Rice Farmer: November 2010

"Beijing has set an ambitious target to reduce the intensity of energy use in China - and so desperate is the desire to meet it that in one town in Hebei thousands of traffic lights were shut off for more than a week this year."

The Coal Situation in Asia

Russian coal exports to China to total 12 million tonnes for current year

Forget a Potential Oil Shortage: A shortage of this Mineral (Phosphorus) Would be Much Worse

Abu Dhabi completes oil pipeline

Power crisis looms without lower use (Thailand)

Must read: How sustainable is renewable energy?

*This is exactly what I've been saying for a long time. Installing much renewable capacity now will help us achieve a soft landing, but it won't save industrial civilization.

-- Got food? --
Rising food prices turn regular city residents into farmers (China)

China Pushes for More Crops to Rein in Food Prices
Scientists worry North Pacific salmon may run out of food

-- Environment/health --
Gulf spill: Tar balls spark partial shrimping ban

2010 on course to be joint hottest year since 1850

-- Intelligence/security/internet --
Profit Ties between Phony Terror Alerts, Airport Security and L-3 Communications

Ex-Sec. of Homeland Security: Use my nude scanners or be sexually assaulted

-- UK --
UK to launch 'happiness' index

Spending cuts: Councils 'to lose 140,000 jobs'

Students continue university occupations

-- US --
Rising tide of unemployed graduates try to market skills
Howard Davidowitz on the Economy: "Here Are the Numbers ... WE'RE BROKE!"

Did TSA cave on scanners for Thanksgiving rush?

"'Noticeably subdued' airports suggest people opting out of flying altogether"

Thanksgiving: A Time to Think about Gift Economies?

And finally...

The importance of careful planning: German retiree bricks himself into his cellar

The importance of checking references: Pizzeria tricked into making 178 pizzas

Don't let this happen to you! Pensioner who didn't trust banks loses entire £80,000 life savings after leaving cash on roof of his car

Permanent Link posted by Rice Farmer @ 4:47 PM

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

News Links, November 25, 2010

-- Global economic meltdown --

China, Russia quit dollar (China Daily)

Much Ado About Nothing: China, Russia Drop Dollar In Bilateral Trade

Chinese State Firms Poised to Double Dollar Bond Sales

"China's state-owned companies may turn to the global bond market to finance a surge in overseas acquisitions as the yuan appreciates and regulators curb access to domestic bank loans."

China Steps Up Efforts to Contain Growth

What Happens When China Collapses?
Foreign-owned firms accounted for 91% of Ireland's tradeable exports in 2009

Ireland Rating Cut Two Steps by S&P as `Barbarians' Gather

Irish government unveils harsh austerity budget

Portuguese unions set for strike to protest austerity measures

The Euro Is Not in Trouble: Eurogroup President

Fears of Domino Effect Pervade Europe

The World Lies in China's Orbit (Niall Ferguson)

Spain Begins $18 Billion Power-Bond Sale Program as Yields on Debt Surges

For Europe's Future, Spain Is All that Matters

It's Official: There Is Not Enough Money To Bail Out Spain

Belgium joins financial markets' hit list

"Belgium has joined Portugal, Spain and Italy on the hit list of countries that could be heading for financial crisis."

Euro-denominated gold hits highest since June

First UAE developer files for bankruptcy

-- Fault lines/flashpoints/military --
US and S Korea to hold war games

U.S. aircraft carrier heads for Korean waters

Super-Silent Jimmy Carter Ready to Spy on North Korea

Comparison Of North And South Korea's Military Capabilities

North Korea says South Korea fired first

U.S.: Afghan violence soaring, insurgency expanding

Russia sells Su-35s to China

Rio drug gangs battle police, 13 people killed

Rash of Rio violence rattles even hardened residents in Brazil's World Cup host city

Thailand orders more Gripen fighters

Full cost of European missile defence could run to billions

U.S. forges $60B arms deal with Saudi Arabia

Haiti Election: Theatrical Prelude to Colonization

Is America on the path to 'permanent war'?

-- Energy/resources --
Economic Implications of IEA's Lowered Oil Estimates (Chris Martenson)

Saudi Arabia May Double Oil Use by 2023, Cut Exports, ACWA Says

China's Hunger for Wood Raw Material Pushes Timber Prices Upward

China's Saudi oil imports seen up 11% next year - sources

Cuba deal boosts China's Latin American oil plans

India Preps for an Energy Grab

Coal India in Talks to Buy Mines From Massey, Peabody

Deal of the day: India's JSW Energy snaps up Botswana coal assets

Steve Forbes is wrong: The world is not awash in energy

-- Got food? --

World stands on the brink of food crisis (Pravda)
USDA Announces Latest Actions In The Eastern Livestock Company Failure

The growing problem: Canada slips from agricultural superpower status

Rice Prices May Gain as Thailand Cuts Crop Outlook on Floods, Theera Says

Food safety bill 101: What are the facts and myths? (US)

Latest exposé shows the egg industry's problems are widespread and systematic (US)

No Arsenic In Pardoned Turkeys, But It Might Be In Yours (US)

Record Wholesale Turkey Prices May Just Be the Beginning (US)

-- Environment/health --
More Oil From BP Spill Chemically Dispersed: NOAA

Haiti cholera spreading faster than predicted: U.N.

