National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society Skewered in New Book by k by Leading Cancer Expert

I believe the serious allegations made in a new book by longtime cancer critic and scholar, Dr. Samuel S. Epstein, are not only damning but totally accurate. Take a look and decide for yourself.

http://www.naturalnews.com/032700_National_Cancer_Institute_Dr_Samuel_Epstein.html

Raw Food Treatment for Cancer
http://www.cancertutor.com/Cancer/RawFood.html

10 Most Influential People in the Alternative Media (2011)

The Activist Post lists the ten most influential people in the alternative media world and it is a fascinating read that gives confidence to those who are sick and tired of the status quo and want to make some noise in the hopes of changing things in our world. The key is information and that is the focus of all the people on this list; the dissemination of hardcore fact-based analysis and information that contradicts much of the reporting we see in mainstream media venues.
http://www.activistpost.com/2011/06/10-most-influential-people-in.html

For Pesticides: Apples Are Worst, Onions The Best

If you're struggling to determine where best to spend your organic dollars then this guide to pesticide levels in produce can be of assistance. It turns out that apples, strawberries, celery, peaches and spinach have the highest levels of pesticide residue and you should go with an alternative organic variety if you can. Nonetheless, the EWG states that the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables outweighs the risk from pesticides, so you should keep eating them even if you can't get or afford organic produce. Ugh.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/06/13/137149149/for-pesticides-apples-are-worst-onions-the-best?ft=1&f=1001

Environmental Working Group's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce
http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/

Organic Agriculture's Resilience Shows Untapped Potential
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=bfd6o5dab&v=0015XVNn_3fRZVY3xoyNeOIQV2LaB4Db06J9AKT4TuW_8fHS_K0J0Hb69x1w9oiHhFJO1V0PlVHdK0uUOf4MwyhnApUgvto2xbdoJkUsq8drUTPXJ8RZmXTk9jDoyPO1kZcn8jE78dZw_EHbCPocdYuuA==

Maine GOP Chair: We Must Make It Harder To Vote Because ‘Democrats Intentionally Steal Elections’

The GOP push to restrict voting rights continues in the state of Maine where the Tea Party Gov. LePage has pushed a bill through the legislature to end same-day voter registration. Despite the absence of data demonstrating voter fraud of any significant level in the country, similar measures are being instituted in more than a dozen GOP-controlled states. In Maine, there is a "peoples veto" law that may be used to overturn the legislation.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/06/13/243178/maine-gop-war-on-voting/

What’s wrong with the USDA’s new MyPlate graphic? Plenty

This article reviews the USDA's redesign of the old food triangle and the hypocrisy of the exercise when the government subsidizes unhealthy food production and allows predatory marketing of junk food to children. While 63% of federal subsidies go to meat and dairy, fruits and vegetables get less than 1%. A flawed chart will not change the health of Americans, only a dramatic change in policy will get it done.
http://www.grist.org/food/2011-06-08-whats-wrong-with-the-usdas-new-myplate-graphic-plenty

When Food Kills

This is an important piece pointing out the origins of many deadly antibiotic-resistant strains of E coli. bacteria, factory farm animals systematically treated with antibiotics. Eighty percent of antibiotics used in the US go to livestock living in CAFOs under unsanitary and cramped conditions, and over 325,000 Americans are hospitalized and 5,000 die from food-borne illnesses.
 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/opinion/12kristof.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

This Week in the War on Women

This Daily Kos weekly update is a harsh reminder of the persistent and twisted persecution that women face in many states around the country. It's enough to take your breath away and all of these events and legislative indignities are occurring in the United States of America.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/11/984231/-This-week-in-the-War-on-Women?utm

Fukushima Already Ten Times Worse than Chernobyl in Ocean Waters, According to Data

An alarming report on the severity of radiation contamination of the ocean from the out-of-control nuclear melt-throughs of three reactors at Fukushima. The impact of the radiation release on ocean life is uncertain at the moment, but it can't be good. Meanwhile, radiation levels in milk and vegetables in the US are elevated due to this catastrophe but there is little mainstream coverage of the issue these days. 
http://www.naturalnews.com/032678_Fukushima_ocean.html

Protests Challenge Japan's Use of Nuclear Power
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/world/asia/12japan.html?ref=asia

Hell and High Water: As wildfires and floods ravage the country, Masters says, “We Have Never Seen a Year Like This Before”

ClimateProgress presents compelling evidence that the recent spate of extreme weather is the result of global warming that has raised sea levels and increased capacity of clouds to store and release water, thereby causing severe droughts and massive flooding .  

