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U.S. oil exports are expected to average 1 million barrels a day for all of 2017. In 2016 in some months the average was 1 million barrels a day. U.S. oil exports make up 1% of global oil volumes, yet the added inventory has helped keep prices in the range of $46  to $55 a barrel in mid 2017. American crude is at a $2.50 discount over the Brent crude benchmark, making it profitable to export to far away locations. Back-haul economics also helps as tankers coming back from the middle east can now take crude back with a stop in Europe. Oil exports go to China and Europe. Production declines in China have led to China importing from the U.S.

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James McIntyre's book about Gordon Brown, (title is Power with a Purpose) who like Jimmy Carter, was more respected in retirement for doing good work humbly and not getting into a revenue generating speaker's circuit or consulting, or boards of directors of companies. McIntyre looks at his career, the involvement of Mandelson as Business Secretary, the failures of Mandelson and Blair in New Labour, and Gordon Brown's failure to revive the Labour Party. The Times says Gordon Brown has grown in stature since leaving No. 10 Downing Street. Under Blair, Brown was No.2 and headed the British Treasury as finance minister. He only became prime minister at the end of his career during the 2008-2009 financial crisis. He started the effort to redefine Labour Party after Margaret Thatcher defeated the Labour candidate from Plymouth Mr. Foot and swept out socialist Labour and the trade unions. Then followed privatization and changes in the British economy which were followed by Reagan in the US by 1980. Through this period Brown and Blair tried to create the concept of New Labour which won in landslides as Britain switched back to Labour as the alternative. As the Blair magic withered Brown was left tackling the 2009 financial crisis but failed to define what Labour was- his Business secretary was Peter Mandelson who unlike Brown was in Labour but in for his own purpose and had a cynical attitude to politics as a way to retire in some privileged business position on boards of directors. The result is well known Cameron and the conservatives who were even less qualified than an earlier generation of Conservative politicians, their decision to call the Brexit referendum, the verdict of yes on Brexit leading to Cameron's replacement by Boris Johnson, and Britain having 4 prime ministers in a span of five years as discredited austerity drive was replaced by Keir Starmer's Labour. This project with McSweeney as Starmer's campaign manager cleared Labour of socialist outlook Corbyn supporters, won in a landslide in 2024, only to fail to define the purpose for which Labour stood for and Starmer's ratings dropping to new lows of 18% support as Reform UK's Farage took up the issue of migrants and the culture that enabled migrants to enter the UK. Britain has been let down by two generations of less competent, poorly qualified for public service politicians over three decades since the 1990's- through Blair/Brown, Cameron, Boris Johnson and left struggling with Keir Starmer. Sixty years after decolonization of an Empire in the 1960's, Britain has not gained in purpose and strength, only drifting along as new powers emerge in Asia and the world changes. ...

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Steep rate increases hit retirees holding long term care policies. About 7.3 million retirees hold such policies.This means that either retirees pay these steep price increases or simply are forced to turn away from the policies. A safety net has now turned into something else. Sales of such policies have dropped from 750,000 in 2002 to 100,000 in 2016, and even fewer in 2017, according to the American Association for Long term Care Insurance.

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Shinjiro Koizumi 44 years, and Sanae Takaichi 64 years, contending for leadership of LDP and prime minister in Japan in September 2025, as prime minister Shigeru Ishiba resigns. LDP in Japan faces problems from aging voter base and Japan's voter shifts to nationalist parties. Ishiba faced problems rallying voters as the LDP was seen as having mostly older faces, trade issues with the US, and the cost of living economic security issues.

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European Travel Information and Authorization System  ETIAS fee $24. ETIAS for travel to Europe starts late 2026. Visa free countries will still need visitors to get ETIAS a form of travel clearance. This means US, Japanese, Canadian and UK visitors to Europe will need to apply online before entering European countries. The authorization will be valid for 3 years or until the passport expires whatever comes first. Travelers may not stay more than 90 days in a 180 day period. Children under 18 and adults over 70 years will be exempt from the fee. Once one enters personal details the authorization is digital and received in minutes.

