New Era of Responsibility - Click to read Salon from January 20th - Inauguration Day

New Era of Responsibility is a 'theme' for this President and his Administration. Why is that important? Because it is a set of words that they can be held responsible to.

So far, they are proving to be important words for the President's Administration.

Above is a graph worthy to note. The reason I focus on the graph is because it clearly illustrates how the 2010 Budget is drowning in past sins before President Obama ever got a chance to adjust it for a recovery. While Republicans and Wall Streeters alike are calling for massive changes to the 2010 Budget, answer me one question. Only one question.

The one question is: "How is President Obama going to maintain all these legislated commitments AND recover the country at the same time?" It is only one question. Answer?

First 100 Days: Speech to Congress (click here)

By Steve Highsmith
NBCPhiladelphia.com
updated 7 minutes ago
...2. The President jumped his start. The protocol for such addresses is that the President is announced. He enters the chamber to applause and cheers. He takes the podium. The Speaker of the House gavels the chamber to silence and formally introduces the President. More cheering and then the President begins. In this case, the President started to talk before the 2nd introduction. (That is our Barak. The man doesn't stand on ceremony.) I think he realized this and made a joke about it to Pelosi and Biden....

The USA never had a problem with oppression under Bush/Cheney. We were always a nation with open access to information. Right.

President Obama is demonstrating 'Methods of Democracy' that work to bring 'the will of the people' to bear. The American people now have a relationship with the returning dead as well as their families. It comes full circle.

Michael Moore ! They may not need your stage anymore !


The video at CNN of Secretary Gates making the announcement that there is now a 'Working Group' to tackle the issue of how best does the nation serve military families. It is now up to the families to decide regarding media coverage of the transfer of bodies of their loved ones. It is a proud moment for Secretary Gates and a great moment for our country. I thank him. This is the kind of 'military coverage' the USA should receive, not just glorified soldier stories to justify 'W'rongful recruitment.

Official: Pentagon allows coverage of war coffins (click title to entry - thank you)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Pentagon will lift its ban on media coverage of the flag-draped coffins of war victims arriving at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.
But the families of the victims will have the final say on whether to allow the coverage, he said.
President Obama asked Gates to review the policy, and Gates said he decided after consulting with the armed services and groups representing military families to apply the same policy that is used at Arlington National Cemetery.
"I have decided that the decision regarding media coverage of the dignified transfer process at Dover should be made by those most directly affected -- the families," he said at a news conference....

US to reassess all weapons programs: Gates (click here)
50 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday the United States was going "to reassess all weapon programs" as the new administration signaled its hopes of making budget savings.
Gates said that his department was carrying out a detailed review of the proposed defense budget for fiscal 2010 that would include a close look at weapons projects plagued by problems....

Censorship on Public University Campus - This is a violation of an artist's First Amendement Rights

UNCW's Chancellor, Rosemary DePaolo, her Provost and the Board of Trustees should be marshalled into a court of law based on the oppression of the First Amendment Rights Violation of an artist.

The Century Project has been around for a long time and most of the pictures featuring ages zero (the crowning head of a Baby Girl being born) up to the age of eighteen are now women of majority age.

The display is an artists rendition of women that have consented voluntarily to the project to celebrate women's beauty through the ages. I find the oppression by Ms. DePaolo egregious and she should be held responsible for her POLITICAL agenda for the UNCW Campus.

Perhaps the USA should sue the world to ban all nudity including "Micheangelo's David" or "Da Vinci's Madonna and Child." I mean what's next?

Administration bans part of The Century Project exhibit at UNCW (click here)
Jennie Klahre: News Editor

Issue date: 2/26/09

UNCW administration recently banned specific nude pictures of women under the age of 18 from The Century Project photo exhibit that will be displayed in the Warwick Ballroom March 2-6.

According to a news release that was sent out Feb. 24, "The ban was declared after receipt of a complaint from Oklahoma. It claimed that The Century Project is pornographic and harms women. It was sent to colleges where the project is to appear, telling them to reject it."

John Foubert, Associate Professor at Oklahoma State University, issued these six letters to colleges hosting the exhibit, imploring them to reconsider.

Marketing and Communications spokesperson Cindy Lawson issued a statement on behalf of the university that reads, "Because the exhibit does include women and girls of all ages, we wanted to be sensitive to concerns raised about nude photos of young people under the age of consent. Due to these concerns, the university requested that Century Project photographer Frank Cordelle remove any photos of minors from the exhibit when it runs at UNCW; he has agreed."

Disappointed by this news, Cordelle regrets UNCW's decision of cutting 18% of his photographs.

"If it weren't for the fact that it happened at the last minute, I would have pulled the entire exhibit," Cordelle said. "It's a real violation of the first amendment and to academic freedom."...

GM needs to receive more from the remaining $300 billion Paulson Bank Bailout !

This is a RECOVERING economy, not a FLASH IN THE PAN dumping of monies to 'make an economy' seem like it is viable. The Bush Economy when in Republican Majority was NEVER a viable economy, every bill was a spending bill to support jobs and crony projects. In 2006, Bush was carrying 'clout' for two more years and look what occurred. He should have never been returned to office in 2004. Never.

