"Israel today is in more peril than it was eight years ago."

...Israel's gravest external threat comes from Iran. The relevant question, then, is, has Iran become more dangerous to Israel because of Bush's policies, or in spite of Bush's policies? Plainly, the former....


Obama in Berlin. Does the world have a RIGHT to have an interest?

The answer is overwhelmingly, YES!!!!



Israel and Palestinians continue peace talks (click here)
Published: Sunday 31 August 2008
16:56 UTC
Last updated: Sunday 31 August 2008 18:27 UTC Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President of the Palestinian territories Mahmoud Abbas have held peace talks for the second time within a month. During the talks in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Olmert called for a partial Israeli-Palestinian agreement before the end of the year. The agreement would not have touched on the issue of Jerusalem, leaving the matter to be resolved within five-year time scale. Mr Abbas has said he is not in favour of such a partial agreement....


As a Palestinian state recedes, Jordan contacts Hamas (click here)
By Saad Hattar
Jordan's move to thaw relations with the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) following nine years of estrangement has raised eyebrows as to the timing and the motives behind this tactic. Internal and external factors dictated the rapprochement amid growing Jordanian dismay at American and Israeli behavior - the kingdom's main strategic allies since the turn of the century. Hence, the timing bears significance considering the last months of President George W. Bush's tenure and Israel's political paralysis. On the other side, the Palestinian Authority (PA) led by Mahmoud Abbas looks headed toward failure in light of Hamas' pounding and US-Israeli indifference....


Palestinian official: Israel increases cooking gas shipments to Gaza (click here)
2008-09-01 19:26:40
GAZA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian official said Monday that the amount of cooking gas that Israel allows into Gaza Strip has increased recently.
"The gas shipments have increased recently," said Raed Rajab, deputy director of the Palestinian Petroleum Agency (PPA), adding "if the occupation forces did not close the crossing point two days last week, we would have felt the increase."
The Palestinians consume more cooking gas during the Muslim's holy fasting month of Ramadan which started Monday.
Israel restricted fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip last year after Islamic Hamas movement took over the coastal strip. But in June, Egypt brokered a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel to restore calmness and ease the blockade....

Iran's Moderates are on the rise, again. The sanctions are working and the EU needs to keep its focus along with Russia !

Iran's nuclear containment has been the one point Russia and the EU have agreed. It is important 'the powers that be' find a way to maintain their focus in the face of escalating tensions with Georgia and Poland.

Bush/Cheney created 'a wedge issue' with the Missile Defense Shield that would cause a destabilizing effect between Europe and Russia. With a new Russian President and the 'idea' that Georgie is 'trigger happy' and possibly followed by another Neocon, Russia has gotten nervous.

Besides, the people of South Ossetia are filing charges of Genocide against the Georgian President. That can't be dismissed. Bush/Cheney and now the ranting of McCain is causing instability in what has been progressive relations with The East for decades. Europe cannot sacrifice its relations with The East because the USA Republican politics demands it.


Ali Akbar Nateq-Nouri (right) talking to a member of parliament after his re-election (click here).

Iranian conservative attacks president on economy (click here)
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI – 1 day ago
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A top conservative cleric close to Iran's supreme leader criticized the economic policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying they threaten to keep Iran from its goal of becoming a regional superpower by 2025.
The remarks by Ali Akbar Nateq Nouri, published Sunday, came just a week after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei strongly backed Ahmadinejad, praising him for "standing up" to the West and urging him to plan for a second four-year term.
But Nateq Nouri, a confidant of Khamenei, said the strong support didn't mean the president was immune from criticism. And, according to his comments at a banking conference, Iran's economy is faltering....

Protesters meet USS Dallas while Russia speaks of resistance to any initiative by The West

Albright slams US handling of Georgia crisis (click here)
22 hours ago (on August 31, 2008)
BERLIN (AFP) — Former secretary of state Madeleine Albright has blasted the current US administration's handling of the Georgia crisis, saying her first move would have been to travel to Russia for talks....


