by Marvin Ramírez

Interim San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee talks wih a lady who explains to him how the budget cuts will affect her organization. (PHOTO BY MARVIN RAMIREZ)

As part of a series of district-based budget town hall meetings to take effect during the next months, Mayor Edwin M. Lee cohosted the first meeting in the Mission District with David Campos, a member of the Board of Supervisors, to educate the public about a projected $380-million budget shortfall for the fiscal year 2011-12, and to hear the public speak. Included in the meeting which was held at the Horace Mann Elementary School on March 23, were people from the community and members of non-profit organizations.

Imploring city officials not make any more cuts in essential social services, a couple hundred people, including members from different non-profit organizations attended the town hall meeting with hopes that the decision makers at City Hall would listen. They represented organizations serving the elderly, at-risk youth, domestic violence and others.

Recently appointed San Francisco Mayor Lee listened and took notes, while several city department heads shared the stage listening to the public outcry describing their particular situations into a microphone, explaining how the cuts would affect the services they provide.

“We have to plan for five years, instead of for one,” Lee said, in response to the economic crisis that is hitting every corner of San Francisco and the nation. The shortfall amount, however, could be less if the San Francisco Offi ce of Comptroller’s budget status report, which projects a General Fund balance of $89.2 million, is accurate.

“This strength versus the adopted budget is driven predominantly by a modest improvement in the City’s general tax revenues. Property transfer tax is significantly exceeding budgeted levels, driven by voter approval

of a rate increase in November 2010 that was not assumed in the budget. Property taxes and business taxes are also projected to exceed budget,” said a statement in the city’s website.

Peoples’ questions were answered by a corresponding department head, depending on the area of effect, who responded to the best of their ability, knowing that at the end, no one, the mayor, the Board of Supervisors or the department heads will be able to stop the avalanche of cuts that are coming, and unfortunately many services offered to the poor and needy will disappear.

The expectations from the people, however, after having been heard by those same city offi cials, who will likely be the ones to pull the plug on their organizations’ funding, are always greater than what can actually be accomplished. But they are just that -expectations.

­“How can we work together to avoid these cuts that are going to affect the most vulnerable people?” asked a serious mayor, who probably can’t do much. Perhaps state and city offi cials should start changing the rules of the game with the Federal Reserve Bank: let the states run their finances the same way as the federal government – that is – with a deficit.

This is a question El Reportero will ask city officials soon, in addition to the question of why they shouldn’t support the dismantling of the Federal Reserve Bank and have the government print its own money, which would eventually eliminate all interest and the national debt. Currently, the Federal Reserve – a private bank – prints the money for the government and lends it out with interest.

by Dr. David Jockers

Heart disease is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Scientists are now saying that 95 percent of these heart disease related deaths are caused by cellular inflammation. Today’s technology allows us to analyze our level of cardiovascular inflammation and use specific healthy lifestyle interventions to deinflame our bodily systems. Inflammation is driven by several different routes in our body. Oxidative stress from excessive free radical formation and/or a deficiency in anti-oxidants is a common mechanism.

Increased sympathetic stress response within the body causing catecholamine overload and burnout plays a role in most inflammatory cycles. Finally, improper cell signaling due to excessive pro-inflammatory prostaglandin formation and immunological cytokine reactions is a staple ingredient in the inflammatory soup.

Three tests that analyze the risk of inflammation in the coronary arteries include C Reactive Protein, Homocysteine, and Lipoprotein (a). C Reactive Protein (CRP) is a protein found in the blood that rises in response to inflammation.

During times of acute infections and resulting infl ammatory responses, CRP can elevate up to 50 times higher than normal. When the artery walls are infl amed and damaged, CRP remains elevated. Even though many causative factors can increase CRP, research has shown that laboratory test levels above 2.4 mg/l result in a much higher risk of a heart attack, compared to levels below 1 mg/l.

An anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle are the critical keys to reducing CRP levels. This begins with a diet rich in phytonutrient dense vegetables, healthy fat and clean protein sources. Healthy fat sources include coconut products, avocados, olive oil, nuts, seeds, & purifi ed omega-3 fi sh oil supplements.

