Tag Archives: occupy

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Global Economic War: New Greek & Italian Prime Ministers part of Rockefeller’s Trilateral Commission’s push for one world government

News of who the new Greek and Italian Prime Ministers are, has calmed European stock markets, mainly ’cause these guys are part of the corporate team.

In an earlier posting I postulated that the European debt crisis is part of a plan by the Corporate World to take over Europe (it’s too late for the U.S., why do you think taxpayers were made to bailout the big banks? Think about it, in Europe it’s the other way ’round; the big banks are bailing out the governments).

Now there’s proof of such a conspiracy in the announcement of the new Greek and Italian Prime Ministers, both of whom have a sinister connection.

Meet the new Greek PM, Lucas Papademos.  He’s got all kinds of college education, including MIT.  He taught at Columbia and Harvard.  He’s worked for the U.S. Federal Reserve (a private bank), was the Governor of the Bank of Greece, and was the Vice President of the European Central Bank.

Meet the new Italian PM, Mario Monti.  He too has all kinds of education, including Yale.  He spent a lot of time with the European Commission in which he focused on internal markets, financial services and financial integration, customs, and taxation.  He’s also been pushing to turn the European Union into a true federal government of Europe.  He’s a member of the Bilderberg Group (that should worry you).

Here’s the sinister connection between the two: Both are members of the Rockefeller founded Trilateral Commission.  In fact, Mario Monti is the current European Chairman of the Trilateral Commission!

The Trilateral Commission was founded by David Rockefeller in 1973.  The official goal is to foster economic and political co-operation between Japan, North American countries and European countries (notice these are the regions that are currently in big economic trouble).

In 2000, the Japan membership was expanded to include many other Asian countries, and is now called the Pacific Asia Group.

The appointment of Mario Monti as Italian PM, and Lucas Papademos as Greek PM, violates a Trilateral rule.  The rule says no official member of the commission can hold public office  (I don’t think they actually enforce that rule).

Former Republican U.S. Senator, Barry Goldwater, said the Trilateral Commission is “…a skillful, coordinated effort to seize control and consolidate the four centers of power: political, monetary, intellectual, and ecclesiastical…[in] the creation of a worldwide economic power superior to the political governments of the nation states involved.”

In 1975 a report was made for the Trilateral Commission. It was called: The Crisis of Democracy: On the Governability of Democracies.  The report criticized Democracy because the “…impulse of democracy is to make government less powerful and more active, to increase its functions, and to decrease its authority.” It also said the problem with the United States was that it had “…an excess of Democracy.” (looks like they’ve succeeded in turning that around)

Noam Chomsky said the report was “…the ideology of the liberal wing of the state capitalist ruling elite.”

Currently there are several credible conspiracy theorists who claim the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S. were part of a Trilateral plot to take over the governments of the Western world.

If the appointment of two current members of the Trilateral Commission to the positions of Prime Ministers (in supposed violation of the Commission’s own rules) isn’t enough to convince you of a sinister plot to create a one world government (at least a one Western world government), then I don’t know what will.

 

 

 

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Once again, food in Japan comes up contaminated with radiation!

Eight months after the March nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi, Japanese food producers continue to find their latest crops contaminated.

In Tochigi Prefecture, about 120 kilometers (74.5 miles) from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the local mushroom harvest is contaminated with cesium.

The prefectural government did their own test, and found 649 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram in Kuritake mushrooms grown outdoors.  The official national safe limit is 500.

Earlier this month, radioactive cesium exceeding the government limit were found in Shiitake mushrooms grown in Yokohama.  Yokohama is about 260 kilometers (161.5 miles) from Fukushima Daiichi!

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Corporate Incompetence: Olympus made extremely stupid investment deal, or was it a conspiracy?

The latest revelation about Japanese camera maker Olympus is that they lost most of their money in what looks like a deliberately stupid stock buy back program.

On November 8 it was revealed that Olympus has been almost broke since the late 1990s, and was cooking their accounting books.  Now we have an explanation of how they finally lost most of their money.

The book cooking was just the beginning.  In 2008 Olympus bought a British surgical equipment maker, Gyrus Group.

Olympus paid a stock brokerage company, located in the tax haven Caribbean island of Cayman, to handle the buyout.  That company was called AXAM.  Total payment to AXAM was 17 billion yen (about U.S.$220 million), in cash and Gyrus stocks.

