Amazing "Food Fight"

Perspiration contains natural, safe antibiotics that kill dangerous germs, even TB, staph

Sweating is just a nasty annoyance to many modern-day people. Sure, it keeps you from overheating during exercise or if you are exposed to extremely hot weather. But most often, perspiration is seen as a negative body secretion to be stopped whenever possible with chemical-laden antiperspirants. On the positive side, many traditional cultures have used induced sweating - such as sitting in sweat lodges - to benefit health. It's been mostly assumed that the physical benefits from sweating are the result of toxins released in sweat.

But now comes information on how the incredible human body uses the sweating process to help protect health in another way. Sweat contains amazing disease fighting chemicals. An international team of scientists has discovered how a natural antibiotic called dermcidin, produced by our skin during perspiration can destroy tuberculosis germs and other dangerous pathogens.

Although about 1,700 types of these natural antibiotics are known to exist, they are rarely discussed -- and this is the first time researchers have come up with a detailed understanding of how they work. The researchers from the University of Edinburgh and from Goettingen, Tuebingen and Strasbourg, uncovered the atomic structure of dermcidin, allowing them to pinpoint for the first time what makes this natural compound so efficient in destroying disease-causing germs.

Their new study, just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that sweat spreads highly efficient antibiotics onto skin to protect our bodies from dangerous disease-causing "bugs." So if you scratch or cut yourself or get a mosquito bite, antibiotic agents secreted in sweat glands, including dermcidin, immediately and efficiently kill invading germs if perspiration reaches them.

What's more, the scientists say these natural substances, known as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), are more effective in the long-term than traditional antibiotics.
Continue reading at:  http://www.naturalnews.com/039257_perspiration_antibiotics_germs.html

Officials: US to Provide Syrian Rebels With Direct Military Aid, Armored Vehicles

 Every time I think that the US government cannot possibly become more Orwellian in its use of language, or in terms of how it is shaping definitions (like "non-lethal") I am surprised yet again!!  While Obama tries to take weapons here he GIVES them to known criminals and thugs in other countries including Mexico!!

The US is looking to dramatically broaden the definition of “non-lethal support” as it relates to Syria’s rebel factions, according to European officials familiar with recent private meetings with Secretary of State John Kerry.
Expanding the definition, the US is poised to shift policy toward providing body armor, direct combat training and even armored personnel carriers to rebel factions, as it continues to help Saudi Arabia and other nations deliver the weaponry behind the ongoing rebellion.
Specific details about the plan, to the extent they are ever revealed to the public at all, are likely to come during this week’s Rome conference for the various Syrian rebel factions, which Kerry has been hyping and encouraging rebel groups to attend.
The EU is set to get in on the action as well, with officials claiming a secret clause was inserted into the renewal of a ban on arms to Syria to allow virtually anything that doesn’t in and of itself kill people, including night-vision goggles and sniper scopes, to be sent as “non-lethal aid” for their “humanitarian” mission.

Pic De Jour

Cartoon De Jour

Quote De Jour

"Any dictator would admire the uniformity and obedience of the [U.S.] media."  - Noam Chomsky 

Pic De Jour

VA Writes Letters to US Veterans: 2nd Amendment Rights Revoked Per 2013 NDAA

US veterans are now receiving letters from the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regarding the disarmament of those former service men and women under the guise that they are in a questionable physical or mental condition because of their exposure to combat situations.
The letter goes on to say: “A determination of incompetency will prohibit you from purchasing, possessing, receiving, or transporting a firearm or ammunition. If you knowingly violate any of these prohibitions, you may be fined, imprisoned, or both pursuant to the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, Pub.L.No. 103-159, as implemented at 18, United States Code 924(a)(2).”
Without “specifics on the reasons for the proposed finding of incompetency” the VA is determining that veterans are incompetent. Disregarding due process and the US Constitution, the VA has begun to disarm American citizens under their control.

DOJ Memo: Outlaw And Confiscate All Guns

DOJ memo states: “Buybacks are ineffective unless massive and coupled with a ban.”
The National Rifle Association has obtained a Department of Justice memo calling for national gun registration and confiscation. The nine page “cursory summary” on current gun control initiatives was not officially released by the Obama administration.
The DOJ memo (downloadable here as a PDF) states the administration “believes that a gun ban will not work without mandatory gun confiscation,” according to the NRA, and thinks universal background checks “won’t work without requiring national gun registration.” Obama has yet to publicly support national registration or firearms confiscation, although the memo reveals his administration is moving in that direction.
The memo stands in stark contrast to the administration’s public stance on so-called gun control. White House spokesman Jay Carney said last month that laws proposed by Obama would not “take away a gun from a single law-abiding American.”

Pic De Jour

Massive green 'firebalsl' continue to blaze across California sky's

As Spains Economy Sinks Deeper - HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS ARE MARCHING IN MADRID, SPAIN against Corruption, Bank debts,politicians' high wages - No Media Coverage In US

They are going to demonstrate in front of the House of Representatives. People are fed up with politicians’ corruption, Bankers, Austerity Measures (wage and retirement cuts) and private debt strong arming (jailing people who owe and can't pay). Far-right and far-left groups are marching along with liberals, libertarians, social-democrats, conservatives, communists, anarchists against the political corruption. Guess those who control media here don't want the sheeple to know whats coming.....

To See live Video Here 

Asking the TSA a question; "How many terrorists has the TSA caught?"

Senior Advisor To Obama, It’s easier To Kill A Million People, Than To Contol A million People

The Trigger has been pulled, the Crash has begun....How is going to play out?

