Tune in tonight EMERGENCY BROADCAST 9-12EST

[Dig]

What Pandemic Alert Phase 6 Means
Definitions Of The World Health Organization's Pandemic Alert Phases
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/30/ap/europe/main4980998.shtml
Apr. 30, 2009

(AP)  Under the World Health Organization's alert system on a developing flu pandemic, phase 6 is the highest level. At the moment, the world has risen to phase 5 from phase 3 since the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico last week. Here's what the phases mean:

_Phase 3, an animal or human-animal flu virus causes some infections of people, but with little or no subsequent human-to-human transmission.

_Phase 4, verified human-to-human transmission able to cause sustained disease outbreaks in a community. Any country that suspects or has verified such an event should urgently consult with WHO to decide whether rapid moves are needed to avert a pandemic.

_Phase 5, human-to-human spread of the virus in at least two countries in the same region. This is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent, with little time left to finish preparations.

_Phase 6, global pandemic has begun. This includes community level outbreaks in at least one other region. This may trigger countries to activate their own pandemic response plans, though some countries may already have done this in phases 4 or 5. WHO continues to monitor the virus' spread, check for resistance to antivirals and consider whether vaccine producers should be asked to switch from making seasonal flu vaccine to pandemic vaccine. Based on how the virus spreads, WHO may also advise countries to take measures such as closing schools, workplaces and mass gatherings. The agency will also make specific recommendations for health workers and doctors as to how to treat the disease and reduce its spread in hospitals. And it will oversee distribution of its emergency stockpile of 5 million antiviral treatments to countries in need.

[JD Christian]

Technically it is just Central Time.  Central Standard Time implies no Daylight Saving (no "s") Time.  We are currently on Daylight Saving Time.  So I guess it should be CDST?

 

Jason

CDT technically.    hehe  CST - Central Standard Time and during the spring/summer CDT - Central Daylight Time

[Dig]

NATO selects waste management technology from Canada's Eco Waste Solutions for mobile deployments
http://www.zibb.com/article/5157245/NATO+selects+waste+management+technology+from+Canada+s+Eco+Waste+Solutions+for+mobile+deployments
BURLINGTON, ON, Mar 31, 2009 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) --
Canadian-based company to provide technology to meet the strictest global environmental standards for emissions


Eco Waste Solutions, a leader in environmentally responsible remote waste management solutions today announced the presentation of a $4.5 million global contract with NATO. Under the terms of this first-time agreement with NATO, Eco Waste Solutions will be designing and building four containerized mobile incinerator packages for delivery over the next nine months.

[vCFy7W3SFb]

WMV stream is working again

[Dig]

BTW - another reason for the manufactured pandemic:

Sens. promise health care bill by June
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21488.html
By CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN | 4/21/09 4:09 AM EDT

Two Senate chairmen confirmed in writing Monday what they have been promising for weeks: a health care overhaul bill ready for floor debate by June.  President Barack Obama received the pledge from Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) a day ahead of the first of three Senate roundtable discussions on health reform.  In a letter to the president, Baucus and Kennedy said both their committees will move legislation that “can be quickly merged into a single bill for consideration on the Senate floor.”  “Our intention is for that legislation to be very similar and to reflect a shared approach to reform,” they wrote.  Baucus has said he considers Tuesday’s Finance Committee roundtable a critical step in writing a bill. The first meeting will focus on how to improve the way health care is delivered.

[Dig]

Plans for Mass Graves Confirmed: Government Surveying Cemetery Readiness for Flu Outbreak
http://www.infowars.com/plans-for-mass-graves-confirmed-government-surveying-cemetery-readiness-for-flu-outbreak/
Aaron Dykes Jones Report April 3, 2009

The State of New York Division of Cemeteries has sent out “Mass Fatality forms” to cemeteries in that state to collect data about their ability to deal with the high volume of casualties that would occur if their were a flu pandemic or other disaster. The form letter that this office received was dated April 4, 2007 [pdf], so clearly preparation for such disasters has been ongoing for some time.      
       
Along with other data, cemeterians were asked in this survey:

“Should a prolonged mass fatality disaster or pandemic flu occur in your community would your cemetery be able to provide temporary or permanent internment space for a significant number of disaster or flu deaths in additional to your current burial services?”

Cemetery owners were also asked to detail the business structure and capacity of their facilities, including proximity to roads, train lines and airfields. The Division of Cemeteries requested data to calculate the number of acres that could be made available “at 950 graves per acre.”

It is clear that emergency and disaster forces are being mobilized at the state and federal level. There is no data to predict what disasters could come– forces of nature, false-flag attacks, biological attacks/ flu outbreaks, quarantines etc. However, a pattern of data including news items, reports, photos and tips have all pointed to an incremental gearing up for a cataclysmic situation that includes mass casualties.

Whether it is half a million plastic coffin liners videotaped at a truck depot, or massive expansion at dozens of cemeteries across the country or FEMA and Homeland Security agents preparing for an avian bird flu outbreak, it is clear that government agencies are expecting something to happen and their agencies are expanding in accordance.

As this site reported yesterday, a number of incidents have demonstrated a federal preoccupation with a mass casualty incident– and it started before 9/11 ever happened.

The state of Colorado issued an executive order in 2000 asserting its authority to bury victims in mass graves and/or cremate bodies under emergency situations.

