08 May 2013 (12:04 UTC-07 Tango)/27 Jumada t-Tania 1434/18 Ordibehest 1391/29 Ding-Si (3rd month) 4711
According to Azerbaijani news media reports, the three explosions reported by a BBC Persian journalist were not airstrikes, but controlled demolitions.
“Those were the planned explosions of destroying old ammunition. This is natural, and all of the explosions were carried out in Shahriar of Shahriar County of Tehran Province, safely.”-Ali Abdullahi, Iran’s deputy interior minister
08 May 2013 (09:49 UTC-07 Tango)/27 Jumada t-Tania 1434/18 Ordibehest 1391/29 Ding-Si (3rd month) 4711
The massive, and expensive (to local tax payers), Hoku Materials polysilicon factory sits idle and unfinished in Pocatello, Idaho.
Red Neck right wingers like to point the finger at President Obama, saying ‘I told you so’ concerning ‘clean energy’ projects, but the reason for the demise of many solar power companies is actually the capitalist commodity market system and government interference.
Polysilicon prices have crashed and burned since construction started on the 50 American football fields long factory. It just isn’t worth it to produce the stuff used in solar power panels. In 2008 polysilicon was worth $400 per kilogram, it’s now crashed to a paltry $20.50!
Hoku Materials ghost town factory, Pocatello, Idaho. 50 football fields long at a cost of at least $400 million.
The ‘experts’ got everything wrong. They thought the high petroleum prices would drive societies into the arms of clean energy companies, but the problem is that so many clean energy companies started production that soon there was a glut of polysilicon on the market, even before the construction of Pocatello Hoku plant was close to being finished.
Then add to that the trade wars between China, the U.S. and European Union. Eventually, the Obama administration jacked up tariffs so high on Chinese polysilicon companies that it wasn’t worth it to do business in the U.S. By then Hoku Corporation (the parent of Hoku Materials) had become Chinese owned, due to financial problems (including Hoku Materials not being able to pay its construction contractor, JH Kelly, or pay its Idaho utility bills, so many times that both threatened to seize the property).
By the middle of 2012 the unfinished $400 million USD Pocatello polysilicon factory was moth balled, staffing reduced to just 30 people, with rumors of liquidation in bankruptcy court. By the end of 2012, the Chinese company that bought into Hoku (Tianwei) was getting blasted in the Chinese media for buying a pig in a poke. According to former Hoku Corporation CEO, Scott Paul, Tianwei invested “….more than $129 million of its own capital in Hoku, and they have provided for another $244 million in debt financing from banks in China.”
Now back to the ‘experts’. In February 2013, ‘experts’ predicted that polysilicon prices had bottomed out. They were wrong! Prices had hit $21 per kilogram, and polysilicon producers said there was no reason to produce anymore until the price went up over $25.
In March 2013, British media reported that prices had crashed 50% compared to the same time last year.
In April 2013, another report said that polysilicon prices could continue to crash because of the anti-free market tariffs imposed by the major players; China, South Korea, European Union and United States. And, the ‘experts’ again said prices had bottomed out. The average price at the end of April 2013 was $20.50.
So where does that leave Hoku Corporation’s Hoku Materials factory in Pocatello? Optimistic officials with the Bannock Development Corporation (a County level organization that worked hard to bring Hoku to Pocatello, including huge local tax breaks) think that anytime now Hoku will start production: “It’s a wait and see thing, depending on the market……Basically, [Hoku Corp.] needs to fire up the plant when it’s ready to go.”-John Regetz, Bannock Development
Sounds like the local development folks aren’t communicating with Hoku. The latest statement from the company indicates that bankruptcy and liquidation is the only option being considered: “….exploration of potential restructuring at Hoku Materials and Hoku Corporation is ongoing, with no formal update at this time.”-Hoku Corporation statement
“Restructuring” is code for bankruptcy/liquidation. So no Mister Regetz, it sounds like Hoku is not planning to “fire up the plant”.
Green/clean energy just doesn’t make big enough profits for the crony capitalist system. Another case in point is the recent announcement by BP (British Petroleum) that it will abandon it’s wind power operations near Idaho Falls, Idaho, as well as its wind and solar projects across the United States.
Also, don’t forget the artificial reduction in demand created by all those government tariffs.
The answer is that clean energy projects need to be run like a non-profit co-op, but the problem is that crony capitalists don’t like that and will do everything they can to prevent that from happening (’cause contrary to their propaganda, they do not like competition, especially if it’s from a non-profit).
More on the demise of Hoku Materials:
U.S. tariffs nail in the coffin for Hoku
Hoku better get its rear in gear
Investigation puts the brakes on Hoku
08 May 2013 (21:56 UTC-07 Tango 07 May 2013)/27 Jumada t-Tania 1434/18 Ordibehest 1391/29 Ding-Si (3rd month) 4711
Israeli Defense Force announced a travel ban in the occupied Golan Heights. The ban affects civilian travel on the northern border road and the Heights eastern road.
