Tag Archives: banks

Fukushima

One Year Later: Japan down to just 1 operating nuclear reactor. Domestic economy threatened by lack of electricity!

Since the March 11, 2011, natural disasters led to the nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi, 53 of Japan’s 54 nuclear reactors are now off line.

On March 25, 2012, Reactor 6 in Niigata Prefecture was shut down for regular inspections.  The next, and last reactor to shut down will be Tomari in Hokkaido.

Reactor 3 at Tomari nuclear power plant was supposed to be shut down permanently in April, but the operator, Hokkaido Electric Power Company, decided to delay until May 5, 2012.

While the Tomari reactor is not scheduled for re-start, those that are have been blocked by local governments.  In Japan the local governments have the final word on reactor re-start, and because of the on going disaster reactors at Fukushima Daiichi, the majority of people in Japan are against re-starting any reactors.

For the summer of 2011 Japan’s domestic industries suffered greatly because of an electrical power shortage, even with only about 37 reactors operating.  Attempts were made at other sources of electricity, but it wasn’t enough with such short notice.

Individuals, as well as industries had to deal with power black outs.  This caused many industries to close up, since they needed at least eight continuous hours of electricity (or longer).   As an example, a bread factory needs at least eight hours of electricity to make bread on an industrial scale.  The power black outs took place about every six hours.

Some individuals say they handled the summer without air conditioning well, because it didn’t get that hot (what was that about global warming?).

Now Japan is heading into summer 2012, with not one nuclear reactor up and running.  Officials are scrambling to find ways to convince the local governments to re-start reactors, even bringing in international inspectors to reassure local leaders.

This is one reason the Obama Administration recently exempted Japan from the U.S. oil sanctions against Iran.  Japan will be using a lot more oil to run petroleum fired power generators.

There has been a push for wind power, but, just like here in the United States, there’s been a backlash of people who are against it because those windmills are “eyesores” and reduce property value.

It just doesn’t look good for Japan going into the summer of 2012.

 

Fukushima

Government Hypocrisy: Japan drags feet on Fukushima Daiichi, yet scrambles to shoot down Korean communications satellite, even cancels flower festival!

It has been proven by independent investigations in Japan, that government and corporate leaders not only dragged their feet in responding to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, they’re still dragging their feet!

Yet, when North Korea announced they were going to launch a harmless communications satellite, Japanese leaders went into overdrive!

Earlier in the month Japanese defense officials said they were moving U.S. supplied Patriot missiles into position to shoot down the satellite.  U.S. officials came out and said they were going to back up Japan in defending itself against the satellite (note that U.S. and other western media keep referring to the satellite as a “ballistic missile”).

Now Chief Cabinet Secretary, Osamu Fujimura, announced they have canceled the annual Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden flower viewing in Tokyo.  He blames it on North Korea’s planned launch of a communications satellite!

Japanese officials scrambling over a communications satellite launch, even shutting down a flower show?  Where was the concern when Fukushima Daiichi was blowing up?  Where is the concern now that it’s obvious Fukushima Daiichi is still spewing massive amounts of radiation?  But oh no, we can’t have any North Korean communication satellites being launched, better cancel that flower show!

Fukushima

One Year Later: Japan develops their first ever mobile pet clinic, to help the hundred of animals still suffering in Iwate

Iwate University, along with a pet food company in Tokyo, have developed a mobile pet clinic specifically to try and help the more than 450 pets still suffering in Iwate Prefecture.

Iwate was hit hard by the March 11, 2011, Mega Quake and tsunami.  It’s also near Fukushima prefecture, and has been affected by radiation from the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi nuke power factory.

The mobile clinic will allow veterinarians to even conduct surgeries.  Director of Iwate University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Reeko Sato, says hundreds of pets have gone a full year without any treatment for their injuries, or radiation related illnesses.  Most veterinarian services were destroyed on March 11, 2011.

It’s hoped more mobile pet clinics are created, in Fukushima Province there are even more animals who need attention.

ONE YEAR LATER: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FARM ANIMALS & PETS OF TSUNAMI HIT JAPAN?

Fukushima

Corporate Incompetence: One Year Later it’s revealed that another Japanese nuclear plant is in trouble, massive leaks!

Fukushima Daiichi was not the only nuclear plant in Japan shut down as a direct result of the March 11, 2011 disasters.

The Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPCo) revealed that their Tokai nuclear plant has leaked more than 20 tons of radioactive water since October 2011!

