Tag Archives: apple

Idaho, Technology

Idaho hospital bans smartphones, as lithium batteries set fire to Boise State University!

13 December 2016 (11:33 UTC-07 Tango 06) 23 Azar 1395/13 Rabi ‘al-Awwal 1438/15 Geng Zi 4714

Saint Luke’s Health System (supposedly now the largest employer in The Gem State) has banned the spontaneously combustable Samsung Galaxy 7 ‘smart’ phone at all its locations.

The ban applies to employees as well as patients and comes after a charging lithium battery is suspected of setting fire to an office building on Boise State University campus, on 03 December 2016.  Smartphones use lithium batteries, and it’s not just Samsung phones that are spontaneously lighting up.

Recently news media in China reported that at least eight Apple iPhone 6s exploded.  Of course Apple denies there’s a problem (even though there are increasing reports from around the world of iPhones exploding), just like Samsung first ignored reports about their phones exploding.

Then there’s reports of ‘smart’ phone chargers themselves causing explosions in Australia.  Fire investigators in New South Wales concluded the fire was caused when the charger overheated the battery causing it to explode.  By the way, it was an Apple iPhone 6.

But it’s not just those dumb smartphones, even GPS systems have exploded.  In one case it was claimed that by leaving a GPS on your vehicle’s dashboard, exposed to the Sun, can cause the litium-ion batteries to explode.

You can’t use that excuse on all those exploding phones that were tucked away in people’s pants pockets.

A Tesla in Germany that spontaneously combusted

Let’s not forget that lithuim using Tesla cars have been exploding in Germany, United States and Mexico.  And as Recently as August Tesla cars began exploding in France!

Technology, U.S.

San Bernardino shooter’s cell password changed, after they’re killed! Proof shooting was a False Flag!

20 February 2016 (04:46 UTC-07 Tango 01)/01 Esfand 1394/11 Jumada al-Ula 1437/13 Geng Yin 4714

“…in an attempt to gain access to some information in the hours after the attack, was able to reset the password remotely, but that had the effect of eliminating the possibility of an auto-backup.”-admission by the U.S. Department of Justice

The U.S. FBI has been trying to get Apple technicians to hack into a cell phone supposedly belonging to one of the alleged San Bernardino, California, shooters.  Apple is resisting that ‘request’, now the FBI demands the federal court order Apple to assist in hacking the phone.

Court documents revealed Apple data records on the specific cell phone show its iCloud password was changed, within 24 hours after the owner was shot and killed by police!  The U.S. Department of Justice admitted in court that the password change was done by a San Bernardino County employee, supposedly in an attempt to protect the data.  Apple techs say the password change effectively makes it impossible to retrieve any data from the phone.  

Apple reps say what happened was that the iCloud password was reset in a Wi-Fi network that was not recognized as the owner’s network, thus automatically implementing an auto-reset security program which basically results in the phone’s history data being lost.

Is this a case of gross incompetence by government goons, or a deliberate coverup?

More proof San Bernardino shooting False Flag by your government! Yemen shoots down Arizona National Guard F-16?

News media continually described black GMC, innocents in black Ford sacrificed! Witnesses swear shooters were 3 men, not 1 man and 1 woman!

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

Global Food Crisis & What Economic Recovery? Crops being destroyed by weather, disease and plagues of Red Squirrels! Crop prices going up, good for Idaho farmers with crops to sell, bad for you at the grocery store check out! Is it all smoke & mirrors bull shit?

17 October 2012,  despite reports indicating crop destruction worldwide, and within the U.S., the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports (in their newly released October 2012 report) that overall crop production in the United States is way up (if you throw out corn & soybeans).

A major indicator of crop destruction is the announcement by Farm Credit Service of America (FCSA) that insurance payouts, to U.S. farmers who’ve lost crops, will be at least $25 billion USD, but could hit $40 billion for 2012.