 The Trigger has been pulled, the Crash has begun....How is this going to play out? 
If this plays out as it did in Greece and Spain.....One day you will wake to find there will be an immediate bank holiday across the board, stopping all transactions of any kind in all banking and stock markets. This will most likely happen on a Friday afternoon.... with no warning. A temporary state of martial law (they might not call it that) may be instituted, in which people are told to stay at home and everyday commerce like trucking of supplies of normal groceries and goods will be the only thing still going on under 'NEW EMERGENCY' rules.
We may see military escorts of supply convoys moving on U.S. highways for perhaps several weeks until they 'restart the economy' under the new banking rules. Police in ALL cities will be given a green flag to ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ for any deviation from their  restriction of citizens movements. Examples will have be made, and the media will bomb the public with this message 24/7.
The U.S. will lock down the dollar (both digital and paper) to a complicated SDR basket of currencies around the World, the Canadian dollar may figure heavily in this. This will obviously include devaluation across the board of all world currencies. The U.N. and IMF will be token heads of an 'emergency council' that ALL countries of the World will have no choice but to agree to (except maybe a few in the Middle East and North Korea, Cuba, a few South American countries (etc) who still use gold or sliver)
Debt restructuring will be performed from TOP to bottom. The 1.8 Quadrillion derivatives bubble will pop like a vertical tree falling in the forest that no-one hears. The wage structure of the entire US will be about half of what it was when jobs are 'started' again, and people will learn rapidly that their standard of living is going to drop to levels they never believed possible.
Financial markets will be 're-started' to make it look like things are returning to 'normal' (smoke and mirrors.....don't believe it for a second.)
Food and all energy  will be price controlled from that point on....Production of goods will continue by force if necessary.....but I think people will rush to the new low wage positions because they won’t have a choice. It is either that or starve.
Inner cities may collapse completely during the 'transition period' and the military will setup blockades around zones in these areas and food rations will be handed over in exchange for firearms and ammunition. The horrors that will exist in some areas during this period will be a rude awaking for most.....But lamestream Media will never report it. Within two weeks of supply infrastructure collapse things like rape, murder, and cannibalism will be commonplace.
In San Fransisco there are 17,179 people per square mile... there will be shoot-outs in the local 7/11 for the last bag of Doritos a lot sooner than most people think. Slowly but surely ‘zones’ will form, protected areas where people are moved (perhaps forcibly) and live under what seems like a fairly free system but is obviously locked down military type camps with homes and apartments instead of barracks.
There will be a lot of suffering... a lot of deaths from health problems and at the hands of the "authorities."  In TheUnited States things will collapse into ‘One Second After’ conditions and attrition will reduce population drastically over the next several years. The lamestream media will cover a bit of this when told to do so.. but the true horrors will be seen only by those are there....‘The revolution will not be televised’.
The Internet will no longer be free.... IF an ‘Internet’ is brought back up and running it will be the government sanctioned AOL style system with no freedom of any kind. There will be no anonymous communication allowed.... ANY Internet Service Providers (ISP) will be under total government control and it will be technically impossible to transmit encrypted packets. As a result ALL to individuals communication will be controlled...only a few free Ham Radio Operators will be the true source of information from theie area.
There will be 'pockets' of resistance (militia and preppers).... maybe entire States that balk at the 'new order' of government..... They may be treated with hands off respect to start... BUT.... in time they will be forced with simple supply blockades to conform to the 'new order rules'. The 'New Order/FEMA' will have the technology, and the patience, and the means to cut off outside supply. There will obviously be a lot of ‘free people’ out there, entire communities where they are self sufficient in every way ..... but these will be small Colonial technology areas that are visited by smiling officials on a regular basis to let them know the limitations of their existence.
When this 'banking holiday' will happen is unclear.... Roosevelt declared a "bank holiday." From March 6 to March 10, 1933.... banking transactions were suspended across the nation except for making change. During this period, Roosevelt presented the new Congress with the Emergency Banking Act. The law empowered the President through the Treasury Department to reopen banks that were solvent and assist (consolidate) those that were not.
What IS clear IS.....They simply cannot keep pretending things are okay for much longer. Anyone who isn’t a Prepper yet, (there is still time as long as the stores are open and your debit/credit card still works)..... Lay low, don’t brag about supplies, and stockpile simple foodstuffs and above all WATER (you can only last 3 days without it) for the time when your family needs to hunker down.
Can't happen here you say.....They said that in many countries up to the time "they" were living it....ALL the same signs we now see HERE were seen in these countries....But America will NEVER see this happen you say....then don't worry....don't prepare....FEMA will save you.....just look at their track record....

Pic De jour

Incoming Meteors - Why is Lamestream media NOT reporting?

Quote De Jour

"Our job is to give people not what they want, but what we decide they ought to have."  - Richard Salent, Former President CBS News. 

What the One-Percent Heard at the State of the Union

When President Obama speaks, most Americans hear what he wants them to hear: lofty rhetoric and a “progressive” vision.   But just below the surface the president has a subtly-delivered message for the 1%, whose ears prick up when their buzzwords are mentioned.
Obama’s state of the union address was such a speech – a pro-corporate agenda packaged with chocolate covered rhetoric for the masses; easy to swallow, but deadly poisonous.
Much of Obama’s speech was pleasant to the ears, but there were key moments where he was speaking exclusively to the 1%. Exposing these hidden agenda points in the speech requires that we ignore the fluff and use English the way the 1% does. Every time Obama says the words “reform” or “savings,” insert the word “cuts.”
Here are some of the more nefarious moments of Obama’s state for the union speech:

“And those of us who care deeply about programs like Medicare must embrace the need for modest reforms [cuts]…”

“On Medicare, I’m prepared to enact reforms [cuts] that will achieve the same amount of health care savings [cuts] by the beginning of the next decade as the reforms [cuts] proposed by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission.”

This ultra-vague sentence was meant exclusively for the 1%.   What are some of the recommendations from the right-wing Simpson-Bowles commission? Obama doesn’t say. Talking Points Memo explains: 

-Force more low-income individuals into Medicaid managed care.
-Increase Medicaid co-pays.
-Accelerate already-planned cuts to Medicare Advantage and home health care programs.
-Create a cap for Medicaid/Medicare growth that will force Congress and the president to increase premiums or co-pays or raise the Medicare eligibility age (among other options) if the system encounters cost overruns over the course of 5 years.

There were many other subtly-delivered attacks on Medicare in Obama’s speech, all ignored by most labor and progressive groups, who clung tightly to the “progressive” smoke Obama blew in their face.
Obama’s speech also included a frightening vision of a national privatization scheme to previously publicly owned resources. But it was phrased so inspirationally that only the 1% seemed to notice:

“I’m also proposing a Partnership to Rebuild America that attracts private capital [wealthy investors] to upgrade what our businesses need most: modern ports to move our goods; modern pipelines to withstand a storm; modern schools worthy of our children…we’ll reward schools that develop new partnerships with colleges and employers [corporations]…”

Obama’s proposal plans to “rebuild America” in the image of the wealthy and corporations, who only put forth their “private capital” when it results in a profitable investment; resources that previously functioned for the public good will now be channeled into the pockets of the rich, to the detriment of everyone else.
Allowing the rich to privatize and profit from public education and publicly owned infrastructure (ports and pipelines, etc.) has been a right-wing dream for years. This will result in massive user fees for the rest of us, while further dismembering public education, which Obama’s ill-named Race to the Top education reform is already successfully accomplishing.
Obama’s speech also put forth two massive pro-corporate international free trade deals, which would further drive down wages in the United States:

“We intend to complete negotiations on a Trans-Pacific Partnership [a massive free trade deal focused mainly on Asian nations]. And tonight, I am announcing that we will launch talks on a comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership [free trade deal] with the European Union – because trade that is free and fair across the Atlantic supports millions of good-paying American jobs.”

