Big AGRA and big PHARMA rule in WASHINGTON

The FDA and USDA have become the legislative and executive branches of Monsanto, Dow, Bayer and the likes.

President Obama has unbelievably chosen to approve two biotech crops, Monsanto’s Roundup Ready genetically modified (GMO) alfalfa and Roundup Ready genetically modified (GMO) sugar beets. They will be planted as early as this spring, despite widespread acknowledgement that these crops are certain to contaminate both conventional and organic farmers’ non-GMO crops. The deregulation of GMO Roundup Ready alfalfa could lead to the genetic contamination of all conventional and organic alfalfa within five years.

Our federal regulatory agencies and the White House have consistently sided with the vested financial interests of agricultural biotech corporations who are only interested in their absolute control over seeds and crops and have shown a complete disregard for our nation’s laws, sound scientific theory, the livelihoods of family farmers, and the health and well-being of our citizens and the environment.

Organic agriculture builds nutrients and controls pests through natural methods that are largely free. Organic farmers purchase few expensive soil enhancers and recycle many biological wastes. They can produce high yields that appear less affected by variable weather than those of industrial agriculture. Where organic farming is practiced, it is profitable. It regenerates soil and water resources. It can be adopted without requiring people to import fertilizers or pesticides or patented seed. Especially, it doesn’t require farmers to don rubber suits and respirators to spray dangerous chemicals.

Ninety-three percent of the alfalfa hay in the Us does not use any herbicides. Alfafa is a perennial legume that does not have to fight weeds as do corn, soybeans, cotton or canola. Ninety-three percent of the alfalfa hay in the U.S. does not use any herbicides. As a perennial legume, it does not suffer from the same weed pressures as other crops, such as corn, soybeans, cotton and canola. GMO alfalfa will only lead to an increase of glyphosate-resistant superweeds.  USDA’s Vilsack backed by Obama ruthlessly ignored the basic biological principles of pollination and good agricultural practices. Industrial agriculture, far from being the salvation it promises, is actually undermining the resource base—healthy soil, clean water, and diversity of plants and animals—needed to sustain the world’s growing human population in the long term.

This decision undermines opportunities for farmers in America, particularly in important export markets for conventional alfalfa and in the growing organic dairy industry. It also severely restricts the choice of farmers and 50 million U.S. consumers who every day exercise their right to consume food that is certified organic and free of GMOs, that are yet to be proven safe for human consumption and our common environment, because all previous studies have shown that they are not.

 Genetic food engineering is the most powerful and pernicious technology known to man and yet it is being released throughout our environment with contempt for the multiple ethical issues it raises and the irreversible harm it will bring to life on earth as we know it.   

Hundreds of thousands of petitions were signed, scientists from all over the world warning of the end of free choice agriculture as we know it and the onset of serious irreversible negative health and sustainability consequences. To be sure, no one in Washington, the least Mr. President, gives a dam about the politely worded petitions. Since “corporations are people too” Obama may have bought himself a guaranteed second term. And no worry the First Lady plays in her own organic garden at the White House with all the handy help you tax dollars can buy.                

Why then, when it is obviously not good for us, is it being approved? Well for Greed.  It is good for Monsanto, and what is good for Monsanto is even better for the hundreds of politicians and government employees who are directly or indirectly on the big Pharma and big Agro (one of the same) payroll.             

The FDA and the USDA have become the legislative and executive branches of Monsanto, Bayer, Dow and the likes. When you look at all the Monsanto executives who have gone through the revolving door between private industry and government oversight, you uncover the truly disturbing picture of America today.                             

The FDA and the USDA are packed with pro-business, pro-corporation advocates who often have massive conflicts of interest when it comes to protecting the health of the public. As for Fish and Wildlife they are a bunch of yes-men for the cattle and animal farming industries and routinely kill tens of thousands of wild animals with the cruelest methods to satisfy the ranchers insatiable need for (public) land.                               

