Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Breaking News Wed. May 25, 2011

It should go without saying, that our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this spring's terrible storms.
and also

Now that you've watched the above videos, here's some 4 star asshattery for us today. (by the time I post this you'll probably have heard all about Cantor and his effort to become humanitarian of the year. )
ThinkProgress: Cantor Says Congress Won’t Pay For Missouri Disaster Relief Unless Spending Is Cut Elsewhere
Firefighters and rescue workers who arrived in Joplin, MO, found that the deadly tornado that hit the state Sunday had left a “barren, smoky wasteland” in its path. Rescue workers worked through more storms in an effort to find potential survivors, even as the death toll rose to at least 119. President Obama pledged full support to the state Monday, telling survivors, “We’re here with you. We’re going to stay by you.”
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), however, said that before Congress approved federal funds for disaster relief, it had to offset the spending with cuts to other programs. The Washington Times reports:
Thanks to the Ozarker at Conflicted Doomer for some great links this morning and to our good friend rj over at, you guessed it! Global Glass Onion!  There are a lot of excellent blogs from forum members linked over on the left. Be sure to visit them as well as the forums linked at the bottom of this post.

Japan
HawaiiHealthGuide: Big Island Dairy Farmers fight radiation with Boron
Dear Milk Share Members,
Our goal to offer high quality safe food to our community has recently been challenged in the reality of the radioactivity being released into our environment. In the past weeks radioactive levels have increased in Hawaii, with high spikes and a more current leveling off of radiation levels. Milk from the large dairies in Hamakua and Hawi has shown elevated levels of radiation, from 400 to 2400 times the recognized safe levels.
CNNMoney: Blue goo sucks up toxic waste
Mopping up radioactive waste is messy work. Ever since an earthquake and a tsunami crippled Japanese nuclear power plants in March, cleanup crews have been struggling to decontaminate the area. Typically, this kind of work is performed with low-tech tools: soap, water, pads, brushes and old-fashioned elbow grease.

Global Conflict
NYT: Netanyahu Gives No Ground in Congress Speech
SeattlePI: Palestinians: Netanyahu peace outline unacceptable
ActivistPost: US hopes Iraq will ask troops to stay: Gates
NPR: Gunmen Fire On U.N. Helicopters In Sudan
BBC: Taliban seize district in eastern Afghan province
Officials in Afghanistan say insurgents allied to the Taliban have taken another district in a strategically important province in the north-east.
BBC: Yemen: Sanaa sees third day of Hashid clashes
Street battles between Yemeni security forces and the country's most powerful tribal federation are continuing for a third day in the capital, Sanaa. 
BusinessInsider: Pakistan's Nuclear Arsenal At Risk?
Spiegel: The World from Berlin
'Netanyahu Had His Triumph, But Israel Will Pay'
Time: Protests: Has the Revolution Come to Spain?

Financial News
DownwardSpiral:  States to the Unemployed: Drop Dead
The implications are obviously horrific. Take away unsustainable federal deficit spending and our real economy would already have contracted about 10-20%. Given that the reality of Peak Oil means any significant “recovery” is impossible and that the economy over the next decade has nowhere to go but down, many of the unfortunate “99ers” along with many millions more yet to be laid off as the economy continues to collapse are likely never going to be gainfully employed again.

SHTFPlan: Nowhere to Go: 85% of College Graduates Will Return Home Jobless
WSJ: Poll: More Americans fear higher national debt than default
NPR: Stock Futures Slide As Global Concerns Persist 
BusinessInsider: What The Signatures Of Wall Street's Biggest Titans Say About Their Personalities
SeattleTimes: About 12 percent of U.S. banks at risk of failing in 1Q
Economix: Where Do You Fall on the Income Curve?
here's an instance of a picture being worth a thousand words