While praising free trade Obama disarmed labor and progressive groups by throwing in the meaningless word “fair.”
Lastly, Obama’s drone assassination policy was further enshrined in his speech. Drone assassinations are obvious war crimes — see the Geneva Convention — while also ignoring that pesky due process clause — innocent until proven guilty — of the constitution.
But Obama said that these programs will be “legal” and “transparent,” apparently good enough to keep most progressive groups quite on the issue.
There were plenty of other examples of sugar-coated poison in Obama’s speech. It outlined a thoroughly right-wing agenda with no plan to address the jobs crisis — sprinkled with pretty words and “inspiring” catchphrases.
Some labor leaders and “progressive” groups seem dazzled by the speech. President of the union federation, AFL-CIO, Richard Trumka, praised Obama’s anti-worker speech:

“Tonight President Obama sent a clear message to the world that he will stand and fight for working America’s values and priorities. And with the foundation he laid, working families will fight by his side to build an economy that works for all.”

And here is the real problem; as President Obama follows in the footsteps of President Bush, labor and progressive groups have found their independent voice stifled. The close ties between these groups and the Democratic Party have become heavy chains for working people, who find themselves under assault with no leadership willing to educate them about the truth, let alone organize a national fightback to win a massive jobs-creation program, prevent cuts to social programs, and fully fund public education. Obama’s second term will teach millions these lessons via experience.

Story and Source here

 

Days Of Future Past Will Soon Be On Us - Rioting Across America

Are We Days Away From A Financial Collapse ?

Canadian Potog Captures Global Warming pics

A photographer in Canada has captured remarkable pictures of trees frozen in time by the frigid waters of Lake Ontario.
Timothy Corbin discovered that trees encased in ice after violent winter storms on the lake sent waves crashing after the shore.
The frigid water created shapes and structures that seem to defy gravity and explanation.
Corbin, a native of tropical Trinidad, now lives in snowy of eastern Ontario.
He says he came into photography when he bought a Cannon digital SLR camera just two years ago.
He immediately realized that landscapes and scenery photography interested him most. 
Lake Ontario is the smallest of the five Great Lakes. It borders eastern Ontario, Canada, and Upstate New York.
At 7,300 square miles, it is roughly the size of New Jersey.

These incredible ice formations reveal just how cold the brutal winds from Lake Ontario were in order to allow the water to freeze in the manner it did

Dusk: The ice and light combine the create a mythical feel on the shores of Lake Ontario

Dripping: The water seemed to freeze in place as it dropped from the branches and trunks of the trees

The photos were captured by Timothy Corbin, who says his passion has always been photographing landscapes

Extra-caffeinated soda and chemical sweeteners for breakfast? PepsiCo introduces 'Kickstart' soda for people who absolutely hate themselves

Ah, there's nothing like a heavy dose of caffeine, corn syrup and highly acidic phosphoric acid in the morning. And bringing it to you is none other than PepsiCo, the company that habitually uses aspartame, MSG and GMOs across its product line. Apparently drinking an aspartame-laced, caffeine-spiked soda for lunch and dinner isn't enough: PepsiCo wants to own your breakfast, too.

This new "Kickstart" soda reportedly is made with 5% juice (meaning it's 95% corn syrup, phosphoric acid and other ingredients). But here's where the laughter really begins: According to the FDA, a beverage containing at least 5% juice isn't considered a "soda." It's actually JUICE!

Yep, this means Kickstart can be served to your children in public school, because it's "not soda" according to the agreement between the FDA and the soda industry.

Except, of course, it is 95% soda. But that doesn't count by the FDA's "new math" in which 5 > 95.

Artificial sweeteners, too
Oh, it gets even better. Kickstart is formulated with artificial chemical sweeteners from the start. And it has more caffeine than a can of Mountain Dew, clocking in at 92 milligrams per 16 ounces.

Hold on, let me get this straight: A liquid concoction spiked with caffeine, chemical sweeteners, phosphoric acid and corn syrup is now "juice" according to the soda industry? Yep!

Does this mean NY mayor Michael Bloomberg will let you buy an extra large cup of it? Does the "5% juice" get retailers off the hook if they want to sell large quantities?

Overall, I'm not sure who's more stupid in all this: The company making it, the government agency regulating it, or the people buying and drinking it. To me, it all seems to be a collision of caffeinated morons. What kind of fool wants to wake up in the morning and chemically kick themselves in the b#lls while ingesting phosphoric acid, an extra dose of caffeine and synthetic chemical sweeteners?

Can you say, "Kickstart diabetes?"

Big Pharma and the entire health care industry will be thanking PepsiCo big time for this one. If Kickstart catches on, America can fully expect to be financially suffocated under a wave of bank-busting obesity and diabetes for generations to come. This is a great time to buy more PepsiCo stock, because if there's one thing Americans all agree on, it's that our retirement accounts should financially benefit from the companies that are destroying our children.

P.S. I invented my own soda called Monster Chemo Agent Orange Diet Fluoride Soda! Here's the advertisement:

Cops Nab 5-Year-Old for Wearing Wrong Color Shoes to School

In Mississippi, if kindergarteners violate the dress code or act out in class, they may end up in the back of a police car.

A story about one five-year-old particularly stands out. The little boy was required to wear black shoes to school. Because he didn’t have black shoes, his mom used a marker to cover up his white and red sneakers. A bit of red and white were still noticeable, so the child was taken home by the cops.

The child was escorted out of school so he and his mother would be taught a lesson.

Ridiculous? Perhaps. But incidents such as this are happening across Mississippi. A new report, “Handcuffs on Success: The Extreme School Discipline Crisis in Mississippi Public Schools,” exposes just how bad it’s become.

Released on January 17, the report is a joint project between state chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Mississippi Coalition for the Prevention of Schoolhouse to Jailhouse and the Advancement Project.

The report examined more than 100 school districts and claimed that black students are affected by harsh disciplinary actions at a much greater rate than their white peers. It notes that “for every one white student who is given an out-of-school suspension, three black students are suspended, even though black students comprise just half of the student population.”

Carlos McCray, an associate professor at Fordham University Graduate School of Education in the Education Leadership Administration Program, says, “Research has shown that students who are subjected to multiple suspensions and expulsions are more likely to drop out of school. And we all know where this leads.”

More: In Mississippi, Dress Code Violations and Back-Talk Send Students Straight to Jail
See More ActionsTake Action!
Contact Your Local School Board

This isn’t something new in Mississippi. Last October, the U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit against officials in Meridian, Miss., for operating a school-to-prison pipeline.

“The needless criminalization of Mississippi’s most valuable asset—its children—must be dealt with immediately by school leaders and the communities they serve,” said Nancy Kintigh, the ACLU of Mississippi’s program director, in a statement.

“Zero-tolerance policies were originally designed to protect students from individuals who pose a threat on school grounds. Instead, they are being used to send children home for trivial things that should be solved in the principal’s office.”

Mississippi has long struggled with its education system.

