Category Archives: U.S.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

World War 3: Russia acusses the U.S. led NATO of recruiting al Qaeda to invade Syria

“We have information that NATO headquarters in Brussels and the Turkish High Command are in fact drawing up plans for the first military step into Syria.  And we also know that NATO is in fact recruiting mujahedeen and jihadists to assist them in their campaign in these various countries.”-Michel Chossudovsky, Center for Research on Globalization

Members of Russia’s upper house of Parliament are currently on a fact-finding mission to Syria.

Russian officials believe outside forces (U.S., Europe, anti-Ba’athists al Qaeda, etc) are trying to destabilize Syria by funding and supporting an armed insurrection, which does not represent the majority of Syrian society.

Many Russian officials believe that any outside military intervention in Syria would immediately lead to escalation involving Israel, Lebanon and Iran.  Israel has already threatened as much. Russian companies have lost tens of billions due to U.S. led invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? China invests billions into America’s backyard, the U.S. is no longer a beacon of Hope

“China represents hope for the poorest nations of the world and its impressive development springs from its own resources…not exploiting or pillaging other nations.”-Orlando Hernandez Guillen, Cuban Vice Minister of Trade and Investment

China is fast replacing the influence of the United States on Caribbean countries.

“China has become an important source of foreign direct investment for us.”–  Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s Tourism Minister

The China Development Bank will issue U.S.$1 billion in loans to countries like Cuba, Jamaica, Barbados and the Bahamas.  China has already invested billions in Caribbean countries in recent years.

China buys nickel, sugar and other products from Cuba, and Cubans buy Chinese made cars.

China is planning to invest more than U.S.$400 million to revive a beachfront resort project in the Dominican Republic.

The Chinese are helping Jamaica build new ports, a conference center, highway projects and a cricket stadium.

If anybody remembers the Cold War, or knows that history, they would know that there was a time when the U.S. government would not tolerate Chinese involvement in “America’s backyard”.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? U.S. citizens smuggling drugs in and out of Mexico

A month ago it was revealed that U.S. citizens have been smuggling prescription drugs into Mexico.  Arrests have included doctors!

Now, Mexican army officials say U.S. citizens are smuggling marijuana out of Mexico into the U.S.

They say U.S. citizens are bringing Meth into Mexico, and on their return trip they take out marijuana.  Captured drug lords say U.S. border patrol agents don’t suspect U.S. citizens, and many people in the U.S. are desperate to make extra money!

International, Technology, U.S.

Polar Ice Caps Paradox: Ice Caps melting, should raise ocean levels, NASA says the opposite is happening, launched Aquarius satellite to find out why

In June 2011, NASA and the Space Agency of Argentina (CONAE) launched a new Earth observatory, called Aquarius.  The mission: Find out why ocean levels are seemingly dropping, despite glacial melting and heavy rain.

Scientist think the ocean water levels are going down because the ocean salt levels are going up, a sign that the ocean water is evaporating faster than it can be replenished: “Based on decades of historical data gathered from ocean areas by ships and buoys, we know the salinity has changed over the last 40 years. This tells us there’s something fundamental going on in the water cycle.”-Gary Lagerloef, Aquarius Mission

Up ’till now scientists have made some assumptions about how the ocean will react to the so called “global warming”, but, they now admit they missed an important ingredient: “We’ve been missing a key element, salinity. A better understanding of ocean salinity will give us a clearer picture of how the sea is tied to the water cycle and help us improve the accuracy of models predicting future climate.”-Gary Lagerloef, Aquarius Mission

What’s amazing is that the United States and Argentina built a satellite that could measure sea salt levels from space: “One of our Argentine instruments is another microwave radiometer in a different frequency band that will measure sea surface winds, rainfall, sea ice, and any other ‘noise’ that could distort the Aquarius salinity measurement. We’ll subtract all of that out and retrieve the target signal.”-Sandra Torrusio, CONAE

On September 1, 2011, Aquarius finished successful tests of its equipment, and has started checking the Earth’s oceans for salt.  Canada, France and Italy also contributed to this global climate change mission.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Government Incompetence: Japanese Police finally uncover illegal immigrant operations, hiding in plain sight, Americans need not apply

In order to fight illegal immigration Japanese police decided to check out all those free classified ads newspapers.  They should’ve looked sooner!

40% of free newspaper ads, in Japan, are geared towards inciting illegal immigration. The number one type of add offers illegal employment, while the number two type of add offered illegal marriage as a way to stay in Japan.

