Posted on 02/09/2009 12:36:11 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny
Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? It’s an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases along to the consumer. A recent stroll through the camping section of Wal-Mart did give me pause - what kinds of things are prudent to have on hand in the event of a worldwide shortage of food and/or fuel? Survivalist in Training
I’ve been interested in survival stories since I was a kid, which is funny considering I grew up in a city. Maybe that’s why the idea of living off the land appealed to me. My grandfather and I frequently took camping trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and around the Smoky Mountains. Looking back, some of the best times we had were when we stayed at campgrounds without electricity hookups, because it forced us to use what we had to get by. My grandfather was well-prepared with a camp stove and lanterns (which ran off propane), and when the sun went to bed we usually did along with it. We played cards for entertainment, and in the absence of televisions, games, etc. we shared many great conversations. Survivalist in the Neighborhood
http://www.knowthelies.com/?q=node/3665
[May be a repost, still worth thinking about...granny]
100 Items You’ll Need That Will Disappear First...
Submitted by SadInAmerica on 2009, February 14 - 6:38pm.
This deserves some serious thought and consideration... If there are any items on this list that you do not currently have put away, you might want to think about getting them before you can’t...
1. Generators (Good ones cost dearly. Gas storage, risky. Noisy...target of thieves; maintenance etc.)
2. Water Filters/Purifiers
3. Portable Toilets
4. Seasoned Firewood. Wood takes about 6 - 12 months to become dried, for home uses.
5. Lamp Oil, Wicks, Lamps (First Choice: Buy CLEAR oil. If scarce, stockpile ANY!)
6. Coleman Fuel. Impossible to stockpile too much.
7. Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats & Slingshots.
8. Hand-can openers, & hand egg beaters, whisks.
9. Honey/Syrups/white, brown sugar
10. Rice - Beans - Wheat
11. Vegetable Oil (for cooking) Without it food burns/must be boiled etc.,)
12. Charcoal, Lighter Fluid (Will become scarce suddenly)
13. Water Containers (Urgent Item to obtain.) Any size. Small: HARD CLEAR PLASTIC ONLY - note - food grade if for drinking.
14. Mini Heater head (Propane) (Without this item, propane won’t heat a room.)
15. Grain Grinder (Non-electric)
16. Propane Cylinders (Urgent: Definite shortages will occur.
17. Survival Guide Book.
18. Mantles: Aladdin, Coleman, etc. (Without this item, longer-term lighting is difficult.)
19. Baby Supplies: Diapers/formula. ointments/aspirin, etc.
20. Washboards, Mop Bucket w/wringer (for Laundry)
21. Cookstoves (Propane, Coleman & Kerosene)
22. Vitamins
23. Propane Cylinder Handle-Holder (Urgent: Small canister use is dangerous without this item)
24. Feminine Hygiene/Haircare/Skin products.
25. Thermal underwear (Tops & Bottoms)
26. Bow saws, axes and hatchets, Wedges (also, honing oil)
27. Aluminum Foil Reg. & Heavy Duty (Great Cooking and Barter Item)
28. Gasoline Containers (Plastic & Metal)
29. Garbage Bags (Impossible To Have Too Many).
30. Toilet Paper, Kleenex, Paper Towels
31. Milk - Powdered & Condensed (Shake Liquid every 3 to 4 months)
32. Garden Seeds (Non-Hybrid) (A MUST)
33. Clothes pins/line/hangers (A MUST)
34. Coleman’s Pump Repair Kit
35. Tuna Fish (in oil)
36. Fire Extinguishers (or..large box of Baking Soda in every room)
37. First aid kits
38. Batteries (all sizes...buy furthest-out for Expiration Dates)
39. Garlic, spices & vinegar, baking supplies
40. Big Dogs (and plenty of dog food)
41. Flour, yeast & salt
42. Matches. {”Strike Anywhere” preferred.) Boxed, wooden matches will go first
43. Writing paper/pads/pencils, solar calculators
44. Insulated ice chests (good for keeping items from freezing in Wintertime.)
45. Workboots, belts, Levis & durable shirts
46. Flashlights/LIGHTSTICKS & torches, “No. 76 Dietz” Lanterns
47. Journals, Diaries & Scrapbooks (jot down ideas, feelings, experience; Historic Times)
48. Garbage cans Plastic (great for storage, water, transporting - if with wheels)
49. Men’s Hygiene: Shampoo, Toothbrush/paste, Mouthwash/floss, nail clippers, etc
50. Cast iron cookware (sturdy, efficient)
51. Fishing supplies/tools
52. Mosquito coils/repellent, sprays/creams
53. Duct Tape
54. Tarps/stakes/twine/nails/rope/spikes
55. Candles
56. Laundry Detergent (liquid)
57. Backpacks, Duffel Bags
58. Garden tools & supplies
59. Scissors, fabrics & sewing supplies
60. Canned Fruits, Veggies, Soups, stews, etc.
61. Bleach (plain, NOT scented: 4 to 6% sodium hypochlorite)
62. Canning supplies, (Jars/lids/wax)
63. Knives & Sharpening tools: files, stones, steel
64. Bicycles...Tires/tubes/pumps/chains, etc
65. Sleeping Bags & blankets/pillows/mats
66. Carbon Monoxide Alarm (battery powered)
67. Board Games, Cards, Dice
68. d-con Rat poison, MOUSE PRUFE II, Roach Killer
69. Mousetraps, Ant traps & cockroach magnets
70. Paper plates/cups/utensils (stock up, folks)
71. Baby wipes, oils, waterless & Antibacterial soap (saves a lot of water)
72. Rain gear, rubberized boots, etc.
73. Shaving supplies (razors & creams, talc, after shave)
74. Hand pumps & siphons (for water and for fuels)
75. Soysauce, vinegar, bullions/gravy/soupbase
76. Reading glasses
77. Chocolate/Cocoa/Tang/Punch (water enhancers)
78. “Survival-in-a-Can”
79. Woolen clothing, scarves/ear-muffs/mittens
80. Boy Scout Handbook, / also Leaders Catalog
81. Roll-on Window Insulation Kit (MANCO)
82. Graham crackers, saltines, pretzels, Trail mix/Jerky
83. Popcorn, Peanut Butter, Nuts
84. Socks, Underwear, T-shirts, etc. (extras)
85. Lumber (all types)
86. Wagons & carts (for transport to and from)
87. Cots & Inflatable mattress’s
88. Gloves: Work/warming/gardening, etc.
89. Lantern Hangers
90. Screen Patches, glue, nails, screws,, nuts & bolts
91. Teas
92. Coffee
93. Cigarettes
94. Wine/Liquors (for bribes, medicinal, etc,)
95. Paraffin wax
96. Glue, nails, nuts, bolts, screws, etc.
97. Chewing gum/candies
98. Atomizers (for cooling/bathing)
99. Hats & cotton neckerchiefs
100. Goats/chickens
From a Sarajevo War Survivor:
Experiencing horrible things that can happen in a war - death of parents and
friends, hunger and malnutrition, endless freezing cold, fear, sniper attacks.
