No Charges For New York's Ex-Gov. Spitzer
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
75 Days until Inauguration
Medvedev let his back bone slip seeking peace and non-proliferation.
During the years of escalating tensions between the USA and Russia under the current administration, Russia has proven its ability to reach every corner of the planet with its military prowess, including recently the shores of South America.
In order to facilitate non-proliferation and the reversal of the Bush / Cheney brinkmanship there needs to be a welcoming to American soil of President Medvedev.
I am confident the first 'ground breaking' of new understandings of non-proliferation between the USA and Russia can be garnered through a comprehensive policy regarding the nuclear status of Iran. Russia has been a partner to the Iranian reactor since it was discovered some time ago that the USA had given the Iranians bogus plans for its reactor. They have monitored the reactors progress and is ready to supply nuclear fuel rather than Iran's continued use of centrifuges.
There is much that can and should be pursued to insure the well being of allies.
Non-proliferation also includes removing 'safety nets' that permit a far to wide margin of potential deployment or exchange of nuclear weapons in the Star Wars Missile Shield. There is no need for pursuing a 'pre-emptive' strategy IF there is to be active reductions of nuclear weapons between these two countries. When Iran is made to 'stand down' from its ambitions and accepts Russian nuclear fuel and waste handling; the USA should be reassuring its European allies that a better strategy is emerging, one of sustained peace through nuclear disarmament.
Allowing Russia to feel secure within its borders is paramount to a sustainable trust and active return to strong alliances to facilitate stability to the region, including Afghanistan. Russia was one of our strongest allies post September 11, 2001; we need to reclaim the trust that will INSURE the defeat of al Qaeda and regional terrorist networks, including those at work in the Caucasus'.
RF ratification of treaties with Abkhazia, S Ossetia (click here)
29.10.2008, 20.52
MOSCOW, October 29 (Itar-Tass) -- The ratification of Russian treaties with South Ossetia and Abkhazia will give a start to their international recognition, Federation Council chairman Sergei Mironov said.
He welcomed the State Duma’s decision to ratify the treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with these states and stressed that these documents “create a legal framework for the development of cooperation in all fields, including defence”.
Having recalled that most of the population in these states are citizens of Russia, Mironov said, “Our country must ensure their security and prevent a recurrence of the Tskhinval tragedy.”...
I never doubted Russian reports that appeared at RIA Novosti, in the very first days of the war by the way, that there was a reason for the actions with Georgia. Medvedev is NOT that much further from Putin. Putin was progressive. The 'good' relations between the USA and Russia has deteriorated with the Bush Executive Branch, especially since ignoring any findings by the UN Security Council regarding the invasion of Iraq.
Joe the Plumber escapes speeding ticket due to 'negative repercussions'
Another great Republican American, 'gets off' for speeding and proud of it.
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
John McCain's electoral mascot Joe the Plumber scored a victory in his battle to keep big government off his back when police let him off the hook for speeding.
Samuel Joe Wurzelbacher, dubbed Joe the Plumber, was clocked at 50mph in a 35-mph zone in Toledo, Ohio but officers didn't issue a ticket.
They did not because it could have "negative repercussions to the department and city as a whole," according to a leaked police document reported in the Washington Post.
Mr Wurzelbacher was incorporated by Republican candidate Mr McCain into his campaign after he had confronted Barack Obama about his tax.
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
John McCain's electoral mascot Joe the Plumber scored a victory in his battle to keep big government off his back when police let him off the hook for speeding.
Samuel Joe Wurzelbacher, dubbed Joe the Plumber, was clocked at 50mph in a 35-mph zone in Toledo, Ohio but officers didn't issue a ticket.
They did not because it could have "negative repercussions to the department and city as a whole," according to a leaked police document reported in the Washington Post.
Mr Wurzelbacher was incorporated by Republican candidate Mr McCain into his campaign after he had confronted Barack Obama about his tax.
Hurricane season is SUPPOSED to end November 1st.
Last year TS Olga came to visit on December 11, 2008 and Cat 1 Hurricane Noel dissipated on November 2, 2008. These storms fall outside the definition of Hurricane. As I have chronically stated, these are NOT hurricanes according to the definition. They are the 'surface' manifestations of high altitude vortices.
DIFFERENT.
Very Different !!!!
Jeeze, what does it take, an act of Congress ?
Tropical Depression SEVENTEEN (click here)
November 5, 2008
2330z
UNISYS Water Vapor GOES East Satellite (click here for 12 hour loop)
November 5, 2008
2330z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of Northern and Western Hemisphere (click here for 12 hour loop)
Kinda strange. There is this huge high pressure over the Gulf, but, a gathering storm in the Caribbean east of the Yucatan. Hm?
DIFFERENT.
Very Different !!!!
Jeeze, what does it take, an act of Congress ?
Tropical Depression SEVENTEEN (click here)
November 5, 2008
2330z
UNISYS Water Vapor GOES East Satellite (click here for 12 hour loop)
November 5, 2008
2330z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of Northern and Western Hemisphere (click here for 12 hour loop)
Kinda strange. There is this huge high pressure over the Gulf, but, a gathering storm in the Caribbean east of the Yucatan. Hm?
The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is:
Polar bears dying out in Russian region: expert (click here)
Oct 24, 2008
MOSCOW (AFP) — Polar bears are dying out in the remote Arctic region of Chukotka because of melting ice and increased killing by humans, an expert with the International Fund for Animal Welfare warned on Friday.
"If this tendency continues, the population will disappear very quickly, said Nikita Ovsyanikov, a researcher from Wrangel Island natural park in Chukotka who has spent the past 18 years studying polar bears in the region.
"We need to create new protected areas in the Arctic," said Ovsyanikov, who has conducted research on behalf of IFAW.
The shrinking of the Arctic ice sheet is forcing more bears to live on land in the summer where they often have trouble finding food, which means they have to go into villages to scavenge and are more likely to be shot, he said....
Lat/Lon: 58.8° N 137.0° W
Local Time: on November 4, 2008 at 8:22 PM AKST (12:22 AM EST on November 5, 2008)
Elevation :: 33 ft/ 10 m
Temperature :: 34 °F / 1 °C
Conditions :: Overcast
Windhill :: 34 °F / 1 °C
Humidity :: 87%
Dew Point :: 30 °F / -1 °C
Wind :: Calm
Pressure :: 29.80 in / 1009 hPa (Steady)
Visibility :: 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
UV :: 0 out of 16
Clouds :: Overcast 7000 ft / 2133 m
(Above Ground Level)
...and what will become of Hillary?
I hope she stays in the Senate, but, I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up with a Cabinet position either. I think she is needed in the Senate to help bring in bills that will benefit health care, the environment and give her a basis of support for her next run.
Hillary Clinton Calls Obama to Offer Congratulations (click here)
By Anne E. KornblutSen. Hillary Rodham Clinton called Sen. Barack Obama at around 11:30 p.m., offering her congratulations and her condolences on the loss of his grandmother, a Clinton spokesman said. Obama thanked her for her help, and said he looked forward to speaking to her and her husband soon.
