Monday, May 20, 2013

Official Story Has Odd Wrinkles: A Pack Of Questions About The Boston Bombing Backpacks

The horrific bombing of the Boston Marathon, to hear the FBI and the Boston Police tell it, is solved: One bomber, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, is dead, gunned down by police and then run over for good measure by his fleeing brother Dzhokhar, who was captured a day later in a citywide manhunt, after being hit by a fusillade of police bullets fired into a trailered pleasure boat he was hiding in.
Among the reasons law enforcement sources are so confident they “got” their men were video surveillance photos from a Lord & Taylor storefront area showing the two brothers as they arrived at the finish-line area, each wearing a backpack, allegedly carrying what the FBI now says were two identical 6-quart steel pressure cookers marketed by the Canadian corporation Fagor. Fragments of those pots, which the FBI says were packed with black powder (gathered from a collection of fireworks) as well as nails and BBs, were recovered at the scene.
cook
Besides the photos of the two brothers wearing their packs, the FBI also has released a photo of the remnants of one of the backpacks, allegedly the black, or dark-colored, one worn by the elder Tamerlan Tsarnaev. There is also a photo of what is described as a white backpack, which was placed on the street side of a metal crowd-control fence. It was said to contain the second bomb, which exploded 10 seconds later, further from the finish line. This is presumed to be the same light-colored pack Dzhokhar is seen wearing in the store video as he arrives on the scene.
There are a number of serious problems with this supposedly damning evidence, however.
First of all, nobody looking at the evidence to date has tried loading up one of these Fagor pots with the amount of weight that would have been created by a big four or five quarts’ worth of black powder, perhaps two quarts of nails, and perhaps a pound or two of BB shot, to see what it would look like in a basic unstructured book bag of the type the two men were wearing.
WhoWhatWhy decided to do that.
***
The first problem was buying the pot. This reporter looked it up online and found that it was being sold by Macy’s. Going to the nearest Macy’s at the Montgomery Mall in Montgomeryville, PA, we discovered that the cookware section had no pressure cookers. The store clerk in charge of that section was asked where pressure cookers were.
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“We don’t sell pressure cookers,” she said.
“How can a cookware section not sell pressure cookers? Anyhow, your website says you sell a line of Fagor pressure cookers.”
She replied, “We stopped selling them after the Boston Bombing.”
So it goes. Guns—even the gun used in the incident, still get sold in stores after the Newtown, CT, school massacre, but when someone makes a bomb with an ordinary kitchen implement, they are taken off the shelves. (What’s next, a demand for licenses to buy canning equipment?)
Luckily, we found several of the Fagor six-quart pots in a nearby Sears store, and purchased one, on sale for $76.00. The dimensions of the kettle are 10 inches in diameter and 7.7 inches bottom to top, not counting the handle (which cannot be detached without exposing four bolt holes through the top and side of the lid).
After getting a calculation that a quart of black powder weighs about two pounds (a very general measurement, because the compound changes weight according to the humidity, and can be loosely or densely packed like any powder), and testing a bag of small nails to find that they weigh about six pounds per quart, and after weighing the pot itself, we found that the whole contraption, fully loaded with four to five quarts of powder, two quarts’ worth of nails and BBs, and a battery and ignition device, would weigh about 30 lbs. So we put a sufficient number of exercise weight plates into our container, shut the lid, and tried carrying it in two backpacks similar in construction to the ones on the two brothers’ backs.
The results were instructive.
If you look carefully at the first set of photos, showing the surveillance photo of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and the model wearing a similar pack containing the loaded pot, both packs being slung over the right shoulder using the right strap only, you can see a dramatic difference. There are stress wrinkles under the jacket of the right image on the model, caused by the 30-lb. weight pulling downward, but Dzhokhar’s jacket can be seen to be completely smooth under the strap. His pack is clearly extremely light on his shoulder (which may be why he’s not wearing it slung over both shoulders).  As well, you can see that the weight of the pot, pulling down and outward in the model’s bag on the right, is causing a downward sloping of the top of the backpack, and is also causing many vertical stress lines on the face of the bag itself. Dzhokhar’s bag, however, is flat across the top, indicating no such downward pulling force, and it does not exhibit any downward wrinkles on its side. Whatever he is carrying, it is clearly not a 30-lb., or even a 20-lb. cylinder.
Here’s a close-up image of the shoulder straps on Dzhokhar’s and the model’s right shoulders:
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Moving to Tamerlan Tsarnaev, check out the model’s slightly larger pack, which like Tamerlan’s is being worn with both straps over the shoulders. Again, the pack on the right, containing the loaded pot, is causing obvious wrinkles on the winter coat where the straps are bearing down on a small section of padded coat. Once again the weight of the straps of the shoulder— this time 15 lbs. per strap—can be seen causing prominent wrinkling on the winter coat worn by the model underneath the straps. The downward sloping of the face of the backpack, and also the vertical stress wrinkles are prominent and clearly visible also. In the video surveillance photo of Tamerlan, however, his coat can be seen to be unwrinkled under the straps, and there are again no vertical stress lines on the face of his pack. Again, it is hard to imagine a 30 or even a 20-lb. weight in the bottom of that pack.
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There are other questions too, that need to be asked, and that demand answers.
