FDA Says "YES", to Spaying Viruses on Meat

WASHINGTON - A mixture of six bacteria-killing viruses can be safely sprayed on meat and poultry to combat common microbes that kill hundreds of people a year, federal health officials said Friday.

The mixture of special viruses, called bacteriophages, would target strains of Listeria monocytogenes, the Food and Drug Administration said in declaring it is safe to use. The viruses are designed to be sprayed on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products just before they are packaged.

The bacterium they target can cause a serious infection called listeriosis, primarily in pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems. In the United States, an estimated 2,500 persons become seriously ill with listeriosis each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 500 die.

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Fluoridated Water is Unsafe

Decades of research have been conducted on the dangers of fluoride to human health. The ingredient in toothpaste is pharmaceutical grade sodium fluoride. Even toothpaste tube labels have a warning to call the Poison Control Center if ingested. Fluoride is the poison.Hydrofluorosilicic acid is what is added to drinking water. It is untreated toxic waste from the phosphate fertilizer industry added to city tap water, and has trace amounts of other toxins in the waste including arsenic and heavy metals. Fluoride is classified as a neurotoxin, just as harmful as lead and aluminum to the human developing brain.

But wait, isn't fluoride good for our teeth?

Tooth health has improved worldwide, proving that the relationship between fluoride and dental caries is spurious at best. Tooth health is dependent on three factors:

1. good genetics
2. good diet
3. good brushing habits (does not matter if the toothpaste is fluoridated or unfluoridated)

Should Fluoride be Ingested or Used Topically?

“If you want to prevent sunburn, you don’t drink suntan lotion,” explains Dr. William Hirzy, Vice President of the EPA Union in a brilliant and thorough 28-minute video, Professional Perspectives on Water Fluoridation.

According to an extensive report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), “…the main benefits of fluoride for dental health are derived from surface application on the teeth, not from ingestion (Aoba 2002; Featherstone 2000; Weyant 2004). Fluoride works primarily via three topical mechanisms … All of these mechanisms are post-eruptive, which means that they operate in the oral cavity after the permanent tooth emerges from the gum (Aoba 2002; Hellwig 2004).” Fluoride and Dental Health

Dangers and Health Hazards of Fluoride to Human Health

Here are some of the findings from literally decades of research on health risks associated with ingesting fluoride.

* 30% of American children have fluorosis (too much fluoride). Those brown spots on the teeth, mottled, pitted and weakened teeth are often caused by excess fluoride.
* Over exposure to fluoride can cause osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer in children. A recent report shows high levels of fluoride in dog food with bone meal fillers is linked to osteosarcoma in dogs, as well.
* Fluoride contributes to increased susceptibility to bone fractures, arthritis and skeletal fluorosis. The Journal of American Medical Association has published peer reviewed studies showing fluoride can increase risk of bone fractures.
* Fluoride has been found to lower IQ in children (according to 23 published studies on fluoride and intelligence in children); cause brain damage, and contribute to ADD (when linked with lead).
* Arthritis symptoms can be caused or aggravated by fluoride.
* Fluoride suppresses the thyroid functions, contributing to depression, and hypothyroidism.

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www.examiner.com

CBS "60 MINUTES" Exposes 1976 Swine Flu Vaccine

Swine Flu 1976 & Propaganda
Uploaded by Dianequiose-4. - More video blogs and vloggers.

The Italian Job at the Canadian Mint?

Mounties to probe Canada's missing gold

OTTAWA (AFP) — The Canadian government is investigating the disappearance of an amount of gold and precious metals from the Royal Canadian Mint and has asked the federal police to probe a possible heist.

Minister of State for Transport Rob Merrifield said Tuesday he called in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to conduct a "full investigation."

External auditors had been ordered to investigate a discrepancy between the mint's 2008 financial accounting of its precious metal holdings and its actual stockpile. Many had expected the audit would point to sloppy bookkeeping.

The investigation was ordered after mint officials said the audit would not be able to reconcile the discrepancy.

"As soon as they instructed me this morning that it looked like the audit wasn't going to tell us everything we need to know and be able to rectify the numbers, I thought it was important to bring the RCMP in," Merrifield said.

But he declined to say how much gold, silver or other precious metals were unaccounted for.

Opposition parties, however, criticized the government for the mint's possible loss of tens of millions of dollars worth of gold.

"How is it conceivable that we can lose tens of millions of dollars in gold from the Royal Canadian Mint, and nobody notices until they finally start calling the accountants," said opposition New Democrat MP Thomas Mulcair.

"If they can't even hold onto the gold in the Mint, what are they capable of doing?" he said, adding: "It now appears that it's gone beyond bad accounting."

Homeland Security to scan fingerprints of travellers exiting the US

The US Department of Homeland Security is set to kick-start a controversial new pilot to scan the fingerprints of travelers departing the United States.

From June, US Customs and Border Patrol will take a fingerprint scan of international travelers exiting the United States from Detroit, while the US Transport Security Administration will take fingerprint scans of international travelers exiting the United States from Atlanta.

Biometric technology such as fingerprint scans has been used by US Customs and Border Patrol for several years to gain a biometric record of non-US citizens entering the United States.

But under the Bush Administration, a plan was formulated to also scan outgoing passengers.

Michael Hardin, a senior policy analyst with the US-Visit Program at the United States Department of Homeland Security told a Biometrics Institute conference today that the DHS will use the data from the trial to "inform us as to where to take [exit screening] next."

"We are trying to ensure we know more about who came and who left," he said. "We have a large population of illegal immigrants in the United States - we want to make sure the person getting on the plane really is the person the records show to be leaving."

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Top 10 Outreageous Police State Moments!

10.Oklahoma Highway Patrol Fight With EMT


9.Seattle Police Beat 16 Year Old Girl in Jail Cell


8.Utah Cops Slams Handcuffed Man


7.NYPD Assult Cyclist In Time Square


6.Hillsborough County Deputies Dump Paralyzed Man From Wheelchair


5.Florida Police Beats Man in Elevator


4.Chicago Cop Beats Female Bartender


3.Police Tackle Puts Innocent Man in Coma
.