1. Stockpiling helps. but you never no how long trouble will last, so locate
near renewable food sources.
2. Living near a well with a manual pump is like being in Eden.
3. After awhile, even gold can lose its luster. But there is no luxury in war
quite like toilet paper. Its surplus value is greater than gold’s.
4. If you had to go without one utility, lose electricity - it’s the easiest to
do without (unless you’re in a very nice climate with no need for heat.)
5. Canned foods are awesome, especially if their contents are tasty without
heating. One of the best things to stockpile is canned gravy - it makes a lot of
the dry unappetizing things you find to eat in war somewhat edible. Only needs
enough heat to “warm”, not to cook. It’s cheap too, especially if you buy it in
bulk.
6. Bring some books - escapist ones like romance or mysteries become more
valuable as the war continues. Sure, it’s great to have a lot of survival
guides, but you’ll figure most of that out on your own anyway - trust me, you’ll
have a lot of time on your hands.
7. The feeling that you’re human can fade pretty fast. I can’t tell you how many
people I knew who would have traded a much needed meal for just a little bit of
toothpaste, rouge, soap or cologne. Not much point in fighting if you have to
lose your humanity. These things are morale-builders like nothing else.
8. Slow burning candles and matches, matches, matches
http://www.onsimplicity.net/2009/02/how-to-party-like-a-five-year-old/
Posted on February 13th, 2009 in Happiness
Forget lifestyle gurus, it’s five year olds who really know how to live. They have the whole world ahead of them, and they know it. (They also have a few embarrassing wet pants moments still ahead of them, but don’t we all?) I have the pleasure of working with this age group a few times a week, and here’s what I’ve learned from these mini mavens.
Play Doesn’t Have to Have a Purpose
Sometimes building a tower is just building a tower. It doesn’t have to be the best block tower ever, win you an award, or pay for itself. You can build something, create something, or destroy something for pure fun on occasion. “Because I felt like it” can still be a good reason for doing something (as long as you’re not pulling someone’s pigtails or the like.)
Running Is Fun, Especially if You Get to Chase Someone
Five year olds don’t have to be told to exercise. They’re like dogs in that sense: when they get too much energy built up, they will find a way to release it. Ever looked at a child when they’re careening madly around a giant room? It’s pure bliss. And if you can get someone to chase you, then it’s all the more fun. Remember the joy of running before someone told you that you were supposed to do it.
Other People Aren’t Competition, They’re Potential Playmates
Yeah, maybe the new guy at work is way better at database management than you. And maybe everyone likes him just a bit too much to not annoy you. But he doesn’t have to be competition. Instead of ranking yourself on an imaginary popularity scale, consider newcomers another friend to add to the roster. And maybe he has a trampoline!
If You Don’t Like the Game You’re Playing, Change the Rules
Just because the book says you’re supposed to do something one way, that doesn’t mean you have to obey. You could change the rules, create your own guidelines, or make up an entirely new game. You’re only stuck with the choices you’ve got if you’ve left your imagination back at the playground.
I’m sure these ideas aren’t new to you, but we can always use a reminder that once upon a time, life was fun. And someone along the line, it wasn’t life that stopped being full of possibilities, just the possibilities we choose to consider.
Fiddle-dee-dee! The Art of Scarlett O’Hara Optimism
http://www.onsimplicity.net/2008/09/fiddle-dee-dee-the-art-of-scarlett-ohara-optimism/
Posted on September 08th, 2008 in Happiness, Personal Development
She may be a spoiled, somewhat delusional, sheltered Southern belle, but you’ve got to give it to Scarlett O’Hara: the gal’s a first-class optimist. This is a character who doesn’t just turn lemons in to lemonade, she turns curtains into couture. And while her aim may not always be pure, she never lets a setback (or even a war) stop her from dreaming and reaching her goals.
If you’re a dreamer of any kind, then optimism isn’t just a state of mind, it’s a weapon in your arsenal. Without a healthy amount of optimism, the first setback you come across can cause you to give up. So if you’d like to tap into some of that “tomorrow is another day” optimism, consider the following ways to embrace your inner believer:
1. Ignore convention. The most optimistic act you can commit is one that flies in the face every bit of conventional wisdom you’ve heard. Scarlett didn’t let anyone tell her she couldn’t run a plantation, a business, or well, anything. If you listen to the crowd on every issue, you’ll never have an extraordinary moment. Have the courage to believe that you can challenge the status quo and come out ahead, and watch doors you never even saw before suddenly fly open.
2. Change your mind. The ultimate form of optimism is knowing that there’s a world of possibilities yet to be discovered. In Scarlett O’Hara’s terms, just because you told someone you hated him and hoped you never saw him again, that doesn’t mean he’s not the love of your life. Hopefully, your changes of mind and heart are less dramatic, but above all, reserve your right to change your mind. Changing your mind is not giving up; it’s evolving. It’s recognizing that there may be more different, better options for you. Far from being a pessimistic act of waving the white flag, changing your mind can be the ultimate act of Scarlett-style optimism.
3. Earn the respect of others. Yes, she was manipulative, but in the end Scarlett got what she wanted because she had earned the respect of the people she needed. Whether you earn that respect through being consistent, being great at what you do, or simply because you’re unimaginably ballsy (the Scarlett method), it’s vital. Optimism can get you pretty damn far, farther than you might imagine, but you will need the help of others if you have big goals. Take the time today to start earning the respect of your peers and industry, and you’ll be able to get others to believe in your optimistic vision.
4. Never be afraid to dance. So what if you’re in mourning for the husband you never loved and only married to make your sister’s husband jealous? If you want to dance, then by all means dance. There’s never (well, rarely…) a bad time to embrace the joy in life and follow your passion. When you can view life as full of possibility instead of filled with limitations, guess what? You’re an optimist. Take a cue from Scarlett and dance, laugh, and love, even when the world is quite certain you should be crying.
