Category Archives: International

International, U.S.

World War 3: Karzai demands U.S. troops pull back, U.S. officials blow him off, Taliban end talks with U.S. officials, Afghans want the U.S. out now!

The Taliban have called off all negotiations with the United States, saying the Americans are nothing but back stabbers: “The Americans initially agreed to take practical steps regarding the exchange of prisoners and to not oppose our political office but with the passage of time, they turned their backs on their promises and started initiating baseless propaganda portraying the envoys of the Islamic Emirate as having commenced multilateral negotiations for solving the Afghan dilemma…” 

The Taliban say they will not resume negotiations “…until the Americans clarify their stance on the issues concerned and until they show willingness in carrying out their promises instead of wasting time.”

Afghan President Hamid Karzai told off U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panette, telling him all “international security forces have to be taken out of Afghan village outposts and return to (larger) bases.” as well as insisting that Afghanistan can handle its own security: “We’re ready to take over all security responsibilities now……Afghan security forces have the ability to keep the security in rural areas and in villages on their own!”

Basically Karzai wants the United States out by next year!

Afghans are in the streets demanding the U.S. get out now!

The Associated Press reported that Pentagon officials didn’t think Karzai meant what he said.  Statements from U.S. President Barack Obama support that: “I don’t anticipate, at this stage, that we’re going to be making any sudden, additional changes to the plan that we currently have.”

Thousands of Afghans are protesting what they see as dirty tricks regarding the handling of the “lone” shooter, in the Panjwaii massacre.

The Times revealed that in his meeting with Karzai, Leon Panette simply said the shooter would be brought to justice.  Under Islamic law it is the right of the victims to demand how that justice is carried out: “It was the demand of the families of the martyrs of this incident, the people of Kandahar and the people of Afghanistan to try him publicly in Afghanistan!”-Mohammad Naeem Lalai Hamidzai, Afghan politician

Hamidzai was part of the parliament appointed investigation that concluded there was at least 20 U.S. personnel involved in the Panjwaii shooting.

While Panette was telling Karzai that justice would be done, the U.S. military quietly flew the “lone” shooter to Kuwait.  Afghans see this as more insult to injury at the hands of the United States, because it proves the United States is not there to help them rebuild their country, because the U.S. totally disses on them (disrespects & oppresses) all the time!

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Government Incompetence: Foreign food making more people in the U.S. sick. Blame Republican budget cuts!

“The Food and Drug Administration is really only checking about 2% of the food that’s imported into the U.S., so a lot can go unchecked and problems may not be found.”-Erik Olson, Pew Health Group

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning that cuts to imported food inspections have resulted in increased illness, and it could get worse: “As our food supply becomes more global, people are eating foods from all over the world, potentially exposing them to germs from all corners of the world…”-Hannah Gould, CDC epidemiologist

From 2005 to 2010, 2,348 illnesses in the United States were linked to imported foods. Food poisoning caused by imported fish made up 45% of the cases!  In those cases the fish came from Asian sources.

The next highest cause of food illness was imported spices, most being dried peppers.

The number one cause of food poisoning is norovirus followed by salmonella. In 2008 there were 23,152 cases with 22 deaths.

To make things worse, the Republican controlled U.S. Congress has pushed new inspection rules on the FDA, yet has cut funding for inspections over the years.  Activists say that’s not going to work: “Our concern is that, with all the new requirements for imports and all the new protections that are envisioned, that unless FDA gets a bump-up in resources, it’s going to be very hard, if not impossible, for the agency to do its job.”– Erik Olson, Pew Health Group

 

Business/Economics, International

World War 3: French military base attacked, two killed. Second attack this week!

March 15, 2012, a military base in France was hit by a drive by shooter. Two French soldiers are dead, another is wounded.

It happened near the southwestern city of Montauban.  The base is home to the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment.

Thursday’s shooter was riding a scooter.  On Sunday, March 11, a shooter riding a motorcycle in a residential area of Toulouse, 46 kilometers (29 miles) south of Montauban, shot and killed one French soldier.

Officials say they do not have a motive, but are considering that it might be a personal dispute between the shooter and the soldiers.

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology

What Economic Recovery? NEC lays off thousands, cuts executive incentives 40%, 1st Japanese company to do so

One of Japan’s oldest electronics appliance makers, NEC, is the first Japanese company to announce huge cuts for Union workers AND executives!

Union labor is asked to take a 4% pay cut, on top of 10,000 workers being laid off!  But, wait there’s more!  Managers will also get hit with a 4% cut in pay.  And executives were told their bonuses will be 40% less!

NEC officials say the company has lost about $1.2 billion, for their business end of year (which is in March)!  They blame natural disasters and the increasing value of the Japanese yen (which is actually caused by the declining value of the U.S. dollar).

 

International

Japan’s nuclear family Myth busted: Family households now average less than 2 people, that’s a Record low. Young & old people living alone!

In the major metropolis known as Tokyo some interesting numbers have come out; the average number of people living in one household has dropped to less than two people (1.99)!

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government it’s the lowest number since the survey started been taken in 1957!

Tokyo’s population has seen a piddly 0.31% increase since 2011, but more and more people are choosing to live by themselves.  The survey showed that there’s been a huge increase in young people choosing not to get married and to live alone, and a huge increase in old people living alone.

Tokyo is the first city in Japan to report household sizes with less than two people.  But it’s a trend, last year Japan’s national average was only 2.36 people per household.

 

International, U.S.

