Tag Archives: ows

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

Economic Recovery? Idaho’s Micron Technology invades Japan! Micron on the offensive!

May 4, 2012, Japanese media reporting that failed Elpida Memory has chosen Idaho’s Micron Technology as its corporate savior.

According to NHK: “Elpida is Japan’s sole DRAM memory chip maker. It filed for bankruptcy protection in February after suffering losses stemming from the strong yen and intense foreign competition.”

But here’s the irony; Idaho’s Micron is also having revenue trouble.  Idaho media, real estate web sites, etc, have been reporting Micron as the Boise area’s largest employers.  But Micron’s employment in Boise dropped to 5,000 in 2009, and has been trickling down ever since.

Micron has had a lot of investors, yet their quarterly reports for 2011 were loss after loss (in the hundreds of millions each quarter).  This is because the memory chip market basically crashed.

However, since the beginning of 2012 Micron officials have been busy buying up other factories, and now companies.  Micron recently took over a Toshiba owned factory in Virginia, called Dominion Semiconductor.

Here’s what the Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch said: “The current state of the memory-production business is looking like the hotel business, where various facilities are bought and sold like trading cards from company to company.”

One reason for that is that memory chips have become a dime a dozen (actually less) and there’s no brand loyalty among chip users.

Micron officials seem to have scouted the next wave of memory innovation correctly, they are now pushing their RealSSD (Solid State Drive) and computer companies are buying it up.

On May 4, 2012, Elpida officials chose Micron, out of three bidders, to take over their company.  It’s reported that it will cost Micron $2.5 billion USD.  The take over will be finalized at the end of May, and new company plan submitted to Tokyo District Court by August.

Originally Micron offered $1.9 billion for Elpida, but Elpida shareholders threatened legal action.

 

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: Drone strikes will continue past 2014. UN wants $2 billion for refugees. More leaders captured.

May 3, 2012, U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, numb nuts Ryan Crocker, stated that the new military pact between Afghanistan and the United States could allow drone strikes to continue past 2014.

The refugee situation has worsened in Afghanistan, ever since the U.S. invasion.  Most of the people had escaped to Pakistan and Iran during the Taliban reign.

After the U.S. invaded about 5.7 million refugees were encouraged to return to Afghanistan.  However, most have not been welcomed back, and have even had their homes taken away only to be put in what could be called concentration camps.  This is being done by the U.S. puppet government of Afghanistan.

Because of the despicable treatment that returned refugees have gotten by the puppet government, there are another three million refugees still in Iran and Pakistan.  Now comes the United Nations with a brilliant plan to force them back into Afghanistan.

UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, wants $1.9 billion USD to basically bribe the puppet Afghan government to accept those refugees back.

Don’t you find it ironic that many refugees that fled the Taliban rule are now being treated just as bad by the very people that “liberated” them from the Taliban?

And now for the 24 hour seek, destroy or capture report given by Afghan and ISAF officials, for May 3, 2012:  More Taliban, Haqqani and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan “leaders” captured.  The captures took place in Kunduz, Helmand and Maidan Wardak provinces.  Of course, lots of weapons and ammo were captured.

Three Mujahideen killed after they attacked police in Logar Province.

Afghan army killed one Mujahideen in Maidan Wardak Province.

Two Mujahideen killed by U.S./NATO airstrike in Kunar Province.

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

Employment Evil: Even with nearly 100 million American’s out of work, work place deaths & injuries increase! Actual reason for exploding health care costs?

“We’re actually trending upward, which is not a good sign, particularly in an economy when the hours of work are down, especially in construction. If construction was running full bore, it’s likely the numbers would be higher.”–Bill Kojola, industrial hygienist with AFL-CIO

 The yearly Death on the Job report has been issued, it’s not good.  The report uses data from the U.S. Department of Labor and state governments.

According to federal government data, 13 U.S. workers die on the job everyday!

Also, in 2010 an estimated 50,000 U.S. workers died from diseases related to their jobs!

West Virginia leads the country in worker deaths!

As many as 11.4 million U.S. workers become injured or sick directly because of their jobs!

As a result unAmerican Corporate America is costing the health care industry as much as $300 billion USD per year!  Maybe this is the real reason health insurance rates continue to go up?

