Friday Cat Blogging
Posted by MEC on October 7, 2011
Posted in Alexander the Great, Friday Cat Blogging | 1 Comment »
Doing away with one another: UN report on homicide
Posted by Charles II on October 6, 2011
Thanks to Jo6Pac, since AP doesn’t want anyone to know they exist, I looked up the UN report on homicide. From the report:
Since 1995, the homicide rate has decreased in many countries, mainly in Asia, Europe and Northern America, to the extent that it can be a relatively rare occurrence. Yet it has increased in others, particularly Central America and the Caribbean, where today it can be seen to be nearing crisis point.
…
Higher levels of homicide are associated with low human and economic development. The largest shares of homicides occur in countries with low levels of human development, and countries with high levels of income inequality are afflicted by homicide rates almost four times higher than more equal societies. Homicide and property crime were affected by the global financial crisis of 2008/2009, with increases in homicides coinciding with drops in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and rises in the Consumer Price index (CPI) in a sample of countries affected by the crisis.
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This [disproportionate amount of male homicides of males] translates into a much higher risk of men being murdered than women, with global homicide rates of 11.9 and
2.6 per 100,000, respectively [despite the greater risk of domestic violence that women face].
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Globally, UNODC estimates that the total number of annual homicides in 2010 was 468,000. An initial disparity in homicide distribution around the globe can be seen when disaggregating that figure by region, with the largest proportion, some 36 per cent or 170,000 homicides, estimated to occur in Africa, 31 per cent, or approximately
144,000, in the Americas and 27 per cent, or 128,000, in Asia. Europe and Oceania account for significantly less at 5 per cent, or 25,000, and under 1 per cent, or 1,200 homicides, respectively.
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The homicide rate in the Americas is, at 15.6 per 100,000, more than double the world average (figure 1.3), while, at 17.4 per 100,000, Africa has the highest rate among all regions, although it also has the largest uncertainty range due to large discrepancies
between criminal justice and public health data.4 Asia falls between 2.4 and 4.3 per
100,000, and both Europe and Oceania also fall below the global average at 3.5 per 100,000, respectively.
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the homicide rate usually increases when countries move from very high to lower levels of development.
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Inequality is also a driver of high levels of homicide. Homicide rates plotted against the Gini Index, an important measure of inequality, show that at global level countries with large income disparities (Gini Index higher than 0.45) have a homicide rate almost four times higher than more equal societies.
Unsurprisingly, a lot of the violence is driven by drug trafficking.
Posted in War On Some Drugs, world news | 1 Comment »
All the hullabaloo/updated
Posted by Charles II on October 6, 2011
…is over this:
As you can see, the market broke below a technical level, and then bounced up. As always, there are more than one way to see it. Bulls will say that the attempt to break below (by the SPY index is denominated as the S&P 500 divided by 10) failed, and that market direction is up, up, and away! Bears will say this could be the start of a new downward channel.
I can’t see anything in the news that makes me think that any basic problems have been solved. Trichet is out at the ECB, so they can do rate cuts. I always thought Trichet was reliable and serving the mandate he was given (price stability). Europe should have changed the mandate. Instead they changed the person.
Sorry for all the stock market stories, but these are, I believe, key signals for what is happening behind the scenes unreported. That is, a consensus is building that Europe has to forgo price stability for bank stability. Let Greece riot. Let the Irish abandon their ancestral home in yet another wave of emigration. Europe is going to do a TARP, and save the &$%# banks. [Updated: Atrios apparently agrees with this assessment of the news from Europe. ]
Posted in stock market | 1 Comment »
Speaking of ents…
Posted by Charles II on October 4, 2011
Often referred to as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the North Pacific Gyre could be twice the size of Texas and contains about 3.5 million tons of trash – it’s called the world’s largest landfill.
Much of the trash is plastic that’s broken down into suspended particulates, a testament to humanity’s reliance on petroleum and our failure to dispose of products made from it properly. For years it was believed the trash was unredeemable.
