Tag Archives: ows

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

World War 3: Europe enforces oil sanctions against Iran. Iran prepares to close Hormuz Strait. Iran creates $14 billion fund to expand oil industry! More examples of Chock Full o’Crap western media!

“There is a bill prepared in the National Security and Foreign Policy committee of Parliament that stresses the blocking of oil tanker traffic carrying oil to countries that have sanctioned Iran.”-Ibrahim Agha-Mohammadi,  Member of Iranian Parliament

02 July 2012, in a move that seems counter to the European Union (EU) oil sanctions that went into effect on 01 July 2012, Iranian lawmakers say they will block oil shipments to Europe by closing the Strait of Hormuz.

It’s also meant to show that Iran does not need European countries for its oil business.  As of Sunday, 100 of the 290 members of Iran’s parliament have signed the bill.

Also today, Iran created a $14 billion USD fund to expand its oil industry: “The $14 billion fund can create a remarkable momentum in the oil industry and indicates that despite sanctions there is no problem in the trend of the country’s development and production in the oil sector.”-Mohammad Reza Farzin, Managing-Director of Iran’s National Development Fund

Also today, South Korean news media reported that South Korean oil refiners and Iranian oil companies have reached an agreement that would allow South Korea (a U.S. ally/puppet) to resume Iranian oil shipments without violating the European sanctions: “Korean oil refiners and the Iranian side have been in consultations over the matter of using Iranian flagged oil tankers to resume oil shipments.”-unnamed South Korean official

For insurance reasons South Korea will use Iranian tanker ships, which turns out to also be a loop hole in the European oil sanctions!

Also today, Iran’s Oil Ministry announced that despite the 01 July 2012 European oil sanctions, Iranian exports of refined gasoline for European customers will actually increase: “The daily production of euro4 gasoline will reach 24 million liters [6.3 million U.S. gallons] by the end of the current [Iranian] year.”-Alireza Zeiqami, Iran’s Deputy Oil Minister

But who’s the biggest buyer of refined Iranian fuels?  Why the U.S. occupied country of Afghanistan!  In 2011, Afghanistan bought $51.6 million USD worth of Iranian fuels.

On 01 July 2012, corrupt British bank Barclays revealed that a certain type of Iranian oil will escape any attempt at sanctions. It’s called “bunkers” (aka vital blending components).  Bunkers are blended fuels for ships, and the international shipping fleets will need at least $145 billion USD this year, according to Bloomberg.  But here’s the rub for U.S. and EU sanctions: “This is a problem we didn’t foresee. We don’t know how much Iranian oil is already blended in.”-Peter Sand, Baltic and International Maritime Council, which represents 65% of ship owners

Reports also show that Iran really does not need the U.S. or EU as customers, demands from Asia and Africa are growing rapidly. Currently Iran is supplying 100% of Sri Lanka’s petroleum needs, 51% of Turkey’s, 25% of South Africa’s, 11% of India’s and China’s, and 10% of Japan’s and South Korea’s demands.

Oh, by the way, did you know that at the end of June the U.S. government exempted China from the latest sanctions, for the next 180 days?

Full o’Crap western news media continue to claim U.S. led sanctions have hurt Iran’s economy.  The U.S. has imposed sanctions for decades, yet Iran has become one of the richest countries in the region, and not just because of oil!

Iran’s mining industry, excluding petroleum, is now the seventh largest in the world: “We have now achieved self-sufficiency in mining and heavy industries by over 70% in the last four years, while we were once totally dependent (on foreign countries) in these sectors.”-Hassan Polark, Iran’s Industry, Mines and Trade

“The richest gold mines in Venezuela, for instance, have been discovered by the young Iranian engineers.”-Hamid Safdel, Iran’s Industry, Mines and Trade

Iran and Iraq have increased trade to close to $10 million USD so far this year, and they plan to do more: “The volume of the trade exchanges between Iran and Iraq amounts to $9.7 billion which shows an 8% growth compared with the last year.”-Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, Iran’s Interior Minister

Also: “We are also ready to build new power plants in order to increase the capacity of power exports to Iraq. The [Karkheh-al-Emara] power line has increased the capacity of Iran’s electricity exports to Iraq to 1,200 megawatts [daily].”-Majid Namjou, Iran’s Minister of Energy

I could go on and on, like Iranian construction contractors building apartments in the South American country of Venezuela.  Belorussian tractor companies making joint production deals with Iranian tractor companies. Iranian automobile manufacturers reporting increased production, for yet another year in a row.

