Those are my principles, and
if you don't like them... well, I have others.
President Trump, with
apologies to Groucho Marx
We open this weekend,
with a very realistic and pessimistic view of recent events by former very
left-wing German Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer. As President Trump heads
the world into trade wars and is setting up for new disastrous Middle East war,
Europe has never been less prepared nor more disunified.
President Trump, the
fastest U-turner in the west.
Can America be
trusted?
Who are you going to believe,
me or your own eyes?
President Trump, with
apologies to Groucho Marx
'The U.S. President Is Destroying the American World Order'
In an interview with DER SPIEGEL, former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer talks about the danger of war against Iran, the deterioration of trans-Atlantic relations under U.S. President Donald Trump and the serious need for Germany to invest massively in the European Union's future.
Interview Conducted By Mathieu
von Rohr and Christoph
Schult
May 22, 2018
04:54 PM
DER SPIEGEL: Mr. Fischer, you were -- together with your French and British colleagues -- among the first to embark on negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program in 2003. The 2015 agreement was to some extent your legacy. How did Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Iran deal affect you?
Fischer: I don't take this personally, but I am very concerned about the disastrous consequences of Trump's decision. They will be much more dramatic than portrayed in most of the comments so far. The aim of the agreement was to prevent a second disaster after the Iraq War, namely a large-scale land war in Iran. After the Iraq War, the Iranians tried in vain to divide Europe and the United States. Donald Trump has now managed to do just that.
DER SPIEGEL: Are you afraid that there will now be a war against Iran?
Fischer: I can't imagine that Trump could want that. One of the reasons Trump came into power was the frustration over these unwinnable, endless wars.
---- DER SPIEGEL: You remember Bolton from your time as foreign minister.
Fischer: I know him
very well. He is one of the people responsible for the Iraq disaster.
DER SPIEGEL: Bolton once
wrote: "To stop Iran's bomb, bomb Iran."
Fischer: Bolton has
only one answer to everything: bombing. I wouldn't pay too much attention to
that. But if Iran starts enriching uranium again, we would certainly be in a
very dangerous situation. The confrontation between Iran and Israel has already
begun militarily in Syria.
DER SPIEGEL: Back then,
before the invasion of Iraq, you famously told the Americans: "I am not
convinced." Does the current crisis in trans-Atlantic relations remind you
of 2003?
Fischer: The
situation is much more dramatic today. The danger of a military clash between
Israel and Iran in Syria is exacerbated by the U.S.'s withdrawal from the
agreement. It is true that the current crisis is a result of the original sin
of the invasion of Iraq. Iran's rise to hegemony would not have been possible
without the active help of George W. Bush and the American neocons. And without
the collapse of Iraq, the rise of the "Islamic State" in Syria would
not have come this far.
---- DER SPIEGEL: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that we can no longer truly rely on the U.S.
Fischer: It's even
worse than that. The American president is deliberately destroying the American
world order. I was used to NATO being attacked by the left wing of the Green
Party, but not by the American president! From an economic policy point of
view, Trump is challenging Germany's business model, which has been geared
toward exports from the very beginning. Many are saying that we shouldn't put
up with that. I find this reaction understandable, but also kind of cute. What
can we do? Given the current balance of power, sometimes all you can do is
gnash your teeth..
DER SPIEGEL: You
recently wrote a book in German with the dark title "The Descent of the
West." Is the West finished?
Fischer: There is
every indication that this will happen. The West was the trans-Atlantic area,
and its founding fathers were Britain and the United States. The West cannot
survive without them, and certainly not with a weak, divided Europe. This is
why Europeans must become stronger, much stronger.
---- DER SPIEGEL: So, is Trump right when he asks the Germans to spend more on the military?
Fischer: It isn't
about Trump. Hillary Clinton would have been just as critical of this as
president. We have to do it for ourselves. We have been investing too little in
our security for years. What are the things I've read within the past week?