Clinton was among the first to release a statement upon Obama's victory.
"Tonight, we are celebrating an historic victory for the American people. This was a long and hard fought campaign but the result was well worth the wait," she said.
Why would Stevens run? To keep the Alaskan Senate seat RED.
But, would 'Little Miss Sunshine' state that she would be appointing a Republican if Stevens was re-elected? Heck, no. Why? Because her Veep run would be overshadowed by consenting to corruption, that's why?
McClatchy Newspapers
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens was leading challenger Mark Begich with most of the election returns in hand Tuesday night, despite being found guilty of seven felonies and polls showing him in deep trouble.
With more than 80 percent of the precincts reporting, Stevens held a 2-percentage point advantage over Democrat Begich. About 4,000 votes separated the candidates. The razor-thin margin means the Senate race might not be decided for two weeks.
Still to be counted are roughly 40,000 absentee ballots, with more expected to arrive in the mail, as well as 9,000 uncounted early votes and thousands of questioned ballots. The state Elections Division has up to 15 days after the election to tally all the remaining ballots before finalizing the count.
If the lead holds, Stevens will shock the nation and be the first person ever re-elected to the U.S. Senate after being found guilty on criminal charges. Polls had shown the Republican down by at least 8 percentage points on the day before the election....
With more than 80 percent of the precincts reporting, Stevens held a 2-percentage point advantage over Democrat Begich. About 4,000 votes separated the candidates. The razor-thin margin means the Senate race might not be decided for two weeks.
Still to be counted are roughly 40,000 absentee ballots, with more expected to arrive in the mail, as well as 9,000 uncounted early votes and thousands of questioned ballots. The state Elections Division has up to 15 days after the election to tally all the remaining ballots before finalizing the count.
If the lead holds, Stevens will shock the nation and be the first person ever re-elected to the U.S. Senate after being found guilty on criminal charges. Polls had shown the Republican down by at least 8 percentage points on the day before the election....
A word about the media. I can have a frank opinion from time to time.
Yesterday went well. I think the jubulation about 10:30 PM last night when the West Coast reported in was wonderful. It was like a veil of freedom was returning to our presence. The enthusiasm all day has been incredible and I welcome it all.
I found the interactive maps of The New York Times incredible.
But, yesterday evening until the election was won, I watched someone with an electronic map provide expert information that enlightened me to the strategies involved in winning the elections of 2008. I think John King did a remarkable job and I learned a few things last night about 'how the game was played' this year.
I hope the relationship with the public by the mass media continues to return to a happy, healthy balance. I caution. We need our country returned without any doubt or influence peddling to the status it had before there was such doubt cast on the USA or the people that are citizens.
I thank you all for a great day yesterday and the lingering effects yet today. I hope we find the audacity to be Americans again with as free a media without reprisals or victimization.
I found the interactive maps of The New York Times incredible.
But, yesterday evening until the election was won, I watched someone with an electronic map provide expert information that enlightened me to the strategies involved in winning the elections of 2008. I think John King did a remarkable job and I learned a few things last night about 'how the game was played' this year.
I hope the relationship with the public by the mass media continues to return to a happy, healthy balance. I caution. We need our country returned without any doubt or influence peddling to the status it had before there was such doubt cast on the USA or the people that are citizens.
I thank you all for a great day yesterday and the lingering effects yet today. I hope we find the audacity to be Americans again with as free a media without reprisals or victimization.
Open Letter to All - Absence of Fear
This is a picture of a solar storm that visited Earth in 2001 (click title of entry for film loop, thank you). It created an extensive borealis near the North Pole. So bright were some of the Northern Lights, I betcha Sarah Palin could see Russia from her front door.
This is the 'type' of natural event that has happened to Earth since the beginning of time, and before and after there was Modern Day Human Induced Global Warming. It has absolutely nothing to do with Human Induced Global Warming or any other warming for that matter. See, it isn't the 'incoming' cosmic storms that cause Earth to warm. It is the daily light from Sol, our sun, AFTER it enters Earth's troposphere and is converted BY EARTH into 'infrared' that Earth actually heats.
The lies and 'enforced' depetions of the Republican Party for decades have been toxic to the truth and this is simply one example. To enter into conversation otherwise, 'in the days of Republican domination, especially under the juvenile administration of Bush,' regarding Human Induced Global Warming, was to allow attacks that would cause real damage to the facts and allow 'doubt' to surface by those that would hammer away at 'the truth.' It is called oppression and intimidation. And for those that weren't intimidated and knew the truth, the Republicans inflicted 'hell' into daily lives.
The last eights years have been nothing short of a nightmare. When the election was stolen from Al Gore it seemed like there was some kind of 'glitch' in the voting status of the American Electorate. In reality, it was the Floridian Republican Machine at its best while insuring a victory for "W."
Then there was the defaming of John Kerry, who still has image problems due to Vietnam Veterans that can't live with 'the truth' of that war. His potential win was reclaimed by a Revolutionary Filmmaker and a man determined to protect the democracy promised to all of us by our Constitution. Those of us that saw through the deception and realized that 'profiteers' were along for the ride including main stream media, became those 'rebels' and 'counter culture' folks that would keep 'the truth' alive enough to make it count in 2006 and 2008.
Yesterday, the definition of "American Hero" returned to my vocabulary along with the FREELY SPOKEN truth regarding science and the dangers that lay ahead of us as we prepare to return balance to Earth's troposphere. There aren't muted words anymore. Every discussion can now be engaged without fear of reprisal. The 'oppression' of 'truth' is over and we now have an administration that says words like, "...planet in peril." He also said words like gay and lesbian. He isn't afraid of science and seeks expertise to find solutions based in solid math and science.
The Elections of 2008 have done more than give us our first real President to cross the racial divide. The Elections of 2008 have returned 'the freedom of speech' to our country without FEAR of reprisal. Reprisal that came swiftly through programmed lies to insure the status quo wasn't so rattled that it couldn't be recaptured at any given 'power play.'
Rovian hatred of 'the truth' is over. The USA is again a free country. I am looking forward to the day we have our new Hero in the White House and we can return our country to greatness.
Wasn't his speech something yesterday?
Why is it I am breathing easier today?
Joe Biden and Barak Obama to resign as US Senators
If the Obama / Biden ticket isn't careful they might lose their clear House and Senate majorities. The Governors of Delaware and Illinois will appoint new Senators to the vacant seats with the victory yesterday of the President-Elect and Vice-President Elect. But, how many more will follow suit?
Finding good help for their administration and cabinet won't be easy and a clean sweep of the Bush Bunch has to be mandatory as well as the US and global economies. Both wars are a disaster and in Afghanistan and Pakistan they are asking The Taliban to please negotiate.
So, the question remains, whom will join the new Democratic Executive Branch, how much talent will leave the House and Seante and what will Michelle's responsibilities be? The First Clinton White House saw a very active First Lady attempting health care reform, what indeed will the New First Lady's pleasure be after standing by the President on Inauguration Day?
