Tag Archives: economy

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? List of U.S. job losses & store closings for 06 February 2013: A company’s financial fraud now threatens thousands of employees! Illinois hit hard, again! Hollywood continues to say “Cut!” to employees. Warren Buffett likes that Heinz laid off employees in Idaho? Schools hit hard! The nuke disaster you never heard about! Even elites are feeling the pinch!

Lyon Workspace Products (LWP) of Illinois goes bankrupt. The company also gave a WARN notice that it could layoff more than 400 employees! Company officials say they are trying to sell the business.  LWP has been making sheet metal products since 1901.

1200 jobs lost in Illinois according to announcements by several companies!  Those companies are Kmart, Walgreens, Sun-Times Media, already mentioned Lyon Workspace Products, Best Buy, Georgia-Pacific Corrugated, Kroger and Cardinal Health.

Also in Illinois, Jewel grocery will close three Chicago area stores. The parent company, SUPERVALU is selling Jewel off to Cerberus Capital (an evil Romneyite vulture capitalist operation).

Delhaize America continues to slash and burn grocery store jobs across the country. This time a North Carolina TV station interviewed an unnamed source at Food Lion. They said Delhaize America is planning on eliminating another 500 jobs!

In Florida, North Carolina based Duke Energy strikes again, this time closing down a nuclear power plant. The Crystal River 3 Nuclear Plant has actually been shut down after botched repairs were made in 2009. Don’t worry, people will be employed for the next 60 years in order to totally close down the nuclear disaster site. Oh, you didn’t know about that nuke disaster?  In 2009 a crack was found in a containment dome (for how long was it there before being found?), and federal investigators say it was caused by employees. Attempted repairs were unsuccessful.

Frontier Airlines to layoff 700 employees! A Florida TV station said a company rep told them that 700 jobs will be outsourced.

Also in Florida, Universal Health Care Group now bankrupt. Two of the company’s subdivisions are in receivership. Recently New Jersey based health insurer, Care Point, won an auction to take over Universal Health.  The $33.25 million USD take over bid must be approved by state regulators.  Universal Health Care has been accused of financial fraud by the Florida Insurance Commissioner, and even state regulators in Ohio and Georgia expressed concern over the company’s seemingly intentional financial mismanagement.  The company employes at least a thousand people across the country.

In Kentucky, the Knox County Hospital closing down its Long Term Care Facility.  Officials say it is losing more than one million dollars per year!  Also, in Wurtland SunChemical Performance Pigments closing down. 30 jobs lost.  Company officials gave no explanation or warning: “This kind of blindsided us. They never asked us to do anything and I never had any indication they were having problems.”-Bobby Carpenter, Greenup County Judge-Executive

The Home Eco store in Saint Louis, Missouri, closed down.  The owners started the “sustainable home building supplies” store in 2005, but said now that the big national chain stores are carrying the same products they can no longer compete.

As I’ve reported before, the Heinz frozen food factory in Pocatello, Idaho, ending production of T.G.I. Friday’s frozen entrees. 80 jobs lost.  Shortly afterwards Warren Buffett announced he was investing big into Heinz.  Investors from Brazil, known as 3G Capital, joined Buffett in the Heinz take over because they also own Burger King, which uses a lot of Heinz ketchup. 3G Capital is known for “cutting up” companies (typical Romneyite vulture capitalists) so it’s expected Heinz will layoff more people. Also, there are now reports of an inside trader investigation.

Heinz Frozen Food factory, Pocatello, Idaho. Ending production of T.G.I. Friday's frozen meals, switching to frozen snacks.

The movie and animation studio DreamWorks continues to layoff animation employees. This is due to losing money on its most recent animation movies.

In Fresno, California, the elitist Downtown Club is going down. After 50 years the club for wealthy members only closed down. Club owners blamed it on declining membership and increasing costs of operations.  They admitted that for the past 20 years they’ve been debt financing operations.