2.Birmingham Cops Beat Unconscious Man After Chase


1.Oakland Bart Cop Executes Suspect

Towns Considering Disincorporation as Finances Worsen

Source: WSJ
As the recession batters city budgets around the U.S., some municipalities are considering the once-unthinkable option of dissolving themselves through "disincorporation."

Benefits of this move vary from state to state. In some cases, dissolution allows residents to escape local taxes. In others, it saves the cost of local salaries and pensions. And residents may get services more cheaply after consolidating with a county.

In Mesa, Wash., a town of 500 residents about 250 miles east of Portland, Ore., city leaders have initiated talks with county officials about the potential regional impact of disincorporating. Mesa has been hit by a combination of the recession and lawsuits that threaten its depleted coffers, leaving few choices other than disincorporation, said Robert Koch, commissioner of Franklin County, where Mesa is located.

Two California towns, Rio Vista and Vallejo, have said they may need to disincorporate to address financial difficulties; Vallejo filed for bankruptcy protection last year. Civic leaders in Mountain View, Colo., have alerted residents that they are left with few options but to disincorporate because the town can't afford to pay salaries and services.

Incorporation brings residents a local government with the ability to raise money through taxes and bond issuances. It also gives them more control of zoning decisions and development, and usually provides for local services such as trash pickup and police as well.

Dissolving a town government, on the other hand, often shifts responsibility for providing services to the county or state. A city's unexpired contracts usually remain binding, and residents are still obligated to pay off any debt.

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A Weak Dollar Is Bad For America

Here is a Forbes.com article from 2007 that highlights what comes along with a weaking USD.

Here is my case for why a weaker dollar hurts America.

First, a weaker dollar translates into a cut in the real spending power of American consumers--in effect, a reduction in real income.

Second, a weaker dollar weakens the role of the U.S. dollar as the world's reserve currency. Why should investors and central banks around the world invest in US assets when their value is steadily declining?

Third, the chances of a weaker dollar leading to a sharp reduction in America's trade deficit is highly unlikely since 40% of the current balance is due to oil imports that are denominated in U.S. dollars. An additional 20% is due to trade with China, which is, of course, controlling the value of its own currency.

Fourth, a weaker dollar is inflationary since it increases the cost of imports.

Fifth, business leaders know that discounting prices may bump near-term revenue and profits but at a real cost to long-term profitability, not to mention inflicting damage to the brand name. This is what we are doing to the brand of America by trying to increase exports by lowering their price in the global marketplace. Better to stand firm on price and sell into global markets on the basis of what is great about American products: superior quality, innovation and service.

Sixth, investors seem to like a weaker dollar since the profits of American multinationals get a boost from foreign earnings being translated into U.S. dollars. Again this is short-term thinking and vastly overstated since most multinationals have sophisticated treasury departments that hedge currency exposures.

What a weaker dollar really does is to encourage American and international investors to invest in non-American markets. The more the dollar drops, the more global equities rise. Many Asian currencies are hitting record highs against the U.S. dollar.

The Australian dollar has climbed to a 25-year highs, while the Singapore dollar has touched 10-year highs. The Brazilian real, which has jumped 18% in value against the U.S. dollar this year, and the Indian rupee's sharp appreciation against the U.S. dollar during the past year, have supercharged U.S. dollar investors' returns in those markets.

According to EPFR Global, investors are pouring money into global funds--with net inflows of $96.94 billion into world equity funds so far in 2007, while taking out $9.6 billion out of U.S. equity funds. Brazil's local stock exchange, the Bovespa, reported that investors have injected $1.2 billion into the market in September alone.

Foreign investors slashed their holdings of U.S. securities by a record amount as the credit squeeze intensified, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. The Treasury said net sales of U.S. market assets--including bonds, notes and equities--were $69.3 billion in August after a revised inflow of $19.5 billion during July. The August outflow exceeded the previous record decline of $21.2 billion in March 1990.

Last and perhaps most importantly, I view a policy of weakening the U.S. dollar to improve America's competitive position as the path of least resistance.

Let's not roll up our sleeves and cut federal spending, greatly simplify our tax code to encourage productivity and achievement or reduce corporate tax rates and excessive regulation. Let's just wink and weaken and let our nation's currency drift lower on automatic pilot.

My view is that the value of a nation's currency reflects the perceived value of country in the global marketplace. Maintaining and strengthening the value of our nation's currency is in the best interest of American consumers, businesses and investors.

GM bankruptcy plan eyes quick sale to government

Wed May 20, 2009 5:39am EDT
By Chelsea Emery and Tom Hals

NEW YORK (Reuters) - If General Motors Corp (GM.N) files for bankruptcy, as widely expected, its healthy assets will be quickly sold to a new company owned by the U.S. government, a source familiar with the situation said on Tuesday.

The source, who was not cleared to speak with the media and would not be identified, said the U.S. government would pay for the assets by assuming the automaker's $6 billion of secured debt and forgiving the bulk of the $15.4 billion of emergency loans that the U.S. Treasury has provided to GM.

The government is negotiating the terms on which it will assume GM's secured debt and might make an the offer to holders of the debt that is far superior to the one made to Chrysler LLC's secured lenders, the source said.

Chrysler filed for bankruptcy in April and has proposed paying its secured lenders about 28 cents on the dollar.

The new GM is likely to distribute stock in the company to GM's unions in return for concessions on wages and benefits, the source said.

The percentage of stock given to the unions, bondholders and other creditors whose debt is not repaid by new GM has not been determined, the source said.

In addition, the government would extend a credit line to the new company, the source said.

The remaining assets of GM would stay in bankruptcy protection to satisfy other outstanding claims.

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Simple Lessons on "If" and "Then"

Ok, boys and girls today I'm going to give you a simple yet effective lesson on "If" and "Then". Ok, ready?? Here we go, lesson #1:

- If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then...... you guessed it, it's a duck.

- If 2 + 2 + 2 = 6, Then 3 x 2 = 6. (Simple Right?)

- If Corporatism is defined as: the organization of a society into industrial and professional corporations serving as organs of political representation and exercising control over persons and activities within their jurisdiction. , Then the government ownership of private manufacturers and financial instituions in America is Corporatism.

