Archive for July 7, 2010
Israeli army facing mounting suicide
July 7, 2010 | 
Author 
The Israeli army has voiced alarm over a fresh jump in the number of suicide cases among it service members since the beginning of the year.
Nineteen Israeli soldiers have put end to own lives this year, following a relative decline brought about in recent years by various programs aimed at stemming suicide in the army, Israel’s Ynet news website reported on Tuesday.
The 2010 figure shows a sharp rise in the toll compared with 21 in the whole of 2009. The Israeli army reported 30 suicides in 2000 while there were 35 similar cases in 2005.
The military subsequently launched a training program to help commanders diagnose serious psychological distress among soldiers and offer necessary assistance in time. The program, meanwhile, envisaged reducing the number of administration soldiers who take a personal weapon home.
In the years 2007-2009, there was a fall in the number of suicides to less than 24 in one year — making this year’s figure all the more disturbing for Tel Aviv.
Two officers were convicted of a criminal offense in 2008 for failing to prevent the suicide of a soldier who showed signs of psychological distress.
A mental health officer was tried in a disciplinary trial in connection with the same case for failing to assist the soldier.
[PressTV]
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Israeli Police destroy villagers vegetable crop and cut off water supply
Israeli border police hired Israeli Arab workers to remove irrigation pipes from vegetable fields in Al Baqa’a Valley and cut twines holding tomato plants up. The border police used tear gas to prevent Palestinian land owners from going to their fields to stop the destruction. Over 100 Palestinians were affected by this destruction.
‘Climategate’ review clears scientists of dishonesty over data
‘Rigour and honesty’ of scientists not in doubt but Sir Muir Russell says UEA’s Climatic Research Unit was not sufficiently open
David Adam, environment correspondent guardian.co.uk
Sir Muir Russell, second left, talks to the media about his report into the leaked University of East Anglia climate change emails today. Photograph: Sang Tan/AP
The climate scientists at the centre of a media storm were today cleared of accusations that they fudged their results and silenced critics to bolster the case for man-made global warming.
Sir Muir Russell, the senior civil servant who led a six-month inquiry into the affair, said the “rigour and honesty” of the scientists at the world-leading Climatic Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia (UEA) are not in doubt. They did not subvert the peer review process to censor criticism as alleged, the panel found, while key data needed to reproduce their findings was freely available to any “competent” researcher.
The panel did criticise the scientists for not being open enough about their work, and said they were “unhelpful and defensive” when responding to legitimate requests made under freedom of information (FOI) laws.
The row was sparked when 13 years of emails from CRU scientists were hacked and released online last year. Climate change sceptics claimed they showed scientists manipulating and suppressing data to back up a theory of man-made climate change. Critics also alleged that the scientists abused their positions to cover up flaws and distort the peer review process that determines which studies are published in journals, and so enter the scientific record. Some alleged that the emails cast doubt on the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Announcing the findings, Russell said: “Ultimately this has to be about what they did, not what they said.”
Exposed: The truth about Israel’s land grab in the West Bank
As President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet, a report reveals 42 per cent of territory is controlled by settlers
By Catrina Stewart in Jerusalem and David Usborne
AFP/GETTY IMAGES
A Jewish settler hangs the Israeli flag over a vacated building in the West Bank town of Beit Sahur
Jewish settlers, who claim a divine right to the whole of Israel, now control more than 42 per cent of the occupied West Bank, representing a powerful obstacle to the creation of a Palestinian state, a new report has revealed.
The jurisdiction of some 200 settlements, illegal under international law, cover much more of the occupied Palestinian territory than previously thought. And a large section of the land has been seized from private Palestinian landowners in defiance even of an Israeli supreme court ruling, the report said, a finding which sits uncomfortably with Israeli claims that it builds only on state land.
Drawing on official Israeli military maps and population statistics, the leading Israeli human rights group, B’Tselem, compiled the new findings, which were released just as the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, arrived in Washington to try to heal a gaping rift with US President Barack Obama over the issue of settlements.
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Israeli soldier ‘shot two women as they waved white flag’
The Israeli army has charged one of its own soldiers with the manslaughter of two Palestinian women who were shot dead while waving white flags during the Gaza war.
