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TBR News November 19, 2009

The Slaughterhouse Informer A Compendiium of Various Official Lies, Business Scandals, Small Murders, Frauds, and Other Gross Defects of Our Current Political, Business and Religious Moral Lepers. Presenting a new magazine that contains material that is not found elsewhere and is very difficult to post on the Internet. The ‘Voice of the White House’ will appear in each issue containing material not found on TBR News for very obvious reasons.This publication will appear once a week, on Wednesday, every week, will be ten pages in length and is available by subscription only. The price is $5.00 a month and can be paid via PayPal or by check, sent to ‘Morris Productions, 3015 E. New York St. Ste A2-190, Aurora, Il 60504.’ If you don’t like it, and Bush supporters can read the Drudge Report for free, you can cancel at any time. TBR Ebooks Civil insurrection in America and government countermeasures: The official papers By Bradley Moscrip An in-depth study of official American plans to construct FEMA detention centers in America and specific recent U.S. Army domestic counterinsurgency plans. Here is a sampling of the ebook contents: Gun Control by Confiscation As the American general population is known to be the most heavily armed in the world, immediately upon the declaration of Martial Law and the execution by the military of counterinsurgency programs, it has been determined that the BATF, will begin the process of rounding up all rifles, pistols and so-called assault weaponry from the civil population. Lists of gun collectors obtained from firearms dealers, gun magazine subscription lists and other sources will be the basis for these mass confiscations. Gun owners will be supplied documentation by the BATF showing which pieces have been confiscated so that in the future, they will be told, they can recover their weapons when the state of emergency has passed. In actuality, weapons that do not have a high value or are not suitable for arming loyalist police forces, will be destroyed by order This study is available from tbrnews at $5.00 by PayPal The Voice of the White House Washington, D.C., November 19, 2009: “The Pentagon and the Navy are putting final touches on a plan to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. All it takes for this to be implemented is the approval of the president. The purpose? Ostensibly to prevent Iran from getting, or receiving, raw material for its atomic energy program but actually, not only for that purpose but also to cut China off from its badly needed oil. In all truth, the much-vaunted Chinese economy is in a shambles but because American business has deep economic involvement with China, no one wants to admit the very serious economic problems in the PRC. There are elements in this country that want to knock China off the map, economically if possible, and they may yet succeed. A joint Pentagon/Department of Transportation plan to conduct a permanent surveillance of all motor vehicles using the Federal Highway System is code named ARGUS. It was initially a part of an overall public surveillance program instituted and organized by Admiral Poindexter, convicted of various criminal acts as the result of the Iran-Contra affair and then brought back to government service by the Bush Administration. Following public disclosure of Poindexter’s manic attempts to pry into all aspects of American life and his subsequent public departure from government service (he is still so employed but as a “private consultant” and not subject to public scrutiny) many of his plans were officially scrapped. ARGUS, however, is still valid and still being developed. This Orwellian nonsense consists of having unmanned video cameras installed over all Federal highways and toll roads. These cameras work 24/7 to video all passing vehicles, trucks, private cars and busses. The information is passed to a central data bank and entered therein. This is expected to show on request of any authorized law enforcement agency to include private investigative and credit agencies licensed to work with Federal law enforcement information on any user of the road systems under surveillance. Provision will be made, according to the operating plans, to notify local law enforcement immediately if any driver attempts to obscure their license plate number and instructs them to at once to “apprehend and identify” the vehicle or vehicles involved. The only problem with implementing this ambitious program is its cost: $5 billion over a three year period. The report estimates that this program can easily be installed and running on a nationwide basis within two years from its commencement. It also will be a Federal crime to attempt to damage or in any way interfere with these surveillance devices. The New York Times seems to be chronically interested in feeding the entire world out of our pockets, as witness their endless rantings about Dafur. No one outside of their news room cares about Dafur, Bangladesh or some other decaying Third World country. Why, in the name of God, should Americans feed, clothe and medicate these scrabbling dirt eaters? To feel like Christians? For tax-write offs? The planet is now dangerously overcrowded and more and more of its less productive citizens are going to either starve to death or die of rampant diseases. There is no earthly reason why any of us should either care about their inexorable fate or deplete our own resources. The primary aim of any people is to protect and defend itself, not concern themselves about distant and unproductive neighbors.” The Illusion of Democracy in the Modern World November 11, 2009 by Gregory Fegel Pravda.ru Most of the ‘terrorist’ bomb attacks of the past sixty years have been false-flag attacks that were actually committed by the Israeli Mossad, the CIA, and British intelligence. For six decades the allied Western intelligence agencies have been carrying out an ongoing campaign to frame Muslims for bombings which were actually perpetrated by the Western intelligence agencies themselves. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11/2001 were a joint CIA/Pentagon/Mossad false-flag operation that was intended to provide an excuse for the subsequent US-led Coalition invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. The Western nations are not unique in their use of false-flag bombings to inspire public support for a government policy of aggression. The Russian government blamed Chechen ‘terrorists’ for perpetrating the horrific Moscow apartment bombings of the summer of 1999, but agents of the Russian FSB were seen placing military-grade explosives in the basement of an apartment building in Ryazan, near Moscow. The current US and Israeli belligerence toward Iran is the continuation of a modern Crusade by the USA, Israel, the UK, and their allies to gain control of the Middle East oil fields. The USA is run by a wealthy ruling elite whose enforcement arm, the CIA, operates secretly and without accountability to any authority other than its elite masters. The US Congress and the US President are mere puppets of the ruling elite, and their purpose is to provide the public with an illusion or false facade of democracy. The US President is a talking head chosen by the ruling elite, who control both of the two major US political parties. The President functions as a spokesman, salesman, and facilitator for the policies of the ruling elite. The mainstream media in the USA, the UK, Israel, and their allied nations is thoroughly infiltrated and controlled by the allied Western intelligence agencies, led by the CIA and Mossad. The CIA-controlled mainstream media functions as the propaganda arm of the ruling elite. The banking system in the USA and its allied nations is controlled by the ruling elite, whose agents -- the bankers, brokers, and fund managers -- manipulate the market to divert funds, both public and private, into the coffers of the ruling elite. The current historically-unprecedented and ever-widening gap between the incomes and fortunes of the rich and the poor throughout the world is the result of the avaricious market manipulations of the ruling elite. The ruling elite meet privately and in secrecy at gatherings of the Trilateral Commission, the Council of Foreign Relations, the Bilderberg Group, Bohemian Grove, and other venues which are not open to public scrutiny. The ruling elite effectively control the operations of the World Trade Commission, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the United Nations. Most of the Western 'democracies' are actually ruled by a cabal of wealthy elitists who are essentially gangster warlords who control and manipulate national and international politics, the global economy, and the mainstream media to serve their own greedy and insatiable ambitions. Key oil figures were distorted by US pressure, says whistleblower Watchdog's estimates of reserves inflated says top official November 9, 2009 by Terry Macalister Guardian/UK The world is much closer to running out of oil than official estimates admit, according to a whistleblower at the International Energy Agency who claims it has been deliberately underplaying a looming shortage for fear of triggering panic buying. The senior official claims the US has played an influential role in encouraging the watchdog to underplay the rate of decline from existing oil fields while overplaying the chances of finding new reserves. The allegations raise serious questions about the accuracy of the organisation's latest World Energy Outlook on oil demand and supply to be published tomorrow – which is used by the British and many other governments to help guide their wider energy and climate change policies. In particular they question the prediction in the last World Economic Outlook, believed to be repeated again this year, that oil production can be raised from its current level of 83m barrels a day to 105m barrels. External critics have frequently argued that this cannot be substantiated by firm evidence and say the world has already passed its peak in oil production. Now the "peak oil" theory is gaining support at the heart of the global energy establishment. "The IEA in 2005 was predicting oil supplies could rise as high as 120m barrels a day by 2030 although it was forced to reduce this gradually to 116m and then 105m last year," said the IEA source, who was unwilling to be identified for fear of reprisals inside the industry. "The 120m figure always was nonsense but even today's number is much higher than can be justified and the IEA knows this. "Many inside the organisation believe that maintaining oil supplies at even 90m to 95m barrels a day would be impossible but there are fears that panic could spread on the financial markets if the figures were brought down further. And the Americans fear the end of oil supremacy because it would threaten their power over access to oil resources," he added. A second senior IEA source, who has now left but was also unwilling to give his name, said a key rule at the organisation was that it was "imperative not to anger the Americans" but the fact was that there was not as much oil in the world as had been admitted. "We have [already] entered the 'peak oil' zone. I think that the situation is really bad," he added. The IEA acknowledges the importance of its own figures, boasting on its website: "The IEA governments and industry from all across the globe have come to rely on the World Energy Outlook to provide a consistent basis on which they can formulate policies and design business plans." The British government, among others, always uses the IEA statistics rather than any of its own to argue that there is little threat to long-term oil supplies. The IEA said tonight that peak oil critics had