Jim Erickson of The Rocky Mountain News reported February 8, 2003 that:

The state of Colorado could seize antibiotics, cremate disease-ridden corpses and, under extreme circumstances, dig mass graves under executive orders drafted for use in the event of a bioterrorism attack.

D.H. Williams reported in February on an Indiana county municipal official who received detailed requests from FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security in regards to locations for mass graves, preparations for regional refugees, preparations for economic collapse and budget cuts under a GM collapse, as well as the locations of major installations, emergency assets and more.

The official, speaking in this recording, says that he became concerned about the intentions of the FEMA and DHS officials after repeated meetings where scenarios were discussed that included a bird flu outbreak as well as fires, floods and earthquakes.

The authorities that be have warned in their white papers that United States could face rioting; financial collapse seems very possible; and now it is clear that preparations include widespread death and emergency conditions. What do they see coming?

[Dig]

Fox News: Martial Law If It’s a Pandemic?
Legal analyst says Americans would be willing to give up rights
http://www.prisonplanet.com/fox-news-martial-law-if-its-a-pandemic.html
Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet.com Thursday, April 30, 2009

A segment on Fox News’ Fox and Friends this morning explored the issue of whether a swine flu pandemic could result in a declaration of martial law in America and a suspension of constitutional rights.

“If it becomes a pandemic, you could lose some simple rights - like going to the movies,” said host Steve Doocy, before introducing legal analyst Peter J. Johnson, Jr.

“People in our government need to start thinking about how, if this actually becomes a pandemic, how it’s going to affect our daily life and our rights,” said Johnson, before asking if people who try to escape quarantines or refuse mandatory vaccinations would face jail time.

Johnson added that Americans were willing to give up rights in order to “stay alive” but that an orderly discussion of how that would happen needs to take place.

Closing schools, closing the border, forcibly quarantining Americans and eliminating the right to freely assemble, including preventing people from going to shopping malls, were all mentioned as possibilities.

“What about legislatures? What about the U.S. Congress? What about courts of law? What about not impaneling juries because we don’t want to have public assemblies?” asked Johnson.

“Plus the possibility of martial law, but that’s a whole other conversation,” added Doocy, with Johnson responding, “not going there”.

[Dig]

Will NorthCom take over in Swine Flu Outbreak?
http://www.prisonplanet.com/will-northcom-take-over-in-swine-flu-outbreak.html
Matthew Rothschild The Progressive Thursday, April 30, 2009

The swine flu outbreak raises a lot of fears. Here’s one you might not have thought of yet: The Pentagon may be taking over more and more of our civil society in this crisis. Back in 2002, President Bush created NorthCom, the Pentagon’s Northern Command, which has jurisdiction over the United States. And NorthCom has been running preparedness drills in the event of a flu pandemic for at least the past three years. Making things more alarming, NorthCom got assigned its own fighting unit six months ago—the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, which had spent much of the last five years battling things out in Iraq. The assignment of that fighting unit alarmed the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). “This is a radical departure from separation of civilian law enforcement and military authority and could, quite possibly, represent a violation of law,” said Mike German, ACLU national security policy counsel.

Testifying in March, General Victor Renuart, head of NorthCom, said it would provide “assistance in support of civil authorities” during an epidemic. And, he added, “when requested and approved by the Secretary of Defense or directed by the President, federal military forces will contribute to federal support.” But he boasted: “USNorthCom does not wait for that call to action.” He noted that NorthCom has prepared for a flu outbreak from Mexico. “Because Mexico is our neighbor and disasters do not respect national boundaries, we are focused on developing and improving procedures to respond to potentially catastrophic events such as pandemic influenza outbreak, mass exposure to dangerous chemicals and materials, and natural disasters,” he testified.

NorthCom also has a “private sector cell,” Renuart said in a talk to the Heritage Foundation on August 20, 2008. “We have great participation from industry and from other organizations around the country.” One private sector group that has worked with the FBI and Homeland Security on pandemics is InfraGard. This is group of more than 30,000 businesspeople who have special access to confidential FBI information and may be assigned special—and lethal—duties in times of an emergency (See “The FBI Deputizes Business”).

An InfraGard chapter held a meeting at NYU Medical Center on February 21, 2007 on “Pandemic Preparedness Planning: the Case for Public-Private Collaboration”. InfraGard also participated in a conference entitled “Surviving the Pandemic,” held in Madison, Wisconsin, October 12, 2006. That conference was co-sponsored by the Southeast Wisconsin Homeland Security Partnership, two centers at the University of Wisconsin, the Madison Area Technical College, Alliant Energy, and American Family Insurance. InfraGard wants to be a player in pandemic response. “Utilization of their expertise will help local communities prepare for a possible pandemic event to ensure minimal disruption and quick recovery,” one InfraGard press release stated.

Whether and how InfraGard and NorthCom might be working together in this swine flu outbreak is unclear. Similarly, it is unclear what actions NorthCom might take if an all-out pandemic ensues. One last concern: George W. Bush bestowed upon the Presidency enormous powers, essentially to be in charge of every branch of government, as well as state and local and tribal governments and the private sector, in the event of a “catastrophic emergency.” (See National Security Presidential Directive 51) We’re in a public health emergency now. It’s not “catastrophic” yet. But it appears to be up to the President—and the President only—to make that determination, according to the directive. Congress needs to hold hearings on NorthCom, InfraGard, and National Security Presidential Directive 51.