It ranks sixth lowest among the 50 states in graduation rates. On a recent Science and Engineering Readiness Index, the state ranked 50th for high school students on their performance in physics and calculus. It came in last on the National Assessment of Educational Progress survey in 2012.

More out-of-school suspensions result in a school’s lower academic success, Thursday’s report noted. Some Mississippi schools have out-of-school suspension rates that are more than nine times higher than the national average.

Story and Sources Here

California Gas Stations Begin to Shut on Record-High Prices

Gas prices in Southern California rose again on Monday, leaving some drivers paying over $5.00 per gallon.

CBS2′s Amber Lee reports the average price of a gallon of gas in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area climbed for the 25th consecutive day to $4.29 – over 50 cents higher than last month, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

One gas station in downtown Los Angeles was offering regular unleaded at $5.19 on Monday, prompting at least one potential customer to exit his vehicle, snap of a photo of the station’s prices – and then drive off in search of cheaper gas.
$5 Gas Returns To Southland
CBS Local
‎ - 8 hours ago

Quote De Jour

"When the IMF and the World Bank force a country to cut wages, lay off workers, produce for export instead of their own people, and sell off public property to cronies for less than its value, that's called"economic reform."  - Robert Naiman, Toward Freedom magazine, November 1999, p2

WRIST SLAP: Justice Dept Settles Robo-Signing Fraud Case After 1 Million Fraudulently Signed and Notarized Mortgage Documents

Criminal foreclosure costs LPS just $30 per fraud.
---
Reuters
Mortgage servicing company Lender Processing Services agreed to pay $35 million to resolve a federal criminal investigation into foreclosure fraud, the Justice Department said on Friday.
The settlement resolves allegations over the company’s involvement in what the government called a six-year scheme to prepare and file more than 1 million fraudulently signed and notarized mortgage documents in property recorders’ offices nationwide from 2003 to 2009.  The practice became known as robo-signing.
Lorraine Brown, the former CEO of DocX LLC, was found guilty, November 20, 2012, for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.  Sentencing for Brown is scheduled April 23.  She faces a possible sentence of a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
LPS entered into a two-year non-prosecution agreement that requires it to meet many conditions, including cooperating in federal probes, and alert the government to any abuses in mortgage or foreclosure documentation services at the company.
The $35 million payment includes criminal penalties and forfeiture and must be made within 10 days to the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Treasury, the Justice Department said.  The company said on Friday that it has a $223 million reserve that covers the Justice Department accord and prior settlements.
Continue reading...

U.S. Foreclosure Map

Photos by William Banzai7...

Retail Apocalypse: Why Are Major Retail Chains All Over America Collapsing? Sears, J.C. Penney, Best Buy and RadioShack Are All Going To Close Hundreds of Stores Before The End of 2013!

If the economy is improving, then why are many of the largest retail chains in America closing hundreds of stores?  When I was growing up, Sears, J.C. Penney, Best Buy and RadioShack were all considered to be unstoppable retail powerhouses.  But now it is being projected that all of them will close hundreds of stores before the end of 2013.  Even Wal-Mart is running into problems.  A recent internal Wal-Mart memo that was leaked to Bloombergdescribed February sales as a “total disaster”.  So why is this happening?  Why are major retail chains all over America collapsing?  Is the “retail apocalypse” upon us?  Well, the truth is that this is just another sign that the U.S. economy is falling apart right in front of our eyes.  Incomes are declining, taxes are going up, government dependence is at an all-time high, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the percentage of the U.S. labor force that is employed has been steadily falling since 2006.  The top 10% of all income earners in the U.S. are still doing very well, but most U.S. consumers are either flat broke or are drowning in debt.  The large disposable incomes that the big retail chains have depended upon in the past simply are not there anymore.  So retail chains all over the United States are now closing up unprofitable stores.  This is especially true in low income areas.
When you step back and take a look at the bigger picture, the rapid decline of some of our largest retail chains really is stunning.
It is happening already in some areas, but soon half empty malls and boarded up storefronts will litter the landscapes of cities all over America.
Just check out some of these store closing numbers for 2013.  These numbers are from a recent Yahoo Finance article…
Best Buy
Forecast store closings: 200 to 250
Sears Holding Corp.
Forecast store closings: Kmart 175 to 225, Sears 100 to 125
J.C. Penney
Forecast store closings: 300 to 350
Office Depot
Forecast store closings: 125 to 150
Barnes & Noble
Forecast store closings: 190 to 240, per company comments
Gamestop
Forecast store closings: 500 to 600
OfficeMax
Forecast store closings: 150 to 175
RadioShack
Forecast store closings: 450 to 550
The RadioShack in a nearby town just closed up where I live.  This is all happening so fast that it is hard to believe.
But the truth is that those store closings are not the entire story.  When you dig deeper you find a lot more retailers that are in trouble.
For example, Blockbuster recently announced that this year they will be closing about 300 stores and eliminating about 3,000 jobs.
Toy manufacturer Hasbro recently announced that they will be reducing the size of their workforce by about 10 percent.
Even Wal-Mart is going through a tough stretch right now.  According to documents that were leaked to Bloomberg, Wal-Mart is having an absolutely disastrous February…

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. had the worst sales start to a month in seven years as payroll-tax increases hit shoppers already battling a slow economy, according to internal e-mails obtained by Bloomberg News.
“In case you haven’t seen a sales report these days, February MTD sales are a total disaster,” Jerry Murray, Wal- Mart’s vice president of finance and logistics, said in a Feb. 12 e-mail to other executives, referring to month-to-date sales. “The worst start to a month I have seen in my ~7 years with the company.”

So what in the world is going on here?
The mainstream media continues to proclaim that we are experiencing a robust “economic recovery”, but at the same time there are a whole host of indications that things are continually getting worse.
Even global cell phone sales actually declined slightly in 2012.  That was the first time that has happened since the last recession.
Perhaps it is time that we faced the truth.  The middle class is shrinking, incomes are declining and there are not nearly as many jobs as there used to be.
Mort Zuckerman pointed this out in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal…

The U.S. labor market, which peaked in November 2007 when there were 139,143,000 jobs, now encompasses only 132,705,000 workers, a drop of 6.4 million jobs from the peak. The only work that has increased is part-time, and that is because it allows employers to reduce costs through a diminished benefit package or none at all.

So how can the mainstream media be talking about how “good” things are if we still have 6.4 million fewer jobs than we had back in November 2007?
And sadly, things may soon be getting a lot worse.  If Congress does not do anything about the “sequester”, millions of federal workers may shortly be facing some very painful furloughs according to CNN…

Federal workers could start facing furloughs as early as April, according to federal agencies trying to prepare for the worst.
Unless Congress steps in, some $85 billion in massive spending reductions will hit the federal government, doling out furloughs to much of the nation’s 2.1 million federal workforce, experts say.