- If the government owns 80% of AIG, 36% of Citigroup, 50% of GM and 35% of Bank of America, Then ladies and gentlemen that's Coporatism USA.

- If H.R. 2401 Act of 2009 (No Fly, No Buy act) is passed into law, Then the government will have the authoriy and power to strip U.S. citizens of their 2nd Amendment right at will without even telling you why.

People please don't be fooled by the colorful personalities of the MSM or get lost in the fog of war. Open your eyes and stand up for your rights before they taken away.

DHS Training Boy Scouts to Combat Terrorist &..... War Vets???

IMPERIAL, Calif. — Ten minutes into arrant mayhem in this town near the Mexican border, and the gunman, a disgruntled Iraq war veteran, has already taken out two people, one slumped in his desk, the other covered in blood on the floor.

The responding officers — eight teenage boys and girls, the youngest 14 — face tripwire, a thin cloud of poisonous gas and loud shots — BAM! BAM! — fired from behind a flimsy wall. They move quickly, pellet guns drawn and masks affixed.

“United States Border Patrol! Put your hands up!” screams one in a voice cracking with adolescent determination as the suspect is subdued.

It is all quite a step up from the square knot.

The Explorers program, a coeducational affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America that began 60 years ago, is training thousands of young people in skills used to confront terrorism, illegal immigration and escalating border violence — an intense ratcheting up of one of the group’s longtime missions to prepare youths for more traditional jobs as police officers and firefighters.

“This is about being a true-blooded American guy and girl,” said A. J. Lowenthal, a sheriff’s deputy here in Imperial County, whose life clock, he says, is set around the Explorers events he helps run. “It fits right in with the honor and bravery of the Boy Scouts.”

Confusion over Mexico's swine flu toll

By Kim Landers in Mexico City for AM
ABC NEWS

Mexico's deadly swine flu outbreak is on the brink of sparking a global pandemic, but there is still confusion about how many people have died from the virus.

Mexico's Government has confirmed 260 people have swine flu but only 12 have died. The confirmed total is a long way short of the 180-plus suspected deaths in the country.

In Mexico City, mobile health clinics have sprung up to deal with people who feel sick.

One caravan is parked near the historic city centre and hundreds of people, including Jessica Avanto, have lined up to see the doctor.

Ms Avanto describes her three-year-old son's symptoms. She says he has a runny nose and a cough.

The toddler is wearing a face mask and is playing happily with his Incredible Hulk action figure but his mother says he has been sick for days.

An interpreter says Ms Avanto is hopeful her son does not have the virus.

"He hasn't had a fever and it's an important symptom," he said. "But she's worried about it and that's why she came here."

The swine flu outbreak began more than a week ago but the mobile health clinic has only been running for two days.

Leopoldo Llanos has a sore throat and a cold and he is lining up as well.

An interpreter says Mr Llanos has been sick since Monday.

"He says he's really worried and was walking past the clinic when he decided to stop," he said.

"He says he went to one of the main hospitals in Mexico City but they told him they could only treat him if he had all the symptoms. Because he doesn't have a fever, they turned him away."

Fabian Ismael Villasenor is the doctor who is seeing patients at the clinic after they have had their temperatures checked by an assistant and described their symptoms too.

"The clinic is trying to reduce panic, to focus on prevention and education, but is also checking if people have swine flu and if they do, to send them to hospital," he said through an interpreter.

He says he has not seen anyone with swine flu, nor does he expect to see many people who have the virus.

Mexico's President Felipe Calderon is urging people to stay home over the next five days in a bid to halt the spread of swine flu.

Only essential businesses, such as supermarkets, hospitals and chemists will stay open.

And only critical government workers, such as police and soldiers, will be on duty.

Full Story

Swine Flu: Pandemic or Propaganda?

WHO raises pandemic alert to level five

(CNN) -- The World Health Organization raised the swine flu alert to level five Wednesday indicating it fears a pandemic is imminent.

On Wednesday, the outbreak grew in terms of confirmed cases, people killed and countries with infections.

Health officials are scrambling to get more information about the virus for which there is no vaccine.

"All countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans," said Dr. Margaret Chan, the World Health Organization's director-general.

She added: "We do not have all the answers right now but we will get them."

Earlier, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said: "It's a virus that we've never seen before. There's no background immunity in the population and it is spreading from human to human, all of which has the potential for a pandemic."

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Toddler is first U.S. swine flu death

WASHINGTON - A government official confirmed the first U.S. death from the new H1N1 swine flu on Wednesday, a 23-month-old child who died in Texas.

It is the first death from swine flu reported outside Mexico, the country hardest hit by the influenza outbreak. The disease is suspected of killing more than 150 people in Mexico and sickening over 2,400 there.

The official gave Reuters no other details on the case. U.S. officials have confirmed 65 cases of swine flu, most of them mild.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization was holding an emergency "scientific review" of the outbreak to determine exactly what is known about how the disease spreads, how it affects human health and how it can be treated.

Experts will take part via telephone from the United States, Mexico and other countries where people have been infected by swine flu. The U.N. health body said a report will be published shortly after the meeting.

MSNBC Story

WSJ: 'Nano-Silver Swine Flu Protection'

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va., April 27, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- American Med Tech, Inc. (Pink Sheets: RBRM) today offered a specially assembled home protection kit for swine flu based on the germ killing power of silver. ( http://www.rebuildermedical.com/outbreak).
"We spent the entire weekend assembling swine flu kits from existing inventory already boxed in pre-paid overnight FED-EX boxes," said David B. Phillips, Ph.D. CEO.
Additionally, Dr. Phillips reports: "We have been selling our nano-silver based medical hygiene products for the last 5 years. Our silver ion based products were developed as a cure for the highly contagious skin disease Molluscum Contagioisum and to protect the delicate skin of diabetics. The problem with washing your hands with normal hand cleaners to kill swine flu virus is that they contain harsh chemicals. Your hands may be clean immediately after washing, but the harsh chemicals make your skin vulnerable to infections minutes afterward. Silver ions are used in hospitals and medical equipment to kill germs and virus non-invasively and is completely safe for children and older people. "
Finally, Dr. Phillips told reporters today: "Swine flu is transferred by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes. Even touching your hair if it has virus that has settled on it and then touching your nose can infect you, so we have protection for your hair, hands, nasal and oral cavities as well. All our products are hypo-allergenic."
"We have had inquiries from all over the globe today. We will focus on protecting the U.S. residents first."

