Tag Archives: ows

International, U.S.

Europe to be hit with new version of H3N2, Norway sees steady increase in cases

Norway’s Public Health Institute is warning of a possible H3N2 outbreak, after seeing an increase in cases since December 2011.

On the other side of the world, Japan is already dealing with at least 1.74 million cases!

H3N2 is an older type of “Swine Flu”, not to be confused with H1N1 swine flu (as the main stream media usually does).  However, in December 2011, U.S. health researchers warned of a possible outbreak of a new mutation of H3N2.

Back in Norway, public health officials are urging Europeans to get flu shots.

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

Some Economic Recovery? Toyota will fight rising Yen, by moving Highlander production to the United States

After announcing a 75% drop in profits, due to the rising value of the Japanese Yen, Toyota announced it will move all Highlander production to the United States!

This is because the value of the dollar is so low that it’s now cheaper to make their SUV in the U.S., than in Japan.  Those U.S. made Highlanders will then be sold in the growing Russian and Australian car markets.

Toyota hopes production will begin in their Indiana factory by the middle of 2013.  It will include gasoline engined, and hybrid powered Highlanders.

 

 

International, Technology, U.S.

Government Incompetence: Electronic parts fall out of USN EA-6B Prowler as it flies over Japan

Japanese media reporting that a U.S. Navy electronic warfare aircraft, an EA-6B Prowler, began falling apart as it flew over Kanagawa Prefecture.  A car on a freeway was actually hit by some of the parts.

Video shows some parts lying on the ground.  Japan’s Defense Ministry says railroad workers witnessed the parts falling of the USN aircraft.  At least six parts have been recovered, one is a panel nearly five feet long!

The Prowler landed at the U.S. Atsugi Naval Air Station.  It had flown in from the aircraft carrier USS George Washington.

 

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

Red Horse: Yet another study proves that stupid people become Right Wing Religious Republican NAZI Fascists, bad news considering how many people have been dumbed down in the U.S.

“Reality is complicated and messy…Ideologies get rid of the messiness and impose a simpler solution. So, it may not be surprising that people with less cognitive capacity will be attracted to simplifying ideologies.”-Brian Nosek, University of Virginia

Researchers at the Canadian Brock University confirm what past studies have implied; that a society with an overall low intelligence results in the rise of simplistic religio-fascist idealism!

“…research has revealed that individuals who more strongly endorse social conservatism have greater cognitive rigidity, less cognitive flexibility and lower integrative complexity [complicated way of saying they are mentally retarded!]. Socially conservative individuals also perform less well than liberals on standardized ability tests.”-Gordon Hodson, lead researcher

The Canadian researchers looked at two detailed studies done in the United Kingdom. Those studies followed children into adulthood, one study began in 1958, the other in 1970.  They tested verbal and nonverbal intelligence, and four cognitive abilities.  The results showed that children with low IQs leaned towards right wing religio-fascism in adulthood.

The Canadian researchers concluded that right wing extremism is the result of low intelligence, not just bad economies.

Right wing dummies also self-segregate themselves adding to their downward spiral into extremism: “This finding is consistent with recent research demonstrating that intergroup contact is mentally challenging and cognitively draining…[another complicated/academic way to say right wingers are mentally retarded]“-Gordon Hodson, lead researcher

Another study was done in the United States, and showed that people with low levels of abstract reasoning tended to be racists and homophobics.

The researchers admit their conclusions are not conclusive, as they are looking at averages: “There are multiple examples of very bright conservatives and not-so-bright liberals, and many examples of very principled conservatives and very intolerant liberals.”-Gordon Hodson, lead researcher

But it’s clear, on average the people with low intelligence make up the most intolerant part of a society.

Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other.

 

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Hey Mitt Romney, where are those safety nets? U.S. Child Citizens refused food because their parents are not U.S. citizens!

The Southern Poverty Law Center says children, who are U.S. citizens, are being refused food because their low income parents are not U.S. citizens.  Some parents are U.S. citizens, but are being told to “Go back to Mexico” because of their Latino origins.

The SPLC says this is taking place in the state of Alabama.  Alabama, like Idaho, changed the rules for being approved for food stamps; they only count the children in the family, not the healthy (able to work) adults.

However, the SPLC says they know of at least five cases where children, who are U.S. citizens, were denied food stamps because the parents, who are not supposed to be counted under the new rules, are not U.S. citizens.

The SPLC has already filed two lawsuits against Alabama, over its immigration laws, and will likely file a third lawsuit based on the latest revelations of U.S. child citizens being denied food.

…there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Black Horse & Poverty: 2 million people homeless in the United States! Homeless children increasing fast. HR 1734 & Private property developers part of the problem. Hey Mitt Romney, where are those safety nets?

