Daily Digest

Daily Digest 11/20 - European Union, Ron Paul Gaining Momentum, Brazil Officials Criticize Chevron Over Oil Spill

by Daily Digest
Sunday, November 20, 2011, 11:20 AM
  • European Union
  • Lobbying firm's memo spells out plan to undermine Occupy Wall Street
  • Could Every Day Be Black Friday?
  • Niche Voters Giving Paul Momentum in Iowa Polls
  • Europe Fears a Credit Squeeze as Investors Sell Bond Holdings
  • Brazil Officials Criticize Chevron Over Oil Spill

Crash Course DVDOwn the Crash Course Special Edition Set with Presenter’s Pack (NTSC or PAL)

Economy

European Union (June C.)

European Parliament, Strasbourg - 17 November 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9SsAmAgn_i8

Lobbying firm's memo spells out plan to undermine Occupy Wall Street (Michael W.)

CLGC’s memo proposes that the ABA pay CLGC $850,000 to conduct “opposition research” on Occupy Wall Street in order to construct “negative narratives” about the protests and allied politicians. The memo also asserts that Democratic victories in 2012 would be detrimental for Wall Street and targets specific races in which it says Wall Street would benefit by electing Republicans instead.

According to the memo, if Democrats embrace OWS, “This would mean more than just short-term political discomfort for Wall Street. … It has the potential to have very long-lasting political, policy and financial impacts on the companies in the center of the bullseye.”

Could Every Day Be Black Friday? (jdargis)

In some years past, big sales on Black Friday have meant a good year for the retail sector, which makes up about a fifth of the U.S. economy. (This year, retailers are predicting a so-so year, with just tiny growth in sales.) But lately, the data have been much harder to read. On a spread sheet, broke people buying on deep discount look an awful lot like people who feel flush, but they’re not the same thing. In the recent recession, solid Black Fridays have been followed by lousy sales once the special offers went away. It’s another indication of how hard it is to understand the real state of our economy and what we can do to make things better.

Niche Voters Giving Paul Momentum in Iowa Polls (jdargis)

“I’m buying Ron Paul today,” said Craig Robinson, a former political director for the Republican Party of Iowa, who on Wednesday sent a Twitter message saying, “Ron Paul’s Iowa Campaign Office was abuzz at 8 p.m. tonight when I drove by on my way to the bank. Impressive.”

Europe Fears a Credit Squeeze as Investors Sell Bond Holdings (jdargis)

Financial institutions are dumping their vast holdings of European government debt and spurning new bond issues by countries like Spain and Italy. And many have decided not to renew short-term loans to European banks, which are needed to finance day-to-day operations.

Brazil Officials Criticize Chevron Over Oil Spill (jdargis)

The response to the spill, which Chevron said it was notified of on Nov. 8 and which left an oil sheen near Brazil’s southeast coast, is an important test for the authorities as Brazil moves to tap oil from its large recent offshore discoveries. If Brazil meets its ambitious production goals, it may emerge by the 2020s as the world’s fourth-largest oil producer after Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Article suggestions for the Daily Digest can be sent to [email protected]. All suggestions are filtered by the Daily Digest team and preference is given to those that are in alignment with the message of the Crash Course and the "3 Es."

9 Comments

Sun, Nov 20, 2011 - 3:47pm
#1
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3E Links, Resources and Cartoons - Weekly Summary

 Posted at http://3es.weebly.com/index.html

This weeks resource links

http://www.nomiprins.com/thoughts/2011/11/19/greg-palasts-vultures-picnic-and-why-we-occupy-my-review.html  Nomi Prins reviews Greg Palast’s new book Vultures’ Picnic

http://www.naturalnews.com/034159_EasyGreen_sprouters_living_foods.html  Sprouts – Mike Adams

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57321784-1/philips-urban-beehive-is-sweet-as-honey/  Urban Beehive

http://preparednessadvice.com/survival/uses-of-acorns/  Uses of Acorns

http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/globalguerrillas/2011/11/rc-journal-reclaiming-dead-soil-through-hugelkultur.html  Reclaiming Dead Soil through Hugelkultur

http://guymcpherson.com/2011/11/crashing-in-michigan-and-other-tidbits/  Guy McPherson crashing into MI and links

http://www.theresilientfamily.com/2011/11/the-coming-decentralization-of-food-production/  The coming decentralization of food production

http://www.naturalnews.com/034169_CDC_raw_milk.html  CDC admits not a single person has died from raw milk products

http://www.peakprosperity.com/blog/selecting-firearm/65011  Selecting a firearm

http://www.permaculture.co.uk/what-is-permaculture  What is Permaculture?

http://www.permaculture.co.uk/videos/permaculture-explained-dancing-nature-0  Permaculture Videos

http://www.grist.org/farm-bill/2011-11-15-a-local-food-blueprint  A local food blueprint

http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/recycling/stories/30-things-you-should-never-compost-or-recycle 30 things not to compost or recycle

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/doublex/2011/11/readers_share_great_recession_tested_tips_for_getting_by_while_unemployed_or_underemployed_.html  Cheap Tricks

http://transitionculture.org/2011/11/14/the-introduction-to-the-transition-companion/  The intro to the Transition Companion

http://preparednessadvice.com/clothing/to-make-cheese-you-need-renne/  To make Cheese you need Rennet

http://vimeo.com/31158841  Murmuration

http://prepperwebsite.com/  Prepper Website

http://www.theshoestringprepper.com/2011/11/water-purification-ideas-you-want-me-to.html  Water Purification ideas

http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2011-11-11/restoring-food-hubs  Restoring Food Hubs

  The beauty of pollination

Sun, Nov 20, 2011 - 8:01pm
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Peak Oil in Australia

Passengers stranded after train runs out of fuel

WTF?