Healthy protein includes wild-caught fish, grass-fed red meat and free range chicken, turkey, and eggs. Anti-inflammatory herbs such as turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, rosemary, oregano & garlic are also powerful aids. Homocysteine is an inflammatory amino acid that is produced as a byproduct of protein metabolism. Homocysteine-induced injury to the arterial wall is one of the factors that can initiate the process of atherosclerosis, leading to endothelial dysfunction and eventually to heart attacks and stroke.

The amino acid methionine is digested and metabolized into homocysteine. When the body is sufficient in Vitamin B12, B6 & Folic Acid, excess homocysteine is remethylated into methionine or transsulfurated through vitamin B6.

Blood tests that show homocysteine levels above 6.3 umol/L are an indication of methylation defi ciencies and elevated risk of cardiovascular disease. Supplementing with Folic Acid, B6, B12, and trimethylglycine have been shown to signifi cantly lower homocysteine levels. Adequate amounts of magnesium, riboflavin (B2), and cellular anti-oxidants are also critical players in homocysteine metabolism. Lipoprotein (a) is a particular subclass of LDL cholesterol. Lp(a) is very similar in structure to a critical enzyme called plasminogen. Plasminogen helps the body dissolve blood clots. At any one time, our bodies are constantly making and dissolving microscopic blood clots. This dance is very delicate and dependent on a healthy balance of two blood clotting systems.

If Lp(a) competes for binding spots for this blood clot dissolver, the blood system balance may form blood clots. The majority of heart attacks are caused by a blood clot in a heart artery at a site of atherosclerosis. Lp(a) has been shown to stimulate our immune cells to deposit cholesterol into heart artery walls there by promoting the development of atherosclerosis.

Lp(a) levels should be under 20 mg/dl and ideally under 14 mg/dl. Several nutritional supplements have been shown to lower Lp(a) naturally. Niacin, vitamin C, l-lysine, & l-proline are an effective combination for lowering Lp(a) by interacting to reduce oxidative stress and by building healthy collagen, which is the foundational component for healthy soft tissue. Learn more: ­http://www.naturalnews.com/031655_heart_disease_prevention.html#ixzz1GZ5ZOXsR.

by the El Reportero’s news services

Cuahutémoc Cárdenas

The Mexican state is responsible for defending oil from foreign interests, Cuauhtemoc Cardenas, founder of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), said while paying tribute on the 73rd anniversary of the Mexican Oil Expropriation. Cardenas, former mayor of the Federal District, visited the monument to the Revolution, where his father Lazaro Cardenas is buried.

He was accompanied by the PRD leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives, Carlos Navarrete and Alejandro Encinas.  Cardenas told reporters after the ceremony that the preservation of national oil wealth is a topic that neither the party nor any progressive sectors of the country can ignore.

He called on PRD legislators in both houses to defend the national oil company Pemex, noting that recent National Action Party (PAN) governments have tried to sell control to foreign interests. Cárdenas also attended another event at the National Polytechnic Institute in this capital, where he thanked the rector, Yoloxchitl Bustamante, for a tribute to his father.

The left-wing politician said the creation of the National Polytechnic Institute and the nationalization ofthe oil industry were two of the greatest achievements of the Mexican Revolution.

B r a z i l s e e k i n g parity with the U.S.

The White House insisted today (March 18) that President Barack Obama’s trip to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador remains on, despite the humanitarian and nuclear crisis in Japan and the imminent threat of international military action in Libya. Brazil demonstrated its growing international strength and confi dence in itself last night by abstaining from the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council vote to approve the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya.

Ten of the 15 council members voted in favour and fi ve abstained: Brazil, China, Germany, India, and Russia. Brazil’s foreign minister, Antonio Patriota, declared yesterday that U.S. recognition of Brazil “as an equal partner” is paramount, noting that that recognition is more important to Brazil than any direct declaration by President Obama of U.S. support for Brazil’s bid for a seat on a reformed U.N. security council (which he gave to India on his trip there in October 2010).

Santos helps Colombia become a swan

“A few months ago we were the ugly duckling in Unasur, now we are the president.” These words from Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos encapsulated the scale of a remarkable foreign policy transformation presided over by his government since the departure last August of former president Alvaro Uribe (2002-2010): from regional isolation to leadership of the fl edgling Union of South American Nations (Unasur) in seven months. From April a former Colombian foreign minister, María Emma Mejía, will be the new secretary general of Unasur, fi lling the vacancy left by the former president of Argentina, Néstor Kirchner, who died last October.

