What is the government afraid we'll do
if left unsupervised?
Worser and Worser: TEPCO – which still hasn't done a damned thing right following the Fukushima disaster – now admits that the equipment they used to measure radiation only went up to 100 millisieverts an hour, so that's what they reported as the level of emissions. In reality the level was 1,800 millisieverts an hour. And these same geniuses are going to build a giant underground wall of ice to contain radioactive water – for centuries? Hey, the cores of all four reactors have burned though their containment chambers and these guys are going to save the day by sticking giant popsicles in the ground? This is ”perhaps the greatest threat humanity has ever faced”.
On Doing Good: Listen carefully and you'll hear Obomb'em and Kerry and the gang arguing that the US should kill people in Syria in order to spread western democracy over their graves. There is at the moment a great revulsion for the 'teach them a lesson' bombardment, but Iraq was never a great favorite, either. Reality is malleable, and we came to accept the war in Iraq as necessary and won, that Libya is now an oasis of democracy, and Egypt... let's not talk about Egypt. Remember, Israel is America's friend, and most of all, war is peace.
Meanwhile, Back At The Recovery: The US trade deficit is on the up and up again, up nearly 14% m/m with a record deficit with both China and the European Union. As we have come to expect, the results were worse than expected.
Money For Nothing: Norway, which has for over two decades very prudently husbanded its windfall income from the North Sea, is facing a sea change with the September 9 election, which will probably see the Progress Party gather enough votes to form an important role in the new government. They've been around since 1973, always on the margin. But now they are running on a platform that points to the nation's $760 billion wealth fund and says that it is the people's money and should be returned to them by lowering taxes and increasing government spending on various projects – but not on social programs that might help immigrants. Sound familiar? It should, but I didn't know George W. was Norwegian.
Exiles: Because they still are under the control of Parliament, British liaison officers have been chucked out of the Central Command sandbox in Tampa, where the surgical strike targets are being drawn up for the Syrian edition of Democracy Marches On.
Federal Law, We Don't Need No Federal Law: The Texas Guard says it will not process applications for benefits from same-sex benefits due members of the Guard, even if they earned those benefits on active duty in the US Army. Wanna offer odds on how long this holds?
Lost In Translation: Obama continues his drive to complete an Asia-Pacific trade deal
Price Of Privacy: Facebook must pay $20 million for using its users' personal details in ads without their permission. Each will receive $15, which tells you how much your vaunted privacy is worth.
Accessorizing: Pat Robinson says that gay people have special rings they use to cut you and give you AIDS. Who do you have to see to get one? (And no, I'm not going to touch the obvious line.)
The Parting Shot:
Butterfly weed Asclepias
tuberosa
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