There is no miracle here, but, GM is willing to trim down and support the automotive needs of the American people. We can't walk away from that. They were loyal to this country when the wars called them into service as well, we may or our children may in the future need them again.

It'll come around. It is NOT a miracle and no one is promising it will be one, but, the promise is that there will be recovery. There will be, we have to reclaim our country and do it the right way. The right way is the progession to an economy that will SUSTAIN the needs of the American Consumer and the American Consumer's Conscience.

I trust Barak. I trust his methods. I love his transparency. It will happen. Confidence has to return and it takes time.

GM posts huge $9.6 billion fourth quarter loss (click title to entry - thank you)

Thursday, 26 February 2009 12:46
General Motors has posted a whopping $9.6 billion loss in the fourth quarter which pushed its 2008 loss to $30.9 billion.
GM said the results reflected the global economic crisis and industry-wide collapse in vehicle demand, and warned that 2009 will also be a 'challenging' year.
'2008 was an extremely difficult year for the US and global auto markets, especially the second half,' GM's Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner said.
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'These conditions created a very challenging environment for GM and other car makers, and led us to take further aggressive and difficult measures to restructure our business,' he said.
'We expect these challenging conditions will continue through 2009, and so we are accelerating our restructuring actions,' he added.
General Motors says that its fourth quarter revenues dropped to $30.8 billion from $46.8 billion in 2007.
The 2008 results were still an improvement on those for 2007, however, when GM posted a $43.3 billion loss as annual revenues fell to $149 billion from $180 billion in 2007.

"The Chicago Sun Times" is reporting that Senator Burris' Son is a 'Tax Deadbeat.' How many Americans fall into that category now?

This paragraph is exactly my point about this entire mess in Illinois. The events 'outlined' in the article by the Chicago Sun Times illustrates NOTHING.

Political appointments occur everyday. Just because President Obama wants to bring Republicans into his administration to continue to secure the nation and add an aire of bipartisanship; doesn't mean any other Democrat feels the same way ! 'Keeping it in the Family' is NOT an unusal occurence in politics.

The 'events' of obtaining a job and losing a house to foreclosure and having a tax lien on that house has nothing to do with each other, if anything it all makes sense. If you had a tax lien on your home and was facing foreclosure, what would you do? I would look for a job and I wouldn't be telling my new employer that I was facing financial hard times, either.

continued...

...Blagojevich's administration hired Roland W. Burris II as a senior counsel for the state's housing authority Sept. 10 -- about six weeks after the Internal Revenue Service slapped a $34,163 tax lien on Burris II and three weeks after a mortgage company filed a foreclosure suit on his South Side house....



BURRIS' SON GOT STATE JOB FROM BLAGO (click title to entry - thank you)
SCANDAL MUSHROOMS
He serves as housing authority counsel despite facing foreclosure on his own home

...A spokeswoman for the Illinois Housing Development Authority indicated Wednesday there was nothing improper about Burris II's employment by the agency, whose mission includes overseeing mortgage programs for low-income home buyers and anti-foreclosure initiatives....

Democrats aren't 'the wealthy Americans.' This comes from a 2006 speech by Representative Jim McDermott (click here).

...Republicans in the White House and the Congress have wielded their political power like a club on America's low income and America's middle class. The single largest increase came in Medicaid, which added 15 million Americans on the President's watch from 2000-2005. Medicaid is the health care program for the poor. It speaks volumes about how the Republican Party has treated low and middle income Americans during this administration.

All but the wealthiest Americans have been left behind by the Republican Party and the Republican budget. This is a party of the 1 percent. The Republican Party deals with what is good for the 1 percent at the top, not what is good for everybody else....

Question One, "What will occur when Americans are put back to work?"

Answer :: When they go back to work they won't be on government subsidy programs anymore.

Next question: "What occurs when Americans aren't receiving subsidy programs anymore?"

Answer :: The budget to the USA shrinks 'EXPONENTIALLY.'

Next question: "What occurs when the Federal Budget shrinks exponentially?"

Answer :: The bills get paid, the deficit comes down and more monies are available to create jobs and return our economy back to a status of functioning and the 'cash flow' from enhanced consumer spending CREATES its own jobs both domestically and internationally.

Next question: "Any more questions?"

Answer :: NO !

Burris delivers speech, presides over Senate (click here)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Roland Burris is back at work, a day after being urged to resign.
Burris gave a two-minute speech from the Senate floor on Wednesday in support of a voting rights bill, then presided over the Senate for an hour, a tradition for freshmen lawmakers.
Burris also announced his chief of staff and a communications director.
A day earlier, Burris' Illinois colleague, Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, told Burris he should resign due to questions about how he won appointment to the seat vacated by President Barack Obama.
Burris was appointed by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached and driven from office amid allegations that he tried to sell the Senate seat.
(This version CORRECTS that Burris presided over the Senate on Wednesday, not Tuesday.)

