FAN'S Report: "Fluoridation: Dirty Politics in New Zealand"

Summary report from New Zealand for 2013
December 28, 2013

by Mary Byrne, FAN-NZ

Before I get started I would just like to say thank you for all the support we have received through Fluoride Action Network (FAN). Our request for financial help with this year’s referenda battles resulted in donations totaling $3,137 from 25 people overseas. We really appreciated those donations, as we know you are all fighting your own battles so it was very generous of you to help us here as well. 

We are also really grateful to Professor Paul Connett for visiting us and giving talks. His talks have probably been the single most effective thing we have done to generate interest and activity throughout NZ. FAN also helped to pay the airfare of Dr. Andrew Harms, former President of the South Australian Dental Association, to fly to NZ to testify on behalf of fluoridation opponents at the successful Hamilton tribunal – successful that is until the pro-fluoridation PR machine went into action (see below).

Luckily, for us Paul and Ellen will be back here in early February to help us keep up the momentum that has been building here despite the fact that we lost three referenda this year. In fact, the huge effort by the fluoridation promoters to turn around the Hamilton council’s decision to end fluoridation may well backfire for them in the long run.

The Hamilton city councillors decision to end fluoridation propelled fluoridation into the national arena and, regardless of comments from the fluoridationists, it has legitimized the issue and the Ministry of Health is now feeling very threatened. They know that when we get an opportunity to have the whole issue aired on a level playing field people go against fluoridation.

Efforts to get mandatory fluoridation in NZ


Fluoridation promoters are trying to get the decision for fluoridation made by the central government rather than local government. A recent Health Select Committee report has heeded those calls and proposed the decision be moved to the District Health Boards (DHBs). This would effectively mean mandatory fluoridation as the DHBs are contracted to promote Ministry of Health policy and are not required to consult with the community. Disturbingly, the Health Select Committee included the Health spokesperson for the Green party and the Health spokesperson for the Labour party as well as some of the current government (National party) MPs. While these individuals have strong pro-fluoridation beliefs, there are many MPs in all parties that oppose fluoridation. The NZ Greens are ostensibly neutral, as they cannot reach consensus on fluoridation, even though Greens in UK and Canada are strongly opposed.

The political scene

Labour and Greens are the opposition parties, which may well make up a coalition government at next year's election. The ruling National party is at this point steadfast in maintaining the decision should be made by local councils. The only parties to be openly opposed to fluoridation are the Conservative party and Democrats for Social Credit.

While we have lost a few battles this year in NZ, we are winning the war because the antics of the proponents of fluoridation have made this into a national issue. Because of this, more and more people here are learning the truth and it is only a matter of time before that truth forces an end to this outdated practice. New Zealand has been known in the past to have the courage to buck the tide on both national and international affairs. We are looking forward to another busy year with:
1) Paul Connett’s visit in early February;
2) The High Court ruling sometime early in the New Year, and
3) A review of fluoridation from at least one council.

So watch this space. Meanwhile, here are some more details on some of this year’s events

The great victory in Hamilton

Fluoridation opponents in New Zealand achieved a great victory June 5 when councillors of Hamilton City Council after a 4-day tribunal where they heard testimony from both proponents and opponents of fluoridation (Fluoridation Tribunal) voted 7 to 1 to stop fluoridation. Fluoridation was actually stopped there on 21 June.

But after the vote the pro-fluoridation lobby went into full gear. They whipped up the kind of frenzy in the media that we have seen in other places around the world (Pinellas County, Florida; Brooksville, Florida; Portland, Oregon and Lismore, Australia). This was all aimed at intimidating the councillors in Hamilton, as well as sending a clear message to other councils around the country. Don’t do the right thing (i.e. end fluoridaiton) or you will get lambasted in the media – both local and national.

Councillors ridiculed locally and nationally

The Hamilton council members were not only chastised and ridiculed for being anti-science in a series of very personal attacks by the rabidly pro-fluoridation Waikato Times but they also received attacks at the national level. Both they and FAN-NZ received unfounded and scathing remarks from two Government Ministers, Judith Collins and Tony Ryall. They accused the councillors of being "gutless" and FAN-NZ and other opponents of misrepresenting the science on fluoridation.

Both FAN NZ and the council were very angry about the Ministers’ comments and used the official Information Act in an attempt to force them to justify their claims. But Minister Collins sidestepped the Information Act request by claiming her comment was made as an MP, not as Minister of Justice. MPs’ comments are not subject to the Act, Ministers are. This was the height of hypocrisy.

Minister Ryall also ducked justifying his comments by forwarding the request for information to Ministry of Health, even though his accusations were personal. The fact that Minister Ryall referred to the Ministry of Health suggests that he may have been misled by his own civil servants into making these false accusations.

FAN-NZ’s media release

FAN-NZ issued a media release stating that it was “totally unacceptable in a free democracy that Ministers should try to silence people and intimidate local government by bullying those who say something they or their Ministry disagrees with."

We further argued that Ministers Collins and Ryall should be promoting open transparent scientific discussion at a national level instead of stooping to name-calling and the kind of ridicule that is intended to quash dissent.”

But all to no avail. The Ministers comments were splashed all over the media and even made it onto National TV. So…
The victory in Hamilton was short-lived

Just a week after the council’s decision, fluoridation proponent Councillor Ewan Wilson, who is also a member of the Waikato District Health Board (WDHB), pushed for a referendum saying Hamilton's ratepayers should make the final decision on whether to keep fluoride in their water. Councillor Wilson’s initiative resulted in 2,500 signatures being collected (1,000 more than required). This forced the full council to vote on whether to hold a referendum on the issue.

A violation in the process

On July 4, the full council voted 7 to 6 in favour of holding a referendum. However, this decision controversially included the votes of Cllr Wilson and two other DHB members – Cllrs Martin Gallagher and Pippa Mahood, who previously had excluded themselves on this issue in accordance with conflict of interest rules in the Crown Entities Act 2004. Cllrs Wilson, Gallagher and Mahood exploited a loophole and were allowed to vote on whether to hold a referendum as this vote was considered by Hamilton Council’s lawyer’s to be about process rather than about fluoridation per se.

If the Council’s Fluoridation Tribunal had voted to continue fluoridation, would Cllr Wilson have called for a referendum? We doubt it.

We lose the referendum

The referendum was conducted by post between 20 September and 12 October in conjunction with local elections. With the great help of the Waikato Times the proponents won the referendum by 68 to 34%.

So while the Council had given the issue a full and balanced hearing over four days and voted 7 to 1 to end fluoridation, the situation was reversed by a public vote, which was heavily influenced by a combination of one-sided media coverage and ill-founded and unfair comments from two Government ministers.

But the fluoridation tap has not been turned back on yet!


Following the referendum result, a full meeting of Hamilton Council on 28 November considered the issue and voted 7 to 6 to defer a decision on whether to restart fluoridation until after the outcome of a judicial review of South Taranaki District Council's (STDC’s) December 2012 decision to add fluoride to Patea and Waverley's water supplies.

Another violation?

