China

A Central Valley theory of the Amazon rainforest fires

I have a theory about the Amazon rainforest fires. It could only have come, I admit, from prolonged observation of agribusiness and real estate developers in the San Joaquin Valley. My theory is that  Donald Trump’s insanity, Chinese pride, and the Brazilian soy-bean boom have conspired to create a perfect storm.

Lede buried in a subsiding aquifer

The lede of the article below was buried in its last graph.

 “Unfortunately, this complex scheme leaves (farmers) with more questions than answers,” Stabenow said. “I have a number of concerns about whether this plan is fair and equitable to all farmers. Government checks are no replacement for lost markets, and this temporary support will only go so far.”

Three by Pepe Escobar on Iran, China, and Russia

 

My melancholic contemplation of the Sixth Extinction (got as far as the White Nose Syndrome wiping out bats) has been rudely interrupted this week by the saber rattling flatulence emanating from the White House. I turned as this site has often turned in the past to Pepe Escobar, the former Roving Eye of Asia Times and the best correspondent in English on subjects like the New Silk Road and a region he calls “Pipelinestan.”

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