Category Archives: U.S.

International, U.S.

British Empire Owns the United States: Forces U.S. taxpayers to fork over $150 million for spy data!

02 August 2013 (19:39 UTC-07 Tango 01 August 2013)/25 Ramadan 1434/11 Mordad 1391/26 Geng-Shen (6th month) 4711

According to leaked U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), dated 2010, the United States Department of Homeland Security/NSA gave the United Kingdom $150 million taxpayer dollars in the past three years for ‘intelligence’!   This is according to the British news source The Guardian.

The money is going to the U.K.’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).  According to the leaked NSA documents, a GCHQ official calls the U.S. payments an “investment”.

The documents show that U.S. taxpayers are funding half of the British spying operations in Cyprus.  Remember Cyprus?  That’s the country that suddenly went belly up, and massive bailouts of the government took place, while many people had their bank accounts seized to pay for the bailouts!  It’s all connected to the recently discovered massive petroleum field in the Mediterranean (known as Levant Basin Province, aka Leviathan).

Ironically, even though the U.S. is paying the U.K. for spy data, according to the NSA documents 60% of the British Empire’s internet and phone spying is actually being done by the U.S. NSA!

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

World War 3, U.S. Economic Front: Job losses & store closings 30-31 May 2013. Chris Christie gives British Empire corp $80 million tax break, to cut jobs in the United States!!! MetLife says the U.S. is toast!!!

The biggest insurance company in the U.S., MetLife, has laid off 2500 people since 2012!  The insurance and investment company said the United States is no longer the place to do business and will focus on other countries for growth opportunities!!!

In California, Westwood’s Jerry’s Famous Deli closed, 63 employees laid off.  The restaurant owner blamed it on the property owner jacking up the rent.  A Jerry’s Famous Deli also closed in West Hollywood.  In Santa Monica, Rubin Postaer Associates laid off 200 people!  Rubin Postaer Associates is Los Angeles County’s second largest advertising agency. Honda was their biggest client, and Honda just cut back big on their advertising budget.  In Simi Valley, Arizona based Nexicore laid off 108 employees!  The computer company blames it on crashing sales.

Arizona based Pro’s Ranch Markets bankrupt.  The grocery chain focused on Hispanic customers in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The company blames a decline in sales on several factors, including Arizona’s anti-immigrant laws.

In White Plains, New York, British Empire based Pearsons Education laid off 55 employees. The education publisher has been laying off employees non-stop due to constant “restructuring”, even after New Jersey gov’na Chris Christie gave the Red Coat company an $80 million USD tax break!!!  And the Obama/Romney Affordable Health Care Act is killing another health care provider!  Sound Shore Health System now bankrupt: “As is true with many community hospitals serving a working-class constituency, the Medical Centers have been beset by the financial pressures caused by cuts in Medicare and Medicaid funding.”-Court filed bankruptcy statement

Speaking of New Jersey, the city of Linden wants to layoff 31 cops. City officials blame it on the police union rejecting the city’s concession offer. City officials say they need to save $1.2 million. Gee why don’t they ask gov’na Christie for the money?  He gave foreigner Pearson Education $80 million!

In Washington, the Pierce County Jail laid off 20 guards.  The county is short $4.2 million, and 160 inmates are about to go free due to their sentences being up.  There are no new inmates expected because two of the county’s customers, the cities of Lakewood and Tacoma, are sending their inmates to a cheaper facility.

In Colorado, the Upper Pine Fire Protection District cut four jobs: “If we didn’t do this, we wouldn’t have any reserves left after next year. Too many factors led to this. By this time last year, we’d had income coming into the district from fighting wildland fires on federal lands. This year, that didn’t happen.”-Bruce Evans, District Chief

The College of Central Florida got rid of 28 jobs.  College officials blame a $2.4 million shortfall on declining student enrollment.  In Gainesville a Stein Mart is closing, rumors say it’s being replaced with a Hobby Lobby.

