Officials to Emit Seismic Tests Near California Nuclear Plant

Officials Mull Seismic Tests Near California Nuke Plant

September 30, 2012

AP - Plans to use an array of powerful air cannons in an undersea seismic study near a Central California nuclear power plant have federal and state officials juggling concerns over marine life with public safety.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. wants to use big air guns to emit strong sound waves into a large, near-shore area that includes parts of marine reserves to make three-dimensional maps of fault zones, some of which were discovered in 2008, near its Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.

But a state study, mandated by AB1632, signed into law in 2006, found the project is likely to have "unavoidable adverse effects" on marine life and the environment. Biologists, environmental groups and fishermen have opposed using the high-energy air guns, saying the blasts have potential to harm endangered whales, California sea otters and other creatures frequenting these waters.

"I am very concerned about impacts to marine mammals, especially some of the large whales including blue, fin, and humpback whales," said John Calambokidis, an Olympia, Wash.-based marine biologist who has studied Pacific Ocean whales for decades. "There are many uncertainties on the impact of this type of operation on whales, especially since we have not seen this type of large air gun survey off California for a long time."

The $64 million, ratepayer-funded effort to understand seismic threats to the plant has intensified since the disastrous 2011 Tohoku quake and tsunami, which disabled reactors at Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. Quake experts were surprised by the 9.0-magnitude quake on a fault that scientists did not believe would produce a quake stronger than 8.0.

Although the Japan disaster demonstrated that predicting the strength of a quake on a given fault is an inexact science, PG&E wants to know if the newly discovered faults near San Luis Obispo are connected to existing ones that have already been studied. Seismologists typically use a fault's length to estimate the maximum possible earthquake it can produce.

"People need to understand, we're living in the world post-Fukushima, so we need to go back and review everything we think we know about the seismic threat situation around important structures like this power plant," said Bruce Gibson, a former seismologist who now serves as a San Luis Obispo County supervisor.

"Unfortunately, from an environmental impact standpoint, the only real way to get the images is to put high energy sound into the earth."

If the project gains approval from myriad agencies, scientists would tow up to 18 air guns behind a boat and blast loud sound into the water over a 530-square-nautical-mile area. Hundreds of sensors would be placed strategically on the seafloor, picking up the reverberations and allowing computers to create three-dimensional maps in technology similar to an ultrasound.

The air guns and sensors would be dragged through an area that includes two state marine protected areas — Cambria and White Rock — and is adjacent to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Dozens of endangered and threatened species use these waters.

A similar seismic survey is being planned near the state's other nuclear plant at San Onofre, in San Diego County to the south.

A State Lands Commission environmental impact study found on Aug. 20 there would be "unavoidable impacts" to marine life in the area during the San Luis Obispo testing.

But the commission also concluded the "benefit of the project outweighs the unavoidable adverse impacts," said Jennifer DeLeon, a senior environmental scientist at the commission.

While similar high energy seismic surveys have been done on the Pacific Coast — most recently off Washington — PG&E said monitors there did not observe harm to whales or other marine mammals.
The powerful cannons used in these projects can be fatal to animals that stray too close to them. Also, biologists said the loud noises could drive migrating whales and their calves apart, and that mortally wounded whales often sink in the ocean, so it is difficult to see how the tests affect the creatures.

Efforts to mitigate such impacts will reduce, but not eliminate, harm to animals, according to the company and earth scientists.

"The sound source for the PG&E imaging project is a type that has been used for several decades by scientists and industry," Donna Blackman, a geophysicist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, said in an email. "Known cases of possible impacts on marine mammals are very few. An integral part of using this type of system is to have continuous monitoring for whales within close range of the ship."

PG&E said it is spending $8 million on monitoring for the project, said Mark Krausse, a PG&E director.

"If the ship is coming within 1.1 mile of any mammal, not just a marine or listed, but any mammal, we have to shut down," Krausse told the California Fish and Game Commission on Monday.

PG&E wanted to start work Nov. 1 and continue through Dec. 31 — a time window believed to have lower whale traffic off the Central Coast. But the company has asked for an extension of its hearing before the California Coastal Commission, and other agencies are not expected to approve testing permits by then.

Major environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council oppose the plan, saying adequate seismic research already has been done, and that too little is understood about potential long-term impacts of the air guns on the marine environment.

"The marine protected areas were created (so) marine wildlife could thrive without human interference," said Amanda Wallner of Sierra Club California. "We share concern over earthquake risk at Diablo Canyon. However, we don't believe this is the best way or the only way to determine seismic risks."

Related: 

Most U.S. nuclear plants are on an ocean or one of the Great Lakes or have closed-loop cooling systems that don’t rely as much upon water from nearby rivers or lakes.

Many of the nuclear power plants in the United States are located near dangerous earthquake zones

There are 104 nuclear plants in the United States, and fifteen of them are located in what is known as the New Madrid Seismic Zone, a region defined by a fault line of the same name.

Source

Video: Attack on Iran Close?

Netanyahu's Iran Cartoon Bomb Timed to Make Big Impact

September 28, 2012

Reuters - The "Bibi bomb" was born of days of discussions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a brain trust of close advisers on how to make a powerful impact in yet another speech on Iran's nuclear program.

"The diagram made his address special," a senior official in Netanyahu's entourage said on Friday about the cartoonish drawing of a bomb the Israeli leader, who is nicknamed "Bibi," used at the U.N. General Assembly as a prop to illustrate what he sees as Iran's drive for an atomic weapon.

It may have raised a titter on Twitter, where the New Yorker magazine quipped, "if Wile E. Coyote ever gets hold of this, the Roadrunner is toast." But the graphic got what Israel was hoping for - attention.

Such a Looney Tunes analogy would not have been lost on Netanyahu, who was educated in the United States, and at least one of his top advisers, Ron Dermer, who was born there and immigrated to Israel.

But on the world stage at the U.N. General Assembly, Netanyahu took out a marker and dramatically drew a red line just below a label reading "final stage" to a bomb, in which Iran would be 90 percent along the path to having sufficient weapons-grade material.

"I tried to say something yesterday that I think reverberates now around the world," Netanyahu said at a meeting on Friday with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Iran denies allegations by Israel, widely believed to be the Middle East's only nuclear power, that it is enriching uranium in order to build a weapon.

PC Rental Companies Spied on Customers in Their Homes and Captured Consumers’ Private E-mails, Bank Account Information, Medical Records and Social Security Numbers

Rented Computers Captured Customers Having Sex, F.T.C. Says

September 26, 2012

NY Times - If you rented a computer, you probably should not have been blogging without your shirt on.

On Tuesday, seven computer rental companies agreed to a settlement with the federal government after it was discovered that they were unlawfully capturing photos of customers by using illicit software that controlled a computer’s webcam.

The Federal Trade Commission said the seven companies involved had worked with DesignerWare, a Pennsylvania-based software maker, to create a program that secretly captured “webcam pictures of children, partially undressed individuals, and intimate activities at home.” This included people who while engaging in sexual activities in their homes were being recorded on their rental computers.

The webcam software, called PC Rental Agent, had been installed on approximately 420,000 computers worldwide, according to the F.T.C., and as of August 2011 it was being used by approximately 1,617 rent-to-own stores in the United States, Canada and Australia.

