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Warnings in Mexico of hidden agenda in Peña-Nieto Obama meeting

by the El Reportero’s wire services

The next meeting at the White House between Presidents Barack Obama, and Enrique Peña Nieto, of Mexico, will be a political staging with a covert agenda, says the La Jornada diary.
An article by Carlos Fazio says that Peña Nieto’s official visit to Washington occurs when the Mexican head of state has ‘its legitimacy in the red and politically weakened.’
He mentions regarding this ‘the State crimes of Tlatlaya and Iguala’ as well as ‘scandals of opacity, corruption and conflicts of interest’ that, as he says, affect the presidential environment.
The publication notes that starting in January Obama will govern with a Congress under Republican control, which will shorten his room for maneuver, while the disappearance of the students from Ayotzinapa and other facts have kept Peña Nieto ‘since three months ago in a virtual condition of astonishment.’
He argues that the ‘covert agenda has as nodal point the consolidation North America as an geographical space integrated by Canada, United States and Mexico, under the economic and military control of Washington.’
‘Such consolidation occurs in the face of intercapitalist competition in the markets and the appropriation and plunder of the global geostrategic resources,’ he adds.
He claims that the increase in the structural crisis of the system comes accompanied by economic and energy wars, geopolitical upheavals and destabilization operations of the Pentagon and NATO axis in areas of influence of Russia and China.
Fazio takes into account the recommendations made known in October by the Council of Foreign Relations, ‘powerful global shadow government based in New York’, which advocates preserving the ‘imperial hegemony’ by deepening integration with Canada and Mexico for economical, energetic, security, environmental, and social cooperation.
He mentions the unified security strategy for North America, based on which Obama should support efforts of Peña Nieto to strengthen the democratic governance in the style of the one applied by Alvaro Uribe in Colombia, under the auspices of Washington.
He makes reference to the border cooperation, ‘with the subordination of the armed forces of Mexico to the Pentagon’s Northern Command, which, since 2013, through the Merida Initiative, has intensified training courses to military personnel and native civilians in irregular warfare, counterterrorism and counterinsurgency.’
He concludes that the Mexican president was called to Washington ‘to deepen the delivery’, especially in energy, with the implementation in this area prompted by the Aztec executive for the opening of the hydrocarbon sector.

Civilian search for missing students to begin in Mexico
Families of the missing Mexican students of Ayotzinapa teacher training college make preparations to begin a civilian search next Saturday.
In a cultural festival held yesterday at the Avenue of Chilpancingo, the capital city of the Guerrero state, Felipe de la Cruz, spokesperson for the families of Ayotzinapa students forcibly disappeared in last September, urged population to support the search.
He said that all intellectuals have been called for a forum on February 2nd to discuss the situation in the Guerrero state, claiming that elections will not be held until the return of the 42 students disappeared in the Iguala city, in Guerrero, (one was found dead).
He also urged political parties not to make profit from this movement for midterm elections in next June since they use it in spots “in a shameless and inhumane way; using our slogans, marches and messages to make political propaganda and win the people’s support.”

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New study: Monsanto’s herbicide chemical damages DNA

Did Monsanto know all along?