The revolving door between private industry and government oversight agencies is so well established these days, it has become business as usual to read about scandals, conflicts of interest and blatant pro-industry bias, even when it flies in the face of science or the law.

“Michael Taylor, a former Monsanto executive, whose career literally fits the definition of the revolving door  between government, lobbying and corporate interests. Before serving on the Obama ag transition team, Taylor made a name for himself rotating in and out of law firms, Monsanto, the USDA and FDA. While at the FDA he helped write the rules to allow rBGH into the American food system and our childrens milk.”

As an example, the FDA cover up from 1984 thru 1989 of the serious sicknesses brought on by genetically engineered  L-triptophan. Watch the video lecture the dangers of GMO and cover up by Jeffrey Smith to understand the extent of the cover up and the FDA’s dishonest corporate policies with complete disregard for the public health, concerns and wishes.

USDA director Vilsack who when he was governor regularly traveled in Monsanto’s jet, was named governor of the year by Biotechnology Industry Organization. He is also an ardent support of corn and soy based bio-fuels, which use as much or more fossil energy to produce them as they generate, while driving up world food prices and literally starving the poor.          

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, a former dental amalgam company executive, helped subvert a federal judge’s order to label mercury fillings as a hazard to children and pregnant women.

The FDA’s top medical-device regulator, Daniel Schultz, resigned following internal dissent over decisions that his critics said were too friendly to industry.

Janet Woodcock, the director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, was recently accused of a massive conflict of interest stemming from an ethics complaint filed by Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Inc.

The agency’s list of corruptions and collusions is now a mile long. And each piece of new legislation aimed to improve its function seems to do just the opposite—making the FDA even more dependent upon financial support by Big Pharma.

Source watch has a great article on Monsanto and a petition

Also sign the petition at Food democracy Now and Raw wisdom has greats articles on the subject

Another source is from Ethical Investing ( Monsanto the  most unethical company….)                                                                                   You may want to read Wikipedia’s article on Monsanto

Appendum: It appears that Obama also approved a GE corn seed designed for ethanol, obviously a personal favor to Vilsack. This absurd crop uses far more energy to produce than it will ever put out , while pervertly gobbling up valuable farmland and water resources needed to feed an ever growing population. I have been raking my brain as to why? Obama has gone against the vast majority of all American people, against the EU guidelines, against the advice of the vast majority of scientists and against the wish of all small farmers precariously still in business. Monsanto is one of the wealthiest, most powerful corporations in the world and since they are “people too” , could it be that our president just bought himself a guaranteed second term?

We, the people, have the right to choose the type of food that we want to grow and consume. It is not so farfetched to imagine Monsanto’s (retired BlackWater) thugs “rounding us up” and shoving down our mouths freeze dry peebles of GMO grains and  rendered animal parts. We must organize some old fashioned grass roots activism because it is going to take a little more than a bit of discontent and fussing on the internet to get back our American Dream.

 

Share
Posted in Environment, health, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The most brutal crime, civilization has ever witnessed:The Animal Holocaust

Industrial Animal Farming is the most brutal crime against humanity in our times.

We jeopardize humanity when we carelessly destroy our environment allowing industrial animal farming to pollute our waters and soil, when we use up our grain crops to feed food animals, plunder the last of the rain forest to make room for more food animals, round up wild horses, send them to auctions (most are bought for slaughter) to use the (public) land for food animals, when we allow Fish and Wildlife to poison thousands of wild birds and native species to keep them away from cattle feed.       

We jeopardize humanity when we treat animals which a total disregard for their needs, condone institutionalized cruelty and become in sensitive to torture, violence and bloodshed inflicted on other species, at the rate 50 billions worldwide each year.

We  also support not only the thugs who work these jobs and the corporations who make billions with drugs and GMOs but  also our greedy government and the corporate friendly USDA  and the FDA aka Monsanto’s agency who allow these crimes.

