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Health

Popular Cooking Oil is Officially An EPA Registered Pesticide, Yet Many People Are Using It Daily

http://spasique.com/popular-cooking-oil-is-officially-an-epa-registered-pesticide/ #

Published 9 April 2017

We all use oil in our cooking, and we use it pretty often. But, do you actually know the quality of your oil? Do you know its content? What’s it made of? In this article we’ll bring your focus closer to canola and soybean oil, and their detrimental effect on your health.

Here’s how canola oil is produced

Olive oil is made of olives, grape seed oil is made of grape seeds, peanut oil is of peanuts, and canola oil is made of rapeseed. “Rapes” or turnips belong to the Brassicaceae family, or the cruciferous vegetables. In the past, rapeseed oil was only used for industrial purposes. The FDA banned its use for human consumption in 1956, because it was toxic. In the 1970s, Canadian farmers cultivated a new variety with a low content of euric acid, and even changed its name. “Canola” stands for “Canadian oil, low acid,” and it was supposed to convince consumers that it’s safe. “Canola” became a registered trade mark, and then it was abandoned, so “canola” soon became the generic term for low-euric rapeseed oil.

Canola oil is a powerful insecticide, and it’s the main ingredient in “organic” pesticides.

Processing of canola

“Canola represents the third most important crop in Canada after wheat and barley,” which is why manufacturers found the cheapest way to “pump out” the oil.

Soybean, rapeseed, cotton, and sunflower seeds are first gathered. These come from genetically engineered plants, which means they resist the tons of pesticide sprayed on them. Canola oil is the GMO version of rapeseed oil. Natural rapeseed oil is toxic, and companies made a less-toxic cheap version.
Seed pulp and oil are passed through a hexane solvent bath and steamed to release more oil. Hexane is a product of crude petroleum oil, and it’s a mild anesthetic. Its inhalation causes mild euphoria, sleepiness, headaches and nausea. It’s toxic to the environment.
Phosphate is added to the seed/oil mixture, as it separates it in two.
The crude oil is ready, and any leftovers are turned into animal feed, etc.
The oil is passed through degumming, neutralization, and bleaching.
Water is also added in the process.
Neutralization
Fatty acids, phospholipids, pigments, and waxes in the oil promote fat oxidation, and the final product has unattractive color and odor. Caustic soda or sodium carbonate is added to remove the impurities, and they settle to the bottom. Refined oils are bright, less viscous, and susceptible to oxidation.

Health consequences: Caustic soda is corrosive to your eyes and skin. It irritates throat and mouth, and causes nausea, stomach cramps and diarrhea.

Bleaching
This step removes the off-colored materials in the final product. The hot oil is bleached with activated carbon, activated clay and other bleaching agents to remove impurities, but it’s detrimental to your health.

Health consequences: Bleaching process destroys antioxidants in the oil.

Deodorization
It’s the final procedure. Pressurized hot steam removes odors and tastes. Now the oil is “refined,” and ready for consumption. Light solution of citric acid is added, as it inactivates iron, copper or other metals in the final product.

Health consequences: Deodorization removes part of the omega-3 fatty acids, and turns them into trans fatty acids. These are bad for your health, as they increase cholesterol levels, cause heart disease, and increase the risk of stroke. Researchers have found that ‘4.6% of all the fatty acids in canola are trans isomers.’ These are pretty similar to plastic or nylon, and it’s the very same plastic that’s contained in your clothes. So, you eat the things you wear!

Health issues related to canola oil

Canola is terrible for your health, and it causes severe health problems. Here’re some of them:

Increases bad cholesterol level
Triggers heart disease and cancer
Depletes vitamin E
Increases the incidence of systemic lupus, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, pulmonary hypertension, neuropathy and other disorders
Paralyzes skeletal muscles
Causes spasms in the respiratory system
Blocks enzymes
Shuts down immunity
Avoid canola and other similarly processed oils, including safflower, corn, sunflower, and vegetable oils. These are GMO products with long shelf live, good look and taste. You don’t need GMOs in your kitchen.

