Tag Archives: debt

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Mountains of Eastern Japan now Radioactive!

Japan’s science ministry conducted helicopter surveys of radiation, covering 22 prefectures in eastern and central Japan.  They found that long lasting cesium is contaminating a large area.

The highest level of cesium contamination is around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, with some areas hitting more than one million becquerels per square meter!

The scientists also found that the mountain ranges nearby have been blocking a lot of cesium from spreading further south.  As a result, geographic regions about 60 kilometers (37 miles) to the north, and about 200 kilometers (124 miles) southwest, are contaminated with more than 30,000 becquerels per square meter.

They say the cesium contamination will last decades.  And remember, the Fukushima Daiichi disaster reactors are still emitting lots of radiation!

 

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Pacific Cod & Tuna contaminated with Cesium!

Greenpeace Japan has been monitoring radiation levels in sea food for the past several months.  They say Pacific cod and tuna are proving to be very susceptible to cesium contamination.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is not only spewing radiation into the air, but pouring it into the Pacific Ocean.

Greenpeace Japan tested seafood in just five supermarkets in Japan, from October through the beginning of November.  Out of 75 samples, 27 were positive for radioactive cesium 134 and 137.

They found that Pacific cod was the most contaminated, along with Bigeye and Skipjack tuna.  The fish had been caught off the coasts of Hokkaido, Iwate and Miyagi.  These are areas directly affected by the radiation pouring into the Pacific Ocean.

The researchers discovered that canned fish could potentially be more contaminated, because in Japan regulations for canned fish are less strict than fresh fish.  Greenpeace Japan says they did find a small level of radiation in a can of mackerel.

Fukushima

Farmer Incompetence: Japanese fruit farmers to strip the bark off their trees, hope to prevent radiation contamination, more proof of a coming global food crisis!

Fruit farmers in Fukushima Prefecture (home of the radiation spewing Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant) say radiation is coating their trees and fruit. They’ve come up with a plan to stop the absorption of radiation; use power washers to strip top layers of bark.

The Japanese Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives believes that by stripping the bark off the fruit trees, they can halve the amount of radiation contamination.  Major problem: Fukushima Daiichi is still spewing radiation!

By stripping the bark, in an ongoing radioactive contamination environment, they will actually increase the chances of contamination!

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Radioactive Strontium found in Tokyo & Yokohama, for the second time!

A citizens group tested soil from three location in Tokyo and Yokohama, and found radioactive strontium, as much as 51 becquerels per kilogram.

The samples were taken at the end of October.  This is not the first time strontium 90 has been found.  At the beginning of October it was confirmed that samples taken on a building’s roof top, in Yokohama, was contaminated with 195 becquerels of strontium 90.

Strontium 90 has a half life of 28.8 years. It can cause bone cancer.

The citizens group believes the strontium 90 came from the disaster reactors at Fukushima Daiichi, which is about 170 miles from Yokohama.  However, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is claiming that it could not have come from Fukushima Daiichi.

The government officials say it would be more likely that strontium 89 would be coming from the failed nuke plant.  This doesn’t make sense, because strontium 89 is used medically, to treat bone cancer, and in rare cases to treat pain.  In my quick research I could not find anything that said strontium 89 is a by product of nuclear reactors.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency web site only said that it could be found around nuclear plants.

I can only conclude that the Japanese government officials don’t know what they’re talking about.  When you look up strontium 90 you’ll find that it is specifically a creation of nuclear fission, and found in nuclear fallout, so the citizens group is right!

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

Global Economic War: China playing ping pong game with U.S. & European bonds

A report in the Chinese media got me thinking.  There’s a definite pattern to China’s buying and selling of U.S., and European, government bonds (sovereign debt).

In the first three months of 2011 China sold off U.S. bonds.  Then, from April through July bought U.S. bonds.  In August China sold off U.S. bonds big time; $36.5 billion worth! Now they’re back to buying.

The U.S. bond sell offs happen when news of the performance of the U.S. economy is really bad, and Europe is looking better.  In August, the big sell off came when the credit rating for the U.S. got downgraded.  For the past few months the really bad economic news is coming from Europe countries, and China has been buying U.S. bonds big time.

China is playing a sovereign debt investment ping pong game.  The ball is their money, and the paddles are the United States and Europe.

The Chinese media even reports that the Chinese holding of foreign exchange reserves must be flexible and ever adjusting to market conditions.

