Archive for the 'Economy' Category
Swiss Army Chief Warns Of Social Unrest
January 5th, 2016Cryptogon reader luky writes: This is a bad translation. He calls on people to prepare themselves, not to arm themselves. Via: ZeroHedge: Swiss army chief André Blattmann warned, in a Swiss newspaper article on Sunday, the risks of social unrest in Europe are soaring. Recalling the experience of 1939/1945, Blattman fears the increasing aggression in […]
A Longevity Puzzle: Why Do Poor Costa Ricans Outlive Poor Americans?
January 5th, 2016Via: Bloomberg: Why are the poor in one of the world’s wealthiest countries more likely to die at an earlier age than the poor in a small, middle-income country? Lifestyle factors have a lot to do with it. In the U.S., smoking and obesity are far more common at the bottom of the income scale. […]
Marines’ LS3 Robotic Mule Too Loud for Real-World Combat
December 29th, 2015Before $42 million of public money was flushed down the gurgler, I guess nobody realized that the thing was going to sound like a leaf blower. Via: Ars Technica: The kickable “robotic mule,” also known as AlphaDog or LS3, created by Alphabet-owned Boston Dynamics under a contract with DARPA, has proved too loud to fight […]
Christmas 2015—Why There Is No Peace On Earth
December 29th, 2015Via: David Stockman’s Contra Corner: In fact, the War Party entrenched in the nation’s capital is dedicated to economic interests and ideological perversions that guarantee perpetual war; they ensure endless waste on armaments and the inestimable death and human suffering that stems from 21st century high tech warfare and the terrorist blowback it inherently generates […]
Switzerland to Vote on Banning Banks from Creating Money
December 29th, 2015Via: Independent: Switzerland will hold a referendum to decide whether its private banks can create money after 110,000 people said they want their central bank to be solely in charge. Seven years after the financial crisis struck, the Swiss federal government confirmed on Christmas Eve that it would ask its people whether the central bank […]
Cheap Batteries Will Give Utilities Electric Shock
December 28th, 2015Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. — Via: Reuters: Power suppliers have long enjoyed a natural monopoly. But the arrival of budget batteries coupled with cheaper solar power will allow a growing number of consumers to pull the plug on old-fashioned electricity networks in 2016 and beyond. Solar panel prices have already […]
A Silicon Valley for Drones, in North Dakota
December 26th, 2015Via: New York Times: “California and New York want what we’ve got,” said Shawn Muehler, a 30-year-old Fargo resident, gazing at a horizon of empty fields, silos, windbreak trees and hardly any people. A winged craft traces the air, mapping a field with pinpoint accuracy for his start-up, a drone software company called Botlink. “They […]
Approximately 62% of Americans Have Less Than $1,000 in Their Savings Accounts [???]
December 25th, 2015Could this possibly be real? It’s an online survey. Via: MarketWatch: Americans are living right on the edge — at least when it comes to financial planning. Approximately 62% of Americans have less than $1,000 in their savings accounts and 21% don’t even have a savings account, according to a new survey of more than […]
Google Pairs With Ford To Build Self-Driving Cars
December 22nd, 2015Via: Yahoo Autos: Google and Ford will create a joint venture to build self-driving vehicles with Google’s technology, a huge step by both companies toward a new business of automated ride sharing, Yahoo Autos has learned. According to three sources familiar with the plans, the partnership is set to be announced by Ford at the […]
Wal-Mart Hires Lockheed Martin for “Intelligence Gathering” on Union Organizers
December 19th, 2015Via: Bloomberg: OUR Walmart, a group of employees backed and funded by a union, was asking for more full-time jobs with higher wages and predictable schedules. Officially they called themselves the Organization United for Respect at Walmart. Walmart publicly dismissed OUR Walmart as the insignificant creation of the United Food and Commercial Workers International (UFCW) […]
