Tag Archives: economy

Business/Economics, International

Government/Corporate Evil: EU cuts funding for Hungary, Hungary tells EU to F Off!

“Hungarians will not live as foreigners dictate, will not give up their independence or their freedom, therefore they will not give up their constitution either!”-Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary

March 15, 2012, Hungary’s Prime Minister told the European Union to basically F Off! 

On March 13, 2012, EU finance ministers suspended half a billion Euros worth of aid to Hungary.  They said it was because Hungary was not co-operating on their demands for fiscal reform.

“This provides a strong incentive for Hungary to conduct sound and sustainable fiscal policy.”-Olli Rehn, EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner

But that’s not the only reason the EU is angry with Hungary.  Hungary has a constitution that states that Hungarians will not recognize laws created by foreigners!

Hungarians are holding anti-EU rallies, and the Prime Minister gave a defiant speech: “Freedom means that we decide about the laws governing our own life, we decide what is important and what isn’t. From the Hungarian perspective, with a Hungarian mindset, following the rhythm of our Hungarian hearts. We will not be a colony!”

The EU is now threatening legal action if Hungary does not change its constitution.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Government/Corporate Evil: Greek taxes will increase, collections to be privatized, EU officials sending in the tax collecting troops

At the end of February the European Union said it was sending in tax collection forces to help the new, unelected Greek government take money from the people.

On March 15, 2012, the EU tax collection task force (including 160 German tax man troops!) said Greece has already collected about U.S.$1.2 billion.

On March 14, 2012, New Democracy party leader Antonis Samaras, said not only is the Greek government going to increase taxes, but they’re going to privatize the tax collection business: “If necessary we will get tax oriented companies like KPMG to help collect taxes. We have to make an appeal for outsourcing, even in collecting taxes and we’ll also try to make public employees more competitive.”

Making public employees “more competitive” is code for reducing their pay and benefits even more!  Now you know why the Greek people are still fighting in the streets.

KPMG is a Swiss company that specializes in tax collections. They have operations in the United States, and more than 150 countries!

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

World War 3: Germany to keep troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014

“A strategic pact is going to be signed between German Chancellor and Afghan president Hamid Karzai in the near future, but Germany is a close friend of Afghanistan besides the strategic pact and will continue to its cooperation. Germany remains committed to support Afghanistan economically and technically beyond 2014.”-Thomas de Maiziére, German Defense Minister

Without giving details the Defense Minister of Germany said his country will continue to provide Afghanistan will economic and technical support for years to come.

Afghan officials seemed pleased: “Germany has always been supportive whenever Afghanistan was in crisis and the Afghan government and people urge for further cooperation of Germany.”-Abdul Rahim Wardak, Afghan Defense Minister

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

United Police States of America: You are a Terrorist in California if you sell organic milk! Woman charged with money laundering & securities fraud! Man tortured by cops for one week, nearly died! Part of conspiracy to shut down organic farms!

“I’m shocked that this is America. Because it seems like you’re in some third world country, in a gulag, like in the movie Midnight Express, where you’re absolutely just tortured. That was the experience I had. Your mind goes, how can this be? This is America?”-James Stewart, victim of Los Angeles County Sherrif’s Department

If you sell raw milk in California you will be accused of being a terrorist, of money laundering, securities fraud, conspiracy, grand theft and tax evasion.  You will also be tortured!

65 year old James Cecil Stewart was arrested and charged with 37 felonies regarding his raw milk business, Rawesome.  His business partner, Larry Otting, has been charge with 14 counts.

Stewart claims he suffered 10 days of “hell” at the hands of LA County deputies: “I thought I was gonna die in there.”

A March 7, 2012, report said his partner Otting was still in jail!

But wait, there’s more.  Two other people were arrested and charged with a plethora of felonies as well.

Sharon Palmer, who runs Healthy Family Farms in Santa Paula, was arrested, and Victoria Bloch has also been charged in connection to Healthy Family Farms.

In a video posted in July 2010, Bloch explains how the local governments of California are shutting down raw milk farms, and even farmers’ market operations, because they are taking business away from corporations.

It’s interesting that almost two years after the video was posted, of Bloch explaining that Corporate America, through local governments, is acting to shut down competition from small organic farmers, she and four others involved with organic farms, get arrested and charged with an incredible amount of felonies!

Watch video of August 2011, FDA raid on Rawsome organic farm.

The raw goat milk farmers had clients in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties.  They have been charged with crimes in Ventura and Los Angeles counties.  The attorney for Sharon Palmer, Matt Bromund, says the outrageous actions of the county courts “…smacks of grandstanding.”

There are plenty of videos of local & federal government raids of organic farms, raw milk sellers, tomato farmers, etc, across the United States, check out YouTube.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Oil & Gas Prices: Despite oil glut, U.K. & U.S. to release strategic petroleum reserves! Oil experts say there is no good reason for it! Sign that war with Iran is a done deal!!!

“The government is playing retail politics with energy and not solving the underlying problem. It does more damage than good.”-John Hoffmeister, former president of Royal Dutch Shell Oil

March 15, 2012, President Barack Obama, and Prime Minister David Cameron announced they will release oil from their respective Strategic Petroleum Reserves.  However, there is no oil shortage, and prices are high only because of speculation, not supply or demand!

The U.S. oil industry is being flooded with oil from Canada and the U.S. state of North Dakota!  And concerning the high prices of oil, Exxon Mobil CEO, Rex Tillerson, said to blame that on the speculators!

But it looks like Obama and Cameron are playing to the speculators, because price began dropping soon after the announcement.  Oil analysts have said  speculators are concerned with future oil supplies if a war with Iran was going to happen.  Is this a sign that war with Iran is a done deal?

