Posts
Mexico's fiscal
health is in jeopardy because of a declining rate of oil production,
an analysis from the U.S. Energy Information
Administration said.
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Airline Death Spiral ##
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Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
The
creation of a real non dollar bloc which can make almost
anything people want, and which has access to essentially
all key resources from oil to rare minerals, metals and
food is an existential threat to the hegemony of the West and
its allies like Japan and Korea.
The
United States and the Philippines have reached a 10-year
pact that would allow a larger U.S. military presence in
this Southeast Asian nation as it grapples with increasingly
tense territorial disputes with China.
Gunfights
and killings in shanty towns have escalated just weeks before
the World Cup begins in Brazil
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Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##
Dozens of
protesters torched three banks and a government building in the
southern Jordanian city of Maan, after police killed a
resident during clashes, officials and witnesses said yesterday.
Some 200 anti-government protesters were involved in the
riots late Wednesday, the Public Security Department said.
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Energy/resources ##
The
stunning conclusion of the report is that at current prices--in
the mid-$4 range per thousand cubic feet (mcf)--NONE of the
natural gas trapped in the New York portion of the Marcellus can
be profitably extracted.
Without
the addition of generation capacity, the emirate will struggle to
address growing power demand
Lack
of generation capacity, equipment upkeep and training were
factors as lights went out across Newfoundland last winter,
says a new report flagging an "unacceptably high risk" of
future blackouts.
Experts
warn of a growing fragility as coal-fired plants are shut down,
nuclear power is reduced and consumers switch to renewable
energy.
I
would like to remind everyone that landfill gas and waste-to-energy
schemes depend on the mountains of waste generated by the
industrial/consumer economy. -- RF
Much
to the chagrin of the United States, China has the innate
ability to negotiate major energy deals in the midst
of conflict. PetroChina's state-run parent company,
China National Petroleum, or CNPC, was the first oil company to
secure a contract in the Iraqi oil fields following the
fall of Saddam Hussein, and today both it and CNOOC are
two of the most active oil companies there. With Russia and
the West at a standstill over the recent events in Ukraine, it
appears that CNPC is about to seal another energy coup.
Smaller
oil producers are teaming up with engineering and oil services
companies in Britain's North Sea to squeeze extra drops from
ageing facilities before rising costs force them to close.
The
crisis in Ukraine has provided a reminder of an an old story:
The world is a dangerous and unstable place—and some of the
most volatile places on earth are oil-producing areas where oil
companies are compelled to drill.
China
might be slowing economically but it still wants to buy more oil
from Latin America and invest in infrastructure in the
region, with a presidential visit planned for July, Chinese and
Brazilians officials said on Friday.
Propane
shortage, increased exports impacting prices: Marketers worry
new spike could happen again (US)
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Infrastructure scavenging ##
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Got food? ##
We
may be tasting the first minimal increases in food prices that could
soar to unimagined heights in the years ahead.
The
killer stalking U.S. hog farms is known as PEDv, a malady that
in less than a year has wiped out more than 10 percent of
the nation's pig population and helped send retail pork prices
to record highs.
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Lifestyle Solutions ##
Volunteer
gardeners from countries around Europe visited Greece's
second largest city, Thessaloniki, on Sunday to help local
urban planting initiatives set up help residents hit by
the country's financial crisis.
Of
course, this is not merely a "lifestyle solution," but a
major component of our efforts to survive — and thrive — as
societies transition to much lower energy levels. Don't think for a
minute that this is something temporary until Greece "gets back
on its feet." Greece is a bellwether we should all be watching
closely. -- RF
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Environment/health ##
North
Dakota confirmed Thursday the discovery of a new radioactive
dump of waste from oil drilling, and separately a company hired
to clean up waste found in February at another location said
it removed double the amount of radioactive material
originally estimated to be there.
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Intelligence/propaganda/security/internet/cyberwar ##
The
Saudi prisoner awaiting a death-penalty trial for the USS Cole
bombing was tortured physically, mentally and sexually, an expert
in treating torture victims testified Thursday at the war court.
People
are storing more and more stuff online: photos, music,
personal documents — even books. The business of cloud storage
is growing 30 percent a year, Forrester Research says. But if
you're storing your digital belongings in the cloud, you should
know you're giving up some rights.
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Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
County
road commissions have increasingly taken up the practice
of permanently or temporarily turning paved roads into gravel
in recent years to deal with issues of low funding and poor road
conditions… Last year, about half of Michigan counties were
forced to convert paved roads to gravel.
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Japan ##
Dormant
accounts are those that have seen no deposits or withdrawals for at
least 10 years.
"You
haven't used this account in 10 years. Therefore the money is no
longer yours!" This is just plain thievery. Many people put
money in an account and leave it there with plans to use it upon
retiring. Expect still more Japanese to keep their savings out of the
banks and stuff their mattresses instead (or as it is known in Japan,
"bureau-drawer deposits"). -- RF
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China ##
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UK ##
Schoolchildren
as young as ten are being taught how to spot radicalisation in their
friends through a police scheme using a Facebook-style website.
New
figures show the extent of the use of controversial European
Arrest Warrants on Britain's streets
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US ##
About
your retirement: Social
Security Is Going Broke Faster Than You Think: 12-Year Cash
Deficit Is Nearly $2 Trillion
A
record surge in recent firearms production and transactions
have swamped the federal government's automated
registration system for select weapons, including machine guns.
I'm
not the only one who perceives the development of neofeudalism and
the new aristocracy. -- RF
And
finally...
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