German armed forces pilots are losing their licenses because they cannot fly
enough hours due to helicopter deficiencies. Submarines cannot sail because
spare parts are missing. We only have four combat-ready Eurofighters. What a
shame! If you ask me whether we can defend ourselves, the clear answer is no.
---- DER SPIEGEL: This week, the Europeans and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif jointly announced their intention to preserve the Iran deal. How could that work?
Fischer: Probably
not at all! I'd like it to happen, but I can't imagine how. They cannot protect
German companies in view of their close ties. Many have huge investments in the
United States and are dependent on the U.S. market.
DER SPIEGEL: The EU has
reactivated a law that could impose penalties on companies that comply with
U.S. sanctions against Iran ...
Fischer: A German
automobile company that does not deliver to Iran because the U.S. market is too
important for it is being punished again. How's that supposed to work?
DER SPIEGEL: That would
mean the deal is dead?
Fischer: It's going
to be difficult. I'm very skeptical about it.
More
May 25, 2018 / 1:43 AM
Trump - U.S. in 'productive talks' about reinstating June North Korea summit
WASHINGTON/SEOUL
(Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump late on Friday said the United States
was having “productive talks” about reinstating a June 12 summit with North
Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, just a day after he cancelled the meeting citing
Pyongyang’s “open hostility.”
“We are
having very productive talks about reinstating the Summit which, if it does
happen, will likely remain in Singapore on the same date, June 12th., and, if
necessary, will be extended beyond that date,” Trump said in a Twitter post.
South
Korea’s presidential spokesman said in response: “We are cautiously optimistic
that hope is still alive for US-North Korea dialogue. We are continuing to
watch developments carefully.”
Trump had
earlier indicated the summit could be salvaged after welcoming a conciliatory
statement from North Korea saying it remained open to talks.
“It was a
very nice statement they put out,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
“We’ll see what happens - it could even be the 12th.
“We’re
talking to them now. They very much want to do it. We’d like to do it.”
More
May 26, 2018 / 6:05 AM
Ex-Panama president's jail letter blames U.S. for extradition
PANAMA
CITY (Reuters) - Former Panama president Ricardo Martinelli, jailed in Miami on
spying charges while awaiting extradition to his home country, said in a letter
released Friday that the United States reneged on promises from some U.S.
officials to offer him a safe-haven.
“After years
of friendship with this country, I did not expect to be thrown in a U.S. jail,”
he wrote in a letter dated May 14 and released by a spokesman.
Martinelli
was jailed last year in the United States after Panama requested extradition on
charges that he used public money to spy on more than 150 political rivals
during his 2009-2014 term.
A U.S. court
authorized the extradition last year, and Martinelli last month maintained his
innocence but said he would stop fighting the proceedings for judgement in
Panama.
In the
four-page letter, Martinelli says Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela, a
former ally, had sought political revenge, and that he expected the United
States to offer “protection” from Varela’s government.
He also
detailed examples of assisting the United States to curb cross-border crime,
such as halting a North Korean ship travelling from Cuba with planes, missiles
and radar.
“When the
CIA requested that I stop a North Korean ship leaving Cuba that was crossing
the Panama Canal, I did not blink an eye,” the letter states.
Martinelli,
a wealthy supermarket magnate, also said he understood that high-ranking U.S.
officials had agreed to let him settle in the United States “without fear.”
Reuters
could not immediately verify Martinelli’s claims.
“I was under
the impression that promises made by such government officials could be relied
upon. I was mistaken,” he added in the letter, which was addressed to the
“government and people of the United States”.
In other news, will
our brave 21st century future be a world of autopilot, electric
vehicles? Probably not.
Pivot Power Plans Massive UK Supercharger Network Paired With 2 Gigawatts of Batteries
Using battery revenues to pay for substation upgrades could help the business case.
Jason
DeignMay 23,
2018
Batteries could play a key
role in helping to roll out an electric vehicle supercharger network across the
U.K., according to a company called Pivot Power.
The firm, which describes
itself as a special-purpose venture formed between energy storage project
developer Become Energy and renewables investment company Downing, hopes to
install the world’s biggest battery network.
