President Obama is not afraid of the germs White Folks have. I thought that was reassuring. This, of course, is Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

What a time for HHS.  We are lucky to have a well qualified Secretary with leadership skills to carry out expansive change during trying times for the USA.

Health Care Reform and its many facets is being implimented as I write this to insure a smooth transition for everyone.

Recently, there were one time rebate checks sent to Seniors to help with the donut hole and issues of transition.  Secretary Sebelius has written to Governor Douglas to caution against any misinterpretation of the rebate.  It was issued to individuals and not to States, so the idea that a State can cut back on other programs to assist Seniors isn't accurate.

...Some states, like Vermont, have established state-only programs that provide supplemental pharmaceutical coverage to low-income Medicare beneficiaries who are not eligible for Medicaid assistance. The Administration applauds Vermont’s leadership in this effort. However, we understand that Vermont is considering reducing these state benefits in response to the new Medicare Part D rebate checks. I ask you to reconsider this action....

Link to letter:  http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/current-benefits-vermontrsquos-seniors,1341798.shtml


Unfortunately, through all this wonderful change to our infrastructure the Republican Obstructionists are still at work to try to cause our Seniors HARM by preventing appointees from taking their seats in the administration and decreases in benefits that could be overruled by the legislation.


...The confirmation hearings for Dr. Donald Berwick, the White House's choice to run Medicare, could turn into a proxy war over a debate that, while settled, left many Americans angry and confused.
"I think anyone who is close to this understands this debate is really not about Don Berwick, but the opportunity to re-litigate the underlying health care reforms," said John Rother, executive vice president for policy and strategy at the AARP. "In ordinary times, the nomination of somebody with Don's record and standing in the field would not be controversial."

Link:  http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/13/1677899/bitter-feelings-over-health-bill.html#ixzz0qls9SPX8

 
DANGEROUS AND IRRESPONSIBLE REPUBLICANS have Senior citizens, recipients of Medicare, in their 'election sites' to harm them in order to attempt a deceptive initiative to cast a poor opinion of health care reform.
 
I would think the media would be up in arms over the issue to bring to light THE TRUTH. 
 
Hm?
 
Obama takes aim at Republicans on healthcare
Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON
Sun Jun 13, 2010 1:05am EDT
...The Senate is due to vote within days on whether to follow the House of Representatives and delay a cut in Medicare payments to doctors. Like much else related to healthcare, the vote is becoming a proxy for Republican anger over the sweeping health overhaul passed in March despite their fierce resistance.
"This year, a majority of Congress is willing to prevent a pay cut of 21 percent -- a pay cut that would undoubtedly force some doctors to stop seeing Medicare patients altogether," Obama said in his weekly radio address. Medicare is the government health program for the elderly.
"But this time, some Senate Republicans may even block a vote on this issue. After years of voting to defer these cuts, the other party is now willing to walk away from the needs of our doctors and our seniors," Obama said....

Link:  http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6565FV20100613

"Bo" - B(arak) O(bama)

I found it interesting that no one picked up on the 'initials' similar to the President's which comprise the Obama's pet dog, Bo.

Bo is still winning over hearts and minds at the White House.

In the press pool photo (click title to entry - thank you) caption for this picture, it says that U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk first dog Bo to a picnic for members of Congress on the South Lawn of the White House June 8, 2010. It looks to me like Bo is the one taking the First Couple for the walk.


They were on their way to a Congressional picnic where Alaskan salmon smoked on an open pit was served for dinner

It's Sunday Night

"This Peace" by Sara Groves

So many words to say, but I'm opting for silence


So many days to live
I thinking I'm sitting this one out
Cause something I've been chasing finally stopped to let me catch it
Something I've been longing for and dreaming of. . . .


It's a whisper in my ear
It's a shiver up my spine
It's the gratitude I feel for all that's right
It's a mystery appeal that's been granted me tonight
This peace


It's something so elusive
Something close but far away
It's the home that I can't live in yet somewhere in outer space
And sometimes I barely miss it when I walk into the room
The curtains are still swaying and I feel the air move


And it whispers in my ear and it shivers up my spine
It's the gratitude I feel for all that's right
It's a mystery appeal that's been granted me tonight
This peace


No time to grab a camera
No time to write it down
Just time enough to breathe it in
And linger . . . . . . .


