Tag Archives: u.s.

International, Opinion

Chocolate Kinder Eggs Illegal in the United States, could cost you $300.00

If you’re coming back from Canada with a handful, or even just one, Kinder Egg, you’re breaking the law.  It’s against U.S. law to bring chocolate Kinder Eggs into the U.S., and can result in a $300.00 fine, per egg.

Several people have already had their collectible eggs, with a toy inside, taken by U.S. Customs officials after a random inspection at the border.  U.S. law banned the eggs precisely because they have a toy inside.  They are considered a health risk to children.  Last year (2010) U.S. Customs seized 25,000 Kinder Eggs at the U.S./Canadian border.

That’s pretty lame.  I used to get these Italian creations whenever I had the chance. My kids loved them when they were young.  Now I find out why it’s so hard to get them in the U.S.

The company that makes them is the Italian based Ferrero. Originally called Kinder Surprise, they’ve been making them since 1972, yet the United States government thinks they are some kinda terrorist threat to our children (maybe there’s WMDs in there?).  Actually, there is a U.S. law that says a food product cannot contain a non-edible object inside it.  Since 1991 seven kids, in the entire world, died choking on the Kinder Egg toy surprise.  There are legal toys/candies in the U.S. that have caused more deaths than that!

Another surprise is that even though they are illegal in the U.S., Canadian companies are selling them to people in the U.S., through the mail.  There used to be a small European food store where I live, in Idaho, and they sold Kinder Eggs all the time.  In fact they were their best selling item.  Where did they get the Kinder Eggs?  From a Canadian food supplier, though the mail.

Kinder Eggs have become so popular in the world that there are special eggs made for several countries, and holidays.  Wouldn’t it suck to go to jail for trafficking illegal chocolate eggs?   Sounds like some kinda Willy Wonka gone-bad movie.

Fukushima, U.S.

Two U.S. Nuke Plants shut down, one for no apparent reason

At least two nuclear plants in the United States have been automatically shut down this week.  A nuclear plant in Virgina, and a nuclear plant in Georgia.

In Surry, Virginia, a nuke plant was hit by tornadoes.  It shut down automatically, and is now undergoing repairs to its electrical switchyard.

A nuke plant in Georgia automatically shut down, for no reason.  The plant remains off line while an investigation continues to find out why the automatic systems shut it down.  The plant is near Waynesboro, Georgia.

International, Opinion, U.S.

Iran says U.S. & Israel behind regional drug trafficking

“The Zionists and CIA agents in the region assist drug dealers at Iran’s joint borders with Afghanistan. These [so-called] advocates of human rights have undertaken the task of investing in the production of industrial drugs from traditional ones and supplying them to Iran’s market.”-Mohammad-Najjar, Interior Minister

The drug trade from Afghanistan has resulted in more than 3,700 Iranian counter-narcotics officers their lives, since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.

The United Nations admits that before the U.S. invasion, the Taliban had actually reduced poppy production to some of the lowest levels in Afghanistan’s history.   Now, according to a 2010 UN report, Afghanistan accounts for 90% of the world’s illicit opium and heroin production.  What happened?  The U.S. used to blame the Taliban for the opium production, but the Taliban are no longer in power in Afghanistan, mmmm.

The United Nations also ranks Iran as have the best anti-drug enforcement record in the world.  Russia has also made claims about the U.S. being involved with the drug trade out of Afghanistan.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Chinese issue warning over U.S. government debt

“The U.S. economic fundamentals are not strong, plus there is expanding fiscal deficit and declining financial revenue. We are closely tracking the performance of U.S. government bonds and considering a further adjustment based on current conditions.”-Guan Jianzhong, Dagong Global Credit Rating Company

It wasn’t just S & P that reduced the credit rating of the Untied States, Dagong Global Credit Rating company also downgraded the U.S.  That’s important, because it’s a Chinese company, and the Chinese hold most of the U.S. sovereign debt.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, along with several Chinese bank officials, urged the United States to adopt “responsible policies and measures” to protect the interests of investors (mainly Chinese).  The problem is that if those investors think they’re going to lose money then they’re going to start off loading their U.S. bonds in a big way (they’ve already been selling them off, slowly, for the past three months).


Fukushima

Radiation Evacuation Zone expanded!

Not only has the Japanese government made it a legal offense to enter the evacuation zone around Fukushima Daiichi, they have expanded the zone as well.

Because of high radiation build up, towns outside the original 20km (12.4miles) zone will be evacuated.  The towns are Katsurao, Namie, Iitate and some areas of Kawamata and Minamisoma.  Residents have until the end of May to leave.

Fukushima

Fukushima says No to TEPCo!

The prefectural government of Fukushima said no to allowing Tokyo Electric Power Company to resume any nuke plant operations.  ”A resumption of plant operations must be impossible.”-Sato Yuhei, Fukushima Governor

Governor Sato made the statement after a 15 minute meeting with TEPCo president Shimizu Masataka.  TEPCo had tried to meet with the state government of Fukushima twice before, and was unofficially told to take a hike both times.  This time Fukushima officials made it official.  They told TEPCo there is no way they will allow them to resume any nuclear power functions at the damaged Fukusima Daiichi plant.

Fukushima

TEPCo lays off employees inorder to pay for Nuke plant damages

Tokyo Electric Power Company says it must cut wages and salaries in order to meet expected compensation payments due to the Fukushima Daiichi disaster.

Wages would be cut by 5%, with bonuses cut in half.  Salaries will be cut by 20%. TEPCo will also reduce the number of employees by 100 each year, for the next five years.

 

Fukushima

Food Crisis: Half million livestock starving to death in Japan!

In another blow to world food supply issues, the nuclear disaster in Japan is making things worse.

Officials say that many livestock left behind in the 20km (12.4 miles) evacuation zone, have starved to death!  There were about 30,000 pigs, about 600,000 chickens and about 3,000 cattle the evacuation zone, but the Fukushima Prefectural government believes most have died.

Farmers are demanding that someone go in and humanely put down the remaining livestock, rather than have them starve to death.  YouTube video shows many cows starving to death.  The farmers fear that their animals are too contaminated with radiation, to try saving.

JAPANESE BREAK INTO 20KM EVACUATION ZONE TO BRING YOU VIDEO OF LIVESTOCK & PETS LEFT TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES!

Fukushima, Idaho

Idaho robots reveal radiation levels too high for humans

Robots from the Idaho National Laboratory have been searching through the damaged reactor buildings at Fukushima Daiichi.

They have discovered temperature and radiation levels too high for humans.  Tokyo Electric Power Company officials say they will have to use air conditioners, and filtration systems, to bring heat and radiation levels down enough for workers to operate inside the buildings.  Latest NHK video

International, U.S.

U.S. to begin withdrawing Marines from Okinawa

For decades Japanese living on Okinawa have demanded that U.S. forces leave.  They might be getting their wish.

Internal U.S. Marine Corps documents obtained by NHK revealed a plan to reduce the number of Marines by 8,000.  The Marines would be relocated to the U.S. territory of Guam.

It still leaves about 10,000 personnel at the Futenma Air Station on Okinawa, but, eventually the air base will be moved as well.  There is a meeting between U.S. and Japanese officials, to work out details, scheduled for June.