Category Archives: International

Business/Economics, International

Class War: Israelis arrested protesting Israeli government, attack Tel Aviv city hall

September 8, Reuters reporting at least 40 Israelis being arrested after blocking traffic, and breaking into the Tel Aviv city hall.

This after the biggest anti-regime rallies in Israel’s short history, on Saturday.

Anti-regime protests erupted in Israel in mid-July as activists began setting up tents in Tel Aviv to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s economic and social policies.

The protestors are also opposed to Israel’s illegal settlement expansions in the occupied Palestinian territories.

 

Business/Economics, International

Class War: Israeli Doctors & Nurses walk out of hospitals, protest Israeli government

“We want to make a decent living as doctors in Israel….We have a great public health system and you have to invest money and funds and the government is just letting the health system collapse.”-Doctor Shuli Swetitzki,  Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv

She said a lot of doctors sought to leave either Israel or their profession “because it is so hard to get by.”

Israelis have been protesting the high costs of living and social injustice over the recent months. The largest anti government protest by Israelis took place on September 3, when around one million Israelis held protest rallies in at least 50 cities.

 

International

Humans are going Insane: One in Four Australians have Mental Disorder, christians say it’s the wrath of god

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare says one in four Australians, age 16 to 24 have mental problems.

Since 2000 there’s been a 66% increase in mental issues for teens age 12 to 14.  And a 90% increase for teen girls specifically!

The Australian Christian Lobby blames divorces.  I think the Australian Christian Lobby needs their head examined.

The Australian Response Ability web site does list family problems as a factor, but it’s only one of many “risks”.   Understand that a “risk” is not necessarily a cause:

Family “risk” factors include:

  • having a single parent;
  • having a teenage mother;
  • large family size;
  • marital discord or family violence;
  • poor supervision and parenting;
  • being abused or neglected;
  • criminal or financial problems in the family;
  • parental mental illness or substance abuse;
  • harsh or inconsistent discipline and lack of affection; or
  • death of an important family member.

“Risk” factors for school-aged children include:

  • bullying and rejection from peers;
  • lack of connection with the school;
  • poor behaviour management at school;
  • a peer group showing problem behaviours;
  • difficult transitions between grades and schools;
  • problems with schooling and academic failure.

“Risk” factors in the community setting include:

  • social and economic disadvantage;
  • discrimination and racism;
  • isolation;
  • neighbourhood violence and crime;
  • high population density, poor housing conditions;
  • lack of support services and lack of recreational facilities.

Here’s some more disturbing mental health facts from Response Ability, an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing:

One in five Australians will experience mental problems at some point in their life.

Every year 20,000 more Australians suffer mental problems.

Almost one in 100 Australians will experience schizophrenia during their lifetime.

International, U.S.

World War 3: Libyan Rebels detaining, torturing Russian & East European oil workers

At the end of August U.S. supported rebels detained 19 Ukrainian cooks and oil workers, on unsupported claims that they are mercenaries for Muammar Muhammad al-Gaddafi.

“How can we be snipers? They are old. She is a woman. We are not snipers. As you know, life in the Ukraine is bad. We came here to earn money for our family. They [rebels] took everything from us. Money, passports, computers, everything.”-Maksim Shadrov, cook

The rebels even admitted they found no weapons on the Ukrainians.  The Associated Press is reporting the most of Gaddafi’s mercenaries have fled the country.

Around August 30, Russian journalists found five Serbs, who’d been taken prisoner by Libyan rebels.

The five Serbs say they are construction workers who came to Libya on August 12, to repair roads for a Serbian-Libyan firm, Zazura.  When the fighting reached Tripoli, U.S. supported rebels stopped them, saw their passports and accused them of “aiding Gaddafi”.

The Serbs have now been confirmed as construction workers, and the Serbian Embassy is in touch with them.

Several Russian oil engineers have also been held, and beaten, by U.S. supported rebels: “For some reason they think that Slavic people are snipers. We have nothing to do with that. We came here to earn money peacefully.”-Vladimir Dolgov, engineer

Russian media says Russia is working to get its citizens out of rebel detention, but there are several dozen Russian and Ukrainian citizens still under rebel control.