Cllr Wilson voted on this decision even though he was advised not to by Hamilton Council’s lawyers. Wilson claimed he was eligible because he was “open-minded” on the issue. Members of the public at this meeting couldn't help but start laughing. The term ‘open-minded’ does not appear in the 2004 Act.

Judicial review in New Plymouth

The STDC Judicial Review took place from 25 to 26 November in New Plymouth and on the final day Justice Hansen reserved his decision. This is expected early in the New Year. The case was brought to court by New Health New Zealand (NHNZ), a natural health advocacy group. NHNZ’s lawyers claimed local councils are breaking the law and breaching human rights by fluoridating water supplies.

More violations trigger judicial review in Kapiti Coast

Kapiti Coast District Council is also facing a judicial review over its 2010 decision to retain water fluoridation (Kapiti is near the capital Wellington). Kapiti Coast resident, Mike Woods, lodged a Judicial Review with the High Court in Wellington on 29 October. The legal challenge is to Kapiti Council’s decision to allow a councillor with a conflict of interest to vote. The 2010 vote was split 5 to 5. If one vote is declared invalid, the vote will retrospectively be reduced to 4 councillors in favor of retaining fluoridation and 5 opposed and will immediately end the practice in Kapiti Coast. The excitement mounts!

The outcome of this Kapiti judicial review, expected towards the end of February, may have implications for Hamilton Council in relation to its joint council/WDHB members latterly refusing to exclude themselves from council decisions on fluoridation due to conflicts of interest.

Fluoridation is, of course, NZ’s Ministry of Health official policy but it is now being challenged in many jurisdictions.

Fluoridation promoters have historically opposed referenda and in New Zealand this was reflected in a 2000 ESR Report1 recommendation that councils consider tribunals, which can involve taking submissions from professionals and lay people from near and far.

Councils can choose a referendum instead of a tribunal and this has happened.

A mixed record in NZ

Overall in recent years we have been winning. There are only 67 councils in NZ and currently only 22 have any fluoridation.

Since 2009, opponents have put fluoridation on the agendas of nine councils.

Councils took the decision to stop fluoridation in Central Hawke's Bay, Taumarunui, New Plymouth and Hamilton.

Hastings, Whakatane and Far North chose referenda. The citizens in Far North voted to stop, butHastings (binding) and Whakatane (non-binding) voted to continue fluoridation. It is likely that Hastings will continue with fluoridation but it is less certain in Whakatane where a sizeable 40% of people voted to stop.

New Plymouth, like Hamilton, held a Tribunal Hearing where the council chose to stop.

Central Hawke’s Bay and Taumarunui invited public consultation through their draft annual plan and councillors subsequently voted to stop. Lower Hutt commissioned a council report on fluoridation but a voted 8 to 5 not to hold a referendum.

Meanwhile, Kapiti Coast and Hastings District Councils lowered their fluoride levels to 0.7 ppm in 2010 despite the Ministry of Health advising them not to.

Dunedin City Council reduced its fluoride level to 0.75 ppm following the draft annual plan process this year during which Paul Connett put the case against fluoridation while the Dunedin Dental School and the local DHB produced their usual propaganda.

Fluoridation opponents gearing up for more battles in 2014

This year’s referenda results will make things a bit more challenging. In Kapiti, despite the legal challenge (or perhaps because of it), fluoridation is already on the Kapiti Council’s agenda. Meanwhile, the campaign against fluoridation will continue across the country until Fluoridation is stopped completely.

Thanks again to all those outside NZ who have wished us well. When any one of us wins we all win. Just as we were inspired by the decision to end mandatory fluoridation in Israel we hope to continue inspiring communities everywhere with our victories. Go FAN Go!


Reference:

1) Council decision-making in relation to fluoridation of public drinking water supplies, Ann Winstanley, Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited ("ESR") for the NZ Ministry of Health, September 2002.

Video Lecture on Economy for High School/College Students

"How Entrepreneurs Make an Economy Grow" | Peter G. Klein

December 24, 2013

 

"...this lecture by Peter Klein was presented at “How Does an Economy Grow? A Seminar for High School and College Students”."

 

 

Politics and Economics News Report for Today

Missouri State Senator Wants To Require Parents To Notify School District How Many Guns They Own

December 8, 2013

State senator looks to stiffen gun-possession laws

http://www.callnewspapers.com/Articles-Our-Town-i-2013-12-04-270214.112112-State-senator-looks-to-stiffen-gunpossession-laws.html

An Effective Eye Drug Is Available For $50. But Many Doctors Choose A $2,000 Alternative.

December 9, 2013

http://libertycrier.com/effective-eye-drug-available-50-many-doctors-choose-2000-alternative/?utm_source=The+Liberty+Crier&utm_campaign=b6e7d0b383-The_Liberty_Crier_Daily_News_12_9_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_600843dec4-b6e7d0b383-284777229

I Lived a Day According to Ben Franklin’s Schedule and It Changed My Life

December 6, 2013 by Tim Goessling of TheKnow

http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/dtv-benjamin-franklin/#!pov4a

The Federal Reserve: 100 Years Of Boom And Bust (New Documentary)

December 9, 2013

---

Murray Sabrin | Murray Sabrin, Ph.D. is professor of finance at Ramapo College of New Jersey and co-founder and president of Conger LH, the world's first Lubrihibitor. Virtually all of Dr. Sabrin's profits from this venture will go toward funding economic education, nonprofit health centers and supporting the Second Amendment. He is the author of Tax Free 2000:The Rebirth of American Liberty and is working on a documentary on the 100th anniversary of the Federal Reserve. Dr. Sabrin blogs at www.MurraySabrin.com.

http://libertycrier.com/federal-reserve-100-years-boom-bust-new-documentary/?utm_source=The+Liberty+Crier&utm_campaign=b6e7d0b383-The_Liberty_Crier_Daily_News_12_9_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_600843dec4-b6e7d0b383-284777229


 

 

Sulfuryl Fluoride Update on the US Congressional Farm Bill

December 3, 2013

Sulfuryl Fluoride Legislation In D.C.

Sulfuryl fluoride is a highly toxic food fumigant used on post-harvest foods in warehouses and mills - but not on organic foods. Dow AgroSciences, one of the nation’s largest pesticide manufacturers, along with various food companies including the peanut industry, have spent much of 2013 lobbying U.S. Congressional respresentatives in the House and Senate in an effort to reverse the EPA's proposed phase-out of the highly toxic food fumigant sulfuryl fluoride.

If successful, their efforts would have removed key health protections from the Food Quality Protection Act, a law passed in 1996 to give more protection for a child’s exposure to pesticides. Not only would reversal of the phase-out expose children to incredibly high levels of fluoride residues on their food, but this would also make it harder for anyone living in the U.S. to avoid fluoride, as foods fumigated with Sulfuryl fluoride have no labeling requirement.

Background

FAN became involved with Sulfuryl Fluoride in 2001 when Dow AgroSciences first petitioned US EPA for an Experimental Use Permit for its use on raisins and walnuts. FAN submitted comments and formal Objections and then in 2004 and 2005 EPA approved its use and high fluoride residues on all processed food, beans, grains, flour -and much more, including a fluoride residue of 900 ppm on dried eggs! FAN collaborated with two great groups, the Environmental Working Group and Beyond Pesticides, and a masterful pro-bono lawyer (Perry E. Wallace, Esq.), to reverse EPA’s approval, through a series of substantive submissions to the US EPA.

