Wednesday, 22 May 2019

Headlines - 21 May, 2019

Two Intertwined Dynamics Are Transforming the Economy: Technology and Financialization
If you want to understand how the economy is being transformed, look at the intersection of Big Tech, financialization and the central state.

## War on cash/cashless society/cryptocurrencies ##
What’s the End Game in Fintech’s “War” On Cash?

## Airline death spiral ##
20 Airlines That Have Gone Out of Business in the Past Year
Manchester Airport power issue leads to flight delays
"Power issue" here seems to mean "power outage," but the article isn't clear on that. -- RF
Travelers get used to unfinished Berlin airport
Having seen numerous delays, Berlin's new airport is scheduled to open in October 2020. But even that deadline is now being questioned.
How the West’s War in Libya Spurred Terrorism in 14 Countries
The first to suffer was Syria and since then the gruesome effects have been spreading in the region and beyond, to Africans and Europeans.

## War on Iran ##

## War on Venezuela ##
Venezuela: Amnesty International in Service of Empire
Amnesty International calls for justice about as often as it calls for punishment with the subtext that punishment of the Empire’s victims is justice.

## Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##
Milkshakes have replaced eggs as the UK’s protest weapon of choice
United States took a total of 5 million barrels of Russian crude so far this month, and more are on the way.

A World With no Debt and no Bankruptcies: How About Social Credit as Money? (Ugo Bardi)
A thoughtful and entertaining essay. One thing I disagree with is the idea that money or credit stands for precious metals or resources or goods or commodities. Money has always been, and still is, tokenized energy. It nominally stands for other things, but in the final analysis spending money amounts to using energy, directly or indirectly. -- RF

The Missing Step (Craig Murray)
In Sweden, prosecutors have applied to the Swedish courts to issue a warrant for Julian’s arrest. There is a tremendous back story to that simple statement.
Hacking tools are "good" if used by the US, but "bad" if used by others?! -- RF
For example, the fact that these craft do not seem to produce exhaust yet fly vast distances at immense speeds could provide technical solutions to our energy crisis.
Cargo-cult thinking: Whatever you think of UFOs, it seems that many people hope they're piloted or sent by space aliens who are going to give us technologies that will solve all our problems. The solution to the energy crisis is to remodel societies and economies to operate on far less energy, not to depend on kind and generous space aliens to drop amazing unlimited-energy technologies into our laps. The idea of "technical solutions to our energy crisis" just feeds into the cancerous endless-growth mindset and the blind faith that technology will painlessly solve all our problems. -- RF

## Propaganda/censorship/fake news/alternative facts ##
Pressure at top Russian daily triggers mass walkout
Media Setting Up Iran as New ‘Threat’ That Must Be Confronted

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
America's Reproductive Slaves
There are some good points here, concerning how the exploitative socioeconomic system works, which make the article well worth reading. But there are also some blind spots, the biggest being that the author appears not to see the decisive role of net energy decline in the falling birthrate. Further, the problems of human overpopulation and overconsumption seem to escape his notice. The population of the US, and those of other countries, are far too large to support under an energy-decline regime, so the belief that countries need more workers, consumers, and tax donkeys just exacerbates the problem. -- RF

## China ##


## UK ##
Britain prepares for new spying law after Salisbury poisoning
Britain is preparing to bring in a new spying law and is considering updating treason legislation to counter the threat from hostile states in the wake of the nerve agent poisoning in Salisbury last year, Home Secretary Sajid Javid said on Monday.
On the basis of a poisoning that the UK itself did (99.9% probability). Hey UK officials — confess! -- RF

And finally...
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