Vice president-elect Joe Biden holds one his grand-daughters during President-elect Barack Obama's election night party at Grant Park in Chicago, Tuesday night, Nov. 4, 2008. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Finding good help for their administration and cabinet won't be easy and a clean sweep of the Bush Bunch has to be mandatory as well as the US and global economies. Both wars are a disaster and in Afghanistan and Pakistan they are asking The Taliban to please negotiate.
So, the question remains, whom will join the new Democratic Executive Branch, how much talent will leave the House and Seante and what will Michelle's responsibilities be? The First Clinton White House saw a very active First Lady attempting health care reform, what indeed will the New First Lady's pleasure be after standing by the President on Inauguration Day?
Vice president-elect Joe Biden holds one his grand-daughters during President-elect Barack Obama's election night party at Grant Park in Chicago, Tuesday night, Nov. 4, 2008. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
The NEW Senator from Delaware is?
The NEW Senator from Illinois is?
76 Days until Inauguration
...And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me.
You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime -- two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century....
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Monday, November 03, 2008
Time to get out the vote.
Former Vice President of the United States of American, Al Gore, reminded me in an e-mail how important 'the vote' sincerely is. He stated:
In 2000, the entire election came down to a small number of votes in one county in Florida.
Four years later, we came up short by an average of nine voters per precinct in Ohio.
A small change in voter turnout would have made all the difference. Take it from me, elections matter.
And this time, supporters like you can make it happen.
That is a stark reality. Our country is about to be reclaimed, but, just a few MISSING voters here and a few MISSING voters there could actually defeat that initiative we all desire to take our country back.
Please remember the words and sentiment of our former Vice President. Please remember that every vote counts and we need all the votes that are rightfully ours to have. We need people that feel strongly about our democracy to vote and in time to make a difference.
It is magnificent to realize the effort to date and the turn out in early voting. I cast my ballot last week. I had made up my mind based on solid commitment to long established American values.
When I cast my ballot, I could not believe that so many at a 'Senior Center' (you don't have to be a Senior to vote at a Senior Center, although that might be a good idea) were coming to vote in a NEW venue of 'Curb Side Voting.' People that normally would stay home or perhaps would ask for an absentee ballot were now coming to the polling area to vote. One women drove up to the 'curb side voting' area in her van. When I looked to see why she needed to be treated specially, it was obvious, she was wearing oxygen and found it difficult to wait in line. She cast her ballot right there, in her van, with the assistance of a poll worker that came to her and provided the necessary ballot to fill out.
CURBSIDE VOTING (click here)
Any voter who, because of physical handicap or age (65 or older), cannot enter the polling place in which he is registered to vote, or is unable to stand in line to vote, may vote outside that polling place in the closest available parking area utilizing the vehicle in which he has driven or has been driven to the polls.
That was an incredible moment. How far we have come and yet how far we still need to go.
Please go vote.
If a disabled lady on oxygen can find the will to make it to the polling area to cast her ballot, so can everyone of us.
It's time to take back our country.
Its time to vote.
Please vote and ask all those you know to do the same thing.
Thank you.
In his Grandmother's shadow. Sincerest sympathies for her loss at this pivotal time.
HONOLULU — Barack Obama's trailblazing effort to become the nation's first black president has a family precedent.
Madelyn Dunham, Obama's grandmother, blazed a feminist trail in Hawaii banking circles in the late 1960s and early 1970s and rose to become one of the Bank of Hawaii's first female vice presidents....
Sunday, November 02, 2008
The Cheney Observer
Filing for Bankrupcy Protections doesn't necessarily mean increased joblessness. Keeping jobs in the face of poor business performance to maintain product production and marketing also provides 'economic stimulus' instead of unemployment.
There was nothing so wrong with the existing fiscal infrastructure that wouldn't provide BETTER for continued economic bouyancy than any 'bailout.'
When Silverado was 'bailed out' the federal banking system was sound and the FDIC provided funding for the S&L bailout. But, this was different. This literally was the federal system taking a huge nose dive into insolvency.
Republicans don't listen. They like to 'cover their tracks' long enough to blame others. You try to tell folks that if allowed to file bankrupcy rather than face a bailout would provide PROTECTIONS rather than the continued accumulation of 'continued bad' debt. They just don't 'get it.' Or don't WANT to 'get it.'
Nobel Winner Aumann Says Bernanke, Paulson Steps `Not Smart' (click here)
By Tal Barak and Alisa Odenheimer
Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Robert J. Aumann, the Israeli economist who won the 2005 Nobel Prize in economics, said the steps taken by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to save financial markets ``weren't smart.''
``The intervention by the regulators to save the U.S. economy will lead to further bankruptcies of banks and insurance companies,'' Aumann said at a rabbinical conference in Jerusalem yesterday. ``They are only encouraging institutions to take more uncalculated risks.''
The crisis in the financial markets was caused by the incentives provided to managers of banks and other financial institutions that caused them to act to their own benefit and not the banks', he said. Bonuses were given on the basis of loan sales, without considering who the borrowers were, he said.
More than 100 of the world's biggest banks and securities firms have posted about $685.4 billion in asset writedowns and credit losses because of the financial turmoil. A month ago, Congress approved a $700 billion rescue package that gave the Treasury wide authority to buy and guarantee assets to prevent a U.S. financial collapse.
Aumann, who won the Nobel Prize for his work on game theory, said there is ``no financial crisis'' in Israel. The Israeli government's decision not to intervene in the financial markets was correct, he said.
To contact the reporters on this story: Tal Barak in Tel Aviv at tbarak@bloomberg.net; Alisa Odenheimer in Jerusalem at aodenheimer@bloomberg.net. Last Updated: November 2, 2008 11:19 EST
George Magnus, senior economic adviser to UBS, is widely acknowledged to have predicted that the US sub-prime mortgage crisis would trigger a global recession. Photo: Jane Mingay
George Magnus: the man who predicted the sub-prime crisis would lead to recession (click here)
George Magnus does not look like a prophet. Yet this is the man widely acknowledged to have predicted that the US sub-prime mortgage crisis would trigger a global recession.
By Josephine Moulds
Last Updated: 11:22PM GMT 02 Nov 2008
George Magnus, senior economic adviser to UBS, is widely acknowledged to have predicted that the US sub-prime mortgage crisis would trigger a global recession. Photo: Jane Mingay
Last March, when US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson was busy reassuring the world that he for one was not concerned about global market gyrations, Magnus wrote a paper that now seems eerily prescient. As senior economic adviser to UBS, he suggested that the US sub-prime mortgage crisis could cause the end of the credit cycle "with potentially systemic economic consequences".
Liquidity could dry up, exposing the stratospheric levels of debt in the system, with knock-on reactions in complex financial asset structures and prices. Financial institutions, he wrote, could put a freeze on lending, prompting a recession that would give rise to more defaults, a downturn in the credit cycle and a negative feedback loop with the economy.
So, how does it feel to forecast the biggest financial crisis since the 1930s? "I'd like to have predicted something really nice," laughs Magnus, who at 59 has the air of a University lecturer rather than an investment banker....
