The Mean Index – Profit Over Jobs In U.S. – Opposite In Europe & Japan

 Empty - Ghosts of the Middle Class

There was a time when recessions caused employers in the United States to figure out ways to keep employees busy in order to keep from losing them. Now laying off workers seems to be the first, not last option for U.S. companies compared to the rest of the world.

In the past when economic downturns would hit, U.S. companies would do everything it could to keep from losing employees. Employees would be assigned cleanup tasks, filing and straightening up the storeroom. It seems that something has dramatically changed in the United States. An article titled “Unlike competition, U.S. values profits over jobs” by Paul Wiseman March 31, 2011 and published on the MSNBC website shows the difference in how some foreign country based companies treat employees in a recession versus United States based firms.

In the United States worker productivity is up as fewer employees are producing more output after companies shed workers during the recession. According to the article that is not the case in Japan and Europe. Productivity actually went down during the height of the recession during 2009 by 3.7 percent in Japan and 2.2 percent in Europe while U.S. productivity growth doubled from 2008 to 2009 and again in 2010. Now that U.S. corporate profits are at record levels, U.S. firms are hiring a pace far lower than businesses in other recovering nations.

It seems that companies in other developed nations kept more of their employees during the downturn, even at the cost of profits and productivity. Something has changed in the United States as employees are not seen as being as valuable as they once were. Downsizing and trimming the workforce seems to be the first strategy to deal with a downturn as opposed to keeping more employees and sacrificing some level of profitability. Earnings per share and bottom line profits have won out over retaining skilled employees throughout a downturn. Pumping every ounce of output from the remaining workers is seen as a better strategy than hiring new employees as profits bounce back, employee morale and well being take a back seat.

I guess the United States is firmly entrenched in the “employee as a unit of labor input” formula as opposed to an individual with respect, responsibility and loyalty if treated well. This should be no surprise when the action that are taking place in some states towards professionals such as teachers and firefighters as they are hammered down into the roles of “just shut up and work.”

Japan Earthquake, Tsunami & Arab Wars, Some Consult Bible & Other Holy Texts

Holy Bible                     Holy Quran

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

The prior passage is from Matthew 24, verses 6 and 7 in the New International Version of The Holy Bible. This is what Jesus said when referring to events that would be a precursor to the end of days. In verse 8 he said that these were the beginning of birth pains.

Whenever there are upheavals on a worldwide basis, whether they are natural or man made, there is talk and speculation of the end of the world and Armageddon. A simple internet search using the terms earthquake, tsunami and the end of the world will show how much chatter is taking place regarding this subject.

Adding to the undercurrent of speculation is that the location of much of the unrest in the world is centered in North African and the Middle East all around the nation of Israel where the final battle is to take place.

We have had numerous earthquakes over the past several years of large intensity including Indonesia, Haiti and Japan events. We have had numerous wars, but what about the current unrest in the Middle East and North Africa. The unrest in those countries is primarily from citizens revolting against oppressive leaders versus countries attacking each other. Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain are internal struggles of people wanting more opportunity within their own nations.

Yes we have conflicts with other nations with a coalition waging a campaign in Libya to protect its citizens from the country’s own government. In Afghanistan the war is against a terrorist group and the Taliban, not the nation. It would seem that the nation against nation portion of this passage has not been fulfilled. It is also said that man will not know when that time comes and that is probably the part of this we can count on the most.  

Radioactive Iodine Levels In Tokyo, Japan Water Supply Not Safe For Babies

Tap Water

Tokyo, Japan is the world’s most populous metropolitan area with over 12 million people in the metropolis of Tokyo. Tokyo is called a metropolis instead of a prefecture. The metropolis includes the wards formerly known as the city of Tokyo.

The distance from Fukushima Dai-ichi where the damaged nuclear power plant is located to Tokyo is 242 kilometers, approximately 150 miles, should send a message of how far this radioactive material travels. Obviously the question that must be asked is if and how much additional radioactive iodine is still entering the drinking water supply. An article titled “Tokyo Officials Say Radiation In Tap Water Twice Recommended Limit For Infants” describes the details.

Radioactive iodine is one of the more dangerous elements from nuclear contamination because it is something the body can’t distinguish from it nonradioactive version. The human body needs iodine for healthy functioning of the thyroid. The thyroid regulates growth in the human body. The thyroid will absorb iodine whether it is radioactive or not.