by Christina Sarich

A new peer-reviewed scientific study has found that soybean workers exposed to glyphosate suffer from DNA damage and elevated cell death. Adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T) are the components of nucleic acid that make up DNA, and biotech is making these important parts of our biology a mash-up that no sane person would ever want to experience.
Soybean workers in Brazil exposed to fungicides herbicides and insecticides (the main three chemical classifications used extensively by the biotech farming model) experienced an elevated level of cellular apoptosis, as well as remarkable DNA damage according to the Elsevier published, Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis.
The research concentrated on Glyphosate and 2,4-D, two chemicals that practically cover all of the US farming landscape. Glyphosate alone is used doubly as often as it was five years ago, with more than 185 million pounds of glyphosate-based and Round Up ready chemicals sprayed o n our crops annually. Most GM crops were made, in fact, to withstand Round Up chemicals specifically. (Interestingly, the USDA won’t even test for glyphosate regularly because it’s ‘too expensive.’)
The herbicide 2,4-D has been used even longer than glyphosate – since the 1940s in fact – so there is no telling just how saturated our soil, and water is with this particular chemical. (Agent Orange, used during the Vietnam war contained 2,4-D.)
Danieli Benedetti and others found that the widespread cultivation of GM soybeans in the State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS, Brazil), especially in the city of Espumoso is particularly toxic to farm workers there.
They find:
“. . .the comet assay in peripheral leukocytes and the buccal micronucleus (MN) cytome assay (BMCyt) in exfoliated buccal cells were used to assess the effects of exposures to pesticides in soybean farm workers from Espumoso.A total of 127 individuals, 81 exposed and 46 non-exposed controls, were evaluated. Comet assay and BMCyt (micronuclei and nuclear buds) data revealed DNA damage in soybean workers.
Cell death was also observed (condensed chromatin, karyorhectic, and karyolitic cells). Inhibition of non-specific choline esterase (BchE) was not observed in the workers. The trace element contents of buccal samples were analyzed by Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE). Higher concentrations of Mg, Al, Si, P, S, and Cl were observed in cells from workers. No associations with use of personal protective equipment, gender, or mode of application of pesticides were observed.
Our findings indicate the advisability of monitoring genetic toxicity in soybean farm workers exposed to pesticides.”
It isn’t just farm workers that need to be concerned, though. Research in the German journal Ithaca stumbled upon significant concentrations of glyphosate in the urine samples of city dwellers. Many of the participants in this study showed glyphosate levels in their blood and urine that were up to 20 times the allowable levels in drinking water.
Other Studies Agree – Pesticide Chemicals Damage DNA
Multiple studies prior to the Brazilian research just conducted have shown cytotoxic and DNA-damaging effects of glyphosate exposure. In one study, Koller and his colleagues found that:
“. . . lymphocytes and cells from internal organs indicate that epithelial cells are more susceptible to the cytotoxic and DNA-damaging properties of the herbicide and its formulation. Since we found genotoxic effects after short exposure to concentrations that correspond to a 450-fold dilution of spraying used in agriculture, our findings indicate that inhalation may cause DNA damage in exposed individuals.”
As Natural Society previously reported, another study found that it only takes 57 parts per million for Round Up to completely destroy human kidney cells. We kind of need our kidneys. Agricultural levels of glyphosate are often more than 200 times this level.
You have to assume Monsanto knew that its RoundUp chemicals would damage DNA. After all, they’ve hidden toxicity results before, saying that they were a ‘commercial secret.’
Approximately 9 percent of all soybeans grown in the US are GMO, which means they are grown with Round Up or glyphosate-containing chemicals, and the Koller study found that even smaller concentrations (.02%) of Monsanto’s best seller sprayed on our crops causes DNA damage.
That means you can dilute Round Up more than 98 percent and it will still damage your cells.
In what country is a company allowed to knowingly, purposefully, scientifically kill human DNA (and thus humans) and not be charged with murder, treason, or at the bare minimum the withholding of information? Oh, that’s right – America.
Sure, biotech companies will tell you that DNA gets damaged all the time – from UV rays, oxidation, medical X-rays, even environmental toxins which biotech doesn’t create, but hen they systemically market a product(s) that kills your cells – shouldn’t they be stopped?
Damaged DNA leads to cancer, faster aging, neurological disease and the break down of our organs. There are hundreds of pathological conditions which are caused by damaged DNA, not that we can’t take proactive steps to heal our DNA, but agencies which allow these products to stay on the market are an abomination.
Even 9th graders understand the importance of DNA, and while the human genome project that sequenced more than 100,00 genes stilldidn’t explain the whole picture of our genetic make-up, DNA is an essential part of it, and shouldn’t be damaged. You can revisit the basics of DNA, here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmDG_fKUTR8.

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The pleasure model of the future – a short story

