Tag Archives: debt

Business/Economics, U.S.

Corporate Deception: Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital gives campaign money to Romney and Barack Obama

You’d expect the company that Mitt Romney co-founded to fund his presidential campaign, but not to fund President Obama’s re-election bid, but that’s what is happening.

It’s been revealed that between January and September 2011, employees of Bain Capital officially gave Mitt Romney $84,500, and, they gave Barack Obama $27,500!

Not only that but so far this year, Bain Capital employees donated $123,200 to the Democratic National Committee.  Interestingly they’ve not donated any money to the Republican National Committee.  However, they did donate to a pro-Romney super PAC; $1.25 million!

To be sure, employees of Bain Capital, and other affiliated companies, have sent 75% of this years election campaign donations to the Republicans.  But, in the 2008 campaigns two thirds of their money went to Democrats!  Mmmm.

They say follow the money to get your answers, so if it matters who and where a presidential candidate gets their money from then it looks like Mitt Romney will be President.   After all, Bain Capital & Co supported Obama and the Democrats more than Romney in 2008, now it’s the other way ’round.

This is just more evidence that ‘our’ leaders are just two sides of the same coin.

Donation amounts compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Corporate Evil: SEARS & KMART CONNECTED TO ROMNEY’S BAIN CAPITAL! BAIN CAPITAL WORKING WITH CARLYLE GROUP!

 

Fukushima

Global Food Crisis: 80% of damaged Japanese farmland unusable in 2012!

The Japanese government announced that it hopes to restore farmland damaged by salt contamination, caused by the March tsunamis.  However, only 20% will be restored in 2012, leaving 80% unusable.

Most of that farmland is in Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures.  Those prefectures make up one of the largest agricultural areas of Japan.  About 20,500 hectares (50,656 acres) were destroyed by the sea salt.

The Agriculture Ministry says it will take at least three years to restore the farmland, and that does not count the land in highly radioactive areas around the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

It’s interesting that the earthquake, tsunamis and ongoing nuclear disaster hit one of Japan’s biggest areas for agriculture and fishing.

 

Fukushima

Global Food Crisis and Government & Corporate Incompetence: Fish catch down 70% off the coast of Fukushima, U.S. FDA misleads!

Fish catches, off the coast lines of Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures, is down 70%.  That’s from the beginning of April 2011 to the beginning of October 2011, compared to the same time last year.

Those three prefectures are the main fishing grounds for the local Japanese fishing industry.

The reasons are a combination of tsunami damage to ports (especially Miyagi, which was literally wiped out), and radiation contamination caused by Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.  Most fishermen had voluntarily stopped fishing over radiation concerns, but some continued to fish, only to find out a lot of their catch was contaminated after it arrived at fish markets.

Contrary to the reassuring statements on the U.S. FDA website, there is no standardized Japanese government testing of fish (or any food product) for radiation contamination. Most contamination was (and still is being) found by private citizens groups, or local governments who acted on their own volition.

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Rick Snyder proves who he works for; Corporate America, not you! Unemployed workers are screwed over while Corporations get more tax breaks!

Tied for “Most Unpopular Governor in the United States”, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, along with the State’s Legislature, proved who they really represent; Corporate America.

For 2011 Synder has signed into law, bills passed by Michigan’s lawmakers, which favor corporations and attack unemployed people!

Those laws cut unemployment assistance from a maximum of 26 weeks down to 20 weeks.  Some unemployed people will get only a maximum of 10 weeks of assistance!!!

At the same time corporations operating in Michigan now get at least $1.7 billion in new tax breaks!!!  That about $30 in new corporate tax breaks for every one dollar cut from Michigan’s social services.

If you think about it, how is cutting corporate taxes by far more than what you cut from government programs gonna help the state government’s budget problems?

 

 

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Fukushima to be turned into giant nuclear waste dump!

Struggling to figure out what to do with the ever increasing nuclear waste, caused by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster reactors, the Japanese government has decided to dump it in Fukushima.

The county of Futaba, in Fukushima Prefecture, is being asked to allow eight of its cities to become nuclear waste dumps.  The official reasoning is that area is already contaminated (currently it suffers the equivalent of 100 millisieverts of radiation per year).

Of course this would mean that those people still living in the area would have to leave, and the national government will pay for occupying the land.

Many people in the area are upset, and disillusioned with their national government, because immediately after the March nuclear accidents, they were told, by national government officials, that the situation wasn’t that bad and they would all be returning to their homes soon.

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Japanese trees now highly radioactive, a new twist on pollen allergies!

Japan’s Forestry Agency tested male cedar tree flowers, in Fukushima Prefecture, and discovered extreme levels of contamination: More than 250,000 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium!

The forestry Ministry took samples from 87 locations between November and December.  The highest level, 253,000 becquerels of cesium per kilogram, were discovered at Omaru in the town of Namie, 11.3 kilometers (7 miles) from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Now realize that pollen is blown through the air, meaning highly radioactive pollen is blowing throughout Japan!

