Tag Archives: food

Business/Economics

U.S. Food Crisis: Minnesota bans fishing!

21 July 2015 (15:17 UTC-07 Tango 01)/30 Tir 1394/04 Shawwal 1436/06 Gui-Wie (6th month) 4713

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources warns of a ban on walleye fishing in August.

It would directly affect Mille Lacs Lake.  Regulators say the limit on walleye catches has nearly been reached, and there is a new problem of a large number of walleye dying after coming into contact with fishing hooks (the ones that got away).

The walleye population in the Mille Lacs Lake is now at a 30 years low!

Farmers told to “dispose” of crops if hit by floods! 

 

Business/Economics

“…how I will now make a living?” “…they’re messing with people’s lives!” Mom & Pop operators hint at new laws meant to shut them down!: U.S. Job Losses & Store Closings, 18 July 2015

Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:

Arkansas: In Paragould, after 33 years The Treasure House being forced to shutdown by August, the owner lamented “…how I will now make a living?” 

California: In Oakhurst, popular Grocery Discount Center shutting down in August. It’s blamed on the death of one of the owners.  Locals say the business will be missed: “I have watched them feed the poor, pray for the hurting … it’s like a family here …”-Debra Burnett

Colorado: Premier Bank has been seized by the FDIC, assets turned over to United Fidelity Bank.

Connecticut: Fairfeild based GE (General Electric) has eliminated hundreds of jobs since the beginning of the year on the grounds that revenues are going down, as well as selling off its financial ops, yet that hasn’t stop it from paying ‘investors’ $50-billion in dividends and buybacks, and now GE is about to spend $13.5-billion USD on the take over of electricity generation from France based Alstom: “We like this deal. It is our intention to really close the deal.”-Jeff Immelt, ceo

It sounds like GE’s true reason for eliminating hundreds of jobs and selling off sections of the company was all about raising cash to buyback stocks and takeover other companies.

Illinois: In Lincoln Park, after 36 years iconic dance club Neo lost its lease and is looking for a new home.  However, don’t blame the club owners, the property owners swear they offered Neo a “big drop” in rent in exchange for the dance club cleaning up its act: “You would go in and there was all kinds of dust and cobwebs and there were rats coming up in the floor behind the bar. I’ve got tenants upstairs who pay quite a lot of money in rent. You can’t have a shit-hole downstairs! It’s not fair to everybody else in the building.”-John Crombie, property owner

Louisiana: After 52 years clothier Belk Tallywood shutdown, 27 employees are supposedly being transfered to other Belk stores.

Minnesota: In Saint Paul, after 30 years the 7th Street Tavern shutting down by the end of the month.  It’s blamed on crashing sales due to crashing customer traffic at the mini-mall location.  Near Hastings, after about 60 years The Point restaurant shutdown. It’s been sold to convenience store/gas station operator SSG, who already owns the surrounding land.  Maplewood based 3M just eliminated another 51 jobs across the country, but this time it’s not military contract jobs.  3M is consolidating their filtration products business.

New York: In Elmsford, Pets Alive announced they must shutdown their animal shelter, blaming rising costs of operations and crashing revenue.  In Potsdam, after 37 years outdoor clothing and equipment store Wear On Earth shutting down by August.  Co-owner Shannon Klein said current business laws/regulations now work against mom & pop stores: “The business [Wear on Earth] is based on being owner-operated. There is no business left when the owner can’t do it anymore.  What was transferred to us cannot be transferred to a future owner due to changes in the industry during the time we owned the business…”

Ohio: In Genoa, after 61 years family owned Samsen Furniture and Design shutdown, it’s being replaced with a new franchise operation.  In Merle Hay, the 45 years old Earl May garden center forced to shutdown due to “…we lost our lease and will not be able to continue at this location.”  On Buckeye Lake, both The Copper Penny and the Sailor Joe’s restaurants shutting down.  The owner blames it on crashing water levels in the channels that feed the lake, caused by state administrators who supposedly did it to make repairs to a dam.  The owner regrets buying the restaurants just a few years ago: “They didn’t take away just the boating; they’re messing with people’s lives!….80% of our business is boats…”-Jeff Reed

Texas:  In Corpus Christi, supplier to public and private schools Rainbow Books shutting down after 31 years.  The owners are selling it to help fund their retirement, but they hope they can find a buyer who will continue the business.

