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January 2, 2015

Genetically Modified Foods could kill you but the culprits have "friends" in high places

There appears to be no question about the fact that the modified crops are designed to “handle” large doses of herbicide.

 Therefore it would only follow the GMO farmers are spraying their crops with more poison to fight off bugs, and the residue of these poisons can follow the food to the market and to your table.

 It’s possible we are all being slowly poisoned by crops that absorb sprayed poisons and may be eaten raw as a vegetable or even survive some cooking methods. One person, a laymen who has studied genetically modified foods a great deal says genetically modified corn causes colon and gastrointestinal problems because the corn sticks to the inside of the body.

One of the major concerns with genetically modified food is the eventual control of the food chain by a company such as Monsanto, who patents every seed modification they make. The implications of this are complex but sobering.

If Monsanto owns the rights to all seeds being planted, then no one can buy, use or plant any seeds without Monsanto’s express consent. The future failure of an entire seed chain could drastically reduce the availability of food and cause even more starvation in underdeveloped countries. There are even a group of conspiracy theorists who think a company like Monsanto could be used to severely limit food supply, resulting in the “culling” of millions of people worldwide.

I am not sure I buy in to this theory but with all that is going on in the world today, my mind is not closed to the “unbelievable” any more. It could even become illegal to use, plant, germinate, grow any seed that is not patented by a company such as Monsanto.

Their lawyer czars may have fashioned legislation that argues any seed not theirs could harm the seed or food chain, could contaminate it and therefore it should be illegal. Now, that may sound a little paranoid but you should pay attention to developments.

Washington and EU  lobbyists have huge capabilities. Regardless of whether modified food is harmful or could turn out to be harmful,  People have a right to know which foods are modified. Is that asking to much? We are supposed to be able to make free choices in this world, and the selection of which foods we eat is one of the most important.

Genetically modified foods are still to new for scientists to provide conclusive evidence of harm to humans. However, there are strong indications and factors that cause many scientists to believe some genetically modified food causes health problems in humans, including cancer.

Genetically modified food leaves a larger footprint in it’s aftermath, meaning the residue, the traces of it stay around in the body long after non-modified food is completely left the body. While genetically modified food must be labelled as such in Europe,

The US Food and Drug Administration in the United States not only does not require labeling, it does not require companies to even provide a list of their modified food, or to announce or send out notice there is a new modified food on the market. The Deputy Commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is Michael Taylor.

In the 1980’s Taylor was a lawyer for Monsanto and developed their food and drug defense against the government and any others who would question their practices.

For additional Information on GMO click here

The Netherlands: Finding a new job heads up list of Dutch New Year resolutions

Finding a new job is a new entrant in the top five Dutch New Year resolutions, according to research by financial services group ING. Losing weight remains top of the list with 13%, followed by less stress (9%) and doing more sport (7%). Finding a new job is in equal fourth place with taking more exercise – both on 5%.

However, despite the good intentions, just one in four people manage to keep their resolutions for an entire year. In addition, 22% of the 1,300 plus people polled by ING don’t make any New Year resolutions at all.

Almere-Digest
Finding a new job is a new entrant in the top five Dutch New Year resolutions, according to research by financial services group ING. Losing weight remains top of the list with 13%, followed by less stress (9%) and doing more sport (7%). Finding a new job is in equal fourth place with taking more exercise – both on 5%.

Read more at DutchNews.nl: Finding a new job enters Dutch New Year resolution list http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/12/finding-a-new-job-is-new-in-top-dutch-new-year-resolution-list.php/

Corporate Global Control: The Illusion Of Choice: These 10 Companies Are Responsible For Virtually Everything Around You

A chart via Reddit shows how ten huge corporations control the production of almost everything the average person buys, from food to clothes to hygienic products.

$84 billion-company Proctor & Gamble is the largest advertiser in the U.S. and owns enough brands to serve 4.8 million people around the world, according to LinkedIn.

Nestle is famous for its chocolate, but the $200 billion-corporation is also the biggest food company in the world. It also owns L’Oreal, Gerber, Diesel and even pet food makers Purina and Friskies.
Serving two billion people around the world is renowned soap-maker Unilever, which can attribute the majority of its success to its ownership of Q-tips and Skippy peanut butter.

For the complete report click here: The Illusion Of Choice: These 10 Companies Are Responsible For Virtually Everything Around You

December 30, 2014

EU-US Trade Talks And NSA Spying: Britain and Sweden block crucial espionage talks between US and Europe - by Ian Traynor

NSA surveillance scanda
The first talks to soothe transatlantic tensions to be restricted to data privacy and Prism program after Britain and Sweden's veto 

Britain has blocked the first crucial talks on intelligence and espionage between European officials and their American counterparts since the NSA surveillance scandal erupted.

