Tag Archives: taxes

International, U.S.

World War 3: More U.S./NATO deaths, more leaders captured, more battles, more money to be spent.

April 29, 2012, International Security Assistance Force announced that two U.S./NATO personnel were killed in separate explosions.

One soldier was killed in southern Afghanistan, the other in eastern Afghanistan.

At least 135 NATO service members have died since the beginning of 2012.

Yet another 24 hour seek and destroy/capture mission report from the Afghan officials. This time they claim they killed five Mujahideen and captured 21.

They also claim the usual capture of “leaders”, weapons and drugs.  The battles took place in Nangarhar, Kunar, Kapisa, Kandahar, Helmand, Khost, Ghazni, Logar, Zabul and Farah provinces.   The report was backed up by ISAF officials.

Chairman of U.S. Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Senator John Kerry, met with President Hamid Karzai. They came up with preliminary agreements on U.S. troop draw down in 2014.

They agreed the main focus should be spending more money to build up Afghanistan’s civil service.  They also agreed not to reduce spending on the Afghan military until it was clear the “security situation” improves, after 2015.

Business/Economics, International

Global Economic War: Grocery store chain refuses to buy Israeli products

“Following an audit of the Group’s supply chain, it will no longer do business with four companies, accounting for £350,000 [$569,380 USD] worth of sales, as there is evidence that they source from the Israeli settlements in the Palestinian occupied territories. The Group will also continue to actively work to increase trade links with Palestinian businesses in the occupied territories.”-Co-operative Group statement

A U.K. based food retailer, Co-operative Group, is continuing a ban on Israeli food products coming from illegally occupied West Bank.

Co-operative Group stopped buying products from Israeli West Bank settlements in 2009.  Four Israeli companies are affected: Agrexco, Arava Export Growers, Adafresh, and Mehadrin which is Israel’s largest agricultural export company.

“We strongly urge other retailers to take similar action.”-Hilary Smith, Boycott Israel Network

International, Technology, U.S.

World War 3: Iran begins mass production of modified F-5, new radar, new missile. Iranian navy threatens to send ships to New York.

April 29, 2012, after years of development Iranian officials announced they are mass producing their Saeqeh fighter jet.  It is not only proof of reverse engineering, but of indigenous designs.

The Saeqeh (lightning/thunderbolt) is a reverse engineered U.S. F-5, with modifications, most notably a twin tail instead of the original single tail.

Prototypes of the Saeqeh has been seen with a single 20 mm gun, as well as two 20 mm guns.  Iranian officials say the production aircraft has advanced avionics, radar and carries Iranian developed smart bombs and air to air missiles.

Iran also operates reverse engineered U.S. F-4 and F-14 jets, as well as Huey, Cobra and Chinook helicopters.

On April 27, 2012, the Aerospace Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRCG), Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, announced the mass production of a radar with a 1,100 km (683 miles) range.  It’s called Ghadir.

The Ghadir radar system was first tested last year, and was used to monitor low altitude satellites.

Brigadier General Hajizadeh also says they have been mass producing an anti-ship missile called the Khalij-e Fars (Persian Gulf).

The missile was developed in 2008, and revealed publicly in 2011.  It has a range of 200 km (124 miles) and can be mounted on small fast attack boats.

Iranian media mistakenly reported that Iran had radars with 1,800 miles range, but after further reading of the articles it became clear they were talking about ballistic missiles.  Brigadier General Hajizadeh stated they will be used to target U.S. forces: “Today, one of our short range missiles can function as an intercontinental missile because they [U.S. military] have been based near us.”

Last year Hajizadeh said their short range ballistic missiles “…will target NATO’s missile shield in Turkey and will then attack other targets.”

On April 24, 2012, IRGC Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, announced: “Our naval forces are so powerful that we have a presence in all the waters of the world and, if needed, we can move to within three miles of New York!”

Last year another Iranian military official gave this warning: “The Navy has a strong presence in the Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf, Sea of Oman, Indian Ocean and international waters and soon it will be present in the Atlantic Ocean.”-Ahmad Vahidi, Defense Minister of Iran

 

International

World War 3: Japan scrambles record number of interceptors in 2011

Japan’s Air Self Defense Force announced that Fiscal Year 2011 was a record setting year for intercepts of foreign military aircraft entering Japan’s air space.

425 Japanese fighters were scrambled (usually F-15 Eagles), which is 39 more than 2010.

247 intercept missions were against Russian aircraft.  156 missions against Chinese aircraft.

The JASDF says Russia and China have greatly increased their military reconnaissance flights around Japan.  JASDF also pointed out that such intercept missions dropped sharply when the Cold War ended (officially in 1991), but have seen an even sharper increase since 2005.

Japan’s fiscal year ends in March.

Business/Economics, International

What Economic Recovery? Spain hits record unemployment, highest in Europe!

April 27, 2012, Spain’s National Statistics Institute announced that Spain’s unemployment rate is officially at 24.4%, the highest ever for Spain, and currently the highest in Europe!

That’s 5.6 million people out of work in a country with a population of 46 million people!

The 24.4% rate is for the first quarter of 2012.  It’s a 370,000 increase from the last quarter of 2011!

Now realize that Spain is considered the fourth largest economy in Europe!

The government of Spain plans on enacting even more spending cuts, and increases in taxes.  Mmmm, I think that’s whats actually making things worse?

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

World War 3: World Bank giving Afghanistan $150 million annually. 12 cops killed. DA assassinated. More “leaders” captured.

April 28, 2012, Mujahideen Spring Offensive rolls on.