Safe alternatives to canola oil

Coconut oil

It’s good for your heart, reduces bad cholesterol levels, lowers body lipids, and provides anti-inflammatory effect. It’s tasty and healthy!

Avocado oil

This is a nice way to use avocados. It has high smoking point, and it doesn’t burn when heated.

Olive oil

It’s delicious in salads. This natural oil is tasty, healthy, and a safe alternative to manufactured vegetable oils. Buy high-quality olive oil, and make sure you don’t buy the fake product.

Canola and soybean oil affect health, and you don’t want to eat plastic, right? Put for natural alternatives, and we suggest that you try olive, avocado or coconut oil.

Education, Local news, News

The Verchilds High School Scout Group just return from Nevis.

Published 10 April 2017

The Verchilds High School Scout Group just return from Nevis. The group held its Easter Camp at the Cotton Ground Community Centre with 42 boys in attendace. Troop Leader Petros Peets of form 3v1 said that the camp was great and the campers learnt a lot from the sessions. The boys took part in preparing meals, indoor and outdoor games, devotions. The highlight of the camp is a session which was conducted by Pastor Shorn Edwards, the Senior Office on the Prison Farm in Nevis. Pastor Shorn spoke to the campers about good behavior and the consequence of bad behavior. He also spoke to them about the workings of the Prison and why it is so important that none of the campers should get into prison. The campers enjoyed the Tour of the Four Seasons Hotel. The campers could not believe that the Four Seasons Hotel were that big and beautiful. Thanks to the staff who took so good care of us during the tour.

International news, News

What Exactly Is Going On With Janet Jackson’s Divorce?

http://jezebel.com/what-exactly-is-going-on-with-janet-jacksons-divorce-1794186901 #

Published 10 April 2017

Janet Jackson is ending her third marriage with husband Wissam Al Mana after five years. Ordinarily, news of this kind would be met with a tepid shrug because now that Brangelina is over, nothing can surprise me. However, the story is growing some peculiar legs due to some probably false and typically misogynistic rumors about the timing of the divorce announcement and a supposed payout.

Al Mana is extremely rich—billionaire rich. Janet Jackson, with a reported net worth of around $175 million, is, by most standards, also extremely rich. When two extremely rich people enter into a marriage they tend to sign prenups, which most assume Jackson and Al Mana did.

As TMZ notes, many prenups include specific payouts to one of the partners tied to the length of the marriage. With the announcement coming just months after their fifth anniversary, some are speculating that Janet specifically held off filing for divorce until after the five year mark in order to receive a settlement. (It wouldn’t be the first time a celebrity divorce is rumored to line up with this kind of timeline.) The number that has been pulled seemingly out of thin air is a $500 million payout, which seems extremely high and, again, probably came from some bored meme-creator on Twitter.

I find a couple things about this confusing. First, even for a billionaire, $500 million seems wildly excessive for just five years of marriage. I suppose you could argue that the addition of a child—Janet gave birth to their son on January 3 of this year—would sweeten the pot, but even then that number doesn’t make a great deal of sense.

Secondly, Janet is wealthy in her own right and has the potential to make even more money if she feels like it. It seems odd and unnecessary that she’d get married and go through an extremely high-risk pregnancy just for some cash.

I heard one theory that she got pregnant when she did to coincide with the marriage’s five-year mark so she could distract her husband before dropping the divorce bomb. Which, sure, is possible, I suppose, but that’s a lot of goddamn coordination when she could have arrived at a similar outcome in about 18 different ways.

Of course, it could just be that two consenting adults decided they didn’t want to be in this relationship anymore and money or potential monies played no factor whatsoever. The NY Daily News reports the coupled faced issues coming from “entirely different backgrounds,” but will continue to raise their son together.

