Tag Archives: police

Business/Economics

Albertsons Vons Safeway update, 24 April 2015: Haagen stores jack up prices! Vons involved in illegal prescription drugs? Safeway bottles city water in drought stricken California!

Shoppers in Orange County, California, are pissed!  They’ve checked out the new Haagen stores (the ones that replaced Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions ) and found the prices are no different than the Albertsons it replaced: “We walked into the store expecting something spectacular, and as my 7-year-old put it, ‘This is Albertsons.’ It was the same store, and we had stopped shopping there a while ago because of the quality. They have stickers that say low everyday price, but the prices really aren’t low at all. They’re trying to trick you into thinking that you are getting a good deal even though you aren’t.“-Matthew Windish

In another report out of Orange County, it turns out that local grocery stores have been steadily shutting down since 2006.  According to The Orange County Register, “Vons, Pavilions, Albertsons, Food 4 Less and Ralphs – have closed 38 stores since 2006.”

In Ukiah, California, a Safeway employee contaminated the Russian River by dumping at least 55 gallons of used cooking oil into a storm drain!  The Redwood Empire Hazardous Incident Team claims they’ve been able to capture 99% of the spill.  I find that unbelievable because nobody knows how long it was before local residents noticed the oil flowing into the river.  Safeway administrators are trying to say the employee did it accidentally, but then admitted the employee actually used a pressure washer to force the oil down the storm drain!

In Merced, California, it’s been revealed that Safeway is bottling the local water supply and selling it, which pisses off residents who’ve been ordered to cut back on water usage: “You might think that in the midst of a drought emergency, diverting public fresh water supplies to bottle and selling them would be frowned upon!”-Jandrea-Marie Gabrielle

In San Diego, California, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is accusing a local dentist, and her boyfriend, of writing illegal drug prescriptions.  The two alleged drug pushers stole the prescription forms from fellow dentists and then gave people authority to buy drugs at their local Vons grocery stores!   The DEA says the accused even went to Vons to pick up drugs for themselves.  The dentist has a prior criminal record of abusing legal drugs.

In Colorado, apparently the local Monument Safeway has become a stressful place to shop.  A week ago one man accused another of being rude to Safeway employees.  A verbal fight ended up in the parking lot where one man then shot the other in the hand.  The shooter was arrested, posted bond, then shot and killed himself days later!

Albertsons Vons Safeway update, 21 April 2015: Vons going down….Walgreens jumps ship!

 

Business/Economics, International

Corporate Evil: Too Big to Jail German bank admits role in deliberately crashing Global Economy!

24 April 2015 (20:36 UTC-07 Tango 01, 23 April 2015)/04 Ordibehesht 1394/05 Rajab 1436/06 Geng Chen (3rd month) 4713

“For years, employees at Deutsche Bank illegally manipulated interest rates around the globe including LIBORs for U.S. Dollar, Yen, Swiss Franc and Pound Sterling, as well as EURIBOR in the hopes of fraudulently moving the market to generate profits for their traders at the expense of the bank’s counterparties.”-Leslie R. Caldwell, Assistant U.S. Attorney General

Deutsche Bank has admitted to manipulating international interests rates and agreed to pay about $2.5-billion USD in fines!

The U.S. Department of Justice says the Too Big to Jail German bank took part in illegally controlling the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR).  Deutche Bank is the 6th global financial institution to admit to causing economic havoc around the World.

In 2012 Swizterland based UBS admitted to manipulating LIBOR as well.

LIBOR: Japan orders investigation

LIBOR: RBS takes action against its own employees

LIBOR: Rate fixing scandal an excuse to create One World Bank! New CIBOR scandal! 

$20 trillion stolen away and horded by Global Elites…..Money hording causes poverty, destroys economies, is a threat to National Security!!! Too Big to Fails & LIBOR involved! 

LIBOR: Barclays says order to rig rates came from Bank of England. Governments calling the shots! 

LIBOR: Geitner & Paulson knew of rate fixing! British banks confirm.

LIBOR: More proof the bad economy is the fault of the Too Big to Fails! 

LIBOR: U.K. orders new investigation! Top three Japanese banks involved in international rate fixing! 

LIBOR: More proof of Trilateral Commission operations! 

LIBOR: proof the Evil British Empire controls Corporate America

Fukushima, Idaho

Fukushima – WIPP – Radiation Fallout: Siberian fires prove North America blanketed with Japanese radiation!