And to prove Iran is making money despite U.S. and EU sanctions, on 02 July 2012, Iranian officials announced they were able to buy two million metric tons of wheat: “The government has so far been able to import two million tons of wheat into the country despite financial restrictions and sanctions. Such a (large) volume of imported wheat is for supplying the country’s strategic reserves.”-unnamed Iranian official

Iran buys wheat from several sources.  Pakistan is a top source, but India is reportedly offering to beat Pakistan’s prices to win orders from Iran.  India is now the second largest producer of wheat in the world.

Iran also buys wheat from Kazakhstan.  Iranian reports say imports of Kazak wheat could increase by 5 million metric tons next year!

 

Idaho, U.S.

Boise, Idaho, fire fighters call Pocatello a War Zone! Charlotte and 10 Mile Pass fires still listed as active. New Marsing Fire. Fire agencies not reporting all fires!

“It’s always sad to come into an area that looks like a war zone, with so many homes that have been devastated.”-J.D. Ellis, Battalion Chief for Boise Fire Department

01 July 2012,  fire fighters from Boise, Idaho, commented on the Charlotte Fire in Pocatello (in southeastern Idaho), saying the geography and vegetation are quite different from what they’re used to in their area of the Gem State.

“It’s been kind of…a learning experience to evaluate the structures and see which ones survived and which ones didn’t survive and try to identify factors between the two.”-J.D. Ellis, Battalion Chief for Boise Fire Department

As of 01 July 2012, the Eastern Idaho Interagency fire map still shows three active fires in southeastern Idaho: Charlotte, Stockton and 10 Mile Fire.

Faint smoke from the 10 Mile Pass Fire, east of McCammon, Idaho, 29 June 2012, about 17:00 hours.

Charlotte Fire reported as burned 1,038 acres (420 hectares) contrary to what national agency reports say.  Stockton Fire is at 1,210 acres (489.6 hectares) and the 10 Mile Fire (aka Ten Mile Pass Fire) is at 1,188 acres (480.7 hectares).

28 June 2012, early stages of Stockton Fire, which actually started north of Banida, Idaho, despite what the media reports say. Farm equipment is blamed.

The 10 Mile Fire reportedly was caused by a agricultural controlled burn that got out-a-control.

28 June 2012, Charlotte Fire as viewed from south of McCammon, Idaho.

Near Boise, in western Idaho, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is fighting a fire that’s burned 1,500 acres (607 hectares) so far.  It started 30 June 2012, it’s southwest of Marsing, near Jump Creek Road.  Like the majority of fires in Idaho, officials believe it’s human caused.

I could not find the Marsing Fire listed on any interagency maps. The USDA Forest Service Active Fire Mapping Program lists only the Charlotte and Ten Mile Pass fires.

The National Interagency Fire Center is also days behind updating their fire reports.

On 01 July 2012, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned of “critical” fire conditions throughout the Pacific Northwest, due to extremely dry air and windy conditions. Humidity levels expected to be as low as 8%!

Idaho’s history includes some intense fire fighting years, starting with the 1910 Great Fire (aka Big Blowup or Big Burn), and then most recently the fires of 2007.  Some fire fighting ‘experts’ are already calling 2012 a record year for the numbers of fires in Idaho.

BLM officials are blaming the decades long drought. Lynn Ballard, southeastern Idaho USDA Forest Service official, says a lot of autumn vegetation (they like to call them “fuels”, which also applies to anything that burns) dried out during the dry winter.  With the snow melt and few rain storms during spring came more vegetation growth, but that dried out quickly.  The result is lots of tinder dry brush, and now we’ve got hot and extremely dry weather.

While the mainstream U.S. news media has been reporting lightning as the main causes of wildfires around the country, not so in Idaho.  The overwhelming majority of Idaho wildfires have been human caused, by accident or on purpose.

Federal officials say prior to 2003 most Idaho wildfires were caused by lightning, the increase of human causes they blame on ignorance: “There’s a multitude of things that can lead to a human caused fire, so people just need to be cognizant of the things that they’re doing, of things that have heat that…could start a fire.”– Lynn Ballard, USDA Forest Service

Charlotte Fire 80% contained. Vulture/desperate contractors already descending. 

 

Business/Economics, International

What Economic Recovery? Japanese government collasping over tax increases! DPJ turning against their own Prime Minister!

02 July 2012, 52 members of Japan’s Diet (parliament) have resigned over the sales tax increases called for by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.

The prime minister and the lawmakers who quit are part of the same political party, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).  One of the lawmakers to resign is Ichiro Ozawa, who helped found the DPJ. He’s forming a new political party to challenge the government.