In Illinois, the Chicago Sun Times laid off all its photogs, all 28 of them!  Reporters are now required to do their own pics and video (just like in the smaller news markets).  And the Adler Planetarium laid off 15 people. Officials say they are trying to stay ahead of the bad economy by becoming more efficient. Plass Appliance shutting down after 75 years of sales. It’s blamed on the bad economy. At one time there were ten Plass Appliance stores.

The Muncie Public Library announced that it has to cut $400000 from its budget, and that means layoffs in Indiana.

What automotive industry recovery?  Germany based Volkswagen confirmed they will layoff 500 people in their Tennessee Passat factory!!!  They blame it on crashing sales of Passats.

What oil industry boom?  In Texas, Cameron International laid off 88 employees.  The global provider of production and processing equipment for the oil and gas industry is shutting down their factory in Magnolia.

And despite North Dakota‘s oil boom, Finland based cell phone & GPS maker Nokia laid off 50-60 employees in their Fargo factory.  Company official say these latest layoffs are in addition to the 10000 planned layoffs announced at the end of last year!  Nokia officials say they want to streamline their North Dakota operations.

In Pennsylvania, The Common Plea and The Plea Bar closed down after 42 years of business. The owners are selling the restaurant operation and focusing on catering.  The Pocono Mountain School District closed two elementary schools.  School officials blame it on declining enrolment, and the need to save $2 million!  PBS Coals announced a third round of layoffs.  This time the mining company laid off 134 people! In the 2nd round of layoffs 138 people got axed!  Company officials said the economy is that bad, even in China: “…..the 134 layoffs are a result of economic decline. The domestic market is low, and we sell to international markets, the big players are China and India, but there isn’t a lot of economic growth there either!”-Lori J. Mason, PBS Coals

Georgia based payment processor First Data Corp. continues to lay people off as part of its never ending “restructuring”.  This time 40 people in Nebraska got canned.  It was part of the latest round of layoffs country wide, which saw a total of 70 jobs cut. In April they laid off 60 people in Nebraska, and between 2007 and 2010, 800 Cornhuskers got the axe!

In Wisconsin, 72 people lost their jobs because iconic Ball container company closed down operations in Milwaukee.  And 202 people out-o-work at the Kewaunee Power Station!  The operator of the nuclear power plant, Dominion Resources, said this is just the first round of more layoffs to come. The nuke plant is being shut down, in toto 632 employees will be affected!

In Michigan, the Pump House Grille was seized by the Berrien County Treasurer’s Office, for failure to pay property taxes.  And Jill’s General Store closed down.  The family owners said declining sales didn’t justify the amount of time they were putting into the business.

In Alabama, 200 employees at the Russell Athletic/Fruit of the Loom Mill Decorations Plant were told bye-bye!  The clothing company is closing the factory.  It’s blamed on the bad economy.  The Home Fashion Paint and Floor Covering Company closed after 44 years of business. The owner retired to do Baptist missionary work.

Another irony, the Mississippi Department of Employment Security shut down 13 WIN Job Centers!  It’s blamed on federal funding cuts.

In Wheaton, Maryland, the Showcase Aquarium tropical fish store closed after 45 years.  The store owner said his lease expired and a multitude of factors convinced him that it wasn’t a good idea to renew it, mainly that a major redevelopment plan by Montgomery County is going to destroy any parking for customers.

After 30 years of operations the Burr Cooperative Nursery School shut down in Massachusetts.

Idaho based paper company, Boise Inc., closed it Umatilla, Oregon, chipping operations.

In Virginia, Apple computer retailer, CityMac, closed after less than one year in business!  The owner says sales suck, and profit margins for computer retailers is too small to justify trying to stay open.  The store property has been turned over to the city of Bristol.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) doesn’t count the hundreds of layoffs involving less than 50 people each, in its mass layoff reports. It also doesn’t count all the little ‘mom & pop’ businesses that shut down.

Business/Economics, U.S.

World War 3, U.S. Economic Front: Job losses & store closings 27-29 May 2013. Property owners strike again! California hit hard again!

In New York, Dance New Amsterdam bankrupt.  The people who operate the dance center had to enlist the help of politicians to get the bankruptcy through.  The center has been barley able to pay day to day operating expenses, due to the loss of decreased foundation funding and the loss of a major partner.   And the Albion Public Schools laid off 15 Albion High School teachers, paraprofessionals and administrators, basically the entire staff of the high school.  This after they decided to stop using teaching students and close an elementary school.

