Tag Archives: india

International, U.S.

Fluoride Update, 24 September 2012: Portland officials ignore what the voters want! EPA and HHS admit too much fluoride is bad! Argentina says it causes diabetes! Japan says it causes cancer! China (and Harvard) says it reduces intelligence!

“Even if fluoridation reduced cavities, is tooth health more important than brain health? It’s time to put politics aside and stop artificial fluoridation everywhere!”-Paul Beeber, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation

By the year 2014, Portland, Oregon, will cease being the last major U.S. city without fluoridated water. On 12 September 2012, and in a unanimous decision that seemed to go against voter sentiment, the Portland city council approved fluoridation of the water supply.

Supporters of the plan claim that residents of Portland has a higher number of dental problems than other parts of Oregon.  However, a state study proved the reverse!

Most all of Oregon’s water supply already has naturally occurring fluoride.

To top that, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), have come out and admitted that too much fluoride can be bad for you!  Not only that, past fluoridation levels in the United States were too high!!!

But guess what? Those admissions came out at the beginning of 2011!  Where was the main stream media coverage?

HHS Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, said fluoride levels should be no more than 0.7 parts per million (ppm) per liter of water (this is the level the city of Portland, Oregon, says it will use).  Up ’till 2011 municipalities were being told to use as much as 1.2 ppm per liter!

“The new EPA assessments of fluoride were undertaken in response to findings of the National Academies of Science (NAS).  At EPA’s request, in 2006 NAS reviewed new data on fluoride and issued a report recommending that EPA update its health and exposure assessments to take into account bone and dental effects and to consider all sources of fluoride.”-joint EPA/HHS statement, 07 January 2011

Fluoride is claimed to protect your teeth, but according to HHS, too much fluoride actually does the reverse, causing tooth decay, as well as bone fractures,  and skeletal fluorosis.  Is this why the state study in Oregon showed higher dental problems in areas with fluoridated water?

But wait, there’s more!  The EPA actually said stop using sulfuryl fluoride. Sulfuryl fluoride is used as an insecticide (’cause it’s a fumigant neurotoxin), and cities have been using it to fluoridate their water!

Portland, Oregon, isn’t the only U.S. state obviously in the pockets of the fluoride industry.  Right now in Pinellas County, Florida, the issue of fluoridation has got a local dentist threatening to run for public office, to force fluoridation of the water.  One of his campaign billboards reads: “Want Fluoride…..?”

A in the pockets of the fluoride industry Florida newspaper (The Daytona Beach Journal) published an opinion piece on 20 September, applauding cities that add fluoride to their water.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is even giving out awards to cities, it’s called Water Fluoridation Quality Award.

But wait, there’s more!

A study in Argentina (done at the Rosario National University in Santa Fe, Rosario) concluded that ‘artificial’ fluoride use causes insulin resistance, leading to type 2 diabetes!  Gee, isn’t the United States suffering from a high rate of diabetes?

What’s really significant, relating to the new fluoride levels issued by HHS, is that the Argentine study shows that the onset of type 2 diabetes occurrs regardless of the amount of fluoride. Even at a fraction of a ppm, after 60 days insulin resistance is the result!

A study out of Japan (by the University of Tokyo) shows that fluoride use increases the rate of cancers of the “….oral cavity and pharynx, colon and rectum, hepato-biliary and urinary organs.”  Gee, doesn’t the United States have a problem with increased cancers?

The Japanese researchers looked at cancer rates in the United States in comparison with fluoridated water supplies, from 1978 to 1992.  They found that two thirds of the people with cancer lived in areas with lots of fluoridated water.  In the majority of the sites studied, they concluded that 64% of them had a direct connection between cancer and fluoride!

Another study from the Zhejiang Normal University in Jinhua, China, backs up a Harvard study released earlier this year.  Fluoride makes ‘mericans dumber than a stump!  Gee, isn’t the United States suffering from too much of that!!!

The Chinese study found that the higher the dose rate of fluoride, the dumber you get.  Back in July, 2012, Harvard University published the results of their study, it not good: “Fluoride readily crosses the placenta. Fluoride exposure to the developing brain, which is much more susceptible to injury caused by toxicants than is the mature brain, may possibly lead to damage of a permanent nature.”

