May 11, 2012, Panasonic reporting a record loss for the year ending in March.
Panasonic ended the Japanese year with a net balance of minus $9.8 billion USD, it’s the fourth straight year of loses for the electronics company!
Panasonic officials blame it on a huge drop in TV set sales. In April, Sony and Sharp gave the same reason for their losses as well, and blamed it on the lack of recovery in the United States.
May 10, 2012, Logar Province, at least three U.S./NATO personnel wounded in rocket attack. Also, another U.S./NATO recon drone has crashed in Logar Province.
A large co-ordinated suicide bomber attack has left at least six bombers and two Afghan police officers dead.
The attack took place against a government compound in Yahia Khel district, Paktika Province. Afghan officials did not say that any of the bombers succeeded in exploding themselves, but that the deaths were the results of firefights between the Mujahideen and police.
24 hour, Joint Command Morning operational update for May 10, 2012: 17 tons of explosives found in Kandahar Province.
“Facilitator” captured in Kandahar Province.
In Uruzgan Province Mujahideen tried to ambush a Afghan/occupying force patrol. ISAF says one Mujahideen was killed.
Operations to capture “leaders” took place in Paktika and Ghazni provinces.
May 9, 2012, General Zahir Azimi said the Afghan army is ready to begin phase 3 of security operations: “Several regions including cities and 230 districts across the country are going to be handed over to Afghan security forces. Afghan national army soldiers have the capabilities to take security lead in cooperation with the other security institutions.”
Phase 3 should take place in the next two weeks. However, war criminal, and Afghan politician, General Abdul Rashid Dostum, is begging U.S./NATO forces to stay: “President Barack Obama should know that the Taliban group will resume civil war if U.S. and NATO decides for a rapid pullout of their troops from Afghanistan, and there will be no achievements despite efforts international community who have spent billions of dollars and have lost several soldiers.”
Dostum was involved in the murder of hundreds of “Taliban” prisoners in 2001 (known as the Dasht-i-Leili massacre).
May 9, 2012, the United Nations began delivering the first of 60 vehicles to the Afghan government: “I am very happy to announce that as part of our forthcoming donation of around 60 vehicles, we are starting the first round with our crucial partners of the Ministry of Labor and Ministry of Justice.”-Ján Kubiš, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education reports that 550 schools in 11 provinces, mainly for girls, have been closed because of the ongoing war!
The parents of the only known U.S. prisoner of the “Taliban” are demanding that President Obama include their son, Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, in an upcoming prisoner swap deal.
Bergdahl is from Hailey, Idaho. According to the Idaho Mountain Express, his parents have become frustrated and are pushing for a swap deal for their son and Afghan prisoners in Guantánamo Bay.
“I’m pushing it hard. We started out by trying to encourage the Taliban to take care of our son…. Now, we’re worried that the government isn’t concerned enough to put him on the (negotiating) table.”-Bob Bergdahl
Make more than $150,000 USD per year and want to send your brat to a expensive private grade school? Just join the growing ranks of six figure earners who are actually applying for financial aid!
According to the National Association of Independent Schools, at least 20% of six figure earners apply for financial help to get their kids into a private grade school.
According to PrivateSchools.com, at least one fifth of private school students get “need based” financial aid. Most of the schools provide the financial aid themselves, and there are also scholarships.
This is a pretty sad state of economic affairs when six figure earners can get private financial aid!
According to Chantal Stevens, national director of programs at A Better Chance, six figure earners are actually taking bigger hits to their incomes than lower income earners. The non-profit group sees more and more minority upper middle class applicants every year: “Every year we see families with more means outpacing the families with less means. It’s not a pretty trend.”
What this means is that there is no economic recovery in the United States!
May 9, 2012, Postmaster General, Patrick Donahoe, is trying to alleviate concerns over the possible closing of 3,700 post offices, which were to begin in May. Now the USPS will try to keep as many open as possible, by drastically reducing their operating hours.
The reduction of operating hours would also take place in post offices that are not slated for closing, as many as 13,000 post offices could see hours reduced by two to six per day.
The other option is the creation of Village Post Offices, which would replace the standard post office. The Village Post Office would operate through a retail business such as WalMart, Walgreens, etc.
Of course Congress has to approve the new plans.
The USPS is also considering letting go any employee who is not protected by labor contracts, and they’re going to do another round of early retirement buyouts.
The Postal Service, which makes its money off the services they provide, not taxes, is facing an $11 billion USD future retirement pre-payment later in the year, as well as health payments. There are some people who say the U.S. Treasury is actually using the money for other things.
