May God's Word Give You Comfort And Strength

1. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. [Matthew 22:36-38 NKJV]
   
   
2. You didn't receive a spirit that makes you a slave to fear once again. Instead you received the Holy Spirit, who makes you God's child. By the Spirit's power we call God "Abba." Abba means Father. [Romans 8:15 NIRV]
   
   
3. He who heeds the Word wisely will find good, and whoever trust in the LORD, happy is he. [Proverbs 16:20 NKJV]
   
   
4. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. [John 15:7 KJV]
   
   
5. As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. [Psalm 18:30 NKJV]
   
   
6. Seek His will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. [Proverbs 3:6 NLT]
   
   
7. The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." [Psalm 32:8 NLT]
   
   
8. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. [Proverbs 2:6 NIV]
   
   
9. No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgement you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me. [Isaiah 54:17 NKJV]
   
   
10. Jesus said, "but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. The water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." [John 4:14 NIV]
    
    
11. The LORD is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust... the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. [Psalm 18:2 KJV]
    
    
12. I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. [Genesis 28:15 NLT]

My Daily Prayer... ♥

I would like to share two of my daily prayer's with you. The first is one I received from Paula White Ministries 5 years ago. While the second is one that I personalized for myself. You are welcome to use these prayers. Soon your spirit will personalize one for you. You shall know the Truth when you seek God's face daily. I don't mean in the traditional sense. I mean spending time getting to know Him. You can start by talking with Him like you would a friend. He will guide you on your spiritual path as you grow closer and closer to Him. Allow God's LIGHT to permeate every fiber of your being and transform you from the inside out. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind." [Romans 12:2] This has nothing to do with religion. This is about God, your Heavenly Father wanting to have a "personal" relationship with you. ♥

The Power Of Prayer from Paula White Ministries

Dear Heavenly Father, I give You praise for my life and all that is in it. You are my Creator, my Provider, my Comforter and I worship You from the depths of my soul. My desire is to know You... to truly know You in an intimate way. Please grant me a mind filled with Spiritual wisdom and a heart that continues to long for You.

This is my prayer personalized...

Thank you God for loving me unconditionally. Thank you God for never giving up on me. Thank you God for always believing in me. Thank you God for taking care of all of my needs. I am an instrument of Your will LORD, use me for Your greater good. I am ready, willing and able to effect change on Your behalf. Awaken Your Spirit within me LORD. Lend me Your strength, Your courage and Your wisdom. I will continue to abide in Your WORD as your WORD continues to abide in me. You are my ROCK and my foundation! Your presence makes me feel unspeakable love and joy. Direct my steps LORD and connect me to the right people that are in line with Your will for my life. I will continue to Trust and Believe in You LORD. I love you. In Yahshua's precious name, AMEN!

I go on to pray, Jesus (Yahshua) please cleanse my spirit from all impurities, please purify me Lord, wash me in Your blood, cover me and protect me against all evil. Please fill my spirit with Your love, Your peace and Your joy. Lend me Your strength, courage and wisdom. AMEN!

God's Divine favor surrounds me like a shield! Amen. ♥

The Most Inspirational Video and Song Ever!!!

HUGS for everybody!!! ♥ Enjoy this beautiful song by Enigma! ♥

Return to Innocence ~ by Enigma

Love (Love, Love)

Devotion (Devotion, Devotion)

Feeling (Feeling. Feeling)

Emotion (Emotion, Emotion)

Don't be afraid to be weak

Don't be too proud to be strong

Just look into your heart my friend

That will be the return to yourself

The return to innocence

The return to innocence

If you want, then start to laugh

If you must, then start to cry

Be yourself don't hide

Just believe in destiny

Don't care what people say

Just follow your own way

Don't give up and use the chance

To return to innocence

That's not the beginning of the end

That's the return to yourself

The return to innocence

20 WORDS TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE

This a great video message!!! LOVING IT right now and I know you will too. :D

When Life has you feeling Down, Keep these Words in Mind... ♥

Beautiful inspiring quotes... ♥ Sharing this while giving you a great BIG HUG! :)

Ice Castles Trailer And Theme Song... ♥

I'm feeling a little sentimental right now. This song is a reflection of that. Song title is "Looking Through the Eyes of Love" by Melissa Manchester. This movie was released in 1978. AMAZING story! Professional ice skater loses her eye sight and her boyfriend's love and persistence gives her the courage to continue skating blind and become the world class champion figure skater she was aiming for. The gift she had was within. ♥ Enjoy! :)

Looking Through the Eyes of LOVE ~ Melissa Manchester

Please, don't let this feeling end,

It's everything I am,

Everything I wanna be;

I can see what's mine now,

Finding out what's true,

Since I've found You

Lookin' through the eyes of LOVE.

Now I can take the time,

I can see my life

As it comes on shining now;

Reachin' out to touch You,

I can feel so much,

Since I've found You

Lookin' through the eyes of LOVE.

And now I do believe,

That even in a storm, we'll find some LIGHT;

Knowin' You're beside me,

I'm alright.

Please, don't let this feelin' end,

It might not come again;

And I want to remember

How it feels to touch You;

How I feel so much,

Since I've found You

Lookin' through the eyes of LOVE.

The Only Revolution... ♥

I'd like to share one of my role models whom I greatly admire. He was an EXTRAordinary human being with a beautiful heart, spirit and mind! To sum up his words: You have to love and respect yourself first before you can love and respect others. Not a selfish love. But a genuine love and concern for the wellbeing of others that will be translated in your desire for wanting the very BEST for others. When you have achieved inner love, respect, peace and freedom, you want others to feel the same. I would also like to point out that when an individual has achieved this they are able to recognize swindlers/con-artist and instinctively want to protect the general public from dishonest and irrational persons causing them harm without asking for anything in return just out of the GOODNESS of their heart. The individual that has achieved this inner revolution is what transforms society and leadership with a positive impact.

"To serve is beautiful, but only if it is done with joy and a whole heart and a free mind." ~ by Pearl Buck

Jiddu Krishnamurti

Excerpt from "The First and Last Freedom", p.183

"To bring about peace in the world, to stop all wars, there must be a revolution in the individual, in you and me.

Economic revolution without this inward revolution is meaningless, for hunger is the result of the maladjustment of economic conditions produced by our psychological states - greed, envy, ill will and possessiveness. To put an end to sorrow, to hunger, to war, there must be a psychological revolution and few of us are willing to face that. We will discuss peace, plan legislation, create new leagues, the United Nations and so on and on; but we will not win peace because we will not give up our position, our authority, our money, our properties, our stupid lives.

To rely on others is utterly futile; others cannot bring us peace. No leader is going to give us peace, no government, no army, no country. What will bring peace is inward transformation which will lead to outward action.

Inward transformation is not isolation, is not a withdrawal from outward action. On the contrary, there can be right action only when there is right thinking and there is no right thinking when there is no self-knowledge. Without knowing yourself, there is no peace."

