Tag Archives: u.s.

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Radiation still being found at garbage incinerators across Japan

16 September 2011, ever since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster began, waste incinerator sites across Japan have reported high levels of radiation in the ashes of burned garbage and sludge.

The latest tests show three Prefectures still with levels of cesium contamination exceeding safe limits: Iwate, Fukushima and Chiba.

The highest measurement was 144,420 becquerels per kilogram at one facility in Fukushima!

The Japanese Environment Ministry realized that the incinerators reporting high levels of radiation contamination, are storing the garbage outside, where it can be contaminated by airborne cesium.  This is also an indicator of just how much airborne radiation is being spread across Japan.

The Environment Ministry has now decided to test all incinerators sites, that store the garbage outdoors.

Read more about incinerator contamination:

Cesium levels skyrocketing

Japanese waste incinerators

Mysterious radiation found

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Idaho makes top ten foreclosure list, Bonneville County leads Eastern Idaho in foreclosures

“The big increase in new foreclosure actions may be a signal that lenders are starting to push through some of the foreclosures delayed by robo signing and other documentation problems.  It also foreshadows more bank repossessions in the coming months as these new foreclosures make their way through the process.”-James Saccacio, CEO RealtyTrac

The latest RealtyTrac survey put Idaho in the top ten for foreclosures.  One in every 348 Idaho homes were in foreclosure in August 2011. The report also says one in every 570 homes in the United States was facing foreclosure in August 2011.

The three most populous counties in eastern Idaho broke down like this; Bannock: 238 foreclosures.  Bingham: 132 foreclosures.  Bonneville: 320 foreclosures.

Nevada still holds onto the number one position for home foreclosures, for the 56th straight month!

California is number two with a 55% default rate, and one out of every 226 homes being foreclosed in August!

Arizona was number three for the second month in a row.

The rest of the top ten list is made up of Georgia, Idaho, Michigan, Florida, Illinois, Colorado and Utah.

 

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

United Police States of Corporate America: Big Republican supporter, CCA, about to settle lawsuits claiming prison violence, medical neglect, includes Idaho’s “Gladiator School”

Septmenber 14, a man who sued a corporate run Idaho prison, known as “Gladiator School”, for extreme violence and medical neglect, has reached a settlement with Corrections Corporation of America.

CCA is the largest corporate prison operation in the United States, and also has the worst reputation.

Dozens of other inmates across the U.S. are also suing the Nashville, Tennessee, based CCA.

Reports are that CCA wants to settle all cases as quietly as possible, and soon. CCA officials hope to have all cases settled by the end of the week.

The Idaho Correctional Center, run by CCA, is so violent that it’s called “Gladiator School”.  Lawsuits claim that guards used inmate on inmate violence as a management tool, and then denied injured prisoners adequate medical care.  In one case, security camera video was leaked, showing a prisoner being beaten for hours, while guards watched.  That’s your Idaho tax dollars at work folks!

By the way, CCA is a major supporter of the Idaho Republican party!!!

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

Corporate Incompetence: Netflix says internet speeds in the United States sucks!

Earlier this year Netflix tested internet connection speeds in several countries, the United States sucked!

Apparently Netflix ranked the U.S. at 32.  Countries like Canada did much better.

The thing is that much faster connection speeds are available in the United States, it’s just that most people can’t pay the outrageous fees.  Also, most internet service providers don’t guarantee a faster connection rate, their fine print misleadingly says “speeds up to”.  This means they aren’t able to consistently provide faster connection speeds.

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

Corporate Incompetence: Eldery woman loses home after selling everything to pay it off, a 101 year old woman gets foreclosed on, despite getting a reverse mortgage

“I had one year left on my mortgage, and it would have been paid off, I wanted to live here for as long as possible.”-Linda Hatchel

Linda Hatchel spent decades, and tens of thousands of dollars renovating her Chicago home.

What makes it all the more terrible is that more than twenty years ago she paid about one dollar for the home.  It was a demolition sale.  She took out loans to renovate the house, but her cancer treatment, and the loss of her job left her unable to make the final payment (she had one payment left), now she’s about to become homeless.

