Friday, November 20, 2009
Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government | 20 Nov 2009
All Afghan detainees likely tortured: diplomat 18 Nov 2009 All detainees transferred by Canadians to Afghan prisons were likely tortured by Afghan officials and many of the prisoners were innocent, says a former senior diplomat with Canada's mission in Afghanistan. Appearing before a House of Commons committee Wednesday, Richard Colvin blasted the detainees policies of Canada and compared them with the policies of the British and the Netherlands. The detainees were captured by Canadian soldiers then handed over to the Afghan intelligence service, called the NDS. "According to our information, the likelihood is that all the Afghans we handed over were tortured. For interrogators in Kandahar, it was a standard operating procedure," Colvin said. He said the most common forms of torture were beatings, whipping with power cables, the use of electricity, knives, open flames and rape.
Notes from Bagram prison By James Bays 18 Nov 2009 In the past, military officials have refused to go on the record about the number of prisoners at the jail. Brigadier General Mark Martin, the acting commander, was more forthcoming. He told us the prison currently houses about 700 people. Of these, "about 30" were non-Afghans, and "about 5" were juveniles... A new command has been set up, to take charge of all detainee operations in Afghanistan, including Bagram. Of course, CJTF-435 is a US operation, not part of ISAF (the NATO force). Many other NATO and ISAF nations are very uneasy about Bagram and what goes on there.
Judges 'gagged' on torture claim --Binyam: Judges attack UK secrecy over public documents 19 Nov 2009 Senior judges say the foreign secretary is stopping them releasing details of CIA interrogation techniques - even though the US has published them. The High Court says it wants to refer to previously classified documents as part of its judgement on the alleged mistreatment of Binyam Mohamed. Mr Mohamed says the US tortured him after his arrest in Pakistan in 2002. The declassified material is online - but the UK says using some of it in court would harm national security.
Lithuania: ABC News Report 'Not Helping' Our Image --ABC News Finds Secret "Torture" Prison for al-Qaeda Detainees at Swank Riding Academy 19 Nov 2009 A top Lithuanian official said that a report by ABC News that it had discovered a secret CIA prison in a former riding academy near Vilnius was damaging to his country's reputation. "Obviously, this is not helping Lithuania's image," Foreign Minister Vygaudas Usackas told the Baltic News Service Thursday. "Therefore it is vital that we conduct an investigation and clear any doubts." On Wednesday, ABC News revealed the location of one of the CIA's secret "black site" prisons, where harsh interrogation techniques were torture was allegedly used on accused 'al-Qaeda' terrorists, in a converted horseback riding facility 20 kilometers northeast of the Lithuanian capital.
US to drop shooting case against Blackwater guard Friday, 20 Nov 2009 5:35 PM The Justice Department intends to drop manslaughter and weapons charges against one of the Blackwater Worldwide security guards terrorists involved in a deadly 2007 Baghdad shooting, prosecutors said in court documents Friday. The shooting in busy Nisoor Square left 17 Iraqis dead and inflamed anti-American sentiment abroad. Iraqis have said they're watching closely to see how the U.S. judicial system handles the five men accused of unleashing an unprovoked attack on civilians with machine guns and grenades. A one-paragraph notice filed Friday says only that prosecutors have asked that the case against Nicholas Slatten of Sparta, Tenn., be dropped. The government's detailed request asking the judge to dismiss the case was filed with the court and with the defendant, but was not made public. [Obama is terrified of Blackwater. Did Blackwater threaten to assassinate him? I mean, c'mon. This is nuts, and transcends Obusha's usual Friday night 'bad news dump.' --LRP]
Fine and Inquiry Possible for Blackwater Successor --Other penalties could result from violations of licensing requirements for the transfer of other forms of military technology and training expertise to foreign countries. 19 Nov 2009 The international security company terrorist group formerly called Blackwater Worldwide is facing large government fines for unlicensed arms shipments to Iraq, as a key Congressional committee is asking for a separate investigation into whether the company bribed Iraqi officials. In talks likely to result in millions of dollars in penalties, executives from the company, now known as Xe Services, are negotiating with government regulators over years of violations of export laws. According to government officials and former company employees, many of the violations involve arms shipments to Iraq, to outfit company security guards operating inside the country.
Woman awarded $3M in assault claim against KBR 19 Nov 2009 A woman who claimed she was raped in 2005 while working in Iraq for a former Halliburton Co. subsidiary has been awarded nearly $3 million by an arbitrator to settle her case. Tracy Barker had sued U.S. contractor KBR Inc., its former parent company Halliburton and several affiliates in May 2007, claiming she was sexually attacked by a State Department employee while working as a civilian contractor in the southern Iraqi city of Basra... Court records filed this week show Barker was awarded a judgment of $2.93 million to settle her arbitration claim against KBR.
GAO: Fraud in gov't contracts for disabled vets 19 Nov 2009 Companies fraudulently collected at least $100 million in federal contracts from a $4 billion government program designated for disabled military veterans who run small businesses, congressional investigators charge. In many cases, small business owners falsely claimed they had a service-related injury to get the federal work and were only caught when competitors protested. In other situations, the small veteran-owned businesses were legitimate but then improperly passed the work to large or foreign-based corporations.
Afghan minister accused of taking bribe --$30 Million Payment Alleged --Massive mining project awarded to Chinese firm 18 Nov 2009 The Afghan minister of mines accepted a roughly $30 million bribe to award the country's largest development project to a Chinese mining firm [China Metallurgical Group Corp.], according to a U.S. official who is familiar with military intelligence reports. The allegation, if proved true, would mark one of the most brazen examples of corruption yet disclosed in Afghanistan.
Deadly blast near Peshawar court 19 Nov 2009 At least 19 people have been killed in a suicide bomb blast outside the main gate of a court building in Peshawar. Thursday's attack was the seventh deadly explosion to hit the northwestern Pakistani city in less than two weeks. Officials said about 30 people were wounded in the attack, which occurred during rush hour when the area is normally crowded with lawyers, administrative personnel and the public. [See: Blackwater/Xe in Pakistan.]
Suspected U.S. drone kills 4 in Pakistan-officials 18 Nov 2009 A suspected U.S. drone aircraft fired two missiles into a northwestern Pakistani militant stronghold on Wednesday killing four people, Pakistani security officials said. The United States has carried out more than 40 attacks with its pilotless, missile-firing aircraft in northwest Pakistan this year as its forces in neighbouring Afghanistan have faced an intensifying Taliban 'insurgency.'
