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.

New York Mets: Madoff Ponzi Scheme Partners?

The owners of the New York Mets baseball team are in big trouble, financially anyway.  They just struck out on a much needed injection of cash from potential investor David Einhorn.  To the tune of $200 million.

The Mets owners lost money when ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff was finally caught.  But don’t shed a tear for the owners of the Mets, turns out they were making big profits under Madoff’s illegal investment pyramid.

Irving Picard, a lawyer, doesn’t believe claims by Mets owners, that they were ignorant of Madoff’s ponzi scheme.  He’s suing them for a grand total of $1 billion.

Out of that $1 billion, $300 million covers the profits the Mets owners made off Madoff’s illegal scheme, and the other $700 million is the total amount the Mets invested with Bernie Madoff.

 

 

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

What Economic Recovery? Hoku, Idaho, finally to start polysilicon production, but ongoing delays will cost solar company money

“We are positioned to bring the first 2,500 metric tons of manufacturing capacity online in the coming weeks, and we continue commissioning key systems on site.”-Scott Paul, CEO of Hoku Corporation

After years of continued promises of local hiring and construction delays, due to financial problems, Hoku claims it will finally start polysilicon production within weeks.

However, Idaho Power insists that Hoku pay up front for its electricity, Hoku officials claim they’ve already paid $5.3 million to the utility.  This is just part of a long list of financial problems the wannabe polysilicon maker has had.

It’s ironic that a solar power “products and services” company must rely on an old fashioned electric utility to provide power to run their new 2,500 metric tons of polysilicon factory.

Hoku Corporation has already lost $10.2 million during the second quarter of 2011.  The solar power products company is based in Hawaii.  Their polysilicon Hoku Materials plant is located in Pocatello, Idaho.

Hoku has been getting financial help from a Chinese company; Tianwei New Energy Holdings.

Hoku salesmen oversold their company’s product, and now they’re scrambling to issue refunds, and offer discounts on existing contracts for waiting so long for their product.

All current orders for polysilcon are delayed, no thanks to the financial problems that have delayed construction of the Pocatello plant for the past couple of years.  Expect Hoku to continue reporting losses as a result.

2010: HOKU TURNING TO CHINA TO HELP FINISH POCATELLO PLANT

 

International, Technology

Expensive Saffron can stop Cancer

“Although the exact mechanism of the anti-cancer effect of saffron is unclear, studies in animals and in human cells have even suggested that saffron can inhibit certain cancers.”-Amr Amin.

The Science Daily reports that a study shows that the expensive spice, Saffron, can stop some cancers.

Researchers at the United Arab Emirates University, fed saffron to 24 rats daily, for 24 weeks.  They also injected them with liver cancer inducing compounds.

For a control group they kept eight rats, who got the liver cancer injection, but received distilled water instead of saffron.

Only four of the 24 saffron fed rats developed cancerous growths, whereas six of the eight rats from the control group developed cancer.

The next phase of the study is to put humans with liver cancer on a saffron rich diet.

The expensive spice is made from the Crocus sativus flower.  It is also used to treat depression, inflammation, memory loss, and as an antioxidant.

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Latest survey shows there are less jobs now, than in 2008, study says Corporate America is Lieing when they use the excuse “they can’t find qualified workers”

“To fill the gap by mid-2014, three years from now, 400,000 jobs would need to be created each month.”-EPI study titled: Sustained, high joblessness causes lasting damage to wages, benefits, income, and wealth

The latest Economic Policy Insitute study shows there are 6.8 million fewer jobs now, than when the recession officially started in 2008.

The study also indicated that it was a pipe dream to some how create 400,000 new jobs every month.  So far, evil Corporate America has been hiring a paltry average of 144,000 jobs each month.  The EPI authors say at that rate it’ll take 15 more years to get the United States back to its pre-2008 glory.  And this study doesn’t take into account all those federal and state government jobs that will be lost due to budget cutting.

Another aspect of the study showed that Corporate America’s claim that there are no qualified workers to hire, is a lie!  That type of unemployment is called Structural Unemployment.

The study found that the ratio of job openings, to job seekers, is one opening for every four applicants.  It’s been that way for at least two years now.  With an average of four unemployed people applying for one job, how can Corporate America say they can’t find any qualified workers?

Here’s another reason: The unemployed include people from every education group, including college graduates with Masters degrees.  This means Corporate America has a vast pool of trained and educated people to pick from, yet Corporate America isn’t hiring!

 

 

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Idaho New & Used car sales drop nearly 20%

A survey by Cross Sell, and the Idaho Statesman, revealed that new and used car sales, in southwest Idaho, plunged in July 2011.

Southwest Idaho is supposedly doing better economically than eastern Idaho, yet new and used car sales declined.  When compared year to year, sales dropped 14%.  When you compare July 2011, to June 2011, the drop is 19%.

 

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

No Economic Recovery for the U.S.: eBay striking it rich in China

“Chinese exporters today have a significant price advantage, and combined with eBay’s global reach, it creates a very powerful business opportunity.”-Jay Lee, eBay Asia-Pacific.

California based eBay is seeing huge yuan signs, not dollar signs.  That’s because the online auction and retail site is making big gains in China.

Just a few years back anyone in the U.S. who bought something from China, through eBay, had to wait nearly two months to get their item.  Now it’s taking less than a month (I know, I’ve bought a couple of things from China through eBay).

That reduction in shipping time is helping to boost eBay’s China operation: “Now it takes only seven to 10 days for Chinese products sold through eBay to reach any destination in the U.S.”-Jeff Liao, eBay Greater China. (Personally I haven’t experienced that fast of shipping time)

At the end of 2010, 20% of eBay sales were outside the United States, most of which involved China.  EBay officials predict their Chinese operation to grow an amazing 30%-40% every year!

 

 

Fukushima

Corporate Incompetence: TEPCo throwaway subcontractors contaminated with radiation!

In less than two weeks, four contractors working at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant, have been contaminated with radiation.

All four were contaminated by water from the defective water decontamination system.

Two workers were contaminated when they replaced defective parts, the other two were contaminated when water surged out of a valve that was mistakenly left open.

Tokyo Electric Power Company has been constantly criticized for how it handles its contracted employees.  Many former employees claim TEPCo provides no training, and even no protective gear.  One government agency backed up those claims a couple of months ago.

The Japanese government is still waiting for health screenings for hundreds of TEPCo employees, as well as the whereabouts of 200 missing employees.  In one public meeting, Tokyo Electric officials said the missing 200 employees were probably terrorists!

 

 

International

Typhoon Talas to hit Japan on September 2

Hurricane forecasters say Typhoon Talas will hit Japan on Friday.  The storm continues to intensify.  Talas has sustained winds near 55 knots (63 mph/103 kmh).

Talas is about 465 miles (748 km) south of Kyoto, Japan.   It’s moving northward, slowly at 5 knots (6 mph).  Storm-force winds extending out 210 miles, making the typhoon at least 420 miles (675 km) in diameter.

Forecasters now think Talas will cross over Japan, into the Sea of Japan.  Earlier storm track predictions had the typhoon turning and cutting a path right up the center of Honshu and Hokkaido.

Latest on how Talas is not a “normal” hurricane.

 

Technology, U.S.

East Coast U.S. Nuclear plants under inspection for Earthquake damage, exceeeded design limits

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is sending a team of experts to a nuclear power plant in the state of Virginia, that was hit by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake on August 23.

The North Anna nuclear power station is about 20km (12 miles) away from the epicenter of the strongest quake to hit the east coast state in 114 years.

The NRC now admits the plant had experienced tremors that exceeded the level it was designed to withstand.