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GOOGLE MAPS TRACKS SWINE FLU

Follow the outbreaks

Kazakhstan Bank Stops Repaying Foreign Debt

By ANDREW E. KRAMER
Published: April 24, 2009

MOSCOW — The largest bank in the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan, whose economy soared when oil prices were high, announced on Friday that it could no longer repay $11 billion in foreign debt.

The bank, BTA, said it would pay only interest to foreign creditors, who lavished the country with loans during the commodity boom. The move underscored the growing financial instability in countries all across the former Soviet Union.

The financial industry in Kazakhstan grew explosively until credit markets seized up two years ago. Rather than raise money through deposits, banks borrowed excessively from international lenders. Those lines of credit dried up in Kazakhstan quicker than elsewhere, given the risky nature of doing business in the country.

The government has responded with efforts to shore up its finances with new oil deals.

This week, Kazakhstan’s national oil company agreed to form a joint venture with a subsidiary of the China National Petroleum Corporation to develop petroleum licenses in Kazakhstan. The country holds about 3 percent of the world’s oil reserves. In the deal, China agreed to provide Kazakhstan with $10 billion in loans.

In a statement about the default, BTA said its freeze on the repayment of principal became necessary when some creditors demanded accelerated, or early, repayments. If the bank had met their requests, the statement said, it would have run counter to a stated intention of treating all creditors equally.

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Swine Flu Outbreak Coincided With Obama's Trip To Mexico

By Thomas Black

April 25 (Bloomberg) -- Mexican President Felipe Calderon declared an emergency in his country’s swine flu outbreak, giving him powers to order quarantines and suspend public events.

Authorities have canceled school at all levels in Mexico City and the state of Mexico until further notice, and the government has shut most public and government activities in the area. The emergency decree, published today in the state gazette, gives the president authority to take more action.

“The federal government under my charge will not hesitate a moment to take all, all the measures necessary to respond with efficiency and opportunity to this respiratory epidemic,” Calderon said today during a speech to inaugurate a hospital in the southern state of Oaxaca.

At least 20 deaths in Mexico from the disease are confirmed, Health Minister Jose Cordova said yesterday. The strain is a variant of H1N1 swine influenza that has also sickened at least eight people in California and Texas. As many as 68 deaths may be attributed to the virus in Mexico, and about 1,000 people in the Mexico City area are showing symptoms of the illness, Cordoba said.

Obama’s Visit

The first case was seen in Mexico on April 13. The outbreak coincided with the President Barack Obama’s trip to Mexico City on April 16. Obama was received at Mexico’s anthropology museum in Mexico City by Felipe Solis, a distinguished archeologist who died the following day from symptoms similar to flu, Reforma newspaper reported. The newspaper didn’t confirm if Solis had swine flu or not.

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BREAKING NEWS!

Seven people in U.S. hit by strange new swine flu

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Seven people have been diagnosed with a new kind of swine flu in California and Texas, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday.

All seven people have recovered but the virus itself is a never-before-seen mixture of viruses typical among pigs, birds and humans, the CDC said.

"We are likely to find more cases," the CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat told a telephone briefing. "We don't think this is time for major concern around the country."

Only one of the seven cases was sick enough to be hospitalized and all have recovered, Schuchat said.

CDC officials are unsure whether the cases are related to an unusually late and severe flu season in Mexico in which 20 people have died.

"Generally the period of infection ends during the last week of February and the first week of March, but this year there was an atypical situation where the transmission period was prolonged until April," Mexico's Ministry of Health said in a statement.

Canadian officials have asked doctors to keep an eye out for cases of respiratory illness among travelers from Mexico.

"Symptoms from those seriously ill in Mexico include high fever, headache, eye pain, shortness of breath and extreme fatigue with rapid progression of symptoms to severe respiratory distress in about five days," the British Columbia Center for Disease Control said in a statement.

In the United States, the CDC reported the new strain of swine flu on Tuesday in a boy and a girl from California's two southernmost counties.

Now, five more cases have been found via normal surveillance for seasonal influenza. None of the patients, whose symptoms closely resembled seasonal flu, had any direct contact with pigs.

Two of the new cases were among 16-year-olds at the same school in San Antonio "and there's a father-daughter pair in California," Schuchat said. The boy whose case was reported on Tuesday had flown to Dallas, but the CDC has found no links to the other Texas cases.

Full Story

WHO NEEDS FRANKENFOODS?

By: Organic Consumers Association

What's wrong with Genetic Engineering?

Genetic engineering is a radical new technology, one that breaks down fundamental genetic barriers -- not only between species, but between humans, animals, and plants. By combining the genes of dissimilar and unrelated species, permanently altering their genetic codes, novel organisms are created that will pass the genetic changes onto their offspring through heredity. Scientists are now snipping, inserting, recombining, rearranging, editing, and programming genetic material. Animal genes and even human genes are being inserted into plants or animals creating unimagined transgenic life forms. For the first time in history, human beings are becoming the architects of life. Bio-engineers will be creating tens of thousands of novel organisms over the next few years. The prospect is frightening. Genetic engineering poses unprecedented ethical and social concerns, as well as serious challenges to the environment, human health, animal welfare, and the future of agriculture. The following is just a sampling of concerns:

* Genetically engineered organisms that escape or are released from the laboratory could wreak environmental havoc. Genetically engineered "biological pollutants" have the potential to be even more destructive than chemical pollutants. Because they are alive, genetically engineered products are inherently more unpredictable than chemical products -- they can reproduce, migrate, and mutate. Once released, it will be virtually impossible to recall genetically engineered organisms back to the laboratory. A report published by 100 top American scientists warned that the release of gene-spliced organisms "...could lead to irreversible, devastating damage to the ecology."