In a news release issued by the F.T.C., Jon Leibowitz, the agency’s chairman, said the software had also captured consumers’ private e-mails, bank account information and medical records. In some instances the software was able to capture Social Security numbers, medical records and doctor’s names. Most disturbing, the webcam captured pictures of children.

The reality that nearly half a million people were so intensely spied upon without their knowledge highlighted what some say is a need for more oversight by government officials for people who do not own their own computers. Lisa Madigan, the Illinois attorney general, said:

“There is no justification for spying on customers. These tactics are offensive invasions of personal privacy.”

The settlement agreed upon by the F.T.C. will ban the rent-to-own companies from using monitoring software of any kind and prohibit the companies from tracking a user’s location without that person’s knowledge or consent. All of the stores involved are also prohibited from using any of the information collected from the computers to collect outstanding debts. The companies will also be monitored by the F.T.C. for the next 20 years.

The companies involved in the settlement include: Aspen Way Enterprises; the Watershed Development Corporation, which operates under the names Watershed and Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership; Showplace Rent-to-Own; J.A.G. Rents, operating under the name ColorTyme; B. Stamper Enterprises, which operated under the name Premier Rental Purchase; and C.A.L.M. Ventures, which also operates under the public name Premier Rental Purchase.

PC Rental Companies Spied on Customers in Their Homes

September 26, 2012

TG Daily - Seven rent-to-own companies and a software developer have settled federal charges that they spied on customers, including watching them having sex. The companies captured screenshots of confidential and personal information, logged keystrokes and took webcam pictures of people in their homes. Their aim was to track the computers belonging to cUstomers who were behind with their payments.

"An agreement to rent a computer doesn’t give a company license to access consumers’ private emails, bank account information, and medical records, or, even worse, webcam photos of people in the privacy of their own homes," says FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz. "The FTC orders today will put an end to their cyber spying."

Developer DesignerWare produced the software that was used to gather the information, PC Rental Agent. The package included a 'kill switch' designed to disable a computer of it was stolen, or if payments weren't made.

However, an add-on program called Detective Mode could log key strokes, capture screen shots and take photographs using a computer’s webcam, says the FTC in its complaint.

It also presented a fake software program registration screen that tricked consumers into providing their personal contact information.

The snaffled data included user names and passwords for email accounts, social media websites and financial institutions; Social Security numbers; medical records; private emails to doctors; bank and credit card statements; and webcam pictures of children, partially undressed people and sexual activity.

The rent-to-own companies are Aspen Way Enterprises, Watershed Development, Showplace, JAG Rents, Red Zone, B Stamper Enterprises and CALM Ventures. They've got off lightly, agreeing to stop using the data-collection software and to stop deceiving customers.

It's not the first time that a rental company has come under fire for using PC Rental Agent in this way. Last year, a Wyoming couple sued rental company Aaron's after discovering that their PC had been taking webcam pictures of them at home.

Ahmadinejad Says Iran is Under Military Threat by 'Uncivilized Zionists'

Iran Under Military Threat by 'Uncivilized Zionists': Ahmadinejad

September 26, 2012

Reuters - Iran is under threat of military action from "uncivilized Zionists," a clear reference to Israel, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday, saying that such threats from big powers are designed to force nations into submission.

"Continued threat by the uncivilized Zionists to resort to military action against our great nation is a clear example of this bitter reality," Ahmadinejad said in a 33-minute speech before the U.N. General Assembly.

Israel and the United States have refused to rule out the possibility of an armed strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, which the West suspects are intended to produce nuclear weapons bombs but which Tehran says are for solely peaceful purposes.

Taking place on the Jewish day of atonement Yom Kippur, one of the holiest days on the Jewish calendar, it was the Iranian president's eighth appearance before the 193-nation assembly and his last before his second and final term ends next year.

His speech touched on issues he has raised in previous U.N. appearances, such as suggesting there should be an "independent fact-finding team" established to discover the "truth" behind the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and complaining about the "hegemonic policies and actions of world Zionism."

Earlier this week, Ahmadinejad said that Israel would eventually be "eliminated." That statement, which he did not repeat on Wednesday, outraged Israel and the United States.

The U.S. mission to the United Nations said its delegation did not attend the Iranian president's speech. Ahmadinejad was speaking a day after U.S. President Barack Obama told the General Assembly that Washington will do what it takes to prevent Tehran from getting nuclear arms.

Ahmadinejad also criticized the "present oppressive world order" in which "poverty is imposed on nations, and powers' ambitions and goals are pursued either through deceits or resort to force."

"The current abysmal situation of the world and the bitter incidents of history are due mainly to the wrong management of the world and the self-proclaimed centers of power who have entrusted themselves to the devil," he said.

In what appeared to be a call for a new world order based on justice and not domination by big powers, he said the world was founded on materialism and lacking in moral values.

"There is no doubt that the world is in need of a new order and a fresh way of thinking," Ahmadinejad said, adding that this should be "a just and fair order in which everybody is equal before the law and in which there is no double standard."

He said authority should be used as a sacred gift "not a chance to amass power and wealth."

U.S. Carbon Tax Could Halve Deficit in 10 Years

U.S. Carbon Tax Could Halve Deficit in 10 Years: Report

September 26, 2012

Reuters Point Carbon - Imposing a $20 per metric ton carbon tax in the U.S. could reduce the country's budget deficit by 50 percent over the next 10 years, a report by the Congressional Research Service said on Tuesday.

Such a tax would generate approximately $88 billion in 2012, rising to $144 billion by 2020, the report said, slashing U.S. debt by between 12 and 50 percent within a decade, depending on how high the deficit climbs.

The U.S. budget deficit has exceeded $1 trillion annually in each fiscal year since 2009, and could rise to between $2.3 trillion and $10 trillion by 2020, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Since deficits can lead to reduced savings, higher interest rates and higher levels of inflation, reducing them is a high-priority issue in Washington.

The concept of using a carbon tax to combat the problem has been floated in Congress this year, but it comes with many potential downsides, the report added.

For example, households would face higher energy bills because utilities forced to pay the tax would likely pass the costs onto consumers.

"Lower-income households, in particular, would face a disproportionate impact if revenues were not recycled back to them in some fashion," the report said.

Returning money to consumers would mean fewer funds available for cutting the deficit.

And unlike a cap-and-trade system, where the government would set a hard limit on the amount of CO2 that could be released into the atmosphere, a carbon tax could not ensure a specific environmental outcome, the study said.

The likelihood of Congress passing such a measure would be limited, given the opposition of many Republican lawmakers to any type of tax increase.

Despite the odds, some politicians in Washington continue to promote the idea.

Former Republican Congressmen Sherwood Boehlert and Wayne Gilchrest joined Democrats Henry Waxman and Ed Markey to support a carbon tax in February.

In July, former Republican Congressman Bob Inglis launched a think tank to promote a plan to raise taxes on fossil fuels while cutting income tax, a concept previously supported by former Democratic Vice President Al Gore.

Democratic Congressman Jim McDermott last month introduced a Managed Carbon Price (MCP) bill to cut and put a price on carbon emissions, while returning some money to consumers and using the rest to reduce the deficit.

