Tag Archives: economy

Fukushima

One Year Later: Some Fukushima farm animals will be allowed to live

Last year the Japanese government said all farm animals within the 20 kilometer (12.42 miles) radiation no go zone, around Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant, had to be killed (if they weren’t already dead).

Now the government says those animals that are still alive can live, provided the farmers do not ship them off to food markets.

This comes after farmers refused to follow through with the order to cull radioactive animals.  Turns out about 700 farm animals are still alive within the no go zone.

Farmers must not breed the animals, or allow them to mingle with new animals that are not contaminated.

ONE YEAR LATER: JAPAN DEVELOPS THEIR FIRST EVER MOBILE PET CLINIC, TO HELP THE HUNDRED OF ANIMALS STILL SUFFERING IN IWATE

ONE YEAR LATER: JAPANESE BAMBOO NOW RADIOACTIVE, 124 MILES AWAY FROM FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI!

Business/Economics, International

Class Warfare: David Cameron plays Robin Hood with bank accounts and Charities, another game of smoke and mirrors

April 4, 2012, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, announced that the British government will start raiding bank accounts, officially to fund charities.

The British plan (called Big Society Capital) claims to be targeting bank accounts that have been inactive for more than 15 years.

The British government has realized how bad of an effect their slashing and burning of social programs is having on the general population of the U.K.   So, they’ve come up with this plan of raiding bank accounts, supposedly belonging to wealthier Britons, in order to fund charities now struggling to deal with growing social strife due to the government funding cuts.

There is also a catch to this plan to help the poor, charities must prove they are helping people and that their programs are successful, or else the money stops: “Big Society Capital is going to encourage charities and social enterprises to prove their business models, and then replicate them. Once they’ve proved that success in one area they’ll be able, just as a business can, to seek investment for expansion into the wider region and into the country.”-David Cameron, Prime Minister United Kingdom

To add confusion about the sincerity of the Big Society Capital plan, some bank officials have told inactive account holders not to worry, because if they ask for their money back they’ll get it.

History shows that whenever the elites of Briton put a capitalist spin on social programs they always end in disaster for the poor.

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

What Economic Recovery? Yahoo confirms, will lay off thousands of employees

“The changes we’re announcing today will put our customers first, allow us to move fast, and to get stuff done…smaller, nimbler, more profitable…We are intensifying our efforts on our core businesses and redeploying resources to our most urgent priorities.”-Yahoo memo to employees

On March 31, 2012, rumors hit the internet that Yahoo was in trouble and would fire thousands of employees.

April 4, 2012, Chief Executive Scott Thompson revealed they will indeed lay off 2,000 employees.

Thompson said he would reveal more details on April 17.

 

Fukushima

One Year Later: Japanese official says some areas of Japan will be radioactive forever. Duh, just ask the people of Prypiat, if you can find them!

About one year ago, Japanese government officials swore to the refugees fleeing the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, that they’d be returning home soon.

Not only did that turn out to be a lie, but one official now says some towns will never be inhabitable.

On April 4, 2012, Japan’s reconstruction minister, Hirano Tatsuo, told the Governor of Fukushima Province, and the Mayor of Futaba Town, that because of the storage of highly radioactive waste coming from Fukushima Daiichi, the areas around that waste can never be lived in.

There are areas of Fukushima Province, being used to store hundreds of tons of contaminated water (left over from trying to keep the disaster reactors cool), that are being irradiated by the deadly levels of radiation in the water.

The Japanese media is pointing out that Hirano’s opinion runs counter to the official statements of the government.  The Japanese government continues to promise the nuclear refugees that they will be able to return to all their homes.

Here’s a thought: It’s been proven that Fukushima Daiichi is worse than Chernobyl, and yet, how many people have been allowed to return to Prypiat, the town next to the Chernobyl nuclear plant, 26 years later?  Zero!

Prypiat had nearly 50,000 people prior to the Chernobyl explosion in 1986.  Now it’s a city full of vacant and ghostly skyscrapers.

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

Oil & Gas Prices: China outproducing Exxon Mobil, North Sea major gas leak, Sudan bombs oil rich South Sudan, Iraqi Kurds stop oil shipments, Canada will stop selling cheap oil to the U.S.!

French oil company Total, could lose $2.5 million USD per day due to its North Sea oil rig leak.

The Elgin ocean rig, near Scotland, began leaking natural gas eight days ago.  It’s coming from a well that workers were trying to cap.  The situation in the North Sea now, is similar to the 2010 BP Gulf of Mexico blow out.

Workers were evacuated for fear of a huge explosion. There are now reports of “oily sheen” on the ocean’s surface.

According to the North African country of South Sudan, their neighbor Sudan is bombing their oil rich areas, in order to drive off investors from the United States.

Officials from Sudan deny that they are specifically targeting oil wells, but U.S. President Barack Obama asked both sides to avoid targeting oil resources.  The U.S. supported the creation of the new country of South Sudan.