Why is it so easy to turn a blind eye to the atrocities committed in animal farms? Have we lost all self respect, all desire to do right from wrong in the pursuit of consumerism and self satisfaction? The bodily mutilations and extreme abuse of gentle cows and their newborns, of intelligent pigs and friendly chickens would warrant felony charges if done to a cat or a dog. Yet it done everyday, day after day.                                             

Yet we keep perversely torturing them day in and day after.                         

When we buy meat, dairy and eggs, we are accomplices of this holocaust.                   

Our callous apathy is a cancer grown out of years of gluttony and mindless instant gratification.

When allowed they nurse their young sometimes for over a year and form strong bonds with their families and often other species. It is not unusual to see a cow befriend a goat, a pig befriend a dog, a cat  nurse a baby rabbit, because they value life and love. Every one of these animals can learn their name and come when called. Pigs can be trained to the extent of a very intelligent dog. Cows love the grass you hold out in your hands better than any grass in their field and thank you with a wet nudge and big tender eyes. Chickens love to perch on our shoulder and rub their head on your cheeks. All the animals species raised for food, love to be talked to and enjoy a caress from our hands.

When we eat animals and drink the milk intended for their babies, we eat their physical pain, their intense misery, their sickness, their final agony.Their pained wasted body and soul becomes part of our body, our psyche.                                                                      

We absorb their cannibalistic diet of ground up animal parts, antibiotic drugs and GMO grains now embedded in their dead flesh.                            

While they are different from us, it is proven that animals feel pain with the same intensity as we do. They express psychological distress and grief in ways similar to ours, with sorrow and cries.  

If you have any doubt, watch this video!

                                                                 

Share
Posted in animal welfare, Environment, health, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Toxic Chemicals in Cosmetics, Toiletries and Household cleaners.

The US has the worst record in the industrialized world for regulating toxic chemicals.

Courtesy of our Corporate owned government and Congress, the federal agencies Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have exposed Americans to the highest risk from endocrine disruptors, found in most commercial cleaning and beauty products.

These chemicals mimic the effect of estrogen and other hormones in the human body. Many epidemiologists believe they are linked to the current epidemic of breast cancer, premature puberty, and both male and female infertility. Much evidence links other synthetic chemical to the phenomenal increase in cancer that occurred with the “Better Things for Better Living…Through Chemistry.” (DuPont slogan in 1935) revolution that took place after World War II. Cancer was an extremely rare condition in young and middle aged population prior to the chemical revolution.Besides the current epidemic of  childhood and young adult cancers , an asthma epidemic in children, linked to the use of commercial household cleaners during pregnancy is extremely alarming.

Food chemicals, pesticides residues are also a serious danger to your health and when considering the compounded and synergetic effects with all other chemicals ingested and used daily from birth, our home environment and health are incredible toxic. The FDA and EPA required these dangerous chemicals to be experimented on millions and millions of animals who suffered agonizing lives and deaths in the pretense of consumer safety, and the FDA and the EPA reviewed the negative reports of these chemicals over and over again in redundant studies, and still the agencies ignored the evidence and gave the corporations the go ahead.

See list of  Food chemical additives and Pesticide residues on food.

Your government does not care about your health.

Mr Obama following the steps of George H.W. Bush appointed a GMO proponent as Secretary of Agriculture and a former Monsanto executive to head food safety : action which may implicate you personally in millions of cancer cases and thousands of deaths worldwide. The chemical and biotech giant Monsanto has a documented legacy of greed, death, poverty and illness –from the creation (and subsequent cover-up) of Agent Orange and the spread of PCBs to Bovine Growth Hormone and patents on genetically modified seeds.  

The health and pharmaceutical industries do not care about your health. In fact, you bad health is quite profitable. Most of the companies, like Monsanto, Bayer, DuPont,Dow and their subsidiaries that  research, develop and manufacture the chemicals and the pesticides also manufacture the pharmaceutical drugs.  


The phthalates and bisphenyl-A found in plastic water bottles, pacifiers, and baby toys has been pretty well publicized. These compounds function as synthetic estrogens can cause breast cancer, premature puberty, and low sperm counts in men.

