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, Technology

German police NAZIs work with Skype, Yahoo, Firefox, MSN to spy on you, the United States is involved

“We got our hands on it and found it is doing much more than it is legally allowed to do.”– Frank Rieger, Chaos Computer Club

The German government allows cell phone conversations to be spied on, but hackers discovered that the software used actually violates the government’s own legal limits.

It’s called Bundestrojan. Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court said it was legal as long as it screened only internet telephone calls. But, Bavarian police, and several other German states, are logging keystrokes, activating cameras, monitoring internet users’ activities and sending data to government officials.  All illegal.

Hackers also found out the United States is involved: “To avoid revealing the location of the command and control server, all data are redirected through a rented dedicated server in a data center in the U.S.”–Chaos Computer Club

A Finnish tech company, in Helsinki, also found that the Bundestrojan is intercepting data entered into web browser Firefox, as well as the instant messaging programs MSN and ICQ.

Antivirus vendor, Kaspersky Lab in Germany, investigated Bundestrojan’s capabilities:  “Amongst the new things we found in there are two rather interesting ones: Firstly, this version is not only capable of running on 32 bit systems; it also includes support for 64 bit versions of Windows.  Secondly, the list of target processes to monitor is longer than the one mentioned in the CCC report.  The number of applications infected by the various components is 15 in total.”– Tillmann Werner, Kaspersky Lab

Targeted applications includes Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera, programs with VoIP and data encryption functionality, including ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Skype, Low-Rate VoIP, CounterPath X-Lite and Paltalk.

German officials are calling for an investigation.  Hackers say this is a result of society putting security ahead of freedom: “Unfortunately, for too long the (government) has been guided by demands for technical surveillance, not by values like freedom or the question of how to protect our values in a digital world.”–Chaos Computer Club

 



Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Economic War: What’s really going on with the possible China rescue deal for Europe? China pushing to be A Number 1, got burned bailing out U.S. banks

That’s right, it wasn’t just U.S. taxpayers and the U.S. central bank (Federal Reserve) that bailed out Corporate America’s big financial institutions in 2007/08.  China Investment Corporation played a part and lost.

So when it comes to bailing out European governments, China’s financial sector is willing but cautious: “The $3 trillion in reserves are the fruits of the hard work of the Chinese people.  We’re willing to work with those European countries in distress for a better solution.  But…we have to be accountable to the people.”-Jin Liqun, China Investment Corp

Both the U.S. media and the Chinese media are reporting that China wants nit picking details concerning any European bailout.  The Chinese think the European governments haven’t done enough when it comes to austerity measures.  They want to see more cuts, and more taxes imposed on the European people.

But there’s another reason China is taking its time with agreeing to any European bailout; they want to use the situation to bring China closer to being the A Number 1 economic and financial authority throughout the World: “It will also help China gain a greater say in the global financial system.”-Zhong Wei,  Financial Research Center at Beijing Normal University

In fact, today, October 28, China called on the G20 to become more united (under China?): “The opinions of emerging markets and developing countries should be taken seriously no matter when we talk on the reform of the international currency system, the global economic governance, or the price of commodities.  These countries’ presence and say should be increased.”–Cui Tiankai, Vice Foreign Minister of China

The next Group of 20 meeting is November 3-4 in the southern French city of Cannes.

 

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

What Economic Recovery? Whirlpool announces big layoffs, will close factories around the world

“…recessionary demand levels in developed countries, a slowdown in emerging markets and high levels of inflation in material costs.”, that’s what Whirlpool Chief Executive Jeff Fettig says about the economy, basically it stinks!

As a result Whirlpool sales are down, and they have to layoff 5,000 employees, and shut down their Arkansas refrigerator factory!

Whirlpool joins the growing number of big businesses that say: “During the quarter, we experienced weaker than expected global industry demand and elevated material costs.”

No sh*t Sherlock, Corporate America keeps laying people off.  Ironically even Whirlpool CEO Fettig blames Corporate America’s job cuts!

Whirlpool will also close a dishwasher factory in Germany, moving production to Poland (Poland is a member of the European Union, but does not use the Euro, they use their own money).

The result is not only lost jobs, but if you need a new home appliance in the near future it’s gonna cost you more; Whirlpool is jacking up their prices (hello inflation).