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Hyundai says it can meet the 35 miles per gallon target for its automobile fleet by 2015 instead of 2020, 5 years ahead of schedule. It can do this without relying too much on hybrids, concentrating efforts in the direction of lighter materials, new engine and powertrain technologies such as direct injection, dual continuously variable valve timing, and eight speed automatic transmissions. And Hyundai can do this, says its head of R&D division, Lee Hyun-Soon, by increasing the price of the automobile by only a small amount. Lee says by increasing the cost of an automobile by a mere $100 or $200 a gain of 10% in fuel efficiency can be achieved. Meanwhile US automakers are arguing that the current requirements in a law signed by President Bush in December 2007 for 35mpg by 2020 is too stringent. The standard this year is 27.5 mpg for cars and 22.5 mpg for light trucks. See the group " Was America asleep at the spigot?"

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Missouri and Alaska pass minimum wage laws to raise he wage from $12 to $15. California- support for minimum wage of $18 dropped from 67% in 2023 to 44% and may not pass.

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India and China agree to a legally binding deal on climate change and emissions that would be drafted by 2015, and take effect in 2020. This would bring them in line with or symmetrical with the U.S. and European countries for controlling emissions.

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Marina Force of the WSJ gives this excellent report on Carles Puidgdemont, head of the Catalan party that is holding a referendum for independence from Spain in October 2017. The referendum is to be held on Oct. 1, 2017, and will be held in a tense region divided by pro and anti independence supporters, with the central government of Spain declaring the referendum illegal, and police obstructing voters. This has pushed Spain into a major crisis, as Puigdemont says he will declare independence after the vote, and the possibility that many voters may not have voted at all in this tense atmosphere. Here Marina describes the recent history of Spain that dates back to the period under General Franco's dictatorship when state rights in the Basque region, in Catalan region and in the northern region in Galicia, as well as other regions, were suppressed. Today there is regional autonomy and the languages in the regions such as Catalan are used in the autonomous regions. Prime minister Rajoy is from the Galicia region. His family suffered under Franco's dictatorship as he points out in his book- Mariano Rajoy, En confianza, Mi vida y mi proyecto de cambio para Espana. As a result Catalan leader Arturo Mas and other Spanish leaders including Rajoy from Galicia worked hard to establish autonomy for all the regions in Spain, including use of the local language in Valencia, Catalonia and the Basque region, a variation of Spanish. As in Scotland for most of the period after the end of the Franco dictatorship in the nineties, this focus on regional autonomy was seen as a big step forward. Puigdemont is journalist who was editor in chief of a Catalan newspaper in the 1980's. In 2006 he was elected to the Catalan parliament. In 2013 he was elected mayor of Girona, a city just north of Barcelona. It was in this period that the movement for Catalan independence moved forward setting the stage for the 2014 referendum with 81% voting for independence. In 2016 pro-independence parties won a majority in the Catalan parliament. This set the stage for a confrontation with the central government in Madrid that is now taking place. ...

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Mr. Trump trashes the state of Florida and calls it "a dump" says the Editorial Board of WSJ, because of personal interest as the 2024 primaries come closer. "The real DeSantis record is one of misery and despair. He has left a wake of destruction all across Florida," is the quote from a spokesman, in a statement issued by Mr. Trump. WSJ says that is not how Floridans saw it when DeSantis was elected with 59.4% of the vote. It says Florida is a model of successful Republican governance and Republicans should be citing it as a role model, not "a dump."

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Queen Elizabeth leads tributes to the National Health Service for "the grief and loss felt by so many," as Britain pauses for a minute's silence, on the first anniversary of the lockdown of March 23, 2020. She offers flowers to St. Bart's hospital, after the recovery of Prince Phillip who was in hospital for one month for heart surgery and recovery. Pictures of a canon preparing for a outdoor garden service at Durham Cathedral, and lighting of candles at other cathedrals, offer glimpses of a solemn moment of silence, and the nurturing of hope for the recovery.

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China places a ban on imports of coal, iron ore, wine and other products from Australia. China's largest imports from Australia are in coal and iron ore of $87 billion. China has targeted Australian exports that can be alternatively sourced or are produced domestically such as coal. Australian coal exports to China declined by 90% in 2020 over the prior year. China is the largest destination for Australian wine exports of $1.2 billion. Australia's call for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and new laws to curb foreign interference have resulted in deteriorating relations with China.

