Daily Archives: August 4, 2013

Kill Wasteful Missile Defense Efforts

"In the 30 years, since President Ronald Reagan created his expensive pie-in-the-sky Strategic Defense Initiative—quickly and appropriately named 'Star Wars' by critics and journalists alike—the United States has spent a whopping $250 billion on trying to shoot down fast intercontinental ballistic missiles, such as those that might someday be fielded by Iran and North Korea. This government effort has been a boondoggle, but then huge costs and poor performance rarely cause any government program to be terminated—evidence of this effect is exhibited by the continued flow of money to the project despite three decades of failure." Continue reading →

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McCain Declares War on Russia

"He continued by calling for the listing of as many Russians as possible under the Magnitsky legislation in the US, which allows those considered – under dubious criteria – to be human rights violators to be prevented from entering the US and to have their assets seized by the US government. Then, reprising his subsequently discredited position during the short 2008 Russian/Georgian conflict that 'we are all Georgians now,' McCain all but called for the US to foment another Georgian war against Russia — this time with NATO providing back-up." Continue reading →

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More than 1,000 Iraqis killed in July, highest monthly toll since 2008

"More than 1,000 Iraqis were killed in sectarian violence in July, the highest monthly death toll since 2008, the United Nations said, as Sunni Islamist groups stepped up their insurgency against Iraq’s Shi’ite-led government. Most of the 1,057 victims were civilians, killed in a relentless campaign of bombings and shootings that some Iraqis fear could drag the country into another war. July’s toll brought the number of people killed in militant attacks since the start of the year to 4,137. Last week hundreds of convicts ran free after simultaneous attacks on two high-security prisons, raising questions about the ability of the security services to combat al Qaeda." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMore than 1,000 Iraqis killed in July, highest monthly toll since 2008

Ron Paul: Iraq Collapse Shows Bankruptcy of Interventionism

"Millions live in constant fear, refugees do not return home, and the economy is destroyed. The Christian community, some 1.2 million persons before 2003, has been nearly wiped off the Iraqi map. Other minorities have likewise disappeared. U.S. support for the Syrian rebels next door has drawn the Shi’ite-led Iraqi government into the spreading regional unrest. The invasion of Iraq opened the door to al-Qaeda in Iraq, which did not exist beforehand, while simultaneously strengthening the hand of Iran in the region. Were the 'experts' who planned for and advocated the U.S. attack really this incompetent?" Continue reading →

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Iraq-Turkey oil export pipeline seen back in 72 hours after new attack

"A bomb placed under the Kirkuk-Ceyhan line in Iraq's Ninewa province exploded early Sunday halting flows, a senior Iraqi oil official told Platts. 'The exports were completely stopped from Kirkuk,' said the senior official with the state-run North Oil Company, who asked not be identified. The official said the explosion took place in Ain al-Jahsh, south of the city of Mosul, in the middle of an area increasingly rife with al-Qaeda and other militants. The pipeline had been operational for just two weeks since the last attack, on June 21, which kept the route offline until July 17." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIraq-Turkey oil export pipeline seen back in 72 hours after new attack

Bakken flaring burns more than $100 million a month

"The amount lost to flaring pales in comparison to the $2.21 billion in crude oil production for May in North Dakota. Still, energy companies are working to build more pipelines and processing facilities to connect many of the state's 9,000 wells - a number expected to hit 50,000 by 2030. But it is a process that takes time and is not always feasible. Roughly 29 percent of natural gas extracted in North Dakota was flared in May, down from an all-time high of 36 percent in September 2011. But the volume of natural gas produced has nearly tripled in that timeframe to about 900,000 million cubic feet per day." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBakken flaring burns more than $100 million a month

How Important Is The Spot Price of Uranium?

"Though the spot price of uranium has fallen to US$34.50/lb.—a far cry from the US$140/lb it fetched a few years prior—how important is the spot price of uranium? The answer: not as important as the long-term price. In fact, over six times more uranium is traded in long-term market prices than in the spot market price. Currently, the long-term price for uranium is over 50% higher than the spot price. The long-term uranium price is currently set at US$57 per pound, whereas the spot price as of this writing is US$34.50." Continue reading →

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Police arrest more than 200 protesters for trespassing at Chevron plant

"Police arrested more than 200 demonstrators for trespassing at Chevron Corp in the California city of Richmond on Saturday to mark the one-year anniversary of a massive refinery fire and to protest a proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. The arrests came as a throng of sunflower-carrying picketers chanted, 'Hey hey, ho ho, fossil fuels have got to go,' as people of all ages walked onto Chevron’s property to draw attention to a growing movement against fossil fuel. The arrests included three people in wheelchairs and demonstrators as young as 18 years old. Media reports said most of those arrested were cited and released." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice arrest more than 200 protesters for trespassing at Chevron plant

The Hustlers of the U.S. Health Care System

"It doesn’t matter what pharmacy you go to. The middleman, called a pharmacy benefit manager (or 'PBM'), is there taking his cut. Two other big reasons these PBMs could become cash cows: Obamacare and baby boomers. Obamacare is going to bring another 38 million-some people into the health care system. Many will start using prescription drugs, and they’ll be put on generics through a PBM. Plus, 76 million-some baby boomers are going to become senior citizens in the next 20 years. They’ll use more prescription drugs as they get older. Lots of generics are going to be used by baby boomers." Continue reading →

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