Incredibly, after many years of hard work, in January 2011, EPA concluded that it agreed with “all” of our objections and published their proposal to phase-out sulfuryl fluoride in the Federal Register. According to protocol, EPA simultaneously solicited public comments on the phase-out. Since then Dow AgroSciences, the proprietary maker of sulfuryl fluoride, has done everything a powerful corporation can do to dissuade EPA from enacting the phase-out. EPA has yet to issue its final decision.

2013 Lobbying

This past year, Dow worked harder than ever to reverse the phase-out using their Congressional lapdogs and lobbyists in Washington, D.C. to introduce not one, but four different pieces of legislation to accomplish their goal. Fortunately, FAN was prepared to work just as hard to protect the phase-out and our nation’s children.

The first attempt in 2013 was a House bill titled the Pest Free Food Supply Act (H.R.1496), and was sponsored by Representative Tom Graves (R-Georgia) along with 14 co-sponsors from various farming states. The bill would have required the EPA to withdraw their proposed phase-out of Sulfuryl Fluoride. It was introduced in the House Energy and Commerce Committee in April, but FAN acted quickly to generate hundreds of emails, letters, and phone calls to committee members prior to a public hearing on the bill. Our intense opposition and that of our colleagues, Jay Feldman of Beyond Pesticides and also EWG, kept the bill from even making it out of the committee.

The pesticide-lobby’s second attempt was in the Senate, where Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly (R) proposed amendment #1122 ("Exclusion of fluoride from aggregate exposure) for the Senate version of the Farm Bill in June. Again, FAN and Beyond Pesticides responded quickly by targeting Agriculture committee members, generating hundreds of letters and phone calls from constituents to Senators, and working with our sulfuryl fluoride coalition to get information to Senate leadership. As a result, the amendment was tabled by the Senate leadership and not included on their version of the Farm bill.

Not to be deterred, Dow had Representative Tom Graves amend the House Appropriations bill with phase-out reversal language. In response, FAN sent staff down to D.C. to meet with House and Senate members on the Appropriations committees. In the process we made a number of legislative allies, had House members speak out publicly in opposition to the amendment, and were able to get commitments from Senators that they would oppose the amendment if it made it out of the House. So far, the Appropriations bill carrying Rep. Graves’ amendment has stalled in committee, and will not be voted on in 2013.

The fourth attempt to end the phase-out may be the most devious. In the House’s version of the Farm Bill there is a section that calls for an economic impact study of the phase-out of Sulfuryl fluoride. While this may seem innocuous, we suspect it’s really an attempt to keep the possibility of a phase-out reversal on the table in negotiations on the final Farm Bill text between the House and Senate. Not only hasthe EPA already conducted an economic impact study that showed that alternatives to SF would actually save the food industry money in the long run, but because SF is simply mentioned in the House version being negotiated by a joint conference committee, it’s possible that the language could be amended as part of those negotiations. So far, SF has not been discussed by Farm Bill conferees, and changes have not been made to the language, but FAN has continued to contact Senators urging them to oppose any SF language in the final version of the Farm bill.

If successful, a reversal of FAN’s hard fought victory would make the United States one of only two western nations to allow sulfuryl fluoride on food. Should this happen, it will increase the number of American children ingesting unsafe levels of fluoride, and create a food poisoning risk for consumers who purchase food that contains permissible levels of the fumigant. We cannot allow this to happen!

While the House appropriations and House Farm Bill amendment are still viable, our lobbying has created a number of allies for us in the both legislative bodies, and we are confident that these amendments will not pass in 2013. Of course, while we have been successful in 2013, we can rest assure that Dow will not give up their fight in 2014. This is why we need your continued support. We both need each other for this campaign to succeed, and so far we have proved to be a good match! Please help us protect our nation’s children and the safety of our food supply by making a tax-deductible contribution today.


Sincerely, 
Stuart Cooper
Campaign Director
Fluoride Action Network

Strange News Items: WebMD taking $4.8 million from Feds to promote ObamaCare, New Zealand newspaper caught red-handed in reversing poll survey results on fluoride, and Fluoride questions to EU Parliamentary for Ireland's fluoride additive...

WebMD Pockets Millions to Stimulate $1 Trillion in Drug Sales

December 4, 2013

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/12/04/webmd-obamacare.aspx?e_cid=20131204Z1A_PRNL_art_1&utm_source=prmrnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20131204Z1A&et_cid=DM34548&et_rid=356437546

Story at-a-glance

• WebMD has received a $4.8 million government contract to educate doctors about the Affordable Care Act. Lack of transparency has raised questions about potential conflicts of interest
• WebMD has positioned itself as a primary source of independent and science-backed health information yet is financially dependent on pharmaceutical companies, and now the US government
• In 2010, WebMD was found to have created a depression screening test in which 100 percent of quiz-takers ended up having a “high likelihood of major depression,” and were asked to discuss available drug treatment
• Global expenditure for prescription drugs is estimated to hit $1 trillion next year, and as high as $1.2 trillion in 2017
• The main driver of increased drug sales is increased access to medical care across the world. In the US, the Affordable Care Act will likely lead to major spending increases

 

New Zealand Newspaper Caught Reversing Fluoridation Poll Results

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

http://beforeitsnews.com/health/2013/12/new-zealand-newspaper-caught-reversing-fluoridation-poll-results-2514276.html

 

‘The Waikato Times has been caught out reversing its online survey results about the Hamilton City Council’s decision on Thursday to defer its fluoridation decision. The poll asked people if they supported the council’s decision to wait until the after the legal challenge currently before the High Court is decided. 68% of people said “yes” and only 32% said “no” but the Waikato Times misrepresented this as 68% saying “no” and 32% saying “yes”.
The Waikato Times “turning reality upside down” was discovered because various members of the public had taken screen shots while the poll was running, reports the NGO Fluoride Action Network New Zealand (FANNZ) in a press release, adding that people were shocked to see the newspaper print the poll with the results reversed.’

Read more: New Zealand Newspaper Caught Reversing Fluoridation Poll Results

 

 

Parliamentary questions
29 November 2013 - Last Updated December 4, 2013	P-013561-13
Question for written answer to the Commission Rule 117 Martina Anderson (GUE/NGL) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=WQ&reference=P-2013-013561&format=XML&language=EN  Subject:  Use of hexafluorosilicic acid for water fluoridation in Ireland The substance used to fluoridate the water in the Irish state is hexafluorosilicic acid which is classed as a biocide. The EU wrote to the manufacturer of the substance asking them to provide clinical and epidemiological studies showing that this substance is safe to use as a biocidal product within the EU. Given that the manufacturer refused to give this information to the EU and the fact that the EU subsequently banned the product for use as a biocidal chemical in the EU, can the Commission clarify the legal status of hexafluorosilicic acid and any restrictions that may exist on its usage, particularly in the process of water fluoridation? Is the Irish Government in breach of EC law by continuing to allow hexafluorosilicic acid to be used in the fluoridation of the water supply in Ireland? Does the Irish Government have any obligation under EC law to stop or review its use of hexafluorosilicic acid in the fluoridation of water?

