Bursting at the seams: how did California's prisons become so crowded?

By Rina Palta

The U.S. Supreme Court today took on a $10 billion question: how should California deal with its overcrowded prisons? The case covers decades of controversy, during which the state has been repeatedly charged with endangering the lives of sick inmates. Last year, a federal court decided that California was unable to improve its prisons' mental health and medical services, and it must reduce its prison population by 40,000 inmates. The state contends releasing so many convicts would compromise public safety. Now that the case is in the high court's hands, California's long-standing prison dilemma will finally be solved, one way or another.  Read more and listen to report...

Related article:

California, at Supreme Court, fights judicial order on prison overcrowding

Harvard scientists reverse the ageing process in mice – now for humans

Ian Sample

Scientists claim to be a step closer to reversing the ageing process after rejuvenating worn out organs in elderly mice. The experimental treatment developed by researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, turned weak and feeble old mice into healthy animals by regenerating their aged bodies. | The Guardian

The 9 Most Shocking WikiLeaks Secrets

The whistleblower’s latest document dump exposes Saudi Arabia’s plot against Iran, a corrupt Afghan’s $52 million payday, Putin and Berlusconi’s “bromance,” and more. See nine of the most startling details.

1. Yemen Takes the Fall for U.S. Drones

2. China Hacked Google—and the Dalai Lama

3. Hillary Commissioned U.N. Spies

4. “Feckless” Berlusconi Has “Shadowy” Ties to Putin

5. Saudi King Wants a U.S. Military Strike on Iran

6. Corrupt Afghan V.P. Caught With $52 Million in Cash

7. U.S. Offers Payouts in Exchange for Guantanamo Detainees

8. U.S., S. Korea Are Planning to Reunite the Two Koreas

9. State Department Gives Low Marks to Germany’s Merkel

Read article in full detail

Researchers Trace Toxins' Links to Reproductive Health

Ngoc Nguyen

“Hormones affect human development and some environmental chemicals act like hormones,” Linda Giudice, UCSF’s chair of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences, who treats thousands of patients for infertility. “Science has exploded with data on the effect of endocrine disrupting hormones exposure in utero. The trends in reproductive health are concerning.” - New America Media

Rethinking Criminal Justice—Why Black Prosecutors Matter

Marjorie Valbrun

“One of the fundamental requirements in building a fair and just criminal justice system is ensuring that, from top to bottom, that system is representative of the communities it is mandated to protect,” Harris says in an e-mail statement. “I am proud to be in this new and growing group of African-American district attorneys. But as my mother always told me, while it’s an honor to be the first, it’s more important to make sure you’re not the last. - New America Media

African-American Politicians Under Attack in Washington

Charles D. Ellison

In 2010, African-American politicians find themselves under siege.

Black political power and influence appears strafed and demolished in less than two weeks time. Even President Barack Obama is not immune as he fends off assaults from both left and right, including a Washington Post column by two prominent Democratic strategists recommending he pass on re-election in 2012.  Read more...

Here’s Why the Broadband Debate Matters for You

By Jamilah King

But why should people of color care?

The Internet's become an essential part of everyday life. Increasingly, crucial parts of society are moving online, including everything from scholarship and college applications to social security forms. But the Internet's also allowed folks of color to engage with democracy in pretty unprecedented ways. Think Jena 6 or Oscar Grant, where online campaigns and petitions shed national spotlight on cases that eventually found their ways to court. The same sentiment even extends to Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, which used online action as a crucial part of its strategy. In each case, keeping online traffic neutral allowed users to access information on their own and help shape the public conversation.  Read more...

Israeli leader lobbies America for war with Iran

By Jim Lobe

According to diplomatic sources quoted in the Israeli and U.S. press, Mr. Netanyahu's appeal came during a Nov. 7 meeting with Vice President Joseph Biden in New Orleans. It suggests that his right-wing government and its allies here, including hawkish Republicans who will take control of the House of Representatives in January, are preparing to escalate pressure on Mr. Obama to adopt a more confrontational stance with Tehran.  Read more...

