October 14, 2008
0230z
UNISYS Infrared GOES East Satellite (click here for 12 hour loop)

End of hurricane season is traditionally Novermber 1st. I think it might go beyond that. There is a lot of turbulnce in the Caribbean. The Yucatan. North of Venezuela.

Everyone's getting in on the bottom of the market, huh?

I hope Europe knows when to rein in the monies. When will they know that the recovery has been realized and sustainable?

Texas Crop Report

October 9, 2008
Dimmit, Texas
Photographer states :: These guys were trying to beat the sun and rain. They made it just in time for the sun to go down and it started raining right after they pulled out of the field.

...COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M Agrilife Extension regional crop reports for Oct. 8:
CENTRAL: Area conditions remained dry, and topsoils were quickly drying out. Cotton yields were low but exceeded expectations somewhat. Lack of moisture impeded planting of wheat and oats. Stock water tanks were still low.
COASTAL BEND: Dry conditions continued to worsen throughout the district. No rainfall and near-to-above-normal temperatures were beginning to stress forage and fall corn. Open fields were being cleaned and prepared for 2009 crops.
EAST: Due to the lack of rain, soil moisture was low and delayed winter forage planting. Many producers continued to bale hay. Armyworms remained a problem in many counties....

...SOUTH PLAINS: The region experienced another week of warm, open fall weather throughout, which was followed by a weekend of rain showers. Soil moisture was short to adequate. Cotton was in fair to good condition. A few cotton fields were defoliated, and harvest should begin soon for some fields. However, much of the cotton crop needed more time for bolls to open. Later-planted sorghum fields continued to mature. Yields of earlier-planted sorghum varied widely. Winter wheat planting continued. Corn harvest neared completion with average yields reported. Pumpkin harvest was in full swing. Peanuts were being dug, and combining should start next week. Pastures and ranges were in fair to good condition. Cattle were in good shape with little to no supplemental feeding....

October 13th, 2008

San Francisco Bay - The jewel in the crown of San Francisco Bay, 740 acre Angel Island has been a destination and landmark of sailors for centuries, and enjoys one of the few mooring fields in all of California. Last night at 2100 local time, a fire was reported on the island (which is entirely a State Park). With the recent dry northerlies, the blaze was out of control in minutes, and was burning many acres within an hour, which is when YachtPals shot these night photos....

Global Markets are better today. Where is the USA Markets? Still depressed. WHY?

4,067.97
+135.91
+3.46%

Because the USA has a Republican Executive Branch that needed coaching regarding 'effective' action to take from European allies, AFTER, the 'Bailout' legislation was already passed. We don't need MORE OF THE SAME ! (click here) What was it that everyone was saying about the Bush $700 billion Bailout Plan BEFORE the trip to Europe?

IT ISN'T A GOOD PLAN.


8,451.19
–128.00
–1.49%

October 13, 2008, 7:50 am
Updated: 8:02 am
Paul Krugman Wins Economics Nobel (click here)
By Catherine Rampel
Paul Krugman, a professor at Princeton University and an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times, was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science on Monday.
Mr. Krugman received the award for his work on international trade and economic geography. In particular, the prize committee lauded his work on for “having shown the effects of economies of scale on trade patterns and on the location of economic activity.” He has developed models that explain observed patterns of trade between countries, as well as what goods are produced where and why. Traditional trade theory assumes that countries are different and will exchange different kinds of goods with each other; Mr. Krugman’s theories have explained why worldwide trade is dominated by a few countries that are similar to each other, and why some countries might import the same goods that it exports...


October 12, 2008, 10:44 am
Wrong-way Paulson (click here)
Henry Paulson, September 23:
Some said we should just stick capital in the banks, take preferred stock in the banks. That’s what you do when you have failure. This is about success.
Me, September 21:
[S]houldn’t the public intervention also be at stage 2 — that is, shouldn’t it take the form of public injections of capital, in return for a stake in the upside?
Let’s not be railroaded into accepting an enormously expensive plan that doesn’t seem to address the real problem
I’m not claiming special insight here — a number of economists arrived at the same conclusion. What’s striking is the way Treasury misfired, yet again.
New management can’t arrive a moment too soon.

Six Marylanders share their views on the presidential candidate and his message of change

Farm
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
The stakes could not be higher for Democratic candidates than in Iowa, which holds the nation's first voting for the presidential nomination. Here, Obama arrives at a "rural issues summit" on a family farm in Adel — one in a series of campaign events intended to illustrate his keenness to hear from the public to shape ideas and work toward change.

...To paraphrase Michelle Obama, the candidacy of Barack Obama is the first time I've ever felt like an American. I'd completely given up on the democratic process in this country. I became disenchanted because it felt like voters were put in a situation to choose the lesser of two evils. It seemed like a shell game, a con.
Like many people, I was skeptical at first about Obama's chances. I wasn't sure if he could overcome the racism that still exists in America, and the self-hatred in certain segments of the black community. I also wasn't sure if he could raise the amount of money it takes to run a presidential campaign.
But he has run a very sophisticated campaign,...


High five
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
The youth demographic is often seen as apathetic, but Max Swinton, 5, puts the lie to that, greeting Obama at Cedar Bridge County Park in Iowa. The campaign often emphasizes Obama's relative youth, casting him as the only candidate able to deliver real change, and as a model for the future.

Beloved pup's fate becomes international cause - click here for blog

USACHPPM TG 281B
A Soldier’s Guide to Female Soldier Readiness
CHAPTER 2. REPODUCTIVE HAZARDS, PREGNANCY, AND PARENTING (click here)

So, let me see if I get this right. Women in the military an get pregnant if they want, but, they can't own a dog or adopt one.

I see. Adopt a guy rather than a dog. Right. Life long commitments to babies are okay in a battle zone, but, not dogs. That's insane. Dogs are not only good for companionship, but, they 'help.' Dogs are good entities to have around.

You know it kinda reminds me of the episode of the sleeping platoon that was visited by an Iraqi man on his way home. He passed by these Amerian soldiers sound asleep and when startled by the man walking by, shot him dead. The man was unarmed. Now, if those men had a watch dog, none of that mess would have happened now would it have?

You know. There are dogs in the USA trained to sniff out drugs and munitions and even cancer on the breath of their owners. Now, explain to me why this hideous set of circumstances seems to exist with Ratchet? Because I really believe there is dearly NOTHING the USA military can explain that makes sense here !

Dicipline? In Iraq? What discipline?


“I couldn’t have made it through this deployment without his wagging tail and understanding eyes,” said Sgt. Gwen Beberg, shown with Ratchet in Iraq. An animal group hopes to pick up Ratchet and five other pets this week.

A mutt named Ratchet has helped Gwen Beberg survive Iraq. Now, will Ratchet survive? (click here)

By MARY JANE SMETANKA, Star Tribune
Last update: October 12, 2008 - 1:13 PM

...On Oct. 1, Beberg placed 6-month-old Ratchet on an Army convoy to the Baghdad airport, where he was to be flown to her parents' home in Minnesota by a rescue group called Operation Baghdad Pups. But the dog was taken away by an Army officer before it reached the airplane. Beberg's family and Operation Baghdad Pups officials now fear Ratchet will be shot....