Monday, 4 March 2019

Headlines - 02/04/2019

## Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards/global cooling/deflationary collapse ##
Trump Assails WTO "Straitjacket", Attempts Pocket Veto of Entire Organization
Trump says he will use the WTO to press charges against other nations yet he will ignore claims other nations make.
Our Third Bold Prediction (the Fed will go MMT)

## War on cash/cashless society/cryptocurrencies ##
The death of cash has been greatly exaggerated — just look to the $100 bill
Mattresses everywhere are getting increasingly stuffed with $100 bills instead of being put to work in the stock market or elsewhere. That speaks to the frame of mind of the Average Joe as much as anything else.

## Airline death spiral ##
Looks like a good way to collect information on seat occupants. -- RF
Thai Airways Loss Widens Amid Higher Fuel and Leasing Costs

## Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
The Right May Finally Get Its War on Iran
US vows Philippines aid if attacked in China-claimed sea
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday vowed to defend the Philippines against "armed attack" in the disputed South China Sea in Washington's starkest warning yet against Chinese claims to most of the strategic waterway.
Repression and abuse behind Vietnam’s peace facade
While Vietnam’s leaders promoted peace and harmony at the Kim-Trump summit, democracy and rights activists faced harassment and house arrest

## War on Venezuela ##
Amnesty International is Peddling Trump’s Regime-Change Propaganda Against Venezuela
Shortly after meeting with Juan Guaido, Amnesty International put out a report that reads like a barely disguised attempt to reinforce, from a ‘human rights’ angle, the military threats against Venezuela from Trump and his henchmen.


## Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##
Dozen journalists arrested at Algiers censorship protest
Thousands in Berlin protest EU's online copyright plans 
Some 3,500 people rallied in the German capital over plans that could see social media firms block user-generated content. The EU's Article 13 will put the onus on Facebook and YouTube to remove copyright material.

## Energy/resources ##
Berlin blackout raises questions over Germany's power grid
A 30-hour power outage in the German capital has prompted questions over the stability of the country's power supply. The Interior Ministry has admitted there is no comprehensive national contingency plan.
The Permian Is A Double-Edged Sword For Oil Majors
Despite efficiency improvements and the substantial increase in solar and wind power, fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal) still represent over 70 percent of global primary energy supply in 2040 in BP’s main forecast.
Department of Energy moves forward with controversial test reactor
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today that it will go forward with plans to build a controversial new nuclear reactor that some critics have called a boondoggle.


## Environment/health ##
I submit that world leaders are insane psychopaths. -- RF
Australia's summer was hottest on record, with more to come
Americans Are Literally Flushing Canada’s Forests Down the Toilet
The United States rolls through more toilet paper per year than any other nation, according a report co-written by the NRDC.
Emboldened by Bolsonaro, armed invaders encroach on Brazil's tribal lands
‘Big Brother’ in-car monitoring on the way for Europe
New surveillance technology coming to cars will know if you are speeding and retain every detail of your journey and it could be headed our way.
Neither Rain, Sleet, nor Snow Will Stop the Post Office From Spying on You
It’s called the “Mail Cover Program” and it’s run by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Yes, even the Post Office is spying on us.
What's Behind Australia’s Decision to Suddenly Grant Julian Assange a Passport?
The real question here is why the Australian government is playing nice by issuing Assange a passport since it has refused to acknowledge evidence of a sealed indictment or provide him with any sort of substantial assistance to get him home in the last eight-plus years.

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
Can we Learn from Our Medieval Ancestors how to Manage the Coming Collapse?
What Does It Take to Destroy a World Order? How Climate Change Could End Washington’s Global Dominion
Net energy decline is a force at least as big — or even bigger — than climate change. We can already see the world economy collapsing as global trade slows, national economies hit the skids, infrastructure rots, debt piles up, poverty spreads, and unrest seethes in a giant cauldron of despair and anger. Add the near certainty of a major war, grid collapse, exploding nuclear power plants, mass starvation, and pandemics, and you have a recipe for global depopulation. We're talking several billion before the dust settles. Have a nice day! -- RF
Nine million adults in the UK are functionally illiterate, and one in four British five-year-olds struggles with basic vocabulary.
In a large measure, literacy is a function of how much energy a society can afford to expend on each individual, i.e., education. The decrease in illiteracy rates is another symptom of net energy decline. -- RF

## Japan ##
Prices of food, drink items to increase
It had to happen, sooner or later. Previously, being open 24 hours was considered a sign of progress. For a city to be classified as a "24-hour city" was a mark of distinction. Ultimately, of course, there will be no convenience stores. -- RF
China Says Massive Shale Oil Reserves Found In North
The newly found shale reserves will help boost China’s national energy security and economic development, Xinhua quoted CNPC as saying.
How does money-losing junk oil help the energy security and development of any country? -- RF
UK-US trade deal: Envoy attacks 'myths' about US farming
Fears over chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-fed beef are "myths", according to the US ambassador to the UK.
Here's how Millennials' $1 trillion in debt is affecting their lives
Given bleak economic prospects, depression is on the rise for Millennials
Pawn shops may sound Dickensian—hocking a beloved family heirloom to avoid being sent to the workhouse—but they’re a well-established part of the American financial landscape.
Anti-Amazon Fever Is Spreading, and Big Tech Companies Should Be Worried
Jeez, what a Huawei to go: Now US senators want Chinese kit ripped out of national leccy grid
Red scare reaches new heights as intel committee urges further crackdown on network-connected gear
Do Members of Congress Take Too Many Private Trips to Israel With AIPAC?
One of every three members of Congress boarding a jetliner on a privately-funded all-expense paid trip overseas has Israel as their final destination. Only one out of a hundred ever visits Palestinian territories as a final destination.
The Biggest Retailers Are Too Scared to Disclose this Data. But Nordstrom Just Did
How its own online sales, now one-third of its total sales, eat its brick & mortar. But it’s a matter of survival.
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