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Dow Drops 100 After Fed Doubts Its Effort to Boost Economic Growth Will Work

Dow Drops 100 After Fed Official's Warning

September 25, 2012

AP - A quiet day on Wall Street turned into the worst sell-off in three months after a Federal Reserve official said he doubted the bank's effort to boost economic growth would work.

Charles Plosser, president of the Fed's Philadelphia branch, told an audience Tuesday that the Fed's effort to support the economy would likely fall short of its goals.

The speech probably startled some investors who had faith in the Fed's latest plan, said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer Harris Private Bank. The plan includes buying $40 billion in mortgage bonds each month until the economy improves.

"So many investors have bought into the illusion," he said. "And it was like Plosser pulled up the curtain on the Wizard of Oz."

The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 15.30 points, its fourth straight decline, to close at 1,441.59. The 1.05 percent drop was the worst for the S&P since June 25.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 101.37 points to close at 13,457.55. Caterpillar tugged the Dow down, losing 4 percent. The world's largest maker of bulldozers and other heavy equipment said late Monday that slower economic growth around the world dampened its earnings forecast. Its stock sank $3.86 to $87.01.

Stocks enjoyed one of their biggest rallies of the year Sept. 6 after Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, laid out a plan to buy unlimited amounts of government bonds to lower borrowing costs for Europe's debt-burdened countries.

A week later, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke announced the central bank's open-ended mortgage bond-buying program and pledged to hold interest rates at super-low levels into 2015.

The S&P soared to a nearly five-year closing high of 1,465 the next day, Sept. 14, but has drifted lower since and fallen back almost to where it was before Bernanke's announcement.

On Tuesday, three economic reports gave the stock market a nudge in morning trading. House prices rose in major cities for a third straight month, and a gauge of consumer confidence came in surprisingly high.

More surprising than those two economic reports was the Richmond Federal Reserve's strong reading on regional manufacturing, a recent trouble spot, said Phil Orlando, chief equity strategist at Federated Investors.

"Look at that. There were three data points on the economy and we crushed them," said Phil Orlando, chief equity strategist at Federated Investors.

But sagging profits could drag on the stock market in the coming weeks, Orlando said. Caterpillar joined a growing collection of companies that have lowered their earnings forecasts. FedEx, a bellwether of world trade, said Sept. 18 that shipping has sunk to recession-like levels. Railroad giant Norfolk Southern has also warned that falling shipments and sinking coal prices will likely drag down its earnings.

Wall Street analysts now estimate that corporate profits will be lower this quarter than a year earlier. That would be the first such drop in three years.

The Nasdaq composite index dropped 43.05 points to 3,117.73. Google's stock touched an all-time high in early trading, clearing $764, but closed the trading day at $749.16.

Apple, the largest public company in the world, lost $17.25, or 2.5 percent, to close at $673.54. It has lost more than $26 in two days. Apple is the biggest component in the S&P but is not included in the Dow, helping explain why the S&P suffered a greater percentage decline than the Dow's 0.8 percent.
The closely watched Standard & Poor's/Case Shiller index of national house prices increased 1.2 percent in July compared with the same month in 2011. Prices rose from the previous month in all 20 major cities tracked by the report for the third month in a row.

The Conference Board said its gauge of consumer confidence shot to a seven-month high of 70.3 in September, up from 61.3 in August and far higher than the 63 analysts were expecting. People surveyed said they were more optimistic about the job market.

The Federal Reserve's manufacturing index, which surveys companies in the central Atlantic region, increased after shrinking for three months as businesses turned more optimistic. Companies said they anticipate more orders and shipments even as employment dips. The index turned positive in September after a negative reading in August.

Treasury prices rose as traders shifted money into safe assets. The 10-year Treasury yield, the benchmark for mortgages and other loans, dipped to 1.67 percent from 1.71 percent late Monday.

U.N. Chief Warns Iran's Ahmadinejad on Fiery Rhetoric

U.N. Chief Warns Iran's Ahmadinejad on Fiery Rhetoric

September 23, 2012

Reuters - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of the dangers of incendiary rhetoric when two men met in New York on Sunday before this week's annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly.

"The secretary-general drew attention to the potentially harmful consequences of inflammatory rhetoric, counter-rhetoric and threats from various countries in the Middle East," Ban's press office said in a statement.

Amir Ali Hajizadeh, a brigadier general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was quoted as saying on Sunday that Iran could launch a pre-emptive strike on Israel if it was sure the Jewish state was preparing to attack it.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted that Israel could strike Iran's nuclear sites and criticized U.S. President Barack Obama's position that sanctions and diplomacy should be given more time to stop Iran getting the atomic bomb.

Iran denies that it is seeking nuclear arms and says its atomic work is peaceful, aimed at generating electricity.

The U.N. statement said Ban told Ahmadinejad that Iran should "take the measures necessary to build international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program."

The two men also discussed Syria. Iran has been accused of using civilian aircraft to fly military personnel and large quantities of weapons across Iraqi airspace to Syria to aid President Bashar al-Assad in his attempt to crush an 18-month uprising against him, according to a Western intelligence report.

"The secretary-general stressed the grave regional implications of the worsening situation in Syria and underlined the devastating humanitarian impact," the statement said.

Speaking to reporters in New York, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said that "to increase pressure and to increase the isolation of the regime of Assad is one of the goals this week."

On Wednesday, Westerwelle will chair a ministerial meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the Arab Spring at which Syria is expected to be a major theme.

PRESSURE ON SYRIA

Ban said last week that Syria would be one of the main topics of the 193-nation General Assembly meeting. Other diplomats said the furor caused by an anti-Islam film made in California would also be a major issue.

The U.N.-Arab League mediator in the Syria crisis, Lakhdar Brahimi, will address the Security Council on Monday in a private meeting. Brahimi met with Ban on Saturday to discuss the his recent trip to Damascus, where Brahimi met with Assad.

"(Ban and Brahimi) focused on how to address the appalling levels of violence in Syria and how to progress towards an inclusive political solution that will address the legitimate demands of the Syrian people," the U.N. press office said.

"The worsening crisis in Syria represents a steadily increasing threat to regional peace and security."

Ahmadinejad has regularly attended at the assembly since he took office in 2005. He will give his U.N. speech on Wednesday and will also speak at a meeting on the "rule of law" on Monday.

In previous years, Ahmadinejad has used his U.N. speeches to defend Iran's nuclear program and to attack Israel, the United States and Europe. He has questioned the Holocaust and cast doubt on whether 19 hijackers were really responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001.

Western envoys predictably walk out of Ahmadinejad's speeches in protest.

There will be high-level side meetings on Iran's nuclear program and Syria during the General Assembly, but U.N. diplomats do not expect either issue to be resolved soon.

Iran's President Calls Israel a Nuclear-armed 'Fake Regime' Shielded by the United States

Attack by Iran's Ahmadinejad Sparks Israel Walkout

September 24, 2012

AP - Iran's president called Israel a nuclear-armed "fake regime" shielded by the United States, prompting Israel's U.N. ambassador to walk out of a high-level U.N. meeting Monday promoting the rule of law.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also accused the U.S. and others of misusing freedom of speech and failing to speak out against the defamation of people's beliefs and "divine prophets," an apparent reference to the recently circulated amateur video made in the U.S. which attacks Islam and denigrates the Prophet Muhammad.