In El Paso, Texas, an icon in U.S. vacuum cleaner history, Hoover laying off 151 people! Hoover is actually owned by a Hong Kong based company called TTI.  The El Paso factory makes parts for assembly in Mexico. TTI officials said they are not moving jobs to Mexico, so it appears the company is simply reducing production.

In Virginia, the Alleghany County School board said they might be forced to close three elementary schools. They blame declining student enrollment, saying their schools are averaging only 54% capacity.  Also, the Norfolk Public Schools will have 108 jobs cut! School officials say they’re $18 million short: “We have been cut to the bone. And when you are unable to stop the bleeding, the cuts just get closer and closer to the classroom.”-Kirk Houston, school board chairman

In Michigan, the Grand Rapids Public Schools is laying off almost 200 employees, and closing ten schools!!! Officials said they need to save $4.4 million.

Lockheed Martin is trying to buyout mid-level managers. Lockheed is trying to cut 350 positions, and said it has nothing to do with the federal sequestration spending cuts: “The reduction in force is designed to best position the business to remain competitive and operationally efficient, providing the most affordable solutions to our customers.”-Keith Mordoff

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Norovirus update: 04 March 2013: God save the Queen? More cases where food poisoning is NOT the cause! People are sick for longer than usual! More reasons not to use those reusable grocery shopping bags!

04 March 2013/21 Raby’ ath-Thani 1434/14 Esfand 1391

The British Empire‘s Queen Elizabeth the 2nd hospitalized with what could be norovirus.  And yet another U.K. hospital goes down; Cheltenham General Hospital is banning all visitors because of an outbreak. Hospital officials say it’s just “precautionary”.  Also, the Worcestershire Royal, Redditch Alexandra and Kidderminster hospitals continue to restrict visitations.  Health officials are reporting 30% more cases of norovirus in Worchestershire than in the rest of the West Midlands. In East Sussex the Eastbourne District General Hospital says two of its wards are on visitor restrictions after recent outbreaks.

Iowa U.S.A. reporting two outbreaks. Residents and staff of a nursing home and students in a school are the latest victims:  “This is happening all over the state; no place is spared.”-Patricia Quinlisk, Department of Public Health

A Canadian travel writer, writing for The Province, praised a Holland America cruise ship captain: “Kudos to Captain Rowden and the crew of the Ryndam whose heroic efforts stopped the spread of the nasty Norwalk virus that had sneaked aboard the ship.”-Joseph Kula

A Canadian family wasn’t so lucky on their vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The family had read warnings from other people who stayed at their hotel; that there was a possible stomach bug outbreak. The Saskatoon family tried to switch hotels but ended up staying in the infected one.  They got sick and were sick for long after they got home: “I’ve missed out on a lot of classes and I’m really behind. I’ve been so sick and I’ve lost so much weight and I’m so weak.”-Rebecca Hennes

In the Waterloo Region of Ontario, Canada, the Grand River Hospital declared its vomiting bug outbreak over. At least three patients and eight employees were sick. One patient is still sick.

In the vacation hot spot of Bermuda, the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital’s Gordon Ward experienced an outbreak.  16 patients and 17 employees were sick. The latest reports say six of them are still showing symptoms: “One new patient case of gastroenteritis in Gordon Ward has occurred in the last 24 hours. Gordon Ward continues under current strict precautions, including enhanced cleaning practices, visitor restrictions, and restrictions of new admissions and transfers. All patients who are unwell are in isolation rooms and visitors and staff must put on disposable protective wear before entering, and dispose of it on leaving the room. It is recommended that current restrictions/interventions continue at least through Friday.”-Bermuda Hospital Board

The norovirus is spreading in Bermuda. On 01 March 2013 the Building Blocks Academy preschool shut down because teachers were sick.

In Kanawha County, in West Virginia U.S.A., the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department is investigating numerous cases of student absences at county schools. They are trying to establish how many students are sick with norovirus.