FCSA blames the insurance claims for most of the U.S. crop losses on drought.  Even the USDA reported that the entire state of South Dakota is suffering severe to exceptional drought.  South Dakota farmers, alone, have filed more $149 million in insurance claims.

Some states are now experiencing corn crop destruction because of early freezing temps.  So, in states like Arkansas and Kentucky, not only have drought and cold weather hurt corn production, but the October/Halloween corn mazes aren’t happening because the stalks are too short. The result is that revenue from agritourism is going down (the USDA does agritourism surveys every five years, the last one in 2007).

It’s so bad that corn crops from the Midwestern states are considered destroyed (U.S. corn production is at its lowest point since 1995).  The result is corn prices are soaring.  By 15 October, corn commodity prices increased 5% at the Chicago board of trade.

Last year U.S. corn prices averaged $6.22 per bushel, this year the average is now $7.80!  Some analysts say it’ll hit $8.25 before the end of the year.

The U.S. corn crop destruction is part of a worldwide decline in corn crops. Currently international corn stockpiles are 14 million metric tons below what was expected!  (keep that in mind; “what was expected”, research UN data and you’ll learn that there’s still a lot of corn out there)

Apples are down as well. My own apple tree (here in Idaho), as well as my neighbors’ apple trees, have produce only a fraction of what they normally put out.  In the state of Michigan apple farmers are reporting the same thing, saying their trees produced only 10% of normal output!  An apple farmer in Michigan reports his agritourism revenues way down at his U-Pick apple farm.

In Indiana, apple farmers report getting only 25% of their normal apple harvest.  The Washington Growers Clearing House reports that apple commodity prices are 13% higher than last year.  But that’s good news for Washington state apple farmers; they’re reporting a record harvest.

Even with their record harvest, apple growers in Washington can not make up for crop loses in the rest of the U.S.  As a result, with the high commodity prices for apples, Washington apple farmers could see a record $7 billion in revenue for 2012!  By the way, if your willing to pick apples reports say Washington apple farmers are unable to fill 700 apple picking jobs.

Why the decrease in apples in the rest of the country?  Some states are blaming earlier than normal freezing temps, but several states are reporting a plague of red squirrels.  In Vermont some apple farmers report the squirrels ate half their crop.  In South Carolina, squirrels are blamed for killing more than 100 apple trees.

While biologists suggest that warmer than normal temps caused an increase in squirrel populations (causing an increase in food sources), they admit no one could have predicted this year’s huge numbers of squirrels.  The squirrels are now devouring apples because their normal food source, acorns and beechnuts, are way down this year.

Around the world, in Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Korea (north), India, Pakistan, and in African countries, crops have been destroyed by drought, or other extreme weather events like flooding.

In Japan, domestic agriculture has not only been affected by weather but by the ongoing nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi.

In Afghanistan, farmers report hundreds of acres of crops destroyed by disease.

In Zimbabwe, farmers who couldn’t pay their electric bills had the power cut off to their irrigation pumps.  A farmer said the power was cut without warning, even thought they tried to make payment arraignments with the utility company: “We admit we owe ZESA a debt of $3,000 but they should not have disconnected us without discussing our payment arrangements which we had submitted. The farmers were willing to settle their debts after harvesting their crop during the first week of November.”-Newton Gwetu

In India it’s not just weather, but animals.  Farmers are reporting that their crops are being destroyed by rampaging wild boars and elephants. Elephant rampages have been reported since August.