The Iranian leader, who has called for Israel's destruction, used his speech to denounce Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory and U.S. vetoes in the U.N. Security Council to back its ally. He urged all nations to "hold occupiers accountable and make efforts to return the occupied territories to their rightful owners."

Ahmadinejad blamed the "discriminatory" veto power of the U.S., China, Russia, Britain and France for the Security Council's failure to ensure peace in the world, and he called for a change in the rules "in favor of nations with due regard to justice."

As Ahmadinejad addressed leaders and ministers from more than 100 countries, Israel's U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor walked out of the General Assembly hall.

"Ahmadinejad showed again that he not only threatens the future of the Jewish people, he seeks to erase our past," Prosor said in a statement.

"Three thousand years of Jewish history illustrate the clear danger of ignoring fanatics like Iran's President, especially as he inches closer to acquiring nuclear weapons," he said. "Those who ignore his hateful words today, will bear responsibility for his deeds tomorrow."

Israel views a nuclear-armed Iran as an existential threat, but Iran insists its nuclear program is purely peaceful and aimed solely at producing nuclear energy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes Tehran is moving closer to producing a nuclear weapon and has been pushing the United States to set "red lines" which, if crossed, might lead to American military action. President Barack Obama has refused to set any "red lines."

The U.S. delegation did not walk out of Monday's meeting, as it has in the past when Iran attacked Israel directly.Ahmadinejad did not name either Israel or the U.S. in his speech but his targets were clear when he said:

"We have witnessed that some members of the Security Council with veto right have chosen silence with regard to the nuclear warheads of a fake regime while at the same time they impede scientific progress of other nations."

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon organized the first-ever high-level U.N. meeting on the rule of law hoping to send a strong signal to people everywhere that world leaders "are serious about establishing well-functioning institutions and delivering justice."

He told delegates he is proud that the United Nations is promoting the rule of law in more than 150 countries.

Ban called on all states to apply the law equally, both nationally and internationally, and not allow political self-interest to undermine justice. He also called on world leaders "to uphold the highest standards of the rule of law in their decision-making at all times."

At the start of the day-long meeting, diplomats from more than 100 countries adopted a declaration reaffirming "that states shall abide by all their obligations under international law." It stresses the importance of the rule of law in preventing and resolving conflicts and building peace in countries emerging from war and urges the U.N. and the international community to support such efforts.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called the meeting "historic" and said the United States will continue "to support U.N.-led efforts to improve access to legal aid, to more effectively combat drug trafficking and organized crime" and to promote the rule of law in conflict and post-conflict situations.

He said the meeting underscored a key conclusion in a recent World Bank report "that in today's world, the greatest threat to development and recovery is a weak rule of law."

Many speakers cited the impact of corruption and stressed that no one can be above the law, from high government officials to ordinary citizens.

 "In developing nations, corruption is the mortal enemy of democracy," Mongolia's President Tsakhia Elbegdorj said. "It is like an infectious disease - it must be attacked head on."

He said high-level corruption also hurts development, so the fight for the rule of law "is also a fight for more transparent and successful economic development."

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/24/v-print/3019531/attack-by-irans-ahmadinejad-sparks.html#storylink=cpy

Brokers are Gathering Up Discarded Food Products and Putting Them Out for the Highest Bid to Feed Lot Operators and Dairy Producers, Who are Scrambling to Keep Their Animals Fed

Sweet Times for Cows as Gummy Worms Replace Costly Corn Feed

September 23, 2012

Reuters - Mike Yoder's herd of dairy cattle are living the sweet life. With corn feed scarcer and costlier than ever, Yoder increasingly is looking for cheaper alternatives -- and this summer he found a good deal on ice cream sprinkles.

"It's a pretty colorful load," said Yoder, who operates about 450 dairy cows on his farm in northern Indiana. "Anything that keeps the feed costs down."

As the worst drought in half a century has ravaged this year's U.S. corn crop and driven corn prices sky high, the market for alternative feed rations for beef and dairy cows has also skyrocketed. Brokers are gathering up discarded food products and putting them out for the highest bid to feed lot operators and dairy producers, who are scrambling to keep their animals fed.

In the mix are cookies, gummy worms, marshmallows, fruit loops, orange peels, even dried cranberries. Cattlemen are feeding virtually anything they can get their hands on that will replace the starchy sugar content traditionally delivered to the animals through corn.

"Everybody is looking for alternatives," said Ki Fanning, a nutritionist with Great Plains Livestock Consulting in Eagle, Nebraska. "It's kind of funny the first time you see it but it works well. The big advantage to that is you can turn something you normally throw away into something that can be consumed. The amazing thing about a ruminant, a cow, you can take those type of ingredients and turn them into food."

PRICING VARIES

Feed is generally the largest single production expense for cattle operators. Whatever is fed needs to supply energy and protein levels that meet the animals' nutritional needs. High prices for soy has operators seeking alternatives for both corn and soy.

Corn alternatives are in particular demand as supplies are so tight that in some areas of the country, feed corn is not available at any price.

Pricing and availability of the many different "co-products" as they are called, varies from place to place, but buyers report savings of 10 percent to 50 percent.

The savings for operators are shrinking, however, as savvy resellers tie pricing for their alternative offerings to the price of corn, which surged to record highs this summer due to drought damage.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said last month the harvest now underway will yield the smallest corn crop in six years due to the drought that is still gripping more than half of the nation.

"They are using less corn in a number of these rations, but as corn prices go up, prices for really every other co-product go up too," said Greg Lardy, head of the animal sciences department at North Dakota State University.

Operators must be careful to follow detailed nutritional analyses for their animals to make sure they are getting a healthy mix of nutrients, animal nutritionists caution. But ruminant animals such as cattle can safely ingest a wide variety of feedstuffs that chickens and hogs can't.

The candy and cookies are only a small part of a broad mix of alternative feed offerings for cattle. Many operators use distillers grains, a byproduct that comes from the manufacture of ethanol. Other common non-corn alternatives include cottonseed hulls, rice products, potato products, peanut pellet.

Wheat "middlings," a byproduct of milling wheat for flour that contain particles of flour, bran, and wheat germ, also are fed.

And every now and then, there is a little chocolate for the hungry cows.

Hansen Mueller Grain out of Omaha, Nebraska, which markets chocolate bars alongside oats and peanut pellets, said it all comes down to fat, sugar and energy.

"That's all it is," said Bran Dill, a spokesman at Hansen Mueller. Demand is high, he said.

But he also said increasing prices are making alternatives less attractive.

"The price of this stuff has gone up so much it's gotten ridiculous," he said.

Quake Shakes Southern Mexico, Magnitude Set at 5.4; No Damage Reported

Quake Shakes Southern Mexico, Magnitude Set at 5.4; No Damage Reported

September 22, 2012

AP - A magnitude 5.4 earthquake rattled southern Mexico on Saturday morning, but officials in and around the capital reported no injuries or damage.