If you still live in an area of the country where the stores and the restaurants are booming, you should be very thankful because that is not the reality for most of the country.
I often write about the stunning economic decline of major cities such as Detroit, but there are huge sections of rural America that are in even worse shape than Detroit in many ways.
For example, many Indian reservations all over America have been shamefully neglected by the federal government and have become hotbeds for crime, drugs and poverty.
Business Insider recently profiled the Wind River Indian reservation in western Wyoming.  The following is a brief excerpt from thatoutstanding article…

The Wind River Indian Reservation is not an easy place to get to, but I had to see it for myself.
Thirty-five-hundred square miles of prairie and mountains in western Wyoming, the reservation is home to bitter ancestral enemies: the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes.
Even among reservations, it’s renowned for brutal crime, widespread drug use, and legal dumping of toxic waste.

You can see some amazing photos of the Wind River Indian reservationright here.
It is hard to believe that there are places like that in America, but the truth is that conditions like that are spreading to more U.S. communities with each passing day.
We are a nation that is in an advanced state of decline.  But as long as the financial markets are okay, our leaders don’t seem too concerned about the suffering that everyone else is going through.
In fact, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan essentially admitted as much during a recent interview with CNBC.  The following is how a Zero Hedge article summarized that interview…

Starting at around 1:50, Greenspan states the odds of sequester occurring are very high – in fact, the playdough-faced ex-Chair-head notes, “I find it very difficult to find a scenario in which [the sequester] doesn’t happen” But when asked how this will affect the economy, Awkward Alan is unusually clearly spoken - “the issue is how does it affect the stock market.”
While not so many of our leaders have taken the path to direct truthiness, Greenspan somewhat shocks a Botox’d and babbling Bartiromo when he admits “the stock market is the key player in the game of economic growth.”
Bartiromo shifts uncomfortably in her seat, strokes her imaginary beard and stares blankly as Greenspan explains that while the sequester will have a real effect on the real economy, “if the stock market can hold up through this, then the effect will be rather minor.”

Read more at http://investmentwatchblog.com/retail-apocalypse-why-are-major-retail-chains-all-over-america-collapsing-sears-j-c-penney-best-buy-and-radioshack-are-all-going-to-close-hundreds-of-stores-before-the-end-of-2013/#oOwoKOA0xsOW4kY2.99

 

Pharoahs Secret: 50+ Ways to Use Baking Soda

Ancient Egyptians were the first people known to use a rudimentary version of baking soda called Natron.
Over the last few hundred years, Natron has been purified and synthesized down to the familiar baking soda we know today.
Since it’s discovery  the name may have changed but it’s uses  have not. it has been used for thousands of years as a cleaning product for both the home and body.
Blended with oil, it was a very early form of soap.
It softens water while removing oil and grease.
It was used  a cleanser for the teeth and an early mouthwash.
It was also an ancient household insecticide, was used for making leather and as a bleach for clothing.
If anything we have only found more and more uses for this handy powder.  It is inexpensive and you already keep in your fridge or pantry, but so few people realize just how versatile baking soda really is.
Check out below to see just a few ways you can use this powder and save yourself a little green while you’re at it:
1.    Clean a microwave oven. Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda on a damp sponge, scrub, and rinse.
2.    Remove tarnish from silver. Mix a thick paste of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda with water, apply the silver with a damp sponge, rub, rinse, and buff dry.
3.    Clean a stainless steel sink. Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda on a damp sponge, scrub the sink, and rinse clean.
4.    Boost the strength of liquid laundry detergent. Add one-half cup Arm & Hammer Baking Soda with the usual amount of detergent in your regular wash cycle.
5.    Clean a fiberglass bathtub or shower. Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda on a damp sponge, scrub, and rinse clean.
6.    Clean bathroom tile. Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda on a damp sponge, scrub, and rinse clean.
7.    Maintain your septic tank. Flush one cup Arm & Hammer Baking Soda down the toilet once a week. Baking soda helps maintain proper pH and alkalinity, controlling sulfide odors.
8.    Deodorize cloth diapers. Mix one-half cup Arm & Hammer Baking Soda in two quarts of water, and soak diapers in the solution. This also works to deodorize those nasty diaper pails. Just sprinkle a good amount in the pail and the odor should clear up.
9.    Clean a refrigerator. Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda on a damp sponge, scrub, and rinse clean.
10.    Deodorize garbage disposals and sink drains. Instead of throwing out that old box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda that’s been sitting in the refrigerator or freezer, gradually pour it down the drain and flush with water. Or better yet, pour two tablespoons Arm & Hammer Baking Soda down the garbage disposal every week.
11.    Deodorize a dishwasher. Sprinkle one-half cup Arm & Hammer Baking Soda on the bottom of the dishwasher between loads.
12.    Boost the strength of Dishwashing Liquid. Add two full tablespoons Arm & Hammer Baking Soda to the usual amount of detergent you use.
13.    Remove burnt-on food from cookware. Dampen area, sprinkle with Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, let soak overnight, then scrub with a sponge, rinse, and dry.
14.    Clean and deodorize a cutting board. Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda on a damp sponge, rub the cutting board, and rinse clean.
15.    Deodorize food containers. Mix one-quarter cup Arm & Hammer Baking Soda with one quart water, swish food containers in solution, soak overnight, and then rinse clean.
16.    Clean coffee and teapots. Wash in a solution of one-quarter cup Arm & Hammer Baking Soda and one quart warm water, then rinse clean.
17.    Deodorize kitchen garbage. Sprinkle a handful of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda in the garbage pail each time you add garbage.
18.    Deodorize carpet. Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda lightly over the dry carpet, let sit for fifteen minutes, and then vacuum up.
19.    Deodorize a cat litter box. Cover the bottom of the litter box with one-quarter inch Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, and then add the litter.
20.    Soothe poison ivy rash or insect bites. Make a paste of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda and water, and apply to the affected area.
21.    Soothe insect bites. Make a paste of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda and water, and apply to the affected area.
22.    Soothe sunburn, windburn, and prickly heat. Dissolve one-half cup baking soda in a tepid bath. Soak in the bath for fifteen minutes.
23.    Take a refreshing bath. Dissolve one-half cup Arm & Hammer Baking Soda in a tub of warm water for soft, smooth-feeling skin and a relaxing bath.
24.    Brush your teeth. Plain baking soda is a gentle abrasive that cleans like the strongest toothpaste. Apply Arm & Hammer Baking Soda to a damp toothbrush, brush as usual, and rinse. Note: Arm & Hammer Baking Soda does not contain fluoride.
25.    Wash your mouth. Add one teaspoon Arm & Hammer Baking Soda to one-half glass warm water, and swish through teeth for a refreshing mouthwash.
26.    Reduce heartburn. Dissolve a spoonful of baking soda into a glass of water and drink, the acid neutralizing properties of baking soda should help with heartburn.
27.    Neutralize vomit odor. Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda generously to cover the stained area, let sit for an hour, then vacuum up.
28.    Soothe tired feet. Add three tablespoons to a basin of warm water and soak feet in the solution.
29.    Use as a deodorant. Dust baking soda under arms.
30.    Clean dirt, grime, and scuff marks from doors, stoves, laminated tabletops, linoleum floors, and tile. Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda on a damp sponge, wipe clean, and dry.
31.    Remove coffee or tea stains from china. Dip a damp cloth in baking soda, gently rub the china, and rinse clean.
32.    Minimize the smell of dirty laundry. Sprinkle some baking soda into your hamper or laundry bag.
33.    Deodorize a closet. Place an open box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda on a shelf.
34.    Deodorize garment storage bags. Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda into the bottom of the bag.
35.    Deodorize shoes or sneakers. In the evening, sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda inside shoes to eliminate odors. Shake out in the morning.
36.    Remove crayon marks from walls or wallpaper. Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda on a damp sponge, scrub gently to avoid mussing the paint or wallpaper, then wipe clean.
37.    Clean dirt and grime from hands. Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda onto wet hands with liquid soap, rub vigorously, rinse, and dry.
38.     Remove conditioner and styling gel build-up from hair. Wash hair once a week with a tablespoon of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda mixed with your regular shampoo; rinse         thoroughly, then condition and style as usual.
39.    Refresh stuffed animals. Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda on the stuffed animal, let sit for fifteen minutes, and then brush off.
40.    Clean high chairs, car seats, strollers, and plastic mattress protectors. Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda on a damp sponge, wipe clean, and dry.
41.    Clean baby bottles, nipples, and bottle brushes. Soak in a solution of warm water and Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, then sterilize before use.
42.    Make baby clothes smell even fresher. Add one-half cup Arm & Hammer Baking Soda to baby’s laundry.
43.    Boost bleach. Use one-half cup Arm & Hammer Baking Soda with your normal liquid bleach. This will help boost the bleaching action and freshen the wash.
44.    Brighten dingy white laundry. Add one-half cup Arm & Hammer Baking Soda to regular liquid laundry detergent.
45.    Clean up pet accidents. Clean with club soda, let dry thoroughly, then sprinkle on Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, allow to sit for fifteen minutes, and then vacuum up.
46.    Deodorize pet bedding. Sprinkle bedding liberally with baking soda and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Take out side and shake out or beat it like you would a rug.
47.     Clean chrome bumpers and hubcaps. Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda on a damp sponge, rub surface, and wipe clean with a dry cloth.
48.     Remove dead insects from a car or truck windshield. Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda on a damp sponge, clean glass, and wipe clean with a dry cloth.
49.    Get rid of “wet dog” smell.  Rub baking soda thoroughly through the pets fur and it should soak up the smell.
50.    De- skunk fido. Rub baking soda over the animal to help effectively remove the skunk smell. This also works for any unfortunate person who gets skunked.
51.     Deodorize carpeting in a car. Sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda on the carpet, let sit for fifteen minutes, and then vacuum up.
52.     De-grease and clean barbecue grills. Make a paste by mixing equal parts Arm &Hammer Baking Soda and water, apply with a wire brush, wipe clean, and dry with a cloth.
53.    Clear a clogged drain. Empty one-half cup baking soda down the drain, followed by one-half cup white vinegar. Cover the drain and let mixture stand for a few minutes. Then pour a pot of boiling water down the drain. The baking soda and vinegar dissolve fatty acids, allowing the clog to wash down the drain.