A New Day Has Come... ♥

I woke up with this song playing in my spirit... Well to be more specific, I woke up with the words "a new day has come." It began repeating in my spirit and then found myself saying these words out loud which led to me singing this song. The message I received in my dream state was quite profound as is indicated by this song. :) I'd like to share this with you so you can feel the same beautiful peace, love and joy in your spirit! ♥

A New Day Has Come ~ Celine Dion

A new day has... come

I was waiting for so long

For a MIRACLE to come

Everyone (spirit guides) told me to be strong

Hold on and don't shed a tear

Through the darkness and good times

I knew I'd make it through

And the world thought I had it all

But I was waiting for you

Hush, love

I see a LIGHT in the sky

Oh, it's almost blinding me

I can't believe

I've been touched by an angel with LOVE

Let the rain come down and wash away my tears

Let it fill my soul and drown my fears

Let it shatter the walls for a new, new sun

A new day has... come

Where it was dark now there's LIGHT

Where there was pain now there's JOY

Where there was weakness, I found my STRENGTH

All in the eyes of a boy

Hush, love

I see a LIGHT in the sky

Oh, it's almost blinding me

I can't believe

I've been touched by an angel with LOVE

Let the rain come down and wash away my tears

Let it fill my soul and drown my fears

Let it shatter the walls for a new, new sun

A new day has... come

A new day has... come

Ohhh, a light... OOh

China, Charmer And Bully! This Is A GREAT PIECE!!! Absolute MUST READ!

Japan Times

China, Charmer And Bully

written by Hugh Cortazzi

Friday January 28, 2011

LONDON — Hu Jintao, given a head-of-state welcome in Washington, tried to show a friendly face toward America. He brought gifts in the form of contracts to buy American products, although most of these contracts had been closed earlier and some at least involve the purchase of American technology that the Chinese will doubtless replicate.

While admitting that there were differences of opinion on human rights he made no substantive concessions. He made no definite commitment about allowing the Chinese currency to appreciate, but seemed to accept that domestic demand in China should be allowed to expand.

Li Keqiang, the Chinese vice premier, who may be destined for the top slot in Beijing, has been on a European tour bringing gifts and contracts. In Edinburgh he presented the zoo with two pandas in a new piece of panda diplomacy. He announced that China intended to buy European bonds and Chinese companies would buy shares in European petrochemical companies. He made it clear that China supports European integration and wants the euro currency to flourish. To Spain he held out the prospect of China buying such consumer items as wine and olive oil.

Powerful people bearing gifts are inevitably distrusted, but the Chinese charm offensive is based on simple self-interest. The European Union is China's biggest trading partner while China is the second-largest trading partner for the EU. The Europeans are less worried than the Americans over the exchange rate and by other trade friction issues, although there have been some awkward spats such as that over Chinese textile exports to Europe.

Economic issues predominate in the relationship between China and the U.S., and China and Europe, but China also pursues political policies that pose potential threats. China is expanding its influence throughout the developing world, buying up land and resources. China backs autocratic regimes that suppress human rights and democratic parties.

China is producing increasing numbers of not only well-trained engineers, but also articulate economists. The new Chinese intellectual elite will demand an influential role in the world and poses a challenge to the intellectual complacency of developed countries.

The Chinese remain ready to punish any country that befriends the Dalai Lama and criticizes Chinese abuse of human rights. The Chinese attempt to blackmail governments into not sending official representatives to the Nobel Peace Prize awards ceremony in Oslo for a peaceful Chinese dissident was counterproductive and petty. The only countries showing "solidarity" with China were authoritarian regimes with poor human rights records.

The Chinese government wants the EU to end the embargo on arms exports imposed following the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989. Some EU countries, notably France, argue that the embargo is out of date and ineffective. Military technology has become increasingly globalized and it is difficult to differentiate between systems suitable for civil and military use. The embargo, in their view, is a pointless irritant.

Others including Britain think that ending the embargo would be seen as condoning abuses and it would be difficult, if not impossible, to reintroduce it.

Opponents of lifting the embargo are conscious of U.S. and Japanese concerns over China's military and naval buildup, and the potential threat to Taiwan. Any relaxation of the embargo could lead to the export of military high technology to China at a time when the Chinese are thought to be developing a missile designed to threaten U.S. carriers.

The Chinese claim they pursue peaceful policies and that there is no current military threat to China in Asia. So why does China need aircraft carriers and more submarines? Much of China's new weaponry looks more offensive than defensive.

The Chinese military leadership seems prone to saber-rattling. Why did the Chinese let it be known on the day that U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gatese arrived in Beijing it had tested a new stealth fighter?

The Chinese Communist Party asserts its control of the Chinese military, but the military may be ready to push the party leaders around if their demands and interests are not given the priority that they think these deserve.

The Chinese regime seems unable or unwilling to curb nationalist outbursts especially but not exclusively directed against Japan. Perhaps they see these as a way of letting disaffected elements blow off steam and of diverting discontent over the increasingly unequal Chinese society and the ubiquitous prevalence of corrupt practices. Such nationalist fervor could get out of hand.

The Chinese government also hopes to divert attention from its failure to impose restraint on North Korea. Does this failure stem from a wish to keep North Korea as an irritant to South Korea, Japan and the U.S. and as a way of pinning down U.S. and Japanese resources? Or does the failure stem from a Chinese fear of the consequences for China of an implosion in North Korea? Or have the Chinese come to the conclusion that they cannot in fact control this rogue state? Whatever the answer, the Chinese government should recognize the threat posed by a nuclear ministate on its borders, which, because of the nature of its regime, could decide to exercise a suicidal nuclear option with horrific consequences for Asia including China.

How should the free world deal with a modern China that is ruled by a corrupt Communist Party intent on maintaining its centralized power?

Can China cope through economic growth alone with growing economic disparities and with an aging population distorted by a one-child policy and inequalities between town and country?

How can the arrogance stemming from the belief that China is not only the center of the world but is likely in due course to overtake U.S. GDP be curbed?

We need to be pragmatic but consistent in our relations with China. A dialogue without threats or appeasement is needed, but we should stick to our democratic principles and not succumb to Chinese blackmail over human rights or Tibet. We should be skeptical about Chinese intentions. Above all we must not fall victim to either a Chinese charm offensive or bullying.

Euro-Zone Primary Bond Market Calmer Ahead Of Spain, Portugal Auctions! DEEPER In Debt!

The Wall Street Journal

Euro-Zone Primary Bond Market Calmer Ahead Of Spain,Portugal Auctions

written by Emese Bartha, Dow Jones Newswire

Friday January 28, 2011 at 5:59am ET

FRANKFURT (Dow Jones)--The euro-zone's sovereign primary market may be becoming a friendlier environment for fiscally frail or indebted countries, at least for now, with the market calmer ahead of government debt auctions in Portugal and Spain next week.

Asian investors seem to be active on the buy side at various debt auctions of the euro zone's weaker issuers, while the pressure on politicians is huge to combat the debt crisis effectively.

"The buying of government bonds by China and/or Japan is likely to stabilize spreads in the short term and therefore buy politicians some time to find effective mechanisms to combat the sovereign debt crisis," said DZ Bank analysts in a note. There are early indications at present that suggest it will be possible to strengthen the demand for euro sovereign bonds, and also that a political solution will be found, they said. However, former Chinese central bank adviser Yu Yongding said Friday he wouldn't support buying bonds from countries like Greece and Spain and that China should instead consider buying bonds from agencies backed by the European Union, such as the European Financial Stability Facility, or EFSF.

The EUR5 billion debut bond issue of the EFSF earlier this week has been a blockbuster with an order book in excess of EUR40 billion, signaling investors' trust in the euro zone's future and a thirst for top-rated paper.