U.S. government has authority to kill U.S. citizens

By William Fisher

“Targeted Killing Authority”

Lawyers for the Barack Obama administration told a federal judge that the U.S. government has authority to kill U.S. citizens whom the executive branch has unilaterally determined pose a threat to national security.

That Nov. 8 claim came in federal court in Washington, D.C. in response to a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights.  Read more...

Justice: God's weapon in judgment of this world

By Ashahed M. Muhammad

“Every human being wants full and complete freedom, and (anyone) that deprives us of that which God desires for us puts themselves in a position opposite to God and ultimately, every oppressed people, every enslaved people, every people not free, finds that way to become free. And everyone who takes the role of the oppressor, the enslaver, the exploiter, is ultimately set down,” said Min. Farrakhan.  Read more...

Watch full lecture at: http://noi.org/webcast

Reparations, the Tea Party and America's Founding Fathers

By A. Akbar Muhammad

"Trouble Brewing" was the title of an October 30 article by Edward Luce published in the Financial Times newspaper. Essentially the article was about how some Americans fear that the United States is in mortal danger, and places the blame squarely on the doorstep of President Barack Obama, the nation's first Black president.  Read more...

Black holocaust conference remembers past, charts lessons for future

There is a saying that the ancestors of Blacks brought to the Western Hemisphere didn't come here on the Nina, the Pinta, or the Santa Maria, the famous ships of explorer Christopher Columbus, but as cargo shackled and chained in the hulls of ships during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. On Nov. 19-21 an assortment of scholars and activists convened here for the 19th Black African Holocaust Conference to discuss the Black condition and advance solutions to counter the legacy of abuse. » FULL STORY

Big Pimpin': How Music Artist are Prostituted by Corporations

RBGStreetScholar 

Major Record Companies Manipulated Control of Black Music

He said, Im going to tell you something about this industry that will probably surprise you. He said, when I was working for the major company, they had me do a study on what it was that enabled black people to make the kind of music that they do. He said, the industry realized that black people influenced from 75 to 90 percent of all music made in America and the world. So that meant that these people, black people, have the influence which influenced almost all the music. The danger that was happening at that time was: you had Motown, you had Stax, you had Sussex. You had these black record companies at that time who had the majority of the black acts.

He told me that CBS, Warner Brothers, Atlantic, Polygram, all of them got together to do this study. They wanted to find out what it is that makes black music what it is. The idea is that, if we can find the ingredients, then maybe we can make the music without black people.

Mr. Barnes concludes: So he said their key then, If we cannot make black music without black people, then we must have a way of controlling the black music industry.

Some things are evident, there still is not one black-owned full service record company in America (production, manufacturing, distribution). This would take us from being consumers to owners/investors, the root of financial power, leading to political power. The deeper effect may not be just the control of black music, but control of the black intellect and black culture. Since major record companies captured control of black music, especially the huge explosion of black youth music (rap/hip hop) the proliferation of profanity and sexism against black women has enormously expanded. So-called conscious or meaningful black music seems to have faded in the background or garners very little radio airplay. - Zimbio

Related article:

Corporations responsible for over -promoting Gangster Rap

PROFANITY, MISOGYNY, VIOLENCE..Blame The MANUFACTURER

Hip Hop Profanity, Misogyny and Violence: Blame the Manufacturer

What the public sees, hears and consumes is the end result of a process that is integral to the business model crafted by top corporate executives. The artist, the song, the presentation - all of it is a corporate product.