It's a whisper in my ear
It's a shiver up my spine
It's the gratitude I feel for all that's right
It's a mystery appeal that's been granted me tonight
This peace
This peace

If a party can't keep their funding, I don't know how they can be callled a party.

Michael Steele Threatens To Withhold RNC Funds From GOP Senators Who Backed Stimulus  (click title to entry - thank you)

June 11, 2010

Categories:RNC Chair.Major RNC donors defect to NRSC
 
A group of former top donors to the Republican National Committee have written fellow wealthy Republicans advising them to steer their contributions this cycle to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
"After much deliberation, we have decided our focus should be on making gains in the United States Senate," says their letter, whose signatories include three former RNC finance chairmen. "The best way for us to afect the outcome of these races is by supporting the National Republican Senatorial Committee."
The letter doesn't mention the RNC directly, but its implication to plugged-in Republican donors is clear, and one section appears to draw a contrast between NRSC Chairman John Cornyn and Steele, who has faced a series of spending flaps and who is viewed as unresponsive by former top donors.
Cornyn has been a "wise steward of hte Committee's funds," says the letter. "He has also listened to our input and sought our counsel multiple times."...


http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0610/Major_RNC_donors_defect_to_NRSC.html


There is an interesting phenomena developing across the board with Republican candidates.  They are covert about their 'establishment' ties and sounding very similar in their 'narrowed rhetorical' messages to the electorate.  They are basically unable to address 'local' concerns and problems of their electorate and relying on rhetoric to win elections.  Many are self funded which shows a strong disconnect from party and citizen. 

Example:

...A review by Hearst Connecticut Newspapers of McMahon's campaign finance filings shows the Greenwich businesswoman and millionaire has so far spent about $11 million on accomplished consultants with close ties to national and state Republican politics.

"She can call herself whatever she wants, but clearly, there's a difference between a campaign that is kind of outside the political establishment and one that is using that rhetoric but using the very conventional and mainstream and established political resources," said Howard Reiter, professor emeritus of political science with the University of Connecticut....

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/McMahon-s-wealth-turns-politics-inside-out-522227.php

Nicobar Island quake at 7.5 without reports of damage or deaths. Unrelated to 4+ magnitudes quakes in Calfiornia today

Banda Aceh was one of the hardest hit islands during the Christmas Tsunami.

June 13, 2010



Nurdin Hasan
3 Earthquakes Rattle Indonesia, but Don’t Injure or Destroy
 
...The office of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in Banda Aceh said the area experienced a 7.7-magnitude earthquake at 2:26 a.m. local time....
 
...The first struck at 10:57 a.m., local time, and was recorded by the BMKG as having a magnitude of 5.0. However, the US Geological Survey recorded it as magnitude 4.8. The quake, which struck just north of Ternate, did not trigger a tsunami warning, and there were no reports of casualties or property damage.







A second quake hit later in the day, centered further north in the Maluku Sea, 195 kilometers north-northwest of Ternate. This quake hit at 1:44 in the afternoon with a magnitude of 4.7. There were no immediate reports of casualties or property damage....

...Recent earthquakes in Aceh have been more powerful. The region has experienced a string of quakes of above magnitude 7.0 since April. A 7.2-magnitude quake that month near Simeulue Island led to dozens of injuries and caused severe damage to several homes and buildings....

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/3-earthquakes-rattle-indonesia-but-dont-injure-or-destroy/380358

'

Another wetlands ruined on the Gulf Coast? NO ! Don't tell me about this industry, I know about this industry.

tThick, black oil slicks cover the pond at Liberty Park Saturday in Salt Lake City. Oil-soaked ducks and geese from around the water source were gathered by zoo officials to be cleaned and treated. The oil leak, from a pipeline owned by Chevron, apparently broke sometime Friday night allowing a "significant" amount of oil to escape into the Red Butte Creek system Saturday morning.

And of course there are all those emergency procedures in place that provide safety for the public and private landowners that now have their properties contaminated by oil through the streams that run through their properties.

PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS now have worthless land and their families' health are in danger.

Amazing.

And yet the PROBLEM ONLY EXISTS ON THE GULF COAST.

"W"rong !!!!!!!

The internet access was down until now.

In that is a blessing to many, but, I will return to all the necessary entries tomorrow evening. 

Good night.

