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Thursday, 5 May 2011
Illegal farm labor produces big profits, but no consumer savings
DBoth Democrat and Republican supporters of an illegal alien workforce have told Americans that not allowing illegal aliens to work on farms will result in higher prices for vegetables, fruit, dairy, poultry and other products. During a speech supporting illegal aliens working in the U.S., Senator John McCain (R-AZ) asked his audience the.....
http://www.newswithviews.com/NWV-News/news251.htm
by NWV News
The American empire created bin Laden
We stick our noses into everyone else’s business without understanding of our own creation of figures like bin Laden and al Qaeda. We punish “communist” Cuba, but trade with “communist” China to our own manufacturing destruction on a level millions of times worse than the embargo with tiny Cuba. Are we hypocrites or what!?.......
http://www.newswithviews.com/Wooldridge/frosty659.htm
by Frosty Wooldridge
I’m Sorry, But I Don’t Believe It
It is a sad state of affairs that we have reached the point where you can’t believe anything you hear. In fact, you can’t even believe what you see. Call me whatever name you want to, ridiculing me won’t shut me up. The truth is you just can’t believe it any more. It, you say. What is it? Everything…anything…you just can’t believe it anymore. Modern-day America is just one big pack of lies, told by a cadre of liars. I’m sorry…whatever it is…I don’t believe it......
http://www.newswithviews.com/Daubenmire/dave236.htm
by Coach Dave Daubenmire
The First Post |  |
Obama on Bin Laden: a volcano of American liesAlexander Cockburn on the WikiLeaks file that risked alerting Osama that the US knew of his hideout  Ten things you need to know todayThursday: The First Post’s super-quick catch-up on the main news talking points  Tory victory in Canada holds promise for CameronThe Mole: Why the PM has fought so hard to keep the electoral status quo  Models’ suicides blamed on return of 1970s US cultFriends Ruslana Korshunova and Anastasia Drozdova attended Russian training centre based on Lifespring  Are children terrified of new Doctor Who?Dramatic fall in viewing figures leads to suggestion that new ‘dark’ series is too scary for kids  Jon Venables ‘pictures’ circulate on the internetThe identity of the killer of James Bulger could be exposed as campaigner breaks court order  Michelle Obama dances to BeyonceMrs Obama proves she is the coolest First Lady ever while encouraging teens to exercise (with video)  |
READ THE NEWS ON ONE CLICK
http://www.theoneclickgroup.co.uk
Aftermath of US raid on Bin Laden's compound
Click HERE for Reuters photos
1. Lessons of Fukushima and Chernobyl
The explosions and fires at the Fukushima Daiichi reactors, almost exactly on the twenty-fifth anniversary of Chernobyl, have made most of us even more worried about the hazards of nuclear energy (see Fukushima Nuclear Crisis, SiS 50). The nuclear lobby see things differently: the explosion at Chernobyl was due to the poor design and incompetent operation of the reactor under the Soviet system, and hardly anyone died as a result; as for Fukushima, it was hit by a tsunami far larger than anyone could possibly have anticipated, and the good management of its owners, the Tokyo Energy and Power Company (TEPCO) and the brave efforts of the Japanese emergency services ensured that little harm was done. That story is very far from the truth.
Prof. Peter Saunders, Institute of Science in Society
2. Let's Test Anthrax Vaccine in Children / Bio Prep Watch
Dr Meryl Nass, MD
Yesterday it was announced that the government would be purchasing 3.42 million additional doses of anthrax vaccine for the civilian vaccine stockpile. This is in addition to the military stockpile, and comes out of DHHS funds. This purchase adds about $100 million to the total contract for DHHS' anthrax stockpile, which is now worth about $500 million. Talk about throwing taxpayer money into a black hole in the middle of the worst economy since the Great Depression. Apparently the gaping yaw of Emergent Biosolutions was not satisfied. Emergent's courtiers in Washington decided only one thing could appease it: the sacrifice of virgins on the anthrax vaccine altar. Children would have to receive anthrax vaccine inoculations to "prove" the vaccine's "safety". Then children could receive it, were the government to declare an emergency. At present, the vaccine has never been tested in children, and it is not a pproved for them.
