via The U.S. Is Tracking Migrant Girls’ Periods to Stop Them From Getting Abortions — Abortion – Abortion Clinics, Abortion Pill, Abortion Information

By Ralph Nader | April 4, 2019

To understand the enormity of the Boeing 737 Max 8 crashes (Lion Air 610 and Ethiopian Airlines 302) that took a combined total of 346 lives, it is useful to look at past events and anticipate future possible problems.

In 2011, Boeing executives wanted to start a “clean sheet” new narrow body air passenger plane to replace its old 737 design from the nineteen sixties. Shortly thereafter, Boeing’s bosses panicked when American Airlines put in a large order for the competitive Airbus A320neo.  Boeing shelved the new design and rushed to put out the 737 Max that, in Business Week’s words, was “pushing an ageing design past its limits.” The company raised the 737 Max landing gear and attached larger, slightly more fuel efficient engines angled higher and more forward on the wings. Such a configuration changed the aerodynamics and made the plane more prone to stall (see attached article: https://www.aviationcv.com/aviation-blog/2019/boeing-canceling-737-max).

This put Boeing’s management in a quandary. Their sales pitch to the airlines was that the 737 Max only received an “amended” certification from the FAA. That it did not have to be included in more pilot training, simulators, and detailed in the flight manuals. The airlines could save money and would be more likely to buy the Boeing 737 Max.

Boeing engineers were worried. They knew better. But the managers ordered software to address the stall problem without even telling the pilots or most of the airlines. Using only one operating sensor (Airbus A320neo has three sensors), an optional warning light and indicator, Boeing set the stage for misfiring sensors that overcame pilot efforts to control the planes from their nose-down death dive.

These fixes or patches would not have been used were the new 737’s aerodynamics the same as the previous 737 models. Step by step, Boeing’s criminal negligence, driven by a race to make profits, worsened. Before and after the fatal crashes, Boeing did not reveal, did not warn, did not train, and did not address the basic defective aerodynamic design. It gagged everyone that it could.  Boeing still insists that the 737 Max is safe and is building two a day, while pushing to end the grounding.

Reacting to all these documented derelictions, a flurry of investigations is underway. The Department of Transportation’s Inspector General, Calvin L. Scovel III, is investigating the hapless, captive FAA that has delegated to Boeing important FAA statutory and regulatory duties. The Justice Department and FBI have opened a criminal probe, with an active grand jury. The National Transportation Safety Board, long the hair shirt of the FAA, is investigating. As are two Senate and House Committees. Foreign governments are investigating, as surely are the giant insurance companies who are on the hook. This all sounds encouraging, but we’ve seen such initiatives pull back before.

This time, however, the outrageous corner-cutting and suppression of engineering dissent, within both Boeing and the FAA (there were reported “heated discussions”) produced a worst case scenario. So, Boeing is working overtime with its legions of Washington lobbyists, its New York P.R. firm, its continued campaign contributions to some 330 Members of Congress. The airlines and pilots’ union chiefs (but not some angry pilots) are staying mum, scared into silence due to contracts and jobs, waiting for the Boeing 737 Max planes to fly again.

BUT THE BOEING 737 MAX MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO FLY AGAIN. Pushing new software that will allow Boeing to blame the pilots is a dangerous maneuver. Saying that U.S. pilots, many of whom are ex-Air Force, are more experienced in reacting to a sudden wildly gyrating aircraft (consider the F-16 diving and swooping) than many foreign airline pilots only trained by civil aviation, opens a can of worms from cancellation of 737 Max orders  to indignation from foreign airlines and pilots. It also displays an aversion to human-factors engineering with a vast number of avoidable failure modes not properly envisioned by Boeing’s software patches […]

via Boeing’s Homicides Will Give Way to Safety Reforms if Flyers Organize

– Lisa Pease, quoting from the LAPD questioning of Sirhan

When Senator Robert Kennedy was assassinated on June 5, 1968, the American public fell into an hypnotic trance in which they have remained ever since. The overwhelming majority accepted what was presented by government authorities as an open and shut case that a young Palestinian American, Sirhan Sirhan, had murdered RFK because of his support for Israel, a false accusation whose ramifications echo down the years. That this was patently untrue and was contradicted by overwhelming evidence made no difference.

Sirhan did not kill Robert Kennedy, yet he remains in jail to this very day. Robert Kennedy, Jr., who was 14 years old at the time of his father’s death, has visited Sirhan in prison, claims he is innocent, and believes there was another gunman. Paul Schrade, an aide to the senator and the first person shot that night, also says Sirhan didn’t do it. Both have plenty of evidence. And they are not alone.