First of all, there is the matter of the photo released by the FBI of an exploded backpack, said to have contained one of the pressure cooker bombs. The material is dark black, and it is not because of charring, because the color is uniform, and also there are white images on it, including a white square (more on that later). That would have to have been Tamerlan’s pack, given that Dzhokhar’s is white or light-colored. But looking at the image of Tamerlan wearing his pack, and contrasting the light color of the pack relative to his clearly black winter coat, it appears that the pack is more of a gray than a black. It’s possible that it’s a matter of the lighting and the quality of the video, but it does not seem to be a jet black color, especially as there are much darker lines on it that  appear to be real black, along the seam lines. So was that exploded pack really Tamerlan’s?
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As for Dzhokhar, the photo of a pack set on the sidewalk in front of a bunch of spectators, in the spot where bomb number two exploded bears no resemblance to the pack he was photographed wearing, which had wide black seam lines and zippers.
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Meanwhile, there were people on the scene near the finish line who were wearing backpacks that were both very dark black and large enough and full-enough looking to be containing a loaded pressure kettle. These men were observed and photographed wearing baseball caps and shirts bearing the uniquely drawn white skull logo of a Houston, TX-based mercenary-for-hire firm called Craft International Security (whom no governmental agency will admit to having hired). Curiously, images of several of the men wearing those packs show them to have an unusual white square image on the top of the pack, quite like the white square visible in the FBI’s image of the exploded black pack. The Craft personnel’s packs are made of material that looks remarkably similar to  whatever was used to make the exploded pack. (The man on the right below is photographed before the bombing. He is also seen, in an image taken after the explosion, running alongside a second identically-dressed Craft man wearing a pack and the company’s logo-emblazoned hat. Note that the left runner, interestingly, now no longer has on his pack. Where did it go?)
Note: Stay tuned for more information on Craft, its origins, management and relationship with the US government. We will try to determine what these private “soldiers” were doing at the end point of the marathon wearing large backpacks (or mysteriously losing those large backpacks) right around the time of the explosions. Of course it’s possible there is some benign explanation. It’s equally possible they were hired to guard against some threat that runners and spectators were never cautioned about, which could explain all the secrecy now about them.
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***
Some may argue that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has confessed to the crime, and even that two days ago his written confession was found scrawled on the inside wall of the boat he was captured in.  But while the corporate media is reporting that as evidence, let’s not rush to judgment here. Those reports of a confession have been sourced by the media only to unnamed “law enforcement sources” and there have been many such leaks and statements that have turned out to be false, such as the report of a 7-Eleven being robbed by the brothers, and a lengthy shootout between Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and police before he was captured in the boat (unarmed).
Since Dzhokhar has not said a word since he was finally provided with a lawyer, these “law enforcement sources” are reporting things that Dzhokhar would have had to have said during an unrelenting 16-hour interrogation by the FBI’s crack post-9/11 terrorist interrogation unit, who interrogated him while he was in serious condition from having been shot multiple times, including through the neck, possibly blowing off part of his tongue, after he had suffered massive blood loss and shock, and while he was heavily sedated and handcuffed to his bed. We’re supposed to accept that “confession” without question?
A copy of the transcript of a hospital bedside visit to Dzhokhar in Beth Israel Hospital by Federal Judge Marianne B. Bowler, who had finally called a halt to the interrogation (all conducted without a lawyer or witness present, despite reports that Dzhokhar had repeatedly requested and been denied an attorney), gives a good idea of how aware and capable of talking he actually was:
The Court:               I will ask the doctor whether or not the patient is alert.
You can rouse him.
Dr. Odom:                How are you feeling!
Are you able to answer some questions?
The Defendant:       (Defendant nods affirmatively)
There follow a series of questions and answers between judge and attorneys, and then some questions to Tsarnaev, which are only answered by nods.
Later, the Judge asks:
The Court:          Can you afford a lawyer?
The Defendant:  No.
The Court:          Let the record reflect that I believe the defendant has said “No”.
This is the quality of “conversation” of which Dzhokhar was capable almost a week after his capture, at a time when the hospital was listing him in “fair” condition. Just what level of “conversation” did he likely have with his FBI interrogators in secret when he had just been captured and was listed in serious condition and when there was some question as to whether he would even survive his shooting ordeal?
Meanwhile, the purported writing on the inner hull of the boat was not reported for several weeks, until CBS Senior Correspondent John Miller—himself a former FBI spokesman—broke the story. Was it really written by a frightened and severely wounded Dzhokhar Tsarnaev while he was on the lam from a city-wide manhunt? Or is it perhaps some cop’s prank? At this point who knows? As far as we know, nobody has tried to match the scrawl with his own handwriting to date.
So that brings us back to those two backpacks.  What could have been in them for them to be hanging so lightly on the two suspects’ backs?  And if it wasn’t two explosive-laden pressure cookers—if—then who put those bombs at the finish line?
These are precarious times. We owe it to ourselves to fully investigate all aspects of this singular affair, not to take anyone’s word for what we should think.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

