Tag Archives: unemployment

Napoleonic Library burns in Egypt, hundreds of thousands of priceless books, and their knowledge, destroyed. Egyptian Revolution yet to begin

“I don’t think there actually has been a revolution yet. I think that what’s happened is that the figurehead of the military regime has been deposed very dramatically. Certainly that was a hugely significant event, it was an earthquake….Until then I think the two sides are stuck in their current positions, fighting it out through a range of ways. And one of these ways is street battles between the military security forces and the people.”-Yaakov Lappin, Jerusalem Post

On December 17, Egyptians protesting the pro-U.S. military government of Egypt, set the Shura Council building on fire.  Unfortunately the fire spread next door, to the oldest science library in Cairo.

Egyptian Scientific Institute burned, destroying more than 150,000 books going back to the late 1700s.  It was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798, and first called L’Institut d’Egypte.

Among the books, maps and charts destroyed is the first edition of the Description de l’Egypte, started under Napoleon Bonaparte by French scientists.  Egyptian officials say they still have two other editions located at two separate libraries.

Egyptians have been protesting the U.S. backed military government, mainly because of the thousands of people who’ve been rushed through military court trials, something the protestors were against from the beginning.  The military court trials convinced many Egyptians that they were not getting a new government, but just more of the same after the resignation of U.S. backed Hosni Mubarak.

 

 

Government Incompetence: The 12 (Big) Lies of Xmas 2011

1. “The war in Iraq is finally over after nine years.”

Rothkopf notes the U.S. has been militarily engaged in Iraq since the early 1990 and this will likely be just the end of another installment in the long running series of U.S. warmongering policies in the region.

2. “America’s mission in Iraq was a success.”

He expresses astonishment at such a claim while Iraq is divided, undemocratic, corrupt, and the U.S. invasion has cost U.S.$1 trillion, thousands of U.S. lives, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives, and its national reputation. U.S. war in Iraq bears greater semblance to a full-scale “fiasco”, he says.

3. “We are winning in Afghanistan.”

Rothkopf describes this one as a hot from the oven “howler” by the U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. Washington has strengthened the region’s extremists and the threat of instability in nuclear Pakistan is now actually higher than it was when U.S. went in, he says.

4. Tie: “Pakistan is America’s ally” and “Afghanistan is America’s partner.”

Neither Pakistan nor Afghanistan can by any “credible definition” be called a U.S. ally. This is attested to by the animosity of Islamabad towards Washington and Kabul’s belittling of the U.S. on the world stage, Rothkopf says.

5. “America is unthreatened by China’s growth.”

A “prayer” by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rothkopf says. “It should be true. But it’s not,” he adds.

6. Tie: “Republicans are the problem” and “Democrats are the problem.”

Rothkopf dubs this one as “the great lie of American politics.” He says the problem with U.S. politics is not the parties, but the money. “The system is so resolutely corrupt that recent scandals have only resulted in more money flowing into the system and past reforms being undone,” he notes.

7. “Cutting the taxes of millionaires helps create U.S. jobs.”

There is not even one single solitary shred of evidence to support this “idiotic” suggestion, Rothkopf notes.

8. “This next summit of European leaders will be decisive …”

Rothkopf says despite the fact that this claim has been made every few weeks for the past months, the “supposedly sophisticated financial markets” of the United States continue to fall for it.

9. “The Obama administration is committed to serious financial services reform.”

The U.S. financial system is still plagued by all the threats that instigated the 2008 recession. “Not an inch of progress,” Rothkopf says.

10. “Only nine percent of Americans approve of Congress.”

“This can’t possibly be true. There can’t possibly be that many,” Rothkopf says in a stinging sarcastic tone.

11. “The operation in Libya will be over in a matter of days or weeks.”

Rothkopf says the operation was wrong to begin with, “and then wrong and then wrong again for months.”

12. “I love Israel.”

Even though everyone in U.S. politics makes such an assertion, nobody really means it, Rothkopf notes. What the politicians really mean, however, is that “I want American Jews to think I love Israel enough to vote for me and give me money,” he says.