There is a vast body of documented evidence to prove this, an indisputably logical case marshaled by serious writers and researchers. Lisa Pease is the latest. It is a reason why a group of 60 prominent Americans has recently called for a reopening of, not just this case, but those of JFK, MLK, and Malcom X. The blood of these men cries out for the revelation of the truth that the United States national security state and its media accomplices have fought so mightily to keep hidden for so many years […]

 

via The CIA Takeover of America in the 1960s Is the Story of Our Times

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum.

Author: Sebastian Ko, Co-founder/COO, DHB Global

One person’s trash can be another’s treasure, as the saying goes. And now one of the fashion industry’s fastest-growing sectors is helping prove that point.

The secondhand clothes market in the United States has grown 21 times faster than retail sales of new clothing over the past three years. It’s currently worth in the region of $24 billion and is expected to reach $51 billion by the middle of the next decade.

For many, buying secondhand clothes used to have a stigma attached: you shopped in charity shops and thrift stores when you had no alternative. Not any more. The resale market for secondhand fashion is a runaway success and it seems everyone is getting in on the act.

Phenomenal growth

According to Neil Saunders, GlobalData Managing Director & Lead Market Analyst for fashion resale website thredUP’s 2019 Resale Report: “Compared to the overall apparel market, resale’s growth has been phenomenal. As the market uniquely meets consumers’ preference for variety, value, and sustainability, we expect the high growth to continue.”

ThredUP’s research found that at all price levels in the sector a consistent proportion of shoppers are buying secondhand. At the luxury retail end, 26% also buy resale items. In the mid-market, it stands at 25% and 22% at the discount end.

Millennials are the most likely age group to embrace the trend, closely followed by boomers – with 33% and 31% respectively buying secondhand. The generation stuck between those two, Gen X, is a long way behind at 20%, with Gen Z, the new kids on the block, at 16%.

But it’s the Gen Z crowd where most growth is expected. One in three people aged 18-24 are forecast to buy secondhand items this year, making them the resale world’s biggest fans.

Online revolution

The growing interest in secondhand has been driven by a combination of things. One is technology, with online marketplaces allowing people to buy and sell pre-owned goods, including clothes. A new niche of micro-retailers has sprung up, dealing exclusively on the internet, and not just selling items they own, but buying in stock from other sources too: eBay, Houzz and Etsy are some of the better-known examples.

The rise of the conscious consumer is another major factor. Environmentalism has gone mainstream, informing people’s attitudes to the food they eat, how they travel and now the clothes they wear too.

ThredUP found 72% of consumers are more likely to buy from environmentally friendly sources. But while eco-fashion can come at a price – one of Stella McCartney’s recycled nylon tote bags will set you back almost $590 – the secondhand sector is offering a wider audience the chance to get involved.

If an item of clothing – or a bag or a pair of shoes – is kept in use and in circulation, the demand for new sales falls. The fashion industry’s raw materials consume vast amounts of resources and leave behind huge levels of pollution and emissions – around 20% of the world’s wastewater comes from the fashion industry. It is also expected to be responsible for 25% of the global carbon budget by 2050.

Retail evolution

For the retail industry, the booming secondhand sector is the latest in a run of recent challenges. The number of vacant stores in US shopping malls now stands at an eight-year high, with high-profile brands like Gap and Victoria’s Secret closing stores this year as the so-called retail apocalypse bites deep [.  .  .]

via How the United States is falling in love with secondhand clothes — The European Sting – Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology – europeansting.com

From telesurenglish.net, April 2:

“Ecuador says Assange doesn’t have the right to “hack private accounts or phones” nor intervene in the foreign politics.

Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno argued Tuesday that WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, has “repeatedly violated” the terms of his asylum in the country’s London embassy and that he will “make a decision in the short term.”

Moreno contends that Assange had hacked the contents of his iPhone (Whatsapp, Telegram) & Gmail and were then published online, now fondly known as the #INA papers, descriptions of which corruption scandal telesur had reported on March 31:

“Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno who is facing a corruption probe brought forward by an opposition lawmaker, relating to an offshore company in a case of illicit enrichment.

Lawmaker Ronny Aleaga told reporters that he received a dossier anonymously filled with documents that will implicate Lenin Moreno and his family in alleged crimes of corruption, perjury and money laundering.

The documents are known as the “INA Papers” that links Moreno and the Chinese company Sinohydro that built the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric dam, which, according to the lawmaker, deposited US$18 million in the offshore company Recorsa.

Recorsa is linked to Ecuadorean businessman Conto Patiño Martinez who transferred money to more than 10 ghost companies in Panama including INA Investments Corp, whose real owner is  Edwin Moreno Garces, brother of President Lenin Moreno, according to the leaked documents.”, and so on.