The radioactive water has been leaking into one of the buildings.  The current leak was detected after water used to hose down employees was testing positive for high levels of radiation. Somehow the radioactive water got into the rinse water for employees.

JAPCo says they don’t know where the radioactive water is coming from! They have yet to pump out the building where it has been flooded with the contaminated water.  Gee this sounds familiar?  TEPCo? Fukushima Daiichi?

But wait, there’s lots more tales of incompetence regarding the Tokai nuclear power plant.

It turns out that Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency discovered leaks last year!  After an inspection the government agency warned JAPCo that the building housing reactor 2 was filling with radioactive water.

On top of that, JAPCo’s own employees said an alarm went off at 10:20 on October 26, 2011.  Water was pouring from a pipe at the bottom of the reactor’s pressure vessel.  JAPCo blew it off saying it was a minor leak easily fixed.  That minor leak ended up being 22.4 tons (according to media source Japan Today)!

Since then another 2.2 tons of radioactive water went ‘missing’.  That’s how much contaminated water disappeared between the October 2011 leak and March 16, 2012.  Then on Saturday, March 17, workers discovered their rinse water was now radioactive.

On closer inspection they realized that 1.2 tons of radioactive water somehow got into their rinse water tanks!  Upon inspection of reactor 2 building, they found it is flooded with contaminated water (just like the buildings at Fukushima Daiichi).

Can’t blame GE on this one, the Tokai nuclear plant is Japan’s first nuke power factory, and it was built by the British.

Immediately after the March 11, 2011 Mega Quake and tsunami, it was being reported that the Tokai nuke plant survived the tsunami because the sea wall had been raised.  It was also reported that Tokai didn’t rely on cooling systems like at Fukushima Daiichi.  Both reports have proven to been a little misleading.

On March 13, 2011, Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency reported that one of three seawater cooling pumps quit working.  Tokai was lucky in that the other two pumps were still working, as well as their diesel generators.

Regarding the raised sea wall.  It was still overrun by the tsunami, one reason being that there were cable holes in the new wall that still needed to be plugged.

Tokai failed a recent stress test because its electrical systems are unable to survive future earthquakes.

But to make matters more confusing, Japanese media is not being very specific when reporting on the Tokai nuclear power plant.  You see there are two nuclear reactors one called Tokai I, the other called Tokai II.

In 1998 Tokai I (reactor 1) was shut down and was supposed to have been dismantled by 2011, yet the way Japanese media is talking the dismantling is still on going.

Tokai II (reactor 2) was still operational when the 2011 tsunami hit.  It is the one that is currently flooding with radioactive water from a mystery source!

 

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Oil & Gas Prices: More Hypocrisy; the U.S. exempts EU & Japan from Iran oil sanctions

In a move that is hypocritical, the United States has exempted 10 European Union countries, and Japan, from U.S. imposed Iran oil sanctions.

It also brings up the question: What was the point?

I already showed how, under the Bush jr administration, U.S. corporations were exempted from future sanctions against Iran, back in 2000!

The countries now granted exemptions from the U.S. oil sanctions are Belgium, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Japan.

Again: What was the point of the U.S. imposed sanctions against Iran, if the U.S. is going to grant exemptions to other countries, and, a Republican created law in 2000 already exempts U.S. corporations from having to obey any sanctions anyway?

Business/Economics, Idaho, International, Technology, U.S.

Idaho’s Hoku Materials better get its rear in gear, Customers who have prepaid are getting impatient could go elsewhere

“For Hoku and its majority shareholder Tianwei New Energy Holdings, things cannot be worse.”-Rober Dydo, CEO of Solar PV Investor

March 18, 2012, customers who have pre-paid for Hoku’s polysilicon are getting restless.  One buyer, Jinko Solar, has already reduced their original purchase contract of ten years down to eight.  And there’s rumors they want to reduce it even more.

Hoku also owes two other buyers, Hanwha Solar One and Solargiga.  In total the three customers already paid Hoku $140 million!

To make matters worse, Jinko Solar is the only Chinese customer that is not in trouble financially.  This means that Hanwha Solar One, and Solargiga, are more likely to cancel their contracts all together.

To top everything, Hoku Materials, in Pocatello, Idaho, is still not ready for production and the delays are only costing more money: “The current estimate for the cost of facility is now $600 million to complete Phase I of 2,500 metric ton (MT) of capacity. Phase II with the complete capacity of 4,000 MT will cost another $100 million to complete. All told the $700 million dollar price tag is 70.7% more than its previous estimate…“-Michael Lofing, CPA and market analyst

IDAHO’S HOKU MATERIALS LOSES $28 MILLION, BLAMES IDAHO POWER. 

