Category Archives: International

Business/Economics, International

Global Economic War & fighting Global Food Crisis: Communist Cuba starts Credit program for farmers

“The regulations ruling the new credit policy and other banking services will enter into force on December 20, aimed primarily at stimulating domestic production, which could generate incomes of foreign currency or replace imports.”-Cuban government statement

In July the Cuban banking sector started granting small loans to farmers, but in December much bigger loans will be made available.  The move is meant to increase local food production and decrease reliance on imported food.

The plan is part of more than 300 proposals adopted at the Sixth Congress of the Cuban Communist Party in April.  Cuba’s current leader, Raul Castro, is pushing to update the Cuban economic model.

 

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

Global Economic War: Chinese owned Hoku about to start operations in Idaho. Will U.S. investigation into Chinese solar products put the brakes on Hoku’s operations?

“We believe the Department of Commence investigation will show that Chinese government and Chinese solar manufacturers are, and have been, engaged in illegal practices that threaten to decimate a vitally needed renewable energy industry.”-Gordon Brinser, SolarWorld Industries

After many problems affecting construction and causing long delays, on November 21, Hoku’s CEO, Scott Paul, announced they cleared a milestone in getting their Pocatello, Idaho, polysilicon factory up and running; connection to permanent electrical power supplied by Idaho Power.

Hoku also announced they will now be selling finished photovoltaic modules through a subsidiary called Tianwei Solar USA.  The finished products are made in China, by a company called Tianwei New Energy.  While Tianwei Solar USA is a subsidiary of Hoku Corporation, Hoku is actually a subsidiary of Tianwei New Energy, in China.

Now comes the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission.  They are investigating claims by seven U.S. based photovoltaic manufacturers, that Chinese based companies (like Tianwei, which controls Hoku) are breaking trade laws.

The International Trade Commission will render a decision around December 5.

Now comes China’s Ministry of Commerce.  In retaliation for the U.S. investigation into Chinese companies dumping their finished photovoltaic products on the U.S. market, the China Photovoltaic Industry Alliance claims the U.S. is dumping polysilicon at below cost prices in China!

So, Hoku’s polysilicon production for Chinese customers, mainly their majority owner Tianwei, is being threatened by an investigation by the Chinese government, AND, Hoku’s selling of Tianwei’s photovoltaic products is being threatened by an investigation by the U.S. government!

Hoku is trapped between a rock and a hard place.

WHAT ECONOMIC RECOVERY? HOKU, IDAHO, FINALLY TO START POLYSILICON PRODUCTION?

International, U.S.

World War 3: “Long live China, long live Pakistan!”, new battle cry heard in Pakistan

On November 24, just one day before U.S./NATO helicopters attacked and killed at least 24 Pakistani soldiers, Chinese and Pakistani forces concluded a massive joint war game in Punjab Province.

During the Cold War, China and Pakistan were close allies, it looks like they still are.

Punjab province is one of the largest geographically, and has about 56% of Pakistan’s population.  It borders India, and is very close to the border areas of Afghanistan.

The joint China/Pakistan war games involved 540 troops, mainly airborne units. It’s the fourth joint China/Pakistan exercise since 2006.

China is Pakistan’s number one military backer.

The reason for the Chinese supporting Pakistan is the same as during the Cold War; to counter the growing power of India.

Pakistani officials say it will help them deal with the U.S.: “It’s not a zero-sum game. You further strengthen your relations with China, then you increase your importance. You use this as a leverage to improve your relationship with the U.S.”-Talat Masood, retired Pakistani general

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: U.S. led NATO kills 28 Pakistani soldiers, Pakistan retaliates by cutting off supplies to U.S. forces in Afghanistan

U.S. led NATO helicopters attacked a Pakistani checkpoint on November 25, reportedly killing as many as 28 Pakistani soldiers, and wounding 14.   NATO officials say they’re investigating, but Pakistan says enough, they closed at least two boarding crossings used to supply U.S./NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Ironically the U.S./NATO attack came about six hours after a meeting between U.S. and Pakistani military officials ended. The meeting was about preventing ‘accidental’ attacks on Pakistani forces by U.S./NATO forces.

Russian media says they have info that the NATO attack is in retaliation for Pakistan’s crackdown on CIA informants, including the resignation of Pakistan’s ambassador to the U.S., Husain Haqqani.

Just four or five days ago, Husain Haqqani was forced to quit after he was accused of seeking U.S. help in overthrowing Pakistan’s military officials.

 

 

 

 

International, Technology, U.S.

Media Incompetence: Some media calling new flu outbreak H1N1 Swine Flu, FAIL! The new flu is an old version of H3N2

Recently several media outlets have reported that people in the midwestern U.S. have been infected with H1N1 swine flu.  They’ve even reported that instead of spreading from pigs to humans, it’s spreading human to human.

Well that’s because it isn’t H1N1!  According to the United Nations World Health Organization, and the U.S. Center for Disease Control, it’s an influenza A virus of the H3N2 subtype, a type of flu virus that circulates between humans.

Since July 2011, 10 people in the United States have been infected with it.  Why are some media outlets reporting it as H1N1?  If you read the USA Today, and ABC News articles, you’ll notice that H3N2 is only briefly mentioned.  For some reason the articles focus on the 2009 scare caused by H1N1.  More text is dedicated to talking about H1N1 than to this latest form of H3N2.  Call it a case of fear mongering by the U.S. media.

The problem is some international media outlets have picked up the story as an new outbreak of H1N1!