It plans to deploy forty-five
50-megawatt batteries at substations close to major auto routes across the U.K.
Each battery would make money from grid services and energy trading.
Crucially, though, the cost of
adapting each substation for battery storage would also allow it to be used for
EV charging.
By connecting rapid charging
stations directly to the high-voltage transmission network, Pivot Power intends
to gain access to up to 20 megawatts of cheap power per site. This would grant it
efficiencies that would be hard to attain via regional distribution network
connections.
The battery installations are
a vital part of the plan, though, because converting a substation to deliver
vehicle-charging services would require “seven figures’ worth of work to be
done,” according to Matthew Boulton, chief operating officer.
---- This significantly weakens the
business case for standalone vehicle charger installations. Under Pivot Power’s
plan, though, “these chargers are only there because a 50-megawatt battery has
paid for the connection,” Boulton said.
EV charging, once up and
running, would create extra revenue for the battery system. The battery,
meanwhile, would be able to store cheap electricity, so vehicle owners could
charge their cars at a discount compared to standard tariffs.
Along with its 2-gigawatt
battery network, Pivot Power aims to install the world’s largest network of
rapid charging stations, with up to 100 rapid 150-kilowatt chargers plus
350-kilowatt charging points when the technology becomes available.
More
Lawrence Solomon: Self-driving cars will never live up to the hype
They're being pushed on uninterested consumers who, really, just want to drive their own private vehicle
May 24, 2018 8:19 AM EDT
The age of the self-driving
automobile is just around the corner, pretty much everyone in government and
industry agrees, which will reduce traffic congestion, carbon-dioxide emissions
and all but eliminate carnage on the road. Except it won’t eliminate congestion
— it will probably add to it. It won’t reduce carbon-dioxide emissions — it
will probably add to them. And while it’s likely to save lives of bad drivers,
it’s also likely to cost the lives of good drivers.
The claims that self-driving
cars will reduce traffic congestion are mostly based on the assumption that the
private automobile will go out of vogue, as people switch to ride-sharing
through Uber-like arrangements using self-driving cars. A great increase in
ride-sharing seems improbable. Car-pooling never took off with conventional
automobiles, despite government incentives and exhortations; there’s no reason
to believe ride-sharing would suddenly soar in popularity if cars were
self-driving.
Uber use does stand to
increase if only because Uber rides will cost less without drivers. That extra
use would lead to cars logging more miles, not fewer, since Uber’s cloud-based
model encourages empty vehicles to be continually on the move, to shorten the time
it takes to get to a fare. In London, where Uber and other for-hire vehicles
are thriving — now accounting for 10 per cent of all traffic entering Central
London — congestion and thus travel-times are increasing.
Self-driving cars dedicated to
personal use are also likely to increase traffic congestion. To save on
downtown parking fees, many commuters will send their cars home after arriving
at work, then summon them at the end of the day for the ride home. Rather than
parking when shopping at the neighbourhood hardware or grocery store, many
people will just have their cars circle the block. Owners will also save the
expense of delivery by dispatching their cars to pick up their shopping —
sending their car on a round trip instead of a delivery courier’s more
efficient routing.
That extra mileage will
increase auto emissions, especially since it will be occurring on congested
roads and most especially since it will involve self-driving cars, which are
energy hogs. Self-driving cars demand up to three or four kilowatts to run
their computerized, sensor-intensive autonomous driving systems, a major drain
on their batteries. An all-electric self-driving vehicle would find its range
severely compromised — even if the driving system’s energy efficiency doubled
or tripled — making them impractical. Self-driving vehicles are thus more
likely to be hybrid cars, allowing the battery to be recharged courtesy of
fossil fuels.
---- In most respects,
the self-driving car has been overhyped, pushed on us by governments to tame
the perceived evils of the internal combustion engine. The public certainly
hasn’t been clamouring for it: a Gallup poll published this week shows 78 per
cent of Americans enjoy driving and only 19 per cent would want a self-driving
car even if they became common over the next 20 years.