5. Embrace your special talents. If you’re Scarlett, this means pinching your cheeks for color and batting your eyes to get what you want. If you’ve got good people skills, then it means taking the time to engage as many folks as you can in conversation. Whatever your best talents are, use them as often as possible. It’s always good to stretch yourself, but there’s no reason not to use your natural talents to your advantage. What does this have to do with optimism? By identifying and tapping into your strong points, you can find more opportunities to shine and be confident in yourself as well. If you feel that you can use your talents to your advantage in any situation, you’re a bonafide optimist.
What do you feel are the best ways to be optimistic? Are there limits to how far optimism can take you? Waltz your way into the comments, and let me hear what you have to say.
http://www.onsimplicity.net/2008/10/the-unstoppable-health-benefits-of-optimism/
The Unstoppable Health Benefits of Optimism
Posted on October 03rd, 2008 in Happiness, Personal Development
Seeing the glass half full, it turns out, may yield both mental and physical benefits. Having an optimistic outlook on life can prevent depression, boost your immune system, and improve general health. (And don’t worry, there’s good news for pessimists, too!)
Studies have shown that control groups who are identified as “optimists” via pre-intake tests have fewer instances of clinical depression than those who expressed negative thoughts–in other words, classic pessimists. In addition, “optimists” participating in the study who did become depressed were far more likely to experience mild to moderate depression as opposed to severe cases. In other words, you have a better chance of bouncing back if you’re a glass half-full kinda person.
Beyond experiencing lower stress levels and increased longevity, those with optimistic personalities are also, according to a Harvard study, significantly healthier in middle age–45 to 60. In general, positive thinkers experience fewer instances of diabetes, hypertension, and even back trouble. If there’s any better reason to quit with the doom and gloom, I really don’t know what it could be.
Why Do Optimists Get All the Luck?
Part of the reason may have more to do with common sense, though. Some of these studies have indicated that optimists are more likely to seek information on health, especially when disease strikes. Because they believe they take can actually make a difference in their healthy, optimists are more likely to look into treatment options and take active measures to combat disease and live healthy lifestyles. In somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophesy, people who believe they’ll live long, healthy lives often do.
Sure, but What About Pessimists?
Ready for some more good news? Optimism isn’t necessarily an ingrained trait. Clinicians are starting to see optimism as more of a coping skill than an inherent personality trait–a coping skill that can be taught successfully. People can train themselves to think positively and reap the health benefits of optimism.
Now, I’m no expert on teaching optimism. It’s something that’s been with me for longer than I remember, not something I purposefully learned. A few quick thoughts, though:
Take another person’s perspective. So the barista screwed the pooch on your coffee order. Maybe her mom is in the hospital and she’s a bit distracted. The coffee doesn’t seem like such a big deal anymore, does it?
Take a longer perspective. Yeah, the stock you just bought tanked right away. But you’re not in it for quick profits. Focus on the long-term goals and the short-term goals can become slightly less frustrating.
Laugh. Is every, single, stupid, dumb little thing going wrong today? Instead of piecing together a complex and nearly plausibly conspiracy theory, have a laugh. Enjoying the irony and ridiculousness of bad luck can make it seem less like a personal attack and more like a prank by the universe.
Think of something good. For a many people, there are plenty of good experiences to balance out the bad. When you get rear-ended, remember the time you barely scraped out of an accident. Or, think of the way you’ll tell the story at the party tonight. Since you can’t change things after the fact, there’s no harm in seeing the lighter side of things.
So tell the truth–do you think that optimists have better health? And is it possible to learn to be an optimist? Drop your opinion into the comments, conflicting views welcome.
http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2009/02/chavez-and-cash-filled-suitcase.html
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2009
Chávez and the Cash-Filled Suitcase
I dedicate this to the Argentine that just sent me a nasty comment. One that probably took him 30 minutes to write and I rejected in 0,5 seconds. I don’t “ruin” the reputation of our country, my friend. Our president, the one you seem to like so much, does that all by herself.
You think we fool anyone? you think the rest of the world is stupid? That they don’t know our president “cooks the books” and lies about crime and inflation rates? Just read the article below. They fool no one but themselves. It’s not only that they are corrupt. That’s bad enough but what pisses me beyond that is that they don’t care to hide it even a bit. They are sloppy in their corruption and make us look like the worst banana republic in South America. Suitcases full of money… why don’t they just pay her with cocaine shipments instead? Keep believing in our leaders my friend, don’t let those pink shades drop!;^)
FerFAL
Chávez and the Cash-Filled Suitcase
Sitting in a Florida steakhouse a year ago this month, millionaire Venezuelan oilman Frank Duran allegedly gave his friend Guido Antonini Wilson a dark warning. “A moment might come,” Duran said, “when nobody can save Antonini’s skin.”
Antonini, a Venezuelan businessman with U.S. citizenship, was indeed in a jam. A month earlier, he’d arrived in Buenos Aires on a chartered flight with Argentine energy officials and executives of Venezuela’s state-run oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). Argentine customs agents then caught him with a suitcase stuffed with $800,000 in cash. Antonini was allowed to return to the U.S. — but it seemed the entire hemisphere wanted to know if he’d been carrying the money for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as some sort of bribe for the Argentine government.
Today, however, it’s Duran whose legal skin that needs saving. Last December he and four other men, three Venezuelans and an Uruguayan, were charged in Miami with failing to register as foreign government agents. U.S. prosecutors say the men, at the behest of “high-level” Venezuelan government officials, cajoled and even threatened Antonini to keep mum about the real purpose of all that cash: an illegal contribution from Venezuela to the presidential campaign of then Argentine Senator and First Lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, a Chavez ally. One of the men, Moises Maionica, pleaded guilty in January; one is at large and another — Carlos Kauffman, a close Duran pal — pleaded guilty in March, leaving Duran all but alone to face trial in Miami that began this week.
Both backers and critics of Chavez say the radical left-wing Venezuelan President is tacitly on trial himself. It’s no secret that Chavez, who controls the hemisphere’s largest oil reserves, lavishes billions of dollars in foreign aid on allies to promote his anti-U.S. Bolivarian Revolution. Foes have long groused that his largesse can also be as shadowy as the covert U.S. operations Chavez accuses agencies like the CIA of perpetrating. They contend that he has funneled cash to leftist candidates in presidential races from Bolivia to Mexico, and that he has helped fund Marxist guerrillas like the FARC in Colombia. Chavez has just as adamantly denied those charges, as have his supposed beneficiaries.
