G.E. Strategies = $ Billions In Profits And Zero $ In Taxes. Gee, G.E....

General Electric is America’s largest corporation and it (yes, that's "it" and not "he" or "she") had a very good year in 2010: G.E. reported $14.2 billion in international profits and declared that $5.1 billion of those profits came from its U.S.-based boffo biz.

So, a great question to ask is this...

"What Did General Electric Pay In Taxes for its $5.1 Billion In American-Made Profits?"

Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Absolutely Nothing.

Sadly, I kid you not.

In fact, General Electric actually claimed it was owed a tax benefit of $3.2 billion.

The corporate motto of General Electric is "Imagination At Work".

In "light" of this information, how 'bout we change that motto to: "General Electric: Tax Evasion At Work".

Here's the link to the New York Times article entitled "G.E.'s Strategies Let It Avoid Taxes Altogether", that describes how they do it (Hint: It involves lots of $$$, lots of  lobbyists and large corporate (ahem) "contributions".):

www.nytimes.com/gestrategies

Japan's Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant: Where 3 Isn't Company - It's A Catastrophe.

As if you didn't need anymore reasons to dislike Mondays...

As if the devastating 8.9 quake and subsequent tsunami in Japan, followed shortly thereafter by the news (with video) of an explosion at the building housing a nuclear reactor at one of Japan's 50 nuclear plants wasn't enough...

Here's an update:
There are three reactors at Fukushima's Dai-ichi nuclear power plant which are now facing possible meltdown.

This Is Not A Drill, People.

Gee. No... G.E., actually.
(As in "General Electric") :P

What does GE have to do with any of this? You might ask...
Well, in some I-wish-I-could-say "surprising news", it turns out there have long been known vulnerabilities with GE's Mark 1 containment structures - such as are found in the three Japanese reactors which are now creeping - like tectonic plates - toward Epic (not to mention avoidable) Man-Made Disaster Status.

Here's an enlightening - if not irritating article on the matter from The Guardian (thankfully not - I hope - a subsidiary of corporate blob GE):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/mar/14/nuclearpower-energy

Pray... Think "Good Thoughts"... Whatever feels "right" to you.

Looking On "The Bright Side"...
Here's hope and optimism that, at the very least, the horrible man-made disasters we are now experiencing - ones which followed what were - without exception - inevitable (if not predictable) natural disasters will usher in The End Times for the nuclear power industry.

Peace,
L.