Prince Albert trip to raise awareness of Global Warming is fraught by wind and fog.

Penguins without snow and ice. Not a pretty picture (click title to entry - thank you)


This photo provided Wednesday Jan. 7, 2009, by the Monaco Palace shows Prince Albert II of Monaco watching penguins on Ardley island, off Antarctica, Tuesday Jan 6, 2009 as part of a voyage to the South Pole to raise awareness about global warming. The trip will last through Jan. 22 and will include visits to 26 international bases on Antarctica. (AP Photo/Monaco Palace)


January 15, 2009
1200
Temperature Map of Antarctica (click here for 24 hour loop)


January 15, 2009
1200
Antarctica Humidity.

It is HIGH humidity all over the continent from melting ice.

January 15, 2009
1200
Surface Wind Map

The winds are low in velocity throughout the continent. There is no upper tropospheric winds that are 'transmitting' turbulence to the surface. The winds that do exist are primarily 'on shore' from arriving heat transfers.

January 15, 2009
0126 gmt
Antarctica - Southern Hemisphere

The frigid air is mostly gone, although there is a small incremental increase over East Antarctica.

January 14, 2009
1800 gmt
Antarctica Vortex

The Arctic Vortex is mostly stagnant and why the heat is lingering. The exception are arriving heat transfer systems.

Now folks, I ask you, why is NASA lying? Bush is always trying to HIDE Human Induced Global Warming, that's why.

NASA actually believes we were all born yesterday? I demand an investigation to this obvious deception and a complete investigation of the past eight years that have taken the reality of Human Induced Global Warming and attempted to turn it into a fantasy. I demand it !

Click on above photo for larger image to examine for the LOSS of ice noted in January. This is NOT a freezing event, it is a melt event

Click on this picture for examination of larger image and noted supporting ice structures in December 2008.

The melt pond is noted to be blue above. On examination of the photo above there is obvious ice supporting the shelf where the melt water has collected. Not only that but there is a consolidation of sea ice in the nearby Weddell Sea that obviously has broken apart and moved away from the continent. The lies by NASA regarding there determination in regard to these images is more than alarming. The image below is starkly worse in regard to ice loss and water runoff than the picture above.

This is the 'download' of the actual satellite picture of the same image below WITHOUT the 'up close and personal' focus. In this picture it is noted there is vast loss of sea ice and indeed the melt water in the picture above is gone. But, refrozen? Not even close. The devastation of the Summer in the Southern Hemisphere caused a dropping in the elevation of the ice shelf and the water ran off into the Weddell Sea. What occurred was a warming event whereby sea ice broke off the ice shelf and the remaining 'white surface' was the remnant of the ice that didn't yet melt.


This is the image NASA states is more likely a 'refreezing' of the pools of water in December. It is a lie. To begin this is January and SUMMER in Antarctica and the December photo is in the Southern Hemisphere Spring. In the two larger pictures above it is easily discerned from the descriptions I supplied that the melting in January is more than obvious and the change in the region is due to Human Induced Global Warming.

Ask yourself. If Bush's NASA will obvertly lie to hide the most devastating event of Earth History that we know for a fact harms human life, what else has this administration done to undermind the confidence of science and its reporting?



In the picture above NASA states that there are melt ponds causing 'the blue hue' on a remnant ice shelf near Robertson Island in the Weddel Sea on December 13, 2008. The narrative, which is at the title to this entry if one clicks on it, states, that the water was mostly likely frozen in the picture on January 2, 2009. NOT. NASA has frauduently published a report that is bogus.

King Sejong, Antarctica

Lat/Lon: 62.2° S 58.8° W

Local Time: 2:28 AM GMT (GMT +00) on January 14, 2009

Temperature :: 45 F

Conditions :: Light RAIN

Humidity :: 79%

Dew Point :: 41 F

Wind :: 38 mph from the North

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: 29.09 in (Falling)

Visibility :: 6.0 miles

UV :: 0 out of 16

Elevation :: 33 feet



Vostok, Antarctica

Lat/Lon: 78.4° S 106.9° E

Local Time: 8:25 AM VOST (GMT +06) on January 14, 2009

Temperature :: -32 F

Humidity :: 40%

Dew Point :: -42 F

Wind :: 9 mph from the South

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: in. (Steady)

Visibility :: 12.0 miles

Elevation :: 11220 feet

7 Days until Inauguration - The Electronic Classroom and its potential need and pitfalls

One of the challenges of the new administration is to keep a balance between its promise of 'State of the Art' education (Electronic Classroom - click here) and employing teachers that practice excellance.

