Billionaire Investor George Soros Bets $1.3 Billion on U.S. Stock Market Crash
FTMDaily - The man who made $1 billion on a single trade shorting the British Pound back in 1992 is now wagering that U.S. stocks will experience a sharp correction in 2014.

After Pa. Gas Well Explosion, Chevron Hands Out Gift Certificates For Free Pizza
Huffington Post - Less than a week after a natural gas well caught fire and exploded in southwestern Pennsylvania, energy giant Chevron has come under fire after sending out an apology letter to local residents... with a voucher for a large pizza and two-liter drink. The accident left one worker injured and another is missing and presumed dead.

Obama Takes Executive Action On Fuel Efficiency For Big Trucks
Washington Examiner - President Obama will again bypass Congress and take executive actions to promote his agenda on Tuesday - this time by ordering the federal government to develop the next round of greenhouse gas standards for medium- and heavy-weight trucks by March 2016.

Could a super collider end the world? Proposed upgrade could create black holes and 'strange matter', warn experts
Daily Mail - While the experiment could help to answer questions about how life started on Earth, critics, including the Astronomer Royal, have warned that subatomic particles called ‘strangelets’ could be created accidentally. These particles have the potential to start a chain reaction and change everything into ‘strange matter,’ which Martin Rees said could transform Earth into ‘an inert hyperdense sphere about one hundred metres across’.

Couple Turns Tables On Lender’s Foreclosure Attempt
CBS Sacramento - The family nearly lost that home, but they won it back from a pending foreclosure after suing their lender.... They’re one of a growing group of foreclosed California owners taking their lenders to court following the foreclosure crisis. Loans from the housing bubble were repackaged as securities and sold on Wall Street. That put the true holders of the mortgage debt in question.

Brain Injury: Pentagon Officials Should Have Their Own Heads Examined
Alliance for Natural Health - Invasive brain implants? Anything to put off considering safe and effective natural treatments for our war veterans!... The latest news in this deplorable story is that the Pentagon favors highly invasive brain implants: devices embedded directly into the brain (with wires running through the head and scalp as well as to an electrical-impulse device inserted under the skin of the chest area), that record and stimulate brain activity.

Will Codex and the Drug Companies Raid the Spice Rack to Steal Your Eyesight?
Green Med Info - Are we seeing a worldwide power grab on powerful molecules found in your spice rack, turning them into drugs available only by prescription or subject to unnecessary regulation?

How Long To Nap For The Biggest Brain Benefits
Natural Blaze - Napping can be great! But sometimes when you wake up after a nap, you feel groggy and almost as if you are more tired now than you were before taking the nap. Why does this happen? According to Dr. Michael Breus “If you take it longer than 30 minutes, you end up in deep sleep.

How to Save Yourself If You Choke Alone
Activist Post - Have you ever heard or spoken the tired line of "single-dom" - but if I don't get married, I might choke alone and die and no one will ever find me in my apartment until weeks later... But married people choke too - anyone can and they might be alone.

High-dose vitamin C injections shown to annihilate cancer
(NaturalNews) Groundbreaking new research on the cancer-fighting potential of vitamin C has made the pages of the peer-reviewed journal Science Translational Medicine. A team of researchers from the University of Kansas reportedly tested the effects of vitamin C given in high doses intravenously on a group of human subjects and found that it effectively eradicates cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact.

The many ways to use bentonite clay
(NaturalNews) A wide range of uses that range from clay toothpastes to cancer treatments means that healing clays such as bentonite clay are being realized by many as a useful addition to the first aid kit or medicine cabinet.

Doctors worried as parents move to Colorado for marijuana that aids kids with seizures
(AP) - The doctors were out of ideas to help 5-year-old Charlotte Figi. Suffering from a rare genetic disorder, she had as many as 300 grand mal seizures a week and nearly died several times. As a last resort, her mother began calling medical marijuana shops. Two years later, Charlotte is largely seizure-free and able to walk, talk and feed herself after taking oil infused with a special pot strain.

FDA May Trim Some Of Those Lengthy Warnings In Prescription Drug Ads
Consumerist - The FDA is now looking for you opinion about whether it should look into trimming down all that fine print.... The FDA says there is concern (from whom — consumers or drug makers?) that “the major statement is often too long, which may result in reduced consumer comprehension, minimization of important risk information and, potentially, therapeutic noncompliance due to fear of side effects.”

California's Safe Cosmetics Program database fails to deliver due to 'trade secrets' option
(NaturalNews) The program, which hit the net about a month ago, tries to rein in the 60-billion-dollar cosmetic industry, forcing transparency into the marketplace. But some of the problems with this large transparency project include an uncooperative cosmetic industry, delayed participation in a database system and information on chemicals that hasn't been updated for years.

10 other companies that use the same Subway yoga mat chemical in their buns
(NaturalNews) Here is a list of 10 more food items containing azodicarbonamide

Top 4 reasons you are sick
(NaturalNews) (NaturalNews) We live in an age where sickness is considered "normal". Allergies, migraines, digestive disorders, poor sleep, lack of energy, and muscle and joint pain are considered a part of life, and not indicative of any serious illness. How did we come to accept this as normal, and how did we get so sick that we have completely turned the paradigm of what is healthy completely upside down?
 

Tuesday - February 18, 2014 - Today In History:
1735 - The first opera performed in America. The work was "Flora" (or "Hob in the Well") was presented in Charleston, SC.
1841 - The first continuous filibuster in the U.S. Senate began. It lasted until March 11th.
1861 - In Montgomery, AL, Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as the President of the Confederate States.
1885 - Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" was published in the U.S. for the first time.
1952 - Greece and Turkey became members of NATO.
1970 - The Chicago Seven defendants were found innocent of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic national convention.
1972 - The California Supreme Court struck down the state's death penalty.
1977 - The space shuttle Enterprise went on its maiden "flight" sitting on top of a Boeing 747.
1987 - Executives of the Girl Scout movement decided to change the color of the scout uniform from the Girl Scout green to a newer Girl Scout blue.
1998 - In Russia, money shortages resulted in the shutting down of three plants that produced nuclear weapons.
1998 - In Nevada, two white separatists were arrested and accused of plotting a bacterial attack on subways in New York City.
2001 - NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Sr., was killed in a crash during the Daytona 500 race.
2001 - FBI agent Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested and accused of spying for Russia for more than 15 years. He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
2006 - American Shani Davis won the men's 1,000-meter speedskating in Turin. He was the first black athlete to win an individual gold medal in Winter Olympic history.

Venezuela Accuses U.S. of Fomenting Color Revolution Unrest
Kurt Nimmo - On Monday the successor of the late Hugo Chávez, Nicolás Maduro, ordered the expulsion of three U.S. diplomats in retaliation for working with anti-government activists in Venezuela. The expulsion order coincided with a planned rally by the opposition.

US to use Jordan as base for potential military intervention in Syrian
StratRisks - The United States is planning to use the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as a base for a potential military intervention in Syria to topple Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and his regime, Western diplomatic sources claimed.

US and EU Are Paying Ukrainian Rioters and Protesters
Global Research - A number of confirmations have come in from readers that Washington is fueling the violent protests in Ukraine with our taxpayer dollars. Washington has no money for food stamps or to prevent home foreclosures, but it has plenty of money with which to subvert Ukraine.

The North Korea Distraction
Kurt Nimmo - The United Nations wants to drag the Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, before the International Criminal Court.

No Foreign Drilling to be Allowed in Iran's Caspian Waters
oilprice.com - While foreign energy companies eagerly await the easing of sanctions on Iran, there is one area of the country that will be off-limits to them – Iran’s claimed Caspian waters.

Swiss freeze: EU retaliates as Bern rolls out immigration quotas
RT - Brussels has frozen research grants for Swiss universities worth hundreds of millions of euros in retaliation after Switzerland voted to cap the number of immigrants entering the country in a nationwide referendum.

Following a Wave of Banker Suicides, 3 Former Barclays Bankers Now Charged in LIBOR Scandal
The Daily Sheeple - Three former Barclays bank employees have now been charged with “conspiracy to defraud” in the continuing Libor scandal, bringing the total to 13 people charged in America and the U.K. It has been reported that three ex-ICAP brokers are next on the list for helping traders manipulate interest rates.

First Nations call for radiation tests
North Shore News - B.C.'s grand chief and First Nation leaders on the Sunshine Coast are supporting a call for Ottawa to "systematically and properly" study the full impact of Fukushima radiation on the West Coast fishery.

Fresh riots in Kiev, violent clashes, tires burn downtown
RT - Ukrainian rioters are reigniting street clashes with police in the capital Kiev, with opposition MPs attempting to paralyze the work of the parliament. Protesters are stoning police, with law enforcement responding with tear gas and stun grenades.

French law temporarily bans GM-maize planting while larger ban gains steam
RT - The French government issued a decree Monday forbidding farmers to plant genetically-modified maize in the immediate future while the government drafts a comprehensive law that will attempt to ban the practice nationwide.

Blackmailed Congress Stalls Legislation Outlawing NSA Surveillance
Kurt Nimmo - Congress refuses to act on NSA reform legislation despite an overwhelming number of Americans expressing opposition to the agency’s pervasive surveillance. Since October bills in both the House and Senate have remained stuck in respective Judiciary Committees. Aides say there is no indication they will move forward anytime soon.

Oregon Community College Prepares Course In Drone Operations
Mikael Thalen - A course in drone piloting will likely be available to students at the Central Oregon Community College this fall, as schools across the country begin offering degrees in unmanned aerial systems.

The Next GMO Battlegrounds: New York State & Maryland
Natural Society - Public hearings are about to be held in two major cities of the US, just within earshot of mainstream media and the politicians on Biotech’s payroll. Albany, New York and Annapolis, Maryland are hosting these important debates in order to sway Congress into making a choice about labeling GMOs.

VIDEO: Students FAIL To Name Any of The Bill Of Rights
Steve Watson - “Shame On You”: American youth has no clue about their own freedoms. Highlighting how woefully out of touch with US freedoms and rights the youth of America is, Students at UC San Diego failed to name any of the Bill Of Rights when questioned by activist Mark Dice during a recent campus visit.

