Wednesday 16 April 2014

The best possible tribute to Mike Ruppert.....


... is to continue the work

** In memory of Michael C. Ruppert **

Cut, baby, cut! -- RF
Capitalism simply isn't working and here are the reasons why
Economist Thomas Piketty's message is bleak: the gap between rich and poor threatens to destroy us

## Airline Death Spiral ##
Tigerair Mandala Continues to Shrink and Cancel Routes
Tigerair Mandala Airline continues to strip-off more routes and flights from its domestic network in a measure to stem mounting financial losses. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Civil Aviation Authorities are undertaking an audit of the airline's finances to determine whether the airlines is financially able to continue to operate.

## Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
Pro-Russian militias fill the vacuum as Kiev's control in eastern Ukraine slips
The Future of Countries (secession and unification)

## Energy/resources ##
Crimea: the Oil, Gas Story
The recent annexation of the Crimea region could land Russia with substantial Black Sea gas and oil resources off the peninsula's southwest and east coasts.
BP Head Says Russian Business Unaffected by Sanctions

## Infrastructure scavenging ##
Copper thieves target Board of Water Supply (Hawaii)
After two copper theft incidents targeting the Board of Water Supply left customers without water and damaged its operating system, the company said it plans to increase security around its reservoirs.
## Got food? ##
The final word on food banks?
Every week, in Britain and across the world, new food banks are opening their doors. Ballooning numbers of people in the US, one of the wealthiest nations on earth, inhabit tent cities and the OECD tells us that income disparity in industrialised nations has reached a thirty-year high.
Shrimp Is Big. Now It's Sick. And Really Expensive
Prices for shrimp have jumped to a 14-year high in recent months, spurred by a disease that’s ravaging the crustacean’s population.
Europe searches for nuclear waste storage sites
A new law is being drafted in Germany to regulate investigations aimed at finding suitable sites for permanent nuclear waste storage. The search can take many years - and Germany's neighbors are facing similar obstacles.
That's going to cost a lot of money, and consume a lot of energy. -- RF
As the need for preservation of the Earth's natural resources has grown, says the group, the rate of violence against those fighting to protect the planet has faced a "sharp" increase in recent years. In the last four years the death rate of activists has risen to an average of two people a week, according to the report, with 2012 marking the most deadly year with 147 killings. That's nearly three times more than in 2002.

## Intelligence/propaganda/security/internet/cyberwar ##
Guardian and Washington Post win Pulitzer prize for NSA revelations

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
America’s Homegrown Terror
Plagued by poor infrastructure, climate denialism, and a patchwork of unregulated fracking wells and nuclear waste sites, the U.S. is poised to topple itself with self-inflicted wounds.
After Deaths, Renewed Focus On Leaky Gas Pipelines

## Japan ##
Is China already the world's largest 'owner' as opposed to 'holder' of gold? If so, China, with a mature financial center in Hong Kong, already is further along the path than most have predicted towards challenging the vital reserve currency status and international credibility of the U.S. dollar.
China Tightens Oversight of Trusts as Default Risk Increases

## US ##
How To Get a Job Despite the Economy (or, how much is a college degree really worth?)
About That “Strong” March Retail Sales “Bounce”: Good Thing Summer’s Coming!
What would we do without the Wall Street Journal? Do people actually pay for this lame-brained noise?
U.S. Crude Reserves Hit Highest Levels in nearly 40 Years
'The government doesn't listen to average citizens, just the rich and their lobbyists,' is probably the oldest criticism of any government, anywhere. But a new study has pretty much proven that this is precisely what's happening in Congress. According to the research, the meek voice of the public barely registers beneath the booming baritone of the wealthy—so much so that 'democracy' isn't a great descriptor of how we Americans are governing ourselves. The study's authors suggest “Economic Elite Domination” instead. And it's only going to get worse.
How the CEO of HFT Firm Virtu Financial is Demanding a Taxpayer Bailout in Florida
What the financial crisis, subsequent taxpayer bailouts, zero prosecutions of financial industry participants and further consolidation of the economy by oligarchs has taught us more than anything else is that the super rich and politically connected are not allowed to fail.
Prisons are booming, colleges are failing. -- RF
The Rich Are Paying More Taxes: The Horror! The Horror! (another look at the data)

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