This and That...

[Warph]

What government tests found in your meat

By Jen Christensen, CNN
April 16, 2013

(CNN) -- When you shop for turkey burgers for dinner tonight, you may be buying more than meat.

A recently released FDA report found that of all the raw ground turkey tested, 81% was contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Also, according to the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System, or NARMS, Retail Meat Annual Report, ground turkey wasn't the only problem. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria was found in some 69% of pork chops, 55% of ground beef and 39% of chicken.

In the meat NARMS tested, scientists found significant amounts of salmonella and Campylobacter -- bacteria that causes millions of cases of food poisoning a year.

Of the chicken tested, 53% was tainted with an antibiotic-resistant form of E.coli, the report said.

Certain strains of E.coli can cause urinary tract infections, pneumonia and other illnesses. Antibiotic resistance means if you were to become ill, doctors would have fewer drug options to treat you.

New push to reduce antibiotic use in farm animals

Antibiotics are used in livestock to prevent disease, but they are also used as a protectant and to help growth. Some 29.9 million pounds of antibiotics were sold in 2011 for meat and poultry production, compared to the 7.7 million sold for human use, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts, and that number has been on the rise.

"Antibiotic use in animals is out of hand," said Dr. Gail Hansen, a veterinarian and senior officer for the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming, a project aimed at phasing out overuse of antibiotics in food production.

"We feed antibiotics to sick animals, which is completely appropriate, but we also put antibiotics in their feed and in their water to help them grow faster and to compensate for unhygienic conditions. If you have to keep the animals healthy with drugs, I would argue you need to re-examine the system. You don't take antibiotics preventively when you go out into the world.

Read More: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/15/health/meat-drugs/index.html?hpt=us_c2

[Warph]

North Korea's missile capabilities

The past few weeks have seen North Korea become increasingly belligerent toward the United States and South Korea, with Pyongyang threatening to "mercilessly strike" its enemies. But is the country able to back up its threats? Realistically, who's at risk of attack and where?

The tabs below outline some of the known ballistic missiles in North Korea's arsenal. Most observers say North Korea is years away from having the technology to deliver a nuclear warhead on these missiles, but it still has plenty of conventional firepower.
North Korea: Who's in the crosshairs? | Tom Foreman explains »

Missiles are listed according to estimated range, from shortest to longest. Missiles in red are known to be operational. Missiles in yellow have not been confirmed.

http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2013/04/world/north-korea-missile-capabilities/index.html?hpt=wo_c1

[Warph]

Sorry... I just couldn't pass this one up!

April 17, 2013

Does Kim Know What Lies Ahead?

By James Zumwalt


As the U.S. simultaneously struggles to take on the gun control issue and not take on a war with North Korea, an incident related to the former underscores concerns about dealing with the latter.

On April 10th, two boys, aged four and six, were playing in the town of Toms River, New Jersey. The younger boy went back into his house, returning with a .22 calber rifle. Playfully aiming it at his older friend, he fired, killing the older boy.

The four-year old was a young child lacking the maturity to understand the deadly nature of the weapon held in his hands. Irresponsible parents had failed to teach him, absent responsible conduct, guns can discharge, claiming human life.

Despite early childhood photographs of a very young Kim Jong Eun dressed up as a little general, Pyongyang's current leader never served in uniform. Yet in 2012, five months before his ailing father's death, Kim, overnight, became a four-star general. Today, at age 30, the world's youngest head of state lacks the maturity to fully understand the military and political powers he wields and the consequences of irresponsibly wielding them. Like the four-year-old New Jersey boy, Kim -- having inherited the world's fourth largest army (which has never fought a war but believes it can win one) -- now plays with a loaded gun with a hair-trigger. As such, it is capable of being irresponsibly discharged. A misread of intentions on either side of the DMZ could easily bring that about.

Long gone from Kim's army are soldiers who fought in the Korean War which ended sixty years ago this July. For "Boy Kim" and his generals, the Latin phrase "Dulce bellum inexpertis" ("war is sweet to those who have never fought") aptly applies. Never having experienced the horrors of the battlefield gives rise to a bravado only silenced when the bullets start to fly.

Kim's bravado recalls memories of Muammar Gaddafi. Bravado turned to violence when, on April 5, 1986, Gaddafi supported the terrorist bombing of a German discotheque, killing U.S. servicemen. Both bravado and violence ended ten days later after President Ronald Reagan ordered an airstrike against Libya. Coming close to being killed in the strike (he escaped after tipped off by Italy), Gaddafi saw the light, swearing off terrorism and eventually even surrendering his weapons of mass destruction.

