World News

Iran Business Ties to Be Revealed Under U.S. Senate Legislation
Bloomberg - Committee Chairman Tim Johnson, a South Dakota Democrat, and senior Republican Richard Shelby of Alabama circulated a legislative draft yesterday that would require companies traded on U.S. stock exchanges to reveal any Iran-related business to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The proposed sanctions come on top of an array of new penalties imposed on Iran by the U.S. and the European Union over the past three months. The senators said they plan to seek a committee vote on their bill Feb. 2.

Iran vows to stop "some" oil sales as inspectors visit
(Reuters) - Iran sent conflicting signals in a dispute with the West over its nuclear ambitions, vowing to stop oil exports soon to "some" countries but postponing a parliamentary debate on a proposed halt to crude sales to the European Union.

Gulf Arabs have plans against Hormuz closure: official
(Reuters) - Coastguards and naval forces of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) group of Arab countries have contingency plans for a possible attempt by Iran to shut the Strait of Hormuz, a Kuwaiti maritime official said on Monday. Five of the six GCC members - Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Kuwait - rely on the world's most important energy shipping lane being open to export most of their oil or gas.

VIDEO: China infuriated by US-Philippines defense plans
RT - The US decision to station forces in the Philippines could have dangerous repercussions. Beijing may enact economic sanctions after Manila invited in US troops in response to an escalating territorial dispute over the South China Sea. Dr. Pak-Nung Wong of the City University of Hong Kong told RT that the Philippines is merely cashing in on America's move.

Iraqis terrified of US drones
RT - America’s War in Iraq has finally ended, but the same can’t be said about the United States’ presence overseas. Iraqis are now outraged that the US is operating a fleet of surveillance drone aircraft planes over the country.... Adnan al-Asadi, the acting minister of interior in Iraq, tells the New York Times, “Our sky is our sky, not the USA’s sky.” To American authorities, however, policing the world requires no boundaries. Military contractors speaking of the case seem to think that other nations are next, too.

State Dept: Americans take refuge at Cairo embassy
(AP) - Three American citizens barred from leaving Egypt have sought refuge at the American Embassy in Cairo amid growing tensions between the two allies over an Egyptian investigation into foreign-funded pro-democracy groups. The White House said Monday it was disappointed with Egypt's handing of the issue, which U.S. officials have warned could stand in the way of more than $1 billion in badly needed U.S. aid.

France will tax all financial transactions
RT - France is to introduce a tax on financial services in August this year. The 0.1% Tobin Tax, as it is called, could bring in as much as a billion Euros to the national budget.

Mexican official flies with $1.9M in luggage
(AP) - A Mexican state official was detained as he got off a government-owned plane with $1.9 million crammed into a briefcase and a backpack, prosecutors announced Monday, touching off allegations of campaign finance violations tied to the upcoming presidential election.

Australia: Lobby Group Formed to Remove Alternative Medicine, Chiropractic Courses from Universities
The mainstream medical practitioners in Australia seem to think that alternative medicine has no place, and chose to form a powerful lobby group to pressure universities to get rid of any alternative medicine degrees. The group, comically calling themselves ‘Friends of Science in Medicine’, have even openly denounced alternative medicine as ‘quackery’. They specifically stated that universities offering these alternative degrees are ruining their reputation by giving “undeserved credibility to what in many cases would be better described as quackery” and by “failing to champion evidence-based science and medicine.”

Lockheed Martin leads super lobbying from U.S. defense industry
Washington Post - Defense contractors Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and Raytheon spent a combined $33.4 million on lobbying in Washington last year, a 10 percent increase from 2010, as Congress and the Obama administration weighed cuts in the Pentagon budget. A review of lobbying disclosures filed with the Senate by a Jan. 20 deadline showed that Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest defense company, led such spending last year with $15 million for lobbying, a 19 percent increase.

Doctor who led us to bin Laden was CIA agent, says US - The Independent
Independent - The United States has confirmed publicly for the first time that a Pakistani doctor long suspected of collecting vital evidence before the assassination of Osama bin Laden was indeed working for them. Dr Afridi, the medic in charge of health in the Khyber, was recruited by the CIA to collect DNA evidence from the children inside the compound to confirm that they were Bin Laden's – he rarely went anywhere without them for long. The plan was to mount a local hepatitis vaccination programme; ostensibly a public health initiative, its real purpose was to establish the genetics of the people inside the compound.

UK riots: paratroopers are trained in riot control
Telegraph - Hundreds of soldiers from 3rd battalion The Parachute Regiment spent last week learning how to contain and arrest "rioters" in a series of exercises mirroring last summers violence. Defence sources have confirmed that if violence were to return to British cities, especially during the Olympic Games, the Paras would be "ideally placed" to provide "short-term" support to police forces around the UK.

Bridge in Mexico is freighted with dreams
Washington Post - Mexico’s $1.5 billion “superhighway” could be hijacked by the country’s powerful drug cartels. “This is a symbol of the prosperity we want for Mexico, a symbol of the Mexico of the future,” President Felipe Calderon declared at the dedication ceremony for the bridge. That the Baluarte was built by Mexican engineers was a special point of pride, he said — proof that the country stands with the industrial giants of the world. But there is ample reason to worry that Mexico’s superlative road could also serve as a super-conduit for drug trafficking.

U.S. Defense Department can't account for billions for Iraq, audit - CNN
CNN - The U.S. Defense Department cannot account for about $2 billion it was given to cover Iraq-related expenses and is not providing Iraq with a complete ... records are missing," the report says, adding that the department is searching for them.

Prescription heart drugs kill dozens of hospital patients in Pakistan
(NaturalNews) Tainted pharmaceuticals from unnamed manufacturers are confirmed to have killed dozens of people, and likely many more, in Pakistan. Reuters reports that thousands of doses of contaminated heart drugs freely distributed by the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, a government-run hospital in Lahore, caused patients to experience heavy bleeding and symptoms described as being similar to dengue fever -- and at least 77 patients have died because of the tainted drugs.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Emboldened GOP wants to abolish state income taxes
(AP) - A year after Republicans swept into office across the country, many have trained their sights on what has long been a fiscal conservative's dream: the steep reduction or even outright elimination of state income taxes. The idea has circulated among academics and think-tank researchers for years. But it's moving quietly into mainstream political discourse, despite the fact that such sweeping changes would almost certainly mean a total rewiring of tax systems at a time when most states are still struggling in the aftermath of the recession.

British Pair Arrested in United States on Terror Charges Over Tweet Joke
Intel Hub - Two British tourists were arrested by the Department of Homeland Security and denied entry to the country after posting two tweets that were apparently considered terrorist threats by overzealous agents who did not posses even rudimentary knowledge of the difference between British and American English.... The tweets that caused their detention as possible terrorists were so obviously non threatening that the fact that agents tasked with protecting our country would not see this shows just how far down the police state hole America has actually gone.

Indy Super Bowl: National Security State Protects Sports Fans from Prostitutes
Kurt Nimmo - In Indianapolis, local cops and the FBI have set-up a massive surveillance grid ahead of the Super Bowl, slated for February 5th. The heightened security – including a smartphone photo and video surveillance network, the installation of 150 new manhole covers, and the virtual lockdown of a 44-block area – is not in response to a possible attack by al-Qaeda, but will be used to detect “signs of pickpocketing, prostitution or other trouble.”

California lawmaker wants ban on ICE detainers… despite risk to the public
Examiner.com - Don’t look now: illegal alien advocacy groups are dictating Federal policies. On Saturday, California Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) held a press conference at St. Mary’s Cathedral to announce he is sponsoring legislation to counter the federal Secure Communities program, which requires local law jails to share the fingerprint data of all arrestees with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Many illegal alien advocacy groups are complaining that the federal program has resulted in too many deportations.

VIDEO: Government School: Six Year Old Guilty of Sexual Assault After Playing Tag
Kurt Nimmo - In politically correct San Francisco, a six year old boy was charged with sexual assault after playing a game of tag on the playground. The child was accused of brushing his best friend’s leg or groin while the two were playing on the playground at Lupine Hills Elementary in Hercules two months ago, according to CBS in San Francisco. The parent of the child said his son was held in the principal’s office and interrogated. The school coerced a confession from the child. He was suspended and a sexual battery charge was placed on his permanent school record, even though there is no such thing as sexual assault for a six year-old in California.

2012 Election News

Ron Paul to be the #2 Candidate by mid-February
The Monitor - This week, Ron Paul is likely to win more delegates to the 2012 GOP convention than either Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum. In fact, he’s likely to win more delegates than Gingrich and Santorum combined. “Hold it”, you’re saying, “How can that be? Rep. Paul’s polling in single digits in Florida. He’s going to finish behind Gingrich and Santorum, as well as Mitt Romney, in Tuesday’s Florida primary. How can that translate into beating any of his rivals at all?” We’ll tell you how – because he’s not winning those delegates in Florida. He’s winning, or will probably win, at least a few delegates in Maine.

VIDEO: Ron Paul for the Long Haul
Freedom Watch Jan.30, 2012 - Rep. Ron Paul, (R-Texas), gives us an update from the campaign trail and his strategy to win in 2012.

YouTube: Ron Paul On The Kudlow Report 01-30-12
Dollar Would Be Linked To Gold At Fixed Rate.

YouTube: Ron Paul backer: "You would never hear of a 'former' Ron Paul supporter"
RT - On Tuesday, Florida is holding its primaries where Floridians will take to the polls to voice who will best represent the Republican Party. Although Mitt Romney is the GOP favorite, Ron Paul refuses to go away and many feel he is taking votes away from the other candidate. But now some conservatives are saying enough is enough and are asking Ron Paul to remove himself from the race. A petition has started an attempt to make this happen, but many argue that's what votes are for. Mary Willison, a Ron Paul supporter and volunteer organizer, joins us to give us her take on the petition.

VIDEO: Oregon Tests Voting On iPads
ABC News Watch - Oregon's secretary of state is in Medford unveiling new ways to bring in more voters in the next election. Some of the options include being able to register to vote online and being able to vote on a device like an iPad. The Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown says the best way to reach voters is to use technology, whether that's by letting students know they can register to vote online, or by allowing people with disabilities to vote on an iPad.... The state is giving a test run to let disabled people vote on an iPad for the District 1 Special Election this month.

VIDEO: Dr. Funny Bone: A "King Killer;" GOP should "Laugh at him, at their own peril" - 1/29/12 MSNBC Video
MSNBC's 'Now w/Alex Wagner' featured a small piece that focused on Ron Paul, calling him "Dr. Funny Bone" and "The King of the One-Liner," due to all his great humor in the last debate. Surprisingly, they actually praised Paul, with one saying "He's gonna be in this race for the long haul", followed by a commentator saying "the longer he can use his momentum and the spotlight to get his ideas out there, all the better.. As long as the liberal media stops making fun of him so much". - MSNBC bashing FOX, and themselves, kind of funny.

'We Like Ron Paul' - Fox News Focus Group and Fox Five Panel
America Live with Megyn Kelly on Fox News: January 27, 2012.

Wolf Blitzer says that Ron Paul is the only candidate that will reduce spending
Wolf Blitzer of CNN, The Situation Room, says that Ron Paul is the only candidate that will actually reduce spending. The other candidates are only committed to reducing the rate of the increase in spending. He says this is an important difference between the Republican Presidential Candidates.

YouTube: Ron Paul's Texas Straight Talk 1/30/12
Failed Fed Policies Prolong the Agony.

Newt Gingrich's agenda-setting big donor
Sheldon Adelson's Super Pac funding has heavily backed Gingrich – and found him a firm pro-Israel and anti-Muslim ally. By donating $10m to the pro-Newt Gingrich Super Pac campaign, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, one of the richest men in the US, and his physician wife, Dr Miriam Adelson, have kept Gingrich in the Republican primary race, and given him the resources to win in South Carolina and, potentially, in Florida, without having to build a large donor base.

Veterans News

'World eternally contaminated by US DU'
The United States has perpetually contaminated the world, particularly the Middle East, by using massive amounts of depleted uranium (DU) in its wars, an analyst tells Press TV. The US government has notoriously used weaponized depleted uranium on humans, including in the following instances: 340 tons during the first Persian Gulf War in 1991; in every missile used during the 1998 Yugoslavian invasion; at least 1,000 tons in Afghanistan in 2001; and 2,400 tons in Iraq in 2003. Depleted uranium is radioactive and extremely destructive to humans. It takes 4.5 billion years for one kilogram of depleted uranium to reduce to a half a kilogram.

Occupy Wall Street Protest

Arrests in Oakland protests rise to more than 400
(Reuters) - Crews cleaned up Oakland's historic City Hall on Sunday from damage inflicted overnight during violent anti-Wall Street protests that resulted in about 400 arrests, marking one of the largest mass arrests since nationwide protests began last year. At a press conference on Sunday, Oakland police and city officials said they did not have a final tally of arrests. Earlier in the day, the city's emergency operations office put the figure at around 400. The skirmishes injured three officers and at least one demonstrator.

Mayor Jean Quan wants OWS to disown Occupy Oakland
RT - In Oakland, California where the Occupy Wall Street movement has spawned a series of intense demonstrations, Mayor Jean Quan has run out of ways to try and put out the flames of the fiery protests.

World News

United Nations Preparing to Manage Global Mental Health
Activist Post - Unfortunately, national sovereignty rarely enters into the equation anymore, as the average citizen tends to look straight to the United Nations to address their concerns, bypassing their own governments. As case in point, a recent report by AFP, entitled, “Experts urge U.N. to address mental health,” discusses how a recent article in PLoS Medicine, a reputable medical journal, has called for the United Nations General Assembly to develop a plan to tackle mental, neurological, and substance-abuse disorders (MNS).

VIDEO: On a mission: UN nuclear watchdog arrives in Iran
RT -January 28, 2012 - UN nuclear inspectors have arrived in Iran to examine the county’s atomic activities. Tehran says it hopes the visit will remove western allegations of nuclear weapon development.

Pentagon Seeks Mightier Bomb vs. Iran
WSJ - Pentagon war planners have concluded that their largest conventional bomb isn't yet capable of destroying Iran's most heavily fortified underground facilities, and are stepping up efforts to make it more powerful, according to U.S. officials briefed on the plan.

US and Israel revive largest joint anti-missile drills
RT - Now after a brief delay, America will send thousands of troops and its anti-missile defense systems to Israel, albeit a few months later than planned. With the exercise back in the books, it could mean that an eventual war between the US and Iran is still in the works — and now the world has a timeline to see it through. Speaking off the record, both US and Israeli authorities tell the JTA news wire that tensions with Iran indeed played a role in the rescheduling, but declined to say how exactly.

Navy wants commando ‘mothership’ in Middle East
Washington Post - The Pentagon is rushing to send a large floating base for commando teams to the Middle East as tensions rise with Iran, al-Qaeda in Yemen and Somali pirates, among other threats. In response to requests from U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, the Navy is converting an aging warship it had planned to decommission into a makeshift staging base for the commandos. Unofficially dubbed a “mothership,” the floating base could accommodate smaller high-speed boats and helicopters commonly used by Navy SEALs, procurement documents show.

YouTube: USS Enterprise False Flag???
Interesting observation. Possible False flag operation on USS Enterprise to blame Iran…

US to expand network of secret bases
The new strategy would assign specific US-based army brigades and marine expeditionary units to different regions of the world, where they would travel regularly for joint exercises and other missions, using permanent facilities and the forward-staging bases that some advisers call “lily pads”.

Gulf States to arm Syrian opposition?
RT - Gulf State opponents of the regime in Syria, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have reportedly come to an agreement to offer financial aid to Syria’s flagging opposition movement for the purchase of much-needed arms. A secret meeting has been conducted between opposition leaders and Saudi and Qatari officials to discuss funding for the movement’s dwindling weapons supply.

Syria: Watch the weather forecast
RT - Ankhar Kochneva, writer and sole foreign journalist permanently living in Syria, tells RT what is really up in the country, who funds the opposition, how international media fake images of unrest and why it is so important to watch weather forecasts.

Iran arrests journalists, to execute bloggers
Washington Examiner - "In the past two weeks, security forces have reportedly arrested four journalists," the U.S. State Department said in a statement, "including Shahram Manouchehri, Sahamedin Bourghani, Parastoo Dokouhaki, and Marzieh Rasouli, and Iranian courts confirmed death sentences for bloggers Saeed Malekpour and Vahid Asghari, both of whom were not accorded due process and now face imminent execution on charges of 'spreading corruption.'"

European Parliament Official In Charge Of ACTA Quits, And Denounces The 'Masquerade' Behind ACTA
This is interesting. Kader Arif, the "rapporteur" for ACTA [Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement], has quit that role in disgust over the process behind getting the EU to sign onto ACTA. A rapporteur is a person "appointed by a deliberative body to investigate an issue." However, it appears his investigation of ACTA didn't make him very pleased...

120 people convicted for not filling in UK census form
Guardian - At least 120 people have been convicted for failing to complete their 2011 census forms, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. While some may have simply forgotten, others see themselves as conscientious objectors who are being prosecuted for refusing to fill out the forms because of the involvement of the defence contractor Lockheed Martin UK, which won the £150m contract to run the census.

Wrong addressee? Large stash of cocaine arrives at UN HQ
RT - Police in New York have seized two bags containing 16 kg of cocaine at the UN’s mail center. The unusual shipment had been sent from Mexico City and apparently was not intended to end up at the global organization’s headquarters.

Costa offers $14,460 per person for ruined cruise
(AP) — Costa Crociere SpA is offering uninjured passengers euro11,000 ($14,460) apiece to compensate them for lost baggage and psychological trauma after its cruise ship ran aground and capsized off Tuscany when the captain deviated from his route.... The deal does not apply to the hundreds of crew on the ship, the roughly 100 cases of people injured or the families who lost loved ones. Passengers are free to pursue legal action on their own if they aren't satisfied with the deal.

Monsanto Investor Bill Gates Says GMO Crops Needed to Fight Starvation
Activist Post - Bill Gates, the heavy Monsanto investor who purchased 500,000 shares of the biotech giant in 2010, has been touting Monsanto’s genetically modified creations as a tool that is necessary to prevent starvation in poor nations. The same poor nations where thousands of farmers routinely commit suicide after being completely bankrupt by Monsanto’s overpriced and ineffective GM seeds.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

U.S. Defense Department can't account for billions for Iraq
The U.S. Defense Department cannot account for about $2 billion it was given to cover Iraq-related expenses and is not providing Iraq with a complete list of U.S.-funded reconstruction projects, according to two new government audits.

Welfare Drug Testing Bill Withdrawn After Amended To Include Testing Lawmakers
Huffington Post - A Republican member of the Indiana General Assembly withdrew his bill to create a pilot program for drug testing welfare applicants Friday after one of his Democratic colleagues amended the measure to require drug testing for lawmakers. The Supreme Court ruled drug testing for political candidates unconstitutional in 1997, striking down a Georgia law. McMillin said he withdrew his bill so he could reintroduce it on Monday with a lawmaker drug testing provision that would pass constitutional muster.

BirtherReport.com/ObamaReleaseYourRecords.com Leads to Arrest of an Obot who Threatened to Kill Sheriff Joe for his Investigation into Obama's Eligibility
(Warning: Contains disturbing language) A 33-year-old man in Phoenix has been arrested for threatening to kill Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his family. The threat comes in response to the Sheriff's office's investigation into the legitimacy of Obama's birth certificate. Cox's mother confirmed with police that he is an avid supporter of president Obama and police say he has a history of assault.

YouTube: Susan Daniels Testifies in Atlanta: Obama's Social Security Number is Fraudulent
P.I. Susan Daniels Testifies that Obama's Social Security Number is fraudulant in the January 26 2012 hearing in Atlanta Georga. This interview was given by Ms. Daniels after the noon recess was granted.

Obama Blocked In 5 States From Primary Ballot
Obama’s Worst Nightmare, Legal Immigration. Constitution Stands in the State of Georgia,Alabama,New Hampshire,Mass, Illinois. Related article here.

Politicians Who Received Money for SOPA Vote
North Shore Tea Party - Here is a list of politicians in favor of the bill known as SOPA and PIPA and the amounts of money they received from the SOPA backers who bought their favor in voting yes for both bills.

New Jersey bill aims to ban all handgun, some rifle ammo
Aaron Dykes - In an end-run around an all out gun ban, the New Jersey Assembly Law & Public Safety Committee is set to consider legislation that would ban ammunition under the auspices of protecting police. The language seemingly targets the already prohibited ‘armor piercing ammunition’ but would encompass any ammo that is deemed to “pose a threat to the safety and well being of law enforcement.” Ammoland is reporting that “Common hunting, target, and self-defense ammunition would be subject to ban, along with BB’s, airgun pellets, and non-metallic ammunition like plastic airsoft pellets.”

VIDEO: Florida Police roll out video surveillance truck called The Peacemaker
Sun Sentinel - "Warning: You are under video surveillance," reads the bold message on the side of the truck. From the front bumper of the menacing vehicle, another sign taunts: "Whatcha gonna do when we come for you?" The truck is a new weapon for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department in the fight against drugs and neighborhood nuisances, and it looks like a Winnebago on steroids. They call it "The Peacemaker," and it may be a first in South Florida.

Militarized Drills Continue: Stadiums Prepped to Be Used as Martial Law Staging Centers
Intel Hub - By now you may have heard of the many FEMA camps located throughout the United States which will serve as holding centers for U.S. citizens during times of civil unrest. The camps are no conspiracy theory and they happen to be popping up at a rapid rate in the Continental United States (CONUS). In fact, Infowars recently reported on a new detention hub located at the Los Angeles Airport (LAX). But what about the fact that every stadium is a FEMA camp hiding in plain sight, stagnantly awaiting its grim use one day in the near future? (Think New Orleans Super Dome)

Pentagon's new budget: Rise of the machines
RT - The Pentagon detailed the Defense Department cuts on Thursday that US President Barack Obama hinted at earlier in the month.

Obama hosts George H.W. and Jeb Bush at White House
Unbeknownst to the press, President Obama met Friday evening with former president George H.W. Bush and his son, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, in the Oval Office.... When asked what the men discussed and why it wasn't on the schedule, the White House released a statement saying, “The three men enjoyed a personal visit in the Oval Office – as they have done on previous occasions when President Bush is Washington.”

Washington State Looking to Follow Constitution and Legalize Gold and Silver
Daily Paul - HB 2731 was dropped this week by Rep. Cary Condotta, Rep. Matt Shea, and Rep. Overstreet to legalize gold and silver as legal tender in WA St. as directed by the US Constitution.

New Mexico man arrested, drugged, detained for two years; now wins $22 million reward verdict in lawsuit
(NaturalNews) After spending two years in solitary confinement without ever having been convicted of a crime, 58-year-old Stephen Slevin has finally been awarded a whopping $22 million from a federal jury for his improper treatment by Dona Ana County in New Mexico. The Miami Herald reports that Slevin had originally been arrested for drunk driving back in 2005, but ended up spending most of the following two years alone and neglected in solitary confinement, thanks to someone checking a box on a form that categorized Slevin as "suicidal."

2012 Election News

YouTube: Ron Paul on CNN State of the Union 01/29/12
1/29/12.

Ron Paul WINS Tennessee Republican Assembly Straw Poll
January 28, 2012 - Ron Paul: 200 votes (63.3%), Rick Santorum: 62 votes (19.6%), Newt Gingrich: 38 votes (12%), Mitt Romney; 15 votes (4%).

VIDEO: 'Endorse Liberty' Super PAC to Broadcast 30 Minute Ron Paul TV Special in Florida
MIAMI, Jan 27, 2012 (Business Wire) -- Endorse Liberty, a political action committee supporting Ron Paul for President, announced today that it has purchased multiple 30 minute prime time slots on Florida's WHDT TV, the largest independent broadcaster in Florida and America's first HD network, to air a special program in advance of the Florida Republican primary. The special features short films about the candidate, including "Blowback," which outlines Ron Paul's foreign and military policy for America.

BREAKING: Nevada GOP Changing The Rules!
The presidential campaign of Texas Rep. Ron Paul is calling it “underhanded” and “completely unacceptable” that the Nevada GOP has scheduled a special evening caucus in Las Vegas on Feb. 4 to accommodate billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. Carl Bunce, Nevada campaign chair to the Paul campaign, reacted forcefully to a Chronicle report that the state GOP Thursday confirmed the decision to go ahead with the special caucus beginning at 6 p.m. A party official told the Chronicle the special caucus would “accommodate those with religious restrictions.”

VIDEO "Why Paul Sees An Opening To The Nomination, In Maine"
Jan 27, 2012 - Ron Paul in Maine looking for delegates.

Ron Paul Endorsed By Maine State Rep. Aaron Libby
FALMOUTH, Maine – 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul was endorsed today by Maine State Representative Aaron Libby (R-Waterboro). Representing the 139th District, Rep. Libby serves an area comprised of Waterboro and part of Lyman. At a town hall event featuring Ron Paul in Alfred, Rep. Libby made his endorsement public before the crowd of Paul supporters....

Ron Paul endorsed by Linda Bean, the granddaughter of L.L. Bean Co and founder and a prominent Republican activist in the state
Washington Post - The Texas congressman was campaigning Saturday in Maine, which holds caucuses beginning Feb. 4. He spoke to an overflow crowd at the University of Southern Maine and held an outdoor rally outside the famed L.L. Bean store in Freeport. He picked up the endorsement of Linda Bean, the granddaughter of the Bean company founder and a prominent Republican activist in the state.

VIDEO: Ron Paul To CNN's John King: "I don't know how long you want to beat a dead horse!"
January 27, 2012 - CNN is still asking about Ron Paul's "racist" news letters, Later asked about his medical records, Ron Paul mentions that he doesn't even take any medications.

REDSTATE: The Jacksonville Brawl
Then there was Ron Paul. Many of us quickly dismiss Ron Paul, but his performance was stellar. He offered extremely sound responses on healthcare, education, border security, and more. Very few of the questions were on foreign policy, which is where he tends to go off the reservation. Last night he came off as warm, funny, and right on the mark. It was his best debate performance.

VIDEO: Colonel Douglas Macgregor: "Ron Paul Best For National Defense"
Daily Paul - On Freedom Watch Retired U.S. Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor explains why Rep. Ron Paul's plan would actually strengthen the U.S. military: "As Ron Paul has pointed out, we do need to scale back our overseas footprint. Our presence in many parts of the world today is actually a catalyst for conflict. We're not cultivating peaceful conditions, in many cases we're doing the opposite..." "Ron Paul is the only man who is in touch with reality"!"

VIDEO: Fox News says Ron Paul is the biggest threat to Barack Obama
Not Mitt Romney!

Ron Paul raises $250K to ‘end the TSA’
USA Today - Ron Paul appears headed toward reaching his latest fundraising goal: $250,000 to help end the Transportation Security Administration. The GOP presidential candidate began a "money bomb" shortly after his son, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, got stopped at the Nashville airport on Monday after setting off an alarm on a body-scanning machine. The younger Paul declined a pat-down search by the TSA but was allowed to board a later flight.

After Getting Groped By The TSA, I May Just Vote For Ron Paul
Business insider - Yesterday I was subjected to an illegal, warrantless, and groundless "physically invasive" pat down by a TSA agent. A stranger grabbed my genitals -- this wasn't your simple frisking before entering an airport terminal. This was how you treat a prisoner in a maximum security prison. I posted the chilling details of my encounter on my Google+ profile here.

National Debt Grew by $1 Trillion When Gingrich was Speaker
From Treasury Direct.gov: • In 1994, the year before Gingrich become Speaker the National Debt was $4, 693 trillion. • In 1995, the year he become speaker the debt was $4,974 trillion. • In 1996 the debt was $ 5,225 trillion. • In 1997 the debt was $5,413 trillion •In 1998– the last year of his speakership– the debt was $5,526 trillion.

Tired and broke, Santorum heads home to do taxes
(AP) - Jan 27, 2012 - Rick Santorum is tired, almost broke — and going home. The former Pennsylvania senator is taking a pause from Florida campaigning just days before the Tuesday primary that even he expects to deal him a third consecutive loss. The cash-strapped candidate acknowledges that he simply can't keep up with the GOP front-runners in Florida. Update - Santorum is staying home in Philadelphia to be with his hospitalized daughter and is canceling campaign stops in Florida.

President John Tyler’s grandson says Newt Gingrich is a 'jerk'
President John Tyler’s grandson Harrison Tyler, 84, says he’s not impressed with the state of politics today and particularly thinks Newt Gingrich is a “big jerk” for his three marriages. Incredibly, President Tyler, who was born in 1790 and became the 10th president in 1841, has two grandchildren still alive today. His grandson, Harrison Ruffin Tyler, currently maintains the Tyler presidential home, Sherwood Forest Plantation Foundation in Charles City, Va.

Newt Gingrich wants to make the moon the 51st state
RT - From the campaign trail in Florida on Wednesday, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich told supporters that earlier in his career he introduced something called the Northwest Ordinance for Space. He acknowledged that it was the “weirdest thing” he’s ever done, but today he says he stands by what it called for. “I think the number is 13,000 — when we have 13,000 Americans living on the moon, they can petition to become a state,” recalled Gingrich. The crowd in Cocoa, Florida responded with both laughter and applause.

Veterans News

Police Get Help With Confronting Veterans
The Justice Department is funding an unusual national training program to help police deal with an increasing number of volatile confrontations involving highly trained and often heavily armed combat veterans. Developers of the pilot program, to be launched at 15 U.S. sites this year, said there is an "urgent need" to de-escalate crises in which even SWAT teams may be facing tactical disadvantages against mentally ill suspects who also happen to be trained in modern warfare.

St. Louis parade on Iraq War's end draws thousands
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Looking around at the tens of thousands of people waving American flags and cheering, Army Maj. Rich Radford was moved that so many braved a cold January wind Saturday in St. Louis to honor people like him: Iraq War veterans.... With 91,000 troops still fighting in Afghanistan, many Iraq veterans could be redeployed - suggesting to some that it's premature to celebrate their homecoming. In New York, for example, Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently said there would be no city parade for Iraq War veterans in
the foreseeable future because of objections voiced by military officials.

VA Changes Emergency Care Policy
The new regulation extends VA's authority to pay for emergency care provided to eligible veterans at non-VA facilities until the veterans can be safely transferred to a VA medical facility. More than 100,000 veterans are estimated to be affected by the new rules.

Occupy Wall Street Protest

Cops fire tear gas at Oakland 'Occupy'; 300 arrested
LA times - Occupy Oakland demonstrators broke into the historic building and burned a U.S. flag, and officers earlier fired tear gas to disperse people throwing rocks and tearing down fencing at a convention center. Saturday's protests -- the most turbulent since Oakland police forcefully dismantled an Occupy encampment in November -- came just days after the group said it planned to use a vacant building as a social center and political hub and threatened to try to shut down the port, occupy the airport and take over City Hall.

VIDEO: Magazine Calls Occupiers To Come To Chicago In 'Tradition of' 1968 Rioters
CNS News - Adbusters, the radical, Vancouver-based anti-consumerist magazine, credited by many media outlets for launching the Occupy Wall Street protests, has put out an ad calling for 50,000 protestors to “Occupy” the G8 summit in May.... According to the official statement of Adbusters (titled Tactical Briefing #25), “On May 1, 50,000 people from all over the world will flock to Chicago, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and #OCCUPYCHICAGO for a month. With a bit of luck, we’ll pull off the biggest multinational occupation of a summit meeting the world has ever seen.”

Anonymous claims Stratfor spied on OWS
RT _ Anonymous promised that after hacking the intelligence firm Stratfor, called by some a “shadow CIA,” they’d prove that they were more than just a consulting firm. Now it looks like the private company worked along with law enforcement in attempting to bring down the Occupy movement.

Humor & Satire

World News

Raw milk vending machines growing in popularity across Europe
(NaturalNews) While American health authorities continue to peddle unfounded superstition about the so-called dangers of raw milk, which has spawned authoritarian policies that prevent millions of Americans from freely accessing it, unpasteurized dairy is all the rage throughout Europe. And one Polish manufacturer of raw milk vending machines explained to The Bovine in a recent interview that the installation of such machines is rapidly spreading both in Poland and across Europe.

Iran is ready to return to nuclear talks
(AP) - Iran is ready to revive talks with the U.S. and other world powers, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday, but suggested that Tehran's foes will have to make compromises to prevent negotiations from again collapsing in stalemate. Iran's insistence that it will never give up uranium enrichment — the process that makes material for reactors as well as weapons — scuttled negotiations a year ago and still looms as a potential deal breaker even as tougher Western sanctions target Iran's critical oil exports.

