Why is the massively valuable and versatile hemp plant illegal in the United States?

Three reasons.

Making hemp illegal:

1. Provides make-work for a vast army of "law enforcers" who then are available to be used for other social control work

2. Protects the market share of numerous well organized lobbies: alcohol makers, plastics and chemical manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and cotton growers (still a powerful economic force in America 200 + years after the Civil War.)

3. Gives fascist minded politicians yet another way to control the population
Three reasons.

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/505.html

THIRD WORLD TRAVELER

THIRD WORLD TRAVELER
is an archive of articles and book excerpts
that seek to tell the truth
about the state of American democracy, media, and foreign policy,
and about the impact of the actions of
the United States government, transnational corporations, global trade and financial institutions, and the corporate media,
on democracy, social and economic justice, human rights, and war and peace,
in the Third World, and in the developed world.

THIRD WORLD TRAVELER also provides information and links to aid international travelers.

In 'Eat Local' Movement, Cuba Is Years Ahead

HAVANA - After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Cuba planted thousands of urban cooperative gardens to offset reduced rations of imported food.

A banana plantation is seen in San Antonio de los Banos in Havana in this July 18, 2008 file photo. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Cuba planted thousands of urban cooperative gardens to offset reduced rations of imported food. Now, in the wake of three hurricanes that wiped out 30 percent of Cuba's farm crops, the communist country is again turning to its urban gardens to keep its people properly fed. (Reuters/Enrique De La Osa/Files)

Now, in the wake of three hurricanes that wiped out 30 percent of Cuba's farm crops, the communist country is again turning to its urban gardens to keep its people properly fed.

"Our capacity for response is immediate because this is a cooperative," said Miguel Salcines, walking among rows of lettuce in the garden he heads in the Alamar suburb on the outskirts of Havana.

Salcines says he is hardly sleeping as his 160-member cooperative rushes to plant and harvest a variety of beets that takes just 25 days to grow, among other crops.

As he talks, dirt-stained men and women kneel along the furrows, planting and watering on land next to a complex of Soviet-style buildings. Machete-wielding men chop weeds and clear brush along the periphery of the field.

Around 15 percent of the world's food is grown in urban areas, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a figure experts expect to increase as food prices rise, urban populations grow and environmental concerns mount.

Since they sell directly to their communities, city farms don't depend on transportation and are relatively immune to the volatility of fuel prices, advantages that are only now gaining traction as "eat local" movements in rich countries.

ROOFTOPS AND PARKING LOTS

In Cuba, urban gardens have bloomed in vacant lots, alongside parking lots, in the suburbs and even on city rooftops.

They sprang from a military plan for Cuba to be self-sufficient in case of war. They were broadened to the general public in response to a food crisis that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba's biggest benefactor at the time.

They have proven extremely popular, occupying 35,000 hectares (86,000 acres) of land across the Caribbean island. Even before the hurricanes, they produced half of the leaf vegetables eaten in Cuba, which imports about 60 percent of its food.

"I don't say they have the capacity to produce enough food for the whole island, but for social and also agricultural reasons they are the most adequate response to a crisis," said Catherine Murphy, a U.S. sociologist who has studied Cuba's urban gardens.

GREEN PRODUCTIVITY

In Alamar, the members get a salary and share the garden's profits, so the more they grow, the more they earn. They make an average of about 950 pesos, or $42.75, per month, more than double the national average, Salcines said.

The co-op, which began in 1997, now produces more than 240 tons of vegetables annually on its 11 hectares (27 acres) of land, which is about the size of 13 soccer fields.

The gardens sell their produce directly to the community and, out of necessity, grow their crops organically.

"Urban agriculture is going to play a key role in guaranteeing the feeding of the people much more quickly than the traditional farms," said Richard Haep, Cuba coordinator for German aid group Welthungerhilfe, which has supported these kinds of projects since 1994.

When the Soviet Union fell apart, Cuba's supply of oil slowed to a trickle, hurting big state agricultural operations. Chemical fertilizers were replaced with mountains of manure, and beneficial insects were used instead of pesticides.

Unlike in developed countries, where organic products are more expensive, in Cuba they are affordable.

"We have taken organic agriculture to a social level," said Salcines.

