Author: JohnJames

The John James Newsletter 55
17 April 2015

Politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. You don’t. . . . You have owners.
George Carlin,

Why more immigrants are dying in Mediterranean waters
A careful discussion of the failed state of Libya, the advantages IS is taking of the situation, the fear in Italy which gets most of its oil from Libya and the EU reaction to the deaths that is throwing European well-mannered affairs into disarray.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/why-more-immigrants-are-dying-in-mediterranean-waters-20150421-1mpeqk.html

Ethiopia’s Economic Miracle Is Running Out of Steam
Ethiopia’s state-led development model has run its course and now faces diminishing returns. Many of the abuses associated with that model are galvanizing large segments of the population against the government.

Ethiopia’s Economic Miracle Is Running Out of Steam

Second Sydney airport to eclipse Mascot
Confidential maps reveal Badgerys Creek will rival JFK airport in size. Construction will require moving 100 million cubic metres of earth and could take 80m passengers per year by 2050. Rail costs not included in the estimate
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/badgerys-creek-airport-sydneys-bold-plan-is-taking-wing/story-fni0cx12-1227304121459

Animals on the brink of extinction:
Maps reveal the countries with the most endangered mammals. Despite only occupying 1 per cent of the Earth’s land mass, Indonesia’s rainforests are home to 12% of mammal species. The region tops the list with the most threatened mammals and Madagascar is second, with 114, while Mexico is third with 101.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3037027/Animals-brink-extinction-World-maps-reveal-countries-endangered-mammals.html

How America Became an Oligarchy
Using data from over 1,800 policy initiatives from 1981 to 2002, the rich, well-connected individuals on the political scene now steer the direction of the country, regardless of the will of the majority. America’s political system has transformed to where power is wielded by wealthy elites.

How America Became an Oligarchy

Twitter moves non-US accounts to Ireland away from the NSA
Twitter Inc is governed by US law, it is obliged to comply with NSA-driven court requests for data, so data stored in Ireland is not subject to the same obligation.

Twitter moves non-US accounts to Ireland away from the NSA

Iran Is Winning the War for Dominance of the Middle East
We are witnessing a struggle for regional dominance between two loose and shifting coalitions — one roughly grouped around Saudi Arabia and one around Iran. Despite the sectarian hue of the coalitions, Sunni-Shiite enmity is not the best explanation for today’s regional war. It is a naked struggle for power.

Iran Is Winning the War for Dominance of the Middle East

It is hard to see how a deeply risk-averse China could step into a leadership role in any of the region’s fiery disputes. https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/04/20/china-middle-east-saudi-arabia-iran-oil-nuclear-deal/

Ruble on the rebound
The Russian ruble is outpacing all other currencies against the dollar. The 20% recovery this month stands in stark contrast to last year, when US officials smugly pointed to Russia’s plummeting currency as proof that Western sanctions against Moscow for meddling in Ukraine were working.

Ruble on the Rebound

The Dow when priced in the average blue-collar wage is now at an all-time high.
This means that it takes the typical worker more hours of sweat and labor to buy the Dow than ever before in at least the last five decades. Investing… saving money and trying to build wealth… is simply out of reach for the average guy.
http://www.sovereignman.com/investing/somebody-show-this-chart-to-jim-cramer-16814/

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad S-300s?
The executive order issued by Putin, which lifts the ban on the export of weapons systems to Iran signals a significant shift in the geopolitics of the region.
http://landdestroyer.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/whos-afraid-of-big-bad-s-300s.html
S-400 missile defence strength doubled in Russia’s far east
http://rt.com/news/251213-russia-kamchatka-s400-deployed/

Russia’s Missile Wall in Iran
There is a risk that should Israel or the US launch an attack on Iran once the S300s are in place and significant numbers of aircraft are lost, not only will the operation fail and an expensive and humiliating blow be dealt to the forces involved, but the veil of invincibility of Western military might, especially its airpower, will be lost forever. Could this trigger a cascade of rebellion the West has created primarily under the threat of military force?
http://landdestroyer.blogspot.mx/
Obama: US could ‘penetrate’ Iran S-300 defense system:
The US could penetrate any air defense system that Iran has.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/obama-us-could-penetrate-iran-s-300-defense-system/

US Intelligence: Houthis Are Not Iran Proxy
Iranian representatives discouraged Houthi rebels from taking the Yemeni capital… the rebels follow a different branch of Shiite Islam than Iran’s leaders and are believed to care more about corruption and the distribution of power than the spread of Shiite influence. “It remains our assessment that Iran does not exert command and control over the Houthis in Yemen, It is wrong to think of the Houthis as a proxy force for Iran,” a US intelligence official.
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2015/04/us-intelligence-houthis-iran-proxy.html

World on Fire: UN Helpless as Crises Rage in 10 Critical Hot Spots
The UN is fighting a losing battle against a rash of humanitarian crises in 10 of the world’s critical “hot spots.” Ban Ki-moon says even the UN’s 193 member states cannot, by themselves, help resolve these widespread conflicts. Last year the number of attacks on aid workers set an record at 460.
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/04/21/world-fire-un-helpless-crises-rage-10-critical-hot-spots