CBSWTVR: State and local governments may cut 450,000 jobs in FY2012
Around 450,000 people who work for U.S. states, counties, cities, towns and villages could get pink slips in fiscal 2012, sharply up from the 300,000 positions shed this year, a report said on Monday.
FinancialTimes: Record defaults predicted for US CMBS
Default rates on US commercial mortgage-backed securities will hit record levels this year after a 20 per cent jump in defaults on such bonds in 2010, says a study by Fitch Ratings.
TechnologyReview: What Bitcoin Is, and Why It Matters
Can a booming "crypto-currency" really compete with conventional cash?
BusinessInsider: Politicians Are Abnormally Good Stock Pickers
WSJ: German Bond Rally Has Run Too Far 
NBER: The Impact of Pollution on Worker Productivity 
MSNBC: Sellers beware: 8 factors that devalue a good home Some things, such as location, are out of your control  
Bloomberg: Durable Goods Orders in U.S. Likely Fell in April
Orders for U.S. durable goods probably fell in April, reflecting less demand for aircraft and disruptions in supplies of auto parts stemming from the earthquake in Japan, economists said before a report today. 
ZeroHedge: Guest Post: Why the Rich Love High Unemployment
BusinessInsider: Albert Edwards: We're Not Ready For The "Frenzied Orgy Of Balance Sheet Debauchment" Yet
We're still in line for one more deflationary step before the Fed and other central banks engage in the next level of monetary expansion that creates rampant inflation, according to Societe Generale's Albert Edwards.
Guardian: France's Christine Lagarde formally announces IMF bid
French finance minister will seek the presidency of the International Monetary Fund to replace Dominique Strauss-Kahn
TPM: Progressive Groups: Polls Show Deficit Panic Is Republican Illusion 
WSJ: S&P Warns of Profit Squeeze for China's Banks 
TheHill: Analysis: Number of renters rising as housing market struggles 
Reuters: Fed's Duke says costly gasoline crimping consumersU.S. consumers, already hard hit by a sharp collapse in home prices, are facing renewed challenges from higher gasoline costs, Federal Reserve Governor Elizabeth Duke said on Tuesday.
HuffingtonPost: Retirement And The Recession: Savings Destroyed For One Out Of Four Older Workers, Says AARP Survey

Peak oil and Energy News
CNNMoney: Oil speculators charged with price manipulation
(you have to go clear to the end of the article to see this)
But other experts say speculation is not to blame. Oil prices are high, they say, because worldwide use is rising sharply, the easy-to-get oil is running out, and no viable alternatives are in sight.
Richard Heinberg - Energy & Peak Oil, The Bigger Picture 
 If you are new to the reality of Peak Oil, I highly recommend the above lecture by Richard Heinberg. "Is this a problem? You betcha!"
WSJ: Facing Up to End of 'Easy Oil'
That the Saudis are even considering such a project shows how difficult and costly it is becoming to slake the world's thirst for oil. It also suggests that even the Saudis may not be able to boost production quickly in the future if demand rises unexpectedly. Neither issue bodes well for the return of cheap oil over the long term.
EnergyBulletin: The case for a disorderly energy descent
Reuters: U.S. sues big oil traders for 2008 manipulationRegulators launched one of the biggest ever crackdowns on oil price manipulation on Tuesday, suing two well-known traders and two trading firms owned by Norwegian billionaire John Fredriksen for allegedly making $50 million by squeezing markets in 2008.
DetroitNews: Obama orders federal government to buy smaller, high-mpg cars
EnergyBulletin: Addressing public concerns about wind power
Guardian: The IMF has too long defined our southern livesArgentinians are familiar with rape metaphors being used for IMF policies. With Dominique Strauss-Kahn, we have come full circle
Platts: Nigeria's central bank urges tighter control on oil JV fundingNigeria's central bank has called for tighter controls on funds disbursed for joint oil operations with foreign companies and on subsidies for fuel imports, noting that the country's economy is not seeing the benefits of higher global crude prices.
NYTOpinionPages: The Euro Zone's Structural Problem
OurFuture.org: Why Elizabeth Warren Scares Republicans 
TheNation: House GOP Escalates Attack on Elizabeth Warren, Consumer Bureau 
HuffingtonPost: Retirement And The Recession: Savings Destroyed For One Out Of Four Older Workers, Says AARP Survey


