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This Small Change Increased Bee Populations by 45%

January 9, 2019

This Small Change Increased Bee Populations by 45%

Scientists in Amsterdam have found ways to help their bee population regain its health. Here's how to implement some of their methods in your community.
For quite some time, scientists across the world have been warning the public about the decline of bees and other pollinators.

We’ve known for years that bee populations all across North America and Europe are collapsing at an alarming rate.

Our very existence relies on the tiny buzzing creatures, as we explained in Will the Extinction of Bees Really Mean the End of Humanity?

This is a huge threat to our food supply. One-third of all the food we eat comes from plants that are pollinated by insects, and 80% of those crops are pollinated by bees. It also has big implications for our meat supply as well: plants (like alfalfa) that feed animals are pollinated by bees.

The largest international survey of insect pollinators found that just 2 percent of wild bee species now account for 80 percent of global crop pollination.

Put bluntly, if all the bees die, humanity will follow.

There is one place where bee populations are growing and flourishing – Amsterdam, the capital city of the Netherlands.

According to a recent report from NBC News, the diversity of wild bee and honeybee species in the Dutch capital has increased by 45 percent since 2000!

The city of 2.3 million people attributes the success to creating bee-friendly environments like the overgrown, sunburnt patch of shrubs that commuters pass by daily.

The installation of “insect hotels” and a ban on the use of chemical pesticides on public land also appear to have played a role.

Geert Timmermans, an ecologist who works for the city, explained that four years ago, Amsterdam set a goal to convert half of all public green spaces to native plants. He added that residents and local businesses are provided with information on how to avoid using pesticides and the use of alternative treatments:

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Europe’s Biggest Gas Field To Close Over Quake Risk

April 2, 2018

Europe’s Biggest Gas Field To Close Over Quake Risk

Nat Gas

Europe’s biggest gas field–Groningen in the north of the Netherlands–has been pumping gas for more than half a century and supplies gas to 98 percent of the Dutch population. But the field has been causing earthquakes that have become a growing concern for residents and authorities.

After years of debates and measures to curb production at the field, the Dutch government decided this week that output at Groningen will be terminated by 2030, with a reduction by two-thirds until 2021-2022 and another cut after that. The authorities have already limited production from the field because of the earthquakes, but now they have decided that the risks and costs are no longer acceptable.

“Safety perception as well as actual safety can only be guaranteed for the near future in Groningen by fully eliminating the source of the earthquake risk. The Dutch Cabinet, therefore, is taking measures for natural gas extraction from this gas field to be reduced to zero, as soon as possible,” the government said, noting that the consequences of natural gas extraction “are no longer socially acceptable.”

“According to Cabinet, ongoing natural gas extraction, combined with massive financial compensation and restoration and reinforcement operations, form an untenable situation,” the Dutch ministers say.

To cope with the new reality of natural gas supply and demand in the country with reduced Groningen gas production and ultimately without Groningen gas at all, the Netherlands is building a nitrogen plant near Zuidbroek that will convert natural gas of a high caloric value into low-calorie natural gas and that will cost US$615 million (500 million euro).

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Dutch Lies Over Putin’s ‘Aggression’ Expose NATO War Agenda

February 15, 2018

Dutch Lies Over Putin’s ‘Aggression’ Expose NATO War Agenda

Dutch Lies Over Putin’s ‘Aggression’ Expose NATO War Agenda

Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte was this week forced to bear a parliamentary vote of no confidence after his foreign minister finally came clean over a dangerous lie he has been telling for two years concerning Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Halbe Zijlstra quit in shame on Monday as the country’s foreign minister after admitting that a story he had peddled about personally hearing Putin plotting to create a “greater Russia” was false. That then forced premier Rutte to endure a “no confidence” motion from parliamentarians. In the end, Rutte survived the vote. If a majority had voted against his leadership, his coalition government may have collapsed.

But the deep damage done to the Dutch authorities will not be so easily repaired by Rutte’s survival as premier. What has been exposed this week is a senior member of government recklessly telling bare-faced lies in an attempt to slander Russia, poison international relations, and ratchet up already dangerous geopolitical tensions.

Zijlstra had claimed two years ago, in 2016, that he had personally witnessed Russian leader Vladimir Putin boasting about creating a “greater Russia” which, it is claimed, would incorporate Ukraine, the Baltic states, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

The newly resigned Dutch top diplomat claimed he heard Putin making the remarks while present with others at the Russian leader’s dacha (summer house) back in 2006.

