UFO mystery: Latest sighting in Siberia

RT.com, 13 April, 2012

An image from Russia's "Vesti" Channel

An unidentified glowing object is said to have crashed down from the skies in Russia’s Siberia, causing a powerful explosion. A search for the mysterious item is underway amid speculations of what on Earth it could be.

Witnesses describe seeing a bright glow covering the sky, followed by a shining object falling with a strange clanging sound and disappearing in the distance with a blast.

The unidentified object supposedly fell in the taiga forest of the Irkutsk region, 15 kilometers from the nearest village of Vitim, on Friday night. The head of the regional administration said a group of researchers has been sent to inspect the area and question witnesses.

“We will be able to say what it is, only when we see the thing itself and the place where it fell,” explained head of the region Aleksandr Sergey. “The investigators, together with hunters are going there on snowmobiles”.

There are two possible causes of the incident being examined. The object could either be a part of a large meteorite, or satellite wreckage. Speculations that it could be a piece of the failed, recently launched North Korean carrier rocket have been dismissed. Neither could it be a piece of any other aircraft as there have been no flights in the area.

The director of the astronomical observatory at Irkutsk University however explained that the searches won’t find any traces if it was a meteorite.

“Usually such objects completely disintegrate – they burn down in the atmosphere and split into very small fragments upon falling,” he said.

Map of Russia, showing the Irkutsk region where the unidentified
flying object fell

This is not the first incident of this kind in the area.

The best-known case, the Vitim bolide, fell in this very area in 2002 causing a powerful explosion. Detected by a US military missile-defense satellite, the event recalled the massive Tunguska blast of 1908, caused by a large falling meteorite.

This March, a mysterious cylinder fell in another part of Siberia, causing widespread speculation as to what it was. While media supposed it was part of a satellite or a fragment of a ballistic missile, the Russian Federal Space Agency denied ownership of the object.

Related Articles:

Space ball: UFO shocks Brazilians (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

The Gods must be crazy: Metal ‘Teletubby head’ falls near Namibian village

Unidentified space object falls from the sky (VIDEO)



Viking robots found life on Mars in 1976, scientists say

IMF says targeted debt reduction policies can work

The IMF has said that targeted household debt reduction policies can deliver significant economic benefits.

RTE News, 10 April 2012 

Latest IMF report notes link between
 high levels of household debt and the
effect on economic recovery

The IMF has said that targeted household debt reduction policies - including mortgage write-downs - can deliver significant economic benefits.

The International Monetary Fund made the comments in its latest World Economic Outlook.

The IMF said such policies can substantially mitigate the negative effect of household deleveraging on economic activity.

The report noted the well established link between high levels of household debt run up during a housing boom, and the effect of a high debt overhang on economic recovery.

It found that countries, like Ireland, that saw house prices and household borrowing skyrocket, saw a longer than average period of recession after the bursting of the housing bubble.

A large part of this protracted recession it said is due to households trying to reduce their debt levels, which in turn leads to less spending in the economy, driving the recession deeper and further.

"Because debt is acting as a brake on economic growth, it is important to unstick the brake" said the report's author Daniel Leigh.

The IMF has studied the response of a number of countries to situations where large parts of the population are burdened with high mortgage debt in a recession, and finds that such programmes can help prevent self-reinforcing cycles of falling house prices and lower aggregate demand.

"Such policies are particularly relevant for economies with limited scope for expansionary macroeconomic policies and in which the financial sector has already received government report", notes the conclusions. Ireland meets both these criteria.

The report highlighted what it calls the "bold " household debt reduction programmes implemented in the US in the 1930's and in Iceland in this crisis, which it said can "significantly reduce the number of household defaults and foreclosures and substantially reduce debt repayment burdens''.

It contrasted these examples with others that have not been successful, such as the current response to the crisis in the US and Hungary, and the policies pursued in Colombia and the Scandinavian countries in the 90's.

As well as the "bold" approach, it said that ensuring a strong banking sector is crucial during the period of household deleveraging. It stated that the policies in Colombia and Hungary were not a success as they placed too much burden on an already fragile banking sector.

It also said the policies must be designed to have incentives for both banks and borrowers to participate, notably by offering a viable alternative to default and foreclosure.

The IMF noted that government support for household debt restructuring programmes involves clear winners and losers. "The friction caused by such redistribution may be one reason why such policies have rarely been used in the past, except when the magnitude of the problem was substantial and the ensuing social and political pressures considerable",' it stated.

