http://www.postcarbon.org/press-release/85743-obama-administration-cops-to-likelihood-of

Damn, we did it.

"This may not be the beginning of the end. It is not even the end of the middle... But it is the end of the beginning."

My guess is that there will be real congressional hearings in the summer or fall. This is a great moment for the Peak Oil movement. Post Carbon is calling for what I wrote in Points Two and Four of "Confronting Collapse". We all did this. Big eyes read this blog and the Facebook page for the movie. Our movement needs to prepare to take center stage PDQ. Collapsenet will be there. The world will be looking to all of us soon, so brush your teeth.

MCR
************************************************************************
From Jenna Orkin

...and here's Obama's answer to the problem (along with nukes:)
Obama to Allow Oil Exploration Off US East Coast as Part of Energy Plan

Headlines
Jeff Rubin: Oil To Triple Digits By The End Of This Year, And New All-Time Highs During Next Year
Here's What The Oil Drilling Really Means: Obama Is About To Bring Back Cap & Trade
Several hours later: Obama opens new oil drilling offshore in climate drive
Steel Set to Soar
US Navy plane crashes in Arabian Sea

Economy/US
Goodbye, Federal Reserve
Hello Fannie and Freddie. The Fed ends its $1.25 trillion mortgage bond buying binge, but there's good news for the housing market.
Rising Rates, The End Of Fed Mortgage Buying, And Fannie Mae's Stinginess Stoke Fears Of A NYC Real Estate Double Dip
ADP Says U.S. Companies Unexpectedly Cut Payrolls
States have $5.17 Trillion in Pension Obligations, Gap is $3.23 Trillion; State Debt as Share of GDP
The 12 Markets Already In A Housing Double Dip
Mich. neighborhood complains it is overrun with rats - from Rice Farmer

Europe
They Thought Europe's Unemployment Had Stabilized... But Now It's Soaring Again
Irish Banks Need $43 Billion on ‘Appalling’ Lending
Greece Plans to Sell Global Dollar Bond by Early May
Greek Debt Chief: EU Deal Talk Hurt More than Helped
Jarvis axes 1,100 jobs after rescue hopes fade
Unions ask the Government to save staff, arguing that a deal would cost a fraction of the billions used to bail out banks

Asia
U.S., India agree on nuclear-fuel reprocessing Nuclear Liability Bill will compromise on right to life & health
"(Prakash Karat, General Secretary of the Marxist Communist Party of India) said the bill favoured American nuclear companies as it fixes no responsibility on the foreign suppliers who would be providing the reactors."

This is coming two weeks before a Washington nuclear summit, aimed at reducing nuclear proliferation.
Can nuclear summit ease security concerns?
The result of the talks is likely to be announced in a communique, which will not be that "exciting," said Collina, adding his expectations are somewhat limited. "Whenever you bring that many nations together and try to get them to agree on a common agenda, that's what you end up with -- the lowest common denominator," he said. "It doesn't have to push the envelope very far."

Pakistan: "On Wednesday evening, Swiss prosecutor Daniel Zappelli told the Associated Press that Zardari cannot be prosecuted in Switzerland because Pakistan's constitution grants him immunity as a head of state.
"Zardari, husband of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, has seen his stature within Pakistan erode considerably over the last year as pressure has mounted against him from an alliance that includes the country's military, opposition parties and vocal media critics."
10 Signs of Speculative Mania in China
Chinese Farmer And Son Light Themselves on Fire To Protest Land Sale
A Blueprint for Malaysia
"Malaysian companies don't repatriate capital because they see fewer decent investment opportunities at home. The same goes for foreign investors.

The only way to change this trend is to roll back Malaysia's overweening public sector and open space for competition and creative destruction. Mr. Najib acknowledged this Tuesday, saying 'we need a new way of doing things.' He laid out a plan for privatization of state-owned companies, sales of government land, a reassessment of subsidies and a review of restrictions on foreign investment in services."
Report warns on US’ Myanmar strategy
The report by the Asia Society, a leading think tank, supports US efforts to press the generals who have ruled Myanmar for decades to hold credible elections and to give more rights to minorities and activists…. “It is quite possible that the leadership’s primary objective in engaging with the United States is to demonstrate to its own population that the United States endorses” the junta’s “road map to democracy” and a constitution that enshrines the military’s leading role in politics, it said.

Terror/Intelligence
Assassination Attempt at Silver Market Manipulation Whistleblower?
Al Qaeda operative: Osama bin Laden healthy, calling the shots
Osama bin Laden, in tape, threatens to kill Americans
CIA given details of UK Muslim students
Darpa Chief: Fix America’s Critical Geek Shortage

Environment/Health
Toads 'can detect earthquakes'
Organic farmers paid for measures they already have in place
Cigarettes might contain pig blood
That's good news, right?