SAR #14063

"Me, me, me!" has turned out to be a fairly robust economic theory.

Early Edition: After the US (and little brother, the UK) misled and manipulated Ukrainian political factions in hopes of provoking enough chaos to let them install a compliant neoliberal government, the pot boiled over. Here's what's going to happen. Blah, blah, blah and it ends up being a Russian satrapy, as it has been for centuries. 
 
Battering Average: The latest drone strike in Yemen killed 4 "suspected al-Qaeda affiliates" and 6 unsuspecting civilians. No report on what the bride wore.

Paying The Rattenfänger: Cyprus needs another 10 billion euro infusion, but its parliament refuses to authorize the privatizaton of the nations electrical, telecommunications and port authorities and is reluctant to abrogate workers rights and increase taxes as demanded by the ECB/EU/IMF. It's more like looting the country than saving it, but that was always the plan anyway.

Pot / Kettle: The US has told Russia that it can't simply invade another country “on a completely trumped up pretext.” We do quite regularly, but they shouldn't.

Caution, Bridge Out Ahead: The main trouble with the promise of energy independence for the US is that its not going to happen. Take shale oil – this year producers will spend $1.50 drilling for every $1 they earn at $100 a barrel. And next year they have to do it all over again because the wells deplete so rapidly – 60 – 70% in the first year. The future is here and it isn't gift wrapped. 
 
Stability Is A Relative Concept: First the good news: TEPCO officials have a plan to clean up and decommission the six reactors at Fukushima. The bad news is that the plan will take 40 years and $15 billion. Worse, the plan calls for an army of advanced robots that do not exist and have yet to be designed. Nothing like the wreckage at the site has ever been faced before, and no one really knows how bad it is. At least three reactor cores have melted down and one core is outside its containment vessel, on the floor. And they have "only the vaguest idea" where the nuclear fuel from Reactor 1 has gone. 
 
Home Sweet Apartment: Thirty years ago 78% of Americans thought owning a home was an essential part of the American Dream. Now only 61% do. Time is not the only thing that has marched on. 
 
The Parting Shot:

  Spotted Trunkfish, Lactophrys bilcaudalis.