by Jon Rappoport
www.nomorefakenews.com

The worn document has passed from hand to hand in the underground. The title? “Life in the Pleasure Dome.”
Its date of publication is uncertain, owing to the torrid years of revolution and state repression. Most estimates place it at 2067.
The man who signed it is long forgotten, but it’s rumored he’d worked for the US Department of Control (aka “Sphincter”), an offshoot of the old Homeland Security Force.
He was, perhaps, a scientist with special access to the President, the Congress, and the Pentagon.
Why is this document so important? Because it mirrors recent developments—in particular, the mass drugging of the population, under the guise of mental health care.
From page 56 of the document: “The aim of the New American Order must be the reduction of pain and suffering, in favor of pleasure. The population must glimpse light at the end of the tunnel. New drugs in the research pipeline must deliver pleasure at a level that cannot be denied or ignored by the user.”
Many people believe in the current drugging program. They feel the pleasure. They are satisfied with their lives, regardless of external conditions.
But on page 294, we see the underpinning of the whole program:
“Pleasure alone is not enough. There must be an accompanying belief that the satisfaction-quotient these drugs create is acceptable, is a ceiling on what is possible in a life lived.
“For that, we need a general lowering of expectation, because the drugs cannot stimulate the kind of pleasure that comes with holding ideals such as freedom, independence, power, and imagination.
“These ideals must be eradicated. Then the drugs will suffice. Then the pleasure they bring will seem to be enough.”
In other words, a person who is still conscious of his own innate freedom, power, and independence will experience profound pleasure. The drugs do not and cannot deliver sensation at that level.
Therefore, our leaders state, the consciousness of freedom, power, and independence must be wiped out in the population.
In the underground, we know such a program is underway. It has been operating for many years.
As evidence, I point to the standard federal review form, X-12f-B, which is a series of questions put to every student in the United States before he graduates high school, and to every person in the country during a job interview of any kind, as well as to every person who applies for government benefits.
Buried in this standard form are the following:
“When was the last time you felt free? What year?”
“Did you feel free when you were a child?”
“Has anyone told you you should be free?”
An interviewer asks these three key questions to every American. If the answers suggest that the interviewee does, or once did, feel free, he will, sooner or later, be shunted into the so-called Road System, which is an untrained and unprotected workforce sent to toxic waste areas to do cleanup, on a seven-year federal contract.
Then we have the federal psych eval network, which functions as an offshoot of the NSA Home and Workplace Surveillance Anti-Crime Mandate (NHWSACM).
By electronic means, through remote brain scans, a belief-system profile is assembled on all Americans. Among other assessments, this profile determines to what degree people have any deeply held convictions.
The content of such beliefs doesn’t matter. What matters is the level of commitment to the beliefs.
The underground has learned that these profiles are used to identify Americans who still have deep faith in anything. Those who do are placed in several different types of grinding manual labor forces.
The whole idea is to separate and wall off “believers” of any kind from the general population.
Over time, the people of America will, presumably, accept the pleasure drugs as the highest form of life.
The drugs will become the ideals.
What the drugs impart will be the only recognized “higher pleasure.”
There will be nothing else.
That is why we in the underground have developed an antidote. It is based on an old formula which has been wiped from all public and private records.
It used to be called “organic.”
That term is now outlawed.
We now use “Organic” to indicate a secret vegetable concentrate, which will offset some of the effects of the pleasure drugs.
We grow the vegetables in hundreds of hidden places on the planet, and we are dispensing the concentrate widely. If we are discovered and captured, we will disappear.
The aim of our plan is simple. If enough people, ingesting the Organic, experience less pleasure from the drugs, they will wake up and see that their lives can encompass more.
Watch out for agents of the FDA. They are legion. Even if they are not wearing SWAT uniforms and armor, they carry weapons. The younger agents were raised, from childhood, in breeding facilities, and they have never eaten vegetables…they were trained to consider them vile poisons.
These breeding centers are funded and run by the Grocery Manufacturers Association. Apparently, the GMA used to be a money-laundering crime family, which secretly raised money to promote genetically modified food, when Earth still sustained non-GMO crops.
Now, they are officially a department of the combined FDA-USDA Strike Force. They deploy drones, and they also go on door-to-door searches.
Just last month, in Madison, Wisconsin, a group of dissident students, upon observing five agents moving door to door in an off-campus housing district, displayed bunches of broccoli and spinach—before the agents could draw their weapons—and induced a panic.
Three agents suffered strokes, and a fourth ran to a city fluoride holding tank, dove in and drowned.
One student shouted: THIS IS HOW WE DEAL WITH VAMPIRES!
(Jon Rappoport is the author of two explosive collections, The Matrix Revealed and Exit From The Matrix).

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Anthony Holdsworth’s oil painting exhibition extended

Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff

The heart of the Mission District has been and is being painted is such details that one cannot miss the landscape location of Anthony Holdsworth’s oil paiting. Over 30 masterpiece paintings will have been painted by project end. The whole work is a masterpiece never been done in the history of the district.
Exhibition extended through Sunday, January 11.
At Alley Cat Gallery, 3036 24th St, San Francisco. For more info call (415) 824-1761, or visit www.anthonyholdsworth.com.

La Gente band and others at the Elbo Room
We are proud to announce La Gente will be headlining at The Great American plus Marcus Cohen & The Congress, Emcee Infinite + live painting by Joshua Coffy,
& special guests Jorge Molina Jillian Picazo.
Live at The Great American Music Hall, on Saturday at 8 p.m., on Jan. 24 2015, 859 O’Farrell St, San Francisco. Doors. 9:00 Music

New paintings of the San Francisco Mission District
The heart of the Mission District has been and is being painted is such details that one cannot miss the landscape location of Anthony Holdsworth’s oil paiting. Over 30 masterpiece paintings will have been painted by project end. The whole work is a masterpiece never been done in the history of the district.
Exhibition extended through Sunday, January 11.
At Alley Cat Gallery, 3036 24th St, San Francisco. For more info call (415) 824-1761, or visit www.anthonyholdsworth.com.