 

Search: Study backs expanding universe theory

Scientists have found new evidence that an idea Albert Einstein regretted ever having may be key to solving a big mystery: why the universe is expanding at an ever-faster clip. That idea is the cosmological constant, sort of a repelling influence in empty space. - expanding universe theory

Nigeria detains 12 in Halliburton bribery case

REUTERS

Nigeria's anti-corruption police have raided the offices of the U.S. oilfield services group Halliburton and arrested 12 people in a bribery case involving the former Halliburton unit KBR Inc, a spokesman said on Saturday. - Africa

Swiss voters approve foreigner deportation plan

By FRANK JORDANS

Swiss voters on Sunday approved a plan to automatically deport foreigners who commit serious crimes or benefit fraud, in a significant victory for the nationalist party that pushed the proposal against the will of the government.

Some 52.9 percent of voters backed the proposal put forward by the nationalist Swiss People's Party, or SVP, according to Swiss national broadcaster SF1. The plan was opposed by 47.1 percent of voters. - msnbc.com

More than 600,000 people killed by 2nd-hand smoke

Secondhand smoke kills more than 600,000 people worldwide every year, according to a new study.

In the first look at the global impact of secondhand smoking, researchers analyzed data from 2004 for 192 countries. They found 40 percent of children and more than 30 percent of non-smoking men and women regularly breathe in secondhand smoke. - CNBC

‘Legal Highs’ K2 and Spice Will Be Banned

By Daniel J. DeNoon

Legal highs soon will be illegal across the U.S., the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said today.
The DEA is using its emergency powers to make K2, Spice, and other "legal high" herbal products Schedule I controlled substances -- that is, illegal drugs with no permitted medical use. The declaration will take effect after a mandatory 30-day waiting period, and will have the effect of law for at least a year.
Some 15 states already have banned some or all "legal high" products. When the waiting period expires, sale or possession of the substances will be a federal crime.  Read more...
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Chilean Economist Manfred Max-Neef on Barefoot Economics, Poverty and Why The U.S. is Becoming an "Underdeveloping Nation"

DemocracyNow!

We speak with the acclaimed Chilean economist, Manfred Max-Neef. He won the Right Livelihood Award in 1983, two years after the publication of his book Outside Looking In: Experiences in Barefoot Economics. "Economists study and analyze poverty in their nice offices, have all the statistics, make all the models, and are convinced that they know everything that you can know about poverty. But they don’t understand poverty," Max-Neef says.  Barefoot Economics

Shocking Lyme Disease Documentary - Under the Eightball

Shocking Lyme Disease Documentary - Under the Eightball

http://www.UnderTheEightball.com - Under the Eightball reveals the shocking yet little-known roots of Lyme Disease in the US Biological Weapons program and their subsequent effort to conceal it. This film uncovers the truth about chronic illnesses, their causes and disease testing on humans!

How to Avoid a MRSA Staph Infection

Mitestarossa,

Avoid a MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) staph infection by washing your hands, and being cautious in risky situations. MRSA in an uncomfortable infection for most people, but it can also be a deadly infection for people with a weak immune systems such as seniors, infants and people with other illnesses.

MRSA staph infections can be contracted at hospitals, gyms, locker rooms, nursing homes, dialysis centers or any place where bodily fluids such as sweat, blood and saliva may be on the equipment. Although our skin protects us from many infections, if we have a cut or a wound, an infection can sneak into our body. You can also get MRSA by touching your face, eyes, nose or mouth after having physical contact with someone that is infected. - associatedcontent.com

Also read:

What is MERCER Staph Infection? What is Staph? What is MRSA?

"Push Michael Moore Off a Cliff": Health Insurance Whistleblower Wendell Potter Details How the Industry Attacked Michael Moore’s Film Sicko

When Academy Award-winning film director Michael Moore announced he would be making a documentary about the American healthcare system in 2004, it put the health insurance industry on high alert. One person who immediately went on the offensive was Wendell Potter, who at the time was the chief spokesperson for insurance giant CIGNA. Last year, Potter became the industry’s most prominent whistleblower. We speak to Potter about his role in attacking Michael Moore’s film Sicko and the movement for a single-payer healthcare system.

