All posts by Hutchins AAron

Born in Deutschland 1965, hometown was Bütthart, parents were not U.S. government employees. However, when father was tricked into joining the U.S. Air Force Civil Service, in 1969, with the promise that we could remain in Germany, we were promptly shipped off to Iran. Due to one of my Iranian educators being disappeared, along with her husband, by the U.S. ally Shah of Iran's Israeli & U.S. created Savak (for the then official terrorist act of promoting the idea that women can vote), and due to my U.S. citizen mother being placed on Savak's Terrorist Arrest List (for supporting the idea that women should vote, at that time the U.S. ally Shah of Iran did not allow women to vote, now they can) we left Iran for the United States in 1973, literally in the middle of the night. At the U.S. Embassy airbase the CIA operated Gooney Bird (C-47) was so packed with other U.S. citizens fleeing our ally Iran (because the Shah gave the OK to arrest any U.S. citizen for such terrorist acts as promoting the concept of voting) that we were turned away by the Loadmaster and had to take a chance on a civilian flight out of Tehran's airport. My father told me he and my mother had three culture shocks; first when they arrived in Germany as civilians, then after being shipped off to Iran as U.S. government employees, then again returning to the United States as unemployed civilians (because so much had changed in the U.S. while they were gone, their only news source was the U.S. Armed Forces Radio & Television Service which heavily censored information about the home front). Since I graduated high school in 1982 I've worked for U.S. government contractors and state & local government agencies (in California), convenience store manager in California, retail/property management in Georgia, California and Idaho. Spent the 1990s in the TV news business producing number one rated local news programs in California, Arizona and Idaho. 14+ years with California and Idaho Army National Guard and the U.S. Air Force. Obtained a BA degree in International Studies from Idaho State University at the age of 42. Unemployed since 2015, so don't tell me the economy has recovered.
Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Yet another U.S. company invests big, but not in the U.S., in Korea

06 December 2012, for awhile now U.S. President Barack Obama has been touting his desire that U.S. corporations start investing into research right here in the United States.  Yet, a failing U.S. company has decided to spend money it supposedly doesn’t have outside the U.S.

Sears Holdings announced that they are bringing back their old Roadhandler tire brand.  You might think that’s good news, but the new Roadhandler tire is simply a Korean Hankook tire with the Roadhandler name on it.

Hankook tires have good reputation, but in these bad economic times when more and more U.S. citizens are losing their jobs, why couldn’t Sears (a company supposedly going broke) spend their big bucks investing in a quality U.S. made tire?

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Government Incompetence & What Economic Recovery? U.S. made aircraft parts being ripped off by Israeli military and scrap metal dealers, army vehicles and ammo disapearing!

06 December 2012, possibly because of the bad economy in Israel, but investigators now believe that Israeli Defense Force (IDF) personnel are involved in the theft of engines for F-15 and F-16 aircraft.  The engines might have been sold to scrap metal dealers.

The theft of engines took place at Tel Nof air base, near Rehovot, last year.

This is not the only time parts for U.S. made aircraft were stolen.  Last year police raided a scrap metal warehouse in Tel Aviv. It was full of new parts for U.S. made F-15 and F-16 aircraft.

Also, IDF ground forces have revealed that in the past few months several vehicles and at least 1,500 tank rounds went missing from an army base in southern Israel.

The economy is really bad in Israel, and has led to numerous strikes and protests.  The most recent strike involved nurses who said Israeli hospitals are full of sick people who are not being treated due to the fact that there is no money to hire more staff.

Business/Economics, U.S.

Sears & Kmart news: Sears dropped to negative! Looking for more independent owners. Execs get $1 million cash! Sears Hometown stores make big profits! Kmart becomes target for thieves, mostly women!

05 December 2012, Fitch Ratings has dropped Sears Holdings to negative CCC.  Fitch believes it is unlikely Sears/Kmart will recover, and even expects negative earnings in 2013. As other analysts have pointed out, Sears’ assets are still worth more than any expected revenues (one analyst said Sears was worth more dead than alive).

Executives of Sears Holdings got a some early Xmas money, by selling off, or trading in their vested shares of Sears Canada.  Some execs traded in the vested shares for unvested, worth about $280,000.  Those execs who already had unvested shares will get cash. According to paperwork filed with the SEC, the top five Sears Holdings execs got $1 million in cash!