 

 

 

A Proposed Solution to Health Care in America

How to really solve Obamacare and put America on the path to healthful abundance
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/042983_health_care_system_financial_failure_prevention_of_disease.html#ixzz2lElFquSw

As a result of all this, Obamacare is fatally broken even if it magically works. They may be able to (eventually) fix the website, but they can't fix the underlying MODEL of Obamacare which is really nothing more than playing musical chairs with the ever-increasing costs of funding a national policy of disease management and medical crisis intervention.

What you really need if you want a sustainable health care system is something like the following:

• Outlawing all drug advertisements that target the general public. Drug ads do nothing but convince people they need more drugs even when they don't. (All such drug ads were illegal before 1997.)

• Ending the FDA's censorship of truthful health claims on nutritional supplements, thereby allowing sellers of herbs, superfoods and dietary supplements to make truthful, qualified, scientifically-validated claims about the ability of dietary products to treat, prevent and cure disease. Vitamin C, for example, cures scurvy. But the FDA does not allow this claim on a bottle of vitamin C.

• Breaking the state medical monopolies that marginalize chiropractic, Chinese medicine, herbal practices and other holistic healing arts. State medical boards needs to be reined in with a national "Medical Bill of Rights" that guarantees freedom to practice the healing arts without oppressive interference from state medical boards (which are almost always run by conventional medical monopolists who have financial ties to Big Pharma).

• Ending all drug patents and shifting R&D to publicly-funded universities. This would immediately take the profit out of junk science drug promotions and sharply reduce the cost of drugs to the public.

• The outlawing of all toxic, disease-promoting ingredients in the food supply (HFCS, aspartame, sodium nitrite, etc.)

• The breaking apart of the FDA into separate "Food" and "Drug" regulators.

• Reforming the mission statement of the NIH to study causes of health rather than causes of disease.

• The outlawing of FDA, CDC, USDA and FTC employees from accepting jobs inside the very industries they regulate. (Stop the "revolving door" of regulators taking jobs with pharma.)

• The outlawing of drug company bribery of doctors, financial influence of medical schools and commercial funding of science journals.

• The total ban of mercury from all medicines, including vaccines where they continue to be used. This ban also must encompass dental amalgams, where mercury remains one of the top sources of contamination across the population.

• Ending poisonous agricultural practices such as GMOs and the widespread use of glyphosate.

• Ending all government subsidies of agricultural products that promote disease such as high-fructose corn syrup and processed, refined sugar.

• Restoring patients' rights to sue vaccine companies for the permanent health damage caused by their products. Across the board, due process must be restored for patients who consume health products.

• A forced repeal of the FDA's utterly ridiculous "flat Earth" belief that there is no such thing as any vitamin, mineral, nutrient or botanical that has any ability whatsoever to treat, prevent or cure any disease. This absurd belief is hopelessly outdated, and it results in patients and health care providers being unable to find or recommend affordable, safe and efficacious nutritional therapies that prevent and in some cases even help reverse disease.

"The New York Times" that warned us of the Power Grid Shutdown Drill now reports on how well it went, with the reminder given NOW that it was never meant to turn off any electricity for real, just pretend to turn it off, like a fire drill without the fire...uh-huh...not exactly what they said back in August -- and notice, also, how this below article is written, in present tense, with NO references to it being pretended...wording all the way down to the end, like it's a big joke, that makes it "sound like" it really happened, such as with reports of "stymied efforts to restore equipment and get lights back on, attackers used guns and bombs, by the end of the exercise 20,000 customers were still in the dark, parent company got hit harder and one employee was killed"...any part of the article could be taken out of context and reported as though it really happened in real time...just like the below article also mocks a couple of Internet websites that did an analysis of the drill's potential resulting scenarios....let's see, didn't we see something like this in a children's story once, something about a boy who cried wolf, and what was it that happened when it was for real....? Uh-huh...

Previous article by "The New York Times" --
"As Worries Over the Power Grid Rise, a Drill Will Simulate a Knockout Blow"
("The New York Times")By MATTHEW L. WALD Published: August 16, 2013

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/17/us/as-worries-over-the-power-grid-rise-a-drill-will-simulate-a-knockout-blow.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

"Attack Ravages Power Grid. (Just a Test.)"

By MATTHEW L. WALD

Published: November 14, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/us/coast-to-coast-simulating-onslaught-against-power-grid.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&smid=tw-nytimes&adxnnlx=1384501226-AiLoSrpp3l0LspF4Ovg/hw&
 

WASHINGTON — In windowless rooms from here to California, nearly 10,000 electrical engineers, cybersecurity specialists, utility executives and F.B.I. agents furiously grappled over 48 hours with an unseen “enemy” who tried to turn out the lights across America. The enemy injected computer viruses into grid control systems, bombed transformers and substations and knocked out power lines by the dozen.

By late Thursday morning, in this unprecedented continental-scale war game to determine how prepared the nation is for a cyberattack, tens of millions of Americans were in simulated darkness. Hundreds of transmission lines and transformers were declared damaged or destroyed, and the engineers were rushing to assess computers that were, for the purposes of the drill, tearing their system apart.

“It’s going really well,” said Gerry W. Cauley, the president and chief executive of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, which ran the drill. “A bit scary, but really well.”

There were seven “deaths” of police officers, firefighters and utility workers who showed up to investigate reports of problems at substations or power lines and were shot by attackers still on the scene. In all, there were 150 “casualties,” Mr. Cauley said. Attempts to restore equipment and get the lights back on were stymied by police officers who locked down the locations because of “active shooters.”

The degree of simulation varied, organizers said. Nobody touched actual operating equipment, but some companies sent trucks with linemen aboard to investigate the status of key transformers because the “scenarios” written by Mr. Cauley’s group included computer viruses that kept technicians at the control centers from knowing the condition of crucial equipment.

The drill also involved “denial of service” attacks, in which hackers flooded a computer connected to the Internet with so many messages that it could not handle the load. In real life, banks and other companies have been hit with such attacks.

Drill participants said they would not talk about the specific locations of the simulated attacks, for two reasons: The locations were chosen at points that the insiders knew were vulnerable, and the companies involved were promised that if they participated, their performance would not be held up to public criticism. The purpose, organizers said, was to pose problems that were hard to solve, to expose areas that needed improvement.

In a much smaller drill two years ago, known as GridEx, for Grid Exercise, analysis afterward found that participants were good at communicating with their neighbors, electrically speaking, but not with national organizations like the electric reliability corporation, making it hard for anyone to get an overview of what was happening.

How well they did this time in what the national group called GridEx II will not be clear for weeks.

One main component of the drill was a log of all communications to record who said what to whom, by email or phone, to determine whether the participants could promptly reach the appropriate people at power companies, police stations or distant cybersecurity centers, and whether they could convey the appropriate information. The information supplied by the game controllers included some “fog of war” confusion, Mr. Cauley said.

