Category Archives: International

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Will spread of Radiation topple Japan’s longest life expectancy claim? Forget Obama Care, U.S. life expectancy keeps dropping

The latest results of life expectancy around the world, puts Japan in number one spot for the 26th year in a row, at least for Japanese women.  Women in Japan average 86.39 years.  Japanese men hold the number four spot at 79.64 years.

Hong Kong women are in second place, while men in Hong Kong take first place.  Men from Switzerland hold second place.  Women from France hold third place, while men from Israel hold third in their category.  Women from Spain hold fourth place.

Where does the United States rank?  Despite spending the most money on health care, of any other country, life expectancy continues to drop.  Last year the U.S. ranked 36th, this year the U.S. ranks 38th.

In a separate study, looking at U.S. counties, it was discovered that some counties had fallen to the level of third world countries back in the 1950s.  So much for corporate/insurance controlled health care systems.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Chrysler insults taxpayers, Chrysler claims they lost $370 million in stock buy back

Taxpayers in the United States lost $1.3 billion when Fiat bought back all the remaining Chrysler stocks held by the U.S. government (U.S. taxpayers lost at least $14 billion, between Chrysler and GM).

Now Chrysler/Fiat is claiming they lost money too.  Chrysler would have reported a profit for the second quarter of 2011, it weren’t for the stock buy back, which they claim cost $551 million.

Chrysler is also reporting a 30% increase in sales revenue (compared to the second quarter of 2010), but don’t think you can buy some of that Chrysler stock, they’re privately held by Fiat and Union trust funds.

International

Anti Government Protests do work, even if only by bankrupting law enforcement: London Police spent millions dealing with demonstrations

Scotland Yard (Metropolitan Police, aka Met) has come forward with the cost of dealing with all the various anti government protests.

From April 2010 to March 2011, the Met spent $56.7 million to provide security for demonstrations for everything from anti spending cuts, to anti student fee increases, to even elections and a visit from the Pope, and, protecting former Prime Minister Tony Blair for his appearance before the Iraq War Inquiry.

The most expensive single event was the December 9, 2010, anti tuition fee increase demonstration.  It cost $2.1 million.

To be sure, the yearly costs to the London Met wouldn’t have been so high if it weren’t for all the anti government demonstrations.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

End of an Era: British Prime Minister says the Best Days are Behind Us, Rupert Murdoch scandal may be straw that breaks camel’s back

British Prime Minister David Cameron lamented that “…a general feeling that maybe our best days as a country are behind us…”. He was talking about everything from the economic disaster to the scandal involving Rupert Murdoch’s media empire and public officials.

Cameron says it’s become clear that elected leaders, as well as corporate leaders, even government employees, are acting out of pure greed: “I’m talking about the expenses scandal, the financial crisis, this whole disgraceful and sorry episode of phone hacking. There’s a sense that the rich and the powerful – politicians, bankers, the press and the police – have been serving themselves…”


International

Norwegian Christian Terrorist says at least 80 other Christian Terror groups in Europe, led by the Knights Templar

Anders Behring Breivik, the man who confessed to blowing up and shooting people in Norway (but plead not guilty to charges of terrorism), says he is part of a network of at least 80 pro-Christian/anti-Islam terror cells in Europe.

Breivik says their goal is to overthrow any European government that tolerates Islam.  He published his comments in a handbook titled; “2083: A European Declaration of Independence”.  He calls politicians who tolerate any religion, other than Christianity, “multiculturalist traitors”.

He claims he was the only one doing the shooting at a camp where at least 76 people were killed, but witnesses say they saw more than one shooter.

Breivik says he was recruited in 2002, at a meeting in London which he claims was organized by the supposedly extinct Knights Templar.

The Knights Templar were a group of Catholic knights during the time of the anti-Islam Crusades.  They were excommunicated, and many killed, after their wealth and power threatened the Catholic leaders.  Some conspiracy buffs believe there is still a secret active Knights Templar organization today.

 

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Don’t want to die? Stay out of hospitals in Canada, United States and Europe! Another reason for increased health care costs

“If you were admitted to hospital tomorrow in any country … your chances of being subjected to an error in your care would be something like 1 in 10. Your chances of dying due to an error in health care would be 1 in 300.”-Professor Liam Donaldson, World Health Organization envoy

The United Nations released a study saying that hospitals in the ‘western’ world are sure places to catch a deadly disease, or die from mistakes made by medical personnel.

The UN World Health Organization discovered that your chances of dying in a hospital, by medical errors, are far greater than dying in a plane crash.