YouTube: Tribute To Officer Jack McLamb - Patriot, Warrior
Jack McLamb has passed away. 11 January 2014 was his last day in this life, and his first day in the next life....

President Obama to propose $45 million increase to protect global health
VN Daily - President Obama will propose an additional $45 million in his 2015 budget to improve global health, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said on Thursday.

Arizona Passes Strongest Anti-NDAA Bill in America Out of Committee 4-3
Liberty Crier - This legislation, drafted by the Patriot Coalition, is the strongest in the nation as it explicitly prohibits the laws of war from being used on non-soldiers in Arizona, and Arizona citizens anywhere, and will punish any person, including Federal or international agents, who attempts to utilize those powers.

LAPD scopes out Israeli drones, ‘Big Data’ solutions
Blacklisted News - For the first nine days of February, eight of the Los Angeles Police Department’s top brass were 7,500 miles away from home, being shuttled around Israel in a minibus.

Corrupt judge sentenced to 30 years in prison for jailing innocent children in 'kids for cash' scheme
(NaturalNews) A former county judge from Pennsylvania has been sentenced to 28 years in federal prison for reportedly abusing the criminal justice system by illegally jailing thousands of innocent children for cash. Mark Ciavarella Jr. was recently found guilty of accepting $1 million in bribes from the builders of two private juvenile detention centers in Luzerne County, which profited heavily from the many false convictions that filled its cells with innocent kids.

Following the Bodies: "We Are at the Precipice of Something So Big, It Will shake the Financial World"
Douglas J. Hagmann - One can chalk off the recent string of banker suicides to coincidence, but what if there were more to it? What if, for example, 39 year old Vice President of JP Morgan Gabriel Magee, who emailed his girlfriend to tell her he was “leaving the office and would see her shortly,” didn’t actually throw himself off of a 33-story building in what police claim was a “non-suspicious” fatal fall?

Ohio Bank Erroneously Files Many of Its Depositors for Bankruptcy
StratRisks - Last week saw an uptick in the number of reported IT problems, slip-ups, and complications. Among the more mind-boggling was the revelation that Fifth Third National Bank of Cincinnati informed its customers last week via a letter that, “We inadvertently reported that you filed bankruptcy to the following [four major U.S.] credit bureau reporting agencies.”

Chase Imposes New Capital Controls on Cash Deposits
Paul Joseph Watson - JPMorgan Chase has irked its customers by imposing new capital controls that mandate identification for cash deposits and ban cash being deposited into another person’s account.

Capital One says it can show up at cardholders' homes, workplaces
LA Times - Credit card issuer Capital One isn't shy about getting into customers' faces. The company recently sent a contract update to cardholders that makes clear it can drop by any time it pleases. The update specifies that "we may contact you in any manner we choose" and that such contacts can include calls, emails, texts, faxes or a "personal visit."

What is Human BioAcoustics?
Sharry Edwards - The state of your health is in the sound of your voice. Frequencies and architectures found in the human voice can be used to identify the innate mathematical biomarkers that represent states of health and wellness. Frequency-based medicine is currently positioned at the top of today's alternative health options.

2 Real Life Examples of Mistletoe Wiping out Cancer
Natural Society - Mistletoe extract has been used numerous times to wipe out cancer from the body. Here are 2 real-life examples of mistletoe beating cancer.

Study Reveals "Unavoidable" Danger of HPV Vaccines
Green Med Info - A new review published in Autoimmunity Reviews titled, "On the relationship between human papilloma virus vaccine and autoimmune disease," is destined to reopen the controversy surrounding numerous reports of HPV vaccine-induced harm that have surfaced ever since their widespread use, beginning with the FDA's 2006 approval of Merck & Co.'s Gardasil.

38 Natural Alternatives for HIV
Green Med Info - Fortunately, natural substances are being researched for their therapeutic value for our immune health. "Superbugs" develop due to repeated, frequent and multiple different antibiotic prescriptions. Plant products have historically been consumed and utilized for their anti-microbial and holistic benefits. Here are 38 natural substances which indicate potential benefit for people with HIV.

8 Different Coughs, Their Symptoms And What Each Means For Your Health
Prevent Disease - Knowing which type of cough is ailing you is the first step in addressing a solution. Here are 8 types of coughs, their symptoms and how to treat them.

The Roles of Iodine in the Body
Natural News Blog - This element – which our bodies cannot make, meaning we need to derive it from food – is perhaps best-known for its role in maintaining thyroid function, which is an extremely important task. In fact, it’s not an exaggeration to say that iodine is needed for the healthy functioning of practically every cell in our bodies. Let’s take a closer look at those functions.

Nascent iodine tinctures found remarkably clean of heavy metals: Health Ranger laboratory analysis published
(NaturalNews) The latest heavy metals analysis by the Health Ranger, editor of Natural News, shows that all liquid iodine supplements tested were remarkably clean of toxic heavy metals including lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury.

Coconuts can improve brain function, boost cardiovascular health and more
(NaturalNews) Coconuts are rich in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), a type of dietary fat that is known to trigger weight loss due to the speed with which our bodies metabolize them.... The high amounts of MCTs in coconuts have also been linked to improved cardiovascular health.

Monday - February 17, 2014: - Today In History:  President's Day
1801 - The U.S. House of Representatives broke an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. Jefferson was elected president and Burr became vice president.
1817 - The first gaslit streetlights appeared on the streets of Baltimore, MD.
1865 - Columbia, SC, burned. The Confederates were evacuating and the Union Forces were moving in.
1878 - In San Francisco, CA, the first large city telephone exchange opened. It had only 18 phones.
1933 - "Newsweek" was first published.
1934 - The first high school automobile driver’s education course was introduced in State College, PA.
1944 - During World War II, the Battle of Eniwetok Atoll began. U.S. forces won the battle on February 22, 1944.
1947 - The Voice of America began broadcasting to the Soviet Union.
1992 - In Milwaukee, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced to life in prison. In November of 1994, he was beaten to death in prison.
1997 - Pepperdine University announced that Kenneth Starr was leaving the Whitewater probe to take a full-time job at the school. Starr reversed the announcement four days later.
2005 - U.S. President George W. Bush named John Negroponte as the first national intelligence director.
2008 - Kosovo declared itself a nation in defiance of Serbia and Russia.
2009 - President Barack Obama signed a $757 billion economic stimulus package into law.

Saudi Arabia to supply Syrian rebels with anti-aircraft missiles says report
RT - Frustrated by the deadlock of the second round of Geneva 2 talks, Saudi Arabia has reportedly offered to supply the rebels with anti-aircraft missiles. Meanwhile Russia has accused the US of once again hijacking peace talks and pushing for regime change.

Syria blames US for failure of Geneva talks
PressTV - Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem has blamed the United States for the failure of the second round of peace talks in Geneva. Muallem made the remarks on Sunday during an interview with the state media about the talks as the Syrian delegation was returning from Switzerland to Damascus.

Syrian energy deal puts Russia in gas-rich Mediterranean
StratRisks - Syria’s new 25-year energy deal with Russia, a key ally of embattled President Bashar Assad, could open the way for Moscow’s eventual move into the gas-rich eastern Mediterranean — if the Damascus regime survives the civil war that’s raged since March 2011.

US: Released Afghan prisoners could be targeted
(AP) - If any of the 65 Afghan militants who were released from a former U.S. prison in Afghanistan return to the battlefield, they risk being hunted down by U.S. forces, a Pentagon official suggested Friday.

Blast hits tourist bus in Egypt's Sinai near Israeli border
RT - An explosion has struck a tourist bus in Egypt's Sinai near the Israeli border. At least four people have been killed and 24 injured, the country’s Interior Ministry said. The bomb was either placed under the driver’s seat or fixed to the underside of the bus and detonated by remote control as the vehicle neared the crossing into Israel.

Japan indicates US could bring nukes into its territory in case of emergency
RT - Tokyo suggested that it would allow the US to bring nuclear weapons into Japanese territory in the event of a serious threat to its security.

Lloyd's chief takes $2.8 million bonus in shares
RT - The CEO of Lloyds Bank, Antonio Horta-Osorio, will get his bonus worth $2.8 million paid in shares vested in 2019.... Antonio Horta-Osorio will get his reward on condition that the government will sell off a half of its remaining 33 percent stake, acquired during the bail out of the troubled bank, or if the share price will hold above 73.6 p - the average price paid by the Government when the bank was rescued.

Germany to beef up counter-espionage against US, Western allies – report
RT - Following decades of a heavily subdued program, Germany is planning to resume counter-espionage against both the US and other Western allies in response to ongoing revelations surrounding NSA’s global surveillance practices, Der Spiegel reports.

Brazil rations water in 140 cities amid worst drought in decades
RT - Over 140 Brazilian cities have been pushed to ration water during the worst drought on record, according to a survey conducted by the country's leading newspaper. Some neighborhoods only receive water once every three days.

Obama pledges $1b in loan guarantees to Jordan
Washington Examiner - President Obama pledged $1 billion in loan guarantees for Jordan, a Middle East ally that is dealing with a flood of Syrian refugees who have crossed the border.

U.S. Army Builds ‘Fake City’ in Virginia to Practice Military Occupation
Paul Joseph Watson - The U.S. Army has built a 300 acre ‘fake city’ complete with a sports stadium, bank, school, and an underground subway in order to train for unspecified future combat scenarios. The recently opened site is located in Virginia and was built at a cost of $96 million dollars, taking just two years to complete. Related video/article.

School Safety Expert Threatened for Questioning Official Narrative of the Sandy Hook Massacre
Daily Sheeple - Wolfgang W. Halbig doesn’t believe anyone was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, and he’s looking for some answers. So many answers, in fact, that he was paid a visit by some police investigators telling him to back off.

School Stages “Active Shooter Drill” With Blanks & Fake Blood
Intellihub - In some states, including Missouri, laws have been put into place that require schools to conduct “active shooter drills” to prepare for school shootings, sort of like a fire drill prepares them for fire.