The History of the Voices of Latin Rock Autism Awareness Benefit Concerts
Voices of Latin Rock VIII at the sold out Bimbo’s 365 Club featured the young and old of Latin Rock and local talent. The Autism Awareness event showcased the “sweetheart” of Latin Rock and rising star BLANCA.
A favorite of the Bay Area, Blanca Sandoval, band leader, producer, song writer, guitarist and lead vocalist of the band, enjoys a huge following and is well on her way to great success in Latin/Pop Rock.
Voices of Latin Rock VIII – January 26, 2012

Children and families have chance to read and play during school break with bingo
The library will distribute cards for its new “Winter Bingo” game, encouraging children in grades K-5, and parents of younger children and babies, to do activities that stimulate literacy and learning. Any child or parent may return a bingo card with five activities marked in a row to any Oakland Public Library between now and Jan. 31, 2015, to select a free paperback book to keep, as a prize.
Activities include direct reading activities such as “Listen to a story” or “Read about your favorite thing” as well as social activities such as “Make someone laugh,” or “Bring a friend to the library,” and active play such as “Dance” or “Play outside.” Activities for parents to do with babies and preschoolers include “Use a recipe to make a snack,” and “Ask your child to turn the page.” Bingo cards will be available at all library locations and distributed to partner organizations, and are available in Spanish, Chinese, and English.
For more information, please visit www.oaklandlibrary.org or contact Nina Lindsay, Supervising Librarian for Children’s Services, at nlindsay@oaklandlibrary.org, or 510-238-6706.

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Local producer doesn’t stop making movies

by the El Reportero news services

Vicky Contrera finished Frontera: Camino al Infierno (Border: Road to Hell), which has already premiered in theaters in August 2014. Three months later she filmed, The Good Parricide, which it is expected will be premiered soon. In both movies she was the main actress, in addition to being the scriptwriter and the producer. A few days ago she announced publicly she would have a casting call to choose approximately 12 actors and actresses for her new film adventure: La Señora Elegante (The Elegant Lady).
About 300 persons responded to her Facebook casting call, which took place in the studios of IND-TV, in the city of Milpitas. One by one, each member of the long line of wanna-be actors and actresses, spreading out the doors of the building far into the parking lot, had their opportunity to audition for roles in the film.
The story is one which the journalist-actress-producer started writing in her moments of relaxation and ended up with a movie script.
El Reportero contacted her to learn a little about the movie.
“We know that secret doors exist, we know that we are not alone, we know that Angels, guards, demons and bogeys exist among us ’, writes Contreras, who was born in Michoacán, Mexico and now lives in  Hayward, California.
It is the story of a family marked by an inexplicable event, says the producer, who has been involved in more than 26 film projects.
In The Elegant Lady, Jaro, the only son of a wealthy family, runs away from home, and during this time he almost loses his life.
“A very elegant, blonde woman saves his life,” narrates Contreras.
“At the time he returns to thank her, he finds an empty house and a photo of the elegant woman hanging on the wall.”
Jaro asks the neighbors about the lady, and he is shocked when that they tell him that she died 15 years ago.
They tell the young man that people are frequently coming to try to thank her for having saved their lives, and that they do not know if it is a myth or a ghostly reality or if it was an angel sent from heaven.
But the truth is, says Contreras, that thousands of stories have been heard about the elegant woman, who appears when they are about to die and she saves their lives.
Those who managed to make the casting call for this movie will have to wait approximately three weeks before the judges finally pick the 12 that will be the actors and actresses of The Elegant Lady.

Buen Día, Ramón (Good Day, Ramón), a touching film
A beloved box office hit in Mexico, Buen Día, Ramón (Good Day, Ramon) tells the heartwarming story of a young man from a small Mexican town who travels to Germany to find work to support his family and becomes stranded without shelter or money. He struggles to survive on the streets until he meets Ruth, a lonely senior citizen with whom he develops an astonishing and touching friendship that transcends borders and prejudices. The film stars Kristyan Ferrer, Ingeborg Schöner and Adrianna Barazza, and is written, directed and produced by Jorge Ramírez-Suárez.

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The move to depopulate planet Earth – Part 6

FROM THE EDITOR:
Much has been said about a so-called ‘conspiracy theory’ about the depopulation of the planet. In this article, Stephanie R. Pasco, follows the trails of statements – going back decades -made by world leaders confirming that in fact exists a plan to depopulate the planet Earth. You be the judge, readers. Due to the length of the article, El Reportero will publish in several parts, extending to several weeks. THIS IS PART 6 OF A SERIES.

by Stephanie R. Pasco

It is my intention to give you clips from documents, many from the United Nations that prove there is a plan to depopulate this planet. I will also provide quotes from various people and organizations that further show this agenda is afoot. I pray the guidance of the Lord God Almighty will be with me in this pursuit to warn others of this dark plot against humanity.
Everything written in this paper is easily verifiable. It may take some time and effort, but I took great pains to make this paper as accurate as I possibly could.
The depopulation agenda is based on nature worship, or Gaia worship. In Genesis, God clearly told Adam and Eve, and then Noah and his family to go forth and multiply to fill the earth. Nowhere in the Bible does God rescind that clearly spoken commandment. Therefore man is attempting to supersede the command of the Lord God in heaven: The Creator! I ask you, who knows more about the state of the earth, the created, or the Creator?
The basis for the depopulation agenda is a standard all elitist’s hold dear. This standard is called:
The Hegelian Dialectic:
Problem – Reaction-Solution

