Tag Archives: ows

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? List of U.S. job losses & store closings for 17-18 February 2013: Reader’s Digest busted! Thousands more laid off! No final paychecks for Idaho employees! Even Obama can’t save famous Burger joint!

Reader’s Digest bankrupt. RDA Holding, the company that owns the little magazine, blames the bankruptcy on lost sales due to internet media.

YMCA in South Brunswick, New Jersey,  bankrupt: “Like so many businesses and organizations in our area, the South Brunswick Family YMCA has been adversely affected by the economic recession.”

In Virginia, Arlington County is warning that they could layoff 20 county employees.  They blame a $50 million USD budget shortfall.

In Washington DC, Ray’s Hell-Burger and Ray’s Hell-Burger Too restaurants closed down. This is the joint where President Obama had a photo op in.  The restaurants were closed for failing to pay rent.  The Restaurant owner did not comment to media.

Granite City Elementary School, Illinois, shut down. The school was opened in 1928. The school district said the old building became too expensive to maintain.

Conotton Valley Union Local Schools District, Ohio, might have to shut down an elementary school. They say they’re $400000 in debt.

United Technologies to layoff 3000 more employees in 2013!  United Technologies has already been selling off divisions. Their announcement did not specify the locations of the factory closings and layoffs. Company officials blame “…the demands of the prevailing market conditions.”

In Emmett, Idaho, the Emerald Forest Products lumber mill shut down without notice, and some reports said without paying employees final paychecks (I experienced that back in September 2012, when Metro Couriers went bust without notice, and no help from Idaho Job Service).  According to signs on the company’s gate Emerald Forest Products was getting money from U.S. taxpayers ($4 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). Media reports did not explain why the mill closed, but gave the impression lumber mills in Idaho could only operate profitably with tax payer subsidies. (so much for Idaho being a Republican Right Wing Conservative state)

In San Diego, California, Pfizer shut down its CovX operation. 100 people out-o-work!  Basically Pfizer decided the CovX operation wasn’t worth it.

In Georgia, Formal Elegance women’s clothing stores being closed in Columbus. The owner said “…I can no longer support the Columbus Consolidated Government with my tax dollars.”  Also in Columbia County, three KFC restaurants closed down.  The owner said “It was just impossible to make any money.” 75 employees lost their jobs. And in North Augusta, Al’s Family Restaurant shut down.  The owner said “The economy bites the bullet on another one.”

In Liberty, New York, Liberty Lanes bowling alley shut down.  The owners said they could no longer make the property tax payments because the local government keeps raising them even though the economy sucks.

In Wisconsin, after 90 years in business E.J. Salentine Buick dealer closed down in Muskego.  The owners blamed GM on cancelling the production of Pontiacs, which was the dealer’s bread and butter brand.  Apparently most people in their area don’t want Buicks. In Brookfield, Maroon Bells of Colorado closed down. Owners did not explain why. Planned Parenthood closes four clinics. The state ended taxpayer funding.

In Iowa, all Blockbuster video stores closed down!

The music store, Whyevernot, closed in Mystic, Connecticut. The owner retired.

In Texas, Fratelli’s Authentic Italian Cuisine Restaurant closed down.  The owners said they were not able to renew their lease.

In Maryland, distributor of snacks, candy and tobacco products, Marley Neck, ending operations in Baltimore.  200 employees out-o-work!  Company officials say they lost a major customer.

Business/Economics, International

World War 3, East Asian Front: North Korea ordered factories into Total War mode on 17 March!

06 April 2013 (00:36 UTC-07 Tango)/25 Jumada l-Ula 1434/17 Farvardin 1391/26 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

The Yonhap News Agency reporting that the DPRK’s Korean Central TV Broadcasting just aired a report on a meeting of industrial workers, which took place on 17 March.

Kim Jong-un is heard telling the factory workers “Once the war breaks out, we have to destroy the enemies’ key military locations and government institutions with a quick and sudden strike. We must absolutely guarantee the quality of our artillery and shells to ensure a rapid pre-emptive attack on our enemies.”

Influenza

H7N9 update: FAO says most farmers unaware of infected poultry! New cases in Quails!

06 April 2013 (00:26 UTC-07 Tango)/25 Jumada l-Ula 1434/17 Farvardin 1392/26 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization is warning that most farmers in Asia are not aware of the new H7N9 bird flu virus.

The FAO says word needs to get out to the farmers that H7N9 is not like H5N1, in that it has no “red flag” warning signs.

