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Powerful T-Storms Threaten 60 Million Americans As “Squall Lines” Could Produce Twisters

April 28, 2020

Powerful T-Storms Threaten 60 Million Americans As “Squall Lines” Could Produce Twisters  

Widespread severe thunderstorms are expected to develop on Tuesday from Texas to Wisconsin, unleashing damaging winds, torrential rain, hail, and the threat of tornadoes in some regions.

“An upper-level trough will dig southeastward from the northern Plains into the central Plains today. An associated mid-level jet will dive southeastward into the central Plains. The leading edge of the stronger mid-level flow associated with the jet will overspread a corridor of maximized low-level moisture located from northeast Texas north-northeastward into the Ozarks,” the National Weather Service (NWS) Storm Prediction Center reported on Tuesday morning. 

“Moisture advection ahead of the system, will increase surface dewpoints into the 60s F across most of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri by afternoon. In response to surface heating, the moisture will contribute to moderate destabilization with MLCAPE values reaching the 2000 to 4000 J/kg range across parts of the moist sector. Thunderstorms are forecast to first initiate to the south of a surface low on the northern edge of the moist airmass in eastern Iowa around midday.” 

NWS said a “squall line” will develop by evening as the system moves “southward across southwest Missouri, western Arkansas and east-central Oklahoma.”

“Wind damage will be likely along the leading edge of the squall line. Wind gusts over 65 kt will be possible ahead of the faster moving parts of the squall line. A few tornadoes may also occur with rotating cells embedded in the line. A widespread wind damage threat should continue into parts of north-central and northeast Texas during the mid to late evening before a gradual weakening takes place due to overnight decreasing instability.” 

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

OPINION: Foxes in the henhouse – Who decides where bailout money goes?

April 16, 2020

OPINION: Foxes in the henhouse – Who decides where bailout money goes?

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, trillions of bailout dollars in the U.S. and Canada are about to be fire hosed into particular areas of the economy.  Given that this is public money held by governments, who decides where and to whom these funds should go?

It is logical that workers, professionals, small and medium businesses should have a central role in this, given their critical involvement in the creation of value in the economy and that they constitute almost the entire population of North America.  But they don’t.  Instead, key power and authority has been handed over to a small group of private mega-banks and financiers. 

For example, the U.S. Treasury, which will be providing the bailout funding in the U.S., is a public institution which is supposed to answer to Congress.  Yet, for much of the bailout, the Trump administration has taken the authority away from the U.S. Treasury and given it to the private banks of the Federal Reserve.  In turn, the Federal Reserve banks have appointed BlackRock, the largest private asset manager and “shadow bank” in the world, to oversee whole sections of the bailout and to decide which corporations and institutions are to live or die. 

However, neither the Federal Reserve nor BlackRock will be liable for any of the risk associated with the bailout loans no matter their quality.  All the risk and backstopping of corporate defaults will fall onto the U.S. Treasury and by extension the American people (1).  This is not a minor issue.  With BlackRock and other financial institutions at the helm, who is going to benefit from these bailouts to selected corporations which will amount to $4.5 trillion (or by some estimates even more)? 

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

China Urges ‘Calm And Restraint’ After US Kills Top Iranian General

January 3, 2020

China Urges ‘Calm And Restraint’ After US Kills Top Iranian General

Agence France-Presse (AFP) is reporting China on Friday has requested restraint from all sides, “especially the United States,” after the U.S. killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in an airstrike at Baghdad international airport.

“China has always opposed the use of force in international relations,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily press conference. “We urge the relevant sides, especially the United States, to remain calm and exercise restraint to avoid further escalating tensions.”

Shuang said the international community must respect Iraq’s independence and territorial integrity. 

He urged both sides to abide by the principles of the U.N. charter and the “basic norms of international relations.”

✔

I spoke today with Chinese Politburo Member Yang Jiechi to discuss @realDonaldTrump‘s decision to eliminate Soleimani in response to imminent threats to American lives. I reiterated our commitment to de-escalation.

Last week, Iran, China, and Russia held a joint war drill in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman as a deterrent against U.S. forces. 

The U.S. Department of State tweeted Friday that all U.S. citizens must “depart Iraq immediately.” 

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

China’s President Orders Military To “Prepare For War”

October 29, 2018

China’s President Orders Military To “Prepare For War”

China’s President Xi Jinping ordered the military region responsible for monitoring the South China Sea and Taiwan to “assess the situation it is facing and boost its capabilities so it can handle any emergency” as tensions continue to mount over the future of the South China Sea and Taiwan, while diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing hit rock bottom.

The Southern Theatre Command has had to bear a “heavy military responsibility” in recent years, state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as saying during an inspection tour made on Thursday as part of his visit to Guangdong province.

“It’s necessary to strengthen the mission … and concentrate preparations for fighting a war,” Xi said. “We need to take all complex situations into consideration and make emergency plans accordingly. “We have to step up combat readiness exercises, joint exercises and confrontational exercises to enhance servicemen’s capabilities and preparation for war” the president-for-life added.

According to the South China Morning Post, Xi’s visit to the military command was one of several he made during a four-day trip to the south China province aimed at bolstering confidence amid an economic slowdown, and growing trade and strategic disputes with the United States.

Xinhua reports President Xi “stressed the need to focus on combat research and commanding, to advance work in all areas and accelerate developing strong and efficient joint-operation commanding institutions for theatre commands to comprehensively boost the military’s battle-winning ability.”