The 81 years old restaurant, Pals Cabin, in Wet Orange, New Jersey closed down.  Local news media had asked the owners if the restaurant was closing and the response, every time, was basically NO.  Turns out the owners discovered they can make more money “redeveloping the site”.

In California, after 30 years of business the Presto Magic store in Long Beach now out-o-business.  The store owner blames it on the property owner jacking up the rent.  Reports that a Jack in the Box fast food joint closed in Cathedral City.  In LA, Labcorp-National Genetics Institute laid off 45 employees.  In Rancho Cordova, PennySaver newspaper laid off 43 employees.  In San Jose, Cisco Systems laid off 182 people!  In San Mateo, reports that Mills Health Center will close its 4th floor Senior Health Services operations, 76 people unemployed. In San Diego, the Union Tribune laid off at least ten employees. The newspaper is restructuring.  In Sacramento, the 21 years old 4th Street Bar & Grille closed, the owner blames the bad economy: “…Unfortunately, for me I got the rug pulled out from under me and that is how it goes.”-Ron Fleming

Texas based Highway Technologies finally came out of the job layoff closet.  Company officials finally admitted they are bust and have laid off 740 of their 825 employees, countrywide!  The news was first reported a week ago by Montana news media, but Highway Technologies refused comment.  Montana was hit hard because the road construction company is a major employer in the sparsely populated state.  300 Montanans lost their jobs, with no warning!  Interestingly, Texas news media reported the company notified Texas officials days before the layoffs took place.  Somebodies lying!  In a long winded explanation company officials revealed they had been trying to sell the company off, and basically said their line of operating credit was frozen: “The company had been working to obtain the necessary funding to continue operations and was actively pursuing other alternatives (including sales of assets) to avoid permanently closing its facilities. More specifically, the company anticipated a commitment to finance ongoing operations, as had occurred previously, and attempted to enter into an agreement to sell to a key competitor. Regrettably, the company’s best efforts were unsuccessful. Unforeseeably, financing was denied and the prospective purchaser was not willing to proceed with the sale…..”

In Dallas, Texas, 52 people lost their jobs with Diebold.  It’s part of the corporate realignment.

Chemtura Corp plans as many as 50 layoffs at their Middlebury, Pennsylvania, facility.  In 2007 the chemical company announced they would undergo massive restructuring.

In Michigan, Milan Board of Education will be voting on eliminating at least 12 positions.

In Brownsville, Oregon, the Central Linn Kidco Head Start shut down due to federal funding cuts.

The New Bedford School Department, in Massachusetts, laying off 250 people!  The school had been relying on $11 million USD in federal stimulus money, which expired.  In Lexington, Wild & Woolly yarn store closed after 34 years in business.  The store owner blames it on the property owner jacking up the rent.  In Worcester, Tortilla Sam’s Fresh Mex closed.  After 11 years of operations the owner decided the economy had gotten so bad that it was time to get out of the restaurant business.

In Florida, the Christian God can’t stop the closing of the Saint Mark school.  After 50 years of operations the Catholic school closed due to declining enrollment. And the lease is up on the Cheri Bloom Bridal and Formalwear, and the owner can’t afford to renew it. The sushi restaurant, Bond Street lounge, closed in the Townhouse Hotel, in South Beach. It’s being replaced with a pub.

Georgia based HeritageBank of the South closing its Sylacauga, Alabama, office.  Bank officials said the operating costs of the office were not justified by the revenues coming into the office.

Frank’s Shoe Repair closed down in Illinois.  The owner of the 98 years old store died.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) doesn’t count the hundreds of layoffs involving less than 50 people each, in its mass layoff reports. It also doesn’t count all the little ‘mom & pop’ businesses that shut down.

Business/Economics, U.S.

World War 3, U.S. Economic Front: Job losses & store closings 24-26 May 2013. California hit hard again! Trucking company lies about massive layoffs!