We must insist on our rights, even in emergencies.

[Dig]

Military in Charge of Swine Flu Monitoring
http://www.prisonplanet.com/military-in-charge-of-swine-flu-monitoring.html
Youtube Thursday, April 30, 2009

This should leave no doubt of the military’s involvement. On CNBC they actually pull in a uniformed Admiral who is in the Health and Human Services command center monitoring the outbreak.

[Lilly Bighorn]

Hey look at the constitution in action (you will not see this in the MSM). At least one fricking amendment is being somewhat protected:

perhaps not, but it was covered last week on pp forums!

[Elvis]

“If it becomes a pandemic, you could lose some simple rights - like going to the movies,” said host Steve Doocy, before introducing legal analyst Peter J. Johnson, Jr.

movies? shopping malls? man, these people are in a dream world. The question is; how do you get from under the bridge to the soup kitchen without getting picked up and taken to the swine flu camp?

[Dig]

perhaps not, but it was covered last week on pp forums!

Another reason why this forum is more trustworthy than the MSM

[Dig]

Where are all of the cops?

Do they want us to tstart lootig like in Katrina so they can bring in Blackwater/Xe?

Is there a high number of airtraffic over the past few days?

We are in the middle of some psychos wargame crap.

[luckee1]

Hey look at the constitution in action (you will not see this in the MSM). At least one fricking amendment is being somewhat protected:

Citizens can challenge state, local gun laws
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/20/BA1V1760BI.DTL&feed=rss.news
Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, April 21, 2009


(04-20) 19:10 PDT San Francisco -- A federal appeals court ruled Monday that private citizens can challenge state and local gun laws by invoking the constitutional right to bear arms - the first such ruling in the nation - but upheld a ban on firearms at gun shows at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton.

The ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco followed last year's landmark Supreme Court decision that the Constitution's Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess guns for self-defense.

The high court struck down a handgun prohibition in Washington, D.C., a federal enclave, and did not say whether the Second Amendment also applied to state and local laws. Nor did the court spell out the extent of the government's authority to regulate firearms, although it said guns could be excluded from "sensitive places such as schools and government buildings."

National Rifle Association lawsuits in the aftermath of the ruling prompted some local governments and agencies to abandon restrictive gun laws, including a ban on possession of guns and ammunition in public housing that the San Francisco Housing Authority dropped in January. But no court had ruled on the scope of the Second Amendment until Monday.

The case was a challenge by gun show promoters to a 1999 ordinance that banned firearms on all Alameda County property, including the fairgrounds, where 16 people had been injured in a melee that included gunfire the previous year. The court could have decided the case with its conclusion that the ban was a reasonable safety measure, without addressing the Second Amendment, but opted for a broader ruling.

While a few sections of the Bill of Rights apply only to the federal government, amendments that protect fundamental rights - including the Second Amendment - can be enforced against the states, said Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain in the 3-0 decision.

"The right to bear arms is deeply rooted in the history and tradition of the republic," O'Scannlain said, citing selected passages from speeches and writings during the colonial and post-Revolutionary War period and the years leading up to the Civil War. "It is a means to protect the public from tyranny" as well as "to protect the individual from threats to life or limb."

Judge Ronald Gould, in a separate opinion, pictured a gun-wielding citizenry defending 21st century America against invaders or terrorists.

"That we have a lawfully armed populace adds a measure of security for all of us and makes it less likely that a band of terrorists could make headway in an attack on any community before more professional forces arrived," he said.

The judges concluded, however, that the Supreme Court's reference to exclusion of guns from "sensitive places" allows a county to ban firearms from its property. The ordinance "does not meaningfully impede the ability of individuals to defend themselves in their homes," O'Scannlain said, and county officials are entitled to conclude that guns sold at shows on the fairgrounds could be dangerous.

Donald Kilmer, lawyer for the gun show promoters, said they have not yet decided whether to appeal. He said other Bay Area counties - including San Mateo, Marin, Santa Cruz and Sonoma - have emulated the Alameda County ban, despite what he described as a lack of evidence linking the gun shows to any crimes or violence.

"The county was never able to point to any problems," Kilmer said. "Isn't it a good idea for gun shows, if they're going to take place, to be on public property" patrolled by law enforcement?

The county's lawyer was unavailable for comment. Sam Hoover, an attorney with Legal Community Against Violence, which supports gun regulation, said the court had needlessly opened the door to challenges of other state and local laws.

"We already have a patchwork, piecemeal system of gun regulation in the United States," he said. "This is going to make it that much harder to stem the tide of gun deaths and injuries."

effen awesome!!!!!     I cannot believe that California did this the 9th at that!!!!  Amazing   hahahahahahaha

[L2Design]

Alex Jones red bull overload

OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG Jones is so cooool!!!

He must do the P90X!

[Lilly Bighorn]

effen awesome!!!!!     I cannot believe that California did this the 9th at that!!!!  Amazing   hahahahahahaha

you are aware that they upheld the gun ban, right?

[Dig]

Hey look at this fearmongering today from the CDC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tyquzAW7no

I saw this earlier and remember this quote: "We have more authority now to do things we could not before."

I am verifying it is in this video.