Natural Gas: Worse Than Coal & Diesel In Greenhouse Emissions?

-- Intelligence/security/internet --
WikiLeaks Diplomatic Cable Dump Reportedly Imminent

Flier hauled off plane over too many bathroom breaks

Former US intelligence chief says cyberattack is inevitable

Biometrics seen as ultimate secure ID

Next step for tight security could be trains, boats, metro (US)

German Police Want Army to Help Protect Public

-- UK --
Funding body's 'concerns' on future of five Welsh unis

David Cameron warns of 'huge' influx of Irish migrants

Chinese inflation is about to hit Britain

Freezing temperatures trigger first cold weather payments

UK weather forecast for snow and prolonged cold spell

Fees protests 'reflect young people's anger'

Unions claim that 150 post offices have closed already this year

-- US --
Black Friday: A Festival Of Greed In The Midst Of A Sea Of Pain And Suffering
Debt panel's Social Security fix: Raise taxes, cut benefits
Granite countertop craze has cost US more than Gulf War

TSA advertises jobs on pizza boxes

29 Consecutive Equity Mutual Fund Outflows

99ers: The unemployed need help!

October durable goods orders drop 3.3 percent

Thanks for nothing, Corporate America

New home sales: Down 80% from the boom

And finally... Vladimir Putin hails 'real man' Leonardo DiCaprio

Permanent Link posted by Rice Farmer @ 4:49 PM

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

News Links, November 24, 2010

-- Global economic meltdown --

Ireland Gets €85 Billion, As ECB-Germany Schism Becomes Acute

Can the Euro Still Be Saved? (Spiegel)

Portugal next as EMU's Máquina Infernal keeps ticking (Ambrose Evans-Pritchard)

Irish Rescue Plan Shifts Focus to Portugal, Spain

Spanish Officials Try To Stem Fears as Funding Costs Surge

Merkel Points to `Serious' Bailout Risk as Spanish Bonds Drop

Irish prime minister expected to get austerity budget through

George Osborne's £7 billion offer to 'friend in need' Ireland

Greece Will Need `Extra Effort' to Meet 2011 Deficit, EU-IMF Say

European Bloodbath Intensifies As Spanish Bond Yield Hits All Time Highs, EURUSD On Verge Of Going Bidless

Doug Kass: Jaw Dropping Prediction For 2011

New Rules Hit Hong Kong Property

China Inflation May Be Too Hot for Controls Amid Cash Glut

China's Banks Said to Near Yearly Loan Quotas, Halt Growth

South Africa Aims for Weaker Rand

The End Of The Dollar Carry Trade? Presenting The Dollar Short Panic In A Burning Theater

China Allows Yuan to Start Trading Against Ruble

Japanese students stage rally to protest time-consuming job-search 'farce'

-- Fault lines/flashpoints/military --
North Korea Attacks South Korea: Populated Yeonpyeong Island Shelled By Artillery

South Korea president warns North of "enormous retaliation"

Japan on High Alert Following North Korea's Attack

New York Times says Afghan Taliban "leader" in its report a fake

Brazil unveils massive navy buildup plans

Syria's nuclear stonewalling deepens: IAEA report

Iran Parliament Impeachment of Ahmadinejad Blocked by Khamenei, WSJ Says

US, China, Russia resisting pact against cluster bombs

-- Energy/resources --
Australia commits to rare earths supply to Japan

Nigeria militants say attack pipeline to refinery

Gulf oil spill: Offshore drilling firms threaten to go abroad

China Oct coal imports up 11.5 pct on year

Thailand's PTTEP in $2.3 Billion Canada Oil Sands Deal

Chevron's CFO on the gulf spill and the future of fossil fuels

OPEC Doesn't Need to Increase Production, Oil at $100 `Fair,' Ramirez Says

The Hype Surrounding Grass as an Alternative Energy Source

-- Got food? --
Food becomes strategic

China's rising food prices a sign of deeper concerns

"So steep are the rises that in Haikou, in Hainan province, newspapers showed photos of people planting vegetables in municipal flower beds to supplement their incomes."

UAE, Saudi eye more farmland leasing overseas

-- Environment/health --

When the lights go out, we'll all sleep better at night
Mountains of rubbish return to plague Naples

Air pollution exceeds safety limits in big Asian cities: report

Iran: Pollution causes shutdown in Tehran

This Is What It's Like to Sail in the Pacific Trash Vortex

Let Loose the Coyotes? Chicago Embraces Rat-Hunting Predators

-- Intelligence/security/internet --
The TSA Protection Racket

Poll: Majority oppose body scans, nearly half seek alternative to flying

TSA pat downs: 'Horrible' screener job gets worse

China Probably Didn't Hijack the Internet on Purpose, Researcher Says

Pharma researchers working on drug to erase your memories

-- UK --
Cuts mean schools 'could struggle to maintain services'

Rail fares up by average 6.2% in new year

Migrant workers to be cut by a fifth

-- US --

The Beginning Of The Ponzi End: As Of Today, The Biggest Holder Of US Debt Is Ben Bernanke

FDIC: 903 banks in trouble. What to do …

Countrywide's Mortgage Document Errors May Doom Bank of America

The Good, The Bad, And The Insignificant: Shadow Foreclosures Surge

"The news, added to RealtyTrac data which shows that foreclosures remain above 300,000 a month, points to the fact that there is absolutely no recovery in the housing market."