Environmental News
CNN: Security cams catch a Twister on Tape (you have to see this to believe it!) 
CNN: Deadly tornadoes churn across Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas
TulsaWorld: Joplin death toll now 122; 1,500 missing
KansasCityStar: How to help tornado relief efforts in Joplin 
WeatherUnderground: Deadly tornadoes rip OK, KS, and AR; high tornado risk today; Joplin tornado an EF-5
ABCNews: Oklahoma Tornadoes: Inside the 'Bear Cage'
DesdemonaDespair: Video: Eyewitness account of historic Colombia floods in Manatí
Occipital: 360 Degree Panoram photo of Joplin
Good: Cascadia: The West Coast Fault Line That Is "Nine Months Pregnant"
ColumbusDispatch: Tornado death toll in 2011 worst since 1953
Cryptogon: Risk From Spent Nuclear Reactor Fuel Is Greater in U.S. Than in Japan
TreeHugger: Greenpeace Activists Halt Coal Barge with 2nd Demonstration in Chicago
Greenpeace's attack on coal pollution in Chicago turned out to be two-pronged. Hours after eight activists scaled the 450-foot smokestacks of the Fisk coal-fired power plant -- and not long after we spoke with climber Kelly Mitchell in an illuminating live chat -- eight more activists worked to halt the approach of a coal barge at the city's other major power plant. The activists dropped off a bridge near the Crawford coal plant, and unfurled a banner with "We Can Stop Coal" written in both English in Spanish. While the scene was hectic at Fisk -- check out my reportage from earlier today to learn more -- it was nothing compared to the chaos at Crawford:
ClimateProgress: The House wants to slow military’s clean energy march
National Defense Authorization Act allows dirty fuel use
ChickenTender: Up Against It
For quite a long while this was a comfortable place to be. As such I've been doing my best to withdraw underground. My ideal has been complete self-sufficiency in energy and food. Here on this land, in this community, this goal is in sight. But it's been nagging at me -- the feeling, which has
Onever left me, that I'm not doing enough. Specifically, that the world is falling to pieces and I'm just battening down my hatches, selfishly.

America in Decline
BorowitzReport: FEMA Declares Eric Cantor a Disaster Area
Congressman Denies Funds to Self

BeforeItsNews: Disney Promotes Abusive TSA Droids and Thermal Scanning
ActivistPost: "Free Speech Zones" Killing Free Speech Across Orwellian America"Congress shall make no law... abridging... the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."  -- First Amendment to the Constitution of The United States of America.
ABCNews: DOJ Tells Arizona it Illegally Obtained Death Penalty Drug
UPI: Reid duels Rand on lapsing Patriot ActThe federal Patriot Act could briefly expire by the end of the week if U.S. Sen. Rand Paul insists on votes for controversial amendments, officials say
CommonDreams: Rape As Flat Tire
Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Any Worse: Conservative legislators have passed almost 1,000 anti-choice measures this year. Kansas - where Gov. Sam Brownback vowed to create "a culture of life" - just passed a ban on insurance companies covering abortion except when a woman's life is at risk. And during the debate, one Rep. Pete DeGraaf argued that women should plan ahead in life for contingencies like rape, just like he plans ahead with a spare tire in his car.
BusinessInsider: Kim Kardashian's Engagement Officially Marks The End Of Rich-Person Recession-Era Modesty
Kim Kardashian's NBA beau, Kris Humphries, popped the question last week -- and if you're looking for a sign that the days of recession-inspired rich-person restraint have come to an end, here it is.
ActivistPost: DHS Merges with Pentagon and NSA Under Obama’s Cyber Threat Plan
SHTFPlan: Feds Threaten Texas With No-Fly Zone Over Anti-TSA Legislation
(go for it Texas!!!!!)
The State of Texas is currently considering legislation that would make it illegal for any official, State or Federal, to perform intrusive searches of persons or personal property without probable cause.
Under Texas Law, HB 1937 would punish, through criminal prosecution, those involved in “official oppression by the intrusive touching of persons seeking access to public buildings and transportation…”
In response, the Federal Government has threatened to essentially enact a no-fly zone over Texas by restricting flights out of the state due to security concerns.


Food and Water
BigPictureAgriculture: ADM Invests Big in Uruguay Port
Reuters: Cattle plague rinderpest has been eradicated: OIEThe cattle disease rinderpest that has devastated animal herds for centuries no longer exists, making it the first ever animal illness to be eradicated by humankind, world animal health body OIE said on Wednesday.
Alternet: Factory Farms Produce 100 Times More Waste Than All People In the US Combined and It's Killing Our Drinking Water

Science and Technology
GizMag: Metamaterials could significantly boost wireless power transmission
BlackListedNews: Beyond Smart Phones: Sensor Network to Make 'Smart Cities' Envisioned  
Cryptogon: France Attempts to “Civilize” the Internet; Internet Fights Back
For some time, French Pres. Nicolas Sarkozy has talked about his dream of a “civilized” Internet, but this dream has long been a nightmare for those who worry that “civilization” is really a code for “regulations favorable to big business and the national security state.” To make his vision a reality, Sarkozy helped to create this week’s e-G8 meeting currently underway in the Tuileries Gardens next door to the Louvre—and the critics are fuming.