In Texas, 101 year old Texana Hollis was evicted from her home this week. In 2003, her son asked her to sign it over to a reverse mortgage company for $32,000 to help with home repairs.  Despite claims that reverse mortgages can keep you in your home, the bank kicked her to the curb.

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? China says you created the economic problem, you fix it!

“Countries must first put their own houses in order. Developed countries must draw up responsible fiscal and monetary policies.”-Wen Jiabao, Prime Minister of China

Despite China becoming the biggest foreign investor in the United States, they say future investments depends on how the U.S. handles economic recovery.  The same goes for Europe: “European countries are facing sovereign debt problems and we’ve expressed our willingness to give a helping hand many times. We will continue to expand our investment there…Europe and the U.S. must adopt responsible and effective fiscal and monetary policies in a bid to reduce debt pressures.”-Wen Jiabao, Prime Minister of China

Analysts from Citigroup agreed: “What he is basically saying is China wants to help, they want to invest, but we can’t help you take the proper measures to control the debt crisis, you’ve got to do that on your own.”-William Rhodes

Another analysts says the EU and U.S. must stop paying for debt with debt: “Politicians have been paying their budget deficits by selling bonds, in other words mortgaging, or charging the future. Sooner or later that catches up with you, and 2011 is the year that the debt finally catches up with several European countries like Greece and Italy. So they have got to put their houses in order. They have to spend what they have, but not spend more than they have.”-Francis Lun, Lyncean Holdings

U.S.

United Police States of America: TSA, local cops working for drug dealers, you sure the U.S. is safer now than before 9/11/2001?

Three Transportation Security Administration officers in Florida and New York airports, along with two New York police officers, have been arrested for taking bribes from prescription drug dealers.

The bribes were in the form of cash and gift cards.  The TSA officers, and the New York cops, face charges of conspiring to distribute, and possessing with intent to distribute oxycodone.  Altogether 20 people were arrested.

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Bank of America increases Home Foreclosures by 200%

Despite their promise to cut back on home foreclosures, Bank of America boosted foreclosures by 200% in August!

CNBC reported that other banks will follow suit.  California and Nevada are being hit the hardest.

RealtyTrac confirms the huge jump in foreclosures in August.  One analysts says don’t necessarily blame the home buyer: “This proves once again that ‘credit’ as measured by legal defaults and foreclosures is not necessarily about borrowers missing payments, rather about what the servicers [banks] chose to do about it.”-Mark Hanson, housing analyst

International, U.S.

World War 3: Syrian internet hackers find documents showing plans by Turkey, Britain, France & the U.S. to attack Syria

Unconfirmed report that the Arabic language website Syria Steps says hackers (known as Syrian Cyber Army) found documents that show that France and Britain have grand ambitions of retaking their former mandates of Syria, Lebanon, and Israel/Palestine.   I wonder if this has anything to do with the new oil and gas fields discovered off the Lebanese coast?

Apparently the French have offered Turkey guaranteed membership in the European Union, and ensure that Turkey’s Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, remains in power for along time.  In exchange Turkey will help topple the Syrian government.

The documents go on to detail how the region would be split up between France, United Kingdom and United States.  Basically France and the U.K. would regain control of their old post World War 1 mandates, and the U.S. would get bases in the eastern area of Syria known as Deir ez-Zor.

The report also claims that Turkey will allow Israel to do what it wants.  This makes the report suspicious given the current relations between Turkey and Israel.  However, if the report is true it suggests that Turkey is putting on a big front acting like it’s ready to go to war with Israel, which could be a red herring operation.

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? United States “collapsing” says former U.S. Treasury Secretary

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary, Lawrence Summers, says the United States is “collapsing”.  Summers has written an opinion piece for Newsweek magazine.

He basically says none of the proposed job/stimulus plans offered by the President, or Congress, are enough to save the U.S. because they are short term: “For years we will have an economy with plenty of slack, low borrowing costs, and high unemployment. The specter of a double dip will hover over us if government does not do its part in pushing the economy forward—not just this year, but for years to come.”

Lawrence Henry Summers served as the 71st U.S. Treasury Secretary from 1999 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton.  He also directed the U.S. National Economic Council for President Barack Obama until November 2010.