The Earth Charter (1992), A Spiritual Vision: “A consensus has developed that the Earth Charter should be…the articulation of a spiritual vision that reflects universal spiritual values, including, but not limited to, ethical values …a people’s charter that serves as a universal code of conduct for ordinary citizens, educators, business executives, scientists, religious leaders, non-governmental organizers and national councils of sustainable development; and a declaration of principles that can serve as a “soft tax” document when endorsed by the UN General Assembly. ”
In its original form, The Earth Charter failed miserably due to open, blatant pantheistic approach. Gorbachev and Strong have worked diligently to change the language and make it appear less obvious. You may be wondering what the Earth Charter has to do with depopulation. It has everything to do with it. Here is a very brief synopsis of what the Charter holds for us.
According to the Charter, we must:
• “Recognize that all beings are interdependent and every form of life has value…” (Unborn children, of course, are not included in the UN’s definition of “every form of life.” The Earth Summit II documents continue to support the UN’s pro-abortion policies.)
• “Affirm faith in the inherent dignity of all human beings.” (UN agencies, however, support policies of euthanasia for those determined not capable of living a “quality” life).
• “Adopt at all levels sustainable development plans and regulations….” (This is a prescription for global socialism in a super-regulated global state.)
• “Prevent pollution of any part of the environment…” (Enforcing this dictum would mean stopping virtually all human activity.)
• “Internalize the full environmental and social costs of goods and services in the selling price.” (This seemingly harmless sentence would empower the state to price, tax, and regulate all production and consumption).
• “Ensure universal access to health care that fosters reproductive health and responsible reproduction. (This is a thinly disguised call for that includes abortion and population control).
• “Eliminate discrimination in all its forms, such as that based on race … [and] sexual orientation.” (This provision is clearly aimed at criminalizing those who refuse to accept homosexuality as positive and good).
• “Promote the equitable distribution of wealth within nations and among nations. (See;
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+new+world+religion%3a+presented+to+the+world+as+a+mystical… a091968392 for the full article)
The Earth Charter has not been ratified. Do not make the mistake of assuming it has not been interwoven into our society, however! It is being taught in our schools and promoted shamelessly by Hollywood, the UN, NBC (owned by GE), ABC, CBS, CNN, HLN & all the Fox owned stations, with the exception of Fox News in order to keep the supporters blinded to the machinations of Rupert Murdock. Do not be deceived!
The ability to freely procreate is soon to be removed from us, much as it has been in China for many years. Not only will we not be allowed to have children, anyone who is termed a “useless eater” (A term coined by Henry Kissinger) will be euthanized: Mercilessly culled.
In Sweden , the “Sterilization Act of 1934” provided for the voluntary sterilization of some mental patients. The law was passed while the Swedish Social Democratic Party was in power, though it was also supported by all other political parties in Parliament at the time, as well as the Lutheran Church and much of the medical profession. -Wikipedia
America is scheduled to become compliant to Codex Alimentarius (CA) as of December 31, 2009.
Codex Alimentarius is going to regulate virtually anything that you put into your mouth that is not a pharmaceutical. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has accepted Codex Alimentarius and any nation that is a member of the WTO must become compliant with CA. In any dispute between 2 countries, the one that is Codex compliant automatically wins. This is quite an incentive for all nations to become compliant. – Rima Laibow
CA guidelines set for vitamins & minerals are said to be voluntary, however, they are scheduled to become mandatory on December 31, 2009. In 1994, Codex Alimentarius declared nutrients to be poisons: See the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act (DSHEA). Yet fluoride is acceptable! Why? It creates complacency. Proper nutrients will ensure a longer, healthier life. Not at all in keeping with a depopulation agenda.

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Baking soda found to help people with chronic kidney disease