In 2010, Olympus bought back the stock for a total of 60 billion yen (about U.S.$770 million)!  AXAM closed up shop three months later!

Talk about corporate incompetence, Olympus officials violated the golden rule of investing: Buy low, sell high.  But was it incompetence or a conspiracy?  It’s very suspicious that Olympus used a broker in a known tax haven country, who then closed up shop after Olympus bought back the Gyrus stocks, at grossly inflated prices.

To add to the conspiracy theory, it has just been revealed by NHK in Japan, that Olympus fired its independent accounting auditors when they began to question the company’s accounting books.

In 2009 the independent auditors questioned Olympus officials’ buyouts of three Japanese companies between 2006 and 2008.  All the companies were considered bad investments.  To make it more questionable, the auditors pointed out that Olympus had a yearly revenue of 2 billion yen (about U.S.$30 million), at most.  The three Japanese companies cost Olympus more than 73 billion yen (about U.S.$940 million)!

The Japanese Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission claim it will investigate the Olympus scandal.

 

 

 

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Occupy America: Foreclosure is not the end, Idaho one of many states that allow banks to sue you for money they lost on your home foreclosure. It’s now part of Wall Street’s new investment scheme

“I wish somebody had come to us, you know, in the months before all of this happened and said, look, you really, really should look at a short sale or taking any other option other than foreclosure.”-Ben Jensen, Idahoan who lost home to foreclosure and was still sued by Bank of America

Did you know that as many as 40 U.S. states allow banks, and debt collectors to sue you even after a home foreclosure is finalized?  It’s called ‘deficiency judgment’.

Idaho attorney Brian Webb, says he’s seeing a sudden increase in such legal action by Corporate America:  “I only probably handled five or six in 2010; versus 2011, it’s been, you know, off the top of my head, between 15 and 25 deficiency cases.”

If you lose your home to foreclosure you could get hit with a lawsuit fives years after the fact: “In many other states around the country, homeowners find themselves subject to deficiency actions one, two, three, four or five years after they’ve been foreclosed.”-Geoff Walsh, National Consumer Law Center

Another Idaho attorney, Terri Pickens, says the sudden increase in deficiency judgments are due to a disturbing new trend; banks are selling their deficiency claims to collection agencies.  It’s all part of Wall Street’s new “investment” strategy: “I do know some private investors who are coming in and purchasing up bank loan packages and have been paying literally pennies on the dollar; just sitting on the paper, waiting for the right time to collect on it.”

 


 

 

 

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Occupy Idaho: Bank sues Mayor for business loan, Mayor says her business is not in trouble

Coeur d’Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem was shocked to learn that her jewelry store is being sued for more than $80,000.

Panhandle State Bank says the lawsuit is over a $75,000 loan made back in 2005.  Bloem says she was in the process of renegotiating the loan, and never had any indication the bank was going to sue.  She says her jewelry store is not in financial trouble, even though the bank says she failed to pay off the loan.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

No Economic Recovery for the U.S.: Dell Computer founder says the U.S. is no longer the land of opportunity. Go west young man, to China

“I would go to China at age 19 and start my company there. It’s a much better environment.”-Michael Dell

That’s what founder and CEO of Dell computers reportedly told PBS interviewer Charlie Rose, after being asked about doing things over.

Like Steve Jobs, Michael Dell is a college drop out, who went on to build a successful computer company.  Dell is the number two computer company in the U.S., Apple is third.

It’s not a good sign when the founder of the number two computer maker in the U.S. says the new generation of entrepreneurs should move to China.

 

 

 

 

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

Global Economic War, Global Food Crisis, What Economic Recovery? Big Potato producer Simplot to close plants, laying off 800 east Idaho workers (updated with pictures)

In the name of efficiency, and international competition, J.R. Simplot is building a new potato processing plant.  It will use only 250 employees.  The problem is that the new highly efficient Simplot potato factory will replace three existing plants (in Nampa, Caldwell & Aberdeen), resulting in 800 Idahoans losing their jobs.  That’s a net loss of 550 jobs.

East Idaho doesn’t have a big population so the job loses will hit hard: “It’s going to have a negative impact on Nampa and Caldwell and the whole country. We’re encouraged that they will remain in Caldwell, but certainly concerned about the overall impact of job loss.”-Steve Fultz, Caldwell Economic Development Council

J.R. Simplot officials say it’s necessary to build such an efficient factory, because global competition in the food market is getting tougher.  In fact potato prices for this years potato season have fallen to the point that Idaho farmers will be lucky to break even.