The sniper is the only person to face prosecution over the killing of civilians during the three-week Israeli incursion launched at the end of 2008.
Investigators said they had uncovered evidence that the soldier identified as “First Sergeant S” opened fire as the victims walked with a group of people waving a white flag.
Witnesses described how he fired at Majda Abu Hajjaj, 35, and her mother Salma Abu Hajjaj, 64.
In a hearing last month, the soldier claimed to have fired at the women’s legs but said he had not intended to kill them. He maintained that he thought his fellow soldiers’ lives were at risk as the group of about 30 people approached a military post.
But his statements were contradicted by those of Palestinian witnesses who said the women were part of a group of civilians waving white flags.
It is the first charge in connection with allegations of misconduct of soldiers during the three weeks of fighting during the war which Israel launched in a bid to halt rocket-fire into its southern towns.
The fighting, which left some 1,400 Palestinians dead and 13 Israelis, sparked international criticism of the Jewish state.
USDA Reports Food Shortages: Wall Street ‘Caught Off Guard’ by Severity
Eric Blair
Activist Post
Several recent headlines indicate that food prices will continue their swift climb upward. These troubling new reports show that agriculture production and stored grains are critically low and experts are now predicting food shortages on a grand scale. 
Commodity professionals were caught off guard Wednesday by a U.S. Department of Agriculture report showing 1 million fewer acres of corn planted this year than earlier projected, and almost 300 million fewer bushels of corn in storage.” And these articles don’t begin to address crops being damaged by the toxic rain from the Gulf oil disaster.
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Whistleblower: Relief payments get slashed if fishermen refuse to work for BP
Any relief payment plan established in the wake of the worst environmental accident ever was bound to have its flaws, but this goes to a whole new level of wrong.
According to Gulf resident Kindra Arnesen, who turned whistleblower and full-time activist when she saw how many people were put out of work by the spill, BP will deduct money from individual payments on claims for lost income if the claimant refuses to work in assisting the spill response.
Reading from a letter she’d received from BP, Arnesen quoted the company’s line:
“BP will continue its efforts to pay legitimate claims for losses incurred due to the Deepwater Horizon incident. However, federal law clearly provides for adjustments for all income resulting from the incident, all income from alternative employment or businesses undertaken [...] and potential income from alternative employment or businesses not undertaken but reasonably available.”
In other words, if you are a fisherman who was put out of work by BP and you do not elect to work in their employ, but you still file a claim for losses over the Deepwater Horizon disaster, that claim could be significantly less than the actual damages incurred.
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Central Banks Dumping Gold At A Torrid Pace
Image: Wikimedia
This might explain, in part, the lack of a floor underneath gold prices right now.
Central banks, which had been building up their positions, are now dumping it.
WSJ:
A little-noticed data point at the back of a 216-page report released last week by the BIS shows the international agency has taken 349 metric tons of gold since December—allowing central banks to raise a record $14 billion.
The number surprised the market, which had assumed most central banks had retained their holdings of gold. Instead, the BIS data show that they have been entering these gold swaps—exchanging their gold with the BIS in return for cash, agreeing to repurchase the gold at a later date.
As the article notes, this has been going on for awhile, and these transactions don’t directly impact the open gold market, as it’s not as though this is gold just flooding the market.
Still, it signals a shift. It also signals a broader setback, perhaps, for advocates of gold-backed, hard currency.
The bottom line is that central banks still want flexibility, even if that means potentially-debased “paper” currencies.
Gold obviously has its rule, but in crunch time, and at the right price, it also gets sold.
Vanga predicted break out of Third World War in 2010
MacBesT, Pravda & Rfun
Introduction: Baba Vanga, born Vangelia Goushterova, (31 January 1911 – 11 August 1996) was a famous Bulgarian prophet that lived in the Rupite area in Rila Mountain, Bulgaria.
Today many people know about Vanga, the Bulgarian prophet. Her gift is even in her name, which makes many wonder: translated from Greek, Vangelia means Herald of the Blessed Word. Vanga, truly, who, one newspaper wrote, is “the most fantastic reality and the most enigmatic truth.” Her talent of prophecy has thrown many into shock. Her gifts are unique, she has the gift to foresee, clairvoyance, and she could talk with flowers, visit different places on the earth. She saw much, even though she was blind, and her face emanated light.