It’s not just elephants in India, but elephants in African countries are also rampaging.  In Tanzania, officials report elephants have destroyed villages and crops: “Up to now people are helpless and TANAPA [Tanzania National Park] rangers are just watching the destruction without taking any action.”-Jumanne Kwiro, Serengeti District Council

In Australia, the climate change is being blamed for driving feral pigs to eating farmers’ crops: “We’re seeing enterprises being destroyed, also pressure in grazing lands that we haven’t seen before. Going into drier seasons we’re really looking at grazing problems as well as destruction of crops.”-Rachel Pratt, Queensland’s AgForce

Australian ag officials are also concerned the exploding feral pig population will affect cattle: “Pigs carry diseases like bruscellosis, leptospirosis and paracites and also they can also carry potentially exotic diseases like foot and mouth.”-Ben Gardiner, Australian Veterinary Association

The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) recently reported that corn and wheat crops in Central America are expected to continue their downward trend, averaging a loss of $120 million per year by 2020: “Even with our most conservative estimates, it’s clear that climate change could transform the agricultural landscape across Central America.”-Anton Eitzinger, CIAT

One activist said farmers need to be more adaptable to radical changes in climate: “Extension services across the region need to be reinvigorated to train small farmers in soil and water management. And governments need to lead, they have the ability to make a real difference through setting climate-smart agricultural policies.”-Paul Hicks, Catholic Relief Services

War can be blamed for crop destruction as well. Not just the obvious destruction by bombing and gunfire, but illegal Israeli settlers, in Palestinian territory, have been actively destroying Palestinian olive trees.  More than 500 Palestinian olive trees destroyed by illegal Israeli settlers, so far in 2012!

But what about crops that we don’t eat?  The clothes on your back could be threatened as well.  Cotton crops in Pakistan and India have been destroyed by recent floods.  However, Indian officials have stated that many cotton farms that survived the floods will actually produce bumper yields.  (also, cotton production in the U.S. is up, according to the October 2012 USDA report)

Again, those areas that are not suffering from crop destruction tend to be enjoying bumper crop yields, which means those farmers will also enjoy the higher revenue due to the higher commodity prices, created by speculators supposedly fearful of crop destruction.

While researching Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) I noticed that their most recent graph of global food production shows a steady increase, year after year.  Yet back in August, the UN actually asked the United States to stop bio-fuel production so those crops could be used for food!

The problem isn’t a lack of crops, the problem is the increasing cost to people who need to eat those crops.

There are several examples from the 1990s, such as U.S. rice rotting on Haitian docks because Haitians couldn’t afford to buy it, and African tomato farmers who left their crops to rot in the field because forced competition from Italian companies drove down tomato prices so low it wasn’t worth harvesting the fruits.

Is that what’s happening now, but on a global scale?  Is this what our leaders  mean by leveling the playing field of globalization?

I live in a state that is experiencing bumper crops: Idaho.

Idaho’s dry bean production is up 61% from 2011 (in fact bean production for the entire U.S. is expected to be 56% more than last year).  Despite bean production being so high, speculators are also keeping prices for beans high. Commodity prices for beans are currently about 40 cents per pound, some bean prices are down from last year but they’re still near record highs: “That’s still the best price I’ve ever got myself! I’m not going to complain.”-Dana Rasmussen, Idaho bean farmer

The USDA says Idaho’s canola production has doubled from last year (canola production is also up in Washington & Oregon).  Ag officials attribute this directly to higher commodity prices driven by speculators: “The number one  reason for this increase is there have been excellent and very competitive prices available for farmers.”-Jack Brown, University of Idaho

Idaho’s alfalfa production was down 7%, but that reflects those hay farmers who do not have irrigated fields.  Idaho hay farmers with irrigation actually saw bumper alfalfa yields: “I would say our yields were up a half to a ton per acre. It was a warm summer, and alfalfa loves heat and water.”– Will Ricks, Idaho Hay and Forage Association

Even though Idaho hay farmers with irrigation had bumper crops, the demand for those crops far exceeded supply: “Hay producers were getting calls from dairies in the Midwest. They were willing to pay $300 per ton plus shipping, but nobody had any hay to sell.”-Glenn Shewmaker, University of Idaho

Ag Officials from other states are lamenting just how much Idaho’s ag industry has grown: “Idaho has increased in just two years the equivalent of the entire state of Maine’s production. The July 2012 U.S. Department of Agriculture’s crop production report showed Oregon at 41,000 acres, Colorado at 55,000, Michigan at 46,000, Minnesota at 51,000, Maine at 59,000, New York at 17,000 and Wisconsin at 63,000 acres.”-Bob Davis, Maine Farmers Exchange

What is Bob Davis talking about?  Idaho’s farming acreage has grown, in just two years, to 345,000.   That’s 13,000 more than Oregon, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Maine, New York and Wisconsin combined!!!

