Wednesday 4 February 2015

Headlines - 02/03/2015

A lot of important material here – especialy on the economic/financial and energy crisis, which I cannot possibly do justice to in the blog.

Many thanks to Rice Farmer for his untiring work



According to Greek private broadcaster Mega TV, “You just killed the Troika” were the parting words that Eurogroup Chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem whispered into the right ear of Greece’s new Finance Minister Yannis Varoufakis at the end of what was clearly a tense meeting.
The Greek Elites and kleptocrats are terrified of the discipline that leaving the euro will impose, but the general public should welcome the transition to an economy and society that has been freed from the shackles of Imperial debt and the kleptocracy that has bled the nation  dry.
The Greek election of the left-wing Syriza party sent shock waves across Europe with establishment parties fearing more populist resistance to years of austerity and to putting bankers first. The question now is whether European voters will follow Syriza’s lead.
For 30+ years, Western countries have been papering over the decline in living standards by issuing debt. In its simplest rendering, sovereign nations spent more than they could collect in taxes, so they issued debt (borrowed money) to fund their various welfare schemes.
Which is one indicator that collapse started decades ago. It's just accelerating now. -- RF

## Airline Death Spiral ##
Passengers on Delta Air Lines Monday afternoon were unable to check in for their flights because of a malfunction with the airline's website, mobile app and airport kiosks.
An out of control passenger on a Charlotte plane this week sent two flight attendants to the hospital. It's just the latest air rage incident and NBC Charlotte partnered with USA Today to uncover hundreds of them from across the country and right here in the Queen City.
China’s first budget carrier, Spring Airlines Co. is considering seeking permission to have passengers stand during a flight in exchange for a lower price, China National Radio reported Tuesday.
Airlines reduced the number of available seats into and out of Australia for the first time in two and a half years in November, government figures show.
Aer Lingus is seeking voluntary redundancies from its near 4,000-strong workforce as part of a cost-cutting plan that was put on hold while it was tackling its €750 million pension deficit.

## Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
Russia has the upper hand on hydrocarbons. American ideas for nuclear and fracking are DOA because nuclear power is an unmitigated disaster, the "nuclear renaissance" isn't happening, and fracking has been an uneconomic bust from the get-go. -- RF

## Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##
Protesters clashed with each other and police in the Haitian capital Monday amid demonstrations against high oil prices that saw three people wounded by gunfire. Police patrols opened fire and threw tear gas to disperse knots of young people blocking roads with large rocks and tree branches.
While protests over deteriorating public services in the south are common, they are rarely violent. Recent developments have raised fears of more extreme responses, analysts say, as more and more Algerians have started to feel the pinch, with oil prices at their lowest levels in about five years. 

## Energy/resources ##
Oyster Creek has moved into its dotage, when breakdowns become the new normal. It is beyond the stage where duct tape and gauze bandage are going to fix it.
French nuclear group Areva warned on Monday that it expects to book a significant increase in provisions and writedowns of assets in its 2014 accounts.
Anadarko Petroleum Corp's capital expenditures in 2015 will be significantly lower than last year because of the recent collapse in crude oil prices, the exploration and production company's CEO told investors on a conference call on Tuesday.
The drop in crude oil prices in recent months has likely gone uncelebrated in the North Dakota town of Williston, or in the state as a whole, as exploration and production companies reduce or halt their drilling activity in the Bakken.

## Infrastructure scavenging ##
Verizon (NYSE: VZ) has once again found itself fighting copper thieves in Western, Pa., so it is offering a reward for up to $50,000 to apprehend whoever is responsible for stealing cable in Beaver, Fayette, Lawrence and Washington counties.

## Got food? ##
The number of cases reported by consumers in Japan since fiscal 2009 of food containing foreign objects tops 16,000, with nearly 20 percent of them involving physical or harm, a watchdog said.

## Lifestyle Solutions ##

## Environment/health ##
Oxford University scientists, after a year of research, have determined the best technology to suck carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and try to reverse global warming. It’s trees.
Duh! -- RF

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

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##

## Japan ##
Okinawa, a chain of tropical islands more than three hours southwest of Tokyo by plane, looks and feels almost like a different country. A growing number of islanders say it should be just that.
Japan’s monetary base stood at ¥278.6 trillion at the end of January, hitting a record high for the sixth consecutive month, the Bank of Japan said Tuesday.

## China ##

## UK ##

## US ##
Hint: the police bust it up. -- RF

And finally...

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