The Kurdish autonomous government in northern Iraq, have stopped oil shipments.  Kurdish officials say the Iraqi government has not made any of the payments promised for past oil shipments.

Iraqi officials responded by stating that the Kurds have not sent all the oil that was promised. However, a payment of $560 million USD is being reviewed.

Iraqi officials also say they have reason to believe the Kurds are illegally selling oil to neighboring Middle Eastern countries.  However, despite such claims of loss from Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraqi oil exports hit 2.13 million barrels per day in March.

The world’s biggest oil producer is no longer Exxon Mobil.  PetroChina is now the number one producer of petroleum oil.

According to Bloomberg, PetroChina is now producing a little more than 2.4 million barrels per day of oil.  Chinese officials say the petroleum company will actually increase its take over of other oil companies around the world, because China’s industries need the oil.

“Look, the very fact that a ‘no’ [a no on Keystone] could even be said underscores to our country that we must diversify our energy export markets. We cannot be, as a country, in a situation where our one and, in many cases, only energy partner could say no to our energy products. We just cannot be in that position.”-Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada

Canada has been selling its oil to the United States by at least half the going rate, but Canadian officials say that can’t continue, even if U.S. officials approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Canada will eventually jack up the price for U.S. customers.

“We have taken a significant price hit by virtue of the fact that we are a captive supplier and that just does not make sense in terms of the broader interests of the Canadian economy…”-Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada

 

 

 

 

 

Business/Economics, International

What Economic Recovery? Japan’s new president of a new Bank says current economic situation only the third most important historical event in Japan’s thousand years history!

On April 2, 2012, the new president of the new Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Hiroshi Okuda, revealed just how bad the current economic situation is.

Okuda, a former president of Toyota, said Japan faces a critical historic situation, on the level of two previous historic moments; the 19th century Meiji Restoration and the end of World War Two in the 20th century.

On April 1, 2012, the Japanese government created the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.  It is a spin off of Japan Finance Corporation.

It’s part of efforts by Japan to be more economically competitive and financially flexible.

 

 

Business/Economics, International

What Economic Recovery? European Unemployment Up, Spain hit hardest

April 2, 2012, the European Union reported that unemployment is still high.  It’s the 8th straight month of increasing unemployment for the EU.

Portugal’s unemployment is now at 15%, with Italy at 9.3%.

Spain is hardest hit, with 23.6% officially unemployed.  Young workers under 25 years of age are suffering the most.  Spain’s youth unemployment rate is at 50.5%, which means that one out of every two youth are out of work!

Fukushima

Global Food Crisis: Hundreds of cases of radioactive food in Japan, just since January 2012, Japan dumb downs offical safe Cesium limits!

The Japanese government has set new cesium contamination limits for food, but even with the new limits hundreds of inspections have revealed highly contaminated food products.

The new limits on non-dairy food products will be allowed to contain up to 100 becquerels of cesium per kilogram, baby food and milk will be permitted to contain 50 becquerels, and drinking water 10 becquerels.

But wait, what most people don’t know is that immediately after the March 2011 nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi, the Japanese government temporarily raised the maximum cesium limit in food to 500 becquerels!!!

What that means is that it’s almost guaranteed that the people of Japan have been eating radioactive food!

Between January and March, 2012, a total of 600 cases have been found with more than the new 100 becquerels limit.  That includes salmon, flounder and raw shiitake mushrooms.  Local governments are supposed to stop the shipments of such contaminated food.

 

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

Corporate Evil: Apple admits to slave labor conditions in their Chinese factories!

After several suicides in 2010, at Foxconn factories that made iPads and iPhones, Apple hired the Fair Labor Association (FLA) to investigate.

FLA discovered at least 50 cases where workers were not paid!  They also discovered many cases of employees being forced to work excessive overtime hours, in violation of Chinese labor laws!

Foxconn is an affiliate of Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry and is Apple’s largest partner.  With a name like Foxconn, you should be suspicious (as in sly/tricky like a Fox, and con artist).

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Class Warfare & What Economic Recovery? Two protesters set themselves on fire in Italy, out of economic desperation

For proof that the Elites are going after everyone below them, just look at what’s happening in Italy.  Two men; one a lowly migrant construction worker, the other a longtime local businessman, tried to kill themselves in protest over what the Trilateral Commission run Itlaian government is doing to their economy!

March 29, 2012, a 27 year old construction workers set himself on fire, because he has not been paid by his employer for months! Verona city police say he is recovering in the hospital.

“…[a] symptom of the utter exasperation felt by the weakest employees!”-Vincenzo Scudiere, CGIL trade union

On March 28, in the city of Bologna, a 58 year old businessman tried to set himself on fire in front of the local tax collections office.  He was angry with the new outrageous taxes Italians are being forced to pay! He is also recovering in a local hospital.

“The tragic tale of the businessman…should help people realize that the divisions between workers and businessmen are a fantasy of the past.”-Sandro Bondi, People of Freedom party

In other words, it’s the Elites versus everyone else (upper class, middle class and lower class)!