EU signs ACTA, global internet censorship treaty
Activist Post - Today, the European Union and 22 member states signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. They have now joined the US and seven other nations that signed the treaty last October.Digital ‘right to be forgotten’ will be made EU law Telegraph - The move will mean that social networks such as Facebook or Twitter will have to comply with users' requests to delete everything they have ever published about themselves online. It will also mean that consumers will be able to force
companies that hold data about them, such as for Tesco's Clubcard, to remove it.

Polish Web Sites To Go Dark To Protest ACTA
Sci-Tech Today - Poland's support for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA, has sparked days of Internet protests by groups who fear it could lead to online censorship. Now several sites plan to go dark in protest. ACTA shares some
similarities with the hotly debated Stop Online Piracy Act in the U.S., which was shelved by lawmakers last week.

Egypt bans travel for US official's son, 9 others
(AP) - Egypt banned at least 10 Americans and Europeans from leaving the country, including the son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood, hiking tensions with Washington over a campaign by Egypt's military against groups promoting democracy and human rights. The United States warned Thursday that the campaign raised concerns about Egypt's transition to democracy and could jeopardize American aid that Egypt's battered economy needs badly after a year of unrest.

YouTube: Why Switzerland Has The Lowest Crime Rate In The World
The key to freedom is to be able to have the ability to defend yourself &, if you dont have the tools to do that, then you're going to be at the mercy of whomever wants to put you away. Guns are deeply rooted within Swiss culture - but the gun crime
rate is so low that statistics are not even kept. The country has a population of six million, but there are estimated to be at least two million publicly-owned firearms, including about 600,000 automatic rifles and 500,000 pistols. This is in a very large part due to Switzerland's unique system of national defence, developed over the centuries.

Mexico ups swine flu screening as cases increase
(AP) - Three years after swine flu closed Mexico City and caused an international scare, the Mexican government and local media are at odds over the severity of this season's flu virus. Newspapers are warning of an alarming increase in cases while
the government insists there is no cause for alarm. Federal and state health officials agree there is an increase, but they say the number of cases is within the range of a normal flu season. The Mexican health ministry, however, has listed confusing numbers on its website and it hasn't specified the rise in cases despite repeated requests from The Associated Press.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

'Cash-Mob' Rallies Behind Popular Small Town Hardware Store
The story of how one Ohio community rallied behind a favorite family-run hardware store in an act of solidarity, and profits, has captured the nation's attention, and left the family in awe.

US has arrested Iranian scientist
Fox News - The United States has arrested and charged an Iranian semiconductor scientist with violating U.S. export laws by buying high-tech U.S. lab equipment, a development likely to further worsen Iranian-U.S. tensions. Prison records show the U.S. has been holding Seyed Mojtaba Atarodi, 54, a microchip expert and assistant professor at Tehran's prestigious Sharif University of Technology, in a federal facility in Dublin, Calif., outside San Francisco. The Iranian interest section in the Pakistani embassy in Washington said it was aware of the arrest.

New drone has no pilot anywhere, so who’s accountable?
The Navy’s new drone being tested near Chesapeake Bay stretches the boundaries of technology: It’s designed to land on the deck of an aircraft carrier, one of aviation’s most difficult maneuvers. What’s even more remarkable is that it will do that not only without a pilot in the cockpit, but without a pilot at all. The X-47B marks a paradigm shift in warfare, one that is likely to have far-reaching consequences. With the drone’s ability to be flown autonomously by onboard computers, it could usher in an era when death and destruction can be dealt by machines operating semi-independently.

Security video shows police lied about Rand Paul’s behavior
After being briefly detained by police officers on Monday, Paul appears to be getting some vindication in the form of a security camera’s video. Although police described him as “being irate” in an incident report, footage published Thursday shows Paul sitting calmly inside an airport checkpoint, and occasionally picking up his phone.

Hawaii police state? Government may track all website visits by residents
(NaturalNews) It is becoming increasingly obvious, and highly embarrassing, that many members of the US Congress have absolutely no idea what the Constitution says, or how the justice system works. Rep. John Mizuno (D-Hawaii) recently introduced a bill that intends to keep a log of every website visited by every person using the internet in Hawaii in order to target internet harassment, in direct defiance of the Fourth Amendment.

Georgia Hearing: Judge Wanted To Immediately Enter Default Judgment Against Obama
UPDATE: From Plaintiff, in one of the Georgia challenges, Carl Swensson: To all my friends in battle, The Judge pulled the lawyers for the three cases into chambers before it all began and advised them that he would be issuing a default judgment in
our favor, since the Defense council failed to show, and wanted to end it there.... Now we’re merely awaiting the publishing of this Judge’s ruling which, as previously stated, will be a Default Judgment. - Carl

Obama Eligibility Court Case...Blow By Blow
Given the testimony from today’s court case in Georgia, Obama has a lot of explaining to do. His attorney, Jablonski, was a NO SHOW as of course, was Obama. The following is a nutshell account of the proceedings. Related WND article here.

An “Empty Chair” Defense in Atlanta
Obama’s attorney is pulling out all the stops to disrupt justice in America, to stop the removal from the ballot of an Unconstitutional presidential candidate. First, he tried to dismiss the case. Then he tried to stop legal subpoenas. Then he advised his client to skip the hearings. Now, he’s trying behind the scenes to take the case out of its proper jurisdiction. They are playing hardball. They are desperate. If everything is legitimate, why not just show up in court, produce the evidence and make the legal arguments? I think we know the answer.

Sen. Paul 2012 March for Life Remarks
Jan 24, 2012 - On Monday, Sen. Rand Paul was scheduled to speak at the 2012 March for Life on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., but was improperly detained by the TSA and forced to miss the event. However, after the rally, Sen. Paul
hosted a reception welcoming marchers from Kentucky and those across the country. Below are the remarks Sen. Paul would have delivered at the 2012 March for Life. "The question remains, can a nation long endure or can a civilization long endure that does not respect Life? Our Liberty comes from our Creator and our freedoms depend upon a respect for Life...."

U.S. Army chief admits he's 'comfortable' with fewer troops as Pentagon readies cuts
Mail Online - As the Pentagon prepares its major budget announcement today, the U.S. Army boss says he's comfortable with plans to shrink the size of his force and shift the military's focus to Asia, saying troops there will remain relevant and
capable. Gen Raymond Odierno declined to disclose figures the Pentagon is due to unveil that envision a smaller Army and the withdrawal of two brigade combat teams from Europe. Those fixed brigades will be replaced by rotational units.

Maryland man pleads guilty in U.S. military bomb plot
(Reuters) - A Baltimore man angry about American policy toward Muslims pleaded guilty on Thursday as part of a plot to bomb a U.S. military recruitment center in Maryland and faces a 25-year prison sentence, the Justice Department said. It said
Antonio Martinez, also known as Muhammad Hussain, pleaded guilty as part of a deal with prosecutors to attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, a car bomb, in what had been an FBI sting operation.

VIDEO: Military Helicopters Conduct Covert Exercises Over U.S. Bank Building
Steve Watson - Video was captured last night of five military helicopters buzzing over downtown LA, conducting what the LAPD has described as a special ops urban warfare drill. The footage, captured by CBS Los Angeles, shows a huge Black Hawk
helicopter hovering over the US bank building along with four other OH-6 choppers, known as “Little Birds”.

City Denies Request For Ticker-Tape Parade Honoring 9/11 First Responders
CBSNewYork Gilmartin said he filed all the correct paperwork and received approval from the community board but he believes the decision came down to the cost of the event. “I did everything they asked of me, and I assume, but I can’t say for sure,
that it’s all about the money,” Gilmartin said. He believes the first responders deserve a parade for the sacrifices they made on and after Sept. 11, 2001.

CHICAGOLAND: Gun purchases in city soar after ban lifted
CBS News - Significantly more Chicagoans are arming themselves with guns. As WBBM Newsradio’s Regine Schlesinger reports, over the past two years, the city has seen a 16 percent spike in the number of people holding state Firearm Owner’s
Identification Cards. About 122,000 people possessed FOID cards at the beginning of this year compared to 105,000 at the beginning of 2010, said Monique Bond, spokeswoman for the Illinois State Police. Illinois residents must possess a FOID card to buy guns in the state.

DNA sample to be taken from students before SAT college entrance exams
Jonathan Benson - Standardized testing is a common method by which colleges and universities evaluate the competency of applying high school students. But an increasing amount of students are cheating on such tests, which has caused lawmakers in New York to consider actually harvesting “digital DNA” from students and applying it to special ID cards that students would be required to furnish both before and after taking the SAT or ACT exams to prove their identities.

2012 Election News

Ron Paul is sweeping the GOP youth vote
Across the country, the youth vote is down. Registration is low. Voter enthusiasm for Republican candidates has been lackluster. Unless that candidate’s name is Ron Paul. The 76-year-old U.S. representative from Texas has energized — and
gained —young voters at a time many people under 30 are turned off to politics.

Ron Paul Resonates with Hispanic Voters in Florida
US News - Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul's strategists say they have discovered a surprising source of support for their candidate—Latinos in Florida. Paul hasn't made any overt appeals for the Hispanic vote, his advisers say... But a
Paul spokesman cites a new poll indicating that the Texas congressman has the support of 41.5 percent of likely Hispanic Republican voters in Florida, with former House Speaker New Gingrich second at 25.3 percent, former Gov. Mitt Romney of
Massachusetts at 9.2 percent, and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania at 4.1 percent.

VIDEO: O'Reilly Tries to Tie Child Molestation to Ron Paul, Doyle Fires Back 'I Have the Dirt on O'Reilly'
The Showdown begins to heat up between Doyle and O'Reilly as Doyle shows that O'Reilly tries to connect Ron Paul to child molestation in American. Jerry Doyle exposes threats made to him after his endorsement of Ron Paul by Fox News in behalf of Bill O'Reilly. Doyle respond 'I have the dirt on Bill O'Reilly'.

We must construct a serious, sustained boycott of the mainstream media advertisers
We must begin to construct a serious, sustained boycott of the mainstream media advertisers (their lifeblood) with the goal of either fundamentally changing the msm’s behavior or ending their existence. Yes, the media distorts Ron Paul, but that’s only part of the problem. The truth is the mainstream media does a terrible job of keeping us informed about everything! We’re never going to fix America, have honest and real debates about real and relevant issues, unless we change the way the mainstream media operates.

Romney’s Bain Capital ‘earned’ $342 million by bankrupting company, firing 850 staff
Daily Kos - One of corporate vampire Bain Capital’s victims was Dade International, Bain stripped them and cashed in. Via McKay Coppins, you can add The Miami Herald to the list of people and organizations who Mitt Romney says are attacking free enterprise. That's because today's edition takes a look at how Bain Capital "earned" $342 million from investing $30 million in the acquisition of medical technology firm named Dade International. Despite profiting by hundreds of millions of dollars from the deal, Romney's company led Dade to bankruptcy, laying off thousands of workers throughout the country—including 850 in Miami alone.

Romney Failed to Disclose Swiss Bank Account Income
ABC News - Mitt Romney's campaign is amending the financial disclosure forms he filed in 2007 and 2011 to acknowledge that a Romney trust held a Swiss bank account, a detail that had been missing from both reports. "An amendment is being filed to address this minor discrepancy," a campaign official told ABC News in an email Thursday in response to questions about the apparent omission.

VIDEO: Petition: Pelosi must tell America her Gingrich Secret
Nancy Pelosi is withholding information that the public should know now. This is our electoral process and Nancy Pelosi is playing games with it. If she garnerd information about a current presidential candidate during her time as a public
official she is obligated to tell us what she knows.

Occupy Wall Street

U.S falls to 47th in press freedom rankings after Occupy crackdown
Mail Online - Sweeping protests around the world made it an extremely difficult year for the media, and tested journalists as never before, the annual report into press freedom reveals. The annual report by Reporters Without Borders has been released, showing the United States fell 27 points on the list due to the many arrests of journalists covering Occupy Wall Street protests. The slide in the United States places it just behind Comoros and Taiwan in a group with Argentina and Romania.

Veteran News

YouTube: Adam Kokesh Veterans March for Ron Paul Announcements
Adam Kokesh talks about the speakers, the rally at noon, vehicle arrangements for veterans unable to march, and a video contest where the first place winner will receive $1000.00. Also, there will be a Ron Paul "Money Grenade on 2/1/12 to help
raise money to help cover the basic expenses of the event and to provide transportation for veterans who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it.

Vets oppose speech by general who demonized Islamists
(Reuters) - A veterans' advocacy group urged the U.S. Military Academy on Thursday to withdraw a speech invitation to a retired general who portrayed the U.S. fight against Muslims radicals as a battle with Satan. VoteVets, which describes
itself as the biggest U.S. progressive veterans' organization, said West Point's invitation to retired three-star general William Boykin to speak at a February 8 prayer breakfast endangered U.S. troops.

World News

Hackers launch fresh attacks on Israeli websites
Breitbart Jan 25 - Arab hackers claimed responsibility Wednesday for a series of attacks on prominent Israeli websites, including that of daily newspaper Haaretz.... In a Twitter message, the Palestinian wing of the global hacker collective Anonymous claimed responsibility for taking down Haaretz's Hebrew-language site, which was still out of commission by late Wednesday. The paper's English section was also targeted but was up again by the afternoon.

Iran oil ban will up oil prices by 30%: IMF
Press TV - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says sanctions imposed by the US and European Union on Iran's oil and financial sectors will cause the global oil price to rise by 20-30 percent.... The IMF further stated that financial sanctions against Tehran may be "tantamount to an oil embargo" and would imply supply declines of about 1.5 million barrels per day from the world's fifth-largest oil producer.

Hurt Iran, and don’t stop hurting Russia’
RT - Blasting Iran with new sanctions won’t stop the west from working with Iranian energy companies if the stakes are high enough, it seems. UK lobbyists have ensured that BP and others can continue a multibillion dollar gas project vying with Russia. A political balancing act was needed to protect investment into Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz natural gas field, where BP works with Iran. The second stage of this project operated by British Petroleum worth $20 billion is meant to decrease Europeans’ dependence on Russian fuel, reports the Wall Street Journal.

U.S. to grant three-year extension of loan guarantees to Israel
The U.S. government has informed Israel that it will recommend that Congress approve a three-year extension of loan guarantees to Israel, worth $3.8 billion. The announcement came after several months of worry in Israel that the loan guarantees would not be extended, despite Israel's request.

VIDEO: Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians cram into Tahrir Square on the one year anniversary of the January 25th uprising
Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians cram into the iconic Tahrir Square on the one year anniversary of the January 25th uprising that sent shockwaves throughout the globe. The crowds chanted "Today is not a festival, it's another revolution!"

Companies Face Fines as Much as 2% of Sales Under EU Privacy Law
Bloomberg - The 27 EU data-protection agencies would be able to sanction companies that don’t comply with tougher rules on handling personal information, proposed by the European Commission today. Online-advertising and social networking sites will also be covered by the policy, updating the EU’s 17-year- old data-protection policies. The EU overhaul would also clamp down on data lapses such as Sony Corp.’s six-day delay in warning customers about a cyber attack that exposed more than 100 million customer accounts, the second-largest online
data breach in U.S. history.

Mexico drug war violence blamed on failed U.S. drug policies and false flag gun-running ops
(NaturalNews) The 2011 Global Commission on Drug Policies in Geneva, Switzerland was motivated, according to its website, by successful Latin American conferences convened with national leaders concerned about the impact on democracy in Latin America from drug use, trafficking, and gang or cartel violence. One wonders how the Global Commission managed to consider that conference a success, considering what is actually going on in Mexico now. The current Mexican drug gang related death toll of 47,515 contradicts any sense of progress coming from that Latin American drug conference.

Mexico offers $2.6 billion to aid victims of record drought
Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Tuesday announced a 2.6-billion-dollar program to help victims of a record drought, including food and water handouts, as rural victims protested in the capital. The "unprecedented sum would attend to a catastrophic situation in Mexico," Calderon said during a public act. The aim "is that no family is without water or food due to this drought." Immediate measures included the delivery of 4,000 water trucks to affected areas, mainly in the north of the country, and the distribution of corn.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

VIDEO: Obama’s new fairytale: Peace and prosperity for war-bent US
RT - As the US presidential race picks up pace ahead of November's vote, Barack Obama is trying to ratchet up support for re-election. In his third State of the Union speech, he pledged another program for change. As the US presidential race picks up pace ahead of November's vote, Barack Obama is trying to ratchet up support for re-election. In his third State of the Union speech, he pledged another program for change. The president started his address praising those who fought in Iraq, “generation of heroes” who “have made the United States safer and more respected around the world.”

Obama doubles down on Anti-Liberty Insanity: Students should be FORCED to stay in school
In his 2012 State of the Union Address, President Obama stressed the importance of teachers and offered to give them the resources they need while calling on every state to require students to stay in high school until graduation or they turn eighteen.

Exclusive: Senate investigating HSBC for money laundering
(Reuters)- HSBC Holdings PLC is under investigation by a U.S. Senate panel in a money-laundering inquiry, the latest step in a long-running U.S. effort to halt shadowy money flows through global banks, according to people familiar with the situation and a company securities filing.

Subculture of Americans prepares for civilization's collapse
(Reuters) - When Patty Tegeler looks out the window of her home overlooking the Appalachian Mountains in southwestern Virginia, she sees trouble on the horizon. "In an instant, anything can happen," she told Reuters. "And I firmly believe that you have to be prepared." Tegeler is among a growing subculture of Americans who refer to themselves informally as "preppers." Some are driven by a fear of imminent societal collapse, others are worried about terrorism, and many have a vague concern that an escalating series of natural disasters is leading to some type of environmental cataclysm.

2012 Election News

"The Ron Paul Song" - 3 minutes
If this doesn't do it for you, nothing will.

Florida GOP / CNN Debate - Jan 26 - 8pm ET
Dr. Ron Paul will participate in the Florida Debate sponsored by the Republican Party of Florida and CNN, held at the University of North Florida, Jacksonville, Florida on Thursday, January 26th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Live stream at CNN.com.

Fight for Your Civil Rights
Freedom Watch January 25, 2012 - Ron Paul senior advisor Doug Wead joins the Judge to talk about the significance of Ron Paul’s presidential campaign from a civil rights perspective.

Obama's Attorney Jaberwoki Slapped Down By Georgia Secretary of State
1/25/2012 - Letter to Obama's Attorney from the Secretary of State. Obama's eligibility hearing is still on for Thursday, January 26th.

Obama's Attorney Refusing To Show Up At Obama's Georgia Ballot Challenge Hearings
1/25/2012 - Letter to the Secretary of State from the Attorney for President Barack Obama.

YouTube: John Stossel on Ron Paul’s Non-Interventionist Views
John Stossel contrasts the differences between a non-interventionist ideology and an
isolationist perspective.

YouTube: O++peration CNN Debate Blackout #OpDebateBlackout - Ron Paul
We will do this by making a mass number of requests to the CNN servers starting at 8PM on Thursday, January 26 until the conclusion of the debate. We will cease making requests during those periods of time when Ron Paul is speaking. To succeed, you will need the following free tool to enable you to make many requests automatically:

US Presidential Candidates’ Positions on Israel/Palestine, War, and Civil Liberties
CNI summarizes the policy positions of President Obama and the top Republican nominees.

Jay Leno & NBC Sued Over Mitt Romney Joke
Jay Leno thought he was poking gentle fun at the lifestyles of rich and famous Republican presidential candidates — Mitt Romney in particular. But last Thursday when Leno’s slide show came to a location cited as Mitt Romney’s summer home — in reality an image of the Sikh holy shrine Golden Temple in Amritsar, India — it sparked a diplomatic incident. And now, a lawsuit charging Leno and NBC with libel.

Castro calls the GOP race a "competition of idiocy"
RT - At Monday’s Republican debate, both Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich came to an agreement on something: they each wish Fidel Castro would just die already. Days later, the former Cuban president fired back and offered some words of his own for the GOP. According to Castro, the race on the right is full of idiots.

Veteran News

White House to field veterans’ questions this Thursday
The White House is planning a series of online follow-ups and forums after Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, including a veterans-focused session Thursday morning featuring Matt Flavin, the administration’s point person on veterans issues and wounded warrior policy. He’ll take to Twitter around 10 a.m. on Thursday, answering messages posted with the #WHChat hashtag. White House officials said they’ll have a full transcript posted at
WhiteHouse.gov later in the day and an interactive recap at their Storify site as well.

Humor & Satire

VIDEO: Mitt Romney DESTROYED by Jon Stewart on the Daily Show
Daily Show Tuesday January 24, 2012 - Indecision 2012 - I Know What You Did Last Quarter. Mitt Romney justifies making more in one day than the median American family makes in a year, while paying the same tax rate as the guy who scans his shoes at the airport.

Happy wake up
Happy is Maltese & Daschund mix.
 

World News

Iraqi authorities hang 34 people in a single day
More than 30 people were executed by Iraqi authorities on Thursday following their conviction for various crimes, the United Nations reported on Tuesday. It is the largest number of confirmed executions within a single day in years.

US launched cyber attacks on other nations
RT - Mike McConnell, the former director of national intelligence at the National Security Agency under George W Bush, tells Reuters this week that cyber war is more than a distant possibility. According to the current vice chairman at Booz Allen Hamilton, the US has already launched attacks on the computer networks of other nations. McConnell did not add any input as to what countries have been hit with American cyber warfare in the past, but he did confirm that the US has already used the

Japan's first trade deficit since 1980 raises debt doubts
(Reuters) - Japan first annual trade deficit in more than 30 years calls into question how much longer the country can rely on exports to help finance a huge public debt without having to turn to fickle foreign investors. The aftermath of the March earthquake raised fuel import costs while slowing global growth and the yen's strength hit exports, data released on Wednesday showed, swinging the 2011 trade balance into deficit.

Japanese Delegation Wants the U.S. Out of Okinawa
A 24-member delegation from Japan is in Washington, D.C., this week opposing the presence and new construction of U.S. military bases in Okinawa. Participating are members of the Japanese House of Councilors, of the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly, and of city governments in Okinawa, as well as leading protest organizers and the heads of several important organizations opposed to the ongoing U.S. military occupation of Okinawa.

VIDEO: Iran Summons Danish Envoy, Renews Threat to Close Hormuz
Kurt Nimmo - Iran’s foreign minister Ali Asghar Khaji summoned the Danish ambassador in Tehran to protest the European Union’s decision to go forward with an oil embargo on the country. Denmark currently holds the rotating EU presidency.

Danish ambassador summoned over Iran oil embargo
On Tuesday, The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Danish ambassador to Tehran, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, to protest about the EU’s decision to impose sanctions on Iran’s oil industry.

VIDEO: Sanctions dodge: India to pay gold for Iran oil, China may follow
RT - India has reportedly agreed to pay Tehran in gold for the oil it buys, in a move aimed at protecting Delhi from US-sanctions targeting countries who trade with Iran. China, another buyer of Iranian oil, may follow Delhi’s lead. The report, by the Israeli-based news website DEBKAfile, states that Iran and India are negotiating backup alternatives with China and Russia, should the US and EU find a way to block the gold payment mechanism.

Israel orders jail without charge for PLC speaker
An Israeli military court on Tuesday ordered the detention of Palestinian parliamentary speaker Aziz Dweik for six months without charge. Dweik, who was seized by Israeli forces at a Ramallah checkpoint on Thursday, heads the Palestinian Legislative Council. His lawyer Fadi Qawasmi said Ofer military court gave the administrative detention order early Tuesday, after a Sunday hearing was postponed. The PLC speaker's office denounced the order as an "abusive decision without any charge or legal justification," accusing Israel of trying to stop a parliamentary session scheduled for next month.

Russia to deliver combat jets to Syria: report
AP - A newspaper is reporting that Russia has signed a contract to sell combat jets to Syria in a show of support for President Bashar Assad’s regime.The business daily Kommersant said Monday without identifying its source that the $550 million deal envisages the delivery of 36 Yak-130 aircraft. A spokesman for Russia’s Rosoboronexport state arms trader refused to comment on the report. If confirmed, the deal would mark an open defiance of international efforts to put pressure on Assad’s regime, which has faced broad condemnation for its brutal crackdown on an uprising.

TEPCO has just announced - Radiation being emitted from Fukushima is 70 million becquerels per hour - It is increasing - Up 12 million from last month.
All the explosions (quakes) people have been feeling around Fukushima that are listed as earthquakes on the Japan sensors. The fact that they could not find the fuel rods when they looked in Reactor 2, was obvious something big is going on at Fukushima. Now TEPCO has announced 70 million becquerels per hour of radiation is being leaked into the air.

Magic mushroom therapy' to treat depression could happen in UK inside a year
Mail Online - A clinical trial of 'magic mushroom therapy' could take place in the UK within a year following two ground-breaking studies. Doctors plan to treat depressed patients who cannot be helped by modern drugs or behaviour-based psychotherapy with the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms. Psilocybin would slowly be infused into their bloodstreams while they receive a carefully tailored 'talking therapy'.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

VIDEO: State of the Union Address: Haven't We Heard this Before?
The Republican National Committee has compiled this video comparing lines President Obama used tonight in his State of the Union Address with lines he used in previous addresses before Congress.

Obama Speech Makes Pitch for Economic Fairness
President Obama pledged on Tuesday President Obama pledged on Tuesday night to use government power to balance the scale between America’s rich and the rest of the public, trying to present an election-year choice between continued leadership toward an economy “built to last” and what he called irresponsible policies of the past that caused an economic collapse.

Obama Makes Populist Pitch
WSJ - President Barack Obama offered Americans a populist economic vision in his State of the Union address Tuesday, seeking to draw a contrast with his eventual Republican rival and demonstrating the widening policy gulf between the two political parties. Mr. Obama's laundry-list of initiatives—steep tax increases on wealthier Americans, fresh investigations into the mortgage crisis and support for domestic manufacturing—was aimed at buttressing a re-election message that posits him as defender of Americans beset by inequality in the tax code and broader economy. "It's time to apply the same rules from top to bottom: No bailouts, no handouts and no copouts," Mr. Obama said. "An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody."

Ron Paul Responds To Obama's State Of The Union Speech
Chicago Sun-Times - "Tonight, President Obama once again showed that he does not represent the fundamental change this country needs. Instead of offering solutions to the problems our country faces, the President was intent on delivering a campaign speech, further dealing in the typical Washington political gamesmanship that has gotten us exactly nowhere close to improving the lives of the American people.

VIDEO: Shock Docs: Total Federalization of Police Under New Homeland Security Mission
Aaron Dykes - A new white paper presented to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence carves out an ‘evolving mission’ for Homeland Security that moves away from fighting terrorism and towards growing a vast domestic intelligence apparatus that would expand integration with local/state agencies and private-public partnerships already underway via regional fusion centers. Crafted by the Aspen Institute Homeland Security Group, co-chaired by former DHS chief Michael Chertoff and composed of a who’s who of national security figures, the report outlines a total mission creep, as the title “Homeland Security and Intelligence: Next Steps in Evolving the Mission” implies....

LA Military Exercises
KFI News - Joint military training exercises will be held evenings in downtown Los Angeles through Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPD will be providing support for the exercises, which will also be held in other portions of the greater Los Angeles area, police said.

Is The NYPD Experimenting With Drones Over The City? Evidence Points To Yes
CBS New York - They’re used in war zones for surveillance and military strikes. But are there plans to deploy drones in the Big Apple to keep an eye on New Yorkers? More and more people believe it’s inevitable, reports CBS 2’s Don Dahler.

AUDIO: US corporations 'treating prisoners like commodities'
Press TV - Craig Hennecke, board chairman of Portland-based Central America Solidarity Committee, criticizes U.S. financial institutions and big banks for investing in and profiting from private prison industry in America. “It's unacceptable to be investing in prisoners and treating them like their commodities and profiting off of people,” Hennecke said in a phone interview with Press TV's U.S. Desk on Monday. He cited Wells Fargo, a giant financial services company, as a notable example of big financial corporations' involvement in private prison system in the United States.

Ruling could force Americans to decrypt laptops
American citizens can be ordered to decrypt their PGP-scrambled hard drives for police to peruse for incriminating files, a federal judge in Colorado ruled today in what could become a precedent-setting case.... Blackburn, a George W. Bush appointee, ruled that the Fifth Amendment posed no barrier to his decryption order. The Fifth Amendment says that nobody man be "compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself," which has become known as the right to avoid self-incrimination.

2012 Election News

VIDEO: Pelosi On A Gingrich Presidency: "That Will Never Happen"
CNN - Pelosi: "There is something I know. The Republicans, if they choose to nominate him that's their prerogative. I don't even think that's going to happen."

Why Democrats Think the GOP Race Might Last Until June
ABC - Why would this go on for awhile? Because a combination of an elongated schedule, new Republican National Committee rules, and some quirks of fate have diminished the importance of individual contests and reduced the ability for knock-out punches.

YouTube: The Ron Paul FIX is in
SGTreport.com - Eric Blair asks, "Could the conspiracy to keep Ron Paul out of the Oval Office be this coordinated? This pervasive?"

VIDEO: Ron Paul Campaign Releases New Ad ‘Three of a Kind’ Challenging Rivals in South Carolina
Ad condemns serial hypocrisy, counterfeit conservatism and flip-flopping of Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney.

Ron Paul Announces ‘End the TSA’ Money Bomb
Steve Watson - Slams “out-of-control police state” in email to supporters. In the wake of Kentucky Senator Rand Paul’s run in with the TSA this week, his father, GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul, has launched a new fundraising effort with the theme ‘End the TSA’. In an email to supporters Monday, Ron Paul wrote that the Senator “simply stood up for his right not to be the latest victim of the TSA’s disgusting full body pat-down.” “The elderly. The disabled. Little kids. All victims of an out-of-control police state that, while doing nothing to make us safer, is working overtime to strip away our freedoms, our rights, and our basic dignity,” Paul added.

Ron Paul Commands a Strong Plurality of Hispanic Republican Voters in Florida
KISSIMMEE, Florida – 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul wins a strong plurality of Hispanic voters in the early voting state of Florida, according to a new poll. Paul earns a commanding 41.5 percent among this large voting segment, with Newt Gingrich a distant second with 25.3 percent. Mitt Romney in third place and Rick Santorum in fourth place fare quite poorly, garnering just 9.2 and 4.1 percent, respectively, in the survey of registered Republican voters who respond that they will vote in the Tuesday, January 31st primary.

VIDEO: Ground report from Ron Paul supporter outside Florida debate 1/23/2012
Daily Paul - This was the scene driving to the University of South Florida Republican primary on Jan 23rd, 2012...We stood on the street outside the actual building where we understood the debate would take place from 6 p.m. In all that time, I saw a total of only 7 small signs for Santorum, 2 lonely little signs for Gringrich that were held by two guys in dark suits (spooky), and again, just on that one street, HUNDREDS of Ron Paul signs and supporters. They had megaphones and we chanted back and forth across the street. It was all in good spirits and there was no bad behavior.

Fox Attempts to Discredit Ron Paul with “Oklahoma Inside Job” Newsletter
Kurt Nimmo - On the heels of Ron Paul’s South Carolina promise to continue forward with his quest to gain the Republican nomination and the presidency, Fox News has dredged up an yet another newsletter attributed to him in an effort to sabotage the Paul campaign. “Full of racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic statements, not to mention a variety of quack science and conspiracy theories, the newsletters have once again become an issue as Paul seeks to stay in the Republican presidential primary for the long haul,” Fox Nation reported on Monday in a repost of a BuzzFeed article.

Article II Super PAC Providing Live Internet Video Stream From Inside Obama's 3 Georgia Ballot Hearings
Article II Super PAC is providing live internet video stream coverage of Obama's 3 Georgia Ballot Hearing on January 26th in Atlanta, GA starting at 9AM ET. The live video stream will be located at this page and on the home-page of this website.

Romney’s Answer on Illegal Immigration: “Self-deportation”
Miami Herald Blog - The topic of immigration, mainly what to do about illegal immigration, got plenty of reaction from the Republican candidates on Monday night - and on Twitter. Perhaps the most interesting - and the one most tweeted about - was Romney's "self-deportation" idea for helping curb the number of illegal immigrants.'... "The answer is self-deportation, which is people decide they can do better by going home because they can't find work here because they don't have legal documentation to allow them to work here," Romney said.

Romney ‘Proud Of The Fact’ That He Pays ‘A Lot’ Of Taxes, But His Plan Would Cut His Own Taxes In Half
[Citizens for Tax Justice] calculated what Romney would pay if his own plan passed. That is, if you kept the Bush tax cuts in place, including keeping the capital gains tax at 15 percent, and scrapped the Medicare tax, as Romney wants to do. Under that system, Romney would pay a rate of a little under 15 percent — because virtually all his income is from capital gains and dividends. The group calculates that this means Romney’s plan would give him a tax cut of more than 40 percent.