The push to find independent owners of Sears Hometown stores increases, as profits increase. Reports say that profits at independently owned and operated stores jumped 29% from the year before!

In California, Sears returned to Banning, but as a smaller independently owned Hometown store. It’s being run by a former insurance salesman, and stocks only tools and appliances.

Also in California, a new Hometown store in Lake Elsinore is scheduled to open in February 2013. City officials say their tax revenues correlate with Sears’ increased profits in tools and appliances sold at the independent stores: “We certainly can tell based on Riverside County sales tax reports that people are spending money in these categories…”-Kim Joseph Cousins, Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Sears is looking for a Hometown owner in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin: “We’re looking for a person who wants to operate a successful business and is customer service oriented. This is an outstanding retail opportunity for a dedicated individual to participate in one of America’s hottest growth opportunities.”-Ed Sosniak, regional development manager for Sears Hometown Stores

Hometown stores are hot, for Sears Holdings, because the onus of paying the rent, utilities and employees is on the independent owner: “The local owner is responsible for start-up and on-going operating expenses associated with the store including: building or leasing a facility; providing in-store fixtures; hiring and training employees; payroll; and insurance…”

Sears makes its money by selling the owner the merchandise.   Hometown stores also employ far fewer people than a full blown Sears.

Sears online sales, cell phone sales, store-to-home sales and web-to-store sales also jumped 28%, however electronics sales crashed 30%!

For Kmart stores there’s been increasing reports of theft.  A man in Florida was captured on video stealing video game systems, four times!  The police are looking for him.

In Wyoming a Kmart was robbed by a woman with a gun (oh no, another one for Bob Costas). What did she want? Prescription drugs!

In Massachusetts, two women were arrested after trying to steal more than $1,000 in merchandise.  And in just the past couple of days, three other women were arrested for trying to steal $130 worth of merchandise!

In Ohio, a Kmart employee was attacked by a man with a box cutter (Bob Costas you better call for the banning of box cutters): “The suspect demanded money and was armed with a box cutter. While the victim was attempting to get his wallet, the suspect began slashing at the victim.”-Ronald Mizner Junior, North Canton Police

In New York, a man who just got out of prison apparently killed himself with drugs (Bob Costas you paying attention).  Police say he was found in a stolen car in a Kmart parking lot.

‘Tis the season

 

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Yet another U.S. company invests big, but not in the U.S., in Japan

05 December 2012, for awhile now U.S. President Barack Obama has been touting his desire that U.S. corporations start investing into research right here in the United States.  Yet, U.S. companies continue to spend that money outside the U.S.

The latest is Qualcomm, who announced they will spend up to $120 million USD, by March 2013, on the failing Japanese company Sharp.

Sharp is now predicting it will lose a record $5.5 billion by the end of March 2013!

Sharp was hoping to be saved by a Taiwanese company, but that deal went south, partly because Sharp’s stock prices are crashing and burning (falling by 75%).

Qualcomm says it’ll use half the $120 million buying up Sharp stocks now, and the other half will be used when Sharp starts showing a profit.  Obviously the California based company has more faith in the Japanese economy than in the U.S. economy.

This could be a money maker for Qualcomm, if Sharp recovers, but if Sharp fails…..

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Economic War: Japan & India sign deal to use U.S. dollars only!

05 December 2012, Japan and India have signed a currency exchange deal that could prop up the U.S. dollar.

Banking officials from the two Asian countries have been working on the plan for about a year.  It involves the central banks of Japan and India exchanging up to $15 billion USD per year for the next three years.

They say the exchanges done in U.S. dollars will stabilize their own currencies.  It could prop up the value of the U.S. dollar, which would hurt U.S. factories (who’re still operating in the U.S.) who want to export their products. Japan has been blaming the rising value of their yen on the falling value of the U.S. dollar.

India is blaming the value of the European Union’s euro, for the rupee’s problems.

When a country’s money becomes more valuable it actually hurts their exports because it makes their products more expensive to foreign buyers. The only way for any country to achieve high economic growth is to have strong exports, a strong domestic economy can only achieve stagnation at best (relative to the size of the country).