From one undisclosed location in suburban Washington, the electric reliability corporation used a crew of about 40 people to lead the exercise, announcing new attacks and other developments. At a second undisclosed spot, but also in suburban Washington at the Department of Homeland Security’s National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, specialists took calls from electric industry technicians and operators to assist in responding to about 40 cyberattacks.

At 210 utility companies, participants responded to developments served up by drill managers. Most of the companies are in the United States, but some are Canadian and Mexican utilities integrated into the American grid. Royal Canadian Mounted Police officials also participated.

The script for some of the attacks, physical and cyber, resembled actual attacks in this country and around the world, said one participant. And they came thick and fast. “They were trying to drive their people to saturation,” the participant said.

At the Southwestern Electric Power Company, a subsidiary of American Electric Power that serves parts of Louisiana, Arkansas and eastern Texas, attackers used guns and bombs against a power plant and a transformer, and 108,000 of the company’s 520,000 customers lost power. “There were certainly surprises for us,” said Venita McCellon-Allen, the president and chief operating officer. “I sat up straight in my chair.”

Most of the company’s participants in the drill were in a conference room at a control center in Shreveport, La., she said, but the activity included contacts with the corporate parent, in Columbus, Ohio. “It was more severe than anything we’ve drilled,” she said. By the end of the exercise, 20,000 customers were still in the dark. The parent company got hit harder: Power was knocked out for an additional 162,000 customers, and one employee was killed.

The drill ran through business hours on Wednesday and half of the day on Thursday, but each hour of drill time was meant to simulate about four hours of activity. After the drill ended, top utility executives and federal officials were to meet to discuss how they would react in the days, weeks and perhaps months of recovery that would follow.

In a period of anxiety about cyberattacks and the vulnerability of the nation’s infrastructure, news that GridEx II would be held engendered yet more nervousness, some of it bizarre. One website tried to connect a joint training exercise in Hawaii between American and Chinese military personnel with the electricity drill . Another described it as a prelude to the government’s declaring martial law.

Nadya Bartol, the senior cybersecurity strategist at the Utilities Telecom Council, a trade group in Washington with hundreds of electric, water and gas utility members, said it was important to remember that the drill did not involve actual electric service. “It’s a fire drill, not a fire,” she said.

Ms. Bartol, who was not involved in the drill, said her group’s members found exercises like this very useful. “It’s a good idea, just like it’s a good idea for a student to take a training test for the SAT,” she said.
 

News Reports on Vaccine Politics

Measles Reports in America: What Does It Mean?

November 12, 2013

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/11/12/measles-vaccine.aspx?e_cid=20131112Z1_PRNL_art_1&utm_source=prmrnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20131112Z1 

Story at-a-glance

• American children are among the most highly vaccinated in the world. Over 90 percent of American toddlers have received a measles-containing MMR shot by age three, along with 10 other government recommended vaccines
• Americans born before 1957 have naturally acquired immunity to measles and we passed antibodies on to our babies when they were born to protect them from measles during the first year of life
• Because vaccine antibodies are different from naturally-acquired measles antibodies, young vaccinated moms today cannot give longer lasting naturally acquired measles antibodies to their newborns
• We have seen a militarization of the public health system in the past century to justify global vaccination campaigns
• The public conversation about vaccination, health and autonomy has become ugly and divisive in the 21st century because the War on Disease has been turned into a War on Values and Beliefs 

Vaccine fraud exposed: Measles and mumps making a huge comeback because vaccines are designed to fail, say Merck virologists

Monday, November 11, 2013 by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/042864_measles_outbreak_mumps_vaccines_scientific_fraud.html#ixzz2kTl5Wq16

• Merck falsified its mumps vaccine efficacy results, say former employees

• Why drug companies design vaccines to fail

• Vaccines are ASSUMED to work, not proven to work

• Some vaccines are actively spiked with live viruses to cause pandemics

 

Want to help the victims of the Philippines typhoon? Here is contact info for one organization who is taking donations -- And the drama of ObamaCare just keeps going....

Natural News donates $10,000 to Philippines typhoon victims via Tzu Chi Foundation

Monday, November 11, 2013 by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/042850_Philippines_typhoon_victims_donation.html#ixzz2kMT3VGNS

Natural News sends $10,000 to help aid hurricane victims

"...While we can't go there and help in person, we know that the Tzu Chi Foundation is probably the best rescue organization on the planet. Nearly 100% of all donations go straight to victims in the form of food, blankets, emergency medicine and basic lifesaving supplies.

"If you'd like to join our efforts, make a donation at the Tzu Chi Foundation website.

"All donations are tax deductible in the United States. Their Tax ID is 94-2952782.

"If you would like to make an even larger donation or happen to own shipping vessels, cranes, bulldozers or other large equipment that you would like to volunteer for the rescue efforts, contact the Tzu Chi Foundation at (909) 447-7799 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (909) 447-7799 FREE  end_of_the_skype_highlighting or visit www.us.tzuchi.org ..."
White House orders health insurance companies to not criticize Obamacare
Monday, November 11, 2013 by: J. D. Heyes
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/042862_White_House_health_insurance_companies_censorship.html#ixzz2kMTOqrBL

"...According to one CNN reporter, they will tell you that the current regime is so adamant about controlling the narrative surrounding the Obamacare disaster that they have even taken to issuing threats.

"During a recent segment on network star Anderson Cooper's "360" program, reporter Drew Griffin said that insurance companies have been told by regime operatives to "keep quiet" about the fact that millions of Americans are being informed that, contrary to Obama's promise, they won't be able to keep their current plans at current prices and deductible levels.

"Basically, if you speak out, if you are quoted, you're going to get a call from the White House, pressure to be quiet. Several sources tell me and my colleague Chris Frates that insurance executives are being told to keep quiet," said Griffin.

"He added: "Sources (are) telling us they fear White House retribution."
'Despite all the rhetoric, you can't keep your plan

"Fear White House retribution. Can you even fathom that this is happening in the United States of America? And yet, according to these seasoned reporters, it is..."

1.) Election results in Missouri and Colorado--rejection of higher taxes to pay for alleged healthcare research 2.) First 3-D printed gun using metal parts 3.) Two Videos about Austrian Economics 101 by Wrestler "Kane" who shows examples of what happens when other countries collapse economically, and how to fix the EU economy--that could be potentially used in the USA, yes or no? What do you think?? 4.) Louisiana Gov. and state legislature planning a natural consequence for those who chose to steal at Walmart when they found that their food stamps card had been shutdown 5.) IRS caught sending fraud refunds to addresses on the other side of the world claiming it was identity thieves who caused it--$4 Billion to the Middle East addresses--but if you or I attempted that, we'd be thrown in prison before the ink was dry! How does this work?? 6.) Detailed article on how the USA collapses when China calls in their loans (with a video at the end) 7.) Just a comment by Dr. Mercola about another drug company who also paid out big bucks for misleading marketing, just like Johnson & Johnson did recently for the same thing

Taxpayers Win Big in Kansas City, Missouri

Jackson County voters rejected an $800 million tax hike by eighty-six percent.