What automotive industry recovery?  Israel/California based electric car battery maker Better Place now bankrupt.   The problem was that the Israeli owners wanted electric car owners to exchange batteries when they needed to be charged, instead of just plugging them into a power source.

Also in California, massive closures and layoffs!  Ralph’s Grocery closed two stores, 104 people unemployed!  Omnicare in Burbank closed down, 62 people unemployed.  NBTY Acquisition closed in Carson, 256 people laid off!  Green Mountain Coffee in Castroville laid off 74 employees.  LA’s Wally’s Wine & Spirits laid off 63 people.  Affymax in Palo Alto laid off 227 people!  Cascade Logistics closed in Tracy, 36 unemployed.

Trucking company YRC Freight, laid off thousands of people across the country, starting back in March, even after Union members spent the last few years accepting massive pay cuts!  Union workers said they were told the cuts in pay would prevent layoffs, obviously they were lied to!  YRC is shutting down dozens of distribution centers (break bulk) and end of line terminals across the U.S.   In Ohio 541 people losing their jobs!  In Missouri 491 people losing their jobs!  183 people laid off in New Jersey!  In Tennessee, the Memphis terminal will be downsized, 175 people could lose their jobs!  In California, 288 people lost their jobs! Those are just the layoffs that got local news media attention.  A March 2013 report out of Missouri pointed out that the YRC website stated they were laying off only 230 people across the country, another lie!   Another report from 2010, revealed that YRC laid off 21000 people worldwide by March 2010!  YRC Freight is restructuring its network of hubs and terminals.

In New York, network broadcaster NBC laid off an undisclosed number of people as their Rock Center show ended.  Also, Alias restaurant closed in New York City.  The owners decided it was time to quit.  After 30 years Pastime Antiques shut down in Southold.  The owners said the need to retire.

The Christian God can’t stop the closing of the 94 years old Saint Stanislaus Christian school, in Nebraska.  Assumption-Guadalupe and Holy Ghost Christian schools were also shut down in the Cornhusker State.

In Michigan, Calvin College laid off 22 employees.  The college is $115 million in debt!  And the Christian God can’t stop 700 layoffs!  Catholic Ascension Health is laying off 350 people at Saint John Providence hospital, and 350 people at four other operating units and seven hospitals throughout Michigan!  Officials with the largest Catholic health care system in the United States blamed it on declining customers and “lower reimbursement from Medicaid and Medicare” caused by the Obama/Romney Affordable Health Care Act!

Rhode Island’s Lifespan healthcare system laid off 107 employees! They blame a $150 million shortfall on the Obama/Romney Affordable Health Care Act!

The Roseland Hospital in Illinois laid off 68 employees.  Another 47 people will have their workweek reduced by one day.  The hospital is in millions of dollars of debt, and the majority of its customers are low income without insurance, and of course the cuts to Medicaid/Medicare caused by the Obama/Romney Affordable Health Care Act could be the final straw.  Also, Cynthia’s Sweets chocolate shop closed, the owner needed a break.  And the Clipper Ship Gallery closed down, the 70 years old owner blames it on the bad economy.

In Maryland, 50 jobs lost as the Maryland General Hospital shut down its obstetrics and gynecology services. They blame it on declining customers and increasing operating costs.

Despite the oil boom, Trinity Health closed its clinic in Parshall, North Dakota.  It’s blamed on the Obama/Romney Affordable Health Care Act, but it could also have something to do with the fact that Trinity Health is being sold to the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

In Virginia, more than 161 employees have been laid off at Southside Virginia Training Center!  More than 200 employees retired early or quit! The institution for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities got into trouble with the U.S. Department of Justice.  A court deal ordered them to pay up $2.4 billion, and they are also being forced to shut down by 2014.  This mean hundreds more employees will be let go, as of May there were 914 people still working at the training center!  But wait, there’s more!  There are three other Virginia Training Centers that will be closed as well!   Not only are thousands of employees affected so are thousands of families who’ve been relying on the centers to help their disabled loved ones.

Too Big to Jail AIG Advisor Group laid off 40 employees.  They’re consolidating their commissions processing functions.

