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? World Banks tightening their grip on money

On Saturday, June 25, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision announced that all major international banks, and central banks (like the U.S. Federal Reserve) are going to increase their capital reserves.

This means they are going to hold onto more money and issue less loans.  Some banks refer to capital reserves as putting their money to ‘rest’ (aka bank reserves, desired reserves).

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision refused to give a list of which banks will be holding back on their money.  This is an indication that the major international, and central banks do not expect any short term improvement in the world economies.

The increase in capital reserves is to help banks handle monetary emergencies, like traditional “runs on banks”.  Just how long does the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision think the economy will suck?  The new tighter control on money will be implemented in phases, becoming fully in effect in 2018.  Mmmm, it’s 2011 now, uh oh!

Fukushima

Boric Acid to be Poured into Fukushima Daiichi Reator 3

After several months of spewing radiation all over northern Japan, Tokyo Electric Power Company is finally going to use boric acid on one of the Fukushima Daiichi reactors.

Actually TEPCo is pouring a borci acid/water mix into the spent fuel pool above Reactor 3.  By Monday evening, 27 June 2011, they will have used 90 tons of the mixture.

What is happening in the fuel pool is that radioactive concrete debris, from the hydrogen explosions, were stored in the fuel pool.  TEPCo has discovered that calcium hydrate from the concrete debris has made the water highly corrosive, increasing the chances of structural failure of the fuel pool.  They fear the racks holding the spent fuel rods will collapse, causing the rods to crash into each other, thus causing “re-criticality”.

 

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

What Economic Recovery? Idaho Micron says demand for computer chips anemic

Idaho based Micron is reporting a drop in demand for computer chips.  One semiconductor analyst calls it “anemic”.

Micron reports sales are down, even though profits are up 4%, from the previous quarter.  How did they make a profit?  Officially Micron calls it ‘reduction in manufacturing costs’.  That means workers got laid off, in fact since 2008 more than 2000 Micron employees lost their jobs.

When you compare net revenues, year to year, Micron still lost money.

 

International, U.S.

Syria moves troops to border with Turkey, U.S. issues warning, Turkey massing troops

So what if Obama is actually going to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, they’re just going to be used somewhere else.

In response to continued attacks against Syrian police and army troops (three mass graves filled with hundreds of Syrian cops and soldiers have been found), and the fact that Turkey is allowing the build up of NATO forces on a Turkish air base, the Syrian government is massing troops along the Turkish border.

There are reports that Syrian forces attacked impromptu refugee camps along the border.  The United States is warning Syria that their actions could escalate the situation (as if that isn’t what the U.S. wants).

“Unless the Syrian forces immediately end their attacks and their provocations that are not only now affecting their own citizens but (raising) the potential of border clashes, then we’re going to see an escalation of conflict in the area.”-Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State

The Syrian refugees fled into Turkey.  Last week Turkey said it could handle the refugee situation, up to a point.  A Turkish official said they could handle about 10,000 refugees, if the refugee situation escalated beyond that Turkey would have to take action (the official didn’t specify what “action” would be taken).

According to a BBC report, Turkey (a member of the U.S. led NATO) is now massing troops on the border.

Fukushima

Doctors say don’t eat Japanese vegetables, they’re radioactive!

A group of doctors tested people living in the Fukushima Prefecture of Japan.  That’s where the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is.  They discovered people living outside the evacuation zones are internally contaminated with radiation.

The doctors tested people in two cities; Iitate Village and Kawamata Town.  They are about 40 kilometers (24 miles) from the nuclear plant.  They tested their urine, to check for internal radiation contamination.  They found the people have three times what is considered normal exposure for one year.

The doctors are telling the people of Fukushima Prefecture to stop eating the locally grown vegetables.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Obama’s order to release U.S. oil reserves is BS, 27 other countries to release oil reserves is also BS, blame war on Libya

All indicators are that global demand for oil is going down, despite the oil “experts” continuing to say it’s going up.  The fact that oil and gas prices are going down is proof of the decrease in demand.  One study says oil should be at $70.00, based on actual consumer demand.

Yet President Barack Obama, and 27 other members of the International Energy Agency, are ordering the release of their respective strategic oil reserves.

The official reason the Obama administration gives, is to ease the supply problems with oil from Libya.  First off, the U.S. is a minor user of oil from Libya, secondly the U.S. is partly to blame for the oil supply problems in Libya!

The U.S. uses about 1% of oil produced in Libya, according to a USA Today report.  The U.S. has been supporting rebels who destroyed Chinese run oil fields in Libya, according to the Chinese government.

As I’m writing this U.S. crude oil prices are at $91.00 per barrel.  Why release U.S. oil reserves now, and not back when it was more than $100.00 per barrel?

Here something interesting; the U.S. Department of Energy reports that the strategic oil reserves are at record highs, 727 million barrels to be exact.  Why would that be? Because demand is down?

The IEA (not to be confused with the United Nations IAEA) is made up of 28 oil consuming countries, including the United States.  The decision of the IEA to release 60 million barrels of oil reserves, is to benefit the countries that get most of their oil from Libya, ie Europe.  One report showed that almost all of Italy’s oil comes from Libya.

In other words, Obama’s decision to release U.S. strategic oil reserves is for the benefit of the Europeans, not the United States!

It is also totally because of the U.S. supported European war on Libya, the aggressors (U.S. and Europe) brought it upon themselves.

 

 

 

Fukushima

Corporate Incompetence: TEPCo shuts off wrong valves!

Yesterday I speculated that Tokyo Electric Power Company probably installed their water radiation filters backwards.  Today NHK reporting that incorrect settings of the system are the cause of TEPCo’s problems.

At least twice TEPCo had to stop their decontamination of water, at Fukushima Daiichi, because they were getting the reverse effect; an increase in radiation levels in the water.  Another time they stopped because they broke a water pump.

It turns out all those problems were caused by the incorrect setting of valves.  The result was that less than half of the filter chambers were being used.  TEPCo blames their throwaway workers for misunderstanding the “open” and “shut” indicators on the U.S. designed system!

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Idaho Personal Income report misleading, wages & construction down again

Idaho media reporting an increase in “personal income”.  The problem is that “personal income”, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, includes things the average person does not consider “personal income”.

What government officials consider “personal income” includes unemployment benefits, business investments, business profits, farm profits, construction profits and government payments, besides individual wages.

The report for the first quarter of 2011 shows an increase.  But that’s due mainly to business profits, investment returns and farm profits.  When you look at wages for workers, it went down.

Also, income from construction in Idaho also fell, for the 3rd straight quarter.

If your wondering how businesses keep showing a profit, it’s because they’ve been laying workers off, or not hiring when they should!