Mexico's National Seismological Service reported that the quake occurred at 7:29 a.m. CDT, with an epicenter near the Oaxacan city of Pinotepa Nacional, close to the Pacific coast, about a seven-hour drive from the heavily populated capital.

 "All is functioning normally," Mexico City Mayor Marcel Ebrard said in an early morning tweet, reporting that hospitals, the subway and water systems were all undamaged.

Government officials in surrounding municipalities also said they had discovered no damage after a first round of review.

A more powerful quake in March, with a magnitude of 7.4, remains fresh in the minds of Mexicans. Though Mexico City escaped serious consequences from that quake, it damaged at least 500 homes in the southern state of Guerrero and injured more than 100 people.

This week, Mexico City commemorated the anniversary of the Sept. 19, 1985, earthquake that killed at least 10,000 people.

Those commemorations included a massive disaster drill. In a simulation of a real quake response, thousands of residents poured out of buildings, and emergency response officials deployed to practice routines and test equipment that had been upgraded since the quake in 1985, when Mexicans were scandalized by a botched response from the then-ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI.

Saturday's quake was barely felt in some parts of Mexico City, if at all. The head of the capital's civil protection division said there was more perceptible movement in the neighborhoods of Roma and Condesa, both of which were badly damaged in the 1985 quake but have since made a comeback as two of the city's trendiest and most culturally important areas.

Earthquakes magnitude 7.0 or greater in the world, 2002-2012 as of September 21, 2012:
2002: 11
2003: 13
2004: 11
2005: 10
2006: 09
2007: 16
2008: 12
2009: 15
2010: 23
2011: 20
2012: 11 (as of September 21, 2012)

Iran: A War With Israel Will Occur

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Says Expects Israel to Launch Wwar

September 22, 2012

Reuters - Israel will eventually go beyond threats and will attack Iran, the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying on Saturday.

As speculation mounts that Israel could launch air strikes on Iran before U.S. elections in November, Mohammad Ali Jafari told a news conference that the Jewish state would be destroyed if it took such a step.

"Their threats only prove that their enmity with Islam and the revolution is serious, and eventually this enmity will lead to physical conflict," Jafari said when asked about Israeli threats to strike Iran's nuclear facilities, the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported.

"We are making all efforts to increase our defensive capabilities so that if there is an attack ... we could defend ourselves and other countries that need our help with high defensive capabilities."

Jafari's comments, made at an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) military exhibition, come as Israeli leaders have increased their rhetoric against Iran.

"A war will occur, but it's not clear where or when it will be," Jafari was quoted as saying on Saturday. "Israel seeks war with us, but it's not clear when the war will occur."

"Right now they see war as the only method of confrontation," he said.

Israel, which bombed an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981 and launched a similar strike against Syria in 2007, has threatened to do the same in Iran if diplomatic efforts fail to stop the nuclear work it believes is aimed at getting weapons capability.

Iran, which says its nuclear work is for peaceful means, has said it could strike U.S. military bases in the region as well as Israel if attacked.

"If they (Israel) start something, they will be destroyed and it will be the end of the story for them," Jafari said, according to ISNA.

Iranian Hackers Target Bank of America, JPMorgan, Citi

Exclusive: Iranian Hackers Target Bank of America, JPMorgan, Citi

September 21, 2012

Reuters - Iranian hackers have repeatedly attacked Bank of America Corp (BA.N), JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and Citigroup Inc (C.N) over the past year, as part of a broad cyber campaign targeting the United States, according to people familiar with the situation.

The attacks, which began in late 2011 and escalated this year, have primarily been "denial of service" campaigns that disrupted the banks' websites and corporate networks by overwhelming them with incoming web traffic, said the sources.

Whether the hackers have been able to inflict more serious damage on computer networks or steal critical data is not yet known. The sources said there was evidence suggesting the hackers targeted the banks in retaliation for their enforcement of Western economic sanctions against Iran.

Iran has beefed up its cyber capabilities after its nuclear program was damaged in 2010 by the Stuxnet virus, widely believed to have been developed by the United States. Tehran has publicly advertised its intentions to build a cyber army and encouraged private citizens to hack against Western countries.

The attacks on the three largest U.S. banks originated in Iran, but it is not clear if they were launched by the state, groups working on behalf of the government, or "patriotic" citizens, according to the sources, who requested anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the matter.

They said the attacks shed new light on the potential for Iran to lash out at Western nations' information networks.

"Most people didn't take Iran seriously. Now most people are taking them very seriously," said one of the sources, referring to Iran's cyber capabilities.

Iranian officials were not available for comment. Bank of America, JPMorgan and Citigroup declined to comment, as did officials with the Pentagon, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Security Agency and Secret Service.

A U.S. financial services industry group this week warned banks, brokerages and insurers to be on heightened alert for cyber attacks after the websites of Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase's experienced unexplained service disruptions.

NBC reported late on Thursday that the Iranian government was behind these attacks, citing U.S. national security sources. Reuters could not verify that independently.

Tensions between the United States and Iran, which date back to the revolution in 1979 that resulted in the current Islamic republic, have escalated in recent years as Washington led the effort to prevent Tehran from getting a nuclear bomb and imposed tough economic sanctions.

DISRUPTIVE CAMPAIGN

Denial-of-service campaigns are among the oldest types of cyber attacks and do not require highly skilled computer programmers or advanced expertise, compared with sophisticated and destructive weapons like Stuxnet.

But denial-of-service attacks can still be very disruptive: If a bank's website is repeatedly shut down, the attacks can hurt its reputation, affect customer retention and cause revenue losses as customers cannot open accounts or conduct other business.

Bank of America, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase have consulted the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and National Security Agency on how to strengthen their networks in the face of the Iranian attacks, the sources said. It was not clear whether law enforcement agencies are formally investigating the attacks.
The Iranian attackers may have used denial-of-service to distract the victims from other, more destructive assaults that have yet to be uncovered, the sources said.

Frank Cilluffo, who served as homeland security adviser to U.S. President George W. Bush, told Reuters that he knows of "cyber reconnaissance" missions that have come from Iran but declined to give specifics.

"It is yet to be seen whether they have the wherewithal to cause significant damage," said Cilluffo, who is now director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University.

Security experts said Iran's cyber capabilities are not as sophisticated as those of the China, Russia, the United States or many of its Western allies. Jim Lewis, a former U.S. Foreign Service officer, said Iran has been testing its cyber technology against Israel and other Gulf states in recent years.

"It's like the nuclear program: It isn't particularly sophisticated but it makes progress every year," said Lewis, who is a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies.

West Accuses Iran of Shipping Arms to Syria

West Accuses Iran of Shipping Arms to Syria

September 20, 2012

AP - The four Western powers trying to rein in Iran's nuclear program accused Tehran on Thursday of shipping arms to Syria in violation of U.N. sanctions and ignoring demands to open key nuclear facilities to U.N. inspectors.

The United States, Britain, France and Germany expressed growing concern that Iran's goal is building a nuclear arsenal — not nuclear power plants for peaceful civilian use, as Tehran insists.

U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice told a Security Council meeting on the implementation of U.N. sanctions that members can't be complacent about Iran's "latest leaps forward in its prohibited nuclear activities."