23 April 2015 (09:17 UTC-07 Tango 01)/03 Ordibehesht 1394/04 Rajab 1436/05 Geng Chen (3rd month) 4713

Massive wild fires in Siberia, Russia, have been smoking out the Pacific Northwest of North America for days now.  The smoke is now reaching the Atlantic Coast.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says the majority of North America is blanketed by the smoke.

The wild fires started about a couple of weeks ago, and have killed dozens of people in Siberia.  If the smoke is already covering most of North America in less than two weeks, then imagine the massive radiation contamination that is still spewing from Japan’s exploded Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors!   The same wind currents that bring the smoke from Siberia are bringing radiation from Fukushima.  Of course, U.S. and Canadian environmental administrators have denied that high levels of radiation from Fukushima has reached North America.

Japanese news media reported that four years after the explosions at Fukushima new data has been released by the U.S. Department of the Navy.  The data shows 75% of  the initial radiation contamination released after the explosions actually took place several days afterward, and was released for much longer than first thought.  Researchers learned that a metal used to make fuel rods, zirconium, continued overheating even after thousands of tons of water was poured into the reactors.  It turns out the water actually acted as a catalyst and could have contributed to what looks like  a slow burn China Syndrome, that is still ongoing.

To prove that radiation contamination is still ongoing, administrators with Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCo) revealed yet more airborne and waterborne leaks, and admitted they knew about one leak a year ago!  TEPCo says airborne radiation levels inside reactor building 1 (Fukushima #1) are so high they will kill you in one hour!  They determined this after two robots sent into the building were disabled by the radiation levels.

The most recent water leaks happened this week, when all the water pumps failed.  An unknown amount of contaminated water went into the Pacific Ocean.

Then there’s the leak TEPCo knew about one years ago, but said nothing until now.  TEPCo described the contaminated water leak as “highly radioactive” and said it’s been pouring into the Pacific Ocean, from reactor building 2 (Fukushima #2), since April 2014!

In a possibly related story, the residence of the neo-imperialist Japanese prime minister was found to have a highly radioactive RC drone on the roof!  Security personnel say nobody had been on the roof for the past month, and they don’t know how it got there.  The drone was carrying a container of liquid contaminated with cesium that comes from nuclear reactors.   The drone was marked with radiation warning labels.

In Takahama, a Japanese court judge has blocked the re-start of two reactors at the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant.  The judge reviewed data and declared the reactors to be unsafe, and that the new national government regulations for nuclear factory safety to be insufficient.  Even government administrators admit a catastrophic accident could still occur even with the new regulations.  It turns out the Takahama nuke reactors, operated by Kansai Electric Power Company, are built over three earthquake fault lines!

The Journal of Ornithology has published a study that shows radiation is killing off Japanese birds.  The journal Environmental Indicators published a study saying the radiation levels around Fukushima are far worse than Chernobyl.

In the U.S. state of New Mexico radiation problems continue at the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP).  The DoE accuses the Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory (LANL) of causing the explosions inside WIPP by improperly packing mixed nuke waste in 55 gallon drums.  The DoE investigation confirmed that at least one drum exploded.

The contractor running the site has been hit with $7.3-million USD in fines!  The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) effectively accused Nuclear Waste Partnership of failing across the board, from lack of maintenance programs to outright violations of DoE regulations!

To try and remedy their failed operations at WIPP, Nuclear Waste Partnership has selected a new manager to run WIPP.  He was in charge of the plutonium facility at Idaho National Laboratory, and also worked at the Savannah River Site.

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has also been accused of contributing to the WIPP disaster, as it is one of the users of WIPP for nuke waste storage.  Now the INL is now asking for permission to receive 2-hundred pounds of spent nuclear fuel, for the purpose of researching new ways to store and/or recycle nuke waste.  Former Idaho governors Phil Batt and Cecil Andrus condemned the proposal, pointing out it would violate a 1995 deal banning nuke waste shipments into The Gem State.

Nobody can trust anything administrators say at the INL, it turns out there was a nuclear accident there six months ago, but only now was made public!  It was revealed by the DoE during a local public hearing.  Back in October 2014, at least one employee was contaminated during the re-packing of nuclear waste.  It shutdown the New Waste Calcining Facility for several weeks.

Fukushima – WIPP – Radiation Fallout:  Santa Barbara hit by giant radioactive lobsters?

