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 ##
Cyborg
Silliness; No Glory in Stupidity; If Jackasses Could Think (Mish
on Ukraine)
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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