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Wednesday, 21 May 2014

News Headlines


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## Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards ##

The future of retail. Get ready for it. -- RF

## Airline Death Spiral ##

Porter Airlines is now charging passengers a $25 fee for their first checked bag on domestic flights, the first Canadian airline to do so.

## Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##

Iraq has asked the United States for attack aircraft, aerostats and armored vehicles, with a combined worth of nearly $1 billion, through the Foreign Military Sales program.

About 6,000 U.S. troops are expected to participate in the exercise, along with 3,000 from Jordan and some 3,200 from more than 20 partner-nations, totaling more than 12,000 troops.

## Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##


## Energy/resources ##

Here's a really good article. It's even better than the title suggests because it's very helpful in developing a comprehensive understanding of our precarious energy situation. An important point mentioned is a corollary of one I have made: Most of our progress has been made possible by cheap, plentiful energy, not by technology. I have stated that although the general belief is that technology begets energy, in reality cheap, plentiful energy has made technological advances possible. -- RF
A new academic report warns that countries in Europe are increasingly running low on energy reserves, and an advocacy group says that as a result, “Energy Dependence Day” is arriving earlier each year.
According to companies represented by the Queensland Resources Council, after running a ruler over their respective balance sheets, around 25% of coal output in Queensland, Australia is produced at a loss. The figure is even worse for thermal coal producers as 50% of all production on a free on board (FOB) basis is being dug up and processed at a financial loss.
ExxonMobil’s Canadian outfit is considering plans for the deepest offshore well ever to be drilling in the Arctic.

## Got food? ##


## Environment/health ##


## Intelligence/propaganda/security/internet/cyberwar ##

Blowtorches, tweezers and glue: These are just a few of the items used to create those mouth-watering restaurant ads.
A rising class of apps called smart apps promise to make users' lives easier by essentially acting as personal assistants. Yet, users may be uncomfortable with the amount of personal information required to make them work.

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##

Even Japan's much-shorter maglev train project won't be finished. Grandiose plans like this are typical of the now-past era of plentiful and cheap energy, but many people are still mentally living in the past and can't see the anachronism. It's this sort of thinking that leads to gross over-expansion and collapse. -- RF
Although I still maintain that expensive energy is the primary factor behind the loss of skills, here is another. -- RF

## Japan ##

Yawn. -- RF
You can't make this stuff up. -- RF
Almost all workers, including managers required to deal with accidents, defied orders and fled the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant at a critical juncture when the disaster was unfolding in March 2011, documents showed.

## China ##


## UK ##

Shale gas explorer IGas says it is considering offering households near fracking sites free energy efficiency measures, as part of planned "community benefits"

## US ##

At the center of the discounter's domestic woes is its appeal among shoppers who are facing stagnant wage growth and simply can't afford to spend on discretionary items—or in some cases, food.
Middle-class seniors and the growing wave of baby boomers behind them want to stay in their homes and communities as they grow old, but escalating costs of everything from food to medication to property taxes; battered retirement portfolios; and dwindling savings have today's older Americans looking to become ad hoc landlords or tenants, even if the practice sometimes is forbidden by zoning restrictions.
Each year since the recession officially ended in the summer of 2009, Wall Street and Washington have tried to dupe investors into believing a second half recovery was in store for the stock market and economy. However, this promise has failed to come into fruition each year, as annual GDP growth has not reached north of trend growth (3%) since 2005.

And finally...


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