LOL
what a screwed up world.
Oh, and for some mystical reason, soccer games cause people to go apeshit and kill one another. I had no idea.
Hope everyone is enjoying this nice spring weather (in Feb.), it's going to be in the 60's again here today with a nice light sprinkly rain. I like rain. :D
Much thanks to RJ at the Global Glass Onion and the Ozarker at Conflicted Doomer they continue to ROCK! Check out their blogs today so Google can log your activity and compile a dossier on you.
And good news! it's a new essay by our friend Guy McPherson! Good to hear from you Guy!
We need to develop a new economy because the current version is not working. The industrial economy is destroying every aspect of the living planet. And, as it turns out, we need a living planet for our own survival.Guy McPherson is professor emeritus of natural resources and the environment at the University of Arizona, where he taught and conducted research for 20 years. He's written well over 100 articles, ten books, the most recent of which is Walking Away From Empire, and has focused for many years on conservation of biological diversity. He lives in an off-grid, straw-bale house where he practices durable living via organic gardening, raising small animals for eggs and milk, and working with members of his rural community. Learn more at guymcpherson.com or email Guy at grm@ag.arizona.edu.
In this essay, I briefly describe the horrors of the current interconnected, globalized, planet-destroying house of cards. Then I articulate another way, which is not difficult to do: It would pose quite a challenge to come up with a worse way, and we have several models from which to choose. I will focus on two such models, agrarian anarchy and the post-industrial Stone Age.
(I love Guy McPherson's work, please check him out and support his efforts!)
Japan
Reuters: Major new leak at Japan's nuclear plant - Kyodo - More than 8 tonnes of water have leaked from Japan's stricken nuclear power plant after a frozen pipe burst inside a reactor buiding, but none of the water is thought to have escaped the complex, Kyodo news agency said on Thursday.
Global Conflict
LAT: Egyptian soccer riot: Death toll at 73
NYT: Panetta Sets End to Afghan Combat Role for US in '13
USAToday: Taliban deny they are ready for Afghan peace talks
WashingtonPost: Angry Palestinians in Gaza hurl slippers at vehicle carrying UN chief
and just for contrast, here's the headline to the same story at Jerusalem Post
JerusalemPost: Palestinians attack convoy of UN chief in Gaza
and they also have this to say
JerusalemPost: Ya'alon: Iran was working on US-range missile
NakedCapitalism: Israel and the American Elections - This Real News Network segment discusses how a small number of American Jewish billionaires are promoting a hawkish, aggressively pro-Israel stance which is at odds with the anti-war, anti-neocon views of many Jewish voters. The interviewee, Max Blumenthal, points out that this concerted, well-funded effort to direct American policy risks playing into anti-Semitic stereotypes.
Independent: Israel's military leaders warn against Iran attack - Former Israeli defence chief says that a strike on Iran would plunge the Middle East into war WashingtonPost: NATO ministers to mull accelerated withdrawal from combat role in Afghanistan
CNN: Eyewitnesses: Police stood idle in Egypt football massacre
Reuters: US plans to halt Afghan combat role early
ThisCan'tBeHappening: And We Actually Pay These Guys?: 'Intelligence' Chief Warns of Threat of Iran Attacks Inside US
WashingtonPost: Israel's deputy PM: Iran's suspected nuclear sites remain vulnerable to Possible Strike
MSNBC: Top Pakistan court to charge PM with contempt
Reuters: Iraq executes 17 after U.N. rebuke
UPI: IEA: Little disruption from Iran oil issue
Telegraph: Afghan forces fired on Nato troops 45 times since 2007 - Afghan police or soldiers have opened fire on their coalition allies 45 times since May 2007, killing 70 and wounding 110, American figures have disclosed for the first time.
MSNBC: Panetta: US to end combat in Afghanistan next year - Troops will switch to advising, training Afghan forces mid-year, he says
OWS
McClatchy: Video: Police evict protestors from Occupy Miami camp
eXiled: The War At Home: Amazing video from this weekend’s police attack on Occupy Oakland
Guardian: New York prosecutors ask Twitter to reveal Occupy Wall Street man’s tweets - Twitter agrees not to comply with subpoena from district attorney's office while protester's lawyer prepares rebuttal
(putting the above story in 2 spots. here and the privacy news section as well.)
