Category Archives: International

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? The U.S. was lagging behind Europe even before the Credit Crisis

Before the 2007-08 Credit Crunch Crisis the United States was far behind the European Union, when it came to new job creation.

According to a Fortune article, from 1999 to 2008 the EU created 14 million new jobs, while the U.S. created 8 million.

On top of that, once the economy started down the drain the United States lost more jobs than were lost in the EU.  Percentage wise the EU and U.S. are around 9% unemployment (officially, unofficially the percentages are higher), but when you look at actual numbers the U.S. is leading the way down.  As of December 2010, the difference in job losses, between the EU and U.S., are about 7 million.

 

International, Technology

Even when turned ‘off’ your electronic appliances still use electricity. Has Japan solved that problem?

Even when turned ‘off’, most of your electronic appliances are still on.  That’s because most appliances now contain tiny computers to remember settings, to run clocks, to sense your remote, etc.

Actually when you turn your electronics ‘off’ you’ve actually put them in a ‘standby mode’.  This standby mode accounts for about 6 percent of household electricity use.

NEC and Tohoku University have developed a semiconductor to cut that standby power usage to zero.  They say it uses a magnet, instead of electricity, to operate in standby mode.  Unfortunately it will be a few more years before it hits the market, but they hope it will cut overall electricity usage by 25%.

 

International, Opinion, U.S.

Iraq tells U.S. Congressmen to get the F out!

“They are unwelcome in Iraq from now on. Their demand to conduct an investigation into the raid is categorically unacceptable and has upset Iraq.“-Ali Al-Dabbagh, Iraqi government spokesman

The U.S. Congressional delegation in Iraq has really put their feet in the their mouths, by showing just how arrogant U.S. officials are when it comes to Iraq.

First, the stupid Kalifornian (sic) Congressman Dana Rohrabacher demanded that Iraq pay for being invaded and occupied by the United States.  He said it was to pay back the U.S. for the service of taking out Saddam Hussein, something the Iraqis never really asked for (most of the testimonies before Congress have proven to be faked).

The Kalifornian described the U.S. invasion of Iraq as a sign that we care about Iraqis: “We were hoping that there would be a consideration of a payback because the United States right now is in close to a very serious economic crisis and we could certainly use some people to care about our situation as we have cared about theirs.”-Dana Rohrabacher

Moron Rohrabacher!  The only justified “payback” is that Iraq invades the United States and takes out our government!

Second, idiot Congressmen have arrogantly demanded that the United States conduct an investigation into the Iraqi attack on the Iranian refugee Ashraf camp.  The Iranian’s were long time refugees in Iraq, but they were also pro-U.S./anti-Iranian rebels who had been using Iraqi territory for training, supply and a safe haven for decades.

The U.S. demand to investigate the Iraqi raid makes it sound like the United States was really using Ashraf camp to stage terrorist raids into Iran, despite denials of such action by our leaders.

The U.S. Embassy in Iraq, has been notified that the Congressional delegation needs to leave NOW.

 

Idaho, International

What Global Warming? Cooler weather delays East Idaho road construction, What Economic Recovery? Lack of funds will reduce Idaho road construction

“Every time we tried to schedule something, we had a storm come through. With the temperature and the moisture, you just can’t do it.”-James Orner, Idaho Transportation Department

Temperatures are finally warming up in eastern Idaho, and ITD officials hope to get ongoing road construction finished, and start new ones.

But just as the weather is warming up for ITD, funding is running out: “In the next few years, we’re going to see a rapid decline in the amount of construction that’s going to be available because there’s less funding available. With gas prices going up, people are driving less, and it’s affecting our revenues.”-Corey Krantz, Idaho Transportation Department

Funding for ITD comes, in part, from state gas taxes.    

International

Government Incompetence: Germany back to blaming sprouts for E Coli, no evidence

“The whole thing is a big scandal.  People were very unsettled.  Every day something different was announced.  Now I hear on the radio that it was the sprouts.  But people were even buying less fruit.  That is simply insane.’’ Riza Cetinkaya, Berlin grocer who says sales have dropped 70%

Out of frustration the German health officials are back to blaming sprouts for the deadly e. coli outbreak.  The problem is that they are simply guessing, again.

Officials say the sprouts are the ‘most likely’ source, but at the same time admit the produce has tested negative for e. coli.

How did they come to their conclusion?  They made a map showing the concentration of infection cases, then basically concluded that the sprout farm near the center ‘must’ be the source.  Police detectives know you can’t rely solely on lines drawn on a map.

Consumer Protection officials then announced that they had found a contaminated container of sprouts, in the trash can of a family that is infected.  The officials concluded that it was ‘proof’ that the sprouts were the cause.  Is it possible the sprout container itself is the source of contamination?  Remember e. coli is spread by contact with fecal matter, or animal/human waste.  What else was in the trash can?

One government official, Reinhard Burger, of the Robert Koch Institute, admitted that the window of opportunity to link fecal waste and contact with produce, was gone.  So all officials can do now is guess.

The sprout farm, in Lower Saxony, has been shut down and sealed off.

 

International, Opinion

Government Incompetence: Germany gets it wrong with deadly E Coli. Could it be a modern day Typhoid Mary?

First Germany blamed Spanish cucumbers; wrong!  Then Germany blamed locally grown sprouts; wrong!  Now Germany is facing a lawsuit by Spain, and German vegetable growers are tossing tons of fresh produce in the trash.  On top of that people are still dying!

By June 8, 25 people in Germany, and one person in Sweden had died.  More than 2,600 people in Germany are sick.

A new twist; back to cucumbers.  This time German health officials say they’ve found traces of the new strain (similar to 0104:H4) on cucumber leftovers belonging to a family that was among the first to get sick.

Here’s an issue: E. Coli (Escherichia coli) does not originate on vegetables!  It comes from the intestines of animals (humans included).  Vegetables would only get infected if they came into contact with infected fecal matter (i.e. crap).

Some possibilities:  Vegetables were for some reason being shipped along side products containing infected fecal matter?  Some Fertilizers used on crops contained infected fecal matter?  How about someone infected didn’t do a good job of cleaning themselves up after taking care of business, and, didn’t wash their hands thus spreading their particular strain of E-Coli to others, by handling produce being eaten by a lot of people (a modern day Typhoid Mary)?  Maybe German officials should be looking at people who handle fresh produce prior to it being sold to consumers (specifically someone who handled cucumbers)?

International, U.S.

U.S. to stay in Afghanistan until 2017

“We won’t complete doing what we need to do until about 2016, 2017.”-USA Lieutenant General William Caldwell

General Caldwell made his statement at the Brookings Institute on June 6.  His reasons are that only one in six Afghans, who join the Afghan government forces, can read and write.  Caldwell says that means it will take longer than expected for the U.S. military to train up Afghan troops to a level U.S. officials will feel secure with.