Suicide bomber kills 16 in western Afghanistan 20 Nov 2009 A suicide bomber killed 16 people and wounded at least 23 others Friday in a busy city square in western Afghanistan, while near Kabul a powerful former warlord narrowly escaped an assassination attempt, officials said. Lawmaker Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, a former Northern Alliance leader who has been accused by Human Rights Watch of war crimes, was in a convoy with his bodyguards when a remote-controlled bomb hidden in an irrigation canal beside the road exploded in the Paghman district north of the Afghan capital, said district chief of police Abdul Razaq.
Bomber kills 13, injures 35 in Afghanistan 19 Nov 2009 Amid the worsening security situation in Afghanistan, a bomber has killed 13 people and wounded about three dozens in the country's troubled southwest. The bomber on a motorcycle detonated his explosives in a crowded area in Farah City on Friday. The death toll is expected to rise as some of the 35 injured were said to be in critical condition.
Fort Lewis soldier from Texas dies in Afghanistan 20 Nov 2009 The Defense Department says a Fort Lewis soldier was killed Tuesday by a roadside bomb in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Twenty-six-year-old Spc. Joseph M. Lewis of Terrell, Texas, was a member of the 5th Stryker brigade.
Karzai sworn in as Afghan president 19 Nov 2009 Hamid Karzai has been sworn in for a second five-year term as Afghanistan's president, pledging to tackle the "dangerous issue" of corruption. Karzai took the oath of office at the presidential palace in central Kabul on Thursday, in front of 800 guests, including 300 foreign dignitaries.
Belgian PM named as EU president 19 Nov 2009 The European Union has selected a new president to chair EU summits and represent the bloc on the world stage, as well as a new foreign policy chief. The way was cleared by the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by the Czech Republic. The low-key Belgian Prime Minister, Herman van Rompuy, had emerged as the frontrunner for the presidency post before being confirmed in the role.
Air Defense Push Inspired by 9/11 Gets a 2nd Look 20 Nov 2009 The commander of military forces protecting North America has ordered a review of the costly air defenses intended to prevent another Sept. 11-style terrorism attack, an assessment aimed at determining whether the commitment of jet fighters, other aircraft and crews remains justified. Senior officers involved in the effort say the assessment is to gauge the likelihood that terrorists may succeed in hijacking an airliner or flying their own smaller craft into the United States or Canada.
Fort Hood shooter faces bedside hearing: lawyer 20 Nov 2009 The army psychiatrist accused of a shooting rampage at the Fort Hood military base in Texas will have his first pre-trial court hearing Saturday in his hospital room, his lawyer's office told AFP. Major Nidal Hasan, who has been charged with 13 counts of pre-meditated murder, will have a confinement hearing at the Brook Army Medical Center near San Antonio, Texas, said a representative for attorney John Galligan, who asked not to be named.
Gates orders Army inquiry after Fort Hood killings 19 Nov 2009 A review of US Army and Pentagon policies has been ordered by the defence secretary in the wake of a shooting at a military base. The review will include Pentagon medical and personnel programmes, and US military base security. Defence Secretary Robert Gates appointed a former Army secretary and an ex-Navy chief to report in 45 days. The review is in addition to others into the Fort Hood shooting in which 13 people were killed.
Lawyer Convicted of Aiding Terrorist Is Jailed 20 Nov 2009 Defiant to the end as she embraced emotional supporters outside the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan, Lynne F. Stewart, the radical lawyer known for defending unpopular clients, surrendered on Thursday evening to begin serving her 28-month sentence for assisting terrorism. "This is the day they executed Joe Hill, and his words were, 'Don’t mourn me, organize,' " Ms. Stewart said as she walked toward the courthouse, referring to the labor organizer executed on Nov. 19, 1915, after a controversial trial.
Sears Tower plot leader gets 13-year prison term 20 Nov 2009 The ringleader of a group described by prosecutors as plotting terror attacks on Chicago's Sears Tower and FBI offices in hopes of sparking an anti-government insurrection was sentenced Friday to 13 1/2 years in prison by a federal judge. Narseal Batiste, 35, who faced a maximum of 70 years in prison, was convicted in May of conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaida [al-CIAduh], plotting to blow up buildings and conspiracy to wage war against the U.S.
Two more jailed for Sears Tower terror plot 19 Nov 2009 A US judge on Thursday handed down prison terms of eight and nine years to two more men accused of swearing allegiance to 'Al-Qaeda' and plotting to blow up the Sears Tower, the tallest building in the United States. Patrick Abraham, who was seen as the right-hand man of the leader of the 2006 conspiracy, was jailed for nine years, while Stanley Phanor received an eight-year sentence. Like the two brothers linked to the same group and jailed for six and seven years on Wednesday, the sentences were far less than the steeper terms of up to 50 years in prison sought by prosecutors.
Govt wants speedy screening at more airports 19 Nov 2009 The Homeland Security Department wants to expand speedy screening of preapproved, low-risk air travelers arriving in the United States to most international airports in the country. For more than a year, the department has been testing this program at seven airports across the country... The voluntary program, called Global Entry, would be open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents at least 14 years old. They would have to pay a $100 fee and undergo a background check.
4 Tamiflu resistant H1N1 cases at Duke --An antiviral resistance was confirmed by the laboratory at CDC Monday night. 20 Nov 2009 (NC) Health officials announced Friday afternoon that four patients at Duke Medical Center have shown signs of an antiviral-resistance to the H1N1 influenza strain. The four patients were diagnosed with flu during October and November. Duke physicians discovered the resistant strain after some of the patients continued to test positive for the flu despite antiviral treatment.
100,000 H1N1 vaccines pulled after bad reactions 20 Nov 2009 More than 100,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine are being withdrawn across the country, after Manitoba health officials announced Thursday they'd noticed a higher-than-usual number of allergic reactions from one batch. Vaccine manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline has asked several provinces to set aside the 170,000 doses from the questionable batch.
Yup, shark livers. What's in your H1N1 flu vaccine? 19 Nov 2009 One of the best examples involves a controversial ingredient present in the H1N1 vaccine: thimerosal. Thimerosal is a form of mercury used in some vaccines as a preservative... and still remains in many flu vaccines. Squalene is another controversial component of the swine-flu vaccine. It’s an oil found in animal livers and is used as an adjuvant in vaccines and also as a moisturizer in cosmetic products. It is primarily gotten from shark livers... Still other questions have been raised about Polysorbate 80, another component of the H1N1 vaccine adjuvant.