While the scene is more benign for the euro zone's periphery than in December, the debt crisis is far from over, and UniCredit Bank's Milan-based strategist Elia Lattuga said market volatility should keep the debt of core countries well bid. But Lattuga said although all are rated AAA, Germany, France, Austria, Finland and the Netherlands have different strong points. Finland ranks best when looking at fundamentals, while French fundamentals do not speak in favor of their long-term government bonds, OATs.

"We think Austria offers the best opportunity. Finland and the Netherlands offer only a very small pick-up relative to Germany," he said, adding that France is trading at relatively wide spreads compared to Germany, the euro zone benchmark, but also has weaker fundamentals.

Two of the euro zone's elite group will sell bonds next week. Austria will auction EUR1.65 billion of the 3.20% February 2017 and 4.15% March 2037-dated bonds, while France will auction EUR7.5 billion to EUR8.5 billion of long-term government bonds, or OATs, maturing in 2016, 2020, 2021 and 2023.

Portugal, which insists it doesn't need external help to get through the crisis, will auction EUR1 billion to EUR1.25 billion of six- and 12-month Treasury bills Wednesday. Spain will follow Thursday with the sale of the 2.50% October 2013 bond for an amount to be announced Monday.

Looking ahead to February, analysts at Credit Agricole CIB forecast EUR77 billion of bond supply in the euro zone, easing from "a usually hectic January," with EUR24 billion in redemptions and EUR12 billion in coupon payments only partially offsetting that. The lack of redemptions from euro zone peripheral issuers other than Italy next month "at least takes away potential liquidity concerns for those peripheral issuers," they said, also pointing to the fact that there are no peripheral bonds being redeemed until April.

"The extent of this supply risk [in February] should largely be determined by what announcements are made by EU politicians on rescue efforts," they said.

China, Spain to Sign $7.3 Billion in Deals!!! LOL This Was A MAJOR Economic Bail Out Labeled As DEALS.. wink wink!

Had Spain received a bail out from the IMF or the Eurozone, they would have had  major austerity measures imposed on them and the public unions would have been forced to make major concessions before receiving the money. So what does Spain's prime minister do? He avoids responsibility and hits up China for the money. Meanwhile, Spain's economy is headed down the crapper at an accelerated rate. But he doesn't care. He's living for the moment. Afterall, he doesn't want to piss off his public sector union voters. Oh and China comes out of this deal smelling sweet!

************************************************************

The Wall Street Journal

China, Spain to Sign $7.3 Billion in Deals

written by Jean Yung

January 6, 2011

MADRID—Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang Wednesday reiterated Beijing's pledge to support Spain in a meeting with the country's prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, as the two countries began signing $7.3 billion in deals.

Mr. Li, widely expected to become China's next premier within the next two years, told Mr. Zapatero that China wanted a united, strong and stable Europe, with Spain an important player in multilateral international relations.

"China is a long-term and responsible investor in the Spanish and European financial markets, and it has confidence and great interest in the Spanish market," Mr. Li said on the second day of a nine-day tour of the European Union in a show of support for China's largest export market.

The contracts cover 16 sectors, including energy, banking, telecommunications, transport and agriculture, but by far the most valuable one was the sealing of a previously announced $7.1 billion acquisition of certain Brazilian assets of Spanish oil firm Repsol YPF SA by China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., or Sinopec.

Repsol said in a statement Tuesday that the two companies pledged to analyze new business opportunities world-wide. Spain's Industry Ministry also said Wednesday that Spain and China will "strengthen their relationship" in the energy sector and collaborate on foreign investments.

Mr. Li said Beijing would welcome Spanish financial companies launching operations in China. Spain's second largest bank, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA, signed a co-operation agreement for Latin America with China Development Bank, BBVA said Wednesday. The two hope to work together in project finance, commercial services, derivatives and corporate banking, the Spanish lender said. BBVA is the largest Spanish investor in China, where it has a 15% stake in China Citic Bank Corp.

Among other contracts to be signed were deals for China to purchase $13.5 million of meat products, $9 million of olive oil, $6 million of wine and $260,000 of ham from Spain, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

Mr. Li said China will likely purchase more Spanish government bonds depending on market conditions after a meeting Tuesday with Spanish Economy and Finance Minister Elena Salgado, Xinhua reported earlier. China is one of the biggest owners of Spain's sovereign debt, holding around 10% of the total.

Mr. Li's comments come as China aims to strengthen ties with the EU, its biggest trading partner, and amid continued pressure from Washington, which is urging Beijing to let the yuan appreciate faster to reduce the trade imbalance with the U.S., China's next-largest trade partner.

China is keen to diversify more of its massive foreign-exchange reserves—at more than $2.6 trillion, the world's largest—away from U.S. dollar-denominated assets.

In December, Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Negócios reported that China would invest between €4 billion ($5.32 billion) and €5 billion in Portuguese bonds to help Portugal refinance €15 billion of debt due to expire before April.

China has expressed its support for countries including Portugal and Greece, but has yet to confirm any details of its bond purchases. Spain is the first stop on Mr. Li's visit to Europe, which will include visits to Germany and the U.K.

Spain Unemployment Back Above 20%! The Highest Unemployment Rate In The Developed World!

The Wall Street Journal

Spain Unemployment Back Above 20%

written by David Roman

Friday January 28, 2011, 4:23am ET

MADRID—Spain's unemployment rate soared back above 20% in the last three months of 2010 as more than 138,000 jobs were lost, casting doubts about the strength of the ongoing recovery in the euro zone's fourth-largest economy, data released Friday by the country's statistics institute INE shows.

Fourth-quarter unemployment stood at 20.3%, up from 19.8% in the third quarter, and the highest level since the second quarter of 1997, when it was at 20.7%. The third-quarter decline had been the first since the rate started a continued rise in the second quarter of 2007, from well below 10%.

In addition, these job losses come after two consecutive quarters of net job creation, a sign that austerity policies including higher taxes across the board, as well as steep cuts in government spending, are having a negative effect in hiring policies despite minor reforms in Spain's strict labor laws.

INE said in a statement that the increase in unemployment was driven by the service and construction sectors. Overall, 4.7 million people were unemployed in the fourth quarter in Spain, which has the highest unemployment rate in the developed world.

INE data shows unemployment remains fairly variable within the country, with a growing gap between the wealthier northern and the poorer southern regions—unemployment stood at close to 11% in the Basque Country, and 29% in the Canary Islands.

Carbon Dioxide (Chemical Formula CO2)! What The Globull Warming Nuts Don't Want You To Research And Analyse On Your Own!

"A wise man makes his own decisions;

an ignorant man follows the public opinion."

~ Chinese proverb

Oh and for all of the Globull warming nuts out there wanting humanity to reduce or eliminate CO2 emissions this is my response to you wanting to control OUR LIVES with your stupidity! CO2 is also a NATURAL PHENOMENON! It's part of the natural cycle of this planet. Learn to become an independent critical thinker so that you are better able to dissect information regarding every subject. Reach your own conclusions based on your own reasearch and analysis.

