Friday, August 28, 2015

SAR #15240


An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.” Plutarch
Wording: Chinese investors haven’t been investing based on how the economy is doing, but rather, based on what they think the government will do to prop up the market.” Really, just Chinese investors?
Food For Thought: The first half of 2015 has seen the worst decline in world trade since the 2009 crisis.”
Wading In: The NASA now says that the IPCC's 2013 estimate of sea level rise was a tad conservative and it is now expected to be at least three feet in the next century. That will force 150 million people to relocate and will flood several major cities. The increase is due to the rapidly increasing rate that ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are melting.
It's Half Time: The BEA has revised its guesses of 2015 GDP growth. First quarter grew at a 0.6% annual rate, second quarter 3.7% (up from 2.3%i) and third quarter growth is now projected to be about 1.4%. Don't bank on it.
Business is Booming: A Chinese arms dealer has sold $20 million in weaponry to South Sudan, where Israeli weapons are widely used in the civil war. Where is the money for these weapons coming from, and why?
Perspective: Drought has so severely reduced maize (corn to Americans) production in Zimbabwe that less than 25% of children under 2 get minimum levels of nutrition. Half of all children under 5 years old suffer from anemia. Maybe we could encourage the Republicans who so want to force unwilling mothers to bring unwanted children into the world to refocus their fervor on feeding some of those that are already here.
Technically Speaking: 26 Japanese universities are abolishing courses in the humanities and social sciences. Doesn't pay.
Magic Decoder Ring: When analysts say “At a time when the oil price is languishing at its lowest level in six years, producers need to find half a trillion dollars to repay debt.” What they mean is that they've got to borrow another half trillion buckeroos to pay back their current debts so they can keep drilling for oil no one wants. Sounds like a plan.
Can't Win: Widespread Roundup use has caused the monarch butterfly population to plummet by a billion. Now their Mexican wintering habitat is being degraded by illegal logging. Say goodnight, Gracie.
She's Right: "There is no tolerance for those people who question the dignity of others, no tolerance for those who are not willing to help where legal and human help is required.” Angela Merkel. To bad a lot of Germans don't agree, and Hungarians want to stop migrants at the border, while Denmark is considering toughening its citizenship laws.
Porn O'Graph: No future in the futures.

5 comments:

Uweo said...

Re Zimbabwe: i'd assume that republicans would want to export anti-abortion laws to zimbabwe. could be a new american business model - exporting laws to to ensure the power of old white men over woman.

Re Merkel: watch out, she will be right - for some meaning of the word, at last. Selling weapons and exporting misery into crisis zones worked perfectly, building new border defence system will come next.
What could go wrong?

kwark said...

RE "She's Right": Which of course explains why the Germans insist on yet more punishing austerity in Greece. From my perspective her comment is a perfect example of "Pay no attention to the man behind the screen" or "do as I say not as I do". I expect more of this sort of posturing drivel as long as there's money to be made from the refugee crisis.

Classof65 said...

Today we found four Monarch caterpillars on the milkweed we planted to attract them. How the butterflies found them I'll never know, but we were thrilled to see them! Some of us ARE trying to perpetuate the species even though we know we may be fighting an impossible war...

Jesse said...



“An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.” Plutarch

It is an excellent and insightful quotation. Unfortunately I am pretty sure it is apocryphal and that Plutarch never wrote that, even in a loose translation.

Anonymous said...

Hey CK. You okay? You usually post notice when you're going to be out for few days. I'm feeling a little concerned about you, friend.