Saturday, 4 July

International Day of Cooperatives
“Driving Global Recovery through Cooperatives”
More Information: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/social/intldays/IntlCoops

Amman: Bureau of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly.
Rome: Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) � a commission jointly established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) which discusses international food standards.

UPDATE:

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) this week adopted provisions for five key issues for the food supplement industry in line with provisions supported by IADSA.

The Codex decision-making body, which is meeting in Rome from 29 June till 4 July, adopted the Recommendations on the Scientific Substantiation of Health Claims, the Nutritional Risk Analysis Principles, the Provisions on Gum Arabic, the definition and table of conditions of dietary fibre, and the use of eight food colours in food supplements, all in line with recommendations from the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations’ (IADSA). These Codex provisions now become official Codex Standards and Guidelines.

The adopted Recommendations on the Scientific Substantiation of Health Claims now take into account the totality of the available relevant scientific data and weighing of the evidence for substantiating a health claim, rather than placing primary importance on human intervention trials.

IADSA also welcomed the adoption of the Nutritional Risk Analysis Principles, which it described as “a solid framework for the potential future application of the risk assessment method by Codex for the use of vitamins, minerals and other substances in food supplements”.

Gum Arabic was adopted as a carrier at 10 mg/kg; and the definition and table of conditions of dietary fibre now distinguish three main categories of carbohydrate polymers, refer to monomeric units and leave the decision on whether to include carbohydrates with monomeric units from 3 to 9, to national authorities.

In addition, the CAC adopted the use of the following eight food colours in food supplements: Allura Red AC, Caramel Colour-Class IV, Carotenoids, Chlorophylls-Copper Complexes, Fast Green FCF, Grape Skin Extracts, Indigotine and Iron Oxides – a decision that IADSA said “will avoid potential confusion in many countries and unnecessary barriers to trade”.

IADSA Chairman Byron Johnson said: “We support the results of the work on these issues and support their adoption. The drafts finally agreed endorse a number of comments made by IADSA, and we welcome the progress that has been made.”

ATLANTA, Ga. (July 3, 2009) — Former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who was taken into custody by the Israeli Navy on Tuesday with 20 others while trying to sail through a navy blockade to deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza, has refused Israel’s initial offer to release her from custody. According to her supporters in Atlanta, McKinney refused the offer because she would have been required to sign an admission of guilt that she violated Israel’s blockade.

“At issue is the fact that Ms. McKinney was in international waters” when the Israeli Navy stopped the group’s boat, according to a statement from the Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery and the Atlanta-based Coalition for the People’s Agenda.

Israel disagrees, insisting that the Palestinian Authority and the rest of the international community long ago agreed to the off-shore blockade to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza.

The office of the Consulate General of Israel in Atlanta issued its own statement Friday, saying, “According to Israeli law Ms. McKinney and her fellow crew members were suggested to sign a form acknowledging their deportation, however since Ms. McKinney has refused to do so, she is expected to appear before an Israeli judge on Sunday, July 5th and afterwards be returned home as soon as possible.”

McKinney did not address any of that in a message posted on youtube.com that she delivered by telephone from Israel.

“The Israelis hijacked us because we wanted to give crayons to the children of Gaza…. We have not committed any crime. We have been detained,” McKinney said.

She said she wants the world to “see how we have been treated just because we wanted to deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.”

Soon after Israel seized McKinney and the others and their boat, the government promised to deliver all of the humanitarian supplies that were on the boat, but would deliver them by the ground routes into Gaza that Israel has been permitting international aid groups to use.

McKinney and the twenty others associated with the U.S.-based “Free Gaza Movement” boarded the Greek-registered ship “Arion” Tuesday in Cyprus and tried to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea, by going through the Israeli Navy’s security blockade.

The Israeli Navy stopped them and took them and their boat into custody at Ashdod.

“I admire her courage. I might differ with her strategy sometimes,” said Dr. Lowery with a smile, speaking at his Atlanta home Friday evening.

Lowery and other civil rights activists met with the Consulate General’s office by conference call, urging McKinney’s immediate release, without conditions.

“We wanted to express our concern…. Here in her home community, we are concerned for her safety. And since she’s on a mission of mercy and not munitions, we think they ought to let her come home.”

The Israeli government says McKinney was on a mission of confrontation, seeking publicity.

“Well, I’m sure they have a good argument for their action…. But nevertheless, she was carrying food and medicine to heal the sick and wounded. And I think that’s a good thing. And I would hope that in the spirit of compassion and mercy and ministry, that they’ll let her come on back home.”

So as it stood as of Friday night, the Israeli justice system will not decide before Sunday what to do with McKinney and the others.

McKinney speaks to family

The father of detained former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney said he spoke briefly with her on Thursday. McKinney and 20 other passengers were on a ship bringing supplies to Gaza in defiance of an Israeli blockade when it was intercepted Tuesday. They are presently in custody. “She just said she was all right, and that was about it,” Billy McKinney of Atlanta said.

Anguish over mass Israeli arrests

‘They kidnapped the passengers and tore the Greek flag off the boat’

Speaking from prison yesterday, former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who also remains locked up, outlined what had happened to the vessel.

“We were in international waters on a boat delivering humanitarian aid to people in Gaza when the Israeli Navy ships surrounded us and illegally threatened us, dismantled our navigation equipment, boarded and confiscated the ship,” she said.