China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission is now saying the 16 human infections are isolated cases. So far there is no evidence the virus spread human to human.

Hangzhou city has joined Shanghai in shutting down live poultry trading.  Hangzhou is in Zhejiang Province, and one of the human cases there has been traced to infected quails bought in a market in Shangcheng District.

 

International, U.S.

World War 3, Asian Front: Guam prepares for nuclear attack! Guam Guard deploying to Afghanistan!

06 April 2013 (19:45 UTC-07 Tango 05 April 2013)/25 Jumada l-Ula 1434/17 Farvardin 1391/26 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

“I’ve never heard anyone make a direct threat to Guam. My response was: ‘Wow, they can find Guam on the map? Most Americans can’t.'”-C.J. Urquico, 19 year resident on Guam

At the end of March the governor of the U.S. territory of Guam said there would be no attack from North Korea, now reports that the people of Guam are being prepared for a nuke attack.

“As a governor and a father and a husband and a grandfather, I do have some concerns because of the proximity of Guam to North Korea. We are about a three hour flight away.”-Eddie Baza Calvo, governor of Guam

Calvo recently got back from a trip to Camp Shelby, Mississippi U.S.A., where Guam’s National Guard soldiers have been training for deployment to Afghanistan.

International

World War 3, East Asian Front: Germany summons North Korean ambassador! Hint’s at united international pre-emptive strike!

06 April 2013 (19:30 UTC-07 Tango 05 April 2013)/25 Jumada l-Ula 1434/17 Farvardin 1391/26 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

“The serious concern of the German government in light of the escalation on the Korean peninsula for which North Korea is responsible was conveyed to him in no uncertain terms in the name of the foreign minister.”-German Foreign Ministry statement

The German Foreign Ministry summoned the DPRK’s ambassador in Berlin, to express concern over a possible Second Korean War.

German officials said they are working with other countries to carry out a “resolute and united” response to North Korea.

Business/Economics, International

H7N9 update: Possible case in Hong Kong! Chickens test positive in Shanghai!

05 April 2013 (16:57 UTC-07 Tango)/24 Jumada l-Ula 1434/16 Farvardin 1391/25 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

In Hong Kong, health officials at Queen Elizabeth Hospital reporting a seven years old girl being admitted with possible H7N9 symptoms.  She was in close contact with poultry when she traveled to Shanghai, hospital officials hope to have test results by tonight.

In Shanghai, health officials have been busy killing more than 20000 chickens at a poultry market.  At this points they say at least seven chickens have tested positive for H7N9.  Samples taken from two other markets are positive as well. Officials say the gene sequence matches samples taken from pigeons earlier in the week.

Shanghai has banned imports of live poultry.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

World War 3, East Asian Front: North Korea refuses direct talks! China postpones meeting between South Korea & Japan!

05 April 2013 (16:40 UTC-07 Tango)/24 Jumada l-Ula 1434/16 Farvardin 1391/25 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

Several analysts have stated that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is refusing direct peace talks, especially any involving nukes.

“U.S. message saying the door is still open for talks does not work with North Korea. The North has made up its mind to keep raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula so such an unclear message is not a solution.”-Chang Yong-seok, Seoul National University

“The United States….has attempted to engage directly, and has generally been rebuffed.”-Kurt Campbell, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, helped Obama administration create policy towards Korea

Campbell has also stated that it’s China who has the most influence.  China has just canceled planned economic summit meetings with Republic of Korea and Japan.

The three countries have been meeting at the end of May, ever since 2008.  But the cancellation is not over a possible Second Korean War, but the dispute with Japan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.

Chinese officials say that relations with Japan will be unstable as long as Japan claims the islands for themselves.  The island country of Taiwan (a U.S. ally) has expressed similar sentiment.

International, U.S.

World War 3, African Front: South Africa reneges and gets out of CAR! Re-deploys troops to surrounding countries! It’s all about money!

05 April 2013 (16:10 UTC-07 Tango)/24 Jumada l-Ula 1434/16 Farvardin 1391/25 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

“We have taken a decision to withdraw our soldiers….Our mission was to help train the soldiers. Since the coup and the self-appointment of rebels, it was clear that the government is no longer there.”-Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa

Remember the recent UN supported French invasion of Central African Republic?  I thought not.  South Africa already had ‘peacekeeping’ troops there, and they suffered loses as the rebels took control of the capital of CAR.

South African National Defence Force (SANDF) leaders initially stated they would not withdrawal from CAR.  Things change fast nowadays.  The one eighty by South Africa comes after an emergency summit of the African Union (AU).

