##
Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards ##
You
have to wonder how much longer countries will find the money to build
more of these break-the-bank sports facilities that become white
elephants after the events are over. -- RF
##
Airline Death Spiral ##
##
Iraq ##
Kurdish
security forces took over two major oil fields outside
the disputed northern city of Kirkuk before dawn Friday and
said they would use some of the production for domestic
purposes, further widening a split with the central
government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
##
Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##
In
the past few months, sophisticated pirates have hijacked eight
tankers in the South China Sea and Malacca Strait, mostly for
their marine gas oil (MGO)—a fuel similar to diesel—and
other refined petroleum. These attacks aren’t
smash-and-grab robberies, where pirates snatch cash, laptops
and cellphones and then make a quick getaway. These pirates follow
a different and more lucrative business model: They
commandeer the whole tanker, take it to a secret location, and
expertly drain it of its oil.
Leaders
of the BRICS nations will meet July 15-16 in Fortaleza
in northeastern Brazil, in a gathering that sends a
strong message about their refusal to isolate Russia.
Croatia
can play a vital role in ensuring regional energy security by
diversifying supply options for European countries and
allowing them to reduce their dependence on Russian gas, U.S.
Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said.
Russian
President Vladimir Putin signed a nuclear energy cooperation
deal with Argentina on Saturday on a trip to bolster trade
ties and strengthen Russia's influence in Latin America.
##
Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##
##
Energy/resources ##
The
bottom line is that this oil is more expensive. How much more are you
willing to pay? -- RF
Barely two
years since the national outcry over China’s aggressive push
into Canada’s oil patch, some of the major acquisitions
are looking messy to hopeless.
China
and the United States have signed a preliminary agreement
to cooperate on strategic petroleum reserves (SPR), China's
National Energy Administration (NEA) said, marking the first
such effort between the world's top two oil consumers.
##
Infrastructure scavenging ##
##
Got food? ##
##
Lifestyle Solutions ##
A
good set of suggestions on how to alter your lifestyle to prepare for
when TSHTF. -- RF
##
Environment/health ##
The
path of brine spilled from an underground North
Dakota pipeline extends nearly 2 miles down a steep ravine,
but dead vegetation is limited to about 200 yards from the
source of the spill, a company official said Thursday.
No,
they won't. -- RF
A Colorado man
is infected with the rarest and most fatal form of plague,
an airborne version that can be spread through coughing and
sneezing.
##
Intelligence/propaganda/security/internet/cyberwar ##
Over 65 tech
companies, open Internet advocates and other organizations released
two open letters to negotiators of the
secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on Wednesday,
expressing their concern that the trade deal's approval will
force websites to censor content and block Internet users.
##
Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
##
Japan ##
Precision
equipment maker Omron Corp. used images of passengers
surreptitiously taken at train stations run by East Japan
Railway Co. for a government-linked research project without JR
East’s consent, the companies admitted Saturday.
The
Self-Defense Forces (SDF) would be allowed to carry out
preemptive strikes against enemy nations if an attack on Japan was
"clear and imminent," under legal changes proposed by
the government on July 11.
##
China ##
##
UK ##
Britain
risks widespread electricity blackouts unless it improves
the network's ability to balance intermittent supply
from renewable energy sources, a leading engineer has
warned.
##
US ##
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