Sunday, April 18, 2010

Pentagon chief raises threat of attacking Iran

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Pentagon chief raises threat of attacking Iran

Iran Hoarding Oil At Sea Because They Can't Sell It
Economic impact to bite if cloud lingers
Iceland Volcano Eruption Forces Cancellation of 77% of Europe Flights, Possibly Until April 22; Fascinating images
Europe counts benefit of saved carbon emissions
Not to mention conserved oil.
The Volcanic Ash From Eyjafjallajökull Is Worsening, Showing No Signs Of Letting Up
Volcanic ash relentless as new tremors rock Iceland
The eruption in 1812 lasted two years.

Economy

The Dodd Bill Will Kill America's Job Creation Engine
State Tax Revenues Likely Decline Record 6th Straight Quarter; Investors not Compensated for Risk on Illinois, California Bonds California Unemployment Hasn't Peaked Yet

And 100,000 Californians will lose their benefits this weekend.
Clinton Says Rubin, Summers Gave Him `Wrong' Advice on Derivatives Rules
Cutback risk to 500,000 mental health patients

Merrill Lynch Accused of Same Fraud as Goldman Sachs; Tip of the Iceberg of Fraud Charges

Saint-Etienne Swaps Explode as Financial Weapons Ambush Europe - from Rice Farmer

General election 2010: Labour promises Mandarin in schools - from Rice Farmer

Terror/Unrest/Intelligence

Thai army sends troops to Bangkok financial district

Microsoft's Chinese workforce, too tired to stay awake
The organisation said that one worker was even fined for losing his finger while operating a hole punch press.

Spam Suspect Uses Google Docs; FBI Happy

PS to the person asking about gold: We do not recommend numismatics.

12 comments:

v said...

Iran “Orders” U.S. to Exit Afgahistan; Says Israel Will “Collapse”


Bayer admits GMO contamination out of control

Goldman fraud case hits global stocks


GrTz,

V

Sebastian Ernst Ronin said...

Cough, cough. The added, sensationalist touch of, "And 100,000 Californians will lose their benefits this weekend," is quite a bit different from the article's statement that, "Development Department estimates that about 100,000 Californians will have exhausted their benefits by this weekend."

"Will lose", i.e. a one-time hit happening this weekend, does not equal "will have exhausted", i.e. cumulative loss of benefits by this weekend.

Cali is still a basket case, but let's paint it as is.

businessman said...

Remember the junk bond and savings and loan scandals of the 1980s? Just a couple of people like Charles Keating and Michael Milken took the blame for everyone while others made off with millions...never to be prosecuted and held accountable for what they did.

Well it looks like with Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, and maybe even some others we'll learn about, something similar is going to happen once again.

agape wins said...

4,19,10; 10:05am.

All you people looking to acquire Gold "without getting ripped off",
if you know so little about the subject you are sure going to lose
your Shirt, and half your Wife's Dress also, when you have to sell
to the black marketer down the street.
Do you know how to find him?
Invest in things you know about, things you can "Dicker" about!
There will be fortunes made, but not by unwise BUYERS!

I find no advice about Gold/Silver knowledge here, where is,
"Gold Buying for Dummies", how come no one asks?

Tom Cleland said...

In the documentary “Collapse”, Michael C. Ruppert recommends stocking up on seeds. I looked online and found some sites claiming long storage life of perhaps 20 or more years, but others saying that’s not possible. Any recommendations?

Also, Ruppert mentions urine as a fertilizer. Amusing but intriguing, I found info on that online, but not much about how much to apply per 100 square feet, or how often. Will manure alone have enough nitrogen?

Unknown said...

Agape,

I agree. Playing a game one does not know well, and trying to be more clever than the others, and win ... that's a sucker's game. Like investing in the stock market today, when you have never had any experience or education in it. "I'm gonna get insider info and be smarter than the others. He he he..." Nonsense.

Other hand, if someone is attracted to gold, or to some other commodity, they may become an expert in time, after a few mistakes.

dalex said...

Tom Cleland - Both of your questions (seed viability and nitrogen levels) have "Shades of gray" answers...

Seeds can certainly remain viable for 20 years or more -- but under normal circumstances, the germination rate (and vigor) will have declined immensely by that time. (We're talking home storage here; not high-tech cryogenic seed banks.) Typically, you'd want to store seeds no more than two to five years. The conditions that allow long storage times are cool temperatures and low moisture (5-10%). Vacuum or oxygen-free packing is not necessary. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange sells silica gel desiccant that will easily get moisture content down to the necessary level.

As far as nitrogen, urine is simply an adjunct; no need to spend time on calculations (although diluting it five to one would probably be a good idea). Properly maintained soils will have enough nitrogen to produce reasonable crops, and nitrogen-fixing "Green manure" plantings (such as legumes) can bring levels up if the soil is somewhat deficient.

Soggy Bottom said...

Tom Cleland:
Good advice and insight from Dalex.

The only seeds that I know of that will last for twenty years or more are the grains - providing they are given some protection from weevil infestation.
The following is a list of Vegetables and their viable life for germination. I have grown all of them in both North and South Hemispheres and found the years given as pretty accurate.

Spinach, Parsnips, Turnips, Swedes, all Legumes (Peas, Beans etc) Sweet Corn, Beets - 2 Years
Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Lettuce and Outdoor Tomatoes - 3 Years
Brussel Sprouts, Celery, Celeriac, Kale (Curly), Leeks and Radish - 4 Years
Carrots 3-5 Years
Savoy Cabbage - 5 Years
Marrows, cucumbers, Zucchini and Pumpkin
- 6 Years

These are the times for home grown seed - seed you have saved yourself.
Packets of seeds bought are not always reliably viable. This year I sowed French Beans from a new packet and out of 44 seeds sown only 12 plants grew. I am saving some of the seed from these plants for next year, when I hope the germination rate will be much improved.
In the future, when seed may be scarce, don't throw seeds out because they are out of date. Sow them and if you only get one plant to grow it will provide you with a future supply of seed for growing on.
I would hope that all on this blog are avoiding hybrid seeds.
As for manuring and fertilizing there is a myriad of books on the subject so suggest you get reading.

jcfougere said...

It only takes a little bit of research to see that as oil peaks(markets crash), liquid assets like precious metals go up in value.

Silver for one being at a record low compared to gold, and also a diminishing resource which at the moment isn't being recycled like gold.

Raymond said...

Tom i wouldnt get caught up on the storage times for seeds - best place to store them is in the ground - plant them, and then collect the seed each season.

Tom Cleland said...

Thanks all.

Tom Cleland said...

Thanks all.