“However, Wikileaks’ website or social media accounts never published press releases or images of President Lenin Moreno’s private life. The page issued a single tweet on March 25, 2019, which reported that a “corruption investigation opened against Ecuador’s President Moreno after purported leaked contents of his iPhone (Whatsapp, Telegram) and Gmail were published. New York Times reported that Moreno tried to sell Assange to the U.S. for debt relief.”

“A United Nations Special Rapporteur on Privacy is due to visit Assange on Wednesday to investigate Ecuador’s spying on the activist. Ecuador filed a complaint with the rapporteur Monday denouncing WikiLeaks and others for reporting on the INA Papers offshore scandal engulfing its president.”

Oscar Grenfell at wsws.org adds a few things to the BS threats story today:

“If he leaves the building, or is expelled from it, Assange will be arrested by British authorities on trumped-up bail charges. Assange would likely face extradition to the US over concocted espionage or conspiracy charges, carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment or the death penalty, for his role in WikiLeaks’ exposure of war crimes, illegal diplomatic intrigues and mass surveillance […]

via Ecuadorian Prez Moreno threatens Assange for violating ‘asylum terms’ — café babylon

Country could be saved if Russian, Chinese military protect their investments, says analyst

Source: Zero Hedge –Posted By: R Murray Nworeport

It doesn’t appear last Friday’s strong warning from national security adviser John Bolton for countries “external to the Western Hemisphere” to keep their militaries out of Venezuela had the intended effect.

Bolton’s and other White House statements saying “Russia has to get out” came following Russian Air Force planes landing in Caracas with about 100 troops, which the Kremlin said were there as “specialists” servicing existing defense equipment contracts.

And now according to Al-Masdar News, citing defense analyst photographs and local reports, “more than 120 soldiers from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army arrived at Venezuela’s Margarita Island to deliver humanitarian and military supplies to the government forces.”

The military flight appears to have touched down on Sunday, two days after a prior Chinese cargo plane delivered 65 tons of medicine and other aid to Venezuela. The Chinese troops are also there ostensibly to assist with the humanitarian mission, but it appears Beijing is also now alongside the Russians pushing back against Washington ultimatums to stay out of Venezuela, after repeatedly condemning any external coup plotting against President Nicolas Maduro.

“We strongly caution actors external to the Western Hemisphere against deploying military assets to Venezuela, or elsewhere in the Hemisphere, with the intent of establishing or expanding military operations,” Bolton had warned in his statement […]

via China Sends Troops to Venezuela Despite US Warnings — Nwo Report

https://www.emperorcbd.com/walgreens-and-cvs-join-the-cannabis-race/

by emperorcbd | Mar 30, 2019

Cannabidiol (CBD) has become the new hot product everyone’s talking about. Much like marijuana, you can use CBD to de-stress, reduce inflammation, or treat seizures without getting drowsy, hungry, or having the perception of time slowing down. In other words, consuming CBD won’t get you high.

CBD is extracted from the industrial hemp plant and is therefore considered part of the cannabis family. In 2018, congress passed the Farm Bill which legalized the production of hemp derived CBD. However, not all CBD is legal. Only those products compliant with the Farm Bill and approved by the FDA are considered legal by the federal government.

Nevertheless, the Farm Bill was seen as a huge win by the cannabis industry; a huge win that did not go unnoticed.

Competition has emerged from all corners of the globe. So much so, that the industry is expected to reach $22 billion by 2022. It was only a matter of time before well-known retail stores such as CVS and Wal Greens rushed to grab a piece of the pie.

Walgreens Wants In

WalGreens has announced its plans to sell CBD in almost 1500 of its stores throughout the US. As of now, they plan on selling CBD patches, creams, and sprays. However, the brand for these products has not been specified.

Due to the various state regulations regarding CBD, Walgreens will only sell CBD in nine states:

• New Mexico
• Colorado
• Vermont
• South Carolina
• Oregon
• Illinois
• Tennessee
• Indiana
• Kentucky

Walgreens spokesperson Brian Faith shared with CNBC the reason for introducing CBD in their stores is to increase the accessibility of health and wellbeing products to better meet customer demand.

However, with the recent stocking of CBD products on CVS shelves in early March, we highly doubt meeting customer demand was the only reason Walgreens announced it would sell CBD.

CVS Takes a Leap of Faith

CVS is leading the charge for retail pharmacies by selling CBD. The giant chain store has introduced CBD salves, lotions, spray roll-ons, and creams to its line of products in a strategic move to capture a portion of the growing industry.

