Articles relating to A Brief Look At Tomorrow the Book http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php Sat, 19 May 2012 03:19:06 -0400 120 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24285
http://www.pjtv.com/v/3505]]> Sat, 22 May 2010 01:58:44 -0400 24285 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24284
Christian News

The reactor under construction near the Iranian city of Bushehr

Whoever takes notice of the content and historical context of recent statements made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be left with no doubt: Iran's possession of a nuclear bomb will represent an existential threat that the State of Israel will not tolerate. He made remarks in this vein during the central ceremony at Yad Vashem marking Holocaust Remembrance Day in April 2009, a short time after he was sworn into office. "We will not allow Holocaust deniers to carry out a second Holocaust against the Jewish people," the premier said.

http://www.haaretz.com/magazine/week-s-end...rogram-1.291309]]> Sat, 22 May 2010 01:53:59 -0400 24284 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24283
Christian News

U.S. Special Envoy George Mitchell has shuttled between Israel and the West Bank as part of a second round of indirect negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Mitchell met with the Israeli Prime Minister as questions arise on whether an agreement is possible anytime soon.

The U.S. special envoy waded yet again into a sea of distrust that has prevented both sides from returning to direct negotiations in almost a year and a-half.

http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/middl...t-94459279.html]]> Sat, 22 May 2010 01:53:26 -0400 24283 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24282 By EUROPEAN JEWISH PRESS
20/05/2010
Italian MEP calls European trip "an anti-Israel propaganda mission."

BRUSSELS -An Italian centre-right member of the European Parliament decided on Thursday to quit an official delegation due to visit Israel next week because he feels his fellow MEPs are too “anti-Israeli."

Gabriele Albertini, a member of the European Poeple's Party (EPP) who heads the influent European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, explained his decision by the fact that the composition of the delegation was “not balanced," his assistant, Luca Toschi, told EJP.

"Rather than a peacekeeping mission, it looks like an anti-Israeli propaganda mission is being prepared," Albertini, a former mayor of Milan, said.

The delegation of 25 MEPs from the foreign affairs, development and humanitarian aid committees, was due to have talks with members of the Knesset.

However, a plan to visit Gaza was rejected by the Israeli authorities as part of the Israel's policy not to allow foreign officials visitors to enter the Palestinian territory run by Hamas because those visits "give moral support to the Islamist group."

Albertini then stressed to his colleagues that the delegation should "re balance" its itinerary in line with Israeli demands but several members of the delegation felt "offended" by the refusal and voted to ask Egypt to enter Gaza through its crossing point instead. They also decided to snub a scheduled meeting with Jerusalem’s Mayor Nir Barkat.

"The MEPs wrongly thought that Israel was targeting the European Parliament while even French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner was denied the right to entry into Gaza earlier this year," Luca Toschi said.

According to the EUobserver website, Albertini singled out his German centre-right colleague and former European Parliament president Hans-Gert Poettering for criticism.

"The honorable Mr Poettering wanted to convene a press conference to censure the conduct of the Israeli government before we start our journey,” he said.

The German MEP reportedly replied that he "is of the opinion that the Israeli government cannot tell the members of the European Parliament whom they should see or not."

http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=176006]]> Sat, 22 May 2010 01:53:19 -0400 24282 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24280
Our military now answers to BP?

Kelly Cobiella reports that a CBS News team was threatened with arrest by Coast Guard officials in the Gulf of Mexico who said they were acting under the authority of British Petroleum.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/18/...shtml?tag=stack

Heavy Sludge Oozes into Marshes of Louisiana

(CBS/AP) It may be the most disturbing site yet: the first heavy sludge now oozing into the marshes of Louisiana as the slick continues to grow in size out in the gulf.

CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella reports it's an ominous sight. The oil is thick and black and stretches about a quarter mile down a beach. It goes beyond the booms into the sensitive marsh lands which are home to migratory birds.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal flew over it Tuesday.

"This wasn't just sheen, we were seeing heavy oil out there," Jindal said. "This wasn't just tar balls. It shows you how quick the oil showed up."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/18/...shtml?tag=stack]]> Wed, 19 May 2010 22:44:45 -0400 24280 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24278
(CNSNews.com) - Solicitor General Elena Kagan, President Barack Obama’s nominee to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens on the Supreme Court, helped craft President Bill Clinton’s political strategy for sustaining his veto of the partial-birth abortion ban in 1997. As a result of Clinton’s successful veto that year, the ban was not enacted until 2003, when it was signed by President George Bush

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/66062]]> Wed, 19 May 2010 21:51:43 -0400 24278 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24277
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/medvede...05/10/id/358606]]> Wed, 12 May 2010 14:36:00 -0400 24277 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24276
DEBKAfile Special Report May 10, 2010, 1:05 AM (GMT+02:00)
Tags: Jewish housing in E. Jerusalem Netanyahu

US State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley marked the formal resumption of Israel-Palestinian peace talks Sunday, May 9, with praise for the steps taken by both leaders to get the process started, noting that "…from Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu… there would be no more construction at the Ramat Shlomo settlement in East Jerusalem for two years."

As a result, Palestinians are celebrating their success in manipulating the Obama administration into squeezing concessions out of Israel even before the talks begin - and on Jerusalem, no less.

Given Netanyahu's dogged insistence that there would be no Israel concessions on Jerusalem, its undivided capital, even after Vice President Joe Biden's unfortunate visit to Jerusalem in March, three hard questions demand answers:

1. If the Israeli prime minister can't stand by his solemn pledges to Israel and the Jewish people on Jerusalem, how much credibility can be attributed his other statements?
2. Is he made of tough enough material to withstand pressures, or does he have a built-in tendency to surrender when the going is rough?
3. This answer is critical when applied to matters of national security, such as the threats from Hizballah and a nuclear-armed Iran.

The pretext offered by his aides that giving ground on Ramat Shlomo cost nothing because the pre-planning process requires another two years at least does not hold water. From his own and his predecessors' experience, Netanyahu must know that every concession on a question of principle opens the door to bullying for more. It will now be clear to all that if he cannot stand the heat on Jerusalem, he will fold again in September when the West Bank settlement freeze is up and find good reason to let it run on and on.

Netanyahu manifested weakness by never once hitting back at the unbridled and offensive assaults thrown at Israel and him personally by members of the Palestinian negotiating team, Saeb Erekat and Abd Rabbo in the last two days. He ignored the insults and welcomed the PLO decision to endorse the resumption of peace talks over which Abbas stalled for 15 months, mildly hoping there would be no more preconditions.

He even abstained even from calling for Palestinian officials to watch their language, least of all threaten to stay away from the table until they stopped their incitement.

Netanyahu likewise has nothing to say to the abuse heaped on Israel by Iranian leaders and pro-Palestinian elements in the West, some of it rabidly anti-Semitic.
Silence is not a policy. At best, it is a tactic of survival and at worst, presents the appearance of timidity. In either case, he has left Israel wide open to more arm-twisting on its most fundamental interests.

http://www.debka.com/article/8773/]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 10:32:18 -0400 24276 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24275
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y7QEZtgmbo...player_embedded]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 10:31:45 -0400 24275 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24274 Plan to manage old Jerusalem. Israelis and Palestinians would jointly oversee protection of holy sites
By RANDY BOSWELL, Canwest News Service May 8, 2010

A Canadian-led bid to resolve one of the most vexing and enduring conflicts in the Middle East - the future of Jerusalem's Old City, site of several highly contested Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites - has been formally unveiled at a conference in Washington after seven years of research and planning.

The proposed "special regime" to oversee the 0.9-square-kilometre district - to be created only after the adoption of a two-state solution for the broader region - would be managed by a joint body of Israeli and Palestinian officials headed by "an effective and empowered third-party" commissioner appointed by the two countries.

The peace proposal, funded largely by the Canadian government but spearheaded by the University of Windsor-based Jerusalem Old City Initiative, has been crafted by a number of former top Canadian and United States diplomats, who are hoping a breakthrough solution for the Old City impasse could help create momentum toward a wider Mideast peace - and help ensure it could last...