For the Republicans, it is all about oil. The diplomacy with Russia doesn't matter because they want conflict to exist. The ultimate goal for Cheney was to have control over the Caspian Sea. That came to light with his Energy Committee and its report to the nation. The Caspian Sea was part of the Cheney Energy Strategy and was published in the report.

That is simply outrageous.

There is no conceivable way the Caspian Sea security would ever be dominated by the USA, it borders with Russia. Diplomacy and economic ties while promoting Nuclear Non-Proliferation was the only viable solution for the region and it would have stabilized the former Soviet States in a benevolent way without threatening Russia.

The Republicans see 'nuclear war' as an option with Russia. They completely discount China's alliance with Russia and wear blinders when it comes to the vulnerabilities of the USA and its allys.

18:12 01/09/2008
U.S. Coastguard cutter Dallas enters Sevastopol Harbor (click here)
Russian sailors said the escort ship’s arrival could be linked with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko’s recent decree concerning Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, and that the Dallas would monitor Russian ship movements. (47 sec./1.76Mb, shows: 86)


USS Dallas at sea

South Ossetian parliament: Genocide of Ossetians could be stopped? (click here)
Recognition of independence of South Ossetia is the only way to stop the genocide of the people of South Ossetia, the republican parliament's Vice Speaker Yuri Dzidsoity stated at a press conference at the Tskhinval-2008 international press center in Tskhinval. Georgian invasion of South Ossetia on Aug 7, 2008 became another stage in Tbilisi's policy of genocide against South Ossetians, REGNUM correspondent quotes Dzidsoity to state....


EU Spars Over Georgian Crisis, Won't Sanction Russia (Update1) (click here)
By James G. Neuger
Sept. 1 (Bloomberg) -- European Union leaders sparred over how to respond to Russia's invasion of Georgia, shying away from sanctions that would undercut EU-Russia trade and aggravate the economic slowdown.
``Sanctions are not on the agenda today,'' EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told reporters before an EU summit in Brussels today.
The meeting, convened by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, threatens to showcase the EU's divisions over how to handle Russia, the bloc's principal oil and gas supplier and third- biggest trading partner....


Berlusconi signs Libya 'sorry' pact (click here)
Paola Totaro, Europe Correspondent
September 1, 2008 - 11:24AM
The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has signed a five billion euro "sorry" pact for his nation's occupation and colonisation of oil rich Libya - in return for a halt to the flow of illegal immigration from North Africa.
The memorandum, signed between Berlusconi and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi over the weekend, paves the way for a symbolic compensation package which will provide pensions for Libyan soldiers who served with the Italians in World War II, as well as a raft of student grants and reconstruction projects.
"It is my duty, as a head of government, to express to you in the name of the Italian people our regret and apologies for the deep wounds that we have caused you," said Berlusconi.
The weekend's events come on the eve of the European Union meeting to discuss the Georgian crisis....


European nations divided over Georgia crisis (click here)
Posted Sun Aug 31, 2008 12:31pm AEST
There are increasing signs of division between European countries over the crisis in Georgia.
Germany has blamed both Russia and Georgia for taking unilateral actions that have made the situation worse.
But Britain has blamed Moscow for the crisis.
The comments could hardly be further apart.
Germany's Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said both Russia and Georgia were to blame for the growing tension....

US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,151

09/01/2008 01:02 PM
Iraq Signs Oil Deal With China (click here)

Iraq: Government officials have announced that a $3 billion contract has been negotiated with China's national oil company to produce 125,000 barrels a day from the al-Ahdab oil field in the south of the country.
In return for security guarantees China will provide equipment, workers, and expert advice. The deal is the first large foreign contract signed since the collapse of the Saddam regime.
Iraq has oil reserves believed to be in the vicinity of 115 billion barrels, equal with Iran and second only to Saudi Arabia. Officals are also negotiating short term deals with companies including Exxon, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, and Chevron.

Mike has the most incredible satellite image of both storms...

