Friday, May 06, 2022

Blast from The Past: SMOLDERING LANDFILL GARBAGE DUMP Salt River Landfill Fire

From September and October 2019 --- THE LANDFILL ENTERPRISE OPERATION
Subtitle: Please exercise a good heap of caution provided in economic predictions.
Recycling used to be a source of profits for city government

City of Mesa Landfill - A Dump - Near The Salt River Goes Up In Flames

Spotlight on this > An environment hazard to have located a landfill where contaminants or toxic materials could leak into the ground or discharge pollution into the public waterways or underground aquifers?
For the City of Mesa "the landfill enterprise operation" is a source of profits to the Community’s General Fund where they are used for the various services the community provides. "
Firefighters battle flames at Salt River Landfill north of Mesa             
MESA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- Over 40 firefighters are working to control a blaze at the Salt River Landfill north of Mesa early Friday morning.
The fire broke out overnight near the Beeline Highway and Gilbert Road.
 
Salt River Fire Department Deputy Chief Kevin Makil says the landfill fire did spread to a structure, one of the recycling buildings nearby.
Firefighters are working to hold the fire to just the one building before it spreads to any other structures.
He said a cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
 
No further information was made available.
Source: AZ Family 
_____________________________________________________________________________
Crews battle fire at Salt River Landfill in East Valley
The Salt River Fire Department says the landfill fire is burning near the Beeline Highway and Gilbert Road and it began when cardboard caught fire at the recycling building late Thursday night
 
 
 
__________________________________________________________________________________
Landfill Use Program
The City of Mesa Environmental Management & Sustainability Department offers an optional landfill service to homeowners paying for residential solid waste services (R1.2, R1.26 or R1.29 rate type).
As part of this program, homeowners (R1.2, R1.26 or R1.29 rate type) may use the Salt River Landfill, Waste Management San Tan Transfer Station or Republic Services Transfer Station once per month to dispose of up to 1 ton of material for a $13.00 fee**.  For your convenience, this charge is added to your monthly utility bill so you do not have to pay when you visit the landfill. 
What if I don't qualify for this program or need to make more than one trip?
If you do not meet the qualifications to participate in the Homeowner Landfill Use Program or need to make additional trips during the same month, you may still use any of these facilities.  The only difference is that you will be required to pay while at the facility (CASH ONLY) and will be charged their standard disposal rate.
Salt River Landfill
Owned and operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
13602 N. Beeline Highway (Gilbert Rd. and the Beeline Highway)
(480) 941-3427
Hours of operation: Monday-Saturday 6 a.m. - 5 p.m. (closed to the public on Federal holidays, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day)
Current disposal rates for Salt River Landfill. 
CASH ONLY; Credit and debit cards not accepted
__________________________________________________________________________________
From Jill Adair on ---
Salt River Landfill: Providing Solid Waste Disposal and Recycling
What is it?
“It is a comprehensive solid waste management facility that serves the cities of Mesa and Scottsdale and the town of Gilbert (temporarily) as well as the Salt River Pima-Maricopa and Fort McDowell Indian communities.
All profits from the landfill enterprise are directed to the Community’s General Fund where they are used for the various services the community provides. "
Did you know? We were told that 2,300 TONS of solid waste are buried in the land every day! That’s more than 4 million pounds every single day!
Takeaway: RECYCLE!
Mesa garbage trucks drive directly to the landfill to dump their loads.
__________________________________________________________________________________
29 September 2019
SRP"s 2020 Economic Forecast Included A World Famous Economist and Mesa City Manager Chris Brady
600 Arizona business leaders were chowing-down early on breakfast  in Scottsdale at the Thursday session.
They also got a good heap of caution provided in economic predictions.
Mesa City Manager Chris Brady said the recycling business is an economic stressor.
Don't know if Brady is trying to punch above his light weight status matched up with a global economist.
Take a look:
“This year, we are faced with significantly higher recycling costs here in Arizona,” he said. “If we go back in time, we think about how we were taught recycling was going to save the Earth, but now it comes down to the cost of doing it,” said Brady.