Cotton merchant Paul Reinhart AG's US unit files for Bankruptcy Protection (click here)
10/18/2008 3:57 AM ET
(RTTNews) - Paul Reinhart Inc., Dallas, an indirect subsidiary of cotton merchant Paul Reinhart AG of Switzerand, announced the recent filing of protection under Chapter 11....
Digital Vision handed bankruptcy protection (click here)
Published: 16 October 2008 19:54
Author: Will Strauss
Last Updated: 16 October 2008 19:54
The short-term future of Digital Vision, the Swedish manufacturer behind the Film Master grading system, has been secured after the company successfully applied for its domestic equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy....
Frontier gets OK to toss union pact (click here)
Machinists, judge hope outsourcing can be avoided
Bloomberg News
Published October 31, 2008 at 8:05 p.m.
Frontier Airlines can reject a contract with unionized machinists after agreeing to changes that make outsourcing aircraft maintenance work less likely....
Infinity condo developer files for bankruptcy protection (click here)
By Ryan Starr - Surrey North Delta Leader
Published: October 15, 2008 5:00 PM
Updated: October 16, 2008 10:46 AM
Wall Street woes have sent shockwaves through Surrey's Main Street.
The developer of the five-tower Infinity project in North Surrey has filed for bankruptcy protection as a result of the collapse of one of its chief financiers, Lehman Brothers.
The global investment bank filed for bankruptcy Sept. 15 after the U.S. Treasury Department refused to bail it out in the midst of the global credit-market meltdown....
Hilander loses bankruptcy protection (click here)
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 12:52 PM PDT
By Erik Olson
A federal bankruptcy judge in Tacoma revoked bankruptcy protection for the Hilander Family Fun Center in Kelso last week, leaving the business vulnerable to shutdown for failure to pay as much as $436,000 in back taxes....
Auto parts supplier base teetering in downturn (click here)
By Sharon Silke Carty, USA TODAY
DETROIT — While the big U.S. automakers lobby the government for some form of bailout, industry watchers are bracing for a major failure of the auto supply base if one or more of the Detroit 3 seek bankruptcy court protection....
Goody's says court confirms reorganization (click here)
Associated Press 10.08.08, 7:59 AM ET
NEW YORK -
Apparel retailer Goody's Family Clothing Inc., which filed for bankruptcy protection in June, said a court confirmed its reorganization plan.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware confirmed the plan, which is expected to become effective in about 10 days.
In a statement Tuesday, Goody's Chief Executive Paul White said the decision will allow the business to move forward with "renewed vigor."...
Vocations go on vacation as the Mid-South economy stumbles (click here)
By David Flaum , Memphis Commercial Appeal
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Rising foreclosures and bankruptcy filings, more small businesses launched, fewer apartment renters, lower new-car sales and higher used-car sales -- all signs of one troubling trend: rising unemployment.
The September jobless rate of 7.1 percent for Tennessee was the highest in 21 years -- including during two recessions -- said William Fox, executive director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at University of Tennessee-Knoxville....
By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO – 2 days ago
NEW YORK (AP) — After slashing their spending in September as the financial meltdown intensified, shoppers went into full retreat in October, spooked by rising layoffs and shriveling retirement funds.
Retailers reporting October sales data for established stores next week expect to see the weakest performance for that month since at least 1969 — in many cases percentage declines in the mid-teens — and are frantically cutting prices even more to pull in shoppers.
"Consumers just stopped shopping," said Michael P. Niemira, chief economist at the International Council of Shopping Centers....
BY NANCY COLE
Posted on Thursday, October 30, 2008
Arkansas cotton producers holding contracts to sell at least a portion of their 2008 crop to Paul Reinhart Inc. are breathing a little easier this week.
U. S. Bankruptcy Judge Harlin DeWayne Hale for the Northern District of Texas has authorized Reinhart, the fourth-largest U. S. cotton merchant, to reject all of its outstanding cotton-purchase contracts....
North Georgia business bankruptcy filings surge (click here)
By MARGARET NEWKIRK
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, October 26, 2008
The popped housing bubble and crushed credit market have pushed record numbers of North Georgia businesses into bankruptcy court this year.
Chapter 11 filings are up between 50 percent and 70 percent over all of last year, depending on how they’re counted....
BUSINESS CH. 11FILINGS IN N. GEORGIA•
1998 -- 113
1999 -- 80
2000 -- 152
2001 -- 132
2002 -- 185
2003 -- 128
2004 -- 177
2005 -- 148
2006 -- 148
2007 -- 161
2008 to date -- 283
This year
January -- 6
February -- 53
March -- 24
April -- 15
May -- 34
June -- 29
July -- 16
August -- 53
September -- 24
October-- 29
Figure includes multiple related filings.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Dynamic Leisure files for bankruptcy protection (click here)
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Wholesale travel company Dynamic Leisure Corp. has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.
The company’s most recent quarterly report filed in May with the Securities and Exchange Commission several references to its failed attempts to gain capital.
“We have experienced historical losses and a substantial accumulated deficit. If we are unable to reverse this trend, we will likely be forced to cease operations,” the filing said.
At the time of the filing, the company reported $8.7 million in assets....
AND THEN out of tragedy comes a little ray of economic sunshine. Will there be insurance available to prevent complete losses in the future? Sure. At a price. Who cannot afford to pay the price actually? Someone is making money.
Lloyd's investors benefit from AIG fallout (click here)
By Ellen Kelleher
Published: November 1 2008 02:00
Last updated: November 1 2008 02:00
The black cloud hanging over the American International Group (AIG) may be poor news for the US economy, but it is good news for the syndicates of Lloyd's of London which are already seeing business flow their way as a result.
The troubles at AIG, which has received $123bn in emerging lending from the US Federal Reserve, are forcing both underwriters and clients of AIG to defect to Lloyd's. So the UK group's trading prospects are set to improve even after a long hurricane season, as rates are expected to rise in the wake of the US insurance giant's near-collapse and the credit crisis.
Indeed, some of the most popular of Lloyd's 75 syndicates, including Hiscox, are already looking to increase their capacity - or the amount of business they are able to write - next year to prepare for growing demand. And the tectonic shifts in the balance of power of the world's insurance sector are being welcomed by the 2,500 or so private investors who now underwrite about 17 per cent of the £16bn Lloyd's has in capacity. As rates rise, profits tend to rise with them.
"We believe that the effective nationalisation of AIG, the losses from hurricanes Gustav and Ike and the damaged financial health of several other leading insurers and reinsurers will lead to a steady improvement in Lloyd's prospects over the next two to three years," said James Sparrow, chief executive of Alpha Insurance Analysts, a members agency which offers private investors the chance to underwrite premiums in Lloyd's syndicates....
The list of bankrupcies filed in the month of October are far to numerous to continue to list here. The point is that although banks failed and were sold, the businesses within the American Landscape might be surviving okay.
Job preservation and creation needs to be the focus of any federal plan to protect the American economy.
Wall Street will take care of itself.