by S. L. Baker
Natural News

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious condition marked by the permanent loss of kidney function. When the kidneys are damaged, the organs can’t remove wastes and extra water from the blood as well as they should and the result can be a host of serious and even deadly health consequences. But now researchers in the United Kingdom have made a breakthrough in the treatment of advanced CKD — and it doesn’t involve a new drug or high tech surgery. Instead, it’s simply a daily dose of sodium bicarbonate or, as it is more commonly called, baking soda.
Used for everything from baking cookies and non-toxic cleaning to relieving indigestion and sunburn, now baking soda has been shown to slow the decline of kidney function in CKD, according to a study set for publication in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). “This cheap and simple strategy also improves patients’ nutritional status, and has the potential of translating into significant economic, quality of life, and clinical outcome benefits,” researcher Magdi Yaqoob, MD, of the Royal London Hospital, said in a statement to the media.
This is an enormously important finding because CKD is a growing health problem, both in the UK and the US. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), between1990 and 2000, the number of people with kidney failure requiring dialysis or transplantation in the US virtually doubled to 380,000. If this trend continues, around 700,000 people will have serious kidney failure by 2010.
Dr. Yaqoob studied 134 patients with advanced CKD and low bicarbonate levels, a condition known as metabolic acidosis. One group of these patients was treated with a small daily dose of sodium bicarbonate in tablet form, in addition to their usual care. The results? The rate of decline in kidney function was dramatically reduced in these patients. Overall, the decline was about two-thirds slower than in patients not given sodium bicarbonate. “In fact, in patients taking sodium bicarbonate, the rate of decline in kidney function was similar to the normal age-related decline,” Dr. Yaqoob stated.
The patients taking sodium bicarbonate were also less likely to develop end-stage renal disease (ESRD) which causes people with CKD to undergo regular dialysis. In addition, those taking sodium bicarbonate also had improvement in several measures of nutrition. And, even though their levels of sodium went up, they did not experience increased blood pressure.
Low bicarbonate levels are common in patients with CKD and can lead to a wide range of other problems. “This is the first randomized controlled study of its kind,” says Yaqoob. “A simple remedy like sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), when used appropriately, can be very effective.”
The NIH estimates that 20 million Americans have significantly reduced kidney function, and even a small decline in kidney function can double a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Many people will experience heart attacks or strokes before they are even aware they have kidney disease. Fortunately, there are many natural strategies that can help prevent, fight and heal kidney disease (http://www.healingfoodreference.com/kidney_d…). For example, avoiding soda pop can lower the odds of developing CKD in the first place (http://www.naturalnews.com/025582_soda_healt…). And, as reported earlier in NaturalNews, eating fish a couple of times a week has been shown to help prevent kidney disease in diabetics. (http://www.naturalnews.com/News_000550_fish_protein_fish_oil_diabetes.html#Comments.

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Developer of Nicaragua Canal plans IPO to raise project funding

by the El Reportero’s wire services

HONG KONG — The lack of detailed financial information on the Nicaragua canal from project leader HKND Group continued this week with the announcement by chairman and CEO Wang Jing that the company was planning to launch an initial public offering to fund the $50 billion waterway.
Wang gave no details of which stock market the IPO would be launched, when it would happen or how much HKND hoped to raise. According to Reuters, he said in the Nicaraguan capital of Managua that he “hoped” the listing would take place in the stock market that offered the best conditions.
Wang said HKND was preparing a prospectus which would reveal the investors behind the 172-mile canal that aims to cut across the Central American nation and compete with the Panama Canal not far to the south.
Almost two years after the canal project was first announced there is mounting skepticism about its viability, something the sketchy financial details are exacerbating. As a Hong Kong based company, the city is the obvious choice for an IPO, but to attract interest, a prospectus will need to address funding issues, identify the major investors, explain how much land will have to be expropriated and provide cost estimates, and outline how seriously Lake Nicaragua will be affected.
Investors expecting financial answers in Wang’s address to government officials and business leaders, including Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, to celebrate the start of the “Grand Canal of Nicaragua” will have been disappointed.
Overflowing with “hands across the sea” type imagery of China helping its Nicaraguan brothers, the only relevant information in Wang’s keynote speech was an outline of the work plan for 2015.
In the first quarter of 2015, measurements, design, land acquisition and construction of access roads on the east and west sides of the canal project will continue, with the tender for the preliminary design offered, Wang said.
At the end of the first quarter, the final and integrated environmental impact studies will be delivered, the third quarter will see bidding and the start of work on the key excavation section between Tule and La Union.
In the fourth quarter, tenders for design and construction of the east and west locks will be called for.
Yet key feasibility studies have been postponed to April and excavation work is not scheduled to begin until the second half of next year. Despite the delays, HKND is standing behind its five-year completion schedule, leading many to surmise that China will be bankrolling its construction.
Something that will have raised eyebrows, however, was Wang’s assertion that all the challenges faced by the project had been solved.
“In more than two years, the doubts and speculations on the canal project about protection of the environment, resettlement, technology, machinery, finance, law, politics, experience, equipment, etc. never stopped,” Wang told the assembled officials.
“Today we proudly announce that we have overcome all those challenges,” he said.