 

International

Race & Class War: Israel discriminates against Black Jews, return of Israeli Black Panthers

“Not only have we not progressed, but the country has become an enemy of its people, everywhere citizens are harassed. There are more police, and now it’s not only the lower class who are suffering, but the middle class as well.”-Charlie-Sahlom Biton, former Israeli Member of Parliament and co-founder of Israeli Black Panthers movement

Recently Israeli citizens protested their own government, in record numbers, because of the growing divide between the haves and have nots.  Those affected the worst are Black Jews!

“Forty years have passed since we rose up to protest against the lack of justice. Since then, year after year, I’ve been waiting for the next generation to rise up.”-Charlie-Sahlom Biton

Charlie-Sahlom Biton, a former Israeli MP, says the situation in Israel has only gotten worse.  Black Jews, and Lower Class Jews have always been treated bad by the Israeli government, but now Biton says Middle Class Jews are being targeted as well.

Biton is helping to lead the resurgence of the Israeli Black Panthers, a group originally formed in the early 1970s.

The latest Israeli injustice against Black Jews, is the closing down of the Ner Etzion public school for Ethiopian immigrants.  To make matters worse, many of the private and public schools in the Petah Tikva area are refusing to take in the children of the Black Jews.

The area 6.5 miles east of Tel Aviv is nick named the Ethiopian ghetto.

International, U.S.

World War 3: Iran captures Al Qaeda members trying to lauch attack inside Iran, links to the United States, Obama lies

“These individuals intended to move large caches of arms, ammunition and explosives into the country.”-Hossein Chenarian, Police Chief Kerman Province, Iran

In the past two weeks, local Iranian police captured five al Qaeda members sneaking into southeastern Iran. This is a regular occurrence, and many of the al Qaeda members captured in Iran have stated that they’re getting help from the United States.

The latest capture included documents that revealed al Qaeda’s plans to sabotage Iranian industries.

The Obama administration has accused Iran of helping al Qaeda, which is ludicrous for several reasons, the number one reason is that al Qaeda is constantly trying to launch attacks against Iran!  The second reason is that al Qaeda declared war on Shia Muslims (along with other liberal Muslims like Sufis). Iran is majority Shia Muslim, while al Qaeda is Wahhabi Muslim.

Al Qaeda also hates Iraqis, Lebanese, Syrians, Libyans, any place where the majority of Muslims are not Wahhabi.  Also notice that those countries are countries that the U.S. has invaded, attacked or is sanctioning.  The biggest Wahhabi country is Saudi Arabia, one of the big allies of the United States.  More proof of the U.S./al Qaeda connection?

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? U.S. Postal Service problems having domino effect on Corporate America

Some people don’t think much of the USPS (United States Postal Service), many people, including main stream journalists, don’t know that the USPS does not get any taxpayer money!  How about the fact that dozens of U.S. and European corporations rely on the USPS for business?

I’m not talking about shipping their products.  Corporations actually have major contracts to provide the USPS with products or services.  Now they’re feeling the pinch of the collapsing USPS budget.

Here’s a list of major companies being directly affected by the problems at the USPS: Fed Ex, Siemens, Northrop Grumman, Pat Salmon & Sons and Campbell-Ewald, to name a few.

Fed Ex is the biggest contractor with the USPS, in 2010 they were paid $1.4 billion for their service to the USPS (that’s only 3.5% of Fed Ex’s total revenue): “FedEx values its alliance relationship with USPS, both as a supplier and a customer.”-Maury Donahue, FedEx spokeswoman

Northrop Grumman made $495 million off their USPS contract.

The German company Siemens made $135 million in 2010: “We’re affected by their budget and their spending, It causes us to react and adjust.”-Daryl Dulaney, CEO of the Siemens Industry division New York

Siemens was involved with mail processing equipment, until this recent announcement by the USPS: “…will not be buying mail processing equipment, period.”-Sue Brennan, USPS spokeswoman

Privately held Pat Salmon & Sons trucking made $143 million in 2010.