 

 

 

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

Occupy America: Know your enemy; the top 1% are money sucking vampires. 1.4 million vampires are sucking the money out of more than 300 million people!!! Are you under their spell?

“The top 1 percent of households took a bigger share of overall income in 2007 than they did at any time since 1928.”-Annie Lowrey, New York Times

Here’s a shocker; in New York City the top 1% average U.S.$3.7 million in income, according to Christopher Ketcham.

The IRS and the CBO have already proven with their data that the top 1% have been acting like money vampires, sucking money out of our economic system.

What kind of jobs do the 1% have?  According to a CNNMoney report, 8.4% are attorneys, 14% are financial professionals, 15.7% are medical professionals, and 31% run Corporate America (executives, managers and supervisors).

Mother Jones has a more detailed breakdown.  MJ also shows that most of the wealth of the top 1% is invested in paper (stocks, securities, trusts, equities),  not traditional real estate.

AlterNet gives top five astounding facts about the 1%: “1. The Top 1 Percent of Americans Owns 40 Percent of the Nation’s Wealth, 2. The Top 1 Percent of Americans Take Home 24 Percent of National Income, 3. The Top 1 Percent Of Americans Own Half of the Country’s Stocks, Bonds and Mutual Funds, 4. The Top 1 Percent Of Americans Have Only 5 Percent of the Nation’s Personal Debt, 5. The Top 1 Percent are Taking In More of the Nation’s Income Than at Any Other Time Since the 1920s.”  AlterNet breaks down each of their claims with facts.

So how many of these money suckers are there, how many vampires make up the 1%?  Approximately 1,400,00 (according to the IRS).  Compare that to the total U.S. population of  308,745,538 (according to 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data).  1.4 million vampires are sucking the money out of more than 300 million people!!!

And what about raising taxes on the top elites?  According to IRS data, reported by Bloomberg Businessweek, the top 400, out of the 1.4 million money suckers, actually paid less taxes in 2007.  These super elite vampires (the Count Draculas of the money suckers) saw their effective tax rates fall from nearly 30% in 1995 to under 17% in 2007!!!

I still don’t understand why there isn’t more of the 99% joining the Occupy America (OWS, Occupy Wall Street) movement, unless they’re under the spell of the money sucking vampire elites known as the 1%.

 

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

Occupy America: Hundreds arrested, police demand media stop coverage of violent crack downs, politicians join protestors

October 25, in Oakland, California, police asked the live media coverage to shut down, right before they attacked protestors with tear gas and flash bang grenades.  Later, after it got dark, police simply turned off the street lights so the media could not see the continuing attacks on the protestors.  So far 140 people have been arrested.

In Atlanta, Georgia, about 50 people were arrested.  Police action there was restrained, but that’s because several politicians (State Senator Vincent Fort, and former Atlanta city councilman Derrick Boazman) had joined the protestors, and apparently protestors voluntarily gave themselves up for arrest. Senator Fort was among those arrested.

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

Class War: U.S. government office proves that the Elites have been waging economic war on the rest of us

“The share of income going to higher-income households rose, while the share going to lower-income households fell.”-CBO Trends in the Distribution of Household Income Between 1979 and 2007

The U.S. Congressional Budget Office released data that showed the top 1% of the population saw their incomes jump 275% over 28 years: “For the 1 percent of the population with the highest income, average real after-tax household income grew by 275 percent between 1979 and 2007.”

The next highest income earners, the top 19% of the population (not counting the top 1%), saw their incomes go up 65%, “…much faster than
it did for the remaining 80 percent of the population…”.

As you go down the income ladder, the majority of workers (which are at the bottom of the scale) actually saw their income drop 2% to 3%: “All other groups saw their shares decline by 2 to 3 percentage points.”

This latest data backs up earlier reports from the Internal Revenue Service.  In a 2007 report, the IRS said that incomes for the majority of the U.S. population had actually been dropping since 1986!  They used tax filings to compile their data.

What’s been happening is that the elites have been waging a class war to suck up most of the money in our our economic system.  The top 1% are not trickle downers, they are money hoarders!





Business/Economics, U.S.

North Dakota: Proof that fast oil money destroys Society, can you say Hyper Inflation?

