Currently the only way the government can maintain its liquidity is thanks to the Federal Reserve, which as of April 2013 holds 16% of total outstanding Treasuries -essentially Federal IOUs purchased by the Fed with money created out of thin air. How long this can continue is anyone’s guess.
Category Archives: REFERENCE
Trade Deficit
The trade deficit is a direct consequence of the fact that more workers in other nations are employed producing goods and services for the United States than the other way around. So far, this wealth hemorrhage has been confined to the middle class, compelled to choose between unemployment and underemployment. … Continue reading
Distribution of Wealth
There’s a rapidly widening gap in the distribution of income and wealth. The latest census data depict a collapsing middle class (this video details how it happened and its ramifications), high underemployment, low (and declining) labor participation, and rising outlays for disability, food stamps and low-income tax credits. Alarming as … Continue reading
Gridlock
Gridlock is a philosophical and emotional reaction to internal demographic, economic and social changes of unprecedented magnitude and scope. Simply stated, it is the quintessential conflict between the irresistible force -change- and the immovable object -status quo. While gridlock is not the cause of the aforementioned problems, it does … Continue reading
Drawbacks
October 15, 2014 Lockheed Martin announced that it has made a fusion-related technological breakthrough. It would use deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen found in the ocean, to generate nearly 10 million times more energy that the same amount of fossil fuels. There would be no radioactive waste. At first glance … Continue reading
Conversion Factors
Various measures, conversions and definitions used for hydrogen systems STP = standard temperature/pressure = 0°C (32°f) and 1 bar (≈1 atmosphere). Some references say STP is 25°C (77°f), reason unknown. NTP = normal temperature/pressure = 20°C (68°f) and 1 atm (atmosphere). Functionally, NTP is almost the same as STP, and … Continue reading
War On Coal?
What ‘war on coal’? The carbon fuel is doing fine Javier E. David | @TeflonGeek CNBC.com 06/03/2014 If there’s a war on coal, someone may have forgotten to tell the primary target. As the Environmental Protection Agency unveils new standards on cutting carbon emissions at U.S. power plants, a confluence … Continue reading
Poverty and Wealth
“The first man who, having fenced in a piece of land, said “This is mine,” and found people naïve enough to believe him, that man was the true founder of civil society. From how many crimes, wars, and murders, from how many horrors and misfortunes might not any one have … Continue reading
Mass Exodus From The U.S. Workforce – Nov. 2013
The unemployment rate has been declining, but so has labor force participation. Media attention tends to focus on the former and to ignore the latter; as a result, some people wrongly assume that the employment situation is improving and that it’s only a matter of time before things get back … Continue reading
Electrolysis
Principle An electrical power source is connected to two electrodes, or two plates (typically made from some inert metal such as platinum or stainless steel) which are placed in the water. Hydrogen will appear at the cathode (the negatively charged electrode, where electrons enter the water), and oxygen will appear … Continue reading