Dr Meryl Nass, MD
Related Links:
* Vaccine ingredients: a list
Dr Meryl Nass, MD
3. Miscarriage of Justice: Shaken Baby Syndrome Conviction
The Crown is conceding that it was a "miscarriage of justice" when a man pleaded guilty in the death of his two-month-old son because of the daunting spectre of testimony from now-disgraced pathologist Charles Smith. While the pathologist who conducted the autopsy listed pneumonia and respiratory failure as causes of death, Smith examined the case and concluded Dustin likely died from Shaken Baby Syndrome. The Crown and defence had experts examine the evidence, and while none of them can eliminate shaking as a possible cause of death, all independently put forward an alternative cause or causes of death, Brant's lawyer James Lockyer writes in court documents.
Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
Related Links:
* Half of all parents tried over shaken baby syndrome have been wrongly convicted - Police interference
Angela Levin, Mail on Sunday
* 'Shaken Baby Syndrome' Probe Urges Injustice Cases Review
Chris Bentley, Attorney General, Government of Ontario
* Shaken Baby Syndrome Controversy Turns Toxic
BBC File on 4
* More USA Doctors Questioning 'Shaken-Baby Syndrome'
NPR
* Shaken Baby Syndrome Story & Metropolitan Police Witness Interference
Lisa Blakemore Brown, Psychologist
* Metropolitan Police Accused Of Trying To Campaign Against Shaken Baby Witnesses
Andrew Hosken, BBC Radio 4 Today Programme
* The Consensus Report
Family Law Reform
4. WikiLeaks: telling it like it is
Julian Assange. The battle over WikiLeaks is all about information -
who owns it, who controls it, who needs it - and about one man's
idea to set it free.
WikiLeaks is a product of our time and would not have succeeded without the climate created by the corporatising of information and the ''war on terror''. Governments increasingly want to control information, corporations increasingly want to own information and the media is increasingly unable to give the public the information that they need. WikiLeaks, as an electronic commons for free information, is a way around that undemocratic information lock. The world's media is in the middle of a prolonged identity crisis brought on by the rise of the internet, fracturing audiences, and falling revenues. Over the past decade - just as the world has faced a series of economic, social, environmental and political crises that demand informed reporting - the quality of news coverage has declined as a result of job losses, increased workloads and an over-reliance on stories generated by the public relations industry. Newspapers are haemorrhaging.
Joel Deane, The Sydney Morning Herald
Related Links:
* Julian Assange extended interview - the Guardian libel
Leigh Sales, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
* When the media gets it wrong
Paul Kalina, The Syndey Morning Herald
5. A Typical Day For PFC Bradley Manning at Fort Leavenworth
PFC Manning was transferred to the Joint Regional Corrections Facility (JRCF) at Fort Leavenworth on April 20, 2011. I was able to tour the facility and meet with PFC Manning last week. PFC Manning is now being held in Medium Custody. He is no longer under Prevention of Injury watch and is no longer subjected to harsh pretrial confinement conditions.
The Law Offices of David E. Coombs
6. IrishLeaks Launches
We should live in a place where whistleblowers are recognised as the heroes that they are, and where their actions do not cost them their jobs or friends. However we don't live there. So rather than wait until we do, the IrishLeaks project will provide a system that will help whistleblowers who want to shed light on abuses of power within the Republic of Ireland remain anonymous. IrishLeaks is a platform for the Irish people, making it easier to share and discover information about the abuses of power affecting the people in the Republic of Ireland. We are creating a secure and anonymous service that accepts information from wherever there is an abuse, whether it be in government, private industry, not for profit organisations, or even organised crime. That information will be published right here on this website. By doing this we hope to encourage a fairer, more honest society in which openness and transparency become something to be valued, making it ea sier to stop a misuse of power by creating a place where it can be published, read and spread by others.