More
Inspection Firm Hacks Inverters Within Minutes, Casting Doubt on Security
TÜV Rheinland broke into commercially available solar inverters “without any problems.”
Jason
DeignMay 23,
2018
The standards body TÜV Rheinland has cast doubt about inverter makers’
cybersecurity measures after it hacked commercially available PV inverters
“within a few minutes.”The Cologne-based organization stated that the finding was “all the more critical since storage systems typically communicate with the inverter, too.”
By hacking inverters, cybercriminals could gain access to battery management systems and trick batteries into operating in unsafe modes, TÜV Rheinland said.
On a wider scale, it might be possible to attack the entire electricity grid, causing massive power fluctuations, the researchers warned.
“We were able to re-parametrize commercially available inverters without any problems,” said Roman-Alexander Brück, laboratory head for solar components at TÜV Rheinland, in the press note.
His team hacked inverters using various techniques, including brute-force attacks and stealing passwords.
Although there are no known instances of such attacks happening outside the lab, the findings could call into question the extent to which inverter manufacturers are addressing the cybersecurity concerns that have now been apparent for some time.
Last October, for example, GTM reported on cybersecurity worries that had surfaced when a Dutch researcher uncovered 17 solar inverter vulnerabilities that hackers could use to remotely control plant output.
The list of vulnerabilities was handed over to the inverter maker, SMA, in December 2016. It is not known whether the TÜV Rheinland exercise also included SMA inverters but Susanne Henkel, SMA’s corporate press manager, said the manufacturer was aware of the tests.
More
I have had a perfectly
wonderful evening, but this wasn't it.
President Trump, with
apologies to Groucho Marx
Finally, in Grenfell
Tower tragedy news, the London Fire Brigade is at long last starting to be held
to account for its reckless and disastrously wrong advice. Corporate
manslaughter charges or a whitewash next?
The fatal two hours: Grenfell survivors accuse London Fire Bridge of strategic failures for telling families to 'stay put' as the blaze took hold... then calling an evacuation when it was too late
- Grenfell Tower survivors have accused the fire service of strategic failures
- The London Fire Brigade took two hours to change their advice to evacuate
- Their earlier advice to residents had been to 'stay put' and wait to be rescued
- Comes as the sister of a victim says she has lost trust in Britain after the blaze
A number of Grenfell Tower survivors have accused
the London
Fire Brigade of strategic failures which they say contributed to the amount of
lives lost in the blaze.
Survivors hit out at the amount of time it took the
fire service to change their advice to residents from 'stay put' and wait for
rescue to evacuating urgently.
It has emerged that the first emergency call was
made at 12.54am on June 14 last year, but crucially it took the fire brigade
almost two hours to call for an evacuation at 2.47am - by then it was already
too late for some, prompting fury from relatives.
Flora Neda, 53, an Afghan refugee and one of only two
survivors on her floor, hit out at the fire service for what she considers
their slow reaction to the crisis.
'If the fire brigade had evacuated straight away,
everybody would have got out alive.
'The fire brigade knew the fire is very huge an
they could not control it. At least if they told us you must save yourselves I
am sure most other people would still be alive,' Ms Neda, whose husband
perished in the blaze, told The
Telegraph.
Speaking with her son Farhad, 25, who was the only
other to escape the 23rd floor, the heartbroken widow spoke of her former army
officer husband who was killed.
While fellow survivor Nabil Choucair, 43, whose mother,
sister, brother-in-law and three nieces all died, said it was undoubtedly the
brigade's fault for not changing their 'stay put' order earlier.
more
Politics is the art of looking
for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the
wrong remedies.
Groucho Marx
The monthly Coppock Indicators finished April.
DJIA: 24,163 +255 Down. NASDAQ:
7,066 +282 Down. SP500: 2,648 +188 Down.
All
three slow indicators moved down in March and continued down in April. For some
a new bear signal, for others a take profits and get back to cash signal.
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