Reason: Why Geezers Are the True Enemy of the Occupy Movement
(check it out, it's a war on old people. LOL)
Ok, I just gotta say something.
So, people work their entire lives, save and pay for homes and things but that's not cool? If they have a house they've paid for or something like that, they should have to sell it to pay for bills rather than have Medicare or Medicaid? (I don't know which, i can't keep those straight. LOL)
Ok, say we make that happen, then, when those old folks die...what do they leave their children?
These folks don't take it with them I don't think. LOL
So, her bright idea is for old people to sell their children's inheritance so their children won't have to pay for care for the elderly?
Brilliant. LOL
Young people could be shooting themselves in the foot if they get behind this idea. Instead of inheriting that 20 acre farm from grandpa, they'd get nothing. And if they think their lives would be better if older people's lives are harder, then think again. Besides, you'll be old too one day. :D
Domestic Financial News
WSJ: Zuckerberg IPO Haul Could Top $28 Billion
BlacklistedNews: MF Global Missing Money Mostly Found
BusinessInsider: This Graffiti Artist Took Stock For Painting Facebook's First HQ -- Now It's Worth $200 Million
BusinessInsider: The 30 Fastest Growing Jobs In America
CreditWritedowns: More on Banks Making Shed Loads But Fannie And Freddie “Losing Money as a Matter of Policy”
CBOBlog: Fundamental Fiscal Challenge: Rising Health Care Costs
Economix: United States of Health Care - Job growth in the health care industry has been going gangbusters during the recession and its aftermath, and the gains are likely to keep coming.
WSJ: Chicago Fed Blames Baby Boomers for Labor Force Drop
TheAtlantic: American Airlines Wants to Terminate Its Pension Plan, Lay Off 13,000
RealEstateBlog: Two strong positives for the new Obama refinance plan -(1) It finally allows underwater borrowers to exercise an option that investors knew existed when they purchased mortgage backed securities--the prepayment option. Right now, the fact that borrowers are underwater allows investors to earn a windfall by collecting a premium on what is effectively a callable bond.
(2) It imposes a Pigou tax on large banks. When a small bank fails, the negative externality is small to non-existent. When a TBTF bank fails, the negative externality can be catastrophic. Taxes on large banks help internalize the externality.
EconoSpeak: How Would Romney Pay for the Repairs in the Safety Net?
NYT: Senators’ Amendments Ensnarl Insider Trading Bill
HuffingtonPost: Apple’s Ethical Blindness Selects for Criminal Suppliers in Fraud-Friendly Nations
EconomixBlog: Progress on Letting Big Banks Fail - Simon Johnson - The drafters of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law got an important thing right. Despite fierce pushback from the banks — and lackluster support from the White House at critical moments — the legislators communicated a key new intent: megabanks must be able to fail, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation should be in charge of that liquidation process.
CalculatedRisk: Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims decline to 367,000
ETFDailyNews: Don’t Be Fooled Into The Recent Bull Rally; Markets Are Headed Down
CSMonitor: Mitt Romney draws more Wall Street donations than Obama
Star-Telegram: American Airlines bankruptcy
BottomLine: Jobless claims drop shows improving labor market
CNNMoney: Challenger: Job cuts increased in January
USNews: How to Prepare for a Deflationary World
SeattleTimes: Labor Dept. changes child labor plan - Under pressure from farm groups, the Labor Department has agreed to modify a plan that's intended to keep children away from some of the most dangerous farm jobs.
Global Financial News
NYT: As Greece Nears a Big Debt Deal, Investors Now Fret That Portugal Will Ask for the Same
Alternet: United States of Europe? What it Will Take to Save the Continent from Economic Collapse
Time: Euro Banks Swap Cash for Trash
Telegraph: Bundesbank sinks deeper into debt saving Europe
CommodityOnline: Will 2012 be the Year of China?