Information Release, IrishLeaks
READ THE NEWS ON ONE CLICK
http://www.theoneclickgroup.co.uk
| Open Europe |
Europe
Commission open to Schengen revision and renews calls for common asylum rules
In a communication published yesterday, the European Commission said it would consider the possibility of temporarily re-introducing internal border controls within the Schengen area in the event of massive and unexpected flows of migrants. The decision over whether to impose border checks will be decided by EU member states. "The Commission would have a role in this, absolutely,” EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström told reporters. The Commission also insisted that the Common European Asylum System – which would involve greater burden sharing among EU member states and the harmonisation of criteria for the reception of asylum seekers – must be completed by 2012, and called for “increased solidarity” and “better sharing of responsibility” between EU member states on migration. Meanwhile, Sweden has announced that it will be the first EU country to take in 200 Libyan refugees, according to Sveriges Radio.
EU interior ministers will discuss the Commission’s proposals next week. The Telegraph notes that member states are unlikely to endorse the proposals because they would remove the decision to re-introduce border controls from national governments. Greek newspaper Kathimerini reports that Greece has threatened to veto the proposal. Bernard Valero, a spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry, is quoted by Le Figaro saying that “on several points [the Commission] responds to France’s concerns and to the proposals put forward by the French President [Nicolas Sarkozy] and [Italian Prime Minister] Silvio Berlusconi.” EurActiv notes that MEPs are split over the Commission’s proposals. The centre-right European People’s Party group welcomed the communication, while the Party of European Socialists strongly criticised the Commission for “caving in” to the demands of France and Italy.
Open Europe’s Director Mats Persson is quoted in the Mail arguing: “One of the EU’s most fundamental pillars - free movement of people - is now coming under massive strain…Open borders within the EU have generally benefitted Europe but politicians also need to appreciate what a hugely sensitive area this is.”
FT WSJ BBC Sveriges RadioEUobserver Independent Telegraph Guardian Euractiv France EurActiv European Voice Irish Times Europaportalen SVD IHT Straneuropa Focus Sueddeutsche Le Figaro Mail Kathimerini
Despite claims of leniency, Portugal still faces two years of recession following bailout
Portuguese paper Expresso yesterday released a leaked copy of the draft Memorandum of Understanding which outlines the conditions for the Portuguese bailout. Despite claims on Tuesday by Jose Socrates, caretaker Portuguese Prime Minister, that he had secured extremely favourable bailout terms, the leaked document highlights a large number of austerity conditions and forecasts that the Portuguese economy will shrink by between 1.5% - 2% in 2011 and 2012.
EurActiv reports that some EU sources have suggested that the amount of the bailout could increase to €90bn if the banking sector requires more support, however, this has been played down by the Portuguese government and the EU/IMF negotiators. The Portuguese main opposition party has also signalled its broad acceptance of the deal and suggested that it did take part in the negotiations.
Separately, reports have surfaced suggesting Portugal is holding up to €20bn in gold reserves, the largest in Europe. Norbert Barthle, German government budget speaker, has urged Portugal to sell some of these reserves to help fund the bailout, an option which as of yet has been rejected by the Portuguese government.
Expresso FT WSJ CityAM Guardian FAZ Focus Bild Evening Standard i Informação El Pais Público.pt FT 2 EurActiv Irish Independent Irish Times Independent Les Echos FT Alphaville Jornal de Notícias FT 3 FT 4 European Voice FT Editorial FT Lex Express Irish Independent 2 Irish independent 3 Irish Independent 4 Handelsblatt FT Alphaville
Ashton comes under fire from Belgian foreign minister
In an interview with Belgian daily Le Soir, Steven Vanackere, Belgium’s foreign minister, sharply criticised the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Baroness Catherine Ashton, claiming that she was characterised by "silence" on important foreign policy issues, little long-term strategy, poor management of her agenda, and compared her unfavourably to EU Commission president Herman Van Rompuy. Vanackere, who had been considered one of Ashton’s key allies, said: “The Belgian diplomatic service will continue to push Ashton and her [external action] service towards strong positions. Failing that, if there is silence and this silence is 'occupied' by France, Germany etc., Belgium will search for partners in other countries”.
Speaking to EUobserver, a spokesperson for Baroness Ashton defended her against the accusations, arguing that: "On the Arab Spring, it's very clear where we are going, in the short, medium and long term… Ashton has been at the forefront of placing sanctions against states such as Libya, and at the forefront of long-term post-Gaddafi political decision-making".