FDA Panel Rejects Cell Culture Flu Vaccine, Wants More Safety Data --In 6-5 vote, panel decided it didn't have enough safety information to recommend approval of drug 19 Nov 2009 With members citing unanswered safety questions, an FDA advisory panel today narrowly rejected approval of the nation's first cell-based influenza vaccine. A small manufacturer called Protein Sciences Corp. of Meriden, Conn. sought approval for its trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine, FluBlok, for active immunization of adults ages 18 years and older against influenza virus subtypes A and type B.
Fox News Poll: Worries About Safety of Swine Flu Vaccine Persist 20 Nov 2009 A recent Fox News poll suggests that even when the H1N1 vaccine becomes more widely available, concern over its safety may prevent many at-risk Americans from getting vaccinated. Nearly equal numbers are more afraid of the side effects from the swine flu vaccine as are afraid of getting the flu itself (35 percent vaccine compared to 37 percent flu). Many Americans also feel the testing of the swine flu vaccine was done too quickly so its safety is uncertain (40 percent).
CLG exclusive: Partial Settlement in Jeane Palfrey Case By Lori Price 19 Nov 2009 Deborah Jeane Palfrey's former attorney, Montgomery Blair Sibley, has told Citizens For Legitimate Government that the government is giving to the Innocence Project $89,000 as Jeane had left a will giving that group money.
UC students occupy buildings to protest fee hike 20 Nov 2009 Students barricaded themselves inside buildings on University of California campuses to protest a 32 percent increase in student fees and budget cuts that have led to slashed programs and lost jobs. Demonstrators at UC Berkeley occupied Wheeler Hall on Friday and hung a sign from a window that read "32 Percent Hike, 900 layoffs," with the word "Class" crossed out in red. A group of students also rallied outside the building. Campus police said they had arrested three of the demonstrators inside. Police would not say how many protesters remained in the building. [Hopefully, lots of them!]
U.S. Mortgage Delinquencies Reach a Record High 20 Nov 2009 The economy and the stock market may be recovering from their swoon, but more homeowners than ever are having trouble making their monthly mortgage payments, according to figures released Thursday. Nearly one in 10 homeowners with mortgages was at least one payment behind in the third quarter, the Mortgage Bankers Association said in its survey. That translates into about five million households.
The $100 Million Health Care Vote? 19 Nov 2009 On page 432 of the [Sen. Harry] Reid bill, there is a section increasing federal Medicaid subsidies for "certain states recovering from a major disaster." The section... reveals that it would be states that "during the preceding 7 fiscal years" have been declared a "major disaster area." I [ABC News' Jonathan Karl] am told the section applies to exactly one state: Louisiana, the home of moderate DemocRAT Mary Landrieu, who has been playing hard to get on the health care corporaterrorist giveaway bill. How much does it cost? According to the Congressional Budget Office: $100 million.
The Dartmouth JFK-Photo Fiasco By Jim Fetzer, Ph.D. 18 Nov 2009 Professor Hany Farid, a member of the computer science faculty at Dartmouth, in a recent article injected himself into a long-running dispute concerning the authenticity of photographs related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. These photos reportedly of the accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald are collectively known as "the backyard photographs." Farid's analysis immediately raised the ire of many assassination researchers, who for years have claimed the photos are clever fakes.
Previous lead stories: CIA Secret 'Torture' Prison Found at Fancy Horseback Riding Academy --ABC News Finds the Location of a "Black Site" for Alleged Terrorists in Lithuania 18 Nov 2009 The CIA built one of its secret European prisons inside an exclusive riding academy outside Vilnius, Lithuania, a current Lithuanian government official and a former U.S. intelligence official told ABC News this week. Where affluent Lithuanians once rode show horses and sipped coffee at a café, the CIA installed a concrete structure where it could use harsh tactics torture to interrogate up to eight suspected 'al-Qaeda' terrorists at a time. "The activities in that prison were illegal," said human rights researcher John Sifton. "They included various forms of torture, including sleep deprivation, forced standing, painful stress positions."
MI5 and MI6 given go ahead for secret hearings into abuse 18 Nov 2009 MI5 and MI6 have been given permission to hold hearings behind closed doors into their alleged complicity in the treatment of seven former detainees in Guantanamo Bay. A High Court judge ruled there was no reason in law why closed hearings should not be used in the damages case, even though it had never been used in such a case before. The judge said the "closed material" procedure entitled the defendants not to disclose matters to the claimants or their lawyers where disclosure would be contrary to the interests of national security, the international relations of the UK or in any other circumstances where it was likely to harm the public interest.
Judge: Corps' negligence caused Katrina flooding 18 Nov 2009 A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Army Corps of Engineers' failure to properly maintain a navigation channel led to massive flooding in Hurricane Katrina. U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval sided with five residents and one business who argued the Army Corps' shoddy oversight of the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet led to the flooding of New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward and neighboring St. Bernard Parish. Duval awarded the plaintiffs $720,000, or about $170,000 each, but the decision could eventually make the government vulnerable to a much larger payout.