Wisconsin: In Superior, Too Big to Jail banks forcing Norm’s Beer & Brats to shutdown by refusing to renew the mortgage (debt financing).  The owner hopes to find a new location soon.

17 July 2015: “…it’s all about money now.”

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) no longer issues mass layoff reports: “On March 1, 2013, President Obama ordered into effect the across-the- board spending cuts (commonly referred to as sequestration) required by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, as amended. Under the order, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) must cut its current budget by more than $30 million, 5 percent of the current 2013 appropriation, by September 30, 2013. In order to help achieve these savings and protect core programs, the BLS will eliminate two programs, including Mass Layoff Statistics, and all ‘measuring green jobs’ products. This news release is the final publication of monthly mass layoff survey data.”

Business/Economics

Albertsons Safeway update 18 July 2015: Stock issue to result in more store shutdowns?

Analysts are expecting good things for Albertsons-Safeway (owned by New York based Cerberus Capital Management) when the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of stocks are made.   That is they think a lot of ‘investors’ will buy those stocks because investors like what they see is being done with the new grocery chain (meaning shutdowns and layoffs after Albertsons lost $1.2-billion USD in 2014!), but what does it mean for employees of Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market and Carrs?

Analysts describe a couple of scenarios about what Cerberus would do with all the new money they’ll have after the IPO, and both scenarios seem to point to more layoffs.

1: What’s been happening to make the new Albertsons-Safeway ‘more efficient’ (including shutdowns & layoffs) will ramp up.

2: Use the new money to take over even more grocery store chains, but my experience is that the main reason you take over competition is to shut it down.  Over the past several months I’ve read several news reports out of New Jersey, concerning the increasing number of local grocery store shutdowns, and the consensus in that state is that there is too much competition.

By the way, Albertsons is reported to have $12-billion of debt!

Right now Cerberus is the second largest grocery store operator in the U.S.

Number one is Kroger (Baker’s Supermarkets, City Market, Dillons Food Stores, Fry’s Food & Drug, Gerbes Super Markets, Harris Teeter, Jay C, King Soopers, Kroger, Owen’s, Pay Less Super Markets, QFC, Ralphs, Scott’s, Smith’s, Fred Meyer, some Food 4 Less, Foods Co and Ruler Foods, to name a few), and even they’ve been shutting down stores.

Haggen conducts mass layoffs after taking over Albertsons & Vons grocery stores! 

U.S.

U.S. Food Crisis: Farmers told to “dispose” of crops if hit by floods! Against the law to sell flooded vegetables!

17 July 2015 (02:27 UTC-07 Tango 01)/26 Tir 1394/30 Ramadan 1436/02 Gui-Wie (6th month) 4713

“If your plants come in contact with flood water, the safest thing to do is to not eat them. Dispose of them……there could be e-coli, heavy metals, or other pathogenic organisms….”-John Bombardiere, West Virginia State University

West Virginia declared a state of emergency after severe flooding hit the east coast state on 12 July.   The West Virginia Agriculture Commission is warning farmers and victory gardeners not to eat any vegetables if their land has been by flooded.

The federal government says it’s actually against the law to sell crops soaked by floods: “If the edible portion of a crop is exposed to flood waters, it is considered adulterated under section 402(a)(4) (21 U.S.C. 342(a)(4)) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and should not enter human food channels. There is no practical method of reconditioning the edible portion of a crop that will provide a reasonable assurance of human food safety. Therefore, the FDA recommends that these crops be disposed of in a manner that ensures they are kept separate from crops that have not been flood damaged to avoid adulterating ‘clean’ crops (Ref. 1, 2, 3).”

Washington & Oregon ban fishing after mystery deaths! 