Probably unknown to Kim now (and to the U.S. then), U.S./North Korean combat engagements took place during the Vietnam War. Pyongyang had pressed Hanoi to allow it to send its pilots to learn U.S. air combat tactics. Hanoi reluctantly agreed. Just two months later, after every engagement with a U.S. pilot resulted in the loss of a North Korean pilot flying a North Vietnamese plane, Hanoi sent Pyongyang's pilots packing as it could ill afford more aircraft losses. Today, an obelisk stands in front of fourteen North Korean graves in a cemetery outside Hanoi -- a reminder of the price Pyongyang paid for its earlier adventurism against the U.S.

The North Vietnamese pilot responsible for training the Koreans reported they proved unwilling to learn. They chose to engage American pilots as they had during the Korean War, even though tactics and technology had drastically changed. This same ignorance was demonstrated when North Korea recently released a U.S. map, supposedly depicting a missile strike against Colorado Springs, Colorado, showing the target 900 miles off mark.

Pyongyang has long had a plan of attack against South Korea. Years ago, South Koreans began discovering huge tunnels dug under the DMZ by the North -- through which to drive tanks -- left unfinished on the South's side, only to be completed in advance of an attack. So far, Seoul has uncovered four tunnels but many more are believed to exist.

The North has also ordered thousands of South Korean police and military uniforms -- to be worn by their agents entering the South when the attack occurs. Their mission is to disrupt good order in the South as South Koreans become confused over who is friend and who is foe.

It is interesting to see how Kim's bravado today contrasts with the image fellow students held of him while attending the English-language "International School" in Gümligen, Switzerland.

They describe him as a quiet student with a great sense of humor -- two traits little evident today, unless the U.S. map depicting missile routes was an attempt at humor. Despite being short and overweight, he reportedly was a good basketball player who was "fiercely competitive [and] very explosive." One classmate chillingly described him as a "play maker [who] made things happen." Another added, "He hated to lose. Winning was very important."

There is some belief that Kim's belligerence is a product of his relationship with Iran. It is well known that Iran has been nurturing a relationship with the North for many years. The world got a brief view of it in 2007 when Israel conducted a daring air attack to destroy a nuclear facility being built inside Syria. Designed and built with North Korean assistance, the facility was funded by Tehran. Iran had secretly commissioned its construction as an alternative site to its own nuclear installations, hoping it would escape international scrutiny. A flow of funds into the North from Iran for Pyongyang's technology and other assistance has encouraged Kim to "follow the money!"

But based on the insights of young Kim shared by his classmates, he indeed seems to have undergone a noticeable personality change. One wonders whether an alleged March 2013 assassination attempt against him, reported by South Korean intelligence, could be responsible. Apparently, a gun battle erupted in Pyongyang due to a military power struggle, possibly triggering his newfound belligerence. If so, his tough guy persona towards the West could be for internal consumption -- both to improve his stature with the military and to keep opponents at bay as they too ponder where confrontation with the West is heading.

What is disconcerting is that, as Kim plays with a loaded gun capable of being irresponsibly discharged, he may not even know where it is heading himself.

James Zumwalt (http://www.jamesgzumwalt.com/) is a retired Marine infantry officer who has written several books, including one on North Korea's Kim dynasty.

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/04/does_kim_know_what_lies_ahead.html#ixzz2QhaBynMV

[Warph]

UPDATE: The rattling of sabres grows louder as missile
launchers are turned to the sky and launch-pads moved
across North and South Korea. 

It appears the previous missile test-launch did not go so well. 
As you can see, the North Korean's are working to finely-tune
their missiles...

                     



Oh, Oh!  What is that coming over yonder hill...
Holy shit, guys... we'z in deep do-do... get ready to rumble!!!

                     

[Warph]

Obuma Claims NRA "Willfully Lied" To Defeat Senate
Background Check Bill

(This coming from the Chief Liar himself... Shameful!)

WASHINGTON — POS/President Barack Obama held an emotional press conference in the Rose Garden this afternoon reacting to the failure of legislation to expand background checks on gun sales in the Senate. After being introduced by the father of a child killed at last year's shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, Obama attributed the defeat of the bipartisan background check compromise to "untruths" about the bill spread by the National Rifle Association.

"The current leader of the nra used to support these background checks. So while this compromise didn't contain everything I wanted or everything that these families wanted, it did represent progress. It represented moderation and common sense," Obama said. "That's why 90 percent of the American people supported it. But instead of supporting this compromise, the gun lobby and its allies willfully lied about the bill."

Obama said the NRA exagerrated the effect of the bill, which scared gun owners and mobilized them to oppose the legislation.