British Novelist John le Carré on the Iraq War, Corporate Power, the Exploitation of Africa and His New Novel, "Our Kind of Traitor"

Today, we spend the hour with world-renowned British novelist John le Carré, the pen name of David Cornwell. Le Carré’s writing career spans half a century, during which he has established himself as a master spy writer. His latest novel, his twenty-second, is entitled Our Kind of Traitor. David Cornwell worked in the British Secret Services from the late 1950s until the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, became an international bestseller. As the Cold War ended, le Carré continued to write prolifically, shifting focus to the inequities of globalization, unchecked multinational corporate power, and the role national spy services play in protecting corporate interests. "The things that are done in the name of the shareholder are, to me, as terrifying as the things that are done—dare I say it—in the name of God," le Carré tells Democracy Now! Perhaps best known among his many post-Cold War novels is The Constant Gardener, depicting a pharmaceutical company’s exploitation of unwitting Kenyans for dangerous, sometimes fatal, drug tests. In this rare US interview, le Carré also discusses Tony Blair’s role in the Iraq war, US policy toward Iran, and international money laundering.  Read & Listen to report

China, Russia to drop dollar in bilateral trade

China and Russia will stop using the U.S. dollar to settle bilateral trade and instead use the ruble or the yuan... Read more...

Honey-Baked Ham & Brain Disease-Causing Parasites

From the book, The Perils of Eating Poison-Animal: How Eating Pork Destroys the Eater, by Kevin A. Muhammad 

Four years ago, we launched an "Anti-Swine" (pig or pork) campaign because of the potential of this "white meat" to deaden our brain power. The vast proliferation of pork into the human food chain is aimed at "conditioning" us to become apathetic toward the most serious issues that threatened our lives. 

There are scores of parasites in swine flesh, and some of them enter the brain, destroying our ability to think. 

Please read: Chapter 7: Sounding the Mental Power: Brain Disease-Causing Parasites. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS CHAPTER

Thanksgiving Dinner or the Slave Diet?

From the book, The Slave Diet, Disease & Reparations, by Kevin A. Muhammad

The wholesome diet Black people had while in our homeland in Africa was eradicated after we were captured and brought into slavery in the Americas. This is one of the most overlooked aspects of our current plight. Most people can readily cite that our names, language, and religion were changed, but few people list diet, alongside these, despite the fact that diet is a pillar of life.

Indeed, our diet was changed for the worst, and the harsh foods we were forced-fed will, unfortunately, grace the tables of millions of people during this "holiday" season----pathetically, nearly 150 years up from chattel slavery.

PLEASE read this insightful and educational chapter: The Slave Diet (Chapter 1 in the book, The Slave Diet, Disease & Reparations) and learn how and what Black people were fed while in chattel slavery.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS CHAPTER

Where's the Thanks in Thanksgiving?

By Alan Muhammad

One of the most cherished American holidays is Thanksgiving, a day that Abraham Lincoln officially declared in 1863, in praise of "our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens." In the early 1900s, Gimbels and Macys saw dollar signs and commandeered the celebration, evicted the heavenly Father altogether, added a parade with Santa Claus, and the rest, as they say, is history. Or is it?...Click Here to Read the Entire Research Paper.

South Africa's new apartheid?

Riz Khan

When anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, of the African National Congress was elected president in 1994, he promised redistribution of land to black South Africans as well as a ban on evictions, overturning decades of laws that denied black South Africans basic rights, and forcefully removed them from their homes.

But 16 years later, only a small fraction of the land owned by whites has been distributed, and many black South Africans have been driven out of their shelters by the very same government that promised to fight for their rights.  Read more...