This week, Zijlstra finally came clean and admitted before parliament that he hadn’t in fact been present at the alleged gathering. He still maintains, however, that a confidant who was among the guests at Putin’s dacha informed him of the alleged “greater Russia” plan. But how can we now trust the word of a self-confessed liar?

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Dutch Official Admits Lying About Meeting With Putin: Is Fake News Used by Russia or About Russia?

February 12, 2018

Dutch Official Admits Lying About Meeting With Putin: Is Fake News Used by Russia or About Russia?

EVERY EMPIRE NEEDS a scary external threat, led by a singular menacing villain, to justify its massive military expenditures, consolidation of authoritarian powers, and endless wars. For the five decades after the end of World War II, Moscow played this role perfectly. But the fall of Soviet Union meant, at least for a while, that the Kremlin could no longer sustain sufficient fear levels. After some brief, largely unsuccessful auditions for possible replacements — Asian actors like China and a splurging Japanwere considered — the post-9/11 era elevated a cast of Muslim understudies to the starring role: Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, ISIS and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and “jihadism” generally kept fear alive.

The lack of any 9/11-type catastrophic attack on U.S. (or any Western) soil for the past 17 years, along with the killing of a pitifully aged, ailing bin Laden and the erosion of ISIS, has severely compromised their ongoing viability as major bad guys. So now — just as a film studio revitalizes a once-successful super-villain franchise for a new generation of moviegoers — we’re back to the Russians occupying center stage.

That Barack Obama spent eight years (including up through his final year-end news conference) mocking the notion that Russia posed a serious threat to the U.S. given their size and capabilities, and that he even tried repeatedly to accommodate and partner with Russian President Vladimir Putin, is of no concern: In the internet age, “2016” is regarded as ancient history, drowned out by an endless array of new threats pinned by a united media on the Russkie Plague.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

An Unsolvable Natural Gas Dilemma

January 26, 2018

An Unsolvable Natural Gas Dilemma

Rig

Natural gas isn’t the first thing that comes to mind at the mention of the Netherlands. Clean energy is a more likely association. And yet gas is at the center of one of the country’s major headaches. At the heart of the problem is the giant Groningen gas field that, when it was discovered in 1959, was the largest gas field in the world.

Since then, Groningen has produced hundreds of billions of cubic meters of gas and has, in the meantime, significantly increased seismic activity in the area. This increase in seismic activity has damaged thousands of homes and eventually led to a gradual production cut that is still underway. Unfortunately, the production won’t solve the earthquake problem and the gas from Groningen is difficult—and expensive—to replace.

After the latest earthquake in the area of Groningen, which occurred earlier this month, the operator of the field, NAM, said further cuts were necessary, but added that these won’t put an end to the quakes. The reason: any fluctuation in production is conducive to heightened seismic activity.

The government seems determined to phase out Groningen as fast as possible, but it faces a couple of major challenges in doing that. First, the Groningen field produces low-calorie natural gas and almost all Dutch households use it, which means the distribution network has specifically been developed for this type of gas. All heating appliances and systems in the country were designed with this quality of gas in mind.

Second, converting imported, higher-calorie gas into the kind that household appliances work with in the Netherlands is an expensive process, and the existing conversion facilities are running at capacity. Building more will take years and hundreds of millions of euros.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Three killed as severe storm lashes Netherlands

January 18, 2018

Three killed as severe storm lashes Netherlands
The Dutch meteorological institute KNMI issued a Code Red for the storm, bringing wind speeds up to 140 kp/h [EPA]

At least three people were killed and several others injured in the Netherlands due to a severe storm, as gusts of up to 140 kilometres per hour blew down trees and damaged buildings. The three fatalities occurred in separate incidents in the centre of the Netherlands, where falling trees and building debris hit the elderly victims.

All flights at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport were cancelled, and, nationwide, trains, trams and buses were halted after the highest weather alert was issued for large parts of the country.

At least 260 flights were scrapped at Schiphol.

“Due to severe weather conditions: all air traffic has been suspended until further notice,” the airport tweeted.

At least three people were wounded when ceiling panels came down at the entrance of the departure halls at Schiphol due to the strong winds.

Videos posted on social media showed pedestrians being swept off their feet by gusts in the city of Den Bosch, while other footage showed extensive damage to properties in the west and centre of the Netherlands.