The members who left occupied positions in both houses of the Diet.  If the DPJ were to lose 55 members in the more powerful Lower House, then the DPJ would not be able to stop any recall of the prime minister.  The Lower House of the Diet appoints the Japanese prime minister, he is not elected by the general public.

Yoshihiko Noda is the sixth prime minister in the past six years.

Idaho, U.S.

Some examples of how hot & dry it is in southeastern Idaho

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Some people might think local officials are being a little too cautious with their control over who has access to the Charlotte Fire burn area, at the south end of  Pocatello.  But, it really is so dry out their that I wouldn’t be surprised if the cause of the fire was spontaneous combustion of tinder dry field grasses (I’ve seen it happen in hay stacks).

I recently got my city of Chubbuck, Idaho, water bill for 08 May 2012 to 05 June 2012.  It shows you what you used the previous year.  For the same time in 2011 I used 4,000 gallons (15,141.6 liters). Yet, for 2012 I used 13,000 gallons (49,210.35 liters), a 9,000 gallon increase!  And I was really trying to conserve, but I have a large yard with a victory garden and the amount of water I used in May was just barely enough to keep most plants from dying.

I have a pear tree and several plum trees, and for the first time in more than a decade they have no fruit!  My Golden Delicious apple tree has not even half the amount of fruit it normally does.

Two of my three grape vines returned to dormancy two months ago, and have only now started to come back, after tons of water was flooded onto them.  One of my two blackberry vines died.  My normally over productive raspberry vines are now struggling, with only two raspberries visible.

My huge decades old pine tree stopped dropping pine cones a month ago.  This is normal when you get into dry summer months, but since my pine tree is located in the middle of my back lawn it usually drops cones throughout summer because it gets enough water when I water the lawn.  This year I’ve been flooding sections of the lawn, including around the pine tree, due to how dry the grass is getting, and yet no pine cones.

By the way, lawn grass is the most inefficient plant on the planet, and yet our incompetent municipality leaders create laws forcing us to maintain a grass lawn, for the sake of property values!  And then they jack up our water/sewer/trash rates!!!

For example: In 1998 I swear I was paying a basic water/sewer/trash rate of $38.00 USD per month (not counting the per thousand gallon water charge). In 2010 it was more than $77.00.  Now, in 2012 the basic water/sewer/trash rate is more than $92.00!!!

Between 1998 and 2002 water conservation actually helped keep my water bill down, but at this point none of my water saving efforts are paying off, because the city has jacked up the basic services rate so high!  And you can’t conserve too much because then the city hits you with violation of beautification codes!

The city of Chubbuck actually has employees driving around neighborhoods in “code enforcement” vehicles, giving out warnings.  If warnings are not heeded the city brings in landscapers and sends you the bill.

Another sign of how hot and dry it is: Laundry.  I hang my laundry to dry outside in summer, it so hot/dry that a full load is dry within 20 minutes or less.  That’s much less time than if I used the dryer in the house.

How about southeast Idaho reservoir levels?

Devil Creek reservoir, north of Malad City, Idaho, off Interstate Highway 15, 29 June 2012. Two months ago it was full.

Deep Creek reservoir, east of Malad City, on Idaho State Highway 36, 29 June 2012. Two months ago it was full.

Idaho, U.S.

Pocatello Charlotte Fire update: 80% contained. Vulture/desperate contractors already descending. 19 fireworks cases despite ban! Respect for dead pets found in fire.

“Today is the day we are really going to attack this fire.”-Lorin Nielsen, Bannock County Sheriff

01 July 2012, Sunday morning press conference reporting 80% containment of Charlotte Fire, in Pocatello, Idaho.

Today is a critical weather day, a red flag warning is in place until 21:00 hours.  About 40 fire fighting trucks and 150 personnel are hoping to fully contain the fire by Monday morning.

The city of Pocatello, and Bannock County, banned fireworks, yet there were 19 fireworks case calls over night.  Police stated no tolerance was applied to those caught.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Pocatello residents with gas BBQs with lids can continue to use them.

Hot spots and flares up still occurring within the center of the burn area. There were problems in the Mink Creek area, but law enforcement has resumed escorting residents into that area.

State and local officials expressed concern over the number of looky loos trying to get into the burn area.  Also, construction contractors, who’re either vultures or just desperate for work, have already been pestering those people who’ve suffered lost or damaged property.  County officials are warning people of fraudulent contractors.

Fire fighters are reporting finding dead pets in the burn area, they are leaving them in place and covering them with towels.

Bannock County Humane society is giving away food for dogs and cats to victims of the fire.