The talks, due to begin in Washington on Monday, will now be restricted to issues of data privacy and the NSA's Prism programme following a tense 24 hours of negotiations in Brussels between national EU ambassadors. Britain, supported only by Sweden, vetoed plans to launch two "working groups" on the espionage debacle with the Americans.

Instead, the talks will consist of one working group focused on the NSA's Prism programme, which has been capturing and storing vast amounts of internet and mobile phone metadata in Europe.

The disclosures in the Guardian over the past month have triggered a transatlantic crisis of confidence and threatened to derail crucial free trade talks between the EU and the US, also due to be launched in Washington on Monday.

The talks on Prism and data privacy have been arranged to coincide with the trade talks in an attempt to defuse the transatlantic tension. EU diplomats and officials say the offer of talks by the Americans is designed to enable the leaders of Germany and France to save face following revelations about the scale of US espionage – particularly in Germany, but also of French and other European embassies and missions in the US.

Other aspects of the dispute, such as more traditional spying and intelligence matters, will be off limits for the Europeans after Britain insisted the EU had no authority to discuss issues of national security and intelligence.

"It was decided. It finished successfully," said Dalia GrybauskaitÄ—, the president of Lithuania, which has just assumed the EU's six-month rotating presidency and which mediated the sensitive talks in Brussels over the past two days  

Note: Several members of the EU-Parliament have said in relation to the above that the EU-Commission is showing "no balls" when it comes to confronting the Americans about their spying activities on European Citizens. As one parliamentarian noted: "who needs enemies when you have friends like this".

Read more: NSA leaks: UK blocks crucial espionage talks between US and Europe | World news | The Guardian

December 26, 2014

The Netherlands: World Trade Center Almere Business Club Kicks off 2015 with breakfast update on Dutch Economy

WTC Almere
The World Trade Center in Almere kicks-off its Business Club activities for 2015 with a breakfast on January 7, 2015 at 7.30 am

During the breakfast Arthur Bouvy, director corporate and private operations of the Rabobank in Almere, will give his vision and economic forecast on the Netherlands business and financial environment for 2015. .

The Almere World Trade Center is located just opposite the Almere Central train station.

For additional details about this event click on the link below..

Read more: New Years Breakfast Kick off 2015 | WTC Almere

December 24, 2014

Holidays and Christmas: Which European countries get the most time off over Christmas? - by George Arnett

Europe is a varied continent with plenty of different Europe has at least one statutory day off in the period between 15 December and 15 January. This includes the majority Islamic countries such as Turkey.

Who gets the most though?

The majority of countries in Europe are Christian, whether that is Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox and bearing that in mind there are four key dates to look for:
  1. 25 December - Catholic/Protestant Christmas Day, which is the purported anniversary of the birth of Christ
  2. New Year’s Day - in terms of the Gregorian calendar, which every single country gets as a holiday
  3. 6 January - Epiphany, when Jesus was supposed to have appeared to the Magi (or three wise men)
  4. 7 January - Russian Orthodox Christmas Day
Around that there are several eves and and saints’ days but those four are the bedrock of the holiday season. There are secular days too, usually related to revolutions or new declarations of statehood that happened to fall in this time of year.

Russia, the home of the eastern Orthodox church, has the most days off over the Christmas period of any European country. Every day between New Year and the day after Russian Orthodox Christmas is a holiday, giving them eight off in total.

Read more: Which European countries get the most time off over Christmas? | News | The Guardian

Christmas - the reason for the season: Muslim, Jew And Christian On What Jesus Means To Them - by Antonia Blumberg

Jesus plays a distinct role in each of the Abrahamic faiths. This time of year, when Christians celebrate Christ's nativity, his significance in faith traditions across the world is particularly potent.

Rabbi Jason Miller, Imam Shamsi Ali and Fr. James Martin joined HuffPost Live host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani to discuss what Jesus means to them.

"As a Muslim I do believe that Jesus Christ is one of the mighty prophets of God," Ali said. "In the Quran, he reminded the Muslims that 'Worship God and obey me' means that if you want to worship God then follow me in worshiping the almighty one, the almighty God."

Ali noted that the one place where Christians and Muslims disagree is over the divinity of Jesus, as Muslims believe Jesus to be among five mighty prophets from God.

In Judaism, Miller noted, devotees typically do not "believe in" Jesus as the messiah but rather see him as historical figure who offered certain wise teachings that resonate for Jews. Miller added that Jews do feel utmost respect for "our Christian brothers and sisters" to whom Jesus' divinity is a central teaching.

Read more: A Muslim, Jew And Christian On What Jesus Means To Them