Archive for the 'Collapse' Category
Violence in Mexico Spills Across U.S. Border
May 15th, 2008State authority is breaking down in Mexico—even by Mexican standards. I know what you’re thinking: Mexico has been collapsing for decades. That’s true, but I don’t ever recall top police officials running for their lives, while others are gunned down. Via: AP: Three Mexican police chiefs have requested political asylum in the U.S. as violence […]
Sanford and Son Economy: Scrounging Scrap Metal on Military Bases and Stealing Grease
May 14th, 2008AP: Military Cracks Down on Scrap-Metal Scavengers Hundreds of Marines were conducting a combat training mission in the Mojave Desert when an air patrol spotted something kicking up dust: A civilian pickup truck speeding across the barren landscape. Behind the wheel was a suspected scrap metal thief who had been combing the Marine Corps Air […]
Old Gas Pumps Can’t Handle Ever-Rising Prices
May 13th, 2008Via: AP: REARDAN, Wash. (AP) — Mom-and-pop service stations are running into a problem as gasoline marches toward $4 a gallon: Thousands of old-fashioned pumps can’t register more than $3.99 on their spinning mechanical dials. The pumps, throwbacks to a bygone era on the American road, are difficult and expensive to upgrade, and replacing them […]
India Extends Futures Trading Ban
May 9th, 2008Via: Financial Times: India has extended its futures trading ban to four more food commodities despite warnings, including from the government-appointed market regulator, that such measures will do nothing to quell inflation. The regulator, the forward markets commission, acting under instruction from the Congress party-led coalition government, suspended futures trading on Thursday in potatoes, soy […]
13 Killed in Tijuana Gunbattles
April 29th, 2008Consider the proximity of this situation to the U.S. It’s just a few minutes drive across the U.S./Mexico border into Tijuana. Then there’s Chicago: Nine dead, 36 wounded over one weekend. Via: AP: Massive gunbattles broke out between suspected drug traffickers who fired at each other while speeding down heavily populated streets of this violent […]
The Rise of the Sanford and Son Global Economy: Urban Miners Look for Precious Metals in Cell Phones
April 28th, 2008“A tonne of ore from a gold mine produces just 5 grams (0.18 ounce) of gold on average, whereas a tonne of discarded mobile phones can yield 150 grams (5.3 ounce) or more…” This is a remarkable story, on a number of levels. Anyone who thinks business as usual is going to continue needs to […]
Cutoffs and Pleas for Aid Rise With Heat Costs
April 26th, 2008Via: New York Times: After struggling with soaring heating costs through the winter, millions of Americans are behind on electric and gas bills, and a record number of families could face energy shut-offs over the next two months, according to state energy officials and utilities around the country. The escalating costs of heating oil, propane […]
EMERGENCY: FOOD RATIONING REPORTED IN U.S.; EAST AND WEST COAST
April 21st, 2008Incredibly, Nitro-Pak is still reporting only a 4 to 8 day backlog. High quality organic rice ships free from Amazon to lower 48 states: RiceSelect Organic Texmati Brown Rice, 36-Ounce Jars (Pack of 4) No limits mentioned. Full text of article follows. Via: New York Sun: Food Rationing Confronts Breadbasket of the World By JOSH […]
Rice: Panic
April 18th, 2008Via: Financial Times: Rice prices hit the $1,000-a-tonne level for the first time on Thursday as panicking importers scrambled to secure supplies, exacerbating the tightness already provoked by export restrictions in Vietnam, India, Egypt, China and Cambodia. The jump came as the Philippines, the largest rice importer, failed for the fourth time to secure as […]
POTASH PRICE RISES MORE THAN 300%
April 17th, 2008Via: Canada.com: Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. said Wednesday that the marketing company for Saskatchewan potash producers and a leading fertilizer company in China have agreed to set potash pricing this year at about $576 US a tonne, some $400 higher than last year. “Significantly higher potash prices and extraordinarily tight supply have become much […]