It cited another study which found that political systems tend to become more polarised in the wake of financial crises, and raised the question of collective action problems - that distressed mortgage borrowers may be less politically organised than banks - and this can hamper efforts to implement household debt restructuring.

In the US in the 1930's the Roosevelt administration introduced the Home Owners Loan Corporation, which bought distressed mortgages from banks with government bonds, with federal guarantees on principal and interest. It then restructured these mortgages to make them more affordable to borrowers.

80% of the restructured loans (some 800,000) were protected from repossession by the measure, and the mortgages were subsequently sold on over time for a nominal profit at the time the programme was brought to an end in 1951. The mortgage purchases amounted to 8.4% of 1933's GDP in the US.

The IMF said "a key feature of the HOLC was the effective transfer of funds to credit constrained households with distressed balance sheets and a high marginal propensity to consume, which mitigated the negative effects on aggregate demand" caused by the recession and need for household deleveraging.

The main mechanism to make loans more affordable was to extend the term of the mortgage - sometimes doubling the term - and converting it from a variable to a fixed rate. In a number of cases the HOLC also wrote off part of the principal to ensure that no loans exceeded 80% of the appraised value of the house.

In the case of Iceland the situation was more difficult, due in part to the much bigger proportion of the population that was affected, and to the wide presence of foreign currency mortgages.

The government and the newly constructed Icelandic banks developed a template to be used in case by case restructuring discussions between borrowers and lenders. The templates facilitated substantial debt write-downs designed to align secured debt with the supporting collateral (i.e bring the loan into line with the value of the house) and align debt service with the ability to repay.

The IMF found that such case by case negotiations safeguard property rights and reduce moral hazard, but they take time. As of January of this year, only 35% of the case by case restructuring applications had been processed. To speed things up, Iceland has introduced a debt forgiveness plan which writes down deeply underwater mortgages to 110% of the households' pledgeable assets.

It noted that only when a comprehensive framework was put in place and a clear expiration date for relief measures announced that debt write-downs finally took off. As of January 2012, 15 to 20% of all Icelandic mortgages have been or are in the process of being written down.

However, it said the jury is still out on Iceland's plans, and said the extent to which Iceland can put its citizens back on their feet and minimise moral hazard remains to be seen.

Related Articles:

Fannie, Freddie to Forgive Mortgage Debt?

Iceland forgives mortgage debt of its population

ICELAND 

The President Of Iceland Tells Us How He Had The Balls To Stand Up To Britain

Iceland’s citizens help draft new constitution via the Internet

Trial of Iceland ex-PM Haarde over 2008 crisis begins

Channel:  Wanderer of the Skies - April 14, 2012

“… Your nation of Iceland is being used as a testing ground for the rolling out of financial strategies for the betterment of your planet. It would be wise to follow their progress in this respect, as it will be the fate of all nations in a very brief period of time. We have always advised you that such an action would never come from the larger powers and nations of the world, but they will follow in lockstep once the actions begin their domino effect…..” 

Anti-gay adverts on London buses blocked by Boris Johnson

Mayor steps in to stop London buses carrying Christian group's 'offensive' ads that claim therapy can stop people being gay

guardian.co.uk, Hélène Mulholland, Thursday 12 April 2012

The ad, backed by the Core Issues Trust, which stated: 'Not gay! Ex-gay,
post-gay and proud. Get over it!'

Boris Johnson, the Conservative mayor, has pulled an "offensive" Christian campaign advertising "gay conversion" which was due to appear on London's buses next week.

Revelations that adverts asserting the power of therapy to change the sexual orientation of gay people were due to be driven around the capital came as Johnson, who is seeking re-election in May, was due to appear at a mayoral hustings organised by the gay campaigning group Stonewall on Saturday.

The mayor immediately put the wheels in motion to halt the campaign after being alerted to the plans by the Guardian, and made clear that such advertising had no place in a tolerant city.

A clearly angered Johnson said: "London is one of the most tolerant cities in the world and intolerant of intolerance. It is clearly offensive to suggest that being gay is an illness that someone recovers from and I am not prepared to have that suggestion driven around London on our buses."

Transport for London (TfL) subcontracts advertising for London's buses to the advertising agency CBSO, who ran the advert past the Advertising Standards Authority, according to one of Johnson's aides.

The ASA said the advert "does not infringe any advertising rules in the UK".