“At first, we were excited about the prospect of bringing in new people and money … but it slammed us so hard, in such a little time that a lot of locals now are kind of resentful. Now we want our town back.”-Deone Lawlar, a 57 year old native of Watford City

North Dakota is viewed as an economic bright spot in the U.S. economy,  because oil companies have recently opened up their capped oil wells, and are pumping like mad.  At first the natives welcomed the money, but not anymore.  With the oil boom not only does fast money come in, but so do hundreds of thousands of job seekers, and North Dakota just isn’t ready.

The result is hyper inflation.  It’s hitting hard right now in the housing sector, specifically rents.  According to CNN: “One bedroom apartments can run around $1,500 a month, while two to three bedroom apartments are often around $3,000.” (Holy crap, I used to live there, and I thought about moving back?)

“People are getting greedy, and we’re losing people who have lived here their whole lives.  It’s hard to make ends meet, especially with two little kids.  How does a nursing home keep up with the oil fields?”-Kristen Pallacheck, Bethel Lutheran Nursing Home, Williston (I used to live in Williston and I can tell you the town was first destroyed by the super WalMart, now after recovering it’s being done in by hyper inflation no thanks to the oil boom)

The oil industry is also destroying the infrastructure; thousands of big rigs and heavy equipment are tearing up roads that were not designed for such loads: “I drive 15 miles to work everyday with my two children and we have about at least two to three near car accidents a week.  The traffic is horrible and our road infrastructure was not ready for the hundreds of oil field trucks that tear it up.  This week alone, there were four semi truck accidents in four days.”-Michelle Falcon-Nelson, who lives in Williston

According to the Williston Police Department, accidents jumped 30%, and traffic misdemeanors increased 30% from last year.  Also, theft, violence, abduction, sex crimes, domestic abuse, has tripled, with 16,495 reports of criminal activities in Williston last year.  This doesn’t sound like the Williston I lived in, back in the middle of the 1970s!  Even with the boom in jobs, and crime, the Williston Police Department still has only 22 officers!

Speaking of the super WalMart that destroyed Williston back in the 1990s, job seekers have turned the parking lot into a campground.  In the CNNMoney video many of those working are making as much as $25.00 per hour, but because there just isn’t enough homes, or apartments, they’re still living in their cars and trucks.  One man said it wasn’t worth it and was leaving.

The oil boom isn’t helping old timers keep their homes either: “I was talking to myself this morning, and I thought, ‘How am I gonna’ feel when I have to shut this door? I sold my house and have to be out by the first of November, and how is it gonna’ feel to walk out of that door?'”-Wanda Goetz, lived in Williston for 61 years

Many wish the oil boom never came: “While the majority of us appreciate the additional revenue the energy industry brings to our community, the problem for a lot of us is that it’s not just our community anymore. We liked it better when it was ‘the middle of nowhere’.”-David Rolfson, lifelong Watford City resident

 

 

Kit Bashing, Reviews

Kit Bashing: PJ Production has new pilot figures: 1/32 Soviet, 1/48 Modern U.S./NATO & 1/72 SAR

Image

For the second time this year, PJ Production has released three new PUR (polyurethane resin) cast figure kits.  Philippe Jacques (PJ) has just recently issued a 1/32 scale Soviet or Modern Russian pilot, with optional helmets.

1/32 mig pilot1/32 mig pilot parts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A new 1/48 scale modern U.S./NATO pilot joins the growing number of 1/48 PJ pilots.

1/48 u.s./nato1/48 u.s./nato parts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally a set of four 1/72 scale helicopter SAR (Search And Rescue) figures.  Two are seated pilot/co-pilot figures while the other two are crew figures (one standing, one kneeling).

1/72 sar1/72 sar parts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PJ PRODUCTION HAS NEW FIGURE KITS

Kit Bashing, Reviews

Kit Bashing: Heller, Fujimi & Hobbycraft F-86 Sabre kits compared

Don’t throw out that 40 year old Heller kit just because it has raised surface detail.  You can always use the wheels, landing gear doors and speed brake doors.

fuselages

The fuselage of the Heller kit has a better shape, but it doesn’t come with the fuel dump (fixed easily), and the area where the elevators attach is the wrong shape (it’s too straight).  The vertical tail/rudders on the Fujimi and Hobbycraft kits are bigger in area, and taller than the Heller kit.  Fujimi and Hobbycraft have subtle recessed surface details.