Yesterday voters in Jackson County, Missouri (including the voters of Kansas City) went to the polls faced with Question One. The ballot question would have increased the county sales tax by .5-percent amounting in an $800 million tax hike over the next 20 years. The revenue would go to fund new research facilities for local hospitals – something that, as opponents noted, in the past would have been funded through federal and state grants, along with private fundraising.
In a landslide victory for taxpayers, Question One was defeated with 86-percent of voters against and only 14-percent in favor. The ballot measure drew strong opposition from community and taxpayer groups alike – even drawing sharp criticism from the less-than-taxpayer-friendly Kansas City Star:

To urge a “ no” vote is not a happy place for this newspaper. It’s easy to root for a major translational research hub and the talented researchers it may draw. We simply don’t see an additional tax on one county’s shoppers, be they individuals or businesses, as the primary path to that goal…
Voters need to make it a point to get to the polls, reject this tax initiative, and then the community can pull together to find more equitable funding to advance this worthwhile effort.

With voters rejecting a massive tax increase in Colorado by a 2 to 1 margin, the defeat of Question One in Jackson County, Missouri serves as yet another example that voters are souring on the tax and spend philosophy touted by Democrats across the nation.

Read more: http://atr.org/taxpayers-win-big-kansas-city-missouri-a7974#ixzz2kIQ9Hlsp

Texas Company Makes The World’s First 3D-Printed Metal Gun

November 8, 2013

http://www.gizmag.com/worlds-first-3d-printed-gun/29702/

 

 

 

Austrian Economics With Glenn Jacobs (aka Wrestler "Kane")

November 8, 2013

http://libertycrier.com/austrian-economics-glenn-jacobs/?utm_source=The+Liberty+Crier&utm_campaign=6d0a7e7ac7-The_Liberty_Crier_Daily_News_11_8_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_600843dec4-6d0a7e7ac7-284777229

 

 

 

 

Central Bank Monetary Cures Cannot Work

November 8, 2013

Peter Schiff on CNBC Europe (11/7/2013) discussing the EU economy and what is needed to fix it

 

Louisiana Food Stamp Abusers Will Lose Benefits Over Wal-mart Free For All

November 8, 2013

http://www.bizpacreview.com/2013/11/07/louisiana-food-stamp-abusers-will-lose-benefits-over-wal-mart-free-for-all-86692

(Louisiana Governor...) Bobby Jindal and his administration took steps to strip food stamp from those who loaded up their shopping carts knowing they had insufficient funds in their EBT accounts...

Report: IRS Refunded $4B to Identity Thieves
from AP 7 Nov 2013
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/11/07/Report--IRS-refunded--4B-to-identity-thieves


(AP) Report: IRS refunded $4B to identity thieves
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER
Associated Press
WASHINGTON
The Internal Revenue Service issued $4 billion in fraudulent tax refunds last year to people using stolen identities, with some of the money going to addresses in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Ireland, according to an inspector general's report released Thursday.

The IRS sent a total of 655 tax refunds to a single address in Lithuania, and 343 refunds went to a lone address in Shanghai.
In the U.S., more fraudulent returns went to Miami than any other city. Other top destinations were Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta and Houston.

The IRS has stepped up efforts to fight identity theft, but thieves are getting more aggressive, said the report by J. Russell George, Treasury's inspector general for tax administration. Last year, the IRS stopped more than $12 billion in fraudulent refunds from going to identity thieves, compared with $8 billion the year before...

How China Can Cause The Death Of The Dollar And The Entire U.S. Financial System

By Michael Snyder, on November 7th, 2013

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/how-china-can-cause-the-death-of-the-dollar-and-the-entire-u-s-financial-system

 

"The death of the dollar is coming, and it will probably be China that pulls the trigger.  What you are about to read is understood by only a very small fraction of all Americans..."  (Also watch video at end of article)

 

The Mises View: “Our NSA Economy” | Mark Thornton

November 8, 2013

 

Mark Thornton explains some unintended consequences of bulk NSA spying. Thornton is a Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute. For more information, visit the Mises Institute online at mises.org.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW...
that in 2007, Purdue Pharma paid $634.5 million for fraudulently misbranding Oxycontin, and suggesting it was less addictive and less abused than other painkillers? The company was charged with using misleading sales tactics, minimizing risks, and promoting it for uses for which it was not appropriately studied.  (from Dr. Mercola)

What do you think of this video message? Does it reflect the US Constitution accurately, or is the US Constitution dead?

Ben Swann: The First Amendment, Speech, Religion And Press

November 7, 2013

 

 

Remember the Power Grid Shutdown Drill next week -- Nov. 13-14 -- and here are some interesting weblinks that can help all of us prepare for it

As Worries Over the Power Grid Rise, a Drill Will Simulate a Knockout Blow
("The New York Times")

By MATTHEW L. WALD Published: August 16, 2013

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/17/us/as-worries-over-the-power-grid-rise-a-drill-will-simulate-a-knockout-blow.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

 

You've Been Warned: Why You Need to be Ready For Total Grid Failure

September 23, 2013

by Daisy Luther

http://www.activistpost.com/2013/09/youve-been-warned-why-you-need-to-be.html

What Will You Do When the Lights Go Out?

Posted by: Daisy Luther | on November 30, 2012

http://www.theorganicprepper.ca/what-will-you-do-when-the-lights-go-out-11302012

 

"...Now, apply this to your own situation. Find as many solutions as possible for the issues you would face if going for weeks (or longer) without power. You must stay warm, eat, and drink. Everything else is a bonus... 

 "Here are some examples from my family’s list and the solutions that we either have or have planned:
Lights: Solar garden lights, candles, kerosene lights

Heat: Wood stove, small propane heater for the bathroom or kitchen for the coldest days, 2 large canisters of propane
Cooking: Wood stove, nutritious home-canned meals that only require reheating, small and large cast-iron dutch ovens to use on wood stove, sun oven, outdoor fireplace, meals that don’t require any cooking("Power Outage Picnic"--see below)
Refrigeration: Large cooler to be packed with snow in the winter and used indoors, a plastic storage bench that is lockable to be used outdoors in the winter (the lock is to keep 4 legged critters out of it), root cellar for summer, change of eating habits in summer
Water: (our well runs on an electric pump and we rent, so unfortunately we can’t modify this) 1 month supply of drinking water stored, Berkey water filtration system, buckets along with a sled or wheel barrow depending on the season, for bringing up water from the lake for flushing, filtration and cleaning.

"Anything else, we can really live without. These are the things which are vital, and the solutions are all long-term..."

 

 Power Outage Picnic

 by Daisy Luther

http://www.theorganicprepper.ca/power-outage-picnic-02062013

 

"...When the power goes out, my kids tend to think it’s party time. They like it because it means that we are definitely going to play some games, do some arts and crafts and eat some food we don’t normally indulge in...