More interestingly, Canada takes the number one spot for worst hospital related infections, at an 11.6% infection rate.  The European Union has a 7% rate, followed by the United States with 4.5%.

But lets put that U.S. rate of 4.5%, which sounds low, into real numbers.  According to the research 1.7 million infections are acquired in U.S. hospitals, which leads to 100,000 deaths each year.  That’s 100,000 people in the U.S. being killed because of hospital uncleanliness.

Catching an infection while in the hospital means a longer stay and more treatment.  The study suggests that the increased infection rate while being in the hospital, along with medical mistakes, are partly to blame for increasing medical costs.

To be sure most health care systems around the world are in trouble, but, what surprised the WHO researchers is that the developed ‘western’ world has made no progress in improving medical care inside hospitals.  Former United Kingdom chief medical officer Liam Donaldson, said this: “It shows that health care in general worldwide still has a long way to go.  Health care has not achieved the level of safety of many other high-risk industries.”

 

International, U.S.

Study confirms U.S. combat vets coming home with incurable lung disease, no help from the VA

“This is a very rare condition in otherwise healthy individuals and is generally untreatable. We believe that it is caused by an inhalational exposure with which they have contact while in southwest Asia.”-Dr. Matthew S. King

The New England Journal of Medicine published a study, which was conducted by a team of medical personnel including Doctor Matthew S. King.  They concluded that military personnel, in Iraq and Afghanistan, are contracting incurable lung diseases, possibly from exposure to chemicals.

In one case 38 U.S. troops were exposed to smoke from a sulfur mine fire in Iraq.

Doctor King said the symptoms of the lung disorders are many, and severe:  “Respiratory disorders are emerging as a major consequence of service in southwest Asia. In addition to our study, there have been studies showing increases in asthma, obstructive lung disease, allergic rhinitis and a general increase in reports of respiratory symptoms.”

Medical experts are now trying to convince the Veterans Administration to recognize and treat the disorders.

You can get a copy of the New England Journal of Medicine article (Constrictive Bronchiolitis in Soldiers Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan) by emailing; [email protected]

Business/Economics, International

No Economic Recovery for U.S.: Brazil lowest unemployment rate since 2002

Brazil’s unemployment rate in June hit a low of 6.2%.  Compare that to June of 2002 when Brazil’s unemployment rate was 11.6%.

Officials credit the drop in unemployment to new job creation.  Last year alone half a million (512,000) new jobs were created in Brazil.  Also, the average wage went up 4% since last year.

Take into account that Brazil counts employment only in the six largest cities, officials admit there are still at least 1.5 million Brazilians out of work.

 

International

Mexico issues new warnings about Dengue Fever

The Mexican Social Security Institute, in the state of Tabasco, issued new warnings about Dengue Fever.  They are calling on people to prevent standing water during the rainy season, and avoidance of mosquitoes.  Dengue is a human disease, but it’s spread by mosquitoes.

There are two types of Dengue, classic and hemorrhagic.  The problem is that in the initial stages it’s difficult to tell which one you might have.  Hemorrhagic Dengue can be fatal, causing internal bleeding in the later stages.

According to Mexican health officials, unlike most viruses in which your body is able to fight off more easily after the first infection, the more times you come down with a Dengue virus the more likely you’ll end up with the fatal hemorrhagic version.  There are four subtype Dengue viruses.

Also, taking painkillers like aspirin makes bleeding worse.  Symptoms of Dengue are a fever that last three to five days, headache, pain in muscles and joints, bleeding of the gums and nose, vomiting and diarrhea.

Although health officials want you to seek medical attention right away, there is no cure (as with any virus).  There is no approved vaccine, but several states in Mexico are experimenting with a new vaccine.

The best thing you can do is avoid mosquitoes.  Use insect repellant.  Stay away from standing water.  Drain standing water on your property.  Refresh water for your outside pets, or farm animals, at least every three days.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Government Incompetence: Canadian taxpayers lose $810 million to Chrysler, Unions say it could threaten factories

Just like the U.S. government, the Canadian government has sold its shares of Chrysler stock to Fiat, at a loss.

Canada bailed out Chrysler’s operations in Canada, and it cost the Canadian taxpayers $810 million.

Canadian autoworkers union officials say their government should have held on to the stock a little longer, as a way of making sure Chrysler/Fiat doesn’t shut down the Canadian operations: “We’ve advocated all along for the Ontario and Canadian governments to retain those shares as leverage, to retain investment in Canada, but that decision wasn’t made and now we have to trust that Chrysler and Fiat will recognize the incredible contributions Canadian workers, and Canadian plants, have made in the turnaround of this company.”-Ken Lewenza, union rep