Is it any wonder that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recently admitted that at least 86 million unofficially unemployed people are refusing to look for work?

To read the Death on the Job report, click here.

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Corporate America’s (and state & local governments’) planned layoffs increase for 2012

Don’t blame Obama for the bad labor market, the U.S. Labor Department just revealed that the bad labor market (people unable to find good jobs) began in 2000, under Bush Jr’s watch!

Blame Corporate America!  For more proof, Chicago based Challenger, Gray & Christmas released the results of their study of recent planned layoff announcements coming from unAmerican Corporate America, and state & local governments. 

Announced layoffs have gone up 11% since last year!  Education, government, consumer goods and transportation industries had the most planned layoffs, with the education sector leading the way.

According to Business Week, Michigan leads the country with the most planned layoffs: 5,094 announced just last month!

California is next with 4,070, Washington state with 3,329 and Pennsylvania takes fourth with 3,292!

 

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Official ‘Unofficial’ unemployment numbers way up. Nearly 100 million Americans unemployed! Record number of people who refuse to work slave wage jobs!

“At this point, the labor market is worse than people realize because people are discouraged. Certainly, a large number of workers have given up on the job market.”-Keith Hall, former commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Believe it or not the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics actually attempts to track those people who’re unofficially unemployed.

The “official” unemployment numbers count those who’ve been looking for work for the last four weeks, and people who already have jobs but are looking for better work.  The fact that “official” unemployment numbers includes people that are actually employed should be enough for you to doubt them.

But it turns out the Bureau of Labor Statistics does try to count people who’ve been out of work longer than four weeks, or who have just stopped looking for work, they just don’t include those people in the “official” unemployment reports.

One way they look at it is what they call labor force participation.  According to their latest numbers, the labor force participation rate in the United States is at it’s lowest level since 1984. There are 86 million U.S. citizens who gave up looking for work!  That’s 86 million “unofficially” employed on top of the 12.7 million “officially” unemployed!

That means there’s actually 98.7 million people known by the federal government to be unemployed in the United States!

Department of Labor officials say that at least 6 million unofficially unemployed have stopped looking for work because most jobs available are not worth taking (from the unemployed’s point of view).

Labor officials also admitted that they didn’t know why about 36 million of the unofficially unemployed refuse to look for work.  In fact the labor force participation rate has been steadily dropping since 2000, years before the credit crisis began!

To make matters worse, the Chicago Federal Reserve bank expects labor force participation rate to continue to fall.

Why is the Labor Department coming forth with this dismal unemployment announcement?  Because federal government officials and politicians have realized that with nearly 100 million people out of work, and signs that it’s going to get worse, the money the federal government steals through income taxes will continue to be less and less (don’t be surprised when they start jackin’ up taxes on those who are employed).

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: Taliban announce “official” start to Spring Offensive. Explosions kill U.S./NATO troops & Afghan forces. Karzai signs long term military pact with United States, U.S. will continue occupation until 2024!

“It must be stated that the primary target of Al-Farooq operation will be the foreign invaders, their advisers, their contractors and members of all associated military, intelligence and auxiliary departments.”-Taliban statement

May 2, 2012, a “Taliban” website announced the official start to the annual Spring Offensive, called Operation Al-Farooq.  (It could be a reference to Umar, the second Muslim Caliph. Al-Farooq means something like ‘he who knows truth from falsehood’)

The official declaration of a spring offensive comes days after reports that the U.S. was about to begin negotiations with “Taliban” officials in Qatar.

The Spring Offensive statement also said: “…all those people who work against the Mujahideen, toil to pave ground for the occupation of Afghanistan and become the cause for the strength of the invaders will also be targeted in Al-Farooq operation!”

Just hours before the statement, dozens of suicide bombers attacked several locations throughout Afghanistan.

In the city of Kabul, at least seven people were killed and 17 wounded after Mujahideen detonated at least three bombs, and began firefights following the explosions.

Hours before that a suicide bomber hit a British/NATO base on the Kabul-Jalalabad highway.  Mujahideen claim dozens of NATO troops killed or wounded.

International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) did admit that at least two U.S./NATO personnel were killed, by an explosion, in eastern Afghanistan.

Zabiullah Mujahid (a Taliban spokesman) says the official start of their Spring Offensive was timed for Obama’s visit to Afghanistan.  The attacks in Kabul took place two hours after Obama left.