Business/Economics, International

Trilateral Commission’s dream of one centralized European Bank dashed, for now

05 December 2012, European Union finance ministers shelved any plans to create a single centralized bank for the EU.

Last month things looked good for a central bank of Europe when 6,000 banks were put under EU “supervision”.  It was hoped an official EU central bank would be in place for 2013.

Some of the reasons for the collapse of such plans was that most EU member countries could not agree on the limits of power for a EU central bank. Also, France wanted immediate implementation while Germany wanted a gradual phase in.

EU finance ministers will resume central bank creation discussions next week.

Opinion, U.S.

2nd U.S. Civil War: People, and media of the Big Apple complicit in murder of Asian man? New twist on push for Arms Control!

05 December 2012, an Asian man was pushed to his death by an attacker in a New York City subway.  Such violent crime might not seem too surprising in the Big Apple, but what is is the fact that no one in the subway tried to help the man to safety, they just stood there and took pictures as he gets smashed by the train!

Even a New York City newspaper incriminates itself as they publish pictures of the man’s impending death, taken by a freelance photographer.

Why didn’t anyone help?  The photog gave this answer: “I wanted to help the man, but I couldn’t figure out how to help. It all happened so fast.”

Obviously not so fast that he didn’t have time to pull out his camera and take pics.

Was this because the victim was a yellow skinner from Korea?  The attacker was a black skinner. The photog was a brown skinner (going by his name). Bob Costas is a white skinner.

This should be ammo for the anti-violence crowd, you know, Arms Control.  Not Arms as in guns, but arms.  Obviously in this case it was a deranged man’s arms that killed the other man.  People’s arms should be banned, lest they try to kill other people with them.

Bob Costas should get in on this one, after all it involved someone with mental problems and probably prescription meds (just like that football player who shot his wife and himself).  Using Bob Costas rationalization, it’s not the fact that the guy had mental problems that led to the killing, it’s the fact that he had arms and he knew how to use them to kill!

Even the freelance photog is guilty.  He has arms and he didn’t use them to save the man’s life, he used them to document the man’s death.  Off with his arms!

And this isn’t the first time, there’s at least one other high profile case, back in 1999, when a New York City woman was pushed to her death on the subway tracks by a mentally troubled person, who had arms!

One things for sure, I bet there are even more people throughout the United States who’re are not going to shed anymore tears for the people of New York City.  U.S. sponsored al Qaeda, stock market collapse, Mother Nature’s fury, bring it on!

 

Idaho, Influenza

U.S. Influenza: CDC issues warning, three people already dead in Idaho! Schools being shut down! Connection to West Nile?

“Significant increases in flu activity in the U.S. in the last two weeks indicate that an early flu season is underway.”-U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

04 December 2012, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reporting that three women have died from flu, or flu like symptoms.  They’re the first deaths reported, and CDC officials say the flu season started early: “It looks like it’s shaping up to be a bad flu season…..We’re seeing the beginning of the uptick start at least a month before we’d generally see it.”-Thomas Frieden, CDC

In North Carolina it’s being reported that more hospitals are ordering their staff to get vaccinated for the flu or face the loss of their jobs.

Mississippi is the first state to report “high” levels of flu.  Louisiana and Alabama are reporting “moderate” levels of flu.   Tennessee and Texas reporting higher than normal flu case levels.  Note that most of these states also got hit hard by West Nile virus.

Kentucky is officially reporting 60 possible cases: “Primarily, the concern at this point is that we are seeing cases earlier in the flu season than we typically do.”-LaQuandra Nesbitt, Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness

However, Kentucky and Tennessee school districts are reporting hundreds of students out sick, causing the schools to lose money.  Kentucky law requires schools to maintain at least 90% student attendance, but because of flu some schools are down to 81%.  A Kentucky doctor says sick students are being reported in the hundreds: “It’s more than just county wide. I think the joining counties in Tennessee. I heard Macon County had 500 students out. That’s huge numbers.  Our waiting room yesterday was terrible. We had people waiting out in their cars with their cell phones, and we would call them when it was there turn to get in.”-William Carter, Tompkinsville doctor

Doctor Carter also said it looks like vaccinations are not working: “A 90 year old who had a flu shot ended up with both A and B, so I don’t know if the flu shots are working completely with this string that’s going around.”

