Real purpose of sanctions 

I’ve always believed that sanctions do not work. If anything, they harm the people on the bottom, and not those at the top. 

I also believe the real reason for sanctions is simply corporate warfare. Controlling markets and global prices is the end game. 

Discuss. 

The extension of sanctions against Russia by the EU and their expansion by the United States demonstrated that the restrictive measures will remain in place for the foreseeable future. 

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-truth-about-sanctions-against-russia-14789

Afghanistan war all about lithium 

Watch this video https://youtu.be/Kxryv2XrnqM

… and put the puzzle pieces together for why the USA occupies Afghanistan and probably will forever.

 

Just this month, American geologists working with the Pentagon team have been conducting ground surveys on dry salt lakes in western Afghanistan where they believe there are large deposits of lithium. Pentagon officials said that their initial analysis at one location in Ghazni Province showed the potential for lithium deposits as large of those of Bolivia, which now has the world’s largest known lithium reserves.

http://www.mining.com/1-trillion-motherlode-of-lithium-and-gold-discovered-in-afghanistan/

Here’s someone who says oil isn’t going anywhere:

http://driving.ca/auto-news/news/motor-mouth-facts-are-superfluous-to-the-electric-vehicle-crowd

Just this. Automobility — and conferences of its ilk — are supposedly the automobile industry’s best foot forward, where the brightest minds in the business meet to discuss and, yes, argue about what the future of personal transportation five, 10 and even 20 years hence might look like. That’s what they’re supposed to be.

You can’t get what you want 

Fantastic post from Scott. 

I recently blogged about the impossibility of buying a Chevy truck with the features you want. The quick summary is that there are so many truck features and options that it would be almost mathematically impossible for a dealer to have the truck you want on the lot. Likewise, there are generally no nearby trucks at other dealerships that your local dealer can ship in for you.

The Bait-and-Switch Confusopoly Economy
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/ihdT/~3/iuASnRhSLrU/148455234631

Visa and Walmart duke it out

Technology is putting pressure on credit card and bricks and mortar retailers. Both aren’t needed as much, and hence they start fighting like children over the scraps.

Most won’t be too sad to see both walk away wounded.

Now Walmart has initiated a public fight – something we never wanted – and they are using their own customers as negotiating leverage by stating that they will no longer accept Visa cards at Walmart stores.

http://www.visa.ca/en/aboutcan/mediacentre/news/visa-open-letter-walmart.jsp#.V2P7MmIpBE9

Canada’s bad for business

NHL hockey is in the entertainment business, and Canadian teams winning is bad for American TV business. That’s not a theory, that’s a conspiracy fact.

Last week, to great fanfare, preliminary rosters for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey were unveiled. And as usual, Team Canada stood out as being ridiculously stacked, boasting so much talent that the biggest story were the perennial All-Stars who wouldn’t make the cut.It was a nice moment for Canadian fans, one where they could feel good about the nation’s hockey prowess. Then the NHL regular season resumed, and those feelings immediately vanished. Because as a glance at this year’s standings will confirm, Canada’s NHL teams are terrible.

Source: Why are Canada’s NHL teams so bad this season? The conspiracy theories explored | Sport | The Guardian