There’s a fascinating piece in the latest Economist arguing that the world’s “supermajor” oil companies—BP, ConocoPhillips, Exxon, Total, Shell and Chevron—are facing serious challenges in the near term.Two trends undergird these surprising prediction: First, supermajors have been pushed out of directly controlling oil reserves by various national oil companies (NOCs) like Brazil’s Petrobras and Saudi Aramco, who […]

The State Department issued a worldwide alert to American citizens today with a warning that al-Qaeda and its affiliates continue to plan attacks. Meanwhile, Washington continues to assure us that the “global war on terror” is over.Al-Qaeda is on a “path to defeat,” President Obama announced in May, but today’s warning suggests that that is far from […]

Every few years the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change publishes a report that attempts to assess the state of climate science, as well as other technical and economic issues related to global warming policy. The last major report, the 2007 Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), generated perhaps more controversy than was usual.FT has an excellent profile on […]

Images leaked online may show China’s second aircraft carrier under construction. If this story checks out, it would be China’s first homemade carrier. Analysts speculate that such a carrier would be outfitted with a catapult-launch system, rather than the “ski jump” used by its current carrier, the Liaoning (pictured above).The Liaoning isn’t much of a […]

For months massive discontent over a potential rise in out-of-pocket premium expenses under Obamacare has haunted Capitol Hill. Currently, the federal government pays 75 percent of the health insurance premiums for congressional staffers. Senators and representatives feared they would lose staff if this heavy subsidy disappeared as it was scheduled to do under the ACA. The White […]

The blue civil war is getting heated in Detroit, pitting blue collar workers and pensioners against the wealthier blue state arts-and-culture set. Reuters is reporting that some union leaders are calling for the liquidation of the Detroit Institute of Art in order to protect pensions. Choice quotes: Mark Young, president of the Detroit Lieutenants and […]

As Edward Snowden awaited the papers that will grant him a year of asylum in Russia, The NSA’s General Keith Alexander gave a talk at the annual Black Hat conference in Las Vegas. The Black Hat conference, which we mentioned earlier this week, is the annual get-together for hackers, many of whom are in fact ‘white hats’, […]

One of the biggest challenges facing Obamacare is the “skeptical uninsured,” those Americans—especially young ones—who might choose to pay the penalty rather than buy insurance under the ACA. (Insurance will be more expensive under Obamacare than it is now, and the penalty will be much smaller than the cost of insurance, so it would be […]

Egypt’s interim government has ordered police to squelch the pro-Morsi sit-ins that have formed in Cairo’s Raba’a Al Adiwiya and Nahda squares over the past few weeks. Cabinet ministers termed the gatherings “a threat to Egyptian national security” and called for security forces to “put an end to them.” The WSJ reports:  “This is the […]

Secretary Kerry landed in Pakistan yesterday, and the international media was quick to note the cordial welcome he received,  which seemed a far cry from the dark days of 2011 and 2012 when Islamabad and Washington were at each others’ throats. On the surface, at least, the relationship appears to be back on track: President […]