Saturday, July 25, 2009
Taxi to the Dark Side
"Taxi to the Dark Side is a 2007 Academy Award-nominated documentary film directed by American filmmaker Alex Gibney. The film focuses around the controversial death in custody of an Afghan taxi driver named Dilawar.[2] Dilawar was beaten to death by American soldiers while being held in extrajudicial detention at the Bagram Air Base. Taxi to the Dark Side also goes on to examine America's policy on torture and interrogation in general, specifically the CIA's use of torture and their research into sensory deprivation. There is description of the opposition to the use of torture from its political and military opponents, as well as the defence of such methods; the attempts by Congress to uphold the standards of the Geneva Convention forbidding torture; and the popularisation of the use of torture techniques in shows such as 24. The film is said to be the first film to contain images taken within Bagram Air Base. On November 19, 2007, Taxi to the Dark Side was named by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as one of 15 films on its documentary feature Oscar shortlist, and was ultimately one of five films nominated for a prize in the "Best Documentary Feature" category."
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
FDA Says High Fructose Corn Syrup Cannot be Considered "Natural"
in the video above
"What they didn't tell you is it's banned in places like Canada and Europe. You can even buy sodas in Mexico without it in since they don't have American lobbyists writing their laws."
"(NaturalNews) While still refraining from issuing a formal definition on the term "natural," the FDA has ruled that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) definitely does not qualify for the label.
The decision is significant for the food and beverage industries, where "natural" is a prized and highly contested label. While the Corn Refiners Association trade group has maintained that HFCS, derived from corn, is a natural sweetener, this claim has been disputed by the competing Sugar Association and by consumer groups such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest. In 2007, both Cadbury Schweppes and Kraft decided to remove "natural" labels from products containing HFCS after being threatened with lawsuits.
The heart of the question has been whether a sweetener, even one derived from a natural product like corn, can be considered natural if its chemical bonds are altered as part of the manufacturing process.
Although there is no formal definition of the term "natural," the FDA has a system through which manufacturers can inquire as to whether specific uses of the term would be appropriate. Using this system, FoodNavigator-USA.com submitted a query about the status of HFCS."
Full article
Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury
in the video above
"The Corn Refiners Association decided to 'show' high-fructose corn syrup was as safe as sugar. It's no different than the Tobacco industry telling us nicotine isn't addictive."
"MONDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.
HFCS has replaced sugar as the sweetener in many beverages and foods such as breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments. On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS, but teens and other high consumers can take in 80 percent more HFCS than average.
"Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply," the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Dr. David Wallinga, a co-author of both studies, said in a prepared statement."
Full article
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
"Run From The Cure" The Rick Simpson Story
"Rick Simpson Story After a serious head injury in 1997, Rick Simpson sought relief from his medical condition through the use of medicinal hemp oil. When Rick discovered that the hemp oil (with its high concentration of T.H.C.) cured cancers and other illnesses, he tried to share it with as many people as he could free of charge. When the story went public, the long arm of the law snatched the medicine - leaving potentially thousands of people without their cancer treatments - and leaving Rick with unconsitutional charges of possessing and trafficking marijuana!"
UK government suppressed evidence on Binyam Mohamed torture because MI6 helped his interrogators
"Material in a CIA dossier on Mr Mohamed that was blacked out by High Court judges contained details of how British intelligence officers supplied information to his captors and contributed questions while he was brutally tortured, The Sunday Telegraph has learned.
Intelligence sources have revealed that spy chiefs put pressure on Mr Miliband to do nothing that would leave serving MI6 officers open to prosecution, or to jeopardise relations with the CIA, which is passing them "top notch" information on British terrorist suspects from its own informers in Britain.
Mr Mohamed, 30, an Ethiopian, was granted refugee status in Britain in 1994. He was picked up in Pakistan in 2002 on suspicion of involvement in terrorism, rendered to Morocco and Afghanistan, tortured and then sent to Guantanamo Bay in 2004. All terror charges against him were dropped last year.
Two High Court judges last week said they wanted to release the full contents of a CIA file on his treatment but they held back seven paragraphs of information after David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, argued that it could compromise intelligence sharing with the US.
A British official, who is regularly briefed on intelligence operations, said: "The concern was that the document revealed that intelligence from the British agencies was used by the Americans and that there were British questions asked while Binyam Mohamed was being tortured.
"Miliband is being pushed hard by the intelligence agencies to protect the identity of those involved."
The 25 lines edited out of the court papers contained details of how Mr Mohamed's genitals were sliced with a scalpel and other torture methods so extreme that waterboarding, the controversial technique of simulated drowning, "is very far down the list of things they did," the official said."
Article Link
Computer chips may 'repair' nerve
"Edinburgh University has developed a technique, which allows neurons to grow in fine, detailed patterns on the surface of tiny computer chips.
Neurons are the basic cells of the human nervous system.
The scientists said the development may eventually enable chips to replace damaged nerve or muscle fibres.
They also said the development could possibly be used in the development of prosthetics in the future.
During the chip manufacturing process, the scientists printed patterns on the smooth silicon surface."
Link
Friday, February 13, 2009
Dark Side of The Moon
"Dark Side of the Moon is a French documentary by director William Karel which ...originally aired on Arte in 2002 with the title Opération Lune. The basic premise for the film is the theory that the television footage from the Apollo 11 Moon landing was faked and actually recorded in a studio by the CIA with help from director Stanley Kubrick. It features some surprising guest appearances, most notably by Donald Rumsfeld, Dr. Henry Kissinger, Alexander Haig, Buzz Aldrin and Stanley Kubrick's widow, Christiane Kubrick. The tone of the documentary begins with low key revelations of NASA working closely with Hollywood at the time of the Moon landings. Over the course of the tale, Karel postulates that not only did Kubrick help the USA fake the moon landings but that he was eventually killed by the CIA to cover up the truth. First hand testimony backing these claims come from Rumsfeld and Dr. Kissinger, which lend credence to the story."
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
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