 

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REFERENCE: https://www.techdirt.com/2022/05/05/daily-deal-filtergrade-adobe-photoshop-actions-asset-bundle/

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Thursday, May 05, 2022

INVISIBLE AND DENIABLE : Actionable Intelligence Intended to Kill

Intro: After this article published, Adrienne Watson, a National Security Council spokeswoman, said in a statement that the battlefield intelligence was not provided to the Ukrainians “with the intent to kill Russian generals.”
The administration has sought to keep much of the battlefield intelligence secret, out of fear it will be seen as an escalation and provoke President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia into a wider war.

U.S. Intelligence Is Helping Ukraine Kill Russian Generals, Officials Say

A Russian tank stuck in the mud in Zavorychi, outside the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, in early April.

(Credit: Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times)

WASHINGTON — The United States has provided intelligence about Russian units that has allowed Ukrainians to target and kill many of the Russian generals who have died in action in the Ukraine war, according to senior American officials.

Ukrainian officials said they have killed approximately 12 generals on the front lines, a number that has astonished military analysts.

The targeting help is part of a classified effort by the Biden administration to provide real-time battlefield intelligence to Ukraine. That intelligence also includes anticipated Russian troop movements gleaned from recent American assessments of Moscow’s secret battle plan for the fighting in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, the officials said. Officials declined to specify how many generals had been killed as a result of U.S. assistance.

The United States has focused on providing the location and other details about the Russian military’s mobile headquarters, which relocate frequently. Ukrainian officials have combined that geographic information with their own intelligence — including intercepted communications that alert the Ukrainian military to the presence of senior Russian officers — to conduct artillery strikes and other attacks that have killed Russian officers.

U.S. intelligence support to the Ukrainians has had a decisive effect on the battlefield, confirming targets identified by the Ukrainian military and pointing it to new targets. The flow of actionable intelligence on the movement of Russian troops that America has given Ukraine has few precedents. . .

The administration has sought to keep much of the battlefield intelligence secret, out of fear it will be seen as an escalation and provoke President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia into a wider war. American officials would not describe how they have acquired information on Russian troop headquarters, for fear of endangering their methods of collection. . .

Asked about the intelligence being provided to the Ukrainians, John F. Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, said that “we will not speak to the details of that information.” But he acknowledged that the United States provides “Ukraine with information and intelligence that they can use to defend themselves.”

After this article published, Adrienne Watson, a National Security Council spokeswoman, said in a statement that the battlefield intelligence was not provided to the Ukrainians “with the intent to kill Russian generals.”

[.  ] But American intelligence was critical in the deaths of other generals, officials acknowledged. . .The Biden administration is also supplying new weaponry that should improve Ukraine’s ability to target senior Russian officers. The smaller version of the Switchblade drone, which is now arriving on the battlefield, can be used to identify and kill individual soldiers, and could take out a general sitting in a vehicle or giving orders on a front line.

American officials have acknowledged publicly that the United States began giving Ukraine actionable intelligence in the run-up to Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24.

. . .While the information the United States has provided Ukraine has proved valuable, Russian generals have often left themselves exposed to electronic eavesdropping by speaking over unsecure phones and radios, current and former American military officials said. . .

“Clearly, we want the Russians to know on some level that we are helping the Ukrainians to this extent, and we will continue to do so,” said Evelyn Farkas, the former top Defense Department official for Russia and Ukraine in the Obama administration and currently the executive director of the McCain Institute. “We will give them everything they need to win, and we’re not afraid of Vladimir Putin’s reaction to that. We won’t be self-deterred.”

But intelligence sharing is considered a safe form of help because it is invisible, or, at least, deniable.

“There’s a significant amount of intelligence flowing to Ukraine from the United States,” Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate panel on Tuesday. “We have opened up the pipes.”

(Michael Schwirtz contributed reporting from Ukraine.)

HIKES, RALLIES & PLUNGES: Hold on for a Slippery Rough Ride. No Pain. No Gain

Intro: The central bank also plans to shrink its nearly $9 trillion bond holdings, a move that could directly affect financial markets.
So far this year, the S&P 500 has gained or lost more than 2.5 percent on seven separate days, all of them in March, April and May. In 2021, there was only one day in which stocks rose or fell by that much, in late January of that year.

Stocks slide, erasing gains that followed Fed meeting, as volatility continues to reign.

