Via: http://www.statistics.gr/portal/page/portal/ESYE/BUCKET/A0101/PressReleases/A0101_SJO02_DT_MM_05_2012_01_F_EN.pdf

JEITA reported that a total of 3.5 million flat screen TV units were shipped in Japan during the period, and that in June TVs saw an 80.3% decrease at 557,000 units, marking the eleventh consecutive month of decreases.

Overall, 29-inch and below sized TVs dropped 71.8% with 30-36-inch and 37-inch and above ones at around the same rate, said JEITA. The association also reported similar results for 3D TVs.

Sources said the main reason is because consumers in Japan have recently switched out old TVs for new ones and are not on the market for newer or upgraded models. Due consumer behavior patterns in Japan, industry supply chains have begun to shift their focus more towards emerging markets and maintain an overall negative view for growth in Japan.

Meanwhile, industry sources are holding conservative views for TV growth in the second half of 2012, aside from China, which may reach 20 million in sales solely for 3D TVs.

Via: http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120724PD210.html

The city of about 210,000 residents 65 miles east of Los Angeles declared a fiscal crisis last month after a report said local government had tapped out its reserves and projected spending would top revenue by $45 million in the fiscal year that began on July 1.

The filing, made in the United States Bankruptcy Court, Central California District, states that the city has "more than $1 billion" in liabilities, and estimated that it has between 10,001 and 25,000 creditors.

It also states that San Bernardino has estimated assets of more than $1 billion.

In San Bernardino, a recent report by the city attorney said officials had falsified budget reports to the mayor and council for 13 of the last 16 years, hiding the scale of the city's debt.

Via: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/02/us-usa-bankrupty-san-bernardino-idUSBRE87105220120802

True democracy in action. Constant falsification, debt that can not be paid (and every official knew it).

Via: http://panasonic.co.jp/corp/news/official.data/data.dir/2012/07/en120731-4/en120731-4-8.pdf

Don't trust banks, get cash (or transfer to EU banks, in worst case) :-)

Interesting read: http://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2012/07/the-puzzling-pre-fomc-announcement-drift.html

Startups. For all the glamour and “sexiness” associated with the concept, the truth is that startups are no more and no less than what they sound like: new, growing businesses. There are a variety of good and bad reasons to join or start businesses, but for most of human history, it wasn’t viewed as a “sexy” process. Getting incorporated, setting up a payroll system, and hiring accountants are just not inspiring duties for most people. They’re mundane tasks that people are more than willing to do in pursuit of an important goal, but starting a business has not typically been considered to be inherently “sexy”. What changed, after about 1996, is that people started seeing ”startups” as an end in themselves. Rather than an awkward growth phase for an emerging, risky business, “startup” became a lifestyle. This was all fine because, for decades, positions at established businesses were systemically overvalued by young talent, and those at growing small companies were undervalued. It made economic sense for ambitious young people to brave the risk of a startup company. Thus, the savviest talent gravitated toward the startups, where they had access to responsibilities and career options that they’d have to wait for years to get in a more traditional setting.

Now, the reverse seems to be true. In 1995, a lot of talented young people went into large corporations because they saw no other option in the private sector– when, in fact, there were credible alternatives, startups being a great option. In 2012, a lot of young talent is going into startups for the same reason: a belief that it’s the only legitimate work opportunity for top talent, and that their careers are likely to stagnate if they work in more established businesses. They’re wrong, I think, and this mistaken belief allows them to be taken advantage of. The typical equity offer for a software engineer is dismally short of what he’s giving up in terms of reduced salary, and the career path offered by startups is not always what it’s made out to be.

For all this, I don’t intend to argue that people shouldn’t join startups. If the offer’s good, and the job looks interesting, it’s worth trying out. I just don’t think that the current, unconditional “startups are awesome!” mentality serves us well. It’s not good for any of us, because there’s no tyrant worse than a peer selling himself short, and right now there are a lot of great people selling themselves very short for a shot at the “startup experience”– whatever that is.