Government Evil: U.S. military analysts question handling of Afghanistan shooting suspect, call it “Very Strange”

“This is unprecedented in my experience. It’s very strange.”-Eugene Fidell, military law teacher at Yale University

Fidel is referring to the way the Department of Defense is handling the so called lone U.S. Army Staff Sergeant accused of shooting up women and children in Afghanistan.

U.S. military officials are telling the media that how they’re handling the situation is military policy, but even people inside the military say something strange is going on: “They shut everything down over there. I didn’t even find out about it from him. They’re not allowed to say anything.”-Jill Barber, wife of NCO who is assigned to the same battalion that the “shooter” is assigned to

Barber is talking about basically a gag order that has been placed on all personnel on the base in Panjwaii, Afghanistan.

A former advisor to U.S. Army Special Forces says it’s possible all personnel on that base in Afghanistan had all their electronic communications devices confiscated.

To make matters more suspicious, an official Afghan Parliament investigation says there were at least 20 U.S. personnel involved in the genocidal shootings, and body burnings.

 

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

IAEA warning: 80% of World’s Nuke Plants are more than 20 years old

The International Atomic Energy Agency is warning about the safety of the 435 nuclear plants throughout the world: 80% are more than 20 years old.

Out of that 43% are between 20 and 29 years old.  32% are 30 to 39 years old. 5% are more than 40 years old.

The IAEA wants UN member countries to co-operate with planned safety inspections, to insure the safety of the old nuke plants.

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

Oil & Gas Prices: Big fire Down Under, Brazil oil rig “tilting”, Chevron hoping to get back to work in Brazil

“We don’t know what’s in the smoke, we don’t know what’s burning, we don’t know the toxicity of it.”-Kim Zander, Police Chief Inspector

For the second day a huge oil fire is raging in Wingfield, South Australia, Australia.  It’s a waste oil depot, and the city of Adelaide is being covered with toxic smoke.

More than 100 firefighters worked to control the fire. The fire is still raging but is contained.  Word is that it was an accident that started the fire.  Homes and businesses were evacuated.

The waste oil depot is owned by Mulhern Waste Oil, who recycles the waste petroleum oils for re-use.

In Brazil, Petroleo Brasileiro SA had shut down operation on their huge Alaska Star oil platform, after it tilted three degrees.

The platform is located over Brazil’s 7th largest underwater oil & gas field (the Albacora field).  Petroleo Brasileiro SA is the world’s largest deep water petroleum producer.

The Alaska Star platform is being operated by a contractor.  The platform was stabilized after a leak of “drilling fluid” was stopped.

Speaking of Brazil, Chevron is hopeful they will be allowed to resume operations, after the government shut them down because of a huge oil spill last year.

However, Chevron has to convince Brazilian inspectors first: “We are not convinced that Chevron has identified the causes of the accident and that the risks have been mitigated to the satisfaction of Brazilian society.”-Magda Chambriard, ANP

In 2011, 2,400 to 3,000 barrels spilled in the Frade field northeast of Rio de Janeiro. Brazil fined Chevron $28 million.  Brazilian officials accused Chevron of trying to hide up the spill: “We believe the accident could’ve been avoided. There was an environmental crime. They hid information and their emergency team took almost 10 days to start acting.”-Carlos Minc, Rio de Janeiro state’s environment secretary

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Corporate Crime: BizJet agrees to pay $11.8 million fine for bribing foreign officials. Mexico will now take BizJet to court

Oklahoma based BizJet settled with the U.S. Justice Department, regarding the bribing of Mexican and Panamanian officials.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice announcement, BizJet will co-operate with ongoing investigations. Germany’s Lufthansa is also named as BizJet’s “indirect parent company” and will also co-operate with the Justice Department.

It was Lufthansa who discovered, and reported the bribery taking place between BizJet and Mexican and Panamanian officials.  The bribes concerned maintaining government aircraft in both countries.  Bribes involved Mexico’s Federal Police, the Mexican President’s fleet, the air fleets for the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Sonora, and Panama’s civil aviation authority.

Mexico’s Attorney General is now investigating the case as well.

 

 

 

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

Government Evil: Palestinians try to get around energy blockade by Israel, with solar panels. Now Israel will destroy them! UN says it’s part of Israel’s genocide of Palestinians!

“We are suspended between heaven and earth; the solar panels were a glimmer of hope for us.”-Ali Mohamed Ihrizat, the village head of Imenizil

Hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank will be without electricity, because the Israeli military plans on destroying their green solar panels.

The panels are located in the southern part of West Bank.  They were built with the help of international charities, but the Israelis don’t care: “Using the backing of international assistance does not give immunity to violations.”-Guy Inbar, Israeli Defense Forces

The Israelis have control of the area, known as Area C under the 1995 Oslo Accords.  They’ve been slowing forcing out the Palestinians and replacing then with Israelis: “The denial of permits for Palestinians on such a large scale raises the fear that there is a specific policy by the authorities to encourage a ‘silent transfer’ of the Palestinian population from Area C.”-Peace Now statement, an Israeli activist group

An unnamed source within the United Nations says this all part of Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians: “From December 2010 to April 2011, we saw a systematic targeting of the water infrastructure in Hebron, Bethlehem and the Jordan valley. Now, in the last couple of months, they are targeting electricity. Two villages in the area have had their electrical poles demolished. There is this systematic effort by the civil administration targeting all Palestinian infrastructure in Hebron.”

And finally, which charities built the solar panels?  Why Israeli charities!!!

“The panels are not a security threat. It’s a positive project. What do they want? Do they want the people to be more poor? To be more violent?”-Noam Dotan, one of the Israelis who built the solar panels