Tag Archives: economy

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Evil U.S.A.: Catholic Pope denounces decades old U.S. sanctions against Cuba

On March 28, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI says the 50 years old U.S. “Restrictive economic measures imposed from outside the country unfairly burden its people.” of Cuba.

The Pope made his comments after a three day visit to Cuba.  Vatican officials have denounced the U.S. sanctions in the past.

The United States ordered the sanctions in 1960, after Cuba’s Revolution overthrew the repressive U.S. supported Batista regime.  After 50 years you’d think U.S. officials would realize that sanctions do not work!  After all, many U.S. corporations missed out on trade deals when Cuba opened its business doors to foreign investments (and don’t forget the oil that’s been discovered just off the shores of the island country).

 

 

Business/Economics, International

Evil Elites & What Economic Recovery? Bank of England says Royal events bankrupting British taxpayers! Proof the Elites are the true Welfare bums!

March 27, 2012, the Bank of England’s governor, Mervyn King, warned the U.K. House of Lords that upcoming celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee could bankrupt the kingdom.

King said the celebrations come at the worst time, an economic recession. He also pointed out that it was the expense of last year’s Royal Wedding that actually killed any hope of economic recovery!

The anti-Royal Family group, Republic, revealed that every year it costs U.K. taxpayers 202 million pounds (about $326 million USD) to support the Evil Elite Royals, and that’s not counting their taxpayer funded Royal celebrations!

This proves that the Royal elites are an economic burden, not benefit, upon the people!!!  They are nothing but ultimate welfare parasites!

 

Fukushima

One Year Later: Fukushima Radiation levels finally being measured, Reactor 2 is Lethal!!! Kill humans within 7 minutes!

28 March 2012, finally, after one year, Tokyo Electric Power Company is taking radiation readings from Fukushima Daiichi disaster Reactor 2.

They placed a dosimeter into Reactor 2’s containment vessel.  It is emitting 72.9 sieverts, or 72,900 millisieverts, or 72,900,000 microsieverts of radiation per hour!!!

At that rate the radiation will kill a human in seven minutes!

TEPCo admits that the lethal radiation levels, and the recently discovered lack of cooling water indicating a huge leak, are setbacks for their plans to decommission the reactor.

Business/Economics, U.S.

Evil Elites & the War on Individual Property Owners: Roswell Georgia man blows himself up as Police come for his home

March 26, 2012, after almost a decade of fighting bogus city code enforcement claims a Roswell, Georgia, man blew himself up as police tried to steal him from his home.

Here is video of the explosion that took place inside his home.

The man had battled bogus code claims, and won several court battles, but for some reason the city officials had it out for him.  Finally they forced his mortgage holder to illegally foreclose on his home.

Go here for detailed info on the man’s long struggle against the bogus Law Elites, and realize you could be next!

Fukushima

One Year Later: Japanese Bamboo now radioactive, 124 miles away from Fukushima Daiichi!

200 kilometers (124 miles) away from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuke factory, bamboo plants grown for food are turning up radioactive!

On bamboo shoot farms in Chiba Prefecture, samples have turned out to be contaminated with as much as 250 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram!

Not only that, the latest samples are higher in cesium than samples taken more than one week ago.  Officials think cesium absorbed by the parent bamboo plants is being passed on to the young bamboo shoots.

Bamboo farmers have been told not to ship their product to market.

ONE YEAR LATER: FINALLY, JAPANESE OFFICIALS SAY SEA BASS ARE TOO RADIOACTIVE, FISHING BAN NOW IN PLACE!

 

Fukushima

One Year Later, More Government Incompetence: Finally, Japanese officials say Sea Bass are too radioactive, fishing ban now in place!

March 28, 2012, one year after the GE designed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant melted down, Japanese fisherman are now being told their catches are indeed contaminated.

For the first time, Miyagi Prefecture has banned Sea Bass fishing, because of radiation contamination!

Prefectural officials say cesium levels are so high, they’re higher than the new stricter limits due to go into effect next month.  As much as 360 becquerels of cesium is being found in Sea Bass catches!  The new stricter limit is 100 becquerels.

Officials say two other types of fish are also exceeding the 100 becquerels limit!  This backs up what Russian and South Korean fish inspectors have been saying all along about contaminated fish from Japan!

The scary thing is that up ’till now fishing has been allowed near the disaster reactors of Fukushima Daiichi!