In September 2011, National Association of Letter Carriers president, Fredric Rolando, said most of the blame is on Congress: “I’m here to tell you that the Postal Service is not broke. The Postal Service just needs access to its own money. And Congress needs to get busy and give them that access.”-PBS Newshour interview
He also pointed out that the USPS does not make its money from taxes: “The Postal Service actually has somewhere between $50 billion and $125 billion in their other funds that is not taxpayer money. They haven’t used a dime of taxpayer money in over 30 years! And the Congress just needs to act responsibly and quickly to give them access to that — those funds.”
Postmaster General, Patrick Donahoe agreed: “Fred is exactly right around the issues that we have faced in the last few years. In that same time, we have been required [by Congress] to prepay employee retirement funding.”-PBS Newshour interview
Congress has made concessions, by releasing some Postal Service money, but requiring that the money be used only to reduce the number employees with early retirement buyouts!
The latest Senate bill would allow the USPS to use taxpayer money for the first time in 30 years. The Senate bailout bill would give the Postal Service $34 billion in tax revenue.
To make matters worse, Northrop Grumman (the third largest USPS contractor) and the USPS are suing each other!
The dispute involves a 2007 automated mail processing contract. Northrop Grumman says the USPS owes them $180 million USD. The Postal Service says Northrop owes them $341 million!
They both claim the other failed to meet numerous contractual agreements.
“The price hike will definitely pressure us a lot. The tendency towards cultivation will grow, it will create resistance, law and order issues, and it will raise the casualty rate.”-Zarar Ahmad Muqbel Osmani, Counter Narcotics Minister of Afghanistan
Anti-opium officials in Afghanistan report that a double whammy of poppy field burning by police, and a fungus that is destroying the plant’s ability to produce opium, is resulting in skyrocketing prices for the drug.
The fungus is attacking crops in Helmand, Kandahar and Farah provinces. Ending opium production was one of the excuses for the continued U.S. occupation of Afghanistan, but the opposite has happened (as it always does where ever the U.S. takes over).
2011 saw a 61% increase in opium production under U.S. occupation.
May 8, 2012, Ghulam Gawas Malayar, the deputy provincial police chief of Farah Province, reports five of his police officers killed after they drove over a mine.
In Paktika Province four Education Ministry workers, and their bodyguard, were killed when their vehicle hit a mine, and then they were ambushed by Mujahideen. The local education director was wounded.
In Logar Province two police officers were killed in a Mujahideen ambush.
None of these incidents were reported in Tuesday’s 24 hour report given by Afghan government and ISAF officials. The incidents are being reported by local officials.
May 9, 2012, representatives from the 203 Thunder Brigade, Afghan army, say two of their troops were wounded by an explosion in Paktika Province.
And now for the ISAF 24 hour report (Joint Command Morning operational update) for May 9, 2012.: Once again more missions to capture “leaders”, this time in Kandahar, Helmand, Ghazni and Wardak provinces.
The statement said they captured several Mujahideen, but there was no indication that they actually captured the “leaders” they were going after (Afghan government sources claim they captured the “leaders”).
In Helmand two big drug busts. One weighing 470 kilograms (1,030 pounds), the other coming in at 900 kilograms (1,980 pounds). You gotta wonder; ten years of supposedly fighting the drug trade in Afghanistan, and the result is an increase in drug trafficking!
May 5, 2012, U.S. drone strike kills at least eight people in Pakistan.
May 2, 2012, U.S. drone strikes kill at least 15 people in Yemen.
From April 30 to May 6, the U.S./NATO increased airstrikes in Afghanistan. They include the use of drones. The result is an increasing number of civilians deaths.
May 3, 2012: U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, numb nuts Ryan Crocker, stated that the new military pact between Afghanistan and the United States could allow drone strikes to continue past 2014.
May 5, 2012: U.S. Mormon news source, Deseret News, supports the FAA issuing civilian licenses for drone operation. Their article points out that many businesses would benefit, like photography, sports, real estate, etc. Despite the fact that the Federal Aviation Administration has yet to issue civilian licenses, Utah State University has already been using a drone, taking pictures.
May 5, 2012: According to The Canadian Press, the Royal Canadian Air Force will expand the testing of drones to include operations by police: “We know we need to use them, and the Canadian Forces from a capability point of view are moving ahead to ensure there is domestic capability as part of its UAV program in the future.”-Lieutenant General Walter Semianiw
General Semianiw admitted the use of drones by Canadian police is to commit acts of violence: “You must remember that, in Canada, within the domestic construct, I do not have the right to be able to apply lethal force in Canada. That is the responsibility of the police.”
Canadian officials also implied that there is a drone arms race going on between the United States and Canada, by pointing out that the U.S. has military drones patrolling along the U.S.-Canadian border.
Canada has used Israeli made drones in Afghanistan.
May 4, 2012: The Seattle Times opinion piece says that since so many people use the cameras in their cell phones to take pictures of just about anything, then police using drones to take pictures of you in your back yard does not constitute invasion of privacy.