Business/Economics, U.S.

Corporate Evil: Proof that there are plenty of skilled laborers in the U.S., Ford just doesn’t want to pay them what they’re worth. Mike Rowe patsie for Corporate America

“….we’re surprised that high unemployment can exist at the same time as a skilled labor shortage.”-Mike Rowe, testimony to Senate Commerce Committee

Don’t be so surprised Mike Rowe.  Your sponsor, Ford, is a prime example of why there is not a skilled labor shortage, only a shortage of skilled laborers who want to get paid less than what they’re worth!

Ford has forced 1,700 skilled employees to take early retirement.  The last day for those employees will be June 1, 2012.

Last autumn Ford announced they were cutting their skilled workforce.  Ford officials said they have too many skilled employees!!!

But wait, Ford isn’t in trouble, in fact they’re planing to hire hundreds of new skilled workers, why?  Because Ford will pay them much less than experienced employees.

An announcement by Ford, and the United Auto Workers union, said the move to push out experienced skilled workers is so Ford can replace them with new hires at half the cost!!!

This is another proof that there are plenty of skilled workers in the United States!  That’s right Mike Rowe, it’s not about any lack of skilled workers, it’s all about paying them less and less!!!

Business/Economics, Technology, U.S.

Government Evil & Corporate Welfare: Republican controled Congress gives Oil Industry $4 billion in taxpayer subsidies

How would you like to own a business that’s making money hand over fist, and get paid by the government on top of that?  The Oil Industry is!

People are literally going hungry in the United States, and Republican controlled congress keeps cutting welfare for the poor, yet the Oil Industry gets 4 billion of your tax dollars every year!!!

“…the United States government provide a heavy public subsidy to petroleum companies, with major tax breaks at virtually every stage of oil exploration and extraction, including for the costs of oil field leases and drilling equipment.“-WikiPedia

Now realize the Oil Industry has been reporting record profits for the past few years.  Recently Exxon Mobil CEO, Rex Tillerson, said his company is spending billions to extract new sources of oil.  But wait, if the U.S. taxpayer paid subsidy is supposed to cover those costs, then who’s money is really going where?

On top of the $4 billion taxpayer subsidy, here are a few more tax breaks for the Oil Industry, and its investors:

Enhanced oil recovery credit. Covers the costs to “enhance” a well’s oil or natural gas production.

Non conventional source fuel credit. Tax credit for production of “qualified” fuels such as oil shale, tight formation gas, and certain synthetic fuels produced from coal.

Lease Operating Expense. Covers the day to day costs involved with the operation of a well, and re-entry, or re-work, of an existing producing well.

Intangible Drilling Costs. Labor, drilling rig time, drilling fluids etc.

Intangible Completion Costs. Labor, completion materials, completion rig time, fluids etc.

Depletion Allowance. Investors in a producing well are allowed to shelter some of the gross income derived from the sale of that oil/gas.  Generally 15% of the well’s annual production can be sheltered from income tax.

So don’t feel sorry for the A-holes!

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Idaho’s Republican governor pays his female officials less than his male officials, much less

Governor Butch Otter pays the females in his administration an average of $20,000 less than his male administrators.

“Director Gould is about $38,000 under the newly employed Jeff Sayer. You can’t argue she doesn’t have as many employees. Our state is no different than the national averages that show women reach a ‘glass ceiling’ for promotion and pay.”-Representative Wendy Jaquet of Ketchum

Idaho Agriculture Director, Celia Gould, has worked for Butch Otter since 2007.  She’s paid $106,621 per year.   Jeffrey Sayer, Commerce Director (running a smaller agency), has worked for Butch Otter since October 2011, yet he gets paid $145,018 per year.

The median salary for females in Butch Otter’s cabinet is $85,446.  The median salary for males is $103,002.

Oh, but Idaho is a Right to Work state.

Technology, U.S.

United Police States of America: CIA will spy on you through your TV, radio, computer, etc

“Items of interest will be located, identified, monitored, and remotely controlled through technologies such as radio frequency identification, sensor networks, tiny embedded servers, and energy harvesters, all connected to the next generation internet using abundant, low cost, and high power computing. The latter now going to cloud computing, in many areas greater and greater supercomputing, and, ultimately, heading to quantum computing.”-David Petraeus, CIA boss, statement made at meeting of In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s venture capital firm