often wrongly questioned the accuracy of its figures. A spokesman said it was unable to comment ahead of the 2009 report being released tomorrow. John Hemming, the MP who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on peak oil and gas, said the revelations confirmed his suspicions that the IEA underplayed how quickly the world was running out and this had profound implications for British government energy policy. He said he had also been contacted by some IEA officials unhappy with its lack of independent scepticism over predictions. "Reliance on IEA reports has been used to justify claims that oil and gas supplies will not peak before 2030. It is clear now that this will not be the case and the IEA figures cannot be relied on," said Hemming. "This all gives an importance to the Copenhagen [climate change] talks and an urgent need for the UK to move faster towards a more sustainable [lower carbon] economy if it is to avoid severe economic dislocation," he added. The IEA was established in 1974 after the oil crisis in an attempt to try to safeguard energy supplies to the west. The World Energy Outlook is produced annually under the control of the IEA's chief economist, Fatih Birol, who has defended the projections from earlier outside attack. Peak oil critics have often questioned the IEA figures. But now IEA sources who have contacted the Guardian say that Birol has increasingly been facing questions about the figures inside the organisation. Matt Simmons, a respected oil industry expert, has long questioned the decline rates and oil statistics provided by Saudi Arabia on its own fields. He has raised questions about whether peak oil is much closer than many have accepted. A report by the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) last month said worldwide production of conventionally extracted oil could "peak" and go into terminal decline before 2020 – but that the government was not facing up to the risk. Steve Sorrell, chief author of the report, said forecasts suggesting oil production will not peak before 2030 were "at best optimistic and at worst implausible". But as far back as 2004 there have been people making similar warnings. Colin Campbell, a former executive with Total of France told a conference: "If the real [oil reserve] figures were to come out there would be panic on the stock markets … in the end that would suit no one." Top 50 pharmaceutical companies The following is a list of the top 50 pharmaceutical and biotech companies ranked by healthcare revenue. Some companies (eg, Bayer) have additional chemicals revenue not included here. The phrase Big Pharma is often used to refer to companies with revenue in excess of $3 billion, and/or R&D expenditure in excess of $500 million, and represents the first 30 or so companies in this list. Alphabetical listing This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy certain standards for completeness.. 1-A 3M, a diversified global technology company based in the United States which produces pharmaceuticals as part of its health care business Abbott Laboratories, a top-20 pharma company based in the United States Able Laboratories (external link), a former American generic pharmaceutical manufacturer which entered bankruptcy in 2005 Aburaihan (external link), the largest Iranian pharmaceutical manufacturer Alkermes, an American company Allergan, an American multinational Almirall Prodesfarma, a Spanish multinational Alphapharm, an Australian generic pharmaceutical manufacturer and a wholly owned subsidiary of Merck KGaA Ambe Limited (UK), a UK pharmaceutical distribution company formed in 1999 Altana Pharma AG, formerly Byk Gulden, part of Altana AG, a German maker of chemicals and pharmaceuticals Amico Laboratories, a pharma company based in Bangladesh ALZA Corporation, an American company acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2001 Amgen, a top-20 pharma company based in the United States Antara Biosciences, a biotechnology company based in the United States Astellas Pharma, a Japanese company formed in 2005 through the merger of Fujisawa Pharmaceutical and Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Astra AB, a former Swedish company which in 1999 merged with Zeneca Group PLC to form AstraZeneca AstraZeneca, a top-20 pharma company based in the United Kingdom formed in 1999 through the merger of Astra AB and Zeneca Group PLC Aventis, a former French company which in 2004 merged with Sanofi-Synthélabo to form Sanofi-Aventis Axcan Pharma, a specialty pharma company based in Quebec, Canada B-D Bakhtar Bioshimi (external link), an Iranian generic pharmaceutical manufacturer BARGN FARMACEUTICI, a pharmaceutical distributor based in the Philippines Barr, a specialty pharma company based in the United States Bayer, a top-20 pharma company based in Germany Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd, pharma company based in Bangladesh Bial, a Portuguese pharmaceutical company Biogen Idec, an American company formed in 2003 through the merger of Biogen and Idec Pharmaceuticals Biolex, an American company Bioport an American vaccine manufacturer and a subsidiary of Emergent BioSolutions Biotecnol, a Portuguese company Biovail, the largest Canadian pharmaceutical company Biovitrum, a Swedish company Boehringer-Ingelheim, a top-20 pharma company based in Germany Bristol-Myers Squibb, a top-20 pharma company based in the United States Catalytica, a former American company which merged with Synotex Company in 2000 to form DSM Catalytica Pharmaceuticals, now known as DSM Pharmaceuticals CCL Pharmaceuticals (external link), a Pakistani company Celltech, a former British company acquired by the Belgian company UCB in 2004 Century Pharmaceuticals (external link), an Indian company Cephalon (external link), an American company known for the narcolepsy drug, Modafinil Cilag, a Swiss subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson Cipla, an Indian company best known as a manufacturer of anti-AIDS drugs Claris Lifesciences (external link), a multinational based in India Daiichi Pharmaceuticals, a former Japanese company which merged with Sankyo Co., Ltd. in 2005 to form Daiichi Sankyo Daiichi Sankyo, a Japanese holding company established in 2005 for the management integration of Sankyo and Daiichi Pharmaceuticals Diosynth, a former Dutch company acquired in 2005 by the American firm Organon International, which is in turn a part of the Dutch Akzo Nobel Douglas Pharmaceuticals (external link), a New Zealand-based company Dow Pharmaceutical Sciences (external link), an American company focused on topical therapeutics DSM Pharmaceuticals •Chiesi Pharmaceutical an Italian company having a dymnamic R&D department. Subsidiaries in many countries of the world including Pakistan. E-L Eli Lilly and Company, a top-20 pharma company based in the United States Emcure Pharma, A pharma company based in the India Ethypharm (external link) a French company specialized in the development of drug delivery solutions for the pharmaceutical industry Ferozsons Laboratories, A Pakistani based company which is exclusively focused on Gastroenterology. Galderma, A French based company which is exclusively focused on Dermatology Genentech, an American biopharmaceutical company, considered to have founded the biotechnology industry as a whole Genzyme, an American company Gilead Sciences, an American biopharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, a top-20 pharma company based in the United Kingdom GPC Biotech, a German biopharmaceutical company Grindex external link, the largest pharmaceutical company in the Baltic States. Hexal Australia, an Australian generic pharmaceutical manufacturer, part of the Hexal International Group Hexal International Group (external link), a German generic pharmaceutical manufacturer Hoffmann-La Roche, or Roche, a top-20 pharma company based in Switzerland ICN Pharmaceuticals, now known as Valeant Institute for OneWorld Health, a nonprofit American pharmaceutical company focused on developing infectious disease drugs for developing countries Ipsen (external link), a French company Isis Pharmaceuticals (external link), an American company focused on development of RNA-based therapeutics Janssen Pharmaceutica Products, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson Janssen-Cilag, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson Jelfa SA (external link), a Polish generic pharmaceutical manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, a top-20 pharma company based in the United States King Pharmaceuticals, an American company Knoll Pharmaceuticals, formerly the pharmaceutical division of BASF, acquired by Abbott in 2001 Krka, d. d., a Slovenian generic pharmaceutical and cosmetics manufacturer Kurve Technology, Inc. (external link) an American company specialized in the development of drug delivery solutions for the pharmaceutical industry LEO Pharma, a Danish pharmaceutical company Lundbeck, a Danish company M-Z Mansfield-King MedImmune Menarini (external link) Merck & Co. Merck KGaA Merix Pharmaceutical Corp. (Merix Health Care Products) Based in USA Meyer Organics Millennium Pharmaceuticals Napp Pharmaceuticals (external link) Novartis Novo Nordisk Global leader in Diabetes care. Currently has the highest global market share of insulin & insulin delivery devices. Also caters for Growth Hormone and Hemophilia care. Nucleics DNA sequencing reagents, services & software Ordain Health Care [1] Organon International (Organon) products, the healthcare division of Akzo Nobel Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. (external link), based in Japan Ovation Pharma Pfizer Pharmacia, now part of Pfizer Pharmacosmos, a pharmaceutical company based in Denmark Pharmed Medicare, Among top five fastst growing companies[Pharmed]Pharmed Pierre Fabre Group Pliva Procter & Gamble Purdue Pharma, private company, maker of Oxcycontin Ranbaxy Renovo, plc. Roche Searle Pharmaceutical, A leading Pharmaceutical of Pakistan Sanofi-Aventis, a global top-20 pharma company based in France Schering, a German company Schering-Plough, an American company created during World War II through seizure of assets from Schering Serono, a Swiss biopharmaceutical company Servier Laboratories Shire Pharmaceuticals Group, a British company Sigma-Tau (external link) Solvay Group Sugen, purchased by Pfizer in 2003 Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Bangladesh Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Takeda, a top-20 pharma company based in Japan TAP Pharmaceutical Products, Inc (external link), a joint-venture of Abbott and Takeda, created without discovery or manufacturing capabilities Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, (external link) a global (top-20) manufacturer of mainly generic pharmaceuticals, based in Israel. UCB, a Belgian biopharmaceutical company Upsher-Smith Laboratories (external link), a branded generic manufacturer Uni-Tiech Pharmaceutical (Private) Limited, A Pakistan Based Company expanding its network (external link) Valeant, formerly ICN Pharmaceuticals, an American company Vertex Pharmaceuticals, an American company Vion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an American company ViroPharma, an American company Wyeth, formerly American Home Scientology faces allegations of torture in Australia Australian prime minister considers inquiry after senator tables allegations including forced abortions, assault and blackmail November 18, 2009 by Toni O'Loughlin in Sydney Guardian/UK The Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd, has said he would consider an inquiry into the Church of Scientology after a senator tabled allegations against the organisation including forced abortions, assault, torture, imprisonment, covering up sexual abuse, embezzlement of church funds and