Monthly Archives: March 2014

Peak Lithium

Posted on March 10, 2014 by

Bardi, Ugo. 2014. Extracted: How the Quest for Mineral Wealth Is Plundering the Planet. Chelsea Green Publishing. Ugo Bardi (2014), in his book “Extracted” points out that even the minerals needed for nuclear fusion are finite, and the “infinitely abundant … Continue reading →

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Republicans have righteous minds? Really? Book review of the “Righteous Mind”

Posted on March 9, 2014 by

Preface. Although I liked this book, I found other books on far better and more profound. Garcia and Shermer deal with humanity as a species (Tomasello too, but he is hard to read and repetitious, find a book review), and … Continue reading →

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A financial crash would stop new oil production, sending us over the net energy cliff with a 10% decline rate per year

Posted on March 5, 2014 by

Gail Tverberg’s March 4, 2014 “Reasons for our Energy Predicament – an overview” gave me this sudden insight: There is the potential for a sudden drop of 10 to 30% in oil production.  That magnitude of world-wide oil shocks would … Continue reading →

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Credit Rating Agencies gave bad debt AAA ratings

Posted on March 3, 2014 by

How banks gamed the rating system from biz.yahoo.com April 2008 Triple-A Failure Nothing sent the [credit ratings] agencies into high gear as much as the development of structured finance. As Wall Street bankers designed ever more securitized products — using … Continue reading →

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Bernie Madoff

Posted on March 3, 2014 by

The Day the Earth Went Broke. 2008. Byron King   whiskeyandgunpowder.com What if you woke up one day and there was a flying saucer sitting in the middle of Central Park? It would change your view of the world, if not … Continue reading →

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Experts who aren’t worried about Inflation

Posted on March 3, 2014 by

Paul Krugman: The Inflation Obsession. March 2, 2014. New York Times. [modified: both paraphrased and cut] Recently the Federal Reserve released transcripts of its monetary policy meetings during the fateful year of 2008. And, boy, are they discouraging reading because … Continue reading →

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Nature : Hydrocarbons and the evolution of human culture

Posted on March 3, 2014 by

Hydrocarbons and the evolution of human culture Charles Hall et al. 20 NOVEMBER 2003     NATURE. VOL 426 Most of the progress in human culture has required the exploitation of energy resources. About 100 years ago, the major source of energy … Continue reading →

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New York Times : 401K, mutual fund, brokerage fees have cost you tens of thousands of dollars

Posted on March 3, 2014 by

Give Fees an Inch, and They’ll Take a Mile March 1, 2014. Jeff Sommer. New York Times. [I’ve shortened and paraphrased much of the article, go to the link above to see the full article. My comments are in brackets] … Continue reading →

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New York Times: Global Bond Frenzy Raises Concerns

Posted on March 3, 2014 by

Global Bond Frenzy Raises Concerns Feb 19, 2014. Landon Thomas. New York Times Global bond investors have financed some of the most enormous projects ever taken on by emerging economies the past few years. Now growth is faltering in many … Continue reading →

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Matt Simmons “Twilight in the Desert” Saudi Arabia oil: how much left?

Posted on March 1, 2014 by

Once the large fields peak in Saudi Arabia oil shocks will reverberate throughout the world Best up-to-date status of oil fields in Saudi Arabia. Ghawar is in decline, but 2 new fields filled in, once they’re in decline, there are … Continue reading →

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