Tag: Europe

INTERESTING: Where is Africa, Europe, South America, and the USA actually?

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/1e7f582d478a4b99bd0c70fffeac4c8b?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

Misconceptions
Some common geographic mental misplacements
John Nelson

*** begin quote ***

So what are some tantalizing locational mistakes that seemingly come pre-installed in American students’ minds that geography teachers wrestle to overcome?

So glad you asked! Here is a cherry-picked handful of examples that we’ll dive into…

  • The northiness of Africa
  • The northiness of Europe
  • The eastiness of South America

*** end quote ***

I think I knew these but it was good to get a feel for EXACTLY where these places are.

How does your mental map square with reality?

—30—

ECONOMICS: Energy is critical to life as we know it and it’s not “free”

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.realclearenergy.org/articles/2022/10/03/joe_bidens_energy_crisis_856943.html

Joe Biden’s Energy Crisis
By Rupert Darwall
October 03, 2022

*** begin quote ***

The West is experiencing its third energy crisis.

*** and ***

This time is different. The third energy crisis was not sparked by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies or by Iranian ayatollahs. It was self-inflicted, a foreseeable outcome of policy choices made by the West: Germany’s disastrous Energiewende that empowered Vladimir Putin to launch an energy war against Europe; Britain’s self-regarding and self-destructive policy of “powering past coal” and its decision to ban fracking; and, as Joseph Toomey shows in his powerful essay, President Biden’s war on the American oil and gas industry.

*** end quote ***

The USA went from a net exporter to a net importer all to be “green”.  Like “climate change” is a real thing!  And, if it was, that it’s not driven by China and India.

We have not built a gasoline refinery in the USA since the 70’s (or so I’m told).

This “electric car” stupidity is just beyond comprehension.

Hopefully the voters can start taking back control.

31T$ of debt should be a huge wake up call.

—30—

MONEY: “Inside Money” standard and the “Outside Money” reality

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://tomluongo.me/2022/03/13/ins-outs-whose-money-is-it-anyway/

MONEY, POLITICS
The Ins and Outs of Whose Money is it Anyway?
Date: March 13, 2022Author: Tom Luongo

*** begin quote ***

Today’s “Inside Money” standard, known colloquially as the Dollar Reserve standard, is actually what I like to call “Milton Friedman’s Nightmare.” It is nothing more than a system of competitively devalued and inflated debt-based scrips running around drinking each other’s milkshakes until everyone’s glass is empty.

FYI, there are a lot of empty glasses around the world right now and more are being created everyday as the financial system turned predatory after the Lehman Bros. collapse in 2008.

It was then that the Central Banks and governments turned fully against the people sucking up more and more outside money by inflating inside money egregiously to control more and more of the real wealth of the world.

There is only one problem with that, however. Eventually, you run out of property to squeeze out of people’s hands. The more you take, the less people are restrained by little things like laws.

Eventually two things happen. The first is what we’ve been seeing from Russia and China for the past twelve years — steady accumulation of gold and other hard assets, outside money, including the building of real manufacturing infrastructure as well as the financial infrastructure to house it.

The second is just over the horizon — the moment where all the legal claims to controlling outside money mean nothing when enforcement of those legal claims gets exposed as a bluff because there aren’t enough enforcers capable of keeping the looters from taking it.

*** end quote ***

I’m am waiting for the “Great Reset” to drop on “We, The Sheeple” of which I am part of in someways.  I know this is going to hurt the poor, the seniors, those on fixed incomes, as well as the non-super rich.

Wonder what the price of gold will go to … … (the fellow’s guess)  about 45k$.  By other guesstimates, that’ll translate to 80$/gallon for gas.  Now I’m not predicting this but even if gas goes from 4 to 8$/gallon, the economy is totally screwed.

The U$D would be near worthless.

Argh!

The future is murky and there could be a cliff in the fog.

