From our dear friend Benjamin the Donkey, a new limerick inspired by the Ozarker's Sat. post! Beautiful Ben!
More and more, we feel futility
For our lack of adaptability;
Despite all our knowing,
We still keep on going
To the best of our ability.
For our lack of adaptability;
Despite all our knowing,
We still keep on going
To the best of our ability.
I'll follow up Ben's wonderful poetry with this from RJ at Global Glass Onion.
The photo shown above was taken by a subscriber in the city of Crookston, MN from the front porch of her suburban home. No, the men pictured aren't from the local high school's J.R.O.T.C squad - they are in fact trained soldiers serving in the Minnesota National Guard, Unit 2-136 CAB/B Company. Now, I have never personally been to Crookston (although I'm sure it's lovely), but I'm relatively confident that they are located on domestic soil, and unless I am missing something, the citizens of Crookston weren't dealing with any natural disaster at the time this haunting snapshot in the the coming police state was taken.also, here is a MUST read article that expresses very well what some of us have been saying.
we are already IN collapse!
HipcrimeVocab: What If A Collapse Happened And Nobody Noticed?
Much thanks to RJ at the Global Glass Onion, the Ozarker at Conflicted Doomer , and to Doug at 3Es News and David at ETF Daily.
And lastly, the secret voice in your head is saying...."Visit the forums, visit the forums." LOL
Peak Oil and Energy News
Cleveland.com: Automakers, suppliers look to natural gas for commercial vehicles as gasoline prices soar -- Getting annoyed at paying $3.75 a gallon at the gas station? How does fueling at home for about 53 cents per gallon sound? As gasoline prices have risen, natural gas prices have plummeted, forcing automakers and commercial vehicle buyers to consider the fuel for pickups, vans and cars.
IBTimes: Saudis Vow To Maintain Oil Output If Major Western Consumers Release Emergency Reserves - Saudi Arabia will likely maintain its high crude oil production even if the consumer nations of North America and Europe release emergency strategic reserves, but it will not offer a discount to attract more buyers.
IBTimes: U.S. gasoline demand dips, price lower than year ago: MasterCard
Reuters: U.S. blackout report cites lack of grid awareness - A lack of awareness of real-time conditions on the western power grid last Sept. 8 -- rather than a single power-line problem -- was to blame for a blackout that left 2.7 million electric customers in southern California, Arizona and the Mexico border in the dark, watchdogs for the U.S. power grid said on Tuesday.
WashingtonPost: How the U.S. could influence China’s coal habits — with exports - Coal exports, a favorite topic here at Wonkblog, have become a hot environmental issue of late. Coal use is shrinking in the United States thanks (in part) to cheap natural gas. So coal companies are building terminals in the Pacific Northwest to ship their surplus coal to places like China.
Global Conflict
FiscalTimes: Obama Signs Deal with Karzai to End Afghan War
The president’s surprise trip to Afghanistan on the eve of the first anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death dramatically underscored one of the central themes of his re-election campaign. His successful management of foreign policy has brought two of the longest and more divisive military interventions in U.S. history to relatively successful conclusions while avoiding new confrontations in the Middle East or Asia.McClatchy: Taliban bombers attack Kabul hours after Obama's visit
CNN: Mystery of a spy found stuffed in a bag
LAT: Coroner says death of British intelligence worker may never be explained
MSNBC: N. Korea accused of jamming commercial flight signals
UPI: Iranians allegedly plot to kill envoy - DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, May 1 (UPI) -- Three Iranians were arrested earlier by Egyptian security for allegedly plotting to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Cairo, an official said Tuesday.
Egyptian officials had informed Saudi Arabia authorities at the time of the arrest three months ago, but Saudi officials preferred not to speak publicly about the alleged plot to kidnap and murder the ambassador, Ahmed Abdel Aziz al-Qattan, a legal adviser to the Saudi Embassy, Sami Gamal Eddine, told al Arabiya.
Egypt's ruling military council foiled the plot and offered to provide tighter security for the Saudi ambassador but he refused the additional protection, Gamal Eddine said.
