Category Archives: Business/Economics

Business/Economics, International

Britain facing larger and more violent protests, thanks to budget cuts and war with Libya

Thousands of people took to the streets in London, on March 26. Police were attacked with paint bombs and ammonia bombs.  Businesses were attacked, even delivery trucks.  The Cause? Huge budget cuts for schools and health care, and War.

“It’s been ten years now that we’ve been intervening in wars. We had the war in Afghanistan, then we had Iraq, now suddenly is a third theater of war. At the same time [the British government] says it hasn’t got enough money for the welfare that people in this country need. And they say everybody has to make sacrifices. Well may be we should not be spending 800,000 pounds per missile. How many libraries, how many nurseries, how many young people sent to school we could fund?”-Lindsey German, protester

CNN has incorrectly reported that the protests were organized by trade unions. The truth is that Saturday’s protests had been planned for a while. The trade unions decided to join in after the U.K. government decided to attack Libya. Saturday’s protest was made up of people from college students to health care providers to skilled laborers. What all the protesters want to know is; if the government doesn’t have the money for schools and hospitals, or to promote job growth, where is the money coming from for the war against Libya?

Police say they arrested 157 people. 35 people, including 5 police officers, were injured.

Business/Economics, Fukushima

Want that new Ford in Black, or Red? You’ll have to wait, even paint supplies are running short

It was looking like Ford would escape supply problems from Japan, nope.  Ford announced that specific colors for their new vehicles will be in short supply, due to the disasters in Japan.

Yes, even paint comes from Japan.

An ingredient used to make Ford’s Tuxedo Black, and three shades of red, come from Japan.  That ingredient is called Xirallic.

Ford is trying to find a substitute ingredient.

Business/Economics

Tokyo Electric speculates that reactor core is leaking

TEPCo officials speculate that the contaminated water in the basement of reactor 3, might have come from the reactor core.

It might have been caused by high pressure inside the reactor core.  It could have been caused by valves, or the core was “compromised”.

Business/Economics, Fukushima

Japanese companies say main reason for shutdown is damage to buildings

A survey of Japanese businesses that shut down, or reduced production, because of the 9.0 quake/tsunami, shows that at least half blame it on damage to their buildings.

The next biggest reason is destroyed infrastructure: Lack of electricity, destroyed roads/rails.

Business/Economics, International

New problem in Japan: Why keep paying for a house no longer there? Why pay employees when your business is gone?

Attorneys in Japan are dealing with disaster survivors asking for advice concerning paying debts, and even paying employees.

Those asking for advise have lost everything; jobs, homes, businesses, etc.

Apparently there are no legal parameters in Japan for dealing with legal issues that will arise from a catastrophic event.

One attorney, who is also a disaster survivor, has been offering free advice.  Most of the time he tells the people that they must wait until the Japanese parliament comes up with new laws to handle the situation.

Business/Economics, Opinion, U.S.

Why does the Federal Reserve feel optimistic about the Economy? They made a big Profit

The Federal Reserve Bank, a privately run bank established by Congress, feels better about the economic recovery. Why?  They made a $81.7 billion profit in 2010.

The Federal Reserve makes profit by charging interest on the money it loans to other banks and financial institutions.  It can also make money buying and selling U.S. bonds.

As we’ve seen over the past year, many big banks reported profits. Now the Fed is reporting big profits.  In other words the economy is good if you’re in banking.

 

Business/Economics, Fukushima

Toyota restarts hybrid production

People who just have to have a hybrid car will be glad to know that Toyota plans to start making them again.

Toyota’s hybrids are made in Japan, and production was shut down due to parts shortage (thank Mother Earth, 11 March 2011 quake-tsunami). They plan to resume production on Monday.

Production of non-hybrid Toyota vehicles, made in Japan, remains halted.

 

Business/Economics, Fukushima

No farming in parts of Japan thanks to radiation

Some farming villages that escaped the tsunami, did not escape radiation from Fukukshima Daiichi nuclear plant.

What has people amazed is that these farming villages are outside the government’s 30km nuclear disaster zone.

Soil samples have revealed that radiation levels are more than 1,000 times normal.  Wind and rain is suspected for bringing the radiation outside the 30km zone.

This is proof that nuclear disasters affected far greater areas than what most people think.  This will just add to the world’s growing food supply problems.