In Arizona U.S.A., Sunrise Park Resort officials are cooperating with federal, state, local and tribal health authorities after an outbreak hit the ski resort last week.  Inspectors have ruled out food as the source, meaning it was spread human to human.

More reports blaming stomach infections on reusable grocery bags.  Oregon U.S.A. health officials already linked a 2009 outbreak to reusable grocery bags, now the results of a new study out of environmental nutville California U.S.A. says reusable bags are behind a 46% increase in illness! The study looked at San Francisco, which banned recyclable plastic bags in 2007. The study looked at emergency room cases involving E.Coli (a bacteria, not a virus like Norwalk/norovirus), and found such cases jumped in San Francisco and not in the surrounding counties who had no such bag ban.  For those who insist on using the reusable bags they must be cleaned regularly.

In Maryland U.S.A., McDaniel College saw more than two dozen students out sick with norovirus.  This is yet another case where health officials say food was not involved in spreading the virus.

Health Protection Scotland reporting that 2012 saw 2900 lab confirmed cases of norovirus, a 75% increase from 2011! It’s still less than the record of 3109 cases in 2010.  Scottish health officials estimate that for every one case reported there are 290 cases that go unreported.

Did you know the first norovirus case occurred in 1968 in Norwalk, Ohio U.S.A. This is why it is sometimes called the Norwalk virus. However, the 1968 outbreak was not confirmed until 1972, when researchers were finally able to identify the cause. Ever since then, year after year, there are more and more cases, and stronger and stronger versions of the virus.

Fukushima

One thousand companies refuse to pay their electric bills!

04 March 2013/21 Raby’ ath-Thani 1434/14 Esfand 1391

One thousand companies are refusing to pay their higher electric bills, in Japan.

Back in April 2012, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCo) raised their rates by an average of 14.9%.  This was to help cover the costs of dealing with the ongoing Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

The thousand businesses formally stated they will not renew electricity contracts with TEPCo. TEPCo officials say they have no choice but to shut off power to those companies.

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

What Economic Recovery? Get ready for more inflation, petrochemicals prices on the rise. You’ll pay more for gas, eyeglasses & presrciption drugs!

04 March 2013/21 Raby’ ath-Thani 1434/14 Esfand 1391

While glancing at news reports out of Japan, my eye was caught by a report that said eyeglass prices were going up, because of oil, or more specifically petrochemicals!

Most eyeglasses are actually plastic made with petrochemicals, and petrochemical prices have jumped.  In January 2013 overall petrochemicals prices were up 12% from January 2012.

Towards the end of 2012 reports said prices started to come down due to decreased demand.  But then supplies dipped so low that prices recovered in January/February 2013.  Now prices are going to go higher because demand is going back up!

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, their equity market closed up on 02 March 2013 because of increasing demand for petrochemical shares.

The latest Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report said that Dow Chemical is upset because many U.S. oil companies want to export their petrochemicals feedstock.  This will reduce supply available within the U.S. and affect the price Dow, and other companies will pay for their feedstock (basic ingredients used to make  products).

The same WSJ report also said that U.S. oil companies’ desires to export their product is part of why fuel prices are going up at the pump, even though U.S. oil prices are stuck in the $90 USD per barrel range.

According to a 2005 CATO Institute commentary, petrochemicals make up 17% of every barrel of oil used in the United States. It doesn’t sound like much, but realize that petrochemicals are used to make a huge variety of products, most  taken for granted by the average consumer.

Here’s a small list:  Carpeting, clothing, crayons, plastics (including kitchen items, toys, model kits and eyeglasses/medical devices), detergents, deodorants, fertilizers, ink, paint, pesticides, chewing gum, adhesives/glue, even those recyclable plastic grocery bags (please recycle them), and prescription and non-prescription drugs.

Corporate officials in Japan are warning consumers to expect to pay more for their everyday consumer goods.