The 'key' words here are employment, unions, education, depersonalization of education and socialization and what computer technology actually has to DETER a healthy relationship between parent-child and citizen-society.

I don't really see an America that substitutes computers for teachers. I would fully expect young Americans to learn in the presence of a human being that addresses their 'socialization' as well as their learning.

If one remembers there were psychological experiments whereby 'monkeys' were reared by 'wire mothers' as opposed to 'cloth mothers' in a controlled environment to see how well they faired. Do we, while struggling to regain our footing for our economy really want to turn over our children's education to 'wire teachers' in an electronic box OR do we see our classrooms as enhanced by electronic wizardry?

Let me see if the net has a notation regarding that study of 'non-touch' child rearing?

Okay, here are two references:
Harry F. Harlow, Monkey Love Experiments (click here)

The Nature of Love (click here)

In the circumstances below and at the title to this entry, whereby religious schools are challenged for many reasons to remain open, one of the options for children re-entering public schools is to provide 'modules' for their religious education at their homes with an understanding that parents will supervise that activity and it may or may not be included in the grading cirriculum. Heck, nuns or priests can give exams at their local parishes and provide that grade to be included in their public school record if there is no 'cross over' of church and state in that regard.

Remedial education is another possiblity and 'exception' classes that link children, adolescents and young adults that are interested in 'the same' subject, but, are in the minority of the country in that focus. It would bring expertise to many that seek that level of involvement while providing a school with an enhanced education experience for their students.

The news shook students, parents and teachers, many of whom had joined in desperate fund-raising efforts.

...This would be the second major round of elementary school closings in recent years for the diocese, which comprises Brooklyn and Queens. In 2005, it closed 25, and in the next two years, seven more. If the proposed closings are carried out, the diocese will have shut down nearly one-third of the elementary schools it had just half a decade ago....

There are certain 'street sense' reasons to maintain students in a healthy classroom environment DEVOID of electronic media, INCLUDING, cell phones and laptops. The 'two' don't mix. The 'computer generation' is turning to be social basket cases, with places like My Space and Facebook as social networking preoccupying them and using them for marketing purposes. Learning and social networking DOES NOT go together and while education should continue to be conducted in a structured classroom where progress can be MEASURED by teachers as well as 'tests' it can be enhanced by 'controlled use of technology.'

In other words, 'What would the one room school house look like with 'web casts' under the supervision of teachers? Students, regardless the age or grade can achieve with the 'help' of technology, but, left alone to use it autonomously without the enhancement and emotional competency of a teacher is complete abandonment of the 'human touch.'

So. Before Governors go 'hog wild' on destroying jobs for teachers and 'hand out' computers as candy to parents/families, they need to put THEIR BUDGETS in order that includes bolstering the budgets of school systems TO INCLUDE electronic technologies that will provide for 'special needs' of any student when they are not achieving well or coming back to the public school system from fiscally failing religious schools.

The public school system should not hold students 'hostage' to a 'lack of religious eduction' but be a welcome venue for desperate parents seeking to educate their children through religious influence while seeking high quality education in English, Geography, Science, Math, Physical Education and any other subject that comes into play.

I also don't see 'private schools' benefitting from public funding for such technology. If parents choose to use other 'types' of school models such as Charter Schools they can provide for their children in 'the ususal' manner while our public schools receive the monies from the public rhelm.

The Labor Unions need to do their jobs here and do them well. We are not a nation seeking to replace well paid and qualified teachers and they need protections from Governors seeking to 'replace' teachers and break strong unions (if there is such a thing anymore) while fiscally challenged.

There are plenty of other areas Governors can trim their budgets while supporting labor and education. The Governors' are 'used to' the Bush White House, whereby, monies are handed out for building roads and houses that 'crash' the fiscal infrastructure of the nation. They haven't yet realized how spending on roads only creates short term jobs and leaves behind a road with little revenue developement or tax base.

Shame on them.

Investing in teachers and educational infrastructure for our students means providing for a wider tax base on a longer time continuum and THAT is what we are seeking as a nation.