Vanga was born and lived in Bulgaria in the town of Petrich. During her childhood, she was an ordinary girl and did not know about her gifts. The life of Vanga is like the lives of the Saints, although it’s hard to imagine that an earth-born could stand such calamities like the ones that happened to the poor Bulgarian prophet. In the First World War her father was drafted into the Bulgarian Army, and her mother died when she was too young. The young girl depended on the neighbours for a long time. Vanga was smart, with blue eyes and blond hair. When she was young, she loved every subject having its own place. Her gifts were hidden somewhere deep inside her. She herself thought out games and loved playing “healing”. She prescribed her friends some herbs. When Vanga was 11 years old, she thought out a strange game, which seemed dangerous to her father. Vanga put something on the street or in the house, then put her hands on her eyes imitating blindness, and began to searching for it. Although her father prohibited playing blind, she continued.
[Snip]
2008 – Assassination attempts on four heads of states. Conflict in Indonesia. That becomes one of the causes for the start of WWIII.
2010 – The start of WWIII. The war will begin in November of 2010 and will end in October of 2014. Will start as a normal war, then will include usage of nuclear and chemical weapons.
2011 – Due to the radioactive showers in Northern Hemisphere – no animals or plants will be left. Muslims will begin chemical war against Europeans who are still alive.
2014 – Most of the people in this world will have skin cancer and skin related diseases. (as a result of chemical wars).
2016 – Europe is almost empty
2018 – China becomes the new world power.
2023 – Earth’s orbit will change slightly
2025 – Europe is still barely populated
Scientist Working With Government Says BP Restricting Access to Study Gushing Oil Well
As the BP oil disaster enters its 77th Day we speak to a scientist leading a team of researchers trying to get access to the well to better study what is happening at the site. Dr. Ira Leifer, who’s on the federally appointed Flow Rate Technical Group, says BP is restricting his access to study the gushing oil well.[includes rush transcript]
Gulf Water Samples Prove Toxic, BP Continues Spraying
Intel Hub
Shepard Ambellas & Alex Thomas
Documentary film maker James Fox has released a new video, shot on location in and around Grand Isle, Louisiana. In the video, James and his crew collected numerous water samples, water with a visible oil presence. One of the water samples collected was from twenty miles off shore, while others were taken from the beach on Grand Isle.
The footage also showed the oil caked hulls of boats from the area, a grim reminder of the true reality we are currently facing in and around the gulf.
Corexit 9500 and 9527A are both being applied daily, with little to no intervention by the EPA. Samples have shown high concentrations of Propylene Glycol, between 360 and 440 parts per million. Keep in mind that 25 parts per million is the excepted toxic limit for fish. This would indicate that some of the samples were 150 times the toxic limit!
Oil and water samples were taken from both the Shores of Grand Isle and from 20 miles out. The preliminary analysis was done at an academic analytical chemistry laboratory. Looking for the likely pollutants from the deep water Horizon Oil spill. It was focused on the detection of benzene and propylene glycol. Benzene and other highly toxic contaminants were very low however the concentration of propylene glycol was between 360 and 440 parts per million.
Just 25 parts per million is know to kill most fish and propylene glycol is just one of many ingredients found in Corexit. In short, the Gulf is being poisoned by BP’s usage of the dispersants even after the EPA asked them to stop back in May. We are willing to provide ANY respected/known laboratory these samples or provide them with more. This is very serious to all people and marine life in and around the Gulf. James Fox
[more... + Video]
What rift? Obama, Netanyahu say bond ‘unbreakable’
By BEN FELLER
WASHINGTON (AP) — Eager to show unity to the world, President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed talk of a rift as wildly unfounded, and Netanyahu pledged concrete, “very robust” steps to revive sluggish Mideast peace efforts with the Palestinians.
In a warm, yet carefully choreographed White House embrace, the two leaders took pains to persuade allies and enemies alike that a deeply important relationship is doing just fine.
The two nations clearly felt that was necessary. The meeting came five weeks after Israel’s deadly raid on a flotilla that was trying to break the Israeli blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. That raid brought international outrage and tested U.S. support for Israel’s security steps.