Read the rest at http://michaelochurch.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/dont-waste-your-time-in-crappy-startup-jobs/

Check three posts below:

• Part 1 - http://www.theburningplatform.com/?p=35850
• Part 2 - http://www.theburningplatform.com/?p=36196
• Part 3 - http://www.theburningplatform.com/?p=36198

Bank system

1. Total elimination of all private banks.
2. Elimination of central bank in it's current form.
3. Forming of central finanancial institution under direct goverment supervision.
4. Total ban on cash. Each firm or individual will be allowed to have exactly one account in CFI.
5. Total reform of tax system (explained in next posts)
6. Total reform of accounts and deposites specifically (explained in next posts).
7. No more you could "invest" money in financial instruments or get any percents from the bank.
8. Big changes in bank transfer system taking transfer costs and time back to reality. Transfer fees won't be connected to transfer amount.
9. Special mode for micropayments, with transfer costs in 0.001 cent range.
10. Total reform on credit system (explained in next posts)

Insurance and medical insurance systems

1. Total elimination of all private insurers.
2. Ban on usage of international reinsurers.
3. CFI will have special department for this task.
4. Huge reduction of insurance schemes usage in medicine.
5. Total ban on affilate schemes in medicine.

Mass media

1. Restriction on private mass media. Private mass media no longer can be present in certain sectors.
2. Foreign entertainment contents advertising and mass distribution restriction. Each 6 months restriction will be made tighter.
3. Foreign research and manufacturing joint programs. Each 6 months number of joint programs double.
4. Introduction of internet firewall. Yes, similar to China one :-)
5. Total ban on all private social networks and search engines. Yes, I mean Facebook and Google too. Goverment backed search engine and social network will be made based on nationalised existing solutions.

It is very small part. I'll start explaining reasons and adding stuff in next series.
Feel free to ask questions.

They also anticipate making EUR3.5 billion in savings in local government through an ambitious process of centralizing powers at the provincial, or county, level. This is the latest step to counter three-decades of power devolution from the center that has left many concerned about the degree to which Madrid can force austerity on lower-level authorities.

Mr. Rajoy said official data suggest the economic slump will continue and gross domestic product growth will be closer to zero next year. Previously the government had forecast growth of 0.2% in 2013.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20120711-707672.html

• Stop wasting people's time
• Stop wasting energy
• Stop wasting money
• Stop wasting resources

It is very interesting that in nature, if you somehow managed to save resources and energy, it means only that either population will grow and new members will consume it all or your competition will do the same :-)

So, any saving and optimisation has meaning only on big scale, as it either allows better distribution of resources, hence, improving average life level, or big community, who implemented saving, will grow, and will have more probability to push ideas and genetic material to competing systems.

In currently working model due to cheap energy, resources and system flaws big margins became quite common.

Open any IT oriented site. Almost all publications are about high marginal products - smartphones, tablets, top game PCs, software.

Margins play role of penalty across all sectors of current system.

• Huge farma corporations take amazing margins.
• If you managed to work 12 hours a day and got good salary, you are fucked, as margin will eat most of your work, and it is called taxes :-)
• If you invented some very complicated device requiring many engineers and many parts, same taxes and other margins will eat you.
• Using your car to go from home to work and to the shop? Same shit. Most people do the same now. This thing is eating your money. And oil :-)
• Changing your phone, PC, car or other stuff each year or two? Thing is not modern already? Same shit, guys.
• Like having four food stores around you? Good for competition? May be, but margin will be more, as all this people and infrastructu comsume money, your money.

What is wrong with it? All is wrong. High margins induce distortion, and lead to redistribution of real resources.
Sometimes this redistribution can look strange, like your stuff going directly to dump sites :-)

We'll continue with margins in series 4.

Many of people still think what banks and derivatives are responsible for all problems.
Some tell what this is globalization.
Fewer guys think what this are political systems and corporations.

Problem is, unmanageable complexity today is like cancer in terminal stage. It is present in most systems.

Especially large hierarchical ones. In many of such systems around the world huge amount of people are doing nothing. Sorry, I am not correct here. Their sole goal consist of keeping this sick structures alive. Or, at least, make them look alive. Or do literally nothing and make it look like you are fighting for structure.
Even more interesting is that many jobless with high benefits perform same function if you view some countries as similar system.
How systems temporary solve this? They increase load, either on remaining good and qualified workers or some outsiders.
So, all this people make life of other people worse. As I like to express it - they are increasing margins.