“Those are just a few of a bumper year for duplicity, mendacity, and craven misstatements.”-David J. Rothkopf, Foreign Policy

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Fukushima Governor challenges claims of Cold Shut Down

On 16 December 2011 the Japanese government declared the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant in “Cold Shut Down”.  On 18 December, the governor of Fukushima challenged that claim.

Governor of Fukushima Prefecture, Sato Yuhei, met three national government Cabinet members.  He asked them how they could make such a declaration when no one at the national level talked to anyone living around the nuclear plant, or even made an inspection tour.

The Minister for Nuclear Crisis Compensation, Edano Yukio, said the contamination zones will be redefined, and the national government will considering local governments’ requests.

The three Cabinet members also said that areas with radiation levels of 20 millisieverts per year or higher, will require former residents to continue living elsewhere, and, those people from areas with readings of over 50 millisieverts per year should expect not to be able to return for a long long time.

Government & Corporate Incompetence: 230 tons of radioactive water found under Fukushima Daiichi!

On 18 December 2011, workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, found 230 tons of highly radioactive water in a tunnel under a building used to store contaminated water.  This comes after the Japanese government declared the damaged nuclear reactors in “cold shut down”.

Tokyo Electric Power Company officials say the water is giving off 3 millisieverts per hour of radiation. Of course, and as usual, TEPCo officials don’t have clue how it got there, and are investigating.

This latest discovery reminds everyone to question TEPCo’s inspection and management capabilities.  Even the Governor of Fukushima Prefecture is challenging the national government’s declaring the plant in cold shut down.

 

Global Economic War: Argentina moves to discourage immigrants from the United States

Argentinians are saying no more to immigrants fleeing the United States.

Lawmakers in the lower House have passed a bill that would limit the amount of Argentine land foreigners could buy. But don’t worry, it means you rich immigrants fleeing the U.S. will have to settle for only 2,500 acres.  Yes, under the bill you can still buy up to 2,500 acres of Argentine land, so I think the bill is just symbolic.

In a recent survey Argentinians proved to be just as xenophobic as people in the U.S.  Many Argentinians surveyed said they were tired of the growing number of people coming from the United States, and taking their jobs!

What Economic Recovery: EU official says saving Europe is like throwing money down the toilet. $3.9 trillion already spent trying to save Europe!

“I never understand when market participants say authorities haven’t put enough money up…I don’t share the view that only the European Central Bank can solve the crisis.”-Klaus Regling, European Financial Stability Facility

The boss of the EFSF, Klaus Regling, said when you combine what has been spent, what is currently being spent, and what is about to be spent to save troubled European governments, it equals three trillion Euros (U.S.$3.9 trillion)!

This is more evidence that the economies of Europe and the United States are much worse than what we’re being told!

Government Incompetence & United Police States of America: Las Vegas cops shoot Gulf War veteran, who lost his house, in the back of the head, 7 times. Veteran’s wife blames PTSD and the VA. VA is ending needed treament for veterans

“100%. They are 100% responsible for what they did to my husband. They killed my husband.”-Rondha Gibson, blaming the Veterans Administration for her husband’s death because they took him off his PTSD meds and cancelled his benefits

On December 12 Las Vegas police shot and killed a 1991 Persian Gulf War veteran.  They shot him seven times in the back of the head as he sat in his car.

According to newly released police report, cops responded to claims of an attempted burglary.  Apartment residents said two men tried to break into an apartment, failed and then took off in a white Cadillac. As the cops were writing down the info, a white Cadillac pulled into the apartment parking lot.

The cops surrounded the car, the driver apparently panicked a tried to get away but ran into a parked police car.  For 30 minutes the cops yelled at him to get out of the car.  They decided to shoot a bean bag to break a window, and then spray riot control gas into the car.  For some reason another cop grabbed a semi-automatic AR-15 assault rifle.  When the one cop fired the bean bag round, the cop with the AR-15 fired also.  The reason has yet to be revealed.