The businesses that provide the economy 'with purpose' and 'longevity of purpose' while employing a widening tax base will determine the best outcome to the failing and flailing USA economy.
There was nothing so wrong with the existing fiscal infrastructure that wouldn't provide BETTER for continued economic bouyancy than any 'bailout.'
When Silverado was 'bailed out' the federal banking system was sound and the FDIC provided funding for the S&L bailout. But, this was different. This literally was the federal system taking a huge nose dive into insolvency.
Republicans don't listen. They like to 'cover their tracks' long enough to blame others. You try to tell folks that if allowed to file bankrupcy rather than face a bailout would provide PROTECTIONS rather than the continued accumulation of 'continued bad' debt. They just don't 'get it.' Or don't WANT to 'get it.'
The 'thing' is this, now, AIG is losing ground again. And why? Because it didn't have the protections it needed to 'reorganize' and attempt survival. The monies that Paulson and Bernanke gave AIG simply went to 'continue' the losses that existed in the first place. AIG never had a breather, simply continued financing of their previous 'bad decisions.' Let's put it this way: the AIG 'bailout' wasn't so much a bailout as a chance to tread water a little bit longer. Why? Anyone's guess.
The chances the $700 billion 'bailout' will 'come back' to the USA Treasury is skeptical at best. The Paulson 'sell-out' of the financial markets may have staved off the liquidation of Goldman-Sachs, but, the 'idea' that all the bailout money was simply 'short term' bouyancy to a recovery is unrealistic. Besides, why 'bailout' rather than file for 'bankrupcy protections.' The USA Legislature was sold a 'bill of goods' under pressure from a panicked public.
Effectiveness of AIG's $143 Billion Rescue Questioned (click here)
By Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post Staff
Writer Monday, November 3, 2008; Page A18
A number of financial experts now fear that the federal government's $143 billion attempt to rescue troubled insurance giant American International Group may not work, and some argue that company shareholders and taxpayers would have been better served by a bankruptcy filing....
Nobel Winner Aumann Says Bernanke, Paulson Steps `Not Smart' (click here)
By Tal Barak and Alisa Odenheimer
Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Robert J. Aumann, the Israeli economist who won the 2005 Nobel Prize in economics, said the steps taken by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to save financial markets ``weren't smart.''
``The intervention by the regulators to save the U.S. economy will lead to further bankruptcies of banks and insurance companies,'' Aumann said at a rabbinical conference in Jerusalem yesterday. ``They are only encouraging institutions to take more uncalculated risks.''
The crisis in the financial markets was caused by the incentives provided to managers of banks and other financial institutions that caused them to act to their own benefit and not the banks', he said. Bonuses were given on the basis of loan sales, without considering who the borrowers were, he said.
More than 100 of the world's biggest banks and securities firms have posted about $685.4 billion in asset writedowns and credit losses because of the financial turmoil. A month ago, Congress approved a $700 billion rescue package that gave the Treasury wide authority to buy and guarantee assets to prevent a U.S. financial collapse.
Aumann, who won the Nobel Prize for his work on game theory, said there is ``no financial crisis'' in Israel. The Israeli government's decision not to intervene in the financial markets was correct, he said.
To contact the reporters on this story: Tal Barak in Tel Aviv at tbarak@bloomberg.net; Alisa Odenheimer in Jerusalem at aodenheimer@bloomberg.net. Last Updated: November 2, 2008 11:19 EST
George Magnus, senior economic adviser to UBS, is widely acknowledged to have predicted that the US sub-prime mortgage crisis would trigger a global recession. Photo: Jane Mingay
George Magnus: the man who predicted the sub-prime crisis would lead to recession (click here)
George Magnus does not look like a prophet. Yet this is the man widely acknowledged to have predicted that the US sub-prime mortgage crisis would trigger a global recession.
By Josephine Moulds
Last Updated: 11:22PM GMT 02 Nov 2008
George Magnus, senior economic adviser to UBS, is widely acknowledged to have predicted that the US sub-prime mortgage crisis would trigger a global recession. Photo: Jane Mingay
Last March, when US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson was busy reassuring the world that he for one was not concerned about global market gyrations, Magnus wrote a paper that now seems eerily prescient. As senior economic adviser to UBS, he suggested that the US sub-prime mortgage crisis could cause the end of the credit cycle "with potentially systemic economic consequences".
Liquidity could dry up, exposing the stratospheric levels of debt in the system, with knock-on reactions in complex financial asset structures and prices. Financial institutions, he wrote, could put a freeze on lending, prompting a recession that would give rise to more defaults, a downturn in the credit cycle and a negative feedback loop with the economy.
So, how does it feel to forecast the biggest financial crisis since the 1930s? "I'd like to have predicted something really nice," laughs Magnus, who at 59 has the air of a University lecturer rather than an investment banker....
Cotton merchant Paul Reinhart AG's US unit files for Bankruptcy Protection (click here)
10/18/2008 3:57 AM ET
(RTTNews) - Paul Reinhart Inc., Dallas, an indirect subsidiary of cotton merchant Paul Reinhart AG of Switzerand, announced the recent filing of protection under Chapter 11....
Digital Vision handed bankruptcy protection (click here)
Published: 16 October 2008 19:54
Author: Will Strauss
Last Updated: 16 October 2008 19:54
The short-term future of Digital Vision, the Swedish manufacturer behind the Film Master grading system, has been secured after the company successfully applied for its domestic equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy....
Frontier gets OK to toss union pact (click here)
Machinists, judge hope outsourcing can be avoided
Bloomberg News
Published October 31, 2008 at 8:05 p.m.
Frontier Airlines can reject a contract with unionized machinists after agreeing to changes that make outsourcing aircraft maintenance work less likely....
Infinity condo developer files for bankruptcy protection (click here)
By Ryan Starr - Surrey North Delta Leader
Published: October 15, 2008 5:00 PM
Updated: October 16, 2008 10:46 AM
Wall Street woes have sent shockwaves through Surrey's Main Street.
The developer of the five-tower Infinity project in North Surrey has filed for bankruptcy protection as a result of the collapse of one of its chief financiers, Lehman Brothers.
The global investment bank filed for bankruptcy Sept. 15 after the U.S. Treasury Department refused to bail it out in the midst of the global credit-market meltdown....
Hilander loses bankruptcy protection (click here)
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 12:52 PM PDT
By Erik Olson
A federal bankruptcy judge in Tacoma revoked bankruptcy protection for the Hilander Family Fun Center in Kelso last week, leaving the business vulnerable to shutdown for failure to pay as much as $436,000 in back taxes....
Auto parts supplier base teetering in downturn (click here)
By Sharon Silke Carty, USA TODAY
DETROIT — While the big U.S. automakers lobby the government for some form of bailout, industry watchers are bracing for a major failure of the auto supply base if one or more of the Detroit 3 seek bankruptcy court protection....
Goody's says court confirms reorganization (click here)
Associated Press 10.08.08, 7:59 AM ET
NEW YORK -
Apparel retailer Goody's Family Clothing Inc., which filed for bankruptcy protection in June, said a court confirmed its reorganization plan.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware confirmed the plan, which is expected to become effective in about 10 days.