[2010]

Are you Punch Drunk, Mr. President?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PprVwPFTwuQ

[Dig]

Hey look at this fearmongering today from the CDC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tyquzAW7no

I saw this earlier and remember this quote: "We have more authority now to do things we could not before."

I am verifying it is in this video.

Here are the Q&A from the CDC today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8HNpA2dlHQ

We need transcripts of this stuff.

[BengalBrandon]

What movie are they talking about right now?

[2010]

What movie are they talking about right now?

Fabled Enemies

[BengalBrandon]

Thanks, I'll check it out. Have you seen it?

[Dig]

Fabled Enemies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28tE0fKpISM

[Dig]

Mexico: Swine flu cases leveling off
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30398682/
msnbc.com staff and news service reports updated 36 minutes ago

Mexico’s top medical officer voiced optimism Thursday that swine flu has slowed in the nation hardest hit by the virus, but the World Health Organization cautioned there is no evidence the worst of the global outbreak is over. The U.S. caseload rose to more than 120 as schools nationwide shut their doors, and the crisis even reached the White House, which said an aide to the secretary of energy apparently got sick helping arrange a presidential trip to Mexico. European health ministers holding an emergency meeting in Luxembourg vowed to work quickly with drugmakers to rush a vaccine into production, but American health officials suggested inoculations could not begin until fall at the earliest.  Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova told The Associated Press new cases have leveled off and the death rate has been nearly flat for several days. He said the next few days would be critical in determining whether the virus was truly on the decline. “The fact that we have a stabilization in the daily numbers, even a drop, makes us optimistic,” he said. “Because what we’d expect is geometric or exponential growth. And that hasn’t been the situation. So we think we’re on the right track.”

The U.S. on Thursday began sending 400,000 treatment courses of anti-viral drugs to Mexico to help fight swine flu there. The health ministry, which earlier said 168 people were believed killed by swine flu in Mexico, on Thursday would only confirm 12 of those deaths and would not say how many were suspected. The World Health Organization’s top flu official, responding to similarly hopeful remarks from other Mexican officials, sounded a more cautious note about whether the virus had peaked. “For things to go up and down in a country is expected. If it didn’t do that would be very unusual,” Dr. Keiji Fukuda said in Geneva. “Hopefully we’ll see more of the data of what’s going on there. But I expect even in Mexico you will see a mixed picture.” Mexico has imposed what amounts to a five-day shutdown of the country, beginning Friday, in hopes of slowing the virus. All but the most essential government services will be suspended, most businesses have been urged to close, and Mexicans have been encouraged to stay in their homes. WHO said the global threat is serious enough to ramp up efforts to produce a vaccine against the virus. The group raised its pandemic alert for swine flu Wednesday, to phase 5, the second-highest, meaning that it believes a global outbreak of the disease is imminent. It was the first time that WHO had declared a phase 5 outbreak.

Increasing the pandemic alert
WHO Director General Margaret Chan declared the phase 5 alert after consulting with flu experts from around the world. The decision could lead the global body to recommend additional measures to combat the outbreak, including for vaccine manufacturers to switch production from seasonal flu vaccines to a pandemic vaccine. "All countries should immediately now activate their pandemic preparedness plans," Chan told reporters in Geneva. "It really is all of humanity that is under threat in a pandemic." Phase 5 means a virus has spread into at least two countries and is causing large outbreaks. Phase 6 means outbreaks have been detected in two or more regions of the world and a pandemic is under way. "It is important to take this very seriously," Chan told a news conference watched around the globe on Wednesday. But for the average person, the term "pandemic" doesn't mean they're suddenly at greater risk.

Fukuda said Thursday there were no immediate signs that warranted declaring a phase 6 pandemic.

The only confirmed U.S. swine flu death so far is a Mexican toddler who succumbed earlier this week in Texas. New cases of swine flu were confirmed Thursday in Europe, but no deaths have been reported outside North America.  In the United States, Vice President Joe Biden stirred concern by saying on NBC's "Today" show that he would discourage family members from flying or even taking the subway because of the swine flu threat.The White House insisted Biden meant to say he was discouraging nonessential travel to Mexico, and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was compelled to state flatly: “It is safe to fly. There is no reason to cancel flights.”

Extraordinary precautions
The U.S. government has urged Americans to wash their hands and to stay home from work and avoid traveling if they feel ill.  Also in Washington, the Obama administration said an aide to Energy Secretary Steven Chu apparently got sick helping arrange President Barack Obama’s recent trip to Mexico. The aide did not fly on Air Force One and never posed a risk to the president, the White House said. The U.S. is taking extraordinary precautions, including shipping millions of doses of anti-flu drugs to states. Scientists cannot predict what a new virus might do, and the outbreak could always resurge later. Scientists are racing to prepare the key ingredient to make a vaccine against the strain, but it will take several months before human testing can begin. Production would not start until fall. “I don’t want anybody to have false expectations,” Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Craig Vanderwagen told reporters. “The science is challenging here.” He said 600 million doses in six months was “achievable” based on a fall start. In hopes of avoiding confusion, the WHO announced it will stop using the term “swine flu,” opting for the bug’s scientific name, H1N1 influenza A. Obama administration officials have also pointedly referred to the virus as H1N1 in recent days.

