Tag Archives: economy

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Government & Farmer Incompetence: Apples and Rice poisoned by farm chemicals, FDA tries to blow it off! EPA has known since before 2007! Just more reasons for the coming global food crisis!

I’ve already criticized the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its handling of radiation contamination, now there’s evidence they’re ignoring arsenic poisoning of apples, rice, and other food due to farm chemicals.

In one study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S. women who ate half a cup of cooked rice, ingested an amount of poisonous arsenic equivalent to drinking four and a quarter cups of water with the maximum allowable level of arsenic.

“The large and statistically significant association we observed between rice consumption and urinary arsenic, in addition to earlier reports of elevated arsenic concentrations in rice, highlights the need to regulate arsenic in food.”

But that’s not all.  Consumer Reports, and the TV show Dr. Oz, discovers that apple juice is also contaminated with arsenic.  Several brands of apple and grape juice were found to have arsenic levels exceeding Federal safe limits (max 10 parts per billion).

“Roughly 10% of our juice samples, from five brands, had total arsenic levels that exceeded federal drinking-water standards. Most of that arsenic was inorganic arsenic, a known carcinogen.”– Consumer Reports

Notice “inorganic arsenic”, that means it’s not naturally occurring arsenic in the soil, it’s coming from the chemicals used on farms!

Consumer Reports also added that other foods are contaminated with chemical arsenic, and that lead has been found in juices as well.

Dr. Oz questioned the FDA and they gave him the amazing response that most food born arsenic is “essentially harmless”!  He was also amazed to find out that the FDA has no criteria regarding lead in apple juice!

Inorganic (chemical) arsenic is absorbed by plant roots.  Inorganic arsenic gets into the soil because it’s part of the ingredients in the chemicals farmers use.  Over the decades those chemicals, including arsenic, has been building up in the farm soil, now it’s finally showing up in high levels in our food!

Researchers in Scotland found that most arsenic contamination can be found in U.S. states that used to grow cotton. Chemicals used on cotton plants had high levels of arsenic.  They also found that rice grown in those states had much higher levels of arsenic, than rice grown in California.

Andrew Meharg, of the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, has been warning since before 2007 about arsenic contamination in rice!  He says it’s not just the U.S. and European rice crops, but rice grown in Asia (now you can add the radiation from Japan).

In fact, Meharg said the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a study and were concerned with the results: “…the risk assessment has been done for the U.S.A. by the U.S. EPA and they’ve actually found that there is a risk for the U.S. based population and that’s why the U.S. levels in water were reduced, because the risk from arsenic to the U.S. population was more perceptible, and above background, particularly for lung and bladder cancers and what we’re finding is that the levels of arsenic in rice for certain subpopulations exceed those current levels for safety and water. And eating high levels of rice, they’re actually well over what they should be consuming.”-from March, 2007 interview

Meharg said rice with the lowest levels of arsenic, according to his research, comes from India.

Don’t everybody rush for the ‘organically’ grown food, there just isn’t enough for all of us, just more reason there’s a coming global food crisis.  Grow your own!

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Government Incompetence & World War 3: Russia & China say the West is foolish to ask them to embargo Iranian oil! China willing to fight for it!

Russia and China have said they will not join any embargo of Iranian oil.  For Russia the reason is simple: “…we are not consuming Iranian oil at all!”-Sergei Shmatko, Energy Minister of Russia

You’d think the leaders of Canada, the U.K. and U.S. (the countries pushing for an embargo of Iranian oil) would already know that.

For China the reason is personal: “Iran is a very important supplier of oil for China. I believe there would be a massive conflict between America’s prohibition from, and China’s interest in, the Iranian crude. China won’t certainly do what the United States says!” He Jun, Anbound Information Consultancy

Put it another way; China is willing to go to war over it!

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Texas mom shoots kids then self after being denied food stamps, part of increasing trend in Texas due to bad economy

On December 6, a Texas mom shot her two kids, and then herself inside a Laredo social services office, after being denied food stamps.  She had been applying since July!

Officials say she didn’t provide enough documentation!  Her two kids, a 10-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl, are in critical condition, she’s dead.  The woman had moved to Texas after losing her job in Ohio. This is not the first shooting in Texas related to the bad economy.