But this info was known before these latest studies.  I’ve posted how a study in India blamed idiocy on fluoride, and that was based on naturally occurring fluoride.  But here’s what the National Research Council (NRC) stated in 2006, about ‘artificial’ fluoride: “It’s apparent that fluorides have the ability to interfere with the functions of the brain.”

 

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Economic War: Bolivia clarifies so called ban on Coca Cola, Brazil bans Chevron, South America fighting U.S. yankee crony capitalist imperialism

“December 21 of 2012 will be the end of egoism and division. December 21 should be the end of Coca-Cola.”-David Choquehuanca, Foreign Minister of Bolivia

This recent statement by officials from the South American country has been interpreted as meaning Coca Cola was banned from Bolivia.  But David Choquehuanca has come out and stressed that emphasis needs to placed on his use of the word “should”.

(So far the only countries with official bans on Coca Cola are Korea North, Cuba and Myanmar.)

The government of Bolivia has started a campaign pushing for Bolivians to buy products made in Bolivia, not products from the United States.

Bolivia is not alone as Venezuela has also started a similar campaign.  Venezuela even banned Coke Zero.

In 2011 Bolivia kicked out McDonalds.

At the end of July 2012, the government of Chile filed suit against McDonalds, Burger King and KFC on the grounds they violate the country’s anti-toy in happy meals law.

Also at the end of July 2012, Venezuela shut down 89 McDonalds for tax evasion.

In March 2012, Peru began enforcing their ban on the sale of food products made with genetically modified crops (aka GMO foods). The ban directly affects Monsanto, Dow Chemical and Bayer (a German company).

Brazil and Paraguay have similar bans as well.  Venezuela banned all GMO seeds.

In 2011, Argentina temporarily banned the sale of Blackberry phones and Apple computer products.  Argentina has also temporarily banned U.S. beef products.

Brazil has banned specific ingredients in cigarettes, which is hurting U.S. tobacco companies.

On 02 August 2012, Brazil officially banned Chevron from doing business in their country.  This after two massive, and unexplained, oil spills (of course U.S. media says the spills were minor).

At the end of 2011, the countries of South America formed their own economic union called Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños, or Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).  The United States and Canada were not invited.

Now, India will be the first country to hold official trade talks with CELAC, scheduled for 07 August: “India enjoys friendly and warm relations with all CELAC countries. They have a shared understanding on the values of democracy, freedom, equality and justice.” Indian Ministry of External Affairs statement

 

 

International, U.S.

Military Incompetence: USN fired on an Indian fishing ship in the Persian Gulf. 1 killed, 3 wounded.

U.S. and United Arab Emirates (UAE) officials confirm that a U.S. Navy ship shot at an Indian fishing ship off the coast of UAE.

The U.S. 5th Fleet says personnel of the USNS Rappahannock fired a .50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine gun at a small boat. They claim the fishing boat was warned to stay away.  One man on the fishing boat was killed, three men wounded.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? As I warned, Cosmetic prices up, as are prices for personal care products. No more cow dung for toothpaste!

“Cosmetics were very expensive back then, and a single product could cost the equivalent of a month’s salary for many office ladies.”-Chen Linlin, L’Oréal China

Linlin is talking about the not so good economic decade of the 1930s, but it looks like history is repeating for people (in North America and Europe) who just have to have makeup.

Back on 4 July 2011, I posted how Estee Lauder Group was the first cosmetic company to jack up their prices, and that it would be a trend for the whole industry.

Recently a Forbes article showed that Estee Lauder and L’Oréal are making bank in the Chinese market.  China’s internet cosmetics market is now nine times bigger than that of the United States, a 200% increase since 2006!

Last year cosmetics makers claimed that labor costs, and the costs of resources were the reasons for price increases.  Now, with China draining the supply of cosmetics, demand will ensure that prices will continue to go up.

Don’t blame China only, blame South America!  According to a NASDAQ report, the biggest market place for Avon (AVP) products is not the home base of the United States, but South America!