Rage Red Stocks GIF - Rage Red Stocks Crash GIFs

"Stocks dove on Thursday, erasing gains from their best day since 2020 in a swing that highlights Wall Street’s heightened anxiety over what the Federal Reserve’s campaign to slow inflation means for the economy.

The S&P 500 fell 3.6 percent, after surging 3 percent on Wednesday.

The Nasdaq composite slid 5 percent, its biggest drop since June 2020.

The volatility was on display in other financial markets, too. Yields on government bonds spiked, with the rate on 10-year U.S. Treasury notes, a benchmark for borrowing costs across the economy, climbing above 3 percent and touching its highest level since 2018, reversing a drop on Wednesday.

The stomach-churning swings in the stock market have become bigger than usual in recent weeks, as investors panic that a combination of inflation and fast-rising interest rates could hit consumer spending, corporate profits and — ultimately — economic growth. In between those bouts of panic, glimmers of good news have triggered big rallies. . ."

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/05/05/business/economy-news-inflation-russia#stock-market-fed-rate-hike 

Stock indexes slump as worries grow over higher interest rates

A video display on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange

DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA

"Stocks closed sharply lower on Wall Street on Thursday, erasing a rally from a day earlier, as markets assess the looming fallout from the Federal Reserve’s stepped-up fight against inflation.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 pulled back 3.6%, marking its biggest loss in almost two years.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 1,063 points, or 3.1%.

Tech stocks fell the most, pulling the Nasdaq down 5%. . .

> The Fed is between a rock and a hard place, and because of instant information investors are experiencing both fear and greed at the exact same moment,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA. . .

> The Bank of England on Thursday raised its benchmark interest rate to the highest level in 13 years, its fourth rate hike since December as U.K. inflation runs at 30-year highs.

Energy markets remain volatile as the conflict in Ukraine continues and demand remains high amid tight supplies of oil. European governments are trying to replace energy supplies from Russia and are considering an embargo. OPEC and allied oil-producing countries decided Thursday to gradually increase the flows of crude they send to the world.

Higher oil and gas prices have been contributing to the uncertainties weighing on investors as they try to assess how inflation will ultimately affect businesses, consumer activity and overall economic growth.

The latest corporate earnings reports are also being closely watched by investors trying to get a better picture of inflation’s impact on the economy. Cereal maker Kellogg rose 3.5% after reporting encouraging financial results. Etsy stumbled 17.7% after giving a weak forecast.

Twitter rose 2% after Elon Musk said he had secured more backing for his bid to take over the company.

> Technology companies had some of the biggest losses and weighed down the broader market, in a reversal from the solid gains they made a day earlier. Internet retail giant Amazon slumped 8.1% and Google’s parent company fell 5.4%.

> Home builders fell broadly as average long-term home loan rates climbed. D.R. Horton slid 7.1%.

The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 5.27% this week, its highest level since 2009, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac.

Stonks Wsb GIF - Stonks Wsb Stocks GIFs

 

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VW sells out of electric cars in US and Europe

VW warned that there was “a continued risk” that the war and lockdowns in China would “have a negative impact on . . . business activities in the current year.”
> The auto industry’s overall sales forecasts for the year have been reduced in recent weeks, as the global economy continues to suffer from rising raw material prices and the war in Ukraine.
> Market leader Tesla delivered more than three times that number in the same quarter

links in the chain are broken —

VW sells out of electric cars in US and Europe

World’s second-largest EV manufacturer hit by supply chain bottlenecks.

A blue VW ID.4 in a studio

""Volkswagen, the world’s second-largest electric vehicle manufacturer by volume, has “sold out” of battery-powered models in the US and Europe for this year as persistent supply chain bottlenecks hit global production.

The Wolfsburg-based group, which includes brands such as Porsche, Audi, and Škoda, sold more than 99,000 electric models worldwide in the first three months of 2022 as it was hit by a shortage of semiconductors and wiring harnesses made in Ukraine.

Market leader Tesla delivered more than three times that number in the same quarter.

However, VW boss Herbert Diess said that, since demand had remained robust, the company had an order backlog in Western Europe of 300,000 electric cars. He added that customers now placing orders in Europe and the US would not get their electric models delivered before 2023...

 However, VW boss Herbert Diess said that, since demand had remained robust, the company had an order backlog in Western Europe of 300,000 electric cars. He added that customers now placing orders in Europe and the US would not get their electric models delivered before 2023..."