It appears the ban is indefinite, until further notice.
The UN Interim Force In Lebanon has declared the IDF intrusion into Lebanese airspace (on their way to bomb Syria) a violation of international law: “UNIFIL says that in the course of the past week it has observed a higher number of Israeli air violations over Lebanese air space…..compel Israel to halt its violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty by air, sea and land, and carry out all its obligations in accordance with Resolution 1701.”-Martin Nesirky, United Nations
It appears all internet service has been cut off in Syria, according to Google’s Transparency Report. I tried to access some Syrian sites and got a “server not found”, or “forbidden” message, but other sites still came up.
07 May 2013 (14:43 UTC-07 Tango)/26 Jumada t-Tania 1434/17 Ordibehest 1391/28 Ding-Si (3rd month) 4711
The Jerusalem Post reporting explosions west of Tehran, Iran. They say a BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) Persian channel reporter posted a tweat saying three explosions took place at a missile testing center in Iran.
I wasn’t able to confirm on the BBC Persian site.
IsraelDefense is saying the explosions hit the Shahriar district of the City of Karaj, which is northwest of Tehran.
07 May 2013 (10:57 UTC-07 Tango)/26 Jumada t-Tania 1434/17 Ordibehest 1391/28 Ding-Si (3rd month) 4711
Long term unemployment is proving to be a benefit to the U.S. government. It’s called reduced Social Security payments, or backdoor austerity policy.
First lets clear something up: You main streamer media deceivers need to stop calling Social Security (SS) a “benefit”! We pay for it, gottdamn it! A benefit is not something you pay for! SS is a government mandated retirement system that we are forced to pay for, therefore it is a true entitlement!
Here’s why the federalies love long term unemployment: According to research by AARP/CNNMoney for every year you are unemployed, the amount you could have gotten through your SS retirement is reduced by 3%.
Now realize that for the first time in United States history there is a huge number of U.S. citizens who’ve been unemployed for more than six months (more than 4 million in April 2013). For unemployed people 50 years of age or older, 44% are long term unemployed.
So all this unprecedented long term unemployment is allowing your elected officials to keep more of that SS money for themselves. Is this some kind of False Flag op designed to ‘save’ the Social Security Administration by artificially reducing future retirement payments?
We already know our ‘elected’ federal officials rape Social Security funds all the time.
And it seems unAmerican corporate America is in on the False Flag game. According to a study by Rand Ghayad of Northeastern University (and published in December 2012 by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston), employers will not consider anyone who’s been unemployed for six months or more, regardless of their experience. Ghayad discovered that employers would rather hire a buffoon who’s been unemployed for a week, than someone with years of relevant experience!
Ghayad also broke the lies that unAmerican corporate America was spreading; that they couldn’t find “qualified” applicants. He proved that what they meant by “qualified” was how long you’ve been unemployed: “It isn’t that firms aren’t finding the right workers, but that employers are screening out the long term unemployed.”
Then you have another gimmick employers are using; credit reports. If you have a bad credit score, which is included in the background check most big employers conduct, you will not be hired. And guess what? Most long term unemployed have bad credit (gee, I wounder why?)!
According to a Demos survey, one in four unemployed people were told their credit score would be considered for employment.
The Society for Human Resource Management says at least 47% of the employers they surveyed use credit checks to determine who they hire.
The evil irony is that the longer you’re unemployed the worse your credit report becomes, because you can’t pay your debts! Another Demos survey found a direct correlation between worsening credit scores and repeat or prolonged unemployment.
Even the majority of people who find new jobs are being paid far less than their previous job, and that too reduces the amount of SS retirement they will get, and makes it harder to pay their debts thus jeopardizing any future employment opportunities.
Some conspiracy theorists believe this is part of a False Flag op to artificially reduce the cost of labor by creating an unprecedented number of indentured servants for unAmerican corporate America. And to me, it’s also starting to look like a back door way to government austerity, by reducing your entitlements on the grounds that you’re unemployed or underemployed.
07 May 2013 (09:19 UTC-07 Tango)/26 Jumada t-Tania 1434/17 Ordibehest 1391/28 Ding-Si (3rd month) 4711
The new SARS like virus in Saudi Arabia has killed two more people. The death toll is now 18.
Both of the latest victims were from the same family, from the Al-Ahsa governorate. So far six of the deaths were people from Al-Ahsa.
Health officials still don’t understand how the new coronavirus works. It results in death from pneumonia or kidney failure. Some researchers think it’s related to a bat virus. However, most victims did not have contact with non-human animals.