As many as 200 employees were laid off at the Libbey Glass factory in Shreveport, Louisiana!  Production moved to Mexico.

In Delaware, casino owner Dover Downs says they will have to layoff employees if casino taxes aren’t lowered.  Company officials say they will be forced to layoff “hundreds” of employees.

In Utah, No Place Like Home kitchen and home accessory store closed down.  The store owner says the property owner found a new tenant willing to pay more rent!

Gregg Shoes in North Carolina shut down after 30 years in business.  The owner wanted to retire.  And 103 people out-o-work in Gaston County, as Arrow Home Fashions shut down their factory!

The 54 years old Holiday House restaurant closed down in Florida, because of the bad economy: “We didn’t want to do this, but we had no choice…..Right now, we just can’t make it, with such few customers.”-Willa Cook, co-founder & co-owner

In Norwalk, Connecticut, the 29 years old Sassafras boutique out-o-business.  The owner says the main reason is the bad economy: “There has been a general economic malaise overall. I’ve been instituting cost cutting, but it hasn’t been enough.”-John Deorio, owner

Deorio also warned that other local businesses were on the verge of closing: “I told them [other local business owners] that I was closing due to the difficulty in continuing the business, but I was preaching to the choir.”

The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) doesn’t count the hundreds of layoffs involving less than 50 people each, in its mass layoff reports. It also doesn’t count all the little ‘mom & pop’ businesses that shut down.

Business/Economics, U.S.

World War 3, U.S. Economic Front: Job losses & store closings 23 May 2013. More massive school & health care cuts!!!

In Utah a British Empire owned mining company, Kennecott, laid off 100 employees!  More layoffs are planned.  It’s blamed on a major landslide at the Bingham Canyon Mine, and the price of copper doesn’t justify the expense of clearing the landslide.

In Saint Louis, Missouri, non-profit Lighthouse for the Blind medical packaging company laid off 24 employees.  85% of its business comes from the federal government, specifically the Department of Defense, and those contracts are being cut.

In Oklahoma, the Christian God can’t stop 210 layoffs at the non-profit health care organization known as Saint John Health System!  Governor Mary Fallin is being blamed for refusing to expand Medicaid coverage, and they also blame the Obama/Romney Affordable Health Care Act cuts to Medicare/Medicaid.

The McCready Memorial Hospital/Alice Byrd Tawes Nursing Home in Delaware, laid off 18 employees, and turned five full time jobs into part time jobs. It’s blamed on declining customers.

In Connecticut, the Christian God can’t stop an undisclosed amount of layoffs at Saint Vincent’s Medical Center!  It’s blamed on the Obama/Romney Affordable Health Care Act!

Want to burn your body fat with a laser?  Too late, the Texas company that sold such a device, Primcogent Solutions, now bankrupt.  Company officials said they were supposed to making money off licensing the use of the fat burning laser, but their investigations showed that the laser was a money losing operation.

Kansas based Cessna Aircraft lays off more employees. One month after offering voluntary buyouts to employees, Cessna officials say they will begin laying off an undisclosed number of employees.  Company officials blame crashing sales on the bad economy.

The Yeager Airport, in West Virginia, could layoff up to four employees, and eliminate three other positions.  It’s blamed on declining customers, and the loss of a route to Florida.

In Michigan, one week after announcing that 70 employees would be let go, Ann Arbor Board of Education gave the axe to 233 teachers!  The school district is short $8.67 million USD!

The Hattiesburg Public School District, in Mississippi, wants to layoff 20 teachers. They’re short $1.8 million!

In Pennsylvania, the state auditor general’s office laid off 67 employees.  The state office is short several million dollars, and they blame it on the governor.  A major east coast convenience store supplier, Cooper-Booth Wholesale, now bankrupt.  Apparently the federal government seized their bank accounts in connection to illegal cigarette smuggling.  In the Germantown section of Philadelphia, the NewCourtland nursing school closed after only three years of operations!  NewCourtland opened the school to provide nurses for its nursing homes operations, but then turned around and sold them off! And 56 employees with the Reading School District could lose their jobs.  The district is short $12 million, and apparently most people didn’t know it: “There’s a train wreck ready to happen, and the school district and the public need to hear it.”-Robert Peters, district CFO

The Elmbrook School District laying off 30 employees in Wisconsin.  It’s blamed on declining student enrollment and reduced government funding.