Business, Economics, News

St Kitts-Nevis government to introduce campaign finance law

http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-St-Kitts-Nevis-government-to-introduce-campaign-finance-law-34036.html #

Published 7 April, 2017

By Ken Richards

BASSETERRE, St Kitts (WINN) — Campaign financing is part of the St Kitts and Nevis government’s good governance legislative agenda, Prime Minister Timothy Harris confirmed on Wednesday at a press conference.

The prime minister was responding to a question about how much of a priority for the administration that issue is.

“Campaign financing that is part of good governance and that is a matter that is there, when that particular program is put to the public then the public will be advised of it. You brought in too, the mischief being propagated by persons who are no longer with the PLP in large measure because of that mischief.”

Harris was referring to a question from WINN FM about allegations from three former executive members of Harris’s Peoples Labour Party (PLP), allegations of unaccounted for campaign funds.

The prime minister told reporters that legal action had already been initiated on that matter.

Citing an apology he had received from one media house on the issue, Harris suggested that others could find themselves before the court on the unaccounted for campaign funds allegations.

“I would therefore caution those who want to propagate those mischief, that they will answer to the court. I myself, is not going to get into any to or fro but it is discouraging when media houses attempt to take hearsay without a scintilla of evidence from disaffected persons and attempt to propagate it as if there is some truth in it. Not one scintilla of evidence and that has been reported not just by myself, but by senior members of the party.

“In fact all you have from those stories are some hearsay. Not one credible bit of evidence has been put in the public domain, so why are we talking about this hearsay and propaganda that people are attempting to put on social media for others to follow. I have taken legal action because ultimately that is where the matter will resolve itself,” Harris said.

Former PLP deputy leader Sam Condor, chairman Douglas Wattley and secretary Clecton Phillip have been calling for an inquiry into the alleged unaccounted for campaign funds.

The three are no longer executive members of the PLP, after a new executive was voted in at the party’s recent convention.

They continue to maintain however, that there is need for an inquiry into the matter.

WINN FM’s follow-up question pointing this out didn’t find favour with Harris.

“Yes but if it is a question to do with the PLP, please that is a matter already before lawyers and I will not entertain any questions to do with that matter,” he said.

WINN FM wished to follow up on a statement that the prime minister made by pointing out that the allegations were not coming from persons on the street but from three persons who were executive members.

“For the record I am not entertaining that discussion at an appropriate forum of the PLP you could perhaps put that to the PLP. I am dealing here as the prime minister with matters relevant to the government and the accusation of members, whoever they are, of the PLP have no bearing on the functioning of this government and they are not matters that I raised or matters that I figure a press conference of the government should be diverted to,” the prime minister replied.

Republished with permission of West Indies News Network

International news, Local news, News

US State Department attack on Nevis ‘unfounded and misleading’

http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-US-State-Department-attack-on-Nevis-%27unfounded-and-misleading%27-33997.html #

Published April 4, 2017

By Caribbean News Now contributor

CHARLESTOWN, Nevis — In a press statement on Friday, Heidi-Lynn Sutton, the financial services regulator in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), refuted as “unfounded and misleading” claims made by the US State Department that “financial oversight in Nevis remains problematic due to the federation allowing the creation of anonymous accounts, strong bank secrecy laws, and overall lack of transparency of beneficial ownership of legal entities.”

Heidi-Lynn Sutton

The recently published State Department’s 2017 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) further stated that “the ambiguous regulatory framework regarding customer due diligence makes Nevis a desirable location for criminals to conceal proceeds”.

According to Sutton, the INCSR “delivers an attack on Nevis with allegations that are unfounded and misleading,” pointing out that measures have been in place since 2009 to mitigate money laundering and terrorist financing risks/threats to the financial services industry in Nevis.

“Therefore, we are of the view that there are adequate measures in place to monitor compliance with AML/CFT legislation,” the statement said, noting in particular, “the claim that there are strong bank secrecy laws in place is baseless… [and] the claim that St Kitts and Nevis allows the creation of anonymous accounts is erroneous.”

