The European Union Times |
- US tanks arrive in Latvia to ward off ‘perceived’ Russian threat
- Beer prevents heart attacks and strokes
- Number of Ebola cases doubling every four weeks
- Diversity losing support among white people as they become minority
- Mass protests slam US-EU trade deal as ‘corporate power grab’
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Posted: 18 Oct 2014 09:25 AM PDT
 US tanks have arrived in Latvia as NATO flexes its muscles in an apparent show of strength towards Moscow. The machines are being deployed across the Baltic States and Poland over the next two weeks and will be used for training exercises. The 1st Cavalry Division, based at Fort Hood in Texas, was deployed in Adazi, not far from the Latvian capital of Riga. 150 soldiers used five M1A2 Abrams tanks, as well as 11 Bradley Fighting Vehicles in a training demonstration. The commander of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, John Di Giambattista said, “This is more than just a training mission. This is more than just a trip across the Atlantic; this is more than a multinational training exercise. This is how we demonstrate our nations’ commitment to reassure our NATO allies,” Reuters reports Latvians, as well as their Baltic neighbors and Poland have welcomed the deployment of the troops and tanks as a deterrent to the perceived threat of Russia. This is one of the largest placements of US military forces into part of the former Soviet Union. Martins Liberts, who is the Commander of the Latvian Infantry Brigade, said that it was good for his country’s army to work with up to date military equipment.  “To be honest, since independence, we have not had the chance to work with tanks as allies, but we will do that now. It will be a unique experience,” he said, according to Reuters. The Abrams M1A2 is an upgrade of the Abram M1A1, which was used in combat during the 1991 Gulf War. The Abrams are armed with a M256A1 120mm smooth bore cannon, while they also feature one M240 7.62mm machine gun.The combat force consists of around 700 troops and 20 tanks. “The purpose is to be a very visible demonstration of commitment to our allies. We may take slightly longer to deploy than lighter forces, but there’s nothing like a tank if you really want to achieve effect,” said Captain John Farmer, public affairs officer for Ironhorse, as the 1st Cavalry Division is otherwise known in early October, before the deployment was made. The 1st Cavalry Division will replace a number of lightly armed US paratroopers, who were deployed in March, following a referendum in Crimea, where local residents elected to cede from Ukraine and saw the peninsula becoming part of Russia. The 1st Cavalry Division has a long history, having been formed in 1921. Since then the division fought in the Second World War, as well as subsequently in Korea and Vietnam. In the 21st Century, the unit has been involved in tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. The division has also hit the big screen, having appeared in the American Vietnam War epic, Apocalypse Now. These are not the first tanks to have been deployed in Europe since the end of the Cold War. In January this year, 29 Abrams M1A2 tanks were sent to Germany to replace older versions of the same military vehicles. The Abrams tanks will join 33 M2A3 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles as well as numerous other heavy support vehicles that will be positioned at Grafenwohr, which is around 220 kilometers north of Munich and used for training exercises. The deployment of the 1st Cavalry Division in Latvia is a direct result of an agreement for creating a rapid reaction force in Eastern Europe, following the NATO summit in the UK in September. “This is a demonstration of our solidarity and resolve,” said former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the summit in Cardiff in early September. “Should you even think of attacking one ally, you will be facing the whole alliance,” the former Danish Prime Minister added. The Baltic States have been among the most vocal advocates of NATO strengthening in the region, but the organization is bound by a 1997 agreement with Russia, which bars it from placing permanent bases in Lithuania, Latvia or Estonia. This can be circumvented by staging constant rotations of “exercises” that can in practice amount to the same thing. Source           |
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Posted: 18 Oct 2014 08:36 AM PDT
 Scientists reveal that beer in moderation prevents heart attack and stroke. European scientists have highlighted the beneficial health of moderate consumption of beer, including the prevention of cardiovascular problems and respiratory effects, and have excluded the myth of the ‘beer belly’. The VII European Congress on Beer and Health, held in Brussels this week brought together some 160 international experts in medicine and nutrition from 24 countries, among them Germany, Ireland, Italy and the UK. Spanish researchers from the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, University of Barcelona and the Cardiovascular Research Center (CSIC-ICCC), highlighted the potential benefits of beer, with and without alcohol on cardiovascular health, obesity, nutrition and prevention of cell aging. ‘Moderate consumption of beer along with a healthy diet, like the Mediterranean, helps prevent major cardiovascular complications such as myocardial infarction or stroke,” said Dr. Ramón Estruch, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona. According to him, studies in Spain have shown that non-alcoholic beer also has a protective effect against cardiovascular diseases. The director of CSIC-ICCC, Linda Badimon, pointed out that the moderate consumption of beer can ‘foster global cardiac function.’ For quantities considered moderate, it was explained that men can drink two glasses per day and women can drink one. Polyphenols, compounds found mostly in foods of plant origin and also in beer, are those that can reduce the risks of having stroke and cancer due to its antioxidant properties. ‘In Beer we find 50 types of polyphenols, which when ingested by the body, have beneficial effects on blood pressure, lipids or insulin resistance,”explained Rosa Lamuela of the University of Barcelona. The doctor of public health in the UK Kathryn O’Sullivan belied the belief that beer can cause a ‘belly’, since this ‘has no scientific basis’. She said that the excessive intake of any alcohol can lead to weight gain, but not if consumed moderately. Rehydration that beer provides athletes with after performing exercise was another of the aspects highlighted at the event. The doctor Manuel Castillo Garzón said that beer, unlike other alcoholic beverages, has little amount of alcohol, lots of water (95%) and potassium, able to rehydrate athletes. Given that prolonged exercise increases the risk of diseases of the upper respiratory tract, beer stands as a food complement which is an enabling factor which can reduce inflammation and infection, because it contains polyphenol compounds, assured Dr. Garzón, who operates in Johannes Scherr Technical Hospital of Munich. (With information from EFE International News Agency). Source      |