[US Geological Survey: Volcanoes] Volcanoes release more than 130 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. This colorless, odorless gas usually does not pose a direct hazard to life because it typically becomes diluted to low concentrations very quickly whether... it is released continuously from the ground or during episodic eruptions. But in certain circumstances, CO2 may become concentrated at levels lethal to people and animals. Carbon dioxide gas is heavier than air and the gas can flow into in low-lying areas; breathing air with more than 30% CO2 can quickly induce unconsciousness and cause death. In volcanic or other areas where CO2 emissions occur, it is important to avoid small depressions and low areas that might be CO2 traps. The boundary between air and lethal gas can be extremely sharp; even a single step upslope may be adequate to escape death.

Nature has always produced and recycled CO2. Plus CO2 is used for many purposes that I share with you below.

Carbon dioxide (chemical formula CO2) is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state. CO2 is a trace gas comprising 0.039% of the atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide is an end product in organisms that obtain energy from breaking down sugars, fats and amino acids with oxygen as part of their metabolism, in a process known as cellular respiration. This includes all plants, animals, many fungi and some bacteria. In higher animals, the carbon dioxide travels in the blood from the body's tissues to the lungs where it is exhaled. In plants using photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere.

Carbon fixation is the removal of carbon dioxide from the air and its incorporation into solid compounds. Plants, algae, and many species of bacteria (cyanobacteria) fix carbon and create their own food by photosynthesis. Photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide and water to produce sugars and occasionally other organic compounds, releasing oxygen as a waste product. These phototrophs use the products of their photosynthesis as internal food sources and as raw material for the construction of more complex organic molecules, such as polysaccharides, nucleic acids and proteins. These are used for their own growth, and also as the basis for the food chains and webs whereby other organisms, including animals such as ourselves, are fed. Some important phototrophs, the coccolithophores synthesise hard calcium carbonate scales. A globally significant species of coccolithophore is Emiliania huxleyi whose calcite scales have formed the basis of many sedimentary rocks such as limestone, where what was previously atmospheric carbon can remain fixed for geological timescales.

Plants can grow up to 50 percent faster in concentrations of 1,000 ppm CO2 when compared with ambient conditions, though this assumes no change in climate and no limitation on other nutrients. Some people (for example David Bellamy) believe that as the concentration of CO2 rises in the atmosphere that it will lead to faster plant growth and therefore increase food production. Recent research supports this position: elevated CO2 levels cause increased growth reflected in the harvestable yield of crops, with wheat, rice and soybean all showing increases in yield of 12–14% under elevated CO2 in FACE experiments.

Studies have shown that increased CO2 leads to fewer stomata developing on plants which leads to reduced water usage. Studies using FACE have shown that increases in CO2 lead to decreased concentration of micronutrients in crop plants. This may have knock-on effects on other parts of ecosystems as herbivores will need to eat more food to gain the same amount of protein.

Plants also emit CO2 during respiration, and so the majority of plants and algae, which use C3 photosynthesis, are only net absorbers during the day. Though a growing forest will absorb many tons of CO2 each year, the World Bank writes that a mature forest will produce as much CO2 from respiration and decomposition of dead specimens (e.g., fallen branches) as is used in biosynthesis in growing plants. However six experts in biochemistry, biogeology, forestry and related areas writing in the science journal Nature that "Our results demonstrate that old-growth forests can continue to accumulate carbon, contrary to the long-standing view that they are carbon neutral." Mature forests are valuable carbon sinks, helping maintain balance in the Earth's atmosphere. Additionally, and crucially to life on earth, photosynthesis by phytoplankton consumes dissolved CO2 in the upper ocean and thereby promotes the absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide is used by the food industry, the oil industry, and the chemical industry. It is used in many consumer products that require pressurized gas because it is inexpensive and nonflammable, and because it undergoes a phase transition from gas to liquid at room temperature at an attainable pressure of approximately 60 bar (870 psi, 59 atm), allowing far more carbon dioxide to fit in a given container than otherwise would. Life jackets often contain canisters of pressured carbon dioxide for quick inflation. Aluminum capsules of CO2 are also sold as supplies of compressed gas for airguns, paintball markers, inflating bicycle tires, and for making carbonated water. Rapid vaporization of liquid carbon dioxide is used for blasting in coal mines. High concentrations of carbon dioxide can also be used to kill pests. As a by-product of fermentation of sugar in the brewing of beer, whisky and other alcoholic beverages.

And now for my favorite. How important is CO2 to human biology?

CO2 is carried in blood in three different ways. Hemoglobin, the main oxygen-carrying molecule in red blood cells, carries both oxygen and carbon dioxide. However, the CO2 bound to hemoglobin does not bind to the same site as oxygen. Instead, it combines with the N-terminal groups on the four globin chains. However, because of allosteric effects on the hemoglobin molecule, the binding of CO2 decreases the amount of oxygen that is bound for a given partial pressure of oxygen. The decreased binding to carbon dioxide in the blood due to increased oxygen levels is known as the Haldane Effect, and is important in the transport of carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs. Conversely, a rise in the partial pressure of CO2 or a lower pH will cause offloading of oxygen from hemoglobin, which is known as the Bohr Effect.

Carbon dioxide is one of the mediators of local autoregulation of blood supply. If its levels are high, the capillaries expand to allow a greater blood flow to that tissue.

Bicarbonate ions are crucial for regulating blood pH. A person's breathing rate influences the level of CO2 in their blood. Breathing that is too slow or shallow causes respiratory acidosis, while breathing that is too rapid leads to hyperventilation, which can cause respiratory alkalosis.

Although the body requires oxygen for metabolism, low oxygen levels do not stimulate breathing. Rather, breathing is stimulated by higher carbon dioxide levels. As a result, breathing low-pressure air or a gas mixture with no oxygen at all (such as pure nitrogen) can lead to loss of consciousness without ever experiencing air hunger. This is especially perilous for high-altitude fighter pilots. It is also why flight attendants instruct passengers, in case of loss of cabin pressure, to apply the oxygen mask to themselves first before helping others; otherwise, one risks losing consciousness.

Lightning and fire: Japan on alert after volcano's biggest eruption in 50 years

Daily Mail UK

Lightning and fire: Japan on alert after volcano's biggest eruption in 50 years

written by Staff

Thursday January 27, 2011

A one-mile cordon has been established around a volcano on Mount Kirishima after it erupted scattering rocks and ash across southern Japan and sending smoke billowing 5,000ft into the air.

The Meteorological Agency raised the volcanic alert to level 3 as ash today continued to spew from Shinmoedake on Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu, and residents have been banned from going within a mile of the volcano following its worst eruption in 50 years.

Agency volcanologist Sei Iijima said the eruption did not pose a threat to nearby cities, and a major eruption was not imminent. But he added: 'You can never say never with a volcano, although the lack of magma movement beneath the surface leads us to believe that this activity won't lead to a large-scale eruption,' he told ABC News.

The volcano, one of 20 inside Mount Kirishima, began erupting around 7.30am yesterday morning and by 3pm heavy smoke had risen to nearly 5,000ft, prompting the meteorological agency to raise the alert level.

Volcanic activity is often reported at Kirishima, but this is the largest eruption recorded there since 1959.

Air space above the mountain remained open today but airlines cancelled a number of domestic flights because of the haze and the buildup of ash on train tracks forced Japan Rail to close several lines. Roads were also shut because of poor visibility.

A small evacuation center was set up overnight in the town of Takaharu, seven miles east of Kirishima, and the town's general affairs manager Yuji Nakashima said: 'People told us their windows were rattling and they heard roaring sounds coming from the mountain.'