Business/Economics

Walmart suddenly closes 5 U.S. stores, kills 2200 jobs overnight! Is it because the employees went on strike?

18 April 2015 (17:54 UTC-07 Tango 01)/28 Farvardin 1394/29 Jumada t-Tania 1436/30 Geng Chen 4713

“Everybody just panicked and started crying!”– Venanzi Luna, a Walmart store manager in Pico Rivera, California

It’s been revealed that Walmart shutdown five stores, without warning, on 13 April 2015.  About 22-hundred employees are now unemployed!

The stores are located in California, Florida, Oklahoma and Texas. Employees were given a two hours notice!

CNN Money reports say Walmart administrators claim the stores had “plumbing problems”.  However, the CBS TV affiliate in Los Angeles, California, says no required building repair permit has been filed by Walmart.  The ABC TV affiliate in Midland, Texas, reports that Walmart actually turned away a plumbing contractor who responded to claims there was a major plumbing problem in the store.

Walmart administrators claim they have yet to identify the plumbing problems, but say the stores will be shutdown for at least six months!  A Walmart plumbing contractor was interviewed by a Florida TV station and he contradicted the official corporate report: “Even if they had to replace the whole sewer line, it wouldn’t take six months to replace…”– Codi Bauer

Walmart administrators claim they will pay employees a two months severance.  An employee in California suggested the true reason for the shutdowns and mass layoffs: “This is the first store that went on strike. This is the first store in demanding changes for Walmart.”-unnammed Pico Rivera Walmart employee

Walmart issued a WARN saying they will shutdown their huge two story Massapequa store, at least 295 jobs lost! 

Walmart revealed it eliminated 210 jobs at its Ontario, Canada, office! The latest round of layoffs are on top of 750 revealed earlier this Spring! 

slave wage workers in Cambodia! All in the name of….Walmart! 

Walmart …ends portrait studios

Walmart blames you!

Walmart refuses to pay rent….gets shut down for selling bad meat. 

9th straight quarterly decline in sales

U.S. Supreme Court screws 1.5 million Walmart employees!

Argentina warns South Africa: Walmart will destroy your economy 

Business/Economics, Idaho

More Economic Decline: New owner of Pocatello’s Polysilicon factory gives up, starts chopping up the former Hoku Materials factory!

17 April 2015 (15:57 UTC-07 Tango 01)/27 Farvardin 1394/28 Jumada t-Tania 1436/29 Geng Chen 4713

“We did a worldwide marketing effort to sell the plant. We obviously wanted to find a user.  It’s a damn shame!”-Mark Fleischauer,  JH Kelly senior vice president, Idaho State Journal interview

After a little more than a year, the winning bidder for the failed Hoku Polysilicon Materials factory has given up trying to find an operator, and is now chopping up and selling off the factory bit by bit.

JH Kelly is the contractor hired by Hoku to build the factory in Pocatello, Idaho.  Hawaii based Hoku failed to pay JH Kelly about $25-million USD for the work, and then JH Kelly spent their own $8.3-million buying the failed factory (which was valued at $700-million).

The entire Hoku Materials story is an example of optimistic thinking run wild, involving local and state administrators basically giving away the land for the factory, to company administrators failing to understand the polysilicon market and becoming financially dependent on Chinese sources of money, which was finally ended when the president of the United States imposed heavy tariffs on products tied to Chinese solar power companies.

Read More about the Hoku Materials saga, beginning with: Unpaid contractor is winning bidder for abandoned Hoku….again! 

Business/Economics, International

Food Crisis: No more McDonald’s, Japan style? 131 restaurants shutting down due to lack of food?

17 April 2015 (15:23 UTC-07 Tango 01)/27 Farvardin 1394/28 Jumada t-Tania 1436/29 Geng Chen 4713

“I regret that today our company is not performing to the expectations of our customers, our stakeholders or our employees. Our number one priority is to do everything we can to continue to enhance our food safety and quality systems and rebuild the trust of our customers.”-Sarah Casanova

Is U.S. based McDonald’s crashing and burning in Japan?

Once considered an iconic symbol of U.S. capitalism, McDonald’s administrators say the economy is so bad in the east Asian country that they expect to lose between $210-million to $318-million USD by the end of the year (at least triple their losses last year).