Alarm over swine flu led Egypt to begin slaughtering hundreds of thousands of pigs in what medical experts say is a misguided attempt to prevent the virus. Additionally, China, Russia, Ukraine and other nations have banned pork exports from Mexico and parts of the United States, blaming swine flu fears. On Thursday, the tally of confirmed cases around the globe reached 331 in 14 cases.  Switzerland and the Netherlands became the latest countries to report infections, and Canada confirmed 15 more mild cases on Thursday. New Zealand, Britain, Germany, Spain, Israel and Austria also have confirmed cases. Several nations have banned travel to or from Mexico, and some countries have urged their citizens to avoid the United States and Canada as well. Health officials said such bans would do little to stop the virus.

Global response
Apart from travel bans, nations are taking all sorts of precautions, some more useful than others. Britain, with only five cases, is trying to buy 32 million masks. At airports from Japan to South Korea to Greece and Turkey, thermal cameras were trained on airline passengers to see if any were feverish. And Lebanon discouraged traditional Arab pack-on-the-cheek greetings, even though no one has come down with the virus there. In the United States, cases have been confirmed by federal and state officials coast to coast. About 300 schools were closed Thursday, including at least 200 in Texas and 62 in Alabama, and Obama said more of the country's 132,000 schools may have to be shuttered. The Red Cross said it was readying an army of 60 million volunteers who can be deployed around the world to help slow the virus’ spread, including by educating people about hygiene and caring for the sick. Already, the looming shutdown was being felt in Mexico City. Traffic cleared in the notoriously clogged avenues, and the attorney general’s office said even crime was down one-third compared with last week.

[Dig]

Mexican ambassador: Flu exaggerated
By Reid Wilson
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/mexican-ambassador-flus-reach-exaggerated-2009-04-30.html

The Mexican ambassador to the United States said Thursday reports about the deadly H1N1 flu virus have dramatically overstated the disease's reach, and that just eight deaths can be definitively pinned on the virus. Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan, addressing a luncheon sponsored by the Meridian International Group, said just 100 H1N1 virus cases have been confirmed in Mexico, far fewer than the nearly 2,000 press reports have indicated.

"Things in Mexico basically seem to be at a plateau," Sarukhan said, adding that the next 24 to 48 hours will indicate how far the virus has spread and whether it's been brought under control. Sarukhan said those who would try to close the border with Mexico to stop the spread of the disease are misguided, and praised efforts of his own government and Canadian and American governments in responding to the crisis. Closing the border "doesn't work. The World Health Organization, I think, has been very clear that shutting down the borders doesn't work and in many cases exacerbates" the spread of the disease, Sarukhan said. "I think shutting down the borders is a wonder policy: You do it, and then you wonder whether it's going to work." Sarukhan also said Mexico and the United States have been working together to rename the affliction under its more scientific H1N1 designation, rather than calling it the swine flu. Humans cannot get the virus from eating pork, and misconceptions about transmission have caused Japan and Russia to halt importation of pork from the U.S. and Mexico.

"We have been very careful in trying to relabel this virus," he said. In the U.S., Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano have each stressed the importance of disassociating the disease with pigs.Assessing the state of the U.S.-Mexican relationship, Sarukhan said the new American administration seems to understand the necessity of re-engaging with Latin America as a whole and of building a strategic partnership with Mexico in particular. But, he said, immigration issues will likely bubble to the top, and that securing the border should be a top priority for both sides. "It behooves Mexico to work hand in hand with America to make sure our border is secure," the ambassador said. "We need the help of the United States to stop the flow of cash and weapons across the border into Mexico." "Border security will be the fulcrum of a new debate on comprehensive immigration reform," he added. Sarukhan also insisted that U.S. relations with Latin America will improve if Congress passes two trade deals that have generated controversy in recent years. A free trade pact with Colombia and Panama "will be an issue that will color the inter-American agenda if it does not move forward," he said.

House and Senate sources say the Panama deal stands a good chance of passing in the near future, given that labor leaders have voiced little opposition to the pact. The Colombian deal, the focus of a serious fight in the 110th Congress, is unlikely to pass this year, sources said. With wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a nuclear Iran and North Korea, Sarukhan admitted that diplomatic relations with Latin American countries would fall on the priority list. Still, he said, the region could present the U.S. and Mexico with trouble in the future. "There have been fundamental changes in Latin America that don't guarantee peace, prosperity and stability," he said, pointing to democracies in Venezuela and elsewhere that feature strong presidents who can effectively rewrite their constitutions to hold on to power. With a young administration in Mexico that has just secured a seat on the United Nations Security Council, Sarukhan said now is the time for the U.S. and Mexico to build a new strategic partnership. "The challenge for Mexico and the U.S. is whether we can move from playing checkers to playing chess," he said.

[Dig]

Senator Malcolm Smith’s: Operation S.N.U.G.
http://www.minorityreporter.net/fullstory.php?id=149
by Gloria Winston Al-Sarag
Thu, Jul 17, 2008

NY State Senator and Minority Leader Malcolm Smith is not just concerned about illegal guns in our community. He’s doing something about it. In a recent meeting, Thursday, July 10, at Baden Street’s George Simmons Center in the inner city, Smith kick-off Operation S.N.U.G. (GUNS spelled backwards).

“I left the meeting with a sense of purpose feeling like James “Maamba” McCuller and his organizational skills had resurfaced in the Spirit of Senator Malcolm Smith,” proclaimed one attendee.

