SAR #15252

Economists, politicians and talking heads never point out the obvious: there are just too damned many people and that getting rid of about half of them would go a long way to solving most of our problems; 70% would be better.

 

Rerun: Turkey has invaded Iraq again, fourth time in twenty years. Chasing the same bunch of PKK “terrorists” - this time it's because the Kurds are beating up on Turkey's buddies in ISIS. The Turks will wander around for a while, declare victory and go home. It's all scripted.

Noted: “The relentless, if zigzag, rise in financial markets for the past 150 years has been sustained by cheap fossil fuels and a benign climate. We cannot count on either from here on out...”

Coming Attraction: Ted Cruz, having accomplished absolutely nothing with his 2013 shut down of the federal government, plans to reprise the role this fall, as he targets Planned Parenthood for providing medical care and assistance to women. They haven't got the votes to achieve anything, but that's not where Cruz is looking for votes.

Public Service: The Philippines will roll out free nationwide Wi-Fi service next year. Too bad the US can't afford to provide such an essential service to its citiens – but profits beat people any day in the USA.

Confound Interest: In the last 35 years, the average worker has seen an 11% increase in wages. The average CEO has earned a 997% increase in pay. Well, “earned” might not be the right word...

Ihre Papiere Bitte: A federal judge has ruled that people living in, or passing through, Arizona must keep with them at all times their citizenship papers and an internal passport, with appropriate permissions and stamps, and must produce them to any law enforcement or right wing citizen guard on demand.

Fly On The Wall: Among the delights of the next decade, if not next year or possibly next month, to go along with GPS tracking sales people, plumbers and delivery vans, will be supervisory drones flying over worksites sending back live videos of workers at work. Or goofing off. Whichever.

Coin Toss: Credit Suisse is challenging a court order requiring the giant bank to pay a hedge fund operated by Highland Capital Management $287.5 million for shady dealings during the housing bubble fee-for-all. It's hard to pick a side.

Asked & Answered: “Can the world find $14 a day to feed Syrian refugees?” Nope, all our spare cash is tied up in bombs and drones, making refugees.

Propotion: There are about 500 million people in the EU. If they were to accept half a million a year for ten years, the asylum seekers would makeup 1% of the continents population. Intolerable. Worse than the damned Greeks.

A Carefully Chosen Fate: “The Fed is shooting itself in the foot if it tries to make the case that raising rates is a good idea because the economic recovery is so great that it is time to start worrying about inflation. No one is going to believe that... And it will be especially hard to maintain that story when the economy craters again, even if they try to blame it all on China, or whatever else is handy.”

If A, Then B: The states with the most stringent gun laws have the fewest gun-related deaths.

Porn O'Graph: Credit where credit's not due.