Johnson used his discretion as chair of TfL to instruct the transport body to ditch the advertising campaign which was due to appear on 25 buses driving around the capital next week.

The full-length advert was due to appear on five different routes in the capital over a two-week period. It is backed by the Core Issues Trust whose leader, Mike Davidson, believes "homoerotic behaviour is sinful". His charity funds "reparative therapy" for gay Christians who believe that they have homosexual feelings but want to become straight. The campaign is also backed by Anglican Mainstream, an worldwide orthodox Anglican group whose supporters have equated homosexuality with alcoholism.

The advert was due to say: "Not gay! Ex-gay, post-gay and proud. Get over it!" Post-gay and ex-gay are terms used by some Christians and some psychotherapists and psychiatrists to refer to homosexual people who have undergone spiritual or pastoral therapy and, according to an Anglican Mainstream definition, have "now left a homosexual lifestyle [and experienced] an increased emotional and sexual attraction to the opposite biological gender and possibly a reduction in or loss of same-sex attraction."

After the mayor's decision to block the ad Davidson told the Press Association: "I didn't realise censorship was in place.

"We went through the correct channels and we were encouraged by the bus company to go through their procedures. They OKed it and now it has been pulled."

Brian Paddick, the Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate, who is gay, said: "From personal experience as a gay Christian, I can tell you that it's much better to be out than in. We should be celebrating the diversity for which London is known, not denigrating it.

"As mayor I want to make London a place that is welcoming to all people, including Christians."

Related Articles:

'Gay cure' Christian charity funded 20 MPs' interns

About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channelled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack)

“ ... You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.The only identity that has any fundamental or lasting relevance to your Soul is your Divinity. Any other way you may label or identify yourself is transitory. It changes from one incarnation to the next. ..."

"The Akashic System" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.)

(Religions – Zionism - March 1, 2012 - Matthew Channelled by Suzanne Ward)

9. It can be no other way—simply, this is the physics that governs life in this universe. As Earth continues apace into successively higher planes, nothing with low vibrations in any form—physical bodies, subversive plans, theft, dishonesty, unjust laws and imprisonment, bigotry, cruel customs and deeds—can survive.

10. Moving on, no, it will not be quite like religions being “totally discarded and replaced by universal laws in the Golden Age.” When the truths come forth that science and spirit are one and the same and that religious dogmas were originated by early leaders of church and state to control the masses, people whose consciousness has risen beyond the constraints of third density will adhere to the spiritual aspects of their respective religions and the devised, controlling aspects will fall by the wayside.

11. One of the truths to come forth is that Zionism, which by dark intent has been made synonymous with Judaism, actually is a bellicose political movement within the Illuminati, and its aim for more than six decades has been to create conflict and instability in the entire Middle East. Zionists, who have wielded powerful influence within and behind major governments and their military forces, do NOT represent the Jewish peoples in Israel or anywhere else. And, like all other Illuminati factions, they have been committed to that cabal’s goal of global domination.

12. Although Semites are of diverse national origins and religions, the Zionists have been successful in convincing many that “anti-Semitic” is exclusively prejudice against the Jewish peoples and opposition to Israel’s right to defend itself from its “enemies.” By means of that blatant distortion, they obtained not only world sympathy, but also massive defense funding from Israel’s allies, most especially the United States, all of which served to increase the Illuminati’s vast profits from their industrial-military machine.

13. In addition to controlling the masses through dogmatic teachings, religions have served the dark purpose of divisiveness to such an extent that it resulted in centuries of trauma and bloodshed. Witness the Crusades, wars between Catholics and Protestants, pogroms against Jews, executions of “blasphemous” individuals who refused to “recant.”  (Read More …)

"Matthew preparing us for the Golden Age." -  Jan 19, 2012 (Channelled by Suzy Ward)

Iceland's volcanoes may power UK

The energy minister is to visit Iceland in May to discuss connecting the UK to its abundant geothermal energy

guardian.co.uk, Damian Carrington, Wednesday 11 April 2012

Iceland could soon be pumping low-carbon electricity into the UK under
 government-backed plans for thousands of miles of high-voltage cables across
the ocean floor. Photograph: Alamy

The volcanoes of Iceland could soon be pumping low-carbon electricity into the UK under government-backed plans for thousands of miles of high-voltage cables across the ocean floor.

