Category Archives: International

International, Technology, U.S.

Antartic Ice Shelf, the size of Manhattan, ripped off by March 11 Tsunami

The Journal of Glaciology, and NASA, says that 18 hours after the massive March 11 tsuanami hit Japan, it torn off huge chucks of ice at the South Pole.

Large pieces of the Sulzberger ice shelf, one the size of Manhattan, broke off between March 12 and 16.  NASA scientists watched and took pictures of the event using a satellite.

NASA said they immediately turned there eyes towards the South Pole when the March 11 tsunami hit Japan.  They wanted to test a long time hypothesis, that large numbers of ice bergs appearing in the ocean coincide with large earthquakes and tsunamis.  They got their proof.

Amazingly the tsunami was only one foot high when it hit the Sulzberger ice shelf.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? China will stop selling U.S. bonds, and they will stop buying them as well, beginning to realize just how much power they truely have

“In my opinion, at this moment, the best strategy is no buy, no sell. At this moment, it’s very difficult to shift (investment), to change fundamentally, because we hold such a big amount.”-Cheng Siwei, former senior Chinese lawmaker

Cheng Siwei, is advising the Chinese government to take a “no buy, no sell” attitude towards U.S. Treasury bonds.  Cheng is telling the government that it needs to hold off on investing it’s $3.2 trillion in foreign exchange reserves.

Many European countries have been knocking down China’s door, begging China to bail them out by buying their bonds, instead of more U.S. bonds.

Cheng says the situation for China has become more of a political one, than an economic one.  In other words, with so many countries, including the United States, hoping to be saved by China’s cash, the Chinese are starting to realize just how much power they have.

Business/Economics, International

Looting and violence spreads outside London, ignorant British newspapers blame video games

BBC is reporting that the city of Birmingham, England, has been hit by looting and violence.

According to the BBC: Cars were set on fire in Lewisham.  A bus and shop were set alight in Peckham.  Several fires broke out in Croydon, including one at a large furniture shop which spread to neighboring buildings and tram lines.  In Hackney police 200 riot officers with dogs and mounted police were located around Mare Street where police cars were damaged.  Looters raided a Debenhams store and a row of shops in Lavender Hill in Clapham.    In Birmingham, police said officers had made 35 arrests, including six juveniles, on Monday evening.    Buses were diverted as the violence spread to Bromley High Street.    There were reports of looting of phone shops in Woolwich High Street, in south London, and a torched police car.   Shops and restaurants were damaged in Ealing, west London, and there was a fire in Haven Green park opposite Ealing Broadway Tube.

Some British newspapers are avoiding the more plausible reasons for the rioting, like a bad economy and police brutality, and actually blamed video games.  One newspaper claims to have seen ten year olds taking part in the looting, and quotes an unnamed police officer as saying the rioters are motivated by the video game Grand Theft Auto.

If you’ve played Grand Theft Auto then you would know that in no way does it involve mass rioting and looting.  The game is centered around a single player, you, who’s goal is to steal cars.  Somehow the ignorant British media and authorities equate an individual stealing cars in a video game to mass rioting, vandalism and looting in real life.  It’s proof that the ‘better off’ in Britain are the ones living in a fantasy world.

Business/Economics, International, Opinion

Violent Riots spreading through London, started by police shooting, continuing because there are no jobs, British leaders on luxury vacations

“Officers responding to sporadic disorder in a number of boroughs made more than 100 arrests throughout last night and early this morning.” Scotland Yard statement, August 8

The violence that started in Tottenham has spread to Enfield and Brixton.  The riots started on Friday August 5, after police shot and killed a man in the back seat of a taxi the day before.  Police say he was a gun runner, locals say it was police brutality. Tottenham, a borough of London, has a decades long history of police brutality.

The riots are spreading and become more about the lack of jobs, and the severe cuts to social programs made by the British Parliament.

Another factor could be that British Prime Minister, David Cameron, is on a luxury vacation in Italy, while Chancellor of the Exchequer (kinda like the U.S. Treasury), George Osbourne, is on vacation in California.  This after they told British taxpayers to make more financial sacrifices.

Police feel targeted, and who wouldn’t be surprised at that since London police have powers even U.S. cops don’t.  The United Kingdom uses Orwellian tactics in their law enforcement.  One bobby said: “Officers are shocked at the outrageous level of violence directed against them.”

An immigrant from Africa said: “I can imagine this kind of thing happening in Somalia but to see it in London was strange.”

Of course the elected and appointed officials in Britain are calling the rioters “petty criminals”, but local residents say people are finally fed up with the system: “Unemployment is very, very high … they are frustrated.” Uzodinma Wigwe, age 49, recently laid off

History shows that peaceful protest does not work.  History shows that it always takes violent protest to make the leaders realize the people want change.  In some cases leaders are so arrogant they end up going to their death thinking there is nothing wrong (French Revolution). The Civil Rights laws in the United States did NOT come about because of the peaceful protests led by Martin Luther King Jr, but because of the violence that took place after Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated.  That’s the part they don’t teach about in the United States, but the info is there, do your own research.