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/06/07/239084/wildfires-floods-masters/

Companies like Mattel are still pushing Sumatran tigers to the brink through deforestation

The destruction of rainforest contributes mightily to global warming by burning carbon in the clearing process and eliminating carbon consuming plant life. Wildlife habitats are also destroyed and tremendous amounts of pollution are created. Greenpeace recently mounted an action action Mattel because the paper used in their Barbie packaging comes from Indonesian rainforests that are critical to maintain. Check out their hilarious video from Ken & Barbie of this dramatic action.
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaign-blog/companies-like-mattel-are-still-pushing-sumat/blog/35245

FDA Roadblocks Revolution in Nutrition

Compromised by deep ties to the industries that it's supposed to oversee, the FDA has aggressively embarked on the persecution of innovative and effective natural health remedies as well as traditional herbal and vitamin therapies that would dramatically improve health and reduce sickness in the American population. This Alliance for Natural Health piece provides background and excellent detailed examples of FDA's obstruction and bias, and is part of the organization's campaign to reform the FDA.
http://www.anh-usa.org/fda-roadblocks-revolution-in-nutrition/

Here is a link the the "Reform FDA" resource page from the ANH ebsite
http://www.anh-usa.org/reform-fda-2010/

Wash. Times Uses E. Coli Outbreak In Germany To Spread Fear About Organic Food

Prepare for a barrage of speculation that organic foods are somehow more risky than conventional produce, even though the FDA says there is no data showing that organic has different risks than other food. The conservative Washington Times has begun this misinformation campaign, according to Media Matters.
http://mediamatters.org/research/201106100026?utm

Getting personal: Feds pursue top execs in health care fraud cases previously settled for cash

The Health and Human Services agency has decided to adopt a much more aggressive legal stance against corporate healthcare fraud which is estimated to cost the government $60 billion a year from medicare fraud and put Americans at risk with unscrupulous drug claims and illegal marketing. Moving forward the CEOs of companies that engage in these practices can be held personally responsible for the actions of their employees, whether knowledgable of specific acts or not, face jail time and a lifetime ban from the industry. This is the sort of compliance incentives that we need to restore corporate integrity and protect the public interest. Bravo!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/getting-personal-feds-pursue-top-execs-in-health-care-fraud-cases-previously-settled-for-cash/2011/05/31/AGg6QHFH_story.html

Ex-N.S.A. Aide Gains Plea Deal in Leak Case; Setback to U.S.

The Obama Administration's prosecution of NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake turned on a single ruling by a district court judge. When Richard D. Bennett declared that prosecutors would have to show the jury some of the 'classified' documents that were key to the case, the government withdrew several and redacted others before offering Drake a plea bargain on a minor charge. The outcome of this draconian legal preceding, Drake faced 35 years in prison under the Espionage Act for exposing massive NSA mismanagement, is a hopeful demonstration of the potential of the law to serve legal principles of fairness involving powerful interests, such as the US Government. But, in the end, it all depends on the judge.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/10/us/10leak.html?pagewanted=1&hp

Bruce Babbitt Says Congress, Led By GOP House, Has ‘Declared War On Our Land, Water And Natural Resources,’ Then Slams White House ‘Munchkins’ For Bartering Away Public Lands

The former Secretary of the Interior delivered a scathing speech at the National Press Club attacking the Congressional GOP and the Obama White for ransacking the environment and public lands in blind support of industry at the terrible expense of the public interest. It's good to see some fire and passion on this topic!
http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/06/09/240739/bruce-babbitt-congress-gop-house-declared-war-on-land-water-natural-resources-munchkins/

From Dodd-Frank to Dud: How Financial Reform May Be Going Wrong

Implementation of the Dodd-Frank financial reforms is running into problems due to the fact that Congress left it to regulators to write many of the most contentious regulations. In April regulatory agencies missed all 26 deadlines, and there are regulators and politicians who are now advocating to weaken some of the most important features of the reform law.
http://www.propublica.org/article/from-dodd-frank-to-dud

Russ Feingold Leads Thousands in Budget Protest at Wisconsin Capitol

An update on the scene in Wisconsin where former Senator Russ Feingold seems to be a possible challenger to Scott Walker in the next gubernatorial election, and inspiring protests against fundamentally unfair budget cuts attacks on labor and the middle class continue.
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/06/10796/russ-feingold-leads-thousands-budget-protest-wisconsin-capitol

Twitter the Winner in Weinergate

Perspective from PR Watch on Weinergate and what it says about the power of Twitter to spread all things, good and bad, like wildfire. Of course, this scandal and all the hoopla is a major distraction from the pressing issues that face the nation and yet another emphatic confirmation that salacious news rules the media. 
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/06/10801/twitter-winner-weinergate

In Fight Over Debit Card Fees, a Loss for the Banks

Yay! The banks finally lose a point in the ongoing battle to bring their business under control and better protect the rights and interests of consumers. In this case, the Senate refused a motion to delay implementation of a Dodd-Frank law to reduce debit card fees charged to merchants. This is a step in the right direction.
http://www.propublica.org/blog/item/in-fight-over-debit-card-fees-a-loss-for-the-banks

Clarence Thomas' Legal Challenges Continue to Build -- Will the Next Come From Congress?

This is the first I've heard about it but Anthony Weiner and other Congressional Democrats are said to be preparing demands that Thomas by disbarred in Missouri for perjury and investigated by the DOJ for bribery. Wow! I certainly hope that Weiner can weather the calls for his resignation and help press this issue forward. The bombshell bribery charge includes the allegation that a $100k ad campaign from Citizen's United during his 1991 confirmation was repaid in his ruling for the conservative group in Citizen's United vs. FEC. I don't think we want to lose Anthony Weiner's voice in Congress.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-reinbach/clarence-thomas-legal-cha_b_835956.html?ref=fb&src=sp

For those of you who missed Weiner's shouting match with Fox News' Megyn Kelly, here's the link.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/02/megyn-kelly-anthony-weiner-clarence-thomas_n_830506.html