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Canadi...1525/story.html]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 10:31:41 -0400 24274 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24273
By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI, AP
12 hours ago

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Weeks after the 1-year-old was found in a dumpster, his father showed up.

The baby wriggled in his cot, smiled and held up his arms. When the father didn't touch him, the baby started to cry and kick his legs.

The man left moments after he arrived, never to be seen again, according to a report written by a social worker at the Saint Catherine Hospital in the Cite Soleil slum, where the child was taken.
The catastrophic earthquake that left at least 1.3 million of Haiti's 9 million people homeless was the final push over the edge for families that could barely afford to feed their children before. Now stuck in leaky tents with dwindling aid handouts, Haitian families are abandoning their children in the hope that rescue organizations will offer them a better life, aid workers say.

A 4-day-old baby girl was left in a cardboard box outside a hospital. Toddlers are being found alone in hospital waiting rooms. Outside a private clinic, volunteers discovered a 3-year-old holding a bag of carefully-folded underwear. A note pinned to his shirt asked those who found him to look after him.

Even before the magnitude-7 quake, poor parents left children at orphanages where they would at least receive one meal a day. Now the number of abandoned children has skyrocketed, said 37-year-old Tamara Palinka, who helped coordinate logistics at the University of Miami-run field hospital on the grounds of the airport.

"I personally talked a lot of mothers out of giving up their children," said Palinka, who cordoned off a space inside the field hospital's pediatric tent for abandoned children, including another toddler found crawling on a garbage heap.

Orphanage workers say their facilities are swelling with children who are not orphans.
At Mother Teresa's orphanage behind a tall wall covered in concertina wire, nuns in white saris hover over the cribs of children whose arms are attached to drips. They don't take in orphans, only malnourished children who will be returned to their families after they put on weight. They require the mothers to stay on the grounds because otherwise they might not come back.
"We don't let them leave," said Sister Genova, a diminutive woman who weaves between the cribs, reaching out to stroke the head of a twig-like child with bright orange hair, a sign of malnutrition.

Nadine Jean-Baptiste, 35 years old and HIV-positive, recently left her 2-year-old daughter Christine at an orphanage down the street from the storage shed where she now lives.
Before the Jan. 12 quake, she was barely able to pay for her medication and look after her daughter. Then her husband, a cook, was buried inside the restaurant where he worked. She heard his cries from beneath the concrete but could do nothing.

With him gone and her house destroyed, she is weighing a terrible decision: An American couple has expressed interest in adopting Christine. The sick mother lies awake at night trying to decide whether she should sign over her child, a chubby little girl with hair bunched into pigtails.
"I love my child. Giving her away is not my wish," she said, her voice choked with sadness, her body thin as an ironing board from the disease. "But I have nothing to feed her. I have no choice but to give her away."

The United Nation's Children's Fund set up a toll-free hotline in February for abandoned or lost children who had been separated from their families during the quake. The call center has registered 960 children so far. "We don't call them orphans because they could have family," explained Edward Carwardine, UNICEF's spokesman in Haiti.

UNICEF gave the hotline number only to agencies and aid workers — not the public — for fear of an avalanche of calls from desperate families trying to unload their children.

The SOS orphanage saw what happens when such an offer is made known to the public at large.
Their tidy campus is an oasis in the rubble-strewn capital, located on a leafy lot crisscrossed with walkways. Children live in "families" inside cottages overseen by a doting house "mother." Their days are a carnival of activities, from soccer and painting to one-to-one sessions with psychologists who use art to get at the trauma of the quake.

In the week after the quake, SOS announced on the radio that the orphanage had room for more orphans. The next day, the orphanage nearly doubled in size after staff found around 120 children lined up outside the gate. In the three months since, the orphanage has tripled in size.

But SOS quickly realized that most of the new arrivals were not in fact orphans, said spokeswoman Line Wolf-Nielsen. One mother posed as a stranger dropping off three of her own children, whom she claimed were 'orphans' found after the quake. Others sent in their children with neighbors or friends, making it more difficult to find the family. One family instructed three boys to memorize a fictitious last name to complicate efforts to find their real parents.
Haitian law requires that orphanage authorities do everything they can to reunite children with their birth families. Post-quake, that has often involved reuniting kids with families that do not want them back. SOS is sifting through the roughly 300 children they took in since the disaster, sending workers into the camps to look for parents.

"It's very tough, but we need to concentrate our efforts on the neediest cases. Obviously if you have family, your situation is less needy than that of a child that has no one," says Wolf-Nielsen.
On a recent afternoon, two boys waited on a bench, with dread on their faces. Their clothes were carefully folded in a Winnie the Pooh bag between them. A few paces away, in the office of the SOS orphanage, their adult older brother was reluctantly signing a Family Reunification Act.
The boys, ages 10 and 13, as well as their 3-year-old cousin had been dropped off two months earlier. The family friend who brought them lied, telling orphanage workers that their parents had died in the quake. She gave them a fake last name — Milscent — and coached them not to reveal their real names if questioned about their family.

In fact, their mother is alive but, like tens of thousands of others, is living in a tent city.
"They left me here because they don't have money to take care of me," said Ridial, the 13-year-old. "If I leave, will I still be able to go to school?"

Organizations helping abandoned children are even offering supplies to families that take back their kids. In the case of the three boys, their family received three sleeping bags, a tent and a one-month supply of food. They were driven back to a muddy alleyway that leads into a maze of tents where children play with kites made by tying a discarded plastic bag to a piece of string.
The family sleeps in a space the size of a jacuzzi tub inside a tent fashioned from a sheet wrapped around an enclosure of sticks. Their bed is a piece of cardboard. It's gotten wet so many times from rain pouring through the sheet that it lies crumpled in a heap over a broken chair.

"I don't have a job," said Jean-Phillipe Turenne, the children's 22-year-old brother. "I can't afford to take them back, but I have to. I think it's better for us to have left them there (at the orphanage)."

He said if only the boys had not revealed their real last name, the orphanage workers might not have been able to trace them. Ridial fought back tears. He said he tried to keep up the lie but couldn't keep his facts straight, and finally crumbled and told the truth.

There is very little aid workers can do to find the family of the baby found in the dumpster, who was too weak to cry when he was first rescued. He has not yet learned to speak.

Months later, the baby, named Erode, sat on his bottom playing with a styrofoam letter at the state-of-the-art Enfant Jesus orphanage, where children are tended by a bevy of attentive nannies.

He extended the letter C to one of the nannies — only to pull it back as soon as she reached for it. He exploded into a burst of giggles.

He is fed two healthy meals a day and sleeps in a crib with gleaming white bars. The nannies take turns cuddling him and have been trained in the importance of eye contact as well as 'reciprocal play,' where they coo at him to mimic the attention he would receive from his mother.

"These children have won the jackpot to get to be here," said Indiana-based child psychologist Mary Kate Bristow, who flew in to offer her service. "If I was living in a tent, I too would try to get my child here."

Next to Erode is a toddler whose leg had to be amputated. His mother begged the orphanage to take him, saying she couldn't care for him, said executive director Gina Duncan.

In another crib is a baby girl who spent three days under the rubble. By the time they got her out, the ants had started eating her eyes. She isn't an orphan either — her grandmother was in the hospital recovering after the house collapsed on top of her.

And then there is 13-year-old Simon, who was left at the orphanage shortly after the quake. For the first time in his life, he ate until he felt full. He began attending school.

He recently sat inside the orphanage's main office next to his older sister, who had come to reclaim him. He tried to hide his tears by pulling up his T-shirt over his nose. When he couldn't hold it in any longer, he laid his cheek on the armrest of the couch, and his tears pooled on the imitation leather.

"If I go back with my big sister, I won't be able to go to school. She's going to make me sell water in the street — like I was doing before," he said. "I'll go back to a hard life."
Sniffling, he was led out of the orphanage.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/09/h...d_n_569488.html]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 10:31:36 -0400 24273 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24272
On February 12th, NIA released an article entitled, "Greece Distracting from Real Debt Crisis in U.S." in which we said, "We hope that Greece doesn't get bailed out, because a bailout would cause foreign investors to become more irresponsible than ever and create even greater moral hazards. Unfortunately, not only is it likely that Greece will get bailed out, it's possible our own Federal Reserve will get involved. The U.S. Federal Reserve has the ability to make loans to foreign central banks without disclosure to the U.S. public. European banks have already benefited $50 billion from the U.S.'s bailouts of AIG, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that the Federal Reserve will intervene due to euro-zone countries being key U.S. trading partners."