In Kandahar Province, two cops and two Mujahideen were killed.  The anti-government freedom fighters tried to blow up the provincial government building, but were caught in a firefight with security guards.

In Wardak Province, ten cops were killed on April 27, after they drove over a mine.

Also on April 27, Mujahideen assassinated the District Attorney for the Farsi district of Herat Province.  Herat has suffered daily attacks for at least a week now.

Despite the increasing attacks by Mujahideen, Afghan government officials (backed up by ISAF officials) continue to make claims of capturing “Taliban” and “Haqqani” leaders.

The April 28 claim says they captured five “leaders” after seek and destroy/capture missions in Khost, Kandahar, Helmand, Nangarhar and Ghazni provinces.

As usual they also claim to have captured a plethora of weapons.  I have questioned the reliability of these reports before.  These reports are being issued every 24 hours and it just seems unbelievable their claims of the number of leaders, weapons and even drugs captured on a daily basis, and yet the Mujahideen Spring Offensive is actually picking up speed.

ISAF announced that another U.S./NATO troop was killed, this time in a non-combat incident. As is their SOP no further details were given.

As of April 28, at least 133 NATO service members have been killed since the beginning of 2012.

April 28, the Trilateral Commission’s World Bank has announced that they will give Afghanistan $150 million USD every year, for the next three years!

World Bank officials say they decided to provide Afghanistan with the money, because after the supposed U.S./NATO pullout in 2014 international donations (government grants?) are expected to take a huge drop.

This is proof that the current Afghan economy is being propped up by donations, mainly from occupying countries.  The World Bank is afraid that without the $150 million per year the U.S. puppet government of Afghanistan will not survive (gee, something similar happened after the Soviets pulled out in 1989).

The U.S. based World Bank has already provided the U.S. puppet government of Afghanistan with more than $2 billion USD since the U.S. invaded in 2001.  World Bank officials also admitted that money given to the puppet government has not been spent properly.

International, U.S.

World War 3: Four more U.S./NATO troops dead. More huge drug stashes found.

International Security Assistance Force announced that four more U.S./NATO personnel were killed on April 26, 2012.  They were killed by an explosion.

At least 131 NATO service members including 88 U.S. troops, 15 British troops and 28 soldiers from the other occupying countries have been killed since the beginning of 2012.

Reports are confusing, ISAF might actually be re-reporting the deaths of four U.S./NATO soldiers already reported on Thursday. One was shot by an Afghan soldier, the other three were killed when they drove over a mine.  If not, then there is a steady increase in the number of attacks on U.S./NATO forces.

The Afghan government is reporting more “leaders” captured, this time in Khost and Helmand provinces (the usual provinces).

In Kandahar, officials claim they’ve captured 7,000 kilograms (15,400 pounds) of hashish.

 

 

Influenza

War on Terror shifts to War on Flu. Politicians opposed were removed before votes were cast! New law says who will get help and who won’t!

April 27, 2012, Japan’s Diet (parliament) has passed a bill that allows near martial law like conditions in response to a major epidemic.

The Japanese government can now set up a special task force to deal with an outbreak of unusually virulent influenza.  A state of emergency can be declared if the epidemic threatens the economy.

The special task force can decide who will be given priority for medical help! Education can be suspended, and public gatherings and events restricted.

Something else to be concerned about, this law was passed only because all those politicians that opposed it were not present in the parliament, including members of the Liberal Democratic Party.

Japanese media says the law passed with a majority of the votes, but that’s a given when all those opposed were not present.

The committee that debated the bill warned that provisions should be added that protected individual liberties, and that the special task force should be required to heed the advise of medical experts.

Note: Japan is part of the Trilateral Commission (Europe, North America, Japan/Asia)

Business/Economics, International

What Economic Recovery? Postal Service to be fully privatized

April 27, 2012, Japan’s House of Councillors passed a bill that would merge the country’s two postal service providers into one privatized corporation.

There is already a 2005 law that requires the Japanese government to give up all financial control of their postal system by September 2017.

This new bill, a resolution to the 2005 law, drops the deadline date, but also allows the new privatized single postal service to begin operations without government approval.

There is opposition to the privatization of Japan’s postal service.  When the 2005 law was passed it was done by dissolving Japan’s House of Representatives, most of whom were opposed to privatization.  In other words it was passed by unfairly eliminating the governmental opposition.

To try and counter the 2005 law, a new law was passed that froze any further sale of government held Japan Post stock.  However, this new law overrides that and the current government says they will use the money to pay for post March 11, 2011, disaster reconstruction (which indicates the government is broke).

Note: Japan is part of the Trilateral Commission (Europe, North America, Japan/Asia)

Fukushima

One Year Later: Proof that being a refugee will kill you, more than 1600 people die in Japan. Money does not help!

More than a year after the March 11, 2011, earthquake/tsunami and nuclear disaster, 1,618 people have died.

Japan’s Reconstruction Agency announced on April 27, 2012, that living as refugees was the cause of their deaths.

Most had lost their homes and were living in makeshift housing. The Agency determined that extremely stressful and unhealthy conditions causes people to die. Some people died because they needed medical treatment, but were unable to get help.

Deaths occurred in nine prefectures. So far Fukushima leads the list with 764 deaths, followed by 636 in Miyagi and 179 in Iwate.

The Reconstruction Agency started tracking refugees only because of the money that was given out for disaster relief. Turns out the money did little to make life better for the refugees.

Note: Japan is part of the Trilateral Commission (Europe, North America, Japan/Asia)