Posts Tagged ‘U.S.’


U.S. factories pick up work from Japan

The disaster in Japan caused a number of disruptions in Japanese manufacturing after shuttered plants halted production. But some U.S. factories are stepping in to pick up the slack. Japanese automaker Nissan (NSANY) announced last week that it will start shipping engine components from its plant in Decherd, TN, to assembly lines in Japan, — the first time the company has exported parts from North America back to Japan. The parts, cylinder blocks, cylinder heads and crankshafts, will replace those normally manufactured at Nissan’s engine plant in Iwaki, Japan, about an hour from the crippled nuclear power plant. (CNN)

View full post on All Stories

US life expectancy falls as failure of conventional medicine becomes obvious

(NaturalNews) U.S. life expectancy has dropped yet again, according to a report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. While overall life expectancy slipped from 77.9 years to 77.8 years, the report uncovered a surge of deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases . This report reveals a disturbing disconnect between the increasing money being spent on health care (“sick care”) in the United States versus the lack of positive results we’re getting in return. The U.S. health care system is the most expensive in the world, and yet life expectancy is falling while U.S. citizens are nowhere near the healthiest in the world. So why is life expectancy falling? Primarily because the U.S. health care system does nothing to prevent disease . It is a system based entirely on treating symptoms of disease — “managing” disease — rather than teaching people how to avoid disease through nutrition, foods and natural remedies. In fact, the very idea of preventing disease and increasing life expectancy is strongly opposed by the medical system as well as the U.S. government: – The conventional medical system thrives on disease and would lose money and power if fewer people were stricken with cancer, diabetes and heart disease. – The U.S. government, facing financial bankruptcy due to its runaway entitled program obligations, actually saves money when people die younger . The younger people die, in other words, the less the government pays out under Medicare and social security programs. The two largest organizations currently in charge of health care in America — the government and the sick-care industry — both have a financial incentive to keep Americans sick or to see them die earlier. Your value to the sick-care machine is measured in dollars alone This shocking economic reality never occurs to many people who still mistakenly assume that drug companies want people to get healthy (they don’t) or that the government wants you to enjoy a long retirement (it doesn’t). From the sick-care industry’s perspective, if you prevent disease , you are useless to them because you won’t need their drugs, surgeries or chemotherapy. And from the government’s point of view, you’re useless as soon as you retire and stop paying taxes on your wages. At that point, you transition into a net financial drain on the government. Obviously, you are the only person who benefits from your own good health . No corporation receives any benefit when YOU are healthy. No government receives any benefit, either. This is why no television ads or public service announcements will ever encourage you to prevent disease and live a long, healthy life. If you wish to pursue such a path, you must do it for your own reasons and in opposition to the agendas of the groups that are trying to keep you diseased . This is why here at NaturalNews, we always seek to empower individuals to take charge of their own health, learn about nutrition and become independent thinkers who can dismiss the manipulations of Big Pharma or Big Government — both of which are trying to keep you as sick as possible. To achieve lasting good health, a person must rebel against the system being shoved down Americans’ throats: Junk food, mammograms, vaccines, radiation treatments, chemotherapy, prescription drugs and more. Those elements are merely designed to keep you trapped in a state of chronic degenerative disease so that doctors, drug companies and hospitals can extract as much of your money as possible before you expire. That life expectancy is falling in the United States is not some random phenomenon. It is an artifact of the very design of our sick-care system — a system in which human beings are considered profit-generating machines to be manipulated, misinformed and ultimately drugged or irradiated into a lifetime of chronic disease that generates outrageous profits for the sick-care industry. The good news is you don’t have to participate in that system. Instead, educate yourself about health and disease prevention by reading NaturalNews (and sharing it with others). We will continue to bring you independent, truthful news on natural remedies and cures that can keep you healthy and keep you out of the hospitals and doctors’ offices that will only attempt to exploit your body for profit. If you want to “live long and prosper,” as Spock famously said, you’ll need to pursue health truth and health freedom on your own. Keep reading NaturalNews, and we’ll keep bringing you information that helps you rise above the sick-care system and experience a long, healthful life, free from the disease traps that have ensnared so many others.