Japan’s Environment Ministry says as much as 2,207 grains per cubic meter, of radioactive pollen, is being blown around. However, the Forestry Ministry is trying to downplay the spread of radiation through pollen, by saying if people breath it for 4 months they would be exposed to 0.553 microsieverts of radiation.  Officials claim this is equivalent to ten times the normal background radiation found in Tokyo.  Mmm, they’re not concerned with that?

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? 200 people lose their jobs on Xmas Eve, hundreds more to follow. Hawaii Hospitals broke! Layoffs could have been avoided!

On December 23, 200 employees at the Hawaii Medical Center hospitals on Oahu, were told their last day on the job was Christmas Eve!  But that’s just the beginning, another 800 are scheduled to be laid off soon.

Here’s the real scandal; the hospital was up for sale and had a willing buyer, but the hospital’s owner said no!  The hospital is owned by Saint Francis Healthcare System of Hawaii.

 

Fukushima, Idaho

Government Incompetence: 14,000 U.S. deaths directly linked to Fukushima nuclear disaster! Idaho hit with highest reported radiation. Infants suffered most.

“Based on our continuing research, the actual death count here may be as high as 18,000, with influenza and pneumonia, which were up five fold in the period in question as a cause of death. Deaths are seen across all ages, but we continue to find that infants are hardest hit because their tissues are rapidly multiplying, they have undeveloped immune systems, and the doses of radioisotopes are proportionally greater than for adults.”-Janette Sherman, MD  toxicologist

According to the December 2011 edition of the International Journal of Health Services, an estimated 14,000 deaths in the United States can be connected to the ongoing nuclear disaster in Japan!

The peer reviewed report also points out that within 17 weeks following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster 16,500 people in the U.S. died.

The report says one week after the explosions at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, a toxic cloud was detected over the west coast of the United States. I had posted several times how most EPA RadNet sites were not working.

The EPA did report radiation detected in water, milk and other agricultural products, but it was downplayed and the U.S. neo-conservative controlled mainstream media went along with it!  What was reported by the EPA showed that Idaho had the highest Iodine 131 readings; 390 picocuries per liter of water (2 picocuries of I-131 per liter of water is considered normal)!

Interestingly this was claimed to be in Boise, Idaho, which is on the western side of the state. The only RadNet site in Idaho is in Idaho Falls, on the eastern side of the state.

The report says there were at least 14,000 unexplained deaths in the United States within the first 14 weeks of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster (that’s 1,000 per week, and the nuclear disaster is ongoing).  They also noted a sudden 1.8% jump in infant deaths compared to the same time the previous year.  They claim there is enough evidence for scientists to suspect radiation contamination, and they’re asking for more studies to be done.

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

Corporate Incompetence: Olympus misses deadline, Government raiding corporate offices & executives’ homes

After missing the December 14 deadline to turn over accounting books to government prosecutors, Olympus’s offices, and the homes of Olympus executives have been raided by government prosecutors and police.

Weeks ago Olympus executives made promise after promise saying they would meet the December 14 deadline for making their accounting books public.  Of course they did not keep that promise, not surprising when they ‘lost’ tens of billions of dollars since the late 1990s.

The losses are connected to an investment company that was based in the United States, and run by former Olympus officials.  Apparently it was an elaborate shell game, where investment losses were hidden under the guise of buying out other companies.

The latest reports out of Japan are saying that two Olympus executives have confessed to the crime; former Olympus vice president Hisashi Mori and former auditor Hideo Yamada.

 

 

International, U.S.

Napoleonic Library burns in Egypt, hundreds of thousands of priceless books, and their knowledge, destroyed. Egyptian Revolution yet to begin

“I don’t think there actually has been a revolution yet. I think that what’s happened is that the figurehead of the military regime has been deposed very dramatically. Certainly that was a hugely significant event, it was an earthquake….Until then I think the two sides are stuck in their current positions, fighting it out through a range of ways. And one of these ways is street battles between the military security forces and the people.”-Yaakov Lappin, Jerusalem Post

On December 17, Egyptians protesting the pro-U.S. military government of Egypt, set the Shura Council building on fire.  Unfortunately the fire spread next door, to the oldest science library in Cairo.

Egyptian Scientific Institute burned, destroying more than 150,000 books going back to the late 1700s.  It was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798, and first called L’Institut d’Egypte.

Among the books, maps and charts destroyed is the first edition of the Description de l’Egypte, started under Napoleon Bonaparte by French scientists.  Egyptian officials say they still have two other editions located at two separate libraries.

Egyptians have been protesting the U.S. backed military government, mainly because of the thousands of people who’ve been rushed through military court trials, something the protestors were against from the beginning.  The military court trials convinced many Egyptians that they were not getting a new government, but just more of the same after the resignation of U.S. backed Hosni Mubarak.