Archive for the 'Collapse' Category
Slumtube
December 19th, 2010Via: Inhabitat: Remember the efficient and affordable Pallet House from last spring? Well designers Andreas Claus Schnetzer and Pils Gregor have bested their original design with an even lower-cost shipping pallet home that was completed this year in South Africa. The ‘Slumtube’ utilizes discarded pallets along with other local materials like clay and straw to […]
Ireland’s Credit Rating Cut Five Levels by Moody’s With a Negative Outlook
December 17th, 2010Via: Bloomberg: Ireland’s credit rating was cut five levels by Moody’s Investors Service and further downgrades are possible as the government struggles to contain losses in the country’s banking system. The rating was lowered to Baa1 from Aa2, Moody’s said in an e-mailed statement from London today. That’s three levels above non-investment grade and the […]
Britain: Police May Ban Protests in Central London
December 15th, 2010Via: Telegraph: Police may ban anti-Government marches through central London to prevent further disorder and strain on officer numbers. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, said that outlawing the demonstations was an option for the authorities but conceded it could anger protestors further.
Riots in Athens and Rome
December 15th, 2010Athens. Via: Toronto Star: Protesters clashed with riot police across Athens on Wednesday, torching cars, hurling gasoline bombs and sending Christmas shoppers fleeing in panic during a general strike against the government’s latest austerity measures. Police fired tear gas and flash grenades as the violence escalated outside parliament and spread to other parts of the […]
Florida Gunman Killed Himself After Bizarre Incident at School Board Meeting
December 15th, 2010Update: Florida School Board Shooter Had Turbulent Life Via: AP: Born in Ocala, Fla., Duke graduated from high school in Tampa. Little is known about his early adult years — family members claimed he was in the Air Force for eight years, but that could not be confirmed. In the mid-1990s, Duke had drifted to […]
Ireland: Safe Sales Soar as Worried Bank Customers Keep Money at Home
December 14th, 2010Via: Independent: SAFE sales are soaring as more and more worried bank customers stash their cash at home. AIB said last month that the amount of money on deposit at the bank has fallen by €13bn since the start of the year — although it blamed most of the reduction on withdrawals by companies and […]
Detroit Halting Garbage Pickup, Police Patrols In 20% Of City
December 14th, 2010Via: Business Insider: Detroit has been bankrupt for years. It simply refuses to admit it. Detroit’s schools are bankrupt as well. A mere 25% of students graduate from high school. Yet, in spite of hints and threats from mayors and budget commissions, and in spite of common sense talk of bankruptcy, Detroit has not pulled […]
Video from London Riots
December 10th, 2010Related: Looks Like Prince Charles Soiled His Union Suit
Food Stamp Rolls Continue to Rise
December 8th, 2010Via: Wall Street Journal: More people tapped food stamps to pay for groceries in September as the recession and lackluster recovery have prompted more Americans to turn to government safety net programs to make ends meet. Some 42.9 million people collected food stamps last month, up 1.2% from the prior month and 16.2% higher than […]
Tax Appeals Swamp U.S. Cities, Towns as Property Prices Plunge
December 8th, 2010Via: Reuters: A fiscal flood that threatens to swamp local government budgets across the U.S. overflows from file cabinets in the office of Patty Halm, chair of the Michigan Tax Tribunal. The backlog of cases from taxpayers seeking to lower property-tax bills of more than $100,000 shot up to 14,236 this year from an annual […]