In Tennessee, two schools are closing down because of the flu. University School of Jackson and the Trinity Christian Academy will close on Wednesday, in hopes of halting any spread of flu.

Health officials in Onondaga County, in New York, reporting a huge jump in lab confirmed flu cases; 210 last week, up from 95 the week before. For comparison, county health officials said during last year’s flu season they averaged only 40 cases per week.

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Almost 2,000 more job losses for the state of Illinois!

04 December 2012, eleven companies operating in Illinois will lay off at least 1,934 people in the next few months.

U.S. Cellular Corp cutting 492 jobs in Bolingbrook.  (last month the company said as many as 640 jobs would be eliminated in the Chicago area)

Willow Lake Mine in Equality is cutting 408 employees.  The mine wants to shut down permanently.

Fresh Express closing two operations in Franklin Park, some employees will be transferred to other operations.

World Kitchen laying off 180 employees in Monee, wants to cease operations there by end of 1st quarter 2013.

Jacobson Staffing Company cutting 145 jobs in Manteno and 84 in Romeoville.

PCCW Teleservices (a Hong Kong based company) laying off 139 workers in Quincy.

Bay Valley Foods laying off 113 workers in Mendota.

Restaurant, Buca di Beppo, letting go 70 workers.

Kmart cutting 70 jobs in Lombard.

R.S. Owens ending 95 jobs in Chicago.

Carson Pirie Scott laying off 76 workers in Calumet City.

Doblin Inc will cut 62 jobs in Chicago.

Source: Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) report.

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Illinois hit by another Sears/Kmart closing

04 December 2012, the latest Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) report shows another Kmart is being closed in Illinois.

Here’s the latest list:

Arizona: Scottsdale Sears/Great Indoors, Chandler Sears/Great Indoors.

Alabama: Gadsden Kmart (50 jobs lost), Mobile Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Auburn Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost).

California:   El Monte Sears (at least 40 jobs lost. Damien Arrula, El Monte’s economic development director, said the store manager had lied about what was going on: “The general manager of the store had just indicated to me that they were remodeling.”), two San Diego Sears (at least 80 jobs lost), Pleasant Hill Kmart (more than 50 jobs lost).

Colorado:  Broomfield Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Glenwood Springs Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Lone Tree Sears/Great Indoors, Longmont Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Pueblos’ South Side Kmart (52 jobs lost),  Denver Kmart (number of jobs lost have not been made public at this time, but could be at least 40).

Georgia: Macon Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Buford Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Douglasville Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Atlanta Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Columbus Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Jonesboro Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Cartersville Kmart (74 jobs lost).

Florida: Fernandina Beach Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Callaway Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Orange City Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost),  Deland Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Stuart Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), West Palm Beach Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Port St. Lucie Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Crystal River Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), New Smyrna Beach Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Saint Augustine Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Pompano Beach Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost),  Jacksonville Kmart on 5751 Beach Boulevard (71 jobs lost), second Kmart in Jacksonville on 4645 Blanding Boulevard (83 jobs lost), Ocoee Sears (102 jobs lost), Pensacola Sears to be closed by 03 February 2013 (69 jobs lost), Hialeah Kmart (67 jobs lost).

Idaho: Lewiston Sears (at least 60 jobs lost).

Indiana:  Anderson Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Saint John Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Indianapolis Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost).

Illinois:  Alton Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Melrose Park Sears parts and repair center (50 jobs lost), Zion Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Oak Lawn Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), McHenry Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Peru Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Lombard Sears/Great Indoors (at least 40 jobs lost), Fairview Heights Kmart (81 jobs lost), Freeport Kmart (45 jobs lost), Pontiac Kmart (more than 47 jobs lost), Homer Glen Kmart (82 jobs lost), Streator Kmart (45 jobs lost), recently revealed Lombard Kmart (70 jobs lost).  By the way, Illinois elected officials gave Sears Holdings/Hoffman Estates a $150 million USD tax break to keep their headquarters in the state.  The tax break was not tied to any promise not to close stores.

Iowa:  Cedar Rapids Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Davenport Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Burlington Kmart (50 jobs lost), Coralville Sears (94 jobs lost, this is a store sold to GGP earlier in the year).

Kansas: Lawrence Sears (at least 40 jobs lost).