This is nothing more than a media circus and the Illinois Republicans and RNC are hoping to ride it to victory in 2004 or any other election in between. The Democrats that are 'going along' with this mess feel pressure from constituents to do so because of the 'unpopularity' of the Former Governor. There are no charges filed 'additionally' from the Fitzgerald Camp even weeks after the 'leg up' from Bush's Homeland Security and the COMPLAINT still has yet to make it to a Grand Jury. With this new disclosure about Burris' Son, it makes more and more sense that Senator Burris was the choice of the Former Governor. They obviously trusted each other enough to 'close ranks' around each other. Senator Roland Burris had enough 'Political Capital' to survive the day during very rough times with the Illinois legislature 'on the hunt.' The people of Illinois and the people of the USA, knowing that he is a strong supporter of President Obama, are lucky to have him in the Senate.

In DC, with the Obama Administration, we are witnessing 'first hand' the viciousness of the press and the RNC in regard to political appointments. I do believe at this point the Obama Administration is still missing two cabinet officers. I don't want to hear how people are appointed or hired into political positions to support an elected official. It happens all the time and there are strong reasons why that happens. The arrogance of Judd Gregg when refusing the Cabinet Post of Commerce Secretary spoke EONS as to why political appointments occur and why the current Republicans in the Seante DO NOT get along with the new administration. It isn't for the lack of 'trying' by the Obama Administration.

...“We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy (click here),” Gregg said in a statement citing “irresolvable conflicts.”
At issue for Gregg was a plan announced by the White House last week to strip the 2010 census from the commerce secretary’s control and have the U.S. Census Bureau report directly to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs noted in a statement that Gregg approached Obama about the commerce position and “offered his name.”
“He was very clear throughout the interviewing process that despite past disagreements about policies, he would support, embrace and move forward with the president’s agenda,” Gibbs said. “We regret that he has had a change of heart.”...

The Summit referred to in the article below concluded on Monday. At that Summit 'round table' that was viewed by the press and hence the American people; John McCain spoke in support of the Obama Initiatives and in turn Barak made a special note that Senator McCain was a 'special' voice to the conclusion of the meetings. The Republicans need to 'get over themselves.' Try talking to Governor Crist, he is a 'believer' and welcomes the 'stimulus' to his state with open arms. Governor Crist was also a once 'hopeful' for candidate in 2008 for President.

Despite about-face, Gregg gets White House invite (click here)
Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor

February 18, 2009 12:53 PM

..."I've been asked by the President, along with a number of other Members of Congress, to join him next Monday," Gregg said in a statement. "My goal for the summit will be to address the long-term fiscal tsunami that is headed our way as a result of the cost of making payments to the Baby Boom Generation through health and retirement entitlement programs."...

Meanwhile, in Minnesota the trial for Senator is delaying the 'win' of Al Franken.

We all wish Laurie Coleman the best of luck in promoting her career choice.


Senator's Wife Reveals Almost All! (click here)
By Richard LeibyThursday, August 26, 2004; Page C03
Senator's Wife Reveals Almost All! Eager to promote her career as a Hollywood actress, Laurie Coleman, wife of Republican Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota, has authorized our exclusive publication of photos that show her in glamorous, provocative poses -- just in time for next week's Republican National Convention, where her husband, coincidentally, is among the operatives striving to add sizzle and star power to President Bush's coronation....

Key Coleman witness tossed from Minn. Senate trial (click title to entry - thank you)
By BRIAN BAKST – 12 hours ago
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — An argument that Republican Norm Coleman hoped would draw him closer to Democrat Al Franken suffered a hard blow Wednesday in the Minnesota Senate trial when the judges threw out the testimony of the only witness to claim seeing errors that may have given some people two votes.
The testimony of Minneapolis election judge Pamela Howell was thrown out because she had supplied materials to Coleman's legal team that weren't given to Franken's lawyers. The judges deemed that a violation of civil trial procedures....

The Republicans have no ideas, they only have failed policies and old rhetoric.

The lowly defender to the Republican Political Rant is Rush Limbaugh and Republican Talk Radio. Oh. That saids it all, doesn't it?

There are limited venues for returning the USA economy. The Democrats have all the in-roads to revitalizing the USA and they always have. Infrastructure changes to energy sources, transporation, health care, medical research and INVENTION. Republicans do NOT embrace new ideas, their venue is to satisfy cronies with more money for the businesses that buoy the RNC platform and elect RNC members.

The RNC has no way of recovering their party. It's over. This is more proof than any other so far. This is their new voice? Then its a familiar voice with a different face, that's all. Get over it, the Bush White House raided the USA Treasury to survive the Democratic Majority. Obama has a little more than $300 billion of Paulson's 'Bank Bailout' to redistribute to AIG and the others, I suggest he do that and do it well.


Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana in his address Tuesday.