Specifically, Mickey D’s administrators say the availability of quality food is becoming hard to get, at a cheap price, in Japan.   Examples are problems with China based chicken meat suppliers, caught on video processing contaminated meat for McNuggets, and problems getting food supplies (like potatoes) from the United States due to Pacific Coast dock worker strikes.

So, they will shutdown 131 Japanese stores, more than 1-thousand jobs affected.  Administrators also revealed they will layoff about 1-hundred jobs at their Tokyo HQ.

Even after the 131 restaurants shutdown McDonald’s will still have 2-thousand stores in Japan, and they plan to spend big money remodeling all of them.

Business/Economics, Idaho

U.S. Job Losses & Store Closings, 04 – 05 March 2015: Another debt collector bites the dust! Capitalism blamed for killing off Lifestyle Lift! Obamacare to cause “more change than we’ve seen in the past 75 years combined.”

Incomplete list of publicly announced layoffs & shutdowns:

What real estate recovery?  Internet based commercial office space seller 42Floors laid off at least 14 people in the cities of New York and San Francisco.  The company halted its commercial real estate brokerage ops and will focus on providing internet searches and listings only: “Over the past few months, 42Floors has experimented with being a brokerage in addition to being a commercial real estate data and search website. We’ve decided today to stick with what we’re best at…”-Jason Freedman, founder

U.S. based barrel maker Greif Incorporated announced it will end metal barrel production in two U.S. states, and in Germany.  The number of jobs to be lost were not made public.

Spain based ‘fast casual’ restaurant Mondatidos chain has placed 1-hundred of its U.S. restaurants into chapter 11 bankruptcy. It should be noted that none of Mondatidos restaurants in other countries are part of the bankruptcy, apparently the economy is that bad in the U.S.

Alabama: Bogue’s Restaurant now chapter 11 bankrupt busted: “A prime motivation factor for Bogue’s filing its reorganization case was to be able to pay its tax debts in an orderly manner.”-Bradley Hightower, attorney

California:  What housing market recovery?  Agoura Hills based InterThink sold off its mortgage division, resulting in at least 70 people being laid off.

Colorado: In Longmont, ‘spy’ satellite operator DigitalGlobe laid off 64 people.   It’s part of the company’s plan to kill 155 jobs across the United States!  Company administrators have been reporting profits but said their outlook for the future of the economy is grim, so they’re cutting jobs now.

Florida:  In Tampa, Ohio Retail Security & Mainstreet Maintenance issued a WARN saying at least 49 people will be laid off by the end of May.

Idaho: Will nuclear power plant operator Areva shutdown their Eagle Rock project?  The French government owned Areva revealed they lost more money.  This time they lost $5.4-billion USD, and as a result they will begin cutting back on their international operations (they refuse to give details about those cuts).

Indiana: In Vincennes, flat glass maker Schott Gemtron laid off 65 employees.  News reports did not indicate why.    hhgregg appliance store chain announced they will shutdown stores in Indianapolis and Richmond, at least 30 employees affected.  Two other stores are being consolidated.

Massachusetts: In Fenway, after four years Jerry Remy’s sports bar and grill shutdown.

Michigan: Byron Township based grocery chain owner SpartanNash announced they will shutdown ten grocery stores in their “western store base”. They say it’s necessary as part of their plans to “expand”.   In Flint, Kroger shutdown yet another grocery store. They shutdown their Davidson Road store, 65 jobs lost.

Minnesota: Bus operator SmartLink Transit announced they will layoff employees, including all its drivers, due to the loss of several contracts.  Company administrators say they will now contract out all the jobs, for less pay and no benefits.

New Jersey: Kean University announced it will layoff 54 janitors and grounds keepers.  The jobs will be contracted out.  University administrators claim they’re trying to cut $3.4-million per year, yet this didn’t stop them from spending $219-thousand on a conference table made in China!

New York: In Cortland, fishing materials supplier Cortland Line shutdown their three years old Riverside Plaza store.   In Orleans County, Brown’s Berry Patch shutdown its retail berry picking ops.  At LaGuardia Airport Terminal D, Airserv issued a shutdown WARN saying they lost their Gate Aviation contract and 178 people will become jobless at the beginning of June!  News reports claim that call center operator Sitel issued a WARN on 02 March, saying 120 people at their Painted Post call center will become jobless by April, however, I checked the New York Department of Labor’s WARN site and couldn’t find any such notice dated 02 March.  The same news reports said Sitel also WARNed in January they would layoff 278 people, but again, I couldn’t find the WARN on the New York Department of Labor’s website.   Pioneer Credit Recovery lost their federal contract to harass people who owe money on student loans.  4-hundred debt collectors to become jobless (That’s good news)!