The INCSR was sharply critical of Eastern Caribbean islands in general for failing to curb drug trafficking and money laundering.

According to the report, the Eastern Caribbean hosts abundant transshipment points for illicit narcotics, primarily from Venezuela destined for North American, European and domestic Caribbean markets. However, no evidence was provided or any sources given for these assertions, which are in fact contradicted by other US government data, including radar maps:

Image above depicts a recent relocatable over the horizon radar (ROTHR) mapping of drugs flights. With the demise of the flights from Colombia to The Bahamas due to a very strict airspace control and more grip on the airstrips in Northern Colombia, this map illustrates the new approach of the drug cartels. The start of most drug flights has been relocated very clearly to Western Venezuela, close to the river Orinoco marking the border between both countries. Conspicuous by their absence from detected suspicious flights on this map are the islands of the Eastern Caribbean

The unsubstantiated allegations in the report drew an immediate response from the government of Antigua and Barbuda rejecting such claims in their entirety.

The NIA has now published the following similarly detailed rejection of the claims made in the INCSR:

Regulatory framework regarding customer due diligence

The Anti-Money Laundering Regulations, 2011 (AMLR), Anti-Terrorism (Prevention of Terrorist Financing) Regulations, 2011 (ATR) and the Financial Services Implementation of Industry Standards Regulations 2011 (FSIISR) with appending Guidance Notes require all regulated entities to identify, verify, obtain, maintain and monitor beneficial owners of legal persons. The legislation is enforced by both of the St. Kitts and Nevis Branches of the Financial Services Regulatory Commission (FSRC).

The FSRC is the ultimate regulatory body for financial services and for anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) for St Kitts and Nevis. It was established by the Financial Services Regulatory Commission Act which was passed by the National Assembly on 20 October 2009. The FSRC monitors compliance by regulated persons and entities with the Proceeds of Crime Act, the Anti-Terrorism Act and such other Acts, regulations, codes or guidelines relating to money laundering or the financing of terrorism.

The above legislative and regulatory frameworks apply to all regulated persons and entities in Nevis which conduct fiduciary and financial services business in the following areas: the registration of international companies, the formation of trusts, the establishment of multiform foundations, international insurance companies, money services businesses, mutual funds, credit unions, international banks and the provision of citizenship by investment services.

It is impossible to claim that there is limited amount of information on the exact number of financial entities in the Federation as the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank and both Branches of the FSRC publish on their respective websites, the names, addresses and contact details of regulated entities under their supervision. Specifically in respect to Nevis, such information can be found on the Nevis Branch’s website.

As at December 31, 2016 the regulated entities supervised by Nevis Branch are as follows: insurance managers (18), money services businesses (3), international banks (1), registered agents (55), international insurance brokers (5) and international insurance companies (340).

The FSRC – Nevis Branch adopted a Risk-based Supervision (RBS) Framework in May 2015, which is applicable to both off-site and on-site examination of regulated entities. The IMF through CARTAC was instrumental in providing the necessary training and expertise to develop the RBS Framework for the FSRC – Nevis Branch. Through this partnership, CARTAC also provided technical assistance to assist the Branch in the conduct of an on-site examination of the sole licensed international bank in Nevis.

The RBS Framework includes the identification of and the assessment of risks, the quality of risk management oversight provided by compliance, internal audit, external audit, risk management, senior management and the board. A CARTAC consultant visited the Nevis Branch on 7 November 2016 to conduct a review of the RBS Framework implementation and the Branch was commended for the progress made in ensuring that important components of the framework were applied and the desired results were achieved. A summary of the framework can be accessed here.

Comprehensive on-site examinations of regulated entities in Nevis are conducted pursuant to section 4(2)(g) of the Financial Services Regulatory Commission Act, Cap 21.10 (FSRC Act) to ensure that the Act and enactments specified in Schedule 1 to the Act are being complied with and that the regulated entity is in a sound financial position and is managing its business in a prudent manner.