The energy minister, Charles Hendry, is to visit Iceland in May to discuss connecting the UK to its abundant geothermal energy. "We are in active discussions with the Icelandic government and they are very keen," Hendry told the Guardian. To reach Iceland, which sits over a mid-ocean split in the earth's crust, the cable would have to be 1,000 to 1,500km long and by far the longest in the world.

Hendry has already met the head of Iceland's national grid about the plan. The web of sea-floor cables – called interconnectors – planned for the next decade would link the UK to a Europe-wide supergrid, which is backed by the prime minister. The supergrid would combine the wind and wave power of northern Europe with solar projects such as Desertec in southern Europe and north Africa to deliver reliable, clean energy to meet climate change targets and reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports.

There are two existing international interconnectors, to France and the Netherlands, but nine more are either in construction, formal planning or undergoing feasibility studies. The next to open, in autumn 2012, will be a link between the Republic of Ireland and Wales, allowing green energy from the windswept Atlantic coast of Ireland to be delivered to British homes.

The UK has been energy independent for virtually its entire history. But with the North Sea's oil and gas failing and coal banned as too polluting, Hendry is frank about the future: "We will be dependent on imported energy." The cables "are an absolutely critical part of energy security and for low carbon energy", he said.

The government's legally binding targets to reduce carbon emissions is another key driver for the new interconnectors, which if all built could supply a third of the nation's average electricity demand. Renewable energy, such as the offshore wind power at the heart of the government's renewable plans, is zero carbon once built but is also intermittent, meaning back-up gas plants or energy storage are needed. A 900km interconnector to Norway, due to open by 2019, would enable excess wind energy to pump water into storage lakes above the fjords. Then, when the electricity is needed, floodgates are opened and the water flows back down through turbines. Both the pump storage and the high-voltage direct-current interconnectors lose very little energy.

Another ambitious interconnector would link England to Alderney, where very strong tides could produce 4GW of electricity, and then on to France and the new 1.6GW nuclear power plant being built at Flamanville. Commercial agreements for this were signed in February.

Interconnector cables can be laid very rapidly – at over 30km a day – but remain significant engineering projects, with each kilometre containing 800 tonnes of copper. The most time-consuming aspect is settling international agreements and preparing landing sites and pylons to handle and distribute a large amount of electricity. "It's like taking a large nuclear power station onshore," said Hendry.

He argued that a web of high-voltage cables ending the energy isolation of the British Isles will help keep household energy bills down, by allowing access to the cheapest energy at any particular time.

Tony Glover, at energy grid trade body the Energy Networks Association, said: "For consumers the ability to link electricity supplies from the rest of Europe is good for competition and will generally help to keep prices competitive." The interconnectors can be built commercially with operators paying for the investment by taking a cut on the electricity transferred.

As well as consumer energy bills, Hendry also argued that interconnectors will help reduce the cost of the intermittency of renewable energy. "Interconnectors are an incredibly effective way to counter the argument that you need to back up each gigawatt of wind with a gigawatt of gas – they quite clearly show you do not," he said.

Interconnectors require large investments. The Britain-Netherland interconnector, which opened in 2011 and was the first international link in 25 years, cost £500m. But Greenpeace's Doug Parr said: "Interconnectors are the cheapest way of backing up wind, because you avoid the greater capital cost of building power stations. We will of course be buying power in when the wind is not blowing, but the interconnectors mean we can sell our wind power when it does, and we have the best wind resource in Europe."

However, Simon Less at the thinktank Policy Exchange, urged caution in relying on interconnectors for back-up: "Major new interconnection in north western Europe might not offset much of the need for backup plant because winter high pressure weather patterns can extend low wind conditions right across Europe."

Norway's pump storage could counter that fear but there is competition for access to that resource, with Germany also negotiating over an interconnector. "We are keen we should be first," said Hendry.

Related Article:

Morocco to host first solar farm in €400bn renewables network

Morocco has been chosen as the first location for a project to build a vast
network of solar and windfarms. Photograph: Michael Melford/NGS/Corbis

Spanish village hopes for jobs from cannabis plantation

Deutsche Welle, 11 April 2012

A small Spanish village south of Barcelona is fighting the current financial crisis and record unemployment by renting out a huge field for growing cannabis. But the country's justice minister is not amused.

Spanish Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon on Wednesday questioned the viability of cultivating marijuana in the Spanish village of Rasquera 140 kilometers (90 miles) south of Barcelona.

