h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Library uploads Sir Isaac Newton's theological texts

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/library-uploads-sir-isaac-newtons-theological-texts/story-e6frf7jx-1226273261291

"Among the yellowed texts are Newton's famous prediction of the apocalypse in 2060."

Rupert Murdoch to launch Sun on Sunday newspaper 'soon'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17070555

Well slap my thighs and call me Roger

Country says it's going to stop selling stuff to countries who previously said they were going to stop buying.

Na-na-na-na-naaaah-na

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17089953

"L'un des principaux chercheurs sur le climat a calculé que les émissions provenant des sables bitumineux de l'Alberta ne risquent pas de représenter un impact majeur en ce qui concerne le réchauffement climatique, et que la véritable menace contre la planète est la combustion de charbon."

http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/science/2012/02/19/001-etude-charbon-sables-bitumineux.shtml?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter


Can we please shut down the world's coal industry?

Where is Thatcher now that we need her?

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/debate/your-letters/cost_in_coal_imports_of_thatcher_s_smashing_of_the_miners_1_4173210

From Jabberwock's link:

"Today we have only four deep mines in the country yet we are burning as much coal as we did in the 1980s. The vast majority of this is imported from all over the world at frighteningly high prices. We still have many hundreds of years of known coal reserves. Reopening our mines would save billions of pounds"

And burning that coal would likely add more co2 to the atmosphere than *all* of Canada's oil sands (only a vanishing small amount of which will ever be mined) . See my link above.

Hiding debt Greek style. Hiding debt costs money creating more debt which it itself needs to be hidden. Hidden debt creates paper profit that is rewarded with bonuses. This creates more debt that needs to be hidden. Here is the BBC report. For some reason the BBC have sexed up the story with background music (WT...F?): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17108367

Can't help but draw parallels with medieval Kings turning upon the Jewish bankers who financed their armies. If the wars went well the loans got repaid, if they went badly the Kings would do anything to get out of repaying them - including blaming the Jews for lending the money in the first place.

Greece and most other European countries ran up the debts. To blame the banks for giving them the money is a bit medieval.

Very good point and an interesting analogy!

However, I don't think anyone is blaming the banks, in the sense of saying "it's all the banks' fault and no one else's". But the banks should share the blame insofar as they chose to take big risks in lending vast amounts of money to countries, banks, businesses and individuals that could not really afford to borrow so much. Now that the risk hasn't paid off and those countries, banks, businesses and individuals are effectively defaulting, the banks should suffer the consequences of having taken those risks as much as the borrowers themselves suffer the consequences of defaulting.

I'm Irish, and I don't deny for a second that the Irish government and the Irish banks borrowed way too much money from "foreign" (ie mainly German, British and American) banks. And unfortunately, when a global financial crisis hit and the Irish property bubble burst almost at the same time (not wholly unrelated though one would have happened without the other in the end anyway), Ireland was caught in a situation where it couldn't afford to pay back those borrowings. As such, the country was screwed!

However, be in no doubt that those foreign banks loaned the money willingly to the Irish (no one forced them to) and they did so at a ridiculously low interest rate that was not commensurate with the risks involved in lending to a small country with an export-based economy that was almost wholly reliant on two unstable industries - construction and finance - exceptionally susceptible to a global downturn. It is no coincidence that the £6+bn "loan" that George Osborne so kindly offered to the Irish Government as part of the "bailout", because we're such good neighbours, is equal to the £6+bn that the Irish government and Irish banks owed to British banks. The bailout money was not given to the Irish government so they could spend it on schools and hospitals and public services and infrastructure to keep the country running smoothly and to boost growth, employment and thereby economic recovery. It was given to them so they would not default on their borrowings, thereby avoiding huge losses for their creditors, the foreign banks.

Greece is not Ireland and there are many structural and political issues unique to Greece. However, the big picture is the same - banks willingly lent Greece more money than they could afford to borrow without factoring in the risks involved in doing so (either in charging a higher interest rate or in reducing the amount of the loans). As with any risk, the greater the risk you take (loaning vast amounts of money to someone who can't afford it), the greater the potential reward (higher interest rates), but also the greater the chance of failure (your debtors default) and the greater the consequences of that failure. That is why Greece's creditors are now having to suffer a >50% "haircut", something which should have happened much sooner and which would have alleviated the mess in Greece to some extent.

"The banks" are certainly not innocent bystanders that should walk away from all this without bearing some of the pain.

"UN nuclear agency says Iran talks have failed"

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/02/21/iran-nuclear-talks.html?cmp=rss


I can't help but ask myself: "so?"

and

"failed to do what?"

>> "failed to do what?" <<

The Iranians failed to take them to the secret labs.

Or, they failed to convince the Iranians to show them
the secret labs.

Either way it's scare mongering on both sides. Because
after all, fear makes the whirled go round and round.


~jwf~

ah! yes!

The Secret Labsâ„¢


Believe me, I have less than no sym`pathy for the "government" of the Islamic Republic of Iran, but for some reason I'm feeling a little jaded about talk of Desert Hitlers and their doomsday weapons.

The office of French Prime Minister François Fillon said Tuesday the term ['mademoiselle'] would be struck from official documents, along with that of "maiden name" or "married name" for women.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/French+government+says+revoir+mademoiselle/6188311/story.html

"The office of French Prime Minister François Fillon said Tuesday the term ['mademoiselle'] would be struck from official documents, along with that of "maiden name" or "married name" for women."

So just Monsieur and Madame .... but why didn't they go the whole hog and ban Madame as well ... with everyone called Monsieur? Monsieur will then be defined as gender neutral. Liberté, égalité, fraternité ... er sororité or something.

"Porto are preparing to make a complaint to UEFA after Manchester City taunted striker Hulk during Wednesday's Europa League tie between the two sides.

The Portuguese club are unhappy with City chanting "you're not incredible" at Brazilian striker Hulk during City's 4-0 win at the Etihad Stadium."

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11679/7539763/Porto-prepare-Hulk-complaint

'...a 42 cannon salute took place in central Stockholm across from the Royal Palace.

Normally, only 21 cannons are fired to salute the arrival of a royal baby, but when an heir to the throne is born, the number is doubled to 42.'

http://www.thelocal.se/39292/20120223/

MP goes berserk in Commons bar brawl

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24037762-mp-arrested-over-commons-bar-brawl.do#.T0Y95vdTYBg.twitter

"A Labour MP was dragged away in handcuffs after going berserk in a House of Commons bar and headbutting a fellow MP.

Ex-Army major Eric Joyce hit at least three MPs, including a Labour whip, in a rage last night when they tried to calm him, it was claimed.

"There was blood spilled - it was like the Wild West in there," said one stunned MP"

Royal Bank of Scotland Company Data
Pre-tax losses for 2011: £766m
Bonuses paid out during 2011: £785m
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17128477

That's obscene.
Surely charges of obscenity should be laid in such cases.

~jwf~

Be careful what you wish for: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-17167770

"It has prompted one poster to suggest that if China ever abandoned its internet restrictions, the United States would have to protect its social media with a Great Firewall of its own."