As far as economic recovery in the real estate market, a report out of the Cityscape Jeddah Residential and Affordable Housing Summit, in Saudi Arabia, sums it up: “With maximizing profit as main objectives, banks are not incentivized to diversify their business to cover real estate projects. You might see a bank financing a petrochemical project, but you will not find any bank interested in financing a real estate project for low and mid-income people. In addition, we don’t see enough effort from SAMA [Strategic Account Management Association(?)] to encourage banks to finance residential projects.”-Stephen Atkinson, ARIEIT Investment Holdings

In other words, petrochemicals are King (Beast), and we are at their mercy!

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? List of U.S. job losses & store closings for 05 February 2013: Unions act like economic crisis shouldn’t affect them! Executives getting the axe! Another Hooters down! Wesco Paint vanishes from Pocatello!

“…we’re learning about this through employees and when we’re dealing with multi-national corporations it makes it very difficult…….It’s just one hit after the other but we’re going to keep plugging.”-Anthony Dolce, Mayor of Dunkirk, New York, reacting to yet more layoffs

In Dunkirk, New York, Cott Corporation laid off at least 20 people. No explanation as company officials commented that they “had no comment at this time.” 

The City of Beacon, New York, about to layoff a few cops. The Police Union says city officials are threatening them with the layoffs, but the Mayor said the budget crisis is for real: “I told every union that it would be a tough budget. I had to raise taxes 11.25%! I’ll do what I have to do to save the city money.”-Randy Casale

In New York City, the Pink Tea Cup is bankrupt. The new owners moved the iconic restaurant to a new location, but were unable to get a new liquor license. They say being unable to serve alcohol lost them so much business they’re now broke.  They told the court that now that they have the alcohol license their business has picked up, they just need time to make enough money to pay their debts.


In West Virginia, another multi-national company, Hino Motors, is laying off  an undetermined amount of employees at its Williamstown factory.  Company officials say they were shocked at how bad their 4th Quarter sales were: “Due to unexpected soft fourth quarter sales…..Hino Williamstown will temporarily reduce production volumes to achieve a more optimal inventory level.”-Sandy Ring, Hino rep

Knight Capital, a financial services company that specializes in buying and selling stocks (aka market making), and automated electronic trading, to layoff about 75 employees after being sold to a competitor.

In Maine, six executives got laid off at the Hannaford supermarket HQ.  Company officials say it’s part of the parent company’s (Delhaize America) plans to reduce executive positions.  Delhaize America laid off 15 executives across the country.

In Beaver Dam, Kentucky, Nestaway closed down. Nestaway made parts for the appliance industry.  Their biggest customer found a new source and as a result 75 people will be out-o-work.  Beaver Dam has a population of about 3200 people.

In Massachusetts, Concord Hand Designs closing down in May.  The sister owner/manager team said that after 28 years they decided that since the lease was expiring, it was time to retire.

In Pennsylvania, the Hooters restaurant in Altoona closed down without notice.  Local reports say it was always popular, and was packed the day before it closed. Even employees didn’t find out until the day it closed.  Locals have been protesting the closing. The Hooters chain has been closing restaurants across the United States, claiming they are under performing, yet by all accounts the Altoona restaurant was making money.  In 2011 the Hooters chain was sold to a group of vulture capitalists (Mitt Romneyites).

Also in Pennsylvania, another restaurant closed.  In Bethlehem the Confetti Cafe shut down because of the owner’s health issues and the bad economy.

By April no more ALCO store in Dodge City, Kansas. Company officials blame the bad economy: “The decision to close the store in Dodge City was a difficult one. We have valued the opportunity to be a part of this community, but unfortunately the store’s performance does not meet our financial requirements. The economy has clearly had an impact on store sales, and we’ve made the very difficult decision to close.”

Influenza

Influenza update, 02 March 2013: More reasons to avoid the vaccine! Swine flu coming back! New bird flu killing people fast!