...But the speech raised questions.
“This was the moment for him to seize the mantle with new ideas, new direction, and lay the groundwork for himself as a creative new thinker,” said Thomas Schaller, a political scientist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. “He just used old platitudes and party clichés.”
Laura Ingraham, the talk radio host; David Brooks, the New York Times columnist; and Juan Williams of Fox News were among Mr. Jindal’s unimpressed reviewers in television commentary, while Rush Limbaugh defended the governor on his radio show. Several commentators noted that response speeches, in which a designated member of the opposition party delivers a short, canned speech with no live audience, have often been a recipe for failure.
“He went in there with high expectations, probably too high for any politician,” said David Johnson, a Republican political strategist. “Republicans are looking for a voice to lead them out of the wilderness.”
Still, Mr. Johnson said, “it was a flop.”...

The Purple Five Dollar Bill is still stronger than its competition.

When the stock markets are down, the dollar has been up. It is a strong alternative to other currencies.

The Japanese Market had a good day on Tuesday, I believe.

The problem with the EURO is more that just the usual concerns for all the markets these days, it doesn't have a strong 'history' and that is the unfortunate part. The EURO was developed for the European Union which is still in its early years although the governments comprising the EU are long lived. The problem is the countries within the EU have inherent problems and while they are buoyed through all this with the expertise of better established countries in Europe they will add to apprehension regarding investors. The EURO will regain its value when the markets start to pick up.

Consumer spending across the globe will increase when the stimulus monies are circulating as Americans purchase over 'the net' frequently to keep costs down and for the first time in a long time, it might be Americans that are seeking bargains in Europe with exchange rates better.



CURRENCIES
Dollar gains as U.S. stocks slip (click title to entry - thank you)
By Lisa Twaronite, Deborah Levine & William L. Watts, MarketWatch
Last update: 5:16 p.m. EST Feb. 25, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. dollar pushed higher against most major rivals Wednesday as downbeat economic data and more weakness on Wall Street increased safe-haven flows to the greenback.
Dismal global data also weighed on the euro, Japanese yen and British pound....

...The dollar's rise was "confirming to us that despite the waves of optimism that show up in intermittent equity market rallies, there is still a strong sense of fear of the unknown apparent. That's showing up in growing demand for the dollar," said Andrew Wilkinson, senior market analyst at Interactive Brokers Group in Greenwich, Conn....

..."The downgrade reflects a deeper problem in the euro zone," said strategists at brown Brothers Harriman. "Greece is suffering from an inability to compete not just in the euro zone but also outside the euro zone."
The U.K. Office for National Statistics confirmed an earlier estimate pegging the quarterly decline in British GDP over the final three months of 2008 at 1.5% -- the steepest fall since 1980. The third quarter was downwardly revised to show a 0.7% contraction following an earlier estimate of a 0.6% fall.
The data showed a 0.7% quarterly fall in real consumer spending and a 2.3% fall in investment.

Economic Ignorance (Michael Yates)

Michael Yates (click here for Wiki) is a working man's economist. His father was a coal miner and he wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He wrote books with titles like, "Power on the Job." He has a point of view that is 'of' a different vantage point, one might say 'Street Level Economics.'

Jobs in the USA aren't to the liking of Wall Street. Besides. They are getting new regulations. Imagine that. The Kings of Capital aren't able to regulate themselves, but, are pouting that others are going to. Oh !

Wall Street Teeters, Obama Presses Economic Plan (click here)
Wall Street rang up fresh losses in early trading Wednesday as the Obama administration pressed its economic plan and moved forward with preparations to begin new "stress tests" on the banking system....

by Dollars and Sense
A great post from Michael Yates' blog.
Michael Steele is a Nitwit and Wolf Blitzer is a JackassEconomic ignorance is widespread in the United States. People think they know something about the subject, but few do. My mother is convinced that China is the cause of all our economic problems. When I challenge her, she doesn't think it matters that I have spent forty years studying and teaching the dismal science. If Lou Dobbs says it's so, it must be true. I once taught classes for automobile workers who were employed at a General Motors plant near Pittsburgh. A man insisted that recessions were caused by the media. Newspapers and television were apparently so pessimistic and intent on presenting only bad news that the public became too demoralized to spend money. It never occurred to him to ask why the media, which depend on us spending money for their existence, would want this to happen....

...I hate to tell Mr. Steele, but every one of these jobs was created by the government. And this does not tell the whole story. For three decades, governments have been busy privatizing, that is, contracting out public services to private businesses. Everything from local transit services to prisons to college food services to security forces in Iraq. The workers are private employees, but they are paid from public funds. What is more, all of these workers, direct and indirect public employees, spend their paychecks every month and this spending generates a lot more employment. These wages amount to at least 1.5 trillion dollars, which will support plenty of spending on outputs that someone has to produce.When the Obama plan is implemented, it probably will not end our current economic crisis. But one thing is certain: the money spent will cause employment to rise. The government will create jobs, just as it has always done....

World Bank says $120 billion is required to recapitalise banks in Central and Eastern Europe

If the World Bank is good enough for Europe, Pakistan and South Africa, it is good enough for Iraq. I don't see why Iraq's fiscal concerns belong to the USA anymore, after all they have budget surpluses after all.