LeSoir HLN EUobserver Telegraph
European Voice reports that the publication of the Commission's assessment of the EU’s neighbourhood policy with suggestions for reform, expected next week has been delayed, partly due to a turf war between Štefan Füle, the Commissioner directly responsible for the ENP, and Catherine Ashton, the EU's Foreign Policy Chief.
European Voice
A new Policy Exchange report calls on the UK Government to renegotiate EU renewable energy targets for 2020, which will cost £66bn to implement. If renegotiated, the UK could scale back funding for offshore wind, saving £12.5bn, and could focus on less costly ways to cut carbon-dioxide emissions.
Policy Exchange reportBloomberg
Strauss-Kahn: negotiations on Greek bailout started months prior to formal request
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Head of the IMF, has suggested that the IMF began working on a Greek bailout plan “months before” the official announcement was made. Reuters reports that Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has said that a deal to reduce the interest rate which Ireland pays on its bailout loans has been agreed in principle.
Handelsblatt reports that a debate is raging within the FDP party, junior partner in the German governing coalition, over whether to support the current structure of the European permanent bailout fund. If the FDP does come out against the current plan, it could put significant strain on the coalition. Meanwhile, the ECB meets in Finland today with markets focused on whether there will be any hints of future rate rises with many expecting one as soon as June.
Vima Kathimerini Ta Nea Reuters Irish Times Irish Times 2 Handelsblatt Reuters 2 FT Le FigaroKathimerini 2 Ta Nea 2 El Pais: VIDAL-FOLCH Correio da Manhã: Dâmaso Correio da Manhã: Teixeira Cruz BBC: Flanders BBC: Hewitt Les Echos: Vidal FT: Sri-Kumar Guardian: Lapavitsas and Storer Telegraph: Warner FAZ: Steltzner Jornal de Negocios: Braz Teixeira
Austria remains cautious on Turkey’s prospects of EU membership
Despite a three-day official visit by Turkish President Abdullah Gul to Austria, Austrian Chancellor Werner Fayman said that even in the event of a positive outcome of negotiations between the EU and Turkey, Austria would definitely hold a referendum on the issue of Turkey joining the EU.
Open Europe Blog ORF DerStandard Kathimerini
Concerns raised over Italian dominance of key eurozone posts
FT Deutschland reports with the appointment of Mario Draghi as head of the European Central Bank imminent, concerns within the EU and Germany in particular have been raised about the amount of Italians holding key posts in the eurozone given that Italy has the second highest debt to GDP ratio in the currency bloc. CSU MEP Markus Feber claimed “it is not about the individuals but the current concentration [of Italians] is not justifiable”.
No Link
Split over financial reform plans
European Voice reports that with EU finance ministers due to meet in Brussels on the 17 May, two pieces of proposed legislation to regulate short-selling and derivatives trading remain “mired in disagreement”, while fresh complications are emerging over rules for the policing of member states' finances, jeopardising the chances of agreement before the summer.
European Voice
A report, published on Wednesday by Ernst and Young, suggests that EU money spent on research projects is not being monitored carefully enough, leading to the EU’s economic growth being hampered. EUobserver notes that a survey in the report showed that 89% respondents wanted stronger coordination of innovation policy at the EU level.
EUobserver
On Wednesday, the EU finalized a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with Indonesia which will prevent European companies from buying illegally-sourced wood from the country’s forests. Similar agreement already exists with African countries and another one is planned to be signed next with Liberia, reports the BBC.
BBC EUobserver
Writing in the Express Patrick O’Flynn argues that today’s UK-wide referendum should have been about the UK membership in the European Union. Rather than “stirring up apathy”, this would have invigorated political debate and addressed the root causes of widespread cynicism of the political process.
Express: O’Flynn
European Voice reports that next week, MEP’s will vote on whether to increase transparency of who get’s access to the European Parliament, aimed at highlighting the role of lobbyists. Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament, has suggested that lobbyists should sign in every time they meet with MEPs.
European Voice
FAZ notes that the planned nuclear stress tests will be fairly lenient, since they will only focus on the impact of natural disasters and not terror or cyber attacks. The reactor operators will also be testing themselves, while the European Commission will be merely collecting and collating the data.