How To Avoid Voting For A Globalist Puppet
Alt-Market - How can the people of this country avoid making the mistake of voting for such disingenuous candidates when they seem so adept at telling us what we want to hear until they are comfortably in office? The key is to stop listening to what they SAY, and start looking closely at what they DO. We must ignore their rhetoric, their speeches written by proxy, and their bad jokes slapped together by hired staff, and begin examining their actions and their backgrounds.

Occupy Wall Street Protest

Florida police nab 3 Occupy protesters
Press TV - Three protestors from Occupy Miami and Occupy Palm Beach were arrested in the city of Boca Raton in Palm Beach County, Florida on Monday evening for trying to block a bridge near the venue for the 2012 (Global Alternative Investment Management) GAIM conference. GAIM presents itself as one of the most important conferences of the hedge fund industry, with 'over 75 percent of attendees...at the managing director level and above' and thus belonging to the one-percent wealthiest in the US as opposed to the remaining 99 percent.

VA assigns officer to verify claims involving secret missions
Lack of records access has been seen by many spec ops veterans as a roadblock to filing claims, especially for disabilities such as post-traumatic stress, for which there may be nothing in military health or personnel records to verify any treatment while the veteran was in uniform. Now, the Veterans Affairs Department has assigned a liaison officer to the U.S. Special Operations Command with direct access to classified files.

La. lawmakers may enhance veterans’ benefits
Lawmakers are considering whether to broaden a program for permanently disabled veterans and to loosen rules on Louisiana’s free college tuition program so more veterans can be eligible, members of the House and Senate veterans affairs committees said Thursday.

VA expands list of ships with Agent Orange risk
The Veterans Affairs Department has added 47 vessels to its list of Navy and Coast Guard ships whose crews may have been exposed to the defoliant Agent Orange.

World News

BASF to Stop Selling Genetically Modified Products in Europe
For 13 years, ordinary Europeans have stood firm in challenging the right of biotech companies to dump their risky genetically engineered (GE) seeds onto their fields and have steadfastly rejected the intrusion of GE foods onto their plates. They built up an informed and powerful citizens’ movement that has made itself heard, even over the din of the monied GE lobby. Unfortunately, BASF is headed straight for a research park here in the U.S. — namely the Research Triangle in North Carolina, which has become a hub for the biotech industry. BASF will be joining over 70 agricultural technology companies there, the Winston-Salem Journal reports, including Bayer CropScience and Syngenta.

Raw milk: Good enough for Queen Elizabeth, but prohibited for ordinary Canadians
(NaturalNews) Finding access to raw milk is difficult in many parts of the US, but the situation is even worse in Canada where national law prohibits the sale of raw milk anywhere in the country. Few people realize, however, that Queen Elizabeth and her two sons drink this supposedly "dangerous" food item, as do nearly all Canadian farmers surveyed in a 2010 study published in Preventive Veterinary Medicine.

Iran 'definitely' closing Strait of Hormuz
RT - Tensions in the Gulf could reach a breaking point as a senior Iranian official said Iran would “definitely” close the Strait of Hormuz if an EU oil embargo disrupted the export of crude oil. Mohammad Kossari, deputy head of parliament's foreign affairs and national security committee, issued the warning in respone to a decision by the European Union on Monday to impose an oil embargo on Iran over the country’s alleged nuclear weapons program.

UK, US, France send warships through Strait
The Telegraph - Britain, America and France delivered a pointed signal to Iran, sending six warships led by a 100,000 ton aircraft carrier through the highly sensitive waters of the Strait of Hormuz. This deployment defied explicit Iranian threats to close the waterway. It coincided with an escalation in the West's confrontation with Iran over the country's nuclear ambitions. European Union foreign ministers are today expected to announce an embargo on Iranian oil exports, amounting to the most significant package of sanctions yet agreed. They are also likely to impose a partial freeze on assets held by the Iranian Central Bank in the EU.

YouTube: US aircraft carriers to deliver 'direct message to Iran'
RT - Europe and the US have expressed their willingness to return to talks with Iran over its controversial nuclear program. But despite that, the EU is seemingly still set to approve an embargo on Iranian oil. France even says the time to avoid military intervention is running out. As for the U.S., this week it strengthened its presence in the region by sending a second aircraft carrier to the Arabian sea....

US to send old warship to Persian Gulf
Press TV - The USS Enterprise is the oldest active duty ship in the American naval fleet and its mission dates back to the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 and the Vietnam War. The decision to maintain 11 warships comes at a time when the US economy is facing a national debt of more than USD 15 trillion after a decade of costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and is preparing for 487 billion dollars in defense cuts over the next 10 years.

Gaddafi supporters seize control of Libyan town
(Reuters) - Fighters loyal to Libya's overthrown leader Muammar Gaddafi took control of a town south-east of the capital on Monday, flying their green flags in defiance of the country's fragile new government.

VIDEO: Syria sanctions: EU extends asset freeze, travel ban
RT - EU foreign ministers have adopted fresh sanctions against Syria, targeting a new list of people and firms to be hit by a travel ban and asset freeze. This is the 11th consecutive round of sanctions to be imposed on the violence-torn country. Syria sanctions: EU extends asset freeze, travel ban
EU foreign ministers have adopted fresh sanctions against Syria, targeting a new list of people and firms to be hit by a travel ban and asset freeze. This is the 11th consecutive round of sanctions to be imposed on the violence-torn country.

France passes genocide law, faces Turkish reprisals
(Reuters) - France approved on Monday a bill making it illegal to deny the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago was genocide, sparking angry retaliation from Turkey which threatened a "total rupture" of diplomatic ties.... The bill had been made more general so that it outlawed the denial of any genocide, partly in the hope of appeasing the Turks. But Ankara condemned the bill's approval and said it would take permanent steps against France, a NATO ally.

VIDEO: Egyptian military hands legislative power to parliament amid protests
RT - Egypt’s Cabinet says the military rulership has handed legislative powers to the country’s new lower house of parliament, which held its first session on Monday. But as the new deputies are sworn in, the capital is bracing for fresh protests. “Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, has announced in a letter to the People’s Assembly the transfer of legislative power to the assembly,” the government said on its Facebook page.

EU's Barnier eyes limits on top bankers' pay
(Reuters) - The European Commission is considering limiting top bankers' pay to a multiple of junior staff salaries as well as capping bonuses at a fixed ratio to pay, its regulatory chief said on Monday. In a move likely to alarm high earners in the City of London and elsewhere, Michel Barnier told Reuters in an interview that new curbs on bankers' earnings were needed to avoid the risk of a backlash from the public.

Shipwreck probe may widen to cruise company
(Reuters) - A criminal probe into the Costa Concordia's doomed voyage, which ended with at least 15 dead and the cruise ship lying holed off the Italian coast, may be widened, a lawyer for the captain said on Monday.... Captain Francesco Schettino is accused of causing the accident and is under investigation for multiple manslaughter and abandoning the 450 million-euro ($590 million) ship before it was evacuated.... Costa Cruises, a unit of Carnival Corp, the world's largest cruise ship operator, has suspended Schettino and declared itself an injured party in the case. It has said "unfortunate human error" by Schettino caused the disaster.

Pot-based prescription drug looks for FDA OK
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A British company, GW Pharma, is in advanced clinical trials for the world's first pharmaceutical developed from raw marijuana instead of synthetic equivalents- a mouth spray it hopes to market in the U.S. as a treatment for cancer pain. And it hopes to see FDA approval by the end of 2013. Sativex contains marijuana's two best known components - delta 9-THC and cannabidiol - and already has been approved in Canada, New Zealand and eight European countries for a different usage, relieving muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

VIDEO: Red Spotlights to Mark ‘Pre-crime’ Suspects
Activist Post - In a glowing review of the rising prevalence of high-tech big brother surveillance gadgets in police force use, the Associated Press reports that East Orange, New Jersey plans to cut crime by highlighting suspects with a red-beamed spotlight -- before any crime is committed -- a “pre-crime” deterrent to be mounted on nearby street lights or other fixtures. “Whereas London has talking cameras, we’re about to deploy light projecting cameras, better known as light-based intervention systems.” said William Robinson, Police Chief for East Orange. He added, “The message to criminals is, we’re observing you, the police are recording you, and the police are responding.”

Obama’s Lawyers Outline Supoena Defense for Court Appearance This Week
Minuteman PAC - The countdown has officially begun. Barack Hussein Obama is due in court this Thursday, January 26, 2012 to be held accountable to the American people after nearly four years of dodging our demands for his long-form birth certificate. And now, we know just how his lawyers are attempting to yet again get him out of proving his citizenship eligibility to be President of the United States… “Presidential electors and Congress, not the state of Georgia, hold the constitutional responsibility for determining the qualifications of presidential candidates,” Obama’s lawyer argued in a since rejected attempt to prevent Obama from appearing at the hearings beginning on Jan. 26.

Senate Democratic staffer arrested for disclosing identities of CIA operatives to al Qaeda Gitmo inmates
Washington Post - The Justice Department on Monday charged a former CIA officer with repeatedly leaking classified information, including the identities of agency operatives involved in the capture and interrogation of alleged terrorists. The case against John Kiriakou, who also served as a senior Senate aide, extends the Obama administration’s crackdown on disclosures of national security secrets. Kiriakou, 47, is the sixth target of a leaks-related prosecution since President Obama took office, exceeding the total number of comparable prosecutions under all previous administrations combined, legal experts said.

OBAMASCARE: Supreme Court says no to debate over Elena Kagan health care role
Politico - Freedom Watch, a group led by Larry Klayman, asked the court for permission to file a brief on Kagan's participation in the case. The court on Monday denied the request without comment, though it did note that Kagan did not participate in the discussion. Both Kagan and Justice Clarence Thomas have faced calls for their recusals from the case. Opponents of the law argue Kagan should not participate because she was solicitor general during the passage of the law.

VIDEO: Rand Paul Detained by TSA in Nashville
ABC News - Sen. Rand Paul told his communications director this morning he was being detained by TSA at the Nashville airport.... A TSA spokesman disputed that Paul was ever “detained.” But he was not granted access to the secure area of the airport when he tried to board a flight Monday morning.... The TSA version of events is that Paul triggered an alarm during routine airport screening and refused to complete the screening process (pat-down) in order to resolve the issue. Paul was escorted out of the screening area by local law enforcement. More articles here.

YouTube: Rand Paul on CNN with Wolf Blitzer
CNN Interviews Rand Paul on the TSA scanners after his experience.

White House sides with TSA in Rand Paul standoff
The Hill - The White House is standing by the Transportation Security Administration in its standoff with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and his father, Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas). The elder Paul called the TSA a "police state" Monday after Rand Paul was reportedly detained by TSA after he refused to take a pat-down from TSA officials at the Nashville International Airport. White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday that he didn't have any reaction to Paul's "police state" comments. But Carney sided with the TSA saying, "I think it is absolutely essential that we take necessary actions to ensure that air travel is safe."

Obama to 'hang out' in live video chat room
NEW YORK (AP) -- President Barack Obama plans to "hang out" in a video chat room to answer questions about his State of the Union address, part of a White House effort to test new social networking tools and the latest evidence of the growing intersection of social media and politics. Google announced Monday that Obama will participate in a 45-minute live video chat room known as a "Hangout," part of the online search giant's social networking site Google Plus. The chat will take place Monday afternoon, Jan. 30, capping a week of social media engagement the White House is planning around the State of the Union speech.

Obama Defends Roe v. Wade As Way for ‘Our Daughters’ to Have Same Chance As Sons to ‘Fulfill Their Dreams’
CNS News - CNSNews.com) – President Barack Obama says the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade is the chance to recognize the “fundamental constitutional right” to abortion and to “continue our efforts to ensure that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams.”

YouTube: Chris Hedges Sues Obama Admin Over Indefinite Detention of U.S. Citizens Approved in NDAA
Democracy Now -- Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges has filed suit against President Obama and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to challenge the legality of the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes controversial provisions authorizing the military to jail anyone it considers a terrorism suspect anywhere in the world, without charge or trial.

GPS spying: Supreme Court says police need a warrant
RT - The Supreme Court came to a landmark decision Monday morning, voting unanimously that police agencies must obtain search warrants before they can install GPS tracking devices on the vehicles of suspects. Had the justices voted otherwise, local law enforcement agencies would have been legally protected to affix small devices on the cars of suspects, without their knowing, in order to monitor their every move on public roads.

Who Should Have Access to Student Records?
US NEWS - Privacy experts say the problem is that states collect far more information than parents expect, and it can be shared with more than just a student’s teacher or principal.“When you have a system that’s secret [from parents] and you can put whatever you want into it, you can have things going in that’ll be very damaging,” says Lillie Coney, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. “When you put something into digital form, you can’t control where that’ll end up.”

2012 Election News

YouTube: Ron Paul Highlights in Florida GOP Debate
NBC 1/23/12 - The first Florida Republican Presidential Primary debate took place in Tampa at the University of South Florida. The debate was shown on NBC and streamed live at MSNBC.com.

POLL: Who won the National Journal/NBC GOP debate in Tampa?
Drudge Report: Ron Paul 48%
O'Reilly: Newt Gingrich 39%, Ron Paul 38% (Who will win Florida Primary?)
World Today's News: Ron Paul 40%.
Your Political News Group: Ron Paul 55%
The Swash: Ron Paul 69%
We Polls: Ron Paul 82%
Naples News: Ron Paul 77% (Who has your vote in the Jan. 31 Florida GOP primary?)

YouTube: Ron Paul Ignored in Florida's NBC Republican Debate 1/23/12
Ron Paul got less than 6 minutes out of the hour long debate. They skipped him completely on 3 questions and didnt offer him one chance to speak after someone attacked him. This is getting old and fast. We need to stand up and demand fair and balanced journalism!!!

Adelson to double contribution to help Newt’s presidential bid
Las Vegas Sun - Gondolier Numero Uno Sheldon Adelson, through his wife, will give Newt Gingrich's SuperPAC another $5 million, a source close to Adelson confirmed today. That makes $10 million from the man who built the Venetian (in Vegas and Macau!) to help his old friend, the former speaker. My guess is so long as Gingrich stays competitive, Adelson, the eighth richest man in America, will be there to help through Winning Our Future. And in so doing, he will keep Gingrich, whom he has known for a decade and a half, competitive with Mitt Romney's money machine.

YouTube: RAW Footage: Romney Supporter Admits Being Paid to Support Romney
On camera, a Romney "supporter" at an early voting location says he was paid by the South Florida Romney campaign effort to wear a shirt and maintain a presence. Having a handful of Romney supporters at the site likely helped make the impression on potential voters who lack the capacity to think for themselves that they, because of Romney's large "support", they should vote for him. Makes perfect sense...

Witnesses Document Potential Vote Fraud in S.C. Primaries
Activist Post -At this time, the most serious questions are centered around the precincts in Pickens County. It was in this precinct that Chris Lawton, representing the Paul campaign who came to the Pickens County elections office to witness the vote certification, noticed a series of situations that were either in direct opposition to State voting laws, or, at the very least, highly questionable.

Gingrich Group Releases Freddie Mac Contract
National Journal - Under pressure from rival Mitt Romney, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich’s consulting business released his contract with Freddie Mac on Monday on a website. Click here to view Gingrich’s contract with Freddie Mac. The contract calls him a consultant but is vague about his specific duties. It calls for a $300,000 retainer and $25,000 in fees monthly for the year 2006. It has been previously disclosed that Gingrich was paid more than $1.6 million by the mortgage giant over an eight-year period.

Ron Paul "I went" photo going viral on Internet
Ron Paul's photo showing him with one of his children [Rand] while serving during the Vietnam era is going viral on net, in contrast to Newt Gingrich who said he was married and had children at time as reason why he didn't serve.

Occupy Wall Street Protest

Soros: Occupy to turn violent
WND - In an interview with Newsweek writer John Arlidge, Soros reportedly said riots on the streets of American cities are inevitable. “‘Yes, yes, yes,’ he says, almost gleefully,” when asked about the prospect of Occupy turning violent, writes Arlidge. Soros claimed the riots will “be an excuse for cracking down and using strong-arm tactics to maintain law and order, which, carried to an extreme, could bring about a repressive political system, a society where individual liberty is much more constrained, which would be a break with the tradition of the United States.”

New Asian Union Means The Fall Of The Dollar
The chain of financial events taking place over the past decade in Asia have been correspondingly mislabeled and misunderstood. What some economists see as total collapse is actually a new and decidedly prophetic (or engineered) transition. Read More...

The Global Elite Are Hiding 18 Trillion Dollars In Offshore Banks
Economic Collapse - The truth is that the global elite are hiding an almost unbelievable amount of money in offshore banks. According to shocking research done by the IMF, the global elite are holding a total of 18 trillion dollars in offshore banks. And that figure does not even count any money being held in Switzerland. That is a staggering amount of money.

DHS to Support Executive Order to Boost International Tourism, Particularly from China and Brazil
HS Today - To support these efforts, DHS and the State Department Thursday announced a pilot to speed up visa processing in China and Brazil, partly by waiving interviews for low-risk visitors. The State Department reported tremendous growth in visitors from China and Brazil, with increases of 34 percent and 42 percent in visa applications from those nations respectively in Fiscal Year 2011. The executive order pointed out that international travel and tourism fell significantly in the past decade in part because of tough security measures enacted after 9/11.

VIDEO: US paradox: Wasting food while going hungry
RT - America's expanding waistline proves the country's love affair with food. But almost as much as is consumed is being dumped in the trash every day. And that is despite the fact that millions in the US are now struggling to put food on the table.

VIDEO: Protesters: Walmart, build somewhere else
CBS ATLANTA - People in one DeKalb County neighborhood took to the streets in the drizzling rain to protest a proposed new Walmart. Protesters say Walmart has a history of driving down property values and pushing out mom-and-pop businesses, but some small businesses actually think the superstore could help their own bottom line.... "Walmart doesn't play fair with their employees, it's bad for businesses and it's not going to be good for this community," said one protester.

Why Isn’t Illinois A Bigger Story Than Greece?
Dripping with red ink: Will anyone fix Illinois’ budget mess? The question isn’t whether Illinois’ finances are in dreadful shape, it’s how to fix the problem. Or perhaps more accurately, will legislators have the political will to fix it when they return to Springfield for their spring session? Even though the legislature and Gov. Pat Quinn last year imposed a temporary 67 percent state income tax increase, Quinn’s office expects to have a $500 million budget deficit this year.

Evicted 101-year-old Detroit woman can't go home
DETROIT (AP) - Texana Hollis was evicted Sept. 12 and her belongings placed outside after her 65-year-old son failed to pay property taxes linked to a reverse mortgage and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development foreclosed on the home. Two days later, the department said she could return. But now, HUD said it won't let Hollis move back in because of the house's condition. She had lived there about 60 years.

Housing values down steeply in 2012 battleground states
Housing Wire - As Republican presidential candidates remain mostly silent on what they would do to fix housing, a think tank notes that homes values dropped an average of 16% since the financial crisis in 15 of 16 battleground states.

More than $6.5 billion in taxpayer dollars have been wasted on Solyndra and 11 other green energy failures
(NaturalNews) Just a few months ago, FBI agents raided the headquarters of now-bankrupt solar panel company Solyndra, which received more than half-a-billion dollars in federal stimulus funds as part of the federal government's green energy stimulus initiative. But according to a new investigation by CBS News, the Solyndra scandal is just the tip of the iceberg, as at least 11 other green energy companies have either already failed, or are on the verge of failing, taking with them more than $6.5 billion in taxpayer money.

About 270,000 utility customers without power from Northwest storm that now threatens flooding
About 270,000 electric customers around Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia are without power because of a winter storm that coated much of Washington state in ice and swelled Oregon rivers, killing three people.... Forecasters say the melting snow could cause urban and small stream flooding and fill the Skokomish and Chehalis rivers above flood stage by Saturday evening. More rain is forecast early next week that could make flooding more of an issue.

Health

Canola oil used to be called RAPESEED oil but the name was changed for marketing reasons
(NaturalNews) The real problem with the name "rapeseed oil" is that the oil was so toxic that the FDA banned it for human consumption in 1956. So when Canadian growers bred a new variety of rapeseed in the 1970s with a lower content of the toxic erucic acid, they decided they needed a new name for it. The term canola was coined from "Canadian oil, low acid" to convince consumers that this oil was safe to eat. And while "canola" was originally a registered trademark, the term became so widely known that the trademark was eventually abandoned, and "canola" became the default term in many countries for any low-erucic rapeseed oil.

Repeat business? FDA approves new cancer drug to treat toxicity caused by another cancer drug
(Reuters) - U.S. health regulators gave the nod on Tuesday to a drug from British specialty drugmaker BTG Plc that helps cancer patients get rid of toxic levels of a chemotherapy treatment. The drug, called Voraxaze, helps eliminate methotrexate in patients whose kidney function has been compromised by treatment with high doses of the chemotherapy agent. Methotrexate is normally eliminated from the body by the kidneys, but prolonged high doses of the drug used to treat cancer can result in kidney failure.

Health insurance company preys upon the poor with junk food reward program for vaccinating your baby
(NaturalNews) "Will vaccinate my baby for food!" That seems to be the goal of a program launched last year by the UnitedHealthcare health insurance company of Michigan. It has resorted to enticing parents with junk food to convince them to inject their infants with potentially deadly vaccines containing brain-damaging chemicals. This has been revealed in a letter acquired by NaturalNews and signed by Stephanie Esters, a vaccine-pushing RN who works for UnitedHealthcare. The letter declares "Get a FREE $20 McDonalds, Rite Aid, Target or Meijer Gift Card when your child gets recommended shots before their second birthday." It even goes on to offer a "FREE ride to the doctor" for those who are so poor that they don't own cars.

Health plans ordered to cover birth control without co-pays
The Hill - Most healthcare plans will be required to cover birth control without charging co-pays or deductibles starting Aug. 1, the Obama administration announced Friday. The final regulation retains the approach federal health officials proposed last summer, despite the deluge of complaints from religious groups and congressional Republicans that has poured in since then. Churches, synagogues and other houses of worship are exempt from the requirement, but religious-affiliated hospitals and universities only get a one-year delay and must comply by Aug. 1, 2013.

CDC researchers say mothers should stop breastfeeding to boost 'efficacy' of vaccines
(NaturalNews) Remember when it was considered crazy talk to suggest that mainstream medicine viewed humanity as being born lacking in pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines, as if these synthetic inputs are necessary miracle nutrients for proper human development.

Hospital bills man $44 million for treating his pneumonia
(NaturalNews) The hospital had treated Rodriguez for pneumonia... upon which he received a bill for $44,776,587. The obvious error was apparently the result of invoice discrepancies made by PHY Services, the billing firm that services Bronx - Lebanon Hospital. Instead of putting the actual amount due in the total box, a PHY employee allegedly put in the lengthy invoice number instead, which caused a lot of panic among patients that received the faulty bills.

Mental health breakthrough: Study links sleep problems to schizophrenia for the first time
(NaturalNews) Getting quality sleep could be a vitally important piece for solving the puzzle of mental health. Previous studies have linked poor sleep to depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and ADHD. Now for the first time, research also shows a strong link between schizophrenia and sleep disturbances.

Intermittent fasting and high intensity fitness boost HGH
(NaturalNews) The human body was designed very efficiently for times of scarcity and stress. Food scarcity was a common reality and the body has developed specific pathways to be very efficient in times of fasting. In times of stress, for survival purposes we adapted a fight or flight mode that forces us to work our bodies at a very high-intensity for a relatively short period of time. The combination of intermittent fasting and high intensity exercise promotes hormones that improve tissue healing and metabolic processes.

Diet and specific nutrients prevent brain shrinkage and lower Alzheimer's disease risk
(NaturalNews) Shrinking brain volume is very closely associated with the development of many forms of dementia including the most devastating affliction, Alzheimer's disease. In addition to following weight management practices including calorie restriction with optimal nutrition (CRON), middle and advanced aging adults will want to ensure they consume a diet packed with marine derived Omega-3 fats and vitamins B, C, D and E to dramatically lower the risk of reduced brain volume, memory loss and risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Red beets and beet juice top the list of healing antioxidants due to polyphenol and betalain concentration
(NaturalNews) Beets are a very good source of dietary fiber, potassium, manganese, and folate. Beets are also a good source of Vitamin C, zinc, copper, and iron. Beets contain polyphenols and betalains, which are getting quite a bit of medical attention as important natural antioxidants. Beets have been clinically proven to support liver function in rats. Recent clinical research suggests that beets and beet juice are useful in healing a variety of degenerative conditions.

Change the way you think about your health
(NaturalNews) People who use Western medicine have for a long time viewed their health as something they can manage rather than something that is affected by everything they do.... According to the Centers for Disease Control, 48% of Americans during any given month take a prescription drug, a percentage that has increased over the last decade. In fact, Americans spent more than $234 billion on prescription drugs in 2008. It is apparent that Americans think pills are the solution to all that ails them.

Video: Can You Die of a Broken Heart?
Natural News TV - The risk of a heart attack increases by 21 times during the first 24 hours after losing a loved one.... The bereavement and grief associated leads to depression, anxiety, and anger and they are associated with a fast heart rate, increased blood pressure, increased coagulation, elevated stress hormones such as cortisol, epinephrine, and nor-epinephrine. This scenario is a shock to the heart and may lead to a cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure and death. It is a good idea to have support from family, friends, and psychological counseling.

Science & Technology

VIDEO: Sun shoots a fastball at Earth
Washington Post - A huge sunspot unleashed a blob of charged plasma Thursday that space weather watchers predict will blast past the Earth on Sunday. Satellite operators and power companies are keeping a close eye on the incoming cloud, which could distort the Earth’s magnetic field and disrupt radio communications, especially at higher latitudes. “Our simulations show potential to pack a good punch to Earth’s near-space environment,” said Antti Pulkkinen of the Space Weather Laboratory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt.

U.S. lawyer for Megaupload.com withdraws
(Reuters) - Content-sharing Internet service Megaupload.com has lost the help of one of the best-known U.S. defense lawyers as it begins to fight charges of copyright infringement, a person familiar with the matter said. Robert Bennett was required to withdraw from the case because of a conflict involving at least one other client of his law firm, Hogan Lovells, this person told Reuters. The other client or clients were not identified.

Ohio's largest sustainable food and farm conference to take place February 18-19, 2012
(NaturalNews) On February 18 - 19, 2012, the Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Association (OEFFA) will hold its 33rd annual conference in Granville, entitled Sowing the Seeds of Our Food Sovereignty. The conference, which is devoted to promoting "slow", localized food systems that are organically based and ecologically sound, will feature prominent speakers, educational workshops, film screenings, and even a contra dance.

Pet News

Safely destroy fleas on pets - Finally, a non-toxic, natural way to kill fleas, mites, chiggers and other parasitic insects on pets and in the house
(NaturalNews) Using diatomaceous earth is not a new idea when it comes to treating animals for fleas. DE is a naturally occurring rock, similar to pumice, and is comprised of the fossilized skeletons of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. The shells are abrasive, and when crushed into a powder, create a deadly insecticide for fleas, ticks, mites, bedbugs, chiggers and other insects.

YouTube: Dog Teaches Baby to Play Ball
Little Katie learns how to throw a ball by practicing with the dog!

Miscellaneous

Your Awww for the day...
Adorable baby animal pics.

The Greatest Speech Ever Made
One of the most inspirational speeches in recorded history was given by a silent comedian by the name of Charlie Chaplin.

Stupid News

New school can’t be Cougars because middle-aged women might be offended
The reason why the future student body gravitated toward Cougars is pretty clear: Area collegiate power BYU uses the Cougar as its mascot and enjoys an enormous fan base of area residents and those who follow the Mormon faith (BYU is a Mormon institution). Still, the Canyons School Board refused to accept the Cougar as a mascot out of fear that it might offend older women. In the current edition of the Webster Dictionary, the second definition for cougar sights a slang terminology that refers to "a middle-aged woman seeking a romantic relationship with a younger man."

Americans Still Have the Power to Save America
Activist Post - While mainstream economic reports continue their attempt to rally spirits with selective statistics about the decrease in unemployment, major companies are still laying off huge numbers, have frozen hiring altogether, or are now simply bankrupt and out of business.... Faced with this reality, even ABC News showed how a typical American family could in fact meet all of their needs with only American-made products. So, how many American-made companies are there?... To simplify your USA-made pursuit, here is a site that showcases only American-made products: How Americans Can Buy American. This company provides an aggregate of tons of American manufacturers, saving lots of time in research.

Money Insider: US Will See Violent Civil Unrest In 2012
Paul Joseph Watson - Money insider Charles Ortel has warned that a worsening economic picture across the globe will see civil unrest hit the streets of America, not on behalf of leftist OWS types, but by an armed, “irascible and vocal Majority”. Ortel, a managing partner with Newport Value Partners, LLC in New York City, predicts that a failure of the so-called financial recovery will precipitate “A painful re-calibration of economic strength and geo-political standing during 2012 in the midst of widespread civil insurrection and cross-border war.”

Photography pioneer Kodak files for bankruptcy
(Reuters) - Eastman Kodak Co, the photography icon that invented the hand-held camera, has filed for bankruptcy protection and plans to shrink significantly, capping a prolonged plunge for one of America's best-known companies. The bankruptcy may give Kodak, which traces its roots to 1880, the ability to find buyers for some of its 1,100 digital patents, a major portion of its value. Kodak now employs 17,000 people worldwide, down from 63,900 just nine years ago.

After raising income taxes 67%, Ill. still $8.5b in debt
CBS News - Illinois State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka says when one factors in other bills, the figure is closer to around $8.5 billion. Those other outstanding bills include tax refunds, employee health insurance, and bills that have not yet reached her desk. Topinka says this is extremely disappointing, since a year ago, the state sharply increased income taxes (by 67 percent) and corporate taxes.

Dozens of Donkeys Killed at TX State Park Over Ecosystem Threat
CBS News - With 75 of the expected 300 wild donkeys roaming Big Bend State Park already having been terminated for being declared threats to the park’s ecosystem, donkey advocates have urged the state to halt the killings. More than 100,000 signatures have been collected in an effort on the part of donkey enthusiasts to cease any more indiscriminate killings of wild donkeys at Big Bend State Park, originally based on what Texas Parks and Wildlife officials labeled as a significant threat to the park’s ecosystem as they try to introduce new animals to the environment.

Health

Paula Deen exposed as Big Pharma selling for profiting from the diabetes disease her recipes promote
(NaturalNews) Do you wish you could have a share of the billions in profits raked in by pharmaceutical companies peddling dubious drugs? If you are unencumbered by integrity, you may want to follow the lead of celebrity chef Paula Deen to gain a chunk of the plentiful prescription drug dollars.

ALERT: Vaccine warfare! Texas air-drops rabies vaccines over 7,000 sq. miles area
(NaturalNews) Using a battery of small planes based out of Del Rio, Texas recently dropped 1.8 million edible vaccine packets over 7,700 square miles of rural Texas. The packets contain edible rabies vaccines dipped in fish oil and coated with fish meal.... Once consumed, the animal is "vaccinated" against rabies, researchers claim. Of course, what these researchers don't yet understand in their scientific ignorance (and arrogance) is that they are also engaged in a rabies DNA / RNA bombardment of Texas. As even the Institute of Medicine has admitted, MMR vaccines for use in humans actually cause measles because many of the vaccines contain live viral strains. Related article and video. Protect your pet, your child, and yourself from coming in contact with these vaccine packets!

Cancer Cells Feed on Sugar AND Sugar Free Products Alike
Natural Society - In a study conducted by UCLA, pancreatic cancer cells were found to multiply and grow more rapidly when fueled by fructose, as opposed to glucose or sucrose. More recently however, it has been found that even staying sugar free can have similar implications. In a collaborative study, it was found that in the absence of a usable sugar source, cancer cells will instead use glutamine — an amino acid — to survive and spread.... When it comes to cancer, prevention is key. Key substances like vitamin D and turmeric are vital for halting cancer in its tracks.

What Big Pharma doesn't want you to know about bromelain
(NaturalNews) Bromelain is an inexpensive enzyme supplement with many uses and health benefits. Enzymes don't get much respect, yet they are considered more important functionally than vitamins and minerals. Without enzymes, food cannot be broken down into its constituent nutrients, and enzymes are needed for most cellular metabolic actions.