International, U.S.

World War 3: Karzai demands U.S. troops pull back, U.S. officials blow him off, Taliban end talks with U.S. officials, Afghans want the U.S. out now!

The Taliban have called off all negotiations with the United States, saying the Americans are nothing but back stabbers: “The Americans initially agreed to take practical steps regarding the exchange of prisoners and to not oppose our political office but with the passage of time, they turned their backs on their promises and started initiating baseless propaganda portraying the envoys of the Islamic Emirate as having commenced multilateral negotiations for solving the Afghan dilemma…” 

The Taliban say they will not resume negotiations “…until the Americans clarify their stance on the issues concerned and until they show willingness in carrying out their promises instead of wasting time.”

Afghan President Hamid Karzai told off U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panette, telling him all “international security forces have to be taken out of Afghan village outposts and return to (larger) bases.” as well as insisting that Afghanistan can handle its own security: “We’re ready to take over all security responsibilities now……Afghan security forces have the ability to keep the security in rural areas and in villages on their own!”

Basically Karzai wants the United States out by next year!

Afghans are in the streets demanding the U.S. get out now!

The Associated Press reported that Pentagon officials didn’t think Karzai meant what he said.  Statements from U.S. President Barack Obama support that: “I don’t anticipate, at this stage, that we’re going to be making any sudden, additional changes to the plan that we currently have.”

Thousands of Afghans are protesting what they see as dirty tricks regarding the handling of the “lone” shooter, in the Panjwaii massacre.

The Times revealed that in his meeting with Karzai, Leon Panette simply said the shooter would be brought to justice.  Under Islamic law it is the right of the victims to demand how that justice is carried out: “It was the demand of the families of the martyrs of this incident, the people of Kandahar and the people of Afghanistan to try him publicly in Afghanistan!”-Mohammad Naeem Lalai Hamidzai, Afghan politician

Hamidzai was part of the parliament appointed investigation that concluded there was at least 20 U.S. personnel involved in the Panjwaii shooting.

While Panette was telling Karzai that justice would be done, the U.S. military quietly flew the “lone” shooter to Kuwait.  Afghans see this as more insult to injury at the hands of the United States, because it proves the United States is not there to help them rebuild their country, because the U.S. totally disses on them (disrespects & oppresses) all the time!

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Government Incompetence: Foreign food making more people in the U.S. sick. Blame Republican budget cuts!

“The Food and Drug Administration is really only checking about 2% of the food that’s imported into the U.S., so a lot can go unchecked and problems may not be found.”-Erik Olson, Pew Health Group

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning that cuts to imported food inspections have resulted in increased illness, and it could get worse: “As our food supply becomes more global, people are eating foods from all over the world, potentially exposing them to germs from all corners of the world…”-Hannah Gould, CDC epidemiologist

From 2005 to 2010, 2,348 illnesses in the United States were linked to imported foods. Food poisoning caused by imported fish made up 45% of the cases!  In those cases the fish came from Asian sources.

The next highest cause of food illness was imported spices, most being dried peppers.

The number one cause of food poisoning is norovirus followed by salmonella. In 2008 there were 23,152 cases with 22 deaths.

To make things worse, the Republican controlled U.S. Congress has pushed new inspection rules on the FDA, yet has cut funding for inspections over the years.  Activists say that’s not going to work: “Our concern is that, with all the new requirements for imports and all the new protections that are envisioned, that unless FDA gets a bump-up in resources, it’s going to be very hard, if not impossible, for the agency to do its job.”– Erik Olson, Pew Health Group

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology

What Economic Recovery? NEC lays off thousands, cuts executive incentives 40%, 1st Japanese company to do so

One of Japan’s oldest electronics appliance makers, NEC, is the first Japanese company to announce huge cuts for Union workers AND executives!

Union labor is asked to take a 4% pay cut, on top of 10,000 workers being laid off!  But, wait there’s more!  Managers will also get hit with a 4% cut in pay.  And executives were told their bonuses will be 40% less!

NEC officials say the company has lost about $1.2 billion, for their business end of year (which is in March)!  They blame natural disasters and the increasing value of the Japanese yen (which is actually caused by the declining value of the U.S. dollar).

 

Fukushima

Japan Modern Day Atlantis round 12: Land continues to shift, slow moving landslide devouring houses

A slow moving landslide, in Niigata Prefecture, has devoured eleven homes, so far.  Locals are trying to stop the Earthly sloth by building a mound of dirt.

The landslide is 150 meters (492 feet) wide and 750 meters (2,460 feet) long, and is moving at only 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) per hour! The next victims in its path are a hamlet of 20 people.

Niiagata Prefecture was hit with heavy snow recently, and officials say the landslide is being cause by melt-water deep in the ground.

They’re building a 5 meter (16 feet) high mound of dirt, and trying to pump out melt-water from the ground.  They think the landslide sloth will gain in size and speed as more snow melts.  At least 80 people have been evacuated.

JAPAN MODERN DAY ATLANTIS ROUND 11: MORE THAN 10,000 EARTHQUAKES HIT JAPAN IN THE PAST YEAR! JAPAN ISLANDS SHIFT EASTWARD!

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Japan refused to co-operate with IAEA safety guidlines!

It’s been revealed that six years ago the Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) was asked to adopt the safety guidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The request was made in 2006 by Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission.  Top NISA officials refused, saying things such as evacuation areas as recommended by the IAEA, would cause undue anxiety among the masses!

Hideaki Tsuzuku, of the Nuclear Safety Commission, blasted NISA, saying if they had followed the IAEA’s guidelines evacuations would have taken place sooner, and faster!

NISA official Yoshinori Moriyama, admitted they never thought such a nuclear accident, as Fukushima Daiichi, could happen!