Tag Archives: disaster

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

What Economic Recovery? New U.S. tariffs on Chinese solar panels could be the final nail in the coffin for Idaho’s Hoku Materials

Troubled Hoku Materials polysilicon factory in Pocatello, Idaho, could be finally done in by the latest U.S. tariffs against Chinese solar panel companies.

Hoku Materials is a division of Hoku Corporation, which in turn is a subsidiary of Tianwei New Energy Holdings, which is an affiliate of China South Industries Group Corporation (CSGC).  Hoku Corp turned to China for financial help a few years ago, which is how it became a a subsidiary of Tianwei New Energy Holdings.

The Chinese companies were hoping to get around any possible future U.S. tariffs by taking over Hoku, but it’s now clear that was a wasted investment for them.

On May 17, 2012, the U.S. Commerce Department announced new tariffs on Chinese solar product makers, claiming that China dumped (sold for far less than what it cost to make them) their products on the U.S. market.

The new action, approved by President Obama, imposes tariffs of 31% or more on solar products coming from China. So far, Hoku Materials’ contracts for polysilicon are with Chinese companies only.  Despite several official start-up announcements, their polysilicon factory in Idaho has yet to actually start up!

Prior to the new U.S. tariff announcement, stock in Hoku Corp was trading at less than 30 cents per share.

GOOD AND BAD NEWS FOR IDAHO’S HOKU MATERIALS

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

World War 3: Money for Taliban coming from United States? 158 U.S./NATO troops killed. More airstrikes. Turkey to train police.

May 18, 2012, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said two U.S./NATO personnel were killed during a Mujahideen attack, in eastern Afghanistan.  ISAF SOP means they don’t give anymore info.

At least 158 occupying personnel, including 110 U.S. troops, 20 British soldiers and 28 soldiers from other occupying member countries, have been killed since January 2012.

In Maidan Wardak Province a U.S./NATO airstrike was called in after Mujahideen were spotted laying mines.  The airstrike took place at about 02:00 hours. According to local officials, the airstrike killed at least five Mujahideen, plus three were killed later on.

The Ministry of Interior Affairs of Afghanistan announced that 500 police trainees will be sent to Turkey for training.   The announcement was made after another group of 500 cops returned from the six months course in Turkey. So why is the U.S. there, and why is the U.S. spending tax dollars paying for police training?

May 17, 2012, the United States Treasury Department imposed sanctions on two people in Afghanistan, for supporting the Taliban with money. The sanctions are meant to target financial sources within the United States!

However, the evidence Treasury officials used was old.  The most recent money transfer was made in 2002, when one of the men was paid $500,000 USD to buy a factory.  The money supposedly came from Osama bin Laden.

Treasury officials also said that during the late 1990s to 2001, when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, about $2.8 million USD was transferred out of European banks to the two men.  The two men acted as banks, in order for the Taliban government to avoid sanctions.

The sanctions against the two men are meant to block any transactions involving U.S. banks, or individuals living in the U.S.  In a round-a-bout way the U.S. Treasury has revealed that one major source of financing for the Taliban was the United States!

So far, no 24 hour, ISAF Joint Command Morning operational update for May 18, 2012.

 

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: Soldiers killed. U.S./NATO kills civilians. Governor attacked. More drug busts. British planting IEDs?

May 17, 2012, the governor’s office in Afghanistan’s Farah Province has been attacked by suicide bombers.  As many as 11 people killed.

Reports say that after the explosions there was a two hour firefight between Mujahideen and Afghan forces.  At least nine people were wounded.  The dead include Mujahideen, police and civilians. The governor somehow survived the attack.

An Afghan national army soldier was killed when Mujahideen attacked in Badakhshan Province.

Two Afghan national army soldiers were wounded in Kunar Province.  Another soldier wounded in Helmand Province.

A Scottish soldier, on trial in the United Kingdom for killing a fellow soldier in 2009, stated that he had never been trained for night fighting.  But get this, he swears that the people he was shooting at were digging by a road, as if they were planting mines in the middle of the night. In fact his fellow soldiers thought they were the enemy as well: “We were all in agreement that there were insurgents laying or arming an IED in the road.”-Lance Corporal Michael Pritchard

Turned out those suspected Mujahideen were really British troops!  What are British troops doing digging by the road at night?

