Tuesday, June 18, 2019

 

News Links, June 19, 2019

## Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards/global cooling/deflationary collapse ##
Bad Loans Still Too High at Eurozone Banks, ECB Warns
NPLs remain dangerously to catastrophically high in Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Cyprus.
Ain't gonna happen. -- RF
Cesspool of Corruption Odebrecht Files for Bankruptcy, Largest Ever in Latin American History
The Brazilian conglomerate's rot was uncovered by Operation Car Wash that resulted in the imprisonment of political and business figures across Latin America, including Brazil's former richest man, Eike Batista.
The World Now Has Three People Worth More Than $100 Billion Each
And billions worth $3 each? -- RF
Carmageddon: JP Morgan: Forget About Auto Sales Rebounding In The Second Half Of 2019

## Cut, baby, cut! ##
Kier Group to cut 1,200 jobs in attempt to avoid collapse
Construction and services company's shares hit record low as it struggles with debt

## War on cash/cashless society/cryptocurrencies ##
Israel's New Rules on Use of Cash and Tradable Checks
Facebook reveals Libra cryptocurrency, sparking new privacy concerns

## Airline death spiral ##
Boeing Sells 0 Planes on First Day of Paris Air Show v. 123 for Airbus, Yet Boeing Still Pushing for More Weakening of FAA Standards Via Greater Use of Computer Testing
Slowing demand, rising costs squeezing airline profits - report

## Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
CENTCOM confirms Yemen rebels shot down US drone
The announcement comes after Trump blasted the three countries because thousands of their citizens had sought asylum at the U.S. border with Mexico.
U.S. officials charged with resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have demonstrated ever more blatant bias, such as the recent claims by David Friedman, the ambassador to Israel, that Israel is "on the side of God" and should have the "right to retain" much of the West Bank.
Unless the US is a theocracy — something I increasingly wonder about — religious judgments such as "on the side of God" should have no place in politics. -- RF
Bolton and Pompeo obviously want a war on Iran and they try their best to instigate it. They need a new SecDef in place as soon as possible.

• War on Iran
The Gulf of Credibility (Craig Murray)
Iranian Missile Misfires As Other Attacks Hit Home
Israeli sources expressed alarm that neither Israel, the US, nor allied Arab nations picked up any advance warning of what appear to have been well-planned, well-executed, and increasingly destructive attacks by Iranian and proxy forces.
Israel "expressed alarm" about attacks that, as far as we know at this time, could well have been perpetrated by Israel, or the US or KSA or their proxies. All these parties have the means and strong motives for doing so. -- RF
U.N. officials: U.S. planning a 'tactical assault' in Iran (Jerusalem Post)

• War on Venezuela
Massive Embezzlement Scandal Threatens Juan Guaido's Political Future
The big event that was supposed to be Guaido's watershed moment has instead turned out to be a public-relations failure far worse than his quickly quelled attempted military coup.

## Migrants/refugees ##
Mexico detains 791 undocumented migrants, National Guard starts to patrol southern border
Balkans: The Bulwark of Christianity?
Anti-immigration sentiment has created a new set of walls in the Balkans.

## Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##
Women in Switzerland Strike Over Pay, Harassment

## Energy/resources ##
Given Australia is struggling to recycle simple waste, such as cardboard and plastics, in a cost-effective way, we need to question our capability to deal with more complex solar PV and battery waste.
Recall that one of the three requirements for any energy-supply system is self-replication. It's doubtful that we can even manufacture and install renewable energy hardware using its output alone. To make matters worse, equipment that lasts at best one generation must be removed, dismantled, and recycled. Those costs must be added to the self-replication column. As pointed out in the article, just recycling everyday trash profitably is a huge challenge. Do you think an all-renewable system will be able to pay all its own energy costs and still supply the socioeconomy with a large amount of surplus energy? -- RF
Why The Oklahoma Shale Boom Isn't Taking Off

## Intelligence/security/internet/cyberwar ##
Buried In Broad Daylight - The 'Free Press' And The Leaked OPCW Report On Douma
FBI Never Saw CrowdStrike Unredacted or Final Report on Alleged Russian Hacking Because None was Produced
The FBI relied on CrowdStrike's "conclusion" to blame Russia for hacking DNC servers, though the private firm never produced a final report and the FBI never asked them to.
Behind the Syrian Network for Human Rights: How an opposition front group became Western media's go-to monitor
Top media outlets turn to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) for figures on deaths and detentions, never noting the group's seamless connection to Syria's opposition, the support it receives from states that waged war on the country, or its open lobbying for US military intervention.

• War on Julian Assange
America's Managerial Elite Has Failed, But We Can't Get Rid of Them
Now that they've entrenched themselves at the top of the status quo, there's no way to dislodge them, even as their failure to address what's broken, much less actually fix what's broken, insures systemic breakdown.

## Japan ##
Work-related injuries, deaths increasing among elderly workers

• War on Huawei
The US government walked right into this. For years it's been demonizing Huawei without evidence, while at the same time demanding that China respect patents. So, of course, it opened itself right up to Huawei now claiming patent infringement against US companies.