blackmail. Senator Nick Xenophon tabled letters from former officials and staff of the Church of Scientology alleging criminal activity, and demanded a review of the organisation's tax exempt status. "Scientology is not a religious organisation, it is a criminal organisation that hides behind its so-called religious beliefs," he told the senate. Among the letters tabled was one written by Aaron Saxton, from Perth, who said he engaged in torture and blackmail while working for the church in Australia and at its American headquarters between 1989 and 1996. Rudd said the allegations were "grave" and that he would consider an inquiry, but said the evidence needed to be looked at carefully. "Many people in Australia have real concerns about Scientology. I share some of those concerns. But let us proceed carefully, and look carefully at the material which he has provided, before we make a decision on further parliamentary action," Rudd said. Xenophon, an independent member of the Australian parliament who built a reputation fighting the spread of poker machines in his home state, South Australia, tabled the documents in the senate saying he had also referred the allegations to New South Wales and Australian federal police. Xenophon said he had received letters from many more former church members who were too afraid to talk to authorities. The letter from Aaron Saxton claimed he had assisted in the forced confinement and torture of a female church member who was kept under house arrest, Xenophon told the Senate. Saxton also said he was involved in coercing female followers to have abortions to keep followers loyal to the organisation and to allow them to keep working for it. "Aaron says women who fell pregnant were taken to offices and bullied to have an abortion. If they refused, they faced demotion and hard labour," Xenophon said. "Aaron says one staff member used a coat hanger and self-aborted her child for fear of punishment.". One letter from a former executive director of the Sydney branch of the church, Carmel Underwood, said that when she fell pregnant she was put under extreme pressure to have an abortion. "Carmel says she also witnessed a young girl who had been molested by her father being coached as to what she should say to investigating authorities in order to keep the crimes secret," Xenophon said. Anna and Dean Detheridge from Sydney, who spent 17 years on church staff, said they were "subjected to physical and mental abuse during their time with the organisation", according to the parliamentary statement. "Anna and Dean also provided evidence where information they and others have revealed to the church have been used to blackmail and control. They also provided more information about coerced abortions," Xenophon said. The Church of Scientology issued a statement accusing Xenophon of abusing parliamentary privilege. "Senator Xenophon is obviously being pressured by disgruntled former members who use hate speech and distorted accounts," the statement said. "They are about as reliable as former spouses are when talking about their ex-partner." Biotech crops cause big jump in pesticide use: report November 17, 2009 by Carey Gillam Reuters KANSAS CITY (Reuters) - The rapid adoption by U.S. farmers of genetically engineered corn, soybeans and cotton has promoted increased use of pesticides, an epidemic of herbicide-resistant weeds and more chemical residues in foods, according to a report issued Tuesday by health and environmental protection groups. The groups said research showed that herbicide use grew by 383 million pounds from 1996 to 2008, with 46 percent of the total increase occurring in 2007 and 2008. The report was released by nonprofits The Organic Center (TOC), the Union for Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the Center for Food Safety (CFS). The groups said that while herbicide use has climbed, insecticide use has dropped because of biotech crops. They said adoption of genetically engineered corn and cotton that carry traits resistant to insects has led to a reduction in insecticide use by 64 million pounds since 1996. Still, that leaves a net overall increase on U.S. farm fields of 318 million pounds of pesticides, which includes insecticides and herbicides, over the first 13 years of commercial use. The rise in herbicide use comes as U.S. farmers increasingly adopt corn, soy and cotton that have been engineered with traits that allow them to tolerate dousings of weed killer. The most popular of these are known as "Roundup Ready" for their ability to sustain treatments with Roundup herbicide and are developed and marketed by world seed industry leader Monsanto Co. Monsanto rolled out the first biotech crop, Roundup Ready soybeans, in 1996. Monsanto officials declined to comment on the report. But the Biotechnology Industry Organization, of which Monsanto is a member, said the popularity of herbicide-resistant crops showed their value outweighs any associated detriments. "Herbicide resistance crops are incredibly popular with farmers. They help them manage their weed problems in ways traditional crops don't," said Mike Wach, BIO managing director of science and regulatory affairs. "If a farmer feels a crop is causing them more trouble than it is worth they will stop using it," Wach said. "Farmers are continuing to adopt these crops because they provide benefits, not liabilities and problems." BIO officials pointed to a report issued earlier this year by PG Economics Ltd that said the volume of herbicides used in biotech soybean crops globally decreased by 161 million pounds, or 4.6 percent, from 1996 to 2007. The report by the environmental groups states that a key problem resulting from the increase in herbicide use is the emergence of "super weeds," which are difficult to kill because they have become resistant to the herbicides. "With glyphosate-resistant weeds now infesting millions of acres, farmers face rising