Things are moving so fast this is already majorly out of date in terms of what Ukraine has taken. RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 9
How the Russian invasion is changing Ukrainian farmers’ crops
In Face of Rising Domestic Prices, India Restricts Rice Exports
The World Is Not Ready For The Next Super-Eruption, Scientists Warn
A day behind but they are putting them out to late at night these days to stay current. RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 6
What the Natural Gas Shortage Means for Germany
Special Master Order Reveals Biden’s Direct Involvement In Trump Raid And Six Other Bombshells
A German View: Zelenskyy’s Risky Push
US: Russia to buy rockets, artillery shells from North Korea
‘We’re ready to strike’: UPS workers and Teamsters prepare for contract fight
Enormous Solar Storm May Create Auroras Across Northern U.S. States
Rare First Temple Period Ivories Discovered in Jerusalem
“Lehman Event” Looms For Europe As Energy Companies Face $1.5T In Margin Calls
Honestly, this is not all that different from the nation at large and a major reason life expectancy in America is gong down. A staggering total of 109 soldiers assigned to Fort Bragg died in 2020 and 2021.
Brawls break out and shelves stripped bare as Chinese city heads for ‘strictest lockdown’
Earthquake In Southwest China Kills 65 As Millions In Region Are Under Lockdown
This is one way to make sure the lights go out. The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen last Friday called for a price cap to be imposed on Russian gas imports to thwart, as she said, the Russian President’s attempt to manipulate the EU energy market. Now, however, it seems a price cap for all imports of natural gas is on the table, including from long-term friends such as Norway. More commentary here.
Manhunt after 10 stabbed to death in Saskatchewan
Israel concedes soldier likely shot Al Jazeera journalist
RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 4
Russia to keep key gas pipeline to EU closed
Why is China so Obsessed With Food Security?
This happened to people I know who I thought were past the age of making stupid mistakes. How Weed Became the New OxyContin
The Myth Of American Income Inequality
RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, SEPTEMBER 3
Tyler has a blind spot in his analysis. Total cost of living in a city includes property taxes even if water is charged for separately. In upstate NY, city taxes are sky high in large part to pension costs and it is possible that a similar issue is at work in Jackson. Water problems in Jackson, Mississippi
“Exorbitant Rise In Energy Prices” Forces Europe’s Top Steelmaker To Close Plants
Why the First Supreme Court Impeachment Was the Last (So Far)
Coming soon to a government near you. ‘Rampant chaos’: Lebanon state sector eroded by grinding crisis
Part 1: But it hasn’t been reported in the newsfeed Part 2: We appraised the situation inaccurately Part 3: They can only look on helplessly as the two men pull harder and harder – until the boy’s shoulders are dislocated
Much of The Great Pacific Garbage Patch’s Plastic Comes From These 5 Countries
One of the frustrations I have with just posting links is the lack of context that comes along with them. I tend to gravitate towards links talking about the bad news as because everyone has a strong tendency towards normalcy bias. Even those who are pessimists are generally in the grip of this cognitive bias. They talk as if they are expecting the worst to happen but they rarely act that way.
Having said that, I think one of the causes of normalcy bias is the fact that we tend to look at negative indicators devoid of context. Because we tend to look at negative indicators in isolation, we are not very good at figuring out when things are truly serious and when they are balanced out by positive factors that we don’t realize are connected. This trains us to disregard negative indicators without knowing why because so often they are balanced out by positive things we don’t see. Then when we are confronted by indicators of a true disaster, we disregard them even though in retrospect it should have been obvious that something bad was coming.
Part of this is an unavoidable result of our cognitive limitations. We simply can’t make all the connections that we need to make to truly understand things. But it would help if would occasionally take the time to try to look at things in context so that we can come to a better understanding of what is really bad news and what is just a wash because good news is not being reported.
In this particular case, we are going to focus on the current and projected harvests of the three major grains (wheat, corn, and rice) to try to put the good and bad news on that front into context. My primary source for the following discussion is the US Department of Agriculture August survey of world agriculture production.
Wheat
If your main source of news is links posted in the Ethereal Voice, you could be forgiven for thinking that the world is going to be experiencing a major wheat shortage. Most stories posted here that mention wheat are all about how bad the crop is in India, the EU issues with drought, and how war in Ukraine is going to lead to starvation. I think I might have done one link on how the harvest was looking good in Canada and I know I made mention that Russia was looking to have a really good harvest. But those stories are in the distinct minority. And that is why you might be surprised to find out that this “Marketing Year’s” worldwide wheat harvest is expected to be about the same as last year’s.