Blast At Exxon Refinery In California Could Hike Gasoline Prices

When all else fails in the bogus gas price consumer ripoff, blow up refineries - anything to keep it going    

REUTERS
By Nichola Groom

02/19/2015

TORRANCE, Calif. - 

An explosion and fire ripped through a gasoline processing unit at an Exxon Mobil Corp refinery near Los Angeles on Wednesday, leaving California with the threat of higher gasoline prices.

"Gas prices will never go below $2.00 a gallon…" -

Obama manages to keep this "promise"

Investigators were trying to determine the cause of the blast in Torrance, California, which occurred shortly before 9 a.m. PST (12 p.m. ET). Four contract workers were injured and sent to Long Beach Medical Center for evaluation. Exxon said late on Wednesday that three of the workers had been released.

The company said it was operating units that had not been affected by the explosion at its 155,000 barrel-per-day refinery.

Torrance Fire Captain Steve Deuel said a small ground fire that followed the explosion had been quickly extinguished. He said firefighters and refinery crews also contained a gasoline leak that had been caused by the blast.

Deuel said there was no evidence of foul play.

The California Department of Industrial Relations opened an investigation into the blast, agency spokeswoman Julia Bernstein said.

The workplace safety agency issued an order forbidding Exxon Mobil from operating the 100,000-barrel-per-day fluid catalytic cracker, a central gasoline-producing unit, until the investigation has been completed, Bernstein said.

Oil company criminals manage one way or the other to

keep the theft rolling right along

The department said the shutdown of the unit could last up to six months. It is the second refinery shutdown in recent days.

The price of gasoline in Los Angeles surged to its highest level in about 18 months after the explosion on fears that local supply would tighten in the coming weeks. 

Shorter supply could mean higher pump prices just as Californians and other U.S. motorists are benefiting from a slump in crude oil prices.

The fluid catalytic cracker is the facility’s main gasoline producing unit. Tesoro Corp recently shut its nearby 240,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Martinez after United Steelworkers union members walked out.

The two events sent February deliveries of California gasoline, known as CARBOB, as high as 40 cents above futures.

On the New York Stock Exchange, Tesoro shares rose 5 percent to close at $87.09. The company has three California refineries and may benefit from the incident. Exxon Mobil's shares closed down 2.2 percent at $91.01 on the NYSE.

TAKE PRECAUTIONS

Torrance Mayor Patrick Furey said in an interview with local television station KNBC that people who live near the refinery should take precautions.

"The most important thing is to shelter in place, stay indoors, no outdoor activity, turn the air conditioners off, keep the windows closed," Furey said.

A structure at the refinery was visibly damaged, and smoke curled around twisted metal. The air near the blast site smelled of sulfur and chemicals.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District dispatched inspectors to take air samples for analysis, said agency spokesman Sam Atwood.

The agency issued a health advisory urging children, the elderly and people with respiratory or heart conditions to stay indoors if they could see or smell smoke and for otherwise healthy people to avoid strenuous activity outdoors if they could see or smell smoke.

Obama, oil company criminals attempt to justify bogus oil price hikes in the middle of worldwide oil glut

Cory Milsap, an electrical contractor at the plant, said many workers were sent home after the explosion. The refinery occupies 750 acres (300 hectares) and has 650 employees and 550 contractors.

“All I heard was a loud sound ... All I saw was smoke and people running, so I made sure I got out of there,” Milsap said.

Giselle Monreal, a neighbor who lives across the street from the facility, said the blast shook the ground like an earthquake, knocking a 52 inch (132-cm) flat-screen television off its stand and shattering a window in her garage.

Torrance is a residential suburb about 20 miles (30 km) south of Los Angeles. The North American operations for Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co Ltd are based there.

The city had a population of more than 147,000 in 2013, according to a U.S. Census Bureau estimate.

Surrounding areas were not evacuated, but nearby schools kept students and staff indoors immediately after the explosion as a precaution, Fire Captain Deuel said.

Exxon was looking into the cause of the explosion, according to Gesuina Paras, a public and government affairs adviser at the company.