Radioactive iodine-131 is the reason potassium iodide is used to protect the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine. Potassium iodide is absorbed by the thyroid and since it will be full, the thyroid will not absorb the radioactive iodine. Infants and young children are particularly sensitive to radioactive iodine because they are still growing and their thyroids will respond to lower levels of radioactive iodine. High levels of radioactive iodine can cause thyroid cancer.

U.S. Military Considering Mandatory Evacuation Of Naval Base In Japan Over Radiation

USS George Washington Nimitz Class Nuclear Powered Aircraft Carrier

The United States military is reportedly considering evacuating the largest naval base in Japan if radiation levels from the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant continue to rise.The nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington has already moved to avoid additional radiation exposure.

An article titled “U.S. military considering mandatory evacuations in Yokosuka” by Chris Lawrence March 21, 2011 and published on the CNN website goes into additional details. The naval base at Yokosuka is the largest for the United States in Japan. Yokosuka is just south of Tokyo.

The evacuation of a large naval base would involve moving thousands of troops and their families and would signal the severity of the radiation threat. What is unknown is what would be the long term effect of radiation contamination at a large United States military base. Certain types of radioactive elements do not go away very quickly. What could be the long term effects of radiation on a military facility?

The effects on the naval station are likely to be minor unless things spiral out of control at the nuclear power plant and if that happened, the city of Tokyo is closer to the power plant than the base. This nuclear accident crisis just seems to keep going and changing as time goes on.

Japan Earthquake Caused Tsunami Damage In The United States Of America

Tsunami Damage In The United States

The United States is a long way from the power and destruction of the 8.9 earthquake and resulting tsunami that devastated Japan. We all send the Japanese people good wishes and prayers for a full recovery. Even with thousands of miles of ocean to cross the power of the tsunami still made an impact on the United States.

Initial reports said that the tsunami wave went around the Hawaii Islands, but video evidence show that a glancing blow was struck on the big island of Hawaii in the town of Kona over 3,850 miles from Japan. Unbelievably, cities in California were affected over 5,478 miles away.

Although the scale of damage in the United States can’t begin to compare with that in Japan, the tsunami managed to claim a life over 5,000 miles away from where it started. An article titled “NorCal man drowns trying to photograph tsunami ” by the Fox 5 San Diego Staff and CNN Wire and published on the Fox 5 San Diego website tells of a California man that was swept out to sea and drowned while trying to photograph the incoming tsunami waves.

Although the magnitude of suffering was vastly different from Japan to the United States, they were both touched by death and destruction from the same event that demonstrated the awesome power of nature. Man still lives with forces greater than himself.

U S Gives Out Potassium Iodide Pills In Japan And Workers Flee Smoking Nuclear Power Plant

Potassium Iodide

In a real life saga that seems to never end, workers fled from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power Monday March 21, 2011 as smoke rose from two reactors. In a separate action the United States made Potassium Iodide pills available to U.S. personnel and dependents in Japan.

These two events while separate certainly have an intersection. The intersection is the radiation coming from the damaged nuclear power plant and the potential harmful effects it could have on those exposed to it. An article titled “Workers flee Japan nuclear plant as smoke rises” by Eric Talmadge and Mari Yamaguchi March 21, 2011 and published on Yahoo.com details a setback in efforts to brink the nuclear reactors under control as workers fled the Fukushima Dia-ichi nuclear power plant as smoke rose from two reactors.

Another separate article titled “U.S. makes potassium iodide available in Japan” by Arshad Mohammed and published on the Reuter website details the U.S. decision to make potassium iodide available to its personnel and dependents in certain parts of Japan.

One of the radioactive elements released into the environment from the nuclear power plant in Japan is radioactive iodine. Radioactive iodine has been detected in the environment in Japan. The human thyroid, that regulates growth, will absorb iodine and can’t tell the difference between radioactive iodine and nonradioactive iodine. Iodine is needed in order for the thyroid to function properly. When you see the label of “iodized” on table salt it means that small amounts of iodine containing salts have been mixed with regular salt to help prevent iodine deficiency. The thyroid will absorb radioactive iodine and that is where potassium iodide comes in as a blocker. The thyroid will absorb the potassium iodide and become full. If the thyroid is full it will not absorb radioactive iodine.

Radioactive iodine absorbed by the thyroid can cause thyroid cancer. There are many issues taking place in Japan and the longer it goes on, it seems the more serious things become.