Archive for the 'Economy' Category
Energy Scarcity vs. Cost of the War in Iraq
January 22nd, 2007I built a spreadsheet with functions that break down the cost of the war in Iraq into dollars per minute. According to the Pentagon, the war in Iraq is costing $8.4 billion per month. Cost of the War in Iraq Per Minute Cost per month: 8400000000 Cost per week: 2100000000 Cost per day: 300000000 Cost […]
Federal Workers Owe Billions in Unpaid Taxes
January 18th, 2007HA! Via: WTOP: As the 2006 tax season approaches, the federal government is still trying to recover nearly $3 billion from its own employees who failed to file income tax returns for 2005. More than 450,000 active and retired federal employees did not voluntarily comply with federal income tax requirements for the 2005 tax year, […]
Military Gear Bound for Iran, China Traced to Pentagon Surplus Sales
January 16th, 2007The Axis of Weasels. Via: International Herald Tribune: The U.S. military has sold forbidden equipment at least a half-dozen times to middlemen for countries — including Iran and China — who exploited security flaws in the Defense Department’s surplus auctions. The sales include fighter jet parts and missile components. In one case, federal investigators said, […]
Major Investment Bank Issues Warning on Strike Against Iran
January 16th, 2007If you liked my Oil Options for Gamblers piece, you’ll love this. The underlying oil contract is up about $4 from where it was when I put out that call. I’m not tooting my own horn. If I thought I was such a great oil analyst, I would have bought some of those call options […]
Is the New Zealand Real Estate Bubble the Biggest of Them All?
January 9th, 2007I’m shocked by the number of “For Sale” signs that have disappeared lately. For months, it seemed like every other property was for sale out here in the middle of nowhere. Not now. “Lifestyle blocks” are being snapped up, and prices continue to rise. It’s tough to imagine that flippers would be buying properties around […]
China: Power, Corruption and Lies
January 9th, 2007Via: Guardian: Absolute power corrupts, and the Chinese Communist party has become one of the most corrupt organisations the world has ever witnessed. The combination of absolute power and an ideology that palpably no longer describes reality is a virus that is morally and psychologically undermining the regime. And if the regime wobbles, then its […]
Iran Threatens to Block Strait of Hormuz
January 9th, 2007If you haven’t read The Strait of Hormuz: It’s Not That Bad, It’s Worse, it might be worth checking out now. Additionally, when oil was trading near record highs, I wrote that oil could, “Easily go to $45 before it goes to $200.” Oil is now trading around $55. Could the world go from relatively […]
The Private Arm of the Law
January 4th, 2007Yes, corporate pigs. Via: Washington Post: With the sleeve patch on his black shirt, the 9mm gun on his hip and the blue light on his patrol car, he looked like an ordinary police officer as he stopped the car on a Friday night last month. Watt works, though, for a business called Capitol Special […]
666 the Mark of the Housing Bubble
January 3rd, 2007Without discernment, being awash in information can be just as confusing as having no information at all. Cryptogon readers want—and sometimes pay me cold, hard cash for—news and analysis they can trust and use. Less is more when it comes to these here internets. So, while I’m always aware of stories like this and this, […]
CEOs Pass Average Canadian Salary by January 2nd
January 3rd, 2007Warning: If you attempt to perform a similar calculation for U.S. executives and workers, your head might explode. Scanners style. Well, these guys did it, and lived to write up the results. In 2004, American average CEO/worker pay ratio was 431:1. Via: ctv.ca: By the time most Canadians drag themselves into work on Tuesday after […]