Shampoos, hand and body lotions, deodorants, toothpaste and sunscreen contain preservatives that function as estrogen disruptors. The US bans only eight of these compounds while the EU bans 1,000. The harm they cause to individuals, children and pets is compounded when they are flushed down the drain and accumulate in our waterways. Studies reveal that hundreds of these toxic chemicals have shown up in the blood and breast milk of third world and arctic populations who have otherwise never used these products.

One of the worst offender is the paraben class of compounds (methyparaben or Paba) used as preservative in nearly all toiletries. The second most common is triclosan, found in most anti-bacterial products.  

Toxic Skin Products

 Less publicized are potentially toxic “nanosized” particles present in many popular sunscreens and so called “natural” mineral foundations.

Nanoparticle containing skin products are strictly regulated in the EU France ” with laws requiring safety testing and mandatory product labeling as a minimum -” and an outright ban in some places.

But the FDA, which has known for nearly a decade that many common sunscreens contain ingredients that accelerate the growth of skin cancer cells, refuses to act on this information.

Nanoparticles are absorbed into the blood stream through skin damaged through eczema or psoriasis, a major health concern as mineral foundations are specifically marketed to women to conceal unsightly dermatitis. In addition, mineral foundation powders are often accidentally inhaled into the lungs during application. Moreover preliminary evidence suggests that nanoparticles can even penetrate healthy skin.

The potentially hazardous nanoparticles in sunscreen are nanosized zinc oxide and nanosized titanium dioxide. Because there is no scientific data a whatsoever regarding “safe” level of exposure, any absorption is worrying. Zinc oxide nanoparticles have been shown (in very small concentrations) to kill brain stem cells in mice; damage colon cells; and play some role in the development of autism, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s – as well as crossing the placenta and potentially harming the developing fetus. Nano-titanium has been shown to cause cell and DNA damage (both directly and indirectly by increasing circulating free radicals). Not only are these substances totally unregulated in the US , but due to lax labeling laws, 80 percent of sunscreens that claim to contain no nanoparticles are found to contain them.

Hair Dyes  

 Phenylenediamine (PPD) – present in over two-third of chemical hair dyes and by far the most toxic. Linked (in animals) to damage of the immune and nervous system, skin, liver and kidneys. Banned in France , Germany , and Sweden and use “restricted” in Canada  

Resorcinal –  classified by the European Union as a harmful skin and eye irritant and dangerous to the environment.

Ammonia – irritant to skin, eyes, and respiratory system (can cause asthma).

Persulfates – irritant to skin, lungs (can cause asthma), and eyes.

Peroxide – potential toxic effects on eyes, nervous and respiratory (can cause asthma) system. Can cause DNA damage, possibly leading to cancer. Banned in cosmetic use in Japan and use “restricted” in Canada .

Lead acetate- lead has well known damaging effects on the brain and nervous system.

4-ABP- linked to cancer

Many “natural hair dyes still contain some PPD, only less.

Resources below for safe brands and a cosmetics database:   

http://www.nochemicalcosmetics.com/

 http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com (http://www.ewg.org)

 

Dangerous Chemicals in household cleaners

Air freshenersUsually contain methoxychlor, pesticide that accumulates in fat cells, as well as formaldehyde, a highly toxic known carcinogen, and phenol, a common culprit in contact allergies.

Carpet and Upholstery shampoo– commonly contain perchlorethylene, a known carcinogen and ammonium hydroxide, a corrosive, extremely irritable to eyes, skin and respiratory passages.

Dishwasher Detergents– (number one cause of household poisoning) most contain highly concentrated dry form of chlorine, which leaves a residue on dishes that accumulates with each washing and is absorbed into hot food.

Furniture polish– contain petroleum distillates, which can cause skin and lung cancer and nitrobenzene, linked with low sperm counts, anemia and liver, kidney, lung and eye damage.