Reuters: China denounces U.S. as dissident Chen leaves embassy
CNN: Friend of Chinese activist says he left US Embassy after threat
Rendezvous: China Demands Apology from U.S.
WSJ: U.S., China Strike Deal Over Activist
FP: The Jet That Ate the Pentagon - The F-35 is a boondoggle. It's time to throw it in the trash bin.
LAT: Burka-clad bombers kill 7 in Kabul after Obama visit
Reuters: Eleven killed as Egypt clashes over army rule - CAIRO - Eleven people were killed and more than 160 wounded near Egypt's Defense Ministry after armed men assaulted protesters demanding an end to army rule, prompting two Islamist candidates to suspend their presidential election campaigns.
CNN: Chinese activist leaves US Embassy on 'own volition'
BBC: Unknown attackers kill 11 at Cairo protest
CNN: Israeli politics in tailspin over Iran
Wired: 9/11 Mastermind Says He Wants to Die; Gitmo Trial May Be His Chance
OWS
BlacklistedNews: NYPD Raids Activists’ Homes Before May Day Protests
ZunguZungu: A Snapshot of Your Security-Industrial Complex
Naturally, you are asking yourself, how is it that a cash-strapped city like Oakland can afford a monster like this? Well, luckily, Dave Gilson of Mother Jones has your answers, flagging and tweeting a request from the Alameda Sheriff’s Department to bypass the competitive bid process and purchase this beauty — from Xe, better known as Blackwater — for the bargain basement price of only $323,000. Lest you think this is an unfair price, our dear Sheriff Ahern helpfully describes the pressing need which requires its purchase:BlacklistedNews: Bringing the ‘War on Terrorism’ Home
Is it just a coincidence that on May Day, the very day the “Occupy” movement chose for nationwide protests against corporate dominance of American politics, the FBI announced the arrest of five “anarchists” who were supposedly plotting to blow up a bridge in Cleveland?WashingtonPost: Occupy protestors in Seattle smash windows; police fire gas into crowd in Oakland
Not that there was ever any danger of the bridge actually being blown up: like all the high-profile “domestic terrorism” cases touted by the feds these days, this was yet another case of the FBI infiltrating a fringy group and instigating its members into participating in a bogus “plot,” which the feds could then hold up as another “success story” in their ongoing domestic “war on terrorism.” It’s a veritable growth industry, one the FBI and other law enforcement agencies have a vested interest in propagating and encouraging: the more “plots” they can uncover, the more tax dollars are poured into their coffers.
LAT: May Day in Seattle: Black-clad protesters smash bank, shop windows
EmptyWheel: If “Anarchists” Threaten to Blow Up a Little-Used Bridge Over Federal Property, Is It a Plot?
CuriousCapitalist: 7 Twitter Accounts Goldman Sach’s New Social Media Guru Must Follow - @OccupyWallSt - It is absolutely paramount that Goldman’s new social media guru follow the Occupy Wall Street Twitter account. That way, they can send timely interoffice emails alerting senior executives to exit via the parking garage, if things start to get a little dicey out on the street.
Reuters: Oakland police may face sanctions over handling of Occupy protests
eXiled: Recovered History: 7,000 May Day Protesters Herded Into D.C. Stadium Prison In 1971
Keep this all in mind, Occupy protestors. It’s been this bad and worse before. They will go further than you can possibly imagine–and the media will lie and cover the oligarchy’s backside every step of the way. It’s a class war of attrition, so be prepared for the long haul.MercuryNews: Drummond: Occupy fringe bent on destruction
TruthOut: How to Rebrand Occupy
VancouverSun: Cleveland, Ohio bridge blow-up plot sees five anarchists arrested
CommonDreams: May Day: by Noam Chomsky
Salon: Rise of Generation Occupy -Around the world, young people—students, workers, and the unemployed—are bringing their grievances to the public square. Protests have spread throughout the world, from Tunis to Cairo, Tel Aviv to Santiago de Chile, and Wall Street to Oakland, California. The specific grievances differ across the countries, yet the animating demands are the same: democracy and economic justice.
Domestic Financial News
TheAtlantic: The 2% Catastrophe: How One Number Explains the Miserable Economy - The Federal Reserve is crucifying the U.S. economy on a cross of two-percent inflation.