COMMENTS: 140

READ More >> https://arstechnica.com/cars/2022/05/vw-sells-out-of-electric-cars-in-us-and-europe/

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK NEW YORK: Domestic Market Operations

Intro:The New York Fed conducts various operations in U.S. fixed income and money markets to support the Federal Reserve's monetary policy and financial stability objectives, which include maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates.

 

> Real-time results from domestic market operations can be found in the Markets Data Dashboard.

> Additional information on past operations can be found in the domestic market operations archive.

Monetary Policy Implementation

The Federal Reserve sets U.S. monetary policy in accordance with its mandate from Congress: to promote maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates in the U.S. economy.

The Federal Reserve achieves these goals by managing the level of short-term interest rates—specifically, by setting a target (or target range) for the federal funds rate, which is an overnight, unsecured, interbank borrowing rate. The level of short-term interest rates then influences the availability and cost of credit in the economy, and, ultimately, the economic decisions made by businesses and households.

The Federal Reserve has a variety of tools for implementing monetary policy. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board of Governors) is responsible for tools such as the discount rate, reserve requirements, and interest on reserves; and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is responsible for open market operations.

Since 1936, the FOMC has annually selected the New York Fed to execute transactions for the System Open Market Account (SOMA)—the largest asset on the Federal Reserve's balance sheet—and issued a directive to the New York Fed's Open Market Trading Desk (the Desk) to undertake open market operations. The Desk executes operations as authorized and directed by the FOMC to achieve specific objectives, such as the target federal funds rate or a size or composition for SOMA securities holdings. The FOMC selects a manager of the SOMA to report to the Committee on SOMA transactions and financial market conditions.

The FOMC's approach to implementing monetary policy has evolved over time.

Pre-Crisis Policy Implementation

Before the financial crisis, the FOMC achieved its federal funds rate target by directing the New York Fed to actively manage the supply of reserves in the banking system. The Desk purchased and sold Treasury securities outright or through repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements to bring the supply of reserves in the banking system in line with the estimated quantity of reserve balances demanded at the FOMC's target rate.

Read more
Policy Implementation During and After the Financial Crisis

The financial crisis prompted several important changes in monetary policy implementation. As part of its effort to counteract the economic effects of the crisis, the FOMC reduced its target for the federal funds rate in a number of steps from 5¼ percent in mid-2007 to a range of zero to ¼ percent in December 2008. With short-term interest rates effectively constrained at the zero lower bound, the FOMC shifted the focus of its monetary policy implementation directives to the SOMA portfolio. Changes in the size and composition of the portfolio allowed for further easing of monetary conditions.

Read more
Policy Normalization

In 2014, the FOMC indicated that there would be two main components to monetary policy normalization: gradually raising the target range for the federal funds rate to more normal levels and gradually reducing the SOMA's securities holdings. The FOMC outlined its intended approach to these objectives in a statement of Policy Normalization Principles and Plans, initially published in September 2014 and periodically updated with additional details.

In December 2015, the FOMC raised its target range for the federal funds rate for the first time since the financial crisis and indicated that adjustments to short-term interest rates once again would be the primary tool for adjusting the stance of monetary policy. Yet with an abundant supply of reserve balances, implementation of monetary policy required a new operational approach, because small variations in the supply of reserves would no longer cause meaningful changes in the federal funds rate.

In September 2017, the FOMC announced its intention to begin normalizing the SOMA portfolio in October 2017, by gradually and predictably reducing its reinvestment of principal payments received from SOMA securities.

Read more
Additional Operations

To support the effective conduct of open market operations, the Desk lends eligible Treasury and agency debt securities held in the SOMA on an overnight basis. Also, in order to maintain its readiness to operate in any of the ways that the FOMC might direct in the future, the Desk conducts small value exercises from time to time across a range of operation types as a matter of prudent advance planning. These operations do not represent a change in the stance of monetary policy.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

RESOURCES
Data Visualization of the SOMA Portfolio
FAQs: Treasury Rollovers
FAQs: Agency MBS Reinvestments
FAQs: Reverse Repurchase Agreement Operations
FAQs: Standing Repo Facility

Elon Musk JUST REVEALED SpaceX's INSANE NEW Starship 2.0!