Category Archives: International

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Toyota says planned North American plant closures will last 5 days in April

“There are problems with parts supply. But each day, we are doing our utmost to improve the conditions so that we can deliver cars to many customers.”-Akio Toyoda, Toyota President

Toyota is having trouble getting around 150 components, but that’s down from 500 components after the March 11 quake.

Toyota said it will halt North American production starting on April 15.  It doesn’t look like production will be shut down for five days straight, instead it will be spread out, one day here, one day there.
Assembly line workers may report for training, use vacation days, or take unpaid time off.

Business/Economics, International

While the U.S. economy stagnates, Chile’s grows 7.2%

Chile’s economy continues to awe outsiders. For the month of February, 2011, Chile’s economy grew by 7.2%.

Chile’s Central Bank said it’s due mainly to exports. The top export from Chile is copper. Right now copper is trading for $10,000 per ton.

Other exports helped Chile: Fruit, timber and fishing.  Chile also got a boost from it’s transport industries.

The down side is inflation. The Central Bank says it’s inevitable that with such explosive growth inflation will follow.  Currently inflation in Chile is at 4.3%.

Business/Economics, International

If eating well is a sign of a good economy, then Venezuela is doin’ fine

From 1998 to 2008 Venezuelans increased their caloric consumption by 55.5%. That’s according to a study by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Also, between 70-75% of the food is produced locally. It reflects Venezuela’s focus on increasing domestic production.

Venezuela also has a law that says the government must keep three months worth of food, for an estimated 27 million people, stocked up for emergencies.

International, Opinion

40,000 Mexicans protest Drugs War

“We urgently need to restore dignity to this nation and fight violence with education, culture, poetry and employment.”-Javier Sicilia, son was killed last week

In Mexico City at least 40,000 people protested the drugs war, pointing out that most deaths make no sense as they are mainly innocent bystanders, or people who have no proven connection to drug dealing, or the government.

Recently mass graves were found. They did not contain the bodies of drug gang members, or the Mexican military or police, but of migrant workers.  A similar mass grave was found last year, again migrant workers were the victims. The Mexican government said a drug gang was responsible. Why would drug gangs want to massacre migrant workers in Mexico?  Are they afraid they’ll take their jobs?

To the people of Mexico, this so called drugs war launched by a pro-Bush President, is looking more and more like a war on everyday civilians.

International

Woman died trying to save Kindergarten students, school was supposed to be safe

According to NHK, A kindergarten school, in Miyagi Prefecture, was supposed to be safe from tsunami, according to an official tsunami danger zone map. The official map was wrong.

When the 9.0 quake hit on March 11, school officials knew a tsunami was coming, but they though they were safe.  In fact, they kept the children at school because their homes were actually closer to the ocean than the school.

Parents were called to come and get their kids, if they wanted. All the children were loaded onto buses, to wait for their parents.  When it became clear that the tsunami was going to sweep over the school, teachers began grabbing kids off the buses. One girl was pulled off in the nick off time, by her hair. She watched as the tsunami swept away her friends still on the bus.

One of the buses was found at a house. The woman of the house tried to save the kids on the bus. They scrambled for the 2nd floor of the home. 17 children were saved, but two kids died along with the woman.  Their bodies were found in the yard. The house was filled with items washed in from the school.

International, Opinion, U.S.

More proof that the Libyan Civil War is about Oil, not Freedom

Libyan rebels have been focusing all their attacks on cities tied to the oil industry. They have already made oil deals with several countries including Qatar, and, they have received their first payment for oil apparently from China.

Now the rebels are complaining that they are losing three oil fields they recently took control of.  Why so upset? They admit they want the oil money.

Just who attacked the rebel held oil fields is unknown. The Libyan government say the British bombed the rebels by mistake (plausible because NATO has done it, twice now). The rebels say some of the attacks where from artillery.

In any case the rebels are really upset about losing control of any oil production that they have captured.  Mmmm. I didn’t realize that oil was an integral part of freedom and Democracy?

International, U.S.

“low likelihood” Libyan Rebels can win, even with NATO support

The U.S. general in charge of the United States Africa Command, Gen Carter Ham, says Libyan rebels probably will not win, even with NATO help.

General Ham also says we should not be arming the rebels until there is “a better understanding of exactly who the opposition force is”. There is evidence that some of the rebels are al Qaeda, the group we’re supposed to be at war with.