Friday, 18 July 2014

Headlines

In case you've got room in your mind to take in the 'whole picture'
It looked like there was no stopping the runaway returns for high-yield U.S. municipal bonds earlier this year. But that has all come to a screeching halt in the past few weeks thanks to a bombshell coming out of the Caribbean.
An 800-foot microwave tower in a Belgian cow pasture transmitted messages for the U.S. armed forces in 1983 when suicide bombers killed hundreds of military personnel at Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. Now it’s being used by high-frequency traders.
U.S. precious metals dealer Anthem Vault Inc said on Wednesday it has launched the first digital currency backed by physical gold, with an aim to increase the use of bullion as an accepted form of electronic money.

## Airline Death Spiral ##
China Southern Airlines has reported a first-half net loss of CNY900 million to 1.1 billion ($146 million to $178 million) compared with a net loss of CNY302 million in the year-ago period.

## Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
After weeks of lobbying European allies to inflict economic pain on Russia over its meddling in Ukraine, the Obama administration imposes tough new sanctions to go it alone against Moscow
A Ukrainian army battalion of Buk air defense systems was deployed near the city of Donetsk a day before the crash of a Malaysian passenger plane on Thursday, making the downing of the aircraft by one of the missiles highly probable, an expert source said.
Militant group Islamic State seized a Syrian gas field and killed at least 90 people on Thursday in one of the bloodiest clashes between the al Qaeda offshoot and President Bashar al-Assad's forces, a monitoring group said.
China expanded its trade partnership with Brazil on Thursday with $7.5 billion in financing for Brazilian miner Vale, the purchase of 60 passenger jets from planemaker Embraer and renewed commitment to invest in infrastructure.

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

## Energy/resources ##
Strong, steady offshore breezes have the potential to become an important source of electricity, but installing jumbo-jet sized gear in the harsh, marine environment is a complicated and expensive endeavor. The slow pace in China is matched by the U.S., which has no offshore wind farms after more than a decade of development efforts. In Europe, the only continent with any significant sea-based wind power, companies have scrapped plans for more than 5,700 megawatts since November.
I told you so. Renewable energy is expensive. The world must learn to operate at a much lower energy level. -- RF
Utilities in the U.S. are scrambling for coal, on pace to increase imports 26 percent this year, as railroad bottlenecks slow deliveries and electricity demand climbs with an improving economy.
A graphic representation of how economies respond to the access to energy, or lack thereof. One can also easily see what will happen to the curve as energy becomes more expensive. -- RF

## Got food? ##

## Lifestyle Solutions ##
More good suggestions for surviving collapse, and perhaps even thriving! -- RF

## Environment/health ##
The death of a 9-year-old Kansas girl from a brain-eating amoeba infection is a jolting reminder of a rare danger of swimming in fresh water heated by the summer sun — a risk that experts say could get worse in summers to come.

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

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##

## Japan ##
In the 2012 survey results released on Tuesday, the ministry estimates that 16.3 percent of Japanese aged 17 or under live in poverty. That's up 0.6 percentage points from the previous survey, and a record high since the survey began in 1985.
More pigs from Europe and Mexico could be heading to Japan, the world's largest pork importer, as a hog virus outbreak is driving up domestic prices, according to the country's Agriculture Ministry.
Many Japanese purchasers of e-books are facing a situation inconceivable to owners of conventional texts: They are no longer able to read the books they purchased.

## China ##

## UK ##

## US ##
What a laugh. Barack Obama is no worse than the Bushes, Clinton, Carter, or any of the other emperors in the Republicrat Dynasty. The Republicrat program is dedicated to maintaining and growing the Empire, and Obama is faithfully carrying out his duty in the face of insurmountable odds. All empires eventually decline and fall; it's a law of nature, and it's happening to the US Empire now. It just happens that the situation is deteriorating markedly on Obama's watch, and there's virtually nothing he or anyone else can do about it. Dick Cheney thinks that he or someone of his choosing could do a better job of holding the Empire together with duct tape or stovepipe wire or magical incantations, but he's wrong. It doesn't matter who's in command because it's too late. Collapse is now. -- RF
But the "abundance" is a mere mirage. Ignorant, myopic leaders make the situation worse for everyone. -- RF
Growth slows in the developed nations due to several factors, as debt levels rise. Have we entered the “coffin corner” where we cannot grow sufficiently fast to service our debt?The US economy has repeatedly failed to resume normal growth after the crash. But potentially worse is the decline in long-term growth estimates.
Thanks to the militarization and expansion of the “border” region, 197 million Americans now live within the jurisdiction of US Customs and Border Patrol.

And finally...

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