costs coupled with sometimes major yield losses, and the environmental impact of weed management systems will surely rise," said Charles Benbrook, chief scientist of The Organic Center. The groups additionally criticized the agricultural biotechnology industry for claiming that higher costs for genetically engineered seeds are justified by multiple benefits to farmers, including decreased spending on pesticides. The group said biotech corn seed prices in 2010 could be almost three times the cost of conventional seed, while new enhanced biotech soybean seed for 2010 could be 42 percent more than the original biotech version. "This report confirms what we've been saying for years," said Bill Freese, science policy analyst for the Center for Food Safety. "The most common type of genetically engineered crops promotes increased use of pesticides, an epidemic of resistant weeds, and more chemical residues in our foods. This may be profitable for the biotech/pesticide companies, but it's bad news for farmers, human health and the environment." (Editing by Christian Wiessner) America's economic pain brings hunger pangs USDA report on access to food 'unsettling,' Obama says November 17, 2009 by Amy Goldstein Washington Post The nation's economic crisis has catapulted the number of Americans who lack enough food to the highest level since the government has been keeping track, according to a new federal report, which shows that nearly 50 million people -- including almost one child in four -- struggled last year to get enough to eat. At a time when rising poverty, widespread unemployment and other effects of the recession have been well documented, the report released Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides the government's first detailed portrait of the toll that the faltering economy has taken on Americans' access to food. The magnitude of the increase in food shortages -- and, in some cases, outright hunger -- identified in the report startled even the nation's leading anti-poverty advocates, who have grown accustomed to longer lines lately at food banks and soup kitchens. The findings also intensify pressure on the White House to fulfill a pledge to stamp out childhood hunger made by President Obama, who called the report "unsettling." The data show that dependable access to adequate food has especially deteriorated among families with children. In 2008, nearly 17 million children, or 22.5 percent, lived in households in which food at times was scarce -- 4 million children more than the year before. And the number of youngsters who sometimes were outright hungry rose from nearly 700,000 to almost 1.1 million. Among Americans of all ages, more than 16 percent -- or 49 million people -- sometimes ran short of nutritious food, compared with about 12 percent the year before. The deterioration in access to food during 2008 among both children and adults far eclipses that of any other single year in the report's history. Around the Washington area, the data show, the extent of food shortages varies significantly. In the past three years, an average of 12.4 percent of households in the District had at least some problems getting enough food, slightly worse than the national average. In Maryland, the average was 9.6 percent, and in Virginia it was 8.6 percent. The local and national findings are from a snapshot of food in the United States that the Agriculture Department has issued every year since 1995, based on Census Bureau surveys. It documents Americans who lack a dependable supply of adequate food -- people living with some amount of "food insecurity" in the lexicon of experts -- and those whose food shortages are so severe that they are hungry. The new report is based on a survey conducted in December. Several independent advocates and policy experts on hunger said that they had been bracing for the latest report to show deepening shortages, but that they were nevertheless astonished by how much the problem has worsened. "This is unthinkable. It's like we are living in a Third World country," said Vicki Escarra, president of Feeding America, the largest organization representing food banks and other emergency food sources. "It's frankly just deeply upsetting," said James D. Weill, president of the Washington-based Food and Action Center. As the economy eroded, Weill said, "you had more and more people getting pushed closer to the cliff's edge. Then this huge storm came along and pushed them over." Obama, who pledged during last year's presidential campaign to eliminate hunger among children by 2015, reiterated that goal on Monday. "My Administration is committed to reversing the trend of rising hunger," the president said in a statement. The solution begins with job creation, Obama said. And he ticked off steps that Congress and the administration have taken, or are planning, including increases in food stamp benefits and $85 million Congress just freed up through an appropriations bill to experiment with feeding more children during the summer, when subsidized school breakfasts and lunches are unavailable. In a briefing for reporters, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, "These numbers are a wake-up call . . . for us to get very serious about food security and hunger, about nutrition and food safety in this country." Vilsack attributed the marked worsening in Americans' access to food primarily to the rise in unemployment, which now exceeds 10 percent, and in people who are underemployed. He acknowledged that "there could be additional increases" in the 2009 figures, due out a year from now, although he said it is not yet clear how much the problem might be eased by the measures the administration and Congress have taken this year to stimulate the economy. The report's main author at USDA, Mark Nord, noted that other recent research by the agency has found that most families in which food is scarce contain at least