Some experts fear that rising international food prices along with the destruction of the hurricanes will return Cuba to the path of agrochemicals. The government is planning to construct a fertilizer plant with its oil-rich ally Venezuela.

But Raul Castro, who replaced ailing brother Fidel Castro as president in February, has also borrowed ideas from the urban gardens as he implements reforms to cut the island's $2.5 billion in annual food imports, much of it from the United States.

Castro has decentralized farm decision-making and raised the prices that the state pays for agricultural products, which has increased milk production, for example, by almost 20 percent.

And, in September, the government began renting out unused state-owned lands to farmers and cooperatives, measures that met with approval of international aid groups.

"Decentralization and economic incentives. If those elements are expanded to the rest of the agricultural sector, the response will be the same," said Welthungerhilfe's Haep.

(Reporting by Esteban Israel; Editing by Jeff Franks and Eddie Evans)

© 2008 Reuters

ALL educated people knows this, the most educated and healthiest folks overall are Cubans in The Americas.

Two Nice Countries, been across their borders quite a few times, first in 1983

Avoid-Looking-Like-an-American-Tourist

As an American traveling in a foreign country, the last thing you want to do is stand out like a sore thumb. Not only do you have a greater chance of getting sucked into tourist traps, but you're also a more obvious target for getting mugged or even kidnapped. So, are you aware of the things you do, say, and wear that make you look like the stereotypical "ugly American"

1. Be quiet! Many Americans are recognized for being louder than is customary in other parts of the world. Large arm and hand movements and boisterous behavior should be avoided until you know how the locals act. Adults in many non-American cultures use lower voices in public places. Either way, you're always better off being a little more reserved and quiet, at least for starters, than blasting onto a foreign scene with your vitality and making the wrong impression.
2. Don't brag or be showy. When you pull things out of your bag in public to show your friends or family what you purchased, you might as well yell "I have money and I'm ready to spend it, unless you want to take it from me against my will!"
3. Avoid talking about the local people and culture. Something as seemingly harmless as "Oh, I just love the scarves here!" will mark you as a tourist. And don't assume people can't understand what you're saying, just because you said it in English. In many parts of the world, people are taught to speak English along with their native language.

GREAT Article in Wiki

Monsanto Company, the world leader in Genetically Modified foods

THIS IS SERIOUS 'sheeples'
Monsanto Company, the world leader in Genetically Modified foods.
This "mega" company also now owns most of the world's seed.

They (Monsanto) are now seeking a patent on the actual pig. It's an astounding and dangerous claim.

The world has allowed this company to basically own life!
If you have not heard of the Monsanto Corporation and you eat food like most humans on earth, it would be worth your time to research what this company has done to the world's food sources, supplies and what they have planned.

Unless you live in one of the most remote parts of this planet, the odds are you eat foods that have genetically modified (from Monsanto Co.) products in them. People are ingesting these every day, without realizing it. Studies are linking the massive, almost pandemic levels of rare cancers, to the direct increase in GM foods world wide!

Below are very important links. They very well could be, one of the most important videos you can watch, especially if you have small children.

P1) Monsanto Patent for a Pig (Pt.1 of 5):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-ouf_...
1)"Future of Foods":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNezTs...

*NEW* 2) Reporters Blow Whistle on FOX News: Monsanto and our milk:
If you are giving regular milk to your children, it is 95% likely to be from cows injected with Monsanto's BST. If you have little children, at least feed them certified Organic Milk or Organic milk equivalent like Organic soy milk:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL1pKl...

*NEW* 3) "Monsanto: Extinction"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ5Oxd...

4) "The World According to Monsanto" (Ground breaking proof of how the head of the FDA are actually heads of the Monsanto Company):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMleWZ...

*NEW* 5) "Monsanto: Seed of Death" (Monsanto's rape of farmer Percy Schmeiser)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5jU3S...

6) Percy Schmeiser Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzqLZS...

*NEW* 7) "Monsanto: End of Life" (last part of this video shows undeniable proof that the FDA & Monsanto are one in the same.) Criminal conflict of interest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJcZLX...

8) "You and your milk" (MONSANTO):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67z6s3...


You must STOP feeding your young children non organic milk and GM foods. Their health depends on your knowledge which Monsanto is tying to cover up for PROFITS.

A few of my favorite videos that have been suppressed by main stream media; videos that could very well change you:

1A) - HBO: Hacking Democracy - :
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q...