Genetically Engineered Pigs, Earth-Friendly Poop: Scientists say Canada's "Enviropig" is both Eco-friendly and Will Cut Farmers' Feed-Supplement Costs

This is what the Globull warming nuts are pushing us into based on their LIES! They say they "care" about the environment and nature YET they are the very people DESTROYING THE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS!!! Our ancestors are watching all of this madness unfold with shock and horror.

I actually love to eat pork. Most especially bacon! It sucks they are doing this and the govt is approving it. They never think of the unintended consequences. I mean come on, they are breeding Frankenpigs with altered genes/DNA and then feeding this to humans. How do you think our natural bodies are going to eventually respond to all of the genetically altered food they're force feeding us?!?! THIS SUCKS!

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CBS News

Genetically Engineered Pigs, Earth-Friendly Poop

written by Smriti Rao

April 5, 2010

Canada has approved for limited production a genetically engineered, environmentally friendly pig.

The “Enviropig” has been genetically modified in such a manner that its urine and feces contain almost 65 percent less phosphorus than usual. That could be good news for lakes, rivers, and ocean deltas, where phosphorous from animal waste can play a role in causing algal blooms. These outbursts of algae rapidly deplete the water’s oxygen, creating vast dead zones for fish and other aquatic life.

All living creatures need phosphorus, as the element plays an important role in many cellular and organ functions. Domesticated pigs get their daily dose from corn or cereal grains, but not without a struggle. These foods contain a type of phosphorus that is indigestible to the pigs, so farmers also feed their pigs an enzyme called phytase to allow the animals to break down and digest the phosphorus. But ingested phytase isn’t as effective at breaking down phosphorus as phytase created inside the pig would be, so a fair amount of the element gets flushed out in pig waste. That waste, in turn, can make its way into the water supply.

To fix this problem, the scientists tinkered with the swine’s genes to make the pig produce its own phytase in its salivary glands. When the cereal grains are consumed, they mix with the phytase in the saliva, and throughout the pig’s digestive tract the enzyme works to break down the phosphorous in the food. With more phosphorus retained within the body, the amount excreted in waste is reduced by almost 65 percent, say researchers.

The researchers who created the Enviropig say it’s not just eco-friendly, but it also cut farmers’ feed-supplement costs. If the pigs eventually become common, they could also help U.S. farmers comply with “zero discharge” rules that forbid pork producers from releasing nitrogen or phosphorus runoff.

The Enviropigs will be raised only in controlled research settings in Canada for now, and experts say transgenic pork won’t be landing on your plate anytime soon; the new biotech pig will face years of safety trials to see if it should be approved for commercial production and consumption in the United States and Canada. No transgenic animal has been approved for consumption as of yet.

But in 2008 the FDA announced approval of the first human health product made from a genetically engineered animal. The goat-derived anticoagulant, ATryn, is used for the prevention of blood clots in patients with a rare disease-causing protein deficiency.

Why We Must Replace the EPA! GREAT PIECE!!!

American Solutions

Why We Must Replace the EPA

written by Steve Everly

Thursday January 27, 2011

Of all the government agencies that have become unnecessary barriers to job creation and economic growth, the Environmental Protection Agency is the worst offender.

Since its founding 40 years ago, the EPA has transformed from an agency with the original noble mission of protecting the environment into a job-killing, centralizing engine of ideological litigation and regulation that blocks economic progress. The EPA's current push to regulate greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, and thereby the entire American economy, is the latest and definitive proof that the EPA has gone well beyond its original mandate.

Even worse, the EPA has become the bureaucracy of choice for Presidents and ideologues to exert more control over the decision making of the private sector and local and state governments, stifling the very innovation and entrepreneurship that is necessary to achieve a cleaner environment.

Here are but a few examples of how the EPA has become a job-killing agency:

Revoking Approved Permits: The EPA recently voided a previously-approved permit issued for the Spruce No. 1 coal mine in West Virginia, the first time in the Clean Water Act's forty-year history that an approved permit has been retracted by the EPA. This sets a dangerous precedent for all future operations, as the EPA's decision means all currently approved permits are now subject to agency review, which in turn means no company that has followed the rules and obtained the necessary approval can have any confidence or certainty about its operations. Such ambiguity is often referred to an "uncertainty tax," as it imposes costs on business operations similar to those arising from a tax.

Regulation of Carbon Dioxide: The Clean Air Act was written to address numerous air pollutants, including nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, which contribute to ozone pollution and acid rain. It was not intended to regulate carbon dioxide. The EPA's decision to regulate CO2 under the Act actually confirmed that fact: Under the EPA's plan, the Clean Air Act would have to be rewritten to delineate that carbon will be regulated at a different threshold than other air pollutants. Miraculously, the EPA has granted itself the power to rewrite its own statutory authority, a power that is constitutionally reserved only for Congress. If the Clean Air Act must be changed to justify the regulation of carbon, then it's clear that the law as written was never intended to cover carbon.

National Ambient Air Quality Standards: The EPA's own economic analysis (PDF) of NAAQS for nitrogen dioxide concluded that the costs of this regulation would dramatically outweigh the benefits. In fact, under virtually all possible scenarios the EPA found that the benefit (in dollars) would be zero. There is absolutely no justification for a regulation that imposes millions of dollars in costs and minimal-at-best environmental benefits.

Boiler MACT: In June 2010, the EPA proposed the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Major Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers and Process Heaters. Also referred to as the "Boiler MACT" rule, this proposal sets limits on mercury, hydrogen chloride, and air pollutants. While reducing these emissions is necessary, the EPA's proposed rule is so stringent that virtually none of the covered entities will be able to comply with it. For example, the Industrial Energy Consumers of America (IECA), which represents several companies employing roughly 750,000 people, has noted that of their six best performing units, "none can comply with the standards" as set forth by EPA. If covered sources cannot meet the requirements, the result will be either perpetual and economy-wide noncompliance, or a complete shut down of industry. In fact, the regulation would be so costly that a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators (18 Democrats and 23 Republicans) wrote to the EPA in September 2010 asking for the EPA to scrap the boiler rule and start over.

Replace Not Reform

Some say the EPA should be reined in and reformed, but the agency's animus against the private sector runs deep within its operating culture. Efforts to change the way an inherently destructive agency does business will ultimately fail.

Since the EPA's first operating budget (fiscal year 1970), the agency's workforce has more than quadrupled, which coincides with the EPA now costing taxpayers more than ten times what it did forty years ago. At more than $10 billion, the EPA's annual budget exceeds the GDP of about 60 countries worldwide, and it has entrenched in the American psyche the notion that protecting the environment must come with high costs and a destructive culture of litigation. Such an agency cannot simply be reformed, as it has ingrained in itself for more than a generation the notion that environmental protection must coincide with bigger government and more litigation.

The EPA should be replaced with the Environmental Solutions Agency, which would incorporate the necessary statutory responsibilities of the old EPA while eliminating the job-killing regulatory abuses and power grabs of the old EPA. This would be achieved by bringing together science, technology, entrepreneurs, incentives, and local creativity to create a cleaner environment through smarter regulation.

Such an agency would create a stronger economy with more American jobs and more American energy, all while protecting human health and the environment. And at a time when Americans are demanding smaller government, the time to replace the EPA with a leaner, more efficient agency has never been better.