NIA was right, late Sunday evening the Federal Reserve announced the re-establishment of U.S. dollar liquidity swap facilities with foreign central banks, as a part of the European Union (EU)'s nearly $1 trillion bailout plan. The Federal Open Market Committee has authorized swap lines through January 2011 with the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the European Central Bank (ECB), the Swiss National Bank, and the Bank of Japan.

While the Federal Reserve may say these swap lines are necessary "to help improve liquidity conditions in U.S. dollar funding markets and to prevent the spread of strains to other markets and financial centers", NIA recognizes that this is nothing more than another transfer of wealth from the American middle class to bankers around the world through inflation. This program was originally enacted in 2008 when the Federal Reserve loaned $582.8 billion to foreign central banks without any disclosure of which central banks got the money.

NIA believes it is unconstitutional for the Federal Reserve to make loans to foreign central banks. Most likely, the Federal Reserve was pressured by Wall Street to re-establish the swap facilities because Bank of America, Citigroup, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have about $2.5 trillion in exposure to Europe, and Wall Street doesn't want to see their bets go bad.

Not only will Americans now be exposed to the European debt crisis through the Federal Reserve's swap lines, but the U.S. will be giving money away to Europe through the IMF. The IMF is contributing up to 220 billion Euros as a part of the bailout, which equals $283.1 billion at the latest exchange rate. The U.S. represents approximately 20% of IMF funding, which means the bailout is costing U.S. taxpayers $56.7 billion, not including the potential losses from loans made by the Federal Reserve and the inflation it will create.

The moral hazards of the EU bailout are immeasurable. It sets a dangerous precedent that the ECB won't allow any eurozone nations to fail, just like the Federal Reserve won't allow any major financial institutions on Wall Street to fail. Eventually, if you don't allow the free market to punish countries and financial institutions that recklessly speculated and made poor financial decisions, the financial crisis we are preventing will turn into a currency crisis that the western world will never be able to recover from. Although NIA still believes the U.S. dollar will win its race to the bottom with the Euro, we are now at risk of a total collapse of the world's fiat currency system.

Imagine if baseball teams weren't allowed to fail. You probably remember playing t-ball as a kid and at the end of every game, both teams were declared the winner. Think about what would happen if Major League Baseball declared there will no longer be losers at professional baseball games, both teams will be declared the winners of every game. Would you still pay $300 for a ticket to see a Major League Baseball game? Of course not, the value of the tickets would collapse to nothing, similar to how fiat currencies will soon lose their purchasing power if we don't allow countries and financial institutions to fail.

NIA is almost done producing its nearly hour-long documentary 'Meltup'. We spent quadruple the time and money producing Meltup than we did producing our previous critically acclaimed documentary 'The Dollar Bubble', which has already surpassed 710,000 views since November 23rd. We believe Meltup will be the best economic documentary ever produced in world history and a must see for yourself, your friends, and your family.

Last week, NIA conducted an hour-long interview with Gerald Celente, founder of the Trends Research Institute. We can honestly say that our interview with Mr. Celente was the single most shocking, insightful and informative interview we have ever witnessed or heard. NIA will be using footage from our interview with Mr. Celente in Meltup. We highly recommend that you visit Mr. Celente's Trends Research Institute and subscribe to his Trends Journal. We just got done reading his latest Trends Journal and it is one of the most compelling pieces of journalism we have ever come across.

If you would like your friends and family to be the first to see Meltup, please tell them to become a member of NIA for free.

http://www.inflation.us/fiatcurrencysystemriskscollapse.html]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 10:31:18 -0400 24272 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24271 ...and after years of this, here we are. Now, do you really wonder why?

Ron Gochez is NOT a professor at UCLA. Gochez is currently a HISTORY teacher at Santee H.S. in Los Angeles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGqPo5ofk0s...player_embedded]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 10:31:00 -0400 24271 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24270 'If either Israel or the Palestinians takes any steps which jeopardize the negotiations, he will hold that side, and that side alone, responsible for the failure of the talks'

http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=175108]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 10:30:48 -0400 24270 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24269
With a flooded Tennessee becoming the latest disaster to strike the United States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is confronting its own emergency as its relief funds run perilously low.

Last month, FEMA Director W. Craig Fugate wrote a letter to Congress warning that its relief fund had fallen to $693 million as of April 7 but the agency owed $645 million to 47 states for past disasters. That doesn't include the $1.7 billion settlement the agency owes to the Gulf Coast state and city governments for Hurricane Katrina.

http://topstories.foxnews.mobi/quickPage.h...&pageNum=-1]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 10:30:44 -0400 24269 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24267
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/inde.../c_13284523.htm]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 10:30:36 -0400 24267 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24266 By ASSOCIATED PRESS
11/05/2010
Russian president expected to hand Assad message on ME peace.

DAMASCUS, Syria — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was expected to hand over a message from Israel to Syria during a visit to Damascus beginning late Monday, as part of a flurry of diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions between the two countries.

The visit is Medvedev's first to Syria, which was once one of the former Soviet Union's closest allies in the Middle East. He and Syrian President Bashar Assad are also expected to discuss Iran's nuclear program, military cooperation and developing economic relations.

The office of President Shimon Peres announced Sunday that Medvedev had agreed to deliver a message to Assad. Peres and Medvedev met in Moscow recently during the annual commemoration ceremony marking the end of World War II.

Peres said Israel wants peace with Syria but that it must stop alleged weapons transfers to Hizbullah in Lebanon. Peres recently accused Syria of transferring Scud missiles to Hezbollah, a claim Damascus denies.

Medvedev will address the rising tensions between Syria and Israel on the heels of the Israeli Scud accusations. The Russian leader was quoted Monday by the private Syrian daily Al-Watan as saying that his country was making serious efforts to help restart Arab-Israeli negotiations.

Medvedev said there should be a collective search for new ways to face "comprehensive dangers and challenges."

His visit to Syria comes a day after a tripartite summit in Turkey between Assad, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Sheik Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani. Talks between the three leaders focused on recent tensions in the Middle East.

http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=175237]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 10:30:32 -0400 24266 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24265
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/05/10/us....dex.html?hpt=T2]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 10:30:28 -0400 24265 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24264 http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archive...pression-begins

Today, millions of Americans say that they believe that the United States is on the verge of a major economic collapse and will soon be entering another Great Depression. But only a small percentage of those same people are prepared for that to happen. The sad truth is that the vast majority of Americans would last little more than a month on what they have stored up in their homes. Most of us are so used to running out to the supermarket or to Wal-Mart for whatever we need that we never even stop to consider what would happen if suddenly we were not able to do that. Already the U.S. economy is starting to stumble about like a drunken frat boy. All it would take for the entire U.S. to resemble New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina would be for a major war, a terror attack, a deadly pandemic or a massive natural disaster to strike at just the right time and push the teetering U.S. economy over the edge. So just how would you survive if you suddenly could not rely on the huge international corporate giants to feed, clothe and supply you and your family? Do you have a plan?

Unless you already live in a cave or you are a complete and total mindless follower of the establishment media, you should be able to see very clearly that our society is more vulnerable now than it ever has been. This year there have been an unprecedented number of large earthquakes around the world and volcanoes all over the globe are awakening. You can just take a look at what has happened in Haiti and in Iceland to see how devastating a natural disaster can be. Not only that, but we have a world that is full of lunatics in positions of power, and if one of them decides to set off a nuclear, chemical or biological weapon in a major city it could paralyze an entire region. War could erupt in the Middle East at literally any moment, and if it does the price of oil will double or triple (at least) and there is the possibility that much of the entire world could be drawn into the conflict. Scientists tell us that a massive high-altitude EMP (electromagnetic pulse) blast could send large portions of the United States back to the stone age in an instant. In addition, there is the constant threat that the outbreak of a major viral pandemic (such as what happened with the 1918 Spanish Flu) could kill tens of millions of people around the globe and paralyze the economies of the world.

