The Economist (April 18)
“Fears are rising that, after three soaring decades, China is about to crash. That would be a disaster. China is the world’s second-largest economy and Asia’s pre-eminent rising power.” But the fears of the pessimists are overstated. “China is not only more economically robust than they allow, it is also putting itself through a quiet—and welcome—financial revolution.”
Washington Post (February 22)
“There is a danger that as other pressing concerns about North Korea accumulate — nuclear weapons, missiles, cyberattacks — the world will lose interest in the human rights disaster.” Ideally, “North Korea’s leaders should be held accountable” and referred “to the International Criminal Court for investigation of crimes against humanity.” At present, however, a Security Council referral looks doomed to veto by China or Russia. For the time being, the UN must continue “to investigate human rights abuses in North Korea, with an eye toward identifying who in the regime’s leadership is responsible for the horrors so that they can eventually be held to account.”
Tags: Abuses, Accountable, China, Crimes against humanity, Cyberattacks, Disaster, Human rights, International Criminal Court, Investigation, Leaders, Missiles, North Korea, Nuclear weapons, Russia, Security Council, UN, Veto
Newsweek (February 24, 1964)
Visually the Beetles “are a nightmare, tight, dandified Edwardian-Beatnik suits and great pudding bowls of hair. Musically they are a near disaster, guitars and drums slamming out a merciless beat that does away with secondary rhythms, harmony and melody. Their lyrics (punctuated by nutty shouts of “yeah, yeah, yeah”) are a catastrophe, a preposterous farrago of Valentine-card romantic sentiments….”
Tags: Beetles, Catastrophe, Disaster, Drums, Guitars, Hair, Harmony, Lyrics, Melody, Music, Nightmare, Rhythm, Sentiment
Financial Times (April 7, 2013)
“After 20 years of hesitation Japan has stepped on to the economic tightrope. To do so is bold and necessary.” A decade earlier, the effectiveness of Abenomics would have been more certain. “As the years passed, the path that Japan must walk has narrowed, with continued deflation on one side or debt crisis on the other. That is no reason not to try. Disaster is otherwise inevitable, which is why the BOJ’s past reluctance to act was so infuriating. But there is no margin for error.”
Bloomberg (March 28)
“The first attempt to bail out Cyprus was such a shambles that the second looks smart by comparison.” The second plan, however, is by no means a success. In fact, it’s “still a disaster.”“The first attempt to bail out Cyprus was such a shambles that the second looks smart by comparison.” The second plan, however, is by no means a success. In fact, it’s “still a disaster.”
Wall Street Journal (March 27)
“Nothing is ever simple with a euro-bailout, and the Cyprus fiasco is proving that again. On Thursday the tiny island disaster will become the first euro-zone country to impose capital controls since the single currency was introduced. This will spare Cyprus from immediate economic collapse, but the curbs are a worrying precedent.”
Washington Post (March 12)
The U.S. military is not ready for cyber conflict. “U.S. nuclear weapons, hardened to survive an atomic blast in the Cold War, may not be ready to survive a cyber-onslaught… We ought not wait until a disaster has arrived to address the policy implications of cyberwar.”
USA Today (November 12)
“Thanks to computers and smartphones, Americans are more dependent than ever on electricity. But the nation’s 20th century power grid is incompatible with its 21st century economy and increasingly extreme weather.” For days and even weeks, thousands were left in the dark following hurricane Sandy. “The utilities are not powerless. They can bury more key lines, harden substations and protect cellular communications, a vital link when disaster strikes.”
Tags: Disaster, Extreme weather, Power grid, Sandy, Smartphones, U.S., Utilities
New York Times (May 24)
“With Greece in meltdown, raising fears of cascading bank insolvencies and deepening recession, Europe’s leaders failed again this week to agree on the ambitious initiatives needed to quell the crisis.” If they don’t quickly wise up and promote growth, “the consequences could be disastrous — for their countries and the rest of the world.”
The Economist (November 23)
“What safe haven?” As worries spread, the entire Euro zone looks increasingly tainted. “There is an awful sense of a slow motion disaster in the markets at the moment, with every day bringing some herald of bad news.” The latest bad news involved Germany. Once considered a safe haven, Germany was only able to auction €4 billion of a planned €6 billion bund sale.
“What safe haven?” As worries spread, the entire Euro zone looks increasingly tainted. “There is an awful sense of a slow motion disaster in the markets at the moment, with every day bringing some herald of bad news.” The latest bad news involved Germany. Once considered a safe haven, Germany was only able to auction €4 billion of a planned €6 billion bund sale.
Tags: Disaster, Euro zone, Germany, Markets, Safe haven