2A) - America: Freedom to Fascism - :
http://video.google.com/videoplay?doc...


3A) - FIAT EMPIRE - Why the Federal Reserve Violates the U.S. Constitution:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?doc...


4A) - Electronic Voting Machines Whistle Blower - :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0iGIF...


5A) - Professional Perspectives: Fluoride in Tap Water - :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ys9q1...


6A) - We Become Silent - The Last Days of Health Freedom - :

http://video.google.com/videoplay?doc...



7A) - Dangers of Fluoride Pt.1 - :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-_Li0...


8A) - The Truth about Fluoride - :
http://greaterthings.com/Lexicon/F/Fl...


Nazi & USSR used Fluoride to make their people docile, complacent and very manageable.

Have you been asking yourself why we Americans are NOT taking action against the massive criminal misconduct of some of our top officials and their travesties? Why we only "woke up" for the first year after 9/11, then like some colossal giant that was awakened by a loud noise, yawned, rolled back over and promptly fell back asleep?

Hope You Die Before You get Old

Clic Cow for Full Story, this is one of David Michael Green's best to date

As a Baby Boomer, I’m sure not encouraging generational warfare in America. I have everything to lose from such a battle.

On the other hand, though, as a political analyst, I can hardly believe we’re not seeing it.

Never has it been so manifestly logical. Never would it be so thoroughly deserved. And yet, never has it been so astonishingly absent from the playing field of American politics.

I grew up in a period of generational conflict. “Never trust anyone over thirty”, “Hope I die before I get old”, etc. But I have to say that my generation got a way better deal from our parents than we’re leaving for our kids.

Sure, our parents bequeathed us Vietnam and Nixon. But I think those politics were a matter more of naivete, really, rather than malice or greed. I remember how my own parents reacted to the war and to Watergate. Having struggled collectively through the Depression, and having fought the good fight of World War II, I think they were wholly unprepared for the levels of deceit and callous indifference to harm they came inescapably to find that their government was capable of. This was an existential challenge of the kind we jaded Boomers can probably never appreciate. They were true believers, and they were rattled to the core when Toto pulled back the curtain. Their children, on the other hand, were raised to become cynics, for whom no such political crime can ever quite surprise us.

And it’s funny, too (though certainly not hah-hah funny), to think of how our generation – as much as you can speak of such a thing without falling into stereotypes worthy only of some PBS pledge-break docudrama – how we mocked the materialism of our parents. At one level, we were right to do so. Big cars with tail-fins were not exactly means for enrichment of the soul. No one was ever gonna transcend the material world and get to nirvana by purchasing a TV set and watching the latest episode of Ponderosa (in living color!). But, on the other hand, we might have been a whole lot more charitable too. Given where they came from, and what they’d been through, it was not so outrageous for them to seek a little prosperity and comfort. Moreover – on the other other hand – there’s that whole nagging hypocrisy thing. The truth is that the rocket-fueled materialism of their kids makes Mom and Dad’s modest suburban house with the single TV in the living room seem awfully quaint by comparison. Today, if there isn’t a satellite-fueled TV in every room of your McMansion (and, of course, your cars as well), with a DVD player and game box hooked up to each, Child Protective Services might well be dispatched to cart your kids away in order to protect them from neglect.

But even if the Greatest Generation wasn’t so great when it came to some of the items higher up on Maslow’s laundry list, their kids – the Boomers – could only dream of being as devoted parents as were their own. Indeed, if there’s any one great crime for which the World War II generation may be most guilty, it is the raising up of the most narcissistic, self-centered, self-aggrandizing crop of kids ever. In China they call the analogous generation the Little Emperors. I guess we’re a bit too self-reverential for even that little bit of comedic introspection. Just the same, though, not for nothing are we known as the Me Generation. To get a sense of our sense of ourselves, just look at the two presidents we’ve contributed to the pantheon: Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Of the latter nothing need be said that could meaningfully add anything to the eight years of experiencing this president’s capacity for self-indulgence and his unparalleled sense of entitlement. As for Monsieur Clinton, he is said to have lamented, especially after 9/11, the fact that no major crisis occurred on his watch, so that he could join Lincoln and FDR and Washington among the greatest presidents of all time. Now, if I sat down for six weeks trying to think of the most self-centered sentiment I could conceive of in all the world, I doubt seriously I could top that one. Imagine wishing that thousands of people could die in order to enhance your reputation for the history books. And this after you’ve already had the privilege of serving two terms in the most exclusive position in the world.