New York based flash sales website Totsy shutting down(?), after laying off all 83 employees! The company targets eco-freindly moms. Reports say the company burned through investors money as fast as they got it.  It also appears that flash sales websites were just a short lived fad.

In California, 115 years old Clifford’s Jewelry shut down in Chico! The owners wanted to retire, and apparently nobody in the family wanted to continue the business.  Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH) closed down in Fountain Valley.  The Sears owned Hardware chain went bankrupt in June. The latest news is that Lowe’s might buy OSH from Sears.

And another Office Depot in Virginia bites the dust!

Another cafe closed in Maine, this time the Coffee Pot Cafe in Lincoln.  The owner blames the bad economy.

In South Carolina, Fred’s retail store closed down in Columbia. It’s the third store to close in the city this year. Since 2008 the company has been shutting down underperforming stores, due to the bad economy.

21 people became unemployed when the 45 years old Bienville Club closed down in Mobile, Alabama.  The owner blamed it on declining customers and increasing rent.  He says the property owner more than doubled the rent!

In Ohio, apparently the privately run children’s social program provider, Children’s Connection, shut down in Mount Vernon. And John Q’s Steakhouse closed in Cleveland. It was originally one of the first Stouffers Restaurants.  The owner wants to retire.

No more Gotham Tavern in Portland, Oregon.

In Hawaii, the Da Kitchen shut down in Honolulu, after only three years in business.  The restaurant owners did not like what the property owners wanted for rent.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) doesn’t count the hundreds of layoffs involving less than 50 people each, in its mass layoff reports. It also doesn’t count all the little ‘mom & pop’ businesses that shut down.

Idaho, U.S.

Pocatello, Idaho, Charlotte Fire 2?

29 July 2013 (21:55 UTC-07 Tango 28 July 2013)/21 Ramadan 1434/07 Mordad 1391/22 Ji-Wie (6th month) 4711

Click the pics to make bigger

Business/Economics, U.S.

World War 3, U.S. Economic Front: Job losses & store closings 22 May 2013. Domestic spy company lays off even more employees!

Shell Vacations Club just put 45 employees on permanent vacation in Illinois.  Company officials say they’re restructuring.  And the Chicago School Board shutting down 49 schools!  They’re $1 billion USD in debt!

And California based domestic data collection and storage company (spying), NettApp, laying off 900 more employees around the World.  This is apparently in addition to the 1400 layoffs they announced just days prior!   Reports say NettApp refused to say how many jobs would be cut in the United States, however, they did say they were hiring 400 people for their Kansas spy center operations!

No more toys for Xmas?  Fisher Price laid off 100 people in Aurora, New York!  Company officials said they were moving production to California.  And Alteva phone company laying off about 20 people at it’s Warwick operations. They’ve been laying off employees since the beginning of the year.

In Ohio, the Fairport Harbor Village Council laid off two employees, and more layoffs are expected: “We have a lot of belt tightening to do around the village. With cuts to the local government funding, a major reduction in property tax evaluation and the defeat of the levy, we are where we are now financially.”-Tim Manross, Mayor

New York based public relations company Weber Shandwick laid off nine employees in Minnesota.  Company officials said it was consolidation of positions, as they expand operations in Europe.

In Mason County, West Virginia, the Felman Production electric arc furnaces at its ferroalloys factory are being shut down.  Employees, including managers, have been laid off.  The company says the price of silicomanganese is too low to justify continued operations.  They hope prices will go up so they can re-start operations.

In Pennsylvania, a Office Depot shut down in the West Goshen Town Center. It was store employees who notified the local news media. And the Christian God can’t stop the closing of the thrift Shop of Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr.  The manager resigned because he was tired of it, and church officials say none of their members want to take over management.

ACO Home, Garden & Hardware is closing 14 stores in Michigan!  They are trimming “underperforming” stores to make their investors happy.  The stores will close when they’ve sold off their inventory.