Trade publication OPIS, citing an unidentified source, reported that an electrostatic precipitator (ESP), which reduces fluid catalytic cracker particulates, exploded as contract workers were doing maintenance on the nearby fluid catalytic cracking unit, or FCC.

"Contractors working on the FCC to fix the expanders," the source said, adding that an injection of ammonia on top of the flue gas stream caused a pressure buildup, which resulted in the ESP unit explosion.

The unit could take up to a year to replace, the source said.

The United Steelworkers walked out of 11 facilities, including nine refineries accounting for 13 percent of U.S. production capacity, after negotiations on a national contract stalled on Feb. 1. One of the central issues, according to the union, is employee safety.

Torrance has not been involved in the walkouts.

Striking refinery workers said Wednesday's blast underscored concerns the United Steelworkers has about safety standards at refineries and chemical plants nationwide.

.Reporting by Nicola Groom and Steve Gorman; Additional reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis and Jarrett Renshaw; Writing Bernard Orr; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Toni Reinhold.

This news bureau contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.  We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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Turkey, U.S. Sign Deal to Train and Equip Syrian Opposition

Obama puppet Erdogan seals death warrant; dooms Turkey  

REUTERS
By Tulay Karadeniz

02/08/2015

ANKARA - 

The United States and Turkey have signed an agreement to train and equip moderate Syrian opposition fighters, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official said on Thursday.

The U.S. military has said it is planning to send more than 400 troops, including special operations forces, to train Syrian moderates at sites outside Syria as part of the fight against Islamic State militants.

"The agreement was signed by the foreign ministry undersecretary and the U.S. ambassador," the official told Reuters.

U.S. officials have said they plan to train about 5,000 Syrian fighters a year for three years under the plan. Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as Turkey, have publicly offered to host training sites.

Turkey hopes the training will also bolster the weakened and divided Syrian opposition in their war against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Free Syrian Army is seen by Turkey as a key actor in Syria's conflict but the group has been riven by divisions and suffered setbacks at the hands of government forces and other rebel factions.

Reporting by Tulay Karadeniz, Writing by Daren Butler, Editing by Angus MacSwan.

This news bureau contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.  We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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There Is No Debate : Vaccine Data Is Largely Based on Research Fraud and Intimidation of Scientists

MSM continues to shill for deadly vaccines, corporate profits  

NATURAL NEWS
By Jonathan Benson
02/19/2015

When pro-vaccine scientists and skeptics claim that they believe what they believe because of "science," it's important to remember that much of what is assumed to be science today is actually pseudoscience for the promulgation of special interests. Concerning vaccines, it continues to come to light that many of the studies and research projects upon which regulators bought into the vaccine agenda were manipulated, faked or otherwise tampered with to push an agenda.

This is especially true about the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, which currently dominates news headlines amidst widespread fears over measles. 

Government spokespersons, media correspondents, celebrities and others are urging everyone, young and old alike, to march down to their local pharmacy and get an MMR vaccine, which they insist will provide protection against the threat of infection.

But is this actually true? Both the safety and efficacy of the MMR vaccine have been called into question on numerous occasions, including late last summer when U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) whistleblower Dr. William Thompson came forward with information about how the MMR had been shown to cause autism in children, and particularly African American children. 

FOX "News" shills for corporate vaccine masters - this 

robotic whore has obviously had hers

The government tried to conceal this data from the public, but Thompson bravely brought it to light in a move that could cost him his career.

More recently, it was brought to our attention that a lawsuit had been filed against Merck & Co., the maker of the MMR II vaccine currently administered to U.S. children as part of the CDC's official vaccination schedule. 

Filed under the False Claims Act, the shocking suit by two former Merck scientists alleges that Merck manipulated early trial data on the MMR to make it appear safe and at least 95 percent effective, allowing it to receive a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) endorsement.

Time and time again, vaccine manufacturers have been caught massaging the numbers, altering study criteria and even tampering with study subject matter, including blood samples and test subjects, in order to achieve a desired outcome. It doesn't matter if a vaccine actually works or is safe -- as long as the data can be adjusted or changed to create the illusion, the government and the public seem to have no problem accepting the official narrative.