At the time of writing, CVS sells CBD in:

• California
• Illinois
• Alabama
• Kentucky
• Colorado
• Indiana
• Maryland
• Tennessee

Due to the FDA’s regulations, CVS has stated that it’s not selling any CBD food additives or supplements. Rather, they claimed to have partnered with CBD manufacturers that are complaint with the Farm Bill to deliver only high quality products to customers [. . .]

via Walgreens & CVS Join the Cannabis Race — Madison Area Lyme Support Group

Measles Outbreak and Federal Mandates

Statement on Federal Vaccine Mandates

To: Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, House Energy and Commerce Committee Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Re: Statement federal vaccine mandates Feb. 26, 2019

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) strongly opposes federal interference in medical decisions, including mandated vaccines.

After being fully informed of the risks and benefits of a medical procedure, patients have the right to reject or accept that procedure. The regulation of medical practice is a state function, not a federal one. Governmental preemption of patients’ or parents’ decisions about accepting drugs or other medical interventions is a serious intrusion into individual liberty, autonomy, and parental decisions about child-rearing.

A public health threat is the rationale for the policy on mandatory vaccines. But how much of a threat is required to justify forcing people to accept government-imposed risks? Regulators may intervene to protect the public against a one-in-one million risk of a threat such as cancer from an involuntary exposure to a toxin, or-one-in 100,000 risk from a voluntary (e.g. occupational) exposure. What is the risk of death, cancer, or crippling complication from a vaccine? There are no rigorous safety studies of sufficient power to rule out a much higher risk of complications, even one in 10,000, for vaccines. Such studies would require an adequate number of subjects, a long duration (years, not days), an unvaccinated control group (“placebo” must be truly inactive such as saline, not the adjuvant or everything-but-the-intended-antigen), and consideration of all adverse health events (including neurodevelopment disorders).

Vaccines are necessarily risky, as recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court and by Congress. The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has paid some $4 billion in damages, and high hurdles must be surmounted to collect compensation. The damage may be so devastating that most people would prefer restored function to a multimillion-dollar damage award.

The smallpox vaccine is so dangerous that you can’t get it now, despite the weaponization of smallpox. Rabies vaccine is given only after a suspected exposure or to high-risk persons such as veterinarians. The whole-cell pertussis vaccine was withdrawn from the U.S. market, a decade later than from the Japanese market, because of reports of severe permanent brain damage. The acellular vaccine that replaced it is evidently safer, though somewhat less effective [. . .]

via Association of American Physicians and Surgeons Statement on Federal Vaccine Mandates — Madison Area Lyme Support Group

Sputnik – March 29, 2019

Although Berlin has sided with the US and recognised self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido, it is keeping Otto Gebauer, whom he picked to represent Venezuela in Germany, in limbo and has not granted the representative key diplomatic status. Spain, above all, has reportedly urged fellow EU member states not to recognise him.

Although Otto Gebauer, sent to Germany by self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela Juan Guaido as his emissary, was received in Berlin, the German government does not plan to accredit him, as the newspaper Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung reports, citing the Foreign Ministry’s response to a request by the left-wing party Die Linke.

According to it, the German government first received Gebauer as “personal representative of Interim President Guaido” on 13 March 2019 to hold talks with him, but “further steps are not planned”. The outlet also reports that, above all, Spain has called on other EU member states not to grant Guaido’s representatives any diplomatic status or corresponding privileges.

Since a political crisis broke out in Venezuela in late January, when parliamentary opposition leader Guaido, backed by the US, declared himself the interim president of Venezuela after disputing President Nicolas Maduro’s re-election last May, Germany recognised him as a transitional head of state. Around 50 states, encouraged by the US, did the same. However, the constitutionally elected head of state Nicolas Maduro, supported by Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia, Turkey and a number of other countries, continues to hold power and refuses to step down, accusing Washington of trying to orchestrate a coup in order to install Guaido as a puppet leader.

This has led to a paradoxical situation in Germany, leaving it with two Venezuelan emissaries in Berlin but not being able to hold official talks with both of them.

Die Linke praised the decision to restrain from recognising Gebauer as ambassador. Lawmaker from the German parliamentary foreign affairs committee Heike Haensel pointed out that “dispatching of new representatives for Venezuela is based on the recognition of self-appointed President Juan Guaido in violation of international law”, according to the conclusion of the Bundestag’s probe.

“This proves the absurdity of Germany’s Venezuela policy. Recognising Guaido was manoeuvered outside the bounds of international law and this rows it back again”, she said.

Apart from this diplomatic collision, Otto Gebauer has a debatable profile for a diplomat as he was involved in a 2002 coup attempt against President Hugo Chavez, who passed away several years ago. He was a member of the commando unit that held Chavez prisoner and served six years in prison for it.

The legitimacy of interim president Guiado himself is being challenged now as under Venezuelan law his maximum term is limited to a 30-day period. It expired in February while new elections have not yet been announced.

via German Government Refuses to Recognise Guaido’s Envoy as Ambassador