"We must recognize that we are facing a situation that continues to worsen," she said.

A spokesman for Iran's mission to the U.N. did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Rice and ambassadors from the other Western powers expressed serious concern at Iran's arms exports to President Bashar Assad's regime in violation of a U.N. ban against all weapons exports.

She reiterated the conclusion of the panel of experts monitoring implementation of sanctions that Syria is now the "central party to illicit Iranian arms transfers."

Britain's U.N. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said Iran's supply of weaponry to Syria is unacceptable and it must stop.

"It is in stark contrast to the will of the Syrian people and a reminder of Iran's hypocrisy in claiming to support freedom in the Arab world," he said.

France's U.N. Ambassador Gerard Araud accused Assad of massacring his own people and urged rigorous implementation of sanctions to keep Iran from providing his forces with the arms to accomplish his "sinister work."

Rice called on states in the region to "work together and redouble their efforts to deny, inspect and seize illicit Iranian shipments."

The 18-month Syrian conflict has escalated to a civil war which has killed more than 23,000 people, according to activists.

Germany's U.N. Ambassador Peter Wittig said reports indicate Iran is shipping arms to Syria "under a humanitarian pretext," which makes it crucial that all countries enforce the sanctions to keep pressure on Iran.

Russia and China, who have vetoed three Western-backed resolutions aimed at pressuring the Assad regime to end the violence and start talks with the opposition, made no mention of Iranian arms shipments to Syria in their speeches to the council but did address the nuclear issue.

On Iran's nuclear program, the Western powers expressed alarm at the latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency. It said Iran has effectively shut down a probe of a site suspected of being used for work on nuclear weapons development while doubling the number of machines it could use to make the core of nuclear warheads at an underground bunker safe from airborne attack.

The nuclear concerns will be at the top of the agenda at a ministerial meeting of the four Western powers, Russia and China on Sept. 27 on the sidelines of the annual General Assembly gathering of world leaders that begins Tuesday.

"The Iranian regime is at a crossroads," Britain's Lyall Grant told the council. "It can continue to ignore the international community's concerns over its nuclear program, or it can negotiate a settlement that will help to realize the benefits of a civil nuclear program. It can support the oppressive regime in Syria in suppressing freedom, or it can play a constructive role in the region. It can be an exporter of terrorism or a responsible member of the international community."

Bad Gets Worse for Romney

"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax." - Mitt Romney

Republicans: Bad Gets Worse for Romney

September 18, 2012

AP - A bad stretch for Mitt Romney just got worse, and Republican insiders now are growing increasingly pessimistic about the GOP presidential nominee's chances of winning the White House.

The latest heartburn for these insiders is Romney's refusal to back down from his statement that nearly half of Americans believe they are victims dependent upon government.

After his remarks, made to donors at a private fundraiser in May, came to light in a video, the candidate defended his position — and did so again Tuesday. He told Fox News:

"I know some believe that government should take from some to give to the others. I think that's an entirely foreign concept."

Publicly, Romney's campaign shrugs off the criticism. Aides say Romney will try to shift the debate back to the specifics of his vision for the country in hopes of curbing President Barack Obama's momentum before the first debate on Oct. 3 — and then seal the deal.

But, at least this week, there are doubts in GOP circles that he can prevail.

"This is a worst case scenario in some respects," Republican strategist Steve Lombardo said a day after Romney's remarks roiled the campaign. Obama has been painting Romney as an out-of-touch elitist, and Lombardo said the remarks "tend to reinforce pre-existing perception."

"Anytime that happens a campaign has to worry," Lombardo said.

The remarks were just the latest headache for Romney seven weeks before Election Day and with early voting well under way.

Romney critics and backers alike point to his misstep-filled trip abroad in July as an early signal of worry. Then came Romney's nominating convention, where Hollywood actor/director Clint Eastwood stole the show with a rambling conversation with an empty chair representing the president.

Obama's well-received convention followed. And so did a boost for the president in state and national polling.

Last week, Romney tried to use anti-American unrest in the Middle East to seize political advantage, only to be criticized for prematurely assailing the commander in chief before knowing all the facts, including that a U.S. ambassador had died. Then there were reports of infighting among his staff, and calls from Republicans for Romney to do more than just criticize Obama on the economy.

Heeding that advice, Romney began the week aiming to focus more on giving voters a better sense of what he would do as president. Then his remarks from the spring fundraiser surfaced, and he defended himself.

By Tuesday, Republicans were on edge. And some warned that Romney's road to the presidency was getting steeper.

Most of the more than a dozen GOP consultants interviewed for this story wouldn't openly discuss their concerns for fear of angering Romney's inner circle.

But there was an overwhelming sense that Romney needs to do something to shake up the race. Many Republicans said they view the upcoming debates as Romney's last chance to turn the tide — and even then it might be too late, given that a chunk of voters in key states will already have voted before the first debate.

Although they concede that the timing was bad, Romney aides insist he has nothing to apologize for. They say there is more than enough time to recover. They also point to larger polling gaps made up by Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush in past elections, and to national tracking surveys that show Romney starting to recover.

Some Republicans see the same trends.

"It's been rough couple of weeks, but better for Romney to be going through a rough patch now than a month from now," said Sara Taylor Fagen, a former top political aide to President George W. Bush. "Forty-nine days is an eternity in politics, and the race remains very close."

Other Republicans fear that Romney isn't listening to advice from core staffers and is too involved in the day-to-day mechanics of the campaign, leading him to make mistakes he wouldn't otherwise make because he's not focused on his primary objective — persuading voters to back him. In GOP circles, there also are grumbles that the campaign is focused too much on the storyline of the day instead of articulating Romney's vision for the country, and that the campaign missed an opportunity to do that with a convention several said fell flat.

"It's incumbent on the Romney campaign to make it about Obama's handling of the economy," said Fergus Cullen, a former Republican Party chairman in New Hampshire. He's among the Republicans who think this is a temporary hiccup that will blow over, saying: "There are seven weeks to go and the topic of conversation will change, literally, from day to day."

Several Republicans noted Romney's schedule of the past few days, saying he was squandering an opportunity to talk to voters in battleground states. He's spent the bulk of the week raising money across the country in states that are not competitive. His last public rally was Friday afternoon outside Cleveland.

It hasn't been an easy period for Romney on the road either.

While he was singing happy birthday and raising millions of dollars on Friday, the tension showed by Sunday.

An event scheduled for Sunday in Colorado was canceled because of a small plane crash at the Pueblo, Colo., airport near the planned rally. Then aides scrambled to respond to a Politico story filled with criticisms about the state of Romney's campaign. Immediately after giving a speech intended to signal a new strategy to right his campaign, Romney faced his latest challenge when the secretly taped-video of the May fundraiser popped up.

It dominated the campaign news for several hours before the campaign called an impromptu news conference at which Romney acknowledged that his comments were "not elegantly stated" but stood by them anyway.

Mom Sues Police and Neighbor After She is Arrested for Letting Her Kids Play Outside

Mom Sues Police and Neighbor After She is Arrested for Letting Her Kids Play Outside

September 19, 2012

The Sideshow - Allowing your kids to play on scooters outside the house on a quiet street seems innocent--and common--enough. But a Texas mom was arrested and spent the night in jail after a neighbor complained that the children were unsupervised.