On November 30, in Bay City, Texas, an illegal immigrant shot the mother of his children, and then killed all four children, in front of neighbors.  One neighbor said the man had just lost his job at a local grocery store: “He worked nights and all of a sudden he was having trouble with his family. I knew the guy, but I didn’t know he would do something like this.”-Juan Elizondo, daughter witnessed the shootings

The shooter had been deported before, and there’s speculation that fear of being deported again could have played apart: “She was scared she didn’t have papers, that he didn’t have papers. They were both scared that they were going to get deported.”-Juan Elizondo

 

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? SeaPort shuts down route due to bad economy, yet to issue official press release, proof that east Idaho community leaders have head in a hole

On December 4, an east Idaho TV station reported that an airline route from Idaho Falls to Boise will stop service on December 31.

On December 5, the same east Idaho TV station did an update, after they talked to the President of Oregon based SeaPort Airlines.  Rob McKinney said that ticket sales in east Idaho not only weren’t enough, but had steadily declined from their  “…re-launch of flights between Idaho Falls and Boise.” (from July 23, 2011 SeaPort press release) back in July.

I got a response to my December 4 story about SeaPort closing down the IF/Boise/Pendleton route, from someone in the marketing office of SeaPort.  After correcting a few things they also confirmed that sales in east Idaho is just too bad to continue business: “There is an official explanation for the discontinuation of this service; there was not enough passenger traffic to continue flying the Idaho Falls-Boise route.”

By the way, for some reason, as of December 7 SeaPort still has not issued an official press release on their website.  The last press release is dated September 2, 2011.

This comes after months of eastern, and southeastern, Idaho business/community leaders telling us (through east Idaho media) that things were getting better!

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

The Beast Emerging? Russia says CELAC one more step to a one world government, wheat being sperated from the chaff

On December 3, all Latin American and Caribbean countries came together under CELAC (Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños, or Community of Latin American and Caribbean States).

The United States and Canada were intentionally left out.  China has expressed support for CELAC, and so has Russia.

However, in the official Russian statement there is an ominous mention of a one world government: “The rise of the new system-forming integration structure proceeds in line with the formation of a polycentric world and the strengthening of the role of regions in the system of global governance, which meets the interests of the entire international community.”

The push for global dominance is an ancient one, but it is not the goal of only one group. There are several elite groups in our global societies that are pushing to take over the world (why do you think there’s so many wars throughout history?).

Obviously the formation of a new economic order in the Americas, one that excludes the U.S. and Canada, is a sign of the ‘wheat being separated from the chaff’.  Do you know which camp you’re in (because for most of us powerless ‘commoners’ we really don’t have much choice)?

Business/Economics, U.S.

OWS, What Economic Recovery? Only 7% of people laid off in 2008 found equivilant paying new jobs, 33% have been downsized, no longer a white man’s world, some hope for getting a college degree

Rutgers’ Heldrich Center for Workforce Development has been following people who lost their jobs at the beginning of the Great Recession (2008-2010).  They found that the overwhelming majority have not recovered!

The ongoing study is called Categorizing the Unemployed by the Impact of the Recession.

They have five categories they ask people to describe their situation as: Made It Back. On Their Way Back. Downsized. Devastated. And Totally Wrecked.

After three years of job searching only 7% claim to have Made It Back.  23% say they’re On Their Way Back.  33% could only find jobs that forced them to be Downsized.  21% are Devastated, and 15% are Totally Wrecked.

Percentages don’t always give a good picture.  The study also gives you the number of people affected.  Made It Back: Up to 700,000 people.  On Their Way Back: Up to 2.3 million.  Downsized: Up to 3.4 million!  Devastated and Totally Wrecked combined: Up to 3.6 million!

The demographic composition (dc) of the study showed that the majority of people Devastated from their 2008 layoff, are people who do not have a college degree.

The dc of the study also showed that it’s no longer a “man’s world”, unless it refers to men being unemployed: 64% of men have been Devastated, compared to 34% of women. There was little difference in age groups being Devastated, between 20% to 30% range for most age groups.  And as far as ethnic groups being Devastated, 63% ‘white’ and 37% ‘other’ (a case of ‘the higher up you are the farther you have to fall’).

The study has other results, like 47% are still in poor financial shape, 58% suffered major economic impact, and 41% believe the economic changes are permanent.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Corporate Incompetence: Independent investigation into Olympus scandal over, major losses and cover ups

The independent commission investigating Olympus has submitted their report.  The optic company began losing money, and covering it up in 1998.

Losses totaled more than 100 billion yen (about U.S.$1 trillion by today’s exchange rate)!!!

Olympus accountants began covering up the losses after the Japanese government introduced stricter accounting rules.  The report also named Hideo Yamada and Hisami Mori as playing central roles in creating methods of transferring losses to overseas accounts.

