Category Archives: International

Business/Economics, International

Temporary housing for survivors being held up

Japanese home builders are facing the same problems that car makers and electronics industries are facing; lack of parts, lack of power.

Temporary housing is being built for the survivors who lost their homes due to the March 11 tsunami, or those who evacuated the government’s 20km nuclear danger zone.

Contractors say they are running into problems getting the materials needed to complete the mobile homes. Also, they are working without external electrical power supply, and they are running out of fuel for their portable generators.

Contractors say they will do their best for the survivors.

Business/Economics, International, Opinion

Japan nuke agency had no plans to warn fishermen of contaminated fish

The Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency admitted that they had no plans to explain the dangers of contaminated fish to the fishing industry.  Japanese fishermen have been turned away from fish markets with their entire catch in tow.

The Federation of Fisheries Cooperative said they asked for an explanation of the dangers, but got none. Many fishing companies continued to fish after reports of radioactive contamination in the ocean.

Iwaki city officials, in one of the biggest fishing areas of Japan, say they’ve been waiting for the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency to explain the situation, but, arrogantly the government agency said that they were waiting for the local people to come to them first.

Sounds like the arrogant Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency needs to pull their head out!

International, U.S.

California Water contaminated 181 times safe limits

University of California Berkeley is reporting that their own testing on rain water revealed radiation contamination 181 times safe limits.

The Federal government’s max safe level of iodine-131 allowed in drinking water is 0.111 becquerels per liter. The UC Berkeley test showed iodine-131 at 20.1 becquerels per liter. Again, that was a test of rain water. Eventually the rain water will end up in municipal water supplies.

Fukushima, International

Russian leaders say situation in Japan Real Bad

Who better to know when a nuclear situation is real bad, then those who dealt with Chernobyl.  Russia, back then part of the now extinct Soviet Union when the Chernobyl disaster happened, says Japan is in trouble.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says the situation at Fukushima Daiichi is showing no signs of improvement. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says the situation is still out of control.

From the very beginning of the nuclear disaster in Japan, Russian nuclear engineers have warned that the type of design used at Fukushima Daiichi (by the way, designed by General Electric) is dangerous if damaged in a natural disaster. Basically it can not be saved.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Donations still lag behind Haiti & Katrina, Japanese Red Cross blasted for not handing out money

It might be due to the bad world economy, or the fact that the rest of the World thought Japan was the best prepared for disasters, but donations are still lagging behind the Haiti quake, and Hurricane Katrina.

According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s count, U.S.$161 million has been raised, in the past three weeks. Compare that to the first two weeks after last year’s Haiti quake; $528 million, and Hurricane Katrina; $1 billion.

The Los Angeles Times is also reporting that the Japanese Red Cross is dragging its feet on getting help to people.  Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano blasted the Japanese Red Cross for not handing out any of the $1 billion they claim to have raised. Edano ordered the Japanese Red Cross to get busy on handing out help this past Sunday.

Is it me, or does it seem that every organization is just one big failure after another, when it comes to dealing with the Japanese disasters?

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

U.S. Industries in final death throes

Research firm IBISWorld is revealing ten declining U.S. industries, saying their deaths are irreversible. And for some it will be a painfully slow death, lasting until 2016.

The three main reasons: new technology, foreign competition (including shipping off jobs overseas) and industry stagnation (why build new factories when your shipping the jobs off overseas?).

As an example; the number three ranked dying industry is manufactured homes. According to the report, in the last ten years more than 50% of manufactured homes dealers have gone out of business. And those that are still open have seen revenue (not to be confused with profit) fall by 77%.

Here’s the list; 1: Apparel Manufacturing  2: Record Stores  3: Mobile Home dealers  4: Photo finishing (remember the old film cameras)  5: Wired Telecommunications (Landlines)  6: Mills  7: Newspapers  8: DVD, Game & Video rentals  9: Formal Wear/Costume rentals  10: Video Post Production

 

 

International

Firefighter gave life ringing emergency bell as the Tsunami came roaring in

In Otsuchi, Japan, residents honored one of their long time firefighters, after he saved their lives, but lost his.

Otsuchi is far north of the epicenter of the March 11, 9.0 earthquake. Yet they got hit just as hard by the resulting tsunami. In fact the quake caused the coastal town to lose electric power instantly. That’s when 57 year old Fujio Koshita decided to use an old bell at his fire station, to warn residents of the approaching tsunami.

Fellow firefighters said he ordered them to leave as well. Being the senior firefighter, by age, he had the authority. Toru Suzuki, also a firefighter, said Koshita climbed onto the roof of the fire station and began ringing the old bell as hard as he could.

“It was really loud. The fireman was brave. I’m proud of him.”-16 year old Kaito Yamasaki

Akira Sasaki, another fire fighter who helped factory workers get to higher ground, said he apologized to Koshita. He said Koshita responded by saying “It’s all right. I will take care of it here.”

The sound of Koshita’s bell ringing echoed across the village until the giant waves swept away the fire station, and Koshita.

Fujio Koshita was not the only firefighter in Otsuchi who died. Seven other firefighters are dead or missing. Most were helping seniors and disabled people get to higher ground, some were trying to close the 12 flood gates on the town’s sea wall.

Otsuchi had a population of 15,000, now they are missing at least 10% of their residents.

Fujio Koshita must’ve known how bad the tsunami was, because, according to other firefighters, he violated his own rule about rescue workers; “Don’t die. Rescuers must stay alive” because your job is to help other people.

Koshita’s body, as well as others, have not been found.

 

 

Business/Economics, International

TEPCO offers piddly $12.00 per person compensation for nuke disaster

Tokyo Electric said it has started paying Japanese municipalities directly affected by the nuclear disaster.

One town, Namie, refused the money.  Basically it is an insult, because when they divided the TEPCO offer by the number of their population and it amounted to only $12.00 per person. Namie officials say money is needed, but it’s obvious TEPCO’s offer wont help anyone.

International, Opinion, U.S.

al Qaeda taking advantage of Libyan civil war, taking Western supplied weapons for Rebels, for use againt the United States

Gaddafi said it, exclusive reports in some western media sources said it, and even the U.S. Admiral in charge of NATO said it: Al Qaeda is operating with the Libyan rebels we are supporting.  And now they are taking the weapons for the rebels, for later use against the West.

Reuters is reporting that Algerian intelligence has proof that al Qaeda is operating in Libya, and they’re taking Western supplied, and captured Russian, weapons out of Libya.

Algeria, right to the west of Libya, has spent years trying to keep al Qaeda out. Now they’ve stepped up security operations because of the Western backed rebellion in Libya, precisely because they know al Qaeda is involved.

Algerian officials are amazed that the U.S., and other UN coalition countries are supporting, essentially, al Qaeda.

Haven’t we been here before? We supported a certain group who fought in the Afghan/Soviet War, that group became al Qaeda led by bin Laden (by the way not Afghani, but Wahhabi Arab), and that group declared war on the United States.  Then we invade Iraq, supposedly because of connections to al Qaeda, which were false, and as a result al Qaeda actually got into Iraq (Saddam Hussein was actively fighting al Qaeda before we invaded). Now there is more and more proof that we are supporting al Qaeda in Libya.  Sompin’ funny goin’ on here!

Remember the old “Sanford and Son” TV show?  Let me paraphrase Red Fox’s character’s favorite phrase for his son: “Obama, you big dummy!”