Peak Oil and Energy News
Mineweb: Indian power firms look offshore as coal shortages worsen
OilVoice: ExxonMobil licenses oil sands steam injection technology to Baker Hughes
FuelFix: PetroChina Buys Stake in Shell Canada Asset
MJPerry: U.S. Producing Natural Gas at Record Levels
EnergyBulletin: Enemies of the State
FP: Oil sands sector embraces cost control
Commodities/Metals
Gold likely to consolidate in US trade
CommodityOnline: Gold targets $1750 resistance BofAML expects prices to hit $2000 oz in Q4
ETFDailyNews: Hey Silver Bugs: Is James Turk Off His Rocker?
Environmental
WashingtonPost: When groundhogs misbehave: annual winter prediction marred by bites, escapes and Hiding
Desdemonadespair: China’s largest freshwater lake dries up
NewScientist: First land plants plunged Earth into ice age
CSMonitor: Groundhog Day 2012: 5 things you need to know about Punxsutwney Phil
Boston.com: Six more weeks of winter...? We're still waiting for it to start
Chron: Climate science experts predict intensified drought in Texas
America in Decline
Reason: Unions Threaten to Derail the Super Bowl After Indiana Becomes the 23rd Right-to-Work State
RealEstateBlog: Rolf Pendall: Racial Segregation is Still a Reality, by Richard Green
Time: US No-Fly List Doubles in One Year - The no-fly list jumped from about 10,000 known or suspected terrorists one year ago to about 21,000, according to government figures provided to the AP. Most people on the list are from other countries; about 500 are Americans.
GreenBlogs: 'Gasland' Filmmaker Arrested at Capitol Hearing - Josh Fox, whose HBO documentary “Gasland” raised questions about the safety of the natural gas drilling technique known as horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, was handcuffed and led away on Wednesday as he tried to film a House Science Committee hearing on the topic. The Capitol Police said that Mr. Fox, whose film was nominated for an Academy Award last year, was charged with unlawful entry. Mr. Fox brought a crew to film a hearing of the energy and environment subcommittee that was looking into an Environmental Protection Agency finding that fracking was probably responsible for groundwater contamination in Pavillion, Wyo.
CharlesHughSmith: The New American Divide - A recent Wall Street Journal article entitled The New American Divide by demographer Charles Murray described a widening cultural divide between the "haves" (the upper middle class, roughly the top 20% managerial/creative class) and the "have-nots," what many would call the lower middle class and working class. Murray chose to focus on Caucasian Americans to avoid all the issues and emotions of ethnicity, but I think we can apply many of his class-related observations to ethnic minority populations in the U.S. as well. This article (based on a forthcoming book) is important not because it encapsulates this tangled subject, but because it offers a well-researched first step to a much broader spectrum of issues that the author touches upon in passing. The cultural divides the author cites is symptomatic of powerful financial and social forces that operate well below the surface of everyday life.
WashingtonPost: FDA secretly surveilled e-mail of scientists and doctors, intercepted communications with congressional staff
Food and Water
Yahoo: McDonald’s confirms that it’s no longer using ‘pink slime’ chemical in hamburgers
Internet and Online Privacy News
Guardian: New York prosecutors ask Twitter to reveal Occupy Wall Street man’s tweets - Twitter agrees not to comply with subpoena from district attorney's office while protester's lawyer prepares rebuttal
TruthOut: What Does the Activism Surrounding SOPA Reveal About the Future of Online Organizing?
VentureBeat: Google choosing between advertisers and searchers. Guess who is losing?
TechnoLog: Google to censor Blogger blogs by country
Science and Technology
PopSci: DARPA Invests In Megapixel Augmented-Reality Contact Lenses
NewScientist: Spaced out: Clearing astronauts' mental fog
thanks RJ, for the following link. Coming to an open window near you? drop the nets!