North Carolina: Thinking about getting that plastic surgery?  Lifestyle Lift suddenly began shutting down their clinics, with no notice or explanation.  News reports say employees have been working without pay!  One doctor blames capitalism: “The more it’s treated like a commodity, the more you’re going to see failures like this.”-Stephen Finical

Ohio: The Buckeye State losing at least five CPS Operations owned Sears Appliance & Hardware stores, and possibly two Abtroit Limited Partnership owned Sears Appliance & Hardware stores by May (or until merchandise is sold out). They employ about 15 to 20 people each. Apparently the franchise owners of Sears Appliance & Hardware did not want to renew their contracts with Sears Holdings.

Pennsylvania: In Saint Marys, hospital Penn Highlands Elk announced they will eliminate 43 jobs and reduce the hours for 25 employees.   A local news report blamed “systemic changes implemented under the Affordable Care Act”.  Hospital administrator Raymond A. Graeca said “We’re facing a very different healthcare delivery environment today than we were five years ago, and the American Hospital Association is projecting that the next five years alone will hold more change than we’ve seen in the past 75 years combined.” 

Virginia: In Bristol, the soon to be officially owned by Staples Office Depot announced it will shutdown its customer care center, causing 140 people to become jobless by the end of May!  According to local news reports the shutdown was actually planned after Office Depot and OfficeMax merged in 2013.   In Fredericksburg, home decor store This and That shutdown their brick-n-mortar op.   One of the co-owners is pursuing a job in healthcare.  Apparently they still sell on the internet.

01 – 03 March 2015: “We weren’t expecting this at all!”

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

The U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) doesn’t count the hundreds of layoffs involving less than 50 people each, in its mass layoff reports. It also doesn’t count all the little ‘mom & pop’ businesses that shutdown. It doesn’t count people who get a severance for being laid off.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

More Economic Decline: Notices posted in Post Offices as Zero Hour approaches fast for east Idaho’s only Postal Processing Center!

06 April 2015 (13:52 UTC-07 Tango 01)/17 Farvardin 1394/16 Jumada t-Tania 1436/18 Geng Chen 4713

Some east Idaho Post Offices have posted collection time changes (“Due to operational changes…”) for parcels and letters dropped off at their location.   The new collection times are 30 minutes earlier than normal and go into effect on 18 April 2015.

Notice posted inside the Clark Street PO in Pocatello, Idaho.

Notice posted inside the Clark Street PO in Pocatello, Idaho.

18 April is supposedly the day all east Idaho mail will be shipped to Salt Lake City, Utah, for processing.  That’s ALL mail; inbound from out of the area, out bound to other states and countries, and even cross-town letters!

17 April is the official last day of operations for the Gateway Processing Center in Pocatello.  Many people are confusing the Processing Center with the Gateway Post Office, which is located in the same building.   About 13 Clerks will remain employed after 17 April to continue operating the Post Office and the loading dock in the Processing Center.  The loading dock will remain open because beginning 18 April all east Idaho mail (in the 832 zip code area) will be loaded straight onto trucks bound for out of state processing centers in Salt Lake City.

East Idaho mail in the 834 zip code area will be sent to the main PO in Idaho Falls (IF) to be shipped to Salt Lake City.  This will be a logistical nightmare because the loading dock at the IF PO has only one door, which means trucks will have to wait in line to unload and load.

About 50 good paying jobs are in the process of being lost to a combination of early retirements, forced (“involuntary”) transfers and outright layoffs (with no severance).

There are rumors that eventually all Post Offices in Pocatello will be shutdown except for the Gateway Post Office, meaning the residents of Chubbuck and Pocatello will have only one Post Office.

Postal administrators swear up and down that delivery times will not be adversely affected by the shutdown.  I’ve got another reason why that is a lie: Performance Ratings.   For more than two decades the Gateway Processing Center has maintained some of the highest performance ratings in the Salt Lake Postal District, I’ve read that’s it’s as high as 92%.  Guess who has maintained the lowest performance ratings?  Yep, the Salt Lake Processing Centers!