Gee, what a legacy we’ve left in presidential politics. But it only gets worse if we consider the more general picture. I cannot think of a single time in American history where one generation left their children such a stunningly large and complete a mess to clean up.

........clic COW for Full Story, this guy rules

The Evidence Against Soy

Dow Chemical and DuPont, the same corporations that brought misery and death to millions around the world through Agent Orange, are now the driving forces behind the promotion of soy as a food for humans. They are financing anti-meat and anti-milk campaigns aimed largely at those concerned about animal welfare and the environment, trying to convince them that imitations such as "soymilk" are not only healthier than the real thing, but better for the earth too.

There is no evidence that consuming soy products can improve health, reduce environmental degradation or slow global warming. In fact, the evidence suggests quite the opposite.

The studies below regarding the effects of soy on health are eye-opening, particularly the review by the American Heart Association -- which no longer supports the health claims about soy endorsed by the U.S. government.

Overall risks and benefits of soy assessed

Latest review by American Heart Association

Soy inhibits iron absorption

Poor iron bioavailability

Poor calcium bioavailability

Calcium and zinc absorbed better from milk than from soy -- even without phytates

Soy provides no benefits with respect to heart disease risk

Soy causes bladder cancer

Soy isoflavones during pregnancy increase breast cancer risk in female offspring

High levels of cadmium in soy formula

Soy linked to peanut allergy and increased risk for asthma

Whole milk vs. soy beverage -- asthma risk

Persistent sexual arousal syndrome associated with increased soy intake

Genistein: Does it prevent or promote breast cancer?