* Gene-splicing will likely result in unanticipated outcomes and dangerous surprises. Biotechnology is an imprecise science and scientists will never be able to ensure a 100 percent success rate. Serious accidents are bound to occur. Researchers conducting experiments at Michigan State University recently found that genetically altering plants to resist viruses can cause the viruses to mutate into new, more virulent forms, or forms that can attack other plant species. Some other scary scenarios: foreign genes from genetically engineered plants could be carried by pollen, insects, wind, or rain, and flow into other crops, as well as wild and weedy relatives. Disaster would follow if genetically engineered crop traits, such as insect and virus resistance, found their way into weeds, for instance. Genetically altered plants could produce toxins and other substances that might harm birds and other animals. Genetic engineering of plants and animals will almost certainly endanger species and reduce biological diversity. By virtue of their "superior" genes, some genetically engineered plants and animals will inevitably run amok, overpowering wild species in the same way that introduced exotic species, such as kudzu vine and Dutch elm disease which have created problems in North America. What will happen to wild species, for example, when scientists release into the environment carp, salmon, and trout that are twice as large, and eat twice as much food, as their wild counterparts? Another danger lies in the creation of new kinds of crops and domesticated animals. Once researchers develop what is considered to be the "perfect tomato" or "perfect chicken" these will be the ones reproduced in large numbers; "less desirable" species would fall by the wayside. The "perfect" animals and plants could then be cloned (reproduced as exact genetic copies), reducing even further the pool of available genes on the planet.

* Genetically engineering plants to be herbicide-tolerant will lead to increased use of chemicals in agriculture and further contamination of the environment. Biotech companies love to say that genetic engineering will end the use of dangerous chemicals in agriculture. But the leaders in biotechnology are the giant chemical companies like Monsanto, Du Pont, and Rhone-Ponlenc; they aren't interested in losing profits from the sale of chemicals. These companies are genetically engineering plants to be resistant to herbicides that they manufacture so they can sell more herbicides to farmers who, in turn, can apply more poisonous herbicides to crops to kill weeds. In fact, crops genetically engineered to be herbicide-tolerant account for nearly half of the applications for field testing submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) since 1988. Even genetically engineering crops to produce their own pesticides presents dangerous problems. Pests will eventually evolve that are resistant, then stronger chemicals will be needed to get rid of the pests. And what will happen when the pesticide gene spreads to weeds and other unwanted plants?

* The genetic engineering of crops and food-producing animals can produce toxic and allergic reactions in humans. Someone allergic to peanuts or shellfish, for example, would have no way of knowing if a tomato or other food had been altered with proteins from these substances, and could have a fatal reaction by eating such genetically altered foods. In addition, genetic engineers can take proteins from bacteria they find in the soil, the ocean --- anywhere --- and incorporate them into human food. Such substances have never been in the food supply before, so their toxic or allergenic characteristics are unknown.

* Genetically engineered products do not have a good track record for human safety. In 1989 and 1990, a genetically engineered brand of L-tryptophan, a common dietary supplement, killed more than 30 Americans and permanently disabled or afflicted more than 5,000 others with a potentially fatal and painful blood disorder, eosinophilia myalgia syndrome, before it was recalled by the FDA. The manufacturer, Showa Denko K.K., Japan's third largest chemical company, had used genetically engineered bacteria to produce the over-the-counter supplement. It is believed that the bacteria somehow became contaminated during the recombinant DNA process. There were no labels on the product to identify the product as having been genetically engineered. The patenting of genetically engineered foods, and widespread biotech food production, will eliminate farming as it has been practiced since the beginning of humankind's appearance on the planet. If the trend is not stopped, the patenting of transgenic plants and food-producing animals will soon lead to tenant farming in which farmers will lease their plants and animals from biotech conglomerates and pay royalties on seeds and offspring. Eventually, within the next few decades, agriculture will move off the soil and into biosynthetic industrial factories controlled by chemical and biotech companies. Never again will people know the joy of eating naturally produced, fresh foods. Hundreds of millions of farmers and other workers worldwide will lose their livelihoods. The hope of creating a human, sustainable agricultural system will be destroyed.

* The genetic engineering and patenting of animals reduces living beings to the status of manufactured products and will result in much suffering. In January 1994, then-USDA Secretary Mike Espy announced that USDA scientists had completed genome "road maps" for cattle and pigs, a precursor to ever more experimentation on live animals. In addition to the cruelty inherent in such experimentation (the mistakes are born with painful deformities, crippled, blind, and so on), these "manufactured" creatures have no greater value to their "creators" than mechanical inventions. Animals genetically engineered for use in laboratories, such as the infamous "Harvard mouse" which contains a human cancer-causing gene that will be passed down to all succeeding generations, were created to suffer. A purely reductionist science, biotechnology reduces all life to bits of information (genetic code) that can be arranged and rearranged at whim. Stripped of their integrity and sacred qualities, animals who are merely objects to their "inventors" will be treated as such. Currently, more than 200 genetically engineered "freak" animals are awaiting patent approval from the federal government.

* No one is regulating genetically engineered organisms adequately or properly testing them for safety. In 1986, Reagan-era policymakers stitched together a patchwork of pre-existing and only marginally appropriate statutes to ease the way for new biotechnology products. But these laws were created years ago to deal with chemicals -- not the unpredictable living products of genetic engineering. To date, no suitable government apparatus has been set up to deal with this radical new class of potentially overwhelming environmental and health threats. The FDA's policy on genetically altered foods illustrates the problem. In May 1992, then Vice President Dan Quayle, and head of the Competitiveness Council, announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's newly developed policy on biotech foods: genetically engineered foods will not be treated differently from naturally produced foods; they will not be safety tested; they will not carry labels stating that they have been genetically engineered, nor will the government keep track of foods that have been genetically engineered. As a result, neither the government nor consumers will know which whole or processed foods have been genetically engineered. Vegetarians and followers of religious dietary restrictions face the prospect of unwittingly eating vegetables and fruits that contain genetic material from animals -- including humans. And health risks will be discovered only by trial and error -- by consumers. USDA oversight is no better. This agency has the conflicting task of both promoting and regulating agriculture, including genetically engineered plants and animals used for food. Indeed, the USDA is a primary sponsor of biotech research on plants and animals.