Here’s some other disturbing news.  While Salt Lake postal administrators want to shutdown Gateway, for some odd reason in the past month they’ve more than doubled the mail volume they’ve been sending to Pocatello for processing!  Gateway Mail Handlers and Clerks state that the mail volume is now as high as during the end of year holiday season, and they’re operating with fewer employees due to forced retirements and transfers, and Salt Lake administrators will not allow the hiring of more employees due to the pending shutdown!

Question: If Salt Lake postal administrators think Pocatello is inefficient, and that Salt Lake can handle processing better, then why are they sending more and more mail our way?

A recent Idaho State Journal article indicated that Chubbuck city administrators have joined with Pocatello to try and stop the shutdown.  No word on any of the dozens of other east Idaho cities joining the fight, even though the shutdown will directly affect them as well.  Also, still no word from the dozens of east Idaho mail order companies, that use Priority Mail to ship out their products, showing any concern over the shutdown (companies like Weigh Vest, Fin Fun Mermaid, some company that sends Priority Medium Flat Rate boxes filed with dirt and exotic flower bulbs, another company that sends heavy boxes marked “liquid”, etc).  Those companies will see a delay in their shipments as a result of the shutdown, despite what Salt Lake postal administrators say.

Pathetic turnout for east Idaho Mayor’s last ditch effort to save Postal Processing Center!

Business/Economics

U.S. Food Crisis, March 2015: “…sales dropped off a cliff…” “We have ten days left.” More Great Depression survivors dying off! No more Jelly Belly? “It’s a gut wrencher!”

Incomplete list of announced United States food supply shutdowns for the month of March, 2015: Many food suppliers/distributors are consolidating operations and killing jobs due to the collapsing grocery store and restaurant industries, as well as rising costs of food production.

Netherlands based grocery store chain Ahold announced it will shutdown support offices in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. At least 120 jobs lost! Administrators said it was the only way they could keep their food prices low for shoppers.

Pepsi and Coca-Cola announced they will each shutdown at least one of their bottling ops in Russia, blaming U.S. sanctions.

Spain based ‘fast casual’ restaurant Mondatidos chain has placed 1-hundred of its U.S. restaurants into chapter 11 bankruptcy.  It should be noted that none of Mondatidos restaurants in other countries are part of the bankruptcy, apparently the economy is that bad in the U.S.

In the latest Warren Buffett-3G Capital deal Kraft and Heinz were merged, making it the 5th largest food company in the World.   According to Nightly Business Report the “first order of business” is to kill $1-billion USD worth of cost, mainly in marketing and manufacturing, that’s translates directly to job killing.  ‘Investors’ loved the news of job killing (as they always do) and pushed Heinz stock prices upward by 35%.

Alabama: In Helena, after 13 years the owners of Frankie’s Market Café announced they are shutting down in April.  They blame rising costs of operations, especially utility cots. In Birmingham, the Bottletree Cafe shutdown, reports say the property was sold, the owners said only “We have ten days left.”   Bogue’s Restaurant now chapter 11 bankrupt busted: “A prime motivation factor for Bogue’s filing its reorganization case was to be able to pay its tax debts in an orderly manner.”-Bradley Hightower, attorney

Alaska: A brand new grocery store already shutdown in Bethel!  Swanson’s shutdown only nine months after opening, local news media says company administrators refused to answer their phone calls.  The owner of the building also refused to talk to the local news media.

Arizona:   In Tucson, after ten years the owners of Bluefin Seafood Bistro announced they will shutdown in May.  They blame the new greedy property owners: “Our lease term is ending and we could not come to an equitable deal on our lease renegotiation with the new center owners.” 

California:  In Santa Barbara, Palo Alto and Laguna Hills after only one year three Fresh Market grocery stores shutdown, 179 jobs lost! The administrators of the North Carolina grocery chain said “We believe that our resources will be used more productively elsewhere…”, meaning the economy in The Golden State sucks.  The new Los Angeles based owners of former British empire grocery store Fresh & Easy announced they will shutdown 50 Fresh & Easy stores across The Golden State, Arizona and Nevada!   Albertsons-Safeway issued several WARNs saying an additional 129 people will be laid off from the Safeway Pleasanton HQ in April, then another 188 layoffs by the end of May!   It’s blamed on the take over by Cerberus owned Albertsons.

Colorado: In Colorado Springs, 144 years old (surviving the Great deflationary Depression and numerous recessions) Sinton Dairy Foods announced they will end fresh milk production and layoff 120 employees by May!  It’s part of their plan to make a new extended shelf life milk.