Laundry detergents Residues can remain on clothes and dishes and are release in the water supply. 

Linear alkyl sodium sulfonates (LAS or anionic surfactants) –release carcinogenic and reproductive toxins into environment during production.

Petroleum distillates (aka napthas) – linked to cancer, lung damage and inflammation (can cause asthma) and damage to mucous membranes.

Phenols – linked with damage to nervous system, heart, blood vessels, lungs (can cause asthma) and kidneys.

Nonyl phenol ethoxylate – endocrine disruptor banded in Europe, owing to link to breast cancer, premature puberty and low sperm counts.

Optical brighteners (convert UV light wavelengths into visible light, making clothes appear whiter without making them cleaner) – toxic to fish and can cause allergic reactions when exposed skin is later exposed to sunlight.

Phosphates (banned in many states) – contribute to water “dead zones” by stimulating algae growth that depletes oxygen needed for fish and other animal life.

Sodium hypochlorite (household bleach) –  highly toxic chemical which reacts with organic materials in the environment to form carcinogenic and toxic compounds that can cause reproductive, endocrine and immune system disorders.

EDTA (ethylene-diamino-tetra-acetate)- chelating agent that biodegrades poorly and can re-dissolve toxic heavy metals in the environment allowing them to enter the food chain.

Oven Cleaners –Contain highly toxic and corrosive lye and ammonia with fumes that can damage the respiratory system especially of children and pets and leaves residues always once the oven is turned on.

Toilet bowl cleaners –Contain hydrochloric acid, a highly corrosive irritant which can damage eyes, skins, liver and kidneys and Hydrochloric bleach, a corrosive irritant that can damage eyes, skin and respiratory tract.

Check the Environmental Working Group for great info on specific products

Share
Posted in Environment, health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Cornucopia of Unhealthy Food

“Be the change you want to see in the world”  Mahatma Gandhi

When so many healthy options are available ,the food and beverages that we choose to eat and drink, both in quantity and quality have created an incredibly toxic environment for the earth, the animals, and for our body and mind. 

Diseases such as obesity, cancer, thyroid disorders, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, autism, attention deficit disorders, have skyrocketed in recent years.  We like to think of ourselves as being so “advanced”, world leaders, but the truth is that we are losing not just our wealth and our freedom but our health and our credibility as a nation.

As the organic movement gathered steam, food marketers manipulated our expectations of healthier foods by deceitfully increasing the use of words such as “lite”,” lighter” or “less fat” or “fat free”, or “simple” and “simply” and the big one “healthy” on the labels. There are no health standards for those claims.

Hershey’s Good & Plenty candy boasts “A fat-free candy” but while there is no fat in it, the candy is 100 percent sugar and processed carbs. Food producers and marketers knows that the average mind equates fat-free with being good for you.

Start reading the labels to find among the first ingredient listed (there are listed by order of %) corn and soy or canola, corn or soybean oil (unless specifically indicated as not genetically modified, they are genetically modified),  Not fruit, but high fructose corn syrup is often the first ingredient in staple preserves and fruit juice such as grape have as much as 30 grams of sugar (1 oz) per 6 oz serving. High fructose corn syrup is a most unhealthy source of sugar made from GMO corn.

At a time when hundreds of millions of people do not have enough to eat, hundreds of millions more are eating too much and are overweight . In the world today more people are obese than underweight. In the U.S, 72 percent of men and 70 percent of women are overweight. Food is cheap in America but evidently cheap food does not translate into healthy eating.

Epidemiological studies of human populations in Japan observe a strong relationship between low energy consumption and long life. Populations who consume the least calories have the longest life expectancy, the highest percentage of centenarians, and the lowest mortality from diabetes, heart disease, and several cancers.One of the reasons their calorie consumption is so low is become they eat very healthy, nutritious foods,  such as soba (buckwheat) and whole rice noodles and soups with miso (soy paste) and greens, some fish, hardly any meat , or sugar. And dairy is essentially unknown in the traditional Asian diet. It is not how much we eat, but what we eat.