Imagine having a net worth of $57 billion.
That sounds like a lot. But not if you’re the US Federal Reserve.
http://www.sovereignman.com/trends/take-a-look-at-what-they-buried-in-this-obscure-report-16809/

Officer Under Saddam Hussein Drew Up Islamic State Master Plan
An ex-intelligence officer under the Saddam Hussein was “the strategic head” behind the IS and drew up the blueprints for the jihadists’ capture of northern Syria.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41613.htm

Deepwater Horizon Disaster: Five Years Later
Despite the dangers of drilling deep underwater, offshore drilling has only increased – there are 37 percent more wells since the spill and the average well is 40 percent deeper now than five years ago.
http://thinkprogress.org/progress-report/deepwater-horizon-disaster-five/

In Landmark Case, Dutch Citizens Sue Their Government Over Failure To Act On Climate Change
Public arguments are scheduled to begin Tuesday as nearly 900 Dutch citizens have filed a lawsuit against their government for failing to effectively cut greenhouse gas emissions and curb climate change. “We feel that there’s a shared responsibility for any country to do what is necessary in its own boundaries to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions as much as is needed.”
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/04/14/3646690/pass-that-dutch-climate-change-action/

The John James Newsletter 57
27 April 2015

    THE PHOTOS
The quake that killed in four countries
Monster 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal causing massive damage in the capital Kathmandu. The effects were felt in neighbouring countries with at least 36 dead in India, 12 in Tibet and four in Bangladesh Quake also triggered a massive avalanche on Mount Everest killing 18 people and injuring at least 30 climbers
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3055745/

The John James Newsletter 58
2 May 2015

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little
Edmund Burke

“So many wonderful things! This is the best blog, not just in australia. but the world. The Russia-Iran nexus is very important and makes what else is happening in the region even more interesting and significant. Two fast-rising powers – Russia and Iran. Israel will have to look out. Keep it up, John”

(A reader)

How much fossil fuel has been used in your lifetime?
How much fossil fuel has been extracted since you arrived at this page? Or since you were born? The numbers below highlight the staggering amount of oil, coal and gas we take out of the ground – and how quickly change is needed
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2015/apr/10/how-much-fossil-fuel-are-we-using-right-now
Prince Charles on brink of ending all fossil fuel investments
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/28/prince-charles-on-brink-of-ending-all-fossil-fuel-investments?CMP=ema_565

Syria’s Nightmarish Narrative
With military and political help from Saudi Arabia and Israel, the possibility of an Al-Qaeda and/or IS victory in Syria is coming true, as the army retreats and as Obama remains indecisive.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41705.htm
Assad’s hold on power looks shakier than ever as rebels advance in Syria
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/assads-regime-at-increasing-risk-amid-a-surge-of-rebel-advances/2015/04/26/c2742e22-ec32-11e4-8050-839e9234b303_story.html
Syria’s Revitalized Rebels Make Big Gains in Assad’s Heartland
The recent offensives in Idlib have been strikingly swift — thanks in large part to suicide bombers and American anti-tank TOW missiles. Regime forces have only held out for hours or a few days.

Syria’s Revitalized Rebels Make Big Gains in Assad’s Heartland

Al Qaeda Is Beating the Islamic State
Get ready for the clash of caliphates.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/04/al-qaeda-is-beating-the-islamic-state-116954.html#.VTI-2GbHGR9

Big Insurance Companies warning to Prepare For Climate Change
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/04/21/3649244/insurance-climate-change-disaster-relief/

The number of volcanoes erupting now is greater than the 20th century’s YEARLY average
During the 20th century, there were a total of 3,542 volcanic eruptions, or 35 each year. There are 36 volcanoes erupting around the world right now. This is the trend.
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/the-number-of-volcanoes-erupting-right-now-is-greater-than-the-20th-centurys-yearly-average

‘We don’t buy panda products – so the Chinese should get their hands off our elephants’
Poachers are slaughtering 25,000 elephants a year for their ivory tusks. The elephant will be extinct within the decade.
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/07/opinions/paula-kahumbu-china-ivory-elephants-extinction/index.html

How come we bomb ISIS thugs but finance the thugs of Ukrainian?
Ukrainian Neo-Nazis Nail Rebel Fighter to Cross, Burn Him Alive
US-backed militants carry out brutal execution. Video shows Ukrainian neo-nazi militia carrying out an ISIS-style execution during which they nail a separatist rebel to a cross and then burn him alive.
http://www.infowars.com/shock-video-ukrainian-neo-nazis-nail-rebel-fighter-to-cross-burn-him-alive/

Then and Now Photos That Show Dramatic Changes on Earth
The melting of the Northwestern Glacier in Alaska between 1940 and Aug. 4, 2005.
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/30-then-and-now-photos-climate-change-earth-melting-glaciers/45986679
and
Seven surprising results from the reduction of Arctic Sea ice cover