"To circumvent a few difficulties, we stock up on disposable goods to use during power outages:

Styrofoam plates
Paper towels and napkins
Plastic cutlery
Baby wipes
Disinfecting wipes
Plastic cups

"In our cupboard, most of the following items are the organic version. Some exceptions are graham crackers and saltines, which can’t be found organic in our rural area. (I avoid purchasing non-organic items that contain corn, even for the “Lights Out” stockpile, since nearly all corn grown in North America is genetically modified.)

Graham crackers with peanut butter
Crackers with home canned cheese sauce
Saltines with peanut butter
Fresh fruit (apples, oranges, bananas)
Canned juice
Trail mix
Dry cereal
Cereal with milk
Canned baked beans with ham
Pretzels
Nuts
Pudding cups
Canned fruit
Jerky
Pouches of pre-cooked and seasoned rice
Cookies
Granola bars
Crackers
Dried Fruits: apricot, mango, banana, raisins, cranberries, pineapple
Sandwiches: Peanut butter and jelly, tuna, leftovers from the fridge, Nutella

"Following are some “recipes” for power outage food. Okay, “recipe” is a stretch – perhaps just some “tasty combinations”. :) ..." {go to her weblink given above to get the recipes--really good ideas!}

Week 1 of 52: Short Term Emergency Food Supply (List 1) [Sidebar: on the right-hand margin, this website has a list for 52 weeks, giving instructions on what can be done each week of the 52 so that people can afford to prepare for disasters without being overwhelmed economically]
http://readynutrition.com/resources/week-1-of-52-two-weeks-of-food-and-water_06042011/
Tess Pennington
Ready Nutrition 

"FEMA suggests that each family have a 2 week supply of food and water for their home. Starting a food supply does not have to be a budget breaker. By slowly accumulating emergency supplies, you will not feel the financial “burn” compared to having to pay for everything up front. Therefore, keeping in mind what type of emergencies that you are planning for, if there are any family members with medical needs, how long you want your food supply to last, and so on, will help you make the best choice for your family.

"Taking time to read the nutritional information on the back of the food source and knowing other considerations, will help a person make the best choices for their needs. If a person needs to use their stashed food supply, having foods high in vitamins, nutrients, and proteins will provide their body with what it needs for needed energy and mental clarity.
"Preps to buy:
1 gallon of water per day for each family member (But enough for 2 weeks and remember that having more water stored up is better than being short on your supply)
2 jars of peanut butter
2 cans of juice per family member
2 cans of meat per family member
2 cans of soup or stew for each family member
3 non perishable items such as saltine crackers, graham crackers, etc.
1 hand operated can opener
Permanent marker
Additional supplies for infants or elderly – 2 weeks worth (diapers, wipes, children’s medication, formula, protein/calorie drinks, prescription medications, extra pair of glasses)

"For those who have pets:
1 large container of dry food – This amount should last 2 weeks or longer

"Action Items:
Date perishable goods with a marker
If possible, set aside $20 to use for emergencies
Make a disaster plan and decide what types of disasters you are planning for (weather related, natural disasters, economic or personal disasters)
Decide upon an out-of-area contact who can coordinate information with friends and family members.
Once the out-of-area contact has been decided, email or call the newly designated emergency contact and provide phone numbers and names of family members for them to call.



Tess Pennington is the author of The Prepper’s Cookbook: 300 Recipes to Turn Your Emergency Food into Nutritious, Delicious, Life-Saving Meals. When a catastrophic collapse cripples society, grocery store shelves will empty within days. But if you follow this book’s plan for stocking, organizing and maintaining a proper emergency food supply, your family will have plenty to eat for weeks, months or even years. Visit her web site at ReadyNutrition.com.

Week 11 of 52: Short Term Food Supply (List 2)

Tess Pennington
Ready Nutrition  

http://readynutrition.com/resources/2-week-food-supply-list-2_18072011/

  

"...Those of you who have water stored know that it takes up a lot of space. When storing a short term water supply, purchase the 5- or 10-gallon water containers. Note: The 5-gallon water containers are easier to organize if you place them on their sides and stack them...

"The following items will create a broad selection of foods that can be consumed in an emergency situation. You can create foods like biscuits and jelly, cereal and milk, oatmeal, sandwiches, soups, pastas, casseroles, etc. Constructing an emergency menu now before a disaster happens will enable you to see what foods you have and what foods you may need.
"Preps to buy:
1 gallon of water per day for each member of the family (i.e., 1-2 weeks worth).
2 bottles of juice per family member
2 canned goods (e.g., meat, veggies, soup, and fruit) per family member.
1 each of the following food condiments: Peanut butter, jelly, honey, mustard, ketchup, BBQ sauce
2 drink mixes/tea/coffee per family member
Spices (e.g., salt, pepper, taco seasoning, apple pie seasoning, etc.)
1 gallon of cooking oil
2 each of the following pre-packaged foods: beans, dried peas, rice, noodles, oats, grains, cereals and pasta
2 bags of flour (Note: Those of you who have wheat allergies, click here for alternatives.)
Ramen noodles
Powdered milk
Powdered potatoes
Infant Formula – Note: Call me crazy, but this has a huge amount of vitamins and nutrients and could be utilized for immune boosts.

"Action Items:

1. Date perishable goods with a permanent marker.

2. Find a storage area in the home where emergency food supplies can be placed. Those who are living in small living spaces have rented air conditioned storage facilities to store their supplies.

3. Organize the food and begin creating a list of the items you have according to categories (e.g., condiments, baking supplies, canned goods, medical supplies, etc.).

 

Inventory Management for Survival Supplies

Tess Pennington
Ready Nutrition

http://readynutrition.com/resources/inventory-management-for-survival-supplies_15022010/

"...How To Organize Survival Supplies
"Short and long term food supplies should be placed in a safe and dry spot. Many people who feel they do not have adequate space for a food supply make use of unused wall space and create shelving units to use as their storage area. Another method is to use unused closets or rooms. As long as the space is dry and large enough to store foods, it can be used. Additional shelving units can be purchased to accommodate larger food supplies.

• Take all items off the shelf and sort items into categories. Sort items for needs such as baking supplies, breakfast cereals, canned goods, medical supplies, bartering/charity, etc.
• Store items next to one another that are used together. For example, keep baking needs such as flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, etc next to one another for easy access.
• Place goods with the longest expiration date in the back and work forward to the closest expiration date.
• Have a Inventory Management spreadsheet or listing system. Keeping an inventory list of foods that have been purchased and adding to the list when more items have been purchased will provide a well rounded supply. Categorize the inventory into sections such as items for baby, baking, water/beverages, cleaning, condiments, 72 hour bag, emergency supplies. The Prepared LDS Family, has a thorough suggested inventory organizational method that would be helpful for those starting out.
• The food storage inventory should be checked every 6 months to make sure that food items are properly rotated and are used within their expiration date.

"Managing Your Inventory

"Many find that stored food is convenient to have in their home. When they need a can of food, they go to their storage supplies and use it. Storing food is a continual process of using, rotating and resupplying. If a short term food supply is bought, the food must be used and more food purchased to resupply the storage shelf. Additionally, if any food is canned or jarred at home, a storage area can also be used for these goods.