In a local referendum, 56 percent of voters had backed a plan to rent out 2,500 square meters (seven hectares) of land to the ABCDA Marijuana Smokers' Association. The organization said it would use the land to grow cannabis for what would be legal therapeutic and recreational purposes.

"Authorizing a marijuana plantation would have more negative than positive consequences in the long term," Ruiz-Gallardon said in a statement on Wednesday.

Spanish law is ambiguous on the production of marijuana, which is considered a soft drug. Private consumption of cannabis is not forbidden in the country, but it's illegal to sell it.

Drugs to fight debt?

The village of Rasquera views its plan as a resourceful way to pay some of its 1.3 million euros ($1.7 million) of debt and reduce soaring unemployment by creating up to 40 new jobs.

"The village, like so many others, has many difficulties, a big crisis, a lot of inhabitants without work," Rasquera's Economic Counselor Josep Maria Insausti said in a statement. "Now we are being asked to pay off our debts impossibly quickly."

The ABCDA will reportedly pay the village 650,000 euros per year for the right to grow its annual supply there. But Spanish society remains divided down the middle over the planned plantation. While many see in it a tool for more economic prosperity in the village, others fear it could bring drug-related crime into Rasquera.

hg/bk (AFP, dpa)

Related Article:

Medicinal Cannabis and its Impact on Human Health

Row grows over Barclays chief's pay and £5.7m tax bill

Leading shareholders are warned about Bob Diamond's remuneration package after the bank underperformed in 2011

guardian.co.uk, Jill Treanor, Tuesday 10 April 2012

Bob Diamond, whose tax bill was paid after he relocated from the
US to London. Photograph: PA

Controversy surrounding the pay of the chief executive of Barclays, Bob Diamond – and his £5.7m tax bill – intensified on Tuesday night when a leading group of shareholders were warned about problems with his remuneration package.

The Association of British Insurers, whose members control around 15% of the stock market, issued an "amber top" warning over possible breaches of corporate governance codes.

The move by the influential ABI follows a call by investor advisory body Pirc that Diamond should not receive a bonus on top of his £1.3m salary, because of the underperformance of the bank. Some shareholders, such as Standard Life, Aviva and Scottish Widows, are already believed to be considering voting against the remuneration report.

The ABI is understood to be highlighting two issues with Diamond's pay, which reached £17m in 2011 when deals from previous years were cashed in.

First, it points out that Diamond himself described the bank's performance in 2011 as "unacceptable" when it failed to reach targets for returns to shareholders. Second, the ABI highlights the bank's decision to pay £5.7m to the exchequer on behalf of Diamond.

The bank paid the tax bill as it was incurred when Diamond relocated from New York to London after his promotion to chief executive in January 2011.

While the ABI's guidelines on pay state that companies "should not seek to make changes to any element of executive remuneration to compensate participants for changes in their personal status", the payment on behalf of Diamond is not thought to be in direct breach of this guideline, which was written amid fears that companies would try to compensate directors for any change in tax rates within the UK.

Even so, shareholders admit to being surprised at the size of the tax bill. Guy Jubb, head of corporate governance at Standard Life, has said: "I don't believe anyone had an inkling that this payment, which is almost the largest figure in the remuneration report, was going to surface."

Diamond's contract, which was rewritten when he took the helm after more than 10 years running the Barclays Capital investment bank, states that the bank would pay his tax if he was being taxed twice – in the UK and in the US. The contract states: "Barclays will consult with you in good faith and give consideration as to whether and in which ways Barclays can hold you harmless against any incremental tax liability incurred as a result of your return to the UK to perform your assignment."

Diamond is not employed directly by Barclays, but via a subsidiary known as Gracechurch Services Corporation, which is incorporated in the US state of Delaware.

The ABI also issued an amber alert on Barclays last year when one in 10 investors failed to support the remuneration report at an annual meeting, when private shareholders hit out against the pay deals.

It is not yet clear what scale of protest will take place at this year's annual meeting on 27 April, although a protest on at least the same scale is expected.

The scene has been set for a row since February, when the bank reported a 3% fall in profits to £5.9bn, but conceded that the proportion of revenue used to pay investment bankers was unchanged on a year earlier.

Barclays made clear it had been holding meetings with its shareholders over the pay deals and described the ABI report as "carefully considered". Barclays said: "We note the concerns and questions that they have raised in their report… and look forward to continuing to work with them on those."

A vote against the chair of the remuneration committee, Alison Carnwath, is also possible as Pirc has recommended voting against her re-election to the board.