The storms are staying in the lower latitudes because of the availability of water vapor off the Equator and the 'lack of it' inland. This is in tribute to Mike's Little Prayer. We all feel the pain of the people along the Gulf. Its not like they were ever alone, so much as abandoned three years ago.


...and he has every right to call on God, first as a life long Roman Catholic and second as an American scared for his country that has been turned on its ear.

"...Now, heavenly Father, we all know You have a great sense of humor and impeccable timing. To send a hurricane on the third anniversary of the Katrina disaster AND right at the beginning of the Republican Convention was, at first blush, a stroke of divine irony. I don't blame You, I know You're angry that the Republicans tried to blame YOU for Katrina by calling it an "Act of God" -- when the truth was that the hurricane itself caused few casualties in New Orleans. Over a thousand people died because of the mistakes and neglect caused by humans, not You...."

We all seek solice with you on this turbulent Labor Day, Mike.

..."So please God, let the storm die out at sea. It's done enough damage already. If you do this one favor for me, I promise not to invoke your name again."...

Gustav slowed to 16 mph in the Gulf, Mike, sparing New Orleans its worst outcome. But, the truly incredible TRUTH is that it will batter Texas for days. Amazing (click here). It must be divine providence.

UPDATE: Gustav to Linger Over East Texas for Days
Heavy rain and high winds from decaying Hurricane Gustav are likely to affect Tyler and the East Texas area from early-morning Tuesday through early-morning Thursday.
The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued both a wind advisory and a flash flood watch, commencing at 7 p.m. CDT today and presently continuing through 7 p.m. CDT Tuesday. However, the period of strong winds should end some time Wednesday.
At 6 a.m. CDT today, Gustav contained maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, was moving northwestward at 16 mph, and was 150 miles southeast of Lafayette, La., 340 miles southeast of Tyler....

McCain 'Flip-Flops' on his own standards, AGAIN (Besides the rumors of a nude beauty queen.)

Barak Obama's credentials are impressive. I suppose that is why the people of Illinois have trusted him for so long. But, Ms. Palin's credentials lack in expertise, especially in the venue of foreign affairs.

By placing Ms. Palin in the 'competency' range of the Executive Branch, John McCain has eliminated any and all issues regarding 'length of time in office as a prerequisite.'

John McCain is asking the American electorate 'to look the other way' when it comes to the 'competencies' of Ms. Palin. He chose her for one reason and one reason only, 'it could possibly sell well,' especially to those disgruntled over a Democratic ticket without Hillary.

If John McCain considers Ms. Palin competent to be the next President in his relinquishment of office for whatever reason that might occur, there is either a 'strategy' for Palin to resign in such an instance or McCain is stating that longevity in office has NO RELEVANCY to competency in the Executive Branch.

John McCain no longer has a moral authority to cite 'experience' in relation to 'longevity' as a reason to decide on the elections of 2008 when it comes to 'competency' to serve.

Sarah shouldn't worry so condesendingly about THE LOWER 48, it doesn't need Alaska's Gas Pipeline. It has plenty of its own !

Stevens on the gas pipeline (click here)
Posted by Wesley Loy
Posted: February 19, 2008 - 3:56 pm
...No pipeline will be built until the companies holding the gas – chiefly Exxon Mobil, Conoco Phillips and BP – are sure of all the costs including state fiscal or tax terms, Stevens said.
That’s because of the enormous expense of the project – up to $40 billion.
As a press conference following his address to lawmakers, Stevens stopped short of saying Gov. Sarah Palin should sit down and start negotiating taxes with the oil giants....


See, Alaska has always been a frontier. It has never been a 'developed' state. Juneau, the state capital, has no road access. The only way into Juneau is by boat, ferry or plane. It is part of the charm of the city and the place where the lower extremes of the Juneau Ice Fields can be observed in the Mendenhall Glacier (click here).