YouTube: Two false charges in Electra, Texas. Prosecutor tries to add more at pretrial
I verbally objected to an unconstitutional search of my vehicle in Electra, Texas. Police officers Matt Wood and Gary Ellis maliciously responded by issuing me two false citations. I got a copy of the dashboard-camera video at the pretrial hearing. It showed all. City attorney Todd Greenwood demanded I give my copy of the evidence back, and tried to have me arrested when I refused.

Obama's Valentine's Day bachelor golf holiday marks 23rd vacation
Washington Examiner - With another Presidents' Day bachelor holiday planned by President Obama, this time golfing in California, and Aspen, Colo., resort reporters on the lookout for the annual first lady ski trip this weekend, the taxpayer's tab for the first family's vacations has topped $2.4 million. But that's just the start.

Are Bankers Being Killed Because They Know Too Much?
King World News - Today a brave and outspoken hedge fund manager out of Hong Kong told King World News that what the world has just witnessed is not the suicide of five bankers, but rather five bankers that were killed because of their knowledge, and therefore the threat that they would expose the criminal activity of major banks. Related article.

15 Reasons Why Your Food Bill Is Going To Start SOARING
Economic Collapse - Did you know that the U.S. state that produces the most vegetables is going through the worst drought it has ever experienced and that the size of the total U.S. cattle herd is now the smallest that it has been since 1951? Just the other day, a CBS News article boldly declared that "food prices soar as incomes stand still", but the truth is that this is only just the beginning.

Benefits of Coconut Oil For Dogs
Dogington Post - Many diseases and ailments, like yeast infections, smelly coats, hot spots, cuts that have been infected, and even cracked paws, can all be cured with just a jar of “virgin coconut oil.”... Another area in which amazing results have been attained is in prevention of parasitic infestations, and apparently curing the problem in many instances.

Friday - February 14, 2014: - Today In History:  Happy Valentine's Day
1778 - The Stars and Stripes was carried to a foreign port, in France, for the first time. It was aboard the American ship Ranger.
1859 - Oregon became the 33rd member of the Union.
1876 - Alexander Graham Bell filed an application for a patent for the telephone. It was officially issued on March 7, 1876.
1899 - The U.S. Congress approved voting machines for use in federal elections.
1903 - The U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor was established.
1912 - The first diesel engine submarine was commissioned in Groton, CT.
1912 - Arizona was admitted as the 48th U.S. state.
1920 - The League of Women Voters was founded in Chicago. The first president of the organization was Maude Wood Park.
1929 - The "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" took place in Chicago, IL. Seven gangsters who were rivals of Al Capone were killed.
1945 - Peru, Paraguay, Chile and Ecuador joined the United Nations.
1983 - A 6-year-old boy became the first person to receive a heart and liver transplants in the same operation.
1985 - Cable News Network (CNN) reporter Jeremy Levin was freed. He had been being held in Lebanon by extremists.
1998 - U.S. authorities officially announced that Eric Rudolph was a suspect in a bombing of an abortion clinic in Alabama.
2003 - Dolly the sheep - the first mammal cloned from an adult - was put to death at age 6 due to premature aging and disease.
2005 - Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated.
2006 - Iran said it had resumed uranium enrichment, prompting Russia and France to call on Tehran to halt its work.
2008 - A former student shot five students to death in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University before committing suicide.

Libya claims to foil military coup
StratRisks - Libya has foiled an attempt by a group of former army officers and politicians to stage a military coup, Defense Minister Abduallah al-Theni said.

Europe Considers Wholesale Savings Confiscation, Enforced Redistribution
Zero Hedge - At first we thought Reuters had been punk'd in its article titled "EU executive sees personal savings used to plug long-term financing gap" which disclosed the latest leaked proposal by the European Commission, but after several hours without a retraction, we realized that the story is sadly true.

20 Signs That The Global Economic Crisis Is Starting To Catch Fire
Economic Collapse - I know that most Americans tend to ignore what happens in the rest of the world because they consider it to be "irrelevant" to their daily lives, but the truth is that the massive economic problems that are currently sweeping across Europe, Asia and South America are going to be affecting all of us here in the U.S. very soon.

‘SNC backers seek Syria rule change’
Press TV - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says supporters of Syria’s foreign-backed opposition are using the Geneva talks to implement “regime change” in the Arab country.

Kenya’s National Security Advisory Committee Accuses USAID of Scheming to Topple Government
StratRisks - The National Security Advisory Committee (NSAC) wants the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to summon officials from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to give information over what it terms as “plans to topple the government using activists.”

VIDEO: NAM urges global nuclear disarmament
Press TV - Calling on world countries to respect international law and meet their legal commitments, NAM also urged an immediate conference attended by the leaders of world countries to discuss global disarmament. It also urged the full implementation of a UN General Assembly resolution on nuclear disarmament, which was passed last year.

300k more patients on NHS waiting list
Press TV - The number of patients on a waiting list for treatment at Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) hospitals has risen by more than 300,000 under the coalition government, official figures show.

Belgium grants euthanasia right to terminally ill kids
RT - Belgium has become the first country to allow euthanasia for terminally ill children after the lower house of parliament passed the law by a large majority Thursday.

Tracking Cell Phone SIM Cards Is Key to NSA Role in U.S. Drone Strikes
AllGov - Before the United States launches a drone strike on a terrorist threat, it turns to the National Security Agency (NSA) to locate the person, which often entails tracking the terrorist’s cell phone and its memory (SIM) card.

Security Experts: TSA Scanners Wide Open To Hacking
Steve Watson - New revelations from security researchers outline how much of the technology operated in airports by the TSA is fundamentally flawed and can be fairly easily bypassed by anyone with the intention of getting dangerous items through security lines.

Oregon Police Give Nightclubs ID Scanners to Datamine Customers
Storyleak - Police in Multnomah County quietly suspended a new data mining program this week after a local newspaper began questioning its legality. For the last several weeks, police have issued ID-scanning devices to clubs and bars all throughout Portland’s Old Town neighborhood. The scanners not only captured customers’ personal data, including names and photos, but uploaded all the information to a police database.

Police Shoot, Kill 80 Year Old Man In His Own Bed, Don't Find the Drugs They Were Looking For
xrepublic.tv - When it was all over, Eugene Mallory died of six gunshot wounds from Sgt. John Bones' MP-5 9mm submachine gun. When a coroner arrived, he found the loaded .22 caliber pistol the two deputies claimed Mallory had pointed at them on the bedside table. Mallory had not fired of a single shot. The raid turned up no evidence of methamphetamine on the property.

Ex-cop acquitted of killing homeless man chased out of restaurant by angry residents
RT - Although Ramos has been spared jail time, the rest of his public life looks like it’s going to be more complicated, at least in the short term. Ramos doesn’t live in Fullerton anymore, but some time after his acquittal he found himself visiting a local Denny’s restaurant in the area, and local diners were not pleased to see him there.

New bill would require White House dinners to follow same as school lunch guidelines
bizpacreview.com - Tuesday night’s glutton-fest of a White House state dinner for French President François Hollande was the perfect example of why U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis has introduced legislation that would require official White House meals to follow the same USDA mandated guidelines for school lunch and breakfast programs.

Ron Paul launches clemency petition for Edward Snowden
RT - Former Texas congressman Ron Paul has announced a petition aiming to secure clemency for Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency whistleblower who revealed extensive US surveillance programs and ignited a national debate on Americans’ privacy.

Candidate Obama: ‘I Will Reverse Biggest Problem of Executive Abuse of Power’
Paul Joseph Watson - In light of President Obama’s repeated assertions made in recent weeks that he will ignore Congress and pursue his agenda via executive orders, this clip of candidate Obama from 2008 is all the more prescient.

The Sky's the Limit: Debt Limit Suspended until March 2015
Daily Sheeple - On Tuesday morning, Boehner stunned Republicans by announcing that he was dropping a package that would have tied the debt ceiling increase to a repeal of cuts to military retirement pensions that were approved in December and replacing it with a “clean” debt ceiling increase. In other words, Boehner is allowing the debt ceiling to be suspended without any concessions from the Democrats.

Luxury Brand CEO To The Poor “Stop Whining… Or Move To China”
Zero Hedge - The following clip from CNBC of Nicole Miller’s CEO Bud Konheim is absolutely disgusting. Then again, this simply continues the recent trend of wealthy people coming on financial outlets and telling the poor how they are supposed to feel.

Major Silk Road 2.0 hack costs bitcoin users millions of dollars
Users who had flocked to the reincarnation of the ‘dark web’ Silk Road marketplace were handed bad news on Thursday when site administrators announced that they had been hacked by users who made off with millions of bitcoin.

Losing your job because of Obamacare is actually good for you, says Democrat lawmaker
(NaturalNews) The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has announced that the equivalent of roughly 2 million full-time American workers will vanish from the U.S. economy by 2017 as a result of Obamacare, and one Democrat lawmaker from Minnesota says this is a good thing, because "American work too much anyway."

Who Owns Organic Now? New Info Graphic Tracks the Corporate Takeover of Organics…
Cornucopia Institute - In 1995 there were 81 independent organic processing companies in the United States. A decade later, Big Food had gobbled up all but 15 of them.

Fukushima fallout: sick US sailors file new $1bln lawsuit against Tepco
A total of 79 American sailors of the USS Ronald Reagan, which was stationed off Japanese coast at the time of the Fukushima disaster and took an active part in the relief operation, have filed a new class action suit demanding $1 billion in damages for the horrible conditions they developed after being dosed with radiation that swept over the ship following the nuclear fallout.

Turmeric Strikes at ‘Root Cause’ of Cancerous Tumor Development, Study Finds
Natural Society - A new study published in the journal Cancer Letters has taken a new look at the active anti-cancer component in turmeric—curcumin—and found that it can strike at the ‘root cause’ of cancerous tumor formation.