one adult with a full-time job, suggesting that the problem lies at least partly in wages, not entirely an absence of work. The report suggests that federal food assistance programs are only partly fulfilling their purpose, although Vilsack said that shortages would be much worse without them. Just more than half of the people surveyed who reported they had food shortages said that they had, in the previous month, participated in one of the government's largest anti-hunger and nutrition programs: food stamps, subsidized school lunches or WIC, the nutrition program for women with babies or young children. Last year, people in 4.8 million households used private food pantries, compared with 3.9 million in 2007, while people in about 625,000 households resorted to soup kitchens, nearly 90,000 more than the year before. Food shortages, the report shows, are particularly pronounced among women raising children alone. Last year, more than one in three single mothers reported that they struggled for food, and more than one in seven said that someone in their home had been hungry -- far eclipsing the food problem in any other kind of household. The report also found that people who are black or Hispanic were more than twice as likely as whites to report that food in their home was scarce. In the survey used to measure food shortages, people were considered to have food insecurity if they answered "yes" to several of a series of questions. Among the questions were whether, in the past year, their food sometimes ran out before they had money to buy more, whether they could not afford to eat nutritionally balanced meals, and whether adults in the family sometimes cut the size of their meals -- or skipped them -- because they lacked money for food. The report defined the degree of their food insecurity by the number of the questions to which they answered yes. The Afghan/Iraq Death Toll: November 19 November 19, 2009 by Brian Harring November 2, 2009 The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Adrian L. Avila, 19, of Opelika, Ala., died Oct. 29 at Khabari Crossing, Kuwait, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related accident. He was assigned to the 1343rd Chemical Company, 151st Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Battalion, 115th Fires Brigade of the Alabama Army National Guard, in Fort Payne, Ala. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pfc. Lukas C. Hopper, 20, of Merced, Calif., died Oct. 30, southeast of Karadah, Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. The circumstances surrounding the accident are under investigation. The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Christopher M. Cooper, 28, of Oceanside, Calif., died Oct. 30 in Babil province, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry, 172nd Infantry Brigade, Schweinfurt, Germany. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. November 3, 2009 The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Jonathon M. Sylvestre, 21, of Colorado Springs, Colo., died Nov. 2 in Kut, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. Cesar B. Ruiz, 26, of San Antonio, Texas, died Oct. 31 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Marine Forces Reserve, New Orleans. November 6, 2009 The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who wassupporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Spc. Julian L. Berisford, 25, of Benwood, W.V., died Nov. 4 in Paktika province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska. The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Staff Sgt. Amy C. Tirador, 29, of Albany, N.Y., died Nov. 4 in Kirkush, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. She was assigned to the 209th Military Intelligence Company, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. November 9, 2009 The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Tony Carrasco Jr., 25, of Berino, N.M., died Nov. 4 in Ad Dawr, Iraq, of a gunshot wound suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit. He was assigned to 2^nd Battalion, 32^nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1^st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Nov. 5 in Jelewar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device. The soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash. Killed were: Spc. Aaron S. Aamot, 22, of Custer, Wash. Spc. Gary L. Gooch Jr., 22, of Ocala, Fla. November 10, 2009 The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. Charles I. Cartwright, 26, of Union Bridge, Md., died Nov. 7 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, Camp Pendleton, Calif. The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Nov. 8 in Tikrit, Iraq, of injuries sustained when their OH-58D helicopter crashed. They were assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 25th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Killed were: Chief Warrant Officer Mathew C. Heffelfinger, 29, of Kimberly, Idaho; and Chief Warrant Officer Earl R. Scott III, 24, of Jacksonville, Fla. The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. November 12, 2009 The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Lance Cpl. Justin J. Swanson, 21, of Anaheim, Calif., died Nov. 10 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. November 13, 2009 The Army today released suicide data for the month of October. Among active-duty soldiers, there were 16 potential suicides, all of which are pending determination of the manner of death. For September, the Army reported seven potential suicides among active-duty soldiers. Since the release of that report ,three have been confirmed as suicides, and four remain under investigation. There were 133reported active-duty Army suicides from January 2009 through October 2009. Of those, 90 have been confirmed, and 43 are pending determination of manner of death. For the same period in 2008,there