Category Archives: U.S.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Russia says it will bailout Europe, through the IMF

“41% of foreign exchange reserves in Russia are euro-denominated, so EU member states and Russia all are interested in the security of it.”–Dmitry Medvedev, President of Russia

Turns out that Russia has a big stake in European countries getting back on the economic track.

On December 15, Russia’s current President said his country will work to help bailout struggling European countries, but only through the International Monetary Fund: “…we will keep backing the EU in terms of our quota in IMF membership and we will abide by all the commitments, being the participant of the IMF and ready to invest financial means to back the European economy and the euro zone.”

Medvedev did say that it was still up to European Union members to come up with a doable plan: “Only Europe will be able to help Europe but other countries should provide conditions for Europe to liberate itself from the crisis burden as soon as possible and recover from this downturn as soon as possible.”

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Food Crisis: Where’s the beef? Texas drought killing the cattle industry

“Consumers are going to pay more because we’re going to have less beef. Fewer cows, calves, less beef production and increasing [demand for] exports.”-David Anderson, Texas AgriLife Extension Service

Texas is officially suffering its worst drought ever!  The decline in cows just more proof.

Texas is now seeing the biggest drop in cattle since the U.S. Great Depression in 1930s.  This year they lost more than 600,000 cattle.  Not all to death directly caused by drought, or early slaughter, some were moved out of state to, literally, greener pastures.

It’s not just Texas, but Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana and Arkansas also saw an increase in loss of cattle due to drought.

This past year beef prices for U.S. consumers went up 9%. The USDA predicts another 5.5% increase for 2012.

 

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Earthquake Alert? Continued mine collaspe could be due to increased seismic activity in Idaho. Federal government closes mine

“We’ve issued a closure order so the entire mine is shut down. We will conduct a thorough investigation and we will not allow it to reopen until we are sure it is safe.”-Amy Louviere, U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration

On December 14, another rock burst struck the unlucky Lucky Friday silver mine in northern Idaho.  This time no one was killed.  Just last month, November, a miner was killed trying to free a stuck rock bin.  In April, a rock burst killed one miner.

Officials are concerned with the sudden occurrence of rock bursts in the mine.  For the past 25 years there had been no reported fatal accidents at the Lucky Friday mine.  Also of interest, there was no mining activity taking place 24 hours prior to the December 14 rock burst, that could have caused such a collapse.

There is now speculation that what is happening is the result of increased seismic activity in the northern part of Idaho.  (anyone remember the movie Dante’s Peak?)

Regarding the death in April, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration blamed the mine’s owners, Helca Mining Company, for lax safety standards.  However, December 14’s rock burst took place while miners were trying to install a safety net designed to protect miners from such rock bursts.

Federal officials don’t know how long their investigation will take place.  At least 300 people in the small community of Mullen, Idaho, rely on the mine for high paying jobs.

International, U.S.

World War 3: Russia makes surprise move by proposing UN Security Council resolution concerning Syria!

“Hopefully, we can work with the Russians who, for the first time, at least are recognizing that this is a matter that needs to go to the Security Council.  It is just that we have differences in how they are approaching it, but we hope to be able to work with them.”-Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State

“We made no secret of the fact and it is reflected in the text that we call on violence to be stopped from all sides. We are concerned about weapons smuggling, the armed groups operating in Syria. As you know from the outset our assessment of the situation is that various violent groups there are taking advantage of peaceful demonstrators in order to pursue their agenda.”-Vitaly Churkin, Russian envoy to the UN

In a surprise move Russia announced they will propose Security Council resolution concerning Syria.  Russian officials refuse to reveal the details until they make the official presentation.

Back in October, Russia and China vetoed a resolution presented by western European countries.