"Guidelines for Food Storage:

Use within 6 months:

Powdered milk (in box)

Dried fruit (in metal container)

Dry, crisp crackers (in metal container)

Potatoes

Use Within 1 year:

Canned condensed meat and vegetable soups

Caned fruit, fruit juices and vegetables

Ready-to-eat cereals and uncooked instant cereals (in metal containers)

Vitamin C

Peanut butter

Jelly

Hard candy and canned nuts

May Be Stored Indefinitely (in proper containers and conditions):

Wheat

Vegetable oils

Dried Corn

Baking powder

Soybeans

Instant coffee, tea and cocoa

Salt

Non carbonated soft drinks

White rice

Bouillon products

Dry pasta

Powdered milk (in nitrogen packed cans)

Source – www.nationalterroralert.com

 

 

 

 

Anti-GMO campaign in Washington State lost the fight, but the battle is not over -- but check out the DIFFERENCES in ingredients used here in the USA compared to ingredients in the SAME food over in the UK, so it IS possible to have non-GMO ingredients in our food!!! -- Finally a consequence for at least one company engaged in false claims and bribery!!

Washington State Votes to Label GMO Foods

 

November 06, 2013

 

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/11/06/washington-gmo-labeling.aspx?e_cid=20131106Z1_PRNL_art_1&utm_source=prmrnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20131106Z1  

 

Story at-a-glance

• On November 5, Washington State voted on a law to label genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically engineered (GE) foods
• To take control of your health, you need to address your diet. Processed foods are one of the primary drivers of chronic disease, so switching from processed foods to natural (ideally organic) whole foods is the first step
• Planting your own “Victory Garden” can go a long way toward healthier eating, and in the long run, it can provide incentive for industry-wide change, and a return to a diet of real food, for everyone, everywhere
• Regardless of the season, where you live, and how much space you have, you can grow your own food. one of the simplest and most inexpensive alternatives is to grow sprouts
• Whatever veggies you have left over you can easily ferment, which will provide you with superior, nutritious foods year-round  

 

GMO labeling initiative 522 seems to have failed, proving once again that corporate money can buy food secrecy

  

Wednesday, November 06, 2013  

by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/042805_GMO_labeling_initiative_I-522_guerilla_warfare.html#ixzz2jtxUCL8N

 

(NaturalNews) As of this writing, Washington state I-522 looks to have narrowly failed at the ballot box. This link shows election results county by county.

 

At 11:00pm last night, the "no" votes were winning by approximately 55% to 44%. Mail-in votes reportedly have not been counted yet, but unless a radical change appears in the final votes, I-522 will go down in history as yet another example of corporate money buying out the voters through a campaign of lies and deception.

 

The Grocery Manufacturers of America and most of the big-name food companies proved in this campaign that they are willing to operate a criminal conspiracy to cheat, lie and intentionally misinform voters. At stake is their continued way of doing business: SECRECY coupled with consumer ignorance...

 

We also have to realize that the GMO labeling opposition will never play by the rules. They routinely engage in dirty tricks and even criminal behavior in order to achieve their goals at any cost. I am not suggesting that we stoop to their level and start breaking the law to achieve victory, but we do have to take a far more aggressive stance that directly accuses the opposition of mass deception, mass poisoning and causing a potential ecological disaster.

 

See, the problem with the campaigns for GMO labeling so far is that they are too polite. They are run by nice people who play by nice rules. Those are great people to have as friends and neighbors, but they are not the kind of scrapping, no-holds-barred warriors that are needed to defeat such as slithering, slippery enemy.

 

The opposition to GMO labeling is a cabal of mafia-style criminal rogues who continue to achieve their dark victories by breaking all the rules and playing dirty. To beat them at that game, you have to take off the kid gloves and go for their throats.

 

If anybody in the GMO labeling activism world wants to know how to do that, contact me so we can set up a face-to-face meeting. In the mean time, know that I am already working on an asymmetrical P.R. warfare strategy that will be unleashed next year right here on Natural News.

 

Because the real story here -- and I'm not going to fully explain this until later -- is that the very weapons needed to defeat these evil corporations are sitting right there on the shelves of every grocery store across America. They have handed us the tools of their own defeat.

 

This will all be explained in more detail on January 7, 2014 as part of my upcoming breakthrough food science announcement.

 

  

Processed foods contain healthier ingredients in foreign markets than they do in US

Wednesday, November 06, 2013 by: Ethan A. Huff

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/042804_processed_foods_healthier_ingredients_foreign_markets.html#ixzz2ju1NzCsc

 

 

"...Many popular processed foods, such as Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Ritz Crackers, McDonald's French fries and Pizza Hut Garlic Cheese Bread, to name just a few, are intentionally formulated much differently here in the U.S. than they are elsewhere. Foreign varieties of these and many other processed foods are generally healthier, contain fewer or no toxic additives and are all-around more appealing from a health standpoint than their American counterparts...

 

"Take Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, for instance. The American version of this popular processed food product contains a laundry list of unhealthy ingredients, including enriched flour, artificial cheese flavors, chemical preservatives and synthetic, petroleum-based dyes like Yellow 5, which has been linked to triggering behavioral problems in children. The U.K. version, on the other hand, known as "Cheesey Pasta," contains simple ingredients like durum wheat semolina, which is much healthier than refined flour, real cheese and natural colors derived from paprika and beta carotene.

 

"You can view a shocking comparison of the two ingredient lists, courtesy of FoodBabe.com, here.

 

"The same goes for McDonald's French fries, which in the U.S. are loaded with hydrogenated oils, synthetic flavoring agents and dangerous chemical preservatives like TBHQ and dimethylpolysiloxane -- this anti-foaming agent, as we previously reported, is a key ingredient in children's Silly Putty. In the U.K., however, McDonald's French fries contain only natural potatoes, salt, a little bit of sugar and non-hydrogenated vegetable oil.

 

"The ingredient list comparison for McDonald's French fries in the U.K. versus the U.S. is available here: http://foodbabe.com.

 

"What about Quaker Oats breakfast cereal? Surely this popular "healthy" food item is limited to simple oats and fruit, right? Wrong. In the U.S., Quaker Oats strawberry flavor oatmeal cereal contains poisonous additives like partially hydrogenated soybean oil, artificial strawberry flavor, Red 40, a slew of chemical preservatives and even more artificial flavoring agents. The U.K. version of this same product, on the other hand, contains no hydrogenated oils, no fake strawberry flavor and actual freeze-dried strawberry pieces.

 

"You can compare the ingredient lists for Quaker Oats cereal yourself here: http://foodbabe.com.

 

"Using banned ingredients that other countries have determined unsafe for human consumption has become a pandemic in this country," explains Food Babe, noting that her investigation led to feelings of "outrage, unfairness, disbelief, and ultimately grief."

 

"The U.S. food corporations are unnecessarily feeding us chemicals -- while leaving out almost all questionable ingredients in our friends' products overseas," she writes..."

 

  

Johnson & Johnson to pay $2.2 billion for making false marketing claims and engaging in kickbacks

Wednesday, November 06, 2013

by: Raw Michelle

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/042802_Johnson_&_false_marketing_claims_settlement.html#ixzz2ju3XCj5i