 

Obama signs in council of governors

Obama signed an executive order establishing a panel to be known as the Council of Governors, which will be made up of 10 state governors, to be selected by the president to serve two-year terms. Members will review matters involving the National Guard; homeland defense; civil support; and synchronization and integration of state and federal military activities in the United States, the White House said in a statement." - UPI.com

Read: President Obama Signs Executive Order Establishing Council of Governors

Read the Executive Order: Council of Governors

Watch all 4

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread536464/pg1

Affirmative Action in South Africa

A Campus Debate at the University of Cape Town

The Price of a Smile. Naked Body Scanners are not the only place you can recieve harmful radiation

Study: Alcohol 'most harmful drug,' followed by crack and heroin

Alcohol ranks "most harmful" among a list of 20 drugs, beating out crack and heroin when assessed for its potential harm to the individual imbibing and harm to others, according to study results released by a British medical journal. - CNN.com

I gave up drinking when I woke up collection 

Beyonce Like You've Never Seen Her Before

Imagine Beyonce -- without makeup, without lights, unplugged and a little raw. It's what you'll see in "Beyonce: I Am ... World Tour," a new DVD documenting her one-year, 119-stop world tour.  Read more… 

North Korea's consistent message to the U.S.

By Jimmy Carter

No one can completely understand the motivations of the North Koreans, but it is entirely possible that their recent revelation of their uranium enrichment centrifuges and Pyongyang's shelling of a South Korean island Tuesday are designed to remind the world that they deserve respect in negotiations that will shape their future. Ultimately, the choice for the United States may be between diplomatic niceties and avoiding a catastrophic confrontation.  Read more...

Al Sharpton: FCC Must Step In And Regulate Rush Limbaugh, Rush Limbaugh: IRS Should Check Up On Al Sharpton

Al Sharpton: FCC Must Step In And Regulate Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh calls on the IRS, the "tax collecting" tool of the International Bankers, to "Check Up On Rev. Al Sharpton.

Black Consciousness in Brazil

by Italo Ramos

New census data show two million more Brazilians now describe themselves as black than did so ten years ago, when “they had said that they were not blacks, but 'mestiços' or 'mulattos,' a category more favored, socially.” This is, the author believes, a significant number, proof of the deep impact of the black consciousness movement and Brazil's relatively recent affirmative action programs. At the same time, “slowly but consistently, white people are admitting the real face of a segregationist and racist Brazil.”  Read more

Iran urges trial of those behind 9/11

"Plotters of the September 11 incident should be brought to trial. While regional nations knew nothing about the event, yet countries were occupied [because of it]," IRNA quoted President Ahmadinejad as saying in a press conference in the Azeri capital of Baku on Thursday.

"A fact-finding committee which is trusted by nations should investigate the 9/11 event," he added.   Read more...

Full Spectrum Dominance: 8 Examples Of How The Government Is Attempting To Take Total Control Of Our Food, Our Health, Our Money And Even Our Dignity

By Michael Snyder

This is in direct contradiction to the concept of a "limited government" that our Founding Fathers tried so desperately to enshrine in our founding documents. The American people need a big-time wake up call. The following are 8 examples of how the U.S. government is attempting to take even more control over our lives....


#1 Taking Total Control Of Our Food - S. 510 "The Food Safety Modernization Act"


#2 Taking Total Control Of Air Travel - The Dehumanizing Full Body Scanners And "Enhanced Pat-Downs"

#3 Taking Total Control Of Our Health Care - The Loss Of Our Health Freedom

#4 Taking Control Of Our Money - Multiplying Taxes


#5 Taking Control Of Our Businesses - Thousands Of Ridiculous Regulations

#6 Taking Control Of Our Environment - The Green Police

*Dayton, Ohio

#7 Taking Away Our Independence - The Exploding Welfare State

#8 Taking Away Our Patriotism - We Are Even Losing The Freedom To Be Proud Of America

Read full details...

Senator: Web Censorship Bill A ‘Bunker-Busting Cluster Bomb’

By Nate Anderson

The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA, S.3804) sets up a system through which the US government can blacklist a pirate website from the Domain Name System, ban credit card companies from processing US payments to the site, and forbid online ad networks from working with the site. It passed the Senate Judiciary Committee 19-0 this week, but it’s never going to pass the Senate before the end of the current Congress.

That’s due to resistance from people like Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), | Read more @ Wired.