The president instructed the military to ramp-up opposition to ‘freedom of navigation’ exercises being undertaken by the US, Australia, France, the UK, Japan and others through the waterway through which arterial shipping lanes have grown since the end of World War II.

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

Obama’s Imperial Presidency

September 14, 2018

Obama’s Imperial Presidency

Photo Source The U.S. Army | CC BY 2.0

Could Donald Trump already be the worst of all American presidents?  In less than two years his record on the world scene has been frightening enough: U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Accords, scuttling of the Iran nuclear treaty, moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, unjustifiably punitive sanctions against Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, terror bombing of Mosul and other Iraq cities, bombastic threats against friends and enemies alike – not to mention a $54 billion gift to the Pentagon and stepped-up nuclear “modernization”.  Hard to imagine much worse.

One article of faith among liberals and the corporate media is that Trump’s presidency stands alone as a house or horrors, unprecedented in its fascistic authoritarianism, crazy pronouncements, and ideological blend of xenophobia, racism, sexism, and sheer extremism.   Those in the “resistance” know that pretty much any alternative (Bill Maher, LeBron James) would be far better, though specifics — beyond Trump’s mortal sin of partnering with Putin — are rarely mentioned.   But precisely what alternatives?   Bernie Sanders?   Well, the Democratic National Committee never gave him much chance.   Obvious comparisons are Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, and his competitor, Hillary Clinton.  Obama was in charge of U.S. foreign policy for the preceding eight years, so his legacy (with plenty of help from Clinton) might be worth considering.

Obama, it turns out, was among the most militaristic White House occupants in American history, taking the imperial presidency to new heights.  It has been said that Obama was the only president whose administration was enmeshed in multiple wars from beginning to end.   His imperial ventures spanned many countries – Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia along with proxy interventions in Yemen and Pakistan.

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

Putin’s Ultimatum is the Next Stage of the War

March 3, 2018

Putin’s Ultimatum is the Next Stage of the War

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s State of the Union address may be the most important speech since his address to the U.N. in September 2015 on the eve of Russia’s intervening in the War on Syria.

Putin’s sober analysis and admission of demographic constraints on the Russian economy’s growth was welcome.  It highlights the real challenges for Russia over the next fifteen years.  The shift for those of us analyzing the Russian economy is to look at it purely in terms of per capita growth, not absolute growth.

But, that admission of Putin’s highlights the backdrop of his publicly outing Russia’s new and formidable weapons technology.

That he did this during the height of his re-election campaign should bring a smile to the cynic’s face. Well played, sir.

Now, about those new weapons.  I defer to Alex Mercouris at The Duran for the only in-depth look at these new weapons.  The Saker, who is absolutely one of the best analysts of Russia’s military capabilities, considers these new weapons, “Game, set, match for The Empire.”

No More Parallel Aggression

Putin has played the game very well over the past few years.  Employing the strategy of ‘parallel aggression’ when responding to a U.S. escalation, he’s kept a lid on hostilities in Syria and Ukraine, while grinding out small victories, playing for time.

The announcement of these new weapons, however, change that game plan.  Putin is now going on the attack.

Here are some early thoughts on what this implies:

  1. Announcing these weapons begs the question, “What is Putin not telling us about?”  That should scare many in the Pentagon and civilians who believe the U.S.’s response should be to escalate.
  2. Arming Ukraine with more heavy weapons to take back the Donbass will be countered because there is no reason not to.

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

World’s No.1 Oil Trader: U.S. To See Final Oil Output Spike In 2018

October 10, 2017

World’s No.1 Oil Trader: U.S. To See Final Oil Output Spike In 2018

Oil

The best is yet to come for US oil production—but it will be a short-lived hurrah, according to Ian Taylor, head of oil trading giant Vitol.

US oil production has steadily increased throughout 2017 as US drillers regained their footing after the oil price crash. What started out at 8.946 million bpd of crude oil production in the first week of January has now reached an average of 9.561 million bpd as of September 29, according to the EIA.

The EIA is expecting US oil production to reach 9.8 million bpd in 2018, according to the latest Short Term Energy Outlook.

US crude oil exports, too, have taken the world by storm, particularly over the last couple of weeks, as traders seize an opportunity created by the extra wide spread between WTI and Brent, which as of the latter part of September, reached $7 per barrel, according to data provided by S&P Global Platts.

These US exports are now flooding the global market—a global market that is still oil-heavy as OPEC members—well, most OPEC members—continue to dutifully curb oil production to alleviate the overhang. That overhang is smaller today than it was in December 2016—in fact, 130 million barrels smaller, according to OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo, but is still 171 million barrels too heavy as of August.

Still, Vitol feels that the current U.S. crude oil production growth is unsustainable beyond 2018.

Vitol is anticipating an increase in US crude production of 0.5 to 0.6 million bpd in 2018, at which point the increase in production would cause cost inflation, rendering at least some of today’s current production projects unprofitable. And according to Vitol, some are barely profitable as it is.

“If you look at the economics on most of the big Permian players, not many of them make a lot of money,” Taylor said, speaking to Reuters.

For now, Vitol is expecting “boringly rangebound” prices, but eventually, the expected slowdown in production, along with “robust” demand growth, will inevitably push up prices past that stubborn $50-$60 level.

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