From 2006 to 2008, Olympus conducted a series of corporate buyouts and raised 134.8 billion yen with the intention of making up for the losses. However the bookkeeping shell game is illegal.

Olympus has until December 14 to turn over their books to government auditors, or they will be de-listed from the Tokyo stock exchange.

 

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Powdered milk contaminated with radiation!

Japanese powdered milk maker Meiji says they will replace 400,000 cans of their product, after it was found contaminated with cesium.

The levels are below safe limits but the company says it’s better to be safe than sorry.  The powdered milk was produced from March 14 to 20. The base powder used was made before 11 March 2011.

Meiji did not voluntarily test their product, nor was it government officials, it was a consumer group who forced the testing.  Meiji officials are now trying to figure out how their product got contaminated.  The company has factories all over Japan, from Hokkaido down to Tokyo.  This is another indication how much the radiation from Fukushima Daiichi has spread.

Fukushima

Government & Farmer Incompetence: More raidation in new rice crops in Japan, the list keeps growing!

Continuing inspections of rice crops are revealing how pervasive the radiation contamination is.  Three more farms have been found to be contaminated above safe limits.

The result is that the national government, on 05 December 2011, banned rice shipments from 406 farms.  The farms are located in several districts within the cities of Fukushima and Date, in Fukushima Prefecture.

The latest rice farms to make the list are 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant.

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Russia warning the world; Japanese products contaminated with radiation. Why isn’t the U.S. EPA or FDA protecting us?

On 01 December 2011, Russian port authorities in Vladivostok stopped a shipment of tires from Japan. They say the tires are emitting beta and gamma rays.

This is not the first time Russian inspectors found radioactive products from Japan.  In April, 49 second hand (used) cars shipped from Japan were found to be emitting radiation six times the safe limit.  A similar incident happened in June.  Eastern Russia is a big market for used Japanese cars.

What about radiation testing in the U.S.?  The latest statement from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) claims to have conducted “…28,190 field examinations for radionuclide contamination.”  However, they only talk about 1186 samples (out of the 28,190 tests) being safe.  The data for the rest of their test is in a format my computer couldn’t open.

The FDA website has some statements that are pure bogusnus.  Example: “Little or no harvesting of fish is taking place in the area around the reactor.”  This is false! Fisherman in the Fukushima area have been fishing, including around the Daiichi power plant, it’s their only source of income!  In fact the latest revelation, that strontium 90 is pouring into the ocean, has the local fishermens’ co-op threatening to sue Tokyo Electric.

Another example from the FDA: “The volume of water between particles and fish absorbs radiation, “shielding” the fish.”  Bull Shit!  Why have so many fish in Japanese markets turned up highly contaminated with radiation?  Why are Fukushima fishermen so pissed off!?

The FDA tries a Red Herring argument by saying: “The half life of I-131 is about eight days.”  They’re talking about cesium 131, they’re trying to make you feel safe.  Hello, what about the strontium 90, the plutonium, and other isotopes that last virtually freakin’ forever!

They do mention cesium 137 (half life of 30 years), but here’s another amazing statement the FDA makes: “…the radionuclides also undergo biological excretion and do not continue to build up in fish…”  Bull shit again!  When I was a Cold War soldier, the U.S. Army had us doing yearly training for NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) warfare.  One of the things we were taught is that radiation contamination freakin’ builds up over time!  The longer you’re exposed the more F–ked up you get, because it builds up!  You see when you work around radiative shit, you have to monitor not only the intensity of the radiation, but how long you’re exposed to it.

Finally the FDA passes the buck onto Customs and Border Protection saying they screen the cargo containers coming from Japan.  The FDA also says their own people walk around the docks using hand held radiometers, and if they detect high “background” radiation levels then they do more intensive inspections. The problem is that just because the contents of the shipping container are radioactive does not means the thick steel container will emit radiation!  The Russian inspectors at Vladivostok must be doing a better job at inspections than our people.

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is making things more confusing , because they’ve been revising their “methodologies” and policies (isn’t that convenient).   They don’t inspect products, but are supposed to be testing air and water.  I’ve written about how many of the RadNet sites were not even working during the first few months of the nuclear crisis in Japan.

The EPA has changed how they report their RadNet data.  In Idaho there’s only one RadNet site, in Idaho Falls.  Their gamma counts show a lot of spikes, but it’s not clear if it’s because of Fukushima or not.  On the old RadNet web page there was a detection of cesium 131 (short half life) in precipitation readings on 01 April 2011.  However, the new RadNet sites are even more confusing, there is no way the general public can make use of them, what a waste of taxpayer money!

Fend for yourself!