going organic rids lunchlady of allergies, but gets her in hot water with the food nazis

HONOLULU —When Carissa Lee O'Connell's husband Rick began preparing organic home lunches for his wife four months ago, the goal was to improve her severe nasal allergies.

"Instantly the allergies went away, the colds disappeared and it's all from just eating raw, natural organic food," Rick O'Connell, 53, told KITV4.

But now Carissa Lee O'Connell, 24, is suffering from another health issue – trouble sleeping.  She says her nightly tossing and turning is due to a mandate from KCAA Preschools of Hawaii, where she has worked as a teacher's aide at the Hawaii Kai campus for the past year.

In April, Lee O'Connell was verbally warned by the preschool to stop eating home lunches in plain view of kids. But last week, the verbal warning was put to paper, stating that if O'Connell continued to defy school administrators, she would be summarily fired.

"Definitely upsetting because I really enjoy being with the kids, having fun and seeing them every day," said Lee O'Connell. "They're making me eat my lunch away from everybody else just because my director feels uncomfortable about the situation."

KCAA president Christina Cox said O'Connell is allowed to eat homemade lunches during a paid break, or after kids go down for their nap, but the objective of lunch time is to provide a family-style setting where teachers and staff field questions about the food that's being served.  

In a warning letter issued to Lee O'Connell on Monday, KCAA's Kuapa campus director Wendy Nishimura wrote the following: "Staff who choose not to eat the meals provided, may eat their own food during their break or after the meal service for the children is completed."

Lee O'Connell counters that a 10-minute break isn't always conducive to eating lunch, and she prefers the half-hour set aside by the school, which begins at 11:20 a.m.

"It's definitely a possibility," said Lee O'Connell, "but it's not to say that it's guaranteed that during my break time I'm not going to have a personal issue that comes up, and I have to take care of that first before I can be able to sit down to eat." 
Lee O'Connell's husband believes his wife is being unfairly targeted by the preschool, and questions how an organization that receives tax dollars through the USDA Child Nutrition Program can get away with what he believes is a clear-cut case of discrimination.

"So in other words, her tax dollars can go into a program that (children) are being fed with, but she can be ostracized for eating a certain way to maintain her health," said O'Connell. "She's got a choice to either keep her job, or keep her health. That's just a horrible choice for anybody to have to make."

Lee O'Connell is scheduled to report to work Wednesday morning, but is prepared to be fired after sharing her story with KITV4.

"I definitely haven't slept well and I can't really focus on my work all the time because I'm always thinking about what my director might see, and how she's going to use that against me," said Lee O'Connell.
KCAA operates seven preschools on Oahu. It was established in 1895 as a Kindergarten and Children's Aid Association, and operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.


Read more: http://www.kitv.com/news/hawaii/preschool-threatens-to-dismiss-worker-for-food-choice-at-lunch/-/8905354/20152082/-/nls964/-/index.html#ixzz2Tei1qTY3

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Farmer Faces Over 2 Years Jail, $10K Fines for Fee...

Refreshing News: Farmer Faces Over 2 Years Jail, $10K Fines for Fee...: Things are heating up in Baraboo, Wisconsin as a long awaited food rights trial approaches. Raw milk drinkers are outraged that Wisconsin D...

READ THIS BEFORE DRINKING AND EATING YOUR NEXT MEAL

There is no question that HFCS-90 is illegal. The FDA has stated it doesn’t have adequate information to assess its safety, and that additional data on the effects of fructose consumption are needed to ensure that this product is safe.”
The FDA has only authorized the use of HFCS with a maximum 55% fructose concentration. HFCS-90 contains 90% fructose. Extensive medical studies have linked excess fructose consumption to serious health risks including obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

“HFCS-90 has been used in the food supply for decades.” Despite growing concerns over the health risks posed by High Fructose Corn Syrup, Mohan declares that “a food manufacturer may determine for itself whether a food ingredient is safe,” claiming that there is no law that “requires approval of FDA of the safety of a food substance.”