Speaking of Obama, the U.S. president arrived in Afghanistan the night of May 1, 2012.  He signed a new military pact with Afghanistan’s puppet president Hamid Karzai.

To give a sinister spin to the event, the signing of the military pact took place at midnight Afghanistan time.

The ten page long agreement pledges continued U.S. support for the puppet government of Afghanistan for a decade after 2014!

And now for the 24 hour seek, destroy or capture report given by Afghan and ISAF officials, for May 2, 2012: More “leaders” captured in Ghazni and Kandahar provinces. 925 kilograms (2,035 pounds ) of homemade explosives captured during “routine” patrol in Ghazni Province.

This is an unusually short 24 hour report.

“Such fratricide-murder incidents are no longer isolated; they reflect a growing systemic threat.”-from ISAF report titled A Crisis of Trust and Cultural Incompatibility

On Monday, April 30, the Associated Press revealed that U.S./ISAF/NATO officials are intentionally under-reporting the number of attacks upon them, by Afghan government personnel: “…the AP has learned it does not report insider attacks in which the Afghan wounds – or misses – his US or allied target. It also doesn’t report the wounding of troops who were attacked alongside those who were killed.”

The AP report also revealed that most attacks by Afghan government personnel on U.S. forces are not because they are “Taliban” but because the U.S. forces are treating the Afghans like shit: “US officials say that in most cases the Afghans who turn their guns on their supposed allies are motivated not by sympathy for the Taliban or on orders from insurgents but rather act as a result of personal grievances against the coalition.”

The number of “friendly fire” cases are rapidly growing: 2007/2008 a total of four attacks, four deaths.  2010 eleven attacks, 20 deaths.  2011 twenty one attacks, 35 deaths.   So far for 2012, at least 10 attacks.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

China sets Yuan at new record versus the U.S. dollar

The People’s Bank of China set the yuan’s midpoint at 6.267, meaning it could take 6.267 yuan to equal one U.S. dollar.  The more valuable the yuan is, the less it takes to equal one USD.

That’s a new record, and proof the Chinese are increasing the value of their money.  May 2, 2012, currency trading in China ended with the yuan at 6.30 for every one U.S. dollar.

The downside is that the more valuable the yuan is, the more expensive anything made in China becomes.  Better bring those jobs back in the U.S.S.A.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

World War 3: U.S./NATO troops kill 4 children. No surprise; illegal drug trade sets new records under U.S. occupation, money not going to local drug dealers! 24 hour reports roll on.

May 1, 2012, three children killed, and three wounded, in Zabul Province, Afghanistan.

Deputy provincial governor, Mohammad Jan Rasolyar, said U.S./NATO troops were attacked by Mujahideen, and a firefight broke out.  Witnesses were outraged, claiming the children were targeted by the U.S./NATO troops.

Protests erupted, resulting in the closing of the highway between Kandahar and Kabul provinces.

Witnesses also say two U.S/NATO troops were killed, and one Mujahideen was killed.

Afghanistan’s Deputy Counter Narcotics Minister, Ibrahim Azhar, announced that the illegal drug trade in Afghanistan is now at $70 billion USD since 2011.

Opium production is up by 61% since the United States occupied!  But here’s some interesting news from the Afghan government; the opium farmers, and even local drug dealers, account for only 5% of the income made off the illegal drugs!  The majority goes to “international” organizations (another way to say U.S. affiliated organizations).

Deputy Counter Narcotics Minister Azhar also claimed that the majority of the drugs are being flown out of Afghanistan via airports, and airbases run by the United States!

And now for the 24 hour seek, destroy or capture report given by Afghan and ISAF officials, for May 1, 2012:   Three Afghan troops wounded in Ghazni Province.  One Afghan troop wounded in Nimroz Province. Weapons and ammo captured in Kandahar Province. Two “leaders” captured in Helmand Province.  Five Mujahideen killed by possible U.S. drone strike in Lagman Province.  One Mujahideen killed by air/drone(?) strike in Wardak Province, also one Mujahideen killed in firefight with occupying forces.  Afghan Interior Ministry claims a total of 19 Mujahideen were killed, three wounded and five captured.

