SAR #12190

Strangely, they still have no doubts about their own worth.

Size Matters: Sixteen banks participate in setting the Libor rate. Simple math says that at least 13 of the 16 have to be complicit on each and every day. It's not just Barclays.

Details, Please: The RNC chairman says that Obama will “put an end to our way of life”. Which parts? The part where the rich get all the money? The part where the poor get no health care? The part where bankers are immune? The part where women are chattel? Specifics please.

Complaint Desk: German economists, German bankers, and most Germans oppose the idea of a European banking union – even though Chancellor Merkel has agreed to the idea. Their concerns are centered on “collective liability for the debts of the banks of the euro system." These folks are not Musketeers.

Place Your Bets: Scientists report that if the current rate of Arctic ice melt continues, the Arctic will be ice free by Sept 2015.

This Explains A Lot: The US Center for Disease Control & Prevention estimates that around 25% of American adults are mentally ill.

Point of View: All of those old-fashioned theories about eventually reaching the point of diminishing returns with natural resources such as phosphorus, potassium and petroleum - all those quaint 'peak' theories - are being "trashed by the cold, hard and ruthless rules of economics" – which apparently can overcome the limits of the earth with quantitative easing.

Whistle While You Work: There's a video on the net showing a US helicopter gunship crews singing “ Bye-Bye Miss American Pie" before blasting a group of Afghan men, who may or may not have been 'militants', then admiring their handiwork with “Nice.”

Catchy Refrain: Noting that “The incentives of the banks is still to cheat and do things that are either illegal or immoral," and that “"Bankers are greedy, They've been greedy for the last hundreds of years.  It's not a question of if they're more immoral today than they were a thousand years ago.” economist Nouriel Roubini suggested that “If some people end up in jail, maybe that will teach a lesson to somebody.  Or somebody hanging in the streets."

Meditation: At Homeland Security's bidding, researchers have managed to hijack a drone by fooling it into thinking it was rapidly rising, causing it to dive into the ground. Ponder on that for a bit, the next time you're flying.

The Beginning of the End: As of July 1^st, if you lose your job you will have only 26 weeks of employment benefits, even though it now takes the average job-seeker over 40 weeks to find a new job. Thank the Republicans, who think suffering is good for you and the economy.

The Persistence Of Folly:After a decade of floundering, the US plans to reduce its massive military presence, cut back its aerial bombardment and pay the Afghan government and its military to carry on. Ought to work about as well as it did in Vietnam.

Some 'er Time: Okay, let’s see: Half of Colorado is on fire, there’s a massive drought across much of the US, corn fields are dying, thousands of high temperature records were broken just this month, and freak storms ripped through many parts of the US. Asked if this had some connection to global climate change. Conservative George Will says no, “it's just summer... get over it.”

The Parting Shot:

 

Sabatia angularis.