McKinney, who was a Green Party nominee for US President, told of her frustration at being kept in detention without any assistance from the US government.

“All of us on board were then taken off the ship and into custody, and brought into Israel and imprisoned. State Department and White House officials have not affected our release or taken a strong public stance to condemn the illegal actions of the Israeli Navy,” she added.

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=46568&cat_id=1

Cynthia McKinney Remains Imprisoned in Israel After Gaza-Bound Boat Is Seized

Former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney and several other human rights activists remain in an Israeli prison after refusing to sign a deportation form that they claim is self-incriminating.

Former U.S. lawmaker and Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney and several other activists remained in an Israeli prison Thursday after refusing to sign a deportation form that they claim is self-incriminating.

In a press release from the Green Party, McKinney said the form states that the Spirit of Humanity, a Greek-flagged relief boat carrying 21 activists, medical supplies, cement, olive trees and children’s toys en route to Gaza, was violating the Israeli blockade and trespassing the country’s territorial waters.

“We were in international waters on a boat delivering humanitarian aid to people in Gaza when the Israeli Navy ships surrounded us and illegally threatened us, dismantled our navigation equipment, boarded and confiscated the ship,” she said in a statement, adding that they were immediately taken into custody.

“Immigration officials in Israel said they did not want to keep us, but we remain imprisoned,” she said.

“State Department and White House officials have not effected our release or taken a strong public stance to condemn the illegal actions of the Israeli Navy of enforcing a blockade of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians of Gaza, a blockade that has been condemned by President Obama.”

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/02/cynthia-mckinney-remains-imprisoned-israel-gaza-bound-boat-seized/

It is with very deep sadness that I report that Craig Alan Winters passed away this morning, as a result of complications from his fight against cancer. Craig was incredibly courageous and upbeat throughout his fight against the disease, but in the end, his body was simply too ravaged to carry on.

I received a call this morning from Craig’s best friend, Steve, who got the call about the news from Craig’s dad. I called Swedish Medical Center this morning and they told me that he died at 6:30 a.m. of respiratory failure. Craig was born in 1951.

In the late 1990s, Craig hired me to serve as the communications director for a new group he launched, called The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods. Craig worked for years to educate people about the problems surrounding “Frankenfoods,” and coordinated with Congressman Dennis Kucinich’s office to introduce legislation that would require genetically engineered foods to be labeled so people would know what they were purchasing. The legislation never made it through several Congresses during the Clinton and Bush years, but Craig resiliently continued to push for its passage and hoped to win the battle, finally, under the Obama administration.

http://www.examiner.com/x-5148-LA-Environmental-Health-Examiner~y2009m7d4-Craig-Winters-leaves-a-nonGMO-health-legacy

Craig Winters’ website is gone!

http://www.thecampaign.org/

MTV’s “The Hills” Stars Heidi Montag & Spencer Pratt on Alex Jones Tv:

Waking Up to The NWO!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyMA8WnRRrs

Speidi back on Alex Jones Tv:

“Why 9/11 was an Inside Job!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rTRthWYERs

Congress recently passed Obama’s war funding billH.R. 2346 Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009, which according to GOP.gov is a $105.8 billion spending bill.  RawStory.com quoted Ron Paul, who stated the bill includes a $108 billion asset exchange with the International Monetary Fund.

GOP.gov confirms the actual amount:

Last week, Democrats in the House and Senate came to a conference agreement on the final language for the Conference Report. The agreement provides billions in non-defense funding, including $108 billion to expand the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) loan programs, which was not included in the House bill. The $108 billion was agreed to by the President in April when he and other members of the G-20 created a plan to increase IMF supplemental funding by tenfold and broaden the role of the Fund.

We can only assume the $108 billion is separate from the $105.8 billion.  The $108 IMF funding is described as a buy back, or loan guarantee.

According to Thomas.gov the IMF funds are to help Pakistan, although the IMF has come under fire as being the actual cause of global poverty by both Progressive–like Senator Bernie Sanders who voted to strip the IMF funding–and Republicans such as Ron Paul.

Republican Jim DeMint tried to strip out the IMF funding in the Senate bill by introducing Amendment 1138:

The DeMint amendment failed although Robert Bennett voted for the amendment.  Orrin Hatch did not vote.  There were 30 nays and 64 yeas.

sources for more information:

Senate Vote On Passage: H.R. 2346: Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009

House Vote on Conference Report: H.R. 2346: Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009

Information on how to contact your elected officials

There are several reports stating the policies in NAFTA that devastated Mexico where championed by the World Bank and IMF:

Press release: World Bank and IMF share in blame for Mexico’s crisis: From the 50 Years Campaign on Mexico Crisis 6 January, 1995

How the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Undermine Democracy and Erode Human Rights:Five Case Studies

John Perkins author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, has done a number of interviews where he claims the money being loaned out by the IMF and World Bank is used for infrastructure projects that go to companies like Halliburton, Halliburton’s subsidiary KBR, and Bechtel.  The ruling elite in the country take a cut for accepting the offer, and then the citizens of the country are left holding the debt.

Progressive John Pilger has made 35 documentaries from 1970 to 2006.  His films have been distributed in the UK, Australia and Canada, but have not been released in the US.  Pilger’s 2006 documentary The New Rulers of the World takes a look at the effect the World Bank and IMF had on Indonesia.

John Pilger’s documentary War by other Means examines the World Bank.