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Some immigrants relieved to see holiday season end

by Michael Lozano
VoiceWaves/New America Media

Above: Salvador Paredes Orozco of Long Beach was not able to visit his dying father before he passed away in Mexico last winter.
It’s that time of year when many people are just getting back into their routine after a holiday season spent sharing presents and food, and creating new memories with loved ones. But for many immigrants, the holidays are an unwelcome reminder of just how far away they are from family members on the other side of the border.
“I feel depressed at this time of year. I have the need to see my family, but I can’t because I don’t have papers,” said Long Beach resident Leticia Salazar*, who came to the U.S. about 17 years ago, leaving behind her parents and four siblings in Mexico City.
“I came here without anything, without knowing anyone,” she said in Spanish Salazar felt the pain of separation the most after each of her four children were born. “When I had my first girl, I wanted someone to come visit me at the hospital. I needed someone to be there with me in those moments, to tell them how I felt.”
While an estimated 5 million immigrants in the U.S. are expected to benefit from President Obama’s most recent executive order on immigration — it grants temporary protection from deportation for qualifying individuals, including undocumented parents living in the U.S. whose children are already citizens – the order will not bring relief to families that are already divided due to federal immigration policies.
“Part of the reason that families are separated is because our immigration system is broken,” said Cathleen Farrell, Director of Communications for National Immigration Forum. “We need a solution for that. Currently, there are an estimated 11 million people who are undocumented… many who have family members who are not with them.”
Salazar has siblings in Utah, but she believes that even visiting them for the holidays is too risky. “I’m afraid of raids, of immigration getting us. That’s our biggest fear,” Salazar said.
Many immigrants see the holidays as a harsh reminder of the border that divides them from their families. For some, the mere mention of the topic evokes tears.
“Every year, it’s depressing,” said Long Beach resident Maria Gómez*, who is from Guadalajara, Mexico. “I’m happy because I have my children here, but it’s sad because I don’t have my other family members close,” she said in Spanish.
The wait times and backlogs in processing for visa and permanent residency applications can be frustrating for immigrants hoping to be reunited with family members.
Gómez holds a U Visa, which means she is legally able to stay here but traveling outside of the U.S.

 would require a lengthy and risky process that could even result in her losing her U status. Twenty-five years ago she left behind her parents, sisters, nephews, and “many people that I love.”
“My family has grown,” Gómez said. “I have never met some of them.”
Video chat technology has eased some of the pain, she said, “But it’s not the same as giving them a hug, as feeling them close.”
The pain can drive some immigrants to great lengths to see their family members, especially when one of them is hurt. When Gómez’s father was assaulted and stabbed at his home in 1997, she debated whether to return to Mexico.
“I couldn’t (legally) go. It was a risk for me,” Gómez said. But it was also her younger sister’s fifteenth birthday – her Quinceañera, a big deal in Mexican culture — and it was her dream that Gómez would be there. So she crossed.
To get back into the U.S. she walked through the desert for days, a dangerous journey that has only become more so in the years since her crossing, due to heightened border enforcement and increased cartel-related violence.
“It’s impossible now. I wouldn’t risk it again,” Gómez said.
Not everyone takes the risk to visit ailing family members. When Salazar’s father was sick with cancer, he demanded that she not leave the U.S.
“He kept telling us that if something happened, not to come over there for any reason,” Salazar recalls. “He knows how much suffering there is in getting back into this country.”
To this day, Salazar struggles with the fact that she was not by her father’s side when he passed.
Another local immigrant, Salvador Paredes Orozco, from Tlaxcala, Mexico, is the only person from his family in the U.S. He hadn’t seen his father in two years, when last year they connected online to catch up during the holidays.
“I saw him online for Christmas. Then on January 18 (2014), he died. It was the last time I saw him,”
said Orozco.
In addition to missing his family, Orozco said he misses the cultural traditions in his hometown of Aztama, “a small pueblo where everyone knows each other.”
Christmas there, he said, is celebrated fervently with Las Posadas: nine days of religious festivities, dancing, singing, food, and family. The topic lights up Orozco’s eyes.
“It’s incredible for such a small pueblo to have such a big celebration,” he said. 

“You decorate houses very nicely here but it doesn’t have the magic of our country, where you have Las Posadas, break piñatas, and collect peanuts.”
As for Gómez, she spent this Christmas with her children at their Long Beach home, where she made dinner.
Gómez had a message to tell her family back in Guadalajara: “That I love you all so much, I miss you all. Don’t lose hope that one day, I will be with you to give you that hug.”
*Name was changed at the request of the individual.
VoiceWaves is a youth-led community media website and print publication established by New America Media to serve residents of Long Beach, Calif.