International, U.S.

World War 3 & Media Incompetence: Government orders U.S. citizens out of Syria, Strike Force anchored off Syrian coast? A case of hopeful warmongering by the mainstream media. Remember the Spanish American War?

“The U.S. Embassy continues to urge U.S. citizens in Syria to depart immediately while commercial transportation is available.”-U.S. Embassy in Syria

On November 23, the U.S. Embassy in Syria restated a warning they’ve been giving since September 30; U.S. citizens need to leave.  CBS News reported it as if it was something new.

Then Forbes reported the United States has positioned a naval strike force, lead by the aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush (aka CVN 77), off the coast of Syria.

According to Forbes, the carrier strike group number two (COMCARSTRKGRU TWO, Commander of the Carrier Strike Group number two) had been patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, which is the narrow inlet leading from the Indian Ocean to the Persian Gulf, south of Iran.  Suddenly they were shifted, all the way round to the Mediterranean Sea.  The implication being that something is going to happen.

Forbes later updated their story saying CVN 77’s Facebook page had them in France for R&R.  Lets not forget that deals have already been made regarding French control of Syria after any war (Syria and Lebanon were controlled by France after World War 1).

On November 23, the Virginian-Pilot reported that CVN 77 was heading back home to the United States.  The home port of  USS George HW Bush is Norfolk, Virginia.

The Virginia newspaper also reported that CVN 77, along with the other ships of the strike force, had held up in the Mediterranean to “…conduct a range of operations and help maintain maritime security…”.

If a naval force, based on the east coast of the U.S., was returning from the Persian Gulf, the shortest route would be through the Strait of Hormuz, through the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean Sea, the Strait of Gibraltar into the Atlantic Ocean heading west to the U.S.

This seems to me to be a clear case of hopeful warmongering on the part of CBS News and Forbes.  CBS simply took a U.S. Embassy warning, that’s been issued since September 30 (unchanged even, word for word the same as on Sep. 30), and made it sound like it was something new.

Forbes took the CBS story, and a report on the position of the COMCARSTRKGRU TWO and insinuated that ‘war were declared’ (a quote from Futurama).  The position of the strike group in the Mediterranean Sea was correct, but also outdated because by the time Forbes published their story the strike group had already sailed to French ports for R&R.  The strike group is probably already in the Atlantic Ocean by now.

The sad thing is that foreign media are now running with the CBS/Forbes story.  What was that ancient warning sign about the end of the world?  “Wars, and rumors of wars”?

Don’t get me wrong, I think war is coming for Syria, especially since French warmonger Sarkozy want it, and Lebanon, back under French control.

Regarding the Spanish American War, which most people in the U.S. know nothing about it (it’s how we got Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines, etc). That war is a classic example of how the warmongering U.S. media (led by William Randolph Hearst) convinced the general public that war was the only answer, and they did it while most Federal officials worked for a peaceful solution.

A peaceful solution was reached.  Spain promised Cuba independence and made other concessions, but a U.S. Navy ship exploded while off the coast of Cuba.  The mainstream U.S. media said the back stabbing Spanish did it, even though initial USN investigation said it was an accident.  The U.S. public demanded war, and the warmongering politicians overruled the doves and ‘war were declared’.  Investigations done during the 20th Century revealed that the USN ship had indeed gone down due to faulty design, not a sneak attack by the Spanish.

 

Business/Economics, International

What Economic Recovery? Japanese life insurance companies dump European bonds

As a sign of how bad things are getting for European countries, it’s just been revealed that eight major Japanese life insurance companies are dumping their sovereign debt (bonds) from Italy, Ireland, Greece, Portugal and Spain.

All together, the Japanese companies sold off 44% of their bonds, by the end of October.  According to Japanese media, two of the eight insurance companies sold off all their Italian bonds!

Business/Economics, International, Opinion, Technology

Government Incompetence: More than 80% of Japan’s nuclear reactors to be shut down, get ready for petroleum & coal prices to spike

Combine natural disasters, corporate and government incompetence, and regular inspections, and you end up with more than 80% of Japan’s nuclear power turned off.  That’s disastrous when you realize that Japan’s industries rely on nuclear power!  Can you say poor planning?

On November 25, another nuke plant will be shut down for regular inspection.  But that’s not all.  The remaining operating nuclear power plants will also be shut down going into spring 2012, because of the timing of scheduled inspections.  That means all 54 Japanese nuke plants will be off line!

This means there will be a huge demand coming from Japan for petroleum (oil, gasoline, diesel), natural gas and coal to run traditional electrical generators.  Now imagine what will happen to the price such commodities when an entire country suddenly starts sucking up millions of barrels of fuel per day!

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

Global Economic War: Apple now takes the Chinese Yuan, over the U.S. Dollar. Chinese buyers dominate the internet!

“The service has been there since last Friday. It’s really good news for our customers and local application developers.”-Apple China statement

California based Apple Incorporated decided to accept the Chinese yuan (aka Renminbi, or RMB) in an unannounced move last week. One reason is that China is now the world’s biggest internet market!!!

The App Store will now accept yuan credit and debit cards issued by more than 20 Chinese banks.  Another reason for the move is that many Chinese customers using credit and debit cards issued from outside China, were getting their info ripped off.

Apple’s fiscal 4th quarter revenues from China hit $4.5 billion. Their U.S. operations had more revenue, but revenue from China is growing so fast it will soon pass up the revenues made in the U.S.