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.
Fukushima, Technology

Corporate Incompetence: Fukushima Daiichi water decontamination system crashes!

Ever since Tokyo Electric Power Company  installed a water decontamination and recirculation system, they’ve had problems after problems.  Now the entire system has crashed.

The system includes filters and pumps designed in the United States and France.  The idea is to decontaminate the massive amount of radioactive water flooding into the basements of the reactor buildings, then re-use that water to cool the unstable reactors.

The most common problem, in the many weeks since it’s installation, has been the fact that the decontamination part is not working well, the radiation levels are not being reduced to a level TEPCo would like (this is another proof that radiation levels coming out of the reactors are much higher than TEPCo would like to admit).

The next most common problem is that pumps keep failing.  This time all the pumps have failed, including the back up pumps.

Beginning Thursday, 04 August 2011, pumps began failing.  By Saturday, 06 August, all the pumps were down.  As usual TEPCo does not know why, and is investigation to find out why!!!

TEPCo is planning on hooking up a Japanese designed filters and pumps to the system, as if that’s the solution.

International

Mexico reports success fighting Dengue Fever

In the state of Oaxaca, cases of Dengue have been reduced by 80%, compared to 2010.  Last year, at the same time, there were more than 1,000 cases, this year 255 so far.

How’d they do it?  Oaxaca officials are praising various efforts, including mosquito eradication.

State officials are not only overseeing vector control in cities, but individual homes as well.  They’ve also had a special focus on tourist areas.

Vector (pests that spread disease) control, includes keeping properties cleaned up and organized, especially getting rid of standing water, and keeping necessary water sources covered.

International, U.S.

U.S. citizen arrested for smuggling ammo into Mexico

The Mexican government says Mexican police arrested a woman after they discovered her shopping cart filled with 3,500 rounds of ammo.

The woman, a U.S. citizen, was heading from El Paso, Texas, to Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua.  Police say she admitted to being part of the gun running from the United States: “The woman said she was traveling to the downtown area of ​​Ciudad Juarez, where some people deliver military equipment.”-Mexican Attorney General’s Office

Mexican officials says the ammunition was made in Russia, Korea, Brazil, United States and even Mexico.

Business/Economics, International

What Economic Recovery? Germany says no more bailout money for Italy

Der Spiegel is reporting that German government officials doubt any more bailout money can save Italy, even if the current European Financial Stability Fund was tripled in size.

German officials have consistently said government finance reforms must come through spending cuts, and tax reform, not taking on more loans.

Currently the European Financial Stability Fund has $627 billion (440 billion Euros), and Germany says even if that was somehow tripled it wouldn’t be enough to save Italy.

Earlier in the week the European Central Bank started buying more government bonds from smaller European countries, but refused to buy any bonds from Italy and Spain (an indication that the bank has little confidence in those countries paying them back).

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Emergency World meeting over U.S. credit downgrade, China says no more U.S. dollar, Germany says finally the U.S. gets what it deserves

“The U.S. government has to come to terms with the painful fact that the good old days when it could just borrow its way out of messes of its own making are finally gone.”-Chinese government/media commentary

The European Central Bank will hold an emergency meeting on Sunday, August 7.  The issue; the credit rating downgrade for the United States.

Finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 7 major industrialized nations will meet by telephone on Sunday.  The broader Group of 20 were due to hold a conference call Saturday evening.

China and Japan are calling for coordinated action to avoid a new worldwide financial crisis.  One issue that’s being looked at is whether the world can continue to use the U.S. dollar as a reserve currency: “International supervision over the issue of U.S. dollars should be introduced and a new, stable and secured global reserve currency may also be an option to avert a catastrophe caused by any single country.”-Chinese government/media commentary

Another issue to be discussed is the amount of secure debt versus risky debt: “It will weigh on secure assets. The bigger reaction will be on risky assets, including equities and on agencies and states backed directly by the federal government. U.S. Treasuries will remain a benchmark. This is a ship which takes a long time to turn around.”-Ciaran  O’Hagan, Societe Generale in Paris.

Germany, the economic powerhouse of Europe, says it’s about time the U.S. got what it deserves: “I’m not surprised about the U.S. rating downgrade, rather I am astonished that, for weeks, international rating agencies have focused their attention on the European debt situation but not the American one. For a while, there have been clear worries about America’s economic woes but also the fact the U.S. is heavily indebted.”-Norbert Barthle, a budget expert for German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party

 

 

Business/Economics, International

What Economic Recovery? German drug giant Bayer may leave Germany, find new home in China

German drug and chemical giant, Bayer, says high utility cost in Germany could force it to move all its German operations to a new location outside of Europe.

