by J. D. Heyes

Researchers continue to discover more evidence that all of those energy drinks, which are pushed by high-profile athletes, sports companies and the mainstream media, are not just bad for you, they are downright dangerous.

Officials with the Food and Drug Administration say they’ve received reports of 13 deaths over the last four years where there was at least a causal link to the brand 5-Hour Energy, an energy shot that contains a potent amount o­f caffeine.

The New York Times said that the disclosure of the reports is the second time in weeks that filings by the agency cited deaths linked to energy drinks. In October, the FDA said it had received five reports involving fatalities that were linked to another popularenergy drink, Monster Energy.

The drinks have a growinghistory at the FDA.Since 2009, 5-Hour Energy has been included in about 90 filings with the agency; more than 30 involved serious or life-threatening problems such as heart attack, convulsions and at least one spontaneous abortion.

‘We are unaware of any problems with our product’

Granted, the simple filing of an incident with the FDA does not mean a certain product caused death or harm or even contributed to it. But clearly the products in question are increasingly mentioned in reports to the government’s investigative health agency.

Living Essentials of Farmington Hills, Mich., the distributor of 5-Hour Energy, did not respond to inquiries from the Times, and the company’s top executive refused to be interviewed. But in a statement, the company claimed its product was safe when used as directed, adding that the firm was “unaware of any deaths proven to have been caused by the consuming” of its product.

Since disclosure of reports linking Monster Energy to potentially harmful incidents, the company has said repeatedly that its products are safe, insisting that the drink was not the cause of any health problems.

The fast-growing energy drink industry has been facing increased scrutiny over the past few years over labeling disclosures and potential health risks, the paper said. The growing concern has stretched all the way to Capitol Hill, of course, as a number of lawmakers have begun calling on the FDA to increase regulation of energy drinks. In addition, the New York State Attorney General’s office is investigating the practices of several of the drink producers.

There are differences in the drinks themselves. Brands like Red Bull, Monster Energy, Rip It and others actually look like beverages, but 5-Hour Energy is sold as a two-ounce shot. And while the company doesn’t disclose how much caffeine is in each container, a recent story by Consumer Reports said it was about 215 milligrams.

That’s about double the caffeine content in an eight-ounce cup of coffee, which can contain between 100 and 150 milligrams.

No specific information tying energy drinks to deaths?

At present, the FDA says it doesn’t have the scientific evidence to regulate caffeine any more than the agency already does. Officials say the issue is made more complex by the fact that some high-caffeine drinks, such as Red Bull, are currently sold under FDA rules, while others, such as 5-Hour Energy and Monster Energy, are sold as dietary supplements.

­Different categories, different rules and reporting requirements – neither of which would matter if better, more specific labeling of ingredients in all food products were the rule rather than the exception.

In an interview with the Times, Daniel Fabricant, director of the FDA’s division of dietary supplement programs, said the agency was looking into death reports citing 5-Hour Energy. But he said so far, the data was inconclusive.

He said the 13 death reports mentioning 5-Hour Energy had all been submitted to the agency by Life Essentials, but only because since 2008, dietary supplement producers have been required to notify the FDA when they are made aware of a death or other serious health incident that could be tied to their product.

If you find yourself needing a boost of energy, try a natural energy booster: http://www.naturalnews.com/033423_mental_function_energy_boost.html.

by the El Reportero’s wireservices

Rafael Correa

From Latin News: The line-up for the Feb. 17 general elections is now almost complete as far as presidential candidates are concerned. Nobody was surprised when President Rafael Correa registered his candidacy for re-election on Nov. 12; days earlier he had announced that there was “consensus” within the ruling Alianza País (AP) regarding his candidacy. At the last minute he picked former minister coordinator of strategic sectors, Jorge Glas, as his running mate.

Cuba’s missing data: what does it mean?

It has become increasingly difficult to assess the performance of the Cuban economy in recent years, because of the non-appearance of some important economic data. At the end of October, the Anuario Estadístico de Cuba, which is usually published by July by the Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas e Información (ONEI, the national statistics office), was missing three chapters: chapter 5, which covers national income accounts; chapter 6, public finances; and chapter 8, the external sector.

Cuba warns of risks to LatAm, defends integration at summit

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla warned here today of threats posed to Latin America and the Caribbean by the current world order and defended regional integration as a way to face them.

Speaking at the plenary session of the 22nd Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, which concluded today, the Cuban diplomat described as dangerous the world situation, marked by the economic crisis and the warmongering stand of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

“Economic relations remain significantly unfavorable ­to Latin America,” said Rodríguez.

He noted that the economic links are characterized by “an unequal international economic order, the irrational and unsustainable nature of the capitalist models of production and consumption and the environmental damage.”