But even without all of that, the truth is that the U.S. economy is going to collapse. So just think of what will happen if one (or more) of those things does happen on top of all the economic problems that we are having.

Are you prepared?

The following is a list of 20 things you and your family will need to survive when the economy totally collapses and the next Great Depression begins....

#1) Storable Food

Food is going to instantly become one of the most valuable commodities in existence in the event of an economic collapse. If you do not have food you are not going to survive. Most American families could not last much longer than a month on what they have in their house right now. So what about you? If disaster struck right now, how long could you survive on what you have? The truth is that we all need to start storing up food. If you and your family run out of food, you will suddenly find yourselves competing with the hordes of hungry people who are looting the stores and roaming the streets looking for something to eat.

Of course you can grow your own food, but that is going to take time. So you need to have enough food stored up until the food that you plant has time to grow. But if you have not stored up any seeds you might as well forget it. When the economy totally collapses, the remaining seeds will disappear very quickly. So if you think that you are going to need seeds, now is the time to get them.

#2) Clean Water

Most people can survive for a number of weeks without food, but without water you will die in just a few days. So where would you get water if the water suddenly stopped flowing out of your taps? Do you have a plan? Is there an abundant supply of clean water near your home? Would you be able to boil water if you need to?

Besides storing water and figuring out how you are going to gather water if society breaks down, another thing to consider is water purification tablets. The water you are able to gather during a time of crisis may not be suitable for drinking. So you may find that water purification tablets come in very, very handy.

#3) Shelter

You can't sleep on the streets, can you? Well, some people will be able to get by living on the streets, but the vast majority of us will need some form of shelter to survive for long. So what would you do if you and your family lost your home or suddenly were forced from your home? Where would you go?

The best thing to do is to come up with several plans. Do you have relatives that you can bunk with in case of emergency? Do you own a tent and sleeping bags if you had to rough it? If one day everything hits the fan and you and your family have to "bug out" somewhere, where would that be? You need to have a plan.

#4) Warm Clothing

If you plan to survive for long in a nightmare economic situation, you are probably going to need some warm, functional clothing. If you live in a cold climate, this is going to mean storing up plenty of blankets and cold weather clothes. If you live in an area where it rains a lot, you will need to be sure to store up some rain gear. If you think you may have to survive outdoors in an emergency situation, make sure that you and your family have something warm to put on your heads. Someday after the economy has collapsed and people are scrambling to survive, a lot of folks are going to end up freezing to death. In fact, in the coldest areas it is actually possible to freeze to death in your own home. Don't let that happen to you.

#5) An Axe

Staying along the theme of staying warm, you may want to consider investing in a good axe. In the event of a major emergency, gathering firewood will be a priority. Without a good tool to cut the wood with that will be much more difficult.

#6) Lighters Or Matches

You will also want something to start a fire with. If you can start a fire, you can cook food, you can boil water and you can stay warm. So in a true emergency situation, how do you plan to start a fire? By rubbing sticks together? Now is the time to put away a supply of lighters or matches so that you will be prepared when you really need them.

In addition, you may want to consider storing up a good supply of candles. Candles come in quite handy whenever the electricity goes out, and in the event of a long-term economic nightmare we will all see why our forefathers relied on candles so much.

#7) Hiking Boots Or Comfortable Shoes

When you ask most people to list things necessary for survival, this is not the first or the second thing that comes to mind. But having hiking boots or very comfortable and functional shoes will be absolutely critical. You may very well find yourself in a situation where you and your family must walk everywhere you want to go. So how far do you think you will get in high heels? You will want footwear that you would feel comfortable walking in for hours if necessary. You will also want footwear that will last a long time, because when the economy truly collapses you may not be able to run out to the shoe store and get what you need at that point.

#8) A Flashlight And/Or Lantern

When the power goes off in your home, what is the first thing that you grab? Just think about it. A flashlight or a lantern of course. In a major emergency, a flashlight or a lantern is going to be a necessity - especially if you need to go anywhere at night.

Solar powered or "crank style" flashlights or lanterns will probably be best during a long-term emergency. If you have battery-powered units you will want to begin storing up lots and lots of batteries.

#9) A Radio

If a major crisis does hit the United States, what will you and your family want? Among other things, you will all want to know what in the world is going on. A radio can be an invaluable tool for keeping up with the news.

Once again, solar powered or "crank style" radios will probably work best for the long term. A battery-powered until would work as well - but only for as long as your batteries are able to last.

#10) Communication Equipment

When things really hit the fan you are going to want to communicate with your family and friends. You will also want to be able to contact an ambulance or law enforcement if necessary. Having an emergency cell phone is great, but it may or may not work during a time of crisis. The Internet also may or may not be available. Be sure to have a plan (whether it be high-tech or low-tech) for staying in communication with others during a major emergency.

#11) A Swiss Army Knife

If you have ever owned a Swiss Army knife you probably already know how incredibly handy they can be. It can be a very valuable and versatile tool. In a true survival situation, a Swiss Army knife can literally do dozens of different things for you. Make sure that you have at least one stored up for emergencies.

#12) Personal Hygiene Items

While these may not be absolute "essentials", the truth is that life will get very unpleasant very quickly without them. For example, what would you do without toilet paper? Just think about it. Imagine that you just finished your last roll of toilet paper and now you can't get any more. What would you do?

The truth is that soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper and other hygiene products are things that we completely take for granted in society today. So what would happen if we could not go out and buy them any longer?

#13) A First Aid Kit And Other Medical Supplies

One a more serious note, you may not be able to access a hospital or a doctor during a major crisis. In your survival supplies, be absolutely certain that you have a good first aid kit and any other medical supplies that you think you may need.

#14) Extra Gasoline

There may come a day when gasoline is rationed or is simply not available at all. If that happens, how will you get around? Be certain to have some extra gasoline stored away just in case you find yourself really needing to get somewhere someday.

#15) A Sewing Kit

If you were not able to run out and buy new clothes for you and your family, what would you do? Well, you would want to repair the clothes that you have and make them last as long as possible. Without a good sewing kit that will be very difficult to do.

#16) Self-Defense Equipment

Whether it is pepper spray to fend off wild animals or something more "robust" to fend off wild humans, millions of Americans will one day be thankful that they have something to defend themselves with.

#17) A Compass

In the event of a major emergency, you and your family may find yourselves having to be on the move. If you are in a wilderness area, it will be very hard to tell what direction you are heading without a compass. It is always a good idea to have at least one compass stored up.

#18) A Hiking Backpack

If you and your family suddenly have to "bug out", what will you carry all of your survival supplies in? Having a good hiking backpack or "survival bag" for everyone in your family is extremely important. If something happened in the city where you live and you suddenly had to "go", what would you put your most important stuff in? How would you carry it all if you had to travel by foot? These are very important things to think about.

#19) A Community

During a long-term crisis, it is those who are willing to work together that will have the best chance of making it. Whether it is your family, your friends, a church or a local group of people that you know, make sure that you have some people that you can rely on and work together with in the event that everything hits the fan. Loners are going to have a really hard time of surviving for long.

#20) A Backup Plan

Lastly, it is always, always, always important to have a backup plan for everything.

If someone comes in and steals all the food that you have stored up, what are you going to do?

If travel is restricted and your can't get to your "bug out" location immediately do you have a Plan B?

If you have built your house into an impregnable survival fortress but circumstances force you to leave do you have an alternate plan?

The truth is that crisis situations rarely unfold just as we envision. It is important to be flexible and to be ready with backup plans when disaster strikes.

You don't want to end up like the folks in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. You don't want to have to rely on the government to take care of you if something really bad happens.

Right now the U.S. strategic grain reserve contains only enough wheat to make half a loaf of bread for each of the approximately 300 million people in the United States.

How long do you think that is going to last?

Now is the time to get ready.

Now is the time to prepare.

The United States economy is going to collapse and incredibly hard times are coming.

Will you be able to survive when it happens?