The Great Transition by Lester Brown
Wind and solar costs are falling rapidly, making them competitive with fossil fuels in more and more markets. States and countries are getting double digit shares of their electricity from wind farms and solar panels are popping up on rooftops from California to Australia to Bangladesh. To give you a sense of just how quickly change is happening, the Institute has posted the first chapter of the book online.
http://www.earth-policy.org/books/tgt/tgt_table_of_contents

Most reports assume that 2°C is an appropriate policy target
David Spratt’s “Recount: It’s time to ‘Do the math’ again” concludes that the evidence does not support this propositions.
http://www.climatecodered.org/2015/04/its-time-to-do-math-again.html

In Nigeria, university degrees can lead to poverty
With over 20 million unemployed youth in Nigeria, young Nigerians are spending an increasing proportion of their twenties pursuing academic qualifications, rather than gaining work skills. They are doing this on the savings of households living on $2-4 per person a day — families who are scrimping and sacrificing so that one person can break out of these economic conditions and land a good job.
http://www.thisisafricaonline.com/News/In-Nigeria-university-degrees-can-lead-to-povert

What it Means to Be ‘Liberal’ or ‘Conservative’ in China
Leftists enjoy greater popular support in lower-income, inland regions, compared to wealthier coastal provinces, whereas the opposite is true for liberals. There is a strong correlation between leftist beliefs and ‘cultural conservatism’ — defined as those who support “traditional, Confucian values”.

What it Means to Be ‘Liberal’ or ‘Conservative’ in China

Not Your Father’s National Front
Marine Le Pen has assembled the West’s largest, most successful anti-immigration and anti-globalist party, by playing down its racist roots.
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/not-your-fathers-national-front/

Laundering the Global Garment Industry’s Dirty Business
Two years after Bangladesh’s Rana Plaza disaster, a dense network of little-known agents and subcontractors is still getting in the way of better work conditions. The workers protest loudly and often for better conditions, blocking roads with burning tires near sprawling, dingy factories.

Laundering the Global Garment Industry’s Dirty Business

Hopes of vaccine for Parkinson’s sufferers
Scientists believe that an abnormal protein may trigger the condition. It may be possible to prime a person’s immune system so it is ready to attack this protein as it passes through the body so it would not destroy the dopamine-manufacturing cells, where the disease inflicts its greatest damage.
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/25/parkinsons-disease-vaccine-research-protein?CMP=ema_565

Global forest watch
Interactive maps that you can follow global deforestation year by year
http://www.globalforestwatch.org/

Unburnable Carbon: Why we need to leave fossil fuels in the ground
Pollution from Australia’s coal resources, particularly the enormous Galilee coal basin, could on its oen take us two-thirds of the way to a two degree rise in global temperature.
http://www.climatecouncil.org.au/unburnable-carbon-why-we-need-to-leave-fossil-fuels-in-the-ground

India cancels licences of 8,975 NGOs
Including Greenpeace as it was financing Indian NGOs which were filing writs.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/47072906.cms

Wind turbines are less effective and CO2 abatement cost is higher than commonly assumed
It is often assumed that effectiveness of wind energy is 100%, i.e., a MWh of wind energy displaces the emissions from a MWh of conventional energy. But it is usually much less.

Wind turbines’ CO2 savings and abatement cost

Binge drinking in childhood can cause damage to brain for life
“Long-term potentiation” permits a nerve cell, to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another cell. This helps a person acquire new information and remember. It is at its height when a person is young and able to absorb large amounts of new memory.
http://rt.com/news/253745-binge-drinking-youth-brain/

The John James Newsletter 59
9 May 2015

Men who can manage men manage the men who can manage only things, while men who can manage money manage all
Will Durant

Two degrees of global warming is not ‘safe’: James Hansen
2 degrees is actually a prescription for disaster. That’s well understood by the scientific community. We know that the prior interglacial period about 120,000 years ago – the Eemian – was less than 2C warmer than pre-industrial conditions and sea level was a least 6 to 8 metres higher, so it’s crazy to think that 2 degrees is a safe limit.
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/two-degrees-of-global-warming-is-not-safe/6444698

The Case That Blew the Lid Off the World Bank’s Secret Courts
The tobacco giant Phillip Morris demands $2 billion from Uruguay for the sin of strengthening health warnings on cigarette packages. The people of El Salvador face a $300-million case from a Canadian-Australian mining company because El Salvadorans were able to block toxic mining operations. Germany faces a demand of €700 million from a nuclear energy company because, in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, popular movements won a moratorium on new nuclear power plants in the country.
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/30464-the-case-that-blew-the-lid-off-the-world-bank-s-secret-courts

King Canute is alive and well !!
US Senate votes that climate change not caused by humans
The Senate rejected the scientific consensus that humans are causing climate change, days after NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared 2014 the hottest year ever recorded on Earth.