But, the NASDAQ report inadvertently reveals a couple of hidden reasons for the increase in your makeup prices: “AVP has turned its toehold in Latin America into a $1 billion-a-quarter business by spending a fortune on marketing and retailer incentives — if not the outright ‘bribes’ it is accused of distributing in Asia.”

However, when it comes to cosmetics that’re supposed to stop aging, it’s vain women in the United States that still take first place when it comes to anti-aging skin care products.

According to the research company, Mintel, the anti-aging skin care market in the U.S. leads the world with $2.3 billion USD in 2011 sales!

But it doesn’t stop with makeup.  One of my daughters told me that the shampoo she uses is now $2.00 USD more than it was a couple of years ago.

According to reports, the booming economy in India is creating a huge demand for personal care products that most rural people in India didn’t have access to: “In the past we used to use sticks or cow dung ash to clean our teeth. But now, just like urban people, we use a toothbrush and toothpaste. We use shampoo and expensive oils and creams. We have everything in our village that people have in towns and cities.”-Arun Mondal, a rural villager

In Canada the demand for body soap that does not contain harsh fragrances, therefore more environmentally friendly, has a Canadian soap manufacture scrambling and expanding into the retail market.

Paul Gillepsie, owner of Island Essentials wholesale, has so much business that he’s opened a retail store in Victoria, and will expand into Alberta. In 2004 his soap products were carried in 150 Canadian stores, now they’re sold in more than 250 stores.

But can we blame rising prices on rising demand in countries like Canada, China, India, and the countries of South America, and our own United States?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost to U.S. consumers of personal care products has been skyrocketing ever since the 1960s! In the 1960s, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for personal care products was just under 40.  Now, in 2012, it’s at 161 and climbing.

However, looking at the Producer Price Index (PPI), aka U.S. wholesale prices,  shows that costs of intermediate goods (which are necessary for production of finished goods) have gone down from January 2011 to January 2012!

Intermediate goods were at 6.2% in January 2011, and were at 4.2% by January 2012, a 2% drop.  The cost of finished goods were at 3.6% in January 2011, but 12 months later were at 4.1% in January 2012, a half percent increase.

What’s important in the January to January comparison is what happened in the middle of 2011.  The costs of intermediate goods pegged at 11.5% in July 2011!  For finished goods the costs hit 7.1% twice, once in May and once in July 2011.

The spikes in intermediate and finished goods mirrors the cost of raw materials (aka crude materials). Overall, raw materials began January 2011 at 10.9%, and ended the year down more than 6%, at 4.5% in January 2012.  Again, the real killer was the spike in costs in the middle of 2011, topping out at 26.1% in June!

We in the United States are still paying for those spikes in the production costs of making the personal care products we can’t be without (cow dung for toothpaste anyone?).  However, the overriding decider of retail costs is still demand for such products, which seems to increase year after year, exponentially.

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Economic War: India & Iran to push forward with new oil deal! Iran “key” to world economy!

“Iran is an important neighbor and crucial trade partner for India, and also a major source of our energy supplies.”-S M Krishna, External Affairs Minister of India

31 May 2012, after a meeting between Iranian and Indian officials, India made it clear that Iran was India’s number one source for oil!

Indian officials are looking to Iran for other economic deals, as India considers Iran the economic gateway to Central Asia.  S M Krishna said Iran was also the economic key to the whole world!

The two countries also discussed “threats” being made against them.

Iran has invited India to attend the upcoming Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in August.  NAM consists of countries that do not kowtow to the United States/British Empire.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? While India experiences GDP growth above 5%, the United States continues to stagnate and stink! Blame the government, blame inflation! Could have been worse!

31 May 2012, The U.S. Department of Commerce reported that the U.S. GDP continues to stagnate at 1.9%!  That was for January through March.

Once again, the experts were expecting it to be higher, like around 2.2% (which is still stagnation).  The problem is that the experts were expecting business inventories to be around $69.5 billion USD, instead they ended the 1st quarter at $57.7 billion.

Also, consumer spending was a tiny bit lower than what the experts were expecting; 2.7% instead of the expected 2.9%.

Government spending dropped by 3.9%, also more than what the experts were expecting.