]]> Fri, 07 May 2010 11:57:45 -0400 24264 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24263 Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank, discusses global governance in light of the recent financial crisis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy3s9tcSy50...player_embedded
]]> Fri, 07 May 2010 11:57:06 -0400 24263 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24261
Christian News

The growing European debt crisis has sent stock markets on a wild ride. A weaker European economy could sap demand for U.S. exports and hurt sales by U.S. companies in Europe. U.S. banks that hold European government debt also could cut back on lending to conserve cash.

"The perception of risk has just changed in a major way," said Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities. "Business leaders now think there is more risk in the world economy than they did 30 days ago."

Wall Street endured a dizzying plunge Thursday, sending the Dow Jones industrials to a loss of nearly 1,000 points in less than half an hour. A computerized selloff possibly caused by a trader's mistake may have been responsible for the late-session plunge, and the Dow recovered two-thirds of the loss before the closing bell.

Read more- http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100507/D9FHTSIG1.html]]> Fri, 07 May 2010 11:56:48 -0400 24261 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24258
Egypt's ambassador to Israel optimistic regarding Israeli-Palestinian peace prospects
Roee Nahmias

Egypt's Ambassador to Israel Yasser Rida expressed his optimism Wednesday regarding the prospects of signing a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

The remarks were made on the backdrop of recent tensions between Cairo and Jerusalem, and just days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to meet with President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt.

Rida spoke at Tel Aviv University in honor of 31 years to the Egypt-Israel peace treaty. In a conversation with Ynet at the event, he said, "If there is political will, Israel and the Palestinians can achieve peace within one year."

Regarding the deadlock in negotiations for the release of captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, Rida placed the ball in Israel's and Hamas' court. "They are the only ones who need to pay the price or not. We cannot do any more, but we will be willing to continue efforts to bring Shalit to his family," he said.

'Opposed to nukes for any country'

In his speech, the envoy also referred to the Iranian nuclear program, but placed veiled responsibility for the situation on Israel.

Egypt, together with other moderate elements who support peace, is taking great action in order to deal with extremists – countries, organizations, or private groups – who are liable to bring about destruction in our region, he said. Ever since the 80s, Cairo has been interested in ridding the Middle East of weapons of mass destruction and is opposed to any country or organization obtaining them, he added.

Regarding the recent crisis between Israel and Egypt after Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Aboul Gheit called Israel an "enemy" while visiting Lebanon, Rida reiterated Cairo's statement that the minister's remarks were misunderstood.

"My visit here demonstrates that more than anything," Rida said.

During the event, the envoy was asked about the potential effect Egyptian opposition, which is hostile towards Israel, could have on relations between the two countries.

Rida said the opposition was not against the peace agreement or against Israel. T"hey do not want war," he said, adding that most of the world supports peace, but there will always be other voices, just like in Israel.

http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLa...3882319,00.html]]> Thu, 29 Apr 2010 09:01:41 -0400 24258 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24257 By Haaretz Service

U.S. President Barack Obama told Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas that he was committed to seeing the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state within two years, an Egyptian official told the Arabic-language daily Al-Hayat on Thursday.

Obama promised Abbas that the United States would make great effort to help see that Palestinian goal achieved, the official told the London-based newspaper.

The official also told Al-Hayat that Israel had rejected special U.S. envoy George Mitchell's proposal to withdraw Israel Defense Forces troops from Palestinian-occupied sections of the West Bank, as it did on the eve of the Second Intifada in 2000.

According to the report, Israel told Mitchell that it could not guarantee such a move before beginning direct peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.

In place of withdrawing troops, the official told Al-Hayat, Israel offered other goodwill gestures, such as removing checkpoints and releasing certain Palestinian prisoners.

Last week, Abbas urged the Obama administration to impose a solution to the Middle East conflict that would give his people an independent state, and rejected the idea of creating a state within temporary borders.

"Mr. President [Barack Obama] and members of the American administration, since you believe in this [an independent Palestinian state], it is your duty to take steps toward a solution and to impose this solution," Abbas said in a speech to his Fatah party.

Abbas' appeal to Obama came amid widespread media reports that the U.S. president was considering floating a proposal that would set the contours of a final peace deal.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1166261.html]]> Thu, 29 Apr 2010 09:00:23 -0400 24257 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24256
Following harsh statements against Obama Administration, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat's request to meet with Clinton, Mitchell denied; Israeli official slams mayor's remarks, says his actions undermine renewal of negotiations
Yitzhak Benhorin

WASHINGTON – Mayor gets cold shoulder: The US Administration rejected Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat's request to meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Special Mideast Envoy George Mitchell, Ynet has learned.

Barkat, who is visiting Washington, continued his attacks on the US government Wednesday, further embarrassing the Netanyahu government.

In an interview with MSNBC, the mayor said Israeli officials are uncertain about what the US attempts to signal. He added that what he termed bad American proposals will be futile in resolving the Mideastern conflict.

In the interview, Barkat said his positions on the Jerusalem issue are identical to PM Netanyahu's views; however, an Israeli official expressed anger at the mayor's conduct "at such sensitive period in US-Israel ties, when every housing unit in Jerusalem gains prominence."

Uncoordinated meetings
A senior Israeli official said "Jerusalem is a sensitive issue when we're on the verge of entering talks." Addressing Barkat's visit and remarks, the official said: "He arrived here without any authority to engage in diplomatic issues and without any responsibility – he arrived and is causing damage."

On Tuesday, Barkat met American reporters and was quoted as saying that President Obama's move constituted a slap in Israel's face.

While the Jerusalem mayor informed the Israeli embassy in Washington of his arrival, he independently coordinated meetings in Congress and with the US media, without coordinating his moves with Israeli diplomats in charge of these issues.

http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLa...3882201,00.html]]> Thu, 29 Apr 2010 08:59:24 -0400 24256 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24254 'Proximity talks can start next week'

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu alluded to the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process at a Likud convention in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, saying that he would be happy to begin proximity talks as soon as next week.

"I was satisfied to hear yesterday that [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas was ready to resume talks," Netanyahu told the assembled Likud members. "We are committed to a real peace process ... we support peace."

He warned, however, that any peace agreement with the Palestinian would have to safeguard what he termed Israel's "vital interests."

http://watch.org/linkstat.php3?idx=127771]]> Thu, 29 Apr 2010 08:51:58 -0400 24254 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24253
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 21, 2010

Update: LifeNews.com has issued a followup to this news story featuring a response from the study author and a pro-life biologist.- http://www.lifenews.com/nat6284.html

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Two pro-life advocates say a new study conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency shows a correlation between the use of cells from babies in abortions in vaccines and an increase in autism rates. They say the study provides another problem from pro-life advocates who are already concerned about the abortion-vaccine tie.- http://www.lifenews.com/nat5490.html

The study, published in February in the publication Environmental Science & Technology, confirms 1988 as a “change point” in the rise of Autism Disorder rate.

"Although the debate about the nature of increasing autism continues, the potential for this increase to be real and involve exogenous environmental stressors exists," the study says.

The 1988 date is significant because, as pro-life blogger Jill Stanek notes, the Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute indicates that's when the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices added a second dose of the MMR vaccine, containing fetal cells from aborted babies, to its recommendations.

The study found two other change point dates: 1981, two years after MMRII was approved in the United States with fetal cells, and 1995, when SCPI says the chickenpox vaccine using aborted cells was approved.

Jim Sedlak, vice president of American Life League, said today that his group is joining SCPI in calling for a Fair Labeling and Informed Consent Act to let people know of this link and the use of cells from babies victimized by abortion.

“For years the evidence has pointed toward the link between vaccines using DNA from aborted babies and the rise of Autism Disorder rates,” he said. “Parents need and deserve to know the risks associated with vaccinations made from lines derived from the bodies of aborted children.”

"While the pharmaceutical industry ignores the evidence and continues to put our children at risk," Sound Choice is conducting studies on the impact of residual human fetal DNA in vaccines on the brain development and autism in children, Sedlak continued.

Stanek also commented on the new developments.

"I've always read it was mercury in vaccines that was implicated in autism, although many studies state this isn't true," she said, noted SCPI debunks the idea.