DenBosch

National broadcaster NOS reported that the main railway station in The Hague was closed because of fears that parts of its new glass roof would be blown off, while large stacks of containers in the port of Rotterdam came down in the storm.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

The Biggest Ponzi in Human History

November 1, 2017

The Biggest Ponzi in Human History 


Jean-Léon Gérôme Slave market 1866
Here’s the story in a nutshell: Ultra low interest rates mark a shift away from people’s wealth residing in their savings and pension plans, and into to so-called wealth residing in their homes, which are bought with ever growing levels of debt. When interest rates rise, they will lose that so-called wealth.

It is grand theft auto on an unparalleled scale, and it’s a piece of genius, because while people are getting robbed in plain daylight, they actually think they’re winning. But as I wrote back in March of this year, home sales, and bubbles, are the only thing that keeps our economies humming.

We haven’t learned a thing since March, and we haven’t learned a thing for many years. People need a place to live, and they fall for the scheme hook line and sinker. Which in a way is a good thing because the economy would have been dead without that ignorance, but at the same time it’s not because it’s a temporary relief only and the end result will be all the more painful for it.

Whatever Yellen decides as per rates, or Draghi, it doesn’t really matter anymore, this sucker’s going down something awful. This is a global issue. Housing bubbles have been blown not only in the Anglosphere, though they are strong there, many other countries have them as well, Scandinavia, Netherlands, even Germany and France. It’s what ultra low rates do.

First, here’s what I said in March:

Our Economies Run On Housing Bubbles

What we have invented to keep big banks afloat for a while longer is ultra low interest rates, NIRP, ZIRP etc. They create the illusion of not only growth, but also of wealth. They make people think a home they couldn’t have dreamt of buying not long ago now fits in their ‘budget’. That is how we get them to sign up for ever bigger mortgages. And those in turn keep our banks from falling over.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

The Dutch love affair with natural gas: A cautionary tale for the United States?

March 5, 2017

The Dutch love affair with natural gas: A cautionary tale for the United States?

The story sounds familiar. For decades oil and natural gas drilling have been proceeding and creating prosperity for those involved. At some point significant earthquakes occur in areas where they were formerly very rare or nonexistent. Those quakes are linked to oil and gas drilling and production. The industry denies the link.

The quakes continue, get worse and finally get strong enough to do damage.

To those living in the United States, this reads like stories coming out of the fracking boom in states that include Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio, Kansas and Arkansas. To those living in Europe, it’s the story coming out of The Netherlands, home to the Groningen Gas Field, one of the largest natural gas finds ever.

The Groningen field has been both a blessing and a curse for the Dutch. Since its discovery in 1959 the Dutch have reaped huge financial benefits from having their own secure and abundant source of natural gas. Beyond that, the country has until recently been a major exporter of natural gas to its European neighbors.

But the field has also proven to be a drag on the rest of the economy, inflicting what has been dubbed the “Dutch disease.” In short, the Dutch disease refers to negative effects that a huge natural resource find can visit upon a society. These include a decline in other sectors of the economy and a strong currency which makes exports less affordable to foreign buyers. The moniker “Dutch disease” results from the fact that The Netherlands was the first place such effects were studied in detail.

What has caught the Dutch by surprise–and may someday soon catch America by surprise–is the speed with which its decades-long reliance on a large initial endowment of natural gas has turned into a liability.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Strange That The Same Point In Time For The Economic Crisis Keeps Coming Up

March 2, 2017

Strange That The Same Point In Time For The Economic Crisis Keeps Coming Up

This video was produced by X22 Report

Netherlands is making a move to leave the EU. Theresa May is worried that a Scottish Referendum vote will happen at the same time as the Article 50 vote. Former IMF chief sentenced to jail in Spain. The EU says no bail-ins at this time because it would hurt the creditors. Maine drops 9,000 from Food Stamp roll says people need to look for jobs. Pending home sales tumble. Durable goods decline. David Stockman says it will begin on March 15 and the economy will really go down hill in the summer and the fall will be a disaster.

Dutch Parliament to Debate Leaving the Eurozone: Nexit on the Way?

February 25, 2017

Dutch Parliament to Debate Leaving the Eurozone: Nexit on the Way?

Potential Eurozone disruption possibilities keep compounding. The Netherlands Parliament will now debate leaving the Eurozone.