Charlotte Fire 50% contained. No return home

 

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

Global Class War: Hungary taxes potato chips last year, now adds cell phone calls! Nebraska already suffering with highest cell phone tax rate in United States!

In September 2011, Hungary joined several countries placing extra taxes on snacks like potato chips.  Full of crap western news media said it was an effort to fight obesity, but a recent Japanese report straight up said it was a way for the Hungarian government to raise more money to pay its out of control debts!

In May 2012, Hungary also passed an extra tax on cell phones calls!  It’s called the voice-traffic levy.  The Hungarian government hopes the new phone tax will create at least $133.6 million USD this year.

NHK (nippon housou kyoukai/Japan Broadcasting Corporation) reporting that Hungary was forced to create the extra tax under demands from the European Union.  But some people have switched to using smartphones which can make calls through the internet.  Hungarian officials did not tax internet based calls.

Here in the U.S. state of Idaho, groceries are already taxed.  It’s fun to watch people from out of state go into shock when they find out they have to pay tax on groceries.

Idahoans are not happy about the decades old grocery tax.  Political leaders have tried to throw us a bone by allowing a grocery credit on the end of year tax filings.  But woe to them that try to add extra taxes on snacky foods in the name of forcing us to be healthy, when in reality they just want to steal more of our increasingly limited money.

But wait, there’s more!  According to a 2011 Money article, Nebraska leads the U.S. with the highest cell phone tax rates!  Combined federal, state and local cell phone tax rates amounted to 23.69% in 2011!!!

Idaho’s state and local tax rate was 2.2% (not counting federal taxes).

“Cellphone users are overtaxed relative to consumers of other goods, and at risk of double taxation. Additionally, the wide number of taxing authorities and the wide variety in rates makes tracking problematic and burdensome.” -Joseph Henchman, Tax Foundation Director of State Projects

The reason this is class warfare is that these kinds of taxes do not affect the elitist wealthy, they target the overwhelming majority of citizens who are not rich!

Idaho, U.S.

Pocatello Charlotte Fire update: 50% contained. BBQ outlawed! No return home until Monday! Sunday critical weather day

“I’m still in shock from what happened. My home just seemed to vaporize.”-Suzanne Bielinski

Saturday morning, 30 June 2012, officials reported the Charlotte Fire 50% contained, with hopes for full containment by Sunday.  At least one building re-ignited overnight.

Officials think homes in the Johnny Creek area escaped damage.

Pocatello Police and Bannock County Sheriff’s deputies are escorting some residents back to their homes, however there’s been an increase of looky loos trying to sneak in by car, or even trying to hike in: “Please don’t make us start arresting people.”-Lorin Nielsen, Bannock County Sheriff

Not only are fireworks banned, in Pocatello, but so are outdoor BBQs.

People are reporting lost pets, but officials said it will be at least Monday before pet owners can check with Pocatello Animal Shelter.

 “I’m sorry that people lost their houses but we did the best we could. Every agency worked their guts out trying to save those houses, but we couldn’t save them all.”-Steve Hadley, Bannock County Commissioner

Friday, 29 June 2012, evacuees from the Charlotte Fire at the south end of Pocatello, Idaho, were told Monday would be the soonest they could enter the burn area.

Buildings the Charlotte Fire missed. Near Mink Creek, Johnny Creek and Gibson Jack areas Pocatello, Idaho, 29 June 2012.

Many people are wondering why such a delay in allowing residents back in, especially when it looks like the fire is out? Local officials insist there are still hot spots, and many downed power lines.  They are also concerned about weather conditions, as air temperatures are expected to be even hotter on Saturday and Sunday. Weather forecasts are calling for near record high temps.

Smoke still rising from Mink Creek, Johnny Creek and Gibson Jack areas, 29 June 2012.

The wind is also an unpredictable factor, as anyone who lives here can tell you.  Forecasts are calling for single digit wind speeds, but as temps rise so does the wind speed.  The winds are also finicky as to which way they like to blow, wait five minutes and wind’ll change direction.

Another reason is that more than a dozen investigators are trying to find out why the fire started.  They say they’ve determined the ignition point, but are still trying to figure out how it started.

At this point 66 homes were lost, along with 29 outbuildings (sheds, detached garages, barns, etc).  A rough estimate on the cost of damage to homes is $7.6 million USD.  There is still conflicting acreage reports.  Eastern Idaho Interagency Fire Center claims an estimated 1,038 acres burned, however, state and federal fire agencies say only 450 acres burned.