U.S./NATO forces have killed civilians yet again.  Reports out of Afghanistan are confusing, but sometime in the past week an airstrike killed five civilians and wounded two others.  It included women and children.  The attack took place in Kunar Province, and ISAF originally reported four Mujahideen killed.

But from the beginning locals said most of those killed were women and children. The U.S./NATO attack took place just days after NATO apologized for killing civilians the week before.

According to the United Nations, the number of civilians killed in Afghanistan hit a record high of 3,021 in 2011.  So much for the U.S. occupation making Afghanistan more secure!

24 hour, ISAF Joint Command Morning operational update for May 17, 2012: More seek & capture missions for “leaders” and “facilitators”, in the provinces of Paktika, Paktia, Kunduz, Kandahar and Helmand.  They claim “several” Mujahideen captured.

In Paktia Province, Afghan and occupying forces came under heavy attack and called in airstrikes. International Security Assistance Force claims “multiple” Mujahideen killed/captured.

In Helmand Province ISAF reports yet more drugs busted; 1,130 kilograms (2,480 pounds) of opium.  Unlike previous drug busts where everything is supposedly destroyed, U.S./NATO troops decided that “A portion of the cache was confiscated for analysis…”

To show that ISAF’s 24 hour report is not up to date, they reported the end of a 10 day search & capture offensive in Farah Province.  The operation ended on May 13, and resulted in Mujahideen captured, along with weapons and drugs. (this is the same province that just had the governor’s compound attacked)

 

 

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

What Economic Recovery? It’s official, Toshiba & Hitachi end TV production in Japan. Blame Korea, U.S. & digital broadcasting!

May 17, 2012, Toshiba announced no more TV set production in Japan, no thanks to competition from South Korea, and crashing sales in the United States!

Toshiba reported a $620 million USD loss for the past Japanese fiscal year!

The company also revealed that TV sales in Japan have crashed ever since television broadcasters switched to digital broadcasting last year.

Toshiba will continue TV production in factories outside of Japan.  Hitachi also announced they will end TV production in Japan, in September.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

World War 3: Japan sues U.S. over Iran sanctions! U.S./U.K. media lie about Japanese bank freezing Iranian accounts!

May 17,2012, according to Japan’s NHK the Japanese bank, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, is suing the United States over a court order to freeze Iranian accounts.

Western media has been reporting that the Japanese bank has frozen the accounts, but that’s not what Japanese media says.  Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ filled the suit on May 16, but refuses to make any public comments.

The U.S. court order is not about current sanctions against Iran, but is an old civil suit claiming that Iran was responsible for the 1983 bombing of the USMC barracks in Beirut, after the U.S. invaded Lebanon.

The families of the killed Marines have been led to believe Iran should pay, yet there is no concrete evidence that Iran was behind it.  Lebanese who claim to be connected to the bombing say they were simply defending their country against the U.S. invaders.

Yasuhiro Sato, chairman of the Japanese Bankers Association, says any sanctions imposed on Japanese banks doing business with Iran, will cripple Japan’s struggling economy. So who are the sanctions really against?

 

International, U.S.

World War 3: Australia to give Afghanistan $100 million per year! U.S. to pay Pakistan $365 million per year! Germany to pay $190 million per year! Tribal leaders assassinated. U.S./NATO/Afghan forces on offensive. More big drug busts.

May 16, 2012, in Afghanistan’s Herat Province three village elders were assassinated.  They were shot while attending morning prayers in a Mosque.  A fourth elder was wounded.

In Uruzgan Province a tribal elder, and his son, were assassinated by gunman on a motorcycle.

To show you how important the U.S./NATO supply route through Pakistan is, Pakistani officials revealed that the United States has agreed to give Pakistan an additional $365 million USD per year to re-open supply routes!  Those supply routes have been shut down for the past six months.

It works out to about $1,500 USD per supply truck, per day.  In return, not only will Pakistan re-open the supply routes, but their military will provide the convoys with security (which they have not done before).

