“Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) marked the day by asking his Twitter followers to join him in celebrating National Agriculture Day.”

This makes some things a little clearer:

“In December 2010, as it seemed the Greek crisis might still be resolved without the by-now huge bailouts or privatizations, Greece’s Energy Ministry formed a special group of experts to research the prospects for oil and gas in Greek waters. Greece’s Energean Oil & Gas began increased investment into drilling in the offshore waters after a successful smaller oil discovery in 2009. Major geological surveys were made. Preliminary estimates now are that total offshore oil in Greek waters exceeds 22 billion barrels in the Ionian Sea off western Greece and some 4 billion barrels in the northern Aegean Sea. [1]

The southern Aegean Sea and Cretan Sea are yet to be explored, so the numbers could be significantly higher.”

“Notably, the IMF and EU governments, among them Germany, demand instead that Greece sell off its valuable ports and public companies, among them of course, Greek state oil companies, to reduce state debt. Under the best of conditions the asset selloffs would bring the country perhaps €50 billion. [5] Plans call for the Greek state-owned natural gas company, DEPA, to privatize 65% of its shares to reduce debt. [6] Buyers would likely come from outside the country, as few Greek companies are in a position in the crisis to take it.”

http://www.voltairenet.org/Rising-energy-tensions-in-the

The article is very interesting, and well worth reading. It makes sense, and explains a lot about the pressure applied to Greece.

as usual, it seems to relate to control of oil.

time to get off the oil.

:In the run-up to Russia’s presidential elections, prime minister and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin has to date published a total of seven program statements in which he defines Russia’s niche in a “changing world.” The sixth article on defense policy and army reforms

:

“I recently had a talk with Henry Kissinger. I meet with him regularly. I fully share this consummate professional’s thesis that close and trusting interactions between Moscow and Washington are particularly important in periods of international turbulence.”

Kissinger. amazing man.

http://www.voltairenet.org/a172940

And, in a remarkable coincidence, I read somewhere today that Obama is now promoting a trade agreement with Russia.

this world is weird.

Insane Sex Laws Inspired by Republicans LINK.

Whistleblowers: 70 percent of U.S. ground beef contains ‘pink slime’ LINK.

You gotta love the war on drugs. It’s done so much over all these years.

U.S. paid $30 million in last 3 years to drug informantsLINK.

We wish.

RANKING MEMBER ADAM SMITH, SENATOR MARK UDALL LAUNCH EFFORT TO PROTECT CITIZENS FROM INDEFINITE DETENTION, PRESERVE CIVIL LIBERTIES LINK.

Newt Gingrich and Lindsey Graham both recently said they are about pretty much ready to leave Afghanistan. Today 24 Senators from both sides of the aisle joined them: http://www.baucus.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=911

So when are we going to make this happen?

According to the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor, about 38 percent of the contiguous U.S. (about 32 percent of the U.S. including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico) was classified as experiencing moderate to exceptional (D1-D4) drought at the end of January.

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/drought/

drill baby drill.