The most likely new home for Bayer, China.

Bayer blames the German government, and in a round about way the German people, for their decision to end the use of nuclear power plants in Germany.

Bayer claims the electricity cost would skyrocket, making it almost impossible for them to do business in Germany : “It is important that we remain competitive in comparison with other countries. Otherwise, a global business such as Bayer would have to consider relocating its production to countries with lower energy costs.”-Marijn Dekkers, CEO

Dekkers hinted that China could be Bayer’s new home, because they’ve already invested big time into their China operations.  They’re also looking at Brazil and India.

It’s not like Bayer is losing money in this bad economy.  They reported a net profit of $1.1 billion for the second quarter of this year!

 

 

International, U.S.

Preping for Syrian invasion: Germany tells fellow EU members to get their diplomats out of Syria

“In order to increase the political pressure on Damascus and to give a signal to Syrian society, I would welcome the withdrawal of European politicians.”-Ruprecht Polenz, chairman of the German parliament’s foreign affairs committee

“I do not believe that there can be a political future for Assad that would be supported by the Syrian people.”-Guido Westerwelle, German Foreign Minister

These statements by German officials come after Syrian officials announced they will hold new elections.  Also, the Syrian government is allowing the forming of new political parties.

As usual “western” leaders are not going to give them a chance, especially after U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, announced that Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, is no longer considered “legitimate” by the U.S. government.  That’s a sure sign military intervention will happen.

International, U.S.

United Police States of America & Hypocrisy in the War on Terror: Convicted U.S. soldier who led abuse at Abu Ghraib released from prison early

U.S. Army Reserve specialist, Charles Graner, led a six member team at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.  Maybe you’ve forgotten all those pics of prisoners being terrorized by U.S. soldiers?

Graner was found guilty and sentenced to ten years in prison.  Now he’s being released after only 6 and a half years.  Iraqis have warned the U.S. should be prepared for riots against U.S. troops, at the news of Graner’s early release.

I wonder how all those people still imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay (GITMO) would react to hearing that a convicted U.S. terrorist is being let loose after serving less time than they’ve spent at GITMO, and they still haven’t been charged with anything!!!

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Proof the housing market hasn’t fallen enough: Big Banks bulldozing smalltown America

“Things that were unthinkable are now becoming thinkable.”-James W. Hughes, School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University

If you want proof that the housing market still hasn’t hit bottom, just look at what Bank of America is doing, they’re bulldozing all those homes they foreclosed on.  Why? “There is way too much supply, the best thing we can do to stabilize the market is to get the garbage off.”-Gus Frangos, Cuyahoga County Land Re-utilization Corp of Cleveland

It’s not just BoA, but the other big banks that foreclosed (sometimes unjustifiably) on hundreds of thousands of homes across the U.S. are doing the same thing.

Essentially the big mortgage lenders shot themselves in the foot.  Now there is way too many homes on the market, compared to the decreasing number of qualified home buyers.

BoA is planning on bulldozing 100 homes in Cleveland, Ohio.  BoA is even giving away homes to local authorities: “No one needs these homes, no one is going to buy them. Bank of America is not going to be able to cover its losses, so it might as well give them away and get a little write-off and some nice public relations.”-Christopher Thornberg, Los Angeles office of Beacon Economics LLC

So far they’ve off loaded around 100 homes in Detroit, Michigan and 150 in Chicago, Illinois.

Even big cities are bulldozing their own.  Detroit Mayor, Dave Bing, proposed bulldozing one quarter of the entire city’s houses, and empty buildings, over the next three years.

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Rice becomes the new Gold in Japan, add another notch to the tightening famine belt

Now that it’s become clear that most of Japan’s upcoming rice harvests are most likely to be contaminated with cesium, Japanese are holding onto last years rice like it was gold.

Japanese retailers are reporting that bags of last year’s rice are flying off the shelves, because consumers don’t think there will be any rice available from this year’s harvests.

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry says it’s working to ensure the safety of this year’s rice harvests.  But so far the government has a real bad track record of proving their incompetence regarding nuclear contamination.

Lack of rice in Japan, yet another notch in the tightening belt of the global food crisis.