In Connecticut, the African-American Kente Cultural Center shut down.  The founder is blaming it on many things like competition, decreased revenues, lack of grants, and the existing board of directors want to quit and they can’t find anybody who wants to replace them!

What automotive industry recovery?  Florida based Allied Specialty Vehicles closed their Monaco RV factory in Indiana! 520 employees affected!  The company is moving production of their upscale Monaco recreational vehicle to Illinois.  Also, Allied Specialty Vehicles took over RV production from its competitor Navistar.

In Florida, the China Grill at the Hilton shut down.  The company that owns the restaurant says they are focusing on new restaurant projects.

In Ogden, Utah, two furniture stores, Knight’s Mattress & Furniture and Crown Elite Bedrooms, closed down.  The owners of Knight’s Mattress & Furniture say they are moving to a smaller store in another part of town, as well as focus mainly on mattress sales. No comment from the owner of Crown Elite Bedrooms.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) doesn’t count the hundreds of layoffs involving less than 50 people each, in its mass layoff reports. It also doesn’t count all the little ‘mom & pop’ businesses that shut down.

U.S.

Government Incompetence: FDA admits they look the other way when it comes to imported food! More smoke & mirrors?

27 July 2013 (11:42 UTC-07 Tango)/19 Ramadan 1434/05 Mordad 1391/20 Ji-Wie (6th month) 4711

In a round-a-bout rare admission of incompetence, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says they’ve allowed poor quality imported food to come into the United States!

Of course this is not new, and led to the creation of the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act.  Prior to that imported foods were allowed to meet fewer standards of safety (in reality almost none at all) then food produced in the United States!

But don’t get too excited, under the new rules (which are still under review, by the way) the onus is on the U.S. importer to provide the FDA with ‘documents’ showing the food is safe and is being produced/packaged in a safe way.  In other words, there’s no actual FDA inspection of the foreign foods or foreign food producing facilities (as before).

And just as before, the FDA is not going to investigate food sources (even domestic sources) until after food poisoning cases have been reported.  In fact, the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act directs the FDA to create “third party auditors” to act as “accredited” inspectors.  Those auditors could actually be “foreign government agencies or private companies”!

Sounds like the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act is nothing but smoke and mirrors!

According to the FDA, 50% of fruit and 20% of vegetables consumed in the U.S. are imported.  Now realize there have been several studies that show norovirus is being found in vegetables and fruits, especially those that come from Europe!

 

U.S.

Eugenics Martial Law U.S.A.: North Carolina owns up to forced sterilization!

27 July 2013 (11:16 UTC-07 Tango)/19 Ramadan 1434/05 Mordad 1391/20 Ji-Wie (6th month) 4711

Officials in North Carolina have fessed up to a eugenics program that ran from 1929 to 1974.  At least 7000 people were sterilized against their will!

The NAZI eugenics program in Germany was simply a copy of what was already taking place in the United States and United Kingdom.  Reports say the U.S. eugenics programs started in some states as early as 1907!  Poor people, mentally and physically handicapped, prisoners, orphans and even children of alcoholics were targeted under a program that got it’s start under Queen Victoria of the evil British Empire.  Documents show at least 60000 people were sterilized in the U.S., 20000 in California alone (and those are the official numbers)!

In North Carolina you could even accuse your neighbor’s daughter of being promiscuous, and that was enough to get her sterilized!

At the beginning of July it was revealed that California was still conducting eugenics in women’s prisons, even though the Golden State officially ended eugenics in the late 1970s.

North Carolina’s elected leaders have agreed to payout $10 million USD to the victims.  The governor still has to sign it into law.  I wonder how many victims have died?  If the governor signs the compensation into law the payments won’t be made until 2015.  How many more victims will be dead by then?

Business/Economics, U.S.

World War 3, U.S. Economic Front: Job losses & store closings 17-19 May 2013. Another domestic spy company in trouble? Proof the recession is worse than the Great Depression!

Louisiana based Sandia Drilling, along with its Texas operations, now bankrupt.  The company provides drilling services to the oil industry.