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

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Corporate Evil & What Economic Recovery? U.S. Alcoa to close factories worlwide, thousands of people to lose jobs. It’s all because Alcoa wants higher Aluminum prices

March 27, 2012, Sardinian workers are protesting the planned closing of Alcoa’s Portovesme aluminum smelter on the island of Sardinia.  The move could cost Italy the loss of at least 1,500 jobs.

U.S. media last reported that U.S. based Alcoa was making a deal with union workers to keep the factory open, however, European media says that ain’t so.

In fact three potential investors are now suing Alcoa.  The Italian government has been demanding Alcoa keep their factory open.  The Spanish government is also upset because Aloca has plans to reduce smelter operations there.

This is evidence that Corporate America is partly to blame for the continuing economic disaster in Europe!  But it’s not just Europeans losing their jobs, Alcoa is hitting Australians as well.

In Geelong, Australia, Alcoa says it’s closing down operations there, because it doesn’t want to pay its electricity bill!  Alcoa wants a deal from the Australian government, and utility suppliers, in order to keep its Point Henry smelter open.

Alcoa also blames the pending closing of their Australian smelter on the need for $100 million AUD (Australian Dollars) to upgrade the smelter to meet environmental regulations.  600 people could lose their jobs.

But the real reason for the closings of all these Aloca operations worldwide, is that the price of aluminum is not high enough for Alcoa executives.

Recently Alcoa officials said the recent drop in aluminum prices “…will result in a global aluminum industry deficit of 600,000 metric tons in 2012.” Why would that be?  Because the aluminum industry will cut back production until aluminum prices go back up. That means closing down factories, creating thousands more unemployed people.

Interestingly, despite aluminum prices being low, on March 1, 2012, Alcoa announced they were actually raising prices (by 5%) on some of their aluminum products!

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Economic War: Obama attacks Argentina with Tariffs, another case of shooting yourself in the foot!

On March 26, 2012, U.S. President Barack Obama declared a trade war with Argentina.  This comes two days after Argentina sponsored a mission to increase trade relations with the U.S.

Obama says Argentine companies own two U.S. companies, Azurix and Blue Ridge, $300 million USD.  Obama dropped Argentina from “trade preferences”, which essentially put the South American country on the same standing as North Korea and Syria.

The two U.S. companies are owed money, but Argentine officials say every time they try to make a payment those U.S. companies refuse the terms of payment: “The U.S. trade authorities did not accept our proposal to resolve the disagreement of interpretation on the rules of ICSID [International Center Settlement of Investment Disputes]…”-Hector Timerman, Argentine Foreign Ministry

Obama’s decision goes into effect in 60 days.  Argentina is a member of CELAC, maybe that’s the real motivation behind Obama’s action?  The imposition of high U.S. tariffs on Argentina will affect at least $18 million USD in business with U.S. companies!

 

Fukushima

One Year Later: More incompetence; Reactor 2 overheating caused by guessing game, cooling water levels much lower than first thought, massive leak!

Disaster reactor 2 at General Electric designed Fukushima Daiichi is overheating because Tokyo Electric officials miscalculated the cooling water levels!

Reactor 2 was the only active reactor that did not explode immediately after the March 11, 2011 natural disasters.  It has been a constant struggle for TEPCo to keep its temperature down.

On March 26, 2012, TEPCo discovered that one reason is there is much less cooling water in the reactor, than what they first guessed.  They thought there was three meters (9.8 feet) of water in the containment vessel.  There is only 60 centimeters (23.6 inches) of water in the reactor!!!

TEPCo discovered this on Monday, after they used an endoscope to check out the inside of the reactor.  TEPCo has been pumping about nine tons of water per hour, for months now, trying to keep the melted nuclear fuel cooled down.

This is only the second time TEPCo used an endoscope to look inside reactor 2.  The first time the endoscope was too short, and they couldn’t see anything!

The facts that after months of pumping nine tons of water per hour (sometimes more), and finding only 60 centimeters of water at the bottom of the containment vessel, means there is a massive leak!  It also means the melted nuclear fuel has been leaking out, into the Pacific Ocean, as well!

This revaluation comes after a March 15, 2012 report, in which TEPCo said they found “…there were no cracks in the suppression chamber [of reactor 2] and there were no changes in the shape.”

The suppression chamber is also known as the ‘wetwell’, or ‘torus’.  It is separate from the containment vessel.  However, TEPCo also reported high radiation levels coming from the wetwell.  It could be a sign that nuclear fuel is leaking out of the containment vessel and into the wetwell (suppression chamber/torus).

TEPCo also reported that the paint on the wetwell was peeling and the color of the paint had changed.

 

 

 

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.