For example, the Netherlands Parliament will now debate leaving the Eurozone.

In long-winded wording for a potential “Nexit”, Reutersreports Dutch relations with euro up for debate after lawmakers commission probe

The Netherlands’ future relationship with the euro will be comprehensively debated by its parliament following elections in March after lawmakers commissioned a report on the currency’s future.

The motion approving the investigation by the Council of State, the government’s legal advisor, coincides with a rising tide of euroscepticism in Europe, which populist parties are hoping to tap into in a series of national elections this year also taking in eurozone powerhouses France and Germany.

The probe will examine whether it would be possible for the Dutch to withdraw from the single currency, and if so how, said lawmaker Pieter Omtzigt.

Omtzigt, of the opposition Christian Democrats, tabled the parliamentary motion calling for the investigation, which legislators passed unanimously late on Thursday.

It was prompted by concerns the ECB’s ultra-low interest rates are hurting Dutch savers, especially pensioners, and doubts as to whether its bond purchasing programs are legal, he said.

Its findings will be presented in several months, by which time the make-up of parliament will have changed dramatically.

While most Dutch voters say they favor retaining the euro, the eurosceptic far-right party of Geert Wilders is expected to book large gains though it is unlikely to win enough votes to form a government.

The most probable outcome of the March 15 vote is a new centrist coalition including some parties, such as Omtzigt’s Christian Democrats, that have been vocal in their opposition to current ECB policy.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

“Now It’s Our Turn” – Geert Wilders Calls For A Dutch Referendum

June 24, 2016

“Now It’s Our Turn” – Geert Wilders Calls For A Dutch Referendum

Just as we warned, the historic British rejection of the EU’s totalitarian rule has sparked renewed ambitions to leave the clutches of Brussels across Europe. First to congratulate Britain was Holland’s Geert Wilders, who calls for a Dutch referendum as soon as possible…

Thursday, June 23, 2016, will go down in history as Britain’s Independence Day.

The Europhile elite has been defeated. Britain points Europe the way to the future and to liberation. It is time for a new start, relying on our own strength and sovereignty. Also in the Netherlands.

A recent survey (EenVandaag, Dutch television) shows that a majority of the Dutch want a referendum on EU membership. It also shows that more Dutch are in favour of exit than of remaining in the EU.

The Dutch people deserve a referendum as well. The Party for Freedom consequently demands a referendum on NExit, a Dutch EU exit.

As quickly as possible the Dutch need to get the opportunity to have their say about Dutch membership of the European Union.

Geert Wilders: “We want be in charge of our own country, our own money, our own borders, and our own immigration policy. If I become prime minister, there will be a referendum in the Netherlands on leaving the European Union as well. Let the Dutch people decide.”

Meanwhile, Europe is a bloodbath…This is the biggest drop in EURUSD (DEMUSD) since 1978!!

as NExit looms…

Turkey’s Erdogan Goes Full-Dictator: Arrests Dutch Journalist For Critical Tweet

April 24, 2016

Turkey’s Erdogan Goes Full-Dictator: Arrests Dutch Journalist For Critical Tweet

One month ago, we cited Turkey’s president Tayyip Recep Erdogan who said that “it is not only the person who pulls the trigger, but those who made that possible who should be defined as terrorists, regardless of their title,” when was urging parliament to include journalists, politicians, academics, and activists under the country’s anti-extremism laws.

Erdogan’s comments came a day after the latest in a string of suicide bombings ripped through Ankara, killing 34 and wounding more than 100 in Kizilay. Since then, Turkey has arrested nearly 50 people with “suspected ties” to the PKK against which Erdogan is waging a highly personal crusade.

However, Turkey’s President didn’t think parliament was moving fast enough on his “request” to expand the definition of “terrorist” because in a speech on Wednesday, he effectively instructed lawmakers to get moving before also urging parliament to deal with “the issue of immunities.”

True to form, Erdogan didn’t wait on parliament to expand the “terrorist” definition before he went ahead and arrested three academics for “terrorist propaganda” after they made the mistake of publicly asking the government to stop the siege on Cizre and other cities in the predominantly Kurdish southeast.”

Then, when a British citizen who teaches at Bilgi University showed up at the courthouse to support the lawyers, he was also arrested. His crime, in his own words: “I am accused because I had several invitations to Kurdish new year (celebrations on March 21) published by the HDP – the third-largest party in the Turkish parliament – in my bag.”