New ADA Recommendation: Parents Should Use Fluoride Toothpaste on 12-Month-Olds
Daily Sheeple - Now the ADA says all parents should use fluoridated toothpaste on children under two, and begin with one-year-olds. How a baby who might not even have teeth or be able to walk will be able to even remotely comprehend the directions to spit and not swallow this potentially dangerous chemical was not explained.

Green Tea May Have Brain Healing Properties
Green Med Info - New research reveals that green tea could be a powerful brain healer by stimulating the activity of a nerve growth factor known as BDNF.

Healthy Raw Collard Wraps
Prevent Disease - Perfect for any season, this makes for a great healthy mid afternoon snack or even lunch. And to get that perfect cut on the collard wraps you should use a good quality chef knife. After trying these once, you might wonder why you would need bread sandwich ever again.

Is your “Self Talk” killing you?
Natural News Blog - One of the things people often ask me is this: “If you could recommend one “natural” thing for this (symptom, disease, condition), what would it be?” The truth is—there is no “one thing” that always works for that one thing. But there is one thing that I know with absolute certainty—after thirty years of studying, researching, and teaching healing. You have to find your personal truth.

New hemp oil could be a powerful cooking alternative
(NaturalNews) A recently developed hemp plant may prove to provide the ideal cooking oil; watch out, olive oil. The University of York reported that they have developed a hemp plant that contains a significantly higher quantity of oleic acid. The new hemp oil not only offers a longer shelf life and a higher heat tolerance but also has a very similar fatty acid makeup to olive oil.

California-grown Lundberg rice shows near-zero heavy metals; case closed on 'naturally occurring' excuse for lead in rice products
(NaturalNews) Immediately after Natural News shocked the natural products industry by revealing significant levels of heavy metals in rice protein products, several of the smaller manufacturers got together to try to figure out how to counter scientific facts with public relations spin.

Proven Ways to Calm Your Dog from Storms, Separation Anxiety, and Other Phobias
Dr. Becker - Sadly, maladaptive stress responses are a growing problem for companion dogs. These fear-based conditions often take the form of separation anxiety, storm and/or noise phobia, or aggression. A chronic, prolonged fear response can cause both physical and emotional disease in your pet that can potentially shorten his life and negatively impact quality of life.

Thursday - February 13, 2014: - Today In History:
1635 - The Boston Public Latin School was established. It was the first public school building in the United States.
1741 - "The American Magazine," the first magazine in the U.S., was published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1920 - The League of Nations recognized the continued neutrality of Switzerland.
1920 - The National Negro Baseball League was organized.
1935 - In Flemington, New Jersey, a jury found Bruno Richard Hauptmann guilty of the kidnapping and death of the infant son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh. Hauptmann was later executed for the crimes.
1945 - During World War II, the Soviets captured Budapest, Hungary, from the German army.
1945 - During World War II, Allied aircraft began bombing the German city of Dresden.
1955 - Israel acquired 4 of the 7 Dead Sea scrolls.
1960 - France detonated its first atomic bomb.
1965 - Sixteen-year-old Peggy Fleming won the ladies senior figure skating title at Lake Placid, NY.
1971 - South Vietnamese troops invaded Laos. They were backed by U.S. air and artillery support.
1991 - Hundreds of Iraqis were killed by two laser-guided bombs that destroyed an underground facility in Baghdad. U.S. officials identified the facility as a military installation, but Iraqi officials said it was a bomb shelter.
1999 - A bomb exploded just outside a government-owned bank in southern Kosovo. Nine people were killed.
2002 - In Alexandria, VA, John Walker Lindh pled innocent to a 10-count federal indictment. He was charged with conspiring to kill Americans and aiding Osama bin Laden's terrorist network.
2002 - Former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.
2011 - Egypt's military leaders dissolved parliament, suspended the constitution and promised elections in moves cautiously welcomed by protesters who'd helped topple President Hosni Mubarak.
2012 - Washington became the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Venezuela coup? Gunfire, clashes as 3 dead in violent Caracas protest
RT - At least three people have died in violent protests in the Venezuelan capital, officials have confirmed. President Nicolas Maduro has condemned the unrest as an attempt at a coup d’état orchestrated by extremist members of the political opposition.

EU Terrorizes Switzerland Over Vote to Limit Immigration
New American - The European Union is terrorizing voters in Switzerland and threatening retaliation against the tiny nation, which is not in the EU, after the Swiss voted on February 9 to limit immigration in a national referendum.

Euro MPs drop anti-NSA amendment offering Snowden asylum protection
RT - The European Parliament has been thrown into disarray over an amendment urging it to ensure the safety of Edward Snowden. The ex-NSA contractor’s name was dropped from the draft, which now merely calls for the protection of whistleblowers in general.

China and Russia to build world’s biggest thermal power plant
RT - China and Russia are to build the world’s biggest thermal power plant with an 8 gigawatt capacity. The Erkovetskaya TPP project in Russia’s Amur region could cost up to $24 billion, and will export energy to China where domestic demand is high.

TEPCO Slammed By Regulator For "Incorrect" Fukushima Radiation Readings
Zero Hedge - As Reuters reports, Japan's nuclear regulator has criticized TEPCO for incorrectly measuring radiation levels in contaminated groundwater. The NRA blasted, "something like this cannot happen ... This (data) is what becomes the basis of various decisions, so they must do their utmost to avoid mistakes in measuring radiation."

VIDEO: Foreign-backed Takfiri militants in Syria have abducted tens of Palestinian refugees in Damascus
Press TV -Anwar Raja, a spokesman for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC), said the kidnappings happened overnight on Wednesday in an attack on the Yarmouk refugee camp in the Syrian capital.

‘Defense capacity off-limits in Iran talks’
Press TV - A senior Iranian lawmaker has rejected US claims that Iran’s defense capabilities would be part of the nuclear negotiations, saying the nation’s missile program is not a threat to the region.

US 'all-options' talk a joke: Iran general
Press TV - US’s ‘all-options-on-the-table’ threats against Iran are a joke, says a top Iranian general. The millions-strong rallies dismayed Washington and the Israeli regime, said Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

VIDEO: Kabul defies US pressure, releases 65 Bagram inmates
Press TV - Kabul released the prisoners on Thursday, a day after the United States voiced concern over the issue. Washington says the prisoners are “dangerous individuals.”

VIDEO: CAR declares war on Christian militias
Press TV - Central African Republic (CAR) President Catherine Samba-Panza says her government will "go to war" with Christian militias, who have launched "ethnic cleansing" against Muslim citizens in the country.

Cracks found in floor near Fukushima radioactive water tanks
ajw.asahi.com - TEPCO detected up to 58 becquerels of radioactive cesium and up to 2,100 becquerels of radioactive strontium per liter of melted snow in the area. Freezing temperatures may have cracked the concrete, the TEPCO officials added.

Only Two House Members Vote Against Meddling in Ukraine’s Internal Affairs
Kurt Nimmo - On Tuesday evening a mere two members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted against meddling in the internal affairs of Ukraine. Reps. Walter Jones and Thomas Massie, both Republicans, heeded the advice of George Washington, who advised against foreign interventionism, and Thomas Jefferson, who urged “peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.”

'Rand Paul v. Barack Obama' lawsuit hits federal court with 350,000 plaintiffs
Daily Mail - 'There's a huge and growing swell of protest in this country,' Paul said during a Wednesday morning press conference, 'of people who are outraged that their records would be taken without suspicion, without a judge's warrant, and without individualization.'

FEMA Demands Deployable Homes That Can Serve As “Permanent Housing” During Crisis
Kit Daniels - The Federal Emergency Management Agency is looking to spend millions on manufactured homes that can be “quickly built and deployed” to any state in America which also have “the added potential to become permanent housing.”

Naked Ambition: TSA Wants New Generation Of Body Scanners
Steve Watson - They were expensive, they didn’t work on a security level, they shredded privacy, and they carried significant potential safety risks, yet that didn’t stop the TSA from rolling out full body scanners without consulting Congress or the public – now the agency wants to roll out more enhanced versions of the imaging technology.

Homeland Security to Activate ‘National License Plate Recognition Database’
Paul Joseph Watson - The Department of Homeland Security is set to activate a national license plate tracking system that will be shared with law enforcement, allowing DHS officers to take photos of any license plate using their smartphone and upload it to a database which will include a “hot list” of “target vehicles”.

New Hampshire House Kills Anti-Gun Bill By A Two To One Vote
Liberty Crier - On Wednesday morning, the New Hampshire House of Representatives killed anti-gun bill HB 1589 by a vote of more than two to one. After the last general election, the New Hampshire House switched from being 70 percent Republican (normally pro-gun) to majority Democrat (normally anti-gun).

Hillary Clinton’s Unethical, Dishonest Behavior Should Be Fair Game During Presidential Race
Kurt Nimmo - The Washington Wire column over at the Wall Street Journal posted the results of a McClatchy-Marist poll today. In a match-up between Hillary Clinton and any of her prospective Republican challengers for the 2016 presidential race, voters said they preferred Clinton. The only challenger was Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan. Everybody else landed nearly 20 or more points behind Clinton with the exception of Ryan and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

YouTube: Hillary Clinton Exposed, Movie She Banned From Theaters - Full Movie
Uploaded on Nov 8, 2011- She's a big meanie...

JP Morgan Executive Becomes 5th Banker to Die in Last 2 Weeks
Paul Joseph Watson - Two weeks after the suicide of a JP Morgan banker who jumped to his death from the top of a building, another of the firm’s employees has died, with 37-year-old Ryan Henry Crane becoming the 5th banker fatality in just the last few weeks alone.