View full post on All Stories

Unknown Killer Disease On The Loose In Uganda

Windsor Genova – AHN News News Writer

Kampala, Uganda (AHN) – An illness that took the lives of 38 people in northern Uganda since Nov. 10 remains unidentified Wednesday, according to health officials from the African country.

Initial tests conducted by the Ugandan Ministry of Health in foreign and local laboratories did not point to typhoid, ebola and bubonic plague as the cause of the deaths and infection of 90 others, who survived with early treatment.

The test in the U.S. lab Fort Collins in Colorado did not point to bubonic plague as the culprit, according to an official who refused to be identified.

The unknown disease causes severe headache and dizziness that eventually leads to diarrhea and vomiting. The symptoms last two to 10 days. Recovery is possible if treatment is administered at the early stage of the infection, the ministry said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta has dispatched specialists to help Uganda-based staff in identifying the disease. World Health Organization experts from Brazzaville, Republic of Congo were also sent to Uganda to do the same.

Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

View full post on Science And Technology Stories

Photos show soldier with Ore. ties still captive in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan — A U.S.-based militant media monitor says new video footage has been released showing a man who appears to be Spc. Bowe Bergdahl, the only known American serviceman being held in captivity in Afghanistan.

Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho, has been held by the Taliban since June 30, 2009, when he disappeared in Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan. His godmother, Kimberly Harrison-Dellacorva lives in Portland. She told KGW in the past that Bergdahl is a man motivated by his pasion to protect not only his country, but his fellow soldiers.

According to Col. Tim Marsano with the Idaho National Guard, Bergdahl’s family has seen the photos released by a video production group called Manba al-Jihad, which has ties to the Taliban. There is no indication when the photos were taken, but the family confirms the man in the pictures is Bowe Bergdahl.

CNN reports in a nearly 45-minute video that was also released, Bergdahl is wearing an open-necked, tan shirt and has a large abrasion on his left cheek. He appears clean-shaven, although in earlier videos released to the media, Bergdahl had a beard.

A speaker in the video says the Paktia mujahadeen captured the soldier and that he is in the custody of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and has all Islamic rights.

The IntelCenter, which tracks militant messages on the Internet, said in a statement released on Wednesday that another man in the video is believed to be a Taliban commander who had threatened to kill Bergdahl.

The new pictures are the first that have been seen of him since April, but it’s not clear when they were taken.

View full post on All Stories

U.S. Gaming Revenues To Recover in Late 2011, 2014 Revenues to Reach $68B

Ayinde O. Chase – AHN News Editor

New York, NY, United States (AHN) – The gaming industry which has been hard hit in recent years is slated is slated to rebound due to improved economic conditions triggering a recovery in U.S. gaming revenues in late 2011. However 2007 pre-economic meltdown gaming revenue levels will not return until 2012. 

According to PwC’s Playing to win: The outlook for the global casino and online gaming market to 2014, U.S. gaming revenues will rise to $68.3 billion in 2014 from $57.2 billion in 2009, marking a 3.6 percent compound annual increase.

The report also found that U.S. will remain the largest region in 2014, however Asia Pacific will be the fastest growing region with a projected 23.6 percent increase compounded annually to $62.9 billion in 2014 from $21.8 billion in 2009.

“The gaming industry is facing an evolution, which presents both challenges and opportunities for the industry’s established players and those considering to enter the market,” said Mary Lynn Palenik, director, gaming, entertainment, media & communications practice, PwC US. 

She goes on to say, “The explosion of entertainment choices for consumers will make it vital for the industry to produce an offering and experience that consumers want to spend money on.”

Regional Casinos will be Fastest Growing Category 

Propped by the growth in racetrack casinos, regional casinos will be the fastest growing category during the next five years as investment in new and improved offerings and facilities continue to re-direct visitors and revenue. 

Tribal casinos, which fueled growth at double digit annual rates through 2006, have experienced fewer openings over the last few years, a slower economy, and increased competition from regional casinos. 