You might say Idaho’s ag industry is good for the economy, providing jobs for Idahoans.  But that ain’t so.  Most ag workers are migrants, and even though there’s a shortage of migrant workers many Idaho farmers complain that Idahoans aren’t willing to work for the peanuts they pay.

Idaho law states that farm workers must be paid minimum wage (currently $7.25 per hour in Idaho), however, if a farm laborer is “contracted” that’s a different story: “When I first talked to the farmer about work, he told me that he would pay me $14 per acre. I worked nine hours every day for over a week, but the work was so hard I was only able to do three acres a day. On payday, my boss made up all kinds of excuses and ended up paying me just $11 per acre, which comes out to about $3.60 an hour…. I didn’t know what to do. I have two children to feed.”–Gloria Paniagua, Cassia County, Idaho

Being a contracted farm worker is similar to being on salary, a really bad salary.

According to a report by Idaho Community Action Network, and the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations, the average wage earned by farm workers in Idaho is $5.97 per hour, working ten hours per day, six days per week.

So what’s the point of all this?  There is no food shortage!  Reports show that while there are massive crop losses, those farms still producing are producing record yields!  UN agencies (FAO) report record global ag production almost year after year!  Crony capitalist speculators (who’re probably working for the corporate farms) are driving up food prices, even when there is no shortage of the resources!  Farmers with crops to sell are making big money because of the increased commodity prices and because of the dirt wages they pay their workers!  Don’t forget to add in escalating transportation costs! The net result is everyone is going to pay unjustifiably more for their food at the grocery store or restaurant!

Did you get a pay raise?

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

Economic Recovery? Japan’s Elpida gets owned by Idaho’s Micron! Take over of Taiwan’s Rexchip in the works. Expect higher prices for your gadgets!

“Under the proposed arrangement with Powerchip, if Micron entered into an agreement to acquire Elpida, Micron would have the right to purchase the Rexchip shares held by Powerchip.”-Dan Francisco, Micron Technology

03 July 2012, failed Japanese microchip maker, Elpida Memory, has agreed to become a subsidiary of Idaho’s Micron Technology.  Of course, the U.S. main stream media says it’ll be good for the U.S. economy.

Elpida was a major supplier to Apple.

The major move makes Idaho’s Micron one of three chip makers who’ll dominate 90% of the World’s memory chip market!  The other two are Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

In recent years the memory chip market got flooded with so many chips that the bottom fell out, and even Micron was adversely affected (once the biggest employer in the Boise, Idaho, not anymore).

The result was a dog eat dog situation between international chip makers.  In 2007, Pocatello, Idaho’s AMI Semiconductor (not necessarily memory chips, but the same thing happened with this industry) was taken over by Arizona based ON Semiconductor.  Following that ON went on to take over dozens of other companies right on up to February 2011.

“The DRAM industry is heading towards an oligopolistic market. The emergence of three major DRAM players will help DRAM chip prices gradually stabilize, bidding farewell to the price-slashing competition of the past.”-Trendforce, Taiwanese technology research company

So when market prices drop too low, when there are just too many chip makers out there, the only recourse is for companies to merge or be taken over. The result will reduce the amount of competition, and soon memory chip prices will rise making our high tech gadgets more expensive (of course people will lose their jobs as well).