In 50-49 vote, US Senate says climate change not caused by humans

Tesla Battery Will ‘Fundamentally Change the Way the World Uses Energy’
“Our goal is to fundamentally change the way the world uses energy. We’re talking at the terawatt scale. The goal is complete transformation of the entire energy infrastructure of the world.” Tesla hopes that its $5 billion “gigafactory” under construction near Reno, Nevada will drive down the cost of the batteries for both cars and energy-storage products through mass production.
https://ecowatch.com/2015/05/01/elon-musk-tesla-battery/

World’s mountain of electrical waste reaches new peak of 42m tonnes
The biggest per-capita tallies were in countries known for green awareness, such as Norway and Denmark, with Britain fifth and US ninth on the UN report’s list. Last year, 41.8m tonnes of so-called e-waste – mostly fridges, washing machines and other domestic appliances at the end of their life – was dumped.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/19/worlds-mountain-of-electrical-waste-reaches-new-peak-of-42m-tonnes?CMP=ema_565

Arctic Sea Ice At Record Low On April 9 2015
expanded effect of methane hydrate detabilization along the Gakkel Ridge and the high temperatures caused by the onshore methane eruption vents.
http://arctic-news.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/arctic-sea-ice-at-record-low-on-april-9-2015.html
To see the importance of the Gakkel Ridge in perspective read
http://www.planetextinction.com/documents/Methane,%20the%20Gakkel%20Ridge%20and%20human%20survival.pdf
or my talk

and Methane levels as high as 2845ppb on April 25
http://arctic-news.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/methane-levels-as-high-as-2845ppb.html

Thirty years on, scientist who discovered ozone layer hole warns: ‘it will still take years to heal’
One of the three UK scientists who discovered the hole in 1985 warned that the real lessons of the story had not been learned. “Yes, an international treaty was established fairly quickly to deal with the ozone hole, but the main point shows how rapidly we can produce major changes to our atmosphere and how long it takes for nature to recover.”
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/18/scientist-who-discovered-hole-in-ozone-layer-warns?CMP=ema_565

Pope Francis, climate change, and morality
Pope Francis is emerging as one of the world’s foremost campaigners on global warming. Many in the environmental and scientific community think that if he injects himself into international climate politics later this year, the ramifications on the climate debate could be dramatic.

Pope Francis, climate change, and morality

Food, Farming and Climate Change is Bigger than Everything Else
Few are familiar or prepared for “peak coffee.” Farmers and scientists now openly discuss the notion of “endangered crops,” including everything from cocoa and wine grapes to salmon and peanuts. The emergence of super-charged pests related to climate change, like the “La Roya” coffee fungus in Central America, is threatening not only our morning cup of joe, but the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of small-scale farmers.
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/04/13/food-farming-and-climate-change-its-bigger-everything-else

Israeli soldiers cast doubt on legality of Gaza military tactics
Describing the rules that meant life and death in Gaza during the 50-day war – a conflict in which 2,200 Palestinians were killed – the interviews shed light on what individual soldiers were told and on policy.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/04/israeli-soldiers-cast-doubt-on-legality-of-gaza-military-operation?CMP=ema_565

Air pollution costs Europe $1.6tn a year in early deaths and disease
The costs is 600,000 premature deaths each year, and the sickness caused to hundreds of thousands of other people from preventable causes, such as pollution from small particles that come from the exhausts of diesel vehicles, and nitrogen dioxide that can inhibit breathing.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/28/air-pollution-costs-europe-16tn-a-year-in-early-deaths-and-disease-say-who?CMP=share_btn_tw
Photo of the Arc de Triumphe on a bad day.

ISIS-Linked Fighters Tighten Grip in Afghanistan, Outmatch Taliban Brutality
Foreign militants fighting under the black flag of ISIS are conquering territory in northern Afghanistan. The development suggests ISIS is expanding its sphere of influence beyond the Middle East and North Africa, and are moving into areas previously controlled by the Afghan Taliban. Most of the fighters hail from Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and the Caucuses — and are even more brutal than the Afghan Taliban.
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/atmosphere-terror-isis-linked-fighters-tighten-grip-afghanistan-n347801

The Saudi 9/11 Cover-Up
At least 11 members of the Bin Laden Family were spirited out the country in 24 hours after the 9/11 attacks with the assistance of the Bush Administration.  The FBI still denies knowing about the seven airplanes used to move them out when all private, commercial and military air-travel was grounded.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41743.htm

Pushing Back Against a Chinese Lake in the South China Sea
ASEAN condemned China’s efforts to muscle aside neighbours with an aggressive program of island building in the South China Sea, prompted especially by Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines. “China is reaping the fruits of this strategy in a reinvigorated US-Japan alliance, a completely transformed US-Vietnam relationship, a closer US-Philippine alliance.”

