End of World Postponed

From Jenna Orkin:

End of World Postponed
'2012 is not the end of the world
God is not the Creator, claims academic
Energy Crisis Postponed as New Gas Rescues the World
Since this isn't the end of the world, let's get back to destroying it.

This has currency implications. If you strip out the energy deficit, America's vaulting savings rate may soon bring the current account back into surplus – and that is going to come at somebody else's expense, chiefly Japan, Germany and, up to a point, China.

Shale gas is undoubtedly messy. Millions of gallons of water mixed with sand, hydrochloric acid and toxic chemicals are blasted at rocks. This is supposed to happen below the water basins but accidents have been common. Pennsylvania's eco-police have shut down a Cabot Oil & Gas operation after 8,000 gallons of chemicals spilled into a stream.

Death of the dollar and the era of cheap oil, all in the same week
Faces of Death: U.S. Dollar in Crisis
Falling Dollar: Finally Front-Page News
Robert Fisk on “ditching the dollar” in oil trade
Dollar tumbles on report of its demise
Wall Street Derivatives Lobby Links With New Democrats to Blunt Obama Plan
Besides The Fed, Nobody Is Buying Agency Debt
Competitive Currency Debasement - A Look at Rampant Monetary Expansion In China
The speculative bubble in equities is a case for deflation, stagflation and implosion
Death of Petro-Dollar, Told Ya So (from Sebastian Ronin)
Precipitous Drop In State Tax Collections
Will California become America's first failed state?
Three Government Reports Point to Fiscal Doomsday (from Rice Farmer)
Government to sell off £16 billion of assets
Unemployment Benefits on the Brink
'There Would Be No Banking Industry Without Risks'
Stimulus Program Causes Chaos at Cobo
Crackdown Spurs a Heroin Clearance Sale in Southeast Asia ...
Sebelius: Americans must get swine flu vaccination
The next financial crisis
Police chiefs endorse anti-terror community watch
Soloflex founder Jerry Wilson mounts "viral" campaign for Oregon governor
Sebastian Ronin, GPNS Leadership Candidate

Peak Oil
Era of cheap, easy oil is over, warns study (in the Telegraph)
End of Oil Age is Near, Deutsche Bank Says (from Sebastian Ronin)
Energy bills to hit 'nightmare' £2,000 a year, regulator says
Millions of pensioners will go cold as energy prices soar
Peak oil debate is irrelevant because there is no time to prepare (from Rice Farmer)
Gazprom Wants 10% of U.S. Market by 2014
Lightening the Load: Airline asks passenger to pee before boarding (from Rice Farmer)
What Peaked at the Same Time as Oil Prices? Lots of things. (from Rice Farmer)

Asia
UN chief admits Afghan elections were fraudulent
Cern physicist admits links with al-Qaida
French, Kazakhs Sign Raft of Deals
Pakistani FM: US may know Bin Laden's hideout (from Rice Farmer)
US says bin Laden is in Pakistan (from Rice Farmer)
Central Bank Spends Big to Restrain Ruble
Look East: Why Chinese lessons are booming
Cocaine Abuse Doubles in Four Years

Intelligence
Telephone Company is Arm of Government, Feds Admit in Spy Suit (from Rice Farmer)
Who's in Big Brother's Database?
James Bamford review, submitted by Rice Farmer, of a book about the NSA. Much of the content is already known or suspected by readers of this blog but some details are thought provoking such as this:

With supercomputers measured by the acre and estimated $70 million annual electricity bills for its headquarters, the agency has begun browning out, which is the reason for locating its new data centers in Utah and Texas.
Spies Protest After Intel-Sharing Tools Shut Down

Science
Cybugs
Remote-controlled beetles.
Monsanto Forecasts African Farmers Will Increase Planting of Biotech Crops
Prince Charles warns of 'broadband deserts'
From Secrecy News:

NEW DOD WEBSITE FOSTERS SECRET SCIENCE

The Pentagon's Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) last month announced the creation of a new password-protected portal where authorized users may gain access to restricted scientific and engineering publications."DTIC Online Access Controlled... provides a gateway to Department of Defense unclassified, controlled science and technology (S&T) and research and engineering (R&E) information," according to a September 21, 2009 news release (pdf). "As defense S&T information advances, so does the unique community to which it belongs," said DTIC Administrator R. Paul Ryan.The cultivation of controlled but unclassified scientific research by DTIC seems to represent a departure from a longstanding U.S. government position that scientific research should either be classified, if necessary, or else unrestricted. (There have always been exceptions for export controlled information and for proprietary information.)"It is the policy of this Administration that, to the maximum extent possible, the products of fundamental research remain unrestricted," wrote President Reagan in the 1985 National Security Decision Directive 189. "It is also the policy of this Administration that, where the national security requires control, the mechanism for control of information... is classification.""The key to maintaining U.S. technological preeminence is to encourage open and collaborative basic research," wrote then-National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice in 2001. "The linkage between the free exchange of ideas and scientific innovation, prosperity, and U.S. national security is undeniable."In response to a request 5 days ago, DTIC was not able to provide a comment on the matter.

And...
Gold at record for third day
Munchkins at 90
Toto got paid more than they did.