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.
International

Former Israeli Mossad boss says attacking Iran a mistake

“An attack on Iran would mean regional war…consider all options and not to run straight for the war option.”-Meir Dagan, former Mossad Chief

Dagan said the only reason Israel should go to war, is if it was attacked first.

He downplayed the U.S. rhetoric against Iran’s nuclear program as sabre rattling: “We do not have the ability to stop Iran’s nuclear program. In the best case scenario we can push it off a bit.”

Dagan is also advising the Israeli government to make war plans that would take into account attacking several countries at the same time.


 

International, Opinion

Israel announces plans to force 30,000 people from their homes

Israel announced they will force at least 30,000 Palestinians from their homes in the Negev.  It will take five years and affect Bedouins (nomads) as well as the towns of Rahat, Kseifa and Hura.

Israeli leaders claim they will “compensate” the Palestinians with territory that’s half the size of the area of the Negev the Israelis will take over.  Also, Israelis say they will pay either money, or construction material, to the displaced Palestinians.

The Israeli government estimate it could cost them $2 billion to force the people out of the Negev.  I wounder where Israel will actually get the money from?

The people living in the Negev say they will resist.

International, U.S.

War on Drugs officially a failure

“Political leaders and public figures should have the courage to articulate publicly what many of them acknowledge privately: that the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that repressive strategies will not solve the drug problem, and that the war on drugs has not, and cannot, be won.”-Drug Policy report

The Global Commission on Drug Policy has declared the War on Drugs a failure.  The 19 member commission includes former U.S. Secretary of State George Schultz, and former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.

Anti drug policies are to blame for the failure, especially in the United States.  The report points out that while huge efforts are made to stop drug trafficking, most people who end up in prison are the users of drugs, not the sellers.  The report said studies show that users “do no harm to others.”  So why is so much time and money being spent to put them in jail?

The Global Commission on Drug Policy wants anti-drug policies to focus on health and human rights issues, and even consider making some illegal drugs legal.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Food Crisis: New Deadly Mutant E-Coli Outbreak

“This is a new strain, O157 was almost certainly one of its parents. It’s also got material from another type of E-coli. So you’ve got this germ that’s like O157 but has this extra weaponry, that makes it more nasty.”-Paul Hunter, University of East Anglia in England

E-coli O157 destroys your blood cells and kidneys, and might be the parent of the latest, deadliest form.

German press reports say World Health Organization officials have identified the e-coli, that has killed 17 Germans so far, as a new mutant strain, spawned by two deadly forms of e-coli.  The new strain has been seen before, but not at the level of an outbreak.

E-coli is a bacteria, and everyone has it (in our intestines), at least the non-lethal kind, but there are some very bad versions out there that will kill: “The vast majority of strains are harmless, but there are a select few that are armed and dangerous because of the particular genes they happen to have. These genes produce those toxins. If they produce these toxins, the outcome of infection, rather than just being a tummy upset, can be far more serious.”-Ian Jones, a professor of virology at the University of Reading in England

Now health officials are trying to found out where the new e-coli spawned.  Originally Spanish vegetables were thought to be the carriers (vegetables from Denmark and the Netherlands are suspect as well), but the epicenter of the outbreak is around Hamburg, Germany.  More than 1,000 people in Germany are sick, 470 have reached the stage where kidney failure could occur.

Spain has two cases, but officials say those people had just returned from Germany, prompting Spanish politicians to point the finger of blame to Germany.

Sweden is now reporting cases; one death of a woman who went to Spain, 43 people sick.  The United Kingdom reports seven cases.  Denmark has 14.  Netherlands has eight.  Austria, France, Norway and Switzerland are reporting cases, most of the people had just got back from trips to Germany.

Russia and the United Arab Emirates have banned vegetables from European Union.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it’s increasing inspections of vegetables coming from Europe.

Since e-coli is usually found on the surface of vegetables, the best way to protect yourself is to wash them before eating.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Idaho investor guilty of $76 million Ponzi scheme

Daren Palmer plead guilty, in a Federal court in Pocatello, Idaho, to running a ponzi scheme which cost investors $76 million.