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

If you were to carefully review the thousands of studies published on soy, I strongly believe you too would reach the conclusion that any possible benefits of consuming soy are FAR outweighed by the well documented risks. Now, I’m not against all forms of soy. Properly fermented products like natto and tempeh have been consumed for centuries and do not wreak havoc in your body like unfermented soy products do. For example, the enzyme nattokinase—derived from natto--is a safer, more powerful option than aspirin to dissolve blood clots, and has been used safely for more than two decades. Unfortunately, many Americans still believe that unfermented and processed soy products like soy milk, soy cheese, soy burgers and soy ice cream are good for them. 85 Percent of Consumers Believe the Lies About Soy The rise of soy as a health food is in large part due to highly successful marketing to otherwise health conscious Americans who set the trend. According to the survey Consumer Attitudes About Nutrition 2008 (by the United Soybean Board), 85 percent of consumers now perceive soy products as healthy. The survey also found that consumers: rank soybean oil among the top three healthy oils, with 70 percent recognizing soy oil as a healthy oil, and depend on soybean oil, commonly sold as vegetable oil, as one of their two most frequent cooking oils This is a tragic case of shrewd marketing of misinformation and outright lies taking root among the masses, which will likely take some time to undo. Ever since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a health claim for soy foods in 1999 (which said diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease), soy sales have skyrocketed. In the years between 2000 and 2007, food manufacturers in the U.S. introduced over 2,700 new foods with soy as an ingredient, including 161 new products introduced in 2007 alone. This has resulted in a booming multi-billion dollar business. From 1992 to 2007, soy food sales increased from a paltry $300 million to nearly $4 billion, according to the Soyfoods Association of North America. However, the Weston A. Price Foundation, a nonprofit nutrition education foundation, submitted a petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January of this year, asking them to retract its heart-health claim from soy in light of the inconsistent and contradictory evidence showing benefits, and its many proven health risks. What’s So Wrong With Soy? Unlike the Asian culture, where people eat small amounts of whole soybean products, western food processors separate the soybean into two golden commodities--protein and oil. And there is nothing natural or safe about these products. Says Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story, “Today's high-tech processing methods not only fail to remove the anti-nutrients and toxins that are naturally present in soybeans but leave toxic and carcinogenic residues created by the high temperatures, high pressure, alkali and acid baths and petroleum solvents." Dr. Daniel also points out the findings of numerous studies reviewed by her and other colleagues -- that soy does not reliably lower cholesterol, and in fact raises homocysteine levels in many people, which has been found to increase your risk of stroke, birth defects, and yes: heart disease. Other common health problems linked to a high-soy diet include: Thyroid problems, including weight gain, lethargy, malaise, fatigue, hair loss, and loss of libido Premature puberty and other developmental problems in babies, children and adolescents Cancer Brain damage Reproductive disorders Kidney stones Weakened immune system Severe, potentially fatal food allergies Most soy, perhaps about 80 percent or more, is also genetically modified, which adds its own batch of health concerns. Despite these findings, many people still want to believe the hype, thinking that these studies must somehow be wrong. But the content of soy itself should be a clue. For example, non-fermented soy products contain: Phytoestrogens (isoflavones) genistein and daidzein, which mimic and sometimes block the hormone estrogen Phytates, which block your body's uptake of minerals Enzyme Inhibitors, which hinder protein digestion Hemaggluttin, which causes red blood cells to clump together and inhibits oxygen take-up and growth High amounts of omega-6 fat, which is pro-inflammatory You’re Consuming Soy Whether You’re Buying “Soy Products” or Not Even if you know better than to gulp down large amounts of soy milk, slabs of tofu, and other soy snacks, you are still consuming soy if you’re eating processed food, in the form of soybean oil and lecithin. So depending on your dietary habits, your (unfermented) soy consumption could really add up. In fact, Dr. Joseph Hibbeln at the National Institutes of Health told CNN.com he estimates that soybeans, usually in the form of oil, account for 10 percent of the average person’s total calories in the United States! When you consider that 90 percent of the money Americans spend on food goes toward processed food, this amount of “accidental” soy intake is not surprising. As a side note, I’d like to make a quick statement here to address some of my readers’ concerns about my reduced CoQ 10 supplement, ubiquinol, which also contain soy bean oil. Unfortunately, the reduced CoQ 10 (ubiquinol) – which is the optimal form of CoQ 10 that your body needs, especially if you’re over 25 – is only produced by a multi-billion dollar Japanese pharmaceutical company that holds ALL the world patents on it. Hence, there’s no way to replace the soy, even though that would have been my preference. However, as in all things, moderation is key. If I thought there were ANY significant health risks from consuming this small amount of soy oil, then I would not personally take two a day – which I do. I do however avoid all processed forms of soy products, and severely limit my intake of other unfermented soy, which is easy to do by simply avoiding processed and “fast” foods. Which Soy Foods Should be Avoided … and How do You Avoid Them? Because soy is so pervasive in the U.S. food supply, avoiding it is not an easy task. The best way to completely avoid soy in the food supply is to buy whole foods and prepare them yourself. This may also be your only option if you’ve developed a soy allergy and need to eliminate soy from your diet entirely. If you still prefer to buy readymade and packaged products, for whatever reason, Dr. Daniel offers a free Special Report, "Where the Soys Are," on her Web site. It lists the many "aliases" that soy might be hiding under in ingredient lists -- words like "boullion," "natural flavor" and "textured plant protein." Which Soy Foods DO Have Health Benefits? The few types of soy that ARE healthy are all fermented varieties. After a long fermentation process, the phytic acid and antinutrient levels of the soybeans are reduced, and their beneficial properties -- such as the creation of natural probiotics -- become available to your digestive system. The fermentation process also greatly reduces the levels of dangerous isoflavones, which are similar to estrogen in their chemical structure, and can interfere with the action of your own estrogen production. So if you want to eat soy that is actually good for you, following are all healthy options: Natto, fermented soybeans with a sticky texture and strong, cheese-like flavor. It's loaded with nattokinase, a very powerful blood thinner. Natto is actually a food I eat regularly, as it is the highest source of vitamin K2 on the planet and has a very powerful beneficial bacteria, bacillus subtilis. It can usually be found in any Asian grocery store. Tempeh, a fermented soybean cake with a firm texture and nutty, mushroom-like flavor. Miso, a fermented soybean paste with a salty, buttery texture (commonly used in miso soup). Soy sauce: traditionally, soy sauce is made by fermenting soybeans, salt and enzymes, however be wary because many varieties on the market are made artificially using a chemical process.

Related Articles:

Soy: Too Good to be True

Soy: Is it Healthy or is it Harmful?

Why Soy Can Damage Your Health