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

Reactor 4 overheating, losing water, 70% of fuel rods in Reactor 1 damaged!

Tokyo Electric Power Company says temperatures in Reactor 4 fuel pool shot up again,  this after they injected almost 200 tons of water before the weekend.  TEPCo will try injecting more water on 25 April.  Reactor 4 fuel pool seems to be losing water faster than they can put it in.  They are concerned the building is too damaged to inject anymore water.

TEPCo also says that Fukushima Daiichi’s Reactor 1 is more damaged than thought.  They believe that 70% of  Reactor 1’s fuel rods are damaged, and they are having trouble maintaining water levels.  They have been injecting water at a rate of 6 tons per hour.  TEPCo wants to try building a new heat exchanger building, to cool the water they are injecting.  In fact TEPCo is having major problems keeping all the reactors cool.

 

Business/Economics, Fukushima

Japanese bank president resigns, because they weren’t prepared for 9.0 quake

Remember the stories about Japanese who couldn’t get their money out of the banks, after the March 11 disasters?  The president of one of those banks has just resigned, because they weren’t prepared.

Satoru Nishibori, president of Mizuho Bank, will leave in June.  He failed to authorize a proposed computer update. The result was that all the ATMs in Japan shut down after the 9.0 quake.

This is not the first time Mizuho Bank had computer problems.  Back in 2002 when three banks merged under Mizuho Bank, there were problems caused by failing to integrate the three banks computer systems.  Two executives resigned over that.

But even after that officials with the bank did not see any reason to update their computer programs, which are 20 years old!  It took 10 days to restore the computer system, after the March 11 disasters.  It still does not run smoothly, because they have no manual, or personnel, to address such a problem!

There is word that action could be taken against the bank’s parent company, Mizuho Financial Group.  This is another example of how the Japanese are not prepared for disasters.

Business/Economics, International

Toyota expecting parts supply problem to last for months, cutting production in Thailand

Toyota announced that production at its factories will not return to pre-March 11 levels, until December.  Toyota expects 2011 production levels to be lower than 2009.

Production in Japan will not pick up until July.  Production at all other Toyota plants will remain low until August.  And that’s a best guess: “We don’t know how the production recovery curve will shape up.”-Atsushi Niimi, Toyota Executive Vice President

Toyota officials pointed out that in today’s car factories it only takes one missing part to shut down production.  Especially when it comes to electronic parts.

Toyota is now cutting production at its Thailand factory by 50%, starting April 25.  Honda and Nissan have announced similar cuts at their Thailand factories.

 

 

Business/Economics, International

Iran and Brazil closer together, Iranian trade center to open in Brasilia

Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota announced his country’s new President, Dilma Rousseff, will continue the policies of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in regards to Iran: “Rousseff will stay on the path of her predecessor and mentor Lula da Silva.”

Now Iran will open a trade center in Brazil.  The move is meant to increase trade between the two countries.  According to a 2009 IMF report, Brazil is Iran’s largest trade partner in South America.  Iran also has trade deals with Venezuela, Ecuador, and Cuba.

International, U.S.

Iraqi religious leader issues warning for U.S., if it doesn’t leave as planned

“Americans occupied our country and started corruption in here and ruined whatever was left by Saddam, therefore after 7 years and based on the security agreement (between Iraq and the U.S.), all the U.S. forces should leave Iraq at the end of 2011.  The extended mission of the infidel occupiers in Iraq even for one single day after the mentioned date (as cited in the security agreement) is haram (religiously forbidden).”-Senior Iraqi Shiite Grand Ayatollah Kazzem al-Hosseini al-Haeri

International, U.S.

Iraqis attack U.S. base, again, 2 soldiers killed

Ever since officials from the Obama administration made statements about staying in Iraq passed the 2011 withdrawal date, the Iraqis have been really upset.  Not only protests, but attacking U.S. bases.

According to some reports a U.S. base was attacked on April 23.  Three rockets hit the Echo Army base near the city of Diwaniyah, in southern Iraq. This makes the fourth time the base has been attacked in the past few weeks.   On April 22, two U.S. soldiers were killed, patrolling in southern Iraq.  No details were given by U.S. officials.  So far for April nine U.S. personnel have been killed.

Fukushima

Japanese ordered to evacuate, but government won’t help, even moving companies refuse to help!

“We were told to evacuate, but we can’t. Are the moving companies just going to abandon us without offering help?”-Evacuee

People living in mandatory evac zones, in Fukushima Prefecture, have until the end of May to get out.  But they are on their own when it comes to actually moving.  Even moving companies are refusing their business.

Moving companies claim safety for their employees:  “We don’t let our workers go in the zone where evacuations are planned, or anywhere within 30 kilometers of the plant, because of safety considerations. However, if the prefecture and local authorities combine to make a request, we’ll look at what can be done.”-Nippon Express Company

So far 6,000 people have asked for the services of moving companies.  This is another example of how unprepared Japan is.  How can you order a mandatory evacuation, without providing any way for the people to move?  Typical of governments worldwide!

Fukushima

Local governments say radiation contamination increasing outside evac zones, contradicts claims by national government!

The situation around the Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant is not getting better.  Radiation contamination is spreading, and increasing.

Officials say the radiation levels at the damaged nuclear plant continue to increase, making it more difficult for workers struggling to get the facility under control.  Tokyo Electric Power Company says radiation levels at the nuclear reactor buildings are still to high for humans to approach.

Radiation levels are increasing outside the now mandatory evacuation zones.  The Fukushima state government has issued a warning to people outside the evacuation zones, saying they should limit their time outdoors.  School playgrounds and public parks are being monitored for contamination.  Already five public parks, outside the evac zones, are showing contamination at, or above, the safe limits set by the prefectural government.  Officials are telling residents, and visitors, to limit their time at those parks to no more than one hour per day.

The increasing radiation levels being reported by local governments contradicts the Japanese Prime Minister’s office, which said the risk of radiation leaks is receding.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

New York City desperate to sell land to China

New York City’s Economic Development Corporation is hosting a weeklong program, trying to sell property to Chinese companies.

It’s another sign that the economy is not recovering.  Real estate agents can’t sell enough property to U.S. companies, so they’re trying to get the rich Chinese to buy it.

Several Chinese businesses have already opened New York City offices, include the apparel company Li & Wang, and several banks and investment firms.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Chinese bankers say dump U.S. dollar, buy other currencies

Several banking officials in China, have stated that they Chinese government needs to “reduce” and “diversify” their foreign currency holdings.

Tang Shuangning, chairman of China Everbright Group said China must reduce its excessive foreign exchange reserves and further diversify its holdings.

Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of China’s central bank, said that China’s foreign exchange reserves “exceed our reasonable requirement”.

Xia Bin, a member of the monetary policy committee of the central bank, said China should further diversify its foreign exchange holdings.

According to western media reports, most of China’s foreign currency holdings are in U.S. dollars.  This is part of why the value of the U.S. dollar hasn’t dropped as far as it should have.  But if the Chinese government listens to its bankers, then the dollar could crash.

When the Chinese bankers say China must reduce its current foreign currency holdings they’re talking about U.S. dollars.  They’re saying the Chinese government has too many, based on how bad the U.S. economy is.

When the Chinese bankers say they want the Chinese government to diversify foreign currency holdings, they mean they want to get rid of U.S. dollars and buy money from countries that have good economies, like Russia, India, South Africa and several South American countries.