Pushing Back Against a Chinese Lake in the South China Sea

and

Reefer Madness: Why Is China on a Building Spree in the South China Sea?

and
China fires back at South China Sea claimants with reclamation accusations
http://news.yahoo.com/china-fires-back-south-china-sea-claimants-reclamation-093122224.html

Fossil fuel subsidies to coal miners costing billions
The cost of subsidising the diesel fuel used by five of the nation’s biggest coal companies – Glencore Xstrata, BHP Billiton, Peabody, Rio Tinto and Anglo American – is around $360 million a year.  The Government will spend more on the Fuel Tax Credit Scheme than on overseas aid
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/graph-of-the-day-fossil-fuel-subsidies-to-coal-miners-costing-billions-67876

Did a Chinese-Russian-Iranian Coalition opposing NATO have its debut in Moscow?
Moscow’s delivery of the S-300 package is meant to cement Russo-Iranian military cooperation and to enhance Eurasian cooperation against Washington’s encircling missile shield. It is one step closer to the creation of a Eurasian air defense network against the missile threat posed by the US and NATO.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41749.htm
Russia Invites China to Join in Creating Lunar Station
Russia plans to launch its national orbital station by 2023.
http://sputniknews.com/world/20150428/1021463835.html

The Day After Damascus Falls
The horror that would unfold with either Al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front or the Islamic State using Syria as a base for terror attacks on the West and continuing to decapitate infidels would be hard for the world to watch and there would be demands to “do something.” But realistic options would be few, with a shattered and scattered Syrian army no longer a viable force capable of driving the terrorists from power.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41724.htm

Prior to 2001 the US did not recognize any terrorist organizations in sub-Saharan Africa.
The numerous groups that have sprung up in the intervening years have destabilised the countries the US had sought to strengthen.
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/04/15/us-militarys-battlefield-tomorrow

Who is bombing whom in the Middle East?
The Saudis are bombing Yemen because they fear the Shia Houthis are working for the Iranians, and also in Iraq and Syria. So are the United Arab Emirates. The Syrian government is bombing its enemies in Syria and the Iraqi government is also bombing its enemies in Iraq. America, France, Britain, Denmark, Holland, Australia and Canada are bombing Isis in Syria and in Iraq. The Egyptians are bombing parts of Libya, the Iranians have acknowledged bombing in Iraq and of course the Israelis have  bombed Syrian government forces in Syria but not Isis (an interesting choice, we’d all agree).
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/robert-fisk-who-is-bombing-whom-in-the-middle-east-10222938.html
What is the Saudi-led coalition’s end game in Yemen?
The coalition is dropping weapons and arming various factions in a country already awash with guns. With the right spark, the highly volatile environment falls into an explosive domino effect, where the worst is yet to come and we brace for a Syria scenario on steroids.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/05/saudi-led-coalition-game-yemen-150504124934102.html

Is email killing off the art of conversation?
Most replies contain just five words. Younger people send shorter emails than older users who also spend more time composing their emails.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3037312/Is-email-killing-art-conversation-messages-replies-contain-just-five-words-finds-biggest-study-email.html#ixzz3ZCEwFwxh

Peruvian farmers restoring 7th century canals
Non-governmental agency helping farmers restore ancient system in Andean region and revitalise their water supplies.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/05/peruvian-farmers-restoring-7th-century-canals-150503084636928.html

What are the most controversial points in climate science?
This promises to be a rewarding and informative discussion

What are the most controversial points in climate science?

States meet on climate, renewables, in effort to lead Australia as feds stall
ACT environment minister Simon Corbell said on Monday that the Capital Territory with its ambitious 90 per cent renewables and 40 per cent emissions targets hoped to lead a state-based climate effort that would more than make up for Australia’s distinct lack of ambition on the federal front.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/states-meet-on-climate-renewables-in-effort-to-lead-australia-as-feds-stall-35220
RET deal struck, but policy bastardry continues
Coalition and Labor agree on a big cut to renewables target, but big coal, as usual, is the biggest winner.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/ret-deal-struck-but-policy-bastardry-continues-55314

The John James Newsletter 60
16 May 2015

(I will be overseas for the next three months, mainly in France with my beloved churches. I will continue to send out Newsletters each Saturday, though they may have a few less goodies.)

In a world of conflict, a world of victims and executioners, thinking people should not to be on the side of the executioners
Albert Camus