It has gotten so bad, and Turks are so terrified of their despotic “leader” that two months ago, a Turkish truck driver literally sued his own wife for cursing at Erdogan when he spoke on television. “I warned her,” the man later said.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

The SPV Loophole: Draghi Just Unleashed “QE For The Entire World”… And May Have Bailed Out US Shale

April 22, 2016

The SPV Loophole: Draghi Just Unleashed “QE For The Entire World”… And May Have Bailed Out US Shale

Almost exactly one year ago, we wrote “Mario Draghi, Collateral Scarcity, And Why The ECB Will Soon Buy Corporate Bonds.” 11 months later, the ECB confirmed this when for the first time ever, Mario Draghi said he would do purchase corporate bonds when he launched the ECB’s Corporate Sector Purchase Programme (CSPP), confirming that with government bond collateral evaporating and the liquidity situation getting precariously dangerous and forcing moments of historic volatility (as in the April/May 2015 Bund fiasco), he had run out of other options.

And while we have been covering this key development closely since its announcement more than a month ago, we were surprised by how little attention most of the sellside was paying to what is clearly a watershed moment in capital markets as a central banks now openly backstops corporate bond issuance (among other things pointing out a month ago Why The ECB Will Be Forced To Buy Junk Bonds Next). Ironically, the market was fully aware of what the ECB’s action meant as we showed in the “The ECB Effect: European Telecom Issues Largest Ever Junk Bond After More Than 100% Upsizing.”

Now, following the release of the full details of its corporate bond buying program, analysts are once again keenly focused on hits program who impact will be dramatic over the coming years.

First, as a reminder, here are the big picture details:

  • May buy in primary and secondary markets
  • Issue share limit of 70% per ISIN
  • Inclusion of bonds issued by insurance companies
  • Can buy bonds of companies incorporated in the euro area whose ultimate parent is not based in the euro area
  • Remaining maturity of 6 months and maximum of 30Y

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

German and Dutch objections to ECB QE are ignored

April 10, 2016

German and Dutch objections to ECB QE are ignored

From today’s Open Europe news summary:

ECB Minutes show deep divisions over stimulus measures
Minutes of the March meeting of the ECB governing council, released on yesterday reveal deep divisions amongst its members over the latest round of ECB stimulus. The Dutch and German members were fiercely against, The Financial Times reports, with the minutes noting that some feared the measures could result in “market distortions,” and that “the costs and risks of engaging further in public sector asset purchases, particularly in the medium to long term, would outweigh their potential benefits.”

Source: The Financial Times Politico

As usual, Germany’s (now joined by the Dutch) objections to the ECB’s quantitative easing program is ignored. It is a mystery why Germany continues to use the euro, since it is no one’s interest, not even the rest of the Eurozone countries, that it do so. The euro is a mechanism for the rest of Europe to steal German capital in order to prop up unsustainable welfare programs. This process will not cease until Germany’s economy is shattered. How can this be in the best interest of anyone, even the irresponsible countries of Europe? I believe the answer is that the rest of the Eurozone countries are led by opportunistic politicians who will line their pockets so that they themselves will not be affected by the coming collapse.

German and Dutch objections to ECB QE are ignored

April 8, 2016

German and Dutch objections to ECB QE are ignored

From today’s Open Europe news summary:

ECB Minutes show deep divisions over stimulus measures
Minutes of the March meeting of the ECB governing council, released on yesterday reveal deep divisions amongst its members over the latest round of ECB stimulus. The Dutch and German members were fiercely against, The Financial Times reports, with the minutes noting that some feared the measures could result in “market distortions,” and that “the costs and risks of engaging further in public sector asset purchases, particularly in the medium to long term, would outweigh their potential benefits.”

Source: The Financial Times Politico

As usual, Germany’s (now joined by the Dutch) objections to the ECB’s quantitative easing program is ignored. It is a mystery why Germany continues to use the euro, since it is no one’s interest, not even the rest of the Eurozone countries, that it do so. The euro is a mechanism for the rest of Europe to steal German capital in order to prop up unsustainable welfare programs. This process will not cease until Germany’s economy is shattered. How can this be in the best interest of anyone, even the irresponsible countries of Europe? I believe the answer is that the rest of the Eurozone countries are led by opportunistic politicians who will line their pockets so that they themselves will not be affected by the coming collapse.

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