Monday 3 June 2019

Headlines - 3 June, 2019

## Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards/global cooling/deflationary collapse ##
Not Winning: Collapse in Global Trade Escalates, Imports -2.7%, Exports -4.0%
Trump says US will impose 5% tariff on all Mexican imports from June 10
Dow 25,000! Oops…
Nasdaq down 8.7% in May. S&P 500 back to Jan 2018. Russell 2000 down 15.7% from peak, back to Sep 2017. FANGMAN except Microsoft get creamed.

## War on cash/cashless society/cryptocurrencies ##
Scotland is on the front line in the fight against “cash deserts”

## Airline death spiral ##

## Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
Trump Throws Support Behind Air Force Plan for 386 Squadrons
US greenlights missiles for al-Qaeda-linked, Turkish-backed Salafi-jihadists occupying Syria’s Idlib
The Trump administration has approved a Turkish shipment of US-made anti-tank missiles to al-Qaeda-linked Islamist rebels fighting a Russian-backed offensive in Syria’s Idlib province.
Bolton Alleges Iran Maritime Sabotage But Evidence Points Elsewhere
The accusations against Iran come only weeks after US mine-laying ships and divers ran drills in the same area that the alleged sabotage incidents took place.

## War on Venezuela ##

## Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##
Extinction Rebellion considers using drones to shut London's Heathrow Airport

“Anything in our area that had been planted looks like junk.”

## Intelligence/security/internet/cyberwar ##
Key American Allies in the Middle East Are the Real Tyrants
U.S. Now Requiring Visa Applicants to List Social-Media Names
The U.S. now wants to know the social-media user names of people applying for visas, part of stepped up screening of foreign visitors and immigrants.
Google looking into service outages as cloud experiences ‘larger network issue’
Users reported that Gmail, YouTube and Snapchat were down.

## War on Julian Assange ##

## Propaganda/censorship/fake news/alternative facts ##
New Website Credder Aims to Fight Fake News, Promote Real Journalism
Contracts Reveal How the DEA Exercises Control Over Television, Film Productions
Nearly 200 pages of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) contracts show how the agency exercises control over TV and film productions.
Pot calling kettle: While China certainly isn't innocent in this regard, there's a huge irony in the world's biggest meddler lecturing others while threatening its own allies with sanctions. -- RF

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
These Are The ‘Good Old Days’ — At tipping points like now, the steps we take in the present determine our future
There are exactly zero full-cycle alternative energy systems that can be rebuilt using their own energy output. 
Last Friday I gave the three requirements for an energy system. The above quote refers to the second requirement, self-replication. And it is absolutely correct. There are at this time no such systems. Industrial civilization is totally dependent on fossil fuels to satisfy all three requirements. This alone shows how desperate our situation is. It's no wonder that energy companies are going after money-losing junk energy like tar sands and shale oil. -- RF
Society Is In Decay–When the Worst Is First and the Best Is Last (Ralph Nader)
If you want to see where a country’s priorities lie, look at how it allocates its money

## Japan ##
Japan expands military presence in Africa despite drop in Somalia piracy
If there's just one thing we could do to help the world, a candidate high on my list would be to put brain-dead growth advocates like this out to pasture. -- RF
Japan to review flood plans as panel warns of more torrential rain from global warming

## China ##
Chinese factory activity contracts more than expected, official data show
But don't ever think or say that there are too many people. The problem must be framed as "not enough land." -- RF
With the trade war heating up, China appears to be rallying all means and resources available to reduce the role of the U.S. in its economy and economic growth, as Beijing has lost trust in the United States both as a supplier and an export market, Jefferies Group’s Yu told Bloomberg.

## War on Huawei ##
Tech giant Huawei has ordered its employees to cancel technical meetings with American contacts and has sent home numerous US employees working at its Chinese headquarters in Shenzen, the Financial Times reported on Friday.
Not mentioned in the article is that behind those low returns is net energy decline. That is why, unless some new highly dense and cheap energy source is found, you can kiss retirement goodbye. -- RF

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