More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the Mink Creek, Johnny Creek and Gibson Jack areas.  Some roads around the burn area are open to residents only, who must prove they live there using identification such as Idaho drivers license.

Little Bird (Air Tractor 802F) water dropper ready for another run, Pocatello (Pokey) airport, 29 June 2012.

So far the cost to fight the Charlotte Fire has exceeded $1 million USD.  Despite some evacuees being a little upset about not being allowed back home ’till Monday, they applauded efforts to fight the fire.

Ex USN PV2 Neptune, now a water bomber operated by Neptune Aviation Service of Montana.

Charlotte Fire, 66 homes now destroyed

Idaho, U.S.

Pocatello Charlotte Fire still burning! 66 homes now destroyed! Residents not allowed to return until Sunday, maybe. New 10 Mile Fire east of McCammon

“It’s a long ways from being out, even though we don’t see big 40 foot flames.”-Brian Blad, Mayor of Pocatello

Click on the pics to make them bigger.

Smokey night Charlotte Fire 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

LIBOR: Evil British Empire banks forced businesses to take on loan insurance, while they jacked up international interst rates! More proof the Too Big To Fails caused the economic crisis! More proof of Trilateral Commission operations!

29 June 2012, British news media reporting the LIBOR scandal isn’t over.  Not only was Barclays (and other British and U.S. banks) involved with manipulating international interest rates, but they also forced smaller businesses to buy loan insurance, “mis-selling” it as a way of protecting themselves from those high LIBOR interest rates!

Recently Barclays settled with the U.S. government over manipulation charges.  Barclays is the tip of the British banking empire LIBOR scandal iceberg, which dominates western economies.

Investigators say the LIBOR fixing took place from 2005 to 2009.  The scandal involved too big to fail banks in North America, Europe and Japan (the regional members of the Trilateral Commission).

 

 

Technology

Overwhelming proof that printer ink gives you Cancer

For at least a decade now there have been cancer cases, and studies from around the world suggesting that printer ink, and other chemicals used for printers, cause cancer.

Recently the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, in Japan, announced they are now studying the high rate of cancer among people who work in printing operations.

This came after several researchers revealed that people in one factory were dying from an unusually high rate of bile duct cancer.

According to Shinji Kumagai, an associate professor at the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, the cancer rate at this particular printer company is 600 times higher than the average Japanese man who dies from bile duct cancer.

University researchers began looking into the situation last year, when a former employee died of bile duct cancer.  He claimed that many of his coworkers had the same cancer.  He had quit the factory five years prior, saying “The work environment is bad, with organic solvents in the air.” 

Four people recently died from the cancer in Osaka, in western Japan.  Another person died in Miyagi Prefecture, in northern Japan.  A former printing company worker in Tokyo has been diagnosed with bile duct cancer.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, says they are now investigating at least 500 printing companies throughout Japan.

In 2007 an Australian study showed that printer ink can get into the air when printing.  Printer inks contain Carbon Black, which causes cancer.  There was also concern with other toxic chemicals in the inks.

In 1996, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reported that many studies through out the 90s revealed “significant” increases in cancer rates among people involved with all kinds of printing, from newspapers to silk screen.  The cancers studied were of the lung, oropharynx, bladder and kidney, and Leukemia.

However the IARC downplayed the dozens and dozens of studies by prefacing the case reports with “…studies did not provide clear patterns of results.”,  “…poor specificity of exposure information.”  and “…the findings are not strong or consistent enough to be evaluated.”

2018 Update, here’s a list of main stream articles and/or studies concerning cancer and inks:

UrduPoint News: Ink When Mixes With Oily Foods Can Cause Cancer

Cure Today: Think Before You Ink 

U.S. National Library of Medicine (PebMed): Tattoo ink particles can spread into lymph nodes

ScienceAlert: Ancient Chinese Ink Could Hold a Surprising New Way to Kill Cancer

Science Daily: Ink from ancient Egyptian papyri contains copper

SafeCosmetics:  Carbon black is a dark black powder used as a pigment in cosmetics  … been linked to increased incidence of cancer and negative effects on organs.

Karger:  Carbon Black Nanoparticles and Other Problematic Constituents of Black Ink

Emerging Technologies: Nanoparticles in tattoo ink could cause cancer

OnLineLibrary: Risk of lung cancer following exposure to carbon black, titanium dioxide and talc: Results from two case–control studies in Montreal

Cancer related Blind Bat News: HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR COFFEE? BLACK, WHITE OR ASIAN? OR, WOULD YOU LIKE SOME CANCER WITH YOUR TEA OR ENERGY DRINK?