US Auto Sales Plunge To 6-Month Lows - Biggest Miss Since Nov 2008

Despite the blustering propaganda from CNBC's Phil LeBeau, it appears the Auto-sales (and massive inventory build) party is over in America. December US domestic auto sales SAAR printed 13.46 mm - the lowest in 6 months (missing expectations of 14.15mm by the most since November 2008). With non-revolving credit growth slowing in December, and inventories at record highs, the wheels just fell off the credit-fueled auto 'recovery'.

Car sales just tumbled:

 

This is the worst second-half of a year since 2008...

 

The "Wallstrom Affair" - How Saudi Arabia Reacts When Politicians Expose The Truth About The Kingdom

Authored by Nick Cohen, originally posted at The Spectator,

Sweden’s feminist foreign minister has dared to tell the truth about Saudi Arabia. What happens now concerns us all

Margot Wallström’s principled stand deserves wide support. Betrayal seems more likely...

If the cries of ‘Je suis Charlie’ were sincere, the western world would be convulsed with worry and anger about the Wallström affair. It has all the ingredients for a clash-of-civilisations confrontation.

Saudi Arabia Or Iran? It's Time For Obama To Choose

“It’s not as if you have an Iranian alternative. And if you have no alternative, your best choice is to stop complaining about the Saudis.”

That’s a quote from a “senior Gulf Arab official” who spoke to The New York Times about Washington's position on the sectarian strife playing out across the Mid-East.

As a refresher, an already volatile situation took a decisive turn for the worst over the weekend when Saudi Arabia executed Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, sparking outrage across the Shiite community.

2016 Theme #2: The Hollow Shell Of Democracy

Submitted by Charles Hugh-Smith of OfTwoMinds blog,

This week I am addressing themes I see playing out in 2016.

A number of systemic, structural forces are intersecting in 2016. One is the hollowing out of democracy globally.

Democracy has three distinct states of being: formal, in actual practice and informal. Nations that claim the mantle of democracy typically mix features of all three varieties.

Palestinians Removed From Flight Following Demands Of Israeli Passengers

Greece’s Aegean Airlines issued an apology Tuesday afternoon for an incident in which Israeli passengers demanded that two Palestinian travelers be removed from a plane. Cabin crew were forced to remove two Palestinians from a recent flight from Greece to Israel following demands made by Israeli passengers. The incident happened at Athens airport on Monday night when Jewish Israeli passengers decided that the two Israeli Arab passengers on the flight were a security risk. They alerted the crew about their concerns and prevented the flight from taking off by standing in the aisles.

Pages