There are still 70 people missing? The camp seems to have been set in a bit of a 'gorge' that received water runoff from the surrounding mountains.

The floods were caused due to a seven inches (18 CM) of rain which was poured into the area within a few hours said the National Weather Service.

The heaviest rains started at 2AM and the Little Misslouri River crested at 5AM with the Caddo River cresting at 8 AM.

The rapid 'runoff' is what created a torrent with huge amounts of torque.

Mountainous terrain doesn't contain a lot of soil or 'absorption' resources.  A valley in a narrow canyon can be a dangerous place.

According to Google Maps the surrounding terrain is higher and in many instances, north of the camp, 'far higher' than the valley where the camp resides.  Elevation and unexpected weather are the reasons for this disaster.

Trying to gather information on the missing persons, the state set up a call center that will be open until 7 p.m. on Sunday. Any helpful information about the victims of the Arkansas floods can be submitted using the 888-683-2336 phone number

...The authorities say that not all these people are necessarily missing, because some of them might be in a safe location, but unreachable by phone. After the floods hit the federal ground some of the documents containing the names of the campers were destroyed by the water, so that the authorities don’t have a detailed list of everyone who was there at the time of the disaster.



by Frank James
The death toll from the flash flood tragedy in southwestern Arkansas has grown to at least 20 people with dozens of people missing....

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/06/11/127775861/arkansas-flood-update-at-least-16-dead


Air and water are fluid.  The movement is the same in many instances, but, the viscosity and 'location' are different.  There was probably a whirlpool.  Some of the pictures look similar to areas of Katrina where whirlpools removed homes from their foundations.


...Beebe compared damage at the campground to a strong tornado. He says asphalt was ripped from the ground and a tractor-trailer was wrapped around a tree....

http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0610/745063.html


...The upper stretches of the river above Lake Greeson descend 1,035 feet in 29 miles (315 m in 47 km) for an average drop of 35 feet per mile (6.6 m/km). This makes the upper waters of the river excellent for experienced canoers. There is a 4.4-mile (7.1 km) long segment that has been designated as a wild river. This segment contains the Winding Stair Rapid which is classified as a Class IV rapid on the International Scale of River Difficulty. Another attraction on the upper river is Little Missouri Falls, a stair-step fall that attracts photographers and visitors. The upper reaches of the Little Missouri were considered so scenic that the area was once approved by Congress to become Ouachita National Park, until this action was vetoed by President Herbert Hoover. The watershed of the Little Missouri is quite small, which means that its upper reaches ordinarily contain little water during the dry summer months....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Missouri_River_(Arkansas)


The 'end' of the water's path may prove to be where some people can be found, keeping in mind, the water levels have receded all along that path. 

Hopefully, people will still be alive, but, perhaps injured, scared or in shock.  I would check tree tops and any caves along the path of the FLOODING.

Eventually some bodies may be entombed in mud and debris.

What did the people of the Gulf Coast ask for, WITHOUT THEIR OWN EMERGENCY PLAN, and didn't get?

Workers build a sand berm around the homes on the beach on Dauphin Island, Ala., on June 5. More berms are about to be built in the Gulf just off the Louisiana coast. But some scientists question whether the berms will work in keeping oil off the shore -- and whether they'll survive hurricane season.


Let's get something straight.  The USA military was 'on the job' within days of the initial fire on the Deepwater Horizon.  NO one asked them, except, the President.

The fire began at 9:45 PM, CDT on April 20, 2010.  The Coast Guard, a segment of the USA military was
'on the job' immediately when the fire broke out.

...Within 24 hours of the explosion on the rig, an entry in the logs raises a concern that the oil could pour out at the rate of 8,000 barrels a day in the event of a blowout.
That estimate was raised to a potential leak of at least 64,000 barrels on April 23, showing that first responders began to understand the environmental threat to the Gulf of Mexico when Coast Guard officials detected the first signs of oil appearing on the gulf waters.
The official White House timeline first mentions a leak on April 24, four days after the explosion, when undersea robots discovered a plume of oil coming from the riser on the sea floor....

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/us/04coastguard.html


Basically, I don't see the Republicans along the Gulf having respect fotr anyone including their constituencies, except, their own agendas.  I really don't want to hear how statements are 'heartless.'  What is completely heartless are the poor priorities of these States.  When Jindal and Barber want to deal out criticism they can look in the mirror first.