In a statement Tuesday, Goody's Chief Executive Paul White said the decision will allow the business to move forward with "renewed vigor."...
Vocations go on vacation as the Mid-South economy stumbles (click here)
By David Flaum , Memphis Commercial Appeal
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Rising foreclosures and bankruptcy filings, more small businesses launched, fewer apartment renters, lower new-car sales and higher used-car sales -- all signs of one troubling trend: rising unemployment.
The September jobless rate of 7.1 percent for Tennessee was the highest in 21 years -- including during two recessions -- said William Fox, executive director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at University of Tennessee-Knoxville....
Stores may post weakest October sales on record (click here)
By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO – 2 days ago
NEW YORK (AP) — After slashing their spending in September as the financial meltdown intensified, shoppers went into full retreat in October, spooked by rising layoffs and shriveling retirement funds.
Retailers reporting October sales data for established stores next week expect to see the weakest performance for that month since at least 1969 — in many cases percentage declines in the mid-teens — and are frantically cutting prices even more to pull in shoppers.
"Consumers just stopped shopping," said Michael P. Niemira, chief economist at the International Council of Shopping Centers....
Oct. 07, 2008 IN BRIEF
Sun Country will seek bankruptcy protection (click here)
Vacation-oriented Sun Country Airlines will file for bankruptcy protection but will keep flying to Southern Nevada and other destinations...
Cotton firms get relief in Reinhart bankruptcy (click here)
BY NANCY COLE
Posted on Thursday, October 30, 2008
Arkansas cotton producers holding contracts to sell at least a portion of their 2008 crop to Paul Reinhart Inc. are breathing a little easier this week.
U. S. Bankruptcy Judge Harlin DeWayne Hale for the Northern District of Texas has authorized Reinhart, the fourth-largest U. S. cotton merchant, to reject all of its outstanding cotton-purchase contracts....
North Georgia business bankruptcy filings surge (click here)
By MARGARET NEWKIRK
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, October 26, 2008
The popped housing bubble and crushed credit market have pushed record numbers of North Georgia businesses into bankruptcy court this year.
Chapter 11 filings are up between 50 percent and 70 percent over all of last year, depending on how they’re counted....
BUSINESS CH. 11FILINGS IN N. GEORGIA•
1998 -- 113
1999 -- 80
2000 -- 152
2001 -- 132
2002 -- 185
2003 -- 128
2004 -- 177
2005 -- 148
2006 -- 148
2007 -- 161
2008 to date -- 283
This year
January -- 6
February -- 53
March -- 24
April -- 15
May -- 34
June -- 29
July -- 16
August -- 53
September -- 24
October-- 29
Figure includes multiple related filings.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Dynamic Leisure files for bankruptcy protection (click here)
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Wholesale travel company Dynamic Leisure Corp. has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.
The company’s most recent quarterly report filed in May with the Securities and Exchange Commission several references to its failed attempts to gain capital.
“We have experienced historical losses and a substantial accumulated deficit. If we are unable to reverse this trend, we will likely be forced to cease operations,” the filing said.
At the time of the filing, the company reported $8.7 million in assets....
AND THEN out of tragedy comes a little ray of economic sunshine. Will there be insurance available to prevent complete losses in the future? Sure. At a price. Who cannot afford to pay the price actually? Someone is making money.
Lloyd's investors benefit from AIG fallout (click here)
By Ellen Kelleher
Published: November 1 2008 02:00
Last updated: November 1 2008 02:00
The black cloud hanging over the American International Group (AIG) may be poor news for the US economy, but it is good news for the syndicates of Lloyd's of London which are already seeing business flow their way as a result.
The troubles at AIG, which has received $123bn in emerging lending from the US Federal Reserve, are forcing both underwriters and clients of AIG to defect to Lloyd's. So the UK group's trading prospects are set to improve even after a long hurricane season, as rates are expected to rise in the wake of the US insurance giant's near-collapse and the credit crisis.
Indeed, some of the most popular of Lloyd's 75 syndicates, including Hiscox, are already looking to increase their capacity - or the amount of business they are able to write - next year to prepare for growing demand. And the tectonic shifts in the balance of power of the world's insurance sector are being welcomed by the 2,500 or so private investors who now underwrite about 17 per cent of the £16bn Lloyd's has in capacity. As rates rise, profits tend to rise with them.
"We believe that the effective nationalisation of AIG, the losses from hurricanes Gustav and Ike and the damaged financial health of several other leading insurers and reinsurers will lead to a steady improvement in Lloyd's prospects over the next two to three years," said James Sparrow, chief executive of Alpha Insurance Analysts, a members agency which offers private investors the chance to underwrite premiums in Lloyd's syndicates....
The list of bankrupcies filed in the month of October are far to numerous to continue to list here. The point is that although banks failed and were sold, the businesses within the American Landscape might be surviving okay.
Job preservation and creation needs to be the focus of any federal plan to protect the American economy.
Wall Street will take care of itself.
The businesses that provide the economy 'with purpose' and 'longevity of purpose' while employing a widening tax base will determine the best outcome to the failing and flailing USA economy.
Health Emergency :: 23 years of cheap and unhealthy food policy - 15 years Republican Presidents can take the responsibility. ENOUGH !
Health care costs will come down and we will have a healthier nation when government engages the issues of disease. Removing 'gym' from public school curriculum will be out of the question if that means higher health care costs and ultimate early death rates for citizens. Having a National Health Care policy as a guideline for insurancers will promote better health for Americans.
There is absolutely no reason for this level of negligence of our citizens, especially the ones most vulnerable.
Dropped gym classes linked to obesity surge (click here)
A survey's results prompts researchers to urge mandatory high school phys ed.
By MATTHEW CHUNG, CP
Ontario should consider changes to its high school physical education program, researchers said yesterday, after finding most students are dropping gym classes, raising fears of obesity in teens.... (click here for free article)
Obesity blamed for doubling rate of diabetes cases (click here)
By MIKE STOBBE – 1 day ago
ATLANTA (AP) — The nation's obesity epidemic is exacting a heavy toll: The rate of new diabetes cases nearly doubled in the United States in the past 10 years, the government said Thursday. The highest rates were in the South, according to the first state-by-state review of new diagnoses. The worst was in West Virginia, where about 13 in 1,000 adults were diagnosed with the disease in 2005-07. The lowest was in Minnesota, where the rate was 5 in 1,000.
Nationally, the rate of new cases climbed from about 5 per 1,000 in the mid-1990s to 9 per 1,000 in the middle of this decade.
Roughly 90 percent of cases are Type 2 diabetes, the form linked to obesity.
The findings dovetail with trends seen in obesity and lack of exercise — two health measures where Southern states also rank at the bottom.
"It isn't surprising the problem is heaviest in the South — no pun intended," agreed Matt Petersen, who oversees data and statistics for the American Diabetes Association....