Wednesday - February 12, 2014: - Today In History:
1733 - Savannah, GA, was founded by English colonist James Oglethorpe.
1870 - In the Utah Territory, women gained the right to vote.
1878 - Frederick W. Thayer patented the baseball catcher’s mask.
1879 - The first artificial ice rink opened in North America. It was at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY.
1892 - In the U.S., President Lincoln's birthday was declared to be a national holiday.
1909 - The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded.
1915 - The cornerstone of the Lincoln Memorial was laid in Washington, DC.
1918 - All theatres in New York City were shut down in an effort to conserve coal.
1924 - U.S. President Calvin Coolidge made the first presidential political speech on radio.
1934 - The Export-Import Bank was incorporated.
1973 - The State of Ohio went metric, becoming the first in the U.S. to post metric distance signs.
1973 - American prisoners of war were released for the first time during the Vietnam conflict.
1998 - A U.S. federal judge declared that the presidential line-item veto was unconstitutional.
1999 - U.S. President Clinton was acquitted by the U.S. Senate on two impeachment articles. The charges were perjury and obstruction of justice.
2001 - The space probe NEAR landed on the asteroid Eros. It was the first time that any craft had landed on a small space rock.
2002 - Kenneth Lay, former Enron CEO, exercised his constitutional rights and refused to testify to the U.S. Congress about the collapse of Enron.
2002 - Pakistan charged three men in connection with the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Karachi.
2003 - The U.N. nuclear agency declared North Korea in violation of international treaties. The complaint was sent to the Security Council.
2004 - Defying a California law, San Francisco officials began performing weddings for same-sex couples.
2004 - Mattel announced that "Barbie" and "Ken" were breaking up. The dolls had met on the set of their first television commercial together in 1961.
2009 - A commuter plane crashed into a suburban Buffalo, N.Y., home, killing all 49 aboard and a person in the house.

For today's news, please check out the daily e-mail blast located at: http://tinyurl.com/l3rd66w

Tuesday - February 11, 2014: - Today In History:
1752 - The Pennsylvania Hospital opened as the very first hospital in America.
1808 - Judge Jesse Fell experimented by burning anthracite coal to keep his house warm. He successfully showed how clean the coal burned and how cheaply it could be used as a heating fuel.
1937 - General Motors agreed to recognize the United Automobile Workers Union, which ended the current sit-down strike against them.
1943 - General Dwight David Eisenhower was selected to command the allied armies in Europe. (Today in World War II History)
1945 - During World War II, the Yalta Agreement was signed by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin. (Today in World War II History)
1968 - The new 20,000 seat Madison Square Garden officially opened in New York. This was the fourth Garden.
1975 - Margaret Thatcher became the first woman to head a major party in Britain when she was elected leader of the Conservative Party.
1979 - Nine days after the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran (after 15 years in exile) power was seized by his followers.
1989 - Rev. Barbara C. Harris became the first woman to be consecrated as a bishop in the Episcopal Church.
1990 - Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years in captivity.
1993 - Janet Reno was appointed to the position of attorney general by U.S. President Clinton. She was the first female to hold the position.
2000 - The space shuttle Endeavor took off. The mission was to gather information for the most detailed map of the earth ever made.
2006 - In Texas, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a quail hunt.
2009 - John Dingell of Michigan became the longest serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He had more than 53 years of service.

VIDEO: EU ministers agree on military mission to CAR
Press TV - European Union foreign ministers have formally approved a military mission to the Central African Republic (CAR), agreeing to send about 500 troops to help French and African Union forces already there.

Pakistan anti-drone campaigner missing
Al Jazeera - Pakistani anti-drone campaigner, who was due to testify before European parliaments, has gone missing in the city of Rawalpindi, his lawyer said.

New Snowden Docs Confirm NSA's Role in Drone Killings
Activist Post - While the world is rightly concerned about the wholesale dragnet spying of citizens across the planet, another program has emerged which shows how "intelligence" gathered by the National Security Agency (NSA) is being used in a lethal manner.

EU to Consider Intervention in Bosnia if Tension Escalates
StratRisks - An eventual escalation of tension in Bosnia might result in intervention of EU forces, a high official warned Sunday. Valentin Inzko, High Representative of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told Austrian media that the situation in the country will be analyzed next Tuesday.

Eurocrat fury as Swiss 're-build walls' against EU immigration
RT - The EU has threatened to review all bilateral agreements with Switzerland if Bern goes all the way and blocks immigrant inflow. On Sunday Swiss voters narrowly approved the return of strict quotas for immigrants from within the EU.

Suicide Bomb Trainer in Iraq Accidentally Blows Up His Class
New York Times - In what represented a cautionary tale for terrorist teachers, and a cause of dark humor for ordinary Iraqis, a commander at a secluded terrorist training camp north of Baghdad unwittingly used a belt packed with explosives while conducting a demonstration early Monday for a group of militants, killing himself and 21 other members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, army and police officials said.

World’s first’ farmer trial over GM crop contamination begins in Australia
RT - A landmark legal battle between two farmers over alleged GM contamination has started in the Western Australian Supreme Court. The case is expected to determine GM farmers’ liability if their crops affect neighboring territories.

Drone Attack Controversy: Obama Administration Wrestling With Whether To Target U.S. Terror Suspect
Huffington Post - An American citizen who is a member of al-Qaida is actively planning attacks against Americans overseas, U.S. officials say, and the Obama administration is wrestling with whether to kill him with a drone strike and how to do so legally under its new stricter targeting policy issued last year.

‘Destroy them immediately’: Top US commander ordered purge of bin Laden photos
RT - Eleven days after the 2011 US elite forces raid that resulted in the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the head of US special operations ordered the destruction of all photos of the corpse or for them to be given to the CIA, new evidence shows.

Ohio National Guard Training Envisions Right-Wing Terrorism
mediatrackers.org - Documents from an Ohio National Guard (ONG) training drill conducted last January reveal the details of a mock disaster where Second Amendment supporters with “anti-government” opinions were portrayed as domestic terrorists.

Supreme Court Asked to Clarify What it Means to ‘Bear’ Arms
WSJ - You might think the question would be settled by now, but the U.S. Supreme Court has yet to opine on whether the Second Amendment right to “bear” arms for self-defense extends outside the home.

Chicago School Officials Suspend 11-Year-Old Boy Under 'Dangerous Weapons' Policy for Voluntarily Turning in Non-Firing Toy Gun
rutherford.org - Criticizing Chicago school officials for being overzealous, misguided and incapable of distinguishing between an impotent toy and a dangerous weapon, The Rutherford Institute has come to the defense of an 11-year-old boy who was suspended from school after he voluntarily turned in a non-firing plastic toy gun that had been forgotten in his jacket pocket.

“He’s Wearing a Diaper!”: TSA Agent Humiliates Cancer Victim
Paul Joseph Watson - A cancer victim who suffers from incontinence was humiliated during an incident last week when a TSA agent loudly announced “he’s wearing a diaper” to waiting travelers, before laughing and subjecting the man to a strip search.

Mountain Man Back In Jail, Supporters Want to Arrest Judge
Activist Post - Natural living mountain man, Ernie Tertelgte of Manhattan, Montana has become an Internet favorite for his tenacious defense of sovereignty and strict adherence to original court system procedures, even acting as his own defense.

Ron Paul: Will No One Challenge Obama’s Executive Orders?
Ron Paul Institute - President Barack Obama’s state of the union pledge to “act with or without Congress” marks a milestone in presidential usurpation of Congressional authority.

Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns has fallen by over 15 percent since December 2012
John Lott - According to a new count, the group’s membership has gone from a high of 1,046 following the shootings at Newtown, Conn.’s Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012 to a low today of 885. That’s a fast drop of 161 members.

Medicare paid millions in drug benefits to prisoners
Washington Times - Food stamps. Free meals. Cable TV. Unemployment and disability benefits. And now prescription drugs. It’s a good time to be in prison, where inmates are mistakenly receiving tens of millions of dollars in benefits at taxpayer expense.

N.Y. Sen. Schumer presses FDA to ban bread chemical
Washington Times - Mr. Schumer launched a campaign Sunday for the Food and Drug Administration to ban azodicarbonamide, a chemical used mostly to put the rubber in rubbery products such as yoga mats and shoe soles.

Health-Law Mandate Put Off Again
WSJ - The Treasury Department, in regulations outlining the Affordable Care Act, said employers with 50 to 99 full-time workers won't have to comply with the law's requirement to provide insurance or pay a fee until 2016. Companies with more workers could avoid some penalties in 2015 if they showed they were offering coverage to at least 70% of full-time workers.

22 Facts About The Coming Demographic Tsunami That Could Destroy Our Economy All By Itself
Economic Collapse - Today, more than 10,000 Baby Boomers will retire. This is going to happen day after day, month after month, year after year until 2030. It is the greatest demographic tsunami in the history of the United States, and we are woefully unprepared for it.

Congress Works to Eliminate Bonuses for VA Execs
military.com - Congress appears poised to tighten oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs in light of the ever-present backlog of claims and recent, high-profile medical errors, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.

Monday - February 10, 2014: - Today In History:
1763 - The Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War. In the treaty France ceded Canada to England.
1863 - The fire extinguisher was patented by Alanson Crane.
1870 - The city of Anaheim was incorporated for the first time.
1870 - The YWCA was founded in New York City.
1879 - The electric arc light was used for the first time.
1897 - "The New York Times" began printing "All the news that's fit to print" on their front page.
1933 - The singing telegram was introduced by the Postal Telegraph Company of New York City.
1935 - The Pennsylvania Railroad began passenger service with its electric locomotive. The engine was 79-1/2 feet long and weighed 230 tons.
1942 - The Normandy, the former French liner, capsized in New York Harbor. The day before the ship caught fire as it was being fitted for the U.S. Navy.
1962 - The Soviet Union exchanged capture American U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers for the Soviet spy Rudolph Ivanovich Abel being held by the U.S.
1967 - The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. The amendment required the appointment of a vice-president when that office became vacant and instituted new measures in the event of presidential disability.
1990 - South African President F.W. de Klerk announced that black activist Nelson Mandela would be released the next day after 27 years in captivity.
1997 - The U.S. Army suspended its top-ranking enlisted soldier, Army Sgt. Major Gene McKinney following allegations of sexual misconduct. McKinney was convicted of obstruction of justice and acquitted of 18 counts alleging sexual harassment of six military women.
2005 - North Korea publicly announced for the first time that it had nuclear arms. The country also rejected attempts to restart disarmament talks in the near future saying that it needed the weapons as protection against an increasingly hostile United States.
2007 - Gen. David Petraeus took charge of U.S. forces in Iraq
2009 - A Russian and an American satellite collide over Siberia.
2011 - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak refused to step down or leave the country and instead handed his powers to his vice president.