By Finfacts Team
Feb 24, 2009 - 6:30:33 AM

The World Bank said on Monday that $120 billion is required to recapitalise banks in Central and Eastern Europe. It said just six months ago, banks were flush with cash. Some thought they might even escape the credit crisis hitting the United States. Now low interest rates and easy credit have given way to a dearth of liquidity and capital problems in the banks amid slowing global growth and trade.
Austrian banks have lent €230 billion, the equivalent of 80% of Austria's GDP, to the region, according to the Economist."A failure rate of 10% would lead to the collapse of the Austrian financial sector," reported Vienna's Der Standard two weeks ago.
Stephen Jen of Morgan Stanley, says Eastern Europe has borrowed $1.7 trillion abroad, much on short-term maturities. It must repay – or roll over – $400bn this year, equal to a third of the region's GDP....

If Iraq can make monetary policy, they can manage their own country.

Iraq Central Bank adviser: Iraq is committed to the policy of liberalization of current accounts (click here)
February 25, 2009

...The Minister of Planning and Development, Ali Baban said on Monday that the five weekly sessions convened by the Central Bank for the sale and purchase of the dollar is the process of smuggling of Iraqi funds abroad, and that the money smuggled through auction and offices of Iraqi central bank is for the private sector funds for establishing successful mega-projects, in Jordan and Syria....

60 Weeks until the USA troop withdrawal in Iraq.

99 weeks until the success to "The Road to Recovery" can be measured.

42 weeks until the rises in oil prices return.

IF the DOD wants to extend the timeline for withdrawal from Iraq they need to stock up on cheap oil. Perhaps the DOD hasn't heard that The Economic Crisis now tops the list of threats to the USA's national security. It is my point of view that the Iraqis are fully prepared to police and defend their own elections. Time to let go and get on with reducing our military budget and finding success in Afghanistan. I hope there are high priorities by the Obama Administration for hiring returning veterans from Iraq with all the supportive services for their transition in place, including automatic enrollment in unemployment benefits to a 'living standard' to help soften their return. Military health benefits for veterans should go along with the package until they transition into employment.

Oil prices jump after DOE inventory report (click title to entry - thank you)
By CHRIS KAHN – 7 hours ago
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices jumped above $42 per barrel Wednesday as a government report showed demand for gasoline is on the rise and that crude inventories have not grown as fast as was thought.
Light, sweet crude for April delivery gained $2.54 to settle at $42.50 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Phil Flynn, an analyst at Alaron Trading Corp., said a drop in retail gas prices, combined with the Energy Department report that showed demand is rising, had traders pumping money into crude stocks.
Drivers "like a bargain, and when they see those prices go down, they'll fill up," Flynn said. "Consumers are spending more on gasoline."
But Geoff Sundstrom, a fuel price analyst for AAA, cautioned that it's too soon to say whether motorists have returned to their old driving habits.
"I'd love to be more optimistic," Sundstrom said. "But we don't have enough information to say that Americans are getting out in large numbers."...

Not Bad. Quite a national treasure to add to the wealth of a nation.

Iraq Travel
Baghdad Museum Reopens After 6 Years Reclaiming Its Stuff (click title to entry - thank you)
February 25, 2009 at 4:41 PM

...Surprisingly, prior to the museum's restoration and reopening, 8,500 of the 15,000+ stolen items were recovered and are now either under lock and key in the vaults or under constant watch as the first few visitors cautiously peer into cases. According to the AP, there is still wariness over the 2003 looting of the museum and for now, "the museum — which holds artifacts from the Stone Age through the Babylonian, Assyrian and Islamic periods — will be open to the public starting Tuesday but only for organized tours."...

Antarctica Ice Chime

The weather in Antarctica (Crystal Ice Chime) is:

Falling Star? No. Crashing satellite.
NASA didn't impress the new President. Nope.

NASA satellite crashes (click title to entry - thank you)
U.S. Air Force
The rocket carrying the NASA satellite blasts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Soon after, a protective covering failed to separate from the craft, and it crashed.
The $278-million Orbiting Carbon Observatory was designed to measure greenhouse gas emissions. It plunges into the ocean near Antarctica after a mechanical problem.
By John Johnson Jr. February 25, 2009
A NASA satellite designed to measure greenhouse gas emissions and pinpoint global warming dangers crashed Tuesday after a protective covering failed to separate from the craft shortly after launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.The loss of the $278-million satellite came as a severe blow to NASA's climate monitoring efforts, as well as the builder of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va....


July 26, 2008 at 3:22 PM

Approximately seven months ago, there was significant frigid air masses over Antarctica. The 'orange to red' color is an indication of colder air. July 26th of 2008 was the day there were severe winds that hit the Tamaki Yacht Club (click here). It was the day after a Qantas Jumbo Jet landed from 29,000 feet with a hole in its fuselage (click here). It was two days after a deadly tornado in NEW HAMPSHIRE (click here), and 14 days after the EPA stated Americans' lives were losing value (click here). Yep. The USA HAS TO reduce its carbon load on the troposphere. Without question !!!!!!!!!!!

And I don't want to hear how the 'end of the term' of George Walker Bush was met with a Banking Crisis EMERGENCY. There were signs of it coming for an entire year and no one did a damn thing !

Why do I have the opinions that I do? Gee, I wonder.