Exposed: Deadly Cancer Drugs Make Cancer Worse and Kill Patients More Quickly
Activist Post - Cancer drugs, pushed by many drug companies as the only ‘scientific’ method of combating cancer alongside chemotherapy, have been found to actually make cancer worse and kill patients more quickly. The findings come after research was conducted on the cancer drugs at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Sold at a premium price to cancer sufferers, it turns out these drugs are not only ineffective but highly dangerous.

Mold, rot, and filth: Why your child's school could be making him or her sick
(NaturalNews) It is a factor that many parents may not consider, but one that is turning out to play a significant role in aggravating, and potentially even causing, asthma symptoms, respiratory illness, and other chronic illness conditions that often afflict children. Mold, rotting building materials, and general filth at many of the nation's deteriorating public schools appear to be taking a toll on students' health -- and unless parents and school authorities speak up and do something about it now, the problem will only get worse.

Got neck pain? New study says chiropractic care and simple home exercises work better than painkillers
(NaturalNews) Painkilling drugs are associated with dangerous side effects, addiction and overdose. And it turns out they are also much less effective than harmless natural treatments. A new study shows that simple remedies like chiropractic treatments and home exercises relieve sub-acute neck pain better than pharmaceutical drugs - and without all the negative side effects.

Is Your Sleep Schedule Preventing You from Reaching Optimum Health?
Natural Society - The negative health effects that go along with lack of sleep are many, including increased fat gain. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that not only do you eat more when deprived of sleep, but you also are more likely to cave to junk food desires as a result of a potential hormonal dysfunction. “If you’re trying to control your weight, it would be helpful not to be sleep-deprived,” said Marie-Pierre St-Onge of the New York Obesity Research Center at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, who led the study.

Study says refrigeration of packaged fresh spinach reduces toxic bacteria
(NaturalNews) Spinach has long been used as a natural healing aid. Spinach is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It boosts the immune system, builds red blood cells, provides energy, and is a good source of protein. Spinach has received a lot of negative press in the past due to an E. coli outbreak which was traced to a commercial grower. A recent clinical study indicates that spinach samples have been contaminated with over a thousand different kinds of bacteria. The 2011 study proved that proper refrigeration decreases the bacteria present on fresh spinach by over 50%.

Learn to love fevers, not fear them
(NaturalNews) Through misunderstanding, many parents fear fevers, when they should love and respect them. A fever is one of the most extraordinary and intricate healing processes in the body. It plays out like a symphony, orchestrated only when needed to stimulate an immune response, destroy invading organisms and promote the restoration of health. The American Academy of Pediatrics voiced concerns in a 2011 study, concluding that parents need to understand the fever itself is not endangering to a healthy child. In contrast, it's actually beneficial and the primary goal of treatment should be to improve comfort, rather than lowering body temperature alone.

Wild edible plants and natural solutions for diabetes
(NaturalNews) Why should you care about wild edibles? Because many health experts agree that wild edibles are the highest quality, best foods available to eat. The NaturalNews Talk Hour presents "Wild Edibles - The Miracle of Greens" with our guest Sergei Boutenko, raw food expert..

Thyroid cancer, fracking and nuclear power
Activist Post - hyroid cancer cases have more than doubled since 1997 in the United States, while deadly industrial practices that contaminate groundwater with radiation and other carcinogens are also rising.

Yams with Ginger and Cinnamon
If you don't know what to serve for dinner tonight ... The health-promoting carotenoids found in yams not only give them their beautiful color but provide a great source of pro-vitamin A to your Healthiest Way of Eating., which is important for enhancing your immune function. And the yam's rich fiber content helps fill you up without filling out your hips and waistline. In-Depth Nutritional Profile here.

Science & Technology

Anonymous Shuts Down Corporate and Government Websites Worldwide … The Timing Couldn’t Be Worse
Washington Blog - Given yesterday’s success in forcing so many congress members to back off of SOPA and PIPA, the timing could not be worse. As free speech champion Michael Rivero argued after Anonymous took down DOJ’s website today: In aligning with the pirates and attacking the DOJ, anonymous has handed the US government more justification for draconian controls on the internet. I would not be quite so upset if this had occurred after Congress passed a draconian web censorship bill such as SOPA. But the fact that this is happening only 24 hours after the web’s successful protest concerns me greatly.

Hollywood threatens Obama over SOPA
RT -After US President Barack Obama demanded revamped provisions in the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, Los Angeles film executives are rescinding their support of the commander-in-chief.

Rand Paul Vows To Block Internet Censorship Bills
Steve Watson - Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul has promised to do everything within his power to ensure the draconian Protect IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) are not brought to a vote. Paul says he will filibuster PIPA in the Senate owing to the fact that the bill is a direct threat to the First Amendment.

Web blackout ends: SOPA bleeding, but not dead
Massive opposition to the controversial legislation resulted in Congressmen and Senators swinging against the bills. Up to 18 Senators, of which seven were former co-sponsors, voiced their opposition to PIPA on Wednesday. On the SOPA side, at least two sponsors have dropped out, while Oregon’s Earl Blumenauer blacked out his website in support of the protest.... The conflict, however, is far from being resolved. “SOPA and PIPA are not dead: they are waiting in the shadows,” Wikipedia warns. PIPA is scheduled be put to a vote in the Senate on January 24, while SOPA sponsors plan to push the bill forward in February.

DOMINATE: GOOGLE Already Using SOPA-Like Censorship
Paul Joseph Watson - Despite Google’s much-heralded support for the anti-SOPA movement, the web giant is already enforcing SOPA-like policies of its own, blacklisting legitimate websites from its news aggregator and following government orders to remove material from its search results and You Tube.

Feds shut down file-sharing site Megaupload
The Hill - The Justice Department seized Megaupload.com, one of the world's most popular file-sharing sites, and several of its related sites on Thursday. Prosecutors charged seven employees of Megaupload with criminal copyright infringement, conspiracy to commit racketeering and other charges. Each faces up to 55 years in prison.... The crackdown comes just one day after a massive Web protest against legislation to expand the power of law enforcement and copyright holders to go after infringing websites.

Anonymous says it attacks DOJ site after feds shut down piracy hub Megaupload
Hours later, Megaupload's fans turned the table on the feds. "Hacktivist" collective Anonymous said it set its sights on the U.S. Department of Justice and apparently knocked the agency's website offline. "We are having website problems, but we're not sure what it's from," a DOJ spokeswoman told CNNMoney. The DOJ website glitches came soon after various Twitter accounts associated with Anonymous took aim at the agency.

January 24: Join the OCA Protest at Monsanto's Annual Shareholders Meeting
What if Monsanto had to pay for its corporate crimes? If the Biotech Bully of St. Louis were to be held liable for its 100-year legacy of corporate criminality - carcinogenic chemical food sweeteners, Agent Orange, dioxin, Bovine Growth Hormone, poisonous herbicides, seed monopolization, and genetically engineered crops, the company's shareholders would no doubt see the value of their Monsanto stocks plummet to zero. Following up on two protests at Monsanto's headquarters in 2011, OCA returns to St. Louis for the 2012 Monsanto shareholders' meeting on January 24!

Action Alert: Urge your Representative to Protect Raw Milk
HR 1830, a bill that would allow the interstate shipment of raw milk and raw milk products for human consumption, has been introduced by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) and co-sponsored by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Tim Walberg (R-MI), and Tom McClintock (R-CA). Passage of HR 1830 into law would enable everyone to exercise their right to consume raw milk, whether they live in a state where the sale of raw milk is illegal or in a state where the sale is legal but sources are limited.

Pet News

Fun facts: What you didn’t know about your pet
Fun facts you might not know about your furry, scaly, or feathery family member.

House approves debt ceiling hike
The Hill - The House on Wednesday evening approved a resolution disapproving of President Obama's request to increase the debt ceiling by another $1.2 trillion, sending it to a Senate that is expected to reject it. The House approved the resolution in a 239-176 vote in which just one Republican voted against it, and six Democrats voted for it. But the vote fell far short of the two-thirds majority that would be needed for passage if Obama were to veto the resolution.

One Million Homeowners May Get Mortgage Writedowns
CNBC _ About one million American homeowners could get write-downs in the size of their mortgages under a proposed deal with banks over shady foreclosure practices, said U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan. The deal, which could be struck within weeks, would mark the largest cut in the mortgage load since the start of the credit crisis. "We're very close to a settlement that would both fix the servicing problems, but also help over a million families around the country stay in their homes and get help," Donovan said at a U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington.

Mortgage fraud complaints quadruple in Massachusetts
Mortgage- and foreclosure-related complaints at the Massachusetts attorney general's office quadrupled over the past two years, becoming the No. 1 reason consumers contacted the office for assistance in 2011. They took the top position from auto dealer complaints by 164.
Regional offices across the Commonwealth combined to handle 983 complaints about mortgages, foreclosures and loan modifications during the year, representing a 431% leap since 2009.

BP seen agreeing $20-25 billion oil spill settlement
(Reuters) - BP is likely to agree to pay the U.S. Department of Justice $20-$25 billion to settle all charges around the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, according to a leading analyst, a prediction that is at least twice what the company has set aside. Martijn Rats, head of European oil research at Morgan Stanley, said he saw a 70-80 percent chance that the two sides would agree a deal on civil and criminal charges surrounding the 2010 disaster sometime between BP's full year results on February 7, and the scheduled start of legal hearings in New Orleans on February 27.

Obama kills Keystone pipeline; Blames Republicans
National Journal - In a decision that quickly re-ignited a fierce energy debate, the Obama administration on Wednesday rejected the controversial Keystone XL pipeline because the 60-day deadline imposed by Republicans did not allow adequate time to review an alternate route through an ecologically sensitive area in Nebraska.

Busted! Why nuclear electricity costs 10x more
The nuclear fuel rods do not need to be removed after the first use, which only takes out 5% of their radioactive potential. They could be reused 20 more times with the right reactor. Afterwards the fuel is dead and no longer hazardous because all of it's radiological potential has been used up. The process was implemented, proven - and then banned by President Carter. Without banning it, electricity would be so cheap today, it would be the only sensible energy choice. With a reduction in the price of electricity by at least 10X, electric cars would have been a no brainer.

Region comes to a halt as twin snowstorms blanket Pacific Northwest in 16 inches of snow and bring howling 100mph winds
Mail Online - A winter storm blasted the Pacific Northwest Wednesday, dumping near-record snow in some areas, hammering parts of Oregon with winds as high as 110 mph and bringing much of the region to a standstill. From the Washington state capital in Olympia to the Oregon coast, schools were closed, roads were clogged with snow and hundreds of accidents and dozens of flights were cancelled.

NCDC data shows that the contiguous USA has not warmed in the past decade, summers are cooler, winters are getting colder
There’s been a lot of buzz and conflicting reports over what the BEST data actually says, especially about the last decade where we have dueling opinions on a “slowing down”, “leveling off”, “standstill”, or “slight rise” (depending on whose pronouncements you read) of global warming.

Health

Sec 105 of SOPA threatens freedom of health speech, aligns with FDA Trilateral Cooperation Charter to potentially eliminate access to dietary supplements
(NaturalNews) Identifying threats to health freedom and freedom of health speech often requires connecting the dots between seemingly unrelated verbiage in one piece of legislation and a trade agreement, for instance, or reading between the lines to identify.... Section 105 of SOPA, entitled Immunity for Taking Voluntary Action Against Sites that Endanger Public Health, provisions that service providers, network providers, advertising services, search engines, domain name registry services, and other parties that handle internet content will be immune from prosecution should they decide to arbitrarily pull sites that "endanger the public health."

AMA Journal: Make Participation In Vaccine Trials Mandatory
Paul Joseph Watson - An article published by the American Medical Association’s Virtual Mentor journal advocates making participation in vaccine trials mandatory, arguing that people should be forced to take experimental shots in a similar vein to how jury service is compulsory. The article, written by Oxford University’s Susanne Sheehy and Joel Meyer, is entitled Should Participation in Vaccine Clinical Trials be Mandated?.

Pediatrician calls state trooper, child protective services on mother for refusing to vaccinate child
(NaturalNews) What would you do if your pediatrician called the cops and child protective services on you for refusing to get your child vaccinated? That is exactly what happened recently to Rachel Garmon of Pennsylvania when she told her new pediatrician that her healthy and vibrant two-and-a-half year old son had never been -- and never would be -- vaccinated.

Breaking news: cancer drugs make tumors more aggressive and deadly
(NaturalNews) When natural health advocates warn against mainstream medicine's arsenal of weapons used to fight cancer, including chemotherapy and radiation, their concerns often revolve around how these therapies can weaken and damage a person's body in numerous ways. But scientists are finding other reasons to question some of these therapies. It turns out that while chemotherapies may kill or shrink tumors in the short term, they may actually be causing malignancies to grow more deadly in the long term.

Coffee promotes cortisol production and weight gain
(NaturalNews) Conventional wisdom about weight loss suggests coffee may be a good addition to a diet plan since it has minimal calories and no fat. While this seems logical, a more holistic view evaluates coffee from the perspective of its influence on the body's ability to metabolize the other food we eat. Recent studies suggest that despite its low calorie count, coffee may actually promote weight gain as well as type 2 diabetes by stimulating cortisol production and insulin resistance.

Some foods and chemical additives cause arthritis inflammation, gout and fibromyalgia pain
(NaturalNews) Certain foods and chemical additives disguised as food can aggravate or cause muscle and joint pain associated with arthritis, gout and fibromyalgia. Avoiding these foods can pave the way for reduced inflammation, stiffness and pain - setting the stage for ongoing relief, with increased mobility and a better mental attitude. Although it may be a challenge to avoid well-loved foods, keep in mind that many of those foods are causing widespread systemic problems that result in debilitating pain, so they are not your friends.

Treating multiple sclerosis
(NaturalNews) An estimated 350,000 people in the United States are living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a painful, debilitating, and sometimes fatal disorder of the central nervous system, and the United States government could care less and would doom this population to more suffering than can be imagined. A long list of ugly words comes to mind when one thinks of any person, organization or institution that would keep helpful and safe medicines away from MS sufferers.

Polio Vaccines Now The #1 Cause of Polio Paralysis
Activist Post - The problem of vaccine-induced polio paralysis was so severe that the The United States moved to the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) in 2000, after the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended altogether eliminating the live-virus oral polio vaccine (OPV), which is still used throughout the third world, despite the known risks.

Tamiflu effects 'still uncertain'
The effects of antiviral drug Tamiflu - which was stockpiled by the Government at the height of the swine flu pandemic - are still uncertain, researchers said as they accused pharmaceutical giant Roche of withholding data. A 2009 study in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found the drug may cut the length of time people have symptoms but found no clear evidence that it prevented complications like pneumonia.

Understand the calcium myth; here's what really makes healthy bones
(NaturalNews) Calcium is the cornerstone mineral in bones. However, calcium consumption does not build bones. Countries with the highest dietary calcium consumption (US, Canada, & Scandinavian countries) have the highest rates of osteoporosis. A recent meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal showed that calcium supplementation actually increased the risk of heart attacks. This study and others have looked at individuals taking calcium supplements in isolation without other key nutrients that play a role in calcium homeostasis.

Study: Nearly all women with breast cancer have parabens in their breast tissue
(NaturalNews) They are added to everything from shampoos and deodorants to processed foods and pharmaceutical drugs in order to inexpensively extend shelf life and improve product stability. But a new study out of the University of Reading (UR) in the UK has found that, based on tests conducted, nearly every single woman with breast cancer has one or more paraben chemicals in her breast tissue, suggesting a possible link between the chemical and the disease.

Researchers detail lifestyle changes that lower cancer risk by forty percent
(NaturalNews) It may come as no surprise to many natural health disciplinarians that cancer is largely an avoidable disease that develops and advances due to poor lifestyle habits adopted over the course of a lifetime. Researchers from Britain have found that more than 100,000 cancer cases, nearly one in four cancers diagnosed, could have been prevented by following simple lifestyle changes. Lead study author Dr. Max Parkin, a cancer epidemiologist based at Queen Mary, University of London, publishing in the journal Nature remarked, "Looking at all the evidence, it's clear that around 40 percent of all cancers are caused by things we mostly have the power to change."

Science & Technology

At least 7,000 websites black out their homepages in protest of SOPA and PIPA internet censorship bills
(NaturalNews) On January 18, 2012, thousands of websites from around the world came out in protest of two pieces of legislation that threaten to censor the internet as we know it. Google, WordPress, Wired.com, Wikipedia, Tumblr, The Daily Paul, reddit, NaturalNews, and thousands of other websites censored portions or all of their homepages and content in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act (HR 3261), and the Protect IP Act (S 968), which would essentially give large media conglomerates and the federal government unbridled power to censor the internet.

VIDEO: Protect IP, SOPA protests knock Senate Web sites offline
CNET - January 18, 2012 - Around 11 a.m. PT today, the rush of visitors looking for ways to contact their members of Congress overwhelmed several Web pages of individual senators. As CNET reported this morning, some sponsors of the Protect IP and the Stop Online Piracy Act have switched sides as a result of the protest. The amount of traffic "temporarily shut down our Web site," Sen. Ron Wyden, the leading opponent of the Protect IP Act, wrote on Twitter. By noon PT, the Senate's Web sites were loading again, but slowly or with difficulty. The Web site of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat who's a sponsor of Protect IP, was generating a 500 server error.

PHOTOS: Emergency NY Tech Meetup
NYC and SF geeks had protests that packed city blocks!

SOPA: Don't Just Protest -- Get Even
The entire reason why SOPA's authors and supporters have the money, influence, and power to put forward draconian bills like this in the first place is because of our daily patronizing of their corporations and the goods and services they provide.... If Americans withdrew their support from these corporations -- if theaters were left empty, if Pepsi and Coke were left collecting dust on the shelves of an empty Wal-Mart -- bills like SOPA would not exist... Boycott, put out of business, and replace these corporations with local alternatives...

VIDEO: The Secret Behind SOPA
Paul Joseph Watson - Lieberman characterized fears that the US government would use such powers to censor political content as “total misinformation,” yet goes on to admit that the purpose behind the agenda is to mimic China’s ability to “disconnect parts of its Internet in case of war,” adding, “we need that here too”. Of course, Communist China’s “war” is not against foreign terrorists or hackers, it’s targeted against people who dare to use the Internet to express dissent against government atrocities or corruption. China’s system of Internet policing is about crushing freedom of speech and has nothing to do with legitimate security concerns as Lieberman well knows.

Wikipedia to RT: SOPA sledgehammer could smash any site on web
RT - Wikipedia is deliberately blacking out its English-language website. It's joined a 24-hour protest against anti-piracy bills making their way through U.S. Congress. For more insight, RT talks to John Davies, the Chief Executive of Wikimedia UK, which is the umbrella foundation in charge of Wikipedia.

Freedom of Speech, Internet Censorship and SOPA
Activist Post - First of all, it is a given that freedom of speech is the right of citizens of the United States. This means that our government cannot and should not be making an attempt to restrict or penalize speech because of its content or viewpoint. So, when there is talk of restricting Internet content, my eyebrows go up quizzically, wondering just what limits would be placed on those restrictions. Moreover, as electronic media becomes the norm rather than the exception, how does reading something on the Internet differ from reading a book, a magazine, or a printed newspaper?

YouTube: Singing A Song To Express Yourself Could Get You 5 Years Prison.. Self Expression
When you sing a copyright song to express your feelings ..you could end up behind bars..

Edible Microchips, Biometric Identity Systems And Mind Reading Computers
American Dream - The world of tomorrow is not going to be anything like the world of today, and most people have no idea how dramatically the world is changing. For instance, many people have never even heard of "edible microchips". Unfortunately, they are not some wild idea that some wacky scientists are hoping to develop in the future. They are already here, and they are about to be marketed to the public in the UK. The idea is that these edible microchips will help doctors monitor your health conditions and the medicines that you are taking. The following comes from a recent article in the Daily Mail.

Tell USDA To Do Its Job And Reject 2,4-D Resistant GE Corn
USDA approval of Dow’s GE corn will trigger a big increase in 2,4-D use – and our exposure to this toxic herbicide. Yet USDA has not assessed how much, nor analyzed the resulting impacts on public health, the environment or neighboring farmers (2,4-D is prone to drift and cause damage to nearby crops). Instead, USDA has once again bowed to the pesticide industry, by giving preliminary approval to still another pesticide-promoting crop that will likely harm people and their children, including farmers, and the environment. USDA claims to be adhering to a scientific process, yet the Agency is blatantly ignoring the science on 2,4-D.

New Obama OMB director a Bain alum
Washington Examiner - Jeffrey Zients will serve as President Obama's new acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), but the president's decision might undercut attacks on Republican Mitt Romney's career as a venture capitalist, because Zients and Romney are both alumni of Bain & Company.

Treasury dips into pension funds to avoid debt
(Reuters) - The Treasury on Tuesday started dipping into federal pension funds in order to give the Obama administration more credit to pay government bills. "I will be unable to invest fully" the federal employees retirement system fund beginning Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said in a letter to Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on Wednesday on the Obama administration's request to raise the country's legal debt limit to $16.394 trillion.

FDIC Requires Big Banks to Have Breakup Plan
CNBC - The largest banks must show how they would break up their assets if they were in danger of failing, under a rule approved Tuesday. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp voted to require banks with $50 billion or more in assets to submit so-called living wills. Seven banks with more than $250 billion in assets will have to show their plans by July. The other 30 affected by the rule have until 2013. The FDIC also proposed a separate rule that would require banks with more than $10 billion in assets to conduct annual stress tests.

The 5 Most Outrageous Examples of Hidden Charges Companies Pass Off on Consumers -- And How to Fight Back
The average U.S. adult pays at least $942 each year in hidden fees, according to research conducted by the Ponemon Institute in 2006. Six years later, it’s unlikely that this number has gone down. If anything, industries that took a financial hit during the recession are passing more fees onto consumers than ever, regardless of whether they’ve recovered. A comprehensive list of the sneaky fees companies palm off on consumers could go on forever, but here are five particularly egregious examples that every consumer should be aware of – followed by a list of ideas for fighting back.

Kraft to cut 1,600 jobs in split
(Reuters) About 40 percent of the job cuts come from the company realigning its U.S. sales division, Kraft said. About 20 percent of the jobs being cut in the United States and Canada are currently open positions, the company said. The planned job cuts do not include any cuts at manufacturing facilities. The 1,600 job cuts represent about 1.26 percent of the company's total workforce. Kraft has about 127,000 employees, including about 46,500 in North America.

Recovery at risk as Americans raid savings
(Reuters) - More than four years after the United States fell into recession, many Americans have resorted to raiding their savings to get them through the stop-start economic recovery. In an ominous sign for America's economic growth prospects, workers are paring back contributions to college funds and growing numbers are borrowing from their retirement accounts. Some policymakers worry that a recent spike in credit card usage could mean that people, many of whom are struggling on incomes that have lagged inflation, are taking out new debt just to meet the costs of day-to-day living.

Seattle: Biggest Snowstorm in Decades Begins
Schools are closed and a nightmare awaits commuters in Seattle today with a storm dumping a winter's worth of snow in less than 24 hours.

New Study Claims La Nina Weather Patterns Can Lead to Widespread Flu Pandemics
Intel Hub - Scientists have released a new study that has concluded that La Nina weather patterns have lead to large scale pandemics in the past. The study, carried out by Jeffrey Shaman of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and Marc Lipsitch of the Harvard School of Public Health, notes that the La Nina weather pattern is believed to change the migratory pattern of certain birds which they claim promotes the development of new strains of influenza. An article on Homeland Security Newswire goes over the findings.

Health

SOPA and PIPA bills could threaten natural health websites with government-ordered shutdown
(NaturalNews) On Wednesday, January 18, 2012, NaturalNews.com went "dark" to protest SOPA, the "Stop Online Piracy Act" that is actually a thinly-veiled government censorship effort. We are also protesting PIPA, the "Protect IP Act," which is similarly destructive in its effects. You may have arrived at this page from our mock "seizure" index page which depicts what might happen if SOPA becomes law.

Senator pushes for GMO labeling in Washington State
(NaturalNews) Regardless of whether the Republicans or Democrats occupy the White House, federal regulatory officials continue to disregard concerns about genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), and stonewall all efforts to mandate proper GMO labeling. As a result, individual states are having to craft their own GMO labeling legislation, including a new bill recently introduced in Washington State that would mandate GMO labeling beginning in 2014.

The healing properties of essential oils
(NaturalNews) Essential oils have been used for thousands of years for their healing and purifying effects on the body. There are 188 references to these precious oils in the Bible. They have always held extreme value by ancient doctors and medicine men that used them for aromatherapy, consumption, and skin application. Research has now revealed the remarkable healing properties within these essential oils.

"Herbal Supplements Simplified"
AHHA - Herbal remedies in their many available forms may seem complicated, but the principle is a simple one. Your body views plants as food and utilizes them very efficiently, taking almost all the valuable active principles and organic compounds right into your body's cells. In contrast, your body does not recognize synthetic drugs as food and often utilizes only 5 to 10% of what you take in, leaving the rest to float around in your bloodstream and cause unpleasant side effects.

Dr. Wakefield Talks at Vaccine Safety Conference: Autism Is Treatable
Gaia Health - Probably most important to the parents of autistic children is that Dr. Wakefield discusses methods of treating, including application of inflammatory drugs and restrictive diets, can turn the condition around. Fast-paced talk by Dr. Wakefield that is chock-full of critical information.

AHFS Consumer Medication Information on Liraglutide Injection
Liraglutide injection may increase the risk that you will develop tumors of the thyroid gland, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC; a type of thyroid cancer), which may cause death if it is not treated at an early stage. If you develop thyroid cancer, your thyroid gland may need to be surgically removed. Tell your doctor if you or anyone in your family has or has ever had thyroid cancer, medullary thyroid carcinoma, or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2; condition that causes tumors in more than one gland in the body). If so, your doctor will probably tell you not to use liraglutide injection. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: lump or swelling in the neck; hoarseness; difficulty swallowing; or shortness of breath.

Publisher Buys Politicians: Wants to Force Taxpayers to Pay to Read Studies They Financed
Gaia Health - Reps Maloney and Issa were bought for $2,000 and $8,500, respectively, to put forth a bill that would make the people pay to read medical studies that they’ve already paid to have produced. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) maintains Pub Med Central, an online database of biomedical research containing thousands of articles documenting research paid for by public dollars. It is, of course, freely available to anyone who wants to research it. Pseudo “representatives” Issa and Maloney are co-authoring a bill that would enrich the coffers of already filthy rich medical publishers and the diminish the public’s access to health information that they’ve already funded.

Radiation poisoning? Homeopathic and other natural remedies provide protection and treatment
(NaturalNews) Radioactive waste from Fukushima is approaching the west coast of North America at a frightening rate. Hundreds of seals off the coast of Alaska are dead and dying from symptoms that look ominously like radiation disease; and most people wonder what and who is next. Alternative medicine offers a wide variety of treatments to protect and treat radiation sickness. Certain homeopathic medicines and other natural substances may provide relief from radiation disease symptoms or boost the body's natural vital force to protect itself from the severity of radiation exposure.

Dulse is a clinically proven antioxidant, protein source, and plant-based source of iodine and potassium
(NaturalNews) Red or purple in color, dulse is considered a superfood because of its high iodine and potassium content, plus a long list of micro-nutrients and phytochemicals. Many herbalists prefer dulse over kelp in green superfood recipes because of its bland flavor. Found primarily in cold waters off the Atlantic coast of Canada, Ireland, and Norway, dulse has been used traditionally to control parasites, treat scurvy, and improve thyroid function. Dulse is a scientifically proven antioxidant, a source of plant protein, and is often suggested as a part of healing protocols to correct hypothyroid issues.

Health Basics: How do you live to be 110?
(NaturalNews) Tell someone you're over 100 years old, and they might assume the worst right away, guessing that you have a dozen medication bottles next to the bed and that your health is quickly deteriorating. How could it be that a man who's going on 111 and taking no medication, who simply eats fresh vegetables, olive oil, honey, cinnamon, garlic and chocolate, can bounce around his kitchen like he's half his age?

Omega-3 fat in fish oil could provide a cure for leukemia
(NaturalNews) Scientists from the medical sciences division at Penn State University have discovered that a compound in fish oil appears to target leukemia stem cells and could lead to a cure for the disease. The compound is a natural extract from EPA, the Omega-3 fat component found most commonly in fish and fish oil supplements. Known as delta-12-protaglandin J3, or D12-PGJ3, the molecule is shown to target and kill the stem cells of chronic myelogenous leukemia, a common form of the disease.

Allegations of drug substitution fraud, racketeering lead to class action lawsuit against Walgreens
(NaturalNews) Patients who had certain prescriptions filled at Walgreens between 1999 and 2006 may not have received the drugs they thought they did, or at the price they should have. A new class-action lawsuit accuses Walgreens of conspiring with generic drug-maker Par Pharmaceutical Co. to overcharge for certain generic drugs, and to substitute other more expensive drugs in place of what was actually prescribed.

Treat cancer with IV vitamin C - Recent clinical success
(NaturalNews) The use of IV (intravenous) vitamin C to treat cancer is growing in popularity around the world as positive research continues to accumulate and build a strong case for its effectiveness. The latest cohort study out of Germany is one more example, showing that IV vitamin C markedly improves the quality of life for breast cancer patients. Such positive results are likely the reason why many thousands of patients worldwide elect to be treated with this therapy every year.

Instead of drugs and behavioral therapy for ADHD, try changing diet instead
(NaturalNews) It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that many of the symptoms associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the often over-diagnosed condition tacked on many young people, can be treated by simply altering or supplementing one's diet. And a new study published in the journal Pediatrics helps confirm this, noting that when drugs and behavioral therapies are ineffective, ridding the diet of toxic additives, for instance, and consuming more whole, organic foods is the best route to take.

Science & Technology

SOPA Is Baaaack!
That didn’t take long. A few days ago the news broke that the pending Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was put on hold until consensus was reached. Although the announcement was rather vague, some news sites and blogs declared SOPA dead, or “shelved,” or erased from history. Wishful thinking, because today SOPA is back in full force. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith just announced that the SOPA markup is expected to continue next month. List of websites joining the strike.

Wikipedia editors question site's planned blackout
Can the world live without Wikipedia for a day? The shutdown of one of the Internet's most-visited sites is not sitting well with some of its volunteer editors, who say the protest of anti-piracy legislation could threaten the credibility of their work. Wikipedia's English-language site shut down at midnight Eastern Standard Time Tuesday and the organization said it would stay down for 24 hours. Instead of encyclopedia articles, visitors to the site saw a stark black-and-white page with the message: "Imagine a world without free knowledge." It carried a link to information about the two congressional bills and details about how to reach lawmakers. Related article here.

Time for decision on removing leap seconds
(Reuters) Leap seconds, introduced in 1972 as part of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), are added some years to reconcile the difference between atomic time used by computer systems and time as defined by measuring the movement of the earth around the sun and the earth's rotation. The latter, known as Universal Time, fluctuates due to the earth's irregular rotation, tides or earthquakes.

Honey Bee Losses Impact Food System and Economy
(Beyond Pesticides, January 11, 2012) On January 10, beekeepers from across the country gathered at a national conference, with environmental organizations at their side, to draw attention to the growing plight facing their industry –the decline of honey bees, a problem that has far reaching implications for the U.S. economy.

Study Shows Honey Bees Exposed to High Levels of Bee-Killing Pesticide
(Beyond Pesticides, January 10, 2012) A Purdue University study shows that honey bees’ exposure to the highly toxic neonicotinoid pesticide clothianidin is greater than previously thought.... The study, “Multiple Routes of Pesticide Exposure for Honey Bees Living Near Agricultural Fields,” was published January 3, 2012 in the online edition of PLoS ONE.

New Grants to Advance Organic Farming Practices Announced
(Beyond Pesticides, January 17, 2011) The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) Board of Directors announced last week that it will invest $50,640 in four new grants to improve the success of organic farmers. The projects include helping organic growers to increase yields while decreasing nitrogen and impacts on surrounding waterways, preventing organic seed-producing crops from being contaminated with genetically modified organisms (GMOs), producing sweeter corn in Oregon, and testing new varieties of broccoli best suited for farmers in North Carolina.

EPA drops jackboot on necks of couple for daring to build on their own land
((NaturalNews) Stories about overreach from Washington, D.C. abound, but just when you think you've heard them all comes yet another that makes you shake your head in disbelief and wonder just whom is supposed to be working for whom in this grand old Republic of ours.

Miscellaneous

An Open Letter to Family and Friends About Preparedness
Activist Post - Today, with permission from Todd at the Prepper Website, I am re-producing an open letter to friends, families and others in your circle who have not started to prepare. I discovered this letter after writing about Disaster Denial and, truly, I believe that one of the greatest gifts you can pass on to people you care about is this letter and some guidance in helping them achieve their preparedness goal.