Micron is also in the final stages of taking over Taiwan based Rexchip Electronics. The approval of the sale is conditional upon Micron’s take over of Elpida.  A company called Powerchip is selling its controling shares of Rexchip to Micron.  Already the price of Rexchip stocks has jumped 58% since 29 June!

“The deal will reduce price volatility as Micron will have tighter control over capacity expansion and investment plans as it needs to integrate Elpida and Rexchip.”-Song Myung-sub, HI Investment & Securities

The amazing thing about Micron’s take overs is that Micron has lost billions of dollars in the past couple of years. So where’d they get the money to initiate these take over moves?

 

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

Corporate Evil: Apple admits to slave labor conditions in their Chinese factories!

After several suicides in 2010, at Foxconn factories that made iPads and iPhones, Apple hired the Fair Labor Association (FLA) to investigate.

FLA discovered at least 50 cases where workers were not paid!  They also discovered many cases of employees being forced to work excessive overtime hours, in violation of Chinese labor laws!

Foxconn is an affiliate of Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry and is Apple’s largest partner.  With a name like Foxconn, you should be suspicious (as in sly/tricky like a Fox, and con artist).

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

Black Horse & Apple computers: Apple rakes in huge profits, thanks to slave wage labor! Apple’s China factory installs anti-jumping nets to keep workers from leaping to their deaths. Idaho, Ohio, Michigan & Pennsylvania Republicans hoping China will build similar slave cities in the U.S.

…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!”

January 26, 2012

Apple reported their 2011 fourth quarter profits at a record $13.06 billion!  That would be fine if it wasn’t for the fact that Chinese workers are being pushed so hard to make Apple products that they’re literally going over the edge to their deaths!

I love my Apple computer (it’s lasted longer than any other computer I’ve had, and with far less glitches), but, one of the factors in me buying an Apple was that I thought they were made in the U.S.  Apparently after (evil) Bill Gates became a major investor in Apple, production was shipped overseas.

Around the time Apple was reporting their record profits, Chinese media was reporting on a factory that made Apple products.  Turns out the workers there threatened suicide because of slave labor conditions.

It’s so bad that a Catholic Online article says Chinese factories are spending money to put up nets around their buildings, to keep workers from jumping to their deaths.

You see, working in Chinese factories is not like working in a U.S. factory (not yet anyway): “Chinese factories are self-contained cities with workers living side-by-side in dorms. Workers spend an average of 10-12 hours per day working, six days a week.” Also: “…life in a Chinese factory is unpleasant, boring, repetitive, and workers have little to no privacy, and few rights-if any. The food is nothing to write home about either. Employers can set workers to task at any hour, force them into overtime, and arbitrarily fire them if desired. It’s as near to slavery as one can get without the chains.” -Catholic Online

When I realize how much I paid for my Mac (more than double what I was paying for cheapo IBM types) it sickens me to know that it could have been made by wage slaves!  I thought one of the reasons for the higher price was that I was supporting U.S. jobs!

This month Apple’s contracted factory in China, run by a company called Foxconn, reported that workers threatened to commit mass suicide.  To give you an example of the crowded working conditions, Foxconn admits they have at least 32,000 workers living on their factory ‘campus’!  That’s not a factory, it’s a self contained slave city!!!

But guess what? The state government of Idaho has been toying with Chinese contractors to build such a slave city right here in Idaho, U.S.A.  They call it an “industrial complex”.

In 2010, the Idaho Statesman reported that state officials were working on a project that would allow the China National Machinery Industry Corporation (aka SINOMACH) to build huge a slave labor camp south of Boise.  It could cover up to 30,000 acres, and is “…based on a concept popular in China today…”.

That camp would include retail shops and homes for workers, and some reports say the ’employees’ will come from China.

SINOMACH also got involved with a fertilizer project near American Falls, but since then all has gone quite on that project.

Lobbyists working for the Chinese say Idaho Republican leaders are great to work with: “One thing these Chinese see is we have a governor here who has a great big open door policy, and I think that’s making a difference in this SINOMACH project.”-Pat Sullivan, lobbyist

The Idaho Republican’s open door policy for China is part of their Project 60 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) plan.