Febrary 25, 2009 at 8:24 PM EST

The Warmest Place in Antarctica

Base Esperanza, Antarctica

Local Time :: 12:10 AM GMT (GMT +00)

Lat/Lon :: 63.4° S 57.0° W

Temperature :: 40 °F

Conditions :: Mostly Cloudy

Humidity :: 50%

Dew Point :: 28 °F

Wind :: 23 mph from the WSW

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: 28.96 in (Rising)

Visibility :: 6.0 miles

Clouds :: Mostly Cloudy 1181 ft
Mostly Cloudy 19685 ft
(Above Ground Level)

Elevation :: 43 ft


The Coldest Places in Antarctica

Dome C, Antarctica

Lat/Lon :: 74.5° S 123.0° E

Local Time :: 11:51 PM GMT (GMT +00)

Elevation :: 10761 ft

Temperature :: -56 °F

Wind :: 7 mph from the WSW

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: in (Rising)


Vostok, Antarctica

Local Time :: 5:55 AM VOST on February 26, 2009

Lat/Lon :: 78.4° S 106.9° E

Elevation :: 11220 ft

Temperature :: -52 °F

Conditions :: Overcast

Humidity :: 36%

Dew Point :: -61 °F

Wind :: 12 mph from the SSW

Wind Gust :: ­-

Pressure :: in (Rising)

Visibility :: 12.0 miles

UV :: 0 out of 16

Barak ain't no slacker. The boy needs to just sign autographs.

There isn't much to say, is there? As Americans? Those that desired change, got what they asked for. Complete and absolute transparency. He is something. He knew what would bring this country back and he's on a track to achieve it.

That is a touching picture. Really nice. That was a beautiful moment. All these photos are from the NY Times.


Mr. Obama greeted Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who returned to the bench this week after surgery for pancreatic cancer.
Photo: Stephen Crowley/The New York Times


President Obama told Congress, "Now is the time to act boldly."

...The young new president projected a voice of generational confidence to a public that by one measure is less confident than at any other time since Mr. Obama was in grade school. He invested his popularity behind a plan that he said would not only "restart the engine of our prosperity" but also transform the country with "bold action and big ideas."...






President Obama delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. He urged the nation to use the economic crisis to raise its ambitions, calling for new efforts to address energy, health care and education issues even as he warned that more money might be needed to bail out banks and restore the economy.
Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times

There was also an article in The New York Times, that is sad. And very "W"rong.

The precepts for the article are wrong. And this picture is a bell jar void of air to demonstrate how 'sound science' can measure the fact that sound only travels when there are 'particles' to carry it. So, the words 'sound science' isn't really the best terminology to go forward with, but, let me use the words 'appropriate science.'

There is a common thread that runs through the grossly inappropriate 'press' both in the NY Times and The Washington Post. They attempt to 'reach back in time' as if nothing in Climate Science has changed to sophisticate its perfection, which allows them to 'discredit' the concepts put forward by the current administration.

The article in the NY Times likes the 'idea' of changing the approach to Climate Change. They want to state, that to perfect Carbon Sequestration is to solve the world's problems in regard to Human Induced Global Warming. It implies that if more money went into 'coping' with carbon dioxide emissions rather than 'changing' the manner in the way and the amount of CO2 emitted that the answer would be learned that would qualify a better government program.

That is grossly flawed. That approach would advocate in the long view that humans could emit all the CO2 they wanted so long as they could capture it and store it. Do you know what the planet would look like? If humans continued to destroy the biotic content of Earth, disregarded species survival and simply sought to make a 'sterile' world where humans could burn carbon fuels of one kind or another forever without inhibitions; there would be no humans.

The 'ideas' put forward in this article are simplistic and an insult to the intelligence of an entire nation, yet alone its scientific community. I guess "Wall Street" is a bit bent out of shape over regulations, huh?

Now, in the defense of The New York Times, there have been articles that explored 'technological' answer to 'saving Earth' given the fact the 'failure to cope' with reducing CO2 emissions by the USA has royally been abandoned over the last decade due to Republican Political Rhetoric rather than Appropriate Science.

They advocated orbital 'Earth Shields' that would cut down on the solar radiation that results in 'infrared' coming from Earth. They discussed other issues such as seeding the oceans and carbon sequestration as well. It isn't as though they haven't also discussed loss of the ice on the Arctic Ocean or alternative energies, they have.

The 'problem' with this article is 'Appropriate Science' and 'Appropriate Priorities' and the 'Opportunists' that still exist within the Political Spectrum that would take such 'coping technologies' and label them as forever the answer to American Economic Policies.

Any 'technology' that is purported to be able to 'solve' the Climate Crisis is not an appropriate priority for the USA or the global community. They are 'temporary fixes' that in the long run will FAIL and put all the CO2 back into the troposphere. Temporary fixes have their place in the discussion, however, without a change in consumer habits and the habits of those that produce energy and automobiles there is no reason to discuss any 'fix' for the CO2 pollution levels we now are witnessing of Earth.