The cop with the AR-15 fired seven times into the back of the war veteran’s head.  The AR-15 is a semi-automatic version of the automatic military M16.  What that means is that the cop had to pull the trigger seven times to fire seven rounds!

Police officials are investigating why the cop with the AR-15 fired seven rounds off, when that was obviously not part of the plan to get the veteran out of his car.

By the way, the reason why the veteran pulled into the apartment parking lot was because he lived there!  He and his wife moved in after losing their house!  There are plenty of white Cadillacs in Las Vegas, dumb cops!

It turns out the Gulf War veteran, Stanley Gibson, had lost his Veterans benefits, was taken off his PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) meds, and then lost his house!  A social worker who works with veterans blames the Veterans Administration for what happened: “They’re just trying to get away with the minimal that they can, and if they dance you around the block enough you’ll go away.”-Marsha Oritt, social worker

Gibson and his wife had fought the gradual reductions in his benefits for years, but the VA won out.  Rhonda Gibson says the VA totally blew them off: “If they had just listened to the man, listened to me and stopped canceling his appointments and make sure he had his medications on time, we would have been ok.”

Social worker Marsha Oritt says the VA has made the Gibson’s life a living hell: “It was just a constant nightmare for them both. Lots of tears. Lots of frustration. Lots of upset.”

Russia finally an official member of the WTO. Is that Why Russia suddenly reversed course on Syria, bailing out Europe?

“Russia is the world’s 12th largest trading nation and until we have this important country among our members, we cannot truly be the World Trade Organization.”-Pascal Lamy, World Trade Organization

After 18 years of trying to join the WTO, Russia was finally allowed in on December 16.  Just the day before Russia surprised many people in Europe and the United States, by announcing they would help bailout Europe, and, they would work with the United States to present a resolution to the UN Security Council concerning Syria.

Up until December 15 Russia had kept mum about bailing out Europe, and had opposed any UNSC resolution on Syria.

Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Lukashevich, did admit there were conditions for Russia’s joining the WTO, and conditions for maintaining  membership: “Russia is joining the WTO on conditions answering its national interests. There are preconditions for further improvement of our business climate, for attraction of foreign investmens, for expanding of Russia’s export with simultaneous keeping of key industries of the national economy.”

WTO officials put another condition on Russia’s joining the global organization; they have to be well behaved for at least six more months, then, in the summer of 2021 they will be considered a full member of the World Trade Organization.  Even then there will be a “transition period” up to seven years.

The WTO members, including the United States, voted unanimously to let Russia finally join.  There are now 154 WTO members, which control 98% of global trade.

What Economic Recovery? One step closer to One World Government, IMF proposes international co-op, hints at Global Great Depression

“It’s not a crisis that will be resolved by one group of countries taking action. It’s going to be hopefully resolved by all countries, all regions, all categories of countries actually taking action.”-Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director

The director of the International Monetary Fund made that comment in a U.S. State Department conference on December 15.  Christine Lagarde also used the word “retraction” which is another way of saying economic depression.

Lagarde said she is greatly concerned because recent efforts to ‘save’ Europe have failed, and there is growing economic protectionism, and political isolationism, which will only make the global economy worse.  These are all things that helped cause the Great Depression of the 1920s-1930s.

She is calling for a new global financial co-operative system to prevent the coming Global Great Depression.

 

What Economic Recovery? Russia says it will bailout Europe, through the IMF

“41% of foreign exchange reserves in Russia are euro-denominated, so EU member states and Russia all are interested in the security of it.”Dmitry Medvedev, President of Russia

Turns out that Russia has a big stake in European countries getting back on the economic track.

On December 15, Russia’s current President said his country will work to help bailout struggling European countries, but only through the International Monetary Fund: “…we will keep backing the EU in terms of our quota in IMF membership and we will abide by all the commitments, being the participant of the IMF and ready to invest financial means to back the European economy and the euro zone.”

Medvedev did say that it was still up to European Union members to come up with a doable plan: “Only Europe will be able to help Europe but other countries should provide conditions for Europe to liberate itself from the crisis burden as soon as possible and recover from this downturn as soon as possible.”