were 115 suicides among active-duty soldiers. During October 2009,among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were eight potential suicides. Among that same group, from January 2009 through October 2009, there were 69 reported suicides. Of those, 41 were confirmed as suicides, and 28 remain under investigation to determine the manner of death. For the same period in 2008, there were 47 suicides among reserve soldiers who were not on active duty. “Stigma continues to be one of the most difficult challenges we confront,” said Brig. Gen. Colleen McGuire, director, Army Suicide Prevention Task Force. “The more we educate our Army community about the need to get help, the need to get it early, and that a full recovery is often possible, the less stigma we’ll see.” In March, the Army chartered a multi-disciplinary suicide prevention task force to make rapid improvements across the full spectrum of health promotion, risk reduction, and suicide prevention programs. Since its establishment, the task force has made more than 170improvements to the Army’s health promotion, risk reduction, and suicide prevention policies and programs. In addition to the Army’s efforts to curb suicides, on October 1, Army leaders announced the formal beginning of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program. This holistic program is designed to give the same emphasis to psychological, emotional, and mental strength that is given to physical strength. Comprehensive Soldier Fitness uses a balanced, multi-faceted approach and a life-long learning model that includes individual assessment, tailored virtual training, classroom training at all levels of Army education, and embedded resilience experts to provide soldiers the critical skills they need to face any and all of life's challenges. It is a true prevention model, aimed at the entire force. Army leaders can access current health promotion guidance in newly revised Army Regulation 600-63(Health Promotion) at http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r600_63.pdf. Soldiers and families in need of crisis assistance can contact Military One Source or the Defense Center of Excellence (DCOE) for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Outreach Center. Trained consultants are available from both organizations 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The Military One Source toll-free number for those residing in the continental U.S. is1-800-342-9647; their Website address is http://www.militaryonesource.com. Overseas personnel should refer tot he Military One Source Web site for dialing instructions for their specific location. The DCOE Outreach Center can be contacted at1-866-966-1020, via electronic mail at Resources@DCoEOutreach.org, and at http://www.dcoe.health.mil . The Army's comprehensive list of Suicide Prevention Program information is located athttp://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/default.asp . More information about the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program is located at http://www.army.mil/csf/. November 16, 2009 The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Staff Sgt. Stephen L. Murphy, 36, of Jaffery, N.H., died Nov. 9 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Intelligence Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, Camp Lejeune, N.C. The incident is under investigation. The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Lance Cpl. Shawn P. Hefner, 22, of Hico, Texas, died Nov. 13 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Amphibious Assault Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Spc. Christopher J. Coffland, 43, of Baltimore, Md., died Nov. 13 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 323rd Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Meade, Md. November 18, 2009 The Department of Defense today announced the identity of a soldier currently listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN) and the death of a soldier who were both supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The two soldiers were members of the 1st Battalion, 508thParachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. Sgt. Brandon T. Islip, 23, of Richmond, Va., has been unaccounted for since Nov. 4 in Bala Murghab, Afghanistan, when he went missing while involved in a resupply mission. Sgt. Benjamin W. Sherman, 21, of Plymouth, Mass., has been identified as having been killed while participating in the Nov. 4 resupply mission. Search and recovery efforts are ongoing, and the incident is under investigation. The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Staff Sgt. Ryan L. Zorn, 35, of Upton, Wyo., died Nov.16 in Tal Afar, Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. Selection of Bumperstickers 1.Jesus loves you... but everyone else thinks you’re an asshole 2. Impotence... Nature's way of saying "No hard feelings" 3. The proctologist called... they found your head 4. Everyone has a photographic memory...some just don't have any film 5. Save your breath...You'll need it to blow up your date 6. Some people are only alive because it is illegal to shoot them 7. I used to have a handle on life... but now it is broken 8. WANTED: Meaningful overnight relationship 9. Hang up and drive 10. If you can read this... I can slam on my brakes and sue you 11. Heart Attacks... God's revenge for eating His animal friends 12. Your ridiculous little opinion has been noted 13. Try not to let your mind wander... It is too small to be out by itself 14. Some people just don't know how to drive... I call these people "Everybody But Me" 15. Don't like my driving... Then quit watching me 16. Guys... just because you have one... doesn't mean you have to be one 17. Welcome to America... NOW speak English 18. Hire the Handicapped: They’re fun to watch! 19. Death is nature’s way of telling you to slow down. 20. Asians don’t drive cars, they aim them