U.S.

Operation Jupiter: More anthrax drills in the United States! PoD ops began before the Army’s “mistaken” bio-weapons shipments were revealed!

17 July 2015 (02:00 UTC-07 Tango 01)/26 Tir 1394/30 Ramadan 1436/02 Gui-Wie (6th month) 4713

“The scenario given to Public Health was that anthrax had been sent in the mail throughout upstate New York.”-Watertown Daily times

I’ve discovered that New York recently held an mass antibiotic-dispensing drill in Lewis County.

Lewis County Public Health administrators revealed they’ve been warned to be prepared to dispense medication for 27-thousand people within 48 hours.  The drill, held at the end of June, involved 350 people.

The U.S. Army’s “mistaken” shipments of live anthrax was revealed in May, but I’ve discovered that New York conducted mass antibiotic-dispensing drills in April.  Saratoga County Public Health administrators conducted a mass antibiotic-dispensing drill in Saratoga Springs.  Administrators admitted the drill was meant to test their ability to respond to a large scale anthrax attack.

Massachusetts Health and Human Services have made public their Emergency Dispensing Site (EDS) Full Scale Exercise guidelines.

Such mass dispensing exercises have been ongoing since at least 2006 (Alaska conducted mass dispensing exercises in two cities in October 2006).  Now realize that the U.S. Army’s Dugway Proving Ground, in Utah, was revealed to be shipping out live biological agents since at least 2005!  Is it any wonder administrators with the Department of Defense and Homeland Security have been expecting a biological attack?

Officially administrators say it’s in response to SARS, the 2001 anthrax letter attacks and bird flu.

I find it interesting that dozens of U.S. counties and cites have been conducting Mass Dispensing Exercises every year since 2006, yet no mention by main stream national news sources!

In March 2006, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched Mass Dispensing/PoD exercises by presenting the video Mass Antibiotic Dispensing: Collecting Point-of-Dispensing Exercise Data.  It was CDC inspectors who recently admitted they questioned the seemingly irresponsible operations taking place at Dugway Proving Ground as far back as 1999!  Their warnings fell on deaf ears when their scathing report was shelved by the high level administrators of CDC!

In 2007, the University of Washington published the results of their evaluation of the effectiveness of what was called back then Point of  Dispensing (PoD) operations.  They concluded it was a success, however they discovered that 27% of ‘victims’ in the PoD drill did not understand how to use the medication.  (Evaluation of a mass dispensing exercise in a Cities Readiness Initiative setting)

FEMA National Training & Education

U.S. hit by new stealth Dog Flu!

Business/Economics

“…it’s all about money now.” Go on vacation, lose your job! Project Century about killing jobs!: U.S. Job Losses & Store Closings, 17 July 2015

Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:

California:  Even the rich and famous are cutting back spending. In Beverly Hills the Hakkasan restaurant shutdown, the owners also admitted that their Las Vegas operation is losing money as well.  TV ratings company Nielsen is selling off its National Research Group, the latest reports from Deadline say at least a dozen employees were suddenly laid off in Los Angeles.  One employee was on vacation when she got a phone call telling her not to bother returning to work! Another employee stated “It’s unbelievable that management who steered this company into the rocks is still standing!”

Florida: Yet another railroad company conducting mass layoffs. CSX will begin furloughing 6-hundred employees around the country in its 3rd quarter of 2015! It’s blamed on crashing shipments of coal caused by the crashing coal mining industry/market.

Illinois: General Mills shutting down their West Chicago food factory by 2017, at least 5-hundred jobs lost!  This will be the 3rd General Mills factory in West Chicago to shutdown!  It’s part of their Project Century plan to deal with crashing sales.  Unionized employees said “…it’s all about money now.”

Kansas: Olathe School District warned layoffs were coming due to $2-million USD shortfall.  Administrators did not blame enrollment, but blamed increased costs (like ObamaCare insurance rates for employees) and reduced funding from the state and federal governments.