VIDEO: WAKE UP AMERICA! - The Real U.S. Budget Problem: Defense & War Spending Equal 94% Of All Federal Income Tax Revenues
Daily Bail - This puts things in perspective. In 2010, the US government collected $898 billion in federal income tax revenues. The same year, we spent $847 billion on useless wars and national defense. That means that 94% of all federal income tax revenue is equivalent to what we spend on the Pentagon.

Vermont lawmakers give staffers $236,830 in taxpayer bonuses
As demands for fiscal austerity dominated debate in Washington, Vermont’s three congressional lawmakers gave their staffers a combined $236,830 in bonuses last year. Many other congressional lawmakers also rewarded staffers with year-end bonuses, and the Vermont lawmakers found other ways to save. Each will return a significant amount of unspent office money — about 10 percent of their budgets — to the federal government.

Pharma major Novartis to layoff 1,960 employees
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG announced Friday it would lay off 1,960 people and will take $1.22 billion in charges to prepare for generic competition to its blood pressure pill, Diovan, and lower sales potential of the drug Tekturna, Bloomberg reported. Most of those who will lose their jobs are pharmaceutical salespeople or work at the company's headquarters in New York City.

Wright-Patterson to lose 234 civilian workers
The U.S. Air Force's 4,500 job cuts have hit Ohio, where the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton is cutting 234 civilian workers, the Dayton Business Journal reports.

Homeowner Takes on BOA for Foreclosure and Mortgage-Backed Security Fraud
Activist Post - Can Bank of America foreclose on a homeowner without showing any evidence that their client actually owns the promissory note? Can a Mortgage-Backed Security sue for damages after they have already been made whole through credit default swaps and a negotiated settlement with the originator of the security? One Georgia couple is about to find out.

DEMOCRATIZE BANKING: Occupy the Neighborhood, How Counties Can Use Land Banks and Eminent Domain
Global Research - An electronic database called MERS has created defects in the chain of title to over half the homes in America. Counties have been cheated out of millions of dollars in recording fees, and their title records are in hopeless disarray. Meanwhile, foreclosed and abandoned homes are blighting neighborhoods. Straightening out the records and restoring the homes to occupancy is clearly in the public interest, and the burden is on local government to do it. But how? New legal developments are presenting some innovative alternatives.

Bank foreclosing on O.J. Simpson's Florida house
MIAMI (AP) -- Like tens of thousands of other Florida homeowners, imprisoned former football star O.J. Simpson is in danger of losing his house to foreclosure.

VIDEO: Tax dollars backing some "risky" energy projects
CBS News - Solar panel maker Solyndra received a $528 million Energy Department loan in 2009 - and went bankrupt last year. The government's risky investment strategy didn't stop there, as a CBS News investigation has uncovered a pattern of cases of the government pouring your tax dollars into clean energy. Take Beacon Power -- a green energy storage company. We were surprised to learn exactly what the Energy Department knew before committing $43 million of your tax dollars.

Valdez, Alaska: 322 Inches of Snow so Far This Winter! DOUBLE normal yearly snowfall
WGRZ NBC 2 - VALDEZ, Alaska (AP) - The city of Valdez continues to dig out from more than 322 inches of snow this winter. That's 168 inches above a normal winter snowfall, the National Weather Service said.

Health

Do You Know Where Your Medicine Came From? Over 40% of Pills Made Overseas - Many in Unregulated Factories
AlterNet - Headaches. Insomnia. Anxiety. American medicine cabinets are packed with remedies for these common maladies. And up to 40 percent of them are manufactured overseas (along with 80 percent of active ingredients for pharmaceuticals). But a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimated that in fiscal year 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration visited just 11 percent of the 3,765 foreign factories... (Nearly all the aspirin and vitamin C consumed in the U.S. is made in Chinese plants that never see an inspector.) Here's a look a look at where the stuff in your medicine cabinet comes from...

Critical update to scientific literature: No evidence for effectiveness of anti-depressants in treating mild depression
(NaturalNews) In what is being called a critical update of the current literature, Ulrich Hegerl, MD, of the University of Leipzig in Germany summarizes what current scientific studies have revealed regarding the efficacy of anti-depressant medication in treating mild depression. What does the research add up to? Nothing. That's right. Zip. Dr. Hegerl's analysis included the review of eight separate random clinical trials, the sum of which "does not provide evidence for the efficacy of antidepressants in patients with minor depression."

CDC Increases Pressure on Parents to Vaccinate Kids with Deadly Toxins
Curt Linderman Sr. - NORC (National Organization for Research at the University of Chicago) is currently working closely with CDC to ensure that all of America’s children are fully vaccinated with the toxic, sickness inducing and physically and mentally debilitating cocktail of toxins, carcinogens, DNA animal fragments and viruses through the National Immunization Survey (3). Calls to your home will be coming soon if you have young children or even teenagers.

Want to Reduce Your Heart Risk By a Whopping Percentage?
ANH - No, this doesn’t involve diet or supplements or exercise. One of the most altruistic and easiest things to do is to give blood. But you may not realize just how much it can improve your heart health. “Blood viscosity” is one of the most important, but least understood, factors in cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and a factor in one-third of all deaths. And how thick and sticky your blood is—how much friction your blood creates moving through the blood vessels— is a major factor in determining how much abrasion and damage it does to the lining cells (endothelium) of your arteries.

Miracle food? Cherries can help reverse gout and arthritis inflammation
(NaturalNews) Did you know that cherries can lower levels of inflammation in the body drastically enough to actually alleviate arthritis symptoms and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes? It doesn't even take a super-powerful extract to feel the effect; powdered cherries alone have produced dramatic results. In at least one study, powdered cherry consumption actually led to a change in the functioning of inflammation-regulating genes in mice.

Intermittent, low-carbohydrate diets - more effective than standard diets
(NaturalNews) A new study coming from a team of scientists at the Genesis Prevention Center, University Hospital in South Manchester, England reveals that intermittent, low-carb diets are more efficient in reducing weight and insulin blood levels than regular diets. High levels of insulin are directly linked to the risk of developing cancer and other diseases. The results were presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, which was held December 6-10, 2011.

Was teen prodigy Arfa Karim Randhawa's tragic death caused by pesticides or vaccines?
(NaturalNews) Pesticides have been linked to a whole host of neurological problems that range from hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders to learning disabilities and seizures. In fact, the preliminary results of an ongoing study, led by the University of North Dakota's Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC), add to the growing body of evidence linking pesticides to neurological changes associated with Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer's and you guessed it -- epilepsy.

Spiritual Medicine
(NaturalNews) Though I have spent the last 10 years writing about and defining Natural Allopathic Medicine twenty-five years ago I created Biogenic Medicine, which on a diagnostic level, combines many levels of perception into a holistic framework that amplifies medicine's ability to pinpoint the specific challenges, problems and states of disease in each individual. Biogenic Medicine routinely correlates a person's physical problems with emotional disturbances and conflicts that are happening on a deeper level. It grew from my attempts at harmonizing the new and important science of color psychology with ancient Chinese medicine.

New Regulations Threaten Insurance for CAM Patients
An important provision of President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requires insurance companies to use at least 80% of premium dollars (85% for large employer plans) on healthcare expenses and quality improvement, rather than on sales, overhead, and profits. If they don’t, the insurance companies will be required to provide a rebate to their customers starting in 2012. This requirement is called the Medical Loss Ratio, or MLR. The government estimates that up to 9 million Americans could be eligible for rebates starting in 2012, worth up to $1.4 billion—which is intended to put pressure on the insurance companies to keep their administrative and sales costs as low as possible.

Science & Technology

WEB GOES ON STRIKE!
On January 18th, 2012 the internet is going on strike to stop the web censorship bills in Congress! Now is our moment— we need you to do everything you can, whether you have a website or not. January 18th is going to be amazing. Sites are striking in all different ways, but they are united by this: do the biggest thing you possibly can, and drive contacts to Congress. Put this on your site or automate it by putting this JS into your header, which will start the blackout at 8AM EST. Join the list of already confirmed participants.

Online SOPA Strike to Continue as White House Backs Down
The SOPA strike is set to occur on the same day that Congress will be hearing witnesses such as Reddit's co-founder, Alexis Ohanian, voice their concerns about SOPA and PIPA before the US House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.... The online strike is set to continue despite this weekend's statement from the White House contending that it would not "support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet." (Joint statement prepared by: Victoria Espinel, Aneesh Chopra, Howard Schmidt.) "We have no indication that SOPA is fully off the table. PIPA is still alive and kicking. We need to send Washington a BIG message." — Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia Founder.

Mystery persists over Russian spacecraft fall site
MOSCOW (AP) -- Russian officials say they still have no firm information where a failed Mars moon probe plummeted to Earth, the day after it went down.

Wikipedia may black out Wednesday in protest
Wikipedia may black out its website Wednesday to protest anti-piracy legislation under consideration in Congress. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales announced on Twitter Monday that the popular community-based online encyclopedia will shut down its English versions for 24 hours in protest. Users of the site have discussed for more than a month whether it should react to the legislation and in the past few days, tried to decide how.

Zappos Says Hackers Accessed 24 Million Customers' Account Details
Forbes - The Amazon-owned e-commerce firm has revealed that it was the target of a cyber attack that gained access to its internal network, including the accounts of 24 million of its users. Though the company says that no complete credit card numbers were revealed in the breach, the intruders may have accessed customers’ names, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, addresses, the last four digits of their credit card numbers, and encrypted passwords.

VIDEO: Farming Compassion: A Glimpse into Life at a Farm Animal Rescue Center
Not all animals are there for meat or milk. Some "rescue farms" let animals live for their own sakes. This is what it looks like.
 

World News

S&P, Greek standoff pressure euro zone to boost defenses
LONDON (Reuters) - Mass euro zone ratings downgrades are unlikely to shake up investors too much, but with Greek debt talks at an impasse, pressure has been loaded on the bloc to shore up its defenses and glimmers of optimism from last week have been firmly doused.

Iran Inspection Trip Planned in Late January
GSN - The International Atomic Energy Agency is set to dispatch a high-level delegation to the Iranian capital on Jan. 28 in an effort to address concerns that the Middle Eastern nation's atomic activities could support nuclear-weapon development, diplomatic officials told the Associated Press on Thursday.

Russian space probe crashes into Pacific
MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian space probe designed to boost the nation's pride on a bold mission to a moon of Mars has come down in flames, showering fragments into the south Pacific west of Chile's coast, officials said.... The $170 million craft was one of the heaviest and most toxic pieces of space junk ever to crash to Earth, but space officials and experts said the risks posed by its crash were minimal because the toxic rocket fuel on board and most of the craft's structure would burn up in the atmosphere high above the ground anyway.

VIDEO: S&P adds to eurozone woes, downgrading France and 8 others
RT - Standard & Poor’s rating agency has downgraded sterling AAA credit rating of Europe's second-largest economy, France. Austria, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia have also seen their rating cut one notch, while Cyprus, Italy, Spain and Portugal have dropped two positions. Austria had also previously held a top AAA rating. Earlier on Friday the rumors of a downgrade had already sent markets plunging. The US-based rating agency justified its decision pointing to a combination of economic and financial factors along with “insufficient” measures taken by European leaders in dealing with the crisis.

Israeli agents posed as CIA to recruit terrorists
RT - The buddy-buddy relationship between American and Israel could falter as it is revealed that Mossad intelligence officers posed as CIA agents in order to recruit and train Iranian terrorists, all unbeknown to US authorities. American intelligence officials have come clean with details surrounding Israel’s attempt to infiltrate the network of the Iranian terrorist group Jundallah. According to internal memos just released, Washington was initially unaware that agents working for Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, were recruiting Iranian terrorists under the guise that they would be hired and trained by the CIA.

Iran ‘has evidence’ CIA masterminded nuke scientist murder
RT - Iran has sent two “letters of condemnation” in the wake of Wednesday’s killing of yet another Iranian nuclear scientist. Tehran is demanding a response from Washington and London for the attack, which was “guided” by the CIA and “assisted” by MI6. "We have reliable documents and evidence that this terrorist act was planned, guided and supported by the CIA," the Iranian foreign ministry said in a rare letter handed to the Swiss ambassador in Tehran, according to state television.

U.S. army chief heads to Israel as fears over attack on Iran mount
Haaretz - Visit comes as U.S. attempts to determine Israel’s intentions with regard to a possible attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Thursday for talks with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, and other senior defense and intelligence officials. The visit comes as the United States attempts to coordinate with Israel on the issue of Iran's nuclear capabilities, and to determine Israel's intentions with regard to a possible attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.

‘Obama ready to give Iran strike order’
Press TV - Sen. Joe Lieberman says Obama is prepared to order a military attack on Iran if sanctions fail to stop Tehran’s nuclear program. "[Obama] is definitely capable of ordering a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities," Joe Lieberman (I-CT) told The Cable in a Friday interview. "I don't know that the president will order a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities even if the sanctions don't work, but I know that he's capable of doing that and I believe he's prepared to do that," Lieberman said, adding that he doesn't think Obama would ever send ground troops to Iran.

Give peace a chance? US and Israel postpone largest joint drill
RT - “Austere Challenge 12”, the US-Israel joint-missile defense drill, has been postponed till the summer at the earliest, according to Israeli media. Some link the move to Washington’s growing concern Israel may be planning a unilateral attack on Iran. The drill, originally set for April, was intended to create a high level of interoperability between the two countries’ missile defense systems. Thousands of US troops would be deployed in Israel to be joined by an equal number of Israeli soldiers. It would also be the first time a top US commander (Admiral James Stavridis of the US European Command) has been assigned to participate in the simulations.

Russia: “Should Anything Happen to Iran … This Will Be a Direct Threat to Our National Security”
Washington’s Blog - Russia and China would consider an attack on Iran – Or Syria – as an attack on their national security. The escalating conflict around Iran should be contained by common effort, otherwise the promising Arab Spring will grow into a “scorching Arab Summer,” says Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s deputy prime minister and former envoy to NATO. “Iran is our close neighbor, just south of the Caucasus. Should anything happen to Iran, should Iran get drawn into any political or military hardships, this will be a direct threat to our national security,” stressed Rogozin.

VIDEO: 'Qatar is aligned with US in destabilizing Syria’
RT - The emir of Qatar has become the first Arab leader to voice support for military intervention in Syria should the bloodshed continue there. Does that mean Doha is aligned with the West’s agenda in the region? Sheikh Hamd bin Khalifa Al Thani made the statement during his interview with US news channel CBS. Speaking about the conflict in Syria, Sheik Hamad said “For such a situation to stop the killing, some troops should go to stop the killing.”

Chile’s Desaparecidos and Obama’s NDAA
Kurt Nimmo - Ominous parallels as the number of political executions in Pinochet’s Chile grows. Investigative journalists in Chile have uncovered a number of previously unreported political executions under General Pinochet’s reign of terror, including the execution of the Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda. More than 3,000 Chileans were “disappeared” after the CIA-plotted coup in Chile. Investigative journalists at ArchivosChile patched together files from the Legal Medical Service, the General Cemetery, the Civil Registry and the Military Prosecutors. They discovered 890 politically motivated deaths between Sept. 11 and the end of December 1973, according to the Santiago Times.

Indian authorities demand censorship from Google and Facebook
RT - The Indian government has sanctioned the prosecution of 21 web companies, including giants Google and Facebook, for publishing offensive content, warning that it will block the websites “like in China” if no pre-moderation takes place. An Indian judge ruled that some content available through the sites conflicts with “national harmony, integration and national interest." Other web giants facing charges include Microsoft, Yahoo and YouTube.

India Slams Monsanto with Unprecedented ‘Biopiracy’ Charges
Activist Post - India has joined the conglomerate of nations directly opposed to the agricultural corruption brought upon by bloated biotechnology giant Monsanto, declaring legal action against the corporation for a crime dubbed ‘biopiracy‘. The charges were brought against Monsanto for utilizing a local eggplant variety to develop their own genetically modified version including the notorious biopesticide Bt. Monsanto’s Bt GMO crops are known to threaten the environment in addition to human health, and India considers Monsanto’s unauthorized testing of the crops to be biopiracy.

INVASION OF THE 'TALL TAX' - Tall flier decries extra legroom fee, charged $50 extra EACH CONNECTION FLIGHT - $200 total on trip
CNN - Johnson flies on the airline from Edmonton to France twice a year, but since there are no direct flights available, the journey usually requires four legs for a round-trip. He was always able to get a fairly comfortable seat at no charge, but that changed when the carrier implemented the fee about two years ago. Air Canada charges up to $50 for a coach seat with extra legroom on each flight, so Johnson ends up paying $200 extra, he said. If his wife comes along and wants to sit next to him, the couple ends up paying $400 extra.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Now! South Carolina Battle of Cowpens Money Bomb January 14 - 17
Almost half way there for Tuesday's deadline. Over $1, 300,000 raised so far.

Ron Paul Receives Pivotal Endorsement of South Carolina State Senator Tom Davis
COLUMBIA, SC – 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul received today the key endorsement of tea party favorite and South Carolina political heavyweight, state Sen. Tom Davis (R-Beaufort). The consequential endorsement took place at a press conference at 6:00 p.m. EST at the Palisades Conference Center, located in Myrtle Beach. Sen. Davis is the most influential fiscal conservative in the South Carolina General Assembly and his endorsement virtually assures that fiscal conservatives in the “First in the South” primary state will take notice. His endorsement also is viewed as a political game-changer by many in South Carolina Republican Party circles.

VIDEO: Huntsman to Drop Out of GOP Race; Will Endorse Romney
Jon Huntsman will drop out of the Republican presidential race on Monday, a campaign spokesman told ABC News. A source close to the Huntsman campaign said the former ambassador to China and Utah governor was “proud of the race that he ran” but “did not want to stand in the way” of rival Mitt Romney, the current front-runner for the Republican nomination.
Economy

Layoff in US banking industry to put more than 80,000 out of work
Press TV - While it seems less Americans are on unemployment lines lately the same cannot be said about people in the U.S. Banking industry. The nation's largest financial institutions have announced layoffs in the coming weeks that will put more than 80 thousand men and women - out of work. Aaron Elstein reports on the banking industry for Crain's New York business magazine. He says banks are still struggling to control costs, while burdened with debt - in an economy that continues to yield little or no growth. The ongoing US Economic crisis has created an atmosphere of caution in the banking sector. Big deals worth billions of dollars - once a regular occurrence on Wall Street - are now a rarity.

South Carolina Debate Sponsored by Fox News and SCRP
Congressman Ron Paul will attend the Fox News and South Carolina Republican Party Debate at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center on Monday, January 16th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

VIDEO: Paul tells CNN $10 - 20 million needed; don't have yet. Are we gonna give it to him?
Hollis NH, January 9 2012 - Also, In this video CNN Dana Bash gets cut off for being rude.

Ron Paul is winner in Texas straw poll
January 14th, 2012 - Results were in Saturday evening for the Saddle Up Texas Straw Poll, with Ron Paul finishing strongly and a weak showing for the state's own governor. In-person voting took place over the last few days in Houston, but anyone statewide could participate through a text option. There were 707 paper ballots counted, with Ron Paul finishing in first place with nearly 28 percent of the votes. 1. Ron Paul 27.9%, 2. Newt Gingrich 23.8% 3. Rick Santorum 21.2% 4. Rick Perry 19.4% 5. Mitt Romney 6.6% 6. Jon Huntsman 1.1% More than 3,300 people voted by text, and this time Ron Paul was the clear winner, with more than 54% support.

Retired Army Intelligence Col. on Freedom Watch: ‘Ron Paul’s Policy is Accurate’
Intel Hub - Retired Army Intelligence Col. Anthony Schafer (Author of Operation Dark Heart) recently stated on Judge Napolitano’s show (FOX News); “I think Ron Paul’s policy is the most accurate in what we face as a nation moving forward.” Col. Shaffer also noted; “I believe they (Iran) already have at least 2 nuclear warheads and they are looking at EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) weapons as well.”

Recipe for Vote Fraud: Global Internet Voting Firm Buys U.S. Election Results Reporting Firm
Bev Harris - The world’s dominant Internet voting company has purchased the USA’s dominant election results reporting company. In a major step towards global centralization of election processes, the world’s dominant Internet voting company has purchased the USA’s dominant election results reporting company. When you view your local or state election results on the Internet, on portals which often appear to be owned by the county elections division, in over 525 US jurisdictions you are actually redirected to a private corporate site controlled by SOE software, which operates under the name ClarityElections.com.

YouTube: Ron Paul on Larry Kudlow
CNBC 1/13/12

Ron Paul's Open Door, Interviewed by a 5th Grader!
Daily Paul - When I saw the headlines and video clips where the media portrayed Ron Paul as shunning a NH voter at the crowded restaurant, it has prompted me to share an experience that others should hear.

VIDEO: When Mitt Romney Came To Town
Mitt Romney became CEO of Bain Capital the day the company was formed. His mission was to reap massive rewards for himself and his investors. Romney took foreign seed money from Latin America and began a pattern of exploiting dozens of American businesses. This film will highlight just four of Romney's many targets. Four businesses and thousands of employees who worked there. A story of greed, playing the system for a quick buck. A group of corporate raiders led by Mitt Romney, more ruthless than Wall Street. For tens of thousands of Americans, the suffering began when Mitt Romney came to town.

Bain Capital Owns Clear Channel (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, Etc.)
American Dream - Clear Channel owns more radio stations (850) than anyone else in the United States. They also own Premiere Radio Networks, the company that syndicates the radio shows of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck, among others.... So who owns Clear Channel? Well, it turns out that Bain Capital is one of the primary owners of Clear Channel.... The company that Mitt Romney ran for so long is one of the "big bosses" over virtually all conservative talk radio in America. Of course Mitt Romney is not running Bain Capital anymore. He is a "retired partner", but he still has a huge financial stake in Bain Capital.

Judge rejects bid by Perry, Gingrich, Santorum and Huntsman to get on Virginia's primary ballot
RICHMOND, Va. — A federal judge Friday refused to add Texas Gov. Rick Perry and three other candidates to Virginia's Republican presidential primary ballot, ruling they waited too long to challenge the state's ballot-qualifying law. After a nearly four-hour hearing, U.S. District Judge John Gibney said if the candidates thought the law was unconstitutional, they should have challenged it when they first began their campaigns in the state rather than waiting until after they failed to qualify. "In essence, they played the game, they lost, then they complained about the rules," Gibney said.

The Enemy Expatriation Act: No different than the Nazi Nuremberg Laws
Brian D. Hill - The Enemy Expatriation Act (H.R. 3166; S. 1698), an act that the U.S. Congress is now considering, that will allow the U.S. Government to take away citizenship of anybody that is considered a hostile enemy or supporting hostility towards the U.S. Government, is similar to the Nazi Factions Nuremberg laws where Adolf Hitler took away Germans citizenship based on race, bloodtypes, and those against the Hitler regime. “If the Enemy Expatriation Act passes in its current form, the legislation will let the government strike away citizenship for anyone engaged in hostilities, or supporting hostilities, against the United States” in a news article by RussiaToday News.

10 reasons the U.S. is no longer the land of the free
Washington Post - Every year, the State Department issues reports on individual rights in other countries, monitoring the passage of restrictive laws and regulations around the world. Iran, for example, has been criticized for denying fair public trials and limiting privacy, while Russia has been taken to task for undermining due process. Other countries have been condemned for the use of secret evidence and torture. Even as we pass judgment on countries we consider unfree, Americans remain confident that any definition of a free nation must include their own — the land of free.

Now, Operation White Gun: Another ATF Weapons Op Under Scrutiny
L.A. Times - In the late summer of 2010, the ATF agent leading the failed Fast and Furious gun-smuggling operation in Arizona flew to Mexico City to help coordinate cross-border investigations of U.S. weapons used by Mexican drug cartels. Hope A. MacAllister wanted access to police and military vaults for American weapons recovered by Mexican authorities in raids and at crime scenes. She especially was interested in firearms from another ATF investigation, code-named White Gun, that she was running. Now members of Congress who have spent months scrutinizing the Fast and Furious debacle are seeking to determine whether White Gun was another weapons investigation gone wrong.

Fast and Furious lawsuit: Judge upholds reporting by gun store owners
Reuters - A U.S. judge on Friday, in a victory for the Obama administration, upheld new federal rules requiring gun dealers in four states bordering Mexico to report the sales of multiple semi-automatic rifles, despite a challenge by the gun industry. The administration issued the reporting requirements last year despite opposition from the gun industry as part of a stepped-up effort to clamp down on the weapons flowing across the border to violent drug cartels in Mexico.

Wrongfully accused in L.A.: ID glitches see hundreds jailed who shouldn't be
(NaturalNews) A Los Angeles Times study found that more than 1,480 times over the past half-decade, the sheriff's department wrongfully incarcerated people, with the reasons ranging from overlooking fingerprint records to working off of records that were incomplete. Granted, Los Angeles County has a large population so it may seem like the number - about 1,500 people - is small in comparison. But the Times study found that the wrongful imprisonments were occurring so frequently, sometimes one person per day was being hauled in, though they were literally innocent of the charges.

TSA agents steal $40,000 from passenger luggage; sentenced to only five months in prison
(NaturalNews) The Associated Press reports that two former TSA screeners, 44-year-old Coumar Persad and 31-year-old Davon Webb, both of which worked at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, have pleaded guilty to grand larceny, obstructing governmental administration, and official misconduct, for stealing nearly $40,000 from an airport traveler's luggage. But rather than receive a normal prison sentence for such crimes, the two were sentenced to just six months in prison with five years of probation.

Woman put in jail for being poor
RT - The recession ruined Linda Ruggles’ business and she has been selling plasma twice a week since to make ends meet. The blood bank couldn’t bail her out from behind bars though, which is where she ended up after she couldn’t pay a $480 fine. That fine, say cops in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, came about because Linda Ruggles had a messy yard.... “I told everyone, ‘If I had $480 to pay the fine, I'd fix the roof,’"' she told Charleston, South Carolina ‘s Post and Courier.

Occupy Wall Street Protest

MLK, Occupy and End The Fed
Intel Hub - The big difference I see between Martin Luther King Jr. (at the beginning of his career as an activist) and Occupy Wall Street (at the beginning of their collective “career”) is that everyone knew what MLK wanted, but nobody seems to know what Occupy wants. The people who drive by screaming, “Get a job!” are a testament to this. The infamous “OccupySLO Pwns Hecklers” video is a testament to this. Everyone seems to think Occupy wants a handout. And maybe some do, but the ones I’ve talked to don’t. In fact, most of the ones I’ve talked to at Occupy SLO are more interested in getting America back on Constitutional track and don’t necessarily 100% endorse the 99% mandates handed down by Occupy Wall Street.

Debt Nears $15,194,000,000,000.00 Ceiling
The Treasury Department has begun maneuvers to avoid hitting the debt ceiling, as the Obama administration waits for Congress to return from the holiday break before it can raise the federal borrowing limit. The U.S. government was just a hair below the $15.194 trillion debt ceiling on Tuesday, $25 million shy of the limit Congress set last summer. President Barack Obama sent a letter to congressional leaders Thursday, saying the U.S. debt was within $100 million of the ceiling “and that further borrowing is required to meet existing commitments.”

The Worst Economic Recovery Since The Great Depression
Forbes - The record of President Obama’s first three years in office is in, and nothing that happens now can go back and change that. What that record shows is that President Obama, with his throwback, old-fashioned, 1970s Keynesian economics, has put America through the worst recovery from a recession since the Great Depression.

Harrisburg city council overrides mayor's budget veto
(Reuters) - The city council of the Pennsylvania state capital city of Harrisburg voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to override Mayor Linda Thompson's veto of a proposed $53.4 million budget. The override, which was approved 6-1, means the council's 2012 budget becomes the fiscal blueprint for the financially troubled city until state-appointed receiver David Unkovic submits his spending plan next month. The override also means the mayor's spokesman, Bob Philbin, and her ombudsman, Bryan Wade, will lose their jobs, and 10 vacant positions will go unfilled.

Americans are afraid to take vacations
RT - The White House’s would-be success overthe unemployment epidemic came crashing today with the announcement that jobless benefit claims went up for the first time in six weeks. Despite the administration assurance that jobs are returning, it couldn’t be further from the truth. So dangerous is the employment market today that a recent study revealed that the majority of American residents with jobs refused to spend all their vacation days in 2011, worried that such action would prompt employers to consider their staff careless and can them from their positions.

Obama asks Congress for $1.2 trillion increase in nation’s borrowing limit
Washington Post - President Obama formally notified Congress on Thursday of his intent to raise the nation’s debt ceiling by $1.2 trillion, two weeks after he had postponed the request to give lawmakers more time to consider the action. Congress will have had 15 days to say no before the nation’s debt ceiling automatically is raised from $15.2 trillion to $16.4 trillion.

Bankrupt Solyndra seeking to pay bonuses
Now seems an unlikely time for handing out bonuses at bankrupt Solyndra LLC, but that’s the plan of company attorneys intending to dole out up to a half-million dollars to persuade key employees to stay put.

Farmers Sue Corzine Over Their Missing Money
Montana farmers have filed a class action suit against former New Jersey governor Jon Corzine, charging that the failed financial firm run by Corzine stole millions from their accounts to pay off its spiraling debts, and that Corzine's "single-minded obsession" with making MF Global a big player on Wall Street led to the firm's collapse. MF Global's clients included 38,000 wheat farmers, cattle ranchers and others who "hedged" their crop prices by placing millions in MF Global accounts. Those accounts were supposed to be "segregated and secure," according to the federal suit, meaning MF Global could not draw on those funds.

Jacob Lew - Obama's Third Chief Of Staff Got Rich On Wall Street (Thank You Taxpayers!), Just Like His Predecessors
Daily Bail - All three of President Barack Obama’s chiefs of staff earned millions of dollars after passing through the revolving doors that lie between the Democratic Party and Wall Street. Yet Obama is positioning himself as Wall Street’s foe in the 2012 election, aided by millions of dollars in political donations from Wall Street companies, including Goldman Sachs.

Spring cleaning spurs Home Depot to hire 70,000
CNN - The hiring target is 10,000 more than its announced target a year ago, although at that time it ended up hiring about 70,000 workers. While the jobs are intended to be temporary, Home Depot said that there is a possibility of permanent employment for many of those hired.

Michael Olenick: 9.8 Million Shadow Inventory Says Housing Market is a Long Way From the Bottom
“Shadow inventory,” the number of homes that are either in foreclosure or are likely to end up in foreclosure, creates substantial but hidden pressure on housing prices and potential losses to banks and investors. This is a critical figure for policymakers and financial services industry executives, since if the number is manageable, that means waiting for the market to digest the overhang might not be such a terrible option. But if shadow inventory is large, housing prices have a good bit further to go before they hit bottom, which has dire consequences for communities, homeowners, and the broader economy.

Whiteout with Snow Hitting Midwest
An arctic cold front plowing across the Great Lakes is bringing a near blizzard and dangerous travel conditions to the region. Snow has been falling from southeastern Minnesota, eastern Iowa, Wisconsin, the upper peninsula of Michigan and northern and western Lower Michigan, Illinois, eastern Missouri and Indiana. Gusty winds are causing the snow to blow and drift, leading to whiteout and near-blizzard conditions.

Health

Barley grass improves health in type 2 diabetics and reduces cholesterol
(NaturalNews) Barley grass is considered a superfood, because of its incredibly dense nutritional profile. It contains a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and amino acids. Barley grass contains an abundance of chlorophyll, and is rich in Vitamins A, B, C, iron and calcium. It also contains high amounts of the electrolyte minerals potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Barley grass is rich in plant enzymes and antioxidants. Clinical studies involving the ingestion of barley grass powder show that it improves the health of diabetic patients.

SSRI horrors grow: women who take popular antidepressants risk babies with severe high blood pressure
(NaturalNews) Although Big Pharma and mainstream medicine continue to push antidepressants, especially the type known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Paxil and Prozac, the documented risks and side effects of these drugs remain often ignored.

Medical journal openly questions science, ethics of HPV vaccinations
(NaturalNews) On January 12, 2011 the Annals of Medicine published a ground-breaking peer-reviewed paper titled, Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine policy and evidence-based medicine: Are they at odds? The article points out to the medical community what most consumers now know about the fraudulent global health agency policies in combination with the pharmaceutical companies lack of science based evidence demonstrating the safety and efficacy of Gardasil and Cervarix before they were unleashed on unsuspecting parents of adolescents.