Why Stocks May Have Seen All Their Gains for This Year

Think Google knows your secrets? Meet Yodlee
Poverty Soars in California

*As usual, a great analysis by Gregor Macdonald from an energy perspective.

United STRAITS of America: The Muni Bond Crisis Is Here

Mayors measure effect of belt-tightening on quality of life (Cut, cut, cut)

Lame-duck Congress's first task: avoid a government shutdown

Uncle Sam's GM Pump And Dump Scheme A Success

I Believe: 'For us to survive and thrive in a new century, we must peaceably dismantle the United States of Empire'

Here's A Rundown Of Everything That Just Happened In The Huge Insider Trading Scandal

Insider Trading Is "Everywhere," Matt Taibbi Says: "The Fear Is There's No End to It"

Millennials say they are driving less

Housing Inventory Enormous- Both Seen And Unseen

More White House Economic Advisers to Step Down

And finally... Pentagon seeks flying snakes' secret

Permanent Link posted by Rice Farmer @ 5:03 PM

Monday, November 22, 2010

News Links, November 23, 2010

-- Global economic meltdown --

€90bn Irish bailout ends in turmoil – now Europe fears crisis will spread

Irish general election looms amid economic crisis

Moody's Expects Multi-Notch Downgrade Of Ireland

Ireland bail-out: British banks hit as Irish rescue falters

Jim Rogers: "Ireland Should Go Bankrupt"

European Default Swaps Index Converges With Emerging Markets: Euro Credit

Portugal Default Risk Rises After Irish Rescue on Concern Over Debt Levels

Will Europe's Dominoes Tumble Towards America?
Hong Kong's new property rules hit developer stocks

China doubts rise for Australia mining investors

Too many grads compete madly for too few jobs (China)

Thai economy back in recession, contracted two consecutive quarters

Is China Betting Against a U.S. Housing Recovery?

US Banks Face $100 Billion Capital Shortfall

Big Banks Could Face Multibillion-Dollar Shortfall: Another Excuse to Restrain Lending?

Air Travel in India Surges 15%

The Coming Euro Split

While The U.S. Prints And Spends, Russia Loads The Boat With Gold...
Consumer Loans Marked Record Plunge In September (Japan)

Supermarket sales down 23rd month (Japan)

Construction activity in Central London at lowest level in 20 years

-- Fault lines/flashpoints/military --
Spanish Tuna Boat Repels New Pirate Attack in Indian Ocean

Three Chinese warships dispatched to escort cargo vessel after pirate attack

Japan Deployment Near Isles Might Worsen Frayed China Relations

Seoul may consider bringing back US nuke arms

India to spend heavily on new stealth fighter

Morales: U.S. seeks excuse to meddle in Latin America

Could Stuxnet Mess With North Korea's New Uranium Plant?

Germany to abolish compulsory military service to cut €8bn off defence budget

Russia 'gives Iran top new radar'

Poland to host U.S. jets and C-130s

US Navy to disband two security squadrons to cut costs

Japan 'absolutely cannot tolerate' N Korea's nuke development, says PM

-- Energy/resources --
PetroChina to Import 200,000 Metric Tons More Diesel to Ease Shortfall

China changes from coal exporter to major importer

The Chinese Coal Monster - running out of puff

China's October Oil Demand Climbs 11.8% on Year to 8.95 mil b/d

China's natural gas demand to exceed supply by over one-third in 2011

Mexico regulator rejects Pemex oil reserve estimate

"Mexican regulators rejected a huge chunk of state oil monopoly Pemex's estimate of how much oil and gas the country has, calling into question the long-term sustainability of the industry."

The messy side of energy efficiency: finance

"Implementing energy efficiency projects at the scale we need will require large sums of money moving through our financial system."

China PM set to sign Russia energy deals

-- Got food? --
Seed behemoth Monsanto stumbles into antitrust trouble

Australia Aims to Address Farmland Foreign-Ownership Fears

Why You Should Be "Extremely Scared" by China's Food Price Inflation

UAE seen needing agri investment, meets only 37% demand

-- Intelligence/security/internet --
WikiLeaks release: Why law is powerless to stop WikiLeaks from publishing

WikiLeaks: New release 7 times size of Iraq logs

US launches giant eavesdropping satellite

-- UK --
Ministry of Defence warns that Somali pirates threaten UK gas and oil supplies

Fly on the wall has become surveillance TV