The search of free newspapers involved just 58 publications, not really a lot when you think about it.

So which nationality was the most sought after?  Not people from the United States, that’s for sure, they’re looking for people with money.  The top four requested illegal immigrants in Japan are Chinese, South Koreans, Brazilians and Filipinos.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Economic Class War: City of God issues its own money, fights back against U.S. led multi-national corporations

“If we empower the economically marginalized grassroots network and build social capital, poor people will leave poverty.”-Paul Singer, Brazil’s National Secretary of the Solidarity Economy

In the impoverished Brazilian suburb of Rio de Janeiro, known as the City of God, the residents are taking economic measures into their own hands.

On September 15, they opened their own community bank called, City of God Communitarian Bank.  Not only do they have their own bank, but they’re issuing their own money.

The new bank is part of the Brazilian Network of Communitarian Banks, which was started by former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in 2003.  It’s based on a growing international form of banking for lower income people.

One of the radical ideas of this new international bank, is that local banks issue their own local currency, to be used only for locally enrolled businesses. The idea is to develop strong local economies, to counter the destructive power of U.S. led multi-national corporations.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

U.S. investigates Israeli banks, helping wealthy U.S. citizens avoid paying taxes

September 17, the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Israeli banks, for helping wealthy U.S. citizens avoid paying their fair share in taxes.

At least three of Israel’s largest banks, Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi le-Israel BM and Mizrahi-Tefahot, are being investigated.  The have accounts in Switzerland.

It’s estimated that thousands of wealthy U.S. citizens are using such accounts to hide their incomes from the Internal Revenue Service.

In a 2009 settlement, UBS, paid a U.S.$780 million fine, after admitting to helping U.S. tax evaders.

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? New York City Mayor says get ready for riots

September 17, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued a warning for all the United States: “We have a lot of kids graduating college, can’t find jobs. That’s what happened in Cairo. That’s what happened in Madrid. You don’t want those kinds of riots here.”

Also, “The damage to a generation that can’t find jobs will go on for many, many years.”

Bloomberg said Democrats and Republicans need to act now: “Now everybody’s got to sit down and say we’re actually gonna do something and you have to do something on both the revenue and the expense side.”

International, U.S.

New evidence that nerve gas is causing Gulf War Syndrome

Ever since the end of the Persian Gulf War of 1991, veterans have been complaining of a range of ailments, including pain, fatigue, and problems with memory and concentration.

Now a study by the University of Texas concludes that the effects are the result of exposure to nerve gas.

The University of Texas used a new technique to measure blood flow in the brains of sufferers and has detected “marked abnormalities” in brain function that can be attributed to low levels of exposure to sarin.

“The findings mark a significant advancement in our understanding of the syndrome, which was for years written off by the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs as a form of combat stress rather than an objectively diagnosable injury.”-The Dallas Observer.

Read my Chemical Weapons Primer


Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Good Teachers leaving the United States, competition to get out is increasing, America is replacing them with foreign teachers

“The educational pathway is in decline, and I don’t see anything in the near future that sounds like it’s on a positive upswing.”-Stephanie Olsen, leaving the U.S.

While there’s always plenty of reports about students leaving school without getting a high school diploma, you rarely hear about the fact that thousands of good teachers are leaving the U.S., for jobs overseas.

According to one teacher employment agency, TeachAway, the number of U.S. teachers applying with them for foreign jobs is up 50% from last year.  TeachAway has also placed 3,000 U.S. teachers with overseas jobs.  And that just one teacher employment agency, there are dozens!

In the past all you needed to get a foreign teaching job was an TESOL certificate,  but now teachers with just the TESOL are competing against teachers with Masters degrees.

Marie Constant has a Masters degree and could not get a job state side, now she’s moving overseas after getting a job through TeachAway: “Here’s an opportunity for me to not only go to another country where they will pay for me to go, they will pay for me to have living quarters…and I get to practice what I know.”

Stephanie Olsen has two Masters degrees, she’s leaving her teaching job in Arizona for a teaching job in the Middle East: “This is such an opportunity to take, where your employer is helping you get over there. They’re providing everything that is necessary for you to make a life there. It was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.”

And how are U.S. school districts dealing with the brain drain of good U.S. teachers?  They’re either pushing for online schools, or hiring foreign teachers!  PBS POV will air a documentary about the Baltimore, Maryland, schools bringing in teachers from the Philippines.