In this regard, he highlighted the increasing effectiveness of the regional mechanisms of coordination, cooperation and agreement, like the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), a 33-member country bloc founded in Caracas in Dec. 2011.

He said that in view of the threats posed by the establishment of a clearly offensive military and nuclear doctrine, the destabilization of sovereign states, the backing of rebel groups and military intervention, CELAC is our most valuable work, with which we defend more than two centuries of struggle and hope.

by Matías Rojas
Infowars.com

Ecuador President Rafael Correa.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is using drug money to fund Rafael Correa’s opposition in the coming 2013 Ecuadorian elections, intelligence sources have revealed to Chilean independent media. The accusations do not stand alone. In October, former UK diplomat Craig Murray said that the CIA had tripled its budget to destabilize the government of Ecuador.

The allegations were made public by President Rafael Correa on Nov. 3 on national television, just days after his official visit to ­Chile to meet with President Sebastian Piñera.

Correa reaffirmed information that appeared in an article written by Chilean independent media outlet Panoramas News, revealing that the CIA and DEA stations in Chile were running a narcotics trafficking network through that country with the full knowledge of Chilean authorities and police.

One of the sources quoted by Chilean media, a former police officer in the Policia de Investigaciones (PDI) by the name of Fernando Ulloa, said that 300 kilograms of cocaine were entering Chile monthly under the escort of members of his own institution, the Carabineros, and the Chilean Army. In May 2011, Fernando Ulloa met with then Chilean Minister of Interior Rodrigo Hinzpeter in La Moneda to inform him about the drug network. After more than one year, the Piñera’s government had done ­nothing to investigate the case.

The scandal resurfaced again after 10 Chilean cops were detained with links to a minor drug smuggling ring, not connected to the one Ulloa was exposing. Although Chilean television was more open to talk about police corruption, Ulloa was only interviewed by two TV networks, where he accused Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter of covering up the larger narcotics ring he was investigating before being kicked out of his job as PDI inspector.

The links to US intelligence emerged after an anonymous source from the Agencia Nacional de Inteligencia (ANI) told Panoramas News that the smuggling of 300 kilos of cocaine was in fact a highly sensitive CIA/DEA operation that would help to raise money to topple the government of Ecuador. The operation is similar to the one carried out by the Agency in Central America during the Iran-Contra scandal in the 1980’s, the source said.

The director of Panoramas News, journalist Patricio Mery Bell, was planning to hand over the information to Rafael Correa while the Ecuadorian President was visiting Chile, but he was strangely accused of beating a woman after she stole his cell-phone. The cell-phone memory contained a video testimony of Mery’s intelligence source, destined to be passed to Correa, but it ended up in the hands of the police after the mysterious incident.

Once he was in Ecuador, President Rafael Correa connected the dots and decided to go public with the information. He quoted Murray’s early warnings about the CIA’s intent to “fund, bribe or blackmail media and officials”, originally written in the former diplomat’s own blog, adding that the Agency was dealing drugs just as Oliver North had done during the Contra support effort.

In an interview with NTN24, journalist Patricio Mery added more details to the case, relating the cover-up of the CIA drug dealing operation to the deaths of two different people in the last seven years: former soldier Fabian Vega, who was found hung in the northern city of Calama in 2005, and young citizen Nestor Madariaga Juantok, found death with two bullets in the port of Valparaiso in 2006. Both were ruled as suicides.

Mery also gave the name of the alleged CIA liaison with the Chilean Navy, former captain Jesus Saez Luna, who is now being held in a penitentiary after he mysteriously escaped from Navy custody. Saez Luna was described in his arrest as the biggest drug dealer of the coastal city of Viña del Mar, with networks in Santiago de Chile and the Bio-Bio southern region of the country. Known as “El Marino”, the former captain utilized “military intelligence” tactics to avoid detection by police, according to the Chilean newspaper La Segunda.

The case is being depicted as “Chile-Contras”, in reference to the history of CIA narcotics trafficking in Nicaragua. This is just another example of how drug money is used to fund covert operations, such as the ones we have seen in Syria, with whole guerrilla armies and opposition forces being financed to overthrow countries that aren’t part of the Anglo-American establishment and don’t bow to American corporate interests.

­

by S. D. Wells

Even though some food is labeled organic, the seeds may still have come from a GMO source; like if a small to mid-size farmer buys seeds or plants, such as tomatoes, from a Home Depot or Lowe’s, and then plants them in organic soil and does not use pesticide,they are still GMO, but they don’tget labeled as such. Who knows this? How do you avoid it? Did you know bees will fly 50 miles, cross-pollinating from one farm to another by carrying mutated genes from corporate GMO farms to organic farms. There are lawsuits coming from both sides and the war waged by the people who don’t want to eat pesticide laden, GENETICALLY MUTATED CROP has just begun. (http://holisticprimarycare.net)

What does “organic” really mean?