BlacklistedNews.com | Headlines - Friday November 20, 2009
| By hosting an event in support of Hebron settlers at Citi Field, the New York Mets are supporting terrorism. | |
| Veteran scriptwriter Jesse Stern has defended a controversial airport "massacre" scene in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. According to Stern, the Moscow airport level was a "risk" Infinity Ward had to take. | |
| Research by Bionsen, a natural deodorant company, found that the average woman's daily grooming and make-up routine means she 'hosts' a staggering 515 different synthetic chemicals on her body every single day | |
| Scientists in Norway have identified a mutated form of the swine flu virus that is raising concern because it was found in two patients who died of the flu and a third who was severely ill with the disease, officials announced Friday. | |
| The local police chief in Ozark, Arkansas is standing behind one of his officers who tasered a 10-year-old girl who was refusing to go to bed. | |
| About one million laid-off workers will see their unemployment benefits end in January unless Congress acts quickly to renew existing federally paid extensions, according to a new report and legislators and state officials. | |
| Despite reports of the UK’s plan for peace talks with the Taliban, Premier Gordon Brown defends Britain’s military involvement in the Afghan war, saying his country must play a full role in ‘changing the world’. | |
| In an interview with the New Statesman, the fourth eldest son of the world’s most wanted man said that he “passionately wants to try to stop violence”. | |
| Here's a new way to think about the U.S. government's epic borrowing: More than half of the $9 trillion in debt that Uncle Sam is expected to build up over the next decade will be interest. | |
| The CIA built one of its secret European prisons inside an exclusive riding academy outside Vilnius, Lithuania, a current Lithuanian government official and a former U.S. intelligence official told ABC News this week. | |
| Effects of climate change have driven women in communities in coastal areas in poor countries like the Philippines to risk dangerous jobs, and sometimes even into the flesh trade. | |
| The other top job created by the Lisbon Treaty - foreign affairs supremo - has gone to the EU Trade Commissioner, Baroness Catherine Ashton from the UK. | |
| Starry-eyed children writing letters to the jolly man at the North Pole this holiday season very likely won't get a response from Santa Claus or his helpers. | |
| Two years ago, a top psychiatrist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center was so concerned about what he saw as Nidal Hasan's incompetence and reckless behavior that he put those concerns in writing. NPR has obtained a copy of the memo, the first evaluation that has surfaced from Hasan's file. | |
| The high street in Addington, Croydon. The London borough has become the first to test out placing CCTV cameras inside homes | |
| Needless to say, this aspect of our high-tech world is beyond horrifying. Some of us have known about these facts for quite some time. One of the principal food sources for female hormones is soy, which is being consumed in huge amounts. | |
| As the debate over an audit of the Federal Reserve intensifies in the House, one camp is trotting out eight academics that it calls a "political cross section of prominent economists." | |
| British scientists suspect that swine flu virus has mutated in Ukraine. Some doctors say that flu in the country has shown unprecedented symptoms, creating the effect of burnt lungs, the Daily Mail reports. | |
| The problem: The US Army—purveyors of all things camouflage green— thinks that spy planes are too slow to recognize remote battlegrounds. The solution: Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles loaded with weaponized spy bots. The side-effect: World War III. | |
| The Silverdome cost $55.7 million to build in 1975. That’s about $222.7 million in 2008 dollars (CPI method). | |
| In a report entitled "Worst-case debt scenario", the bank's asset team said state rescue packages over the last year have merely transferred private liabilities onto sagging sovereign shoulders, creating a fresh set of problems. | |
| The National Inflation Association was in Beverly Hills, CA, yesterday producing its new documentary on the collapsing U.S. dollar and hyperinflation in the U.S., when it found out that violence broke out at UCLA where students were protesting 32% inflation in college tuition. | |
| You may not know this, but the CIA has been recruiting in Dearborn for seven years, and the agency has been very successful, so far. But right now, they are looking to recruit more Arab and Muslim-Americans to help keep our country safe from harm. | |
| A judge ruled the Army Corps of Engineers was negligent in maintaining New Orleans' levees. | |
| A former lobbyist and Monsanto employee who is credited with playing an instrumental role in introducing genetically modified milk and known carcinogens into the U.S. Food supply has been hired as a key advisor for the FDA | |
| Researchers from Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York have confirmed that Homo floresiensis is a genuine ancient human species and not a descendant of healthy humans dwarfed by disease. Using statistical analysis on skeletal remains of a well-preserved female specimen, researchers determined the "hobbit" to be a distinct species and not a genetically flawed version of modern humans. Details of the study appear in the December issue of Significance, the magazine of the Royal Statistical Society. | |
| A deadly line-up of viruses is locked up in the computer-controlled safes at the Jean Mérieux/INSERM biosecurity level four (BSL-4) facility in Lyon, France, including Ebola, Nipah, Lassa, Hendra and Marburg. And in the next few weeks, scientists working there are planning to manufacture a new resident. | |
| Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, found in everything from cosmetics to sunscreen to paint to vitamins, caused systemic genetic damage in mice, according to a comprehensive study conducted by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. | |
Video.aol.co.uk | New European Union (EU) President confirms New World Order desire
RELATED:
CCTV | UK's Ashton (Baroness Ashton of Upholland) chosen EU foreign minister
SteveQuayle.com | Hot Headlines - November 20, 2009
Economic Pains Bring Hunger Pains
What Has Government Done to the Dollar?
Commercial Real Estate Reality Check: 2007 Commercial Real Estate Valued at $6.5 Trillion with $3.5 Trillion Loans. Today, Commercial Real Estate Valued at $3.5 Trillion with $3.5 Trillion in Loans. Can You Spot the Problem?
American Hangover (The Day the Dollar Died, Part II)
401(k) as Dangerous as the Dollar
US Wants China to Buy into Its Small Banks
Major Hasan's E-Mail: 'I Can't Wait to Join You' in Afterlife
Ft. Hood-Winked: Newest False-Flag Shooting Story Riddled with Holes
Death by Proxy
Major Victory with Swine Flu Scandal
Plague or Plan? Ukraine's Mystery Disease 'Burns Out Lungs' – video
Eyes in the Sky Internationalists Push for the Creation of World Spy Agency
Policeman Who Used Taser Gun to Subdue 10-Year-Old Girl Suspended
The Idolatry of Celebrity Worship
Nuclear Fallout Rocks Pakistan
Volcanoe Watch: Acting Locally Causes Effects Globally
Sonic Boom’s Source Still a Mystery
Artificial Triple-Helixed DNA: Will It Trigger Unintended Consequences?
International Astronautical Federation (IAF) | Space News - November 20, 2009
Mexico Considering Space Agency
Mexican President Felipe Calderon said on Wednesday that the nation is considering creating a space agency to boost the development of astronomy and space science.
http://www.skynightly.com/reports/Mexico_Considering_Space_Agenc
Russia Could Delay Maiden Launch Of Angara Rocket
The maiden launch of Russia’s new Angara carrier rocket could be postponed for at least one year due to shortage of funds from the Defense Ministry, the top Russian space official said Wednesday.
http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Russia_Could_Delay_Maiden_La
SMOS satellite instrument comes alive
The MIRAS instrument on ESA’s SMOS satellite, launched earlier this month, has been switched on and is operating normally. MIRAS will map soil moisture and ocean salinity to improve our understanding of the role these two key variables play in regulating Earth’s water cycle.
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMQRJOC02G_index_0.html
First Extended Stay in Space by a Japanese Astronaut
http://www.jaxa.jp/article/special/expedition/index_e.html
Australian space science ’making gains’
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/australian-space-s
NASA tries again to free stuck Mars rover
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34044759/ns/technology_and_science-s
Water found in lunar impact likely came from comets
http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10898/s/7408c9e/l/0L0Snews
Cassini: The View From The Center Of Our Solar System
http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1789446/cassini_the_view_from
SOFIA Seeks Secrets Of Planetary Birth
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/SOFIA_Seeks_Secrets_Of_Planeta
Atlantis pair replace antenna in first space walk
http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Atlantis_pair_replace_antenn
Satellite-Based Earth Observation Market Entering Phase of Impressive Growth
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/spaceref/jext/~3/0oOTeOFt5H8/view
Baltimore Chronicle | How We Pay for Pharma’s Crooked Dealings
November 20, 2009
In early November the Indiannapolis Star ran down some of the big payouts by the drugsters.