The notion of a standard calorie norm for all humans ignores the way the body adapts to external circumstances. Increased mechanization and a sedentary modern life style has reduced calorie needs. Even in rural areas bus services have increased greatly, and everywhere the use of cars and motorcycles has practically eliminated walking time. Tractors, combine harvesters and industrial machines and technology have greatly reduced the physical labor involved in agriculture and the industry. Automatic furnaces, washing machines, dishwashers and mixers have all reduced the need for physical effort in the home. Young children are eating too many calories and the number of obese children is stagering. Their (USDA recommended) calorie needs could be slashed in half if they were to eat nutritious whole foods instead of empty foods filled with fats and  starches. Junk foods which include the parboiled rices and pasta “ronis” and instant mash potaoes and canned soups, standard cereals,reconstituted juices, grocery cakes are nothing but denaturized processed foods made from concentrates and reconstituted starches, that have lost all their original vitamins and minerals and nutrients, enhanced with a variety of sugars and flavorings and re- enriched with an absurd amount of synthetically created vitamins and minerals. Every product boast “a full days supply of Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Calcium, Folic acid…..”.These low quality chemical vitamins are not well absorbed in our body and cannot replace natural nutrition.  These foods are addictive partly because we have been conditionned to associate fats, starches and sugars with emotional comfort , but mostly because they never satisfy the body’s nutritional needs. 

A person of average height who spends all day at a desk and all evening on the sofa watching TV may need only 1500 to 1800 calories a day. The same goes for a woman who stays a home and runs a few errands. Men and women up to the age of thirty can burn more calories than those past middle age even if their activity levels remains unchanged. The metabolism slows down and the need for  scheduled excercise combined with quality, whole foods becomes essentials to stay fit.   

We need to take a fresh look at nutritional norms and not those set by the USDA or politically motivated professionals. We need to  have a intelligent look at what we eat and understand that a processed food can never be” healthy” for you.

Junk food is like a drug. A study in the journal of Nature Neuroscience found that eating j

Share
Posted in health, Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A Cornucopia of Unhealthy Food

A corporate media monopoly that cannot be trusted

                                                                             “Be the change you want to see in the world”  Mahatma Gandhi

Who Owns The Media?  By Michael Snyder 

The 6 Monolithic Corporations That Control Almost Everything We Watch, Hear And Read

(Check out the list of news worthy sites at the bottom of the article)

Back in 1983, approximately 50 corporations controlled the vast majority of all news media in the United States. Today, ownership of the news media has been concentrated in the hands of just six incredibly powerful media corporations. These corporate behemoths control most of what we watch, hear and read every single day. They own television networks, cable channels, movie studios, newspapers, magazines, publishing houses, music labels and even many of our favorite websites. Sadly, most Americans don’t even stop to think about who is feeding them the endless hours of news and entertainment that they constantly ingest. Most Americans don’t really seem to care about who owns the media. But they should. The truth is that each of us is deeply influenced by the messages that are constantly being pounded into our heads by the mainstream media.