GlobalGuerrillas: Drone Swarms are Here: 1 Minute to Midnight? -The algorithms that enable drone swarms is advancing EXTREMELY quickly. In the next couple of years, the number of advances in technology, deployments, use cases, and awareness of drones will be intense. In 5 years, they will be part of every day life. You will see them everywhere. Not just one or two drones. SWARMS of drones. Tens. Hundreds. Thousands. Millions (potentially if the cost per unit is small enough)? How soon will we see that. It's already here. Here's a video depicting experiments performed with a team of nano quadrotors at the GRASP Lab, University of Pennsylvania. Vehicles developed by KMel Robotics. It was posted today:
NakedCapitalism: What if Google Had a Blackout? - To raise public awareness of legislation that might threaten the openness of the internet, Wikipedia and several other sites recently made themselves unavailable for 24 hours. Of course, some people quickly found a way around the block, and everyone else just waited until the sites returned. But what if the internet suffered a real blow? How would things change if Google and Bing went down for 24 hours, and there wasn’t a way around the block?
KidDynamite'sBlog: Facebook – 7% of Humans Are Daily Active Usersthanks RJ, for the following link. Coming to an open window near you? drop the nets!
GlobalGuerrillas: Drone Swarms are Here: 1 Minute to Midnight? -The algorithms that enable drone swarms is advancing EXTREMELY quickly. In the next couple of years, the number of advances in technology, deployments, use cases, and awareness of drones will be intense. In 5 years, they will be part of every day life. You will see them everywhere. Not just one or two drones. SWARMS of drones. Tens. Hundreds. Thousands. Millions (potentially if the cost per unit is small enough)? How soon will we see that. It's already here. Here's a video depicting experiments performed with a team of nano quadrotors at the GRASP Lab, University of Pennsylvania. Vehicles developed by KMel Robotics. It was posted today:
NakedCapitalism: What if Google Had a Blackout? - To raise public awareness of legislation that might threaten the openness of the internet, Wikipedia and several other sites recently made themselves unavailable for 24 hours. Of course, some people quickly found a way around the block, and everyone else just waited until the sites returned. But what if the internet suffered a real blow? How would things change if Google and Bing went down for 24 hours, and there wasn’t a way around the block?
CosmicLog: Study counters arsenic-life claims
Medical and Health
DailyMail: Deadly strain of MRSA from US ‘has spread to UK’, warn doctors
TruthOut: US's Largest Cancer Charity Caves to Right-Wing Pressure, Ends Partnership With Planned Parenthood
TheChart: Lower sunlight exposure may increase stroke risk
MSNBC: How Alzheimer's spreads: It infects brain cells
Reuters: House votes to repeal part of healthcare law
Doomsteading, Gardening, Urban Farming
CityFarmer: Make Money as an Urban Farmer: the on-line course
CanadianDoomer'sBlog: Say Cheese!
ModernSurvivalBlog: Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick
PreppingToSurvive: First Aid Refreshers, part 4: Minor Burns
PreppingToSurvive: Getting Children Involved in Preparing
Other News
Reuters: Teacher in cockroach and bondage case held on bail
Telegraph: Treasure hunters 'find $3 billion in platinum on sunken WW2 British ship'
NYDaily: LA teacher accused of feeding own semen to kids is jailed on $23 million bail
CNN: More than 200 rescued from Papua New Guinea ferry sinking
FT: Museum finds ‘stunning’ Mona Lisa copy
MattSavinar: Did former Vanity Fair astrologer Michael Lutin accurately predict the Japanese tsunami of 2011 back in 2006?
Star-Telegram: Toddler mauled by dogs was ignored, affidavit says
Telegraph: Dead bodies stored in cupboards on the Tube
Politics
McClatchy: With restrictions gone, '1 percenters' dish millions, alter race for White House
BlacklistedNews: Convincing Us Into Believing We Have Choice
Forums
TinfoilPalace: 'Gasland' Journalists Arrested At Hearing By Order Of House Republicans (UPDATES)
TinfoilPalce: Wake up, you are in a holographic prison!
TheOilAge: Anti austerity demonstrations in Romania
TheOilAge: Worlds Largest Stock Exchange (NYSE-Boerse) Blocked by EU
HubbertsArms: How to Escape from Zip Ties
HubbertsArms: Google user data to be merged across all sites under contentious plan
SilentCountry: Massive Layoffs at American Airlines
SilentCountry: Wave of the Future: Everyone's a Temp
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