At issue is the 'manner' in which Carbon Dioxide is treated 'legally' in our legislature and the courts of law of the USA. It needs to be classified under The Clean Air Act and reported as a danger gas at high levels in The New Source Review. Dangerous levels need to be defined and enforcement to those levels needs to be established and NOT just enforcement that is over three decades old and amounts to a 'slap on the wrist.' Which is the case with most of our environmental laws and policies, including, The Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act. What was significant enforcement 'back in the day' is virtually nothing now and in many instances is simply 'figured' into the cost of business.

When the NY Times reported on 'technologies' that could 'stem' the encroachment of Human Induced Global Warming, it was correct. The issue is dire and while the economy overshadows everything these days, the 'change' in energy sources and salvaging of Detroit are all part of an environmental initiative by this administration. There is going to be a change in energy sources in the USA to the economic boom of the American Consumer whom will have more disposable income. The new car market should reflect consumer demands for environmentally responsible vehicles and not just limited choices that burn fossil fuels.

To prove how 'dire' the issue of Climate Change has gotten there was a recent publication by one of the scientists that received the Nobel Prize as a member of the IPCC, Professor Chris Field (click here). There is just 'no way' a responsible President of the USA can look the other way.

In regard to 'exploring' all venues of intervention beyond the American Consumer issues is unrealistic. Choices have to be made and the ones that have the best return on investment in 'knowing' there will be change and not 'guessing' there will be change is the focus of the Obama Administration. Appropriately so.

Just as with the economic stimulus that is prioritizing the change in the country, these jobs that are being saved and created will contribute to increased wealth in the USA and will provide more of a Treasury in time that will allow for more exploration into 'Earth saving' technologies and venues. We are on a 'timeline' to change and not just a 'flash in the pan' dumping of money into the economy as has been the habits of Republican administrations in the recent past. This is change that will last and insure the futures of children and the sovereignty of their nation.

Global warming 'underestimated' (click here)
The severity of global warming over the next century will be much worse than previously believed, a leading climate scientist has warned.
Professor Chris Field, an author of a 2007 landmark report on climate change, said future temperatures "will be beyond anything" predicted.
Prof Field said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report had underestimated the rate of change.
He said warming is likely to cause more environmental damage than forecast.
Speaking at the American Science conference in Chicago, Prof Field said fresh data showed greenhouse gas emissions between 2000 and 2007 increased far more rapidly than expected.
"We are basically looking now at a future climate that is beyond anything that we've considered seriously in climate policy," he said.
Prof Field said the 2007 report, which predicted temperature rises between 1.1C and 6.4C over the next century, seriously underestimated the scale of the problem.
He said the increases in carbon dioxide have been caused, principally, by the burning of coal for electric power in India and China.
Wildfires
Prof Field said the impact on temperatures is as yet unknown, but warming is likely to accelerate at a much faster pace and cause more environmental damage than had been predicted.
He says that a warming planet will dry out forests in tropical areas making them much more likely to suffer from wildfires.
The rising temperatures could also speed up the melting of the permafrost, vastly increasing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, Prof Field warns.
"Without effective action, climate change is going to be larger and more difficult to deal with than we thought," he said.

The negative 'press' in regard to Climate Change is due to this (click here - thank you)

The "Public Comment Period" closes on, February 27, 2009. It is amazing to realize the lies that the press is willing to purport in order to build a larger CONCENSUS 'in numbers' that would stop the Climate Change Initiative of the Obama White House.

Amazing the 'sleeze bags' that walk the halls of these press rooms, isn't it?

See, the press has already figured out that Barak Obama is a very popular President. They also know he is rather billiant. They know that if a President is 'untouchable' to fault, than perhaps the 'best way' to defeat him is to 'trash his programs' no matter what it takes.




Observations show that warming of the climate system is now unequivocal.
...The global warming observed over the past 50 years is due primarily
to human-induced emissions of heat-trapping gases. These emissions
come primarily from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas), with
additional major contributions from the clearing of forests and agricultural
activities.

Warming over this century is projected to be considerably greater than
over the last century. The global average temperature since 1900 has risen
by about 1.5°F. By 2100, it is projected to rise another 2 to 10°F. Temperatures
in the United States have risen by a comparable amount and are
very likely to rise more than the global average over this century. Several
factors will determine future temperature increases. Increases at the lower
end of this range are more likely if global heat-trapping gas emissions are
cut substantially, and at the upper end if emissions continue to rise at or
near current rates. Other important factors that affect the range are related
to the strength of the response of the climate system to human influences....

One is always a bit hesitant to share 'precise' information with biased media. Especially. When that information is alarming.

This is the Arctic Ocean. The North Pole, where the Sun does not always shine. What makes ANYONE think that California Snowpack is going to have a different result? Elevation? That won't change a thing. As the 'heat' of the planet is 'rising' in volume it travels vertically in the troposphere as well as horizontally. Snow fields and Ice fields are melting at elevations that are no different than that of the mountains of California.



Click here for a film loop of the 'Break Up' of the Beaufort Sea, Alaska that BEGAN on DECEMBER 8, 2007. Thank you.