Mexico riled as its violence is again labeled an ‘insurgency’

Once again, a prominent US offi cial has raised hackles in Mexico by

comparing the drug-cartel violence there with an insurgency and, to boot, by hinting that the US might have to send troops across the border. There ­have been half-apologies for political and diplomatic reasons, but what is clear is that U.S. offi cialdom is very alarmed at the prospect of the violence spreading into their own territory, and even President Felipe Calderón has gone on the record about the political dimension of drug-cartel violence. (Prensa Latin and Latin News contribu t e d t o t h i s re p o r t . )

by Kurt Nimmo
­Infowars.com

The Japan Times reports the Pentagon will send an unmanned Global Hawk high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft over the deteriorating Fukushima nuclear complex today.

“Photographs taken by the plane equipped with infrared sensors could provide a useful clue to what is occurring inside the reactor buildings, around which high-level radiation has been detected,” the news source reports.

The flight is basically unnecessary and represents PR spin. Both the Pentagon and the Japanese government know full well the severity of the situation at the Fukushima plant and they are not releasing this information to either the Japanese or American people.

The Pentagon is responsible for developing nuclear technology and has particle detectors, also known as radiation detectors, positioned around the world. The USS George Washington and USS Ronald Reagan, both now parked off Japan, are outfitted with radiation detection technology.

In addition, the radiation can be tracked by the U.S. Air Force’s Constant Phoenix WC-135 jets, which are designed to monitor airborne fallout from nuclear weapons tests. Constant Phoenix technology was used after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine to sample the air over the Atlantic and was also used to detect seismic events associated with North Korea’s claim of a nuclear test in October 2006 and again in May 2009, the Pentagon told Alan Boyle of MSNBC.

The Constant Phoenix program was established in 1947 by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, ostensibly to detect atomic explosions anywhere in the world. It is serves as a collection platform for the Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC) at Patrick AFB, Florida. The 45th Reconnaissance Squadron at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, works closely with AFTAC.

Air sampling missions are routinely conducted over the Far East, Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, Mediterranean Sea, the Polar regions, and off the coasts of South America and Africa. Pakistan, India, and North Korea are
of particular interest because they have nuclear programs. Maj. Chad Steffey told the reporter that a Constant Phoenix WC-135 would be sent to sample the air moving over Japan, supposedly in response to a Japanese government request. The planes would be brought from Offutt Air Force Base, Steffey said. A senior U.S. defense official told NBC News that Constant Phoenix’s involvement in the Japanese fi asco was “absolutely” a significant event. “We are using it to help out a nation,” the official said. “It’s signifi cant.”

More PR spin. The Pentagon moved to gauge the threat well before any supposed request by the Japanese government. It deployed its sophisticated technology – and that of the NRC and the NNSA (the National Nuclear Security Administration) – to size up the threat early on. The Pentagon acts on its own. It does not wait for requests from government, including our own Congress.

In the United States, the EPA has a vast array of radiation detection stations. In California alone, there are twelve stations measuring air particulates, real-time gamma, and the contamination of milk and drinking water. It remains to be seen if the EPA will share this data with the American people. Recall the EPA dispensing misleading information following the false flag attacks of September 11, 2001, telling New Yorkers it was safe to breathe the air when reliable information on air quality was not available.

The Pentagon and the government know full well the extent of this ­unprecedented disaster — and it is far worse then they are telling us. They are not about to level with the American people, who will fi nd out later this week and in the weeks ahead how severe and life threatening the situation is. As we reported over the weekend, the CIA’s USAID was dispatched to micromanage the release and spin of information on the disaster.

Yoichi Shimatsu, the former editor of the Japan Times Weekly, told CCTV a large scale cover-up is unfolding. “The CIA, through USAID, is running a disinfo campaign on Japan’s earthquake crippled nuclear facilities for geopolitical reasons. The Japanese people will ultimately suffer, as will millions of other people who happen to be downwind from the stricken plants,” we wrote at the time.

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