## UK ##
Removal of homeless camps trebles as charities warn of 'out of control' crisis
Figures show camp clearances by local authorities across UK have surged in last five years

## US ##
Market Mayhem is Due to Truly Perfect Storm for 2019 Recession
Department of Education Investigating Foreign Money Flowing to U.S. Colleges
This looks like a sea change in thinking. One cannot overstate the significance of promoting environmentally beneficial plants over the monoculture lawn, which is held sacred in American culture. -- RF
Trucking Swerves Deep into Slump, from Red-Hot Boom. Smaller Truckers Hit Hardest
Freight shipments across all modes of transportation dropped the most since Nov 2009.


Permanent Link posted by Rice Farmer @ 4:51 PM

Sunday, June 16, 2019

 

News Links, June 17, 2019

## Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards/global cooling/deflationary collapse ##
India to impose retaliatory tariffs on 28 U.S. goods from Sunday
Don't get comfortable waiting for 2050. Everything will fall apart well before then. -- RF

## War on cash/cashless society/cryptocurrencies ##
Bitcoin causing carbon dioxide emissions comparable to Las Vegas or Hamburg
The use of Bitcoin causes around 22 megatons in carbon dioxide emissions annually -- comparable to the total emissions of cities such as Las Vegas or Hamburg.
Is Facebook's Libra the Dollar's Killer App?

## Airline death spiral ##
Hundreds Of U.S. Flights Canceled As GPS-Based Aircraft Navigation System Fails
American Airlines asks court to end 'devastating' slowdown by unions
Houthis Say US Reaper Drone Shot Down, Release Video, Pics
A day after two commercial tankers are hit in the Gulf of Oman, reports emerge the Houthis are firing -- and hitting -- US aircraft.
Myanmar and India becoming brothers in arms
Myanmar's recent rout of an ethnic Naga rebel camp on its territory aimed to please India but is really part of a wider strategy to counter China.
America Is Stuck With a $400 Billion Stealth Fighter That Can't Fight
Here's something the public didn't know until today: If one of the U.S. military's new F-35 stealth fighters has to climb at a steep angle in order to dodge an enemy attack, design flaws mean the plane might suddenly tumble out of control and crash. Also, some versions of the F-35 can't accelerate to supersonic speed without melting their own tails or shedding the expensive coating that helps to give the planes their radar-evading qualities.

• War on Iran
MoA further develops his theory. -- RF
Tom Luongo's analysis resonates with that of MoA. -- RF
Germany seeks to jolt its stalled wind industry with new offshore plan
Germany's wind sector is barely growing any more. To achieve its self-imposed 65% target for renewables, Germany has made the promise, for the first time, to heavily expand its offshore wind farms.
Argentina said it isn't ruling out a cyberattack after what President Mauricio Macri called an "unprecedented" power blackout struck five South American countries on Sunday.


## Environment/health ##

## Intelligence/security/internet/cyberwar ##
America's Legacy of Regime Change
Review of Covert Regime Change: America's Secret Cold War, by Lindsey A. O'Rourke (Cornell University Press, 2018); 330 pages.
Internet blackouts: The rise of government-imposed shutdowns
Sudan's internet blackout has gained global attention, but it is not unique. Shutdowns are on the rise around the world.

• War on Julian Assange

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
It's a "systems issue"! As I've repeatedly said, "issues" are bringing down civilization! -- RF
There's no labor shortage, but there are too many convenience stores. Recall this recent article. -- RF
Obviously this is not an issue that exists solely on Planet Japan. Most of the world has insolvent pensions. Worldwide, the total public and private pension gap is tens of TRILLIONS of dollars. Nearly every government and corporate pension has made promises it cannot keep.

## UK ##
But now, generational expert Alexis Abramson, who has 25 years experience in the field, is claiming that corporations aren't getting the ROI that they anticipated from millennials.
Trade War Nightmare Causes Collapse In Demand For US Industrial Space
As the US economy cycles down through summer with the threat of a full-blown trade war, industrial space demand is likely to drop further, which could suggest that the commercial real estate bubble is about to burst.


Permanent Link posted by Rice Farmer @ 5:35 PM

Friday, June 14, 2019

 

News Links, June 15, 2019

## Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards/global cooling/deflationary collapse ##
Broadcom's $2 billion warning rattles global chip sector
Russia lowers rates as inflation slows, signals more cuts
Bond king Jeffrey Gundlach: 'I am certainly long gold'

## Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
Poland Deal Lays Groundwork For Division-Strength Deployment
A division-scale exercise next year in Europe, Defender 2020, will be the largest in a quarter-century.

