SAR #9266

It's never too late. Maybe it is.

High Noonish: The War Lovers demand more troops for Afghanistan (fast becoming the only war they have),but Obama seems tempted to stand up to them.

Obfuscation: Bof A is apparently trying to pull a fast one on the taxpayers. 'Apparently' because the numbers and conditions for paying back the government loans and guarantees gets more than a little confusing. The contract said BofA could “negotiate in good faith as to an appropriate fee...” and Bof A feels the 'appropriate fee' should be paid out of petty cash.

Troublemaker: Reports claim China is supplying gasoline to Iran, which will probably cause the US to frown mightily.

Throat Clearing: In what might be taken as a reminder to the world that it is still around, India has launched seven satellites into orbit, one of their own to surveil things like the weather and Pakistan, and six for various universities.

Ending Fossil Fuel Subsidies: Obama wants a worldwide end to government subsidies to fossil fuel producers. It was not immediately clear if this means ExxonMobil will have to start paying for their own oil wars.

Sky, Falling: Kuwait's Burgan oil field, the world's second largest, will reach the abandonment stage within 10 – 20 years. The same fate awaits most super-giant fields including Ghawar. The worldwide decline rate is now 6.7%/year and increasing.

Forecast: Large numbers of postponed foreclosures will soon be entering the marketplace. As of July, 1.5 million houses were in the foreclosure process, foreclosure had not begun for 1.2 million houses for which payments were least 90 days past due, and foreclosure had not begun for over 200,000 houses for which no payment had been made in over a year.

Career Guidance: You might want to consider carpentry, farming or gardening, sewing, weaving, plumbing, canning. Also, making friends with a doctor, a dentist and a butcher and baker would not be amiss.

Duhh: The headline reads “Commmods rally won't last unless demand recovers.” I'd like to add that if we had some ham we could have ham and eggs if we had some eggs.

Another Chapter: In 2005 the Bush administration favored the financial industry with the Debt Enslavement Act which made it much harder for ordinary folks to file bankruptcy. Filings dropped substantially, from 6,339 per day to 2,372 per day. Now the rate is back to 5,593 per day.

Warm-Ups: Warm water from the Gulf Stream is eating away at Greenland's outflow glaciers from below, causing them to flow into the sea faster than any time on record. Waters at 39F (4C) have been found deep inside the fjords.

Winnig Losers: More corporate debt will default this year than ever before. Companies in the consumer-discretionary sector lead in the default-rate race.

Surface Tension: It seems likely that those who produce the basics will continue to be far more necessary than those who don't, and that there will be an ever-growing group that is not needed at all. Except as each other's customers, playing tea party.

Tax on Stupidity: I've long thought that lotteries were a tax on the numerically challenged, mostly targeting the poorer among us. But sugar-laden soft drinks may be worse, all round. It doesn't make wasting money on lottery tickets a good idea, just shows there are worse things we do to our selves. Want to talk about bottled water?

Porn O'Graph: When did you get your first credit card?