From Jenna Orkin in New York

Headlines

Halliburton Q4 net income falls 26%

"Halliburton is a major provider of the pressure-pumping technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” which has enable drilling companies to unlock vast supplies oil and natural gas from underground shale deposits in the U.S... But now supplies of gas are plentiful and the price has dropped sharply. Natural gas futures prices averaged about US$2.83 per 1,000 cubic feet in 2012, down from US$4.03 in 2011." 

Halliburton et al, have become so good at fracking that their efforts have flooded the market with "cheap" supply thus dropping the prices and hitting their own bottom lines.  This price glut will eventually reverse itself as the sponge is squeezed dry of oil.  What is left over is a petro-chemical wasteland, polluted to the brim, with flammable water, and no easy remedy to return the land to health.  -- Luis 

Birth Control Battles Appear Destined For Supreme Court

British Economy Is WORSE than During the Great Depression

Sixty Percent of Children in Detroit Live in Poverty

This is during a "recovery" with free money available.   If this was not acceptable to the powers that be, than it would be changed.  Think about it.  -- Luis 

NYPD Will Begin Testing New Device That Scans People for Concealed Weapons

Gallery: Snowpocalypse Russia: ‘Snow Tsunami’ Swallows Streets, Cars, Buildings

Shocker: House G.O.P. Agrees to Lift Debt Limit

Naperville woman talks about Smart Meter arrests

Economy

Potential pitfalls as economy gains momentum

Shadow Banking Facing Tougher Regulations

How Iceland Overthrew The Banks: The Only 3 Minutes Of Any Worth From Davos

To the Fed - Defer this!

Geithner's Legacy: The "0.2%" Hold $7.8 Trillion, Or 69% Of All Assets; And $212 Trillion Of Derivative Liabilities

Italian Scandal Widens As Italy's Third Largest Bank Set To Get Third Bailout In 3 Years; Draghi, Monti Implicated

Much More Beneath the Surface of the Italian Bank Scandal; How Big Are the Derivative Losses?

Momentum Machines Robots Will Prepare Hamburgers, Eliminate Fast Food Jobs

Energy/Resources

WATCH: Arianna And Mark Hyman Discuss Epidemic Of Chronic Disease

Whistleblower Says Dreamliner Batteries Could ‘Explode’

Michael Bloomberg Becomes The First Person To Donate $1 Billion To A Single School

On the face of it, the projects this money is funding seem worth while, given the current state of the global natural environment. The devil's in the details, however... - JO

Secret UK Uranium Components Plant Closed Over Safety Fears 

Around 800 European Children Have Developed Narcolepsy After Being Immunized with the Pandemrix H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine

Military/Intelligence

Hacktivist anger at cyber crackdown

Darpa's Plan to Recruit Military Dogs: Scan Their Brains

U.S. May Give $32 Million to Train African Troops in Mali

And Obama has a Nobel Peace Prize?   What a joke.   -- Luis 

Hacking your Webcam

Civil Unrest/Politics

At least 30 die in Egypt riots after soccer fans sentenced to death

Azeri Police Detain 50 as Protest in Capital Baku Is Shut Down