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Posted: 18 Oct 2014 07:50 AM PDT
 The World Health Organization (WHO) says the number of Ebola infections in West Africa is doubling every four weeks despite efforts to stop the spread of the deadly virus. Isabelle Nuttall, the director of the WHO’s Global Capacities, Alert and Response, announced on Thursday that 9,000 people have so far been infected with Ebola, adding that the death toll from the disease will rise to more than 4,500 this week. “Our data shows that cases are doubling every four weeks. The disease is still widespread in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and there is persistent transmission of the virus,” she said. Fresh figures indicate the outbreak is hitting health workers hard, with 2,700 infected and 236 dead, added Nuttal. The senior WHO official further pledged that the organization would enhance its support for the Ebola-hit countries, saying it might take months before the outbreak is stopped. She added that efforts should remain focused on the three West African countries, namely Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, where the outbreak has been spreading out of control. The UN Security Council has called on the international community to step up efforts to control the spread of the deadly virus. Ebola is a form of hemorrhagic fever whose symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding. The virus spreads through direct contact with infected blood, feces or sweat. It can be also spread through sexual contact or the unprotected handling of contaminated corpses. There is currently no known cure for Ebola. Source      |
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Posted: 18 Oct 2014 07:33 AM PDT
 Psychologists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have concluded a study to see if White people have differing views on “diversity” as we become a minority. Professor Yuen Huo and doctoral student Felix Danbold from UCLA gathered 98 White people around the US, split them into two groups, and told the groups one of two statements. The first statement was based on Census predictions: “One group was told that Whites will no longer be the majority in the US by 2050,” wrote Stuart Wolpert wrote on Phys.org. “The second group was told that Whites would retain their majority status in the US through at least 2050. All participants were then asked a series of questions about their views on diversity.” Wolpert said that the White people who participated in the study became less supportive of anti-White policies when they were told they would become a minority. Danbold said “Most Americans view diversity in positive terms, but many white Americans who see the actual demographic projections, and the loss of their majority status, end up being less enthusiastic about it.” Huo agreed as well “Whites feel lukewarm about diversity when they are told that they are about to lose their majority status in the United States for the first time,” Many White people are now realizing that they have basically been thrown under the bus by our own leaders. Some may call this treason… but this actually goes beyond treason and into the realm of genocide. That’s because White “leaders” are chasing down White communities all over the planet and forcing them to “diversify” (become less White). The point of these policies is to force us to assimilate when the majority of us don’t want to.      |
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Posted: 18 Oct 2014 06:55 AM PDT
 Talks on the pact, called the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), started last February and, having been mostly held behind closed doors, have raised widespread concerns in the European Union and beyond. Social networks have been mobilized for a mass campaign that has been calling on Europeans and Americans to take action against “the biggest corporate power grab in a decade.” One of the organizers of Berlin’s demonstration, Michael Efler, told RT’s Peter Oliver: “We are protesting here against the free trade deal completely negotiated in secret, because they give corporations more rights they’ve ever had in history.” Protests were planned in 22 countries across Europe – marches, rallies and other public events – in over 1,000 locations in UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic and Scandinavian countries. According to the international organization ATTAC, the decentralized Day of Actions unites an unprecedented number of civil society groups and individuals, social movements, trade unions and rights defenders. The main aim of the wave of protests is “to reclaim democracy,” which in this case stands for putting an end to the negotiations on three major trade agreements: the EU-US deal (TTIP), the EU-Canada deal (CETA) and the trade in services deal (TiSA).   Opponents of TTIP warn that these figures are too optimistic, however. While cheaper goods and services would deluge the EU, the deal would create environmental problems, a loss of economic sovereignty, and bring torrents of genetically modified food and unemployment, they say. In the UK, where over a dozen protests are taking place, people fear for the future of the country’s public services – the healthcare system, the education system and even the BBC may be susceptible to interference from large US companies.  The trade agreement between the EU and the US could be finalized by the end of this year. The leaders of Canada and the EU signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) this September, which is yet to be finalized. It will remove over 99 percent of tariffs between the two economies by 2016. The Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) is planned to liberalize the trade of services such as banking and transport between 23 parties, initiated by the US. Its draft version was released this June by WikiLeaks, which was followed by rising criticism. Apart from the actions to stop TTIP, people from all over the globe are participating in another protest on Saturday – Global Frackdown Day, aimed at protesting against controversial oil and gas technique of fracking. Initiated by Food & Water Watch consumer right group, Global Frackdown Day unites all continents in their struggle to protect air, water, climate and communities from fracking.  Source     |