—30—

 

GOVEROTRAGEOUS: Gooferment diktats can not match the performance of a free market

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.newsmax.com/finance/streettalk/europe-meaningless-flights/2022/01/06/id/1051279/

Thursday, 06 January 2022 10:10 AM

*** begin quote *** 
 
Europe’s sky is filling up with near-empty polluting planes that serve little other purpose than safeguarding airlines’ valuable time slots at some of the world’s most important airports.

The highly contagious omicron variant of COVID-19 has put many off flying, and because of it, getting people and goods from point A to point B has become an afterthought for thousands of flights. It has created strange bedfellows, with environmentalists and major airlines united to cut down on empty or near-empty flights by pressuring the European Union — a pledged global leader in combating climate change — to tweak the rules on airport slots.

“The EU surely is in a climate emergency mode,” activist Greta Thunberg tweeted sarcastically this week, linking to a story about Brussels Airlines making unnecessary flights.

The company has said that if the EU doesn’t take action, it would have to fly some 3,000 journeys this winter primarily to safeguard its network rights.

German giant Lufthansa said it would have to fly an additional 18,000 “unnecessary” flights through the winter to hold on to landing slots. Even if the holidays brought a big increase in passengers — marked by thousands of flight cancellations that left travelers stranded — the rest of the winter period could be slow as omicron surges worldwide.

*** end quote ***

William Rusher, the editor of the conservative National Review, quoted economist Milton Friedman as saying that “if the government were to take over the Sahara Desert, there would be a shortage of sand in five years.”

Ditto, landing slots?

If the airlines could “rent” landing slots from a private entrepreneur, then surely an effective and efficient solution could be found that the didn’t entail flying empty place around at a staggering cost?   But once the Gooferment politicians and bureaucrats get involved everyone suffers.

—30— 

SURVIVAL: Insulate, seek alternatives, and plan before the cost of energy goes up?

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

Germany’s Reaction To The Energy Crisis Could Be Catastrophic
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/germanys-reaction-energy-crisis-could-be-catastrophic

 — via my feedly newsfeed

​*** begin quote ***

These rising power prices in Europe are fueling inflation, and Trafigura has warned that Europe could experience rolling blackouts if this winter turns out to be a cold one. Meanwhile, natural gas flows from Russia are a big question mark, with tensions over Nord Stream 2 and Russia’s possible invasion of Ukraine exacerbating Europe’s power situation. 

*** end quote ***

The article cites German switch from nuclear and gas to renewable electric with all new construction being required to use electric heat pumps.

Since every bad idea in Europe seems to flow to the USA, it would behoove folks to examine how they are going to stay warm in the​ coming DECADE.  Even in non-SHTF planning, higher “energy” costs may mean that alternatives might be critical  — in terms of budget, availability, or outages. 

At the very least, some insulation and other energy saving investments might cost less now before “everyone wants them” and give a great ROI. 

IMHO

—30—

POLITICAL: “We, The Sheeple” should not be paying for other’s “defense”

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

http://www.cato.org/blog/europeans-not-americans-should-spend-more-europes-defense

FEBRUARY 8, 2016 9:08AM
Europeans, not Americans, Should Spend More on Europe’s Defense
By DOUG BANDOW 

*** begin quote ***

The U.S. plans on filling Eastern Europe with thousands of troops along with vehicles and weapons to equip an armored combat brigade. That will require a special budget request of $3.4 billion for next year.

An unnamed administration official told the New York Times, that the step “fulfills promises we’ve made to NATO” and “also shows our commitment and resolve.” Moreover, said another anonymous aide: “This reflects a new situation, where Russia has become a more difficult actor.”

However, the basic question remains unanswered: Why is the U.S. defending Europe? The need for America to play an overwhelming role disappeared as the continent recovered and the Cold War ended.

*** end quote ***

Clearly, this should be a top priority of any new President. “We, The Sheeple” should not be paying for Europe’s, Japan’s, South Korea’s, or anyone else’s!

Don’t forget “We, The Sheeple” “have” the current 18T+ national debt and the guesstimated 200T+ in unfunded liabilities that our posterity will have to deal with!

# – # – # – # – #