“Many of the families with children are now homeless, having to live out of cars and things like that. We believe today that 40% of the homeless, in Washington [DC] are women with children, or families with children!”-David Treadwell, Central Union Mission

The National Law Center of Homelessness and Poverty (NLCHP) says that more than two million U.S. citizens are now homeless!!!

Most federal and state (in those states that have their own social programs separate from federal) government social programs have been gutted (mainly by those compassionate Republicans, like in Idaho), and privately run charities say they are getting swamped by more and more people needing help every year: “…it’s a big problem, and it’s a bigger problem in 2012 than it was in 2008! It is not going away…”-David Treadwell, Central Union Mission

To make matters worse, the U.S. Congress is considering a bill that would actually create more homeless people.  The bill, called HR 1734 in the House, would give power to private property developers to take over public land, and buildings, now used for low income and homeless people!

The federal government is so desperate for cash that they want to sell off federal property, including that used to help poor people, in order to raise the cash to pay the government’s debts.  The irony of HR 1734 is that it will actually cost the federal government an estimated $82 million to implement!  Sounds like more Mitt Romney style capitalism to me.

…there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

 

International, U.S.

Canadian Police State: It’s official, Canada legalizes Torture. Canadian officials are the real terrorists, by creating a Canadian culture of Fear! The Terrorists have won!

The Canadian media has revealed that in December 2010, the Canadian government essentially legalized the use of torture in the name of “public safety”!

Canadian media sources obtained the info by using Canada’s freedom of information law.  In other words the legalization of torture was not made public by public officials!

The December 2010 approval of the use of torture directly contradicts a 2009 directive, which forbade Canadian courts, and law enforcers, from using statements made by people subjected to torture.

This new directive allows Canadian Security Intelligence Service to use statements from people who’ve been tortured.  A statement by Canada’s Public Safety Minister, Vic Toews, shows how fearful Canadian leaders have become: “Information obtained by torture is always discounted, but the problem is, can one safely ignore it if Canadian lives and property are at stake?”

What’s the definition of terrorism?  It is to spread terror, fear, throughout a society, to cause radical change in that society.  Looks like the terrorist (who ever they are) have won!

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Kit Bashing & What Economic Recovery? United States to help Japan’s economy by dropping illegal tariffs, pay back Japan $26 million in illegal tariffs

“We have finally put these burdensome and potentially damaging trade disputes behind us.”-Ron Kirk, U.S. Trade Representative

For decades the U.S. has imposed high tariffs on imports (so much for free trade), claiming the tariffs were “anti-dumping” fines.   The problem is that some of the foreign products affected by those U.S. tariffs were actually cheaper in the country of origin (like plastic model kits from Japan, and some from Europe).

Even after the U.S. created World Trade Organization ruled against the U.S. (five years ago!), regarding the anti-dumping tariffs, the United States continued the unfair trade policy.

Now, in an effort to help Japan’s, and Europe’s, ailing economy, and because Japan was about to levy a similar tariff on U.S. products, the United States will end those tariffs.  The U.S. has also agreed to pay back $26 million in illegal tariffs collected on Japanese products.

The end of the anti-dumping duties also affects European countries.

Unfortunately for us model kit builders, the ending of the tariff might not help our wallets, as the Yen and Euro have gained in value against the U.S. dollar.  The Euro now worth more than the U.S. dollar, but, the Yen is still far cheaper so lets hope those prices come down on Tamiya, Fujimi, Hasegawa and coveted Fine Molds kits.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Toyota has 72% drop in profits, Japanese Yen to blame

Toyota is reporting a huge drop in profits for the last nine months of 2011.  Profits fell by 72%!

But don’t blame the drop in profit on lack of sales. Sales for the same time fell by 10%.

Toyota says the increasing value of the Yen caused the huge drop in profits, and production halts due to natural disasters, in Japan and Thailand, caused the drop in sales.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

White Horse & World War 3: U.S. imposes sanction after sanction against Iran, Acts of War

I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

February 6, 2012, Nobel Peace prize winner, U.S. President Barack Obama, has issued an executive order blocking all Iranian government assets held in U.S. banks.  An executive order means he did this without involving Congress.

This move follows additional sanctions made in January, which effectively cut off Iran’s private banking sector from doing business with the West.

The sanctioning of Iran’s banks come after it was clear that oil embargoes won’t work, since Iran is itself working on a bill to end oil shipments to Europe.

If you study military science you’ll realize that sanctions are indeed acts of war (it’s what caused the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbor): “When you put on strong sanctions, those are acts of war.”-Ron Paul, Texas Republican