Combat operations were conducted Kabul, Baghlan, Faryab, Kandahar, Helmand, Maidan Wardak, Logar, Khost and Farah provinces.

And now for the 24 hour report for April 30, 2012: 40 year old woman killed with shotgun in Baghlan Province. Police Chief for Paktia Province assassinated by Mujahideen, two cops and one body guard wounded.  U.S./NATO troop killed in battle in southern Afghanistan. Afghan Interior Ministry claims 14 Mujahideen killed, two wounded and 16 captured, along with weapons and ammo.

Combat operations were conducted at Kabul, Nangarhar, Zabul, Logar and Ghazni provinces.

International, Technology, U.S.

Terror Drones: April 23-29. Pakistan hit. Taliban claim capture of drone. U.S. cops chomping at the bit for their new drones. U.S. politicians taking food from hungry children to build more drones! CIA protected by law.

“The American planes hovering in the skies for quite some time fired at least three missiles at a house in Zafar town in Miran Shah bazaar that damaged the compound completely….They did not appear to be the local militants.”-unnamed local official

April 29, 2012, a U.S. assassination drone killed at least three people in Pakistan.

The attack took place in North Waziristan (within the Waziristan region), dozens of people were wounded.

Also on April 29, a U.S. drone crashed in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan.  Mujahideen claim they shot it down and have recovered the wreckage.

“We want (police) to be able to use the aircraft sooner because there is a public interest.”-Ben Gielow, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International

According to a Boston Herald report, U.S. police are chomping at the bit for their FAA issued drone licenses.

“Rushing to push through applications to fly drones doesn’t seem like a good idea.”-Jennifer Lynch, Electronic Frontier Foundation

Many police departments say they have already bought small drones, claiming they are to be used to find missing people.  Until now rules did not allow them to legally use them.  Federal Aviation Administration will have new rules in place by May 14, allowing your local police to legally spy on you with drones.

What’s interesting is that some “law” enforcement agencies have already been caught operating drones.

“….instead of having a caucus to feed preschool children, they decided it was more important to have a Drone Caucus and that’s because all the manufacturers in their districts are funding them.” also “Eisenhower was so right, and he was so right when he said it steals money, it robs us of food for our children, of healthcare for our parents, he was so right. And it’s just worse and worse.”-Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK

Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, revealed that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection are operating Predator-B drones, from North Dakota and now into Washington state.  They claim to be watching the Canadian border for criminal activity.

Down Mexico way, some people are questioning the effectiveness of Predator drones used on that border.

According to stltoday.com: “…Homeland Security officials who have spent six years and more than $250 million building the nation’s largest fleet of domestic surveillance drones. The nine Predators that help police America’s borders have yet to be very useful in stopping contraband or illegal immigrants.”

Washington Post reported on April 25 that President Barack Obama has authorized the CIA to use drones to kill people, even if they can’t tell who it is they’re killing.  The new drone policy is called “signature” strikes.

On April 10, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s Stephen W. Preston, gave a speech which explained why the Obama administration is so gung ho on allowing the CIA, and not the military, to operate the assassination drones. Supposedly traditional “laws of war” do not apply to intelligence agencies.

According to Preston, the CIA answers only to U.S. laws, and those laws favor the CIA: “The courts have long recognized the state secrets privilege and have consistently upheld its proper invocation to protect intelligence sources and methods from disclosure. Moreover, federal judges have dismissed cases on justiciability or political question grounds, acknowledging that the courts are, at times, institutionally ill-equipped and constitutionally incapable of reviewing national security decisions committed to the President and the political branches.”

Speaking of Yemen, the Associated Press revealed that a Yemen Mujahideen claimed to have killed by CIA drone strike last year, is actually alive and well.

April 24, a top FBI official was in Yemen, just two days after a CIA drone strike killed what Yemen officials claim was a top militant “leader”.

Mohammed Al-Basha, Yemen’s embassy spokesman in Washington DC, revealed that the FBI is also involved with drone strikes in Yemen: “Mueller visits Yemen on an annual basis so this is not a special or secret occasion. President Hadi emphasised that he is strongly committed to combatting extremism and working with the U.S. to counter the mutual threat of terrorism.”

FBI director Robert Mueller vowed to crush the Yemen Mujahideen.

April 27, at least 22 people were killed by U.S. drone strikes in Somalia.