According to Pentagon sources, as much as 30% of U.S./NATO supplies for Afghanistan operations pass through Pakistan.

Australia’s Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, announced that beginning in 2015 Australia will give Afghanistan $100 million (Aussie and British media reports did not specify if it was in AUD or USD) per year, for three years: “To consolidate and build on the security gains of the transition strategy, the Afghan National Security Forces will need ongoing funding and training and mentoring support…” 

On top of that she also said that the Australian government will consider keeping special operations forces in Afghanistan, after most of their Diggers leave at the end of 2014.

Germany has also announced they will be bribing, I mean paying, the Afghan government $190 million USD per year, after German troops leave in 2014.  The deal was just signed by Hamid Karzai and Angela Merkel.  The German Chancellor said the West is planning on staying a long time: “This shows we are committed to Afghanistan in the long term.”

These pledges of hundreds of millions of USDs is on top of what our Western governments are already giving the U.S. puppet governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan!

With the economies of the Western countries collapsing, it makes you wonder where they’re gonna get all this money they’re pledging for Afghanistan?

Afghan government officials claiming major offensive against Mujahideen.  In Helmand Province on May 15, they captured nine tons of explosives.  Officials claim three people were spotted laying mines, and a U.S./NATO airstrike was called in, killing them.

On May 16, in Paktika Province, a U.S./NATO airstrike was called in when Afghan and NATO forces came under heavy fire.  Afghan officials revealed that a major offensive was launched on May 14, and will continue until all Mujahideen are cleared from the province.  They say at least nine Mujahideen were killed by the airstrike.

Afghan Interior Ministry officials also claim that in the past 24 hours of their offensive in Paktika, as well as Badakhshan Province, they’ve killed at least 14 Mujahideen.

In Kandahar Province, Afghan army claims they killed a potential suicide bomber before he could carry out his mission.

24 hour, ISAF Joint Command Morning operational update for May 16, 2012: ISAF reports more attempts/successes to capture “leaders” in Helmand and Kunduz provinces.

ISAF also reports that occupation troops came under attack when they launched a drug bust operation in Helmand Province.  Mujahideen were killed.

The drug bust yielded more than 5,000 kilograms (11,000 pounds) of morphine waste, 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of ammonium chloride, 400 kilograms of morphine base and 4,000 liters (1,057 gallons) of liquid morphine.

ISAF claims that all items captured in drug busts are destroyed.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? European economies crashing and burning! Greece -6.2% GDP! IMF wants Mo Money! China in trouble!

May 15, 2012, the Group of 20 industrialized countries (not for long maybe?) will be meeting in Mexico, in June.  Already Mexico and Japan are calling for G-20 members (mainly those of the BRICS: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to give the U.S. based International Monetary Fund another $430 billion USD!!!

This is because the European economies are crashing and burning. Italy reported a minus 0.8% GDP for the January to March quarter. That’s three quarters in a row of declines! Spain reported a minus 0.3% GDP, for the second quarter in a row. But Greece reported a huge minus 6.2% GDP!!!

The only “good” news came out of Germany, which reported a stagnant 0.5% GDP. And Germany is supposed to be the economic powerhouse of Europe!  Of course main stream western media reporting it as a “bounce back” in the economy, idiots!

Overall, the entire 17 member European Union reported a stagnant 0% GDP for January to March 2012!

To make matters worse, China is reporting that European investment into China has declined for six months in a row!  Chinese officials admitted that their country’s explosive economic growth can only be driven by foreign investment (like unAmerican Corporate America shipping U.S. jobs to China).

From January to April 2012, European investment into China dropped 28%.

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

World War 3: Oil in Afghanistan! U.S. will stay until 2024. More school kids poisoned. New military pact with Germany. General Allen leaving.

“Pakistan and other regional countries should carefully study the strategic pact and make sure that United States will have a long term commitment to Afghanistan, and Washington will continue its cooperation with the Afghan government until 2024.”

May 15, 2012, U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan Crocker, made that statement in Nangarhar Province.  It subtly threatens Pakistan, and shows that the U.S. is planning on being in Afghanistan for a long time.

Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai is in Germany, to sign a new military pact with the European country.  The signing is expected to take place on May 16, then Karzai will fly to the U.S. to take part in the NATO summit there.

In Khost Province, dozens of students have been poisoned at Warzai high school.  At least 52 students are in local hospital in serious condition.

U.S. Marine Corps General John Allen, the top commander in Afghanistan, will leave to take command of U.S. forces in Europe, next year.  Unnamed Obama administration sources said they wanted to transfer Allen by this coming winter, but advizors considered it premature.

No replacement, for General Allen’s position in Afghanistan, has been picked.

24 hour, ISAF Joint Command Morning operational update for May 15, 2012: More search and capture missions for “leaders” and “facilitators”.

ISAF reports several “suspects” were captured.

Afghan officials report three Afghan troops were killed when they ran over a mine.  Another soldier was wounded in a separate incident.

Operations were conducted in Paktika, Herat, Logar, Helmand, Uruzgan, Nangarhar and Khost provinces.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines announced they will begin pumping oil from the northern Amu River, within five months.  The expect to pump 5,000 barrels per day (bpd) at first, and then max it out at 45,000 bpd!

“Four rivers gush forth from Paradise: the Euphrates, the Nile, the Sayhan, and the Jayhan [aka Vaksu, Gozan, Oxus, Amu Darya, Amu River].”
(Musnad, II, 260-261)

International, U.S.

World War 3: U.S. and Pakistani forces attack each other. NATO ambushed. Unending supply of Taliban?

May 14, 2012, officials in Laghman Province say five Afghan soldiers were killed, and two wounded, after their vehicle ran over a mine.

Pakistani border officials say U.S. forces fired artillery rounds into Pakistan from Afghanistan, the night of May 13.  They say U.S. troops fired at least eight mortar rounds from Afghanistan’s Khost Province into Pakistan’s North Waziristan.

Pakistani military officials say they responded in kind.

In Gahzni Province at least seven people were killed when a U.S./NATO supply convoy was ambushed.  Mujahideen attacked the private security contractors guarding the convoy.  Four security contractors and three civilians were killed.

In Faryab Province, an explosion in a market place killed seven people and wounded eight.

Australia’s Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, re-stated that Aussie Diggers will be leaving Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

According to the Welsh news media, NATO is now considering making the “Taliban” part of the new Afghanistan: “If they’re able to maintain peace in their own country when we leave that for us is winning. That does not mean defeating the Taliban because at the end of the day those people who perhaps support the Taliban inevitably will be part of the political solution that is a peaceful Afghanistan.”-Brigadier Philip Napier, British Army in Wales

The mother of a Welsh soldier killed in Afghanistan says it’s time to face reality: “You’re never going to defeat the Taliban because they can keep replacing everybody that they ever lose….”-Hazel Hunt, son killed in 2009

24 hour, ISAF Joint Command Morning operational update for May 14, 2012: More search and capture missions for “leaders” and “facilitators”, in Kandahar, Paktika, Logar and Nangahar provinces.

In Paktika Province Afghan and occupying forces met resistance and called in an airstrike.

In a separate report Afghan officials claim the day’s operations resulted in 18 Mujahideen killed, four wounded and 11 captured.

 

 

 

Fukushima

One Year Later: Radioactive Rats in Japan, contaminated air!

14 May 2012, Japan’s Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute analyzed rat samples.  Their conclusion is that the rats are contaminated with cesium.

3,100 becquerels of cesium per kilogram was detected in rats near Kawauchi village, 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the GE designed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. About 790 becquerels per kilo was found in rats from Kita-Ibaraki city, 70 kilometers (43.4 miles) away.

The Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute also discovered that the air is contaminated.

Airborne radiation levels were 3.11 microsieverts per hour in Kawauchi and 0.2 microsieverts in Kita-Ibaraki.

Officials say the contamination in the rats is proportional to the contamination in the air!

ONE YEAR LATER: RADIATION CONTAMINATED FISH FOUND IN JAPANESE RIVERS!