Replacement Has a Strong Track Record

Replacing federal agencies has been done many times before, and the history of the federal government confirms that agencies and offices are routinely replaced as they outline their original missions: The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was replaced by the CIA in 1947. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission replaced the Atomic Energy Commission in 1974. The Department of Homeland Security was created in 2002 to replace several agencies. Replacing the EPA with a new and improved Environmental Solutions Agency would thus be rooted in decades of comparable federal government reorganizations.

Additionally, there is strong evidence that cultural change can lead to dramatically improved results. Take, for example, then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani's decision to change New York City's welfare offices into "Job Centers." In his book Leadership, Giuliani describes how New York City was "being destroyed by the preaching of entitlement," a cultural institution that "locked people into poverty." Instead of continuing to dole out entitlements to people who were out of work, Mayor Giuliani overhauled the fundamental culture and focused on the solution: getting people back to work. That kind of transformation would not have been possible had the mayor simply reformed how public assistance was distributed; it required a cultural shift to make people think about what will actually fix the problem. Giuliani's efforts led to a dramatic decline in welfare caseloads, and increased the number of people working to get off of public assistance.

Please click HERE to read the entire article... very long!

BMW Drives German Economy! After BOTH BMW Corporation And Germany Have Made Significant Changes To Revv Up The Economic Engine!

US Corporate Tax Rate as of October 2010: 40%; Germany 29.4% and reduced regulation strangulation! Please click HERE to read article and look at a chart. The US corporate tax rate is the HIGHEST in the WORLD! This doesn't include the state and local b/s corporations have to deal with and pay up on top of the federal b/s.

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Automotive Industry Development Centre

BMW DRIVES GERMANY

written by Staff

Cloth seats or leather? Sunroof or spoiler? Walk into any auto dealership to buy a new car, and you'll be offered a multitude of options. If it's a BMW you're buying, however, there's a twist: you can walk out of the showroom and change your mind later. Perhaps you'd really prefer the poplar interior trim to the brushed aluminum. Or maybe those retractable headlight washers would be useful after all. Your BMW dealer will be happy to oblige with as many changes as you care to make, until a cutoff point: six days before your particular car goes into production.

Not only is it a handy marketing device--"our cars are tailor-made," BMW's chief executive, Norbert Reithofer, can boast--but it's also profitable. BMW customers, it turns out, often have second thoughts. And when they do, they invariably add ever pricier accouterments. The company says customers change their orders more than 1 million times a year. BMW doesn't break out details of the additional revenue, but given the profit margins on many add-ons, "it's like a big dollop of cream on the cake," says Peter Schmidt, a British-based auto-industry consultant.

This ability to cater to fickle tastes is just one manifestation of an extraordinary flexibility that BMW has injected into a company that sold nearly 1.4 million cars last year, bringing in $65 billion in revenues. It's a flexibility that affects almost everything the firm touches, from the layout of its assembly lines to the working hours of its administrative staff to relationships with its unions and key suppliers. BMW has mastered the manufacturing fine art called mass customization: no two cars rolling through its assembly lines on any given day are identical. Its factories can cope with a model changeover during the course of a weekend without work stoppages. Detroit would take weeks.

The flexibility also extends to the rhythm of work: BMW has struck deals with its heavily unionized workforce that enable it to run its factories more or less as demand dictates. Its newest plant in Leipzig, where the 3-series and new 1-series hatchback cars are built, runs anywhere from 60 to 140 hours per week. Instead of classic two- or three-shift rosters, the company juggles some 300 working-time permutations to determine optimal use of its teams of workers, some of whom are contract "permatemps" more common in the U.S.

The new BMW is in some ways symbolic of the resurgent German economy. For more than a decade, exorbitant labor costs, unbending union rules and an addiction to red tape--not to mention the high price of unification with East Germany--put Germany into an economic straitjacket. BMW went through its own rough patch in the 1990s after the disastrous acquisition of Britain's Rover Group, but its fortunes have changed markedly since it ditched Rover in 2000. Production has increased steadily, and profits are buoyant. Pretax earnings last year rose 25%, to $5.5 billion, despite the soaring cost of raw materials and the strong euro. It has easily outpaced its historic rival, Mercedes (part of DaimlerChrysler), to become the leading premium-car brand. BMW is pushing a worldwide expansion. This spring it opened an assembly plant in India, and the company is building out a plant in Spartanburg, S.C., as part of its strategy to be less vulnerable to foreign-exchange fluctuations.

The German economy is similarly healthy, growing 2.8% last year, and it is once again acting as a powerful motor for the rest of Europe. Surging exports pushed the nation's trade surplus to more than $200 billion. Germany's economy has also undergone significant re-engineering to loosen some of its infamous rigidities. The government has cut corporate taxes and reduced the burden of some nonwage costs on business, such as pensions and health care. It has shaken up its labor market, which has led to a drop in unemployment (although the proportion of jobless, at 8.8%, is still well above the European average). The move to ever shorter working hours that culminated in the 35-hour week in the late 1980s has been reversed; millions of Germans have been working longer in the past two to three years without increased pay. The latest: 50,000 employees at Deutsche Telekom, the former state telephone monopoly, who accepted an extended workweek and a pay cut to protect their jobs.

Neither Germany nor BMW is yet in the clear. The changes brought about by corporate bosses and government policymakers have had an evident impact--BMW alone has whacked $1.2 billion from its cost structure over the past three years--but it'll be hard to sustain that pace. Global competition shows no sign of letting up. Toyota's Lexus is starting to make inroads into BMW's European turf, while at home, rival Audi is turning up the heat, and Mercedes looks like a formidable competitor once again, now that DaimlerChrysler has agreed to sell off Chrysler to a U.S. private-equity firm.

Germany is still far from being a freewheeling economy. It remains suspicious of Anglo-Saxon finance, for example, and has been seeking to curb the power of hedge funds. There's also little sign of substantive change in the historic--some say hide-bound--system of labor relations, under which unions are represented on the supervisory boards of companies. Kenneth Rogoff, a Harvard professor and former International Monetary Fund economist, sees Germany's improved fortunes as being largely the result of the private sector finding ways to bypass continuing structural roadblocks in the economy. The recovery "has legs," he says, because there's still room to catch up with U.S. productivity levels. But he warns that the current economic upswing "won't last forever without more transparent institutional reforms."

CEO Reithofer is more upbeat. Faced with low-cost competition from Asia and Eastern Europe, he says, "many German firms did their homework, and now they are benefiting from it." He thinks Germany could go further, for example, in reducing high nonwage labor costs. But Germany still has competitive advantages, he says, pointing to its traditional engineering prowess combined with a newer ability to cater to the needs of individual clients. The challenge, he tells TIME: "It's all about mastering complexity."

Please click HERE to read the entire article...

USDA Won't Impose Restrictions on Monsanto Biotech Alfalfa Crop!!!

The Wall Street Journal

USDA Won't Impose Restrictions on Biotech Alfalfa Crop

written by Bill Tomson and Scott Kilman

Thursday January 27, 2011

WASHINGTON—The Obama administration Thursday abandoned a proposal to restrict planting of genetically engineered alfalfa, the latest rule-making proposal shelved as part of the administration's review of "burdensome" regulation.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's decision not to regulate alfalfa genetically modified to survive applications of the Monsanto Co. herbicide Roundup is a victory for the big seed and agri-chemicals company and the American Farm Bureau Federation, which represents farmers, who had opposed the proposed curbs that were proposed about a month ago.