Source here

Rare media articles expose how the mass media manipulate public opinion

"Media manipulation currently shapes everything you read, hear and watch online. Everything."
-- Forbes magazine article on mass media influence, 7/16/2012
The influence of the mass media on public perception is widely acknowledged, yet few know the incredible degree to which this occurs. Key excerpts from the rare, revealing mass media news articles below show how blatantly the media sometimes distort critical facts, omit vital stories, and work hand in hand with the military-industrial complex to keep their secrets safe and promote greedy and manipulative corporate agendas.
Once acclaimed as the watchdog of democracy and the political process, these riveting articles clearly show that the major media can no longer be trusted to side with the people over business and military interests. For ideas on how you can further educate yourself and what you can do to change all this, see the "What you can do" section below the article summaries. Together, we can make a difference.

U.S. Suppressed Footage of Hiroshima for Decades
2005-08-03, New York Times/Reuters
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-media-anniversary.html
In the weeks following the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, U.S. authorities seized and suppressed film shot in the bombed cities by U.S. military crews and Japanese newsreel teams to prevent Americans from seeing the full extent of devastation wrought by the new weapons. It remained hidden until the early 1980s and has never been fully aired. "Although there are clearly huge differences with Iraq, there are also some similarities," said Mitchell, co-author of "Hiroshima in America" and editor of Editor & Publisher. "The chief similarity is that Americans are still being kept at a distance from images of death, whether of their own soldiers or Iraqi civilians." The Los Angeles Times released a survey of six months of media coverage of the Iraq war in six prominent U.S. newspapers and two news magazines -- a period during which 559 coalition forces, the vast majority American, were killed. It found they had run almost no photographs of Americans killed in action. "So much of the media is owned by big corporations and they would much rather focus on making money than setting themselves up for criticism from the White House and Congress," said Ralph Begleiter, a former CNN correspondent. In 1945, U.S. policymakers wanted to be able to continue to develop and test atomic and eventually nuclear weapons without an outcry of public opinion. "They succeeded but the subject is still a raw nerve."
Note: As this highly revealing Reuters article was removed from both the New York Times and the Reuters websites, click here to view it in its entirely on one of the few alternative news websites to report it. And to go much deeper into how the devastating effects of the bomb were covered up by various entities within government, click here.

Misinformation campaign targets USA TODAY reporter, editor
2012-04-19, USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-04-19/vanden-brook-locker-...
A USA TODAY reporter and editor investigating Pentagon propaganda contractors have themselves been subjected to a propaganda campaign of sorts, waged on the Internet through a series of bogus websites. Fake Twitter and Facebook accounts have been created in their names, along with a Wikipedia entry and dozens of message board postings and blog comments. Websites were registered in their names. The timeline of the activity tracks USA TODAY's reporting on the military's "information operations" program, which spent hundreds of millions of dollars on marketing campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan — campaigns that have been criticized even within the Pentagon as ineffective and poorly monitored. For example, Internet domain registries show the website TomVandenBrook.com was created Jan. 7 — just days after Pentagon reporter Tom Vanden Brook first contacted Pentagon contractors involved in the program. Two weeks after his editor Ray Locker's byline appeared on a story, someone created a similar site, RayLocker.com, through the same company. If the websites were created using federal funds, it could violate federal law prohibiting the production of propaganda for domestic consumption. Some postings ... accused them of being sponsored by the Taliban. "They disputed nothing factual in the story about information operations," Vanden Brook said.
Note: For more on a proposed amendment to a U.S. bill which would make it legal to use propaganda and lie to the American public, click here.

