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, U.S.

Occupy America! New study shows U.S. Middle Class shrinking fast, the 99 percenters are right!

A Stanford University study has researchers shocked at how fast the middle class is disappearing in the United States: “We already kind of knew that segregation by income had been going up from 1970 to 2000, though I was struck by the magnitude of that increase. One of the striking findings in the report is that in 90% of metropolitan areas, income segregation went up in the 2000s.”- Sean Reardon, Professor

The number of families living in middle income neighborhoods dropped to 44% in 2007, down from 65% in 1970.  The study looked at 2007 U.S. Census Bureau data covering 117 metropolitan areas.

The Stanford study also found what many economists, the IRS, and the Occupy Wall Streeters have been saying; fewer people are getting most of the money: “Given that in 2008 the top 10% of earners controlled approximately 48% of all income in the United States, the increasing isolation of the affluent from the low and moderate income families means that a significant portion of society’s resources are concentrated in a smaller and smaller portion of neighborhoods.”

Analysts say that it’s a good bet that Census Bureau data from 2008 to present would should an even bigger decline in the middle class.

 

International, Technology, U.S.

World War 3: Pentagon to kill computer hackers, pushing for cyber weapons

A 12 page U.S. Department of Defense report, given to Congress, says all options are on the table for dealing with computer hackers: “When warranted, we will respond to hostile attacks in cyberspace as we would to any other threat to our country. We reserve the right to use all necessary means; diplomatic, informational, military and economic, to defend our nation, our allies, our partners and our interests.”

The President of the United States would make the ultimate call. But analysts say the policy could open a can of worms, after all, if China was able to trace a hack back to the U.S. who’s to say they wouldn’t be legally justified in attacking the U.S. hacker?

Back at the beginning of November, Pentagon officials revealed they are pushing for offensive cyber weapon systems: “We are shifting our investments to activities that promise more convergence with the threat and that recognize the needs of the Department of Defense. Malicious cyber attacks are not merely an existential threat to our bits and bytes. They are a real threat to our physical systems, including our military systems.”-Regina Dugan, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

The irony is that most of the destructive computer hacks, and/or virus attacks, seem to be coming from the United States!  Does that mean our own military is going to start bombing our own computer geeks?

 

Idaho, Opinion, U.S.

United Police States of America: Idaho bars media from executions, violating Federal rules

“To determine whether lethal injection executions are fairly and humanely administered, or whether they ever can be, citizens must have reliable information about the ‘initial procedures’ which are invasive, possibly painful and may give rise to serious complications.”-9th U.S. Circuit Court,  2002 ruling

On November 18, Idaho will execute a man using lethal injection, for the first time.

Attorney’s have protested saying lethal injection has been proven to be inhumane.

Now, the Idaho Department of Correction is barring all the media, in full violation of the Federal court’s ruling, from witnessing the execution: “The procedures were developed so that we would preserve the dignity of the offender.”-Jeff Ray, Idaho Department of Correction

Can you say: Bull Crap on that?   “Preserve the dignity” of a guy convicted of killing three people in three separate incidents, my ass!  Prison officials don’t give a rat’s ass about prisoners’ dignity, there’s plenty of evidence of that!  More like keep the fact that lethal injection has turned out to be a highly painful way to die (it’s described as similar to people who are undergoing operations, and are fully conscious, and can feel everything yet can’t move or talk, even though the doctors think they’re under the effects of anesthesia).  Some witnesses to lethal injection executions say they could see the convict crying after the injections had taken effect.

Several other groups have been barred as well.  The American Civil Liberties Union is also protesting.  The Associated Press is joining almost all of Idaho’s major media organizations in official protest.  Idaho officials claim the Federal Court ruling applies only to California.

I still say a bullet to the head is the fastest most humane way to execute someone.

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: More Rice contaminated with Cesium!

The Fukushima Prefectural government says rice from a field in the Oonami district, in Fukushima City, are contaminated with 630 becquerels per kilogram of cesium.

The rice came from one farm.  There are 154 farms in the Oonami district in Fukushima City, they will now test all the farms.

Officials claim the contaminated rice is still in the warehouse and none was shipped to market.

Until now most contaminated rice, in Japan, was just under the government limit of 500 becquerels per kilogram of cesium.  This is the first time rice was found over the limit, and national government officials are now considering banning the sale of rice which comes from Oonami district.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Corporate Incompetence: Olympus now under investigation by the British, FBI also invloved. Olympus officials beg banks for more money

Scandal with Japan’s Olympus only gets deeper.  Now the United Kingdom’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) confirmed they are investigating.