At least Simplot employees have been given a decent heads up; it’ll be at least two years before the new super efficient potato processing plant will be completed.

J.R. Simplot has been streamlining operations in Idaho since the 1990s.  Simplot’s corporate headquarters used to be in Chubbuck, Idaho.  But they closed it down and moved to Boise right after I moved to Chubbuck.

Their Chubbuck HQ was replaced with the TJ Maxx/IHOP strip mall.

Former location of J.R. Simplot Corporate HQ, Chubbuck, Idaho

The metal awnings/canopies covering the Simplot HQ entryway can now be seen in front of the Pocatello City Hall.

Ex Simplot Chubbuck HQ canopies adding charecter to the otherwise drab Pocatello City Hall

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

United Police States of America: Doing time in California prisons will now cost you $142 per day

“We believe that 25% of the people who go through our jail systems can afford to pay for their jail stay.  If we just grab 25% of those, that would save the county or the city $6.7 million.”-Jeff Stone, County Supervisor

Riverside County, in California, has decided to charge prisoners $142.42 per day. The county says it’s an effort to “save” money, but it looks more like a way for the county to make a profit. When they say they could save $6.7 million, that’s actually how much money they’d take in from prisoners.

The problem is that once they start making big money from charging prisoners, the county government will get addicted to that form of revenue and start making up reasons to put people in prison. Don’t laugh, it’s happened before, and is going on right now with Corporate America operated for profit prisons.

The ACLU is concerned: “Programs like this certainly do raise very serious Constitutional questions.  We’re seeing it increasingly in jurisdictions around the country.”-Will Matthews, American Civil Liberties Union

Attorney’s for the county said there is nothing illegal about charging prisoners for their stay.  But they warned officials that not all prisoners can afford to pay for their keep: “In order to be reimbursed, the court must determine that the defendant has the ability to pay all or a portion of these costs. Many defendants who are incarcerated lack the financial means, after the payments of fines and penalties, to reimburse these costs.”-Pamela Walls, county attorney

 

Business/Economics, International

What Economic Recovery? Japanese needing welfare help hits record levels: 2.05 million

The number of people in Japan, who need help with basic needs keeps going up month after month.  The Japanese Welfare Ministry reports that in July welfare recipients hit a record 2.05 million.

A big jump is in ‘working age households’ (people who’re less than 65 years of age).  That category receiving welfare is now four times higher than 10 years ago.

The Welfare Ministry says since 1995 more people are needing welfare help. However, current increases in welfare recipients are due directly to the 2007/08 credit crisis.  Japanese officials say for the past three years welfare rolls have been increasing by an average of 10,000 people per month!

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Occupy America: November 5, Operation Bank Transfer Day a success, $4.5 billion pulled from U.S. banks!

“The 99% movement is all about finding ways for people to change the economy that is benefiting only the 1%. Bank Transfer Day is about the power of individuals to take their money out of institutions whose profits go almost entirely to Wall Street and keep that money in our community, where we can control it.”-Courtney Yax

The main stream media has their head in a hole.  Occupy Wall Street has some power!

On November 5, operation Bank Transfer Day took place.  So many people have moved money from banks into credit unions, that by November 5 U.S.$4.6 billion had been taken out of the big for profit banks!

ABC News did report that credit unions have gained 650,000 new members, just in the month of October!

“Regardless of how many people joined credit unions Saturday, there is a big new awareness of credit unions as not for profit financial cooperatives owned by their members. That is the credit union difference we’ve worked to let people know about all along.”- Mary Beth King, Credit Union Association of New Mexico

Credit unions in California gained around 90,000 new members, and $624 million in new accounts.

Here in Idaho (with only a fraction of the population of California), credit unions gained 3,400 new accounts!  Alan Cameron, Idaho Credit Union League president, says one credit union gained $1.2 million in new deposits!  Corporate bank Wells Fargo (which dominates Idaho banking, with 23% of the market), denies that Idahoans have fled the big banks.  Wells Fargo representative Amy McDevitt, says withdrawals were “…very minimal.”

The big banks tried to stop such acts: In New York City last month, dozens were arrested for trying to close their accounts, en masse, at a CitiBank branch.