Syria’s Vice-President Farouk al-Sharaa, is in Moscow right now discussing the issue with Russian leaders.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

More proof the Occupy movement is right: When cost of living is included almost 50% of Americans are poor, yet the top 10% got big pay raises in 2010 and their employers lied about it

According to corporate research firm Global Market Insight (GMI), Corporate America’s CEOs got big raises in 2010, even though many companies did not perform well!

The CEOs of the top 500 companies got as much as a 36.5% increase in pay. The next 3,000 U.S. corporations gave their CEOs a pay raise averaging 27%!  Researchers with GMI said they were surprised, and considered the pay increases way out of line with the poor performance of many of the companies.

This news comes at the same time the U.S. Census Bureau is unofficially calling almost half of the population of the United States poor!

“SPM rates were higher than official poverty rates in 2010, overall and for most groups”-Brookings/Census Bureau Meeting on Improved Poverty Measurment, November 7, 2011

The new poverty statistics take into account “nondiscretionary” cost of living expenses such as income taxes, child care, health care, commuting to work, etc.  When cost of living is factored in it raises the official number of poor people in the U.S.

The “official” poverty surveys consider before tax income only!  This means the “official” poverty numbers have been way off for decades.  However, the Census Bureau says the new SPM poverty numbers “Will not replace the official poverty measure” and “Will not be used for resource allocation or program eligibility”!

The new SPM numbers also include some types of welfare benefits a family might be getting, plus child support, and yet even with that data the number of poor people still went higher than the “official” poverty numbers.  This is more evidence of how inaccurate the “official” count is, and how rampant poverty is in the U.S.!

The new data was released on November 7, 2011, yet I don’t recall any mainstream U.S. media reporting it. The data covers the year 2010 only, it’s called Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2010 (SPM).

When using the SPM (aka Improved Poverty Measure) a big jump in the number of poor people were found in the age group of 18 to 64 year olds.  But the biggest jump in poverty was found in the age group of people 65 years or older.

If I read the Census Bureau graphs correctly (and if I understood the Bureaus’ explanations of how they figured it), when you add the “official” poverty numbers to the new SPM numbers you get 146.4 million people who are poor  (49.1 million “officially” poor + 97.3 million SPM poor).  Even if you go by just the new SPM data that’s nearly 100 million poor people in the U.S.

Officially there are 312 million people in the United States.

Back to Corporate America’s big pay raises for their CEOs.

The top earning CEO in 2010 was John Hammergen of McKesson Corporation, getting $145 million, not counting his stock options or retirement benefits!  According to GMI, McKesson has essentially lied about how much they paid Hammergen.  They reported they paid Hammergen only (hmph, ‘only’) $46.1 million.

GMI researchers said McKesson refused to explain the difference.  GMI says Hammergen not only got $145 million in pay, he got $112 million in stock options, a retirement plan worth $13.5 million, and, if he ever got fired his severance package is worth $469 million! For getting fired!!! And the right wing neo-conservative ass holes complain about the average unemployed worker being on unemployment pittance (it certainly is not a “benefit”)!!!

Just like it says in HR 1905, we are slaves!

 

International, U.S.

NAZI-land & United Police States of America: U.S. Senate approves their final version of NDAA 2012, less than one day after the House approved their final version

“I hope you believe America is part of the battlefield.”-Lindsey Graham, U.S. Senator from South Carolina

In a confusing back and forth between the House and Senate, on December 15 the Senate passed the latest version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, allowing the indefinite detention and torture of U.S. citizens.  It passed 83 to 13!

“What this legislation does…says from the Congress’ point-of-view, that we expressly authorize the indefinite detention…”-Carl Levin, U.S. Senator from Michigan

“We think al Qaeda operatives, citizens or not, are not common criminals. We think they are crazy people. If you’re an American citizen and you want to help…destroy your own country, here is what’s coming your way.”- Lindsey Graham, U.S. Senator from South Carolina

“If we start labeling our citizens as enemies of the United States without any due process, I think we will have done serious damage.”-Mark Udall, U.S. Senator from Colorado, who hypocritically voted for the bill while voicing objection to the bill

Yesterday the House passed their final version of NDAA 2012, HR 1905.