This is a most interesting assessment of US policies. Well worth considering.
Chaos – not Victory – is Empire’s Game
That’s the way (i) to control people, nations and their resources; (ii) to assures the west a continuous need for military; and (iii) to push a country into disarray or chaos so it becomes broke so it needs money – money with hardship conditions attached by the World Bank that equals enslavement.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41771.htm
Clinton made Libya a ‘jihadist wonderland’
“It was a big mistake for us to go in there in the first place, because a lot of the times when we topple secular dictators, we’ve gotten chaos and then we’ve gotten the rise of radical Islam, It made Libya a hotbed for jihadists.”
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/241555-paul-clinton-made-libya-a-jihadist-wonderland
To protect Washington’s unique power status following the Soviet collapse, Paul Wolfowitz in 1992 penned what is known as The Wolfowitz Doctrine. This is the basis for Washington’s foreign policy.
“Our first objective is to prevent the re-emergence of a new rival, either on the territory of the former Soviet Union or elsewhere, that poses a threat on the order of that posed formerly by the Soviet Union. This is a dominant consideration underlying the new regional defense strategy and requires that we endeavor to prevent any hostile power from dominating a region whose resources would, under consolidated control, be sufficient to generate global power.”
In March of this year the Council on Foreign Relations extended this doctrine to China. Washington is now committed to blocking the rise of two large nuclear-armed countries. This commitment is the reason for the crisis that Washington has created in Ukraine and for its use as anti-Russian propaganda. China is now confronted with the Pivot to Asia and the construction of new US naval and air bases to ensure Washington’s control of the South China Sea, which is now defined as an area of American National Interest.
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2015/05/11/war-threat-rises-economy-declines-paul-craig-roberts/
The Blindness of the European Union in the Face of US Military Strategy
EU officials are completely wrong regarding Islamist attacks in Europe and the migration of people fleeing wars. This is not the accidental consequence of conflict in the broader Middle East and Africa, but a strategic objective of the United States.
http://www.voltairenet.org/article187529.html

Snowden says Australia watching its citizens ‘all the time’
He warned that journalists are at risk of having their contacts exposed by mass surveillance. “Under these mandatory metadata laws you can immediately see who journalists are contacting, from which you can derive their sources.”
http://rt.com/news/257193-snowden-australia-surveillance-metadata/

The Big Business Of Cancer
100 billion dollars was spent on cancer drugs last year. At the beginning of the last century, one person in twenty would get cancer. In the 1940s it was one out of every sixteen people. In the 1970s it was one person out of ten. Today one person out of three gets cancer in the course of their life.We live in a society that is highly toxic, and it is getting worse with each passing day.
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/the-big-business-of-cancer-100-billion-dollars-was-spent-on-cancer-drugs-last-year-alone

Sea level rising faster in past 20 years than in entire 20th century
Sea levels are predicted to rise by close to a meter in the next 85 years. That would affect more than 150 million people living in low-lying coastal communities.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-12/sea-level-rise-accelerates-faster-in-past-20-years/6461752

The Greek Endgame: Time to Choose between Default and Defeat
A nearly-botched pension payout last week revealed just how critical the government’s fiscal position has become. It’s time to forget about all the friendly rhetoric about Greece reaching a “mutually beneficial” deal with its creditors. The endgame is here. The Eurozone will not back down. Either the Greek government defaults, or it will be defeated. There is no other way.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41816.htm
These are the payments due, including to the IMF, to June 30.
May 12 — 757 million euros to IMF
May 30 — 1.5 billion euros in pensions, salaries
June 5  —  303 million euros to IMF
June 12 — 341 million euros to IMF
June 16 — 568 million euros to IMF
June 19 — 341 million euros to IMF
June 30 — 1.5 billion euros in pensions, salaries
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102667914
Greece Invited to Join New BRICS Development Bank
The BRICS Development Bank is a new initiative that will help member states lessen their dependence on the IMF.
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Greece-Invited-to-Join-New-BRICS-Development-Bank-20150512-0039.html
The IMF’s Struggle for Relevancy
It was created to defend free market economics after the start of the Cold War. It was never meant to help less developing countries but was meant to help steer them away from socialism.
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/analysis/The-IMFs-Struggle-for-Relevancy-20150416-0037.html

US “Operation Rooms” Backing Al Qaeda in Syria
US policy think-tank Brookings Institution confirms that contrary to propaganda, US-Saudi “moderates” and Turkey-Qatar “Islamists” have been coordinating all along.

US “Operation Rooms” Backing Al Qaeda in Syria

The Real Lessons of the Tory Victory
We cannot imagine a different world, a different economic system, a different media landscape, because our intellectual horizons have been totally restricted by the media conglomerates that control our newspapers, our TV and radio stations, the films we watch, the video games we play, the music we listen to.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41803.htm

Russia’s Stumbling Pivot to Asia
Moscow and Beijing are trying to cement closer ties, but delays in high-profile energy deals highlight lingering tensions between them.  The reality is that competing interests and clashing visions everywhere from Central Asia to China’s own backyard are keeping Moscow and Beijing from consummating their courtship.

Russia’s Stumbling Pivot to Asia

The Short Life and Speedy Death of Russia’s Silicon Valley
In 2009, Moscow unveiled an ambitious plan to build a world-class technology incubator. Then corruption, brain drain, and Putin killed it.