Media as lapdog
2007-04-27, Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-palast27apr27,0,5178561.story
In an e-mail uncovered and released by the House Judiciary Committee last month, Tim Griffin, once Karl Rove's right-hand man, gloated that "no [U.S.] national press picked up" a BBC Television story reporting that the Rove team had developed an elaborate scheme to challenge the votes of thousands of African Americans in the 2004 election. Griffin wasn't exactly right. The Los Angeles Times did run a follow-up article. But ... most of the major U.S. newspapers and the vast majority of television news programs ignored the story even though it came at a critical moment just weeks before the election. In fact, not one U.S. newsperson even bothered to ask me or the BBC for the data and research we had painstakingly done. The truth is, I knew that a story like this one would never be reported in my own country [the U.S.], because investigative reporting ... is dying. Again and again, I see this pattern repeated. Back in December 2000, I received two computer disks from the office of Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris. Analysis of the data ... indicated that Harris' office had purged thousands of African Americans from Florida's voter rolls as "felons." Florida now admits that many of these voters were not in fact felons. Nevertheless, the blacklisting helped cost Al Gore the White House. I reported on the phony felon purge in Britain's Guardian and Observer and on the BBC while Gore was still in the race, while the count was still on. Yet the story of the Florida purge never appeared in the U.S. daily papers or on television ... until months later, that is, after the Supreme Court had decided the election.
Note: The American-born author of this article, BBC reporter Greg Palast, has repeatedly exposed major corruption in the British media, yet the U.S. press often ignores his well-researched stories. For possibly the most amazing story he wrote which got virtually no U.S. media coverage, click here.

Whistle-blower Had to Fight NSA, LA Times to Tell Story
2007-03-06, ABC News
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/03/whistleblower_h.html
Whistle-blower AT&T technician Mark Klein says his effort to reveal alleged government surveillance of domestic Internet traffic was blocked not only by U.S. intelligence officials but also by the top editors of the Los Angeles Times. Klein describes how he stumbled across "secret NSA rooms" being installed at an AT&T switching center in San Francisco and later heard of similar rooms in at least six other cities. Eventually, Klein says he decided to take his documents to the Los Angeles Times, to blow the whistle on what he calls "an illegal and Orwellian project." But after working for two months with LA Times reporter Joe Menn, Klein says he was told the story had been killed at the request of then-Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte and then-director of the NSA Gen. Michael Hayden. Klein says he then took his AT&T documents to The New York Times, which published its exclusive account last April. In the court case against AT&T, Negroponte formally invoked the "state secrets privilege," claiming the lawsuit and the information from Klein and others could "cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security of the United States." The Los Angeles Times' decision was made by the paper's editor at the time, Dean Baquet, now the Washington bureau chief of The New York Times. As the new Washington bureau chief of The New York Times, Baquet now oversees the reporters who have broken most of the major stories involving the government surveillance program, often over objections from the government.
Note: So after the NY Times has the guts to report this important story, the man who was responsible for the censorship at the LA Times is transferred to the very position in the NY Times where he can now block future stories there. For why this case of blatant media censorship isn't making headlines, click here.

Behind the Eavesdropping Story, a Loud Silence
2006-01-01, New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/01/opinion/01publiceditor.html?ex=1293771600&e...
The New York Times's explanation of its decision to report, after what it said was a one-year delay, that the National Security Agency is eavesdropping domestically without court-approved warrants was woefully inadequate. And I have had unusual difficulty getting a better explanation for readers, despite the paper's repeated pledges of greater transparency. For the first time since I became public editor, the executive editor and the publisher have declined to respond to my requests for information about news-related decision-making. My queries concerned the timing of the exclusive Dec. 16 article about President Bush's secret decision in the months after 9/11 to authorize the warrantless eavesdropping on Americans in the United States. I e-mailed a list of 28 questions to Bill Keller, the executive editor [of the New York Times], on Dec. 19, three days after the article appeared. He promptly declined to respond to them. I then sent the same questions to Arthur Sulzberger Jr., the publisher, who also declined to respond. They held out no hope for a fuller explanation in the future. The top Times people involved in the final decisions [are] refusing to talk and urging everyone else to remain silent.

CNN and the business of state-sponsored TV news
2012-09-04, The Guardian (One of the UK's leading newspapers)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/04/cnn-business-state-sponso...
[CNN] is seriously compromising its journalism in the Gulf states by blurring the line between advertising and editorial. CNN International (CNNi) [has refused] to broadcast an award-winning documentary, "iRevolution", that was produced in early 2011 as the Arab Spring engulfed the region and which was highly critical of the regime in Bahrain. The documentary ... documented the brutality and violence the regime was using against its own citizens who were peacefully protesting for democracy. CNNi has aggressively pursued a business strategy of extensive, multifaceted financial arrangements between the network and several of the most repressive regimes around the world which the network purports to cover. Its financial dealings with Bahrain are deep and longstanding. CNNi's pursuit of and reliance on revenue from Middle East regimes increased significantly after the 2008 financial crisis, which caused the network to suffer significant losses in corporate sponsorships. It thus pursued all-new, journalistically dubious ways to earn revenue from governments around the world. Bahrain has been one of the most aggressive government exploiters of the opportunities presented by CNNi [which produces] programs in an arrangement it describes as "in association with" the government of a country, and offers regimes the ability to pay for specific programs about their country. These programs are then featured as part of CNNi's so-called "Eye on" series [or] "Marketplace Middle East", [which are] designed to tout the positive economic, social and political features of that country.
Note: For deeply revealing reports from reliable sources on corruption in the major media, click here.

Correspondence and collusion between the New York Times and the CIA
2012-08-29, The Guardian (One of the UK's leading newspapers)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/29/correspondence-collusion-...
The rightwing transparency group, Judicial Watch, released [on August 28] a new batch of documents showing how eagerly the Obama administration shoveled information to Hollywood film-makers about the Bin Laden raid. Obama officials did so to enable the production of a politically beneficial pre-election film about that "heroic" killing, even as administration lawyers insisted to federal courts and media outlets that no disclosure was permissible because the raid was classified. The newly released emails [were] between Mark Mazzetti, the New York Times's national security and intelligence reporter, and CIA spokeswoman Marie Harf. The CIA had evidently heard that [NY Times columnist] Maureen Dowd was planning to write a column on the CIA's role in pumping the film-makers with information about the Bin Laden raid in order to boost Obama's re-election chances, and was apparently worried about how Dowd's column would reflect on them. This exchange ... is remarkably revealing of the standard role played by establishment journalists and the corruption that pervades it. Here we have a New York Times reporter who covers the CIA colluding with its spokesperson to plan for the fallout from the reporting by his own newspaper ("nothing to worry about"). Beyond this, that a New York Times journalist – ostensibly devoted to bringing transparency to government institutions – is pleading with the CIA spokesperson, of all people, to conceal his actions and to delete the evidence of collusion is so richly symbolic.
Note: For deeply revealing reports from reliable sources on corruption in the major media, click here.