The FBI spent two years investigating, and last month criminal charges were filed against Palmer.  He will be sentenced in August.

The SEC, and CFTC filed civil cases against Palmer, which resulted in an order for Palmer to pay fines and restitution of $90 million.

U.S. Federal attorney’s say Palmer wanted to plead guilty last year.  Some of his neighbors were in the Federal courtroom when he plead guilty, they say he’s a nice guy and believe he just “made a mistake”.

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? People stealing newspaper coupons in Idaho

“The people who are doing it, I guess they wouldn’t consider themselves a criminal. They are just trying to save money.”-Matt Davidson, publisher

The Idaho Statesman reporting a trend making an appearance in Idaho; people stealing newspaper coupons from newspaper vending machines.

“It is becoming a real problem on Sundays because of the value of the coupons and the local interest in couponing over the last few months.”-Frank Peak, newspaper circulation director

In the Boise area, newspaper staff, who stock the vending machines, noticed that many of the Sunday papers were still in the machines but missing the coupons.  They eventually caught one woman, who tried to use the excuse that no one uses them anyway.

Frank Peak says there are several reasons people are stealing coupons, one being the new ‘reality’ TV show “Extreme Couponing”.  Other reasons are the price of gas and the bad economy.

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Idaho leads United States in falling Home Prices

There’s been more news about the continued falling home prices in the U.S.  One company that tracks those prices says Idaho is the biggest loser.

Corelogic reports that for April 2011, Idaho home prices fell 15.2% compared to April 2010.  It’s also twice the current average for the entire United States.

According to the Center of Business Research and Economic Development at Boise State University, most of Idaho’s home sales, prior to the housing market bubble burst, were actually being driven by “second home” buying and real estate speculation.

When the bubble burst those kind of sales stopped.  Now Idaho is looking at a more realistic picture of property sales, which is reflecting the overall bad economy.

Fukushima

Don’t Eat Radioactive Snow!

Researchers in Japan have discovered that snow on mountains near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are contaminated with cesium.

Meteorology students from Fukushima University took 31 samples of snow.  14 samples showed high levels of cesium.  The average level of contamination exceeds the safe limit of 200 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium.  One sample, taken at 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) has 3000 becquerels of cesium.

Fukushima University Vice-President Watanabe Akira says the research shows that large amounts of cesium is spewing into the air.

 

Idaho, U.S.

Idaho’s Mike Simpson says “reforming” Medicare will get GOP “beat up” in elections, but it’s worth it

U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson, from Idaho’s 2nd District, admitted that the Republican party will get beat up in future elections, for Medicare reforms: “We knew that the first person that threw something on the table was going to get the living crap beat out of them, we might be beat up in the elections in the future.  But you got to be willing to take that if you want to reform the system.”

Simpson is supporting House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s reform bill, which would replace Medicare with federal subsidies to buy private health insurance.  I know people who got tricked into switching to privately run Medicare programs (private insurance) and they regret it.  Even the AARP is against it.

When Simpson says the GOP will be beat up in future elections, because of their Medicare reforms, who does he think will be doing the beating?  The voters of course!  So in a round about way Simpson is admitting that Republicans are not doing what the voters want!

Idaho, Kit Bashing, U.S.

Kit Bashing & Education Reform: Idaho Students Building Model Kits

Buhl Middle School, in Buhl, Idaho, is using model car kits to help students with reading and researching.

6th graders are not just putting together models, they’re spending time doing historical research about the cars they’re building.  They’re also learning about different styles of customizing cars.

The building of model kits has made some huge progress in the past 4 decades.  Many builders don’t just slap the kits together; they spend lots of time researching their subjects to create the most accurate representations they can.  If you want to compete in the big time model contests it’s a necessity that you’re historically literate.

When it comes to the history of cars, it’s not just the technical history that kids can learn, it’s also the cultural history, especially when it comes the “fads” of car customizing trends.  So don’t think of model kits as “toys” (especially when you realize how expensive they’ve gotten over the decades), think of them as “educational tools”.