By being elected Vice President, Ms. Palin, would be leaving Alaska and that has to be a relief somewhat to those still longing for Alaskan Frontier Politics. I haven't heard her comment on Ted Stevens yet, but, I am sure it would be 'the old Republican' stand-by-your-party routine whereby, "...well, we just don't know the truth regarding 'all that' with Senator Stevens, its only an indictment at this point and he was renominated after all by the same party I am a part of.

Senator, Alaska politics under siege (click here)
Wide-ranging corruption probe threatens to change the face of state government (click here)
Hal Bernton and Ralph Thomas
The Seattle Times
...The agents opened the door with the aid of a locksmith, and they didn't leave until about midnight as they sought evidence of a major campaign contributor's involvement in the remodeling of Stevens' home.
"I don't know how the senator feels about this," Pederson said. "But if this happened to me, I would feel so violated."...

Alaska is 'small town politics' spread out over a vast land mass which designates it as the largest state in the union. Its strengths are its beauty, not its natural gas. Tourism and its fisheries are Alaska's best economy and sometimes to folks this far north, that just ain't enough.

Currently, Alaskans receive a stipends of $1500 per year due to taxes received on 'the inflated value of oil' to the Alaskan treasury. Ms. Palin states she was able to give that stipends to Alaskans due to the huge profits that fell under the tax structure of that state.

On 'whom's back' did Alaskans' receive their stipends?

How about the folks from the Lower 48?

Ms. Palin's reply to Big Oil's Big Profits, is 'bring it on' because with her stipends to Alaskans, it makes for good politics.

Don't talk to me about Big Oil and corruption. There are all kinds and the form it takes with McCain and Palin is very creative indeed !

The 'exposure' of the Veco Corruption was NOT done by Ms. Palin, it was conducted by the FBI.

THAT WAS A FEDERAL INDICTMENT. Not an Alaskan State Bureau finding, okay?

Ted Steven's son, President of the Alaskan legislature, was paid off.

An interview with a former Alaska lawmaker on the Veco scandal (click here).
Posted by Anupama, May 14th, 2007 ·
On May 4, federal prosecutors charged Rep. Vic Kohring, an Alaska state lawmaker, and two former statehouse colleagues, Bruce Weyhrauch, and Pete Kott, for conspiracy to commit extortion and bribery. Three days later, two top officials from the oil services firm Veco Corp., CEO Bill Allen and Rick Smith, vice president for community and government affairs, pled guilty to bribing four Alaska lawmakers—Kohring, Weyhrauch and Kott and former state Sen. Ben Stevens, the son of U.S. Sen Ted Stevens, R-Alaska....

While Sarah Palin is clean as a whistle of any Veco corruption, that doesn't mean 'she has her head screwed on straight' when it comes to Big Oil and the exploitation of the USA's treasury to benefit Alaska if she were to become Ms. Veep.

Ms. Palin is nothing more than pure unadultered ambition and IF she were ever to achieve the Vice Presidency, she would see to it that every state had an oil derrick, including offshore, and that Alaska got its gas pipeline regardless of its NEEDLESSNESS.

By the way.

It was Hillary that achieved 18 million cracks in the White House Ceiling. NOT SARAH.

The Big Oil Lobby Ticket. KBR's Dream Team. The Hillary Wannabe believes the Lower 48 should all be Alaska Wannabes.

McCann wants to drill 'offshore' now and Palin just wants to drill. Anywhere, including the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge.

There are all sorts of corruption in this world and while Sarah was able to survive a run for the Governorship on the basis of 'beating' blantant corruption in Alaska, she 'still ain't all that.'

...Americans should become involved in the issue of climate change by offering suggestions for constructive action to their state governments. But listing the polar bear as threatened is the wrong way to get to the right answer.
Sarah Palin, a Republican, is the governor of Alaska.

continued...

Human Induced Global Warming caused by Fossil Fuels has caused a chair reaction this time !

There will never be a Cat 6. This is proof. The heat under the CO2 blanket from the USA has created 'two' storms where there would 'normally' be one and still a third in the 'distant' Atlantic off Africa.