VIDEO: Dude, That Isn’t Wax On Your Apple!
Fancy yourself a vegetarian or vegan? Think that the label that says “organically grown” has anything to do with the packaging, storage, and transport of that product to stores? What if I told you that cow, pig, and chicken collagen is now used in place of wax on your fruits and vegetables, among many other things much worse than you can probably imagine? And what if then I told you, as with most atrocities that happen now-a-days, that this is all approved by the FDA…

Fears over outbreak after 12 infected with new swine flu strain in U.S.
Mail Online - Twelve Americans have been reported infected with a mutating and now possibly human-to-human transmitted form of the H1N1 Swine Flu virus called H3N2v. An investigation undertaken by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that human infections of these viruses followed contact with swine as well as through 'limited human-to-human transmission.' 'While there is no evidence that sustained human-to-human transmission is occurring, all influenza viruses have the capacity to change and it's possible that this virus may become widespread,' the CDC explained through their website.

North Carolina Task Force Recommends $50,000 For Sterilization Victims
CNN - Living people who were forcibly sterilized as part of a decades-long eugenics program in North Carolina should receive a one-time payment of $50,000, a state task force recommended on Tuesday. North Carolina sterilized an estimated 7,600 people between 1929 and 1974, many of them against their will. The state apologized for the sterilizations in 2002, and Gov. Bev Perdue created the compensation task force last year. Many states once had eugenics programs, and seven have apologized, but North Carolina is the first to consider paying victims.

Fabric softeners contain toxic chemicals
(NaturalNews) Fabric softener ads often portray an image of comfort, freshness and sweetness. Yet most fabric softeners contain a grim list of known toxins which can enter your body through the skin and by inhalation, causing a wide range of health problems, particularly for young children. Some of the harmful ingredients commonly found in liquid or sheet fabric softeners include...

Science & Technology

Russian spacecraft to crash to Earth on Sunday
The Telegraph - The minibus-sized Russian craft has been in a low orbit around Earth since losing contact with engineers shortly after its launch on November 8. It had been intended to explore Phobos, one of Mars's two moons, but became stranded while still orbiting Earth and attempts to put it back on its original course failed. Most of its mass is expected to burn up as the craft re-enters the atmosphere but 20 or 30 pieces of small debris collectively weighing about 200kg could reach Earth.

Mainstream Media To Bully Bloggers Out Of ‘Fair Use’
Activist Post - The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, along with 28 other news organizations, are launching a company which hopes to further profit on their news reporting, by seeking to make paying customers out of websites or blogs which reproduce their content, either in full or in part. The new company will go by the ridiculous name of ‘NewsRight’, to make it better appear to the general public that these mainstream media outlets have some kind of exclusivity over the very flow of human existence of any significance (or as equally likely, insignificance) taking place anywhere in the world.

Obama to hand Commerce Dept. authority over cybersecurity ID
STANFORD, Calif.--President Obama is planning to hand the U.S. Commerce Department authority over a forthcoming cybersecurity effort to create an Internet ID for Americans, a White House official said here today. It's "the absolute perfect spot in the U.S. government" to centralize efforts toward creating an "identity ecosystem" for the Internet, White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt said.... The Commerce Department will be setting up a national program office to work on this project, Locke said.

New credit card is virtually theft-proof
Mail Online - A new prototype credit card from Dynamics Inc could be the solution to credit card fraud. The card is powered by a tiny battery, and generates a different security code (usually the three digit code printed on the back) every time it's switched on. The number stored in the magnetic strip also changes - so it can't be cloned, at least with current technology.

Smart Contact Lenses Keep Eye On Your Health
CBS Pittsburgh - Forty-million Americans wear contact lenses. In the not so distant future, contacts may do a lot more than just help you see. What if the lenses could look inside of you to diagnose, monitor and even treat disease? Sound far-fetched? Well, it may not be too far away. The new generation of contact lenses is being called “smart lenses,” and they are packed with circuits, sensors and wireless technology – all designed to keep an eye on your health.

Leaked documents reveal US diplomats actually work for Monsanto
(NaturalNews) Biotech giant Monsanto has been genetically modifying the world's food supply and subsequently breeding environmental devastation for years, but leaked documents now reveal that Monsanto has also deeply infiltrated the United States government. With leaked reports revealing how U.S. diplomats are actually working for Monsanto to push their agenda along with other key government officials, Monsanto's grasp on international politics has never been clearer.

Two important victories against evil GMO corporations and their seed spawn
(NaturalNews) With all the bad news about Monsanto and other corporations who create and promote GMOs, here's a couple of good news items from the last couple of years to relieve some doom and gloom. Hopefully, these victories against GMO companies, one by an individual farmer in Canada, the other by a large rice collective in the USA, will inspire others to hold their ground. Normally, bully Monsanto sues small independent farmers, forcing them to pay fees for GMO plants that grew from various sources of GMO contamination, not by the farmer's choice. But the expense and mental strain of lengthy legal procedures against a wealthy corporation with soulless attorneys is too much to bear. So many settle rather than go bankrupt with Monsanto seizing the farm.

Make an Apron From a Pair of Old Jeans
Mother Earth News - A used pair of jeans can be transformed into a useful and fun apron for the little cooks in your life. You can make the apron as frilly and girly-girl or as masculine and boyish as necessary.

Pet News

Pet Food Calorie Mis-Information
One of the biggest pitches of pet foods is the 100% Balanced Nutrition claim. You see that '100% Balanced Nutrition' claim everywhere, even veterinarians advise pet parents to make sure you are feeding one of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) balanced pet foods. 'Your pet will suffer from health problems if you don't feed a balanced diet' is the typical advise. Well guess what? Those AAFCO balanced diets have calorie contents that run from well lower to well higher than what is needed for healthy pets. Pet food calorie misinformation goes hand-in-hand with that 100% Balanced Nutrition claim.

Obama administration to ask for increase to debt ceiling in a 'matter of days'
The Obama administration will be asking Congress to raise the debt limit in the coming days, White House press secretary Jay Carney said on Tuesday.... The White House will be asking Congress to raise the U.S. borrowing limit by $1.2 trillion. The move would mark the third and final increase from the debt-ceiling deal reached last year by Congress.

Bonus battles: Disgruntled bankers threaten to sue or walk
New York Post - Wall Street bankers are fuming about the prospect of paltry payouts come bonus time — and plan to go nuclear. They’re taking their cues from their disgruntled brethren in London, who are eyeing lawsuits to regain their over-the-top pay. Here at Jefferies Group, a group of brokerage executives reportedly threatened management that they would walk away from the firm if their year-end compensation was not up to par with The Street.

Goldman, Citigroup Planning First 2012 Commercial Mortgage Deal
Bloomberg - Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) and Citigroup Inc. (C) are planning to market about $1 billion of bonds backed by commercial property loans as soon as next week as demand for the debt recovers amid optimism the U.S. economy can withstand Europe’s fiscal crisis.

New Chief of Staff: Former Hedge Fund Exec. at Citigroup, Made Money Off Mortgage Defaults
Weekly Standard - President Obama's first chief of staff Rahm Emanuel once sat on the board of troubled federal mortgage giant Freddie Mac. Bill Daley, the president's chief of staff whose departure was announced today, was previously a top executive at financial firm J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. So of course there should be little surprise that Obama's latest chief of staff, announced today by the president himself, also has deep ties to the financial industry himself.

A Fine for Not Using a Biofuel That Doesn’t Exist
New York Times - When the companies that supply motor fuel close the books on 2011, they will pay about $6.8 million in penalties to the Treasury because they failed to mix a special type of biofuel into their gasoline and diesel as required by law. But there was none to be had. Outside a handful of laboratories and workshops, the ingredient, cellulosic biofuel, does not exist.

West Virginia ruling leaves dioxin cleanup out of Monsanto trial
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- As the trial begins in a major toxic pollution lawsuit against Monsanto Co., jurors won't be allowed to tackle a key issue: Should the company pay to clean up dioxin it allegedly spewed across the city of Nitro? Experts won't testify about the need for property remediation. Lawyers won't argue about the issue. Jurors won't be asked to force Monsanto to spend the hundreds of millions of dollars such a project could cost.

Health

YouTube: Poor US citizens exchange time for health
A clinic in the US state of Maine is using a novel way to support those who cannot afford costly health insurance. Low-income people earn time credits from the Hours Exchange Portland website, mostly by working a variety of odd jobs like raking leaves or driving the elderly, and exchange them for time with a doctor. Al Jazeera's John Terrett reports from Falmouth, Maine.

Report Finds Most Errors at Hospitals Go Unreported
New York Times - Hospital employees recognize and report only one out of seven errors, accidents and other events that harm Medicare patients while they are hospitalized, federal investigators say in a new report. Yet even after hospitals investigate preventable injuries and infections that have been reported, they rarely change their practices to prevent repetition of the “adverse events,” according to the study.... Adverse events include medication errors, severe bedsores, infections that patients acquire in hospitals, delirium resulting from overuse of painkillers and excessive bleeding linked to improper use of blood thinners.

How to detox aluminum and why it's necessary
(NaturalNews) We are in the "Age of Aluminum", this according to a lecture by Dr. Chris Exley, PhD at a January 2011 vaccine safety conference in Jamaica. A common expression among those who deflect aluminum's toxicity issues is that aluminum is prominent throughout the earth's crust. What they fail to mention is that aluminum (Al) wasn't widely bioavailable to humans until the latter part of the 19th Century when it began to be mined for creating metals and medicines.

Many common pills are coated with toxic phthalates
(NaturalNews)The coatings of many common drugs and supplements often contain phthalates according to a recent study reported in Environmental Health Perspectives. This family of plasticizer compounds has been linked in previous studies to hormonal and reproductive problems as well as fetal brain damage.

Natural cranberry juice more effective than pills for fighting infections
(NaturalNews) A new study from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts confirms that natural cranberry juice is more effective in fighting infections than pills containing concentrated doses of the flavonoids found in cranberries. The study published in the Food Science and Biotechnology journal was led by Dr. Terri Camesano, professor of chemical engineering.

Danger of chemical hair dyes: Girl's face swells up like balloon following application
(NaturalNews) To many, they are just one particular means by which to keep up with the latest styles and fashion trends. But chemical hair dyes carry with them some very serious health risks, a fact that 22-year-old Louise Henson from Skegness, Lincolnshire, in the UK recently learned the hard way.

New study: nicotine dramatically improves and normalizes failing memory in elders
(NaturalNews) Tobacco is some kind of "devil weed," only good for making chemical-laden products like cigarettes, known to promote cancer. At least, that's the current take on this plant. But that's certainly not the whole truth about tobacco, which has been used historically by many cultures both in religious rituals and also as a natural therapy for various ailments from colds to tuberculosis.

What Really Causes Crooked Teeth?
Dr. Price’s research compellingly argues that a lack of jaw development and crooked teeth is entirely nutritional in origin such as attempting to build a wide bridge with substandard materials. Without essential nutrients in the form of minerals and the fat soluble activators A, D, and K2 which were abundant in primitive diets, the jaw and palate cannot form with enough strength to support a broad facial structure.

VIDEO: #1 Key to Health: Traditional Fats and Sacred Foods
The bottom line is that you will not achieve your best health without regular and liberal consumption of these foods. You may do many other things right: grind your own flour, eat only organic produce and clean meats, consume unprocessed grassfed milk, avoid pharmaceutical drugs/processed foods and even eat fermented foods and still be plagued with degenerative illness. The fat soluble vitamins A, D, and K – also known as Activator X are found in high concentrations in the sacred foods. Taking supplements of these vitamins in isolation does not achieve the same effect and confers a false sense of security that health is being maintained when in fact, it is slipping away slowly but surely.

Science & Technology

Internet censorship bill becomes political liability
To the ranks of same-sex marriage, tax cuts and illegal immigration, add this to the list of polarizing political issues of Election 2012: the Stop Online Piracy Act. The hot-button anti-piracy legislation that sparked a revolt online is starting to become a political liability for some of SOPA’s major backers. Fueled by Web activists and online fundraising tools, challengers are using the bill to tag its congressional supporters as backers of Big Government — and raise campaign cash while they’re at it.

Google gets more personal with search results
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google is sifting through the photos and commentary on its blossoming social network so its Internet search results can include more personal information. The additional personal touches that began to roll out Tuesday mark another step toward one of Google's most ambitious goals. The Internet search leader eventually hopes to know enough about each of its users so it can tailor its results to fit the unique interests of each person looking for something.

U.S. tightens fishing policy, setting 2012 catch limits for all managed species
Washington Post - In an effort to sustain commercial and recreational fishing for the next several decades, the United States this year will become the first country to impose catch limits for every species it manages, from Alaskan pollock to Caribbean queen conch. Although the policy has attracted scant attention outside the community of those who fish in America and the officials who regulate them, it marks an important shift in a pursuit that has helped define the country since its founding.

Rep. Kucinich proposes legislation to ban open-air cultivation of pharmaceutical-producing GE crops
(NaturalNews) A long-time advocate of protecting the food supply from the detrimental, and most-likely irreversible, effects of genetically-engineered (GE) crops on the environment and humans, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) has proposed new legislation to ban the open-air cultivation of GE crops programmed to produce experimental pharmaceutical drugs and various other industrial chemicals and additives.

Pet News

Feline Hypertension
High blood pressure in cats is now recognized as a condition that if left untreated can cause serious illness and death. Hypertension typically occurs as a secondary disease to another illness like acute or chronic kidney failure and/or hyperthyroidism. In fact, hypertension occurs in over 60 percent of cats with renal failure and about 90 percent of hyperthyroid kitties. Less frequently the condition has also been linked to over-production of the adrenal hormone aldosterone, as well as adrenal gland tumors.

Is the Fox Guarding the Henhouse? Purina Launches ‘Project: Pet Slim Down’ for Pets
Obese pets are almost as big a concern in the U.S. as their overweight owners. Leave it to a pet food industry giant to figure out how to “fix” a problem they had a huge hand in creating.

Veteran News

GM focusing on profits, not U.S. market share: CEO
DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co will focus on maintaining profits, not defending U.S. market share gains made at the expense of Japanese rivals, the automaker's top executive said on Monday. "I like profitability more than I do market share," Chief Executive Dan Akerson said at the Detroit auto show. "We're a mass producer and scale matters to us, but obviously we'll look for margin and profitability going into 2012."

VIDEO: PIMCO’s El-Erian: QE3 Won’t Produce The Outcomes We Want
Zero Hedge - In his typical forthright manner, the moustachioed maestro appeared on Bloomberg TV today discussing Europe’s crisis and the US economy. While we (ZH) wonder what (or who) the ‘we’ El-Erian is speaking for, he notes that the Fed “doesn’t have enough policy instruments to deal with the challenges facing the economy” and that QE3 will not work (a possibility we discussed last week). From investing in a fat-tailed environment to the Fed’s liquidity trap and why Europe needs to ‘refound’ the euro-zone, his fragile hope is that crises remain ‘contained’ yet prefers the USD’s ‘safety’ for now and worries on the US stocks ‘cleanest dirty shirt’ bullish argument, suggesting defense is the better play currently.

USDA says it will close 259 offices to save $150M
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture will close 259 domestic offices, labs and other facilities as part of an effort to save $150 million per year, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Monday. While the closures and other cost-cutting steps will affect the USDA headquarters in Washington and operations in 46 states, the savings will be relatively small in the context of the agency's $145 billion budget. The closures follow a review of USDA operations done as part of the Obama administration's efforts to cut waste, Vilsack said.

"Get a Program" -- Why voting isn't and never will be enough
Activist Post - At the top of Tarpley.net is a five-point economic recovery program that has sat there since 2009. It was written by Dr. Webster Tarpley, a historian, journalist, economist, and geopolitical expert who was one of the first and most vocal critics of current US President Barack Obama. He gave stark warnings before the 2008 presidential election of expanded wars, economic depression, and Obama's catering to Wall Street, contrary to his alleged "progressive-liberal" rhetoric.

Unemployment Drop Masks Ongoing Decline
Economist John Williams of Shadowstats.com says the government reported more than 40,000 jobs that didn’t exist. In his latest report, Williams said, “The reported seasonally-adjusted 200,000 jobs surge in December 2011 payrolls included a false, seasonally-adjusted gain of roughly 42,000 in the “Couriers and Messengers” category.” Williams went on to report, “While today’s happy labor data likely will fuel financial-media and political talk of an improving economy, the underlying reality remains bleak, with data later this month and next generally tending to confirm the ongoing bottom-bouncing of the U.S. economy in a severe downturn.”

DoJ contacting additional banks on mortgage deal
(Reuters) - As the government nears a deal with top banks to resolve mortgage abuses, the Justice Department has begun reaching out to other banks to gauge their interest in joining the wide-ranging settlement, according to a person familiar with the matter. The DOJ has contacted several nationally chartered banks to determine whether they might agree to terms similar to those in the proposed deal, the person said. State and federal officials are nearing a settlement with the five largest mortgage servicers - Bank of America Corp, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Wells Fargo & Co, Citigroup Inc and Ally Financial Inc- to resolve allegations of misconduct in processing foreclosures and other issues.

Government Set to Sell Foreclosures in Bulk
CNBC - The Obama administration, in conjunction with federal regulators and led by the overseer of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, is very close to announcing a pilot program to sell government-owned foreclosures in bulk to investors as rentals, according to administration officials. There currently are about a quarter of a million foreclosed properties on the books of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), and millions more are coming.

YouTube: Stop Smart Meters: The Film
An upcoming community-based film about the "No Smart Meter" revolution, gathering steam in British Columbia, the US and around the world. Find out why it is critical that we occupy our power, and take a stand now at this key time in history.

U.S. faces new wave of invasive species
New study warns that the earlier onset of spring, warmer winters, economic globalization, and increased trade with emerging economies in Asia and Africa will see the United States face a significant new wave of invasive plant introductions; at least forty-two emerging U.S. trade partners – among them Thailand, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, Argentina, and several in equatorial Africa -- are poised to export new nursery plant varieties to the United States.

Health

FDA: Novartis recall may also affect painkillers
(AP) - Jan 9, 9:15 PM EST - FDA officials warned Monday that some of Novartis' over-the-counter pills may have accidentally been packaged with powerful prescription painkillers made at the same facility. The opioid drugs are sold by Endo Pharmaceuticals as Percocet, Endocet, Opana and Zydone. Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc., of Chadds Ford, Pa., said it is not aware of any confirmed product mix-ups that reached patients or caused any injuries. A spokeswoman for Novartis said late Monday that only Gas-X is produced on the same manufacturing line as the opioid drugs. FDA officials say they are not recalling the painkillers because they are essential medications for many patients and the risks of stray pills are low.

Cannabis Treatment Threatens Deadly Painkiller Industry
Activist Post - Pharmaceutical painkillers are now responsible for more deaths in the United States than heroin and cocaine combined. These pharmaceuticals are responsible for more than 15,000 deaths conservatively in 2008 alone. With no sign of slowing down, the painkiller industry is becoming wildly popular among Americans — as a result, so is the high rate of painkiller abuse. Classified as dangerous by the U.S. government, cannabis (even in THC-free form, or free of psychoactive effects) has been identified as a powerful pain reliever in more than 80 peer-reviewed studies.

Add some spice to your food and boost your disease-prevention power
We often hear about the health benefits of eating more fruits and veggies, getting a little more exercise, or getting your weight down, but did you know that adding more spices and herbs to your food can reduce inflammation and also reduce your risk of chronic disease?

Eating healthy on a budget
(NaturalNews) Not everyone is able or ready to grow their own food yet. With food prices rising and the dollar shrinking, it's a good idea to know what to buy and where. The first thing to realize is eating solely for taste and eating out often are the wrong approaches.

Reduce Winter Cold Symptoms with Golden Kiwi
The winter cold season is here, which means its time to prevent contracting this viral disease as well as find effective ways to reduce cold symptoms. How about kiwi? A new study in the British Journal of Nutrition reports that elderly volunteers who ate golden kiwi daily suffered significantly less time with some cold symptoms than they did when eating bananas.

FTC lawsuit targets acai berry marketing ads that pose as legitimate product reviews
(NaturalNews) Earlier in the year, the Consumer Wellness Center (CWC) conducted an investigation into those tricky acai berry diet advertisements that lure web surfers into
purchasing "free" or low-cost trials of weight loss supplements, only to have their credit cards charged for hundreds of dollars in "membership" fees.

Proteins, not sugar, increase energy expenditure
(NaturalNews) A study published in the November issue of the science journal Neuron subverts the commonly held belief that consuming sugar can make you feel more energetic. Researchers at the University of Cambridge reveal that protein is responsible for activating cells that keep us awake and help us burn more calories, not glucose.

Industrial Pesticide Present in Many Top Selling Supplements
Activist Post - Cupric sulfate is used as an herbicide, fungicide, and pesticide among many other things. It is also present in many best selling nutritional supplements, which oftentimes utilize harmful additives and synthetic ingredients that can be damaging to your health. Among these supplements happens to be the “#1 doctor recommended” multivitamin, Centrum, which contains a great number of similarly-damaging substances.

Large Study Links Depression and Low Levels of Vitamin D
Scientists found people that currently had low levels of vitamin D, particularly if they had a past history of depression, were significantly more likely to display depressive symptoms than people with normal or high levels of vitamin D. EmaxHealth reported these findings corroborate and provide a more solid basis for earlier, smaller studies that had seemed to indicate a link between the two but had ultimately been deemed inconclusive. This current study is among the largest ever to test the relationship between depression and vitamin D deficiency.

Homeopathic alternatives to antidepressant drugs
(NaturalNews) The Menninger Clinic is world-renowned as one of the leading mental health centers for research and treatment. Most people don't know it, but the founder of the Menninger Clinic, Charles Frederick Menninger, MD, was originally a homeopathic physician. He was even the head of his local homeopathic medicine society and was so frequently impressed with the results that he got from homeopathic medicines, he once said, "Homeopathy is wholly capable of satisfying the therapeutic demands of this age better than any other system or school of medicine."(5)

Dried Licorice Root Fights the Bacteria That Cause Tooth Decay and Gum Disease, Study Finds
Scientists are reporting identification of two substances in licorice -- used extensively in Chinese traditional medicine -- that kill the major bacteria responsible for tooth decay and gum disease, the leading causes of tooth loss in children and adults. In a study in ACS' Journal of Natural Products, they say that these substances could have a role in treating and preventing tooth decay and gum disease.

How Flu Shots Make You Prone to Disease
Activist Post - With the onset of colder months, many will consider flu shots in order to prevent them from contracting the seasonal flu. Despite this, they may not only be wasting their time, but possibly making themselves even more susceptible to disease by receiving one of these shots.

Science & Technology

TVs you can talk to, without sounding crazy
LG Electronics on Monday said it will sell a remote with its high-end flat-panel TVs that contains a microphone. You'll be able to speak into the microphone to enter text on the TV for Twitter updates and Web searches. You still won't be able to change the channel or control the volume by yelling at the TV. Samsung Electronics also said it would have TVs that responded to voice commands. In addition, it's launching its first TV with a built-in camera. As you watch the ES8000 set, it will watch you back, looking for hand gestures that prompt it to move the onscreen cursor or launch apps.

Apple CEO Tim Cook could top pay list in 2011
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Tim Cook could well end up being the highest paid CEO in America in 2011, after Apple Inc. granted him a million restricted stock units last August for taking the reins shortly before co-founder Steve Jobs died.

VIDEO: Science and Spirituality Agree: The Entire Universe is One
Activist Post - Modern Science is now beginning to confirm what Spirituality, Philosophy, Sages, Ancient teachings and psychedelics have been saying for millennia, that the entire Universe is One and that what we think of as "reality" is just an illusion.. And the only real thing in the Universe is Consciousness. "If quantum mechanics hasn't profoundly shocked you, you haven't understood it yet." -- Niels Bohr

The Truth about the Economics Behind the Blacklist Bills
EFF - In the face of mountains of evidence that the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT-IP Act (PIPA) will censor online speech, hurt Internet security and infrastructure, and criminalize tools used by human rights activists in oppressive regimes, supporters of the blacklist bills say one subject trumps all others: jobs. Yet for unknown reasons, Congress is ignoring that SOPA/PIPA would depress the growing tech sector, all while citing the MPAA's misleading and debunked numbers on how piracy is “decimating” their industry.

Life Lessons Learned from My Chickens
Mother Earth News - Simple creatures sometimes having great wisdom to impart.

Check Out the Chicken and Egg Page
Mother Earth News - Find everything you need to know about raising poultry — mail-order hatcheries, egg nutrition data and mini-coop plans for your backyard.

Learning About Bees and Beekeeping - Three U. S. Regional Associations
Mother Earth News - There are three regional beekeeping associations in the U.S. All three were founded by beekeepers to provide educational opportunities for their members and connect members and Professional and industry leaders in a mutually engaging setting. They are aimed primarily at beginning, hobby and sideline beekeepers, but all three certainly enjoy the many commercial beekeepers that attend too.

Pet News

YouTube: Life Coaching Tips: The Feline Way
Here are words of wisdom, all illustrated by some very characterful cats!

Pet Acupuncture: An Important Healing Tool
More and more pet owners are asking their veterinarians about acupuncture for companion animals. And a growing number of veterinarians are realizing the value of adding acupuncture to the list of services they provide. The reason? It works!

Accurately Diagnosing Bacterial Urinary Infection in Cats
One of the most common disorders affecting kitties is feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD). Also known as feline urologic syndrome (FUS), FLUTD is a group of disorders, any of which can affect your cat's bladder or urethra, including cystitis (inflammation of the bladder), urinary tract infections, urinary stones, urethral plugs, cancer and other disorders. If your cat begins urinating outside the litter box, the first thing you should assume is you have a medical problem on your hands rather than a behavioral problem.

Miscellaneous

Joyce Schaffer Song: "Let us Help You Pack"  -  YouTube: "Takin' Back Our Country"
"If that doesn't sound good to you, let us help you pack!"

The Magic of Radio Part 1: Why Shortwave Radio Matters
Activist Post - Often times the two of us simply hang out during our weekly Skype conference call and just chat about whatever strikes our current curiosity bone. And you know, with so much communication being done these days via e-mail or social media, it is nice to hear a human voice and to partake in real human interaction.

Banks Can Go Below Basel Levels During Crisis
Bloomberg - Banks will be allowed go below minimum liquidity levels set by global regulators during financial crises to avoid cash-flow difficulties. “During a period of stress, banks would be expected to use their pool of liquid assets, thereby temporarily falling below the minimum requirement,” the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision’s governing board said in a statement on its website yesterday, following a meeting in the Swiss city.

New virus raids your bank account - but you won't notice
The best way to protect yourself from an online financial scam is to diligently check your bank accounts. At least, until now. Israeli-based Security firm Trusteer has found an elaborate new computer virus that not only helps fraudsters steal money from bank accounts -- it also covers its tracks.

White House proposes 0.5 percent pay increase for federal workers
The White House will propose a 0.5 percent pay increase for civilian federal employees as part of its 2013 budget proposal, according to two senior administration officials familiar with the plans.

Rubio in letter to Obama: You are turning America into a 'deadbeat nation'
In a scathing letter sent to Barack Obama this morning, Senator Marco Rubio said that under the President’s first term in office, “more and more people have come to believe that America is becoming a deadbeat nation.” Rubio went on to pledge that he would challenge any further increase in the debt ceiling, arguing that “we [Congress] need to make it routine to actually spend no more than we take in.” In the letter obtained by HUMAN EVENTS, the Florida Senator said that President Obama’s upcoming request to increase the debt ceiling by a whopping $1.2 trillion will cause the nation’s public debt to surpass the $16 trillion mark. The Florida Republican’s warning letter to Obama can be read in its entirety below.

APNewsBreak: US to limit mining near Grand Canyon
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fending off pressure from the mining industry and congressional Republicans, the Obama administration is moving forward with a plan to ban new uranium mining claims on 1 million acres near the Grand Canyon.... Conservation groups call the 20-year ban a crucial protection for an American icon. The mining industry and some Republican members of Congress say it is detrimental to Arizona's economy and the nation's energy independence.

Alaska town tries to dig out from huge snow dump
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Dozens of National Guard troops have arrived to help an Alaska fishing town dig out from massive snows that have collapsed roofs, trapped some people in homes, and triggered avalanches.... The Guard reported more than 18 feet of snow has fallen in the past weeks, although the National Weather Service did not immediately have a measurement.

Health

Senator warns FDA on danger of newest painkillers
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Following fatal shootings in two New York pharmacy robberies, a U.S. senator is warning that a new batch of "super painkillers" now under review could force repeats of recent violent robberies that left six people dead. "It's tremendously concerning that at the same time policymakers and law enforcement professionals are waging a war on the growing prescription drug crisis, new super-drugs could well be on their way, flooding the market," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. "The FDA needs to grab the reins and slow down the stampede to introduce these powerful narcotics."

Antidepressants Cause Your Arteries to Thicken 400% More Than Aging
Activist Post - A study conducted by the Emory University School of Medicine included over 500 middle-aged male twins, both who served in the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. The researchers noted that among 59 pairs of twins where only one brother was on antidepressants, the one ingesting the drugs usually had higher carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) – the thickness of main arteries in the neck.

543,812 union workers receive Obamacare waivers
Daily Caller - Documents released in a classic Friday afternoon news dump show that labor unions representing 543,812 workers received waivers from President Barack Obama‘s signature legislation since June 17, 2011. By contrast, private employers with a total of 69,813 employees, many of whom work for small businesses, were granted waivers.

How The Federal Government Is Chasing Millions Of Good Doctors Out Of The Medical Profession
The American Dream - Today, approximately 40 percent of all doctors in the United States are 55 years of age or older. Large numbers of them are getting ready to retire. Even before Obamacare was passed, we were already facing a massive shortage of doctors in the coming years. The American Association of Medical Colleges has projected that we will experience a shortage of more than 150,000 doctors over the next 15 years. Unfortunately, the passage of Obamacare is going to make this crisis even worse.

Drug Giant Hit with $1 Billion Fine Over Faulty Antipsychotic Risperdal Marketing
Activist Post - Johnson & Johnson, the largest health products company in the world, will pay $1 billion to the United States government, as well as most states, in response to an agreement over the marketing of the hugely popular antipsychotic drug Risperdal.

Mediterranean diet and reduced calorie intake promote brain health and longevity
(NaturalNews) Researchers have long theorized that a Mediterranean diet full of vegetables, fruit, fish, nuts, seeds and olive oil can help promote good health. Scientists at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden reporting in the European journal AGE provide the unanimous results: four independent studies demonstrate this style of eating not only lowers the risk from many chronic and potentially fatal diseases, but actually also extends healthy lifespan in aging adults. A separate research body appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) explains that calorie restriction or consuming about twenty-five percent fewer calories each day, turns on a molecule that helps the brain stay young.

Salt - friend or foe?
(NaturalNews) For many years we have been told by medical experts and nutritionists alike that it is crucial for our health to cut down on sodium as much as possible. Statistical data seems to show that a high dietary salt intake (primarily consisting in sodium chloride) can put people at risk of cardiovascular complications.

Supplement Cocktail Improves Eye Fatigue
A formula consisting of fish oil, bilberry extract and lutein improved mental fatigue and various symptoms of asthenopia in human subjects, according to results from a recent study. Researchers from Nippon Suisan Kaisha published their results in the December issue of Biomedical Research.

Proof that Your Own Thoughts and Beliefs Can Cause Self-Healing
ActivistPost - If you are struggling with any major health concern, it is important to realize that your mind can sometimes be your own worst enemy, or it could be the main reason for treating a problem. Increasingly, it is being recognized that a ‘mind over matter’ approach can actually produce noticeable results in your health.

Grapefruit Sunrise
This delicious dessert adds sunshine sweetness to your Healthiest Way of Eating! And one serving provides 411% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin C, 26% DV for potassium and 26% DV for folate. Enjoy! In-Depth Nutritional Profile here.

Science & Technology

Navy Balloon Launches Drone, Which Drops Two More Spy Bots
Wired News - It just might be the most convoluted spy program in the Pentagon’s history: Fly a balloon up to 60,000 feet, and have it unleash a drone. Then, have that drone deploy several smaller surveillance drones that glide to the ground and collect data. Rube Goldberg, call your office. The elaborate plot comes courtesy of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), which recently announced successful completion of flight tests for their new, Autonomous Deployment Demonstration project.

FBI pushes to classify undercover animal abuse investigations as 'terrorism'
(NaturalNews) The USA Patriot Act, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and various other unconstitutional "anti-terrorism" legislation all appear to be getting turned right back around on the American people. It has been revealed that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been keeping files on animal rights activists who conduct undercover investigations of factory farms, and the agency is now recommending that these activists be prosecuted as "terrorists."

