Rice Farmer: News Links, September 8, 2017

Protesters brandished placards denouncing President Faure Gnassingbe, whose family has been in power for 50 years.
Hundreds of thousands of opposition supporters have reportedly taken to the streets in several cities across Togo to call for constitutional reform, despite an apparent government concession to their demands.

## Energy/resources ##
Minerals and War from Ugo Bardi's "Extracted"

France proposes ban on oil and gas exploration

Shell Sees Gas Shortage Risk Triggering Australia LNG Export Cut

Gulf Coast Refiner Recovery Is Dependent on Help

On Wednesday, almost two weeks after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas, five refineries remained shut, the U.S. Department of Energy reported. At least 1.4 million barrels a day could be offline past mid-September, Goldman Sachs analysts said in a report Tuesday.

## Got food? ##
Hurricane Harvey's Impact on Texan Farmers

Japan to raise imported wheat prices to millers by 3.6%
Antibiotic-brined chicken and other bad ideas from US farming

From sugar mills to hog farms, U.S. agriculture braces for Irma

## Environment/health ##
America is losing battle to prevent strokes, as risk factors increase across population

Hurricane Irma Made Worse by Climate Change, Scientists Say

Hurricane Irma destroys 90 percent of structures, vehicles on Barbuda

Floridians leaving or bracing for Irma; additional 3K Nat'l Guard troops called in

Mortal Mugginess: Extreme Heat Stress in Florida and in the Persian Gulf

In the Ultimate Irony, Zika Virus May Cure Brain Cancer

2017 wildfire season in US West far worse than expected

Climate Change Speeds Erosion With Huge Storms

Hurricane Harvey's rainfall was so heavy it caused Houston to physically sink

Harvey Responders Say the Arkema Plant Blaze Made Them Sick

Your tap water may contain plastic, researchers warn
People may be ingesting between 3,000 and 4,000 microparticles of plastic from tap water every year, said a study based on samples from 14 countries.

A Deadly Disease That Strikes Coal Miners Has Returned in Australia

## Intelligence/security/internet/cyberwar ##
Undercover in North Korea: "All Paths Lead to Catastrophe"

Gideon Levy calls out Israel's fundamental, racist religion: Zionism

Hackers gain entry into U.S., European energy sector, Symantec warns

IBM and MIT partner on artificial intelligence research

Google says it has no evidence of Russian ads about U.S. election

Did Imran Awan Turn On Wasserman Schultz? New Report Suggests He Led Police To Her Laptop

Massive Data Breach At Equifax: As Many As 143 Million Social Security Numbers Hacked

A New Hole in Syria-Sarin Certainty
Special Report: A new contradiction has emerged in the West's groupthink blaming Syria for an April 4 chemical attack, with one group of U.N. investigators raising doubt about the flight of a Syrian warplane.

## Propaganda/censorship/fake news/alternative facts ##
Nikki Haley Falsely Accuses Iran
Israel and the neocons still seek an excuse to bomb Iran, now citing false claims about its supposed noncompliance with the nuclear deal. The new water carrier is U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
North Korea Says It Might Negotiate on Nuclear Weapons. But the Washington Post Isn't Reporting That.

Senate Intel Chair Demands Crackdown On Russia's Social-Media Ad Spend

This is all pretty funny coming from the biggest meddler on the planet. The first thing the US needs to do is take the log out of its own eye. -- RF

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
Consumption Exhaustion

## Japan ##
Allowing nuclear weapons in Japan could defuse N Korean threat: policy makers
Japan must proceed with unpopular sales tax hike: Kishida

Cybercrime reports hit record in first half in Japan
Digital currency thefts total $542,000 in January to June

Japan's real wage logs sharpest fall in 25 months in July
The price-adjusted real wage index in Japan in July fell 0.8 pct from a year earlier, posting the steepest drop since June 2015, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said in a preliminary report on Wednesday.

Govt studying lasers for missile defense

More lottery revenues to be used to cover Tokyo Olympic costs

Day cares turn to robots as high-tech solution to alleviate staffing shortages

World's Largest Nuclear Power Plant One Step Closer To Operation

## China ##
China Is Obsessed With Livestreaming and the Censors Are Racing to Keep Up

China Cities Face Surging Funding Costs as Default Concerns Rise

Chinese debt is so bad that even Chinese bankers now say it's a 'bubble'

China Loans Guinea $20 Billion In Exchange For Minerals

China Closes North Korean Border Crossing

Mao Zedong's grandson among the 'princelings' not invited to China's party congress

## UK ##
UK Police Test Facial Recognition Tech At Carnival, Rack Up 35 Bogus 'Hits' And One Wrongful Arrest

Ex-Brook House Detainee Opens Up about Horrors Witnessed At Immigrant Removal Center

UK Oil And Gas Shed 60,000 Jobs In 2016

British civil servants' union calls nationwide strike ballot

Suddenly, Bitcoin Breaks into UK Housing Market as Down Payment

One in eight workers struggle to afford food, finds TUC survey

Report released before annual congress exposes in-work poverty, with people skimping on food and heating despite having jobs
UK monthly house price growth hits eight-month high - Halifax

Opposition parties demand further action on fuel poverty

## US ##
Markets Throw Hissy-Fit about US Default

The Insanity of Pushing Inflation Higher When Wages Can't Rise
Multiple Legislators Looking To Neutralize AG Sessions' Rollback Of Federal Forfeiture Reforms

Gas Trucks Turn Around as Shortage Shifts From Texas to Florida
FEMA Is Almost Out of Money and Hurricane Irma Is Approaching

Here's How Many Americans Live In Houses They Can't Afford

Kentucky Public Employee Retirements Surge As Fears Of Pension Collapse Mount

Brick & Mortar Meltdown: Toys R Us Hires Bankruptcy Law Firm

San Diego shoplifting ring stole $20M from clothing stores

Is the High Cost of Housing Crushing Wages?

Meth, coke and oil: A drug boom in the Texas shale patch

Most Florida flood zone property not insured

Opioid Use May Explain 20% of Drop in American Men's Labor-Force Participation