The SFO, located in a building known as Elm House, says they’re getting help from a former Olympus CEO, Michael Woodford.  He’s already turned over corporate documents he kept after he was fired from Olympus last month.  The SFO also confirmed that the U.S. FBI is involved.

This comes as Olympus held an emergency meeting with 40 banks, to  essentially beg them for more money.

According to NHK, Olympus officials swear they’re actually going to make money this year, however overall sales are slightly down from last year.  Olympus stated they will release their accounting books by the government ordered date of December 14.  They will also reveal who’s responsible for the huge losses from securities investments, as well as buyouts of other companies.

NHK gave no indication of how the bank officials reacted to the emergency meeting with Olympus.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery: WalMart profits down, again, don’t blame the U.S. consumer, blame inflation

WalMart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, saw its 3rd quarter profits fall below what they expected.  They blame price cutting in an effort to boost overall sales.

WalMart says that compared to the same time last year (3rd quarter, ending October 31), their net income was down 2.9%.  The lower prices did increase overall sales, by 8.2%, but WalMart had cut their prices below what it was actually costing them, which explains the drop in net income.

WalMart officials claim they will continue to keep prices low, despite their suppliers raising their prices (inflation).  They also admit they expect their 4th quarter net revenues to be down as a result, Merry X-mas!

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

End of Lawsuit may re-invigorate Idaho’s Micron, gets big boost from George Soros, rumors of insider trading

Finally, after more than a year (the last 8 weeks in deliberations), a California jury has decided in Micron’s favor, ending the possibility of Micron having to pay $11.9 billion in restitution.

A California company was suing Idaho’s Micron, along with a South Korean company, claiming they worked together (colluded) to fix computer chip prices, and to interfere with the California company’s ties with Intel.

Since 2009 Micron has fallen from being Idaho’s top employer, after laying off thousands of employees. If they had lost the lawsuit it would have been their death blow.

Even before the verdict the value of Micron stock started going up (possibly due to George Soros).  Bloomberg News reported that Micron stocks are making “unusual moves” upward.

A big reason Micron stock is going up is that billionaire investor, George Soros, recently bought up 484.5 million senior convertible Micron Technology securities, valued at $$477.6 million!  Maybe a positive turnaround for Idaho’s Micron is finally in the works?

Here’s the problem: George Soros started buying up Micron stock days before the California jury made their decision.  This is now starting rumors of insider trading.  But it’ll be tough to prove, after all, how could anyone know what a jury is going to decide, right?  Oh well, it’s happened before.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Government Incompetence: Idaho County violates Federal Law, Federal Judge orders the County to violate Idaho Law in order to pay off fine

In 2010, Boise County was found guilty of violating the Federal Fair Housing law.  They must now pay $5.4 million in fines, with 5.5% yearly interest.

Boise County tried to file for bankruptcy, but a Federal bankruptcy judge found the county can afford the bill.

Now, the Federal district court has ordered Boise County to violate the Idaho law on property tax limits, in order to raise the money to pay the Federal fine.

The Federal court wants Boise County officials to charge at least 3% over the state property tax cap.  Under state law a 2/3rds majority vote must OK such a move.

Idaho State Tax Commission officials are handling this like a hot potato, saying they don’t have the time to review the case, but they are working on a public press release to explain their position.

Boise County is required to make two payments per year, and have already made the first payment of $1.2 million.

 

International, Technology

Double Edged Sword: Cancer Gene actually fights Cancer

A team at the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine has been conducting research on a gene called TTF-1.  It’s associated with lung cancer, adenocarcinoma, which is the hardest to treat among all lung cancers.

Now researchers say it also fights cancer.  In healthy adults, where the TTF-1 gene has not gone renegade, researchers found that it produced a protein that prevents cancer metastasis (the spread of cancer from one part of the body to the rest of the body).

More research needs to be done to see how this double edged sword TTF-1 cancer gene can be used to stop cancer.

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Radiation levels increasing in Japanese Rivers!

Japan’s Environment Ministry reports that radiation levels in rivers, downstream of the radiation spewing Fukushima Daiichi, are only increasing.

The latest official readings come from samples taken back in September.

In northern Fukushima Prefecture, the cesium levels were 3,200 becquerels per kilogram in the upstream Niida River.  The cesium levels in the downstream side of the same river were 13,000 becquerels!  That’s triple the levels reported in May!

Cesium levels in the Mano River have doubled!

Kinki University Professor Yamazaki Hideo says the government should step up radiation monitoring in all rivers.