Kentucky: Middlesboro Sears (in September 2012 the Sears store re-opened under independent ownership, official grand re-opening scheduled for November), Winchester Kmart (back in May, Rankin Paynter bought out what was left of the inventory and gave it to charity), Hazard Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost).

Maine: Lewiston Sears (60 to 70 jobs lost).

Maryland: Ellicott Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Gaithersburg Sears/Great Indoors.

Michigan: Novi Sears/Great Indoors, Brighton Sears Grand/Essentials,  Harper Woods Sears Full line, Monroe Sears Full line, Adrian Sears Full line, Washington Township Kmart, Chesterfield Kmart, Woodhaven Kmart, and recently revealed Flint Kmart (46 jobs lost).

Minnesota: Willmar Kmart, Duluth Kmart, New Hope Kmart, White Bear Lake Kmart.

Mississippi: Jackson Sears Full line, McComb Sears Full line, Columbus Sears Full line.

Missouri: Lee’s Summit Sears Grand/Essentials, Saint Louis Sears Full line.

Montana: Missoula Kmart (50 jobs lost).

New Hampshire: Nashau Sears Grand/Essentials, Keene Sears Grand/Essentials.

North Carolina: High Point Sears, Moorehead Sears, Rocky Mount Sears, Statesville Sears, Durham Kmart (79 jobs lost), Asheville Kmart (53 jobs lost),  West Smithfield Kmart (59 jobs lost).

New Jersey:  Lawnside Kmart (about 80 jobs lost).

Ohio: Chagrin Falls Kmart, Springfield Kmart, two Toledo Kmarts, Medina Kmart, Columbus Kmart, Columbus Sears/Great Indoors, Zanesville Sears (67 jobs lost), Trotwood Kmart (71 jobs lost).   Also, Van Wert Sears franchise bought out by Kirk Berryman, owner of Computer & Networking Technologies (CNT), who plans on moving the store to a new location.

Oklahoma: Oklahoma City Sears (98 jobs lost, GGP owned).

Oregon: Roseburg Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Tualatin Kmart Center (new property owner from California is tearing everything down for new shopping center, so far no indication the Kmart will be part of the new shopping center).

Pennsylvania: Upper Darby Sears Full line, Pottstown Sears Full line, Pittsburgh Kmart, Wilkins Sears.

South Carolina: Sumter Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Orangeburg Sears (approximately 50 jobs lost).

Tennessee: Antioch Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Cleveland Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Oak Ridge Sears (at least 40 jobs lost), Hendersonville Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Morristown Sears (about 70 jobs lost).

Texas: Two Sears parts and repair centers closing in The Woodlands (117 jobs lost), rebuild center in Garland (58 jobs lost), Farmers Branch Sears/Great Indoors, Houston Sears Great/Indoors.

Virginia: Norfolk Sears (at least 40 jobs lost),  Midlothian Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Richmond Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Lynchburg Sears (84 jobs lost).

Washington: Walla Walla Sears Full line (in August 2012, it was reported that an independent owner of Sears Hometown stores will open a store in Walla Walla), Lacey Kmart (at least 40 jobs lost), Kelso Sears (47 jobs lost), Lakewood Kmart (59 jobs lost), Bellingham Sears (92 jobs lost).

West Virginia: Oak Hill Kmart (59 jobs lost).

Wisconsin: West Baraboo Sears (at least 40 jobs lost, local village officials say the store generated 3% of local tax collections), Rice Lake Kmart (about 71 jobs lost).

On top of that, Sears Holdings sold stores to General Growth Properties (GGP), of which it has been reported that most of those stores will be closed.

Here’s the list of 11 Sears stores now owned by GGP:

Iowa: Coral Ridge Mall (it’s official the Sears is closing, see above), and Mall of the Bluffs

Texas: The Woodlands Mall (this does not involve the two repair centers being closed by Sears)

Florida: West Oaks Mall

Utah: Fashion Place, and Provo Towne Centre (note the evil British empire way of spelling town & center. Due to a favorable lease agreement the GGP owned Provo Sears will continue to stay open under Sears Holdings management)

Oklahoma: Quail Springs Mall (it’s official, the Sears will be closed, see above)

Hawaii: Ala Moana Center

Washington: Bellis Fair Mall (Bellingham store, see above)

Minnesota: Apache Mall

Illinois: Market Place Shopping Center