According to the CSPAN website: “It will now head to the President’s desk to be signed into law.”

 

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: Talk against possible nuclear weapons program in Iran is just rhetoric. U.S. officials actually want to destroy Iran’s nuclear power program. War with Iran, Syria and North Korea almost guaranteed. Russia also targeted

“It is not possible to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program without targeting its nuclear program as a whole, because there is no safe dividing line between those activities and facilities that are purely peaceful and those which are military related.”-Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, U.S. Representative for Florida

By using that argument then any country can justify destroying the nuclear power industry in the United States, especially since the U.S. has thousands of nuclear weapons.

The statement by U.S. Representative Ros-Lehtinen was used to justify the passage of HR 2105; the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Reform and Modernization Act of 2011.  It passed the House almost unanimously on December 14 (418 for, 2 against and 13 abstaining).

HR 2105 was passed the same day that HR 1905 and HR 1540 was passed.

HR 2105 supports sanctions against Iran, Syria and North Korea using Executive Order 12938 , by repealing the old Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation act.

This new Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Reform and Modernization Act of 2011 also targets Russia, by cancelling all previously agreed upon U.S. payments made to support the International Space Station, the Russian Aviation & Space Agency and any other Russian agency.

The bill states that Russia must come over to the dark side and join the U.S. in sanctioning Iran, Syria and North Korea.

The U.S. Senate will now debate their own version of HR 2105.

 

Idaho, International, U.S.

NAZI-land & United Police States of America: NDAA 2012 failed first House vote, it took two tries to pass. Republicans love the bill. Do you know who voted for it? Idahoans be proud!

The final version of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2012, known in the House as HR 1540, was voted on twice. The first time it failed to pass!

According to CSPAN records the act was first voted on at 18:33 hours, local Washington DC time, then again at 18:50 hours.

The first time it failed by 234 Representatives voting against and 183 for, with 16 abstaining.  The second vote was called for “On Motion to Recommit with Instructions”.

Less than 20 minutes later the House passed the act with 283 for, 136 against and 14 abstaining.

According to Roll no. 932, 190 Republicans voted for what I call the NAZIfication act. Only 43 Republicans voted against it, eight abstained.

In true Democrat style, the Donkey club split down the middle; 93 for, 93 against and six abstaining.

The Roll no. 932 also lists the name of those who voted.  Idahoans can be proud to know that Representative Raul Labrador, and Representative Mike Simpson voted against the NAZIfication bill!

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

Contractor Incompetence: 14 bomb sniffing dogs suffocated in an unventilated truck at the Houston airport

A U.S. military contractor is suing two Texas companies for killing 14 bomb sniffing dogs.  The dogs were supposed to be shipped to U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

The two companies being sued are Indian Creek Enterprises Incorporated and Live Animal Transportation Services.

The military contractor said the dogs were supposed to have been put in the Houston airport’s kennel, because their flight was canceled.  Instead the transportation contractors left the dogs locked in a sealed, unventilated truck.  On December 21, 2010, the military contractor checked on the dogs, only to discover them in the truck, all dead.

There was blood and other evidence that the dogs tried to get out.

Texas media can not get a hold of the owners of Indian Creek Enterprises Incorporated.  The other contractor, Live Animal Transportation Services, has a new owner who basically says this is the first he’s heard of it.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Corporate Incompetence? Third mine disaster in Idaho this year

For the third time this year, Hecla Mining Company’s Lucky Friday Mine suffered a rock burst.

It happened before 19:30 hours on the evening of December 14.  This time the miners were actually ‘lucky’.  Seven miners were rescued, with one going to a local hospital.

But two other mine employees were not lucky. They were both killed by  rock bursts at the same Lucky Friday silver mine.  The first rock burst happened in April, the second happened just last month!