In attendance were a variety of select concerned citizens representing a cross section of arenas impacting on our youth in one way or another.

“I want to dispel the myth that downstate politicians have no interest or vested interest in what goes on in Upstate NY,” explained Smith, adding “Out kids are dying and killing folks in the entire state. Even though incidents appear isolated, the impact of the continued senseless violence affects us all.”

Operation S.N.U.G. a concept based on the success of the Ceasefire program in Chicago, IL focuses on Street intervention and stopping the violence, with National, state and local funding and seeks to Use celebrities and centers, in an effort to rid the community and state of Gangs, Guns and increase the opportunity for Gainful employment.

Senator Smith, who quickly dismissed the formalities saying he prefers to be called “Malcolm”, after opening his meeting, paid his respect to Mayor Robert Duffy. He also welcomed and referred to Assemblyman David Gantt as his mentor, and lovingly called him “Dr. Gantt.”

The 50 or more people in attendance included Rochester Police Department Chief of Police David Moore, Senatorial Candidate Richard Dollinger, Councilwoman Lovely Warren, County Legislator Glenn Gamble, County Legislator, Calvin Lee, RCSD Board President Malik Evans, County Legislator Willie Joe Lightfoot, Daryl Porter, Christine Johnson, Gaynelle Wethers, Joe Brown, Rosemarie McKinney, Linzy Slater, Avery True Blackman, Sherry Walker and many others.

The meeting was hosted by Rochester City School District Commissioner Cynthia Elliott. Representatives from the religious community were also in attendance, including Rev. and Mrs. Meeks, Rev, Willie Harvey, Rev. Douglas Smith and others.

After the aforementioned overview of S.N.UG. was given Malcolm shared that had been to Buffalo the day before the Rochester meeting and met with 80 youth. When he asked those in attendance in Buffalo if they knew where to get a gun, he was disturbed to discover that 100% of the young folks raised their hands. Some even expressed their willingness to prove to him they could secure a gun within an hour and bring back to him.

Smith says his intent is to engage communities in Syracuse, and Albany as well.

Most in the room were not afraid to participate in the discussion that ensued regarding the impact guns and violence is having on our community. Each brought with their words heart felt experience or concern that suggested a need for immediate solutions.

When the discussion ended the “task master” in Malcolm surfaced as he quickly and without hesitation and by name made assignments to those he obviously assessed would carry them out. He did so with the charisma of a diplomat given those who felt uncomfortable or incapable of completing the tasks assigned within the 5 day time frame allotted an opportunity to decline. All accepted their assignments and others were encouraged to offer their support, to the S.N.U.G. ad hoc committees established. Contact information was shared, the meeting ended in prayer and Operation S.N.U.G is on its way to having a presence in our community. Updates will follow.

[Dig]

Statewide Listening Tour Launches Operation S.N.U.G. Anti-Crime Initiative in Buffalo
http://www.nyssenate14.com/14/news/08-07-09/statewide_listening_tour_launches_operation_s_n_u_g_anti-crime_initiative_in_buffalo.aspx

State Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm A. Smith Teams Up with Upstate Community and Police in Public Awareness Campaign to ‘Stop the Violence’

(Buffalo-NY)-State Senator Antoine M. Thompson hosted a roundtable Operation S.N.U.G. forum in Buffalo as part of a statewide campaign to combat random gun violence that has plagued parts of the state during the hot summer months.

State Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm A. Smith (D-St. Albans) and State Senator William Stachowski (D-Buffalo) along with other invited members of the West New York Delegation also attended the forum and participate in parts of the statewide listening tour. Powerful Harlem Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel (D-Harlem) attended an early S.N.U.G., forum in Harlem, where participants agreed to seek federal aid, as well as, enlist celebrities, corporations and community leaders in a public awareness campaign against crime, focusing on random gun violence.

“This is a very important initiative that the Senate minority has taken on, we have to stop talking about the gun violence and start to do something to make the quality of life for all residents better, said Senator Thompson, a Democrat representing parts of Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Erie County. “This has to be a campaign where we bring all of the stakeholders to the table not to talk, but to take action.”

Since the summer began there has been a rash of random shootings throughout the state, including Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, Harlem and Queens.

Local community groups have urged elected officials to address the growing number of shootings in some neighborhoods and to increase efforts to ensure the safety of residents, especially in the public housing developments.

Operation S.N.U.G., guns spelled backwards, is design to bring greater community awareness to the random gun violence resulting in people being wounded and killed.

The public forums are intended to draw attention to the problem and propose solutions that include opening community centers and creating other programs to give young people constructive activities during long summer days. 

“We all must do our part to keep our children, families, and communities safe from crime,” said Senator Smith.

Senator Stachowski said:  “We are committed to eradicating all crime, especially random shootings throughout the state. We are all working together to create an environment that will help reduce the level of violence and improve the quality of life in Buffalo neighborhoods, making them a safer place to live, work, and thrive.”

This new initiative consists of:

S treet intervention and stopping the violence, including

 §  Violence interrupters 

 §  Support for local police and law enforcement

N ational state local funding support 
funding for all alternatives 
legislation that can help implement solutions

U se of celebrities and centers 
improving public relations and materials 
Utilizing existing community centers, new bunkers and community offices to provide youths with a place to go.