• War on Iran
Trump admin aims to kill historic talks and strangle Iran with evidence-free accusations
Hell-bent on isolating and suffocating Iran, the Trump administration derailed Japan's historic talks by accusing Tehran without any evidence whatsoever of attacking oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
US gov narrative blaming Iran for oil tanker attacks falls apart in hours
The Trump administration's claims Iran attacked oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman were quickly debunked, with the ship's crew saying it "was hit by a flying object." But the US disrupted important Iranian diplomatic efforts at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
A different take on the situation, suggesting the possibility that Iran's counterattack has begun. -- RF

• War on Venezuela

Come to think of it, whatever happened to E-Cat? -- RF

Sick and elderly left to fend for themselves with no end in sight to water crisis
5 Alarming Reasons Americans Need to Pay Attention to Ebola Right Now
The U.S. Is Purging Chinese Cancer Researchers From Top Institutions
The NIH and the FBI are targeting ethnic Chinese scientists, including U.S. citizens, searching for a cancer cure.

## Intelligence/security/internet/cyberwar ##
Why AI Deepfakes Should Scare the Living Bejeezus Out of You

• War on Julian Assange

Cops are using citizens as ATMs while drug cartels thrive.


Permanent Link posted by Rice Farmer @ 5:45 PM

Thursday, June 13, 2019

 

News Links, June 14, 2019

## Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards/global cooling/deflationary collapse ##
Analysts: 2019 Oil Demand Growth Could Be Lowest In Years
While OPEC and Russia are busy calibrating a possible extension to their production cuts, analysts and traders have turned their attention away from oil supply concerns and are focused again on faltering economic growth and a downbeat outlook on oil demand growth.

## War on cash/cashless society/cryptocurrencies ##
Cash Is King In Hong Kong As Thousands Choose Financial Privacy
Hong Kong is waking up to the benefits of financial privacy using cash, reports claim, as protesters seek to hide their movements and identity.

## Airline death spiral ##
Boeing airliner deliveries falter amid 737 Max woes, falling 56% from last year
Just don't expect any blowback from Washington. The whole episode provides yet another sick illustration of how our entire system of governance has degenerated into a fully-fledged "predator state."

## Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
A secret State Department memo written in 1960 proposed making life so miserable for the Cuban people, they would overthrow the new Castro government. The memo advocated "a line of action which, while as adroit and inconspicuous as possible, makes the greatest inroads in denying money and supplies to Cuba, to decrease monetary and real wages, to bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of government."

• War on Iran

## Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##
Hundreds of Hong Kong protesters storm key road as extradition protests mount
Like the farms of the past. -- RF

## Environment/health ##
Shocking decline in the health of US Millennials (Blue Cross Blue Shield report)
Do you consume a credit card's worth of plastic every week?
People worldwide could be ingesting five grammes of microscopic plastic particles every week, equivalent in weight to a credit card, researchers said Wednesday.
Sign the International Appeal to Stop 5G on Earth and in Space
5G will result in a massive increase in inescapable, involuntary exposure to wireless radiation
## Intelligence/security/internet/cyberwar ##
The CBP Theft Is Exactly What Privacy Experts Said Would Happen
The more information the government collects, the more attractive that information is to bad actors.
Russia frees detained journalist after public outcry and media pressure
Why Didn't Mueller Investigate Seth Rich?
The idea that the DNC email disclosures were produced by a hack — not a leak —makes less and less sense.
DOJ Bloodhounds on the Scent of John Brennan (Ray McGovern)
With Justice Department investigators' noses to the ground, it should be just a matter of time before they identify Brennan as fabricator-in-chief of the Russiagate story.

• War on Julian Assange
Julian Assange to appear in court after Javid signs US extradition request
Home secretary opens way for court to consider whether Assange should be sent to US

## Propaganda/censorship/fake news/alternative facts ##
Vietnam ramps up pressure on Google's YouTube advertisers
Vietnam has asked companies not to advertise on videos hosted by Google's YouTube that contain "anti-state propaganda," state media said on Wednesday, as the Southeast Asian country ramps up pressure on global tech giants.
Secrecy and Lies: Chernobyl and the U.S. Government
Cover-Ups and Truth Tellers
Lawrence Davidson finds a reversal of values — in who gets punished and who does not — when whistleblowers and publishers expose immoral behavior by governments.

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
The Self-Destructive Trajectory of Overly Successful Empires
It's difficult not to see signs of this same trajectory in the U.S. since the fall of the Soviet Empire in 1990.
'Deaths of despair' from drugs, alcohol and suicide hit young adults hardest (US)
Young adults were more likely than any other age group to die from drugs, alcohol and suicide over the past decade, underscoring the despair Millennials face and the pressure on the health care system to respond to a crisis that shows little sign of abating.

## US ##
A Morgan Stanley reading on the economy collapses by the most ever
America first? How NeoCon Billionaire Paul Singer Is Driving the Outsourcing of US Tech Jobs to Israel
Several U.S. tech giants including Google, Microsoft and Intel Corporation have filled top positions with former members of Israeli military intelligence and are heavily investing in their Israeli branches while laying off thousands of American employees, all while receiving millions of dollars in U.S. government subsidies funded by American taxpayers.
Bolton's Long Goodbye
John Bolton's days as national security advisor are apparently numbered—for reasons that have all played out in the press.


Permanent Link posted by Rice Farmer @ 5:08 PM

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