Margins as a concept and possible solutions will be core of the Series 3 post.

Yesterday spokesperson of Fiat Industrial, Alfredo Altavilla, explained why several production facilities of Iveco (5 in total) will be closed. The presentation of the new Iveco Stralis at Fiat Industrial Village was after all not only good news, since 1075 people will lose their job. The recently announced expansion of production in Spain, where current production of Madrid and Valladolid will be expanded, can be linked back to the closing of the factories in France (Chamberry), Germany (Weiswell and Ulm, Ulm will keep the assembly of firetrucks) and Austria (Graz and Görlitz).

Btw, this promized 1200 jobs in Spain is just announced expectation (without any signed things yet) that could happen in about 4 years.

I have spoken about the crisis embracing all branches of production. There is one branch, however, has not been affected by the crisis. That branch is the armament industry. It is growing continuously, not-withstanding the crisis. The states are furiously arming and rearming. What for? Not for friendly chats, of course, but for war. And they need war, for it is the only means by which to redivide the world, to redivide markets, sources of raw materials and spheres for the investments.

It is quite understandable that in this situation so-called pacifism is living its last days, that the UN is rotting alive, that "disarmament schemes" come to nothing, while conferences for the reduction of naval armaments become transformed into conferences for renewing and enlarging navies.

This means that the danger of war will grow at an accelerated pace.

See more at http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1617/on-the-crisis/p1

Chart from : http://www.zerohedge.com/news/guest-post-springtime-military-industrial-complex

Read whole 2012 report: http://www.bp.com/assets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/reports_and_publications/statistical_energy_review_2011/STAGING/local_assets/pdf/statistical_review_of_world_energy_full_report_2012.pdf

The peak demand in Germany is about 80 GW. The variations of wind and PV generation create situations which require long distance transport of huge amounts of power. The grid capacity is far from sufficient for these transports. The result is a remarkably large number of curtailments of RES (Renewable Energy Sources).

• Wind power peaks seem not to be simultaneous with PV peaks. This means that PV does not add its full peak capacity to the grid problems during high wind periods.
• The main part of the German wind power is installed in the northern part of the country while the main part of the PV capacity is installed in Bavaria. The nuclear moratorium has created the most serious supply problems in the southern part of Germany. This observation suggests additional PV generation to relieve the supply problems.
• PV generation cannot reduce the need for peak capacity. The reason is that there is no PV generation during the evening peak load.
• The regulating work which must be made by controllable power sources grows considerably with the growth of wind power and PV. TenneT is one of Germany’s 4 main grid operators. In the TenneT area a calculation for April 2011 has shown that wind power alone would extend the regulating range by more than 50%, while the actual combination of wind power and PV has doubled the regulating range.

23% of the Hours in Q1 2012 Affected by Interventions

The number of interventions has increased dramatically in Germany from 2010/11 to 2011/12.

Feed-in reduction was initiated 197 times during the winter season 2011/12 compared to 39 times the previous year.

In 184 cases wind power caused high feed-in from distribution grids into the transmission grids. 5 cases were remarkable and affected the entire grid

Via: http://www.theoildrum.com/node/9205#more

I strongly recommend to check whole report.
It can look boring initially, but it contains interesting things:

http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/06-05-Long-Term_Budget_Outlook.pdf

Regulators are allowing banks to escape counting their country's debt against capital requirements and loosening other rules to create a steady market for government bonds, the study says.

While that helps governments issue more and more debt, the strategy could ultimately explode if the governments are unable to make the bond payments, leaving the banks with billions of toxic debt, says Citigroup strategist Hans Lorenzen.

Via: http://www.cnbc.com/id/47633576

Via: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/world/easy-street/what-happens-if-greece-defaults-flow-chart

Interesting, isn't it?

Especially considering that big amounts of olive oil are made by small business.

Via: http://www.ine.es/en/daco/daco42/daco4215/ccm0412_en.pdf

Chart represents one of the theories predicting big problems with energy :-)

See more at:
http://dieoff.org/page125.htm
http://www.theoildrum.com/story/2006/3/6/135437/7111

See many more charts at http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/key_world_energy_stats-1.pdf

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/federal_budget/may_2012/51_predict_u_s_government_will_go_bankrupt_before_budget_is_balanced