G angs, guns, gainful employment
Real-world gang awareness and prevention initiatives 
Bring potential employers and the business community together to help find jobs and mentor youths.

Smith said that many neighborhood youths may not have a recreational center or place to go, which possibly contributes to the increase in violence in some neighborhoods during the long summer days. 

“It is time we take back what is rightfully ours, the community,” Smith concluded.

[Dig]

Operation SNUG Press Conference - Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nGtN161FD0

In an effort to cut down on illegal guns and gang violence that plagues communities across the State of New York, the State Senate has announced a new initiative, Operation SNUG, that will help loc...

[Dig]

Lieberman questioned by police for 8 hours
Foreign minister interrogated by police for fourth time since taking office; Lieberman suspected of receiving bribe via his daughter's company
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3708944,00.html
Efrat Weiss Published: 04.30.09, 18:49 / Israel News

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was questioned for eight hours Thursday by the National Fraud Squad.
 
The police investigation into Lieberman's conduct is expected to continue; Thursday's probe marked the fourth interrogation undergone by the minister since taking office this year.
 
Lieberman was first questioned a day after he assumed his new post. At the time, he asked the police to accelerate the probe against him in order to complete it as soon as possible.

The foreign minister is suspected of receiving a bribe via a consulting firm where his daughter, Michal, worked. He is also suspected of other offences, including fraud, breach of trust, and violation of money laundering legislation.
 
Two weeks before the recent general elections in February, seven Lieberman associates were detained and questioned in connection with the investigation. In recent weeks, the foreign minister petitioned the High Court of Justice against the ongoing proceedings against him.

[TBPauly]

CNN is saying 50 some-od more cases of this flu virus in Mexico, putting the total number over 300's...do the numbers matter anymore, since the numbers can be manipulated any way they want?

It's just another nail in the coffin that will be shut when WHO officially goes to level 6.

[Alchematron]

I DO NOT LIKE THE SMELL OF NWO STINKY FARTS IN THE EVENING!

[Dig]

Awwwwwwww, we should feel bad

Swine Flu Diagnosed at World Bank in Washington (Update2)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a2q8_Ll2i7dE&refer=home
By Tom Randall and Timothy R. Homan


April 30 (Bloomberg) -- An employee at the World Bank, the Washington-based lender that helps nations reduce poverty [bwaaaaaaaahahahahahahahaa are they f**king serious? wtf?], has been preliminarily diagnosed with swine flu after traveling to Mexico for his job.

The case is one of at least two tied to workers in the U.S. capital. A member of a security team who took part in President Barack Obama’s trip to Mexico became ill with flu-like symptoms, and members of his family contracted “probable” swine flu, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said today.

Colleagues who had been in contact with the World Bank employee were allowed to return to work after a finding that “there is no longer any risk of contagion,” according to a statement late today from the institution. “None of his co- workers or immediate family has shown symptoms” of the virus, “and the infectious period has now passed,” the bank said.

The staff member was in Mexico from April 14 to April 18, before the outbreak was reported by world health officials, according to an e-mail to World Bank employees today from Bernard Demure, director of the bank’s health services department. The employee is a resident of Maryland and works in the bank’s Latin America and Caribbean division.

Fully Recovered

The World Health Organization, a United Nations agency in Geneva, has confirmed 257 cases in 11 countries, and hundreds of people are being tested for the virus in New York. A patient in Spain hadn’t traveled to Mexico and may signal the disease is being transmitted outside North America, officials said.

“If identified early, the swine flu is a very treatable virus and responds well to medication,” Demure said in the e- mail. About 80 colleagues who were in contact with the man had been asked to work from home while the bank awaited advice from local health authorities.

The employee sought treatment upon his return from Mexico and has fully recovered, according to the morning e-mail. He received a preliminary diagnosis last night, and a second test is under way by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the bank said.

The swine flu won’t be a major issue for the world economy, although it may harm tourism in some countries, according to the chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, a companion international lending agency across the street from the World Bank.

“It may have an effect on the volume of tourism,” said Olivier Blanchard, speaking at an event in Washington. “This is not going to be a major issue in economic terms,” particularly when compared with the global financial crisis.

[Dig]

^ that is now 3 people in the vicinity of Obama that has possibly gotten bird flu from the Mexican trip.

One is dead.

Was this an attack by Fulford's ninjas? [I want to believe, I want to believe]

[Satyagraha]

Fulford's ninjas? who is that?

[Monkeypox]

April 30 (Bloomberg) -- An employee at the World Bank, the Washington-based lender that helps nations reduce poverty [bwaaaaaaaahahahahahahahaa are they f**king serious? wtf?], has been preliminarily diagnosed with swine flu after traveling to Mexico for his job.

More like "the Washington-based lender that helps forces nations reduce to stay in poverty

[Monkeypox]

So, is this flu outbreak real or not?

What do you guys think?

 

[L2Design]

I think its real... the outbreak map keeps getting more and more...

BUT I LOVE WATCHING JONES/BERMAS on prisonplanet.tv!!!! TOTALLY WORTH IT!
Love the rantings and it makes me happy to see Jones smile. Its fantastic to see
a happy family man/honest and true. A PRINCE! Bermas is awesome too!

God bless America!

[xTruthSeekerx]

fear mongering to coral the sheep

[HAZMAT]

the outbreak is real but its being blown out of proportion, hardly any deaths.