Iran dispatches warships to US maritime border
RT - Ships from the Iranian army’s naval fleet are headed towards the United States maritime borders as part of a longstanding protest against US vessels in the Persian Gulf, Fars News Agency reports.

Syria: “There are Terrorists from 83 Countries, Armed and Funded by Saudi Arabia”
Global Research - Syria Information Minister, Omran al-Zoubi said Saudi Arabia’s decision that Saudi citizens who fight in conflicts outside the Kingdom would face harsh punishment does not mean that the Kingdom will stop funding and arming terrorist groups.

Shiite militias in Iraq begin to remobilize
Washington Post - In the latest sign of the escalating attacks, the heads of three Sunnis were found Sunday in a market in northern Salaheddin province, while six Shiites were shot dead in the province after being questioned about their religious affiliation, officials said.

EU to force Britons to publish details of wills and property
The Telegraph - A European law is being drafted whose original aim was to prevent corporate money-laundering. The objective, supported by the UK, was to force companies to disclose on a register the money and other assets held inside trusts or equivalent legal arrangements.

EU Rejects Mexican Honey Due to GMO Soybean Pollen
Natural Blaze - Mexico is the fourth largest honey producer and fifth largest honey exporter in the world. A Smithsonian researcher and colleagues helped rural farmers in Mexico to quantify the genetically modified organism (GMO) soybean pollen in honey samples rejected for sale in Germany. Their results will appear Feb. 7 in the online journal, Scientific Reports.

Two quakes strike near Fukushima
RT - Two magnitude-5 earthquakes struck off the coast of Japan’s Fukushima prefecture, the site of the 2011 tsunami and earthquake that killed more than 18,000 people and sparked the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

US to pump $300mn into Afghanistan to end ‘war economy’ says report
RT - Washington will announce on Monday a massive aid package to Afghanistan, which it hopes will assist the war-torn country get back on its feet after 12 years of playing host to foreign troops, Reuters has learned.

UK ‘borrowed’ US drones to carry out unreported strikes in Afghanistan
RT - The UK has used American drones over 250 times to carry out previously unreported attacks in Afghanistan, the MoD has admitted. The reports prompted a sharp reaction from British rights groups who slammed the lack of transparency in the UK military.

VIDEO: New US bans against Geneva deal spirit: Araqchi
Press TV - A senior Iranian diplomat says the latest US sanctions against a number of companies and individuals for doing business with the Islamic Republic are “against the spirit” of the landmark Geneva nuclear deal.

Barclays account details for sale as 'gold mine' of up to 27,000 files is leaked
Daily Mail - In the worst case of data loss from a British High Street bank, highly sensitive information, including customers’ earnings, savings, mortgages, health issues and insurance policies, ended up in the hands of unscrupulous brokers. The data ‘gold mine’ - also containing passport and national insurance numbers - is worth millions on the black market because it allowed unsuspecting individuals to be targeted in investment scams.

Pentagon wants additional $4.5 bln to fix failed missile defense interceptors
RT - In a bid to beef up its missile defense systems, the United States Department of Defense intends to request $4.5 billion in additional spending over the next five years, according to a report by Reuters.

Man Who Fled Communism Blasts Oregon Lawmakers For Gun Control Attempt (Video)
Storyleak - Manuel Martinez, who narrowly escaped Cuba in 1962 after being imprisoned for opposing Fidel Castro, passionately defended the Second Amendment in front of Oregon’s Senate Judiciary Committee, comparing the state’s attempts to pass gun control to moves made by his former government.

Mayor: Nationwide Gun Confiscation Is Goal of Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Kit Daniels - A current New York mayor has publicly announced his decision to leave Mayors Against Illegal Guns because the gun control group demands an all-out “confiscation of guns from law-abiding citizens.” In an announcement published by his city’s newspaper, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Mayor John C. Tkazyik said he quit the group after realizing it was simply a vehicle for Michael Bloomberg to “promote his personal gun-control agenda.”

Rand Paul demands Dems return money raised by ‘sexual predator’ Bill Clinton
Washington Times - Sen. Rand Paul, who has been in a bit of a tiff recently with the Clintons, says that any Democrat who has raised campaign money with former President Clinton should return the cash to protest his sexual behavior in the White House. Related C-Span video.

Texas Grand Jury Rejects Murder Charges For Man Who Shot Deputy During No-Knock Raid
informationliberation.com - In an astonishing ruling, a Texas grand jury declined to press capital murder charges against a man who shot and killed a law enforcement officer executing a no-knock raid on his home. A Burleson County SWAT team raided the man's home near Snook on December 19th of last year.

SWAT Uses Florida Woman’s Home Without Permission: “You All Need To Leave, You Can’t Be In Your House.”
actionnewsjax.com - Deborah Franz feels violated. She claims the SWAT team went into her southside home without her permission during a standoff involving her neighbor Sunday afternoon.

Kentucky Police Set Up ‘Eating While Driving’ Checkpoints
Paul Joseph Watson - Instead of searching for actual criminals, Kentucky State Police will be on the lookout for people who eat while they drive as part of Operation RAID, which will include checkpoints targeting “distracted drivers,” despite the fact that eating while driving is not banned in Kentucky.

TSA Agents Interrogate Jewish Author For Reading Conservative Newspaper
Paul Joseph Watson - Award winning Jewish author Phyllis Chesler was questioned and had her bag searched at New York’s JFK Airport as a result of a TSA agent’s suspicions over the fact that she was reading a conservative newspaper.

Was Jay Leno Canned by NBC For Criticizing Obama?
Paul Joseph Watson - The day after Jay Leno signed off on 22 years of hosting The Tonight Show, suspicions still abound as to why he was canned despite still being on top of the ratings.... Did Comcast Corporation, which last year bought out General Electric’s 49% stake in NBC and donated over $300,000 dollars to Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign, have anything to do with Leno’s exit?

221 Percent Increase In One Year? Why Are So Many People Renouncing American Citizenship?
Economic Collapse - The number of Americans that renounced their citizenship was 221 percent higher in 2013 than it was in 2012. That is a staggering figure, and it is symptomatic of a larger trend.

The New AR-15 Design Is Compliant With “SAFE Act” And Has Gun Control Activists In A Tizzy
gunsnfreedom.com - Prototypes for the newly designed AR-15 are hitting gun shops across New York, as gun shops and machinists have designed a rifle that complies with the anti-gun law. At least one gun shop has received a letter from state police saying that the new AR-15 style rifles should be legal in the state as long as they don’t have some of the features that the law prohibits.

4th Financial Services Executive Found Dead; "From Self-Inflicted Nail-Gun Wounds"
Zero Hedge - The Denver Post reports Richard Talley, founder and CEO of American Title, was found dead in his home from self-inflicted wounds - from a nail-gun. Talley's company was under investigation from insurance regulators.

Congressman Tried to Shut Down a Tea Party Leader at Thursday’s Hearing — That’s When a GOP Rep. Showed He Wasn’t Having Any of It
The Blaze - Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) dismissed a Tea Party leader’s concerns over supposedly being targeted by the Internal Revenue Service, prompting Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to swoop in with a revealing set of questions.
* Related Video: Catherine Engelbrecht's Testimony...

Low-Wage Hours At New Low As Obamacare Fines Loom
Zero Hedge - Low-wage workers clocked the shortest workweek on record in December - even shorter than at the depth of the recession, new Labor Department data showed Friday. The figures underscore concerns about the Obamacare employer insurance mandate's impact on the work hours and incomes of low-wage earners. Still, as Krugman told Colbert recently, he's "ok with a little bit of wealth redistribution from people who have been lucky to people who are unlucky."

US Treasury introduces ‘extraordinary measures’ as Feb. 27 debt deadline looms
RT - The US Treasury on Friday was forced to enact ‘emergency measures’ after spending its borrowed time and money. By month’s end, Uncle Sam’s piggy bank will be down to just $50 billion, US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew warned Congress.

Judge sides with US servicemen used as guinea pigs in terrifying Cold War experiment
RT - A federal judge has ruled the United States Army must quickly inform veterans of any potentially harmful health effects stemming from the secret medical and drug experiments conducted on them during the Cold War.

Survey: Most Enlistees Don't Value Commissaries
Military.com - Most active duty troops, especially enlistees, don't value the commissaries nearly as much as the government pays to operate them, according to a survey by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

Sweden doesn’t repeat unsafe and unnecessary vaccines to pets!
Dr. Jordan - The Swedes love their families, their children and even the ones with fur. The love showed up in the pets living long lives in happy human animal bond relationships. These pets live longer and in more health because they are NOT vaccinated into disease. Disease like cancer, autoimmune disease, allergies, asthma, atopy, anaphylaxis and eczema. Metal poisoning wasn’t taking place here.

Do You Make This Cancer-Inducing Pet Care Mistake?
Dr Becker - A recent study conducted by Tufts University showed that exposure to lawn pesticides raised the risk of canine malignant lymphoma by as much as 70 percent. Another study indicates that exposure to herbicide-treated lawns has been associated with a significantly higher bladder cancer risk in dogs.... Some pet parents don’t realize flea and tick preventives are actually pesticides, and in fact, the “spot-on” form of these products received an EPA warning five years ago.