In example, it is high time the voters of California begin to examine closely the budget failures under Schwarzenegger and wonder if they need better leadership in California !

There are some major storms on the way, including the Carribean.

January 13, 2009
0230z
UNISYS North and West Hemispheric Water Vapor Satellite (click title for 12 hour loop)

There isn't any battle that desperate in Gaza. Israel has always had the upper hand. Is the IDF feeling international pressure to stop?

White Phosphorus is highly unstable due to its highly reactive electron state. A perfect tetrahedron. Phosphorus come from the Greek meaning 'light bearer.' It is highly reactive with oxygen.

Phosphorus is never found as a free element in nature on Earth. White phosphorus (P4) exists as individual molecules made up of four atoms in a tetrahedral arrangement, resulting in very high ring strain and instability. It contains 6 single bonds.
White phosphorus is a white, waxy transparent solid. This allotrope is thermodynamically unstable at normal condition and will gradually change to red phosphorus. This transformation, which is accelerated by light and heat, makes white phosphorus almost always contain some red phosphorus and therefore appear yellow. For this reason, it is also called yellow phosphorus. It glows greenish in the dark (when exposed to oxygen), is highly flammable and pyrophoric (self-igniting) upon contact with air.




Below is a test of white phosphorus by the USA (click here)


That is what white phosphorus looks like when deployed. It just does.


Human Rights Watch says pictures like this point to white phosphorus use, but Israel denies this.

Medics in Gaza say latest casualties include at least 60 people affected by suspected phosphorus shells fired illegally near civilian areas. (click here - video)

It is a 'justified' war, so why do something so unjust when the results of the Israeli efforts have succeeded? This attack doesn't make sense. It is somewhat zealous and foolish.

Israel is achieving a defeat of Hamas for the Palestinian Authority to make life better in Gaza. This possible deployment of white phosphorus makes no sense, strategically or otherwise. Making enemies of the people of Gaza will only make 'peace' more difficult.

Defeating Hamas is totally different than victimizing the Palestinians that remember the way in which the defeat was achieved.

In Israel, a consensus that Gaza war is a just one (click here)
By Ethan Bronner
Published: January 13, 2009
...But voices of dissent in this country have been rare. And while tens of thousands have poured into the streets of world capitals demonstrating against the Israeli military operation, antiwar rallies here have struggled to draw 1,000 participants. The Peace Now organization has received many messages from supporters telling it to stay out of the streets on this one....

8 Days until Inauguration - Get ready for some trials and sentences to be handed down !

Enough with Gitmo. On with Due Process. There isn't anything those detainees can tell us and it is questionable there ever was.

AP: Advisors say Obama preparing order to close Gitmo (click title to article - thank you)
By LARA JAKES
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON -- Advisers to President-elect Barack Obama say one of his first duties in office will be to order the closing of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay. That executive order is expected during Obama's first week on the job - and possibly on his first day, according to two transition team advisers. Both spoke Monday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly....

It isn't whether there was torture or not, we know there was. It is this blemish on American esteem will be removed and there will be trials for those that are truly responsible for murder and conspiracy.

An Army officer who investigated possible abuse at Guantanamo Bay after some guards purportedly bragged about beating detainees found no evidence they mistreated the prisoners — although he did not interview any of the alleged victims, the U.S. military said Wednesday.



...The investigation centers around Marine Lt Col Colby Vokey, who represents a detainee at the US naval base in eastern Cuba. Vokey filed a "hotline" complaint last October, attaching a sworn statement from his paralegal, Sgt Heather Cerveny, 23, in which she said several guards in a bar at Guantanamo Bay bragged about beating detainees and described it as common practice. "Others were talking about how when they get annoyed with the detainees, about how they hit them, or they punched them in the face," Sgt Cerveny said during a telephone interview.... (click here)

The Prince has more on his mind than just his deployment.

Britain's Prince Harry sits in his Spartan armored vehicle in the desert on February 19, 2008.

He apologized.

That should be enough.

It could be simply 'military chatter' or there might be an underlying concern Harry is working over. The attacks in London not very long ago were carried out by terrorists trained in Pakistan. That is a known fact. Now, India has evidence of the terrorist attack in Mumbai originating from Pakistan.

There is a reality rarely discussed and some of that reality has to be playing on the Prince's nerves from time to time. The reality is the ISI of Pakistan and its long history of 'undetermined purpose.'