Maryland: After 37 years pre-school The Eyman Children Center shutting down by the end of the month. The owner said “It’s time to get serious about retirement and enjoying what years are left.”   Gov’na Larry Hogan eliminated 63 ‘public safety’ (prison & parole) jobs, pissing off the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees: “They’re firing people. When you abolish positions, you’re firing people. That’s what happens when you cut 2% of the department’s budget across the board!”– Patrick Moran, AFSCME Council 3

After seven years restaurant Clementine is shutting down. The co-owner said she’s focusing on catering only because it’s not a good time to run a restaurant: “…is the toughest business ever. It’s really, really, really hard. There are just so many moving parts, and we’re working so many hours. And our events schedule has really been picking up. You start to ask yourselves, ‘What’s going to give?’”-Cristin Dadant

Michigan: Davenport University shutting down several campuses due to crashing enrollment.  Some campuses will be merged while others will become two year colleges.  What I call Disappearing Students Syndrome has resulted in Davenport losing 3,341 students since 2010!  In Howell, after 35 years Antiques On the River mini-mall shutting down.  Apparently the two story building will see a different business take over, and antique dealers will have to find a new venue to sell from.

Minnesota: Golden Valley based food producer General Mills revealed Project Century, a plan to shutdown dozens of factories and eliminate 2-thousand 5-hundred jobs!  General Mills also runs Project Catalyst, which has eliminated 8-hundred ‘white-collar’ jobs! Just last month General Mills announced a new Project Compass which will eliminate 725 jobs over the next 12 months, and is in edition to the other two projects!  The crashing coal mining industry is being blamed for future job losses at the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. Administrators stated that as of now the volume of shipping is normal, but they expect that all the massive mining industry layoffs recently announced will result in decreased shipments, meaning no need for all those Port Authority employees.

Missouri: General Mills shutting down their Joplin food factory, 120 jobs lost! It’s part of their Project Century plan to deal with crashing sales.

New Jersey: School bus contractor First Student just issued a WARN saying 135 people in Trenton will become unemployed in September!  Local news reports said the contractor is consolidating ops to save money.  Taxpayers are finding out the real reason for hundreds of layoffs at the Atlantic City School District; four new ‘director’ positions were created and the jobs went to employees who were supposed to be laid off, and who got huge pay raises as a result! District administrators justified their game by claiming the four new positions will be handling the work of 18 positions that were eliminated.

New York: In Tarrytown, Institutes of Applied Human Dynamics issued a shutdown WARN for October.  In Troy, after 67 years men’s clothier Rodino’s shutdown.  The current owner admitted that he not being a taylor, and not being able find one for the past two years, negatively impacted sales: “It took a long time to decide. I’ve been working here for 40 something years. I’ve seen a lot of changes here in business trends. We always had a faithful following. It’s a bittersweet-type moment.”-Michael Rodino

North Carolina: In West Asheville, after one year clothing store Rhetorical Factory shutdown. The owner found out the hard way that in a bad economy it doesn’t matter what you do: “I did it the best way I knew how. We recycled clothes. We took out labels. We sold art. We paid people well, and I was really stubborn about who I chose to hire and what products we sold. For four months out of the year to be really slow was really hard…..the way the rent is structured. I felt like I was spending six months out of the year trying to make it through those four months.”-Bethany Adams

Ohio: The city of Niles has been in a state of fiscal emergency since October.  Now administrators are warning of layoffs pending “good data” and the hope of “looking for more money”.  In Dayton, Practice Yoga shutdown, the owner saying only “After exploring several other options, all signs point to this, a difficult but necessary move.”  Private yoga classes will be available for the hardcore pretzel benders.  Despite reporting a 9% increase in earnings, and despite announcing they will return home loans ops, and despite having enough money to donate $1-million to Cleveland State university, Too Big to Jail KeyBank (KeyCorp) announced it will shutdown as many as 30 offices by the end of the year. Local news reports say that in the past 12 months KeyBank has already laid off 4-hundred people across the country, and suspect more layoffs are in the works!