US plans to fight the net revealed
2006-01-27, BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4655196.stm
A newly declassified document gives a fascinating glimpse into the US military's plans for "information operations". The declassified document is called "Information Operations Roadmap". It was obtained by the National Security Archive at George Washington University using the Freedom of Information Act. Officials in the Pentagon wrote it in 2003. The Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, signed it. The operations described in the document include a surprising range of military activities: public affairs officers who brief journalists, psychological operations troops who try to manipulate the thoughts and beliefs of an enemy, computer network attack specialists who seek to destroy enemy networks. The military's psychological operations, or Psyops, is finding its way onto the computer and television screens of ordinary Americans. "Psyops messages will often be replayed by the news media for much larger audiences, including the American public. Strategy should be based on the premise that the Department [of Defense] will 'fight the net' as it would an enemy weapons system," it reads. The document recommends that the United States should seek the ability to "provide maximum control of the entire electromagnetic spectrum". US forces should be able to "disrupt or destroy the full spectrum of globally emerging communications systems, sensors, and weapons systems dependent on the electromagnetic spectrum". The fact that the "Information Operations Roadmap" is approved by the Secretary of Defense suggests that these plans are taken very seriously indeed in the Pentagon.
Note: For other revealing news articles on military corruption, click here. For other revealing news articles on government corruption, click here.

Pentagon sets sights on public opinion
2009-02-05, MSNBC/Associated Press
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29040299/
The Pentagon is steadily and dramatically increasing the money it spends to win what it calls "the human terrain" of world public opinion. In the process, it is raising concerns of spreading propaganda at home in violation of federal law. An Associated Press investigation found that over the past five years, the money the military spends on winning hearts and minds at home and abroad has grown by 63 percent, to at least $4.7 billion this year, according to Department of Defense budgets and other documents. That's almost as much as it spent on body armor for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2004 and 2006. This year, the Pentagon will employ 27,000 people just for recruitment, advertising and public relations — almost as many as the total 30,000-person work force in the State Department. The biggest chunk of funds — about $1.6 billion — goes into recruitment and advertising. Another $547 million goes into public affairs, which reaches American audiences. And about $489 million more goes into what is known as psychological operations. Staffing across all these areas costs about $2.1 billion, as calculated by the number of full-time employees and the military's average cost per service member. That's double the staffing costs for 2003. Recruitment and advertising are the only two areas where Congress has authorized the military to influence the American public. Far more controversial is public affairs, because of the prohibition on propaganda to the American public.
Note: For more revealing reports from reliable sources on the realities of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, click here.

Buying the War
2007-04-25, PBS
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/watch.html
Four years ago on May 1, President Bush landed on the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln wearing a flight suit ... in front of a giant "Mission Accomplished" banner. He was hailed by media stars as a "breathtaking" example of presidential leadership in toppling Saddam Hussein. Despite profound questions over the failure to locate weapons of mass destruction and the increasing violence in Baghdad, many in the press confirmed the White House's claim that the war was won. How did the mainstream press get it so wrong? How did the evidence disputing the existence of weapons of mass destruction and the link between Saddam Hussein to 9-11 continue to go largely unreported? In the run-up to war, skepticism was a rarity among journalists inside the Beltway. The [PBS "Buying the War"] program analyzes the stream of unchecked information from administration sources and Iraqi defectors to the mainstream print and broadcast press. While almost all the claims would eventually prove to be false, the drumbeat of misinformation about WMDs went virtually unchallenged by the media. "Buying the War" examines the press coverage in the lead-up to the war as evidence of a paradigm shift in the role of journalists in democracy and asks, four years after the invasion, what's changed? "More and more the media become ... common carriers of administration statements," says the Washington Post's Walter Pincus. "We've sort of given up being independent on our own."
Note: You can view the highly revealing documentary "Buying the War" or read the transcript at the link above.

More Examples and Sources Here

Nuclear weapons -Who Has Them In The World

Israel, and 8 other countries are sometimes called ‘nuclear club,’ since they possess nuclear weapons.

Among these 8 countries, 5 have signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty; US, Russia, Britain, France, and China.

India, Pakistan, and North Korea are three countries which have not signed the NPT, but carried out nuclear tests.

Israel is Middle East’s only nuclear weapons country, who has taken a policy of ambiguity in his nuclear weapons information.

US

According to US official statement, the US has currently 5200 nuclear warheads, with 2700 being operational.

The US warheads had explosive power of 1gigaton of TNT. This power is enough to move mountains, changing the river paths, weather change, and death of hundreds of millions or perhaps few billions of people on earth.

This photo reportedly depicts nuclear stockpile in Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. This Base is one of US four nuclear stockpiles, with 75 containers to preserve nuclear warheads similar to this.

Russia

It is estimated that Russia has 14,000 nuclear bombs, though the number of total tactical warheads is not known.

 A Cold War high era in USSR. Russia had publically unveiled his continental missile, known by Western analysts as “Brezhnev Blockbuster,” taken in May 1965.

Russian continental missile, Topol, capable of carrying nuclear head

France

It is estimated that France has 300 nuclear heads.

Britain

British nuclear stockpile has 200 nuclear heads. Britain has 4 nuclear-powered Vanguard Ballistic submarines.

A Vanguard class submarine near the village of Strone in Scotland

China

China has been estimated to have 400 strategic and tactical nuclear heads. This is in addition to China’s nuclear stockpile, capable of expanding itself.

India

India has officially announced itself as ‘nuclear’ power. It is speculated that India has enough Plutonium to make at least 100 nuclear warheads.

North Korea

Pyongyang has carried out nuclear tests thrice in 2006, 2009, and 2013.

North Korea’s first nuclear test in 2006

Pakistan

It is speculated that Pakistan has about 580 to 800 Kg. of enriched Uranium, sufficient for making 30 to 50 fusion bombs.

Israel

Israel is Middle East’s only nuclear weapons country. Despite international demands, Tel Aviv has not signed NPT, and in reaction to international pressure, on one hand, has announced NPT against its domestic security, and on the other, has taken a policy of ambiguity in his nuclear weapons information. By ambiguity, Tel Aviv has meant that it would not be the first country to "introduce" nuclear weapons to the Middle East, leaving ambiguity as to whether it means it will not create, will not disclose, will not make first use of the weapons or possibly some other interpretation of the phrase.

Estimations on Israel’s nuclear stockpile has provided a range of 75 to 400 heads, but most of estimations gives 200 as the number of Israel’s nuclear warheads.