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Michael Crawley has some advice for running in his new book "Out of Thin Air," describing his experiences running in the high altitude conditions of Ethiopia. There one does not run on roads but in backcountry conditions. Runners do not go fast to conserve energy in the thin air. Crawley is preparing for the Commonwealth Games in 2022. Running uphill has some special benefits during the pandemic, because of the benefits to health. And it helps to keep out distracting thoughts and just put on shoes, then get out and run. This could also apply to walking or hiking uphill in backcountry.

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Sir Kevan Williams sets forth his vision for British education recovery after coronavirus disrupted students lives. He was appointed education recovery commissioner in February 2021. Keven resigned yesterday after his 15 billion pound plan for students getting extra time at school was rejected by Boris Johnson, the British prime minister. Boris Johnson has only 3 billion pounds set aside for education recovery at what the Times cites at 50 pounds per student, compared to 1600 pounds per student in the US under president Biden. Mrs. Biden is a teacher at community college for most of her life and is a strong supporter for free education at community colleges.

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Fortunately even here there is room for optimism as male life expectancy declined by only 0.2 years from 79.2 years to 79.0 years the level in 2014. Considering the scale and intensity of this pandemic this is a sign or resilience of the UK with the work of NHS at the forefront. Female life expectancy has remained unchanged in 2020 at 82.9 years, about three years more than men.

With more consciousness about the risks of obesity, importance of nutrition and exercise habits information given wide attention, there may be some positive signs from this period that will lead to a healthier population.

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As China shifts from an economy that was built on low cost manufacturing in factories that polluted the skies and water, to an advanced economy with modern factories the nature of industry has changed. More recently the focus is on advanced technologies and increased productivity. As a result the hours worked are declining every year with modernization following the trend in western countries. There is also high unemployment of about 20% for young people. High university enrollment of about 60% means many graduates will have a hard time finding jobs in a slowing economy in 2023. With it comes a shift in attitudes to work.

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Rachel Bernhardt 28 years, is from Drexel University. She started swimming competitively late- at Drexel University and missed a lot of the early training Olympic athletes get. She is now training under longtime Northwestern University swim coach Bob Groseth who is at Queen's University in Charlotte, North Carolina. Part of the training is to focus on the technique that she did not get to develop in the early years. She has persevered through it all including a knee surgery and rehab. She now trains to be part of the US national team for the World Aquatics in Fukuoka, Japan in 2023.

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Fidel Castro dies at the age of 90 in 2016. He was a polarizing influence in Latin America. Many of the guerilla movements in Latin America originated with support from Castro's Cuba. This led to the right wing dictatorships such as Pinochet's Chile and Videla's Argentina, with dictators consolidating their rule saying they were acting in response to these guerilla movements. In Venezuela this led to the rise of  a movement that has polarized the country and led to mismanagement of the economy, even with rich natural resources unable to tackle inflation and development goals.

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British prime minister, Boris Johnson, who succeeded Theresa May, is bringing in Dominic Cummings as a key adviser. Cummings ran the campaign for Leave in Britain's 2016 referendum on leaving the European Union. Cummings now joins Johnson in trying to tackle getting Britain out of the EU in 3 months by an October 31, 2019 deadline. Cummings is also the man he will rely on if a general election ensues following its loss of support in parliament. At present there is only a 3 vote majority for Johnson's government in parliament and lack of support from moderates in the ruling Conservative party.

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German attitudes of caution towards the coronavirus. This caution extends to facial coverings and social distancing guidelines. About 89% say they wash hands more often. 88% say they keep a clear distance from others. And 72% say they meet friends and relatives only to a limited extent. Survey is by Infratest dimap conducted for ARD the public broadcaster. That caution has helped Germany, and is being followed in Italy and France. It is in sharp contrast to parts of the U.S. and in places such as Texas where masks became mandatory in public  spaces only on July 3, 2020. 

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As the coronavirus hits the economy and money markets, not even gold and safe bonds are places people are turning to. The shortest term bonds and cash have become important. Short term money markets are strained and companies are drawing down on their credit facilities while they can be accessed. From the view of small business or big business it is liquidity and cash that matters now. People and businesses need cash to cover rent, fixed costs, other bills. Small businesses have less room for error and need to plan carefully. The dollar is surging against all other currencies. This is the situation on March 18, 2020.