Pennsylvania: After 32 years Dunning’s Grill shutdown.  Restaurant Isabela shutting down by the end of the month and being sold-off due to family health problems.  In Sayre, after 23 years Paint, Paper & Lighting Place shutting down, it’s been sold to help fund the co-owner’s retirement.

South Carolina: South Carolina State University shutting down nine buildings, including four dorms, in an attempt to save money. Obviously with less buildings to take care of there won’t be the need for all those building maintenance jobs. Administrators admit that struggles with enrollment resulted in not enough money to perform needed repairs and upgrades to the nine buildings.

Texas:  Education testing contractor Pearson laid off 208 employees in The Lone Star State, and another 62 in other states! It’s blamed on the loss of their testing contracts.  Houston based Milagro Oil & Gas now chapter 11 bankrupt busted, and will begin selling off its oil wells.

Washington: In Bellingham, Mount Baker Vapor issued a shutdown WARN for September, 92 jobs lost.

Washington DC: National Journal halting its hardcopy edition. Administrators said the print version was a financial failure, yet at the same time claimed the company was in good financial shape. They will now focus on their internet version.

West Virginia: As part of their plan to kill-off 175 stores, clothier Gap shutting down their 18 years old Charleston Town Center store by the end of the month.

Wisconsin: Associated Bank announced they’re shutting down 13 offices, and basically they’re following the herd of other banks doing the same thing.

16 July 2015: “I’m not going to put a gun to anybody’s head…”

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) no longer issues mass layoff reports: “On March 1, 2013, President Obama ordered into effect the across-the- board spending cuts (commonly referred to as sequestration) required by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, as amended. Under the order, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) must cut its current budget by more than $30 million, 5 percent of the current 2013 appropriation, by September 30, 2013. In order to help achieve these savings and protect core programs, the BLS will eliminate two programs, including Mass Layoff Statistics, and all ‘measuring green jobs’ products. This news release is the final publication of monthly mass layoff survey data.” 

U.S.

U.S. Food Crisis: Washington & Oregon ban fishing after mystery deaths!

17 July 2015 (20:33 UTC-07 Tango 01, 16 July 2015)/26 Tir 1394/30 Ramadan 1436/02 Gui-Wie (6th month) 4713

The states of Washington and Oregon have jointly banned fishing for the prehistoric fish known as sturgeon.  Dozens (at least 80 at last count) of the fish have been found dead in the Columbia River Gorge reservoirs.  Sockeye salmon are also dying in huge numbers.

Fishing for sturgeon is catch & release only (except for Native Americans on their concentration camps, I mean reservations), but that’s been banned until researchers can figure out why the fish are dying.  Some suspect a combination of high temperatures and low oxygen in the water caused by the drought.

The salmon are dying of a bacteria called columnaris, which goes ‘nuts’ in high temperatures and low oxygen environments.

29 sturgeon were autopsied and their bellies were found full of salmon, yet biologists don’t think that killed the sturgeon.  Almost all dead sturgeon were adults of five feet or longer.  Old fish cannot absorb oxygen from the water as effectively as young fish.

Oregon also banned the fishing of salmon, steelhead and trout.

USDA declares Idaho a food production disaster area! 

Business/Economics

U.S. Food Crisis 17 July 2015: Haggen conducts mass layoffs after taking over Albertsons & Vons grocery stores!

“The prices are higher and I don’t really like it so far. I wouldn’t go out of my way to shop at this store, not even in my neighborhood.”-Art Webb, California resident pissed off at the new Haggen stores that replaced Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions and Safeway

You knew if had to be, it always happens when one corporation sells out to another.  After taking over Vons and Albertsons stores new owner Haggen is killing jobs, despite previous announcements to the contrary!

Reports out of California say Haggen has begun laying off an undisclosed number of employees and cutting work hours for the rest, after taking over 83 California grocery stores from the recently created Albertsons-Safeway (a total of 146 Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions and Safeway stores across the country were sold to Haggen as part of the Albertsons Safeway merger).