Not any longer. A California-based green household and personal products company called Method has figured out a way to use plastic from the Gyre in the production of 100% post-consumer polyethylene bottles. 25% of the plastic used in the bottles is recovered from the Gyre.
Now that’s entertainm-ent!
Posted in environment, Good Things | 5 Comments »
Calling All Ents! Chip Cravaack’s In Your Neck Of The Woods!
Posted by Phoenix Woman on October 4, 2011
Chip Cravaack’s office put out this press release yesterday:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Michael Bars
October 3, 2011 Office: 202-225-6211
PERMALINK Cell: 202-360-2894MEDIA ADVISORY: U.S. Representatives Cravaack, Benishek, Duffy, Ribble, Announce Forestry Conference
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Chip Cravaack (MN-8) is pleased to join with House colleagues Benishek (MI), Duffy (WI), Ribble (WI), and industry leaders in a conference to discuss issues currently facing U.S. forestry operations, as well as to forecast future challenges.What: The Forestry Policy Conference is a unique effort to highlight current policies impacting national forests and discuss opportunities that will allow better utilization of forest resources across the four congressional districts represented. A multi-state and multi-Congressional District Forestry Advisory Council will be announced for the purpose of providing ongoing advice and counsel to the four members.
Who: U.S. Representatives Dan Benishek M.D. (MI-1), Chip Cravaack (MN-8), Sean Duffy (WI-7), Reid Ribble (WI-8), industry leaders and others interested in forestry issues. Additionally, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell will provide special remarks during the conference.
When & Where: Monday, Oct. 17, 2011; Nicolet College, 5364 College Drive, Rhinelander, WI; 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Why: There are six national forests in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan and the issues and concerns related to timber supply, transportation, regulatory reform and lawsuit reform are virtually the same in each state.
Description of the Event: In addition to the Chief Tidewell’s remarks, the conference will include four panel discussion topics, with the Representatives serving as moderators, on national forest management, timber supply and transportation issues, lawsuit reform, and regulatory reform.
Additional speakers include Chuck Meyers, Regional Forester, U.S. Forest Service, Milwaukee, WI; Rick Degen, Bennett Hardwoods, Inc., Green Bay, WI; State Representative Tom Tiffany, Hazelhurst, WI; State Senator Tom Casperson, Escanaba, MI; Henry Scheinebeck, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association, Rhinelander, WI; Jon Lamy, Regional Manager for Louisiana Pacific Corporation, Sagola, MI; Howard Hedstrom, President of Hedstrom Lumber, Grand Marais, MN; Jane Severt, Executive Director of the Wisconsin County Forests Association, Rhinelander, WI; Gary Zimmer, Regional Biologist from the Ruffed Grouse Society, Laona, WI; David Oberstar, Attorney with Fryberger, Buchanan, Smith & Frederick, Duluth, MN; John Piotrowski, Environmental Manager for the Packaging Corporation of America, Tomahawk, WI; ; John Gephart, Vice President of North Shore Forest Products, Duluth, MN; and Scott Robbins, Director of Forestry Initiatives for the Michigan Forest Products Council, White Pine, MI.
RSVP’s Encouraged: Space is limited; therefore, interested attendees should contact Lori Latham at (989) 448-881 to reserve a seat at the conference.
To RSVP for this event, or for more information, please click here.
I can hear the chainsaws being warmed up already.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: Chip Cravaack, clear cutting, ents, Republicans, run trees run!, Sean Duffy | 2 Comments »
1125 1014?
Posted by Charles II on October 4, 2011
OK, the market has broken support on fairly heavy volume. As mentioned previously, the next stop according to technicians is around 1014 (a further 7.5% drop), a Fibonacci retracement of 61.8% from the top in summer 2008 to the bottom in March 2009. Asia and futures are red. Hong Kong, which according to Barry Ritholtz has been a pretty good predictor of our markets, is down 1.5%. SPY MINI futures have been rising, which suggests a morning bounce.
The main problem is (suhprayhz!) fear over European banks, but more accurately, the complete inability of Europe–and the US and China–to come to terms with the fundamental problems.