The Obama administration said earlier this month it is reviewing all proposed government regulation to weed out proposals that are overly burdensome to businesses—part of a broader effort to repair relations with employers and industry. The administration has also shelved two proposed workplace-safety rules opposed by business.

The USDA is expected to decide next week whether or not to issue a new approval for genetically modified sugar beets in time for planting this year.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization praised Mr. Vilsack Thursday for opting not to place the first planting restrictions on an approved genetically modified crop.

"We hope this will help pave the way for new technologies in the pipeline," BIO President and Chief Executive Jim Greenwood said.

The USDA's announcement Thursday will allow farmers to begin planting this year's alfalfa crop grown from biotech seeds.

"This is great news for farmers who have been waiting for the green light to plant Roundup Ready alfalfa," said Steve Welker, alfalfa commercial lead at Monsanto. The St. Louis crop biotechnology giant said the USDA decision clears the way for sales of Roundup Ready alfalfa seed to U.S. farmers in time for spring planting.

Alfalfa is raised as hay on about 20 million acres, making it the fourth-biggest U.S. crop by acreage. Only about 250,000 acres of alfalfa is raised organically, however.

Organic farmers had supported the proposal to restrict planting of genetically modified alfalfa.

"A lot of people are shell shocked," said Christine Bushway, chief executive officer of the Organic Trade Association, which represents organic farmers and food makers. "While we feel Secretary Vilsack worked on this issue, which is progress, this decision puts our organic farmers at risk."

Federal organic standards forbid organic farmers from using genetically modified crops. Organic food companies routinely reject ingredients if they detect genetically modified organisms, no matter how small the level, costing farmers the big premiums that organic usually commands over conventionally produced food.

Some biotechnology officials have predicted that U.S. farmers will use genetically modified seeds to grow half of the nation's alfalfa. The vast majority of the nation's corn, soybeans and cotton are grown from genetically modified varieties.

The Organic Elite Surrenders to Monsanto: What Now? O-M-G!!! I'm STUNNED!

I want to remind everybody that when Barack Obama became President of the United States, he appointed the leadership in ALL of our federal regulatory agencies. In others words, when former President Bush's term ended, all his people had to go too and were replaced with people President Obama SELECTED when he took over the reigns. For example, President Obama appointed former Monsanto lobbyist Michael Taylor as a senior adviser to the FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg. Please click HERE to read more.

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Organic Consumers Association

The Organic Elite Surrenders to Monsanto: What Now?

written by Ronnie Cummins

Thursday January 27, 2011

"The policy set for GE alfalfa will most likely guide policies for other GE crops as well. True coexistence is a must." - Whole Foods Market, Jan. 21, 2011

In the wake of a 12-year battle to keep Monsanto's Genetically Engineered (GE) crops from contaminating the nation's 25,000 organic farms and ranches, America's organic consumers and producers are facing betrayal. A self-appointed cabal of the Organic Elite, spearheaded by Whole Foods Market, Organic Valley, and Stonyfield Farm, has decided it's time to surrender to Monsanto. Top executives from these companies have publicly admitted that they no longer oppose the mass commercialization of GE crops, such as Monsanto's controversial Roundup Ready alfalfa, and are prepared to sit down and cut a deal for "coexistence" with Monsanto and USDA biotech cheerleader Tom Vilsack.

In a cleverly worded, but profoundly misleading email sent to its customers last week, Whole Foods Market, while proclaiming their support for organics and "seed purity," gave the green light to USDA bureaucrats to approve the "conditional deregulation" of Monsanto's genetically engineered, herbicide-resistant alfalfa. Beyond the regulatory euphemism of "conditional deregulation," this means that WFM and their colleagues are willing to go along with the massive planting of a chemical and energy-intensive GE perennial crop, alfalfa; guaranteed to spread its mutant genes and seeds across the nation; guaranteed to contaminate the alfalfa fed to organic animals; guaranteed to lead to massive poisoning of farm workers and destruction of the essential soil food web by the toxic herbicide, Roundup; and guaranteed to produce Roundup-resistant superweeds that will require even more deadly herbicides such as 2,4 D to be sprayed on millions of acres of alfalfa across the U.S.

In exchange for allowing Monsanto's premeditated pollution of the alfalfa gene pool, WFM wants "compensation." In exchange for a new assault on farmworkers and rural communities (a recent large-scale Swedish study found that spraying Roundup doubles farm workers' and rural residents' risk of getting cancer), WFM expects the pro-biotech USDA to begin to regulate rather than cheerlead for Monsanto. In payment for a new broad spectrum attack on the soil's crucial ability to provide nutrition for food crops and to sequester dangerous greenhouse gases (recent studies show that Roundup devastates essential soil microorganisms that provide plant nutrition and sequester climate-destabilizing greenhouse gases), WFM wants the Biotech Bully of St. Louis to agree to pay "compensation" (i.e. hush money) to farmers "for any losses related to the contamination of his crop."

In its email of Jan. 21, 2011 WFM calls for "public oversight by the USDA rather than reliance on the biotechnology industry," even though WFM knows full well that federal regulations on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) do not require pre-market safety testing, nor labeling; and that even federal judges have repeatedly ruled that so-called government "oversight" of Frankencrops such as Monsanto's sugar beets and alfalfa is basically a farce. At the end of its email, WFM admits that its surrender to Monsanto is permanent: "The policy set for GE alfalfa will most likely guide policies for other GE crops as well True coexistence is a must."

Why Is Organic Inc. Surrendering?

According to informed sources, the CEOs of WFM and Stonyfield are personal friends of former Iowa governor, now USDA Secretary, Tom Vilsack, and in fact made financial contributions to Vilsack's previous electoral campaigns. Vilsack was hailed as "Governor of the Year" in 2001 by the Biotechnology Industry Organization, and traveled in a Monsanto corporate jet on the campaign trail. Perhaps even more fundamental to Organic Inc.'s abject surrender is the fact that the organic elite has become more and more isolated from the concerns and passions of organic consumers and locavores. The Organic Inc. CEOs are tired of activist pressure, boycotts, and petitions. Several of them have told me this to my face. They apparently believe that the battle against GMOs has been lost, and that it's time to reach for the consolation prize. The consolation prize they seek is a so-called "coexistence" between the biotech Behemoth and the organic community that will lull the public to sleep and greenwash the unpleasant fact that Monsanto's unlabeled and unregulated genetically engineered crops are now spreading their toxic genes on 1/3 of U.S. (and 1/10 of global) crop land.

WFM and most of the largest organic companies have deliberately separated themselves from anti-GMO efforts and cut off all funding to campaigns working to label or ban GMOs. The so-called Non-GMO Project, funded by Whole Foods and giant wholesaler United Natural Foods (UNFI) is basically a greenwashing effort (although the 100% organic companies involved in this project seem to be operating in good faith) to show that certified organic foods are basically free from GMOs (we already know this since GMOs are banned in organic production), while failing to focus on so-called "natural" foods, which constitute most of WFM and UNFI's sales and are routinely contaminated with GMOs.

From their "business as usual" perspective, successful lawsuits against GMOs filed by public interest groups such as the Center for Food Safety; or noisy attacks on Monsanto by groups like the Organic Consumers Association, create bad publicity, rattle their big customers such as Wal-Mart, Target, Kroger, Costco, Supervalu, Publix and Safeway; and remind consumers that organic crops and foods such as corn, soybeans, and canola are slowly but surely becoming contaminated by Monsanto's GMOs.