A return to double digit increases which filled coffers the first half of the decade is not expected. Rather, revenues at tribal casinos will increase from $26.5 billion in 2009 to $30.3 billion in 2014, a 2.7 percent compound annual increase.

The Nevada market – which includes Las Vegas, Laughlin and Reno – experienced double digit declines in 2008 and 2009, which can be attributed to the fact that Nevada casinos, more than any other casinos in the U.S., rely on foreign visitors where tourism has been down, as well as out-of-state visitation from regions that have also been significantly impacted by the global recession.

But the report finds that over the five year forecast, Nevada will increase at a 4.1 percent compound annual rate to $12.5 billion in 2014 from $10.2 billion in 2009.

According to the report, Atlantic City is the only market where revenues in 2014 will be lower than in 2009. The region has suffered the most by the economic downturn and growing competitive pressures from regional casinos in Pennsylvania and New York. For the forecast period, PwC projects a 3.2 percent compound annual decline, from $3.9 billion in 2009 to $3.4 billion in 2014.

Moving forward analysts believe social networking sites will be a key distribution platform for online gaming services, resulting in collaborative partnerships between gaming brands and social networks. 

Lotteries will also grow via interstate collaboration and online pooling while taking advantage of new online offerings.

Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

View full post on Economy, Business And Finance Stories

Update: Wikileaks Founder Targeted for International Hunt

Tom Ramstack – AHN News Correspondent

Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The hunt was on, Wednesday, for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange after Sweden issued an arrest warrant for him. The Swedish government is investigating him for rape while the U.S. government is outraged against him for leaking more than 251,000 documents that describe sometimes secret State Department communications.

Assange, 39, says the rape charges against him hide the real motives of government officials who want to silence his Web site that leaks secret documents.

He says he had only consensual sex with two Swedish women.

Nevertheless, Interpol added his name to its Most Wanted list.

Assange’s whereabouts were unknown by Wednesday afternoon after the globe-trotting Australian hacker apparently went into hiding.

Government officials from Ecuador initially offered him asylum but later tempered the offer by saying they would consider any request Assange might make to stay in their country to avoid prosecution.

On Monday, Ecuadorean Deputy Foreign Minister Kintto Lucas was quoted in the local media saying the government was trying to contact Assange.

“We are inviting him to give conferences and, if he wants, we have offered him Ecuadorean residency,” he said.

On Wednesday, Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa backed off his foreign minister’s comments.

He said WikiLeaks “has committed an error by breaking the laws of the United States and leaking this type of information.”

Lucas was speaking on his own behalf but “no official offer was made” of residency by the Ecuadoran government, Correa said.

Correa is one of several Latin American leaders who have sharply criticized U.S. foreign policy previously.

As early as this year Assange has checked into possibilities of obtaining residency in Switzerland and Sweden.

He dropped his plans to move to Sweden when he was investigated for the sexual assault charges this summer.

Even if Assange escapes from Swedish authorities, he could face U.S. criminal charges.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Monday that he has launched an investigation of Wikileaks and Assange’s methods for obtaining classified information.

Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin joined other politicians in saying he should be prosecuted.

So far, the damage from the leaked documents appears to be modest. It consists mostly of comments made by diplomats in private conversations and memos that are embarrassing but not devastating to U.S. foreign policy.

Assange appears to be unrepentant, even planning to publish more leaked documents soon.

Some of the next documents are likely to involve Russian government officials and businessmen, he said in a report published in the Christian Science Monitor.

Assange was quoted telling a Moscow reporter, “We have [compromising materials] about Russia, about your government and businessmen. We will publish these materials soon.”

He also has said he will publish documents about an American bank after the New Year.

Forbes magazine quoted Assange saying he would publish a “megaleak” of corporate secrets. “It could take down a bank or two,” he said.

One bank would be hit hardest but he refused to name it.

However, last year he was quoted in Computerworld magazine saying he had obtained a 5-gigabyte hard drive from a Bank of America executive.

Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

View full post on All Stories

Iran’s First Nuclear Power Plant Now Operational

Lawrence Mijares – AHN News Contributor

Bushehr, Iran (AHN) – After years of delays and postponement, Iran’s first nuclear power plant in Bushehr is now operational and will be supplying electricity to the whole of Iran.

Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran’s atomic energy chief, announced Saturday that the reactor was fueled and operational.

He added that all that is needed is to wait for the water in the reactor to heat up gradually and for further tests to be conducted before electricity could be supplied to Iran’s national electric grid in a month or two.

Construction on the reactor was initiated in the 1970s by Kraftwerk Union, a branch of the German company Siemens, but was halted and the contract rescinded by the Islamic revolution in 1979 and by the Iran-Iraq war.

Russians completed the reactor and were supposed to operate it in 1999 but were interrupted several times by mounting technological and financial challenges as well as by U.S. pressure.

In 2005, Russia agreed to instead supply Iran with nuclear power and take back all spent reactor fuel to enable the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect the plant and assure that the nuclear waste wouldn’t be diverted elsewhere.

The first batch of nuclear fuel was delivered by Russia in 2007. It remains to be seen how the spent nuclear waste will be disposed of, or how operators might deal with the possible threat of a new computer virus attack similar to the sophisticated Stuxnet worm that was widely believed to have stalled the Iranian nuclear plant in recent months.

Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

View full post on Economy, Business And Finance Stories

Survey Indicates 2/3 Of Americans Support Airport Full Body Scanners

AHN News Staff

D.C., Washington, United States (AHN) – Despite the recent furor created by strict airport security measures, particularly ivasive passenger searches, a survey released Monday indicated about two-thirds of Americans support the use of new full-body scanners at U.S. gateways.

However, 50 percent of the survey respondents drew the line on pat-downs, which they described as having gone too far. Some groups have labeled the pat-downs as glorified grope sessions.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano insisted the new regulations are needed for public safety because of the continued threat against the aviation industry by power and gel smugglers who could use these items as explosives.

Napolitano promised that the Transport Security Administration – which said less than 3 percent of air passengers undergo the pat-downs – would listen to public sentiment and make adjustments if it will not compromise airport security.

Since October 400 full-body scanners had been installed and in use at 70 of 450 American gateways.

Travelers who disagree with the TSA body search methods have initiated an online campaign urging passengers to refuse scanners on Wednesday, when a large number of Americans travel for the Thanksgiving week.

Some travelers plan to show their protest by opting for the slower pat-downs instead of passing through the full-body scanners considered as too invasive.

Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

View full post on Science And Technology Stories

Summary Box: Netflix’s streaming-only plan

THE NEW PLAN: Netflix is introducing a U.S. subscription plan for $8 per month that doesn’t include any mailed DVDs, just movies and TV shows streamed over the Internet.

View full post on All Stories

TSA now needs false flag security incident to convince Americans to accept obscene pat-downs