Simply stated, organic produce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. Also, very important is that the animals that are consumed or produce eggs and milk do not take antibiotics or growth hormones.

Going to a local farmer’s market is one wise path, but they still may have bought GM seeds or used pesticides, or both. Most likely, your friendly local farmers have respect and maintain the integrity of their crop, for the sake of their families, their neighbors, and their community.(http://www.organic.org/home/faq)

The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) defines organic as follows:

“Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled “organic,” a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.”

The USDA has three “categories of organic:”

1. 100 percent Organic: Made with 100 percent organic ingredients.

2. Organic: Made with at least 95 percent organic ingredients.

3. “Made With Organic Ingredients:” Made with a minimum of 70 percent organic ingredients with strict restrictions on the remaining 30 percent including no GMOs (genetically modified organisms).

Products with fewer than 70 percent organic ingredients may list organically produced ingredients on the side panel, but may not make any organic claims on the front of the package.

Do not trust the USDA! The USDA is not to be trusted, though. Although their stamp of organic goes a long way, there’s no guarantee, and since we’ve seen the FDA endorse horrific disease-causing foods, additives, chemicals, GMO, and more, you have to be your own investigator.

This is right from the USDA site; they support GMO! “Welcome to the USDA’s Agricultural Biotechnology Website: The USDA supports the safe and appropriate use of science and technology, including biotechnology, to help meet agricultural challenges and consumer needs of the 21st century. USDA plays a key role in assuring that products produced using biotechnology are safe to be grown and used in the United States. Once these products enter commerce, USDA supports bringing these and other products to the worldwide marketplace.” (In other words, feed the whole world cancer). (http://www.usda.gov)

Have you seen the French scientists’ long-term study of GMO effects on rats? The rats get tumors the size of baseballs and die an early death. (http://www.naturalnews.com)

One Nebraska organic farmer, David Vetter, has been testing his corn for GMO contamination. Situated right in the middle of corn country, all around him are farmers growing genetically modified corn and that poses a major problem. Corn is an openpollinating crop. Wind and insects can carry pollen from a few yards to several miles. Last year, Vetter’s organic corn tested positive for genetic contamination. “We’ve been letting customers who buy in bulk know the situation,” says Vetter. (http://www.progressive.org/0901/lil0901.html)

Since one of the heads of the FDA, Michael Taylor, used to be a lobbyist and vice president of Monsanto, don’t look for regulations any time soon, especially since Obama appointed him and the re-election is set in stone. Also, watch for articles, lawsuits, and companies that sell out from organic to corporate run pseudo-organic. They are caving by the numbers. It’s all about the money, until people get cancer and can’t buy their way out of it. (­http://www.naturalnews.com).

­by the El Reportero’s wire services

Anibal Carrillo

Guasú Front, a coalition of leftist parties and movements in Paraguay proclaimed Anibal Carrillo as its candidate for presidential elections in April 2013.

Carrillo, a doctor, has a long history in the student and political struggle of Paraguay, was militant of the Febrerista Party and founder of the Tekojoja party, one of the leading members of the front.

The presentation ceremony was initiated by Fernando Lugo, president of the organization, who described the Guasú Front as democrats, anti-imperialist and anti-coup and sustained it will hold an election campaign based on programmatic axes of popular content.

The event, held at the headquarters of the Front, was attended by delegations from several departments, including representatives of peasant organizations.

Ecuador says charges about CIA interference are credible

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa said denunciations about US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) interference to destabilize his government and hinder his reelection are credible.

During a television-broadcast interview with journalist Jorge Gestoso, Correa referred to the denunciations presented by UK ex-Ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray and the Chilean journalist Patricio Mery Bell and said they acre credible because there are precedents.

Replying to denigration of those denunciations by the ambassador in this capital, he said: “I trust in Obama’s government. I trust in Hillary Clinton and Ambassador Adam Namm. I believe the government does not know, but it does not mean it is not happening.”

Florida, last stop on a your of Cuba Symphony Orchestra

The Mahaffey Theater, located in Saint Petersburg, Florida, hosted the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba in the first of five concerts to give in that state as closing its first U.S. tour.

According to digital media, the 72 Cuban musicians shared the stage with the Florida Orchestra, the institution responsible for this invitation as part of the multicultural exchange 5program of both groups.

­“This is a brick to help rebuild a bridge. Nowdays, Cubans nothing more than to be friends of the United States, and the music is a universal language that we all have in common,” Jose Valiente, chairman of the Cuba Committee for Florida orchestra, told reporters. Similar opinion has the Cuban symphonic director, maestro Enrique Pérez Mesa, who said that music has always transcended politics border.