Connecticut: In West Haven, decades old American Steakhouse shutdown.  The owners say they have to “downsize” and claim they’re helping their employees find new jobs.

Florida: Restaurant-hotel operation Bonaventure Resort & Spa issued a WARN saying 296 employees will be laid off due to the sale of the business.

Idaho: In Boise, Post Holdings announced it will shutdown their PowerBar factory in July, 165 jobs lost! Company administrators have decided to outsource the making of their energy food to unknown contractor factories, in the name of increasing profits.

Hawaii: Switzerland based GMO seed maker and farm chemicals seller Syngenta laid off 23 Hawaiians. Administrators say it’s part of their “Accelerating Reduction Leverage program” meant to cut $1-billion in operating costs by 2018! Proof the economy is not recovering.

Illinois: In Lansing, after more than 90 years (surviving the Great deflationary Depression and numerous recessions) De Jong Brothers Farm shutdown.  The spinach farmers blamed ever increasing operating costs, especially those created artificially by new federal regulations (Food Safety Modernization Act), 30 jobs lost.

Indiana: In Evansville, Wesselman’s Supermarkets announced they will shutdown their Pollack Avenue store.

Iowa: In Des Moines, the owners of the 27 years old food store New City Market announced they will shutdown by the end of April: “A lot of it has to do with the business climate.”-Jim Raife

In Davenport, a decades old Godfather’s Pizza shutdown: “The lease is up and for the amount of revenue it brings, it is not feasible to stay.”-Andy Fuhrman, co-owner

Maine: In Ellsworth, the Coffee Express shutdown, the owner refused to talk to local news media.

Maryland: Mass producer of frozen food Gourmet Express Acquisition now chapter 11 bankrupt busted.  Company administrators blame crashing sales (an almost $20-million drop in sales).

Michigan: Byron Township based grocery chain owner SpartanNash announced they will shutdown ten grocery stores in their “western store base”.  They say it’s necessary as part of their plans to “expand”.  In Flint, Kroger shutdown yet another grocery store.  They shutdown their Davidson Road store, 65 jobs lost.

New York: After 61 years the Lindenhurst Diner shutdown.  The owners say a property developer made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.  In Lake Placid, after 90 years (surviving the Great deflationary Depression and numerous recessions) another iconic Howard Johnson’s restaurant shutdown.  It was one of only three left in the United States.  The owner sold the property.  In Orleans County, Brown’s Berry Patch shutdown its retail berry picking ops.   In Loudonville, Sodexo issued a WARN saying they lost a major food service contract and will shutdown in June, 193 jobs lost!

North Carolina:   Lowes Food announced it will shutdown its last two grocery stores in Gastonia by April, 160 jobs lost!  Cary based convenience store The Pantry is now owned by British empire Canadian company Alimentation Couche-Tard.  As a result, at least 250 people in North Carolina are now being laid off!  In Raleigh, the owners of 518 West Italian Cafe said Easter Sunday is their last day of business.  It sounds like they’re going to sell the property.  In Asheville, the owner of the brand new Katuah Market says the economy is so bad he’s already giving up: “We’ve been struggling ever since we opened and, for whatever reason, sales dropped off a cliff at the first of the year! At this point we can’t continue, we’d need to be 50% higher in sales.”-John Swann

North Dakota: So much for oil wealth, in Fargo after 92 years (surviving the Great deflationary Depression and numerous recessions) the owners of Quality Bakery announced it will shutdown by the end of April.  They said the oil boom did nothing for them as they’ve been trying to sell the business for the past seven years, with no luck.

Oregon: In Portland, after 15 years the Red & Black Cafe shutdown.   The owners were known to refuse service to cops.  Their reason for shutting down was unclear, as they said they were just being responsible business owners.

South Dakota: In Tea, Oggie’s Grille & Bar shutdown.

Virginia: Kroger announced another shutdown of a grocery store, this time in Portsmouth in April.  The store was originally owned by Hannaford, but Kroger took that company over in 2000.