In January, Eli Lilly and Co. agreed to pay $1.4 billion to settle charges it illegally promoted its antipsychotic drug, Zyprexa, for unapproved uses. Nine whistle-blowers, former Lilly employees, split about $100 million of the settlement as their reward.
In September, Pfizer said it would pay $2.3 billion to settle charges that it illegally promoted numerous drugs, including the painkiller Bextra. Six whistle-blowers split about $102 million.
In October, AstraZeneca reached a $520 million agreement to settle investigations into illegal marketing of its psychiatric drug, Seroquel. Several whistle-blowers will split an undisclosed amount of money.
And last week, in a courtroom in Trenton, N.J., the latest case began, as a former sales worker at Janssen (owned by Johnson & Johnson) testified she was fired in 2004 for complaining about what she considered pressure to illegally promote the antipsychotic drug Risperdal for unapproved uses.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 active whistle-blower cases are backlogged at the Department of Justice, and about 200 of them deal with drug companies.
Of the top 20 False Claims Act cases, measured by the amount of money recovered, 12 involved judgments or settlements against pharmaceutical companies, accounting for billions of dollars in recoveries.
None of the fines or settlements resulting from these cases will mar the profitability of Big Pharma, which consistently ranks as one of the top two or three most profitable industries in the United States in Fortune 500 rankings.
In 2008, according to Fortune, profits of the top 10 drugmakers alone came to $50 billion–and that, of course, is after the huge payouts to corporate executives.
SpaceWeather.com | Asteroid Debris caused electric-blue "mystery cloud" over Colorado and Utah on Nov 18, 2009
ASTEROID CLOUD: The electric-blue "mystery cloud" seen twisting over Colorado and Utah at daybreak on Nov. 18th is no longer a mystery. It was asteroid debris. Consider the following images:
On Oct. 7, 2008, asteroid 2008 TC3 hit the atmosphere and exploded over Sudan, creating the cloud pictured left. On Nov. 18, 2009, a similar-sized asteroid hit the atmosphere and exploded over Colorado and Utah in a flash of light that startled onlookers across at least eight states. Hours later, daybreak revealed the "mystery cloud" pictured right. It looks just like the debris from 2008 TC3.
Both clouds resemble icy noctilucent clouds that form naturally around Earth's poles during summer or in the aftermath of rocket launches. Researchers have long suspected that space dust can prompt the formation of noctilucent clouds by acting as nucleation points for high-altitude ice crystals. Dusty debris from exploded asteroids may serve this purpose quite nicely.
The explosion of 2008 TC3 in Oct. 2008 produced meteorites that were later recovered. The asteroid-blast of Nov. 2009 probably produced meteorites, too, although researchers aren't yet sure where they fell. Stay tuned for updates.
more images: from Lisa Cain of New Castle, Colorado; from Don Brown of Park City, Utah; from Daniel Owen of Monarch, Utah; from John Omohundro of Grand Junction, Colorado; from Jeff Kendrick of Salt Lake City, Utah; from Allan Jeffers of Denver, Colorado; from Scott Stringham of Salt Lake City, Utah; from Sean O'Leary of West Jordan, Utah;
SpaceWeather.com | Astroid 2009 WJ6 - 14 meter-wide space rock (45.932 feet wide) is flying past Earth today - about half the distance to the Moon!
Cave Editor's NOTE: 14 meters = 45.9317585 feet
CCTV | UNICEF: Afghanistan worst for child welfare
USGS steals Clif High (of HalfPastHuman.com) Web Bot's Expression of "ILL WINDS"
Joyce Riley's THE POWER HOUR NEWS | November 20, 2009
(7-10am CST)···Listen Live
WHO has confirmed that H1N1 swine flu has mutated in Ukraine, but not to worry -- If this Ukraine flu is not a big concern as the WHO claims, then why is it turning the lungs of victims black and raising internal temperatures inside of the lungs of victims to over 130 degrees Fahrenheit?
Looks like the pneumonic plague has spread to Poland -- Reports are coming in of people dying of symptoms similar to the pneunomic plague in an Emergency Room in Bialystok in the north east of Poland.
Related Articles:
* Flu attacks Poland -- The AH1N1 virus has claimed a fourth victim in Poland and the number of those suffering flu-like symptoms has increased dramatically.
* Schools & hospitals in Poland closing down over flu fears -- A school in the southern town of Lipnik closed down after 75 per cent of its students failed to turned up for classes on Wednesday morning. School activities have also been suspended in several other cities.
Radical measures can't stop swine flu -- Quarantines, school closures and other steps to contain swine flu have not worked.
VIDEO: Medical doctor that recommended H1N1 vaccine retracts and says don't take it!
Aspirin kills 400% more people than swine flu -- Did you know that more than four times as many people are killed each year by common NSAID painkillers like aspirin?
The association of acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen with respiratory disease and lung function
Vaccinations are causing impaired blood flow, (Ischemia), chronic illness & disease -- It is now proven that we are all being harmed by repeat vaccinations. This evidence must be circulated broadly in light of the imminent Fall, 2009 plan to turn North American schools into MASS vaccine centers to institute triple flu vaccine to us all. Children will be the first to be injected with experimental flu vaccines. The entire vaccine industry, as it turns out, has been experimental. We did not know that we were causing damages – for us all.
Moldovan soldiers given onions & garlic to fight swine flu -- Moldova's army is feeding its soldiers onions and garlic to help them ward off swine flu. Defense Ministry chief doctor Col. Sergiu Vasislita says about 0.9 ounces (25 grams) of onions and 0.5 ounces (15 grams) of garlic will be added to each soldier's daily diet. That roughly corresponds to a small onion and a couple of garlic cloves.
Microbiologist nabbed by FBI after warning that vaccine is a bioweapon -- Watch the actual videos as he is surrounded, gassed, and tasered. Joseph Moshe is a microbiologist who had called a radio station, and stated that the H1NI vaccine is actually a bio-weapon, and is the DEPLOYMENT OF A PLAGUE. The official propaganda line is that he had threatened the President, although there is no evidence that this is true.
Link found between thyroid cancer and residents proximity to Indian Point nuclear plant -- An article just published in the International Journal of Health Services has found that thyroid cancer rates in the four counties surrounding the Indian Point nuclear power plant, which is located in Buchanan, New York (south of Peekskill, and 24 miles north of New York City) - Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester -- are the highest in New York State.
New York readies for the Gitmo Five -- While some believe that trying the so-called "Gitmo Five" in New York City will result in more terrorist attacks in the city, Stratfor does not anticipate a marked increase in the number of plots or attacks.
Our chief industry: War -- The economy may be collapsing, but the war business is booming.