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Carter: Fox commentators have ‘deliberately distorted’ news

By Kevin Bogardus

Out Foxed

Jimmy Carter said Sunday that Fox News commentators including Glenn Beck have “deliberately distorted” the news.

Speaking on CNN’s "Reliable Sources" Sunday, the former Democratic president took aim at the cable news channel climate, often a target for President Obama as well who says he tries to avoid the cable chatter. - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

Gang Activity in the U.S. Military

The report, Gang Activity in the U.S. Armed Forces Increasing, dated January 12, states that members of nearly every major street gang have been identified on both domestic and international military installations. Members of nearly every major street gang, including the Bloods, Crips, Black Disciples, Gangster Disciples, Hells Angels, Latin Kings, The 18th Street Gang, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Mexican Mafia, Nortenos, Surenos, Vice Lords, and various white supremacist groups, have been documented on military installations. Although most prevalent in the Army, the Army Reserves, and the National Guard, gang activity is pervasive throughout all branches of the military and across most ranks, but is most common among the junior enlisted ranks, according to the report. The extent of gang presence in the armed services is often difficult to determine since many enlisted gang members conceal their gang affiliation and military authorities may not recognize gang affiliation or may be inclined not to report such incidences.

Gang Activity in the U.S. Military

Among Rich Countries, U.S. Rates Worst For Patients

by Eliza Barclay

Take a guess which rich country's health system provides the worst experience for patients?

Yep, it's the United States, according work released today by the Commonwealth Fund. Not only do Americans avoid doctors when ill for fear of being slapped with big bills, but they also shell out far more when they do go, even if they have insurance.

The findings, published in the journal Health Affairs, looked at 11 developed countries and compared the experience of patients — from costs, to paying medical bills, to dealing with insurance companies.

The U.S. came out at the bottom on almost every count... : NPR

Senate bill S 510, called the Food Safety Modernization Act, vote imminent - procedural vote passes 74-25

by Mike Adams

https://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/

U.S. Senate Bill S 510 is now on the Senate floor where a vote is expected shortly. Yesterday, the Motion to Invoke Cloture passed on a vote of 74-25 (see how they voted, below), sending the bill forward for a final vote perhaps as early as today.

US Senate offices are experiencing a huge backlash of grassroots opposition to the bill -- called the Food Safety Modernization Act -- as virtually every health freedom organization, family farm group and even dietary supplement companies have aligned to oppose this new bill. It is being called "The most dangerous bill in United States history" and would thrust America into a new Dark Ages of FDA tyranny over seeds, foods, herbs, gardens and nutritional supplements. (http://naturalnews.com/030418_Food_...)  Read more...

More Than 95 Percent of 9/11 Workers Approve Settlement

By MIREYA NAVARRO

More than 95 percent of the workers who sued New York City and its contractors over health damages suffered in the 9/11 rescue and recovery effort have approved a negotiated settlement of their claims, clearing the way for payouts of at least $625 million, lawyers said Friday. - NYTimes.com

Report: (237 millionaires in) Congress got richer while most Americans lost everything

Erika Lovley

As Washington reels from the news of 10.2 percent unemployment, the Center for Responsive Politics is out with a new report describing the wealth of members of Congress.

Among the highlights: Two-hundred-and-thirty-seven members of Congress are millionaires. That’s 44 percent of the body – compared to about 1 percent of Americans overall. - POLITICO.com

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• 12 Facts Showing How Obscenely Wealthy Many Members Of Congress Are While The Rest Of Us Are Barely Getting By
• 237 Millionaires In Congress, Even After Members' Average Wealth Declined In 2008

'US biggest religious rights violator'

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast says the United States' “all-round support for the Zionist regime (Israel) in its crimes against the followers of Islam, Christianity and Judaism has rendered America the biggest sponsor of state and systematic violation of religious rights,”.

He also slammed the United States for using the 'ambiguous' 9/11 event as a ploy to wage war in Islamic countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan, and instigate Islamophobia around the world. Read more....

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