"The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if the same sort of ideological culprits we see covering up the abortion-breast cancer link are also involved here. This would be a huge, huge blow to embryonic stem cell experimentation, for instance. That, and/or big pharma sees huge class action lawsuits on the horizon if this is proven," Stanek added.

"That virus-laden DNA of aborted babies could be wreaking havoc on the DNA of healthy children is completely plausible," she said.

SCPI will present their studies at the International Society for Autism Research in May 2010.

Related web sites:

Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute: http://www.soundchoice.org and http://www.soundchoice.org/Images/SCPINews..._April_2010.pdf

Environmental Protection Agency: Timing of Increased Autistic Disorder Cumulative Incidence (10 July 2009) http://www.all.org/pdf/McDonaldPaul2010.pdf

http://lifenews.com/nat6272.html]]> Thu, 29 Apr 2010 08:49:27 -0400 24253 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24252
(KTUL- http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0410/728050.html )

Legislation proposed by state Rep. Mike Shelton would increase the penalty for individuals involved in unauthorized militias or similar domestic-terror groups.

“There has been a great deal of attention given to increasing the penalties for those involved in gang activity, and while I agree that gangs are terrorizing many communities, they are not the only such threat in our state,” said Shelton, D-Oklahoma City. “In Oklahoma we have seen the damage done by militia fanatics and the Ku Klux Klan has a long history of violence and domestic terrorism. Involvement in those types of organizations should be treated no differently than participation in an urban gang.”

Shelton plans to submit his legislation through amendments to Senate Bill 2018.

Senate Bill 2018, which currently awaits a vote on the House floor, would increase the penalty for aiding or soliciting gang membership from one year in prison to five years in prison, and creates a new crime for gang-related offenses as a condition of membership, with the penalty being five years incarceration.

Shelton’s amendments would extend those penalties to other groups, including, the Christian Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and “any independent military organization that is neither recognized nor authorized by the Commander in Chief of the Militia for the State of Oklahoma.”

The FBI recently arrested several members of the Michigan-based Hutaree militia, alleging the group was plotting to kill police officers.

And several members of the Ku Klux Klan have been charged in the November 2008 shooting death of Cynthia Lynch of Tulsa (who had the mental capabilities of a child). It is believed that Klansmen recruited Lynch online and killed her when she told them she wanted to leave the initiation ritual.

“Recent news reports have graphically illustrated the threat posed by domestic terror groups like the Klan,” Shelton said. “Sadly, these groups are very much alive and active in Oklahoma. In fact, officials say Klan recruitment has grown faster in Oklahoma than any other state in the country. It is time they faced greater penalties for their activities.”

Senate Bill 2018 and Shelton’s amendment could receive a floor vote this week.
April 21, 2010

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http://news.yahoo.com/video]]> Thu, 29 Apr 2010 08:38:08 -0400 24251 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24250
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,591571...test=latestnews]]> Thu, 29 Apr 2010 08:35:33 -0400 24250 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24249
FOXNews.com

President Obama
left white, middle-aged male voters in his rear-view mirror Monday in launching his first midterm election pitch, calling on "young people, African Americans, Latinos and women" to deliver for Democrats in November.



President Obama left white, middle-age male voters in his rear-view mirror Monday in launching his first midterm election pitch, calling on "young people, African Americans, Latinos and women" to deliver for Democrats in November.

In a video to supporters, Obama urged those who helped get him elected in 2008 not to abandon Democrats in an election year that is shaping up to take a chunk out of the Democratic majority in Congress.

In the appeal, Obama says new voters who "powered our victory in 2008" need to "stay involved" in 2010.

"It will be up to each of you to make sure that the young people, African Americans, Latinos and women, who powered our victory in 2008 stand together once again," he said.

"If you help us do that -- if you help us make sure that first-time voters in 2008 make their voices heard again in November -- then together we will deliver on the promise of change and hope and prosperity for generations to come," he said.

The promotion, which reaches out to constituencies that voted in large measure for Obama but typically vote in lower percentages than older and white voters, is being sponsored by the Democratic National Committee and Organizing for America, the group formed from Obama's massive e-mail support during the 2008 campaign.

Obama also tweeted his message: "Announcing #OFA and @democratsdotorg plans for the 2010 elections—and the important role that you can play. Watch: http://j.mp/blRzwT."

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said as the November races gear up, the president wanted to speak to his supporters.

"There are elections in November and I'm sure the president is going to participate," Gibbs said.

While National Republican Committee Chairman Michael Steele has also said that he wants the party to reach out to minority voters, the president's appeal to minority voters comes just as immigration reform takes center stage inside Washington debate circles.

The statement also echoes Obama's warning during the health care debate -- that voters will decide in November whether they like what the administration and Democratic Congress is doing. His remarks repeat the positioning from congressional Democrats who allege Republicans are in the pocket of "big business" to the detriment of the American people.

"Despite everything we've done, our work isn't finished. Today, the health insurance companies, the Wall Street banks, and the special interests who have ruled Washington for too long are already focused on November’s congressional elections. They see these elections as a chance to put their allies back in power, and undo all that we have accomplished. So this year, I need your help once more," he said.

But National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Brian Walsh issued a response saying the president's "rally cry" is an attempt to sell a product independent voters don't want.

"I think the fundamental problem is that candidate Obama has turned out to be a much different person than President Obama and independent voters across the country are simply not buying what they’re trying to sell," Walsh told Fox News Radio. "That's because the politics of hope has been replaced by the policies of higher taxes, reckless spending and more government control over Americans' everyday lives."

Walsh noted that each time the president has gotten involved in an election over the past 15 months, it has not worked out well for Democrats.

"We certainly expect that he's going to go out on the campaign trail but I would point out that he sought to do the same thing in New Jersey and Virginia and most recently in Massachusetts and in all three elections the Democrats lost even with the president's last minute campaigning."

Fox News polling from last week shows that Obama has a 39 percent approval rating from independent voters with a 47 percent disapproval. A separate Gallup Poll out last week showed that self-identified party affiliation had reached its narrowest gap since 2005, when the war in Iraq under the Bush administration was growing unpopular. The poll out Friday showed 46 percent of Americans identified as Democrats or leaned Democratic, while 45 percent identified as or leaned Republican.

Click here to see the video appeal.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/-/Video/201...a_Vote_2010.mov

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/26...test=latestnews]]> Thu, 29 Apr 2010 08:35:19 -0400 24249 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24248
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/64663

Senate Panel Previews Electronic Health Technology
Monday, April 26, 2010
By Matt Cover, Staff Writer

(CNSNews.com) – The Senate Committee on Aging last week offered a preview of the government’s future role in health care, showing how Americans will interact with doctors and other health care providers. The demonstration offers a glimpse at an overlooked effect of health care reform.

The effort, loosely called e-Health or e-Care, combines health-care technology with 21st-century Internet connectivity. It will allow doctors to interact with their patients through innovations such as video chats, telephone health checkups, and home-health monitoring devices that relay data over wireless Internet connections.

“The development of the broadband network and health information technologies has the potential to truly transform health care and simultaneously enable better outcomes and lowering costs,” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).

One of the new health technologies on display last Thursday was an automatic drug dispenser that can monitor and adjust medication dosages wirelessly, allowing doctors to tailor dosages of drugs such as insulin without having to schedule in-person visits with patients.

“What we’re talking about, folks, is using a device like this one,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said, as he displayed the small device. “It attaches to the patient’s skin and is loaded with drugs that are administered in the exact way that the doctor prescribes – wirelessly.

“That means that a doctor can vary the doses based on the information the doctor is receiving [from the monitor]. The patient doesn’t have to go in to the doctor and then the pharmacy to change his or her prescription,” he said.

The data recorded by such devices would be automatically uploaded to a patient’s electronic health record, which could then be reviewed by a doctor from a computer or smart phone, allowing the doctor to monitor a sick patient in almost real time.

“This device here connects to other devices that measure a patient’s blood pressure and glucose [sugar] levels – things that any doctor treating a diabetic patient wants to know about,” Wyden said. “It wirelessly uploads this data to an electronic medical health record that is monitored by a health care professional.”