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LDP Komeito alliance wins 47 seats. Sanseito nationalist challenging LDP  government wins 14 seats in Japan parliamentary election July 2025. A tariff of 24% on Japanese car imports are increased by DJT to 25% in frustration over slow talks about an agreement. Japanese prime minister Ishiba is unlikely to remain in office more than a few months after losing majority in parliament. This means more uncertainty in the talks with the US over reciprocal and car tariffs. With the nationalists challenging the LDP's stiad party politics the LDP does not want to look weak in defending Japan's national interests.

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Alluring scenery but hollowing out. Rail station in Dunedin New Zealand looks like it is from the 19th or early 20th century. New Zealand wages are 27% lower than Australian wages in 2025. New Zealand's weak, economy cuts in public services in 2025 affect jobs and employment. New Zealand sees emigration of 69,000 for the year to Feb 2025, highest on record.  Australia has mining and huge demand from China and India for its coal to support it's economy. In a paradox black coal in the interior supports a healthy lifestyle with weather and sports in the coastal belt of Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, and further up the coastline in Perth and Adelaide. New Zealand life means higher grocery prices and less quality than Australia, it means health services are not as good, and the public services are being cut to reduce the deficit and borrowing. Most migration is to Auckland and towns in the interior look scenic such as Dunedin but are increasingly seeing people leaving for lack of prospects, lack of pay raises and high cost of living, poor public services. This is a cycle that was felt in 2002 and goes back a long way and is unlikely to change. ...

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This report looks at the high tech devices that help monitor seniors at elder care facilities and at home in Japan. Japan has a rapidly growing seniors population with three million expected to be over 90 by 2025, and over 65's expected to be one third of the population by then. The government's goal is to keep seniors in their home for as long as possible, and use information technology to support caregivers. Of 92 Japanese startups looking for valuations over $1 billion 25 are focused on health care, with backing not much from VC's (only $32 million in 3rd quarter 2018) but from large companies looking for growth businesses. Patient monitoring devices are getting funding from companies such as Sharp Corp, Canon and others. Devices check details including whether people are at risk of falling out of bed or taking too long to get back from the toilet. Healthcare for elderly in Japan will reach about $300 billion by 2025 and new advances are expected in monitoring seniors- including for such devices as DFree that help patients  know about how to monitor bladders, also used by caregivers to know when to take someone to the bathroom.  ...

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In August 2008 Russia invaded Georgia and established the independence of the 2 breakaway countries of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Georgia tried to enter NATO that year but the French and the Germans objected, and the U.S. did not want to commit deep in the Caucasus region. In the 2012 election the anti-Moscow government of Mr. Saakashvili was replaced by a government that sought friendly relations with the West and with Russia. There are still no embassies between Russia and Georgia. A special representative to Russia was appointed in the new government of Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire who made his money in metals and banking in Russia. Saakashvili is now a Ukrainian citizen and is a governor of Odessa province, on the Black Sea, with separatist influence. Russia's trade ties with Georgia, a destination for Georgia's exports including wine, are gradually being restored after a trade embargo imposed in 2006. The trade embargo was lifted in 2013. The representative to Russia says its no use keeping the illusion of NATO membership even though it is an objective, as Georgia has to defend itself, the consequence of being in a difficult region. The strident anti-Russian rhetoric is now muted, as Georgia rethinks its relationship with Russia and the West to live in a difficult neighborhood. Ukraine went through some wild swings with the Orange Revolution, and the change in government to a pro-Russian government that jailed the earlier leader for corruption, leading to the protest movement calling for close relations to the West, the collapse of the elected pro-Russian government followed by the election of Mr. Poroshenko, and the Russian intervention in Ukraine in 2014-2015, leading to western sanctions on Russia. The sanctions end in Jan 31, 2016. The situation in Ukraine may stabilize where the NATO readiness force and German chancellor Merkel's call for "a persistent NATO presence in the Baltic states," lead to a situation where Russia determines the best course is cooperation with its neighbors, and trade, economic relations....