The FDA has only authorized the use of HFCS with a maximum 55% fructose concentration. HFCS-90 contains 90% fructose. Extensive medical studies have linked excess fructose consumption to serious health risks including obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/30/5382271/corn-refiners-acknowledge-ignoring.html
Now the dairy industry is pushing for aspartame in milk!


Aspartame in Milk: Your Dairy is About to Change and You Won’t Even Know It When It Does
MARCH 27, 2013
The dairy industry recently created quite a stir after the public release of its petition to the FDA to amend the definition of milk. Essentially, the industry wishes to change the standard of identity of milk so that a product flavored with a “non-nutritive sweetener” like aspartame can still marketed and labeled as plain ol’ milk. See 78 FR 11791-0121 C.F.R. § 131.110 Milk. The dairy industry petition states the amendment would “promote more healthful eating practices” and “reduce childhood obesity” by providing low-cal flavored milk options. Id.
http://www.foodlawfirm.com/2013/03/aspartame-in-milk-your-dairy-is-about-to-change-and-you-wont-even-know-it-when-it-does/

http://investmentwatchblog.com/you-better-read-this-before-drinking-and-eating-your-next-meal/

Monday, May 6, 2013

As the government protects the GMO industry, with its recent signing of the “Monsanto Protection Act”, the republic’s health interests are being discarded.

by Lance Devon
Natural News
May 5, 2013
As the government protects the GMO industry, with its recent signing of the “Monsanto Protection Act”, the republic’s health interests are being discarded.
A 2012 study, called the Corn Comparison Report, was recently released by Profit Pro and published on the website for Moms Across America March to Label GMOs – a group dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of genetically modified organisms.
The Corn Comparison Report detailed the nutritional deficiencies of GMO corn compared to regular organic corn. The report reveals the stunning levels of glyphosate in GMO corn and the amount of vital nutrients that have been drawn out.
The nutrition statistics for GMO corn are bone chilling. Here is what the report indicates:
• Organic corn has 14 ppm of manganese. GMO corn has only 2 ppm.
Real corn has 7 times more manganese!
• Organic corn has 6130 ppm of calcium. GMO is stripped down to 14 ppm.
Real corn has 437 times more calcium!
• Organic corn has 113 ppm of magnesium. GMO corn is vacant, with only 2 ppm.
Real corn has 56 times more magnesium!
The amount of formaldehyde and glyphosate in GMO corn is unbelievable. To break it down, American EPA standards allow glyphosate in water of up to .7ppm. European tests indicate that animals begin experiencing liver damage at .0001 ppm of glyphosate in water. Putting these two statistics together, America’s water levels contain glyphosate that is 7,000 times greater than the amount required for animal liver damage!
GMO corn takes that statistic up yet another notch. GMO corn contains 13 ppm of glyphosate, or the equivalent of 130,000 times more toxicity than EPA water standards!

The formaldehyde level of GMO corn is unspeakable

In a similar study on GMO corn, Dr. Huber found out that animals avoid GMO corn at all costs. When given a choice between both GMO and non GMO varieties of corn, animals always go for the real organic corn. Huber also found out that .97ppm of formaldehyde is toxic to animals. The GMO corn he tried to give the animals contained 200 times that amount!
This begs the questions:
• Why is something this toxic fed to humans?
• Why would humans touch the stuff in the first place?
• Are people devolving?
• Have their instincts been shut down?
• Is their intuition numb?
• Are they distracted by pretty labels and promises of safety?

March against GMOs

Genetically modified organisms are an open invitation to disease, cancer, and infertility. What a person consumes is what they become. Eating nutrient-void, formaldehyde-laden GMO corn is beckoning a disease-ridden population. There is enough evidence out now that explains the horror of genetically modified food. Any corporation that feeds this genetically modified system to the people should be tried for crimes against humanity.
Sadly, Monsanto and other biotech giants may have just been pardoned from their crimes against humanity. Through recent lobbying with the federal government, Monsanto was able to protect their GMO industry and get Congress and President Obama to pass a provision that exempts them from GMO liability. This law was signed into motion on March 26 and allows biotech companies like Monsanto to bypass federal approval tests and plant their GMO crops despite well known health risks. This provision frees biotech companies from their liability to the people and from judicial accountability.
This leaves justice, freedom, and the future of health in the people’s hands.
A worldwide March against Monsanto is scheduled May 25th 1013.