International health researchers have decided on a name for the new virus: MERS. It stands for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.
Hemlock Semiconductor announced that the 400 layoffs in January are now permanent! They blame the bad economy.
In Illinois, FreightCar America laid off 242 people! The city of Oglesby laying off six employees because of budget cuts.
In Saint Louis, Missouri, 120 employees of the Yellow Pages laid off! More people around the country will be laid off this year, as the company is moving production to India.
In Ohio, the Cincinnati Public School District laid off 70 administrators. School officials blame lack of funding.
Dearborn Heights District 7, Michigan, closed Madison Elementary School. Officials blame lack of funding.
In California, the Desert Sands Unified School District wants to layoff 27 employees. School officials blame the cuts on a $1.2 million USD shortfall. The Paso Robles School District wants to layoff 15 employees. School officials blame lack of funding and declining enrollment. In Los Angeles, the Key Club shut down. In Sacramento, three J.R’s Texas Bar-B-Que restaurants shut down. Company officials blamed declining revenue. Northrup Grumman laying off 800 people! The government contractor is consolidating operations in anticipation of funding cuts.
Bell Helicopter laid off 15 “surplus” employees in Texas.
In Jacksonville, Florida, Lender Processing Service laid off 37 people. Company officials blamed it on changes in the mortgage industry.
Hillsdale, New Jersey, Blockbuster video store closed.
The Irish Shop in Pennsylvania, closed down. Hanover Direct ending operations in York County. At one point more than 500 people were employed!
In Tucson, Arizona, Brio Tuscan Grille shut down. Company officials said the restaurant never met sales expectations.
New York based Hess Corporation closing down 1400 fuel stations in 18 states! Company officials say gas stations are not profitable, and they will focus on refining fuel.
07 May 2013 (21:22 UTC-07 Tango 06 May 2013)/26 Jumada t-Tania 1434/17 Ordibehest 1391/28 Ding-Si (3rd month) 4711
No sooner had the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle joint military exercises against the DPRK been ended than the U.S. imperialists and the south Korean puppet forces restarted shelling drills targeted against the areas of the north side from the waters off Paekryong and Yonphyong islands in the West Sea of Korea from May 5.
The prevailing situation goes to prove that they are persisting in their premeditated military provocations in a bid to push the present state of war to an actual war.
What matters is that such military provocations are timed to coincide with the U.S.-south Korea joint anti-submarine exercises started in the West Sea of Korea from May 6 and the dangerous U.S.-south Korea joint naval war drill to be staged in the East Sea of Korea from about May 10 even with the super-large nuclear-powered carrier Nimitz involved.
The Command issued the following order to those units under it in view of the prevailing situation:
KPA units in the southwestern sector of the front will take immediate counteractions in case even a single shell drops over the territorial waters of our side due to the enemies’ provocative shelling in the southwestern waters.
In case the enemies recklessly counter our counterstrikes, all striking forces will turn the five islands in the West Sea of Korea into a sea in flames with prompt actions of units of the rocket forces deployed in the southwestern sector of the front.
All the units and sub-units under the KPA Command in the southwestern sector of the front will simultaneously start military actions, in line with the operation plan finally ratified by the KPA Supreme Command, by the future order.
Korean People’s Army (KPA) statement
06 May 2013 (12:40 UTC-07 Tango)/25 Jumada t-Tania 1434/16 Ordibehest 1391/27 Ding-Si (3rd month) 4711
Three more people are confirmed infected with the new SARS like virus in Saudi Arabia.
Since September 2012 there have been 27 lab confirmed human cases, and 16 deaths, in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and United Kingdom.
The three new cases are people related to other people already hospitalized.
Saudi health officials also said that tests on 50 other people are being done to determine if they have the new coronavirus. So far, all the cases in Saudi Arabia have originated in the eastern Al-Ahsa governorate.
06 May 2013 (12:32 UTC-07 Tango)/25 Jumada t-Tania 1434/16 Ordibehest 1392/27 Ding-Si (3rd month) 4711
After several days of no reports, the Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission says the number of human case are now 129 (however, by my count it’s 130), and 31 people have died.
Two people in Fujian Province are infected. On 02 May there were 128 cases, so these two new cases makes 130. 42 people are reported to have recovered.
In Shandong Province a test of poultry waste at a market was positive for H7N9. A chicken in a live market, in Jiangxi Province, was positive for H7N9, as well as a chicken in a market in Guangdong Province.
Health officials in Shanghai say that four men who were in critical condition did not benefit from anti-viral treatment with oseltamivir (Tamiflu). Three of the men had not been in contact with birds. One man died, two actually recovered, and one is apparently still hospitalized.
Health officials believe anti-viral treatment was started too late in the infection, that as the infection progresses it becomes much stronger. They suggest starting anti-viral treatments ASAP.