f-30 wings

The F-30 wings are about the same size in all three kits.  With Hobbycraft (now issued by Academy?) you get the added benefit of separately molded slats.

f-40 wing

Surprisingly Fujimi does not make a distinction on its packaging regarding the type of wings their kits come with.  In their “JASDF” issue you get an F-86F-40 with the extended span, slated wing.  In their “Mig Mad Marine” issue you get the F-86F-30 with the in Korean War theater hard fenced wing conversion.  Fujimi’s boxes just say “F-86F” (at least on the kits I have).

intake trunks

The old Heller kit has the best detailed main wheels. The Fujimi main wheel tires are the biggest in diameter, followed by Hobbycraft.  Photos indicate that the Fujimi tires might be the correct diameter, but the Heller wheel definitely has the best detail.  All three kits have similar nose wheels.  The real F-86 used at least three types of nose wheels: Two types of spoked wheels, and a solid wheel.  Most of the pictures I’ve seen of the solid nose wheel is of South Korean and West German Sabres.

intake trunks

The Heller and Hobbycraft kits have a short intake trunk.  The Hobbycraft kit has the nose wheel bay and cockpit floor molded onto the trunk.  The Fujimi intake trunking also has the nose wheel bay and cockpit floor molded on, but is much deeper and actually goes somewhere.

fan blades

That somewhere is an incorrectly faced engine.  The fan blades should be set back more (there should be a section of venturi before the blades), and the nose cone should be larger, but who’s gonna really notice once it’s assembled?

doors

The wheel bay doors, and speed brake doors are much better, and accurately detailed on the old Heller kit.

nose gear doors

Hobbycraft has screwed up its nose gear door.  They’ve put the locator stubs on the wrong side.  Their instructions give a vague indication of placement on the correct side of the wheel bay, but if your not paying attention and simply go with the locator stubs you’ll end up with the door on the wrong side (it should be on the pilot’s left side).

elevators

All three kits have issues with their elevators.  The Hobbycraft kit has the shortest, with the least angle of sweep, and rounded tips.  The Fujimi and Heller elevators have the same angle of sweep, but with different shaped tips.  The Heller elevator is the longest of the three.  From three view drawings of F-86F-30s it doesn’t look like any of the three kit makers got it right, although Heller’s looks the closest to being correct.  The Fujimi and Hobbycraft elevators look more like earlier F-86A/E elevators (according to three view drawings).

Other notes: The cockpit details on the Heller kit are worthless.  Fujimi has a nice looking instrument panel (not necessarily accurate, but it looks good), and it looks like Hobbycraft has copied the Fujimi panel.  The detail on the side consoles, in all three kits, is spurious at best.  All three kits have similar looking seats.  All three kits have canopies that can be posed open.  The Heller and Hobbycraft kits come with external fuel tanks, while the Fujimi kit comes with Sidewinder missiles as well as external fuel tanks.

You can improve the Fujimi and Hobbycraft kits with some of the parts from the Heller kit, but you’d still need aftermarket photo etch, or resin parts to improve the wheel bays and cockpits (or scratch build your own).

A note on references: In one book I have (no names/titles mentioned) there is a color photo of a South Korean F-86, with the -40 extended slat wing (and solid nose wheel).  At the back of the book is a color profile of the same aircraft, except it shows the -30 hard fenced wing.  It’s just an example to show that you can’t trust a profile, instead use photos of the real thing.

Part 2: F-86 Saber Fujimi vs Heller, or, Nobody is Perfect!

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Corporate Incompetence: East Idaho train company fails to report derailment of Propane carrying cars

“Upon us looking at it, we found that two rail cars had splits in their outer tank.”-Corey Child, Madison Fire Department Fire Chief

“Somebody really dropped the ball on this one.”-Randy Lewis, Rexburg Police Captain

On October 7, a train pulling cars full of gasoline and propane experienced some of the cars jumping the tracks.  Two of the tankers were full of propane, two other tankers had just been emptied of gasoline.  Authorities were never notified.

Local fire officials found out by word of mouth. When they investigated they found two tanker cars with splits.  HAZMAT crews were called in.

Federal Railroad Administration is now investigating.  The train is owned by Eastern Idaho Railroad.  Officials with the train company said they didn’t think it was a big deal.