[maninabox]

corsi article just mentioned.....wow
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=6670
Posted: August 28, 2007
11:15 p.m. Eastern

By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America summit in Canadareleased a plan that establishes U.N. law along with regulations by the World trade Organization and World Health Organization as supreme over U.S. law during a pandemic and sets the stage for militarizing the management of continental health emergencies.

The "North American Plan for Avian & Pandemic Influenza" was finalized at the SPP summit last week in Montebello, Quebec.

At the same time, the U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM, has created a webpage dedicated to avian flu and has been running exercises in preparation for the possible use of U.S. military forces in a continental domestic emergency involving avian flu or pandemic influenza.

With virtually no media attention, in 2005 President Bush shifted U.S. policy on avian flu and pandemic influenza, placing the country under international guidelines not specifically determined by domestic agencies.

The policy shift was formalized Sept. 14, 2005, when Bush announced a new International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza to a High-Level Plenary Meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, in New York.

The new International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza was designed to supersede an earlier November 2005 Homeland Security report that called for a U.S. national strategy that would be coordinated by the Departments of Homeland Security, Health and Agriculture.
The 2005 plan, operative until Bush announced the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza, directed the State Department to work with the WHO and U.N., but it does not mention that international health controls are to be considered controlling over relevant U.S. statutes or authorities.

Under the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza, Bush agreed the U.S. would work through the U.N. system influenza coordinator to develop a continental emergency response plan operating through authorities under the WTO, North American Free Trade Agreement and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

WND could find no evidence the Bush administration presented the Influenza Partnership plan to Congress for oversight or approval.

The SPP plan for avian and pandemic influenza announced at the Canadian summit last week embraces the international control principles Bush first announced to the U.N. in his 2005 International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza declaration.

The SPP plan gives primacy for avian and pandemic influenza management to plans developed by the WHO, WTO, U.N. and NAFTA directives – not decisions made by U.S. agencies.

The U.N.-WHO-WTO-NAFTA plan advanced by SPP features a prominent role for the U.N. system influenza coordinator as a central international director in the case of a North American avian flu or pandemic influenza outbreak.

In Sept. 2005, Dr. David Nabarro was appointed the first U.N. system influenza coordinator, a position which also places him as a senior policy adviser to the U.N. director-general.

Nabarro joined the WHO in 1999 and was appointed WHO executive director of sustainable development and health environments in July 2002.

In a Sept. 29, 2005, press conference at the U.N., Nabarro made clear that his job was to prepare for the H5N1 virus, known as the avian flu.

Nabarro fueled the global fear that an epidemic was virtually inevitable.

In response to a question about the 1918-1919 flu pandemic that killed approximately 40 million people worldwide, Nabarro commented, "I am certain there will be another pandemic sometime."

Nabarro stressed at the press conference that he saw as inevitable a worldwide pandemic influenza coming soon that would kill millions.

He quantified the deaths he expected as follows: "I'm not, at the moment at liberty to give you a prediction on numbers, but I just want to stress, that, let's say, the range of deaths could be anything from 5 to 150 million."

In a March 8, 2006, U.N. press conference that was reported on a State Department website, Nabarro predicted an outbreak of the H5N1 virus would "reach the Americas within the next six to 12 months."

On Feb. 1, 2006, NORTHCOM hosted representatives of more than 40 international, federal and state agencies for "an exercise designed to provoke discussion and determine what governmental actions, including military support, would be necessary in the event of an influenza pandemic in the United States."

NORTHCOM and other governmental websites document the growing role the Bush administration plans for the U.S. military to be involved in continental domestic emergencies involving health, including avian flu and pandemic influenza.

NORTHCOM participated in a nationwide Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed exercise – code-named Exercise Ardent Sentry 06 – to rehearse cooperation between Department of Defense and local, state and federal agencies, as well as the Canadian government.

A pandemic influenza crisis was one of the four scenarios gamed in Exercise Ardent Sentry 06, involving a scenario of a plague in Mexico reaching across the border into Arizona and New Mexico.

As has been customary in SPP documents and declarations, the Montebello, Canada, announcement of the North American Plan for Avian & Pandemic Influenza acknowledges in passing the sovereignty of the three nations.

The announcement says, "The Plan is not intended to replace existing arrangements or agreements. As such, each country's laws are to be respected and this Plan is to be subordinate and complementary to domestic response plans, existing arrangements and bilateral or multilateral agreements."

Still, the SPP plan argues the risk from avian and pandemic influenza was so great to North America that the leaders of the three nations were compelled "to work collectively and with all levels of government, the private sector and among-non-governmental organizations to combat avian and pandemic influenza."

Moreover, the SPP plan openly acknowledges, "The WHO's international guidance formed much of the basis for the three countries' planning for North American preparedness and response."

WND previously reported NORTHCOM has been established with a command center at Peterson Air Force Base, tasked with using the U.S. military in continental domestic emergency situations.

WND also has reported President Bush signed in May two documents, National Security Presidential Directive-51 and Homeland Security Presidential Directive-20, which give the office of the president extraordinary powers to declare national emergencies and to assume near-dictatorial powers.

Following the Montebello summit last week, the SPP North American Plan for Avian & Pandemic Influenza was published on a made-over SPP homepage redesigned to feature agreements newly reached by trilateral bureaucratic working groups.