India is right to some extent and if Musharraf were still in power there would be more reason for India to go to war, however, there are 'elements' within the ISI that are free-lancing aid to terrorists. I would not be surprised if there were terrorists operating within the ISI. The problem has been entrenched for decades and India is just about at its 'wits end' with the nonsense that exists within Pakistan's 'intelligence' infrastructure.

The political arm of Pakistan's government has never been able to cleanse itself of the corruption that lies within the ISI simply because they operate nearly autonomously within the country simply because they are armed. It would be the same as if there was a subculture whereby the FBI and CIA were to govern themselves outside the hierarchy of authority. Pakistan has a small nightmare within its 'power structure.'

I would not be surprised if, at times, the goodly Prince would simply like to end the 'diplomacy' and bring an end to the speculation of what occurs in Pakistan. I admire his commitment to his country and his determination to rise in rank within the military infrastructure, but, Harry is a Prince of England and with that comes a different reality. Perhaps it is time he join the rest of his family in caring for the country in a way that serves it best in diplomatic efforts rather than donning military gear to protect and defend.

It can't be easy to be Harry.

President Elect keeps his promise on Diversity.

....The Human Rights Campaign and other gay-rights groups sent letters to Obama asking him to rescind the invitation to Warren—who disapproves of homosexuality and who opposes certain gay rights, including the right to marry—after his inauguration role was announced last month. "There was a sense of uproar around Rick Warren," says Darlene Nipper, deputy executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "People were confused, fearing that maybe the [president-elect] isn't the individual we thought he was.".... (click title to entry - thank you)

Bishop Gene Robinson and Chad Allen at The Laramie Project (click here)

Monday, December 4, 2006; Posted: 03:12 PM - by Linda Lenzi

Honoring the 30th birthday of the late Matthew Shepard, an all-star benefit reading of Moises Kaufman's The Laramie Project took place at the Town Hall Theater in Times Square on December 1st, with a V.I.P. cast party following the event. The evening, hosted by former Second Lady Tipper Gore and benefiting the Matthew Shepard Foundation, also included a special live performance by Cyndi Lauper....

..."only a test delivery"....A Test Delivery? The Russian Monitors need to hustle and get in place. This is NOT an EU problem. Come on now !

A gas pressure gauge is seen at a snow-covered transit point on the main pipeline from Russia in the village of Boyarka, near Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. A natural gas crisis loomed over Europe on Tuesday, as a contract dispute between Russia and Ukraine shut off Russian gas supplies to six countries and reduced gas deliveries to several others. Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Croatia and Turkey all reported a halt in gas shipments. (AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov) (Sergei Chuzavkov - AP)

The restart of nuclear power plants that are ancient and unsafe is not the answer to Russia's best economic strategy either. There can't be that much of a delay in placing Russian Monitors if there is cooperation in doing so between the two countries. Medvedev's administration needs to ACCOMMODATE the needs of those that are experiencing dangerous delays in gas supply. If all the wrinkles are worked out there should be no delay. It is called good faith. This is no longer an EU problem and they have done everything Russia has requested.

...While the EU monitors were in position last night, Sechin said the Russian experts were not yet stationed in Ukraine, signalling that the deal could still be aborted. Differences over who should pay for "fuel" gas that is used to keep up the pressure in the pipelines for pumping the natural gas to clients could also disrupt the fragile accord and spell more misery for hundreds of thousands of households in central and southern Europe.
Slovakia, which is dependent on Russian gas, said it would have to restart its decommissioned Chernobyl-design reactor at Bohunice, near the border with Austria, because it had received no supplies since Thursday. The nuclear plant is widely viewed as unsafe and its closure was one of the conditions for Slovakia joining the EU in 2004.
Austria, which has banned nuclear power, deplored the move. The environment minister, Nikolaus Berlakovich, described decision to restart the Soviet-era reactor as "completely unacceptable".... (click title to entry - thank you)

I am sincerely happy for Senator-Select Burris. Wonderful ! A new Senate Precedent. History by the moment !

This is so very nice. The President Elect now has his vacated seat filled by a man truly deserving of the office of Senator. Really nice. Congratulations to everyone for making the best decisions and advancing democracy.