Idaho Republican leaders love China: “Idaho’s the last state that should say we don’t want to do business with Asia. Asia’s where the money is.”-Brad Little, Idaho Lieutenant Governor

I’ve also reported on how most of Idaho’s Republican politicians are in the pockets of for profit prison labor operations.

SINOMACH is also dealing with officials in Ohio, Michigan (is there a connection to the union busting going on in that state?) and Pennsylvania.

Also this month, SINOMACH announced they will increase their efforts to set up operations in other countries: “We encourage our subsidiaries, including scientific institutions and design, construction and industrial equipment manufacturing companies, to go overseas and explore and develop new services and markets.”: Ren Hongbin, chairman of SINOMACH

SINOMACH (short for Sino Machinery) reported a revenue increase of 17% in 2011, for a total of $30 billion.  I wounder how much was from cutting costs with slave labor?

 

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

Global Economic War: Apple now takes the Chinese Yuan, over the U.S. Dollar. Chinese buyers dominate the internet!

“The service has been there since last Friday. It’s really good news for our customers and local application developers.”-Apple China statement

California based Apple Incorporated decided to accept the Chinese yuan (aka Renminbi, or RMB) in an unannounced move last week. One reason is that China is now the world’s biggest internet market!!!

The App Store will now accept yuan credit and debit cards issued by more than 20 Chinese banks.  Another reason for the move is that many Chinese customers using credit and debit cards issued from outside China, were getting their info ripped off.

Apple’s fiscal 4th quarter revenues from China hit $4.5 billion. Their U.S. operations had more revenue, but revenue from China is growing so fast it will soon pass up the revenues made in the U.S.

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

Thank you Steve Jobs! Occupy America, follow his example, live life your way!

Steve Jobs was a revolutionary.  We wouldn’t have half the personal computer related products without him.  I love my Mac, after decades of using crappy IBM based PCs I finally splurged and got me a Mac a few years ago.  I’ve never had one problem that I’ve had with the IBM type PCs.  I’ve had my Mac longer than any PC I’ve had in the past, which justifies what I paid for it.

Jobs was also proof you don’t need a college degree to succeed!  “You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

Jobs’ secret to success? Do what you want, not what society tells you to do: “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.  And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.  If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.  Don’t settle.  As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.  And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.”

And that’s exactly what the U.S. Declaration of Independence says you should do: “…that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

You read that? It says the people of the United States are supposed to base their lives on the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness, not following the orders of a society brainwashed by Corporate America, or the military industrial complex, or organized religion, or the Israeli lobby!  It’s one of the reasons why the creation of the United States was so revolutionary (like Steve Jobs)!

I hope Apple doesn’t go astray.  Steve Jobs died October 5, 2011.

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

Global Economic War: Apple and Samsung fighting in Europe

“Samsung welcomes the Düsseldorf District Court’s decision to suspend the pan-European preliminary injunction against the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.”– Rachel Jones, Samsung

Early in August Apple filed a complaint with the EU, over the Samsung Galaxy Tab.  Apple claims the Samsung tablet is too similar to the iPad 2.  At first the EU court agreed, but has now allowed the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab in most EU member countries.

One legal analysts, Frank Mueller, says Apple still has a chance to beat Samsung, because the EU laws are too ambiguous, and open to much interpretation.  However, if Apple pursued the case it would “…reinforce a lot of people’s impression that Apple’s enforcement of design-related rights is… overreaching in some areas.”

 

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

Steve Jobs resigns, Apple Board rushing to bring in replacment

“I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.”-Steve Jobs

Co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, has been fighting cancer, and now he has resigned.  No confirmation if it’s due to his health.

Tim Cook has already been picked to replace Jobs, and the board of Apple is rushing to get Cook into the CEO position.