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.
Idaho, International, U.S.

Global Food Crisis: Idaho hit by cold, wet weather, and Potato Worms

The planting season is way behind schedule in the U.S. state of Idaho; at least two to three weeks according to some farmers.  The weather has been too cold, and too wet.  Here in eastern Idaho the Snake and Portneuf rivers are flooding, making it worse.

The flooding Portneuf is hitting farmers in Inkom: “We’ll lose about 4 to 500 ton of hay and probably, I don’t know how much barley, 150 ton of barley. The problem is there’s still a lot of snow to come down, and I think it’s probably gonna be in July or August before we can get in here, and it’s gonna be to late to crop.”-Jim Guthrie, Inkom farmer

The cold is keeping seeds from sprouting: “The cold weather has probably been as much of a delay as the moisture has been. My sugar beets have been in the ground three weeks and they haven’t sprouted yet. With the cold weather we’ve been having, maybe it’s a good thing they haven’t.”-Jim Tiede, American Falls farmer

Potatoes need relatively dry soil to be planted, and they need a hot summer to help them grow big.  Farmers are worried this summer might not be hot enough, or long enough.  Add to that a little worm that likes to eat spuds: “It’s an extremely difficult pest to get rid of.  The thing can last in the soil for decades, and so the process that you go through to get rid of it is extremely long.”-Larry Hawkins, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Hawkins is talking about a microscopic bug that has seen $36 million spent over five years, trying to get rid of it.  It’s shown up in several eastern Idaho potato fields this year.  The nematodes are not native to Idaho; they first showed up in Bingham county in 2006.  They’re not dangerous to people, but can reduce potato yields by 80%.

Fukushima

Tropical storm flooding Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant!

The heavy rains from a tropical storm that hit Japan, are flooding the damaged reactor buildings with more water.

That is creating the potential for even more contaminated water getting into the Pacific Ocean.  Radioactive water continues to pour from the reactors, TEPCo has failed to stop it..

Fukushima

Corporate Incompetence: TEPCo continues to screw up, workers still not being checked for radiation exposure!

According to NHK, to date only 40% of workers at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, have been given radiation check ups.

Tokyo Electric Power Company didn’t start testing until 11 days after the 11 March disasters.

Japanese standard safe limits for radiation exposure is 100 millisieverts.  So far two workers have been exposed to more than 250 millisieverts.  Another 30 have been exposed to more than 100 millisieverts.

TEPCo is trying to shift blame by saying workers are not taking their iodide pills properly.  But even that is TEPCo’s fault; radiology experts are questioning whether the timing and level of iodide dosage was appropriate.

International

Corporate Incompetence: Japanese train company raided by police after train fire

The Hokkaido Railway Company has been raided by police, after one of their passenger trains jumped the tracks in a tunnel and caught fire.  The police took all the company maintenance and operations records.

Investigators say they found a part that fell off before the train jumped the tracks.  Also, the train conductor called HRC headquarters asking for evacuation of the passengers, but company officials denied the evacuation because they were still waiting for “confirmation” of the fire.  39 passengers were injured.

International

Global Food Crisis: China hit with long drought & big wheat harvest

China is a land of extremes, literally.

In Central China the drought has become so bad that people are being told not to expect any water for another year.  It has drastically cut rice production.  The area is normally flooded at this time of year: “Usually it’s the season to fight floods, local villagers would ride on these boats to reinforce dams along the way. However, the drought has reduced water levels significantly, and as you can see, all the boats are stranded.”-local farmer

At the other end of the extreme, in Anhui, Henan and Shandong provinces, wheat farmers think they will have their best harvest for the first time in five years.  If they do, China hopes it will reduce their need for foreign wheat: “This year is supposed to be a bumper year for wheat harvest. That is of great importance to the whole macroeconomic situation, and stabilization of the price level for commodity prices. It could also enhance China’s capability to minimize the impact of wheat price fluctuations brought by international grain prices.”-Li Guoxiang, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

International

Global Food Crisis: Europe hit by drought & e-coli

French Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire reporting that rain fall is only half what it was at the same time last year.  French wheat harvests will be down by at least 11%, and exports will be cut in half.

Russia is banning fresh produce from Germany and Spain. At least 14 Germans died from e-coli.  Initially the e-coli was traced to cucumbers, but is now showing up in other produce.

International, U.S.

African Union pushes NATO to accept their peace deal with Gaddafi

“I can say that the Libyan leader is ready to implement what is in the roadmap by the AU.”-South African President Jacob Zuma

For the second time, Gaddafi has accepted an AU cease fire and peace plan.  The first time U.S. led NATO, and the rebels, rejected the offer.  The South African president said: “…the importance of the ceasefire proposed by the AU on condition that NATO and (others) stop bombing and give the Libyan people a chance to solve their problems by themselves.”

The African Union is upset because Libya is a member of the AU, and the AU sees NATO’s actions against Libya as an attack against the African continent.

 

U.S.

Texas tries to criminalize TSA grope fest, gets slammed by Department of Justice, Utah says will criminalize TSA

“The absolute overbearing audacity of the federal government in threatening Texas while Texas is trying to protect their citizens should really offend any red-blooded American.”-Carl Wimmer, Utah State Representative

Texas tried to make it a crime if Transportation Security Administration screeners touched your fiddly bits during a pat downs.  The U.S. Department of Justice stopped it by threatening to shut down flights in and out of Texas.

Now Utah says they want to criminalize TSA pat down grope fests as well: “Texas needs us to stand with them.”-Carl Wimmer

The Utah Legislature will vote on their bill next year.