Roland Burris prepares before appearing on the CBS television show Face the Nation in Chicago, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009. The Senate's second-in-command, Sen. Dick Durbin, said Sunday that he is moving away from resisting former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris as President-elect Barack Obama's successor and hopes a resolution to the disagreement will be reached soon. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Tesla proves that 100% electric is more than possible, viable and safe for the American road.

"...Silicon Valley’s electric-car sensation, Tesla Motors, will have its first show-floor display at Detroit this year. Having established itself as a production automaker (with more than 150 examples of its $100,000 Roadster sold to date), the fledgling maker doesn’t have anything new to unveil...." (click title to entry - thank you)

January 11, 2009 1:20 PM PST
Tesla debuts zippier Roadster Sport (click here)

For all you well-heeled auto fanatics, there is good news: Tesla Motors has made a faster car.
The luxury electric carmaker on Sunday lifted the curtain on the Tesla Roadster Sport at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Tesla said it has begun taking orders for the $128,500 sportscar, which will be available in late June.
The Roadster Sport has a bit more zip off the line than the original rocket-like Roadster, Tesla's first electric car favored by tech tycoons and Hollywood types....

9 Days until Inauguration - The issues with Iran aren't that complicated. Quite a different approach from "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran."

..."Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” Mr. Obama reiterated his intention to work directly with Iran — a country whose president has called for Israel’s destruction — to improve relations and halt a nuclear program that Tehran describes as peaceful but which the West believes is not."... (click title to entry - thank you)

The Iranian circumstance today is vastly different than the time of Jimmy Carter. The Ayatollah has returned to power and until the invasion into Iraq there was a increasingly wonderful Moderate Political movement that was replaced by the administration of the extremist of Ahmadinejad.

The 'idea' that the USA has caused the tensions that now exist between itself and Iran, including in its alliance with Israel, is to realize the trend is reversable. Iran today has nuclear capacity that actually was engaged by the USA through poor design only to be taken over by Russia to insure completion. So for the USA to now say it doesn't approve of peaceful use of Iranian nuclear capacity is a bit ludicrous. The only problem is the assertions that Iran will not maintain a 'peace' only use of nuclear technology.

The moderates need to return to Iran and that will occur when the sanctions work and Iran is again distanced from a threat to its soveriegnty as Iraq is turned over to the Iraqis without the influence of Western military. To say its a balancing act is understating the outcome, but, if Russia can be a partner to priorities of a world without nuclear threat a favorable outcome can be achieved without confrontation of any kind.

I believe a nuclear non-proliferation agreement can be a focus to any negotiations including the disarmament of other countries including Pakistan that were never supposed to have a nuclear weapon to begin with.

The problem currently is that the global balance is chronically challenged through a lack of diplomatic agreements that work for countries rather than victimizing them.

Of concern, Georgia needs to stop its brinkmanship, AGAIN :

Tskhinvali says Georgia moves troops to S.Ossetia border (click here)
15:03
09/ 01/ 2009
MOSCOW, January 9 (RIA Novosti) - The Defense Ministry of South Ossetia said Friday Georgia was moving troops towards its border, the republic's information and press committee said.
The committee cited South Ossetian Deputy Defense Minister Ibragim Gasseyev as saying that four Georgian armored vehicles and 16 trucks had approached the village of Mereti, Gori district.
"Considering that each vehicle has at least 20 people, Georgia has moved at least 300 people to Mereti," Gasseyev said.
At the same time Gasseyev voiced concern over the stance of the EU monitoring mission tasked with ensuring security along the border with two breakaway republics, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Both republics have refused to allow EU observers on their territory....

Okay. Time out. Where are the scientists? The only way 21 million cubic metres of technical gas per day is needed is if the pipeline is used wrong.

This isn't rocket science and the agreement cannot be that complicated. I have to agree with President Medvedev in that inconsistency only breeds problems and escalates tensions internatinoally.

(click title to entry) ..."Such conditions make a mockery of common sense and are a violation of agreements we reached earlier," President Dmitry Medvedev said. "Such actions are meant to thwart the agreement to monitor the gas transits - they are blatantly provocative and destructive."...