* By patenting the genes they discover and the living organisms they create, a small corporate elite will soon own and control the genetic heritage of the plant. Scientists who "discover" genes and ways of manipulating them can patent -- and thus own -- not only genetic engineering techniques, but the very genes themselves. Chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotech companies such as DuPont, Upjohn, Bayer, Dow, Monsanto, Cib-Geigy, and Rhone-Poulenc, are urgently trying to identify and patent plant, animal, and human genes in order to complete their take-over of agriculture, animal husbandry, and food processing. These are some of the same companies that once promised a carefree life through pesticides and plastics. Would you trust them with the blueprints of life?

* Genetic screening will likely lead to a loss of privacy and new levels of discrimination. Already, people are being denied health insurance on the basis of "faulty" genes. Will employers require genetic screening of their employees and deny them work on the basis of the results? Will the government have access to our personal genetic profiles? One can easily imagine new levels of discrimination being directed against those whose genetic profiles reveal them to be, for example, less intelligent or predisposed to developing certain illnesses.

* Genetic engineering is already being used to "improve" the human race, a practice called eugenics. Genetic screening already allows us to identify and abort fetuses who carry genes for certain hereditary disorders. But within the next decade, scientists will likely have a complete map of the human genome to work with. Will we abort fetuses on the basis of non-life-threatening impairments such as myopia, because someone is predisposed towards homosexuality, or for purely cosmetic reasons? Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have applied for a patent to genetically alter sperm cells in animals so traits passed down from one generation to the next can be changed; the application suggests that this can be done in humans too. Moving from animal eugenics to human eugenics is one small step. Everyone wants the best for their children; but where do we stop? Inadvertently, we could soon make the efforts of the Nazis to create a "superior" race seem bumbling and inefficient.

* The U.S. military is building an arsenal of genetically engineered biological weapons. Although the creation of biological weapons for offensive purposes has been outlawed by international treaty, the U.S. continues to develop such weapons for defensive purposes. However, genetically engineered biological agents are identical whether they are used for offensive or defensive purposes. Areas of investigation for such weapons include: bacteria that can resist all antibiotics; extra-hardy, more virulent bacteria and viruses that live longer and kill faster; and new organisms that can defeat vaccines or natural human or plant resistances. Also being studied are the development of pathogens that can disrupt human hormonal balance enough to cause death, and the transformation of innocuous bacteria (such as are found in human intestines) into killers. Some experts believe that genetically engineered pathogens that can target specific racial groups are being developed as well.

* Not all scientists are sanguine about genetic engineering. Among the doubters is Erwin Chargoff, the eminent biochemist who is often referred to as the father of molecular biology. He warned that all innovation does not result in "progress". Chargoff once referred to genetic engineering as "a molecular Auschwitz" and warned that the technology of genetic engineering poses a greater threat to the world than the advent of nuclear technology. "I have the feeling that science has transgressed a barrier that should have remained inviolate," he wrote in his autobiography, Heraclitean Fire. Noting the "awesome irreversibility" of genetic engineering experiments being planned, Chargoff warned that, "...you cannot recall a new form of life... It will survive you and your children and your children's children. An irreversible attack on the biosphere is something so unheard-of, so unthinkable to previous generations, that I could only wish that mine had not been guilty of it."

What's in your water?

Obama climate adviser open to geo-engineering to tackle global warming

The global warming situation has become so dire that Barack Obama's chief scientific adviser has raised with the president the possibility of massive-scale technological fixes to alter the climate known as 'geo-engineering'.

John Holdren, who is a member of the president's cabinet, said today the drastic measures should not be "off the table" in discussions on how best to tackle climate change. While his office insisted that he was not proposing a dramatic switch in policy, Holdren said geo-engineering could not be ruled out.

"It's got to be looked at. We don't have the luxury of taking any approach off the table," Holdren said in an interview with Associated Press. He made clear these were his personal views.

The suite of mega-technological fixes includes everything from placing mirrors in space that reflect sunlight from the Earth, to fertilising the oceans with iron to encourage the growth of algae that can soak up atmospheric carbon dioxide. Another option is to seed clouds which bounce the sun's rays back into space so they do not warm the Earth's surface.

Such global-scale technological solutions to climate change may seem fantastical, but increasing numbers of scientists argue that the technologies should at least be investigated.

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UN torture investigator: Obama has broken International law

UN official suggests US courts can still try accused torturers

The United Nation’s top torture investigator has suggested it is illegal under International law for President Barack Obama to announce that the United States government has no intention of prosecuting low-level CIA officers who carried out torture sanctioned by the Bush Administration.

President Barack Obama’s release on Thursday of four Bush administration memos sanctioning torture has been widely praised. However, word that government will go so far as to offer a fully-paid legal defense for agents who applied torture techniques to terror war prisoners has triggered loud criticism.

“Like all other contracting states to the UN convention against torture, the US has committed to conduct criminal investigations of torture and to bring all persons to court against whom there is sound evidence,” Manfred Nowak, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on torture, told Austrian weekly paper Der Standard.

“They are party to the convention and the convention is very, very clear,” Nowak told the paper. “The fact that you carried out an order doesn’t relieve you of your responsibility.”

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AP IMPACT: Tons of released drugs taint US water

By JEFF DONN, MARTHA MENDOZA and JUSTIN PRITCHARD, Associated Press Writers Jeff Donn, Martha Mendoza And Justin Pritchard, Associated Press Writers – 2 hrs 34 mins ago

U.S. manufacturers, including major drugmakers, have legally released at least 271 million pounds of pharmaceuticals into waterways that often provide drinking water — contamination the federal government has consistently overlooked, according to an Associated Press investigation.

Hundreds of active pharmaceutical ingredients are used in a variety of manufacturing, including drugmaking: For example, lithium is used to make ceramics and treat bipolar disorder; nitroglycerin is a heart drug and also used in explosives; copper shows up in everything from pipes to contraceptives.

Federal and industry officials say they don't know the extent to which pharmaceuticals are released by U.S. manufacturers because no one tracks them — as drugs. But a close analysis of 20 years of federal records found that, in fact, the government unintentionally keeps data on a few, allowing a glimpse of the pharmaceuticals coming from factories.

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Celente: “America lives in a fascist state”

Fluke? Credit crisis was a heist

By Jim Jubak

It was no accident.