New battle for obese teens: liver disease (click here)
Pediatricians are warned to be vigilant about link
By LINDA A. JOHNSON Associated Press
Sept. 7, 2008, 11:21PM
There is absolutely no reason for this level of negligence of our citizens, especially the ones most vulnerable.
Dropped gym classes linked to obesity surge (click here)
A survey's results prompts researchers to urge mandatory high school phys ed.
By MATTHEW CHUNG, CP
Ontario should consider changes to its high school physical education program, researchers said yesterday, after finding most students are dropping gym classes, raising fears of obesity in teens.... (click here for free article)
Obesity blamed for doubling rate of diabetes cases (click here)
By MIKE STOBBE – 1 day ago
ATLANTA (AP) — The nation's obesity epidemic is exacting a heavy toll: The rate of new diabetes cases nearly doubled in the United States in the past 10 years, the government said Thursday. The highest rates were in the South, according to the first state-by-state review of new diagnoses. The worst was in West Virginia, where about 13 in 1,000 adults were diagnosed with the disease in 2005-07. The lowest was in Minnesota, where the rate was 5 in 1,000.
Nationally, the rate of new cases climbed from about 5 per 1,000 in the mid-1990s to 9 per 1,000 in the middle of this decade.
Roughly 90 percent of cases are Type 2 diabetes, the form linked to obesity.
The findings dovetail with trends seen in obesity and lack of exercise — two health measures where Southern states also rank at the bottom.
"It isn't surprising the problem is heaviest in the South — no pun intended," agreed Matt Petersen, who oversees data and statistics for the American Diabetes Association....
U.S. Obesity Trends 1985–2007
During the past 20 years there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States. This slide set illustrates this trend by mapping the increased prevalence of obesity across each of the states.
In 2007, only one state (Colorado) had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty states had a prevalence equal to or greater than 25%; three of these states (Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee) had a prevalence of obesity equal to or greater than 30%.The animated map below shows the United States obesity prevalence from 1985 through 2007....
During the past 20 years there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States. This slide set illustrates this trend by mapping the increased prevalence of obesity across each of the states.
In 2007, only one state (Colorado) had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty states had a prevalence equal to or greater than 25%; three of these states (Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee) had a prevalence of obesity equal to or greater than 30%.The animated map below shows the United States obesity prevalence from 1985 through 2007....
Growing Trend: Fatty liver disease in children latest obesity risk (click here)
By Linda A. Johnson LINDA A. JOHNSON
Tuesday, October 07, 2008Story last updated at 10/7/2008 - 8:01 am
In a new and disturbing twist on the obesity epidemic, some overweight teenagers have severe liver damage caused by too much body fat. A handful, such as Irving Shaffino of Shallowater, have needed liver transplants.
Many more may need a new liver by their 30s or 40s, say experts warning that pediatricians need to be more vigilant. The condition, which can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure or liver cancer, is being seen in kids in the United States, Europe, Australia and even some developing countries, according to a surge of recent medical studies and doctors interviewed by The Associated Press.
The American Liver Foundation and other experts estimate 2 percent to 5 percent of American children older than 5, nearly all of them obese or overweight, have the condition, called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease....
By Linda A. Johnson LINDA A. JOHNSON
Tuesday, October 07, 2008Story last updated at 10/7/2008 - 8:01 am
In a new and disturbing twist on the obesity epidemic, some overweight teenagers have severe liver damage caused by too much body fat. A handful, such as Irving Shaffino of Shallowater, have needed liver transplants.
Many more may need a new liver by their 30s or 40s, say experts warning that pediatricians need to be more vigilant. The condition, which can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure or liver cancer, is being seen in kids in the United States, Europe, Australia and even some developing countries, according to a surge of recent medical studies and doctors interviewed by The Associated Press.
The American Liver Foundation and other experts estimate 2 percent to 5 percent of American children older than 5, nearly all of them obese or overweight, have the condition, called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease....
Organ transplants
The gap between supply and demand (click here)
Oct 9th 2008From The Economist print edition
As demand for life-saving transplant surgery grows, the idea of paying donors is gaining support
The gap between supply and demand (click here)
Oct 9th 2008From The Economist print edition
As demand for life-saving transplant surgery grows, the idea of paying donors is gaining support
“PLEASE don’t take your organs to heaven,” reads the American bumper sticker. “Heaven knows that we need them here on earth.” Last year more than 7,000 Americans died while awaiting an organ transplant—almost double the number of American soldiers killed in Iraq since 2003. In Europe, too, thousands of people whose lives could be extended or transformed (by having sight restored, for example) through transplants forfeit the opportunity for want of available organs.
Research by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has found that only one in ten people in need of a new kidney, the body part most in demand, manages to get one. In the poorest places, of course, a complex transplant—which in the American health system costs $500,000—is unthinkable for most people anyway. But the gap between supply and demand for organs affects the poor too, by creating a market in body parts where abuses are rife....
Research by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has found that only one in ten people in need of a new kidney, the body part most in demand, manages to get one. In the poorest places, of course, a complex transplant—which in the American health system costs $500,000—is unthinkable for most people anyway. But the gap between supply and demand for organs affects the poor too, by creating a market in body parts where abuses are rife....
New battle for obese teens: liver disease (click here)
Pediatricians are warned to be vigilant about link
By LINDA A. JOHNSON Associated Press
Sept. 7, 2008, 11:21PM
TRENTON, N.J. — In a new and disturbing twist on the obesity epidemic, some overweight teenagers have severe liver damage caused by too much body fat, and a handful have needed liver transplants.
Many more may need a new liver by their 30s or 40s, say experts warning that pediatricians need to be more vigilant. The condition, which can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure or liver cancer, is being seen in kids in the U.S., Europe, Australia and even some developing countries, according to a surge of recent medical studies and doctors interviewed.
The American Liver Foundation and other experts estimate 2 percent to 5 percent of American children over age 5, nearly all of them obese or overweight, have the condition, called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease....
Many more may need a new liver by their 30s or 40s, say experts warning that pediatricians need to be more vigilant. The condition, which can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure or liver cancer, is being seen in kids in the U.S., Europe, Australia and even some developing countries, according to a surge of recent medical studies and doctors interviewed.
The American Liver Foundation and other experts estimate 2 percent to 5 percent of American children over age 5, nearly all of them obese or overweight, have the condition, called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease....
Saturday, November 01, 2008
The Number One Reason why I HAVE already voted for Barak Obama and Joe Biden. Earth and the threats of death of a planet.
An international research team says it can prove that human activity is causing rising temperatures in the world's Arctic areas, which include this summer scene of the Arctic taken from a Canadian Air Force patrol aircraft.
Photograph by : Cpl. Evan Kuelz, Canadian Coast Guard
Kindly click at title to entry for article.
These statistics are four years old. We are in trouble on Earth and we need leadership that can act to pass legislation quickly to facilitate the end of Human Induced Global Warming.
There is no time to waste and we already have a Senate bill that can begin to address the brevity of this issue.
October 31, 2008
Warmer Antarctica Shows Climate Changing on Every Continent (click here)
It's official: The South Pole is also succumbing to human-induced climate change
By David Biello
Humanity's impact on climate has been detected on every continent except Antarctica, or so said the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in February 2007. No longer: scientists, comparing decades of records from 17 Antarctic weather stations with computer simulations of Earth's climate, found that human-induced global warming has been heating up the continent that is home to the South Pole, as well....
Let's do this thing !!!
Reason Number Two why I will be voting for Barak Obama and Joe Biden - Non-Proliferation of Weapons
It is absolutely NO JOKE. The escalation of nuclear technology globally has increased under Republican directives.
This is NUTS !
There is no 'active' diplomacy ANYWHERE in this administration to negotiate with major nuclear countries for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
Do I need to remind everyone, the path, Bush placed this country when he nullified The ABM Treaty?
We need a President and Vice President that understands the need for Non-Proliferation and containment of advanced technologies leading to tensions globally. When we once again align with sanity and work with former allies to remove dangers from our global community, we will again have reason to breath easier.
The USA is NOT represented at this commission being conducted by the leader of one of our allies, Australia' Kevin Rudd. India is not represented either.
Non-proliferation commission meets in Sydney (click at title of entry for article)
Posted Mon Oct 20, 2008 10:26am
The first meeting of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's proposed international Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament has begun in Sydney this morning.
Mr Rudd proposed the commission earlier this year, saying it will try to shape a global consensus in the lead up to the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review.
The Commission is being co-chaired by Australian former foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans and Yoriko Kawaguchi, one of Japan's former foreign ministers.
Other countries attending the commission's two-day meeting include Indonesia, Russia, Pakistan and China.
This is NUTS !
There is no 'active' diplomacy ANYWHERE in this administration to negotiate with major nuclear countries for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
Do I need to remind everyone, the path, Bush placed this country when he nullified The ABM Treaty?
We need a President and Vice President that understands the need for Non-Proliferation and containment of advanced technologies leading to tensions globally. When we once again align with sanity and work with former allies to remove dangers from our global community, we will again have reason to breath easier.
The USA is NOT represented at this commission being conducted by the leader of one of our allies, Australia' Kevin Rudd. India is not represented either.
Non-proliferation commission meets in Sydney (click at title of entry for article)
Posted Mon Oct 20, 2008 10:26am
The first meeting of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's proposed international Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament has begun in Sydney this morning.
Mr Rudd proposed the commission earlier this year, saying it will try to shape a global consensus in the lead up to the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review.
The Commission is being co-chaired by Australian former foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans and Yoriko Kawaguchi, one of Japan's former foreign ministers.
Other countries attending the commission's two-day meeting include Indonesia, Russia, Pakistan and China.
Reason Number Three why I will be voting for Barak Obama and Joe Biden. Afghanistan and its gross difference from Iraq.
Head of the Afghan Jirga delegation Abdullah Abdullah (L) speaks during a news conference with Head of the Pakistan Jirga delegation Owais Ahmed Ghani, in Islamabad October 28, 2008. Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed on Tuesday to establish contacts jointly with Taliban militants through tribal leaders after two days of talks over how to end bloodshed in both countries. (REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood)
Afghanistan is engaged in 'bartering' their 'democratic advances' for 'stability' and a return to loyality of the people to the Karzai government.
Afghanistan recognizes the power of warlords and the resurgence of The Taliban. Right or wrong there has to be 'an approach' for the survival of Karzai to continue to bring democratic principles to the people of Afghanistan.
Above Dr. Abdullah Abdullah has been 'in the fight' before there was a September 11, 2001 and he knows the landscape of Afghanistan better than any other. He is respected and considered important to the well being of the 'diplomatic corp' of Afghanistan.
It will take a President and Vice President that not only is willing to recognize the need for military presence, but, also to 'listen' to the established leaders of any nation and work with them in effective ways.
The Afghan people are different from the Iraqis. They know civilization and when it has been taken from them. They know how to survive under adverse and oppressive conditions. They don't sell out their country or their best interests to violence, but, seek to find ways to 'survive' through it until better circumstances await them.
With the right President, there will be a very quick turn around in Afghanistan, but, it will take a well balanced approach between the Karzai government and the Pakistan government. We now have leadership in Pakistan that can work with the USA and with Afghanistan to move toward containment of the Taliban, elevation of the people of both those nations with progressive policies that remove poverty, and tighten borders to prevent migration back into the 'country's proper' any and all influence of terrorist networks.
There is only one candidate capable of balancing diplomacy with military intervention and that is Barak Obama. The people of the USA need him to secure their nation and the people of Afghanistan need him to bring them peace from the ravages of intolerance.
Reason Number Four why I won't vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin - The War in Iraq
4189 Dead Americans in Iraq
The latest 'rant' by the news media is that casualties are down in this illegal war and therefore things are looking up.
Right. Tell that to those families that lost their loved ones for a war that was never supposed to be fought !
This war has CAUSED increases of terrorist networks globally, it has reduced the security of nations on every continent and we are supposed to continue to TRUST whom?
Republicans?
I don't think so !
October 29, 2008 - 9:30 PM
Iraq says U.S. deal would ban strikes on neighbours (click here)
By Peter Graff and Mariam Karouny
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq wants to amend a draft security pact with the United States to ban U.S. forces from striking neighbouring countries from Iraqi territory, a government spokesman said on Wednesday.
Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Iraq also wanted to change the wording covering the possible prosecution of U.S. soldiers in Iraqi courts, a sensitive issue for Washington.
U.S. negotiators began on Wednesday to scrutinize the changes demanded by Iraq to the security pact, which sets the conditions for U.S. troops to operate in the country after their United Nations mandate expires in December.
U.S. President George W. Bush said he was still "hopeful and confident" a security deal could be agreed.
"We're analyzing those amendments, we obviously want to be helpful and constructive without undermining basic principles," Bush said after meeting the leader of Iraq's Kurdistan region, Masoud Barzani, at the White House....
The circumstances faced by Iraqis cannot be solved by USA occupation and continued war.
The longer the USA propagates war, the longer it will take for Iraq to find an economic foothold that translates into more than 'oil sales.'
IRAQ: Unemployment and violence increase poverty (click here)
17 Oct 2006 11:26:41 GMT
BAGHDAD, 17 October (IRIN) - Mounir Zeid, 32, says he likes to remember the good old days before the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Then, most people were employed and his income was enough to afford holidays abroad. Today, however, poverty has struck and he finds himself sharing one room with his four brothers.
"We were having a good life in Iraq [before 2003] - good food, nice clothes and we enjoyed travelling - but everything went out with the occupation," Zeid said.
"I and my parents lost our jobs in the government so we started to use our savings. Today, we are living in a ghetto and sometimes even breakfast has to be forgotten because there is no money for that," he added.
Zeid is typical of millions of Iraqis struggling to cope with rising levels of poverty, largely as a result of unemployment.
"Every day you can see families searching for houses in the ghetto areas because they have lost what they had and are joining the new Iraq truth," Zeid said....
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