 

The regional rail service, Vline, has apologised to passengers who were stranded in the middle of the night after their train ran out of fuel.

The 11:45pm (AEDT) service from Melbourne to Bendigo ran out of fuel at the Kyneton station, in central Victoria.

Replacement buses could not be found in the middle of the night, so passengers had to wait three hours for another train.

V/Line spokesman Daniel Moloney says about 50 passengers were affected.

"Being late on a Saturday night's obviously added to the massive disruption that these people have faced," he said.

"If it had happened at a different time of the day it would have been much easier to get buses in place."

Mon, Nov 21, 2011 - 5:19am
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U.C. Davis Student Protesters Pepper Sprayed

Militarization of police.

California University Puts Officers Who Used Pepper Spray on Leave
"After the episode, a police official suggested that the officers felt threatened and encircled by the protesters. The videos, however, show no evidence of threats from the protesters."
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/21/us/police-officers-involved-in-pepper-...

Poet

Picture from the Atlantic Monthly web site, showing John Pike pepper-spraying peaceful students who are sitting down.

Mon, Nov 21, 2011 - 6:21am
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Police

I am looking at youtube videos and pictures where police act as if they are in war.

In france government fear the people and think twice before acting agressively.

Though we only can vote for 3 government layers you americans can vote for almost everything and can even start a re-call on government officials via a referendum.

Why do i not hear that all these mayors, sherrifs are re-called arent they the 99%??

Marteen

Mon, Nov 21, 2011 - 8:03am
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Marteen I have thought alot

Marteen

I have thought alot about these abuses.  In New York people were gassed and tents were bulldozed in a midnight raid which I have no doubt will leave many protestors emotionally if not physically scarred. Same for these poor kids in Davis who showed an impressive level of courage in the midst of this insanity.  I cry when I see the video of these subdued kids being sprayed.  I hope their parents can pursue legal and civil action to discourage such behavior-that is the way things get done here......when people have the money and the power to pursue it.

As I read it, UC Davis University officials are being held accountable as are the police officers. The local government in that area appears to be off the hook.   Here in New York it is hard for me to see much public outcry against the raid on the Park-the media here are surprisingly supportive of the raid on Zuccotti Park and have greatly minimized the harm done even though some of them were harmed too.  Perhaps we are afraid or just too passive and uninvolved.   I wish I had a better answer.  It is a heartbreak to me personally.

Mon, Nov 21, 2011 - 9:37am
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U.C. Davis Student Protesters Pepper Sprayed

Are those cops University police?  I hope heads roll over this.....

Mike

Mon, Nov 21, 2011 - 11:41am
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Police

I am from the netherlands i am 40..

In 1996 i worked for 6 month for schlumberger south of Houston. While in the netherlands, police is your friend and i have been raised with teasing our local police officer (yep on his bycicle) and never got in problems.  In the village i was raised (10.000 inhabitants) were 2 police officers. Now 25 years later there are still 2 but for 4 village over an area of approx 20km x20 km with 100.000 inhabitants.

In the Texas village i lived (angleton) with 19.000 inhabitants they have 40 police officers (sherrif only) then the state troopers and high way police were also patroling there. The whole day sirenes while i experienced that the angleton inhabitants were far more friendly and helpfull then back home. American hospitallyty i supose

My question is : Are there not toooooooo many police officers in the US.   And who has invented this sadistic pepper spray.

Maybe guns plays a role! Though i would like to have a gun, it is very very complicated to have one in the netherlands. and once you have a gun, police will visit your house to check whether it is locked up safely. You have to be a hunter to get a licence anyway.

If you hunt (autumn season) you will face all kind of protesters in woods to block you from hunting. In the netherlands we even have a political party for the animals which has 2 seats in "congress (150 total in congress)

A gun or hunting  in the netherlands is simply not done.

Marteen

 

Mon, Nov 21, 2011 - 3:50pm
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Big fail for the protestors

I can't look at this as anything but a lose for OWS.  This discussion is a perfect example of why.  Here we are discussing the protestors and the police.  The discussion has shifted from Wall Street to Occupy Wall Street (TM).  It didn't take long for this movement to morph from a grassroots effort aimed at some very bad people to a self-perpetuating organization.

As far as the pepper spray is concerned, get real.  The authorities in Syria and Egypt are shooting protestors as we speak.  Pepper spray was probably the appropriate tool for those officers to be using at that time.  The protestors were ordered to leave by the owners of the property, and the police used the least harmful tool they had to get them to comply.

I am very sympathetic to the OWS message, but really, what was the point of protesting at a campus of the University of California?  Sure, you can make a connection, but how many of the public are going to get it?  Meanwhile the bankers have to be getting a chuckle out of it.  Attention sucessfully diverted.

Mon, Nov 21, 2011 - 5:36pm
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China's real GDP dropping, 5.7 trillion$ debt (Chin.economist)

If this is true, this is the most important news out there but is not covered/reported here in the west:
Larry Lang, Chinese Economist: China "cooks" its own books, has negative GDP growth and total debt is almost 6 trillion (in dollars)

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china-news/chinese-tv-host-says-regime-n...
http://www.wealthson.com/1762/chinese-regime-is-already-bankrupt-accordi...

 

According to this expert economist in Hong Kong (his speech to party insiders was surreptitiously recorded) China's 9%  increase in GDP is nonsense and is cooked two ways: 1. 70% of the GDP comes from speculative land deals, and 2. real inflation is (he says) 16%, which inflates the apparent increase in economic activity (sounds familiar-Fed. Reserve here does that).  Further he says that the country is just about to enter an accounting (crash) after which he thinks that China will become the poorest country in the world again.  Hmmmm. if this is even half true, then many of us may want to review our understanding of China's role in the path of an unraveling world economy.

 

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