Friday - February 7, 2014: - Today In History:
1795 - The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.
1818 - "Academician" began publication in New York City.
1922 - DeWitt and Lila Acheson Wallace offered 5,000 copies of "Reader's Digest" magazine for the first time.
1936 - The U.S. Vice President’s flag was established by executive order.
1943 - The U.S. government announced that shoe rationing would go into effect in two days.
1944 - During World War II, the Germans launched a counteroffensive at Anzio, Italy.
1962 - The U.S. government banned all Cuban imports and re-export of U.S. products to Cuba from other countries.
1964 - the Beatles arrived in the United States for the first time, giving rise to Beatlemania. (see original news article)
1974 - The nation of Grenada gained independence from Britain.
1977 - Russia launched Soyuz 24.
1984 - Space shuttle astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart made the first untethered space walk.
1985 - "New York, New York" became the official anthem of New York City.
1986 - Haitian President-for-Life Jean-Claude Duvalier fled his country ending 28 years of family rule.
1991 - The Rev. Jean-Bertrand Aristide was sworn in as Haiti's first democratically elected president.
1999 - King Hussein of Jordan died. His son was sworn in as king four hours after the announcement that his father had died.
2011 - AOL Inc. announced the $315 million purchase of The Huffington Post website.
2012 - A federal appeals court ruled California's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.

Hilarious Video Exposes What ‘Natural’ Products Really Mean
Natural Society - Millions have been duped by the use of corporate language within the food products industry — including myself before I became better educated about what terms like ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ really mean.

This Micro Documentary is a Perfect GMO Crash Course
Activist Post - Andrew Detemer, age 16, has recently released a perfect rundown of the issues concerning genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the food supply.

Thursday - February 6, 2014: - Today In History:
1778 - The U.S. gained official recognition from France as the two nations signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the Treaty of Alliance in Paris.
1788 - Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1815 - The state of New Jersey issued the first American railroad charter to John Stevens.
1899 - The U.S. Senate ratified a peace treaty between the U.S. and Spain.
1900 - The Holland Senate ratified the 1899 peace conference decree that created in international arbitration court at The Hague.
1911 - The first old-age home for pioneers opened in Prescott, AZ.
1959 - The U.S., for the first time, successfully test-fired a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile from Cape Canaveral.
1971 - NASA Astronaut Alan B. Shepard used a six-iron that he had brought inside his spacecraft and swung at three golf balls on the surface of the moon.
1987 - President Ronald Reagan turned 76 years old this day and became the oldest U.S. President in history.
1998 - Washington National Airport was renamed for U.S. President Ronald Reagan with the signing of a bill by U.S. President Clinton.
1999 - Excerpts of former White House intern Monica Lewinsky's videotaped testimony were shown at President Clinton's impeachment trial.
2000 - U.S. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton formally declared that she was a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat from the state of New York.
2001 - Ariel Sharon was elected Israeli prime minister.
2002 - A federal judge ordered John Walker Lindh to be held without bail pending trial. Lindh was known as the "American Taliban."
2004 - An explosion ripped through a Moscow subway car during rush hour, killing 41 people in a terrorist attack blamed on Chechen separatists.

Security pact snag: ‘Afghan government can’t afford to let the US lead the scene’
RT - The US’s bilateral security agreement is ready for signing, but Karzai won’t sign. He wants to extract more concessions from the US, and of course the Taliban is pushing Karzai from the other side, Frank Ledwidge, former British military officer, told RT.

VIDEO: Gaza cancer patients on rise due to Israel weapons
Press TV - “Thousands of tons of unconventional weapons containing carcinogenic agents were fired on Gaza in the last 14 years. Many of the weapons used by the Israeli forces are internationally banned and contain illegal substances that not only affect people but they also have long-term effects on the environment,” said Health Ministry Spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra.

Over 1,000 Syrian refugees granted Russian asylum says official
RT - A total number of Syrians who have officially applied for refuge in Russia is over 1,200, Vladimir Rucheikov said at gathering of the Presidential Council for Human Rights. His agency makes decisions about Syrian refugees mainly on humanitarian grounds, and he noted Syria is an unsafe place to live in.

Switzerland turns down Greece’s wish to retroactively tax Greeks’ bank deposits
keeptalkinggreece.com - Swiss Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf turned down the proposal of her Greek counterpart Yiannis Stournaras to impose taxes on Greeks’ bank accounts and transfer the money to Athens.

Olympic Threat: US Warns Airlines About Toothpaste Tube Bomb
ABC News - The Department of Homeland Security has issued a warning to U.S. and some foreign airlines traveling to Russia for the Olympic Games to be on the lookout for toothpaste containers, which some intelligence indicates may actually hold ingredients that could be used to construct a bomb aboard a plane, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.

Muslim Brotherhood Leader Meets Obama in White House
freebeacon.com - A senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood was recently hosted at the White House for a meeting with President Barack Obama, prompting an outcry from critics of the global Islamist organization.

Obama IRS to Share Private Financial Data With Russia’s Putin
Blacklisted News - The U.S. Treasury’s effort to secure a pseudo-treaty on data exchange with the Kremlin is part of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, a scheme passed in 2010 aiming to obliterate privacy worldwide under the guise of collecting about an extra billion dollars per year in revenue.

VIDEO: N Korea warns against South-US war games
Press TV - North Korea has warned that unless South Korea cancels scheduled military drills with the US, it would reconsider plans with Seoul to resume reunions for separated families.

In One Month, Everyone In Iceland Will Own Cryptocurrency
Motherboard - Each Icelandic citizen—all 330,000 of them—will receive 31.8 AUC [Auroracoin] through a digital transaction. Citizens all have a national ID number available through a public database, which will be used to verify their identity.

U.S. Postal Service Announces Giant Ammo Purchase
Kit Daniels - Post Office joins other federal agencies stockpiling over two billion rounds of ammo.... On Jan. 31, the USPS Supplies and Services Purchasing Office posted a notice on the Federal Business Opportunities website asking contractors to register with USPS as potential ammunition suppliers for a variety of cartridges.

Common Core Panelist Says “The Children Belong to All of Us”
Activist Post - Last Friday, a panel discussion at the Center for American Progress (CAP), a liberal think tank, was held to promote Common Core and discuss those who oppose it.

Government Schools Common Core Indoctrination
batr.org - Over the last half century, the public school establishment in America has achieved enormous results, if the intention was to dumb down the population. The term public is archaic, since the current age promotes an internationalist interdependency culture, where the state defines institutional roles and sanctions accepted standards.

Flashing Headlights to Warn of Speed Traps is Protected Speech, Judge Rules
The Daily Sheeple - Tony Rothert, an attorney with the ACLU, explained the basis for that claim: “If you’re at the gas station on the corner and someone says ‘hey be careful over there, there’s a speed trap’, that’s protected speech. You can’t be ticketed for that. This is no different.”

Cops Ordered to Return Over $1 Million Seized From Innocent Woman
The Daily Sheeple - In 2012, Tara Mishra decided to invest over one million dollars in a nightclub. Mishra gave the money to her future business partners, a married couple, to transport from California to New Jersey for her. The couple was pulled over for speeding along the way. What should have been a standard traffic stop completely turned Mishra’s life upside down.

Senior Congressman Attempts To Get FBI Director To Say Investigative Journalism Is A Crime
Steve Watson - During a hearing on the NSA’s surveillance program, Rogers, head of the House Intelligence Committee, implied that London Guardian journalist Greenwald is engaged in selling leaked documents to international press organizations. Rogers then actively encouraged FBI Director James Comey to agree with him that “fencing stolen material” is a crime.

New Gov’t Report: Obamacare to Cost 2 Million Jobs by 2017
The Daily Sheeple - In the latest in a string of lovely news regarding the so-called Affordable Care Act otherwise known as Obamacare, the Congressional Budget Office has released a brand new report concluding that 2 million jobs will be lost by 2017 because of the healthcare law.

28 Signs That The Middle Class Is Heading Toward Extinction
Economic Collapse - The death of the middle class in America has become so painfully obvious that now even the New York Times is doing stories about it.

Millions of Americans Teetering on Edge of Financial Ruin
Kurt Nimmo - A poll conducted by NBC News and Marist paints a bleak financial picture for millions of Americans. Nearly 20 percent, more than 40 million Americans, say they have a difficult time making ends meet.

Struggling US Postal Service looks to bitcoin for new revenue
RT - The USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) led a webinar last week on bitcoin and other digital currencies to “explore the possibilities” of setting up bitcoin and other digital-currency exchanges at post offices as a means of boosting revenue. The event included representatives of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Booz Allen Hamilton, and the World Bank, among others, MainStreet reported.

You really CAN love your pet like a child: Bond between dogs and their owners is 'similar to that of a parent and baby'
Daily Mail - Domestic dogs have been closely associated with humans for about 15,000 years and canines are so well adapted to living with human beings that in many cases the owner assumes the role of the dog's main social partner, according to a new study.

Wednesday - February 5, 2014: - Today In History:
1782 - The Spanish captured Minorca from the British.
1783 - Sweden recognized the independence of the United States.
1846 - "The Oregon Spectator", based in Oregon City, became the first newspaper published on the Pacific coast.
1881 - Phoenix, AZ, was incorporated.
1917 - Mexico's constitution was adopted.
1917 - The U.S. Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1917 (Asiatic Barred Zone Act) with an overwhelming majority. The action overrode President Woodrow Wilson's December 14, 1916 veto.
1924 - The BBC time signals, or "pips", from Greenwich Observatory were heard for the first time. They are broadcast every hour.
1937 - U.S. President Roosevelt proposed enlarging the U.S. Supreme Court. The plan failed.
1952 - In New York City, four signs were installed at 44th Street and Broadway in Times Square that told pedestrians "don't walk."
1982 - Great Britain imposed economic sanctions against Poland and Russia in protest against martial law in Poland.
1987 - The Dow Jones industrial average closed above the 2,200-point for the first time. The market closed at 2201.49.
1988 - A pair of indictments were unsealed in Florida, accusing Panama's military leader, Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega, of bribery and drug trafficking.
1997 - Switzerland's "Big Three" banks announced they would create a $71 million fund for Holocaust victims and their families.
1997 - Investment bank Morgan Stanley announced a $10 billion merger with Dean Witter.
2002 - A federal grand jury indicted John Walker Lindh, the so-called "American Taliban," alleging that he was trained by Osama bin Laden's network and that he conspired with the Taliban to kill Americans.
2003 - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell presented evidence to the U.N. concerning Iraq's material breach of U.N. Resolution 1441.