The folks in power in Washington and on Wall Street want to pretend that the current global financial crisis -- you know, the one that reduced household net worth in the United States by $11.2 trillion in 2008, according to the Federal Reserve -- was an accident caused by some unfortunate confluence of greed and asleep-at-the-switch regulators.

What we're now living through, though, is the result of a conscious, planned looting of the world economy. Its roots stretch back decades. And it wouldn't have been possible without the contrivances of the bought-and-paid-for folks who sit in Congress.

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Genetic fingerprint pioneer calls for innocents to be dropped from DNA database

The scientist who pioneered genetic fingerprinting, Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys, has said the government is risking losing public support for the DNA national database by holding the details of thousands of innocent people.

Prof Sir Alec, whose work more than 20 years ago revolutionised crime detection, said innocent people were effectively "branded as criminals" by the insistence of keeping genetic details on the database regardless of a conviction.

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Surviving The Economic Collapse of 2009

If you’re reading this article then you either aware or curious about the economic fiasco the US is in. I’ll save you the time of going through the catalog of news articles about the economy and get straight to business. I searched the internet hi and low looking for answers to one basic question: “What do I need to be prepared in case this iceberg of fiscal irresponsibility capsizes the economy?” I found some great websites and videos that gave lists, instructions, financial advice (some reasonable, others who knows?), but I made a compilation based on urban survival and common sense. I’ll give you my personal list along with some helpful websites and great stores to get you prepared.

Food: (Assuming I don’t need to tell you to stock up on everyday canned foods)

- Easy to fix storable foods that you don’t need much to make. Such as MRE’s, Freeze dried pouches, camping foods.

- Long term storable foods like wheat, rice, and beans. Be advised storing flour isn’t the same as storing wheat; flour becomes rancid. Also with wheat you’ll need to purchase a grain mill to make flour.

- Along with your wheat you’ll need raising agents to make bread such as dry yeast, baking soda and baking powder.

- As far as amounts to store that's something you'll have to decide based on the size of your family, but here are some general guidelines:

Store 30 lbs. of SUGAR or HONEY for each adult. Sugar is heavy and shipping costs are more than it's worth. Buy sugar at any local grocery store. Sugar is self-storing and generally does not spoil.

Store about 100-200 lbs. of whole WHEAT in buckets per adult. Hard white or red winter wheat makes the best flour for bread. Avoid storing flour due to rancidity and infestation.

Store 2 gallons of COOKING OIL- the same brand and the same size bottles that you are accustomed to using. Unopened cooking oil has about a 2 year shelf life.

Store 10 lbs. of SALT and SEASONINGS in accord with your personal preferences. These are also self-storing.

Store 6 lbs. of RAISING INGREDIENTS-baking powder 2 lbs., baking soda 2 lbs., and dry yeast 2 lbs. Replace these according to expiration dates.

Water:

- First you should store at least one gallon per person per day. Outside of this minimum there are collapsible water jugs for people like myself who live in apartments and don’t have a lot of space. (*Keynote* if there is any type of emergency man made or natural make sure you fill up your jugs and bath tub right away).

- If your water supply is compromised or contaminated you’ll need a way to purify it; boiling, water purification tablets / bleach or water purifier.

- Berkey makes some great water filters! If you can’t afford one these I would advise you to check Amazon or Ebay and buy a portable water purifier. You should be able to find a good one for under $70.

- Next is water purification tablets, I prefer the Katadyn tablets over the iodine drops.

Power:

- You have to start thinking of alternative methods of energy. Seems like no matter what type of catastrophe the power goes out.

- Propane is a great storable fuel that can be used to light lantern, camping stoves, heaters, etc. and propane is cheap right now.

Here is a list of some of the things you want to stock up on:

1. Soap
2. Lotion
3. Toothpaste
4. Deodorant
5. Lip Balm
6. Mess Kits
7. Camping Stove
8. Sleeping Bag
9. Fuel for your stove
10. Hand crank flashlights
11. Hand crank radios
12. Candles
13. Lanterns
14. Blankets
15. Hunting / Camping Knife
16. Hatchet / Camping Axe
17. Water proof matches
18. Batteries
19. Duct tape
20. Plastic sheeting
21. TOILET PAPER (I don't know about you, but newspaper does not sound good to me)
22. Feminine Products
    
23. Baby Foods
24. Any Meds you might use on a regular basis
    

In addition here is a list of useful websites: (In no particular order)

• www.backpacker.com
• www.efoodsdirect.com
• www.cmi-gold-silver.com (Great article on survival coins)
• www.mountainhouse.com
• www.yourfoodstorage.com
• www.billofrights.com
• www.endoftimesreport.com
• www.southsummit.com
• www.captaindaves.com
• www.kitco.com (You wanna know what your gold and silver is worth)
  

Check out Ryanjcus's channel on youtube for 72hr Emergency Kits (Bug out Bags) and more.

Obama's Stimulus Plan Dangereous for Elderly

Ruin Your Health With the Obama Stimulus Plan: Betsy McCaughey

Commentary by Betsy McCaughey

Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Republican Senators are questioning whether President Barack Obama’s stimulus bill contains the right mix of tax breaks and cash infusions to jump-start the economy.

Tragically, no one from either party is objecting to the health provisions slipped in without discussion. These provisions reflect the handiwork of Tom Daschle, until recently the nominee to head the Health and Human Services Department.

Senators should read these provisions and vote against them because they are dangerous to your health. (Page numbers refer to H.R. 1 EH, pdf version).

The bill’s health rules will affect “every individual in the United States” (445, 454, 479). Your medical treatments will be tracked electronically by a federal system. Having electronic medical records at your fingertips, easily transferred to a hospital, is beneficial. It will help avoid duplicate tests and errors.

But the bill goes further. One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce costs and “guide” your doctor’s decisions (442, 446). These provisions in the stimulus bill are virtually identical to what Daschle prescribed in his 2008 book, “Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis.” According to Daschle, doctors have to give up autonomy and “learn to operate less like solo practitioners.”

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UK NEWSPAPER GIVES GRIM DOOMSDAY WARNING

I can't even begin to explain the implications or ramifications behind this. Check out the three piece series entitled "Black Jack", for yourself. Read Article

THE FEDREAL RESERVE ISSUING IT'S OWN BONDS?