Large southwest dairy farm to lose organic certification following USDA investigation
(NaturalNews) The first dairy to ever become US Department of Agriculture (USDA) certified organic in the State of Arizona is now set to lose that certification following an investigation spearheaded by the Cornucopia Institute (CI), a small-scale organic farm advocacy group. Shamrock Farms has allegedly been breaking USDA rules for organics by confining cows and restricting their access to pasture, and the USDA is finally getting around to taking action more than three years after CI lodged an initial complaint.

Miscellaneous

Truffles: The Most Expensive Food in the World
(CBS News) European white truffles can sell for as much as $3,600 a pound, making them and their fellow fungi the most expensive food in the world. One two-pound truffle recently sold for more than $300,000. All of which has brought organized crime into the truffle trade, creating a black market and leading to theft of both truffles as well as the highly valued truffle-sniffing dogs.

VIDEO: "Occupy Movie" inspiring documentary highlights the unified voices
his inspiring documentary highlights the unified voices of Occupy movement participants. This compelling look into the perspectives of citizens rallying.
 

Obama's new jobs plan includes 110,000 unpaid positions
The Hill - President Obama on Thursday will unveil a summer-jobs initiative that the White House says is already on track to create 180,000 “work opportunities” in the private sector in 2012. That is the number of opportunities, which includes mentoring and unpaid internships, that companies have told the administration they are willing to create. Some 70,000 jobs are paid, the White House says.

Pepsi mulls job, pension cuts says report
(Reuters) - PepsiCo Inc is considering cutting about 4,000 jobs and reducing pension contributions in order to boost its earnings, the New York Post said, citing sources close to the situation. The company currently offers a pension plan and matches contributions to 401(k) retirement savings accounts, and believes that by offering both it is more generous than its peers, a source told the Post. Eliminating the 401(k) match would save the company $75 million, according to the newspaper.

After Receiving Bailout, GM May Move Volt Production to China
Although it happened back in September, 2011, it appears many American taxpayers are unaware that General Motors struck a deal in Shanghai wherein the company has agreed to develop an electric vehicle (EV) platform with its longtime Chinese partner SAIC. What else was included in this deal? GM has agreed to effectively move all future EV development to China. It could also mean that production of the vehicle itself will be moved overseas.

Alcoa to close Tennessee smelter, make other cuts
The company said that it would permanently close a smelter in Alcoa, Tenn., idled in 2009, and shut down two of the six idle production lines at a smelter in Rockdale, Texas. It expects to complete the moves in the first half of this year and announce other reductions soon. In 2009, the Tennessee and Texas smelters employed more 1,100 people combined. Alcoa still has about 1,000 workers at the Tennessee complex and 70 in Texas, working in other facilities, a spokesman said.

Florida Man Almost Loses Home Over 80 Cents
ABC News - Tom Mudie is a homeowner near Tampa, Fl. who almost lost his home after mistakenly underpaying his mortgage via telephone by 80 cents. Tom Mudie, 56, arranged a three-month trial period that would allow him to obtain a loan modification for his home in Largo, Fla. But a slip of the finger on a telephone payment system and he accidentally underpaid one of the trial payments by 80 cents, putting his house in jeopardy of being foreclosed.

Feds say no cause yet for Ohio nuke plant cracks
PORT CLINTON, Ohio (AP) — Federal inspectors are convinced that a nuclear reactor along Lake Erie is safe to operate even though they said Thursday it is not clear why small cracks appeared in a concrete shell that protects the plant.

Health

Vitamin B-12 and folic acid prevent memory loss and improve cognition as we age
(NaturalNews) Researchers from the Australian National University have shown that essential B vitamins combat stress that results in a loss of memory and normal thought patterns that cause abnormal brain aging. Published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists found that long-term supplementation of daily folic acid and vitamin B-12 promotes improvement in cognitive functioning after a period of two years, particularly in immediate and delayed memory performance. B vitamins are crucial for nerve transmission and are needed in higher amounts as your stress level increases.

Chemicals in fast food wrappers show up in human blood
(NaturalNews) Toxic chemicals used to line fast food wrappers migrate easily into human blood, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Toronto and published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Oily foods such as fast food and microwave popcorn are regularly packaged in paper or cardboard coated with polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters (PAPs), which prevent water or grease from leaking through the packaging. A prior study by the same research team confirmed that PAPs can migrate from packaging into food, and thereby be ingested.

Alternate treatment for chronic acne sufferers
(NaturalNews) Certain pharmaceutical medications prescribed for acne sufferers come with serious side effects. Many sufferers, desperate to be rid of their embarrassing acne, have found out too late that their treatment choice can cause severe, life-threatening diseases. Using a more natural skin care protocol, orally and/or topically, comes without harmful side effects and is often less expensive. Severe acne can cause permanent scarring and, in many cases, severe psychological damage. Not surprisingly, many chronic sufferers are prepared to try products with seemingly impressive results, but which come with damaging side effects.

Radiation Doctor Admits TSA Naked Body Scanners Can Cause Cancer
(NaturalNews) No matter how many times the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) claims the machines are safe and pose no threat to travelers or personnel, naked body scanners that emit ionizing radiation are, indeed, a very serious health threat. And Dr. Edward Dauer, head of radiology at Florida Medical Center, agrees, having recently come forward to explain that naked body scanners can cause cancer, particularly in those over age 65 and in women who are said to be genetically prone to developing breast cancer.

Johnson & Johnson Sued over Secret Recall of Children’s Tylenol after Death of 2-Year-Old
Seeking to avoid adverse publicity, Johnson & Johnson allegedly carried out a “stealth recall” of its Children’s Tylenol—a move that cost the life of a two-year-old child, say parents. The father and mother of River Moore are suing the drug company after their son died in July 2010 after ingesting tainted Children’s Tylenol, which fatally damaged his liver. Daniel and Katy Moore of Ellensburg, Washington, claim that Johnson & Johnson quietly bought up bottles of its product instead of issuing a public recall, resulting in them unknowingly giving their child a harmful drug.

Healthy Grapefruit Arugula Salad
If you don't know what to serve for dinner tonight ... You are adding an extra boost of health-promoting vitamins A, C, and K when you include this easy-to-prepare recipe to your Healthiest Way of Eating. One serving provides 64% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin K, 26% DV for vitamin C, and 20 % DV for Vitamin C. Enjoy! In-Depth Nutritional Profile here.

The Calcium Supplement Problem: As Serious As A Heart Attack
Activist Post - Osteoporosis is not caused by a lack of limestone, oyster shell or bone meal. Heart attack, however, may be caused by supplementation with these exact same "elemental" forms of calcium, according to two meta-analyses published last year in the British Medical Journal. Back in July of 2011, the British Medical Journal published the results of a high-powered meta-analysis which looked at whether or not calcium supplementation had any effect on cardiovascular disease risk. Indeed, this groundbreaking report, which was based on the results of five clinical trials conducted in the US, Britain and New Zealand, involving over 8,000 people, showed that taking elemental calcium supplements of 500 mg or more increased the relative risk of heart attack by 27%.

Could Daily Aspirin Harm Seniors' Eyes?
HealthDay - Daily aspirin use among seniors may double their risk of developing a particularly advanced form of age-related macular degeneration, a debilitating eye disease, a large new European study suggests. The possible link involves the so-called "wet" type of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a significant cause of blindness in seniors. Aspirin use was not, however, found to be associated with an increased risk for developing the more common, and usually less advanced, "dry" form of AMD, according to the report published in the January issue of Ophthalmology.

Science & Technology

Welcome to a brave new world: Genetic scientists create freakish man-made monster ants with huge heads and jaws
Nightmarish 'supersoldier' ants with huge heads and jaws have been created by activating ancient genes. Scientists believe the monster ants may be a genetic throwback to an ancestor that lived millions of years ago. Scientists say they can create the supersoldiers at will by dabbing normal ant larvae with a special hormone - the larvae then develop into supersoldiers rather than normal soldier or worker ants.

First mixed-embryo monkeys are born in US
US researchers said Thursday they have created the world's first mixed-embryo monkeys by merging cells from up to six different embryos, in what could be a big advance for medical research. Until now, rodents have been the primary creatures used to make chimeras, a lab animal produced by combining two or more fertilized eggs or early embryos together. Scientists have long been able to create "knock-out" mice with certain genes deleted in order to study a host of ailments and remedies, including obesity, heart disease, anxiety, diabetes and Parkinson's disease.

Scientists create cloaking device that ‘hides’ whole events – making time itself disappear
Mail Online - Scientists have developed a 'temporal cloaking' device that can hide events from view. The demonstration 'hid' events for 40 trillionths of a second - or 40 picoseconds - by speeding up and slowing down different parts of a light beam. The different parts of the light beam were then put back together, so that any observers could not detect what happened during the 'hidden' time.... So far, the technique only works on periods of 0.00012 of a second - so the police can probably rest easy, as evildoers would have to move far faster than human beings ever could to 'conceal' their actions.

Privacy Watchdog Presses Court On NSA/Google Partnership
Steve Watson - The privacy watchdog group EPIC has urged a court of appeals to disclose more information regarding the widely publicized close working relationship between the National Security Agency and Google. EPIC, short for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, has filed an opening brief, challenging the NSA’s response to the group’s Freedom of Information Act request for details on the cybersecurity agreement that the search engine giant shares with the spy agency.

The USDA Agricultural survey: Voluntary not mandatory
The USDA is busy sending out its Agricultural Survey attempting to elicit from unwary property owners, information regarding any agricultural production or livestock or poultry (this can be virtually ANY crop, animal or bird) that you may own and goes on to ask how much monetary value is placed on produce or the sale of animal/poultry products. The [survey] also mentions that any one who produces and sells more than $1,000 per year is asked to voluntarily supply this information to the government. $1,000 a year is such a paltry amount and is significant in the fact that this amount is so low as to encompass virtually anything you might wish to grow and produce even for your own use.

Crops Damaged as Temperatures Drop to 31ºF in Western Fla.
Freezing temperatures damaged crops in western Palm Beach County early Wednesday. Farmers around Lake Okeechobee are taking a first look at their vegetable crops this morning, but it will be several weeks before they know the extent of any damage. For sugar cane, it will be months.

Pet News

Florida man reunites with lost kitty in Colorado
GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) -- A cat who wandered away from his new home in Florida has been reunited with his owner after being found nearly 2,000 miles away in Colorado.

VIDEO: Dog's Intuition Confirmed by Science
ABC News - Pet owners who claim dogs have psychic powers might not be far off.

Planned Parenthood’s Annual Report: Got $487.4M in Tax Money, Did 329,445 Abortions
(CNSNews.com) – When compared with previous annual reports, the latest one shows an almost steady increase in the number of abortions performed at its clinics.... Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life organization that lobbies Congress to defund Planned Parenthood, called the organization an “abortion giant.” “With over a billion in net assets and a business model centered on abortion and government subsidies, it is time for Planned Parenthood to end its reliance on taxpayer dollars,” Dannenfelser said in a statement.

Company, Whose CEO Is On Obama's Jobs Council, Goes Bankrupt
Antonio Perez, the CEO and Chairman of Eastman Kodak Company, sits on President Obama’s jobs council. It looks like they need to change his bio to include the fact that Kodak is declaring bankruptcy.

Boeing to close Wichita plant with 2,160 jobs
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Boeing Co., for decades the brand that helped support Wichita's claim as the aviation capital of the world, announced Wednesday it will shut down facilities in the city by the end of 2013 and send work to plants in three other states as it deals with defense spending cutbacks. The closure will cost 2,160 workers their jobs and end the firm's presence in an area where it has been a major employer for generations.

Kodak prepares for Chapter 11 filing: report
(Reuters) - Eastman Kodak is preparing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing in case it is unable to sell its digital patents to raise capital, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The once-iconic photographic film pioneer is in talks with potential lenders to secure about $1 billion in debtor-in possession financing to sustain Kodak through bankruptcy proceedings, the Journal reported citing unidentified sources.

Whirlpool Seeks Protection From Unfair Foreign Competition
It is no secret that labor is cheaper overseas, and this makes it difficult for companies that produce in the United States to compete. Despite this fact, Whirlpool Corp. has been making an effort to expand its production in the U.S. That production could be in jeopardy due to alleged dumping of washing machines by South Korean companies such as LG and Samsung. This has caused Whirlpool to ask the U.S. government to impose duties on these companies’ imports to level the playing field and allow Whirlpool to continue manufacturing in the U.S.

America’s Decline Since the WTO
On January 1, 1995, the U.S. government joined the World Trade Organization. Unfortunately for our nation’s workforce, the WTO is run by multinationalists.... Our constitution states that all treaties made under the authority of the United States become supreme law of the land. When our government signed this treaty, they effectively sold away a piece of our sovereignty.... According to the Economic Policy Institute, trade with China since then has resulted in the loss of over 3.1 million American jobs. Those fortunate enough to retain their jobs witnessed their annual earnings decrease by roughly $1,400. American workers are put in direct competition with one another as more and more employers look to offshore production to nations with lower wage rates.

Regaining Prosperity for America’s Middle Class
The disastrous “free trade” inspired policies enforced through NAFTA and the WTO have led to the destruction of America’s independence. Our jobs have been sacrificed and our unilateral trade deals have created conditions that make it impossible for us to compete. These policies have led to the bankruptcy or sell-off of tens-of-thousands of American companies. Throughout the past 30-plus years America’s consumer-based relationship with the rest of the world has led to the complete annihilation of our manufacturing infrastructure.

Free Trade
Ron Paul is a proponent of free trade and rejects protectionism, advocating “conducting open trade, travel, communication, and diplomacy with other nations.” He opposes many free trade agreements (FTAs), like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), stating that “free-trade agreements are really managed trade” and serve special interests and big business, not citizens. He voted against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), holding that it increased the size of government, eroded U.S. sovereignty, and was unconstitutional.

Hospitals Stuck With Illegal Immigrants, Uninsured ‘Permanent Patients’ at Massive Cost
An unpleasant new report claims that many hospitals in major metro areas are struggling with the growing problem of “permanent patients.” What’s a “permanent patient”? According to the New York Times they are mostly illegal immigrants or people who lack insurance or their own housing that the hospital cannot turn away.

Possible data breach by Wells Fargo investigated
(Reuters) - Connecticut's attorney general is investigating a possible data breach in which Wells Fargo & Co may have disclosed customer Social Security numbers as part of a fraud investigation. The possible breach is the latest wrinkle in a probe into whether state employees falsified financial information on applications submitted for food benefits issued in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, which struck the U.S. East Coast last fall.

DJSP sues David J. Stern alleging fraud in purchase of mortgage processing arm
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in a Broward County, Fla., state court alleges fraudulent misrepresentations and inducements to get DJSP to buy the nonlegal mortgage operations of the Stern law firm. DJSP notified the Securities and Exchange Commission of the lawsuit Wednesday in a regulatory filing.

Health Effects of Fracking for Natural Gas Need Study, Says CDC Scientist
Bloomberg - Hydraulic fracturing or fracking, a drilling method that uses water, sand and chemicals to release natural gas from wells, should be studied for its health effects on people and food sources, said a top official at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Zombie" Fly Parasite Killing Honeybees
A heap of dead bees was supposed to become food for a newly captured praying mantis. Instead, the pile ended up revealing a previously unrecognized suspect in colony collapse disorder a mysterious condition that for several years has been causing declines in U.S. honeybee populations, which are needed to pollinate many important crops. This new potential culprit is a bizarre and potentially devastating parasitic fly that has been taking over the bodies of honeybees (Apis mellifera) in Northern California.

Health

Stephen Hawking to turn 70, defying disease
CAMBRIDGE, England (AP) -- British scientist Stephen Hawking has decoded some of the most puzzling mysteries of the universe but he has left one mystery unsolved: How he has managed to survive so long with such a crippling disease. The physicist and cosmologist was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease when he was a 21-year-old student at Cambridge University. Most people die within a few years of the diagnosis, called motor neurone disease in the U.K. On Sunday, Hawking will turn 70.

Sauerkraut promotes good health (and good fortune, too)
(NaturalNews) Many cultural traditions eat fermented vegetables on New Years Day to bring good fortune. Folklore has it that the long threads of sauerkraut potentially represent a long life. Greens are also associated with money and thus thought to bring good fortune. A practical reason for the tradition may be because cabbage is a late fall crop, and the best way to preserve it for the winter is by making sauerkraut. However, these traditional reasons to eat sauerkraut are trumped by a thoroughly modern concern not based in myth.

Rosemary oil can be used as a natural meat preservative, and it works better than chemical additives
(NaturalNews) In a 2006 study, essential oils of rosemary and sage performed better at preventing oxidative decay and preventing loss of polyunsaturated fatty acids in meat than a combination of BHA and BHT. This means rosemary oil and sage oil may be one of the best natural food preservers yet discovered, and instead of having detrimental side effects, these natural oils offers protective health benefits!

Protect health freedom at the state level - help pass the Wisconsin Consumer Choice and Wellness Act
(NaturalNews) Advocates of health freedom are fighting a battle in many states across the US to ensure that holistic health care providers can continue to practice. This will provide people with an alternative to drugs, surgery and radiation which mainstream medicine wants you to see as your only option. One such battle is currently taking place in Wisconsin where activists are working to generate public and legislative attention to a grassroots bill, the Consumer Choice and Wellness Act. The clock is ticking on this issue -- the bill must pass by April 2012 or it dies.

Busted! Scientists leave out data to produce bogus findings
(NaturalNews) Clinical trials of drugs and other medical therapies are carefully carried out and are the very gold standard of scientific proof, right? According to an in-depth review of this question just published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ,) the answer is no. In fact, the BMJ is sounding the alarm that data reported by scientists is too often not the truth -- because the researchers leave out inconvenient evidence. The result of facts-gone-missing could well be harming patients, spiking up healthcare costs by the selling of medical treatments based on bogus findings, and threatening the very integrity of medicine.

NIAID Awards $9.4M for Anthrax Vaccine Project
A New Jersey firm has won $9.4 million in federal funding for work on a new anthrax vaccine in conjunction with Harvard University, the Times of Trenton reported on Tuesday. The funds, provided by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, would support efforts by the biopharmaceutical company Soligenix to create an anthrax countermeasure that would be capable of conferring immunity with only one dose and remain effective following long periods in storage.

Animal Testing Shows Promise For Ebola Vaccine Candidate
Researchers in Arizona described in an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences how they developed the vaccine by attaching an Ebola protein to a virus-sensitized antibody and then growing the vaccine in tobacco plants -- a method chosen with the goal of producing a countermeasure that could be stored for extended periods....More study is required to find out if the vaccine is suitable for use by humans.

AUDIO: Hear brain surgeon’s ‘death panel’ warning
WND - A man identifying himself as a brain surgeon has issued a warning to Americans age 70 and over that secret plans being developed by the federal government under the Obamacare law will provide only “comfort care” for some ailments. The stunning statements from a man interviewed by radio host Mark Levin confirmed that there are, indeed, “death panels” of bureaucrats being planned to restrict live-saving or life-extending care.

Balance neurology - Proper meal planning improves energy, digestion and immunity
(NaturalNews) Our ancestors were very active during daylight hours hunting and gathering. During the nighttime hours they feasted when food was plentiful. The nervous system has developed to keep kinetic energy systems high during daylight hours while digestive and recovery systems are prioritized at night. Meal planning should revolve around the natural congruency of the body's neurological systems for optimal physical energy, digestion and immunity.

Resveratrol and nuts team to protect the brain and boost cognitive function
(NaturalNews) Nuts, especially walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts, combined with the potent polyphenol resveratrol team, together improve mood and protect the aging brain, thus helping to maintain memory and cognition. Researchers reporting in the New England Journal of Medicine have found that nuts consumed over a period of years not only help with weight management issues, but also can reduce systemic inflammation to improve spirits and prevent cognitive decline.

With Depression, Helping Others May in Turn Help You
(HealthDay News) Doing something nice for someone else often leaves people feeling good about themselves and positive about their place in the world. But does that mean practicing random acts of kindness has scientifically proven therapeutic value in treating mood disorders like depression? Yes, according to a growing body of research that has found that "positive activity interventions" -- like helping someone with groceries, writing a thank you note or even counting your blessings -- can serve as an effective, low-cost treatment for depression.

Healthy resolutions bring a happier and more natural New Year
(NaturalNews) Almost everyone makes New Year's resolutions. However, by February each year, many well-intentioned attempts to make changes in one's life trickle away with nary a glance backwards. Why are so many resolutions never fulfilled? Perhaps it's because the goal is too difficult to accomplish. If individuals choose goals that are more easily attained on a daily basis, the success rate for New Year's resolutions may improve along with the quality of life. Include one or more of the following goals in your New Year's resolutions for 2012.

Study shows selenium may protect against pancreatic cancer
(NaturalNews) High levels of selenium in the body appear to reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, according to a study published in December 2011 in Gut, the journal of the British Society of Gastroenterology.

Prostate cancer risk linked to a diet high in red and processed meats
(NaturalNews) Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer and second most common cause of cancer related death in men in the United States. Nearly one in five men will develop the disease during their lifetime. New research demonstrates that increased consumption of ground beef or processed meat is positively associated with aggressive prostate cancer, according to a study published in the journal PLoS ONE. Researchers found a strong correlation between well cooked, grilled or barbequed red meat and processed meats and the development of prostate cancer.

Targeted nutrients naturally extend telomere length and provide anti-aging effect
(NaturalNews) The science of how lifestyle habits and nutrition promote health and longevity, known as Epigenetics, has dramatically advanced our knowledge base by providing a solid understanding of telomeres: telomeres are the tiny strands of DNA akin to a zipper that shorten with poor dietary choices, inflammation and everyday stress. Researchers reporting in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry show that reducing oxidative stress, cellular inflammation and improving DNA methylation pathways can extend telomere length and slow the biologic aging clock. Specific nutrients provide the necessary building blocks to support DNA health and extend your natural lifespan.

Home remedies relieve tooth and gum pain
(NaturalNews) Most people hate going to the dentist. Even the for the most minor reason, dental appointments can cause a grown man, or woman, to quake with fear. Regular dental hygiene at home is a big step toward preventing dental problems; and, basic home care can be enhanced with a variety of herbal and homeopathic treatments to relieve pain and resolve minor gum and tooth problems.

Science & Technology

Spectacular Photos: 1st Meteor Shower of 2012 Amazes Skywatchers
A dazzling display of "shooting stars" kicked off the 2012 skywatching season early Wednesday (Jan. 4), thrilling amateur astronomers around the world with views of the Quadrantid meteor shower.

Antibiotic Use Restricted by U.S. in Livestock and Poultry
Bloomberg - U.S. regulators said they will restrict certain antibiotics in livestock and fowl to prevent humans from developing resistance to drugs such as Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY)’s Cefzil and Keflex from Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) An order issued today by the Food and Drug Administration bars most unapproved veterinary uses of the medicines in cattle, swine, chicken and turkeys, the agency said in a statement. The rule will take effect April 5.... The restrictions don’t apply to “minor species” of food animals such as rabbits and ducks, and veterinarians can treat all livestock with an older type of cephalosporin called cephapirin that the FDA said is unlikely to fuel antibiotic resistance.

Pet News

VIDEO: Fail to Give this Fat to Your Pets and You are Asking for Trouble
Karen Shaw Becker, DVM - Contrary to popular belief, not all dietary fats cause obesity in your pet. Just as in humans, the “good” fats (omega-3 fats) enhance energy production in your dog or cat, so they actually create less fat..... There is also mounting evidence that essential fats play a significant role in your pet’s ability to fight off most all illness and disease. This is the most common nutritional deficiency I see in my practice.

Miscellaneous

YouTube: Change For A Dollar - The Untold Story
Is he asking for Change, or is he asking for CHANGE? Follow a homeless man as he affects multiple peoples' lives with just one dollar, proving that it doesn't take much to be the change in someone's life.

US Closes 2011 With Record $15.22 Trillion In Debt, Officially At 100.3% Debt/GDP
Zero Hedge - While not news to Zero Hedge readers who knew about the final debt settlement of US debt about 10 days ahead of schedule, it is now official: according to the US Treasury, America has closed the books on 2011 with debt at an all time record $15,222,940,045,451.09. And, as was observed here first in all of the press, US debt to GDP is now officially over 100%, or 100.3% to be specific, a fact which the US government decided to delay exposing until the very end of the calendar year.

Closing Overseas Military Bases Would Save America Millions
President Barack Obama is again asking for permission to spend more taxpayer money and send America deeper into debt. Obama plans to request a debt ceiling increase of $1.2 trillion dollars, according to the Washington Post. The supercommittee failed as many predicted and little has been done to reign in irresponsible governmental spending in the U.S. If approved, the nation's debt ceiling will increase to $16.4 trillion. Americans might once again be treated to hours and hours of rhetorical debate about raising the debt ceiling by members of both parties.

Wall St rallies in first session of year
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hoping for something better than 2011's flat stock market, U.S. investors pushed shares higher on Tuesday to begin the new year, though questions remain about whether a rally can be sustained. The broad S&P 500 index closed at its highest since late October as traders, with cash on hand for the new year, welcomed better-than-expected German and Chinese economic data. The upbeat response was reinforced by U.S. economic reports showing construction spending and factory activity beat economists' forecasts.

Analysts: US Gas prices may hit $5 per gallon in 2012
ABC 2 News - Baltimore area gas prices have risen more than 6 cents per gallon in the last week, and researchers say they may keep going all the way to almost $5.00 per gallon. Prices are averaging $3.23 per gallon this week compared to the national average that has increased 2.4 cents per gallon in thE last week to $3.25 per gallon, according to BaltimoreGasPrices.com.

Crackdown on small firms, a blind eye for big business
The Independent - The tax office faced accusations of double standards last night over plans to target thousands of small businesses with spot checks on their paperwork – despite letting big companies such as Goldman Sachs off millions of pounds in tax. Officials from HM Revenue and Customs with powers to fine small businesses intend to inspect up to 20,000 firms to see if they have adequate proof of expenses and income dating back years in a new drive set to begin in April. The move was condemned by Conservative backbenchers and business groups who warned it risked bankrupting some businesses and harming the already depressed economy.

These Are 12 Things That Could Be Cheaper in 2012
Because there are already dozens of articles focused on the failing economy and the financial crisis in the eurozone, The Blaze thought it would be a nice change of pace to look at something a bit more positive. To help usher in the new year on a happier note, we’re giving you a list of things that will cost less in 2012. From wine (yes, even wine might see a notable downtick in price in the coming year) to laptops, the financially savvy shopper will do well to keep an eye on the following products. Here is of a list of the products that will probably be cheaper in 2012 (block-quoted information via dealnews):

Delta adds $3 surcharge on fares between U.S. and Europe
(Reuters) - Delta Air Lines said on Tuesday it has added a $3 surcharge each way on fares purchased in the United States for flights between the United States and Europe, a move that would help offset the cost of the EU's new Emissions Trading Scheme.

'How To Forge A Client's Signature' And Other Lessons From Inside The Ameriquest Sub-Prime Sweatshop
Daily Bail - A few weeks after he started working at Ameriquest Mortgage, Mark Glover looked up from his cubicle and saw a coworker do something odd. The guy stood at his desk on the twenty-third floor of downtown Los Angeles's Union Bank Building. He placed two sheets of paper against the window. Then he used the light streaming through the window to trace something from one piece of paper to another. Somebody's signature.... Watching his coworker, Glover's first thought was: How can I get away with that? As a loan officer at Ameriquest, Glover worked on commission. He knew the only way to earn the six-figure income Ameriquest had promised him was to come up with tricks for pushing deals through the mortgage-financing pipeline that began with Ameriquest and extended through Wall Street's most respected investment houses.

AMERIQUEST FRAUD UPDATE - Whistleblower Fired After Reporting Rampant Illegal Activity
Daily Bail - Unfortunately, William ultimately lost the suit because of a technicality (he did not file his initial complaint with OSHA within 90-days). However, William thoroughly articulated how Ameriquest perpetrated the largest securities fraud scheme in the history of the United States. The securities fraud scheme was one of the biggest contributors to the collapse of the nation's markets and economy in September 2008. All of the bad paper issued by Ameriquest Mortgage Securities made its way around the world as collateralized debt obligations.

Obama, Congress begin 2012 in oil pipeline dispute
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and Congress are starting the election year locked in a tussle over a proposed 1,700-mile oil pipeline from Canada to Texas that will force the White House to make a politically risky choice between two key Democratic constituencies. Some unions say the Keystone XL pipeline would create thousands of jobs. Environmentalists fear it could lead to an oil spill disaster.

Expert: Wastewater well in Ohio triggered quakes
CLEVELAND (AP) — A northeast Ohio well used to dispose of wastewater from oil and gas drilling almost certainly caused a series of 11 minor quakes in the Youngstown area since last spring, a seismologist investigating the quakes said Monday. Research is continuing on the now-shuttered injection well at Youngstown and seismic activity, but it might take a year for the wastewater-related rumblings in the earth to dissipate, said John Armbruster of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, N.Y.

AUDIO: Seals, walruses… now “unprecedented” number of sea turtle deaths in Vancouver Island says oceanographer
A local beachcomber and a renowned oceanographer have found that Kodiak is already receiving some of the earliest arrivals of debris from the Japanese tsunami that resulted from a 9.0 earthquake last March.... Ebbesmeyer says debris will continue to wash up on shores from Kodiak to Oregon for the next few years.

Health

Natural remedies to avoid depression this winter without using medical drugs
(NaturalNews) If you live in the upper reaches of the Northern Hemisphere, winter can often mean a seemingly interminable period of cold weather and short days. For many, the lack of sunshine, combined with life stress factors, can lead to depression.... Some of the signs of depression include: difficulty concentrating; persistent sadness or anxiety; inability to experience ordinary pleasure and enjoyment; irritability; change in appetite; ongoing fatigue and feelings of hopelessness. Learn how to cope with dark days naturally, without recourse to pharmaceutical anti-depressants which can cause serious side-effects ranging from nausea to reduced sex drive.

Pepsi Co. Admits to Mouse Disintigrating from Mountain Dew
There has been some rather shocking news lately concerning the multi-national mega corporation Pepsi Co. and their highly popular beverage Mountain Dew. After reportedly finding a mouse in a Mountain Dew can in 2009, Ronald Ball from Illinois is in the process of suing the soft drink giant after finding a dead mouse in his soda can.Needless to say, Pepsi Co. is completely refuting his claims, saying that the mouse he found could not have been there as the drink is so acidic the mouse would have disintegrated before he opened it.

Senators Give Supplements a Lifeline
ANH-USA, together with a number of supplement trade organizations, went to Capitol Hill to plead our case about the FDA’s profoundly flawed NDI (new supplement) draft guidance in the offices of two powerful senators and longtime friends of natural health, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT).... Immediately after this meeting, Sens. Harkin and Hatch wrote to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg and formally asked the FDA to withdraw its guidance document.

Too Much Sitting is Killing Us
Studies say that even moderate to vigorous exercise doesn't counteract the damage. A study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation showed that each extra hour of television watching (the ultimate sitting sedentary activity) per day was associated with an 18% increase in deaths from heart disease and an 11% increase in overall mortality. People who watched TV for at least four hours a day were 80% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than those who watched two hours or less, and 46% more likely to die of any cause.

You’ve Been Lied to About Calcium and Cholesterol
The big lie pertains to unbalanced calcium supplementation. Calcium from raw whole foods is beneficial and necessary. But all those processed foods fortified with calcium or supplements high in elemental calcium are likely to do more harm than good. Elemental calcium is the calcium apart from the compound in which it normally appears. For example, if you remove the calcium from calcium carbonate, you are left with elemental calcium.

VIDEO: Tourette’s-Like Outbreak in Girls of One School: Only Explanation Is HPV Vaccine
Gaia Health - In a LeRoy High School in LeRoy, New York, a group of girls has been stricken with a neurological nightmare. They’ve been afflicted with painful tics similar to those of Tourette’s syndrome. The cause hasn’t been identified, but some possibilities have been ruled out, leaving little to suspect other than the HPV vaccine. Though this report indicates that six girls are involved, others indicate more than that, with a minimum of eight involved. There are too many anomalies for these girls to be suffering from Tourette’s.

Recently discovered flavonoid 'Fisetin' from fruits and vegetables protects the aging brain and helps fight cancer
(NaturalNews) Fisetin is a unique flavonoid compound found naturally in many fruits and vegetables including strawberries, blueberries and the skin of cucumbers. A wealth of scientific research now explains how a diet packed with raw fruits and vegetables can help prevent amyloid plaque formation in the aging brain and can promote the early destruction of cancer cells by triggering the body's innate immune response. Researchers reporting in the journal Neuroscience Letters found that fisetin is neuro-protective and helps to maintain normal memory processes while inhibiting plaque formation around synapses.