Medical and Health
Guardian:How to Spot a Psychopath
From Broadmoor to boardroom, they're everywhere, says Jon Ronson, in an exclusive extract from his new book
NPR: U.S. Measles Cases Hit 15-Year High
NPR: WHO Grants Smallpox A Reprieve

Hey, smallpox, you just got at least three more years on this planet.
The World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, agreed to put off making up its mind on when to destroy the two remaining stocks of the virus until a meeting in 2014.
CNN: Plastic surgery boom as Asians seek 'western' look
ArsTechnica: Doctors and dentists tell patients, "all your review are belong to us" 
TreeHugger: Bedbug Bites May Transmit MRSA Super Germs
"Good night, sleep tight, don't let the Super-Germ-Carrying Bedbugs bite."
abcNews: Atheists Have Best Sex Lives, Claims Psychologist 
PlanetGreen: Proven: Coffee Reduces Risk of Prostate Cancer in a BIG Way 

Doomsteading, Gardening, Urban Farming
PBS: Stink Bug Invasion: Is a Wasp the Solution to Save Valued Crops? 
FarmJournal: Wet Soils Can Benefit From Tillage Prior To Planting Corn 
Grist: Mushrooms make short work of dirty diapers

Other News
BeforeItsnews: Corsi To File Criminal Charges Against White House Over Obama Birth Certificate
Good: Slideshow: This Is Your Artistic Brain on Drugs (this is just WAY cool!)
DailyBeast: America's Forgotten Presidential Sex Scandal
Forget Arnold Schwarzenegger or John Edwards. One of the greatest political sex scandals happened to Grover Cleveland. Journalist Charles Lachman reveals the sordid details of rape, an unwanted child, and the coverup.
Cracked: 4 Reasons We Need to Start Making Fun of Terrorists
BusinessInsider: Morning Joe SHOCKED Over How Much Money Glenn Beck Makes: 'Things You Can Do When You Have No Morals'
Good: Why So Serious? Because Chicks Dig It!
A new study says women are more attracted to moody men than happy men. On your next date, wipe that smile off your face
NYMag: The Elephant in the Green Room
The circus Roger Ailes created at Fox News made his network $900 million last year. But it may have lost him something more important: the next election.
ibimes: Horrid scences of apathy from most crowded prisons across the world
Crowded prisons are not merely a Third World phenomenon as a recent U.S Court ruling counted California prisons for violating the U.S. constitution by packing too many prisoners in already overcrowded cells.
TheAtlanticWire: Has Right-Wing Radio Run Its Course?
The heavy-hitters of conservative radio talk shows are bleeding listeners according to Crain's. The industry report says Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and others hit a "slump" in October from which they've failed to recover. Limbaugh's ratings are down 33 percent, a large enough blow to prompt Salon's Alex Pareene to wonder if America might be done with Rush. However, given that Hannity's and fellow conservative Mark Levin's evening show are both down 28 percent, we have to wonder if the loud-mouthed, apocalypse-warning, slur-slinging pundits are a fad that's cooling like shutter shades or Pinkberry.
BusinessInsider: Call Girl: "The Only Thing That Surprised Me Was The Scale [Of The Munich Re Sex Party]"
BusinessInsider: Cuba Is About To Get Four Luxury Golf Resorts 


The Forums
TinfoilPalace: Obama is a Puppet, Ahmadinejad says, Freedom Seekers Will Win! 
TinfoilPalace: Campings New Prediction!!
TheOilAge: It is happening
TheOilAge: Ummm...what's this? Giant Land Hurricane?
Hubberts-Arms: Rep. Eric Cantor : Tornado victims can piss off
Hubberts-Arms: Heckler interrupts Israeli PM Netanyahu; allegedly beaten up
SilentCountry: One in Ten Americans On Food Stamps
SilentCountry: Facebook: Yay or Nay, and why?

2 comments:

  1. La Curee
    Thanks again 'things' seem to be ratcheting up.
    Do you use a web crawler to collect your catch?

    ReplyDelete
  2. hey there!
    no, I use twitter, (I follow over 200 news sources, and iGoogle. People send me links too, especially Ozarker and rj. I really appreciate that too.
    glad you are enjoying the blog, and yes, things are indeed ratcheting up.

    ReplyDelete