Pirc pointed to the fact that Barclays shares are trading below their net asset value, and also states that the bank should consider clawing back bonuses from executives because of the £1bn provision for payment protection insurance mis-selling.

Barclays shares were hit hard on Tuesday, falling 6% amid concerns about its exposure to Spain, while it also admitted that it might need to increase its provision for payment protection insurance mis-selling because of a surge in applications from customers seeking compensation.

Moscow Red Square opened to opposition supporters

BBC News, 8 April 2012

Russian Election

• What nextfor Putin's Russia?
• Searching for 'carousel' voters
• Profile: Vladimir Putin
• In pictures: Russia protests

Russian opposition figure Sergei
Udaltsov (speaking into phone) was
 among the crowd

The Russian authorities have allowed opposition supporters to roam freely around Red Square in Moscow but prevented a group from pitching a tent.

Wearing their trademark white ribbons or carrying white flowers, a number of demonstrators walked around under the Kremlin walls.

Some handed out leaflets as part of their campaign against alleged ballot-rigging at recent elections.

Police only intervened to stop three people trying to set up the tent.

One of them, environmental activist Yevgenia Chirikova, was detained and then released, reportedly with a court summons.

Two persons detained with her were also expected to be freed after being charged with "petty hooliganism", Russian police told Interfax news agency.

"The tent outside the Kremlin is a symbol of resistance to an illegitimate government," Ms Chirikova said later in a message on Twitter.

'Another planet'

Protesters were not allowed to demonstrate on Red Square during the elections in December and March.

The square was sealed off last weekend when activists attempted to gather there for a silent protest, and arrests were made.

But on Sunday, the atmosphere on the square was relaxed, correspondents say. According to Reuters news agency, "hundreds" of demonstrators turned out.

"I feel like I've come to another planet, I do not understand what is happening, this is the Kremlin," activist Vitaly Zalomov told Reuters.

"Where are the police?"

Huge protest rallies were held in Moscow after the parliamentary election in December and before the presidential election last month, when Vladimir Putin was returned to office.

Currently serving as prime minister to President Dmitry Medvedev, he is due to be inaugurated as president on 7 May, after which he will formally return to the Kremlin.

Related Articles:

Drunvalo Melchizedek: Crop circles, Russians, coming solar flares...use your discernment !!

Russian embassy in Indonesia launches facebook page

(Official Movie) THRIVE: What On Earth Will It Take?

More info at: http://www.thrivemovement.com/

THRIVE is an unconventional documentary that lifts the veil on what's REALLY going on in our world by following the money upstream -- uncovering the global consolidation of power in nearly every aspect of our lives. Weaving together breakthroughs in science, consciousness and activism, THRIVE offers real solutions, empowering us with unprecedented and bold strategies for reclaiming our lives and our future.

Related Articles:

Bakries Want Rothschild to Leave the Board of Bumi Plc

British financier Nathaniel Rothschild, left, has criticized the
 management and corporate governance at Bumi Resources,
 the Indonesian coal company he is trying to transform into a
 top-tier global miner, the Financial Times reported on
Thursday. (Antara Photo/File)

The Large Families that rule the world

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Lose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Pedal wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.)  - New ! 

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo sever ties with group behind stand-your-ground laws

American Legislative Exchange Council is known for helping to pass laws favoring gun owners and voter ID requirements

guardian.co.uk, Karen McVeigh, Thursday 5 April 2012

Color of Change had criticised both PepsiCo and Coca-Cola over their
 ties to the America Legislative Exchange Council. Photograph: David Levene
 for the Guardian

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have ended their partnerships with a conservative group that supports the spread of restrictive voting laws and stand-your-ground legislation.

The announcements came after campaigners urged consumers to boycott companies linked with the the the American Legislative Exchange Council (Alec).

PepsiCo ended its membership in the group in January, but it was first reported by NPR on Thursday

Coca-Cola's announcement that it had also severed ties with the organisation came on Wednesday after Color of Change, the nation's largest African-American advocacy group, urged its members to boycott the company and other member corporations over their links with Alec.

Alec is a nonprofit member organisation whose stated purpose is the advancement of free-market principles, limited government, federalism and individual liberty. It drafts legislation on behalf of its individual and corporate members to develop what it calls "model laws" and sends them to lawmakers.

Its critics, including Color of Change, accuse it of working to disenfranchise minority and low-income voters by supporting the co-ordinated proliferation of voter ID laws which affect these groups.

