From the Trenches World Report

Common Dreams

News that biotechnology corporations are developing new technology that can allegedly kill insects and pathogens by silencing their genes has some environmentalists and scientists worried.

“To attempt to use this technology at this current stage of understanding would be more naïve than our use of DDT in the 1950s,” the National Honey Bee Advisory Board said in comments submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency before a Tuesday meeting to discuss the risks of this technology, according to the New York Times, which reported on this new development.     Continue reading “Is Monsanto’s Gene-Silencing Weapon Next?”

CBS News

The United States Food and Drug Administration allowed 18 animal drugs to stay on the market even after an agency review found the drugs posed a “high risk” of exposing humans to antibiotic-resistant bacteria through food supply, according to a study released Monday by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The study by the NRDC, a non-governmental group that criticizes the widespread use of drugs in the meat industry, is the latest salvo in the national debate over the long-standing practice of antibiotic use in meat production. Agribusinesses say animal drugs help increase production and keep prices low for U.S. consumers, while consumer advocates and some scientists raiseconcerns over antibiotic-resistant bacteria.    Continue reading “FDA allowed 18 “high risk” antibiotics in animal food, report says”

New York Times

WASHINGTON — Light arms supplied by the United States are flowing to “moderate” Syrian rebel factions in the south of the country and U.S. funding for months of further deliveries has been approved by Congress, according U.S. and European security officials.

The weapons, most of which are moving to non-Islamist Syrian rebels via Jordan, include a variety of small arms, as well as some more powerful weapons, such as anti-tank rockets.

The deliveries do not include weapons such as shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles, known as MANPADs, which could shoot down military or civilian aircraft, the officials said.   Continue reading “Congress Secretly Approves U.S. Weapons Flow to ‘Moderate’ Syrian Rebels”

CNN Money – by Jennifer Liberto

A group of bipartisan lawmakers on Monday agreed to a deal on a farm bill that would end direct subsidies to farms in favor of crop insurance.

The deal could trim as much as $90 a month from food stamps for 850,000 recipients.

The farm bill would last five years and needs to pass both chambers and then be signed by the president.   Continue reading “Farm Bill Ends Subsidies, Cuts Food Stamps”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

It would appear the fears of a global bank run are spreading. From HSBC’s limiting large cash withdrawals (for your own good) to Lloyds ATMs going down, Bloomberg reports that ‘My Bank’ – one of Russia’s top 200 lenders by assets – has introduced a complete ban on cash withdrawals until next week. While the Ruble has been losing ground rapidly recently, we suspect few have been expecting bank runs in Russia. Russia sovereign CDS had recently weakned to 4-month wides at 192bps.   Continue reading “Russian Bank Halts All Cash Withdrawals”

CenturyLink

DENVER (AP) — The federal government is ready to let farmers grow cannabis — at least the kind that can’t get people high.

Hemp — marijuana’s non-intoxicating cousin that’s used to make everything from clothing to cooking oil — could soon be cultivated in 10 states under a federal farm bill agreement reached late Monday that allows the establishment of pilot growing programs.   Continue reading “Hemp growing going legit after decades-long ban”

Ready Nutrition – by Tess Pennington

After taking steps to live a more conscious existence, I have found that shopping is overrated. The satisfaction that I find from making my own household products far outweighs buying the “brand of the month.”

My reason to make my own products stem mainly from the ever increasing prices as well as the harmful chemicals present in store bought brands. After using store bought chemicals for years, I noticed my eyes would burn and lungs would hurt after cleaning with them. I knew the chemical cleaners were doing more harm than good, and would much rather preserve my health and not pollute our water supply any further.   Continue reading “10 Household Products You Never Have To Buy Again {With Shopping List}”

The New American – by Raven Clabough

RT News

The United States Customs and Border Protection has grounded an entire fleet of drones, the agency admitted on Tuesday, after a mechanical function the night before forced a crew to crash an unmanned aircraft valued at $12 million.

A spokesperson for the CBP said in a statement Tuesday that the drone, a maritime variant of the Predator B, was deliberately crashed into the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California after it encountered problems shortly after 11 p.m. local time late Monday.   Continue reading “US Customs grounds drone fleet after $12 million unmanned aircraft crashes off of California”

RT News

Scientists have reconstructed the genome of the first recorded bubonic plague and compared it to two later pandemics. New sophisticated strains of the disease that killed millions of Europeans in the Middle Ages could break out in future, they warn.

Researchers have managed to extract the DNA from the teeth of two victims of the Plague of Justinian, a pandemic that swept through the Byzantine Empire in AD 541-542, found in an early medieval cemetery in German Bavaria, according to a study published Tuesday by The Lancet Infectious Diseases.   Continue reading “Scientists find DNA of first-ever bubonic plague, warn of new outbreaks”

AmmoLand

USA – -(Ammoland.com)- This is a great question because there is so much confusion around both these terms.

Much of the confusion stems from the fact that although both of these terms have a narrow, technically-correct meaning they have also been commonly used to refer to other aspects of self-defense law beyond these core meanings.   Continue reading “Much Confusion Around Both Stand-Your-Ground & Castle Doctrine”

Mail.com

AURORA, Ill. (AP) — Down the road from an emergency food pantry where a small crowd waits for the chance to gather free groceries, there is a church sign that reads: “If you need help, ask God. If you don’t, thank God.”

Debbie Jurcak, one of those in line, will tell you that it is indeed divine help — or, anyway, faith-based organizations — that she and her family have relied on in recent weeks. Late last month, the federal government ended her unemployment benefits, six months after she was laid off from an administrative job.   Continue reading “‘Long-term unemployment’ _ one mom’s story”

AmmoLand

Connecticut –-(Ammoland.com)- In, yet, another flimsy case, brought and prosecuted by the State of Connecticut, the State is, once again, refusing to drop charges against a Connecticut citizen because of the fact that he owns firearms.

Mr. Morgan, a long time collector of firearms, owns quite an extensive collection of firearms, including machine guns. The charges against Mr. Morgan were based on allegations of a physical altercation that had nothing to do with firearms. The entire incident was apparently so negligible that the accusers took 15 hours to report the incident to police. Despite these facts, the judge and prosecutor have made Morgan’s firearms a central aspect of the case.   Continue reading “Perverted Justice: CT State Continues Prosecution despite Trooper’s Forced Resignation”

Food Storehouse – by Ben Tanner

Have you ever thought about how you are going to get clean if anything happens in the world? Well I have done a ton of thinking about it and from what I have come across is that soap is bloody expensive. Things like laundry soap which I wrote a blog on making your very own soap which has been plastered all over the internet before but it really does save you money and there is a HUGE benefit to not having extra chemicals floating around in your stuff but what about your body?   Continue reading “Making Soap At Home!”

The Onion [SATIRE]

WASHINGTON—Despite Toronto mayor Rob Ford’s recent controversial admission to having smoked crack cocaine, Americans across the country confirmed Wednesday that, Rob Ford or no Rob Ford, there’s just no way they’re about to start giving a shit about Canadian politics—no way in hell.   Continue reading “Nation Not About To Start Giving A Shit About Canadian Politics”