02 March 2013/19 Raby’ ath-Thani 1434/12 Esfand 1391

While the main streamers have been reporting a decline in flu cases, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said cases of flu B are increasing.

A nursing student became the fifth person to die from flu in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania U.S.A.

Iowa U.S.A. records its first infant death due to the flu.

Indiana U.S.A. reporting 61 deaths.

In Ohio U.S.A., ProMedica lifted visitor restrictions at its hospitals.

Oklahoma U.S.A. reporting 30 deaths.

In Minnesota U.S.A., 17 more people died in past two weeks.  Health officials say five times as many have died, so far, as did in the 2011-12 season.

In Montana U.S.A., visitor restrictions have been lifted at Billings hospitals, except for neo-natal intensive care units.

San Diego County, in California U.S.A., reporting near record deaths, now at 43.

In Nova Scotia, Canada, the South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgwater is considering restricting visitation to its forth floor.  This is because of an apparent flu outbreak.

A new study says that getting vaccinated two years in a row actually makes it easier for you to get sick! Researchers looked at case histories of the 2010-11 flu season in Michigan U.S.A., and found that vaccines did nothing to prevent people from getting sick, unless it was the first time they got vaccinated.  Basically the data suggests that people who get vaccinated year after year are wasting their time, and it has health researchers puzzled because it blows away the official mantra that you should get flu shots every year!

In the United Kingdom, a study shows that there is a link between swine flu vaccines and narcolepsy in children: “The increased risk of narcolepsy after vaccination with ASO3 adjuvanted pandemic A/H1N1 2009 vaccine indicates a causal association, consistent with findings from Finland.”-Elizabeth Miller, Health Protection Agency

This comes as India reports thousands of new swine flu cases. The territory of Delhi is dealing with more than one thousand cases in the past two months, 11 people have died. India’s Health Ministry says 275 people have died since 01 January 2013.  The state of Rajasthan has the most deaths, at 112 so far.

Also in India, the Animal Diseases Research Institute has been testing birds for the new version of H5N1. So far many healthy birds with no symptoms are testing positive:  “Some of the wild ducks are carriers of the virus which may have led to the positive flu report by Bhopal-based High Security Animal Diseases Laboratory. Even the Northern Pintail, which tested positive, was healthy.”-unnamed Animal Diseases Research Institute source

In Cambodia, the newest H5N1 bird flu has become so rampant that the government is ordering health officials, and even police, to stop it.  At least eight people, mainly children, have died in the past six weeks!  To put that in perspective, in the previous ten years only 19 Cambodians have died from H5N1. The most recent victim was a 35 years old man who ate an infected duck.  Health officials say this year’s bird flu is jumping to humans more easily: “We conducted investigations and found that all the cases were transmission from the poultry. There is no evidence of transmission from human to human at this stage.”-Ly Sovann, Ministry of Health’s deputy director for communicable diseases control

Hong Kong reports two people dead from H5N1 in the past two weeks.

Note that India, Cambodia and Hong Kong are places that are considered humid (like most of South Asia and South East Asia), and they have relatively higher influenza cases.  Now the CDC issued a report saying flu viruses become weaker in humid conditions. One CDC official said “The virus just falls apart” at higher humidity levels. Yeah right, try telling that to the people living in humid South East Asia!

International, U.S.

World War 3: U.S. occupation of Afghanistan; 20 – 24 February 2013. Karzai orders murderous U.S. troops out of Afghan province! Up to 12000 U.S. troops to remain in Afghanistan! Red Coats bribe clerics with Viagra!

24 February 2013/13 Raby’ ath-Thani 1434/06 Esfand 1391

In Logar Province, a car bomb exploded near a police dormitory, killing one cop and wounding two.

In Nangarhar Province, Mujahideen targeted the National Directorate of Security (NDS) office in Jalalabad.  Reports vary, saying between two and 14 NDS agents were killed, and dozens wounded.

