Odds ‘n Sods:

Walt suggested this from the New York Times: Virus Suspected as Cause of U.S. Honeybee Deaths. The article begins: “New research suggests a virus may be causing the puzzling collapse of honey-bee colonies across the U.S. that has hurt commercial beekeepers and farmers who rely on these bees to pollinate crops. A team of scientists said it has found a strong association between a pathogen known as Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus, or IAPV, and the deaths of billions of honey- bees in the U.S. The identification of the virus may even suggest a way to fixing the problem: breeding bees that are resistant to the bug, and then repopulating decimated hives with them.”

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Tom in Oregon sent us this article link about the ubiquitous CONEX container, from The Strategy Page: Tents Evolve Into Steel Boxes

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Thanks to J.M. for sending this: Is China quietly dumping US Treasuries?

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By way of Jim Sinclair’s MineSet, we read that Bloomberg warned us back in May: Credit-Default Swaps Spur Fastest Derivatives Growth. I still expect to see a global derivatives melt-down that will change the financial landscape in a way that will still be remembered centuries from now–on a par with Holland’s Tulip Mania of the 1630s or the South Sea Company investing fiasco, circa 1720.