Hasan's supervisor warned Army in 2007 -- Two years ago, a top psychiatrist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center was so concerned about what he saw as Nidal Hasan's incompetence and reckless behavior that he put those concerns in writing. NPR has obtained a copy of the memo, the first evaluation that has surfaced from Hasan's file.
House Panel Votes to Advance Ron Paul's Plan on Fed Audits -- A U.S. House committee advanced a proposal to remove a three-decade ban on congressional audits of Federal Reserve interest-rate decisions, a measure backed by a lawmaker who has called for the abolition of the central bank.
Microchipping of US citizens to be mandatory? -- Already, It Looks As if Micro-chipping of US Citizens Will Soon Be Mandatory. Read More...
Idahoans see meteor explosion -- People flooded the phone lines Tuesday night as they called 911 trying to figure out what flashed in the middle of the night. It was actually a meteor traveling at unbelievable speeds.
IBM reveals the biggest artificial brain of all time -- IBM has revealed the biggest artificial brain of all time, a simulation run by a 147,456-processor supercomputer that requires millions of watts of electricity and over 150,000 gigabytes of memory. The brain simulation is a feat for neuroscience and computer processing—but it's still one- eighty-third the speed of a human brain and is only as large as a cat's. Will we ever get to truly capable artificial intelligence? PM reports from IBM's Almaden research center to find out.
Venezuela prepares for conflict with US in Columbia -- Hugo Chavez has ordered his troops to prepare for a possible conflict with US-backed Columbia.
Critical information may be missing from prescription drug labels -- Prescription drug use, sadly, is rising among people in the United States with one in six using three or more medications. Of special interest then is a recent commentary published last month in The New England Journal of Medicine which states that the FDA has critical information when a drug is approved that may not make it onto the drug label or package inserts that come with the medications.
GSK and Nabi announce agreement for NicVAX®, a vaccine for nicotine addiction -- GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA (GSK) and Nabi Biopharmaceuticals (Nabi) today announced an exclusive worldwide option and licensing agreement for a nicotine conjugate candidate vaccine (NicVAX®), an investigational vaccine for the treatment of nicotine addiction and the prevention of smoking relapse, as well as for the development of a second generation nicotine vaccine.
UK: Dozens of birds drop dead during country show -- Autopsy show hemorrhaging in lungs.
Rise in soldier suicides leaves Pentagon looking for answers -- American soldiers are committing suicide in the greatest numbers since official records began in 1980, with the US Army at a loss to explain the phenomenon since a third of the dead have never been deployed in combat.
Women put 515 chemicals on their face & body every day in beauty regime -- A survey found women typically use up to 13 products, most of which contain more than 20 ingredients, including additives. Perfumes contain an average cocktail of 250 ingredients, the study found, with some containing as many as 400.
Design flaw in CFL bulbs-they become dimmer over time -- Energy-saving lightbulbs being used in millions of homes could lose up to 40 per cent of their brightness over the next few years, engineers warned yesterday. A design flaw in compact florescent bulbs mean they become dimmer as they age.
The Top 10 Most Unhealthy Foods In Your Supermarket
These unhealthy foods are responsible for the current decline in our health as a society including skyrocketing rates of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, allergies and dementia.
You might want to consider taking the following unhealthy foods off the menu if you want to live a long and healthy life . The food you put into your mouth every day plays a much bigger role in how healthy you are than your genes.
1. Margarine
The process used to make a liquid oil opaque yellow and spreadable produces an incredibly unhealthy product that hardly qualifies to be called a food. It doesn’t matter if you start with the best quality extra virgin olive, the final product is still an unhealthy food.
Promoted as a cholesterol free and healthier choice than good old butter, margarine is the ultimate source of trans fats, which rather ironically elevate cholesterol and damage blood vessel walls. Even more ironic is the fact that margarine is still recommended by health authorities including the Australian Heart Foundation who also promote reducing dietary trans fats. Clever loopholes in labelling allow margarines to claim that they are ‘virtually’ trans fat free. Margarine is a good example of a politically correct unhealthy food.
What about the new cholesterol lowering margarines?
Save your money, you’ll be getting a dose of the very same phyto sterols by using extra virgin olive oil liberally in your diet. Most fruits and vegetables also contain phyto sterols. Flaxseed or linseed meal, nuts, seeds and legumes are all rich sources of phytosterols.
2. Breakfast Cereals
These cleverly marketed, attractively boxed ‘foods’ are in my opinion one of the most unhealthy foods in your supermarket.
And it’s not just me who thinks this.
According to Dr. Peter Dingle, a Western Australian Toxicologist and author of “My Dog Eats Better than Your Kids” and “The DEAL for Happier, Healthier, and Smarter Kids”, McDonalds makes a more nutritious breakfast than Cornflakes!
Even Choice Magazine agrees with me. They looked at the top 10 selling children’s breakfast cereals and concluded that you may as well have a candy bar for breakfast they were so high in sugar and lacking in nutrients. Iron man food they most definitely are not.
Besides the addition of sugar and refined salt, breakfast cereals are made from highly processed grains. You might start off with a nice healthy whole grain but by the time you’ve puffed it or turned it into a nice crunchy flake, you’re left with something your body no longer recognises as food. The process used to make the little ‘O’s, pellets, shreds, flakes and other shapes in your cereal bowl is called ‘extrusion’. The extrusion process damages the nutrients and proteins in the grain leaving them devoid of nutrients, highly toxic and not much more than empty calories – watch this space, they will be the trans fats of the future.
3. Refined Vegetable Oils
A diet high in omega 6 polyunsaturated vegetable oils has been linked to an increased risk of:
- Cancer
- Melanoma
- Learning disorders
- Allergies
- Immune suppression
- Heart disease
- Atherosclerosis (hardened plaques in your arteries)
- Reproductive problems
A pretty impressive list for a food we’ve been urged to consume more of for the last 20 years.
Polyunsaturated vegetable oils are highly fragile and easily damaged and subject to rancidity producing huge amounts of free radicals. The refining process also strips them of their natural antioxidants including vitamin E which in turn depletes your body of valuble antioxidants when you eat them.
The only oils in my kitchen include sesame oil, ghee and coconut oil for cooking, olive oil for salad dressings and butter to turn steamed vegetables from boring to mouth watering.
4.Doughnuts
According to Carla Wolper, Nutritionist at the New York Obesity Research Centre, "When it comes to health, the only thing good about them is the hole".
