Archive for the 'Economy' Category
Why, Where & How to Do Wind Electricity
April 16th, 2016Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. — As New Zealand’s electricity cartel ramps up the war on solar power, I’m starting to take a more serious look at the end game: Disconnection from the grid. While I’m not sure how I want to handle this yet, one thing is certain: Wind power […]
When Lobbying Was Illegal
April 16th, 2016Via: Priceonomics: Wouldn’t it be nice if lobbying were illegal? It’s a tempting thought. But it seems impossible. Lobbying is a multi-billion dollar industry and an accepted—if hated—part of American politics. American courts have ruled that lobbying is constitutionally protected free speech, and lawyers and laymen alike generally accept this. The same is true of […]
Bernie Earned Less in Year than Hillary Made in Single Speech
April 15th, 2016Via: Weekly Standard: Bernie Sanders reportedly earned just over $200,000 in 2014. That same year, Hillary Clinton, Sanders’s top Democratic rival, gave about 45 paid speeches, many of which paid her more in a single hour than Sanders made the entire year. The Washington Post reports on Sanders’s income. “The senator from Vermont reported income […]
Most Americans Think Economy Is Getting Worse
April 14th, 2016Recovery! Via: CNBC: Consumers have been the missing link in the U.S. economic recovery and are likely to remain so absent a major change in sentiment. Despite the seemingly endless stream of Wall Street economists who believe the U.S. is about to snap out of its malaise, most Americans think the economy is bad and […]
Japan’s Demographic Time Bomb
April 14th, 2016Via: Vox: Japan has a major demographic problem: 26 percent of its population is elderly, the largest percent of any country in the world. That’s because Japan’s birthrate is declining, as is its overall population. In other words, a huge chunk of its population is getting old and leaving the workforce, and not enough people […]
Swiss Banker Whistleblower: CIA Behind Panama Papers
April 12th, 2016Via: CNBC: Bradley Birkenfeld is the most significant financial whistleblower of all time, so you might think he’d be cheering on the disclosures in the new Panama Papers leaks. But today, Birkenfeld is raising questions about the source of the information that is shaking political regimes around the world. Birkenfeld, an American citizen, was a […]
Goldman Sachs to Pay $5 Billion in Damages Over Mortgage Bond Swindling
April 11th, 2016Via: Reuters: Goldman Sachs Group Inc has agreed to pay $5.06 billion to settle claims that it misled mortgage bond investors during the financial crisis, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Monday. The settlement, which Goldman disclosed in January, stems from the firm’s conduct in its packaging, securitization, marketing and sale of residential mortgage-backed […]
New Zealand: Solar Tax, “Desperate Move to Squeeze Every Last Dollar Out of a Dying Business Model”
April 9th, 2016Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. — They’re going to gouge people while battery prices are still high. The NZ electricity cartel knows it only has a couple of years left to screw people before grid defection sweeps over this place like a tsunami. In the meantime, get used to hearing about […]
Crewless ‘Drone Ships’ Will be Sailing the Seas by 2020
April 9th, 2016Via: Telegraph: Remote-controlled “drone ships” will be plying the sealanes without crews on board by the end of the decade, according to Rolls-Royce. The FTSE 100 company best known for its aircraft engines is heading a consortium working to develop the technology needed for ships controlled from land bases, making them cheaper to run. “This […]
SpaceX: Falcon 9 First Stage Landing
April 8th, 2016Via: CBS: An upgraded SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rocket boosted a Dragon cargo ship into orbit Friday, kicking off a two-day flight to the International Space Station to deliver 3.5 tons of cargo, including an innovative inflatable module that could pave the way to future deep space habitats and commercial space stations. And in a […]