The key to the new health care technology is broadband Internet connectivity, Wyden explained, because new technologies such as home monitors and new methods such as video conferencing require high-speed connections.

“What all these devices and technologies require is access to a high-speed Internet connection, or what is commonly called ‘broadband,’” he said.

In adopting these new technologies, the government aims is to reduce the cost of Medicare by changing the way it pays doctors, who would be allowed to bill for Internet-based "visits" with patients instead of in-person visits.

“Five percent of Medicare beneficiaries, who in most cases have one or more chronic conditions, constitute 43 percent of Medicare spending,” Dr. Mohit Kaushal, health care director at the Federal Communications Commission, told the committee.

“But there’s a set of broadband-enabled health information technology, both now and emerging from development, that can mitigate many of these issues and reduce the cost of care while improving clinical outcomes,” Kaushal said.

Kaushal, testifying before the committee via video conference due travel disruptions caused by the Icelandic volcano, said that Medicare needs to begin reimbursing for e-Care technologies so that doctors will have an incentive to purchase and install them.

“Given what it will take to implement an outcomes-based reimbursement model [for Medicare] reimbursement should be expanded for e-Care technologies that will improve system-wide expenditure reductions under CMS’ [Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services] fee-for-service model,” Kaushal said.

Other areas of interest include medicines that can tell a doctor if they have been taken on time, wireless monitoring of nutritional information, and sensors worn on the body or placed around the home that can detect if an elderly person has experienced a fall, alerting emergency personnel and the person’s doctor.

“Continuous monitoring of vibrations in the floor can detect falls and classify them according to the best choice of first responders – either a 911 call or a visit from a caregiver,” University of Virginia professor Robin Felder told the committee.

“Emerging technologies allow pills to be electronically outfitted with transmitters to communicate with the user’s wristwatch that shows that the pill has been consumed,” Felder continued. “Broadband connectivity of these devices would allow the electronic medical record to be updated with regard to medication compliance and efficacy.”

Government plans to use grant programs, as well as Medicare’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation – established by the health care reform package passed in March – to test which technologies actually work.

“The new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation is given authority to test innovative payment and service model,” Dr. Farzad Mostashari, senior advisor at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT at the Department of Health and Human Services, said.

“These models may include care coordination for chronically ill individuals at risk of hospitalization through telehealth, remote patient monitoring, care management, and patient registries,” he explained.

While the government’s current focus is on saving money in Medicare, private sector companies see much broader uses for e-Care technology.

Eric Dishman, global director of health innovation and policy at Intel Corporation, compared e-Care to the e-mail revolution of the late 1990’s, saying that new health technology is not meant to replace the doctor-patient relationship.

“None of this effort is about replacing the traditional doctor-patient relationship, but it’s about enhancing and extending it to more people and regions of the country,” Dishman explained.

“Just as e-mail became a new way of interacting with other people that didn’t replace all other forms of communication such as phone calls and letters, e-Care uses new technologies to create a new way of providing care that complements – but doesn’t replace – all clinic visits,” he said.

Despite the high praise and high hopes expressed by everyone in attendance, e-Care technology is still very much in development requiring more market innovation and “thoughtful study” to see which methods work and which ones don’t.

“We don’t yet have all the answers,” Mostashari said. “They will come from continued market-based technology innovation paired with more results-oriented payment and thoughtful study to capturing the lessons and evidence from ongoing efforts.”

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/64663]]> Thu, 29 Apr 2010 08:34:30 -0400 24248 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24247 Half of Delaware samples carry hormones, antibiotics, other drugs

By JEFF MONTGOMERY • The News Journal • April 27, 2010

Tiny traces of medical hormones, antidepressants, antibiotics and other drugs are trickling into the drinking water of homes and businesses across Delaware, a new Division of Public Health study has found.

The drug residues turned up in more than half the Delaware water samples taken from 20 public water sources and 95 farm irrigation wells last year.

Among the most common contaminants in Delaware's public taps: caffeine, the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole, the painkiller ibuprofen, a medical-imaging aid called iopromide and estrogens.

Also found: antidepressants, cholesterol drugs, nicotine and triclosan, an ingredient widely used in soaps and antibacterial hand cleaners, but now under investigation as a potential disruptor of human endocrine systems.

The release of the information was prompted by a formal request by The News Journal.

"At these extremely low levels, it's not expected that there would be a health impact, but then, nobody's sure of that," said Edward G. Hallock, program administrator for Delaware's Office of Drinking Water. "When you add three or four compounds, even at extremely low levels, we're not sure whether there's an effect."

Those questions already are circulating in Congress, where some lawmakers recently pressed the Environmental Protection Agency to look closer at the cumulative effect of low-level but long-term exposure to toxic compounds, and frequent exposure to cocktails of pharmaceuticals at trace levels.

Recent studies have tied antidepressant levels in fish brains to water pollutants, Kolpin said. Others have found that chemicals from human activities may be disrupting fish responses to predators, making them more vulnerable.

Last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that up to 82 percent of male bass in the Potomac River had "intersex" symptoms, or female cells in their male reproductive organs. Scientists said the symptoms were "an indicator of exposure to estrogens or chemicals that mimic the activity of natural hormones."

In the Delaware study, the Wilmington, United Water Delaware and Newark systems, supplied from local creeks, had the highest concentrations, but pharmaceuticals and personal care product residues were detected in all three counties.

Pharmaceuticals and hormones are believed to pass into the environment because sewage treatment plants were never designed to capture or break down the chemicals.

List getting long

Windybush resident Theresa Cody said Monday the news adds another reason for her uneasiness about our drinking water.

"It does slightly concern me -- that's why we have filtered water, and that's why we drink a lot of bottled water," Cody said. "I'm more concerned about industrial contaminants and things like that. The list is getting too long. Antibiotics in our meat, all kinds of things."

Delaware officials are worried enough that plans call for a stepped-up campaign to discourage flushing of medications and other medicinal chemicals in toilets. Development of disposal alternatives or drop-off programs also are under consideration.

"From what I've seen from other states, I don't think that we're any different than what's being found across the country, as far as surface water and shallow groundwater," Hallock said.

Although results from individual wells and water intakes have not been released, a summary of findings noted that 17 different drugs were found in 101 samples of treated and untreated water from public systems. Tests of 95 shallow farm irrigation wells detected 14 compounds. Some samples had as many as nine different substances.

Researchers have pointed to discharges from sewage-treatment plants and septic systems, sewage sludges, wastewater-fed irrigation systems and landfills as likely sources. Concentrations were in the parts-per-billion and parts-per-trillion range, however, far below levels in prescription doses.

Delaware's study, which cost $200,000, tested for 23 compounds, but many others not on the list are viewed as potentially harmful to humans, including flame retardants, plasticizers used in bottles, insect repellents and other medications and hormones.

Officials are preparing a report on the sampling and analysis commissioned by Delaware's Cancer Consortium.

Dana W. Kolpin, a researcher with the U.S. Geological Survey's Iowa Water Science Center, said scientists are concerned about the human and environmental consequences. In addition to flushed-away medications, human wastes carry away medicines not used by the body, Kolpin said.

Although some may be trapped in sewage sludge, they can be released to groundwater as sludges are reused as farm fertilizers. Even landfilled drugs can eventually find their way into drinking water, since liquids emerging from modern dumps are often captured and sent through sewage plants.

"It's not because of any negligence by treatment plants," Kolpin said. "These compounds haven't been a part of the [treatment] equation, and they're still not regulated."

The USGS and the EPA are preparing new studies of contamination levels before and after treatment, Kolpin said, with a goal of helping to develop new ways to reduce releases of the chemicals.
Filter claims unverified

While some home tap-filter producers claim their systems can capture antibiotics and other contaminants, Kolpin said he was unaware of any that have undergone comprehensive, independent testing.

"They may or may not do something out of the box, depending on how well they've been maintained," Kolpin said. "But we've never done studies. There's a lot we don't know, just because we're trying to catch up on the products that are getting through."

The Brandywine is likely the largest carrier of pharmaceutical contaminants, because it receives treated wastewater from multiple sources as it courses through Pennsylvania, past Downingtown, Coatesville and West Chester.