TAZ FAZ Sueddeutsche
New on the Open Europe blog
Portugal’s cuts: You call that austerity?
Open Europe Blog
Is Turkey going cold on EU membership?
Open Europe Blog
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 According to congressional investigators, ACORN moved tens of millions of dollars out of its bank accounts. No one outside of ACORN's accountants knows where the money went. Yet no new investigations appear to be in the offing on Capitol Hill. Get the full story on the still-alive radical ACORN in the May issue of Townhall Magazine.  Subscribe or renew to Townhall Magazine and get your choice of a FREE book!
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The real issue, he explained, is not the question of a Palestinian state, but rather of a Jewish state. "The refusal of the Palestinian Arabs to accept our country is at the root of the conflict."
Fax: 02-670-5369 (From the
E-mail: Memshala@pmo.gov.il
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I am, I must add, considerably uneasy about the announcement that Netanyahu will be meeting with Obama a couple of days before he addresses Congress, later this month.
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There are some thoughts about Obama and his approval of the operation to take out Bin Laden that are worth sharing here. Many people made the same point, but I think Daniel Greenfield, writing as Sultan Knish, says it best:
"The man who came into office promising multilateral engagement, no more torture and a civilian justice system for terrorists, now has only accomplishment to his name. A unilateral invasion and assassination based on intelligence gained through enhanced interrogation, carried out by men whom his supporters had once condemned as a secret assassination squad. What a failure Obama is that even the one success to his name is a testament to the failure of his own ideas.
"...Smart power? Try stupid power. Obama wasn't willing to set aside his ideals for the sake of national security. Instead he did it because his ideals were too unpopular. The man who wouldn't sacrifice his politics for the sake of American lives, sacrificed them for his own popularity. It's not just that Obama suffers from the wrong ideas, but that he values his ideas more than America, but less than himself.
"It wasn't smart power that took down Bin Laden. It wasn't the multilateral cooperation that Obama turned into his trademark when running for office. Instead it was an old fashioned unilateral operation that didn't even notify the Pakistanis ahead of time and even jammed their radar. An operation that assumed we couldn't trust our Muslim allies because they sympathize more with Al-Qaeda than they do with us. A unilateral assault that Pakistan would never have approved and that could even be considered an act of war.
"Torture, Gitmo, Rendition and all those dirty words that stood for the dumb old war. The one where we grabbed terrorists and shook the truth out of them. Where we seized them wherever they were, without regard for jurisdiction or civil rights, got them into a room and dunked their heads until they talked. Where brave men went out into the night to get things done and it was best not to ask too many questions about how it got done or count the collateral damage when they were finished. That dumb old war is the one that scored a victory here.
"...Obama inherited a War on Terror that he never wanted, and after doing his best to scuttle it, he was forced to carry it on anyway. His administration has sabotaged terrorist prosecutions, but it was forced to back away from civilian trials or closing Gitmo. And by virtue of having his ass in the chair at the right time, he now takes credit for a victory that belongs to the men who were fighting and dying in the field, while he was yawning his way through Illinois State Senate sessions.
"...The Bush Administration did the heavy lifting here, and the Obama Administration is taking the credit...."
http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2011/05/patriotism-is-last-refuge-of-liberal.html
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The questions to be drawn from this, most directly, are whether this will bring about any permanent change in Obama policy, and whether it will affect how the world sees Israel's self-defense.
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Well, the more things change, the more... as we know. And here it's the Palestinian Arabs we're looking at.
They just signed a unity agreement (which you can see here: http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=52218). They are scheduled to start negotiations on matters such as putting together their government.
And they're bickering. Hamas says the PA is arresting their supporters in Judea and Samaria. And the PA says Hamas has prevented some of their people from leaving the Gaza Strip.
Anyone taking bets on how long this deal will last?
Let me just state this now: If this agreement does fall apart, it does not mean that the PA is "OK," kosher, and can be dealt with as if nothing had happened. The motivation of a group willing to conspire with Hamas is suspect no matter what transpires. The lack of PA commitment -- to peace, to accepting Israel, etc. etc. -- (which many of us were already aware of) has been exposed, and that would best not be forgotten.
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© Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by
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