Monday 29 December 2014

Headlines - 12/28/2014

## Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards ##

## Airline Death Spiral ##
The adage "What goes up must come down," is coming home to roost for commercial aviation.

## Fault lines/flashpoints/powder kegs/military/war drums ##

## Global unrest/mob rule/angry people/torches and pitchforks ##

## Energy/resources ##
The sudden fall in the price of crude oil, from $120 to just $60 a barrel in six months, is the biggest economic shock of 2014 and the fallout is expected to be profound and long-lasting, especially for the oil majors
The boom that adorned Gulf Arab monarchies with glittering towers, swelled their sovereign funds and kept unrest largely at bay may be over after oil prices dropped by almost 50% in the past six months.
Shale oil firms in the U.S. will suffer in the next two years due to the dramatic fall in the price of the commodity, according to Dennis Gartman, the founder and editor of the Gartman Letter, who expects a further fall in prices in the near term.
According to the Australian Energy Regulator, in NSW alone over 100,000 residential customers can't pay their bills and have an average electricity debt of $542.

## Got food? ##

## Lifestyle Solutions ##
The unsustainable often ends abruptly

## Environment/health ##

## Intelligence/propaganda/security/internet/cyberwar ##
Reports on compliance violations were published 'when basically no one would be paying attention to the internet or in the mood to think about unchecked government snooping for at least the next 30 hours.'

## Systemic breakdown/collapse/unsustainability ##
Waiting for the Sunrise (The Archdruid Report)

## Japan ##
The number of nonregular employees has exceeded 20 million in the country for the first time on record, accounting for 38 percent of all corporate employees, government data showed on Friday.

## China ##
Chinese aviation authorities have removed a warning that possible "defensive emergency measures" could be taken against carriers failing to comply with regulations set for China's airspace zone in the East China Sea. The move by the Civil Aviation Administration reflects fears that hostilities could be triggered with other countries if China strictly applied rules for the air defense identification zone it established last year, according to diplomatic sources.
A towering dam in central China holds back a vast expanse of water destined to travel over 1,000 km north to Beijing, but critics say it will only temporarily quench the city’s thirst.

## UK ##
Taxpayer subsidies for large-scale solar farms on fields where crops once grew will this week be banned because they are a “blight” on the countryside. Liz Truss, the Environment Secretary, said that the sight of “row upon row” of large-scale solar farms on once productive agricultural land “makes the heart sink”.
Royal Guards have been withdrawn from prominent posts outside palaces to stand behind metal gates amid fears that they could be targeted by “lone wolf” attackers, it has been reported.
Increased death rates, rising public disorder and high-risk criminals on the loose among the likely consequences of prolonged power cuts, official assessment shows

## US ##
The trend towards renter households will continue deep into 2015.

And finally...

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