CNNMoney: Fed presidents: Too soon to call a U.S. slowdown
DailyBeast: Stephen King: Please raise my taxes - The iconic writer scolds the superrich (including himself—and Mitt Romney) for not giving back, and warns of a Kingsian apocalyptic scenario if inequality is not addressed in America.
Reuters: The CEO's $200 million secret hedge fund - As CEO of Chesapeake Energy, Aubrey McClendon ran a lucrative hedge fund on the side that traded in the same commodities Chesapeake produces. This was never detailed to shareholders, and “strict codes” ban such dealings at most rivals.
VanityFair: Bethany McLean on the Goldman Sachs Culture: “‘Muppets’ Will Go Down in Financial History”
Reuters: Gross warns of U.S. credit rating downgrade: CNBC
Bloomberg: Engle Joins Krugman Suggesting Higher Inflation for U.S.
CNBC: Want Economic Growth? Do It Like the Fed: Analysts
Dealbook: Big Banks Fined $9 Million Over Risky Products
CNNMoney: Stocks set to drop on weak jobs report
CalculatedRisk: ADP: Private Employment increased 119,000 in April
Zerohedge: Facing Up To 2012 - This is a year of uncertainty.
NakedCapitalism: Frontline’s Astonishing Whitewash of the Crisis - Several of my savviest readers wrote expressing disappointment and consternation with the Frontline series on the crisis, “Money, Power, and Wall Street.”
CapitalSpectator: ADP Reports Sharply Slower Job Growth In April CalculatedRisk: New Short Sales Guidelines from Fannie and Freddie
NEP: Geithner channels Greenspan and Airbrushes Fraud out of our Crises
CuriousCapitalist: US Factory Orders Fell in March by Most in Three Years
EconomixBlogs: Retirement, Slipping Farther and Farther Away - Over the last decade and a half, Americans’ expected retirement age has slowly risen to 67 from 60, according to a new Gallup survey.
BizJournals: California added 885K to jobless rolls in a decade - California has seen a far greater rise in unemployment than any other state over the last decade, according to an analysis of figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics With more than 2 million people looking for work in March, California saw the unemployment rolls grow by nearly 885,000 since the same month in 2002.
Global Financial News
IBTimes: Australian Dollar Outlook - 05/02/2012
Reuters: Japan could face "day of reckoning" if tax plans fail: Moody's
Mish: Bank of Spain Confirms Foreigners Dump Spanish Bonds; Spanish Banks Foolishly Load Up - Anyone with a clue is dumping Spanish bonds, and the investment community in Germany, France, and Italy is doing just that, as Spanish banks foolishly lever up on risk.
BusinessInside: Spain's Unemployment Rate Is Now Almost As High As US Unemployment In Great Depression
Reuters: European factories falter, Asia flourishes
GlobeAndMail: S&P raises Greek rating, lifting it out of default
BusinessInsider: Greek PMI: Beyond Terrible
FuelFix: Bolivia seizes assets of Spanish power firm
NYT: China’s Vanishing Trade Imbalance - America’s economic imbalance with China has been a singular concern of policy makers for more than half a decade. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Lindsey Graham wanted to punish China for pegging the exchange rate to the dollar in 2005 — arguing that its policy of cheapening the currency to subsidize exports was fueling a huge trade surplus that cost America jobs. McClatchy: How to live easy in China on $475 a month
BusinessInsider: Why So Many Europeans Are Falling In Love With Right-Wing Nationalists
(check out the charts.)
CNNMoney: Europe's next recession risk: Germany
BusinessInsider: SPAIN PMI FALLS TO 43.5, LOWEST SINCE 2009, NEW ORDERS FALL SUBSTANTIALLY
Mish: China Manufacturing "Expands" at Faster Pace; China Manufacturing "Contracts" 6th Consecutive Month; Confused by Conflicting Headlines?
ChrisMartenson: Daily Digest 5/1 - Portraits Of Greece In Crisis, Visualizing The Ends Of Oil, Spain In Recession As Austerity Bites Deep
MarginalRevolution: Why is unemployment so high in South Africa?