Inflation went up 2.4% (price index for personal consumption), which is twice that of the 1st quarter of 2011!  By the way, the experts got this one right.

The inflation rate for core PCE gauge, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, was at 2.1%, which is up from the 4th quarter of 2011.

But wait, there’s more!  The Commerce Department said the 1st quarter GDP could have been even lower if it weren’t for an unexpected increase in business spending! Business spending went up 1.9%, the experts were expecting it to drop by 2.1%!

By the way, one of the BRICS countries, India, reported an explosive GDP growth rate of 5.3%, during the same time period, and keep in mind that’s a decline from the previous year!

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? European economies crashing and burning! Greece -6.2% GDP! IMF wants Mo Money! China in trouble!

May 15, 2012, the Group of 20 industrialized countries (not for long maybe?) will be meeting in Mexico, in June.  Already Mexico and Japan are calling for G-20 members (mainly those of the BRICS: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to give the U.S. based International Monetary Fund another $430 billion USD!!!

This is because the European economies are crashing and burning. Italy reported a minus 0.8% GDP for the January to March quarter. That’s three quarters in a row of declines! Spain reported a minus 0.3% GDP, for the second quarter in a row. But Greece reported a huge minus 6.2% GDP!!!

The only “good” news came out of Germany, which reported a stagnant 0.5% GDP. And Germany is supposed to be the economic powerhouse of Europe!  Of course main stream western media reporting it as a “bounce back” in the economy, idiots!

Overall, the entire 17 member European Union reported a stagnant 0% GDP for January to March 2012!

To make matters worse, China is reporting that European investment into China has declined for six months in a row!  Chinese officials admitted that their country’s explosive economic growth can only be driven by foreign investment (like unAmerican Corporate America shipping U.S. jobs to China).

From January to April 2012, European investment into China dropped 28%.

 

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Oil & Gas Prices: U.S. media flat lies about Iran’s oil sales!

The Washington Post reporting that Iran can not find buyers for its oil, and is storing oil on tanker ships as a result.

This is a blatant lie because Iran’s oil sales have only increased since the U.S. led sanctions were imposed!

The latest example is of Zimbabwe, which has asked for an increase in Iranian oil and refined diesel fuel.

Also, three ship bookers, including Galbraith’s Ltd in London, confirmed that India is buying more Iranian oil. A Liberian (former U.S. African colony) tanker has been chartered to ship 130,000 metric tons of Iranian crude (per shipment?) to India!

If Iran is storing oil on tankers, why did India have to charter a tanker?

In fact, on May 11, 2012, one Indian official told the U.S. to ‘F’ themselves over the Iran oil sanctions:  “Government of India is perfectly free to take a decision (on this issue). We do not take note of sanctions by other countries….So far as our sovereignty is concerned, we can assure that we will never allow any pressure…There will be less oil or more oil imported from Iran depending on demand. The oil [Indian] companies will decide that.”-Jaipal S. Reddy, India’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas

Japanese media has just reported that Japanese oil companies are increasing the number of oil tanker ships.  JX Nippon Oil & Energy has just bought three 5,000 ton class tankers, and is planning on buying a fourth.  Cosmo Oil is buying an additional tanker.

Japan won an exemption from the U.S. oil sanctions against Iran, so guess where those new tankers are probably going to go for their crude cargo?

Another claim in the Washington Post article is that ships carrying Iranian oil can’t get insurance, because most maritime insurance companies are based in Europe.  However, China and Japan are in the process of buying insurance from Iranian companies!  The Iranian government is conducting a review to allow Iranian insurance companies to cover foreign ships.

Pakistan and Iran are in the process of creating a banking system that will allow Pakistan to buy Iranian oil and gas without going through the usual U.S./U.K. dominated international banking system.

The Iranian government is on the verge of privatizing 15 government controlled petroleum businesses. As part of the privatization process, the Iranian government has already sold 555 million shares of stocks in the companies, and more stocks will be issued!

On May 12, 2012, the Iranian Oil Ministry revealed they had “ratified” 16 new oil projects last year.  That was out of 28 projects submitted.