But I wonder, which is coming first, the chicken or the egg?  I’ve also noticed that Chinese officials tend to lead European and U.S. officials into thinking China is about to make big strides towards bailing out their economies, then the Chinese back off.  So, from here on out it would be wise to watch the timing of offers of economic help, then backing off of those offers, with the buy ups and sells offs of U.S. and European bonds.

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: More Rice contaminated with Cesium!

The Fukushima Prefectural government says rice from a field in the Oonami district, in Fukushima City, are contaminated with 630 becquerels per kilogram of cesium.

The rice came from one farm.  There are 154 farms in the Oonami district in Fukushima City, they will now test all the farms.

Officials claim the contaminated rice is still in the warehouse and none was shipped to market.

Until now most contaminated rice, in Japan, was just under the government limit of 500 becquerels per kilogram of cesium.  This is the first time rice was found over the limit, and national government officials are now considering banning the sale of rice which comes from Oonami district.

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Radiation levels increasing in Japanese Rivers!

Japan’s Environment Ministry reports that radiation levels in rivers, downstream of the radiation spewing Fukushima Daiichi, are only increasing.

The latest official readings come from samples taken back in September.

In northern Fukushima Prefecture, the cesium levels were 3,200 becquerels per kilogram in the upstream Niida River.  The cesium levels in the downstream side of the same river were 13,000 becquerels!  That’s triple the levels reported in May!

Cesium levels in the Mano River have doubled!

Kinki University Professor Yamazaki Hideo says the government should step up radiation monitoring in all rivers.

Business/Economics, Fukushima

Global Economic War: Japanese industry moving to China

Since the 11 March 2011 disasters, Japanese industries moving to China has increased 65%.  That’s according to the Chinese Commerce Ministry.

There are two big factors why Japanese industries are moving to a mortal enemy’s territory: Money and Electrical Power.

Since the March disasters, including the ongoing Fukushima Daiichi meltdown, about half of Japan’s nuclear power plants are shut down.  The problem is that Japan built it’s current industries around nuclear power.  There just isn’t enough alternative electricity sources to power Japan’s factories.

Also since March, the Japanese yen has been going up in value.  This makes it more expensive to build things in Japan; Japan has no significant resources so it must import everything.

Japanese media are finally getting concerned about the growing unemployment there, mainly because so many factories have shut down and moved out of the country.

I wounder how this will affect the plans to create a TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership), especially since one of its goals is to block out China.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Occupy America: Foreclosure is not the end, Idaho one of many states that allow banks to sue you for money they lost on your home foreclosure. It’s now part of Wall Street’s new investment scheme

“I wish somebody had come to us, you know, in the months before all of this happened and said, look, you really, really should look at a short sale or taking any other option other than foreclosure.”-Ben Jensen, Idahoan who lost home to foreclosure and was still sued by Bank of America

Did you know that as many as 40 U.S. states allow banks, and debt collectors to sue you even after a home foreclosure is finalized?  It’s called ‘deficiency judgment’.

Idaho attorney Brian Webb, says he’s seeing a sudden increase in such legal action by Corporate America:  “I only probably handled five or six in 2010; versus 2011, it’s been, you know, off the top of my head, between 15 and 25 deficiency cases.”

If you lose your home to foreclosure you could get hit with a lawsuit fives years after the fact: “In many other states around the country, homeowners find themselves subject to deficiency actions one, two, three, four or five years after they’ve been foreclosed.”-Geoff Walsh, National Consumer Law Center

Another Idaho attorney, Terri Pickens, says the sudden increase in deficiency judgments are due to a disturbing new trend; banks are selling their deficiency claims to collection agencies.  It’s all part of Wall Street’s new “investment” strategy: “I do know some private investors who are coming in and purchasing up bank loan packages and have been paying literally pennies on the dollar; just sitting on the paper, waiting for the right time to collect on it.”

 


 

 

 

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Occupy Idaho: Bank sues Mayor for business loan, Mayor says her business is not in trouble

Coeur d’Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem was shocked to learn that her jewelry store is being sued for more than $80,000.

Panhandle State Bank says the lawsuit is over a $75,000 loan made back in 2005.  Bloem says she was in the process of renegotiating the loan, and never had any indication the bank was going to sue.  She says her jewelry store is not in financial trouble, even though the bank says she failed to pay off the loan.