The parent, Tammy Cooper, disputes the "humiliating" charge, saying she was watching the kids, ages 6 and 9, the whole time from a lawn chair.

But police took the neighbor at her word, and a few hours after the call, arrested Cooper for child endangerment. Cooper told KPRC that the arresting officer told her, "We're here for you."

The accused parent spent the night behind bars. "Orange jump suit, in a cell, slammed the door, for 18 hours," she said.

Cooper is suing the La Porte Police Department, the officer, and the neighbor who made the call. In a statement, the police department said it was "confident of the known actions of the officers on the scene that evening." The neighbor had no comment.

Six Million Americans, Mostly Middle Class, Will Face a Tax Penalty for Not Buying Health Insurance Starting in 2016, When the Penalty Fully Kicks In Under Obamacare

Tax Penalty to Hit Nearly 6 Million Uninsured People

September 20, 2012

AP - Nearly 6 million Americans — significantly more than first estimated— will face a tax penalty under President Barack Obama's health overhaul for not getting insurance, congressional analysts said Wednesday. 

Most would be in the middle class.

The new estimate amounts to an inconvenient fact for the administration, a reminder of what critics see as broken promises.

The numbers from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office are 50 percent higher than a previous projection by the same office in 2010, shortly after the law passed. The earlier estimate found 4 million people would be affected in 2016, when the penalty is fully in effect.

That's still only a sliver of the population, given that more than 150 million people currently are covered by employer plans. Nonetheless, in his first campaign for the White House, Obama pledged not to raise taxes on individuals making less than $200,000 a year and couples making less than $250,000.

And the budget office analysis found that nearly 80 percent of those who'll face the penalty would be making up to or less than five times the federal poverty level. Currently that would work out to $55,850 or less for an individual and $115,250 or less for a family of four.

Average penalty: about $1,200 in 2016.

"The bad news and broken promises from Obamacare just keep piling up," said Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, who wants to repeal the law.

Starting in 2014, virtually every legal resident of the U.S. will be required to carry health insurance or face a tax penalty, with exemptions for financial hardship, religious objections and certain other circumstances. Most people will not have to worry about the requirement since they already have coverage through employers, government programs like Medicare or by buying their own policies.

A spokeswoman for the Obama administration said 98 percent of Americans will not be affected by the tax penalty — and suggested that those who will be should face up to their civic responsibilities.

"This (analysis) doesn't change the basic fact that the individual responsibility policy will only affect people who can afford health care but choose not to buy it," said Erin Shields Britt of the Health and Human Services Department. "We're no longer going to subsidize the care of those who can afford to buy insurance but make a choice not to buy it."

The budget office said most of the increase in its estimate is due to changes in underlying projections about the economy, incorporating the effects of new federal legislation, as well as higher unemployment and lower wages.

The Supreme Court upheld Obama's law as constitutional in a 5-4 decision this summer, finding that the insurance mandate and the tax penalty enforcing it fall within the power of Congress to impose taxes. The penalty will be collected by the IRS, just like taxes.

The budget office said the penalty will raise $6.9 billion in 2016.

The new law will also provide government aid to help middle-class and low-income households afford coverage, the financial carrot that balances out the penalty.

Nonetheless, some people might still decide to remain uninsured because they object to government mandates or because they feel they would come out ahead financially even if they have to pay the penalty. Health insurance is expensive, with employer-provided family coverage averaging nearly $15,800 a year for a family and $4,300 for a single plan. Indeed, insurance industry experts say the federal penalty may be too low.

The Supreme Court also allowed individual states to opt out of a major Medicaid expansion under the law. The Obama administration says it will exempt low-income people in states that opt out from having to comply with the insurance requirement.

Many Republicans still regard the insurance mandate as unconstitutional and rue the day the Supreme Court upheld it.

However, the idea for an individual insurance requirement comes from Republican health care plans in the 1990s.

It's also a central element of the 2006 Massachusetts health care law signed by then-GOP Gov. Mitt Romney, now running against Obama and promising to repeal the federal law.

Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said Wednesday the new report is more evidence that Obama's law is a "costly disaster."

"Even more of the middle-class families who President Obama promised would see no tax increase will in fact see a massive tax increase thanks to Obamacare," she said.

Romney says insurance mandates should be up to each state. The approach seems to have worked well in Massachusetts, with virtually all residents covered and dwindling numbers opting to pay the penalty instead.

Hungary Throws Out Monsanto

Hungary is in Trouble After Throwing Out Monsanto AND the IMF

September 9, 2012

The Automatic Earth - I don’t know about you, but I would label my personal knowledge of Hungary as wanting, if not painfully incomplete. It’s not an easy country to come to grips with, not least of all of course because Hungarian doesn’t look like any western language we know with the possible exception of Finnish. I did visit just after the Wall came down, and remember huge contrasts, almost paradoxes, between rural poverty and a capital, Budapest, that was much richer than other capitals such as Prague, a leftover of Budapest’s status as meeting place between western and eastern diplomats and businessmen.

The riches were not for all, though, the city center was full of beggars and panhandlers, mostly Roma. To keep up the paradox, Mercedes sold more luxury models in Hungary than just about anywhere else back then, reportedly mostly also to Roma; just not the same.

In the years since, precious little attention has been and is being devoted to the former eastern bloc countries in the Anglo press. We know most of the countries are now members of the European Union, but only a few have been allowed to enter the hallowed grounds of the eurozone.

One thing I did pick up on last year was the news that Hungary’s PM Victor Orbán had thrown chemical, food and seed giant Monsanto out of the country, going as far as to plow under 1000 acres of land. Now, I have little patience for Monsanto, infamous for many products ranging from Agent Orange to Round-Up, nor for its ilk, from DuPont to Sygenta, all former chemical companies that have at some point decided they could sell more chemicals than ever before by applying them on and inside everyone’s daily food. Patenting nature itself seems either unworthy of mankind or its grandest achievement. I don’t care much for either one. So Orbán (who has a two-thirds majority in parliament, by the way) has my tentative support on this one.

This is from July 22, 2011, International Business Times:

Hungary Destroys All Monsanto GMO Maize Fields

In an effort to rid the country of Monsanto’s GMO products, Hungary has stepped up the pace. This looks like its going to be another slap in the face for Monsanto. A new regulation was introduced this March which stipulates that seeds are supposed to be checked for GMO before they are introduced to the market. Unfortunately, some GMO seeds made it to the farmers without them knowing it.

Almost 1000 acres of maize found to have been grown with genetically modified seeds have been destroyed throughout Hungary deputy state secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development Lajos Bognar said. The GMO maize has been ploughed under, said Lajos Bognar, but pollen has not spread from the maize, he added.

Unlike several EU members, GMO seeds are banned in Hungary. The checks will continue despite the fact that seed traders are obliged to make sure that their products are GMO free, Bognar said. During their investigation, controllers have found Pioneer and Monsanto products among the seeds planted.

