Category Archives: U.S.

U.S.

Chronic Stress changes your DNA, causes Cancer

“This could give us a plausible explanation of how chronic stress may lead to a variety of human conditions and disorders, which range from merely cosmetic, like graying hair, to life-threatening disorders like malignancies.”-Robert J. Lefkowitz, researcher

Duke University Medical Center found that the ‘fight or flight chemical’ adrenaline, released in stressful situations, can damage chromosomes.

Stressful situations lower production of a protein called P53, which prevents genomic abnormalities and tumor formation.

 

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Gold nears $2,000 per ounce in overseas trading, U.S. dollar crashing, caused by fears the Federal Reserve will print billions more in worthless money

In Asian markets, gold went over $1,900 per ounce.  The U.S. dollar continues to fall against most Asian money.

Even in Burma the U.S. dollar hit a ten year low. Nobody wants the worthless money: “Despite the falling price, most of the customers are selling their dollars.”-a foreign exchange dealer in Tamwe Township in Rangoon.

The reason for the exploding gold prices, and crashing U.S. dollar, is because many international market players believe the Federal Reserve Bank will try to stimulate the U.S. economy, by making credit easy, and printing more worthless dollars.

Here’s a little lesson in the concept of value: The more there is of something, the less it’s worth.  So, if a country prints off money like there’s no tomorrow, and that money is already worthless, how do you think the world is going to react?

They’re going to react like they already are; buying gold and dumping U.S. dollars.

The Japanese central banks are trying to stop their yen from rising in value (which hurts their export economy), so they’ve been flooding their markets with cash.  But the U.S. dollar is so worthless that it continues to fall against the yen, which pushes up the value of the yen.

Even the Australian and New Zealand dollars are now worth more than the U.S. dollar.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Young adult workers leaving the United States for jobs in China

U.S. citizen Hunter Levan, 29, came to China in 2009.  Initially it was to learn Chinese:  “I realized if I ever wanted to learn Chinese, I would have to move here and ‘do as the Romans do’.”

But after learning the language, Levan realized it was a good place to find a job: “I sent out e-mails and resumes in Chinese, and got feedback in less than five days.” He now works as a consultant for Spring Airlines in Shanghai.

Alison Watts, 28, knew little about China: “But all my friends who have been here said it was incredibly fantastic, so I decided to take the big step forward.”

Watts’ experiences with journalism got her a job hosting an English-language TV show in Shanghai.  She says “…amazing opportunities keep popping up.”

Ted Hornbein, a U.S. businessman, has worked in China since the early 1990s. Now he’s a board member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.  He says a lot has changed since the 1990s:  “Today you have local and Western restaurants and your whole family here with you…I have seen a 180-degree shift from my first July 4 party in China.”

In January 2011, CNN asked the U.S. Department of State how many U.S. citizens were leaving for jobs in China.  The official response was that it was difficult to know because U.S. citizens are not required to tell the state department about living and working in China.

However, international employment agencies say they’ve seen a big jump in U.S. workers going to China for jobs, ever since 2007.

The Research Center for Chinese Politics and Business at Indiana University, says Shanghai and Beijing are the big hot spots for U.S. workers, but in the past couple of years other regions of China are opening up.

Seems like China is doing more to find jobs for U.S. citizens, than the U.S. government is doing here in the United States!

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Proof that most U.S. citizens will never be able to retire

According to AARP, for the Baby Boomers that are still in the workforce, 40% of them plan to work “until they drop.”

A recent survey of U.S. workers, that included all age groups, found that 54% plan to keep working when they hit retirement age, and 39% plan to either work past age 70, or never retire at all.

A CESI Debt Solutions survey found that 56% of U.S. retirees still had outstanding debts when they retired.

The University of Michigan found that people 55 years of age, or older, now account for 20% of all bankruptcies in the United States.  In 2001, they accounted for only 12% of all bankruptcies.

Between 1991 and 2007 the number of people between the ages of 65 and 74, that filed for bankruptcy rose by 178%!!!

The American Journal of Medicine reports that medical bills are a major factor in more than 60% of personal bankruptcies in the United States.  Approximately 75% percent of the people who file bankruptcy due to medical bills have health insurance!

More than 30% of all U.S. investors, currently in their sixties, have more than 80% of their 401k retirement plans invested in the volatile stock markets.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Social Security system paid out more in benefits than it received in payroll taxes in 2010. That was not supposed to happen until at least 2016.

The University of Chicago, and Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management,  calculated the combined pension liability for all 50 U.S. states. They found that  all 50 states are collectively facing $5.17 trillion in pension obligations, but they have only $1.94 trillion set aside in state pension funds. That means, collectively, the state governments are short $3.2 trillion.

The U.S. government now says Medicare will run out of money five years sooner than they were projecting just last year.


U.S.

U.S. Christian pastor accused of raping three women

A pastor in Dorchester County, South Carolina, has been charged with kidnapping and raping three women at gunpoint, two of them behind his Baptist church.  He’s also charged with kidnapping a fourth woman.

The judge considered him so dangerous that he denied bond.  The county sheriff said serial rape cases are rare in their county.  It’s alleged that the pastor would drive around late at night, picking up women, then raping them at gun point.

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Pentagon admits Direct involment with military action in Libya, despite Obama’s claims, big loss for U.S. taxpayers

President Obama has said over and over that the United States would play a supporting role for NATO, in the attacks on Libya.

Now the Pentagon admits they’ve been directly involved with attacking Libya.

U.S. forces have launched at least three air strikes per day, for the past 12 days.  These attacks are done by UAVs.  Even though the bombings are done with UAVs that does not negate the fact that it means direct U.S. military involvement.

The total cost of U.S. involvement in the attacks on Libya, have cost taxpayers $1 billion, so far.  And don’t think the U.S. military industrial complex is making enough money off this to make up for the $1 billion in spent tax revenues, so far only $220 million in weapons and ammo have been sold to NATO members.

U.S.

United Police States of America: Cop tasers waiter, for the fun of it, official police investigation calls tasers “toys”

A former police officer from Gwinnett County, Georgia, will serve a year of probation after pleading no contest to tasering a waiter for the fun of it.

The incident happened in February 2009, and it took this long for the case to go to court.

The waiter said the Georgia cop always intimidated and harassed  restaurant employees.  It took place in front of other police officers, who did nothing.

Then one night in February 2009, while the waiter was talking with the other cops, he was tasered from behind.  Not only that, but the Georgia cop that tasered him did so for a full minute.

The cop feels not regret.  The Gwinnett County News reported that the cop stated: “Who says I did it by accident?”

The restaraunt’s security camera recorded the whole thing, but it took attorney’s several months to get the video.

The official police investigation concluded that the rogue cop liked to use his taser “like a toy.”

Two years later the now former cop gets only probation for his fun.  Apparently the other cops who were present resigned from their jobs.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Economic War: Iran says OPEC will not let oil prices fall

Iranian oil official, Mohammad Ali Khatibi, has just stated that OPEC will not allow oil prices to fall much further.

Iran currently holds the presidency of OPEC.  Khatibi says Iran will call an emergency OPEC meeting if oil prices fall too much.

Iran blames the United States, and Europe, for creating highly unstable markets, that do not reflect the true value of resources.