University of Delaware professor and state Water Supply Coordinator Gerald Kauffman said that about 60 wastewater-treatment plants of varying sizes discharge into tributaries of the Brandywine, Wilmington's sole regular source of water. During past droughts, treated sewage and the trace contaminants it carries accounted for as much as 15 percent of all water reaching the city's treatment plant.

"Until we know more about it, in terms of developing methods of treatment, it's best to limit the amount of pharmaceuticals that get into the water supply by the very simple method of not flushing it, and making sure it's packaged for disposal."

"The other thing that's being talked about is getting pharmaceutical companies involved in disposal of their products, just as other industries are," Kauffman said.

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- April 26, 2010
Chicago Lawmakers: Call In the National Guard

Two lawmakers who believe violence has become so rampant in Chicago that the Illinois National Guard must be called in to help made a public plea to Gov. Pat Quinn to deploy troops.

CHICAGO -- Two lawmakers who believe violence has become so rampant in Chicago that the Illinois National Guard must be called in to help made a public plea to Gov. Pat Quinn on Sunday to deploy troops.

A recent surge in violent crime, including a night last week that saw seven people killed and 18 wounded -- mostly by gunfire -- prompted the request from Chicago Democratic Reps. John Fritchey and LaShawn Ford. They were joined by Willie Williams, whose son was shot and killed in 2006.

Chicago has had 113 homicide victims so far this year, Fritchey said.

"As we speak, National Guard members are working side-by-side with our troops to fight a war halfway around the world," he said during a news conference in downtown Chicago. "The unfortunate reality is that we have another war that is just as deadly that is taking place right in our backyard."

Fritchey said later that the proposal wasn't a "no confidence" vote toward police.

"I think the police have done a commendable job in fighting this surge in violence, but I also think they could use some well-trained help," he said. "The reality is that (police) department resources are stretched thin."

A message left for Quinn wasn't returned Sunday.

Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis said he didn't think the National Guard was the best answer, noting that police focus on civilian law enforcement.

"I appreciate their frustration and their willingness to help," he said after Fritchey and Ford's news conference. "But I am simply not sure the National Guard is the answer to our problems -- at least in terms of mass deployment. I'm frankly not sure what their mission would be."

Weis said most of the violent crime has been focused in areas that represent only 9 percent of the city. Last week, he said the department was improving its gang intelligence, developing new computer programs and creating a mobile strike force of about 100 officers to try to quell the violence, which has been largely confined to the city's south and west sides.

Fritchey said guard members have been trained in civil law enforcement as part of their nation-building assignments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Deploying the guard also would make economic sense, considering the near-crisis in state finances, he said.

"We don't have the dollars to hire additional officers, but in the National Guard we have men and women on hand who are trained to deal with these situations," he said.

Weis questioned how much training military personnel get in civilian law enforcement.

"I spent six years in the Army, and I never got any course on how or why to obtain a search warrant," Weis said. "That simply isn't part of the military mission, but it's something our officers have to deal with every day."

But he said he could he see a possible limited role for the National Guard in specialized fields, such as intelligence analysis and helicopter support.

In July 2008, after a similar surge in street crime, then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich suggested using the National Guard, but quickly backtracked, suggesting instead that bringing in Illinois State Police could help the Chicago's officers. Mayor Richard M. Daley and other city officials rejected the idea as poorly conceived, particularly in light of the state's fiscal difficulties.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/04/26/lawma...test=latestnews]]> Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:11:26 -0400 24246 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24244
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archive...apse-of-society]]> Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:12:33 -0400 24244 http://www.abrieflookattomorrow.com/newslinks/index.php?showtopic=24243 Studies Reveal Declining Living Standards and Increasing Anger

by Hiram Lee

A series of recent studies conducted by the Pew Research Center shed new light on the scope of the economic crisis in the US and the level of hostility the majority of the American population holds for the US government.

Released in March, before the passage of the Obama administration’s health care legislation, a survey entitled “Health Care Reform—Can’t Live With It, or Without It” indicates that 92 percent of Americans give the national economy a negative rating. No fewer than 70 percent of the respondents report having suffered job-related and financial problems in the past year, an increase from 59 percent the year before. Fifty-four percent report someone in their home has been without a job and looking for work in the past year, up from 39 percent in 2009.

The poll saw an aggravation of conditions in every area of economic life studied the year before. Increasing numbers of people are reporting difficulty receiving or affording medical care (26 percent) or paying their rent or mortgage payments (24 percent). More Americans faced problems with collections and credit agencies (21 percent), or had mortgages, loans or credit card applications denied (19 percent).

As could be expected, the poorest Americans are suffering the most. Some 44 percent of those making $30,000 per year or less report difficulty obtaining medical care, compared to 11 percent of those making $75,000 per year or more. A similar gap can be found in the category of rents and mortgages, with 37 percent of those making $30,000 or less reporting difficulty making rent or mortgage payments, compared to 11 percent of those making $75,000 or more. However, the percentage of those facing difficulties paying rent has increased dramatically for both groups since 2009.

Large numbers of workers polled in the study say they have little confidence in job security and prospects for the future, with almost half (49 percent) saying it is “very or somewhat likely” they will suffer “job-related financial stress” in the next year. Twenty-five percent of workers say they expect to be forced to take a pay cut this year, while 24 percent expect to be laid off.

The Pew survey found that 85 percent of Americans reported difficulty finding jobs in their communities. This and other statistics revealing the increasingly dismal employment opportunities facing millions of Americans are provided context in another study released this month by the Pew Economic Policy Group.

“A Year or More: The High Cost of Long-Term Unemployment” reports that no fewer than 44 percent of unemployed Americans met or exceeded the standard measure of long-term unemployment (six months or more) in March 2010. This marks the highest rate for long-term unemployment levels since World War II.

In addition to this, the Pew study reports that “23 percent of the nearly 15 million Americans who are unemployed have been jobless for a year or more.” This translates to 3.4 million people, “roughly equivalent,” the study points out, “to the population of the state of Connecticut.”

These alarming numbers should be considered along with findings in another recent Pew research study entitled “The People and Their Government,” released April 18. This report finds that “by almost every conceivable measure Americans are less positive and more critical of government these days.”

Only 22 percent of Americans say their government can be trusted, according to the new survey. The report puts this among the lowest measures of trust in the government in half a century.

The study also shows across-the-board declines in approval ratings for numerous federal agencies, including the Department of Education, the Food and Drug Administration, the Social Security Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Forty-three percent say the government has a negative effect on their daily life, up from 31 percent in 1997.

While approval ratings for the government are remarkably low, with 65 percent saying the federal government and congress have a negative impact “on the way things are going in the country,” the approval ratings for other major institutions are as low or lower. Sixty-nine percent of those surveyed say banks and other financial institutions have a negative impact on the way things are going in the country, while 64 percent say “large corporations” have a negative impact. Some 57 percent say the national news media has a negative impact, while 49 percent say labor unions have such an impact.

The report states that “more than six-in-ten (62%) say it is a major problem that government policies unfairly benefit some groups while nearly as many (56%) say that government does not do enough to help average Americans.”

Taken as a whole, the Pew studies from March and April offer additional insight into the growing social misery under conditions of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and the outrage it is generating.

Wide layers of the population, who have seen trillions of dollars funneled from the public treasury into the coffers of Wall Street executives while their own living standards have been assaulted, their jobs slashed, their children’s schools closed, and vital social programs such as Medicare cut by billions of dollars, have no faith in the US government to secure their most basic social needs.

The corporate-controlled news media, along with the major institutions overseeing the nation’s educational needs and basic food and medical resources, are considered corrupt and untrustworthy, contributing to the suffering of millions.

President Barack Obama, continuing to pose as a populist man of the people when he finds it necessary or beneficial, stands exposed as the chief representative of the interests of the American ruling elite and the standard bearer in the assault on the working class.

The restructuring of society taking place, in the direct interests of the corporate-financial elite and at the expense of the working population, is not occurring unnoticed. The American and international working class will inevitably find itself drawn into struggle against the present, untenable form of social organization.

Global Research Articles by Hiram Lee

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