It wasn’t until Antonini’s luggage was opened in 2007 — and until Colombian authorities claimed last spring that seized guerrilla laptops revealed Chavez payments of as much as $300 million to the FARC — that alleged evidence of Caracas’ covert dealings had ever surfaced. The top prosecutor on the Antonini case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Mulvihill, has said in hearings that conversations recorded by an FBI wire that Antonini wore prove the suitcase money “was meant for the campaign of Cristina [Fernandez].” And according to court documents filed this summer, Kauffman is expected to testify they were told by high-level Venezuelan officials that Chavez was personally involved in the alleged suitcase affair and its aftermath.
One question Chavez supporters ask is why Fernandez would even need his cash when she held a more than 20-point lead in voter polls leading up to last October’s election, which she won handily. When the campaign contribution allegation was made shortly after her inauguration, she took it as a Yanqui affront to her own government and angrily called the case a “garbage operation.” The Casa Rosada, the Argentine presidential palace, insists instead that the U.S. should extradite Antonini to Argentina.
Indeed, the acid relationship between Chavez and the U.S. has also thrown the Bush Administration’s motives into doubt. Thomas Shannon, U.S. assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs, has insisted the indictments stem purely from “a judicial process” and not politics. Venezuela and defense lawyers claim otherwise. Chavez, who accuses the White House of backing a failed 2002 coup against him, calls the case “part of the U.S. empire’s plan” to smear him. Duran’s attorney, Edward Shohat, argues that the statute at play — acting, or conspiring to act, as a foreign agent without permission — has been used only when espionage or a threat to U.S. security was involved. “The U.S. has no security interest in this matter,” he says. “This case is political.”
If this does turn out to be a kind of Watergate for Chavez, it will have started under similarly clumsy circumstances. Antonini, 46, now claims the suitcase wasn’t his — that he was carrying it for another Venezuelan passenger on the Cessna Citation that landed in the wee hours of Aug. 4, 2007, at Buenos Aires’ Aeroparque Jorge Newberry — and that he wasn’t aware of its contents. But Maria del Lujan Telpuk, the agent who stopped Antonini inside Newberry’s VIP sector, says he became visibly nervous when she asked him to open the bag. “I had to insist,” says Telpuk, who recalls the dollar bills “literally spilling out” when Antonini unzipped it. (Telpuk, 28, has since parlayed her new fame and good looks onto the cover of the Argentine edition of Playboy magazine — holding a suitcase beneath the caption “Corruption Undressed.”)
One of the Cessna’s passengers claims that two days later Antonini joined them at a reception in the Casa Rosada. Argentine officials dispute that. Either way, Antonini returned home to Key Biscayne, Florida, scared enough to cooperate with FBI agents. For the next four months they monitored his meetings and calls with Duran, 40; Kauffman, 35, a Venezuelan partner of Duran’s in oil products and drilling equipment firms; Maionica, 36, a Venezuelan lawyer; Antonio Jose Canchica, 37, an agent of the Venezuelan intelligence service, DISIP; and Rodolfo Wanseele, 40, an Uruguayan and Canchica’s driver. Maionica and Kauffman face a maximum five years each in prison; Canchica is at large; and Duran and Wanseele, who have pleaded not guilty and are set to go on trial on Tuesday, face a maximum 10 years each.
Court documents allege Maionica confided he was “brought into the conspiracy by a high-level official of DISIP.” They say Kauffman and Duran — who own ritzy Florida homes, enjoy racing Ferraris and are part of what Venezuelans call the revolution’s “Boli-bourgeoisie” — issued thinly veiled threats. They warned that “foreign government authorities would pursue Antonini” if he talked, and that it was in his children’s best interest that he have “no problems” with Venezuela. At one cloak-and-dagger gathering, Canchica, using the name “Christian,” allegedly told Antonini that PDVSA (the Venezuelan oil corporation) and the Chavez government would make his legal problems vanish.
Mulvihill claims to have 41 audio recordings and eight videotapes to play at trial; and the Maionica and Kauffman guilty pleas suggest that evidence may be as potent as he suggests. Then again, Duran and Wanseele might be risking a trial partly because they know Mulvihill also charged Fidel Castro in the late 1980s with aiding Colombian drug traffickers, an accusation that was never proven. Either way, Chavez and the U.S. may both face more scrutiny this month than either bargained for.
Posted by FerFAL at 7:34 PM
Labels: Argentina, corruption, politics
http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2009/02/chavez-and-cash-filled-suitcase.html
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2009
Chávez and the Cash-Filled Suitcase
I dedicate this to the Argentine that just sent me a nasty comment. One that probably took him 30 minutes to write and I rejected in 0,5 seconds. I don’t “ruin” the reputation of our country, my friend. Our president, the one you seem to like so much, does that all by herself.
You think we fool anyone? you think the rest of the world is stupid? That they don’t know our president “cooks the books” and lies about crime and inflation rates? Just read the article below. They fool no one but themselves. It’s not only that they are corrupt. That’s bad enough but what pisses me beyond that is that they don’t care to hide it even a bit. They are sloppy in their corruption and make us look like the worst banana republic in South America. Suitcases full of money… why don’t they just pay her with cocaine shipments instead? Keep believing in our leaders my friend, don’t let those pink shades drop!;^)
FerFAL
Chávez and the Cash-Filled Suitcase
Sitting in a Florida steakhouse a year ago this month, millionaire Venezuelan oilman Frank Duran allegedly gave his friend Guido Antonini Wilson a dark warning. “A moment might come,” Duran said, “when nobody can save Antonini’s skin.”
Antonini, a Venezuelan businessman with U.S. citizenship, was indeed in a jam. A month earlier, he’d arrived in Buenos Aires on a chartered flight with Argentine energy officials and executives of Venezuela’s state-run oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). Argentine customs agents then caught him with a suitcase stuffed with $800,000 in cash. Antonini was allowed to return to the U.S. — but it seemed the entire hemisphere wanted to know if he’d been carrying the money for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as some sort of bribe for the Argentine government.