Cholesterol Drugs Likely Poisoning Patients
Activist Post - A growing body of clinical research now indicates that the cholesterol-lowering class of drugs known as statins, is associated with over 300 adverse health effects -- research boldly flying in the face of national health policy, medical insurance premium guidelines, statin drug manufacturer advertising claims, and the general sentiment of the public, with approximately 1 in every 4 adult Americans over 45 currently using these drugs to "prevent heart disease."

VIDEO: How Your Taxes are Being Used by the Government to Produce Junk Food
Activist Post - The U.S. government continues to be a major player in the national food business, with subsidies continuing to grow. The worst part is that the crops being subsidized are almost always genetically modified and pose a health risk to the environment and humankind.

Is Monsanto's Herbicide Harming Male Fertility?
Activist Post - In a disturbing study published last month (Dec. 2011) in the Journal of Toxicology in Vitro, researchers found that Monsanto's popular "weed killer" known as Roundup, which has already been linked to over 25 adverse health effects, is also capable of interfering with and/or harming the male reproductive system.... What is more disturbing is that even at a lower, presumably "non toxic" concentration of 1 ppm of Roundup, or glyphosate by itself, testosterone concentrations were observed to decrease by 35%.

Science & Technology

Scientists learn how to grow mouse sperm
Scientists in Germany and Israel have successfully grown mouse sperm in a laboratory, opening up the future possibility to grow human sperm from the cells of infertile men.

Did Google Violate Its Own Policy While Paying Bloggers for Favorable Posts?
The Blaze - According to SEO Book (via Tech Crunch), Google and its marketing firm Unruly paid bloggers to write posts “sponsored by Google” as part of a marketing campaign for Google Chrome for small businesses. This wouldn’t have been a problem if the posters had followed their own policy by including a “nofollow” tag in the link, which helps ensure that search results are not manipulated in favor of paid content.

Pet News

YouTube: Fish as a Protein Source in Pet Foods
Dr. Karen Becker, a proactive and integrative wellness veterinarian discusses about fish as a protein source in pet foods.

Preparing Your Pets for an Emergency
The threat of natural disaster has never been greater than it is right now. No matter where you live, no one is safe from the potentially devastating impact of nature’s wrath. Now more than ever, you need to be prepared ahead of the time for the possibility of a sudden emergency.

Pet Travel Guide
DogFriendly.com, Inc. is the leading provider of nationwide city guides and travel guides for dog owners. We are dedicated to finding places that people and dogs can enjoy together. If you want to travel, sightsee, or just go around town with your pooch, then you've come to the right place!

Insight: Memo to Eddie Lampert - Dump Kmart
(Reuters) - If hedge fund manager Eddie Lampert wants to save one of the oldest retail empires in the United States, he should consider shutting down Sears Holdings Corp's Kmart discount chain and focus on revamping its Sears department stores.... After a dismal showing this holiday season due to dowdy merchandise, run-down stores and a reputation for poor service compared with rivals such as Macy's and Target, the retailer last week said it would close 100 to 120 of its 3,500 U.S. stores. The news wiped more than a quarter off Sears Holdings' market value, which now stands at just $3.4 billion.

Returns of online holiday gifts to hit record
With a Christmas season that has seen record e-commerce sales coming to a close, returns should hit an all-time high on Tuesday for United Parcel Service . The delivery company expects to handle more than 550,000 returns on Tuesday, a record, and up almost 8 percent from a year earlier. Several other days during the first week of 2012 will also top half a million returns, UPS said.... The good news for retailers is that most of the jump is simply a reflection of the explosive growth in e-commerce this Christmas season: U.S. online sales were up 15 percent between November 1 and December 26, according to data firm comScore.

BP seeking at least $20 billion from Halliburton: report
(Reuters) - Oil major BP is seeking at least $20 billion from its contractor Halliburton in costs and damages in relation to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing a court filing by BP's lead trial attorney.

Fuelling World Hunger: How The Global Biofuel Industry Is Creating Massive Destruction
The global expansion of the biofuel industry – in which agricultural land and crops are used to produce fuel for transport vehicles rather than food for humans – is a major factor driving the dramatic escalation of food prices worldwide. Ironically, the biofuel industry is being promoted by corporations and governments as a sustainable, “ecofriendly” alternative to fossil fuels. In reality, it is just another form of the same reckless exploitation of resources that results from insatiable elite private profit under capitalist economic production. The biofuel industry stems from a marriage of agribusiness and oil corporations who know full well that this new global enterprise is inflicting massive environmental destruction and human suffering.

VIDEO: Is a super-volcano just 390 miles from London about to erupt?
Daily Mail - A sleeping super-volcano in Germany is showing worrying signs of waking up. It's lurking just 390 miles away underneath the tranquil Laacher See lake near Bonn and is capable of ejecting billions of tons of magma. This monster erupts every 10 to 12,000 years and last went off 12,900 years ago, so it could blow at any time....Volcanologists believe that the Laacher See volcano is still active as carbon dioxide is bubbling up to the lake’s surface, which indicates that the magma chamber below is 'degassing'.

Exposure of global warming deception goes viral
The Examiner - With the advent of the new year, perhaps it’s a good time to once again expose the global warming narrative for what it actually is: fact-free alarmist fear-mongering – scientific fraud, to be exact – designed to shut down fossil-fuel industries, enrich carbon traders, soak taxpayers and reduce affluent western societies to a state of pre-industrial poverty – all the while purporting to save the world from what turns out to be an imaginary man-made bogeyman.

MERS authority to foreclose upheld on appeal
Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems secured a legal victory this week when the Denver-based 10th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld three lower court opinions granting MERS the right to foreclose when the company is listed as nominee of the note.

Health

How Women May Be Contributing to Men's Rising Cancer Rates
Dr. Mercola - Many conventional health experts believe the hormone testosterone causes prostate cancer -- but research actually suggests that estrogen may be the more likely culprit.

BPA may cause arrhythmia, heart attacks in women
(NaturalNews) Bisphenol A overrides the natural heartbeat signal causing female heart cells to misfire, according to a recent study. Given how pervasive BPA is these days, this could mean heart problems, possibly even fatal ones, for millions of women.... In new research, which will be published in the February 2012 issue of Endocrinology, now finds that even low concentrations of BPA can cause heart problems for women because of the way the compound mimics estrogen's effect on the heart.

Simply Green Washing: Are You Using This Toxic Cleaner?
Activist Post - Simple Green, a hugely popular household cleaner, is marketed to the consumer as a “non-toxic,” “biodegradable,” and “non-hazardous” alternative to presumably more toxic cleaners. And yet, the material safety data sheet (MSDS) for Simple Green, which is federally mandated to be made available to the consumer by the product manufacturer (in this case Sunshine Makers, Inc.), tells a radically different story.

VIDEO: Edible Mushrooms: Nature's Most Researched Anti-Cancer Agent
Activist Post - Over the course of the past few years we have uncovered a remarkable body of research on the medicinal properties of mushrooms. In fact, when it comes to natural cancer research, no other category has been the subject of more human clinical research than AHCC and Lentinan, both unique preparations of shiitake mushroom.

Integrative Vision Care And Nutrition
AHHA - Mind/Body medicine is based on the fact that our health and well-being depends on all the individual parts to work together effectively. So it should come as no surprise that healthy eyesight is also dependent upon our total well-being, which is affected by our genetic makeup, the food we eat, our work environment and exposure to airborne toxins, as well as our general belief systems about ourselves and the world we live in.

Routine Early Cord Clamping Harms Newborns: No Evidence of Benefit Ever Existed
Gaia Health - In hospitals, one of the first procedures done when a new child enters the world is to clamp the umbilical cord, usually within the first 30-60 seconds of birth. It is, in fact, simply a routine procedure done without thinking. Apparently, no thought has ever been given to whether it’s beneficial. Sadly, several studies have shown that it harms newborns.

Salmonella Concerns Prompt Iceberg Lettuce Recall In 10+ States
In what is one of the most confusing recalls ever, some Kroger grocery stores in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, and Smith's grocery stores in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Nevada were recalling Growers Express brand iceberg lettuce Friday, saying it might be contaminated with Salmonella.

Why I should eat the stems and leaves of broccoli
Broccoli stems have a wonderful mild sweet flavor and are much higher in fiber than the florets; they are renown for the amount of extra fiber they can add to your diet. While the florets contain more beta-carotene than the stalks, the leaves actually are a richer source of beta-carotene than either the stems or florets.

Study review shows vitamin D, cod liver oil very effective at preventing and treating tuberculosis
(NaturalNews) Sometimes the old fashioned ways of treating disease are still the safest and most effective. A recent review of an 1848 study conducted at the former Hospital for Consumption in Chelsea, UK, now known as the Royal Brompton Hospital (RBH), has found that cod liver oil, which is rich in vitamin D, is still an effective treatment for tuberculosis.

Find health with the super food synergy of Indian gooseberry and African mango
(NaturalNews) Foods that have an incredible array of health benefits that go well beyond just their nutrient value are considered 'super-foods.' Wild fruits have played a significant role in many cultural cuisines all around the world. Scientists have found many great health benefits associated with wild fruits grown in temperate regions of the world. Indian gooseberry and African mango are super foods that have a nutrient synergy that far exceeds their basic nutritional values.

Study: Taking methadone can double risk of getting in car wreck
(NaturalNews) Former drug addicts trying to stay clean and individuals with severe pain are being prescribed methadone, a synthetic opioid, as supposed treatment. But a new study out of Norway suggests that men who take this powerful drug are twice as likely as those not taking it to get in a car wreck while driving.

Science & Technology

Anonymous to publish Stratfor emails
RT - A treasure-trove of top secret correspondence between security firm Stratfor and millions of contacts is about to be published, a move that hackers say will serve as a smoking gun for several committed crimes.... Since news of the hack made it to the Web on Christmas Eve, the number of emails obtained has rose from nearly 3 million to now around 5.5 million.

Forget the passwords – Computer accounts soon by unlocked by sight and touch recognition
Mail Online - Last week Apple applied to the US patent office to register facial recognition software, so instead of sliding to unlock your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, you could simply point it at your face.

Proposed Hacker Satellite System Would Fight Web Censorship
PCMag.com - "Hackers in Space" sounds like a bad TV movie, but if the group behind the Hackerspace Global Grid (HGG) reach their goal, it could be a reality by the time we ring in 2034. As first reported by the BBC, the HGG wants to send their own satellites into orbit, which will be open and free from Internet censorship.

Appeals Court Revives EFF's Challenge to Government's Massive Spying Program
Activist Post - San Francisco - The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today blocked the government's attempt to bury the Electronic Frontier Foundation's (EFF's) lawsuit against the government's illegal mass surveillance program, returning Jewel v. NSA to the District Court for the next step.

Say 'No' to Dow Chemical's GE Corn Petition -- Proven in the Jungles of Vietnam as Part of Agent Orange!
The Cornucopia Institute - Dow Chemical is seeking USDA approval for a genetically engineered (GE) version of corn that is resistant to 2,4-D, a herbicide that was used in the formulation of the highly toxic defoliant Agent Orange. Agent Orange (half 2,4-D by composition) was extensively used in Vietnam by the military to destroy forests and crops. The public has 60 days to comment on Dow's petition for deregulation, and can do so online here and sign our petition here.

Will Organic Farmers See Their Day in Court Against Monsanto?
Activist Post - In a development celebrated by the organic plaintiffs, Judge Naomi Buchwald announced yesterday that oral arguments on Monsanto's motion to dismiss the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA) et al v. Monsanto will be heard in federal district court January 31, 2012 in Manhattan.... The eighty-three family farmers, small and family owned seed businesses, and agricultural organizations comprising the organic plaintiff group represent over 300,000 individuals. The landmark lawsuit, filed in March 2011, challenges the validity of Monsanto's transgenic/GMO patents and seeks court protection for innocent family farmers who may become contaminated by Monsanto seed.

How to Get the Best Firewood for Clean and Affordable Energy
Find out where to harvest or buy firewood, plus how to split, dry and stack your logs for the most efficient wood heat.

Pet News

For your pet - Natural remedies overcome fear of loud noises, thunder and fireworks
(NaturalNews) Most dogs and cats dislike unexpected, loud noises from thunder or fireworks. What may be a festive time for humans, turns into a night of horrors for many pets, making them run for cover or cower in fear at our ankles. Calm and protect pets from feeling vulnerable and anxious during fireworks and thunderstorms with natural remedies and solutions to help them during scary times.

Lysine for Cats
L-lysine is a naturally occurring amino acid which inhibits the growth of herpes virus in cat's body. Feline herpes is one of the extremely common Upper Respiratory Infection (URL) in cats, caused by herpes virus. This virus spread through the air and replicates in the upper respiratory tract of the cat. It is highly contagious, and most cats get this infection either as kittens from their mothers, or by living in an environment where there are multiple/stray cats or new cats interacting constantly. The clinical signs of this infection include eye discharge, squinting, sneezing, and sinus congestion.

Dogs Benefit from the Nutrition of Supplements
(NaturalNews) Dogs can benefit from taking supplements as well as human, and many pet owners are jumping on the doggie nutrition bandwagon. Sales of pet nutritional supplements in the United States increased by seven percent in 2009, according to the Nutrition Business Journal. Sales of human nutritional products increased as well but only by six percent. A few nutrients are known to provide maximum nutrition for dogs, including Omega-3s, glucosamine, antioxidant vitamin E, Coenzyme Q10, and digestive enzymes. Pet stores now stock many of these dog supplements.

Miscellaneous

"Celebrating Changes"
AHHA - Breaths come and breaths go. Tens of thousands of times, every day of your life, your breath changes its direction. The events of your life come and go, too. Nothing stays constant. Everything is changing. The attitude that you choose to take toward this ever-changing nature of your life---how well you learn to let go of what was and move on with what is---has a huge impact on your health and well-being. It is a significant determinant of how long, and how well, you live.

3 Strategies to Make Your New Year's Resolution a Success
Activist Post - In reality, a New Year's resolution isn’t much different than any other resolution made on any other day. But still nearly everyone takes this time to set a new goal. Actually, the goal set is often the same as the previous year since people seldom follow through with their New Year's resolution. Interestingly, not achieving that specific goal each year is making the following achievement that much more difficult due to so many subconscious past ‘failures’. For this reason it is very important to follow through with your goal setting, and here are a few extremely beneficial tips on how to do so.

Nine Resolutions That Matter in 2012
Activist Post - We put our collective heads together for a while this week and tried to think – with the moment of annual resolutions at hand – what could rational, patriotic Americans do to help the nation and world cope with the difficulties in the year ahead which are already coming into scary focus. We had lots of ideas but boiled them down to the top nine. Here is the Strategic Living bucket list for 2012.

ACTION ITEM: Join Us to Bring About Peace and Harmony in 2012
Activist Post - The economy continues to buckle under the weight of immeasurable debt while the powers that be seem to be pushing for more war. Additionally, the mystical influence surrounding the end of the Mayan calendar and other tales of the apocalypse like biblical end times, will only fuel the intensity of 2012. However, in times of great challenge it is crucial to understand how our thoughts and feelings affect the physical world. Indeed, it is the biggest secret never revealed to the masses – that how we feel and what we think will directly manifest in the real world.

Grim Economic Prospects for 2012: How the Federal Reserve Overshadows the European Banking System
Bob Chapman - What does one write about between Christmas and New Years? Things are usually pretty quiet, especially in Europe. As a result we’ll give you a little about this and a little about that.

The Most Important Economic Charts of 2011
What is it about graphs and economics? In a discipline where facts are murky and certainty is elusive, graphs offer a bright light of information and a small confidence that the world can be summed up between two axes.... Here, from economists on left and right, and from economic journalists from around the beat, are the graphs of the year.

Congressmen's incomes triple while America gets poorer
RT - While the US Census Bureau reports half of America as either impoverished or otherwise living in low-income conditions, 250 members of Congress — nearly half of the Hill —can say that they are legit millionaires. In Washington DC, one-in-ten residents live below half of the poverty line — but if you can track down Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) in his Capitol Hill chamber, you might be able to borrow a few bucks from the richest man in Congress — who holds onto $294.21 million in assets.

Rick Perry’s Security Costs Texas Taxpayers up to $400,000 a Month
Rick Perry’s security costs have risen since he entered the presidential campaign in August, costing Texas taxpayers as much as $400,000 a month, according to a report by the Texas Tribune. An examination of Texas public safety department records found that the agency spent more than $1.4 million on out-of-state trips between September to mid-December, including more than $397,000 between Sept. 5 and Sept. 28 this year.... Perry is the only candidate, other than President Obama, whose security is funded by taxpayers.

Fed Once-Secret Loan Crisis Data Compiled by Bloomberg Released to Public
Bloomberg News today released spreadsheets showing daily borrowing totals for 407 banks and companies that tapped Federal Reserve emergency programs during the 2007 to 2009 financial crisis. It’s the first time such data have been publicly available in this form. To download a zip file of the spreadsheets, go to http://bit.ly/Bloomberg-Fed-Data. For an explanation of the files, see the one labeled “1a Fed Data Roadmap.”

MF Global chief missing $1.2B is financial adviser to EPA
Washington Post - During two days of recent congressional hearings into how as much as $1.2 billion disappeared from MF Global customer accounts, the chief operating officer of the imploding investment firm responded again and again that he did not know.

Banks can't keep up with foreclosures anymore
RT - With an economy in ruins, how many foreclosures do banks have to deal with nowadays? Enough that the process of dealing with homeowners in default is taking years to complete.

VIDEO: Gundersen: Trucks dumping nuclear waste into Tokyo Bay “for many years” to come — Plus a look ahead at 2012
Is the Japanese government and the IAEA protecting the nuclear industry and not the people of Japan by claiming that Fukushima is stable when it is not? Fairewinds’ chief engineer Arnie Gundersen outlines major inconsistencies and double-speak by the IAEA, Japanese Government, and TEPCO claiming that the Fukushima accident is over. Dynamic versus static equilibrium, escalated dose exposures to the Japanese children and nuclear workers, and the blending of radioactive materials with non-contaminated material and spreading this contaminated ash throughout Japan are only a small part of this ongoing nuclear tragedy.

Powerful 7.0 earthquake hits Tokyo
NHK World A strong earthquake struck Tokyo and surrounding areas on Sunday afternoon. The earthquake occurred at around 2:28 PM local time. Japan's Meteorological Agency says the earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 7.0, with its focus 370 kilometers deep near Torishima Island in the Pacific Ocean.

Diseased seals in Alaska tested for radiation
Scientists in Alaska are investigating whether local seals are being sickened by radiation from Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. Scores of ring seals have washed up on Alaska's Arctic coastline since July, suffering or killed by a mysterious disease marked by bleeding lesions on the hind flippers, irritated skin around the nose and eyes and patchy hair loss on the animals' fur coats. Biologists at first thought the seals were suffering from a virus, but they have so far been unable to identify one, and tests are now underway to find out if radiation is a factor. Related articles, photos and map here.

New concerns about Hanford nuclear waste plant
The H reactor is one of nine nuclear reactors at Hanford, where it is feared that contaminated groundwater is moving steadily toward the Columbia River and posing a danger to fish and the people who eat them.... But the worst of the waste is still decades away from being completely removed. Millions of gallons of a highly radioactive stew — enough to fill dozens of Olympic-size swimming pools — are stored in aging underground tanks. Some of those tanks have leaked, threatening the groundwater and the river. Related video report here.

VIDEO: We’ll see a statistically meaningful increase in cancer from Fukushima on west coast
Arnie Gundersen of Fairwinds Associates (a leading nuclear expert) and Warren Pollock ( http://www.wepollock.com ) redefine the Fukushima nuclear incidents (meltdowns and explosions) in terms of human and total cost.

Paint-on solar cells? How your house's next coat of paint could become a power generator
(NaturalNews) Generating a sizable amount of renewable energy to power your home appliances and light fixtures could soon be as simple as giving your house a new coat of paint. Researchers from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana have come up with a novel new type of "solar paint" that utilizes nanoparticles to generate electricity without the need for traditional, silicon-based solar cells or expensive equipment.

VIDEO: Smart Meters Make Themselves At Home . . . by Force
Intel Hub - Idaho Electric has been caught installing Smart Meters without permission, despite protest, even hopping fences while residents are away. Whether residents are home or not, IE reps have brought armed law enforcement to make sure the job gets done and police go without questioning or filing paperwork.... Meanwhile, in Santa Cruz, CA, PG&E has resorted to another tactic of force – electricity shut-offs.... Thankfully, this type of corporate retaliation brought forth disgust and wrath from Santa Cruz public officials who intervened to help the families.

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to be Released in the US for the First Time
Activist Post - It turns out that the genetically modified mosquitoes could be released into the U.S. environment as early as January of 2012. A private firm plans to initiate the release of the GE mosquitoes in the Florida Keys. Florida will be the first beta testing grounds to determine whether or not the mosquitoes lead to detrimental environmental and genetic impact. Residents in this area will also be subjected — without choice — to these genetically manipulated insects, unless the private firm decides to seek permission.

Health

Five new government restrictions on food, medicine, and health freedom that are set to take effect on January 1, 2012
(NaturalNews) The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has issued its annual list of new laws that will go into effect in various states around the country on Jan. 1, 2012. In this list are five specific pieces of legislation that place new restrictions on food, medicine, and health freedom.

The 10 biggest vaccine news stories of 2011
(NaturalNews) A lot happened in the vaccine industry in 2011 -- a year of accelerating change and increased awareness among the people. One of the big realizations that hit home in 2011 is that vaccines are far more dangerous than most people previously thought, and even conventional scientists are starting to question the over-vaccination of infants and children.

Open Up and Say “Ahh”
A recent Freedom of Information Act request has revealed that the FBI wants what it calls “food activists” prosecuted as terrorists, perhaps because nothing could more terrifying than exposing where our so-called food comes from and how it is manufactured. Most Americans don’t really care where their food comes from or how it is made. All that matters is that it’s cheap and tastes good. Unfortunately for the food industry, not everyone is that stupid anymore. There is a growing desire to eat food that is healthy and produced in a cruel-free, sustainable way, stemming in part from the efforts of the food activists who have revealed the brutal, unnatural way our food is manufactured.

Global food giants are moving away from BPA in packaging
(NaturalNews) Major food companies are starting to announce plans to remove the hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) from their packaging in response to growing consumer concern and the looming specter of new government regulations. Ninety percent of the U.S. residents test positive for BPA, a chemical increasingly linked to cancer, heart disease, infertility, impotence and even mental retardation. The chemical is found in everything from cell phone casings to sporting goods and grocery store receipts, but its most notorious use has been in baby bottles, water bottles and food packaging.

Low-salt diets increase risk of stroke and heart disease, study says
(NaturalNews) For years we've been told to lower our salt intake for our health. Individuals at risk for heart attack are especially admonished to drop their salt intake as low as possible. As it turns out, this seemingly harmless recommendation is actually putting us at a higher risk for conditions like heart disease and stroke.

Why is the U.S. Doubling Its Protection Against this Non-existent Health Enemy?
The U.S. government has awarded a $433-million contract to pharmaceutical company Siga Technologies for 1.7 million doses of an experimental smallpox drug called ST-246 (Tecovirimat). In this time of limited resources and heavy budget deficits, the decision to spend nearly half a billion dollars to stockpile a drug of questionable safety and effectiveness, for a strictly theoretical danger, is puzzling — and that is an extreme understatement. Smallpox Drug Given FDA “Fast-Track” Status, Despite No Imminent Risk.

CDC: We are tracking swine flu virus in five states and we expect more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that it has identified the second case of human infection of swine flu. Since August, 12 people have been infected with the virus, called H3N2, in Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. CDC officials announced that they found another case of human infection with a swine-origin H3N2 virus, this time in a child from West Virginia.... The government launched a major initiative to get the public vaccinated, giving $1.6 billion to pharmaceutical companies and vaccine makers, ensuring the U.S. has a large stockpile of vaccines in the event of another pandemic.

Research: Pineapple Enzyme Superior to Chemotherapy in Treating Cancer
Activist Post - Every once in a while a study pops up on the National Library of Medicine's bibliographic database known as MEDLINE that not only confirms the therapeutic relevance of natural substances in cancer treatment, but blows the conventional approach out of the water. Published in 2007 in the journal Planta Medica, researchers found that an enzyme extracted from pineapple stems known as bromelain was superior to the chemo-agent 5-fluorauracil in treating cancer in the animal model. The researchers stated: This antitumoral effect [bromelain] was superior to that of 5-FU [5-fluorouracil], whose survival index was approximately 263 %, relative to the untreated control. [view entire study]

Christian college sues over abortion pill mandate
A Christian college is suing the Obama administration over requiring businesses to pay for insurance plans that cover Plan B and ella — two types of birth-control pills the college and other prolife advocates view as abortifacient.

Hepatitis B vaccine recommended for adults with diabetes
US Today - Hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for all unvaccinated adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes aged 19 to 59, say new guidelines from the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

New non-GMO 'super' broccoli contains extra cancer-fighting nutrients, but less vital sulfur
(NaturalNews) By cross-breeding traditional British broccoli with wild, bitter Sicilian broccoli, researchers from the Institute for Food Research and the John Innes Centre, both in Norwich, England, were able to produce the Beneforte variety, which contains up to three times the normal amount of glucoraphanin (GRP). GRP is a precursor to sulforaphane (SF), which is the actual nutrient responsible for providing anticancer, anti-diabetic, and antimicrobial benefits. GRP in its standalone form provides little, if any, health benefits, and must come into contact with myrosinase (MYR), another enzyme naturally present in broccoli, in order to become metabolized into beneficial SF.

Seven ways to end joint pain, arthritis and gout using cherries
(NaturalNews) Gout and arthritis have two things in common. Each condition makes the body hurt, and they respond to the powerful nutrients found in cherries that eliminate pain. Cherries contain high levels of antioxidants and anthocyanins, nutrients known to relieve pain, inflammation and stiffness. Cherries belong to an esteemed group of super fruits including blueberries, acai, pomegranate, yumberries, cranberries and goji berries -- all providing exceptionally high amounts of these pain-killing compounds. Cherries are rich in polynutrients and anthocyanins, which give the fruit its rich, reddish-purple color -- the deeper the color, the higher the level of antioxidants.

Eat mushrooms to improve your health and happiness this winter
(NaturalNews) Though initially it may sound strange, eating mushrooms can do a lot more for your health than you might think. The vitamins, minerals, and nutrients in mushrooms will help you maintain vibrant health, keep off the excess weight, boost energy levels, and liven up the flavor of foods, not to mention help you avoid getting cancer.

Studies show junk foods change brain chemistry and are addictive like cocaine
(NaturalNews) Bloomberg Businessweek reports on a plethora of recent data that identifies junk food addiction as being just as serious as drug addiction. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrogenated oils, refined salt, and various other chemical preservatives found in processed junk food does the same thing to a person's brain as cocaine does.

Science & Technology

The Chinese want to buy Yahoo!
RT - After buying up all of the world’s available resources, China is looking for a new array of assets to swipe under their rug. Now the Far East has set its aims on the Internet and is looking to begin with buying what’s left of Web giants Yahoo!

'Anonymous' exposes 75,000 credit card numbers
Hacker collective Anonymous has just dumped 200 GB of names, email addresses and passwords for around 860,000 Stratfor users. Anonymous also exposed credit card numbers for 75,000 paying customers of Stratfor. Stratfor, a security think tank, provides reports on international security and related threats to government and military personnel as well as to the private sector.

VIDEO: The Hideous Marketing of 'Modern Warfare 3'
There is a television advertisement for a video game called Modern Warfare 3 that is so base and strident that it's hard to believe that it's not deliberately offensive. It begins with two Hollywood buffoons in (for whatever reason) MultiCam taking heavy fire during an apparent New York City terrorist attack. The men calmly walk into a hailstorm of bullets, and return fire with rifles, pistols, and submachine guns. Most disturbing is that the depicted maelstrom seems designed to carefully hover in the uncanny zone. Clearly it's not Black Hawk Down, but neither is it Starship Troopers. On some level—perhaps it's the intensity of the actors—the commercial wants its action to be taken seriously.

GoDaddy lost 72,354 domains this week. It's not enough.
Despite a massive Twitter campaign and a blog post that claims “Go Daddy no longer supports SOPA legislation” the company and their CEO have dodged questions about opposing the bill. In essence, they are taking a lesser role by not showing support for the bill. They have not opposed it.

VIDEO: Ron Paul blasts SOPA on the 2012 presidential campaign trail
theverge.com - It looks like SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) has finally made it to the big time. Ron Paul — one of the many Republican contenders in the 2012 presidential election — blasted the proposed legislation during a talk on the campaign trail. It's not clear if he fully understands the details of the bill based on his comments that it will "take over the internet" and "monitor everything we do," but it's more than clear that he opposes restrictive online legislation, and that's a good thing.

America's farmlands to be carpet-bombed with Vietnam-era Agent Orange chemical if Dow petition approved
(NaturalNews) A key chemical of one of the most horrifying elements of the Vietnam War -- Agent Orange -- may soon be unleashed on America's farmlands.... A key chemical in that weapon -- 2,4-D -- is just months away from being dropped on agricultural land across the United States. Dow AgroSciences, which along with DuPont and Monsanto is heavily invested in genetically engineered crops, has petitioned the U.S. government to deregulate a variety of GE corn that's resistant to 2,4-D, which comprises 50% of the recipe of Agent Orange.

How to Stop the Resurgence of Agent Orange in Your Food Supply -- Vital Activism
Activist Post - Take the initiative and end the resurgence of Agent Orange right now, sign the petition.

VIDEO: Human Feces Used as Fertilizer Has Neighbors Fuming
Several Lynn Township, Pa. farmers use a bio-solid called “granulite” to fertilize their crops, according to township authorities. “Granulite” is sewage sludge turned into dried pellets, 30 percent of which is made of human waste. Residents like Bill Schaffhouser fear the health effects when this chemically-treated sewage fertilizer seeps into the ground and water. “There’s a huge difference between using fertilizer and using human feces that’s been treated with different chemicals,” Schaffhouser tells NBC Philadelphia's Stacy Stauffer. “This stuff will end up in the food and meat they eat, the milk they drink…this is a real issue.”

Letter to the Editor: Biosolids are Not a Fertilizer
Deaths, illnesses and groundwater contamination have been linked to biosolids use. In Augusta, Ga., two prize-winning dairy herds were virtually wiped out when cows ingesting forage grown on biosolids died by the hundreds. Recently, a federal judge ordered the agriculture department (USDA) to compensate one of these farmers because his land was so poisoned by sludge that it was no longer capable of growing crops. For recent and reliable information about the serious risks associated with land application, visit sludgefacts.org and http://cwmi.css.cornell.edu/case.pdf.

Pet News

Make veterinarian visits easier on your pets - Use homeopathic remedies
(NaturalNews) (NaturalNews) Off to the vet again, amidst plaintive cries from the cat and a wrestling match with Fido as he backs out of his collar. Horrendous vet visits are easily soothed with a few doses of homeopathic medicine. Remedies are simple to administer and calm nerves, lessen fear and reduce the humiliation of being stuck, prodded and handled for even the most ornery pet. Make veterinarian visits easier and less traumatic for pets by giving common homeopathic remedies.

Is there Chicken in Chicken Pet Foods?
Just because petsumers think meat when the ingredient 'chicken' is listed on a label, doesn't mean the pet food actually contains chicken meat. Pet food can have a very different definition of 'chicken'. Thanks to very broad Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) ingredient definitions, the ingredient 'chicken' listed on a pet food label could be nothing more than skin, bone, cartilage, and maybe a few tiny fragments of meat.

Even More FDA Reports of Illness due to Chicken Jerky Treats
MSNBC - Reports of illnesses in dogs given chicken jerky treats have spiked dramatically following a new government warning about pet snacks made in China. That’s up from 70 reports of illnesses -- and some deaths -- received in 2011 before the Center for Veterinary Medicine animals have been stricken with a range of symptoms within hours or days of eating chicken jerky, including serious problems such as kidney failure and Fanconi syndrome, a condition marked by low blood sugar.

Miscellaneous

Since 1950, A Card Criss-Crossed U.S. Celebrating Friendship, Christmas
More than 60 years ago, Acker Hanks sent a Christmas card to a friend as a joke. He didn't think it would turn into anything, but the card has since crossed the United States 64 times and serves as a reminder of a treasured friendship that began after he graduated from Sam Houston State University.