Alibris

 The average American watches 153 hours of television a month. In fact, most Americans begin to feel physically uncomfortable if they go too long without watching or listening to something. Sadly, most Americans have become absolutely addicted to news and entertainment and the ownership of all that news and entertainment that we crave is being concentrated in fewer and fewer hands each year.
The six corporations that collectively control U.S. media today are Time Warner, Walt Disney, Viacom, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., CBS Corporation and NBC Universal. Together, the “big six” absolutely dominate news and entertainment in the United States. But even those areas of the media that the “big six” do not completely control are becoming increasingly concentrated. For example, Clear Channel now owns over 1000 radio stations across the United States. Companies like Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are increasingly dominating the Internet.
But it is the “big six” that are the biggest concerns. When you control what Americans watch, hear and read you gain a great deal of control over what they think. They don’t call it “programming” for nothing.
The chart below reveals only a small fraction of the media outlets that these six behemoths actually own….
Time Warner
Home Box Office (HBO),Time Inc.,Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.,Warner Bros., Entertainment Inc.,CW Network (partial ownership),TMZ,New Line Cinema,Time Warner, Cable,Cinemax,Cartoon Network,TBS,TNT,America Online,MapQuest,Moviefone,
Castle Rock,Sports Illustrated,Fortune,Marie Claire,People Magazine
Walt Disney
ABC Television Network,Disney Publishing,ESPN Inc.,Disney Channel,SOAPnet,A&E,
Lifetime,Buena Vista Home Entertainment,Buena Vista Theatrical Productions,
Buena Vista Records,Disney Records,Hollywood Records,Miramax Films,
Touchstone Pictures,Walt Disney Pictures,Pixar Animation Studios,Buena Vista Games,
Hyperion Books,
Viacom
Paramount Pictures,Paramount Home Entertainment,Black Entertainment Television (BET),Comedy Central,Country Music Television (CMT),Logo,MTV,MTV Canada,MTV2,
Nick Magazine,Nick at Nite,Nick Jr.,Nickelodeon,Noggin,Spike TV,The Movie Channel,
TV Land,VH1
News Corporation
Dow Jones & Company, Inc.,Fox Television Stations,The New York Post,Fox Searchlight Pictures,Beliefnet,Fox Business Network,Fox Kids Europe,Fox News Channel,
Fox Sports Net,Fox Television Network,FX,My Network TV,MySpace,News Limited News,
Phoenix InfoNews Channel,Phoenix Movies Channel,Sky PerfecTV,Speed Channel,
STAR TV India,STAR TV Taiwan,STAR World,Times Higher Education Supplement Magazine,Times Literary Supplement Magazine,Times of London,
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment,20th Century Fox International,
20th Century Fox Studios,20th Century Fox Television,BSkyB,DIRECTV,
The Wall Street Journal,Fox Broadcasting Company,Fox Interactive Media,FOXTEL,
HarperCollins Publishers,The National Geographic Channel,National Rugby League,
News Interactive,News Outdoor,Radio Veronica,ReganBooks,Sky Italia,Sky Radio Denmark,
Sky Radio Germany,Sky Radio Netherlands,STAR,Zondervan
CBS Corporation
CBS News,CBS Sports,CBS Television Network,CNET,Showtime,TV.com,
CBS Radio Inc. (130 stations),CBS Consumer Products,CBS Outdoor,
CW Network (50% ownership),Infinity Broadcasting,Simon & Schuster (Pocket Books, Scribner),Westwood One Radio Network
NBC Universal
Bravo,CNBC,NBC News,MSNBC,NBC Sports,NBC Television Network,Oxygen,
SciFi Magazine,Syfy (Sci Fi Channel),Telemundo,USA Network,Weather Channel,
Focus Features,NBC Universal Television Distribution,NBC Universal Television Studio,
Paxson Communications (partial ownership),Trio,Universal Parks & Resorts,
Universal Pictures,Universal Studio Home Video

These gigantic media corporations do not exist to objectively tell the truth to the American people. Rather, the primary purpose of their existence is to make money.
These gigantic media corporations are not going to do anything to threaten their relationships with their biggest advertisers (such as the largest pharmaceutical companies that literally spend billions on advertising), and one way or another, these gigantic media corporations are always going to express the ideological viewpoints and electoral choices of their owners.
Fortunately, an increasing number of Americans are starting to wake up and are realizing that the mainstream media should not be trusted. According to a new poll just released by Gallup, the number of Americans that have little to no trust in the mainstream media (57%) is at an all-time high.
That is one reason why we have seen the alternative media experience such rapid growth over the past few years. The mainstream media has been losing credibility at a staggering rate, and Americans are starting to look elsewhere for the truth about what is really going on.
Do you think that anyone in the mainstream news would actually tell you that the Federal Reserve is bad for America or that we are facing a horrific derivative bubble that could destroy the entire world financial system? Do you think that anyone in the mainstream media would actually tell you that the Federal Reserve is bad for America or the truth about the deindustrialization of America  ” and the plundering of our public lands, or about the devastating ecological  consequences of  FDA supported GMO’s and the sickening health effects of FDA aproved food additives… ” or the truth about the voracious greed of Goldman Sachs.
Sure there are a few courageous reporters in the mainstream media that manage to slip a few stories past their corporate bosses from time to time, but in general there is a very clear understanding that there are simply certain things that you just do not say in the mainstream news.
But Americans are becoming increasingly hungry for the truth, and they are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the dumbed down pabulum that is passing as “hard hitting news these days.”….
 