Today, however, it’s Duran whose legal skin that needs saving. Last December he and four other men, three Venezuelans and an Uruguayan, were charged in Miami with failing to register as foreign government agents. U.S. prosecutors say the men, at the behest of “high-level” Venezuelan government officials, cajoled and even threatened Antonini to keep mum about the real purpose of all that cash: an illegal contribution from Venezuela to the presidential campaign of then Argentine Senator and First Lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, a Chavez ally. One of the men, Moises Maionica, pleaded guilty in January; one is at large and another — Carlos Kauffman, a close Duran pal — pleaded guilty in March, leaving Duran all but alone to face trial in Miami that began this week.
Both backers and critics of Chavez say the radical left-wing Venezuelan President is tacitly on trial himself. It’s no secret that Chavez, who controls the hemisphere’s largest oil reserves, lavishes billions of dollars in foreign aid on allies to promote his anti-U.S. Bolivarian Revolution. Foes have long groused that his largesse can also be as shadowy as the covert U.S. operations Chavez accuses agencies like the CIA of perpetrating. They contend that he has funneled cash to leftist candidates in presidential races from Bolivia to Mexico, and that he has helped fund Marxist guerrillas like the FARC in Colombia. Chavez has just as adamantly denied those charges, as have his supposed beneficiaries.
It wasn’t until Antonini’s luggage was opened in 2007 — and until Colombian authorities claimed last spring that seized guerrilla laptops revealed Chavez payments of as much as $300 million to the FARC — that alleged evidence of Caracas’ covert dealings had ever surfaced. The top prosecutor on the Antonini case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Mulvihill, has said in hearings that conversations recorded by an FBI wire that Antonini wore prove the suitcase money “was meant for the campaign of Cristina [Fernandez].” And according to court documents filed this summer, Kauffman is expected to testify they were told by high-level Venezuelan officials that Chavez was personally involved in the alleged suitcase affair and its aftermath.
One question Chavez supporters ask is why Fernandez would even need his cash when she held a more than 20-point lead in voter polls leading up to last October’s election, which she won handily. When the campaign contribution allegation was made shortly after her inauguration, she took it as a Yanqui affront to her own government and angrily called the case a “garbage operation.” The Casa Rosada, the Argentine presidential palace, insists instead that the U.S. should extradite Antonini to Argentina.
Indeed, the acid relationship between Chavez and the U.S. has also thrown the Bush Administration’s motives into doubt. Thomas Shannon, U.S. assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs, has insisted the indictments stem purely from “a judicial process” and not politics. Venezuela and defense lawyers claim otherwise. Chavez, who accuses the White House of backing a failed 2002 coup against him, calls the case “part of the U.S. empire’s plan” to smear him. Duran’s attorney, Edward Shohat, argues that the statute at play — acting, or conspiring to act, as a foreign agent without permission — has been used only when espionage or a threat to U.S. security was involved. “The U.S. has no security interest in this matter,” he says. “This case is political.”
If this does turn out to be a kind of Watergate for Chavez, it will have started under similarly clumsy circumstances. Antonini, 46, now claims the suitcase wasn’t his — that he was carrying it for another Venezuelan passenger on the Cessna Citation that landed in the wee hours of Aug. 4, 2007, at Buenos Aires’ Aeroparque Jorge Newberry — and that he wasn’t aware of its contents. But Maria del Lujan Telpuk, the agent who stopped Antonini inside Newberry’s VIP sector, says he became visibly nervous when she asked him to open the bag. “I had to insist,” says Telpuk, who recalls the dollar bills “literally spilling out” when Antonini unzipped it. (Telpuk, 28, has since parlayed her new fame and good looks onto the cover of the Argentine edition of Playboy magazine — holding a suitcase beneath the caption “Corruption Undressed.”)
One of the Cessna’s passengers claims that two days later Antonini joined them at a reception in the Casa Rosada. Argentine officials dispute that. Either way, Antonini returned home to Key Biscayne, Florida, scared enough to cooperate with FBI agents. For the next four months they monitored his meetings and calls with Duran, 40; Kauffman, 35, a Venezuelan partner of Duran’s in oil products and drilling equipment firms; Maionica, 36, a Venezuelan lawyer; Antonio Jose Canchica, 37, an agent of the Venezuelan intelligence service, DISIP; and Rodolfo Wanseele, 40, an Uruguayan and Canchica’s driver. Maionica and Kauffman face a maximum five years each in prison; Canchica is at large; and Duran and Wanseele, who have pleaded not guilty and are set to go on trial on Tuesday, face a maximum 10 years each.
Court documents allege Maionica confided he was “brought into the conspiracy by a high-level official of DISIP.” They say Kauffman and Duran — who own ritzy Florida homes, enjoy racing Ferraris and are part of what Venezuelans call the revolution’s “Boli-bourgeoisie” — issued thinly veiled threats. They warned that “foreign government authorities would pursue Antonini” if he talked, and that it was in his children’s best interest that he have “no problems” with Venezuela. At one cloak-and-dagger gathering, Canchica, using the name “Christian,” allegedly told Antonini that PDVSA (the Venezuelan oil corporation) and the Chavez government would make his legal problems vanish.
Mulvihill claims to have 41 audio recordings and eight videotapes to play at trial; and the Maionica and Kauffman guilty pleas suggest that evidence may be as potent as he suggests. Then again, Duran and Wanseele might be risking a trial partly because they know Mulvihill also charged Fidel Castro in the late 1980s with aiding Colombian drug traffickers, an accusation that was never proven. Either way, Chavez and the U.S. may both face more scrutiny this month than either bargained for.
Posted by FerFAL at 7:34 PM
Labels: Argentina, corruption, politics
2. Change your mind. <<<
That one I have mastered.
LOL, I still one hat pin, but not a valuable one.
http://frugaldad.com/2009/02/15/checkup-on-2009-goals/
Checkup On 2009 Goals
Read More About: Motivation | View Comments(6)
2009 is now about 45 days old, so I thought I would put together a brief checkup on where I stand with my goals for 2009. To be brutally honest, I’m not doing that well.
Some of the early struggles have been influenced by outside events, and some is attributable to my just plain being lazy. For those who have been following for a while, you may remember that my mom suffered a life-threatening aneurysm and stroke last fall. She had a setback recently and is currently hospitalized. When things like that happen it makes tracking blogging income seem trivial, but in some ways it motivates me even more so that I can be there to help my mom when she needs it. That is what family is about, and that’s why I am thankful I started blogging when I did.
Goal One: Downsizing Our Home
We’ve decided to sit tight on this one, despite my desire to lessen the mortgage payment and cull some of our stuff. We are considering a way to accomplish both without moving by refinancing with a little money down, and having a massive spring cleaning over the next few weeks.