September 1, 2008
1030z
UNISYS Water Vapor GOES East Satellite

When Gustav makes landfall, the 'oscillation' with Hanna will bring Hanna higher dynamics. The path of Hanna at this point cannot be completely stated as striking the eastern seaboard of the USA. THAT, at this point, is still unknown and it would be fool's game to state otherwise. New Orleans and its DAMAGED levee system is an unknown quanity as well. The levees are ONLY 20% rebuilt and to believe 'the worst' is over with Gustav landfall would be imprudent !

There is also this:

There have been other storms, namely Andrew (click here) that have entered the Gulf from the Atlantic across southern Florida. Hanna sits and spins slightly south of this path, but, there is nothing dictating it will stay that way.

The reality of Andrew is that although believed to be a Cat 3 at the time it struck Florida, it was later realized to be a Cat 5 (click here). These monsters are chronically under-estimated and was we saw with Katrina, the dynamics of Human Induced Global Warming makes the voracity of these storms 'at the surface' where humans survive completely unpredictable in the extent damage is leveled.

The year was 1965. The storm was Betsy, Cat 3. The country is going to be taking care of New Orleans, get over it.

Betsy's storm track reveals an 'interesting' path of which currently two storms occupy, Gustav in the Gulf and Hanna in the Atlantic.


Kindly note, the storm track of Hurricane Betsey (click here). And the narrative describing this storm is interesting as well.

Hurricane Betsy (September 1965) (click here)
Betsy developed east of the Windward Islands in late August 1965. It tracked toward the Carolina coast as it developed into a tropical storm. When roughly 350 miles off of the Florida coast, the storm turned sharply to the southwest and passed over the Bahamas.
On September 7, Betsy moved toward the Florida Keys as it intensified into a category 3 hurricane. It made landfall at Key Largo and headed west into the Gulf of Mexico, strengthening to a strong category 4 storm. Betsy made her second landfall on September 9 over Grand Isle, Louisiana, at just 1 mph below category 5 strength.
The hurricane moved up the Mississippi River, causing the river to rise ten feet at New Orleans. A storm surge moved into Lake Pontchartrain and overtopped and breeched levees, flooding much of the city, including the 9th Ward. More than 160,000 homes were flooded along the Mississippi and Betsy became the first storm in United States history to exceed $1 billion in damages.


The question is, when will the wetlands be replenished to INSURE the well being of New Orleans. I would think with the revitalization of the city over the past three years there would be MORE interest in returning the wetlands than ever before.

But.

Hey.

What do I know, I'm only the taxpayer with the big bills.

Wetlands erosion raises hurricane risks (click here)
Natural storm 'speed bump' around New Orleans now missing
By Bob Sullivan
Technology correspondent
MSNBC
updated 9:17 p.m. ET, Mon., Aug. 29, 2005
The very technology that protects New Orleans from flooding has backfired, environmental experts say.
They say the levees that ring the city have led to the rapid decay of nearby wetlands during the past century, removing a crucial buffer zone that once protected the area from hurricanes....


Hurricane Betsy, 1965
Following a path similar to Katrina's, Hurricane Betsy gathered strength in the Gulf of Mexico before it struck 50 miles east of New Orleans on Sept. 10, 1965. The storm surge overwhelmed Lake Ponchartrain, pushing water over its levee system. Much of the Crescent City was flooded by several feet of water. Betsy was blamed for 75 deaths and became the country's first hurricane to surpass $1 billion in damages.

Congress responded to the disaster by authorizing the construction of a 16-foot ring of levees around New Orleans. But the levees were constructed to only withstand a Category 3 hurricane, a decision that may have contributed to the flooding when Katrina struck New Orleans 40 years later.

Hurricane Betsey, Cat 3, 1965 (click here)
Hurricane Betsy was a powerful hurricane of the 1965 Atlantic hurricane season which caused enormous damage in the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana. Betsy made its most intense landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River, causing significant flooding of the waters of Lake Pontchartrain into New Orleans; at the time it was the costliest hurricane in the history of the United States, and, as the first hurricane to cause over a billion dollars in damage (1965 dollars), earned the nickname "Billion-Dollar Betsy".