CALIFORNIA CLIMATE WATCH (click here)
CURRENT ISSUE: January 2007
IPCC's Working Group I
Summary Released
By Laura EdwardsWestern Regional Climate Center
On February 2, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released their report from the first of three Working Groups: "Climate Change 2007: The Physical Basis". This document states that there is "very high confidence that the globally averaged net effect of human activities since 1750 has been one of warming". The report goes on to state that most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperature during the last century "is very likely due to the increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations". Over 2500 expert scientists reviewed the document which summarizes with confidence the burning of fossil fuels has led to the warming of our planet and the planet will continue to warm. What does this mean for California? Figure 1. From Our Changing Climate: Assessing the Risks to California. Reduced mountain snowpack is one risk outlined in the report....


Why would a 'journalist' place the very lives in California 'in danger' NOT 'at risk,' but, in danger to satisfy the 'old glory days' of the Republicans? Why? Scientists for decades have been invalidated by morons such as George F. Wills that are allowed to publish in newspapers that are suppose to have discretion and dignity. I guess this '? editorial ?' by Wills states more about the 'tabloid' aspect of "The Washington Post" than anything else.


Snowpack in the Sierra affects water resources throughout California's urban areas and Central Valley agricultural regions. Lake Tahoe is at center, right; San Francisco Bay and Monterey Bay are visible low on the coast.

Chu and Ahnold need to mean. Summit might be a good idea. A sustainability summit for California.


Steven Chu
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1997 (click here)

Steven Chu is a certifiable genius. Certainly, George F. Will OF "The Washington Post" is NOT !

But, why be hesitant? After all 'information' speaks for itself. It should stand up under the most intense examination of detail, right?

Well. Yes. And no. Precise information, when it doesn't 'suit' the political agenda of a hostile press, can be manipulated. Of course, the manipulation is justified by stating 'the public has to understand.' So, someone like George F. Will comes along and DECIDES. No different than Bush when he became THE DECIDER. So, Will comes along and DECIDES 'the public that leans to the right' needs to be supported in the media and write a column criticizing a SCIENTIST.

Where Will's credentials allow such a thing, no one asks. But, he does it just the same.

What would make ANY society 'look the other way' while heritage, climate and the future of generations are jeopardized for the 'sake' of ? energy ?

For DECADES now, people that 'lack conscience' but are afforded 'power' over the material available to the average public, are allowed to publish any darn negative opinion as VALID over that of profounding correct and compassionate scientists. Scientists that have dedicated their lives to achievement and recognition for those achievement, that risk reputation at the hand of such 'spectal' seeking journlists to warm the public of the dangers that await them.

The public needs to make choices about 'the intention' of such reporting and comment before a JOURNALISTS credentials can be counted on regardless of status within the profession.

California's snow pack is in DANGER and the people of that state have a water supply to be concerned about AS WELL as the LOSS of the impact of that snowpack on their CLIMATE.

End of discussion !

An Alaskan Inuit Girl (click here)


Vanishing Alaskan Ice Pack

No one cares about a one hundred year old boat?

The U.S. Geological Survey-led (click here for original journal entry) study reveals that average annual erosion rates along this part of the Beaufort Sea climbed from historical levels of about 20 feet per year between the mid-1950s and late-1970s, to 28 feet per year between the late-1970s and early 2000s, to a rate of 45 feet per year between 2002 and 2007. The study was published in the current issue of Geophysical Research Letters, a publication of the American Geophysical Union....


A USGS researcher took a picture of this nearly century-old whaling boat in July 2007 along the Beaufort Sea coast near Lonely, Alaska. The boat washed away to sea just a few months later. Courtesy of Benjamin Jones, USGS




A cabin along the Arctic Alaska coastline was recently washed into the ocean because the bluff it was sitting on top of was eroded away. Courtesy of Benjamin Jones, USGS






Recent erosion along Alaska''s Arctic coast; note the collapsed block of ice-rich permafrost. Courtesy of Benjamin Jones, USGS

USGS researcher Benjamin Jones measures erosion along a part of Alaska''s Arctic coast. On the right side of the photo is an example of a collapsed block of ice-rich permafrost. Courtesy of Christopher Arp, USGS

The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) as been ridiculously WARM.

Annually for the year 2008 the Average High Temperature at Glacier Bay was 46.5 F. The Average Low Temperature was 34.9 F.

In 1959, the MAXIMUM (that was maximum, NOT average) High Temperature at Glacier Bay was 28 F. The MINIMUM Low Temperature was 19F. Needless to say that when temperatures are no warmer than 28 F there wasn't much melting of glaciers or loss of Permafrost, now was there?

\

Date :: February 23, 2009

Local Time: 7:44 AM AKST (GMT -09)

Lat/Lon: 58.8° N 137.0° W

Elevation :: 33 ft.

Temperature :: High - 41 F
Low - 18 °F

Conditions :: Clear

Dew Point :: 9 °F

Humidity :: 68%

Wind :: Calm

Windchill :: 18 °F

Pressure :: 30.12 in (Falling)

Visibilty :: 10.0 miles

UV :: 0 out of 16

Clouds :: Clear -
(Above Ground Level)