Greece: Venizelos Says Greece May Be Pushed Out of Eurozone – After two years of pay cuts, tax hikes, slashed pensions, a reduced minimum wage and the slated firing of 150,000 public workers imposed during his watch as Finance Minister, new PASOK Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos has now admitted that it could all fail and Greece could still be pushed out of the Eurozone of countries using the euro as a currency.
CBSNews: Ireland: more austerity if EU treaty rejected - Ireland's government is warning voters they will suffer worse austerity measures if they reject Europe's fiscal treaty this month.
DailyMail: One million homeowners hit by £660 a year mortgage rate rise today... and there's more pain on the way
Commodities/Metals
Zerohedge: Manipulative Gold ‘Fat Finger’ Or Algo Trade Worth 1.24 Billion USD
Mineweb: Patterns in gold price puzzling - but understandable
Environmental
USGS
M 4.1, offshore Chiapas, Mexico
ScienceDaily: 'Warming Hole' Delayed Climate Change Over Eastern United States
Climate scientists at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have discovered that particulate pollution in the late 20th century created a "warming hole" over the eastern United States -- that is, a cold patch where the effects of global warming were temporarily obscured.
Inhabit: Sorry Fox News - Wind Farms Are Not Causing Global Warming
BBC: Tsunami survivor claims Harley-Davidson found in Canada
WBIR: Early surge of mosquitoes, ticks concerns experts - Both bugs have the potential to carry serious diseases that can infect people.
The early spring has concerned some local experts, who are seeing summertime pests to pop up earlier than normal.ProPublica: New Study Predicts Frack Fluids Can Migrate to Aquifers Within Years
"The ticks are definitely active and have been active for a number of weeks. And we're starting to see mosquitoes active too," said UT entomologist Karen Vail.
The majority of ticks in East Tennessee are either American Dog or Lone Star ticks. Both carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, an illness that's seen a 500%+ increase in the last year.
Deer ticks can carry Lyme disease. There have been more in East Tennessee in recent years.
A new study has raised fresh concerns about the safety of gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, concluding that fracking chemicals injected into the ground could migrate toward drinking water supplies far more quickly than experts have previously predicted.UPI: U.S. rolls out 10-year climate study
NYDailyNews: ‘Supermoon,’ biggest full moon of the year, to appear on Saturday, May 5
Full moon will shine on same day it makes its closest pass to Earth in 2012
ArcticNews: Record levels of greenhouse gases in the Arctic - Carbon dioxide levels are at an all time high. The image below, with hourly averages, shows recent measurements that are well over 396 ppm.
America in Decline
Rawstory: Major GOP donor arrested in $100 million veteran charity scam
BlacklistedNews: Law Professor: Megaupload Prosecution A 'Depressing Display Of Abuse Of Government Authority'
Philly.com: Philadelphia school official says that without more cash, classrooms might not open in the fall
Forbes: Obama's Plan To Seize Control Of Our Economy And Our Lives
Obama’s executive order seems to assume that the next war will be like World War II or World War I, where vast armies of unskilled conscripts went at each other. But current trends suggest that future conflicts are more likely to involve smaller numbers of military personnel – highly-trained professionals, perhaps thousands of miles away from a battlefield, who remotely-control drones, pilotless combat helicopters, unmanned ground vehicles, unmanned ships, mobile security robots and related military technologies.Krugman: Rich Guy Says We Should Be Grateful For His Wealth - So a former partner of Romney’s at Bain says, in a new book, what Romney probably believes: we should be really grateful to the rich for all the rich things they do. Because, you see, they don’t spend all their wealth building homes as big as the Taj Mahal; some of it they invest in innovation. This actually represents a break with the previous defense of the rich. Until now, the official line has been that what we need are incentives — that jaawwb creeaytohrs won’t do their thing unless we dangle the carrot of immense wealth in front of them. But now we’re supposed to think that it’s not the prospect of future wealth, but wealth in being, that’s what is really so wonderful. There are many things you could say about this, but surely high on the list is the degree of historical ignorance it requires.