Break down a doughnut and you’re left with nothing but refined sugar and flour, artificial flavors and partially hydrogenated oil. They’re also loaded with trans fats – hello heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
Despite the fact that they’re about as healthy as a packet of cigarettes, doughnuts are increasingly used in school fundraisers these days. And we wonder why as a society that diabetes and obesity are set to cripple our health care system in the next decade.
Even if you live by the mantra of ‘everything in moderation’, treat doughnuts like rat poison rather than a food.
5. Soft Drinks
Your average can of soft drink contains the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar (about 150 calories) as well as artificial food colours and sulphites. Sulphites are well known triggers of asthma and other allergies. Diet soft drinks are just as unhealthy, artificial sweeteners like aspartame are potent ‘excitotoxins’ to the brain and nervous system and have also been linked to an increased risk of obesity.
Soft drinks are definitely not a ‘soft’ option in the junk food stakes, they increase your risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
Soft drink are a particularly unhealthy food for children as they are a significant risk factor for impaired calcification of growing bones – you wouldn’t dream of letting your child smoke a cigarette or drink a glass of wine as a ‘special treat’ so it makes no sense that it’s OK to give a child a can of cola as a weekend treat.
According to a report in the medical journal of Australia, “There is much to be gained by reducing children’s intake of soft drinks and little — except excess weight — to be lost”. Not to mention healthier bones and teeth.
The easiest way to stop yourself and your family drinking soft drink is to simply stop buying it. If it’s not in the fridge you can’t drink it.
6. Aspartame
(Artificial sweetener: Trade Name Equal and NutraSweet)
As a natural health consultant I’m always trying to convince people to eat less sugar. But sometimes a little big of sugar is much healthier than some of the artificial alternatives.
There are far worse things than sugar hiding in your food.
Aspartame, the artificial sweetener also known as Equal and NutraSweet was first approved for use in dry foods in 1981. Its approval by the American FDA which paved the way for approval throughout the rest of the world was highly controversial. The FDA commissioner, Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes who approved its use over ruled his departments own board of enquiry who recommended against approving aspartame for use in food. Shortly after approving aspartame, Dr. Hayes left the FDA to take up a very well paid position in public relations for the pharmaceutical giant, Searle, who produced aspartame and pushed hard for its approval.
Why is aspartame so bad for you?
- Aspartame is broken down or metabolised into the well known toxin, methanol (wood alcohol).
- Methanol is then converted to formaldehyde and formic acid (which is responsible for the pain caused by ant stings).
- Formaldehyde is a potent neurotoxin and causes damage to the nervous system.
Other documented effects of methanol poisoning include vision problems and problems with DNA replication which can cause cancer and birth defects. The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) classes’ methanol as an ‘accumulative poison’ as it is excreted slowly once absorbed into the body. This means that even very small amounts of aspartame can be toxic if taken on a daily basis. When taken on an empty stomach, the metabolism of aspartame to these toxic byproducts is accelerated – ironic when you consider that most people who use this artificial sweetener are in fact dieters eating aspartame laced unhealthy foods and meal replacements.
When aspartame is heated to temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, large amounts of free methanol are produced resulting in greater toxic reactions due to faster absorption. Despite this, in 1993 it was approved for use in foods that would be heated to high temperatures such as jelly, cakes, biscuits and puddings. Aspartame toxicity is believed to be responsible for ‘Gulf War Syndrome’ caused by diet cordial and soft drinks consumed by troops that had been heated to temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius in the Saudi Arabian sun.
Some of the toxic reactions caused by Aspartame and acknowledged by the FDA include:
• ADHD
• Anxiety attacks
• Asthma
• Birth defects
• Blood sugar control problems
• Chronic cough
• Chronic fatigue
• Depression
• Headaches and Migraines
• Facial flushing
• Heart palpitations
• Hearing loss
• Insomnia
• Numbness or Tingling of extremities
• Seizures and convulsions
• Tinnitus
• Vertigo
• Vision loss
• Weight gain
Aspartame can also mimic or worsen the following disease:
• Fibromyalgia
• Multiple sclerosis
• Lupus
• Diabetes
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Multiple chemical sensitivity
• Epilepsy
And lets face it, at the end of the day, the sorts of foods that aspartame is found in are pretty unhealthy foods at best, making it pretty easy to avoid if you're even marginally interested in a healthy diet.
7. Soy Protein
Textured vegetable protein (TVP)found in vegetarian "Not Meat" products and Soy protein isolate found in most processed foods.
No matter what side of the fence you sit on the great soy debate, TVP or textured vegetable protein made from de-fatted soy flour is so processed that it hardly qualifies to be called a food anymore.
It is a highly processed and unhealthy food, it is NOT a health food.
If you want to include soy in your diet, use the whole bean or foods made from the whole bean – fermented of course!
TVP is used by many vegetarians and vegans to increase protein in their diet and is also used by meat eaters keen to reduce meat in their diets due to budget or health reasons but don’t want to miss out on essential protein.
If you're currently using TVP or other forms of soy protein you might want to find an alternative:
• Having most of the fats and carbohydrates removed means that it's no longer a whole food.
• Food grade soy protein was originally used as animal feed, which didn't pay all that well. So it was re-invented as a human food, and then as a health food, which was much more profitable. Think about the price of protein shakes, veg sausage, or veggie burgers, and you get the picture
• The world’s biggest manufacturer of TVP is the world’s second largest chemical company – DuPont. This same company funds much of research and telling us how healthy and safe texturised soy protein and soy powder is.
• Soy protein is used in a variety of foods such as salad dressings, soups, vegetarian foods, meat imitations, beverage powders, cheeses, coffee whiteners, frozen desserts, whipped toppings, infant formulas, bread and rolls, cereals, pasta products, oriental foods and pet foods. It is not used in these foods to enhance nutrition, it is used emulsify (combine oils/fats and water) and add texture to food - it's used for the convience of food manufacturers, not to make it healthier for you.
• Most soy these days comes from genetically modified soy beans (soy beans are genetically modified to make them resistant to pesticides, so they don’t die when the weeds growing around them are sprayed).
"SPI (soy protein) is not something you can make in your own kitchen. Production takes place in industrial factories where a slurry of soy beans is first mixed with an alkaline solution to remove fiber, then precipitated and separated using an acid wash and, finally, neutralized in an alkaline solution."
"Acid washing in aluminum tanks leaches high levels of aluminum into the final product. The resultant curds are spray-dried at high temperatures to produce a high-protein powder. A final indignity to the original soybean is high-temperature, high-pressure extrusion processing of soy protein isolate to produce textured vegetable protein (TVP)."
"But high-temperature processing has the unfortunate side-effect of so denaturing the other proteins in soy that they are rendered largely ineffective. That's why animals on soy feed need lysine supplements for normal growth." Nb. Denatured proteins are hard for your body to digest and often cause bloating and wind.