Here's an article from NYTIMES.com

Bonds a Bad Bet

The prospect of the Federal Reserve issuing its own bonds now that the United States Treasury has stopped borrowing on its behalf could paradoxically make the world a riskier place. It threatens to reduce the effectiveness of Fed policy moves or, worse, influence them.

The tactic is only at the trial-balloon phase, and Congress may well reject it as an end run around its right to determine government borrowing. But lawmakers have blessed questionable strategies before.

If the Fed did issue traded debt, the market prices would act as a barometer of how investors viewed its policies. Even if the debt were explicitly backed by the government, prices would probably still reflect market sentiment. After all, bank-issued bonds insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the quasi-guaranteed debt of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac trade with effective interest yields that exceed Treasury securities by notable, and in some cases volatile, margins.

It’s likely that rates on any Fed-issued bonds would diverge from Treasury bonds too, especially since the central bank lacks the power to raise tax revenue to pay interest. The market would probably look to the Fed’s own balance sheet, which has more than doubled in the last year, and weigh that against its ability to raise money by increasing reserves, when determining the risk of the bonds.

If the Fed pursues policies that could result in a loss — like its plan to lend to entities that buy packages of consumer loans — the risk premiums on its bonds should increase.

Such snap judgments on policy moves could undermine the Fed’s effectiveness. If the bond market gave a thumbs-down to even a sensible policy, it would throw doubt on the Fed’s willingness to follow through, especially because the higher risk premium would increase the Fed’s future borrowing costs. Since monetary policy has a large psychological element, that could be a big problem.

Of course, there are already indicators of market sentiment about Fed policy. And the devil of any Fed debt would be in its details. But with the Fed’s resources stretched and its mandate expanding, giving the markets another red flag to wave seems foolhardy.

WALL STREET JOURNAL ENDORSING NORTH AMERICAN UNION / AMERO?

TODD HARRISON

How realistic is a North American currency?

Commentary: Uniting U.S., Canada, Mexico money could result from crisis

By Todd Harrison

Last update: 6:12 a.m. EST Jan. 28, 2009

"World, hold on. Instead of messing with our future, open up inside." -- Bob Sinclair

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Thomas Jefferson once said: "When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on." As the global financial system pushes on a string, investors are desperately trying to hold tight.

The New World Order is upon us, full of hope, promise and a fair amount of fear. In our recent discussion regarding the direction of our country, we noted the risks of catering to conventional wisdom and the implications for the U.S. dollar. See MarketWatch column on New World Order.

The Minyanville mantra is to provide financial news you need to know before you know you need it. That's a fine line to walk, as foresight often flies in the face of mainstream acceptance.

In 2006, it seemed counterintuitive to forecast a "prolonged socioeconomic malaise entirely more depressing than a recession." See Minyanville column.

For years, the notion of an "invisible hand" was conspiracy theory until we learned that the Working Group on Financial Markets was a central policy tool. See Minyanville column.

And now, as we gaze across our historically significant horizon, we must open our minds to thoughts and ideas that may seem foreign to folks conditioned by the past and stunned by the present.

Currency crossroads

As governments take on more risk -- as they price assets on behalf of the market and transfer debt from private to public -- the common denominator, or release valve, becomes the currency.

If our economic condition is allowed to take medicine in the form of debt destruction, the greenback will appreciate, and asset classes as a whole will deflate. If we continue to inject drugs that mask symptoms rather than address the disease, the likelihood of a seismic readjustment increases in kind.

The deflationary forces in the marketplace are pervasive, and the "other side" of our current equation, hyperinflation, may be years away. Given the magnitude, breadth and pace of the global financial epidemic, however, we must explore each side of the twisted ride.

Years ago, the Federal Reserve wrote a "solution paper" regarding the need to combat zero-bound interest rates. The concern was the flight of capital from the U.S. and an option discussed was a two-tiered currency, one for U.S citizens and one for foreigners.

Canadian economist Herbert Grubel first introduced a potential manifestation of this concept in 1999. The North American Currency -- called the "Amero" in select circles -- would effectively comingle the Canadian dollar, U.S. dollar and Mexican peso.

On its face, while difficult to imagine, it makes intuitive sense. The ability to combine Canadian natural resources, American ingenuity and cheap Mexican labor would allow North America to compete better on a global stage.

Experience has taught us, however, that perceived solutions introduced by policy makers and politicians don't always have the desired effect.

Unintended consequences I've long contended that, much like the Internet prophecy proved true -- but not before the tech crash -- so too would globalization, albeit not without painful-yet-necessary debt destruction.

To get through this, we need to go through this. If we're not allowed to go through it, foreigners will seek alternative avenues. Remember, for holders of dollar-denominated assets, seeds of discontent have been sowing under the surface for years, with the greenback off 30% since 2002.

More likely than not, global leaders will watch how our new administration attempts to tackle the financial crisis before taking drastic steps. They understand that co-dependent risk exists as a function of the derivatives that interweave our financial infrastructure. If they could disassociate from our economic ecosystem without inflicting massive damage on themselves, they would have done so long ago.

If forward policy attempts to induce more debt rather than allowing savings and obligations to align, we must respect the potential for a system shock. We may need to let a two-tier currency gain traction if the dollar meaningfully debases from current levels.

If this dynamic plays out -- and I've got no insight that it will -- the global balance of powers would fragment into four primary regions: North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. In such a scenario, ramifications would manifest through social unrest and geopolitical conflict.

This particular path isn't something one would wish for, but the cumulative imbalances that steadily built in our finance-based economy must be resolved one way or another. Therein lies the critical crossroads we together face as our wary world attempts to find its way.

Scary? Yes. Probable? Not so much, at least for the time being. Possible? Certainly, although I'll again offer that it could take years before the pieces of this prickly puzzle fall into place.

Effective money management dictates weighing the entire probability spectrum of potential outcomes and factoring them into our decision making process. While the notion of a seismic currency shift may seem obscure, we must respect the possibility long before it becomes front-page news.

For if we've learned anything through the last few years, proactive thought provocation is a necessary precursor to effective preparedness.