A Houston, Texas, piano dealer now out-o-business, becasue California based Sherman Clay & Company said they are going to focus on other money making schemes and “…end our nearly 143 year run in the piano retail business.”

In Montana, after 90 years of business the Saverud Paint Shop in Kalispell closed down.  Even though the store survived the Great Depression of the 1930s, the current owners, Dale and Wayne Saverud, say this economic ‘recession’ is too much to handle!  And 300 people out-o-work!  A Texas based contract road construction company, Highway Technologies, shut down without notice!  A Montana employee who’d been with the company for 28 years said “My boss said….he had gotten a call from his boss that says today at 5 o’ clock that we were done, everybody. You feel like you’ve been kicked in the stomach.”-Steve Zetterberg

It turns out that Highway Technologies ceased operations without notice and laid off about 90% of its employees country wide!  Bankruptcy is in the works, with no explanation why.

The Eastern Oregon University eliminating 14 jobs and jacking up tuition by 5%.  It’s blamed on declining student enrollment.

In Ohio, the Bedford Public Schools laying off 17 teachers.  It’s blamed on declining enrollment and reduced state funding.  The school district has been laying off employees since 2011.

Yes AOL is still around, but the internet company is laying off about 40 employees from its Patch division.

In California, video game maker, Trion Worlds, laid off 100 employees according to some reports!  Company officials deny the reports, but did say people were laid off as the company moves from launching new games to development of existing games.  And another advertising company getting hit hard.  Goodby Silverstein & Partners laid off as many as 100 people!  Company officials blame it on clients canceling contracts like rats fleeing a sinking ship.

Blockbuster video closed stores in Colorado and Louisiana.  Its all part of the ongoing plan.

In New York, Big Picture DVD Superstore closed in Syracuse.  The owner specifically blamed movies being watched on computers and cell phones.  This was the last video rental store the owner had, after 30 years of operations.  And after more than 40 years of business,  Joe’s Dairy closed down in New York City.  One of the co-owners said they’ve been “burned” by unAmerican corporate America: “We can’t keep up with everybody else. It’s not the way it was when we first opened the store. It was more family oriented. The superstores came into existence and they blew everybody away.”-Anthony Campanelli

In Pennsylvania, the Arcadia Boutique closed. The owners are expanding their other stores.

Several Hooters restaurants closing in Wisconsin.  Its all part of the ongoing plan.

In Iowa, after 40 years of business The Nickelodeon Bar closed forever.  The property was sold to a bank.  And after 37 years Carter Lake Hardware & Variety shut down.  The family run store even had a contract post office.  The family says the economy sucks really bad: “The last five years have been really bad. We weren’t selling enough to go on. We were living from bank deposit to bank deposit. When you can’t even pay yourself, you’re done.”-Barb Melonis

In Hawaii, Sears announced the Kauai store closed.  40 people unemployed.  In Honolulu the GGP owned Sears closed down, 327 people out-o-work!

Party Planner shut down in Webster, Massachusetts.  The owner said after 25 years of running a business that’s almost consumed his life, he wants to retire.  And yet another domestic spying company is laying off employees.  This time provider of open sensor and big data processing systems, software and services for critical commercial, defense and intelligence applications, Mercury Systems laid off 142 people!  Company officials blame it on reduced federal funding.

In Nebraska another nail in the coffin of alternative fuels.  Ag Processing will permanently close their ethanol factory: “It just reflects the general industry trend of difficult economic times for ethanol plants.”-Matt Caswell

Hancock Bank and Whitney Bank have merged and are closing as many as 45 offices across five states, from Texas to Florida, beginning in August.

In Maryland, Comcast will layoff 145 employees in September!  Comcast has been consolidating call center operations and laying off hundreds of people across the country.

What automotive industry recovery?  Harley Davidson motorcycles laid off 140 full time and seasonal employees in Kansas City, Missouri!  Company officials refused to give local news media a reason.  Area Harley dealers told the media that sales are good, so they don’t understand the need for layoffs.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) doesn’t count the hundreds of layoffs involving less than 50 people each, in its mass layoff reports. It also doesn’t count all the little ‘mom & pop’ businesses that shut down.