"Nitrites, which are potent carcinogens, are formed during spray-drying, and a toxin called lysinoalanine is formed during alkaline processing. 24 Numerous artificial flavorings, particularly MSG, are added to soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein products to mask their strong "beany" taste and to impart the flavor of meat. "
"In feeding experiments, the use of SPI increased requirements for vitamins E, K, D and B12 and created deficiency symptoms of calcium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, copper, iron and zinc.26 Phytic acid remaining in these soy products greatly inhibits zinc and iron absorption; test animals fed SPI develop enlarged organs, particularly the pancreas and thyroid gland, and increased deposition of fatty acids in the liver. "
8. Potato Crisps
Out of all the foods on my top 10 Unhealthy Food hit list, potato crisps are my biggest down fall and I have to admit to guiltily indulging in the odd packet of crisps despite knowing what a shockingly unhealthy food they are, whether they actually deserve to be called a food is another matter. If I know I’m headed somewhere that crisps will be laid out to tempt me, I eat a boiled egg before leaving the house which helps to keep me feeling full and satisfied and reduces cravings for unhealthy foods.
So if you find yourself falling afoul of the big bad top 10 unhealthy foods, don’t beat yourself up too badly. Simply avoid eating them every day (even once per week is too much) and if you’re regularly eating all ten super unhealthy foods remind yourself that by doing so you’re sending your body further into nutritional debt – think of it like going crazy with your credit card, at some point you’re going to have to pay for it, plus the interest.
The British Heart Foundation built an effective campaign around the slightly nauseating image of a young girl drinking cooking oil directly from a great big bottle to try and alert parents to the dangers of feeding their kids crips. British kids consume almost 10.5 pints of oil annually if they eat one bag of chips a day.
Another British crisp fact: Brits consume a ton of chips every 3 minutes, or enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool every 14 hours. I'm sure that Australian statistics are just as bad.
Gross statistics aside, just how bad are crisps?
Very bad.
The oil that crisps are cooked in is heated to extremely high temperatures forming all sorts of toxic compounds. To make matters worse, the oil is filtered and reused again and again and again.
Some of the toxic chemicals produced include carcinogens such as Acrylamide as well as toxic fat molecules that are cross-linked, fragmented, bond-shifted oils and polymerized (which translates into dangerous fats, far worse than trans fats).
Some brands of crisps tested had levels of cancer causing acrylamide 500 times more than the safe limit set by the World Health Organisation for acrylamide in drinking water.
After they’re cooked, crisps are then loaded with flavour enhancers (MSG), stabilizers, anti caking agents, preservatives and colourings.
Crisps are one of the most unhealthy foods that people eat on a regular basis and you'll be doing your body a huge favour if you boycot the crisp aisle in your supermarket.
9. Fructose and Sucrose
If are interested in diet, nutrition and health, chances are you’ve come across the term HFCS, otherwise known as high fructose corn syrup. The internet is awash with the dangers of this sweetener added liberally to processed foods and drinks, including soft drinks.
And it’s all true.
The good news is that HFCS is not used in Australia.
The bad news is that the sweetener currently used in Australia, sucrose, is every bit as bad.
Fructose on the other hand has always been thought of as a healthier sweetener as it doesn’t have an immediate effect upon blood sugar levels. This is why soft drinks such as certain Cola drinks have a low glycemic index. Fructose, unlike glucose doesn’t stimulate insulin production. Insulin’s job is to store energy, in other words, insulin’s job is to make you gain weight. This is why a high glucose or sugar intake leads to weight gain.
According to Dr Robert Lustig, Professor of Pediatric Endocrinology at the University of California, research over the last 10 years has shown that fructose is by no means a healthy alternative to glucose.
In Dr Lustig’s own words, “We’re being poisoned to death by fructose”.
He describes fructose as behaving more like an alcohol and a fat than a sugar. In fact he describes fructose as “just like alcohol without the buzz”.
You might want to keep this statement in mind the next time you reach for a glass of fruit juice or a ‘sugar free’ jam sweetened with fructose.
A high fructose diet can over many years can cause:
• Liver damage
• Weight gain
• Elevated uric acid (gout)
• High blood pressure
• Unhealthy cholesterol levels (elevated VLDL’s, the Very Bad cholesterol)
What does fructose have to do with sucrose, the main sweetener used in Australian processed foods?
Sucrose is actually 50% glucose and 50% fructose making it 100% unhealthy. High fructose corn syrup also known as isoglucos contains 45-58% glucose and and 42-55% fructose.
Sucrose is also known as table sugar or sugar.
Fructose does occur naturally in fruit, but our bodies are not designed to handle it in the amounts that are currently being ingested.
Our consumption of fructose has increased from around 250 grams per year in 1970 to 25kg in 2003. It comes as no surprise then that we’re all getting fatter as a society, despite the fact our fat intake has decreased from 40% to 30%.
Choose a piece of fruit over a glass of fruit juice and limit your consumption of sugar sweetened foods (if you really care about your health make it a priority to eliminate these unhealthy foods altogether). Also beware of ‘Sugar Free’ foods as these are often sweetened with fructose.
10. Fat Free and Diet Foods
If you’ve ever struggled to keep your weight under control, you’re probably already aware that fat free foods don’t help. A diet too low in fat leaves you feeling depressed and battling food cravings which does nothing to help your self esteem (or your waist line).
Fat also makes food taste good and if food doesn’t taste good most people won’t buy it. Food manufacturers know this, so in order for a low fat processed food to sell they load it up with sugar, salt, fructose, msg, artificial sweeteners and other bad things in order to make it taste appealing.
Fat free is a marketing gimmick based on what we thought we knew about health, nutrition and the human body back in the 1950’s. We now know that fat is not responsible for making most people fat – we’re already eating a diet much lower in fat than our grandparents.
We get fat thanks to our own hormones – insulin and cortisol, not just extra calories from unhealthy foods. A diet high in refined sugars and carbohydrates are the primary culprits behind high levels of these fattening hormones. You should be fearing the processed, colourfully packaged unhealthy foods in your supermarket more than fat. Other culprits responsible for fat producing hormones are lack of sleep, high stress, calorie restriction diets and lack of exercise (and in some cases, over exercising).
If you want a truly healthy low fat snack, pick up an apple instead of a fat free processed and unhealthy food snack.
Now you know what the most unhealthy foods are lurking in your supermarket. Being aware of them and the tricks manufacturers, advertisers and even your supermarkets use to promote these unhealthy foods as healthy is the first step to eliminating them from your diet.