(NaturalNews) With the grassroots backlash over the TSA’s obscene pat-downs growing by the day, it’s becoming fairly obvious that the only way the U.S. government is going to get the public to accept these Fourth Amendment violations is if there is another “terrorist incident” that’s stopped by the TSA and its naked body scanners. So far, the TSA is molesting children, teens and grannies without being able to demonstrate that this gross violation of Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights is having any effect whatsoever on improving air travel safety. But if there’s anything to be learned from 9/11, it’s that the sheeple are always willing to give up their rights if they can be scared into doing so . (http://www.naturalnews.com/030452_Ron_Paul_enough_is.html) “After 9/11 people were scared and when people are scared they’ll do anything for someone who will make them less scared,” said Bruce Schneier, a Minneapolis security technology expert, in an AP story (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101121/ap_on_re_us/us_airport_security_backlash). “But [this TSA] is particularly invasive. It’s strip-searching. It’s body groping. As abhorrent goes, this pegs it.” TSA is fighting for its survival The TSA is being threatened right now in a big way: One airport in Florida is already planning to ditch the agency and hire private contractors to run security. A NYC lawmaker has called for the “dismantling” of the TSA, and Rep Ron Paul has introduced legislation that would result in TSA agents being arrested for felony crimes if they touched peoples’ junk. The TSA, in other words, is fighting for its very survival right now. What it desperately needs is some new terrorist incident to remind the American people how much they need to give up their freedoms in exchange for security. Now, I’m not saying the TSA is going to plot to blow up an airplane or anything, but if there’s anybody who has the access to sneak something past airport security, it’s the TSA. How false flag operations achieve government goals The United States government has a long and detailed history of “staging” events in order to sway public opinion. The Gulf of Tonkin event in the Vietnam War era was deliberately staged by U.S. government officials in order to justify an escalation of military attacks on the North Vietnamese. Documents that were finally declassified just this year prove beyond any doubt that the U.S. government conspired to stage this “false flag” event. (http://www.prisonplanet.com/de-classified-vietnam-era-transcripts-show-senators-knew-gulf-of-tonkin-was-a-staged-false-flag-event.html) Operation Northwoods was a similar plot. As Wikipedia relates: The planned 1962 Operation Northwoods plot by the U.S. Department of Defense for a war with Cuba involved scenarios such as hijacking or shooting down passenger and military planes, sinking a U.S. ship in the vicinity of Cuba, burning crops, sinking a boat filled with Cuban refugees, attacks by alleged Cuban infiltrators inside the United States, and harassment of U.S. aircraft and shipping and the destruction of aerial drones by aircraft disguised as Cuban MiGs. These actions would be blamed on Cuba, and would be a pretext for an invasion of Cuba and the overthrow of Fidel Castro’s communist government . It was authored by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, nixed by John F. Kennedy, came to light through the Freedom of Information Act and was publicized by James Bamford. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_flag#As_pretexts_for_war) On the conspiracy theory front, there have long been accusations that the 9/11 attacks were an “inside job” staged as a pretext to clamp down on Americans’ freedoms and roll out the Patriot Act — the very law that coincidentally gives TSA agents the right to have anybody arrested and detained for 48 hours without cause, without a warrant and without legal representation. The evidence surrounding the collapse of the WTC 7 building now has literally thousands of engineers, scientists and citizens realizing the building was obviously brought down by demolition explosions (http://buildingwhat.org) and not an “office fire” as was the official explanation. The point of all this is that when governments are cornered but don’t want to give in, they will sometimes resort to falsifying events in order to continue moving their agendas forward. As David Icke explains, it’s the old “problem-reaction-solution” approach. First, create the problem , then wait for the public reaction that allows you to enact the government solution . The formula works like a charm for everything from pushing flu vaccines to justifying a war. In fact, there is evidence that U.S. agents may already be working on this plan. The fake bomb recently found on board a German passenger jet, we now know, was manufactured by a U.S. company (http://www.prisonplanet.com/fake-bomb-aboard-german-passenger-jet-was-made-by-u-s-firm-to-test-airport-security.html). How government agencies keep themselves alive (and get more funding) Is the TSA at that point of desperation yet? I’m not sure, but it would certainly be easy for high-level TSA operatives to find some patsy who hates the government, convince him that he should carry some liquid explosives onto an airplane, and then “catch” him at a TSA security checkpoint, thereby proving that we need to keep giving up our freedoms in the name of security. The mainstream media would have a field day with that story, and for the next two weeks on the news, we’d all hear how important the TSA is and what a great job they’re doing, and how this “terrorist” was caught by the naked body scanner machine, and so on. Don’t be surprised to see such a scenario unfold. It’s not that I personally distrust the TSA in particular, because there are some good people who work there and who are not to blame for all this, but at