Online Independent News and a few dedicated blogs that are worth following.
The article reprinted above is from the Economic Collapse where Michael Snyder, the owner/ managing editor writes very relevant articles about our distressed economy, government destructive policies and middle class struggle.
Mother Jones, the magazine, an icon of worthy journalism, made famous in the 70’s for their environmental, pacifist and liberal views, is available online at Motherjones.com
OpEdnews.com is very comprehensive, easy to navigate, non-profit online news and opinions site with articles covering everything from politics to arts written by professional and often prominent well known journalists and writers.
The Real News Network is the site to watch TV Studio style with latest News, Continuous news feed, Documentaries and News stories from independent journalists.
The Science Daily at sciencedaily.com is an incredible source of information on the latest technology, policies, studies, opinions and news in the field of all sciences including global warming, clean energy, agriculture and food, ecology and sustainability, marine biology, animals, plants… etc..
The Huffington Post is a solid, independent online newspaper, somewhat mainstream with articles covering all the usual categories and blogs by honest citizens, well known journalists and worthy organizations.
Source Watch is a fantastic site where you can find Who is Who in politics, in the corporate world or at the head of federal and state agencies and detailed, factual articles about government agencies policies, economic policies, corporate structure and responsibility.

Share
Posted in Politics, Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Border collie learns 1022 words.

10% Monthly Coupon Code Banner

What makes the dog-human bond so powerful? In a word, reciprocity.  

Japanese researchers found that dogs and humans have a give-and-take relationship so powerful that it’s controlled by the very same hormone—oxytocin—that binds mothers and infants, reduces anxiety and depression, and builds trust and intimacy.

In the age-old war between cats and dogs, canines might just have struck the killer blow. A border collie called Chaser has been taught the names of 1022 items – more than any other animal. She can also categorise them according to function and shape, something children learn to do around the age of 3.

These are powerful arguments to demand new legislation to protect dogs from all harm and exploitation. 

To find out whether there was a limit to the number of words a border collie could learn, psychologists Alliston Reid and John Pilley of Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, started an intensive training program with Chaser.

Over three years, they taught the collie the names of 1022 toys by introducing them to her one by one, getting her to fetch the toy and then repeating the name to reinforce the association.

The team regularly tested Chaser on her entire vocabulary. Groups of 20 toys were chosen at random and put in a separate room from where Chaser had to retrieve them by name. The toys were in another room so the trainer would not unintentionally give Chaser cues about which toy to choose. According to Reid, the dog completed 838 of these tests over 3 years and never got less than 18 out of 20 right.

Chaser was also taught to categorise the named objects, complete tasks such as touching the toy with her nose or paw, and she could infer the name of a new object from a set of familiar objects.

Ádám Miklósi, founder of the Family Dog Project at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary says that other dogs perform similar tasks, he says, but they usually make more mistakes. He thinks Chaser’s intensive training explains the difference.

Others animals have demonstrated impressive feats of learning in which they also vocalise the words they learn, such asAlex, the parrot who could make sentences out of about 100 words. And then, there is Koko, the Gorilla, whose ability to love is as great as ours.

.

References New Sciencist   ,the Gorilla Foundation and the absolutely wonderful Dogsters blog

Share
Posted in Good News | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment