Thursday, May 04, 2017

Sikor Natuan, (click here) the son of the local chief, holds two official portraits Prince Philip in front of the chief's hut in the remote village of Yaohnanen on Tanna in Vanuatu. This image was taken ahead of the Duke’s 90th birthday.

January 27, 2015
There is another storm headed to this tiny island and they are once again worried about 93 year old Duke Phillip and their future.

Mr Baylis said they may see it as an indication the Duke (click here) has reached a higher sacred status, similar to local 'taboo men' who are separated from others and subject to various restrictions.

"They told me that they see Philip's living in a Palace, surrounded by guards, and travelling in a car with darkened windows, as evidence of his taboo status," he said. "So they may well see his withdrawal from public duties as connected to that - having attained some higher rung of taboo, sacred status."


"Equally, they might think he is preparing to come 'back' to Tanna, in some form, spiritually or bodily."

2011 pollution in what was once the water that supplied nations of Mayans.

Hydrogeology Journal, Volume 19, Issue 3, pp 507–524

By Peter Bauer-Gottweini, Bibi, R.N. GondweGuillaume, E. Marin Mario Rebolledo-Vieyra Gonzalo Merediz-Alonso

The Yucatán Peninsula karst aquifer (click here) is one of the most extensive and spectacular karst aquifer systems on the planet. This transboundary aquifer system extends over an area of approximately 165,000  km2 in México, Guatemala and Belize. The Triassic to Holocene Yucatán limestone platform is located in the vicinity of the North American/Caribbean plate boundary and has been reshaped by a series of tectonic events over its long geologic history. At the end of the Cretaceous period, the Yucatán Peninsula was hit by a large asteroid, which formed the Chicxulub impact crater. The Yucatán Peninsula karst aquifer hosts large amounts of groundwater resources which maintain highly diverse groundwater-dependent ecosystems. Large parts of the aquifer are affected by seawater intrusion. Anthropogenic pollution of the aquifer has been increasing over the past few decades, owing to relentless economic development and population growth on the Peninsula. This review summarizes the state of knowledge on the Yucatán Peninsula karst aquifer and outlines the main challenges for hydrologic research and practical groundwater-resources management on the Peninsula.

An entire landscape developed after the meteor struck Earth and the dinosaurs died. These incredible caverns, if they can be called that provided life to a people that has left civilization with so many gifts.

Another geologic formation (click here) that characterizes the Yucatán Peninsula is the cenote (pronounced say-no-tay). This word is derived from the Mayan word, 'Dzonot' which means; sacred well. More specifically, the word cenote refers to a large natural sink hole whose limestone covering has caved in years ago to reveal the running stream below. While some of these structures are simply vertical shafts filled with water, others are composed of underwater passageways....

Development of land in so many countries, such as Mexico, is counter productive to the people and to the countries GDP. No one is going to Mexico to see the fires. 

In one place in the world where it was virtually impossible for fires to develop, human beings managed to make the conditions perfect for it. Amazing.

On April 25, 2017, (click here) the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite acquired this natural-color image of widespread fire activity across the Yucatán Peninsula. Each red hot spot is an area where the thermal bands on the instrument detected temperatures higher than normal. For a false-color image of these fires, visit NOAA’s Environmental Visualization Laboratory.

What country is this? No cheating.

Getting seen by a doctor is usually easy (unless you live in a small town or somewhere particularly remote), and healthcare is quite affordable.
... residents and some work visa holders benefit from a public health system that is free or low cost thanks to heavy Government subsidies. Non-residents can also use healthcare services at a cost. ...residents can choose to take out medical insurance for private healthcare, although many...  do not opt for this additional cover. Non-residents should get medical insurance from their home country.
An informative video about the whole... ... health system has been created, and it explains what to expect, and how to get the healthcare you require. This video is presented in English, Hindi or Mandarin.


May 5, 2017

Madeline Anderson on her 110th birthday with Polish Ambassador Zbigniew Gniatkowski.

The oldest living New Zealander (click here) remembers her mother inviting a group of young men over for a meal before World War I, and was already 80 years old when the All Blacks first won the Rugby World Cup.

Madeline Anderson on Thursday marked a milestone even Hallmark doesn't make cards for - 110 years old, celebrated in the Upper Hutt home she's lived in for 68 years.

Born in Dunedin in 1907 when the country's population was not even one million, Anderson is believed to be our oldest living resident.

"It was even better than I expected. We had crowds of people here, and the place was full of cards and flowers," said the sprightly Mrs Anderson.

She was around when refrigerators were introduced into homes and the first plane flew across the Cook Strait....

It is rather amazing to realize small countries that are also democracies can take care of their population like this, but, they do.

New Zealand's (click here) comprehensive health system is built on Kiwis’ inbuilt need to see that everyone gets 'a fair go' in life....

The theocracy is being delivered.

May 4, 2017
By John Wagner and Sarah Pulliam Bailey

President Trump on Thursday (click here) signed an executive order aimed at making it easier for churches to participate in politics, seeking to deliver on a campaign pledge to a community that overwhelmingly backed in him in last year’s election.

The order, which Trump unveiled with great fanfare in a Rose Garden ceremony, was cheered by some conservative Christians but seen as a disappointment by others, who said it fell short of the broader changes they wanted to see as part of a highly anticipated measure on religious liberties.

The order, Trump said, removes the financial threat faced by tax-exempt churches from the Internal Revenue Service when pastors speak out on behalf of political candidates. But some experts said it amounts to a mostly symbolic gesture with little likelihood of changing how the agency polices the issue....

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

The First Amendment (click here) guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition.  It forbids Congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individual’s religious practices.  It guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely.  It also guarantees the right of citizens to assemble peaceably and to petition their government....

Trump needs to be impeached. He is heading down a path of no return.

...One of Trump’s chief enemies (click here) in the Constitution is the right to free exercise of religion. This right clashes with his anti-Muslim hatred, which he seeks to codify by banning Muslim immigration, closing mosques and registering all Muslim Americans in a federal database. While some of this discrimination is more rightly considered a violation of the 14 th Amendment—which preserves the fundamental equal rights of all U.S. citizens regardless of race, religion, etc.—the threats to close mosques in particular also represent an infringement of the right to free exercise....

A President of the USA has a chief enemy in the US Constitution? An enemy? The USA Constitution is his enemy.

Just maybe the entire US Constitution is his enemy. He is a confused man. Very confused. The vow he took when inaugurated stated he would protect and uphold the US Constitution. He isn't.

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Where does it say there is an option in defending the US Constitution or to rewrite it to a President's liking in an executive order?

The Republican plan would not be possible if the Affordable Care Act wasn't passed.

House Republicans (click here) finalized their a health-care reform bill, about a month after they had to pull a similar bill from consideration for lack of support. The latest version of the American Health Care Act was opposed by all 193 Democrats opposed the bill and 20 Republicans — primarily moderates who thought the legislation rolls back health-care benefits too much....

They are building penalties into their plan that would create incentives for Americans to keep their plans.

There is a lot of conflicting states that creates gray areas. The hi-risk pools are suppose to keep their current insurance and if they don't they can be charged a much higher premium for the same coverage. 

Medicaid is a block grant. That is going to balance the state's budgets. The poor won't see much of it.

This kills the health care bill, "States would be allowed to change what qualifies as essential health benefits,"such as hospitals and the like. Congress does not have the authority to define health care. It is a professional standard set by decades of practice. 

The Planned Parenthood's funding freeze is discriminatory and victimizing. 

All this is going to the courts.

It doesn't look like SCHIP has been touched.

The fact the bill was never assessed by the GAO will raise a lot of questions in the courts. The medical profession will call this government corruption and overreach without any fiscal benefit known to the American people.

They are altering tax credits without any input from the GAO. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was before the GAO every time there was a change in the dynamics.

I am sure none of the taxes were removed, except, the individual mandate; YET; there are tax credits. The individual mandate AND it's fees/taxes is what maintained the ACA in the first place. The taxes allowed the entire bill to exist. Now that is going to be removed? There is no constitutional basis for the bill to continue to stand without the individual mandate and it's FEES/TAXES.

It will topple like a house of cards.

That is the first thing that will be put before the courts. It has to be. Without it, there is no law.