Whether or not we refinance depends on a number of factors including my mom’s health (we live very close now, and would be reluctant to move if she needs our help, long-term), our local economy (the money we would use to refi might be better off stashed away in our emergency fund), and things like school zoning and a few other minor considerations.
We will probably stay put through this summer and reevaluate this goal later in the year. However, we still plan to get rid of some of the stuff occupying our space and cluttering our lives. I’ve come to really enjoy giving things away and having yard sales, something I’m told terrifies a scrabooking wife with a small fortune invested over the years in various supplies! It’s okay honey, I promise not to toss anything scrapbook-related if you promise not to mess with my unsightly collection of scrap wood. After all, some things are simply “off limits!”
Goal Two: Wake Up At 4:30AM
Remember the part where I blamed laziness for failure to accomplish some of these major 2009 goals? This would be that goal. For a while I was consistently getting up around 4:30-5:00am. But over time my bedtime slid further back, the alarm clock seemed to ring earlier and earlier, and my bed felt cozier on these cold winter mornings.
I’ve been a night-owl my whole life - staying up late to finish a movie, or work on side hustles, or read a good book that I can’t put down. I seem to function better staying up later than I do getting up earlier, assuming the amount of sleep is the same.
So perhaps my new goal should read, “Go To Bed At 1:00am.” Sounds kind of strange, doesn’t it? The point is that I need a few hours of quiet house to write, and I can either do it late at night or early in the morning. I think I’ll stick with burning midnight oil for now, but maybe this summer I’ll try to switch back so I can workout in the morning and get in a little writing, too.
Goal Three: Double Blogging Goals From 2008
Of the three goals, this is probably the one I’ve made the most progress with, thanks in large part to all of you! I still have some work to do on the income side, but subscribers and traffic stats are increasing steadily.
Attract 7,000 subscribers: With close to 5,800 subscribers (depending on which day you visit), I’ve already added close to 1,000 subscribers this year. Of course, that pace will slow, but it is a good start.
Receive 250,000 page views per month: I finished the last couple months of 2008 averaging 125k page views per month. FrugalDad.com broke 150k page views in January (151,242 to be exact), and is on pace to come close to 150k in this short month of February.
Earn 100% of my regular, full-time earnings from blogging: Earnings were up slightly from 50% to 56% of my full-time income, so still plenty of work left to do here if I ever want to become a problogger.
I started a second blog, SideHustleBlogging.com, in an effort to diversify my earnings from blogs, and I received my first payment for an offline freelance article published in Acreage magazine. The article appears in this month’s edition, and is titled 25 Ways to Save Money in 2009. Hopefully this will lead to additional freelance opportunities, so I can diversify my side hustle earnings from writing in general, not just blogging.
I’m blessed to have this safety net from blogging, and hope that sharing some of my success along the way will encourage you to find your own side hustle. If I lost my full-time job for some reason, we could eat on my blogging earnings, but not much else at this point. Unfortunately, there are some folks out there that are looking for their next meal. I am reminded to be thankful that I do have a full-time job and a part time gig that pays relatively well.
Seeing the glass half full<<
Leads to sand in the ears.
Most optimists that I have met, needed to wake up and face all the facts.
I wonder how much money went to 0 from that creep Chavez. TAC <<<
That was going to be my question.
I knew about the suitcases of money.
I would like to know about the ones that we did not stop.
Income from blogging, is an interesting thought, again it comes from selling ads.
Yahoo and Google do it, why not the rest of the people getting in on it.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12309
Genetically Modfied Seeds: Monsanto is Putting Normal Seeds Out of Reach
by Linn Cohen-Cole
Global Research, February 14, 2009
People say if farmers don’t want problems from Monsanto, just don’t buy their
GMO seeds.
Not so simple. Where are farmers supposed to get normal seed these days? How
are they supposed to avoid contamination of their fields from GM-crops? How
are they supposed to stop Monsanto detectives from trespassing or Monsanto
from using helicopters to fly over spying on them?
continued.
http://affectioknit.blogspot.com/search/label/Crochet
Other uses for that cheap nylon net.
She cuts in one inch strips, crochets a circle to the size she wants and has a dish scrubber....cost she said 10 cents.
Exact instructions and photos at link.
I cut my net in about 14 inch strips and double them so they are 8 inches wide, then gather and tie in the middle and you have a pouf.
Either would work for scrubbing the body and getting rid of dead skin.
I like them for dishwashing, scrubs and cleans and does not mould or go sour.
I laughed, when they came out with a commercial version of the same bath pouf that I was making 30 years ago, and sell them for $2. and up.
granny
http://affectioknit.blogspot.com/search/label/Recipes
Almost Girl Scout Cookies - the Peanut Butter Kind
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Earth Balance, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 EnerG Egg Replacer Egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup quick cooking oats
FILLING
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 1/2 tablespoons coconut cream (just open a can of coconut milk without shaking it and dip off the cream on top),
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup Earth Balance, 1/2 cup peanut butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add egg replacer and beat well.
In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir. Add oatmeal and stir.
Drop by teaspoons onto greased baking sheet, and press each mound down the bottom of a glass to form 1/4 inch thick cookies - we also took a skewer and made a little hole in the middle of each one. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 minutes, or until cookies are a light brown.
To Make Filling: Cream 3 tablespoons Earth Balance with the confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, and the coconut cream. Spread filling onto half of the cooled cookies, then top with the other half to form sandwiches.
Warm Potato Salad
about 3 medium red potatoes - boiled with skins on
a handful of grape tomatoes
1/2 cup ranch dressing
I make one without tofu that we like a lot:
1 cup vegan mayonnaise - I make BRYANNA’S DELICIOUS LOW-FAT VEGGIENNAISE
2 T. soy milk
1 T. cider vinegar
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
A few twists of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 t. dried dill
2 t. dried chives
Just put everything in the blender and mix it up and pour that over the potatoes and tomatoes
Posted by affectioknit
.so we veganized it and I think it’s gluten free as well...
Paula Dean’s Vegan Monster Cookies
Ingredients
3 equivalent EnerG Eggs
2 1/4 cups turbinado sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup Earth Balance, softened
1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies - Koppers
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips - we make our own Homemade Vegan Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup raisins, optional
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
In a very large mixing bowl, combine the EnerG eggs and sugar. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and Earth Balance. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.