It is also accused of encouraging up to 20 other states to enact similar measures to Florida's controversial stand-your-ground law.

Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change, said it had been in dialogue with Coca-Cola since last year over the issue. He said: "We welcome Coca-Cola's decision to stop supporting the American Legislative Exchange Council, an organization which has worked to disenfranchise African-Americans, Latinos, students, the elderly, the disabled and the poor. We confirmed with Coca-Cola that they are no longer a member of Alec and no longer fund the group in any capacity."

Robinson said that hundreds of their members began calling Coca-Cola on Wednesday morning, and "the company listened to their voices".

"We continue to call on all major corporations to stop supporting voter suppression through Alec. Our members are prepared to hold accountable companies that continue to participate in Alec's attack on voting rights."

More than 85,000 members signed a petition targeting Alec's corporate partners for their role in suppressing the black vote, and 170,000 have signed a petition calling on the department of justice to take over the case of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager fatally shot by a neighbourhood watch volunteer who claimed self defence, arrest his killer and review the police investigation of the case.

In a statement emailed to the Guardian, Coca-Cola confirmed it was ending its relationship with Alec.

Diana Garza Ciarlante, a Coca-Cola spokeswoman, said in the statement: "The Coca-Cola company has elected to discontinue its membership with the American Legislative Exchange Council (Alec). Our involvement with Alec was focused on efforts to oppose discriminatory food and beverage taxes, not on issues that have no direct bearing on our business. We have a long-standing policy of only taking positions on issues that impact our company and industry."

On Wednesday, the Center for American Progress published a report on the proliferation of voter ID laws which it said were "hindering voting rights in a manner not seen since the era of Jim Crow".

Last month, leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People called on the UN human rights council to investigate the proliferation of restrictive electoral laws.

PepsiCo was a member of Alec for 10 years. In January, according to NPR, a company vice-president told Color Of Change that it would not renew its membership for 2012.

Alec did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

On its website it acknowledges that Florida's stand-your-ground law was a basis for its model legislation but expressed scepticism that the law could apply in the Martin case.

"Florida's 'Stand Your Ground' law was the basis for the American Legislative Exchange Council's model legislation, not the other way around. Moreover, it is unclear whether that law could apply to this case at all. 'Stand Your Ground' or the 'Castle Doctrine' is designed to protect people who defend themselves from imminent death and great bodily harm.

"It does not allow you to pursue another person. It does not allow you to seek confrontation. It does not allow you to attack someone who does not pose an imminent threat. What it does is allow you to defend yourself and your family from immediate and real danger."

Related Articles:


Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pull support from ALEC

Intuit is Now The Fourth Company to Drop Voter Suppression Group ALEC

Coca-Cola, Kraft leave conservative ALEC after boycott launched

GE, Johnson & Johnson among firms to give more lobbying detail

Coke, Pepsi make changes to avoid cancer warning

Soda-Cancer Link Suggested By Controversial Report On 4-MI, Cola Dye Byproduct

 The Large Families that rule the world

Poland to ban Monsanto’s genetically modified maize

The Raw Story, by Agence France-Presse, April 4, 2012

WARSAW — Poland will impose a complete ban on growing the MON810 genetically modified strain of maize made by US company Monsanto on its territory, Agriculture Minister Marek Sawicki said Wednesday.

“The decree is in the works. It introduces a complete ban on the MON810 strain of maize in Poland,” Sawicki told reporters, adding that pollen of this strain could have a harmful effect on bees.

On March 9, seven European countries — Belgium, Britain, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Ireland and Slovakia — blocked a proposal by the Danish EU presidency to allow the cultivation of genetically-modified plants on the continent.

Seven days after that, France imposed a temporary ban on the MON810 strain.

Talks on allowing the growing of genetically-modified plants on EU soil are now deadlocked as no majority has emerged among the 27 member states.

Related Articles:

Banners, more protests against Monsanto

Monsanto and Genetically Modified Crops - Is there a cover-up?

Scientists warn EPA on Monsanto corn rootworm

French beekeepers demonstrate to protest the use of genetically-modified

 organisms in front of French Monsanto headquarters in Bron, near Lyon,

 January 20, 2012. Sign reads, ''GMO = Death of Bees'' and banner in

background says, ''Monsanto get out''. (Credit: Reuters/Robert Pratta)

Court finds Monsanto guilty of poisoning