"It cannot be denied that today's mandatory childhood vaccine programs are little more than blind experiments with the possibility of unthinkable and irreversible consequences for our children's physical, mental, and emotional health in the future," wrote Dr. Harold E. Buttram, M.D., and Catherine J FrompovichCatherine J FrompovichCatherine J. Frompovich about the issue. "The time is long overdue for a complete reevaluation of the current vaccine formulations and programs."

Vaccines Directly Spread the Diseases They Are Claimed to Prevent, Science Shows

The MMR vaccine has long been a source of controversy ever since gastroenterologist Dr. Andrew Wakefield reported on an unusual bowel condition that he and his colleagues observed in direct conjunction with the jab. The study, which was originally published in The Lancet, sparked a global debate in which the vaccine establishment has ever since had to aggressively brainwash the public just to stay in business.

McDonalds "Happy Meal" vaccination program

But there's simply no denying that the MMR isn't nearly as safe as Merck and the government claim it is. This is evidenced not only by previously concealed information about its dangers brought to light by Dr. Thompson and the two former Merck scientists but also by Merck's own admissions in the MMR II package insert that the vaccine can cause serious, life-threatening conditions like:

• Vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels)

• Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)

• Diabetes

• Thrombocytopenia (low blood platelet count)

• Chronic arthritis

• Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain)

• Panniculitis (inflammation of the subcutaneous fat layer)

Several of these conditions are directly brought about by the live viruses contained in the MMR, including encephalitis, which is also a marker of autism. Even the mainstream media is now acknowledging measles encephalitis as a risk factor, though sources are associating this condition with wild measles as opposed to atypical vaccine-induced measles.

Fox "News" failed attorney, liar, fraud, corporate vaccination promoter and shill Megyn Kelly

Then there's the issue of permanent, lifelong immunity, something that can't be achieved with any vaccine. In fact, vaccines eliminate all possibility of a person developing lifelong immunity to infectious diseases like measles because they circumvent innate immunity, the body's first line of defense against disease, exposing the adaptive immune system to viral components that it would never otherwise encounter.

This causes permanent damage to the immune system and helps explain why many people today are stricken with autoimmune disorders that prior to vaccines were virtually nonexistent. What the media isn't telling you is that natural exposure to measles, for instance, is generally mild and imparts permanent immunity -- it is nature's vaccine, without all the chemicals and heavy metals.

Devoid of ethics, professionalism, basic intelligence: CNN's boner-nosed fraud, corporate vaccination shill Erin Burnett should have her children seized by Child Protective Services and placed in foster homes to protect them from her

"Whereas natural recovery from many infectious diseases usually stimulates lifetime immunity, vaccines only provide temporary protection and most vaccines require 'booster' doses to extend vaccine-induced artificial immunity," said National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) President Barbara Loe Fisher.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.naturalnews.com[PDF]

http://naturalnews.com[PDF]

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.fda.gov[PDF]

http://www.npr.org

http://www.vaccinationcouncil.org

http://healthimpactnews.com

http://www.vaccinationcouncil.org

Learn more: 

http://www.naturalnews.com/048687_measles_vaccine_data_research_fraud.html#ixzz3SERvdjRl

This news bureau contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.  We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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Greece And The Eurozone

Bogus "austerity" nothing more than an elitist, EU/IMF code word for the largest theft of public monies in history by the rich at the expense of the working class and poor    

COUNTERPUNCH
By Mike Whitney
02/16/2015

Monday is a crucial deadline in Greece’s struggle against Brussels-imposed austerity. Eurozone finance ministers are set to meet in the morning to decide whether Greece has made sufficient progress on previous agreements to justify further support. 

The new leftist government of Greece, Syzira, has rejected provisions in the so-called bailout, saying that the loans have only increased the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio which has ballooned from 115 percent in 2010 more than 170 percent today. 

Eurogroup ministers have dismissed Syriza’s objections saying that Greece must accept the conditions of the original ($270 billion) agreement or be cut off from additional funding. The confrontation between the Eurogroup and Syriza has set the stage for clash that could trigger a run on the Greek banking system followed by a “dirty exit” of Greece from the Eurozone. The impact this would have on the people of Greece, who have already endured a five year slump worse than the Great Depression, could be catastrophic.