President Hamid Karzai has ordered all U.S. personnel out of Maiden-Wardak Province. They were given two weeks to leave.  Karzai says investigations show U.S. Special Operations forces are murdering innocent people: “….it became clear that armed individuals named as U.S. special force stationed in Wardak province engage in harassing, annoying, torturing and even murdering innocent people. A recent example in the province is an incident in which nine people were disappeared in an operation by this suspicious force and in a separate incident a student was taken away at night from his home, whose tortured body with throat cut was found two days later under a bridge.”

23 February 2013/12 Raby’ ath-Thani 1434/05 Esfand 1391

A BBC report says in the past six months Iran has executed 80 Afghans after they were convicted of drug crimes.  Iranian border police say they have evidence that the United States is behind the opium being smuggled into Iran from Afghanistan.

22 February 2013/11 Raby’ ath-Thani 1434/04 Esfand 1391

ISAF said: “An International Security Assistance Force service member died following an improvised explosive device attack in southern Afghanistan today.”

German Defense Minister, Thomas de Maiziere, said U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told NATO officials that the United States will leave between 8000 and 12000 personnel in Afghanistan after 2014.

21 February 2013/10 Raby’ ath-Thani 1434/03 Esfand 1391

In Kunduz Province, four people were killed by U.S. led NATO forces.  ISAF says they were Mujahideen, but local villagers say the victims were never involved with violence.

A Newsweek report revealed that United Kingdom Red Coats began bribing religious leaders in Helmand Province, about three years ago.  They used food and clothing, but Viagra turned out to be a hot commodity!  Some of the Red Coats objected to giving them the sex drug because it would result in “…producing more Taliban, meaning more kids who would grow up to be Taliban.”

Now realize that British taxpayers are paying for supplying religious leaders with Viagra!

20 February 2013/09 Raby’ ath-Thani 1434/02 Esfand 1391

A United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan report says U.S. led drone (UAV) strikes in Afghanistan increased 72% in 2012!

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? State goverment takes over city of Detroit!!!

“I believe it’s important to declare the city of Detroit in financial emergency…..There is no city that is more financially challenged….”-Rick Snyder, Governor of Michigan

01 March 2013/18 Raby’ ath-Thani 1434/11 Esfand 1391

The Governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, announced he is taking over the management of the city of Detroit. City officials have ten days to appeal the decision.

The city will be run by a state emergency manager, who will have the same authority as a bankruptcy judge.  State officials say the take over is necessary because the city has been operating on debt financing far too long, and now faces long term liabilities that exceed $14 billion USD!

The state takeover could mean the end of city employee unions and massive layoffs.  Detroit is the 6th Michigan city to be taken over by the state government.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Best Buy, Kohl’s, Lowe’s! Hurricane Sandy taketh and giveth! Target has the money to launch invasion of Canada! Gun sales right on target, because of anti-gun efforts?

01 March 2013/18 Raby’ ath-Thani 1434/11 Esfand 1391

Best Buy reported a measly 0.9% increase in 4th Quarter sales in the United States. Best Buy calls it the end of their Fiscal Year 2013, I guess they’re living in the future. There is no standardized Fiscal Year (FY), so it can get confusing for us regular folks.

Even with a measly increase in sales, overall domestic revenue fell by 0.3%, and company officials admit that it’s because they shut down 49 stores!

Best Buy saw their international sales drop by 6.6%, yet managed to see a 2% increase in international revenue!  Officials credit Europeans for that.  The big drop in sales took place in Canada and China.

Best Buy says their domestic profits were unchanged from the year before, and international profits fell 2% from their FY 2012.  Company officials warned to expect a rough 1st Quarter (for their FY 2014).

Kohl’s department store reporting disappointing results. For the 4th Quarter profits fell 17% (but in dollar terms they still made hundreds of millions).   Company officials say sales were up for the year, but their discounted pricing and clearance sales cut into expected profits.  Like Best Buy, Kohl’s is cautious about sales for Gregorian calendar year 2013.