South African (SA) military leaders said the withdrawal is being motivated by the fact that the rebels have heaver weapons than first thought.  Apparently the SA ‘peacekeepers’ are not equipped to counter those heavy weapons.

The AU refuses to recognize the new leaders of CAR.  Some opposition party members in the SA government are now questioning the reasons SA forces were sent to CAR back in 2007.

However, there are reports that SANDF is deploying troops to the countries surrounding CAR.  SA Defence Minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, refused to answer local media questions: “I won’t answer questions about the so called military build up because the question should not have been asked in the first place.”  

The South African Civil Society Information Service (SACSIS) said the pending pan-African war is all about money: “Research has revealed that ANC heavyweight insiders like Billy Masetlha, Joshua Nxumalo and Paul Langa were, or are involved in various business interests in the CAR. These interests are further linked to the ruling ANC through the increasingly notorious Chancellor House Trust, perceived to be involved in crony capitalism, as well as being a key funder of the ruling party.”

The SACSIS also accused governments of intentionally backing rouge regimes to justify war: “…the role of SANDF troops in CAR indicates a dangerous shift by South Africa towards supporting illegitimate regimes in order to protect economic interests with strong links to powerful domestic political networks…….South Africa is increasingly perceived not as much as a regional heavyweight but as a comprador for Western interests. ”

 

 

International, U.S.

World War 3, East Asian Front: Retired Communist, Fidel Castro, says Second Korean War “Absured” & Obama is “Sinister”!

05 April 2013 (14:15 UTC-07 Tango)/24 Jumada l-Ula 1434/16 Farvardin 1391/25 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

A few days ago I mentioned the great challenges humanity is currently facing. Intelligent life emerged on our planet approximately 200,000 years ago, although new discoveries demonstrate something else.

This is not to confuse intelligent life with the existence of life which, from its elemental forms in our solar system, emerged millions of years ago.

A virtually infinite number of life forms exist. In the sophisticated work of the world’s most eminent scientists the idea has already been conceived of reproducing the sounds which followed the Big Bang, the great explosion which took place more than 13.7 billion years ago.

This introduction would be too extensive if it was not to explain the gravity of an event as unbelievable and absurd as the situation created in the Korean Peninsula, within a geographic area containing close to five billion of the seven billion persons currently inhabiting the planet.

This is about one of the most serious dangers of nuclear war since the October Crisis around Cuba in 1962, 50 years ago.

In 1950, a war was unleashed there [the Korean Peninsula] which cost millions of lives. It came barely five years after two atomic bombs were exploded over the defenseless cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which, in a matter of seconds, killed and irradiated hundreds of thousands of people.

[U.S.] General Douglas MacArthur wanted to utilize atomic weapons against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Not even Harry Truman allowed that.

It has been affirmed that the People’s Republic of China lost one million valiant soldiers in order to prevent the installation of an enemy army on that country’s border with its homeland. For its part, the Soviet army provided weapons, air support, technological and economic aid.

I had the honor of meeting Kim Il Sung, a historic figure, notably courageous and revolutionary.

If war breaks out there, the peoples of both parts of the Peninsula will be terribly sacrificed, without benefit to all or either of them. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was always friendly with Cuba, as Cuba has always been and will continue to be with her.

Now that the country has demonstrated its technical and scientific achievements, we remind her of her duties to the countries which have been her great friends, and it would be unjust to forget that such a war would particularly affect more than 70% of the population of the planet.

If a conflict of that nature should break out there, the government of Barack Obama in his second mandate would be buried in a deluge of images which would present him as the most sinister character in the history of the United States. The duty of avoiding war is also his and that of the people of the United States.

Fidel Castro Ruz, in the Cuban Communist Party paper Granma Interncional

International

World War 3: Russia, U.K. say North Korea asking foreign embassies to leave! 10 April key date!

05 April 2013 (06:38 UTC-07 Tango)/24 Jumada l-Ula 1434/16 Farvardin 1391/25 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

“A representative of the North Korean Foreign Ministry suggested that the Russian side examine the question of evacuating the employees of the Russian embassy.”-Denis Samsonov, Russian Embassy spokesman

“We can confirm that the British embassy in Pyongyang received a communication from the North Korean government this morning.  It said that the North Korean government would be unable to guarantee the safety of embassies and international organisations in the country in the event of conflict from April 10.”-United Kingdom Foreign Office statement

Reports emerging, saying foreign embassies in North Korea are being asked by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to consider leaving, and that they should do so prior to 10 April.