This should not be that difficult to deal with unless there are inconsistencies in the use of the pipeline and its ability to maintain a constant pressure thoughout its length. The principles of gas pressure does not allow for such high fluctuations in the amounts of gas needed to maintain pressure. Ideally, once the pipeline is primed and operating a steady delivery of purchased product should be easily monitored throughout the pipeline. If the pipeline is in disrepair it may need state of the art reconstruction that will computerize the flow and detect falls in pressure that would dictate leaks or misuse, however, when dealing with 'gas' I would hope there would be little to no disrepair to speak of.

The scientists of all countries involved should be able to determine the amount of 'mechanical gas' needed to provide UNINTERRUPTED service to any of the consumers of Russia's GASPROM. This isn't that difficult to manage. It just isn't. 21 million cubic meters is a lot of gas to be consumed as 'technical gas' on a daily basis. It must be a highly inefficient gas pipeline to demand that type of 'priming' on a daily basis. The problem is probably that there are different flow rates throughout the system and the volume in some areas of the pipeline falls when more gas is used than is delivered, hence, requiring more 'priming.' That isn't 'technical gas' that is using volumes of gas that would normally be technical gas as an end product to the consumer. There has to be an understanding that the pipeline only requires a 'specific' amount to prime its delivery to maintain pressure and any more than that is considered delivered product. It seems there are inconsistencies that need to addressed.

WRAPUP 1-Russia-Ukraine deal on gas for Europe hits trouble (click here)
Sun Jan 11, 2009 9:44pm GMT

...The declaration, a copy of which has also been seen by Reuters, stated that Ukraine had not siphoned off any transit gas and that it had no outstanding debts to Russian export monopoly Gazprom -- a central bone of contention between the two countries.
It said Russia must supply volumes of "technical" gas, at no cost, to Ukraine to maintain pressure in the pipeline system -- a demand Gazprom described as "an attempt to legalise the theft of gas".
Gazprom said Ukraine was demanding 21 million cubic metres of technical gas per day -- enough to meet the daily needs of a country like Austria.
"Ukraine has again taken a destructive position," a Gazprom statement said....

Those adverse to our democracy are being replaced. Strict Constructionists are no longer needed !

The CDC will play a role in the new health care structure in the USA, we don't need people that favor politics over science or the best outcome to the wellness of the nation. The considerations for our new healthcare focus will have to include all the issues Americans face and the best way to rehabilitate a nation suffering from obesity and poor diets with food pyramids that don't serve the best outcomes to our children or adults.

One of the issues facing the country is affordable healthcare. The COBRA system is prohibitive and is no answer to providing insurance to the uninsured, underinsured or uninsurable.

For Unemployed Americans, COBRA Simply Costs Too Much (click here)
January 11, 2009 by admin
Washington (SmartAboutHealth) - Families USA released a new report which has revealed that for many unemployed Americans, COBRA health insurance is simply too expensive.
Families USA, the non-profit group, put out the report this week, focusing on COBRA, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985.
The goal behind COBRA was to make health insurance affordable for unemployed Americans.
Families USA has found though that this is not the case, as they compared the average monthly premium for family health insurance under COBRA to how much compensation an average unemployed American received.
They found that the average compensation is around $1,300 for an unemployed American, while the average monthly premiums for family health insurance coverage under COBRA is $1,000.
This leaves next to nothing for families to live off of, making COBRA simply too expensive.
Overall, only 25% of those who are actually eligible for COBRA sign up for it, mainly due to the high cost.
With 47 million Americans living without health insurance, this is not a positive sign.



...During Dr. Julie Gerberding’s six years directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, critics lambasted her, accusing her of sacrificing science for politics and carrying the Bush agenda on global warming and other issues into the world of scientific research....

...New administrations often clean house at the top of their agencies. Gerberding’s resignation, effective Jan. 20, became public Friday. She was unavailable for comment Saturday.

As the CDC’s first female director departs, some health care advocates say they hope a change in leadership spurs a change in direction and priorities for the agency, which employs 9,000 people and has a budget of $9 billion.

“In the last eight years, across the board in government, politics has been trumping science,” said Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America’s Health, a public health watchdog group based in Washington. Levi said he hopes the new administration “returns to science as the basis of policy.”

Gerberding was criticized in 2007 after it was alleged she let the White House censor her congressional testimony on climate change. A deleted section of the testimony included the statement that “catastrophic weather events such as heat waves and hurricanes are expected to become more frequent, severe and costly....”

Israel sees progress and hopeful for end of conflict now in its 16th day.

