Thursday Morning News & LInks; Will The President Attend An African Funeral? Same-Sex Housing For Military Members? Europe Has Its Own "Keystone XL" Problem

Over the years, there has been some talk about whether secession is in the cards for some states, such as Texas. In the past, secession has always been along geographical lines, for example, "north vs south." But I wonder if one could have a secession drawn up along eco-political lines, e.g., "red vs blue" states. At some point, red states are going to get tired of subsidizing blue states. It appears that the situation is getting worse for the blue states, at least according to MW. 

Active rigs: 187 (steady, for several days now)

 RBN Energy: second in a series on where all this American light crude is going.

Wells coming off confidential list have been posted; scroll down. Zenergy has a huge well. 

WSJ Links

Due to time constraints, I did not spend much time on Section D (Personal Journal).  Section C (Money & Investing) does not have much. It is noted that gold is near a 3-year low, and the Dow is up another 150 points in early trading. Is this the third day in a row with a nice advance? If so, it speaks volumes about a) the Fed's recent comments; and, b) the state of the economy. "Overheard on the Street" says that "obesity" is now classified as a disease, not simply a condition. The Journal says this is mostly symbolic; not true. Those with diseases qualify for protection under the Disabilities Act of 1973, and might be eligible for incredible federal benefits. My first thought: those little blue placards giving them priority parking spots. If you don't have a little blue placard for parking, you simply aren't trying hard enough.

The fight begins! The coal industry will fight the president on his mandates, see Section B (Marketplace). There is also an article what O'Bama's initiatives mean for US utilities.

This is most interesting: "Barnes and Noble's mystery of vanishing sales." I've had lengthy conversations with my younger daughter re: B&N in the last couple of days, and just a few minutes ago, a long conversation with a 33-y/o building contractor, Tony, who is probably worth millions, and enjoys coffee in Starbucks where they have a collocated deli, who loves the B&N in the local area. So this is an interesting story in the Journal today. B&N doesn't want to talk about it, but it appears the chain is cutting back on number of new titles and is increasing shelf space for games and toys, in lieu of books -- this, of course, will send book readers to Amazon. Not a good sign if B&N is turning into a game/toy store.

Of course, regular readers know I would love this story: iPads help airlines cast off costly load of paper.  I guess the aircraft's navigation system is not affected by the crew's iPads, whereas the iPads used by the folks in the back of the plane, do (interfere with the plane's sophisticated navigation system -- which, when you think about it, should really, really concern the FAA about flying safety. Should all electronic devices (iPads, SmartPhones, laptops, etc) be banned from carry-on items allowed on the aircraft? It begs the question, doesn't it?

I won't link all the stories about the recent Supreme Court decisions; the stories are easily found everywhere. I have no problem with the rulings of the Court in the last couple of days.

Investors might like this story: companies still wary despite hefty profits.  I didn't read the article; may read it later. My first thought: investors need to be thinking seriously about whether they want to be "long" in "service" companies or companies that are very, very "manpower" intensive, or require lots of minimum-wage employees. O'BamaCare will kill them.

We've talked many, many times how robust North Dakota agriculture is. It seems this is not true in California: "California farm belt shrivels." Why?  Prolonged drought and regulations. Lots of story lines if one had time.

There are three stories on hero/traitor Snowden. I won't link them. The stories are easy to find across the internet.

Oh, I almost forgot. DOMA. DOA. Big implications. On some military bases, housing is at a premium  Of course, only married couples get housing meant for married couples. Yes, you see where I'm going. Commanders are going to have a tough time with same-sex couples at their official balls and ceremonies, but can you imagine the hoopla when a same-sex couple -- especially two men -- get on-base housing? This will be a hoot.

President O'Bama's trip to Africa will be overshadowed by the death of Mr Mandela. And won't this be interesting: If President O'Bama is in Africa at the time of Mr Mandela's death, would it be impossible for him NOT to attend the funeral -- which could disrupt the president's schedule, as well as create havoc in South Africa? 

Long, complicated story on a pipeline, but bottom line, Europe is again beholden to Russia with regards to natural gas. A great story.

The United Kingdom continues to stumble; but the government continues with plans for more austerity through 2015. I wonder how much of this has to do with their incredible energy debacle?

Italy is forced to freeze an increase in its VAT. Give them time.

The op-ed pieces are all good; I just don't have time to post them all. You are on your own.