During an on-site examination, examiners from the FSRC – Nevis Branch will determine, among other things, whether there are appropriate policies and procedures established to ensure compliance with AML/CFT legislation and identify risk appropriately.

In order to achieve this, examiners will review all relevant customer files of the regulated entity as well as the citizenship by investment applications to ensure that adequate Know Your Customer (KYC) documents are obtained, maintained and up-to-date.

For the period January 2014 to December 2016, the FSRC – Nevis Branch conducted 53 full scope and follow-up on-site examinations in accordance with its RBS framework and on-site examination procedures. Compliance reports for all on-site examinations have been prepared by staff of the Branch, approved by the FSRC Board of Commissioners and disseminated to the board of directors and senior management of all assessed regulated entities. The entities are also advised of any corrective actions that should be implemented within stipulated timeframes.

Subject to section 40 of the FSRC Act and section 4(3) of the FSIISR, the Branch also undertook enforcement actions in 37 instances. Such actions included the issuing of warning letters, suspension or revocation notices and the granting of restricted licences. In 2017, the Nevis Branch intends to conduct 27 full scope and follow-up on-site examinations and it is on target to fulfil that mandate.

Statistics showing the number of on-site examinations that were conducted and enforcement actions undertaken by the FSRC – Nevis Branch are publicly available in the December editions of monthly Newsletters.

In 2017, the FSRC – Nevis Branch has also been successful in hosting its annual AML/CFT Awareness and Training Workshop for 12 consecutive years, a feat that no other jurisdiction in the OECS has achieved. This year saw the largest number of participants ever recorded with a total of 199 attendees from all regulated sectors. The continual increase in attendance is indicative of the importance that is placed on the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing. A press release was issued by the Branch.

Anonymous accounts

Section 69 of the Financial Services Implementation of Industry Standards Regulations 2011 specifically states that anonymously operated accounts are not allowed and that regulated businesses shall pay special attention to all complex, unusual large transactions or unusual patterns of transactions that have no apparent or visible economic or lawful purpose. They are required to examine the background and purpose of such transactions and to record their findings in writing and to keep such findings available. The claim that St Kitts and Nevis allows the creation of anonymous accounts is therefore erroneous.

Bank secrecy laws

Confidentiality provisions in both the Nevis International Banking Ordinance 2014 and the Banking Act 2015 are supported by the Confidential Relationships Act, Cap 21.02. This is the same level of protection given in all other jurisdictions that allow financial institutions to operate. However, confidential information from banks can be disclosed in connection with a request for information under an exchange of information agreement (TIEA or DTC) or in pursuance of a regulatory or criminal investigation. Therefore, the claim that there are strong bank secrecy laws in place is baseless.

The sole reference to the St Kitts and Nevis’ Third Round 2009 CFATF Mutual Evaluation Report without citing the subsequent follow-up reports is also disingenuous. In November 2014, the CFATF XL Plenary recognised that St. Kitts and Nevis had made significant progress in addressing the deficiencies in the 2009 Mutual Evaluation Report and therefore could exit the follow-up process. St Kitts and Nevis’ 9th Follow-Up Report contains a detailed description and analysis of the actions taken to rectify the deficiencies highlighted in the 2009 Report. Therefore, the public should be informed that in assessing St. Kitts and Nevis’ compliance with the FATF Recommendations, the 9th Follow-Up Report MUST be taken into account.

Furthermore, the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis’ Global Forum Phase 2 Peer Review Assessment was published in 2014 in which a rating of “Largely Compliant” was assigned. The rating is comparable with those achieved by countries such as Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, United Kingdom and the United States. This demonstrates St. Kitts and Nevis’ high level of commitment and progress towards the implementation of the international standard of transparency and exchange of information. Copies of the CFATF Follow-Up Report and the Global Forum report can be accessed here.