But the optics and words of Tuesday’s visit all sent one message: unshaken cooperation.
Netanyahu emerged with a pile of promises from Obama that the U.S. is both committed to Israel’s security and a believer that the prime minister wants peace with Palestinians. For his part, Netanyahu showed the urgency that Obama wants in boosting peace efforts, though he didn’t say in public just what he might have planned.
The last time Netanyahu visited in March, amid a moment of deep tension over Israeli settlements in disputed territory, reporters were not even invited to see the leaders shake hands. This time, the two men were in front of the cameras plenty. The media got to see them talking, smiling – even Obama escorting Netanyahu off to his waiting limo.
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Vatican to reform sex abuse laws
Head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI
The Vatican has made a number of changes to its canon law to thwart the threats it perceives posed by the sexual abuse crisis all over the world.
The changes, to be revealed within the next few days, would enshrine into ‘universal law’ exceptions granted in 2003 by late Pope John Paul II to a 2001 Vatican document governing abuse.
The “instructions” are also expected to extend the statute of limitations in which abuse victims can come forward and report their abuse 10 years after their 20th birthday rather than a decade after their 18th birthday.
The changes will codify into canon law exceptions that already allow the Vatican’s doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to defrock priests but through faster administrative procedures rather than a full ecclesiastical trial.
However, in the quiet battle raging deep inside Vatican City, the amendments are likely to appear as a defeat for many traditionalist members of the hierarchy who believe that anything short of a full canonical trial betrays the church’s trust in a priest and deprives him of due process.
Vatican officials say they will also identify child pornography as a serious offense to be handled by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
[PressTV...]
French MPs walk out of parliament
French opposition lawmakers have walked out of the parliament after Budget Minister Francois Baroin accused them of “playing the game of the extreme right.”
Baroin made the remarks on Tuesday after the government faced repeated questions in a televised program about allegations that French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s UMP Party received illegal campaign donations in cash from France’s richest woman via Labor Minister Eric Woerth.
“I ask you in the name of a shared ideal of democracy, of the republic, not to play the game of the extreme right,” Baroin said, prompting opposition lawmakers to walk out.
For weeks, France’s political world has been shaken by a court case revealing the government’s cosy relationship with tax-evading billionaire Liliane Bettencourt, as well as minor expense scandals that led to the resignations of two ministers over the weekend.
Sunlight alone does not cause skin cancer: The truth you’ve never been told
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Editor of NaturalNews.com
(NaturalNews) We’ve all been told that sunlight causes skin cancer. This message has been drilled into our heads for so long that most people actually believe it. But what if this “truth” was actually a medical myth? What if dermatologists and health experts didn’t know the whole story? What if their explanations about sun exposure and skin cancer were too simplistic and outdated?
Today, I’ve released a new tell-all video that exposes the lies of dermatology and the cancer industry while explaining the truth about sunlight, vitamin D and skin cancer. That video is available now on the new video site NaturalNews.TV: http://naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=234
Tony and the Shah of Palestine
Yvonne Ridley
by Yvonne Ridley
Ever since a group of ordinary people from more than 40 different countries came together and set sail for Gaza have we seen various world leaders scramble to persuade Israel to lift the blockade on Gaza. Why? To honour the memory of those martyred by Israeli soldiers who shot nine unarmed peace activists at virtually point-blank range? Hell no!
They realize that people power has achieved more in that one heroic action, than any of them have achieved for the people of Palestine. And, despite that brutal episode, they know that more flotillas and convoys are being planned because people power is achieving more than anything else has over the past 60 years for the people of Palestine.
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At least 4 dead in last 10 days after swimming at Gulf beaches
Tragedies are on the rise for swimmers in the Gulf of Mexico. My heart and prayers are with the families who have lost a loved one. Please let your friends and relatives know about the risks to swimmers in the Gulf.
Dr. Harish Seethamraju is a pulmonary specialist at Methodist Hospital in Houston.
Seethamraju says potential problems include wheezing and asthma, but that’s not all. “If they take a swim in these waters, the toxic chemicals can cause pneumonia and respiratory failure.” …
“We have never seen such enormous amounts of exposure.”
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