It seems to me there has been too much left to chance with the children of Gaza and anyone under 18 years old is a child. With a population so impressionable an ordinary ceasefire cannot go into place without providing for the 'de-programming' of the young people of Gaza and a revitalized educational system that insures their future, both through peace and prosperity in learning.

If Israel is to make retribution to Gaza for ending the reign of Hamas, Israel has to take the children of Gaza into their hearts and instill a future that is without violence, with only promise and a way to learn to be happy instead of angry.

(click title to entry - thank you) ...Israeli troops pushed deeper into Gaza's main city, as warplanes carried out at least 50 air strikes on the 16th day of a war launched to combat Palestinian rocket fire, which has continued despite the offensive....

...Civilians again fell victim in Israel's offensive on the impoverished and isolated Palestinian enclave, one of the world's most densely populated places where half of the 1.5 million residents are less than 18 years old....

...Israeli officials suggested the end may be close of its offensive, which has killed hundreds of civilians, despite having last week waved off a UN resolution calling for an immediate halt to the fighting....

...Earlier Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the Jewish state was nearing the goals it had set for its operation, but said fighting would continue for now.

'Israel is approaching these goals, but more patience and determination are required,' Mr Olmert said at a cabinet meeting.

He told ministers that Israel 'dealt Hamas an unprecedented blow,' government secretary Oved Yehezkel quoted Olmert as saying. 'It will never be the same Hamas.' Israeli forces have demolished some 200 smuggling tunnels beneath the Gaza-Egypt border - Hamas's main resupply route - representing 66 per cent of the total, according to military spokeswoman Avital Leibowich.

The army said it had blown up 20 tunnels on Sunday alone, and an Egyptian security official said shrapnel from one of the strikes wounded two Egyptian police officers and two children at the Rafah crossing into Gaza....

Clarification Required in Conflicting Laws - Clear as Mud

It would seem as though the Illinois Supreme Court has made roads for Mr. Burris to take the matter to the US Supreme Court. The Illinois ruling has stated there is no state statue requiring the signature of the Secretary of State. However, there is a challenge to that and Mr. Jesse White may be in violation of a Federal Statute issued by the US Senate.

Durbin may or may not be correct. By 'routine' the appointment of a US Senator by a Governor needs to be accompanied by the Secretary of State. That 'routine' may or may not be law and it has to be clarified. If the US Supreme Court states a Secretary of State signature is mandated, it then also needs to rule as to the capacity of a Secretary of State to 'veto' the powers of a Governor.

It may be that the Writ of Mandamus now has to be issued to the US Supreme Court for enforcement.

The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that the secretary of state need not sign the document appointing Roland Burris' to the U.S. Senate....

...With the ruling, the fate of Burris' appointment falls to the Senate, which says its rules require the signature of both the governor and the secretary of state for any appointment. Sen. Dick Durbin said earlier this week that the Senate has never waived that rule....

10 Days until Inauguration - The compassion for a Pre-War strategy to serve Gaza civilians was absent.

Red Cross warns of deteriorating situation in Gaza (click title to entry, thank you)
1 hour ago
GENEVA (AFP) — The plight of Palestinians trapped in Gaza is becoming increasingly precarious as the Israeli attack on the territory enters its third week, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Saturday.
"People trapped in zones where military operations are taking place are particularly affected," it said in a statement from its Geneva headquarters.
The organisation, which has had to scale down its operations for security reasons, said it had received dozens of calls from people who were in zones which could not be reached and were experiencing increasing difficulty in maintaining contact with the outside world.
"Yesterday, we received a call from a family of 40 people, including 20 children, staying in a house in the Netzarim area. They told us they had not had drinking water for almost six days because the well supplying water to their house had been damaged," the statement quoted an ICRC employee in Gaza as saying....

Israel is still under seige. There are 3 IDF troops dead and rockets over the border from Gaza.

Tracers of rockets fired from Gaza. Photo: AP [file]

Jan 9, 2009 7:28
Updated Jan 10, 2009 8:42
Mortar shells fired at Kerem Shalom (click here)
By JPOST.COM STAFF
Palestinian gunmen in Gaza on Friday afternoon broke the three-hour humanitarian truce, during which Israel let in vital aid to the Strip via the Kerem Shalom border crossing.
While the supplies were being transferred, Gaza gunmen fired several mortar shells at the terminal. No one was wounded.
Earlier, just after 1 p.m., when the temporary truce was supposed to have already begun, Palestinians fired three Grad-type rockets at Ashdod.
In the early evening, gunmen fired two rockets at the Eshkol region, lightly wounding one person and damaging a building. During the day, rockets also hit the Sdot Negev region, Ofakim, Sderot, Beersheba, Ashkelon, and Merhavim regions. There were no other reports of wounded or damage....