Executives with Haggen finally admitted they cannot keep prices low with all those employees on the payroll.  Grocery industry analysts say Haggen has bitten off more than it can chew with the purchase of 146 stores: “Clearly they are underperforming. This is a clear sign that their sales expectations are not being met.”– Jim Prevor, PerishablePundit.com

Another analyst said get ready for more changes: “This is the biggest conversion in Southern California or anywhere else in the last 15 to 20 years. It’s going to be evolutionary to go through the transition and correct the pricing and everything else that comes up.”-Burt Flickinger 3rd, Strategic Resource Group

Haggen did admit in a press release that they were eliminating jobs in California, Arizona and Nevada. But would only say that the number of layoffs would “vary by store” and blamed “unprecedented” competition.

Albertsons Safeway shuts down forgotten Island store!

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

U.S. Food Crisis: USDA declares Idaho a food production disaster area! Montana, Washington & Oregon close behind!

17 July 2015 (18:22 UTC-07 Tango 01, 16 July 2015)/26 Tir 1394/30 Ramadan 1436/02 Gui-Wie (6th month) 4713

In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared more than 90% of Idaho’s 44 counties to be food production disaster areas because of the 15 years long drought!  Never has the USDA declared an entire state a disaster area!

For those weenie-heads back in the New England states Idaho is a large state, encompassing several New England states (the biggest Gem State county, Idaho County, is 8,485 square miles or 21,980 square kilometers).  In other words one of the United States’ major food growers cannot meet demand!

The USDA also designated 18 counties in Washington and 15 counties in Montana as disaster areas!  Oregon has at least seven counties designated natural disaster areas.

Idaho wheat crop dying!

Influenza

Operation Jupiter?: U.S. hit by new stealth Dog Flu!

16 July 2015 (03:56 UTC-07 Tango 01)/25 Tir 1394/29 Ramadan 1436/01 Gui-Wie (6th month) 4713

“This flu is much more contagious. It came from Chicago and it’s the same kind of epidemic that they dealt with up there.”– Duffy Jones, Peachtree Hills Animal Hospital, Georgia

Canine influenza has hit 30 U.S. states from the mid-west to the southeast.

At least six dogs in Illinois have died, with more than 1-thousand confirmed cases since April!

The University Of Georgia‘s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirms 88 cases of dog flu in the Atlanta metro area.  Dog parks and animal shelters around the state are being closed down to prevent more infections.

North Carolina veterinarians report their first cases, and warn pet owners to wash their clothes: “Dog flu germs can stay on your clothes for 24 hours, so if you think you may have come in contact with a dog that has dog flu or you’ve been around coughing animals or animals you don’t know, it may be a good idea to change clothes out, wash your hands, all those things to decontaminate yourself.”-Andy Roark, Cleveland Park Animal Hospital

Veterinarians in Indiana say this dog flu (first seen in Illinois) is a new stealth type of influenza: “The best preventative is complete avoidance of other dogs because the unfortunate thing about this particular virus is it’s most contagious before they actually start showing clinical signs. So they’re most contagious that two-to-four-day window before they start coughing, before their nose starts running.”-Arielle Pechette

A routine health screening in Minnesota confirmed the new stealth virus is a type of H3N2 influenza.  The dog that was tested had no symptoms!  The dog had been recently adopted by a family of humans who had their veterinarian conduct a health screening of their new pooch.  The blood test came back positive for H3N2.  News reports say some animal shelters are now refusing to take in new dogs.

Currently there is only one dog flu vaccine, designed for H3N8, not H3N2.

“…influenza viruses are constantly changing and it is possible for a virus to change so that it could infect humans and spread easily between humans. Human infections with new influenza viruses (against which the human population has little immunity) are concerning when they occur. Such viruses could present pandemic influenza threats. For this reason, CDC and its partners are monitoring the canine influenza H3N8 and H3N2 viruses (as well as other animal influenza viruses) closely. In general, canine influenza viruses are considered to pose a low threat to humans.”-U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Rare dog disease….Deadly warning from India! 

Operation Jupiter: Anthrax is the zombie disease Lazarus!