Category Archives: International

International

Government Incompetence: Natural disaster policies actually made things worse, so much for Japan being the most prepared nation in the world

An independent panel, investigating the Japanese government’s policies, regarding natural disasters, has found many faults that actually made things worse after the March 11 disasters.

Two primary faults were pointed out at a press conference.

One was the lack of an evacuation policy.  It seems the government never expected to have to evacuate survivors.  The panel said in the future, evacuation plans must be a pillar of dealing with natural disaster.

The second major fault (pun intended) was that the government ignored geographical evidence of 9.0 earthquakes, and hundred feet high tsunamis along Japan’s coastline.  The result was that buildings and seawalls along the coastline were not built strong enough.

Also, the panel discovered that most of the government’s hazard maps and historical tsunami data are totally wrong.

The independent panel will now research ways for the Japanese government to come up with a functional natural disaster preparedness plan.

International, Opinion

France traces deadly E Coli strain to British seed company

Efforts to find the origins of a deadly e.coli strain (that some scientist say was engineered in a lab) continues, as more people get sick.

France has eight people in the hospital.  Seven of them ate sprouts at an open house party.  The sprouts were not grown in Germany, but in France.  The seeds for those sprouts came from a company in the United Kingdom, a company called Thompson & Morgan.

Understanding how e.coli works makes it difficult to suspect seeds, however, if this strain of e.coli was engineered in a lab, then anything is possible.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? World Banks tightening their grip on money

On Saturday, June 25, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision announced that all major international banks, and central banks (like the U.S. Federal Reserve) are going to increase their capital reserves.

This means they are going to hold onto more money and issue less loans.  Some banks refer to capital reserves as putting their money to ‘rest’ (aka bank reserves, desired reserves).

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision refused to give a list of which banks will be holding back on their money.  This is an indication that the major international, and central banks do not expect any short term improvement in the world economies.

The increase in capital reserves is to help banks handle monetary emergencies, like traditional “runs on banks”.  Just how long does the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision think the economy will suck?  The new tighter control on money will be implemented in phases, becoming fully in effect in 2018.  Mmmm, it’s 2011 now, uh oh!

International, U.S.

Syria moves troops to border with Turkey, U.S. issues warning, Turkey massing troops

So what if Obama is actually going to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, they’re just going to be used somewhere else.

In response to continued attacks against Syrian police and army troops (three mass graves filled with hundreds of Syrian cops and soldiers have been found), and the fact that Turkey is allowing the build up of NATO forces on a Turkish air base, the Syrian government is massing troops along the Turkish border.

There are reports that Syrian forces attacked impromptu refugee camps along the border.  The United States is warning Syria that their actions could escalate the situation (as if that isn’t what the U.S. wants).

“Unless the Syrian forces immediately end their attacks and their provocations that are not only now affecting their own citizens but (raising) the potential of border clashes, then we’re going to see an escalation of conflict in the area.”-Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State

The Syrian refugees fled into Turkey.  Last week Turkey said it could handle the refugee situation, up to a point.  A Turkish official said they could handle about 10,000 refugees, if the refugee situation escalated beyond that Turkey would have to take action (the official didn’t specify what “action” would be taken).

According to a BBC report, Turkey (a member of the U.S. led NATO) is now massing troops on the border.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Obama’s order to release U.S. oil reserves is BS, 27 other countries to release oil reserves is also BS, blame war on Libya

All indicators are that global demand for oil is going down, despite the oil “experts” continuing to say it’s going up.  The fact that oil and gas prices are going down is proof of the decrease in demand.  One study says oil should be at $70.00, based on actual consumer demand.

Yet President Barack Obama, and 27 other members of the International Energy Agency, are ordering the release of their respective strategic oil reserves.

The official reason the Obama administration gives, is to ease the supply problems with oil from Libya.  First off, the U.S. is a minor user of oil from Libya, secondly the U.S. is partly to blame for the oil supply problems in Libya!

The U.S. uses about 1% of oil produced in Libya, according to a USA Today report.  The U.S. has been supporting rebels who destroyed Chinese run oil fields in Libya, according to the Chinese government.

As I’m writing this U.S. crude oil prices are at $91.00 per barrel.  Why release U.S. oil reserves now, and not back when it was more than $100.00 per barrel?

Here something interesting; the U.S. Department of Energy reports that the strategic oil reserves are at record highs, 727 million barrels to be exact.  Why would that be? Because demand is down?

The IEA (not to be confused with the United Nations IAEA) is made up of 28 oil consuming countries, including the United States.  The decision of the IEA to release 60 million barrels of oil reserves, is to benefit the countries that get most of their oil from Libya, ie Europe.  One report showed that almost all of Italy’s oil comes from Libya.

In other words, Obama’s decision to release U.S. strategic oil reserves is for the benefit of the Europeans, not the United States!

It is also totally because of the U.S. supported European war on Libya, the aggressors (U.S. and Europe) brought it upon themselves.

 

 

 

Business/Economics, International

What Economic Recovery? Credit Crisis hits SAAB, can’t pay employees, shuts factory

A few days ago U.S. Federal Reserve boss Ben Bernanke said one of the factors in deciding the economy was worse then they thought, was continuing financing problems (credit crisis).  Swedish car maker SAAB, just announced they are the latest victims of the credit crisis.

SAAB can not get short term loans, which is what it uses to pay its employees.  Not only is this a bad sign of the economy, but a reminder that “Western” corporations run on debt, not revenues.

This inability to pay its employees comes after SAAB closed one of its factories in Trollhatten, due to lack of parts (thank Japan’s failed “just in time” supply system).

SAAB is trying to get loans from Chinese companies, they’re waiting for government approval.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? United Nations says government cut backs making things worse

“Austerity measures in response to high government debt in some advanced economies, such as Greece and Spain, are not only threatening public sector employment and social expenditure, but also making the recovery more uncertain and fragile.”-UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs

The UN is warning that cuts in government spending will only make the global economy worse.  This comes a week after the International Monetary Fund said the economic crisis was now in the political phase, meaning the private sector had failed.

Interestingly the UN is also blaming the bad economy on global lenders like the IMF.

 

Business/Economics, International, Opinion

What Economic Recovery? Britain wants the European Union to collapse

Discussions within the U.K. Parliament reveal that British leaders are hoping for a quick end to the European Union via a Greek collapse.

Former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said, concerning the Euro: “…is going to collapse…” and “Is it not better that this happens quickly rather than a slow death?”

Current Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Mark Hoban said: “I am not going to comment on whether the eurozone will remain intact or not. Clearly, this crisis demonstrates the huge strain the eurozone in under. That is why it was right for us to stay out of the eurozone.”

Current Prime Minister, David Cameron said: “We were not involved in the first bailout of Greece; we don’t believe the European financial mechanism should be used in any way.”

Conservative Member of Parliament, Anne Main said Greece “…should be allowed to depart peacefully from the eurozone.”

Current Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, said the U.K. would not help Greece:  “The package for Greece that is already in place is a eurozone package with the IMF.  It’s the eurozone that is taking forward discussions now about the next stage of dealing with Greece’s substantial problems.  There’s simply no proposition on the table for the U.K. to contribute beyond that IMF involvement and I don’t expect there to be one.”

When you take what the British leaders are saying, along with the International Monetary Fund’s warnings that the default of Greece will lead to a collapse of European Union, then it definitely looks like the British want Greece to default.  Historically the British never really liked the concept of the European Union.