In order to have a ceasefire, other sides have to stop their attacks, otherwise it is a very short agrement. So. Why should Israel agree to a one sided ceasefire? It makes no sense.

An LA Times Opinion makes a good point and one shared by myself and those that seek to protect the troops and civilians of Israel, namely their government.

Opinion
Hamas' war crimes (click title to article, thank you)
In Gaza, it targets Israeli citizens with rockets, then shields its fighters behind Palestinian civilians.
By Alan M. Dershowitz January 10, 2009
A temporary cease-fire in Gaza that simply allows Hamas to obtain more lethal weapons will assure a repetition of Hamas' win-win tactic of firing rockets at Israeli civilians while using Palestinian civilians as human shields....

Those that want Israel to simply stop the attacks, such as Iran and other Middle East sympathizers; are using 'the sympathy' for the civilians of Gaza as a PR weapon to bring pressure to Israel. There is no sympathy for the civilians of Gaza held hostage by Hamas? Or the civilians of Israel? I see.


IDF soldiers sleep next to the Gaza border.

The only action that makes any sense at all is that of the UN to reinstate the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. To that end, Israel has been successful in stopping any authority of Hamas, even as a political party. The question remains as to how the PA will actually exert its authority with Hamas still supplied and armed?

Regardless of any assumtion of power by the Palestinian Authority it will still need Israel to stop the shelling and assume control until the PA has sufficient ability to carry out sovereignty over Gaza.

Jan 10, 2009 10:13
Updated Jan 10, 2009 18:10
'UN drafting Gaza plan to reinstate PA' (click here)
...The Times reported on Saturday morning that the UN diplomats were drawing up a plan to bring in international monitors to police the border crossing which has been a porous entryway for weapons and other smuggled goods until Israel's Operation Cast Lead began 15 days ago....

I hate to see the Democrats be this silly. It isn't like there is an open and shut case against the Illinois Governor.

It would seem as though the Governor isn't completely alone in his view of the world, one member of the House voted in his favor. It would seem there was also a member that abstained as well.

The thing is this and why it is such a weak case is because there is no other defendant. In order for Governor Blagojevich to be found guilty of the charges (which haven't made it to indictment yet) proposed by Fitzgerald there has to have been an 'offer' to exchange an appointment for personal gain. In lacking 'ANOTHER' in this case, there is a clear indication there was no 'solid' offer to anyone.

Fitzgerald can listen to all the phone calls and take testimony all he wants, but, without a solid commitment to actually carry out a crime, there is NO basis for conviction. There is no other defendant that was ready to 'close the deal' on the 'purchased nomination' to the vacated Senate seat, so therefore there is no case.

The fact that others were very close to receiving the appointment, but, were never approached for 'favors' only proves that where ambition existed for an Illinois Governor in moving to Washington, DC; there was no actual bargaining that existed and all this mess is simply 'gaming and talk.'

At the end of the day, the Illinois Legislature will find itself in a sorry state come next election then it was before they attempted to play politics for THEIR personal gain.

Oh, yeah, the conspiracy 'thing.' What conspiracy? The conversation between Governor Blagojevich and his administrative assistant? That's a conspiracy? No, it isn't. A conspiracy is when there is 'another' to receive services. There was never 'another' to carry out the crime. It is all unfortunate that people don't put their Constitutional Rights first and value them above all else. Oh, well.

The Illinois governor says he'll continue to fight charges. His trial in the state Senate is to start Jan. 26.



Speaker of the House Michael Madigan presides over the Illinois House of Representatives as they discuss a resolution to impeach Governor Rod Blagojevich today in Springfield, Illinois. The House approved the resolution to impeach 114-1 with one member voting present.

It's nice to have friends that anticpate your every need when arriving. An office ready for my use with a view. How about that?

Trees and shrubs and a courtyard. Nice. And computer access. Wow. I guess they want me to stay awhile.