Posts
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Airline Death Spiral ##
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Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
It was
heinous. It was underhanded. It was beyond the bounds
of international morality. It was an attack on the American
way of life. It was what you might expect from
unscrupulous Arabs. It was “the oil weapon” -- and
back in 1973, it was directed at the United States. Skip ahead
four decades and it’s smart, it’s effective, and it’s the
American way. The Obama administration has
appropriated it as a major tool of foreign policy, a new way to
go to war with nations it considers hostile without relying on
planes, missiles, and troops. It is, of course, that very
same oil weapon.
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Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##
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Energy/resources ##
What
a surprise! Who would have thought? -- RF
As
with the first test, the scientists reported nearly unbelievable
results which, of course, is the problem.
This
sounds like the savior of the world economy, but basically nothing
would change, because — even if it really works — it doesn't
change the economic system. It would just goose the global Ponzi and
keep it going for a while longer, while strip-mining the planet at an
accelerated rate. Although carbon emissions would be significantly
reduced, renewed economic growth would more than make up for that
reduced environmental burden by spurring other kinds of pollution and
contamination. My prediction is that, in the long run, this would
just aggravate all our problems and make the inevitable crash all the
worse. Limits to growth do exist. -- RF
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Infrastructure scavenging ##
Low-level
criminals stealing copper to sell on the black market is the stuff
of TV and film plots, but every day, real-life crooks lift everything
from bags of gravel to backhoes from construction sites across
the 905 region – often in broad daylight.
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Got food? ##
By
studying the immune systems of plants, they've developed a technique
that eliminates the need for chemicals.
If
you garden or farm, this is a must-read. -- RF
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Environment/health ##
State
health commissioner granted quarantine power
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Intelligence/propaganda/security/internet/cyberwar ##
There
have been a total of 589 data breaches recorded so far in 2014
by the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC). About 76.7
million records have be exposed, including the breach of 56
million credit and debit card numbers at Home Depot Inc. (NYSE:
HD), the largest breach ever recorded for a retail company.
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Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
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Japan ##
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China ##
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UK ##
Residents
have been asked by a council to fill in potholes themselves in
order to save money on road repairs.
The
government has today hired three banks to help the UK become the
first Western state to issue bonds in the Chinese currency
renminbi. The Treasury has appointed HSBC, Standard Chartered
and the state-owned Bank of China to run the sale. The new
bonds will help to diversify the UK’s public reserves,
which are currently held in US and Canadian dollars, euro and
yen.
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US ##
Anyone
recall how the war in Iraq would pay for itself? That was the US
Defense Department estimate in 2003.
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