Posted by affectioknit
The Best Bread Machine Bread Recipe Ever
1 1/4 cup warm water in the pan of your bread machine
1 t. vinegar - I use apple cider vinegar but I’m sure white would work too
1 1/2 t. ground flax seed
1/2 t. salt
3 T. Sugar - I use turbinado but other sweetners should work as well
2 T. oil
3 Cups Bread Flour
1 t. active dry yeast
Place in the order called for by your machine - listed in the order I add them...
You can just see a few flecks of flaxseed...
After the final rise...
Fresh from the machine - the crust is so crispy and delicate...
And the best piece of the entire loaf is this first one cut from the top...
This bread is so soft - the texture is just perfect...
But probably the most important thing is that it’s still good the next day and the day after that...
Posted by affectioknit2
Best Ever Banana Bread
3/4 cup sugar
2 T canola oil
Egg Replacer to replace 2 eggs - I used Red Mill Egg Replacer 2 T in 1/3 cup of water.
1 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas - mine were frozen - whenever we have one that’s gone too ripe I just stick it in the freezer to use for bread.
1/3 cup water
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Heat oven to 350º. Grease bottom only of loaf pan. Sift together flour, soda, salt and baking powder. Mix sugar, egg replacer and oil until creamy. Add water and bananas and mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients until just blended. Pour into pan. Bake about 1 hour.
Posted by affectioknit2
Vegan Kielbasa
I’ve been fooling around with seitan again...
This is a try at vegan kielbasa - I looked at a couple of sausage recipes online and the only ingredients (besides the meat) were really just garlic and black pepper...
...so I whipped up a small batch of seitan - recipe below...
...wrapped each serving tightly in foil...
...and put them in my makeshift steamer - then I left for Tae Kwon Do and when I came back a little over an hour later...
...and pulled these steamy little goodies out of the oven - they smelled so good...
...and here after a short stint on the grill - served with a little ‘Bubble and Squeak’...
...So Good...
VEGAN KIELBASA
Dry ingredients:
1 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup soy flour
1 tbsp vegan bouillion
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp ground paprika
Wet ingredients:
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1 cup cool water
about 6 cloves of minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
Mix the dry ingredients together in one bowl and the wet ingredients together in another bowl and then mix them together - just until everything is incorporated.
Then I used a 1/4 cup measure to portion out the sausages - roughly shaped it into a log and then rolled it up tightly in a piece of foil.
I filled a pan with water and set the rack over it - put the sausages on the rack and covered the whole thing with foil - I baked mine in the toaster oven for a little over one hour at 350 F - but I’m sure you could use a proper steamer for this as well...
Posted by affectioknit2
Crockpot Apple Butter
I still have a couple of bags of dried apples to use up before the new apples begin to arrive - I remember a long time ago someone talking about making apple butter in their crockpot and I did a quick search for a recipe. I didn’t find any that specifically mentioned using dried apples - but once they’re reconstituted into applesauce - there’s really no difference. I’d post a link - but I didn’t really use any of the recipes - here’s what I did.
Crockpot Apple Butter
2 quart containers of dried apples
3 quarts water
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup sugar - more or less to taste
Cook on low about 12-14 hours.
The crockpot was almost full so you can see that it cooks down considerably...
I ran this through the blender - I wanted it to be just like the ‘White House’ apple butter I grew up with (which by the way is not available up here - there’s only one kind of apple butter up here and it costs about $3.65 for a little bitty jar)...
I got two pints for later and about a pint that I didn’t seal up for immediate use.
It was thick and rich and just a little bit tangy - the Man-Cub wanted it a little bit sweeter - but I didn’t add any more sugar...
Posted by affectioknit2
I borrowed the title from ‘Cooking Light’ - it’s the title for their quick and easy recipes at the back of the magazine.
This was certainly quick and easy - it’s just slightly adapted from the Joy of Cooking - (in that it has no chicken in it - we used ‘chick’ peas instead - oh fer funny!):
Joy of Cooking ‘Chick pea’ Cacciatore 4 servings
Cacciatore means “hunter’s style” in Italian - so a vegan version is needed...
Heat 3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat until shimmery and fragrant:
Add:
1 cup chopped onions
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried, crumbled
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon dried, crumbled
Cook stirring until the onions are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add:
1 large clove minced garlic
Cook about 30 seconds more being careful not to brown the garlic. Pour in:
1/2 cup dry red or white wine
Cook over medium-high heat until all the wine is evaporated. Add:
1 can whole tomatoes with juice, crushed with your hands
1 can chick peas drained and rinsed
3/4 cup water or vegetable broth
Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes. Add:
1/2 cup oil cured black olives
8 ounces of mushrooms sliced
Cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover the pan and boil the pan juices over high heat until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Posted by affectioknit2
Dilly Bread
I mentionned in a previous post (also over at http://www.vegancookalong.blogspot.com/) that I made a homemade dill bread for a tea...
This is really good - and I let the bread machine do the kneading and first rising - then I put it into a small loaf pan for the final rise and baking...
3/4 cup warm soymilk
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dill weed
1 Tablespoon vegan margarine
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 Tablespoon vital wheat gluten
Put all ingredients into your bread machine in the order called for. Select the dough setting - or if you want the bread machine to bake it just use whatever setting you normally use for a basic bread.
This bread is perfect for springtime sandwiches of Tofutti cream cheese and cucumber...
so good...
Posted by affectioknit2
Soooo, I needed some cookies and I thought ‘What would go with my “Constant Comment”® tea???’ “Constant Comment Cookies” of course...
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Combine and stir with a whisk.
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Earth Balance - or vegan margarine of your choice
Beat until light and fluffy.
Then add egg replacer equivalent to 1 egg - I used Red Mill.
Add 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of orange extract and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.
Then gradually add your flour mixture beating it in about 1/3 at a time.
Beat just until a soft dough forms - then form it into a log and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (you could probably do this a day ahead - and maybe even freeze it but I don’t know as I didn’t try it).
Preheat oven to 350°. Cut log into 4 equal portions - then working with one portion at a time (and keeping the others refrigerated - this is a soft dough) divide dough into 10 equal portions - roll into little balls and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Mix together on a small plate:
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Then dip the bottom of a flat glass first in water and then in the sugar mixture and flatten each little ball. Repeat with the other 3 portions of dough - Yield 40 cookies.
These were so good with tea - not too sweet and delicately flavored.