The Short Life and Speedy Death of Russia’s Silicon Valley

Extreme secrecy eroding support for Obama’s trade pact
Classified briefings and bill-readings in basement rooms are making members queasy. If you want to hear the details of the TPP trade deal, you’ve got to be a member of Congress, and you’ve got to go to classified briefings and leave your staff and cellphone at the door. You are handed one section at a time, watched over as you read, and forced to hand over any notes you make before leaving. And no matter what, you can’t discuss the details of what you’ve read.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/secrecy-eroding-support-for-trade-pact-critics-say-117581.html

Scientists weigh up new evidence on Antarctic ice melt
“Most scientists would be hard-pressed to find mechanisms that do not include human-made climate change.”  Since 2003, ice loss over the whole continent increased at the rate of six billion tons a year. West Antarctica’s melting rate, however, accelerated by 18 billion tons a year during the same timespan.
http://www.climatenewsnetwork.net/scientists-weigh-up-new-evidence-on-antarctic-ice-melt/

The first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season formed off the South Carolina coast  nearly a month before the season officially begins.
http://abc13.com/weather/first-named-storm-forms-before-atlantic-hurricane-season-begins/704610/

Iran welcomes Saudi Arabia inspection of its aid ship
The Iranian cargo ship carrying 2,500 tons of humanitarian aid including food and medicine left Iran’s southern Bandar Abbas port on May 11 to the Yemeni port of Hodeida. The ship also carries rescue workers from the Iran’s Red Crescent Society as well as some 20 journalists.
http://en.trend.az/iran/politics/2394001.html
Iran Warns of War if Aid Ship to Yemen Attacked
The deputy chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces warned on Tuesday that Iran would retaliate in force against any country, which attacks an Iranian ship with humanitarian aid on board.
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150513/1022078061.html

Yemen’s War Is Redrawing the Middle East’s Fault Lines
Saudi Arabia’s ongoing war in Yemen does more to highlight the kingdom’s isolation than its power.
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/05/12/yemens-war-redrawing-middle-easts-fault-lines

Turkey’s Gas Game
Europe hoped Turkey could help the continent wean itself off Russian fuel. But Ankara might have other plans. This one pipeline, which could deliver gas as early as next year, could endanger a critical alliance the West has spent decades cultivating, and upend Eurasia’s entire energy and security landscape. Turkey would become a middleman for Europe’s energy buyers, and it would be precisely the linchpin Moscow needs to keep an energy hold on the continent.

Turkey’s Reckless Gas Game

The John James Newsletter 61
23 May 2015- Paros

Israel has for years worked to remove Assad
with US support it has encouraged Assad’s enemies, including IS
now that IS controls Palmyra, the “pearl” of the desert,
the most intact 2,000 years old monument to ancient Rome,
should its imminent destruction be blamed on Israel, on it’s clandestine control over US policy?
Will Israel still prosper with IS in control of Damascus?
Senior Israelis say they would prefer a victory by Al-Qaeda over a victory by Assad.

The Day After Damascus Falls

and
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/05/palmyra-destroyed-syria-isil-150521113045812.html
and
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2013/03/16/Syria-s-ancient-city-of-Palmyra-on-brink-of-destruction.html
Syrian War Set to Re-Explode
US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia alliance with Al Qaeda has the potential to engulf the region in violence. Deep Saudi pocketbooks combined with Turkish ground forces are a catastrophe in the making.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41842.htm

Palestine Scores Major Victory With Vatican Recognition of Statehood
With the Israeli-Palestinian peace process all but dead and buried, a growing chorus of countries and international bodies are moving toward recognizing Palestinian sovereignty in an attempt to push the Israeli government to make concessions toward their Palestinian rivals. That effort received a powerful boost when Pope Francis announced that the Vatican has recognised the state of Palestine.

Palestine Scores Major Victory With Vatican Recognition of Statehood

136 Nations Recognise the Palestinian State
http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/136-nations-recognize-a-palestinian-state-only-obama-stands-in-the-way-of-full-global-recognition

NATO deliberately destroyed Libya’s water infrastructure
UNICEF reported that the disruption to the GMR had left 4 million Libyans without potable water. The GMR remains disrupted to this day, and Libya’s national water crisis continues to escalate. The deliberate destruction of a nation’s water infrastructure, with the knowledge that doing so would result in massive deaths
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2869234/war_crime_nato_deliberately_destroyed_libyas_water_infrastructure.html

Huge Bee Die-Off
US lost 40% of bees last year. Some pesticides, like neonicotinoids, have long been shown to be major causes of bee decline.
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/05/14/years-ago-was-unheard-dire-trend-persists-huge-bee-die

Macedonia – the next hot spot after Ukraine?
A few days ago, Russia stated that the the Turkish Stream gas will go through at the end of 2016. If this happens, the US will lose a trump card to put pressure on Russia and Europe, which may encourage the CIA to repeat its Ukraine strategy in Macedonia.
http://fortruss.blogspot.mx/2015/05/macedonia-next-hot-spot-after-ukraine.html

Super heating of the methane traps of Siberia
No Pause — NASA Shows Human Hothouse Maintaining Record High Temperatures for 2015.Overall, temperatures at +0.99 degrees Celsius above 1880s averages for the first four months of 2015 should be cause for concern. We still have El Nino ramping up in the Pacific could well ramp higher later this year. Looking at the global temperature anomaly map provided by NASA, we can see where much of this extra heat accumulated throughout April:
Global Temps NASA April 2015

https://robertscribbler.wordpress.com/

What can we do about climate change?
How do we have meaning in a world that is going to be so different from the one in which most of our values were created?