Greeks give solid kick in the crotch to EU fascists

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis made the case for changing the terms of the EZ’s programs in an op-ed in the New York Times on Monday. He said:

“The great difference between this government and previous Greek governments is twofold: We are determined to clash with mighty vested interests in order to reboot Greece and gain our partners’ trust. We are also determined not to be treated as a debt colony that should suffer what it must…

We shall desist, whatever the consequences, from deals that are wrong for Greece and wrong for Europe. The “extend and pretend” game that began after Greece’s public debt became unserviceable in 2010 will end. No more loans — not until we have a credible plan for growing the economy in order to repay those loans, help the middle class get back on its feet and address the hideous humanitarian crisis. No more “reform” programs that target poor pensioners and family-owned pharmacies while leaving large-scale corruption untouched.”

(Yanis Varoufakis: No Time for Games in Europe, Yanis Varoufakis, New York Times)

Game theory expert, Varoufakis, denies that he is engaged in a game of chicken to win concessions from Brussels. What he wants is a deal that makes sense, that is, funding assistance with a component for economic growth so Greece can finally emerge from its long-term slump and put its people back to work. The current bailout strategy makes no sense at all from an economic point of view. As we pointed out earlier, accepting loans while shrinking the economy through crippling austerity measures, only generates more red ink and a deeper hole. 

Even so, Varoufakis’s “modest proposals” are not a blanket rejection of Greece’s obligations to its creditors, they merely adjust the terms of the agreement so that success becomes possible. For example, Varoufakis has recommended that Greece reduce the size of its primary budget surplus to provide more fiscal stimulus for the ailing economy. While an economy with 25 percent unemployment obviously needs more stimulus, Varoufakis’s approach pales in comparison to Obama’s $800 billion ARRA package of 2009 that was aimed at ending the Great Recession. In fact, it’s not really stimulus at all; it is just a reduction in the surplus. (which is “small beer” by any standard).

Greece says "nein" to EU Nazis

The point is, Varoufakis is not making unreasonable demands. He merely wants an agreement that provides solutions that address the problem, and don’t just add more debt. Here’s more from Varoufakis’s op-ed:

“Our government is not asking our partners for a way out of repaying our debts. We are asking for a few months of financial stability that will allow us to embark upon the task of reforms that the broad Greek population can own and support, so we can bring back growth and end our inability to pay our dues.”

Varoufakis has described the current bailout regime as paying off the mortgage with a credit card. The strategy might buy some time, but it only puts off the inevitable day of default. Strangling the economy through counterproductive belt-tightening measures and the selling of state-owned assets has not improved Greece’s finances at all. It has been an utter failure as the rising debt-to-GDP figures illustrate. Even so, the European Central Bank (ECB) has threatened to cut off liquidity to the Greek banking system if Greece doesn’t capitulate and accept an agreement that only increases the debt, prolongs the slump and deepens the crisis. Does that make sense?

Commander in Thief LaGarde shoots self, IMF

in head thanks to insatiable greed

Varoufakis is giving euro-leaders a chance for redemption, a chance to rethink their vision of Europe as a land of prosperity for banks, bondholders and creditors alone. He’s laid down the gauntlet saying that he will meet these lofty Masters of the Universe halfway or, perhaps, more than halfway; but he won’t abandon the working people who have suffered so dramatically under the present regime. He won’t submit to the ECB’s blackmail or give in to Germany’s threats. He’ll stick to his convictions and do what he promised to do because – as he says in his op-ed – “it is right”.

Monday’s negotiations are about more than just Greece. They’re about the future of Europe. Varoufakis wants a Europe that is less divided between debtor and creditor, between German and Greek, between us and them. He is not asking for a reprieve or a bailout or charity. He’s asking Europe’s leaders to take the Union in an entirely different direction, a direction that better reflects the hopes and aspirations the vast majority of working people in the EU. As he says in his op-ed:

“Europe will only regain its soul when it regains the people’s trust by putting their interests center-stage.”

Bravo, Varoufakis.

MIKE WHITNEY lives in Washington state. He is a contributor to Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion (AK Press). Hopeless is also available in a Kindle edition. He can be reached at fergiewhitney@msn.com.

This news bureau contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.  We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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