Monday 14 July 2014

Headlines

## 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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