U.S. sues Princeton Review for fraud
The lawsuit alleges that the company and a former employee, Ana Azocar, falsified records for services rendered in order to inflate the amount of money Princeton Review was paid under the tutoring program.Tennessean: Tennessee lawmakers approve welfare drug testing
"The Princeton Review and its employees were supposed to tutor needy students, not cheat a federal program," said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, in a statement.
Prosecutors said Princeton Review employees forged student signatures, falsified sign-in sheets, and provided false certifications in order to increase the company's payment as a provider of Supplemental Education Services (SES).
DesdemonaDespair: Just say no: No science, no sex, no gay people in Tennessee
Officer Blinds Woman With Pepper Spray
On February 21, Clark sprayed pepper spray in the face of Monique Christina Hernandez, 32, while he tried to arrest her on suspicion of driving under the influence, the city of Beaumont said in a statement.
Clark allegedly fired the spray from 12 inches away using a JPX device, which shoots spray at speeds of 400 miles per hour and is supposed to be used at a minimum distance of five feet, Hernandez's lawyer Milton Grimes said in an interview.
"She did nothing to warrant him putting a gun -- a pepper-spray Taser gun -- to her forehead and pulling the trigger, causing her right eye to explode and causing severe nerve damage in her left eye to the extent that she's not(sic-now) been declared totally blind," Grimes said.
NYDailyNews: Man forced to drink own urine after being left in cell for days by forgetful DEA agents
Daniel Chong was stuck in windowless room for 5 days after being caught in drug sweep
Food and Water
CivilEats: Subsidy Buffet for Agribiz, Table Scraps for Good Food
Vitals: FDA expands dog food recall over possible salmonella contamination
BigPictureAgriculture: The Ag Hot Five No. 6
China is in the process of importing 100,000 dairy cows from Australia, New Zealand and Uruguay for the company Modern Dairy which is funded by the U.S. company KKR and other private investors. Existing dairy cows in China are half as productive as those in the U.S. and the nation would like to become self-sufficient in dairy. Consumption of dairy products is rising along with the level of affluence in China's population.
Internet and Online Privacy News
BigThink: HP Wants to Build a Personal Data Stock Exchange
What's the Latest Development?
HP Labs, the research arm of Hewlett-Packard, is seeking to patent its model for a personal data stock exchange. In the model, Internet users would set prices on bundles of personal information, from age to weight to drink preferences, seeking to attract buyers from the open market. Those buyers would most likely be businesses, such as pharmaceutical companies, looking to use personal and demographic information to advance a particular product or vein of research. "A trusted market operator could take a small cut of each transaction and help arrive at a realistic price for a sale."
Science and Technology
TechReview: Five Reasons Robot Sex Partners Won't End Human Trafficking
ScienceDaily: Jurassic pain: Giant 'flea-like' insects plagued dinosaurs 165 million years ago
It takes a gutsy insect to sneak up on a huge dinosaur while it sleeps, crawl onto its soft underbelly and give it a bite that might have felt like a needle going in -- but giant "flea-like" animals, possibly the oldest of their type ever discovered, probably did just that.
NewsDaily: Icy Alpine caves setting for Mars mission tests
SingularityHub: New Device Automatically Slices and Scans Brains, Then Puts Them Into A Google Map
ScientificAmerican: New "Beauty Baryon" Particle Discovered at Large Hadron Collider
ScienceDaily: A woman’s intense interest in her partner shifts when grandchildren arrive ScienceDaily (May 1, 2012) — A new study suggests that a woman's most intense relationship in her 20s is with a member of the opposite sex, but after the age of 45 this relationship shifts to a much younger female who is likely to be her daughter. The researchers suggest that women are more strategically driven than men in how they invest their time and after finding a mate, they shift their attention to grandchildren.
The research by the University of Oxford in the UK, Finland, the United States and Hungary is published in the journal Scientific Reports.
With information limited to the gender and age of users from a large mobile phone database of three million subscribers, the researchers analysed the number and frequency of contacts each subscriber made over a seven-month period. (emphasis mine.)
PopSci: Who Is Buying Up More Drones Than Law Enforcement? Universities
CosmicLog: Get set to chase a solar eclipse - Over the next several weeks, skywatchers will thrill to a couple of astronomical wonders playing out in daytime skies: a solar eclipse on May 20 — and then, on June 5, a "micro-eclipse" of the sun that involves the planet Venus.