The weather at Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska (Crystial Wind Chime) is HOT !

Lost polar bears face 640km swim for survival (click title to entry, thank you)

By Barry Wigmore inh London
August 31, 2008 03:20am
NINE polar bears are lost in the Arctic Sea and face an impossible 640km swim back to shore because of global warming, scientists say.
The bears plunged into the sea after the ice floe where they lived melted, and although land was only 100km away, their homing instinct sent them north towards the ever-shrinking polar ice cap.
Scientists are now considering sending a ship in a bid to rescue them....

Local Time :: 2:44 AM AKDT

Lat/Lon :: 58.8° N 137.0° W

Elevation :: 33 ft / 10 m

Temperature :: 50 °F / 10 °C

Conditions :: Overcast

Windchill :: 50 °F / 10 °C

Humidity :: 87%

Dew Point :: 46 °F / 8 °C

Wind :: Calm

Pressure :: 29.99 in / 1016 hPa (Falling)

Visibility :: 9.0 miles / 14.5 kilometers

UV :: 0 out of 16

Clouds :: Few 3500 ft / 1066 m
Mostly Cloudy 4700 ft / 1432 m
Overcast 6500 ft / 1981 m
(Above Ground Level)

continued...

July 2008 Unemployment rate 5.7% according to the US Department of Labor. Alaska's 6.9%.

Labor Management in Agriculture: Cultivating Personnel Productivity (2nd Edition, 2003). (click here)
National Winner Award, National Association for County Agricultural Agents (NACAA), 2006. This book is an effort to present practical, sound, research-based ideas hopefully leading to the improved management of human resources on the farm. The first edition was sold out in December 1999, with copies distributed into six continents since its publication in September 1994....


Jobless rates climb in Twin Counties (click here)
By John Henderson Rocky Mount Telegram
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Unemployment is soaring in the Twin Counties.
In July, Edgecombe County had an 11.2 percent unemployment rate, the second highest of North Carolina’s 100 counties, behind only to Scotland County.
There were 2,589 people unemployed in Edgecombe County out of a labor force of 25,196, according to the latest figures from the state’s Employment Security Commission. The unemployment rate jumped from June, when it was 10.2 percent.
Edgecombe County Commissioners’ Chairman Charlie R. Harrell said the dismal unemployment numbers don’t surprise him, as they have been high before.
“It can be very demoralizing,” he said. “Our economic developers are working hard trying to recruit industry, recruit jobs to the county, but in this economy, it’s extremely difficult.”
He said the high jobless rate is tied to the county’s loss of manufacturing jobs after plants left Edgecombe County over the last 15 years....

There is a lot of 'hype' about Alaskan growth, but, the state has MORE, not less unemployment this year than last year. What growth? If job creation doesn't keep up with increase in worker availablity while improving on the percentage employed, there is NO GROWTH. It's called 'effective government.'

Alaska's unemployment rate rises (click here)
Anchorage Daily News
Published: August 21st, 2008 01:43 AM
Last Modified: August 21st, 2008 06:53 AM
...That was up from 6.7 percent in June and from 6.2 percent in July of last year, the department said. However, over the past four months the jobless rate has shown no clear trend, the department said....

Then there is the recession in Arizona. The citizens of Arizona are optimistic that the recession is 'bottoming out.' Is that what the citizens of the USA are supposed to live for? A BOTTOMING OUT of a recession? Really?

Arizona financial experts remain gloomy (click here)
by Betty Beard - Aug. 31, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
Arizona Blue Chip forecasters remain pessimistic about the state's economy this year and next despite some encouraging news.
"Although there are scattered signs that the economy may be close to bottoming out, there is little optimism about an actual upturn in key Arizona indicators during the second half of this year," said the monthly Arizona Blue Chip Economic Forecast produced by the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.....