May 3, 2012: It’s the opening stage of the first trial for a U.S. citizen arrested with the use of a drone. The man arrested was tasered several times, but local police in North Dakota called in a Predator drone because they were concerned for their safety!
What happens at this trial could affect how drones are used by police against the citizens of the U.S.: “There is, furthermore, no existing case law that bars their use in investigating crimes.”-Douglas Manbeck, ND state prosecutor
May 8, 2012, U.S. led ISAF admitted they killed a family of civilians: “At this point in the investigation we are able to confirm the incident and will be formally apologizing in the next couple of days…”-Lieutenant Colonel Stewart Upton, USMC, ISAF
The attack was reported by local Afghan officials on May 7, but the U.S./NATO airstrike actually took place on May 4.
This is not the only recent case, other local Afghan officials are reporting an increase in the number of civilians who are getting killed by U.S./NATO forces.
As a result President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, says the new military pact he signed with President Barack Obama, in a midnight meeting, is threatened. A spokesman for Karzai said: “Karzai signed the strategic pact with the United States to avoid such incidents (civilian casualties) and if Afghans do not feel safe, the strategic partnership loses its meaning.”
And now for another 24 hour ISAF/Afghan government forces’ seek, destroy or capture report, May 8, 2012: 25 Mujahideen were killed throughout the eastern regions of Afghanistan, including Kabul, Zabul and Paktia provinces.
A “leader” was captured in Faryab Province.
A “bomb maker”, and several Mujahideen were captured in Zabul Province, along with weapons and ammo.
Two Afghan army soldiers were killed, one by an explosion in Logar Province, the other was killed in Maidan Wardak Province.
May 6, 2012, Tornadoes hit the Kanto region of Japan.
At least one person was killed, 52 injured and 900 homes destroyed.
Japan’s National Defense Academy says the tornadoes were the result of highly unstable conditions, caused when sunny, warm air clashed with a cold air mass.
Officials are warning that such unstable conditions are expected to increase!
May 7, 2012, the right wing Zionists in the Israeli Knesset (parliament) are about to push through a motion to dissolve the current government.
New elections will be held on September 4. Polls are showing that political parties that are not warmongers would lose if elections were held soon.
On May 6, Prime Minister Binyamin (Benjamin) Netanyahu said: “The achievements of this government are a result of a joint vision and a partnership that was possible due to political stability. We have not had such a stable government in decades.”
In other words, the right wingers are admitting there is growing opposition to them, and they want to get rid of those opposing political parties. Netanyahu also said the new Israeli government can not be subject to “populism”.
This proves that Israel’s government does not represent to will of the people, as “populism” is a term used to refer to the rule of the people over elites! In other words, Nentanyahu just admitted that he is one of the “elites”, and he doesn’t give a crap about what the “people” of Israel want!
May 7, 2012, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said at least three U.S./NATO personnel were killed in eastern Afghanistan, by an explosion.
Around 147 NATO service members have been killed in Afghanistan since the beginning of 2012.
In Helmand Province local officials say a U.S./NATO airstrike killed a woman and her five children. In Badghis Province five people were killed and 11 wounded, after U.S./NATO airstrikes. ISAF has not commented on the reports from local officials.
Girls at yet another high school were poisoned on May 7. More than 31 girls were treated for poisoning in Bamiyan Province. Officials are concerned because the school was already under 24 hour security watch.
Hospital officials say the girls breathed toxic gas.
Officials from Paktika Province say four Mujahideen were killed on May 6, after a firefight with Afghan police.
The four Mujahideen had taken a provincial compound, and 32 people hostage. Police claim only one civilian was killed.
Also on May 6, ISAF announced that two U.S./NATO personnel had been killed. One was blown up in eastern Afghanistan, and the other was shot by an Afghan army soldier in southern Afghanistan.
Elections in France has some NATO officials worried. Right wing warmonger, Nicolas Sarkozy, lost the election. Socialist Francois Hollande is the new President of France.
One of Hollande’s campaign promises was to get French troops out of Afghanistan now: “I believe that, without taking any risks for our troops, it is the right thing to withdraw our combat troops by the end of 2012.”
On May 6, FOX News interviewed Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman, Democrat Dianne Feinstein. She stated: “I think we both say that what we found is the Taliban is stronger.”
House Intelligence Committee Chairman, Republican Mike Rogers, backed up her statement. Their report contradicts the Defense Department’s claim that “Obama’s” increased troop deployment to Afghanistan has weakened the Taliban.
Oddly ISAF has not issued the usual 24 hour report for May 7, yet.
Here’s a very skimpy 24 hour seek, destroy or capture report, and update to previous reports, for May 6, 2012: A “leader” was captured in Kandahar on May 6.
Weapons captured or destroyed in Uruzgan Province on May 5.
In Helmand Province U.S./NATO/Afghan forces were attacked by Mujahideen on May 3. Several Mujahideen killed.