TechReview: Twitter Cannot Predict Elections Either - Claims that Twitter can predict the outcome of elections are riddled with flaws, according to a new analysis of research in this area
ScientificAmerican: How to Find a Meteorite in 5 Steps
GadgetBox: Olympus OM-D EM-5 Review: A compact camera for serious photographers
MSNBC: 'Iceman' mummy holds world's oldest blood cells
CNN: Facebook encouraging organ donations
SingularityHub: Want A Robot At Home? Qbo Is Up For Pre-order
Boston.com: Harvard, MIT to partner in $60 million initiative to offer free online classes ...
BigThink: How to Jump Start a Space-Based Economy
Medical and Health
MercuryNews: Facebook organ-donation option gives 'an immediate spike' to California Registration
ANN: Egyptian mummy suffered rare and painful disease
PopSci: Bandages Made of Edible Starch Could Dissolve On Your Skin Once You're Healed
TechReview: Vaccine Could Stop Nicotine from Reaching the Brain
Vitals: Computer use and exercise may help fight memory loss
WSJ: Bird-Flu Study Published After Delay
Doomsteading, Gardening, Urban Farming
ModernSurvivalOnline: Guest Post: An “Ecological” View Toward Prepping
WaldenEffect: Periodic cicadas in 2012
ModernSurvivalBlog: First Aid: How To Stop A Bloody Nose
CanadianDoomer: How to Make Old-Fashioned Cottage Cheese
Other News
UPI: Woman charged with biting dog
Reuters: Morgan Stanley banker accused of stabbing cabby waives jury trial
RawStory: FCC urged to revoke Fox broadcast licenses
BigThink: Negotiation Tips from a Hostage Negotiator
Whether negotiating for a raise to save for a dream home, or a contract to finally sell that “passion project,” a negotiation can sometimes feel like life or death. Law enforcement and hostage negotiation expert Scott Wagner, retired New York Police Department homicide detective, advises that negotiating means careful listening.UPI: 1792 penny sells for $1,150,000
Heritage Auctions of Dallas, which conducted the auction in Schaumburg, a Chicago suburb, said the experimental 1792 copper cent with a silver plug in the center was purchased Thursday by Kevin Lipton, a Southern California coin dealer.
Reuters: Numbers of Muslims, Mormons rising sharply: report
Reuters: Justice Department probes handling of Montana rape reports
ABCNews: Mother Accused of Letting Daughter, 5, Use Tanning Bed
Boston.com: Elderly woman whose body was found in Saugus is expected to be identified today; no arrests reported in double murder
NYT: Top Judge Makes Free Legal Work Mandatory for Joining State Bar - Starting next year, New York will become the first state to require lawyers to perform unpaid work before being licensed to practice, the state’s chief judge announced on Tuesday, describing the rule as a way to help the growing number of people who cannot afford legal services.
IBTimes: Florida Lawmakers Claim Attacks on 'Stand Your Ground' Are 'Anti-Women'
Politics
TheAtlantic: Anti-Gay Advocates Win: Grenell Resigns from Romney Campaign
Telegraph: Gay Mitt Romney spokesman resigns
Republican Mitt Romney's openly gay spokesman on national security issues, Richard Grenell, has resigned, the campaign said on Tuesday, after his hiring led to a backlash from social conservatives.
CBS: Gingrich poised to embrace bitter rival Romney
SLTribune: Gingrich to abandon presidential run on Wednesday
Forums
TinfoilPalace: The shifting timeline and strange events thread
TinfoilPalace: Alien Interview: Planet Earth's Use (GLP)
TheOilAge: Police attack students in Mexico
TheOilAge: Canadian government loses lawsuit for ripping off vets
HubbertsArms: BMW sued over bike-induced erection
HubbertsArms: Total US Debt Soars To 101.5% Of GDP
SilentCountry: The scapegoating of anarchists has conveniently started on May
SilentCountry: E.R. Doctors Face Quandary on Painkillers
DestinyCalls: Self knowledge oracle card website
DestinyCalls: Astral Travel
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