Whole Food's Dirty Little Secret: Most of the So-Called "Natural" Processed Foods and Animal Products They Sell Are Contaminated with GMOs

Please click HERE to read the entire article...

Global Health Fund Rocked By Corruption Scandal; Germany Suspends Payments!!!

International Business Times

Global health fund rocked by scandal; Germany suspends payments

written by Staff

Wednesday January 26, 2011

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has been rocked by a shocking scandal.

The Associated Press reported that as much as two-thirds of the global health fund's grants have been swindled by corruption.

Some of the money donated was accounted for with "forged documents or improper bookkeeping," which indicate it was embezzled. Donated drugs were sold on the black market.

The findings were made by the fund's inspector general's office. The officials examined only a small fraction of the billions of dollars the fund possesses. However, "the levels of corruption in the grants they have audited so far are astonishing," reported the Associated Press.

In response, Germany has suspended all financial support for the fund, including a pledge of $270 million for 2011.

Sweden has also suspended its $85 million annual donation.

Below are some specifics of the corruption:

In a program in Mauritania to fight AIDS, 67 percent of the money was misspent

In a program in Mali to fight tuberculosis and malaria, 36 percent of the money was misspent

In a program in Djibouti, 30 percent of grants were misspent. Some of it was used to buy cars and motorcycles

In Zambia, $3.5 million in spending was unaccounted for and an accountant embezzled $104,130

This scandal comes after the global health fund entered its replenishment phase in 2010, meaning it needed to secure continued financing from donors.

In March of last year, the organization said from 2011 to 2013, it needs at least $13 billion to fund existing program at lower levels than past years, $17 billion to fund existing programs at the same level as past years, and $20 billion to scale up the programs.

Now, as countries have pulled pledges and others are contemplating doing so, the global health fund's programs may face significant financing shortfalls. [Hmm... I wonder why?]

President Obama To Start A BILLION-DOLLAR Government Drug Development Center To Help Pharmaceutical Industry!!!

WTF?!?!?!?! Are you kidding me?!?! I don't like this news one bit! Nothing good can come out of this. Our government is getting involved in GENETIC RESEARCH! "Years of effort and tens of billions of dollars in financing by drug makers in gene-related research has largely been a bust." and "The industry estimates it invested $45.8 billion in research in 2009." Our government wants to invest a BILLION or more in this project that has ALREADY PROVEN TO BE A FAILED INVESTMENT? So our government is going to be using our taxpayer money for this research and development and the pharmaceutical companies are going to benefit largely as a result. Do I have this right? Isn't this what clearly defines CRONIE CAPITALISM! This is yet another MORAL HAZARD and another taxpayer MONEY PIT!

Oh and what about the BILLIONS of dollars contributed to private charities that goes towards research and development to find cures for every disease under the sun and other discoveries! My gosh the pharmceutical companies already make tremendous profits peddling their legal drugs on the American public. Pay attention to the constant drug commercials and listen carefully to the side effects. They're worse then the illness your wanting to cure. The FDA allows them to use the public as guinea pigs until someone dies or has debilitating adverse side effects and the drug is pulled from the market. It's not the government's (taxpayers) responsibility to step in and compensate for the money they are losing on legal fees defending themselves against class action lawsuits. What our government is doing with this new drug center is bogus! I feel like Dr. Frankenstein is getting free reign to play (g)od with our money on the pharmaceutical companies behalf. What's worse, this new drug center for GENETIC RESEARCH is connected to the Federal Health and Human Services department!

I implore the republican party to stop this new center from being built. Didn't President Obama just state yesterday that "Our government needs to live within its means." Was that just more hot air he was blowing in our ear. By the looks of things already coming to light, I'd have to say so.

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The New York Times

Federal Research Center Will Help Develop Medicines

written by Gardiner Harris

January 22, 2011

The Obama administration has become so concerned about the slowing pace of new drugs coming out of the pharmaceutical industry that officials have decided to start a billion-dollar government drug development center to help create medicines.

The new effort comes as many large drug makers, unable to find enough new drugs, are paring back research. Promising discoveries in illnesses like depression and Parkinson’s that once would have led to clinical trials are instead going unexplored because companies have neither the will nor the resources to undertake the effort. [This whole paragraph is BS!]

The initial financing of the government’s new drug center is relatively small compared with the $45.8 billion that the industry estimates it invested in research in 2009. The cost of bringing a single drug to market can exceed $1 billion, according to some estimates, and drug companies have typically spent twice as much on marketing as on research, a business model that is increasingly suspect.

The National Institutes of Health has traditionally focused on basic research, such as describing the structure of proteins, leaving industry to create drugs using those compounds. But the drug industry’s research productivity has been declining for 15 years, “and it certainly doesn’t show any signs of turning upward,” said Dr. Francis S. Collins, director of the institutes.

The job of the new center, to be called the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, is akin to that of a home seller who spruces up properties to attract buyers in a down market. In this case the center will do as much research as it needs to do so that it can attract drug company investment.

That means that in some cases, the center will use one of the institutes’ four new robotic screeners to find chemicals that affect enzymes and might lead to the development of a drug or a cure. In other cases, the center may need to not only discover the right chemicals but also perform animal tests to ensure that they are safe and even start human trials to see if they work. All of that has traditionally been done by drug companies, not the government.

“None of this is intended to be competitive with the private sector,” Dr. Collins said. “The hope would be that any project that reaches the point of commercial appeal would be moved out of the academic support line and into the private sector.”

Whether the government can succeed where private industry has failed is uncertain, officials acknowledge, but they say doing nothing is not an option. The health and human services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, sent a letter to Congress on Jan. 14 outlining the plan to open the new drug center by October — an unusually rapid turnaround for an idea first released with little fanfare in December.

Creating the center is a signature effort of Dr. Collins, who once directed the agency’s Human Genome Project. Dr. Collins has been predicting for years that gene sequencing will lead to a vast array of new treatments, but years of effort and tens of billions of dollars in financing by drug makers in gene-related research has largely been a bust.

As a result, industry has become far less willing to follow the latest genetic advances with expensive clinical trials. Rather than wait longer, Dr. Collins has decided that the government can start the work itself.

“I am a little frustrated to see how many of the discoveries that do look as though they have therapeutic implications are waiting for the pharmaceutical industry to follow through with them,” he said.

Dr. Collins’s ability to conceive and create such a center in a few short months would have been impossible for most of his predecessors, who had nice offices but little power. But Congress in recent years has invested real budgetary and administrative authority in the director’s office, and Dr. Collins is the first to fully use these new powers.

Under the plan, more than $700 million in research projects already under way at various institutes and centers would be brought together at the new center. But officials hope that the prospect of finding new drugs will lure Congress into increasing the center’s financing well beyond $1 billion.

Hopes of new money may be optimistic. Republicans in the House have promised to cut the kind of discretionary domestic spending that supports the health institutes, and officials are already bracing for significant cuts this year. But Dr. Collins has hinted that he is willing to cannibalize other parts of the health institutes to bring more resources to the new center.

Please click HERE to read the entire article...

World Collapse Explained in 3 Minutes

They've lightened the horrific truth with some great british humor! This is sad but true! It's worth 3 minutes of your time!