Contractors flood into Iraq to give Al-Qaeda a run for the money
RT - The rapidly developing Al-Qaeda incursion is forcing the Iraqi government not only to buy more American weapons and supplies, but also to payroll an army of mercenaries and private contractors, previously hired by the US Defense Department.

Syrian opposition, govt ready to move forward with Geneva 2 peace talks
RT - The Syrian National Coalition says it will take part in the second round of Geneva 2 talks. Russia says the Syrian government expressed "no doubts" that it will also attend, adding that it plans to send a shipment of chemical agents out of the country.

Soros & Corporate Group Predicts Terrorism at Winter Olympics
Kurt Nimmo - Internationalist group believes threat may not come from Muslim North Caucasus region. The International Crisis Group (IGC) is predicting a terrorist attack in Sochi during the Winter Olympics. The NGO has issued a report, “Too Far, Too Fast: Sochi, Tourism and Conflict in the Caucasus,” analyzing the potential for violence at the games.

Rep. Rogers: Limit On Illegal Drone Kills Puts America at Risk
Kurt Nimmo - The chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Mike Rogers, said Americans are in danger due to a reported limit on drone strikes. Pakistan and Amnesty International call for end to drone strikes.

Europe exposed: over $3 trillion in emerging market loans
RT - The Fragile Five, BRICS and MINT are acronyms for countries like Turkey, Mexico, Indonesia, and China that are at the focus of the emerging crisis. But Europe may be the most vulnerable, as banks have more than $3.4 trillion in loans in shaky markets.

The Stock Market In Japan Is COLLAPSING
Economic Collapse - Did you see what just happened in Japan? The stock market of the 3rd largest economy on the planet is imploding. On Tuesday, the Nikkei fell by more than 610 points.

Thousands of Chechen, Saudi militants fight in Syria: Reports
Press TV - According to the reports, some 14,000 militants from Chechnya have joined foreign-backed militant groups in Syria, making them the first in the ranking of the countries the Syria militants originate from.

VIDEO: 4800 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel: official
Press TV - The Israeli regime is currently holding captive over 4800 Palestinians, including children and women, according to a Palestinian official.

Goldman to Fidelity Call for Calm After Global Stock Wipeout
Bloomberg - Panic is making an enemy of telephones for Catherine Yeung, the director for equities at Fidelity Investment Management Ltd. in Hong Kong.

First in the nation: Arizona senate committee passes 4th Amendment Protection Act to thwart NSA spying
Activist Post - On Monday, an Arizona state senate committee became the first legislative body in the country to pass a bill designed to thwart surveillance programs from the National Security Agency (NSA).

Let’s Not Give Up Our Right to Name Names
AHA - Recently, we told you about newly proposed IRS rules that would say what we are allowed to tell you and what not. To give just one example, we would be forced to remove every single reference to a candidate’s connection to any legislation from our website sixty days before an election—giving incumbents a free pass to introduce legislation with almost no public scrutiny.

Justice Antonin Scalia says World War II-style internment camps could happen again
Washington Examiner - Justice Antonin Scalia predicts that the Supreme Court will eventually authorize another a wartime abuse of civil rights such as the internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War II.

Cops SWAT Innocent Family, Destroy Home Security Cameras To Cover Up Evidence
Steve Watson - Armed militarized police in Iowa smashed their way into the home of an innocent family last week and discovered that they were being filmed on home security cameras. The response paints a vivid picture, as one officer ripped a camera from the wall, while another covered up a second camera to prevent the raid being documented.

Wisconsin School Gets Kids to Snitch on Parents
Activist Post - The game is called “Cross the Line” and many outraged parents believe that it does just that. A middle school in Marinette, Wisconsin got a group of 5th-8th graders together and organized a really fun game that asked students to step forward to answer “yes” to a series of highly personal questions.

You can’t celebrate America, school says
Fox News - Students and parents at a Colorado high school are outraged after administrators turned down their request for a spirit week day honoring America because it might offend non-Americans.... The irony, said the students, is that they are required to participate in Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

House Intelligence Committee Floats Idea Of Jailing Journalists
Liberty Crier - A House Intelligence Committee Hearing looking into worldwide threats to U.S. National security focused in on Edward Snowden and the ongoing NSA disclosures. It was there that Chairman Mike Rogers (R-MI) suggested that journalists brokering the Snowden documents are breaking the law.

US Army faces massive recruiting fraud scandal
(AFP) - Criminal investigators suspect hundreds of US Army soldiers exploited a recruitment program to receive illegal kickbacks worth more than $29 million, lawmakers and officials said.

Harvard Economist Fears Starting “Bank Run” on BoA by Withdrawing $1 Million
Paul Joseph Watson - Former Harvard Professor of Economics Terry Burnham fears starting a “run” on Bank of America after he made public his decision to withdraw $1 million dollars from his checking account as a protest against Janet Yellen beginning her term as Federal Reserve head this month.

A Rash of Deaths and a Missing Reporter – With Ties to Wall Street Investigations
Wall Street On Parade - In a span of four days last week, two current executives and one recently retired top ranking executive of major financial firms were found dead. Both media and police have been quick to label the deaths as likely suicides. Missing from the reports is the salient fact that all three of the financial firms the executives worked for are under investigation for potentially serious financial fraud.

Dell layoffs this week: 15,000 to be hit says report
zdnet.com - Dell's expected layoff programme is expected to begin this week, and over 15,000 people may lose their jobs worldwide. Insiders speaking to the Register say that the PC giant's restructuring operation has resulted in cuts in every department, "some of these have already been downsized and are now being told to cut 15 per cent more heads."

Senate passes farm bill, sends to Obama for signature
CNBC News - The U.S. Senate gave final congressional approval on Tuesday to a nearly $1 trillion farm bill that trims food stamps for the poor, expands federal crop insurance and ends direct payments to farmers, and sent it to President Barack Obama for his expected signature.

The Farm Bill: Three Big Wins, but One Dangerous Fluoride Amendment
AHA - Section 10015, which was slipped in behind closed doors by Dow AgroScience’s lobbyists, overturns an EPA ruling that pesticide residues must be included in calculations of safe levels of fluoride exposure. By removing pesticide residues from the equation, this amendment almost guarantees that Americans will be exposed to higher levels of toxic fluoride, while thinking they’re consuming safe levels.

California Drought: What Crops Will Be Hit First and Hardest?
ABC News - Consumers can expect to see a shortage of crops in some vegetables and fruit crops that they would normally see in the grocery stores such as broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, things like that." Fields left unplanted will create a ripple effect on the state's economy with fewer jobs for farm workers and truck drivers. Related: California faces $5 billion loss...

California's Vital Role in Food Production
standeyo.com - Below are some of the top crops and percentage of the nation's supply produced in California.

Vaccinations: Your Very Own Waiver
vitalanimal.com - Did you know that, even if you get a postcard saying your animal’s rabies vaccination is now due, that many times, you have an automatic waiver in place that even your veterinarian may overlook? It’s true. It’s called the label on every drug and vaccine, including rabies vaccines. Related: States with Medical Exemptions and Annual Rabies Vaccination Waiver Form

Tuesday - February 4, 2014: - Today In History:
1783 - Britain declared a formal cessation of hostilities with its former colonies, the United States of America.
1789 - Electors unanimously chose George Washington to be the first president of the United States.
1847 - In Maryland, the first U.S. Telegraph Company was established.
1861 - Delegates from six southern states met in Montgomery, AL, to form the Confederate States of America.
1895 - The Van Buren Street Bridge opened in Chicago, IL.
1904 - The Russo-Japanese War began after Japan laid siege to Port Arthur.
1932 - The first Winter Olympics were held in the United States at Lake Placid, NY.
1941 - The United Service Organizations (USO) was created.
1945 - During World War II, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began a conference at Yalta to outline plans for Germany's defeat.
1974 - Patricia (Patty) Hearst was kidnapped in Berkeley, CA, by the Symbionese Liberation Army.
1985 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan's defense budget called for a tripling of the expenditure on the "Star Wars" research program.
1997 - A civil jury in California found O.J. Simpson liable in the death of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Goldman's parents were awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages.
1997 - Two Israeli troop-carrying helicopters collided on their way to Lebanon, all 73 soldiers and airmen aboard were killed.
2003 - Yugoslavia was formally dissolved by lawmakers. The country was replaced with a loose union of its remaining two republics, Serbia and Montenegro.
2004 - The social networking website Facebook was launched.

Monday - February 3, 2014: - Today In History:
1783 - Spain recognized the independence of the United States.
1809 - The territory of Illinois was created.
1900 - In Frankfort, KY, gubernatorial candidate William Goebels died from an assassin's bullet wounds. On August 18, 1900, Ex-Sec. of State Caleb Powers was found guilt of conspiracy to murder Gov. Goebels.
1913 - The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. It authorized the power to impose and collect income tax.
1917 - The U.S. broke off diplomatic relations with Germany, which had announced a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare.
1918 - The Twin Peaks Tunnel began service. It is the longest streetcar tunnel in the world at 11,920 feet.
1927 - The Federal Radio Commission was created when U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signed a bill.
1945 - Russia agreed to enter World War II against Japan.
1951 - Dick Button won the U.S. figure skating title for the sixth time.
1951 - The Tennessee Williams play, "The Rose Tattoo", opened on Broadway in New York.
1966 - The first rocket-assisted controlled landing on the Moon was made by the Soviet space vehicle Luna IX.
1969 - At the Palestinian National Congress in Cairo, Yasser Arafat was appointed leader of the PLO.
1984 - Challenger 4 was launched as the tenth space shuttle mission.
1988 - The U.S. House of Representatives handed rejected U.S. President Reagan's request for at least $36.25 million in aid to the Nicaraguan Contras.
1998 - Texas executed Karla Faye Tucker. She was the first woman executed in the U.S. since 1984.
2009 - Eric Holder was sworn in as attorney general. He was the first African-American to hold the post.