"They claimed that it would create some sort of big brother gun registry even though the bill did the opposite," said Obama of the NRA. "This legislation in fact outlawed any registry, plain and simple, right there in the text. But that didn't matter. And, unfortunately, this pattern of spreading untruths about this legislation served a purpose. Because those lies upset an intense minority of gun owners and that in turn intimidated a lot of senators."

[Warph]

Biden On Verge Of Tears During Obuma's Press Conference
On Defeat Of Senate Background Check Bill

(Just as Obuma finished his very angry remarks, here are a couple of the
screenshots showing "Plugs" looking like he's about to burst into tears...
several Newtown family members standing with them appeared to be crying).

[Warph]

Obamacare Author Fears Law Is Headed For A "Huge Train Wreck"

(Hmmmm.... where's the media on this... should be BIG news)

WASHINGTON — A top Democrat who helped write President Barack Obama's health care law says he fears it is headed for a "huge train wreck."

Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana confronted Obama's health secretary Wednesday during a routine budget hearing that turned tense.

Baucus, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said he is "very concerned" that new health insurance marketplaces going live next year in every state will be a flop. Consumers and small business owners are not getting enough information, and the administration has not been forthcoming with lawmakers, he said.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius blamed Congress for blocking implementation funding for the law, which is supposed to bring coverage to nearly 30 million uninsured Americans.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/17/max-baucus-obamacare_n_3101801.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003


[...]

(I'm starting to see some very large cracks in the ObumaWall. 
Will it be a matter of time before it starts to crumble and fall)  

For instance:

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/04/17/boom-first-union-officially-calls-for-the-repeal-of-obamacare/

United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers:

Our Union and its members have supported President Obama and his Administration for both of his terms in office.

But regrettably, our concerns over certain provisions in the ACA have not been addressed, or in some instances, totally ignored. In the rush to achieve its passage, many of the Act's provisions were not fully conceived, resulting in unintended consequences that are inconsistent with the promise that those who were satisfied with their employer sponsored coverage could keep it.

These provisions jeopardize our multi-employer health plans, have the potential to cause a loss of work for our members, create an unfair bidding advantage for those contractors who do not provide health coverage to their workers, and in the worst case, may cause our members and their families to lose the benefits they currently enjoy as participants in multi-employer health plans.

For decades, our multi-employer health and welfare plans have provided the necessary medical coverage for our members and their families to protect them in times of illness and medical needs. This collaboration between labor and management has been a model of success that should be emulated rather than ignored. I refuse to remain silent, or idly watch as the ACA destroys those protections.

I am therefore calling for repeal or complete reform of the Affordable Care Act to protect our employers, our industry, and our most important asset: our members and their families.

(Let the floodgates open...)

[Warph]

MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell Says NRA To Blame For Boston Terror Attack

(You're deranged, Larry.  Time to call the boys in the white coats...)

. . . "There are new developments tonight in the bombing investigation here in Boston," said O'Donnell. "But that investigation could be moving faster were it not for the successful lobbying efforts of the National Rifle Association. The NRA's efforts to guarantee that American mass murderers are the best-equipped mass murders in the world is not limited to murderers who use assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. The NRA is also in the business of helping bombers get away with their crimes. Gunpowder could be traced by investigators to a buyer at the point of sale if gunpowder contained a taggant, an element that would enable tracing of the purchase of gunpowder. But thanks to the National Rifle Association, identification taggants are required by law only in plastic explosives. The NRA has successfully blocked any requirements for such taggants in gunpowder. So such supremely helpful evidence as taggants are not available to the FBI in this investigation."

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/msnbc-nra-business-helping-bombers-get-away-their-crimes_718001.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

Man, am I pooped...



                                                                  ....time to call it a night!

[Warph]

Houston's favorite senior citizen helps announce new Cheerleaders for the Houston Texans.
And former president George H. W. Bush seems to be having a fine time.


Ol' #41 has quite a few cuties to smile about, as we look at the schedule for 2013.



Can't come soon enough for me!

[Warph]

Giuliani: Boston: "They Are At War With Us"
Reclassify Fort Hood As Terrorism!

In light of the recent events in Boston, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani told Face the Nation's Bob Schieffer that it is important to recognize these sorts of attacks are part of a grander war in the eyes of the attackers. "The reality is whether we want to call this a war on terror, they call this a war on us," Giuliani said. "These two young men joined a war. If you look at their website, they're talking about jihad, they're talking about war, so they are at war against us."

"Also, I think it would be very helpful to reclassify the Major Hassan case as a terrorism attack," Giuliani said of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. "It's really kind of strange, and I think harmful in the effort of kind of breaking through this political correctness so that we can analyze this effectively, not to describe Major Hassan's attack" as terrorism, he added. The Defense Department classified the shooting as an incident of "workplace violence."