West Virginia: The Mountain State’s largest food bank is about to shutdown.  Administrators of the Mountaineer Food Bank, in Gassaway, said they’ve run out of money and can’t pay their employees!  Some employees are now working for free: “It’s the hardest working crew I’ve ever been around!  They don’t have much, but I’ll tell you what, they understand…the Mountaineer Food Bank spirit is here. It’s a gut wrencher! We’re in crisis management now.”-Dave Karr, interim director

Wisconsin: Veggie canning company Del Monte shutting down operations; their Sager Creek processing facility in Pulaski, and their warehousing and labeling facilities in Oconto Falls. Nearly 250 jobs will be lost by June!  Company administrators would say only that it’s a move they had to take in order to keep Del Monte “strong”.  California based jelly bean maker Jelly Belly announced they will sell-off their $43-million Pleasant Prairie factory and gift shop.  Company administrators say it’s part of their plan to consolidate operations.

February 2015: Boston Weak property owners more destructive than terrorists! 

WARN=Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification

Business/Economics

Warren Buffett to kill off $1-billion worth of jobs, because he “likes them”! Welcome to Zero Based Budgeting, the wave of the future?

26 March 2015 (15:45 UTC-07 Tango 01)/06 Farvardin 1394/05 Jumada t-Tania 1436/07 Ji Mao 4713

“…these are brands that I like 30 plus years ago and I like them today, and I think I like them 30 years from now.”-Warren Buffett, after merging his Heinz with Kraft and then announcing $1-billion USD in job cuts

Yes, apparently if you like a company’s products you take them over and layoff the people who make those products, at least that’s the philosophy of Warren Buffett and his vulture capitalist ‘investment’ schemes called Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital.

In 2013 they took over Heinz, then immediately began killing jobs in the U.S. and Canada.  In November, Buffett’s partners announced that little ol’ Pocatello, Idaho, would lose 610 jobs in 2014, because Buffet decided to give the local Heinz plant the axe.  That was a major blow to communities (Pocatello and Chubbuck) with a combined population of less than 80-thousand, and already suffering from at least a decade of job losses.

Reports say that so far 6650 Heinz employees, worldwide, have become jobless!

This latest Buffett deal will make Kraft-Heinz the 5th largest food company in the World.  According to Nightly Business Report the “first order of business” is to kill $1-billion worth of cost, mainly in marketing and manufacturing, that’s translates directly to job killing.  ‘Investors’ loved the news of job killing (as they always do) and pushed Heinz stock prices upward by 35%.

The Wall Street Journal explains that Buffett’s current plans are corporate austerity measures, or Zero Based Budgeting.  Basically companies are taken over then the employees are forced to justify every little thing they do, and if ‘investors’ don’t like what they see those employees get fired.  And that’s the kicker, everything is done from the point of view of an ‘investor’, not somebody who’s on the front line trying to run a business making and selling products or services.  If you’ve worked the front lines of business you know there are things you have to do that just wouldn’t make sense to a bean counter who’s only interest is the “bottom line”.

The Wall Street Journal reports Zero Based Budgeting has become the norm for almost all publicly owned (they issue stocks to the public) food companies.  This can only mean a snowballing of job cuts.

Now realize that unAmerican Buffett reportedly spent $10-billion on the Kraft-Heinz deal, and his Brazilian based 3G Capital reportedly spent $49-billion to merge Heinz and Kraft!  That could have created a lot of jobs!

How can these ‘investors’ expect to sell the products they “like” if they’re killing jobs for many of the customers who buy those products?   Reality check; those ‘investors’ don’t really “like” the products you and I buy in a market place called a grocery store. The ‘products’ they “like” are called stocks, or shares or even corporate bonds, and they sell them in a market place called Wall Street!

(Wall Street is an actual place, but in this case it refers to all stock market trading houses)

Tim Hortons was recently taken over by Warren Buffett’s crony Brazilian vulture capitalist buddies at 3G Capital 

Kraft Foods announced they are killing 285 jobs!

In Pittsburgh, Wall Street wunderkind Warren Buffett killed 775 more Heinz jobs. 

In Pittsburgh, 350 people lost their jobs with Heinz. 

According to the latest reports, Buffett’s current five faves for stock investments involve Archer-Daniels Midland Company, which is involved with cooking oil and food commodities trading. He also likes Kraft Foods, a major user of cooking oil 

3G Capital is known for “cutting up” companies (typical Romneyite vulture capitalists)

…discontinuation of its T.G.I. Friday’s frozen meals, Heinz conducted a thorough evaluation of the production needs at its Pocatello, Idaho factory. 

Warren Buffett says the Elites have won, his propsed tax on the Elites is first step to increasing taxes on everyone else