Posted in stock market | 1 Comment »
Freedom of the press. Bad news and good news/updated
Posted by Charles II on October 3, 2011
First the bad, courtesy of Yves:
Update: Nick Green at the Village Voice has more. Seems that one of the police videos may have been edited.
Next the good, from DemocracyNow:
A final settlement has been reached in a federal lawsuit challenging the police crackdown on journalists reporting on the 2008 Republican National Convention and protests in St. Paul, Minnesota. Democracy Now! host and executive producer Amy Goodman, along with former producers Nicole Salazar and Sharif Abdel Kouddous, filed the lawsuit last year against the Minneapolis and St. Paul police departments, the Ramsey County Sheriff and United States Secret Service personnel. The lawsuit challenged the policies and conduct of law enforcement during the 2008 RNC that resulted in their arrests. They were among dozens of journalists arrested that week in St. Paul. The settlement includes $100,000 in compensation paid by the St. Paul and Minneapolis police departments and the Secret Service. The settlement also includes an agreement by the St. Paul police department to implement a training program aimed at educating officers regarding the First Amendment rights of the press and public with respect to police operations, including proper procedures for dealing with the press covering demonstrations.
More on the lawsuit from CCR.
Posted in Good Things, media, Media machine, propaganda | 8 Comments »
Trading with the enemy: Lying, cheating, stealing is “the Koch method”
Posted by Charles II on October 3, 2011
Asjylyn Loder and David Evans, Bloomberg:
In May 2008, a unit of Koch Industries Inc., one of the world’s largest privately held companies, sent Ludmila Egorova-Farines, its newly hired compliance officer and ethics manager, to investigate the management of a subsidiary in Arles in southern France. In less than a week, she discovered that the company had paid bribes to win contracts.
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“Those activities constitute violations of criminal law,” Koch Industries wrote in a Dec. 8, 2008, letter giving details of its findings.
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Egorova-Farines wasn’t rewarded for bringing the illicit payments to the company’s attention. Her superiors removed her from the inquiry in August 2008 and fired her in June 2009, calling her incompetent, even after Koch’s investigators substantiated her findings.
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A Bloomberg Markets investigation has found that Koch Industries — in addition to being involved in improper payments to win business in Africa, India and the Middle East — has sold millions of dollars of petrochemical equipment to Iran, a country the U.S. identifies as a sponsor of global terrorism.
The ‘Koch Method’Internal company documents show that the company made those sales through foreign subsidiaries, thwarting a U.S. trade ban. Koch Industries units have also rigged prices with competitors, lied to regulators and repeatedly run afoul of environmental regulations, resulting in five criminal convictions since 1999 in the U.S. and Canada.
From 1999 through 2003, Koch Industries was assessed more than $400 million in fines, penalties and judgments. In December 1999, a civil jury found that Koch Industries had taken oil it didn’t pay for from federal land by mismeasuring the amount of crude it was extracting. Koch paid a $25 million settlement to the U.S.
Phil Dubose, a Koch employee who testified against the company said he and his colleagues were shown by their managers how to steal and cheat — using techniques they called the Koch Method.
Posted in corruption, frauds, impunity, Iran, koch brothers | 1 Comment »
The choke speed economy
Posted by Charles II on October 2, 2011
LEX at FT reports that ECRI is predicting near-certainty of a US recession and that recessions will become more frequent in the future. ECRI is the most reliable leading indicator that exists but, because it’s a proprietary black box, it tends to be questioned.
What this basically means, in my opinion, is that the economy is unable to gain the acceleration seen after a typical inventory-led recession (i.e., when merchants overstock their shelves, then have to stop ordering so that the excess can get worked off). Instead, the economy will be expanding only just slightly greater than stall speed (roughly 1%), and whenever anything goes wrong, it will fall into technical recession. It’s like a dog on a choke collar.
The choke collar is wages. Only when the dog (i.e. workers) slips the wage collar will the nation enjoy prosperity again.
You have been warned.
Posted in economy | 2 Comments »