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For a Cuban smuggler, it’s business as usual

by Louis Nevaer
New America Media

HAVANA – Cubana Airlines flight 154 departs Havana at 12:50 a.m., arriving in Cancun, Mexico less than an hour later. It is one of a handful of flights that, every day, are used by agents of the Cuban government and self-styled “entrepreneurs” to smuggle consumer products onto the island that, due to the U.S. embargo and travel restrictions on most Cubans, would not otherwise be available.
Flight 154 is seldom on time, often departing more than an hour late. It makes no difference to Juan, a thirty-something Cuban who makes this flight multiple times each month.
“Anything they sell at Wal-Mart, Costco, or Comercial Mexicana I can get for anyone in Havana,” he says.
What it takes to become a Cuban entrepreneur whose career it is to circumvent the U.S. economic embargo are three things: A visa from the Cuban government allowing you to travel to Mexico, knowing how bribes work at Havana’s international airport for unfettered entry of consumer goods, and enough capital to cover the initial upfront money to travel to Mexico for a shopping spree.
If during the Cold War the United States operated an airlift to keep Berlin from collapsing, the commercial flights between Havana and Cancun offer a way of releasing pressure in Havana by establishing a mechanism that allows for the flow of consumer goods into Cuba, in turn allowing Cubans with dollars or euros to achieve a higher level of material comfort than would otherwise be possible.
When Flight 154 arrives in Cancun, the airport is almost deserted. Almost all the flights to Europe have departed. The first flights from the U.S., Canada and Mexico City have yet to arrive. Juan finds this pre-dawn arrival inconvenient; it will be hours before Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Costco, Comercial Mexicana or Home Depot open their doors.
On occasion, he is met by Mexican friends or business associates who he emails when there is a request too difficult to find in just a few hours. He will often hang out for an hour or so with the Cubana Airlines crew, trading tips on where to get the best deal on this or that. Juan prefers the Wal-Mart on Avenida Coba, since they have a better selection of electronics and domestics. Although for cosmetics, sundries and foodstuff, he says the Mega Comercial Mexicana at the intersection of Tulum and Uxmal Avenues can’t be beaten.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if half the women in Havana weren’t shampooing their hair with something from the Mega,” he says.
Juan says that, when he is well organized, he can shop for everything on his list in a few hours. As a regular client at these stores, salespeople know him; they will set merchandise aside for him, and even pack it for cargo transport.
The prices he charges for the products back in Cuba reflect what he calls the “embargo tax,” which is to say, he triples the price. A stainless steel Hamilton Beach 4-Slice Toaster Oven, that sells for just over $30 USD in Cancun, he sells for $100 USD in Havana. A Suave Professionals Shampoo + Conditioner that sells for $3 USD at Mega Comercial, he will sell for $10 USD in Havana.
“I have to pay between $100 and $200 USD in bribes at the airport in Havana, depending on how much I’m bringing in,” Juan explains. “Plus the cost of the ticket—and this is how I make a living.”
The news that the U.S. and Cuba were to resume diplomatic relations didn’t bother him.
“It will be years before it affects me,” he said with confidence. “The truth is that Wal-Mart could open a store in Havana tomorrow and it wouldn’t make a difference. Why? Because the problem in Cuba is not that there isn’t Coca-Cola, microwave ovens, or shampoo, he explains.
“The problem is that the Cuban people don’t have money to buy things,” he says. “I sell three microwave ovens and 10 toaster ovens a month—but that’s because that’s how few Cubans have the money to buy these things.”
“The only customers I have are government officials—all of whom are corrupt so they have dollars—or Cubans who have access to dollars. And you can get dollars only one of two ways: you have family in Miami that sends you dollars or you work in the tourist industry where tourists give you dollars or euros as tips. That’s it, that’s the entire consumer economy.”
“If the embargo ended tomorrow and Wal-Mart opened… it would be as empty as the Centro Comerical Palco or Galerias Paseo” he says, a reference to two shopping areas located in the heart of Havana, both of which remain largely empty of local customers. “Unless the embargo is going to mean that everyone in Cuba gets a paycheck in American dollars, I’m not going out of business anytime soon.”
After a busy morning of shopping in Cancun, he is ready to head back to the airport. If he’s lucky, there won’t be a problem checking in all his luggage and cargo for the afternoon flight to Havana.
Juan prefers to arrive back in Havana before sunset. That allows him to clear customs—by which he means paying off his regular officials—and head home by evening. When Cubans have money to buy the products, they want instant gratification.
“I’m going to be up until 2 or 3 in the morning,” he explains. “I have to stay up for people to pick up what they ordered.”
As he’s going over his list—as if he were a Cuban version of Santa Claus, he ticks of which items are packed where: toaster ovens; sundries and shampoos; two infant car seats; three Xbox 360 video game consoles, four pairs of Asics Gel-Kahana men’s running shoes, in different sizes; plus three suitcases of children’s, women’s and men’s clothing.
If there are no problems, after costs, he hopes to pocket $250 USD in profits. This is a princely sum, especially in a country where the average worker makes about $25 USD a month.
“Some of my customers have to save for months to buy brand-name shampoo, or a pair of sneakers for their kids,” Juan explains.
With that, the airline ticket agent hands him his boarding pass—and receipts for the luggage he checked in. A moment later, he smiles as he walks to the security checkpoint. Less than an hour after leaving Cancun, he will be back in Havana, where customers will be anxious to get their hands on everything he spent the entire morning securing.

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