What can we do about climate change?

Bibi: The Hidden Consequences of His Victory
The Israeli electorate has given a mandate for policies that preclude any settlement with the Palestinians. The international boycott [against Israel] will intensify. The demand to fully enfranchise the Palestinians will eventually prove irresistible. What happens after that, no one can say.
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2015/apr/23/bibi-hidden-consequences-his-victory/

Yet Another Huge Diplomatic Victory for Russia
Unless you read Russian you might not have noticed that something big just happened in Russia: Kerry, Nuland and a large State Department delegation have met with Foreign Minister Lavrov and then with President Putin.  With the latter they spent over 4 hours.  Not only that, but Kerry said he would strongly caution Poroshenko against renewing military operations. To say that this is a stunning development would be an understatement.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41835.htm
and
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/16/world/europe/a-diplomatic-victory-and-affirmation-for-putin.html

Leading doctor says mobile phone radiation a hotline to brain cancer
There is a million times more radiation today than there was 50 years ago,” he said. “The World Health Organisation has upgraded cell phone radiation to B2 category, which means possibly –carcinogenic.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/leading-doctor-says-mobile-phone-radiation-a-hotline-to-brain-cancer/story-fni0fiyv-1227349594139
too much electromagnetic radiation is being emitted from them which could be a reason for rising cancer rates and an increase in autism and obesity.Nearly 200 experts are calling on the UN to provide guidelines as they say the radiation is damaging DNA in our cells.
http://www.euronews.com/2015/05/12/scientists-warn-against-mobile-phone-radiation/
for the text
http://www.emfscientist.org/images/docs/International_EMF_Scientist_Appeal_Description.pdf

Why Australia will lead the world in solar + storage
Tesla has changed the conversation around battery storage. Consumers want it, competitors and retailers are going to have to move quickly to meet that demand, and Australia is being regarded as the market where it could all happen. Australia is going to be the testing ground for the world,
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/why-australia-will-lead-the-world-in-solar-storage-78627
Queensland commits to 50% renewable target by 2030
This means that all three Labor states are looking to ambitious renewable energy targets, in contrast with the Federal government which is looking to cut the target for large-scale renewables.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/queensland-commits-to-50-renewable-target-by-2030
States meet on climate, renewables, in effort to lead Australia as feds stall
ACT hoped to lead a state-based climate effort that would more than make up for Australia’s distinct lack of ambition on the federal front.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/states-meet-on-climate-renewables-in-effort-to-lead-australia-as-feds-stall-35220

Climate Denial Takes a Toll on Scientists—and Science
Climate denial campaigns “can absolutely influence what you do and what you write about,” said Trenberth, who was not involved in the study. “Part of the reason they do it is to distract you and get you to waste your time.” Instead of “publishing the good science needed to advance our understanding of climate change,” scientists are left defending their work and debunking false claims
http://insideclimatenews.com/news/11052015/climate-denial-takes-toll-scientists%E2%80%94and-science.

Trident whistleblower: nuclear ‘disaster waiting to happen’
“This is bigger than me, it’s bigger than all of us. We are so close to a nuclear disaster it is shocking, and yet everybody is accepting the risk to the public.” A fascinating bad-time story…..
https://wikileaks.org/trident-safety/
Range of Wikileaks papers:

Who is not bombing in the Middle East?
The Saudis are bombing Yemen because they fear the Shia Houthis are working for the Iranians. The Syrian government is bombing its enemies in Syria and the Iraqi government is bombing its enemies in Iraq. America, France, Britain, Denmark, Holland, Australia and Canada are bombing Isis in Syria and in Iraq. The Egyptians are bombing parts of Libya, the Iranians have acknowledged bombing in Iraq and of course the Israelis have  bombed Syrian government forces in Syria but not Isis (an interesting choice, we’d all agree).
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/robert-fisk-who-is-bombing-whom-in-the-middle-east-10222938.html

Is email killing off the art of conversation?
Most replies contain just five words. Younger people send shorter emails than older users who also spend more time composing their emails.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3037312/Is-email-killing-art-conversation-messages-replies-contain-just-five-words-finds-biggest-study-email.html#ixzz3ZCEwFwxh

Peruvian farmers restoring 7th century canals
Non-governmental agency helping farmers restore ancient system in Andean region and revitalise their water supplies.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/05/peruvian-farmers-restoring-7th-century-canals-150503084636928.html

A Thoughtful Look at the German-Soviet Clash: Could Hitler Have Won?
What was the real turning point in the war, and why? If Hitler had played his cards a bit differently could he have won the war? German forces came very close to defeating the Soviet Union in 1941. Defeat of Soviet Russia would effectively have resulted in German hegemony over all of Europe – a drastic change in the course of world history.
http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v15/v15n6p38_Bishop.html