If Iranian oil is just sitting at the docks, why is the Iranian government approving so many new petroleum projects?

International, Technology, U.S.

Government & Media Hypocrisy: Pakistan launches purpose built Ballistic Nuclear Missile; where’s the outrage, where’s the sanctions, where’s the UNSC resolutions?

April 13, 2012, North Korea launched a satellite (not a ballistic missile as western media continued to report!), which ended in failure, yet didn’t fail to bring world wide condemnation.

April 25, 2012, Pakistan launches an improved Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), yet no one cares?   Pakistan has nuclear weapons, yet no one cares that they’ve successfully tested an improved missile designed to carry nukes?

This launch comes less than a week after India successfully launched their first ever ballistic missile.

Here’s what the western members of the UN Security Council had to say about North Korea’s 4th non-weaponized rocket launch: “…[it’s a] provocation, threat to international stability, and another violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.”

On April 17, 2012, the UNSC increased sanctions against North Korea for launching a non-weaponized rocket!

So far, here’s what the UNSC said about India’s first ICBM launch:

Yeah I thought so you hypocritical SOBs!!

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Oil & Gas Prices: South Sudan gives up Sudan oil fields, Sudan invades. Cuban oil exploration not paying off, Mexico wants piece of the action. Argentina nationalizes Spanish oil company. U.S. oil glut will actually increase prices.

April 22, 2012, South Sudanese military officials say they’ve withdrawn forces from Sudan’s Heglig oil fields.

U.S. puppet South Sudan took the Heglig oil fields on April 10, claiming Sudan was using the fields as a military base (gee, if they were it wouldn’t have been so easy to capture them).

On Friday, April 20, Sudan claimed they liberated the oil fields.  But now, April 22, Sudan has invaded South Sudan.  There are reports that Sudanese forces launched at least three attacks, as far as nine kilometers (six miles) into South Sudan’s territory.

The Spanish company Repsol is exploring for oil and natural gas off Cuba’s north coast. However they say progress has been slow.

It’s estimated that just off the Cuban coast line there is at least 5 billion barrels of oil and 10 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.  So far attempts to get at it haven’t paid out.

Mexico has made it clear that its PEMEX oil company wants to be part of any Cuban oil production.

The irony is that Cuba is supporting Argentina’s nationalization of Respol’s operations in the South American country.

April 20, Cuba announced its support for Argentina’s nationalization of Respol YPF.  YPF was originally a state owned company anyway.  Venezuela, Nicaragua and several other Latin American countries support the move.

While Mexico wants in on Cuban oil, it opposes the Argentine nationalization of Respol YPF.

The reason Argentina nationalized its YPF oil production is that the privatized oil industry spent most of its profit on paying off stockholders, the result was an oil industry that fell behind in production, to the point that Argentina now has to import oil!

During the 1990s, Argentina privatized their oil industry.  The obsession with profits at any cost resulted in Argentina being left without enough of its own oil for its own use, which cause fuel prices to skyrocket: “That led to a lack of reinvestment in utilities, little exploration and dwindling reserves, as oil fields dried up and productivity fell.”-Eduardo Fernandez, oil industry consultant

That’s Corporate America and Corporate Europe for you!

In the United States, oil traders are hoping a reverse flow from the Seaway pipeline will increase the price per barrel of oil!

On May 17, a glut of oil from Cushing, Oklahoma, will begin flowing through the pipeline to the Gulf of Mexico.  U.S. oil traders say the bottle neck of oil in Oklahoma is one reason U.S. oil prices are low (if you call $100 per barrel low).  They hope that by getting the oil to the Gulf of Mexico, and therefore to the world oil market, that the price of U.S. oil will go higher!

A week ago India had become the number one buyer of Iranian oil.  Now, Indian officials say they’ve had to cut back because of the high price of oil: “Of course, the high price of oil has caused immense problems for the Indian economy…But actually we have to pay the average price of $100-115 per barrel…”-Pranab Mukherjee, Finance Minister of India

India is currently buying 14 million metric tons of oil from Iran (the report didn’t specify if that was per day, week or month). Indian officials said they had hoped oil would be at $90-95 USD per barrel by now.