Wednesday 27 August 2014

Headlines

## Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards ##
A worldwide deflation fear is expanding and may actually be rampant. BCA Daily Insights (August 25, 2014) notes that, “out of 32 OEC countries, more than two-thirds have domestic inflation rates that fall short of 1%.” BCA analysts go on to argue that the worldwide inflation rate may converge to zero over the next couple of years.
In an address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, the businessman said endless population and economic growth was like a “religious faith” for graduates of university degrees in economics and questioning whether these two things were beneficial for Australians was something of a taboo in public discussion.
One of the rare outbursts of honesty in public discourse. -- RF
The same kind of brain-dead scaremongering heard in Japan. -- RF
It's a sad scene—and it's one that's been repeated across the world as Olympic host cities struggle with the economic burden of their investments.

## Airline Death Spiral ##
The bottom line is that the days of affordable comfort in the skies—especially on domestic flights—are over. As airlines struggle to turn profits in the face of rising fuel costs, economy seats in planes keep getting smaller and smaller, with less and less legroom. Though many airlines persist in giving us the illusion that we're flying in comfort with amenities like seats that barely recline and flimsy "pillows" filled with straw, most of us can't really pay the premium that comfort actually costs.

## Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have been accused of launching air strikes against Islamist targets in Libya – a move which would prove to be a major regional escalation in what is fast becoming a battle between the Arab old guard and the rampant forces of political Islam.
The German air force is facing such a severe funding shortage that many of its aircraft are unable to fly, mechanics are forced to cannibalise parts from existing planes and only eight of the country's 109 Eurofighters are fully operational, according to a report in Spiegel magazine.

## Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##
On the outskirts of the slums of Pakistan's biggest city, protesters burning tires and throwing stones have what sounds like a simple demand: They want water at least once a week.

## Energy/resources ##
Saudi Aramco has announced plans to invest $40 billion a year over the next decade to keep oil production capacity steady and double gas production. President and CEO of the world’s largest oil producer, Khalid Al Falih, said the company expected an increase in capital for offshore projects, according to Arab News.
Norway, western Europe’s biggest oil producer, will probably cut its long-term forecast for crude production as companies reduce spending to counter rising costs and improve shareholder returns.
Norwegian energy company Statoil stands by its partners in Russia, though Western sanctions do present some obstacles, the company's top executive said Monday.
Her plea comes as Belgium is facing a possible power shortage next winter, with possible black-outs to be imposed on several areas of the country.
India is assessing whether to explore oil in five blocks in the South China sea, on the invitation of Vietnam, a crucial and strategically located south east Asian friend, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said.

## Infrastructure scavenging ##

## Got food? ##

## Lifestyle Solutions ##

## Environment/health ##
Half the planet should be set aside solely for the protection of wildlife to prevent the “mass extinction” of species, according to one of the world’s leading biologists.

## Intelligence/propaganda/security/internet/cyberwar ##
Makers of surveillance systems are offering governments across the world the ability to track the movements of almost anybody who carries a cellphone, whether they are blocks away or on another continent.
Scientists are developing a method of controlling the flight muscles of moths wirelessly, instantly introducing a new term to the vocabulary of technophobes: the mothpocalypse.

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##

## Japan ##
An increasing number of small and medium-sized companies have gone bankrupt in recent months due to labor shortages. Some were unable to bear soaring labor costs while others could not hire sufficient workers.
One in six children live in poverty in Japan, supposedly one of the most prosperous countries in the world. The nation's child poverty rate was a record-high 16.3 percent in 2012, according to figures released July 15 by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

## China ##

## UK ##

## US ##
Private housing starts for structures with at least 5 units hits a post recession high. More than 11 million Americans spend more than 50 percent of income on rent

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