Shipping contractors, like Fed Ex and Pat Salmon, have been hit hardest by the USPS budget crisis.  According to David Hendel, with postal contracting specialist Husch Blackwell LLP, the USPS is asking truckers to essentially work for half pay: “If the contractor will not agree to this, the Postal Service is threatening to terminate their contract.”

The only company that seems to be making more money off the USPS budget crisis, is advertiser Campbell-Ewald. The USPS has poured money into an advertising campaign trying to promote their service.

Basically the U.S. Postal Service wants to end Saturday mail delivery, cut 220,000 jobs by 2015 and close at least 3,700 post offices.  As you can see the cuts will affect far more than just Postal employees and customers.

The United States Postal Service does not make money off taxpayers, they are solely funded by the postage they charge (prices are controlled by Congress, not the USPS), and other products they sell.  The cuts being made to the USPS will have no affect on U.S. government debt.

 

Business/Economics, International

A true entrepreneur: Chinese man to grow Green Tea with Panda Crap, justifies charging outrageous prices for it

A teacher at southwest China’s Sichuan University learned that Panda’s use only 30% of what they eat, so that means 70% of what they crap is still full of wholesome nutrition.

An Yanshi, the university teacher, is so convinced that he could get people to pay insane prices for Green Tea grown in Panda crap that he even got a patent for his idea!

An Yanshi thinks he can get people to pay as mush as $34,422 for half a kilogram (one pound) for the Panda Manu Tea!!!  I wounder if this guy is smoking the tea instead of drinking it?

An official with the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, pointed out that the university teacher needs to do a study to see if Panda crap will actually make a difference in how Green Tea grows, before he starts charging people sky high prices.

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Closer to a one world government: Super Sovereign Credit Agency to be created

“We hope that the agency will gain a leading position in the global rating market within the next five years. We’re fully aware that a globally recognized organization can never be propped up by one agency, so we will bring in more countries.”-Guan Jianzhong, CEO of Dagong Global Credit Ratings

China’s Dagong Global Credit Ratings will play a key role in the new global super-sovereign credit rating agency.

It will be established by Europe, the United States and the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).  Its headquarters will probably be based in Europe.  Details will be finalized in Frankfurt later this year.

Initial plans include representatives from National Information & Credit Evaluation in South Korea, the Scope Group from Germany, and RusRating from Russia.

There are currently 152 rating agencies worldwide, but recent actions by the “big three” credit raters (downgrading governments, like the United States) has led many governments to decide to create one single credit rating agency.

Ahmed Sule, a strategist for Diadem Capital in United Kingdom, said any new credit rating agency would have to prove itself: “The agency would have to be independent and autonomous; this could be a challenge but the agency would have to work toward this independence if it is to be accepted by the international capital market.”

In July, a French magazine, Capital, revealed that a single European credit rating agency was in the works.

 

International

World War 3: Israel detains and humuliates Turkish tourists, Turkey responds in kind

On September 4, Israeli security forces detained a group of Turkish tourists, and made them strip naked: “…they took us into changing rooms. (We) took off our clothes and shoes. (They) searched our bodies with their hands and then with a detector.”-Arif Cinar, Turkish citizen

On September 5, Turkey responded in kind by detaining Israeli tourists: “They were taken to separate rooms to be questioned. Their passports were taken. After about an hour and a half of waiting, they were questioned one by one and after that they got their passports back and then they were free to go.”-Ilana Stein, Israeli Foreign Ministry

The amazing thing is that Israeli officials admit they have been intentionally humiliating Turkish tourist who pass through the Ben Gurion airport, at least for the past year.

Tensions between Israel and Turkey have worsened ever since the 2010 killing of nine Turkish peace activists by Israeli forces.  Turkey is demanding an apology from Israel, as well as a lifting of the Israeli blockade of Gaza.  Of course Israel refuses.