the same time I’ve been around long enough and studied enough true history to know that government organizations will do practically anything to stay in power . The DEA, for example, is desperately fighting against marijuana legalization not because marijuana is some highly dangerous drug (it isn’t), but because it’s job security for DEA agents . The CDC, likewise, went completely out of its way last year to spread fear about the H1N1 Swine Flu for the same reasons: Job security. There’s nothing quite like declaring a stage-six pandemic to keep the Congressional funding flowing your way, huh? The CDC also has a fascinating history of completely distorting the AIDS epidemic in order to boost its own funding, by the way. Watch this eye-opening video from House of Numbers to learn more: http://naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=4FE73A67EAEC6D7D2E8F8CF30E63A37E Every government agency — the TSA, CDC, FDA, USDA, FTC and so on — fights for its survival every year. That’s because in an era of budget cuts, every agency knows it could potentially be on the chopping block for severe cuts. And funding cuts translate into job losses. So the unspoken rule at all government agencies is to “make ourselves important” in order to keep the money flowing. This is also why the food contamination scares have been hyped up beyond all reason over the last two years: The FDA wants new powers to control the food supply, and the best way to do that is to latch onto stories about e.coli and salmonella and blow those all out of proportion in order to pass reactionary legislation called Senate Bill 510 (http://www.naturalnews.com/030461_Senate_Bill_510_Food_Safety.html). The truth about this food safety situation is that right now something like 80% of the chickens sold in grocery stores are contaminated with salmonella (http://www.naturalnews.com/021258.html), yet you don’t hear a peep about that story. And the FDA is making no effort whatsoever to “ban chicken meat” from grocery stores. Their fear mongering about food contamination is very selective, it seems. Perhaps the TSA has been learning its lessons from the FDA. Simply stage a false flag attack and you, too, can have increased Congressional funding to “fight terror” or whatever. We do need protections, but we need our rights even more All this isn’t to say that America doesn’t have enemies who really do want to destroy us. It’s true that there are really bad people out there — people and groups who want to bring America down. There are some good people in Washington who are fighting for our safety behind the scenes. Yes, the FBI, CIA and NSA all have “a few good men” who are doing things around the world that you and I don’t even want to know about. Stuff that would make you cringe if you knew about it. The sacrifices being made by some of these individuals in the name of protecting America’s interests on the international stage will never be fully known, nor recognized by anyone in the mainstream. The everyday American people who go about their lives shopping, watching TV, collecting a paycheck and surfing the ‘web have no idea what goes on behind the scenes to give them the luxury of pursuing such a carefree lifestyle. That’s why nothing I print here is intended to disrespect the front-line warriors who are fighting for America’s interests — soldiers, the few “good” feds, etc. But at the same time that there are some “good men” (and women) in these agencies, there are also some rotten apples (like in any organization, I suppose). There are some people working in the government who absolutely would not hesitate to stage a false flag attack if it meant increasing their power, their pay and their importance. And those people must be scratching their heads right now, thinking, “Gee, it sure would be easy to pull off a staged event of some kind that keeps us all in power.” I just hope they come to their senses and realize they should not be at war with the American people . They’re supposed to be fighting to protect our freedoms, not to take away our freedoms. The real war is with the true enemies of America — those state-sponsored terrorist groups that genuinely want to destroy America and everything it stands for. Certainly, we must not let the terrorists win. But neither must we allow freedom to perish in the process. Reasonable security is fine As a freedom-loving American who values both my freedom and my safety, I will gladly submit to having my luggage X-rayed and walking through a metal detector. I will gladly sit beside an armed Air Marshal on the flight, captained by an armed pilot on the flight deck who hopefully has a couple of spare mags along with his Colt 1911, too (pilots carry firearms on airplanes right now, most people don’t even know..). Yet as much as those security precautions seem reasonable, I refuse to subject myself to a body X-ray that emits ionizing radiation, and I refuse to give in to an obscene pat-down that involves government personnel feeling up my genitals, with or without a latex glove. At that point, “security” has become tyranny. And the terrorists have already won. We need to rise up and stop this. Just as some of our undercover federal agents (and active soldiers) are fighting for America’s interests overseas, you and I need to be fighting for our freedom right here at home, on American soil, with this airport security issue. We are not subjects. We are not cattle. We are sovereign citizens and we will not surrender our bodies to be fondled by government agents with the excuse that “it’s for our own good.” And be on the watch for a “staged” security event designed to convince the American people that they need to give up yet more freedoms in the name of police-state security. I’m willing to bet that precisely such a plot is on the drawing board in Washington D.C. right now.

View full post on All Stories

Powered by Yahoo! Answers