It’s remarkably hard to find sources on this, ironically. It’s even harder, even more ironically, to find anything that mentions the Wikileaks report on the connections between the US government and the chemical/seed industry. Which is curious, in my opinion; it’s not as if there’s nothing newsworthy in the topic. Just about the only thing I could find was this from Anthony Gucciardi at NaturalSociety.com.

US to Start ‘Trade Wars’ with Nations Opposed to Monsanto, GMO Crops

The United States is threatening nations who oppose Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) crops with military-style trade wars, according to information obtained and released by the organization WikiLeaks. Nations like France, which have moved to ban one of Monsanto’s GM corn varieties, were requested to be ‘penalized’ by the United States for opposing Monsanto and genetically modified foods. The information reveals just how deep Monsanto’s roots have penetrated key positions within the United States government, with the cables reporting that many U.S. diplomats work directly for Monsanto. [..]

Perhaps the most shocking piece of information exposed by the cables is the fact that these U.S. diplomats are actually working directly for biotech corporations like Monsanto. The cables also highlight the relationship between the U.S. and Spain in their conquest to persuade other nations to allow for the expansion of GMO crops. Not only did the Spanish government secretly correspond with the U.S. government on the subject, but the U.S. government actually knew beforehand how Spain would vote before the Spanish biotech commission reported their decision regarding GMO crops.

It doesn’t look like Orbán and Hungary have a lot of support in their fight against Monsanto and GMO in general on the political front. But that still does little to explain the radio silence.

Netanyahu's Sharpened Rhetoric Stokes Speculation That Israel Might Attack Iran Before the U.S. Election, Believing That Obama Would Give It Military Help and Not Risk Alienating Pro-Israeli Voters

Iran on Brink of Nuclear Bomb in Six-Seven Months: Netanyahu

September 16, 2012

Reuters - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Sunday that Iran was just six to seven months away from the brink of being able to build a nuclear bomb, adding urgency to his demand that President Barack Obama set a "red line" for Tehran in what could deepen the worst U.S.-Israeli rift in decades.

Taking to the television airwaves to make his case directly to the American public, Netanyahu said that by mid-2013 Iran would be "90 percent of the way" toward enough enriched uranium for a weapon. He again urged the United States to spell out limits that Tehran must not cross if it is to avoid military action - something Obama has refused to do.

"You have to place that red line before them now, before it's too late," Netanyahu said on NBC's "Meet the Press" program, adding that such a U.S. move could reduce the chances of having to attack Iran's nuclear sites.

The unusually public dispute between close allies - coupled with Obama's decision not to meet with Netanyahu later this month - has exposed a gaping U.S.-Israeli divide and stepped up pressure on the U.S. leader in the final stretch of a tight presidential election campaign.

It was the clearest marker Netanyahu has laid down so far on why he has become so strident in his push for Washington to confront Tehran with a strict ultimatum. At the same time, his approach could stoke further tensions with Obama, with whom he has had a notoriously testy relationship.

U.S. officials say Iran has yet to decide on a nuclear "breakout" - a final rush to assemble components for a bomb - and they express high confidence it is still at least a year away from the capacity to build one if it wanted to. This contrasts with Netanyahu's timetable, although he stopped short of saying Iran had decided to manufacture a weapon.

Netanyahu showed no signs of backing off and equated the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran with the Islamist fury that fueled attacks on U.S. embassies across the Muslim world last week and shocked many Americans.

"It's the same fanaticism that you see storming your embassies today. You want these fanatics to have nuclear weapons?" Netanyahu asked in the NBC interview, in a clear emotional appeal to Americans still reeling from the angry protests sparked by a film that mocked the Prophet Mohammad.

There have been no accusations, however, of any Iranian role stoking violence that hit Middle Eastern and African capitals.

'IN THE RED ZONE'

Speaking via satellite from Jerusalem, Netanyahu argued that a credible U.S. ultimatum was needed to curb Iran, which denies it is seeking a nuclear bomb.

"They're in the ‘red zone,'" Netanyahu said, using an American football metaphor for when a team is close to scoring a touchdown. "You can't let them cross that goal line."

Susan Rice, Obama's U.N. envoy, offered no sign that Obama - who has asked Netanyahu to hold off on any strike on Iran's nuclear sites to give sanctions and diplomacy time to work - intended to soften his resistance to red lines.

"We will take no option off the table to ensure that (Iran) does not acquire a nuclear weapon, including a military option," Rice told "Meet the Press," reiterating Obama's longstanding position but insisting "they are not there yet."

Israeli leaders, who see Iran's nuclear advances as a looming threat, have made clear they are operating on a far tighter window than the United States, with a superpower's mighty conventional arsenal at its disposal.

Asked whether Israel was closer to acting on its own, Netanyahu said:

"We always reserve the right to act. But I think that if we are able to coordinate together a common position, we increase the chances that neither one of us will have to act."

Obama, seeking re-election in November, has faced criticism from Republican rival Mitt Romney that the president is being too tough with Israel and not tough enough with Iran.

But Netanyahu took a more neutral posture on the election, denied he was meddling in U.S. politics in support of fellow conservative Romney and distanced himself from the Republican's accusation Obama was "throwing Israeli under the bus."

Netanyahu's sharpened rhetoric in recent days had stoked speculation that Israel might attack Iran before the U.S. election, believing that Obama would give it military help and not risk alienating pro-Israeli voters.

Netanyahu has drawn criticism at home for overplaying his hand. He faces divisions within the Israeli public and his cabinet that will make it hard to launch a strike any time soon.

He said he appreciated Obama's assurances Iran would not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. But Netanyahu, whose "red line" demands have infuriated U.S. officials, made clear that was not enough.

"I think a red line, in this case, works to reduce the chances of the need for military action," he said.

MOVING RAPIDLY

In his most specific comments on Iran's nuclear work, Netanyahu told CNN:

"They're moving very rapidly to completing the enrichment of the uranium that they need to produce a nuclear bomb. In six months or so they'll be 90 percent of the way there."

He appeared to be referring to Iran's enrichment of uranium to 20 percent purity, a level it says is required for medical isotopes but which also is close to bomb-fuel grade. According to an August report by U.N. inspectors, Iran has stockpiled 91.4 kg of the 20 percent material.

Experts say about 200-250 kg (440-550 pounds) would be the minimum required to enrich further into enough material for a bomb, a threshold Iran could potentially reach soon by producing roughly 15 kg (33 pounds) a month, a rate that could be speeded up if it activates new uranium centrifuges.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has warned that Iran may be approaching a "zone of immunity" in which Israeli bombs would be unable to penetrate buried facilities. The United States has more potent weapons that could do the job.

Israel's concern is that Iran be prevented from reaching nuclear weapons capability, not just from developing an actual device, and they worry time is running out. Israel is widely believed to possess the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal.

Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor told Israel Radio the United States should not wait for Iran to decide on building a bomb before it considers military action.

Netanyahu did not repeat his harsh comments of last week that Washington had lost any "moral right" to restrain Israel because it had refused to put strict U.S. limits on Tehran.

That was followed by word that Obama would not meet Netanyahu during the Israeli leader's U.S. visit later this month to address the United Nations - widely viewed as a snub.

Netanyahu played down the matter on Sunday, saying "our schedules on this visit didn't work out."