The 5th largest cable TV provider, Cablevision, reported higher 4th Quarter results, but that was because they won a lawsuit, not because of sales.  When you throw out the gains from the lawsuit, Cablevision had a net loss of $83 million USD.

Cablevision officials blame their down sales/revenue on hurricane Sandy. They say they lost 11000 customers because of power outages (this is on top of the 28000 customers they lost for other reasons).

Publix, “…the largest and fastest-growing employee-owned supermarket chain in the United States.”,  reported an overall 1.9% increase in sales for 2012.  It would have been higher if it weren’t for the fact that their FY 2012 had one more week than FY 2011.  Publix is a privately owned company so unless you work for them don’t expect to buy any of their stocks.

Home improvement store, Lowe’s, reported their end of year results: “Lowe’s fiscal year ends on the Friday nearest the end of January; therefore, fourth quarter and fiscal year 2011 included an extra week compared to 2012.” (like I said, it gets a little confusing for us regular folks)

Lowe’s saw an end of year drop in overall sales of 5%.  But they had a measly 0.6% increase in sales for the year, and they credit hurricane Sandy for that!

But wait, it gets confusing: Lowe’s says comparable, consolidated, same store sales were up for the 4th Quarter, by 1.9%, and up by 1.4% for the year.  Then they add that comparable, consolidated, same store sales for “the U.S. business” were up 1.5%.  Lowe’s bosses are happy: “We delivered solid results in the fourth quarter…”-Robert A. Niblock, chairman, president and CEO

Hello Lowe’s, your overall 4th Quarter sales still fell by 5%: “….decreased 5.0 percent to $11.0 billion from $11.6 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011.”

Lowe’s managed to buy back $4.35 billion of their own stocks, and pay stockholders $704 million in 2012!

Target, second to Walmart, reported an increase in end of year holiday sales, by 6.8%!  For the whole year Target experienced a 2.7% increase in sales from 2011. Company officials credit this to an extra week in their FY (isn’t that interesting, while some companies blame the extra week for weaker results, Target gives it credit for stronger results), and the opening (not closing) of new stores!

Target paid its stockholders dividends, and is invading Canada this year!

Sturm, Ruger & Company, the maker of the famous Mini-14 and 10/22 rifles, reported huge increases in 2012; 50% increase in sales and 77% increase in revenue! Company officials credit this to new gun models (not to the anti-gun efforts in Washington DC).

In March 2013, the company will pay stockholders a dividend close to 40% of the company’s income.  For 2012, Ruger paid stockholders $111.5 million!

 

 

 

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Lies exposed about people being exposed to radiation, & more fish turning up with outrageously higher levels of contamination!

28 February 2013/17 Raby’ ath-Thani 1434/10 Esfand 1391

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCo), operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi General Electric reactors, revealed that rock trout caught in the Pacific Ocean near the nuclear power plant, contain 510000 becquerels of cesium per kilogram!!!

Holy crap retiring Popeman, the official safe limit is only 100 becquerels per kilogram!!!

The fish was caught on 17 February 2013.  This is yet more proof that the GE designed disaster reactors are still pumping massive amounts of radiation into the ocean.  (and remember, the prevailing ocean current brings that radiation straight to the west coast of North America)

And here’s proof that contamination is increasing: Back in December 2012 they caught a fish that had 234000 becquerels of cesium per kilogram.  So in the past two months the levels went up by 256000 becquerels!

And for more insult to injury, TEPCo has refused to make mandatory yearly reports on the the amount of radiation contamination that employees encounter!  That’s according to the Japanese Radiation Effects Association (REA).

Officials with the REA say TEPCo stopped making the reports in 2011 (the year of the melt downs). 21000 employees have been involved in trying to contain the ongoing nuclear disaster. TEPCo publicly apologized and gave the excuse that they’ve been having problems “digitizing” the info, and they hope to submit the two years of missing data to the REA in March 2013.