I updated the Recipes Link as well:
http://affectioknit.blogspot.com/2006/12/recipes-apple-jelly-blackberry-cobbler.html
Posted by affectioknit2
Just a note- that was a bit of anti-bioengineering propaganda from the "progressive" site GlobalResearch, just another in a long line of fronts for folks who don't wish us well.
The Centre for Research on Globalisation (CRG) is an independent research and media group of progressive writers, scholars and activists committed to curbing the tide of "globalisation" and "disarming" the US military agenda...
Indepenent my arse.
One look in a whois search on just the domain name and the site looks bogus with the fake registration info. that's not a good way to start out if a site wants credibility.
One visit to the actual site's pages and you have to wonder what they've been smoking; I hope you scrape your shoes after visiting because there's no telling what you might track back.
It appears to be an anarchist website in Montreal [the home of the same cell that brought forth the 1999 Millennium Plot, and I think also the home base of the anarchist Black Bloc?], but they may be more than just the usual antiprogress "progressives." At minimum they are lefties in full agreement with jihadists; at most perhaps fronts for jihadists, or perhaps unfriendly states. What's intriguing though, is that they say they launched their website on Sept 9, 2001. That also happens to be the same day as the assassination of Afghanistan's Massoud. Their domain name was registered/approved earlier, on May 28, 2001.
May 2001 was when ELF was acting up via a group called "The Family" -- they would be in full agreement with any screed against GM crops. They torched the University of Washington Center for Urban Horticulture in May.
That's also interesting since May was when the group IANA 's websites began posting screeds about massive suicide bombings and attacks on America's economic centers using planes.
May was when Qusay Hussein took over the reins of the Baathist Party, implying Iraq's future leadership was going to be hereditary. May was when the UK "oil for food perp" MP "Gorgeous George" Galloway scheduled a business conference on behalf of UK business execs in Iraq.
May 2001 was the month Castro went on his world tour to Syria, Libya, and Iran and was quted as saying quoted Castro as saying, "Iran and Cuba reached the conclusion that together they can tear down the United States." Castro, in an apocalyptic speech, told his Muslim audience in Iran: "America is weak. I have studied its weaknesses from very close by. I tell you, the imperialist king will finally fall." Chavez also toured the ME around that time, telling reporters that his talks with Saddam Hussein and heads of other oil-producing states involved the creation of a "new anti-imperialist axis" against Western industrialized economies.
There were many web domains with curious names registered prior to 9/11 which seemed to have foreknowledge of 9/11. There was also another website like that with similar propaganda as is found on globalresearch called "truthout" that was registered on September 10,2001; it was run by a guy named Will Pitt who just happens to advertise himself as a literary buddy of Scott Ritter the infamous UNSCOM inspector. The site also acted as a mouthpiece for the VIPs group of Ray McGovern that were involved in the Nigerflap/PlameName CIA leak. It was affiliated with a group called SEE [ Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs, which is in turn funded by Earthways Foundation] and I wouldn't be surprised if globalresearch is, too.
The globalresearch website apparently has some linkage to another site named uruknet, which used to be Saddam Hussein's regime's propaganda site; the extent of that link I don't know yet. Maybe just mutual admiration links, maybe more. It's been a while since I checked to see who owns that now. (Hussein didn't set aside a country domain for Iraq because he'd be expected to let the population in on it. Instead, the domain fell to a company in Richardson TX which has since been involved in the whole terror charity Holy Land thing.)
Globalresearch needs more checking into; but one thing it is not is a source for solid info.
I like this line the best:
We encourage our readers to cross-post and/or forward Global Research articles, submit them to internet discussion groups, send them to your friends on your e-mail lists, etc. This will help Global Research in its endeavors.
Ah yes, a lie will go all around the world before the truth can get its pants on.
A reminder of their endeavors:
curbing the tide of "globalisation" and "disarming" the US military agenda...
http://www.urbanchickens.net/2009/02/urban-chickens-and-sustainability.html
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Urban Chickens and sustainability
I caught a nice article on urban chickens and sustainability in the Sustainable Life section of the Lake Oswego Review (among other places).
Among the points made:
* chickens are a lot less expensive to feed than cats and dogs (I can attest to this, too)
* chickens are easier to take care of than cats and dogs (yup, I agree)
* chicken poop is a great fertilizer while dog poop can’t be used as fertilizer because it contains organisms capable of causing disease in people
* dogs generally need store-bought food whereas chickens will consume vegetable scraps and bugs.
Not surprised to see that Portland, Oregon has the highest urban chicken population in the country per capita:
“I think Portland is the perfect incubator for this sort of thing,” says Glenn Nardelli, who works at Pistils Nursery in North Portland and keeps three chickens behind his house in the nearby Overlook neighborhood. Pistils sells supplies for chicken farmers and holds workshops for people considering raising chickens. The workshops have been steadily growing in popularity.
“People are really sustainability-minded here,” Nardelli says.
But are urban chickens really sustainable?
They definitely are as producers of food, say West and others, because local production is a critical component of sustainability.
“In terms of egg harvesting, it doesn’t get any closer than walking out your back door,” Nardelli says. Not only do home-produced eggs mean Nardelli doesn’t have to expend gasoline on a trip to the supermarket, but the eggs don’t need to be trucked to the supermarket from a factory farm, where they likely would have been raised with hormones, antibiotics and pesticides.
Portland code allows city residents to keep up to three chickens without needing a permit. No roosters – with their morning wake-up calls – are allowed. But hens produce eggs without roosters.
So why is it a city like Portland can have so many urban chickens with so little uproar while smaller cities are struggling at the mere thought allowing a clucking hen in their city limits?
Food for thought on a rainy Sunday afternoon...
Genetically Modfied Seeds: Monsanto is Putting Normal Seeds Out of Reach by Linn<<<
First thank you for sharing what you know about the site, I did not know it and did know that there is a lot there that I do not read.
But the truth is Monsanto has messed with our seeds and loves to sue a farmer, even for their plants that are not in areas planted by the farmer, but may be bird droppings.
I was following several cases a few years ago, and do not use or eat their genetic engineered inventions.
Herb Oatmeal Potato Bread
1/2 c mashed potato
1 extra-large egg
4 tb butter or vegetable oil
3/4 c water
3/4 ts each: dried thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil
2 1/2 c unbleached white flour
1/2 c quick-cooking oats
1 ts salt
1 tb sugar
1 tb active dry yeast
2 tb sunflower seeds
Add all ingredients except sunflower seeds to the bread pan of your ABM
in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Set to Basic cycle. Add
sunflower seeds at the beep.
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