International, U.S.

Taliban on the Run? Taliban shoot down 2nd U.S. CH-47 since Saturday, a 3rd makes emergency landing

On Saturday, August 6, a CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, killing all on board, including members of the elite SEAL team.  Now the Taliban claim they’ve shot down a 2nd Chinook.

Monday, August 8, a Chinook with 33 personnel onboard was shot down near Zarmat city, in Paktia Province in eastern Afghanistan.  It’s believed all 33 were killed.  The Taliban say they shot it down.

On Sunday, August 7, another Chinook made a crash landing in the same province.  The area has been secured by NATO troops and an investigation is underway.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Group of 7 decide to answer the U.S. debt problem by flooding markets with liquidity, won’t that create Hyperinflation?

The European Central Bank, and the Group of 7 top industrialized countries, decided to deal with the credit rating downgrade of the United States by flooding international markets with liquidity.

Liquidity=cash and bank deposits.

One of the problems with this recession is that banks, and other financial institutions as well as big corporations, have been money hording.  Lending has not taken place as President Obama had hoped (at least to small businesses and individuals).  The result is that the ‘big guys’ have a lot of liquidity sitting around doing nothing (by the way something like this happened right before the Great Depression).

Now the international community has decided to flood the international markets with that liquidity.

So far we’ve seen inflation, albeit a mild inflation for most of the world, but get ready to see inflation like you’ve never seen before when all that money hits the markets.  You see, when there is a lot of money available to buy a lot of things, it automatically drives up prices.

Some people might think the stories of Germans using wheelbarrows full of cash to buy a loaf of bread, during their Hyperinflation of the 1920s (which helped lead to the Great Depression in the United States), is just an exaggeration.  It is not.  I’ve read the accounts, and I’ve even seen silent newsreels showing people lining up with wheelbarrows full of worthless Deutschmarks at bakeries.

This happened because the Weimar government thought by printing more money, in essence flooding the public with liquidity, that people would be able to buy the products they needed, products that were already experiencing inflation.  The flooding of money into the German consumer market made the situation worse, creating hyperinflation.

The following is from Wikipedia, on hyperinflation: Hyperinflation becomes visible when there is an unchecked increase in the money supply… also… Hyperinflation is often associated with wars (or their aftermath), currency meltdowns, political or social upheavals, or aggressive bidding on currency exchanges. Mmmm, sound familiar?

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Japanese economist predict negative GDP for Japan, blames the United States

Several private economic research firms, in Japan, are predicting GDP for Japan will go south for the 3rd quarter.

As many as ten research firms say Japan’s GDP could contract by as much 4.7% for the next economic quarter.  They blame the decline on a huge reduction in consumer spending, both in Japan, and in other countries, made worse by the U.S. debt.

A few economist predict positive GDP for Japan, but that is totally dependent upon the debt problems of the United States.  It’s the international concern over the debt of the U.S. that has most Japanese economists warning of a crash in Japan’s economy.

International

Mexico reports success fighting Dengue Fever

In the state of Oaxaca, cases of Dengue have been reduced by 80%, compared to 2010.  Last year, at the same time, there were more than 1,000 cases, this year 255 so far.

How’d they do it?  Oaxaca officials are praising various efforts, including mosquito eradication.

State officials are not only overseeing vector control in cities, but individual homes as well.  They’ve also had a special focus on tourist areas.

Vector (pests that spread disease) control, includes keeping properties cleaned up and organized, especially getting rid of standing water, and keeping necessary water sources covered.

International, U.S.

U.S. citizen arrested for smuggling ammo into Mexico

The Mexican government says Mexican police arrested a woman after they discovered her shopping cart filled with 3,500 rounds of ammo.

The woman, a U.S. citizen, was heading from El Paso, Texas, to Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua.  Police say she admitted to being part of the gun running from the United States: “The woman said she was traveling to the downtown area of ​​Ciudad Juarez, where some people deliver military equipment.”-Mexican Attorney General’s Office

Mexican officials says the ammunition was made in Russia, Korea, Brazil, United States and even Mexico.

Business/Economics, International

What Economic Recovery? Germany says no more bailout money for Italy

Der Spiegel is reporting that German government officials doubt any more bailout money can save Italy, even if the current European Financial Stability Fund was tripled in size.

German officials have consistently said government finance reforms must come through spending cuts, and tax reform, not taking on more loans.

Currently the European Financial Stability Fund has $627 billion (440 billion Euros), and Germany says even if that was somehow tripled it wouldn’t be enough to save Italy.

Earlier in the week the European Central Bank started buying more government bonds from smaller European countries, but refused to buy any bonds from Italy and Spain (an indication that the bank has little confidence in those countries paying them back).