Tag Archives: occupy

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

Toyota & Subaru begin production of new sports car. For sale in the United States?

A few weeks ago Subaru announced they were ending decades of minicar production in Japan. They said they just weren’t profitable.

Now that minicar factory is being used to produce a sports car jointly designed by Toyota and Fuji Heavy Industries (owner of Subaru).

It’s called the Toyota 86, or Subaru BRZ.  It’s reported to have an engine designed for lots of power and fuel economy.

The car is supposed to go on sale in Australia in June. There the car is being marketed to potential buyers with incomes of at least Australian$150,000 per year.

The car will be powered by a water cooled 2.0-litre Boxer (horizontally opposed 4 cylinder, like the old air cooled VWs)  D-4S gas (petrol) engine.   147kW (199.8 hp) and 205Nm (151 foot pounds) of torque.  Base model comes with automatic transmission, but buyers could get a six-speed manual transmission. Limited slip differential will be available, except on the base model with automatic transmission.

The cars are also planned for sale in Europe.

Will the car be sold in the United States?  Reports say Toyota will sell the car under their Scion brand, as the Scion FR-S.  Subaru will sell it as a Subaru BRZ, at a rumored starting price of U.S.$25,000.  They hope to sell at least 7,000 per year.

Fukushima

One Year Later: TEPCo finally looks inside Reactor 4 Fukushima Daiichi, strange white objects in reactor & spent fuel pool!

Tokyo Electric Power Company has finally looked inside GE designed reactor 4, using an underwater camera.

All they could see was “wreckage” and strange “floating white objects”.

Those same “floating white objects” have been observed in reactor 4’s spent fuel pool.  TEPCo said visibility in the spent fuel pool has decreased in the past month.

Visibility is down to one meter (about 3 & half feet), the month prior it was five meters (16 feet)!

Business/Economics, International, Technology

One Year Later: Cell Phones proved useless in Tsunami hit areas, news media critical for getting information out

An international telecommunication symposium was held in the quake/tsunami hit Japanese city of Sendai. The goal was to discover which form of telecommunications works best in a tsunami disaster.

Cells phones proved to be useless, as there was no way to charge the batteries.  Use of pay phones was limited because of tsunami damage.

It turns out that the best way to communicate with disaster victims is still the tried and true Radio!  A study found that most survivors, who knew what was going on, were listening to portable radios.

The boss of Japan’s NHK broadcaster (NHK actually won awards for their reporting on the disaster), said in the next disaster they will focus even more on getting useful information out for those survivors who might be listening on portable radios.

 

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

Oil & Gas Prices: Incompetent Chevron creates new spill in Brazil, unknown oil spill near Seattle, U.S. fisherman still waiting for money from 2010 BP oil spill

Only a few days after Chevron announced it was hopeful in restating oil production in Brazil, ooops, there goes another one!

March 15, 2012, Chevron reported another oil spill, just 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from last November’s spill.  The spill was actually noticed on March 4, but Chevron didn’t report it until now because they didn’t know where it was coming from!

In the U.S. state of Washington, the Department of Ecology is trying to figure out what kind of oil is spilling from two sunken barges.  The oil spill is forming near Lummi Island.

Salvage companies were in the process of cutting up the sunken barges when the oil spilled out. Some officials say the oil could be coming from under the barges. The spill is affecting 200 feet of shoreline.

In U.S. states along the Gulf of Mexico, fisherman still haven’t been paid by British Petroleum.  In 2010 an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil were spilled by BP operations, shutting down the fishing industry.

The Commercial Fishermen of America say at least $2.5 billion in damages were done to the Louisiana fishing industry alone!  The numbers of fish are still below pre-spill levels!

Recently a settlement was made, but it could take years for all the money to be issued.  Another problem is that attorneys are about to unleash a campaign to convince people they can get their money fast, if they only go through their law firm.

Because it will take so long for the money to be issued, the Gulf states could still lose 2,650 to 3,975 jobs, with earnings losses of $68 million to $103 million!

 

 

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?