Guard readies as Gulf Coast braces for oil spill

By Air Force Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith
National Guard Bureau
ARLINGTON, Va., (4/30/10) – At least three states along the Gulf of Mexico are preparing for a potential call for thousands of National Guard members as the nation ramps up its response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill today.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal sent letters to federal officials asking them to approve funding to activate up to 6,000 Guardmembers to assist in the response to the oil spill....

http://www.ng.mil/news/archives/2010/04/043010-Oil.aspx


The Gulf States asked for help from the USA military.  Beyond the National Guard, as of today, there are 25,000 people involved in efforts.  Who is paying that bill?  Jindal should have been suing BP, Transocean and Halliburton from the beginning.  His Attorney General hasn't told the Parish Presidents whom to communicate with?  Like the military person sitting in their offices? 

25,000 people is nearly a small city.  When is the Federal Treasury going to be reimbursed from any of the States that are suppose to be receiving 'costs' from BP?  Or, is keeping the monies the Federal Treasury is now doling out part of the 'relief monies' the Gulf States are counting on?  Then there is the cost of the USA miltiary right from the beginning.  Who is paying for that?

TODAY, ...over 1,200 Coast Guardsmen Federal Military), 1,400 National Guardsmen, 21,000 contractors and 700 volunteers....

...400 skimmers on duty and around the gulf, 500 barges, 2,500 government and contract vessels and more than 2,000 vessels of opportunity utilizing local watermen and their knowledge and their vessels, 64 aircraft and 2.7 million feet of boom either deployed or staged and ready to deploy....

2.7 million feet of boom - That circles the Equator of Earth over 108 times.


...We have skimmed, to date, about 18 million gallons of oily water—the oil has to be decanted from that [and] our yield is usually somewhere around 10 or 15 percent on that. We have burned 3.8 million gallons of oil. We’ve applied over a million gallons of dispersant....

I really want them to stop using the dispersant.  A million gallons into the Gulf is over the limit as far as I am concerned.

Canada remained the largest exporter of total petroleum in March, exporting 2.517 million barrels per day to the United States,...

The OTHER exporting countries (in order of gallons per day) providing oil to the USA everyday is Saudi Arabia, MEXICO, Venezuela, Nigeria, Angola, (this was as of March), Iraq (450,000 barrels per day.  Do we pay for that?) , Brazil (Brazilians use a lot of E85 - ethanol 85% - gas 15%)...So, basically, the Brazilians export their oil to the USA to enrich their national treasury while they are burning E85....followed by Algeria, Russia, Kuwait, Colombia, Ecuador, UNITED KINGDOM and lastly the Congo.

But, the Republicans want to chronically scream how the USA has to drill offshore and otherwise in order to stop importing oil. 

Oh.  I'm feeling safer already.  From whom?  Canadians, I suppose. Canada supplies nearly twice the amount of oil to the USA, than Saudi Arabia.

March 2010 Import Highlights: May 27, 2010

Monthly data on the origins of crude oil imports in March 2010 has been released and it shows that three countries exported more than 1.00 million barrels per day to the United States (see table below). The top five exporting countries accounted for 66 percent of United States crude oil imports in March while the top ten sources accounted for approximately 86 percent of all U.S. crude oil imports....

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html

The whining of the Republicans at any level of government along the Gulf Coast, with the exception of Crist (the guy seems to have some dignity), is POLITICAL.  Congress needs to take that into consideration during their hearings. 

There are many problems in the Gulf of Mexico and along the coastal states, but, 'the response' really isn't 'all that.' 

As of today, Governor Jindal found out that when the State seeks support from BP, rather than pounding away at the Federal government and the Obama Administration, he actually gets what he asks for:

BP First Payment for Barrier Islands Project to Louisiana
Friday June 11th 2010
BP in a letter to Louisiana’s Governor, Bobby Jindal, gave details on their plans to fund the $360 million for six berms for the Barrier Islands Project. BP paid the first payment of $60 million to the State of Louisiana.
With this initial payment Louisiana will be able to begin work immediately on this project. Five additional payments of $60 million each will be paid when the project is certified in 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and finally 100% completion milestones. Instead of establishing an escrow fund BP announced that they will make all the payments directly to the State of Louisiana....

http://www.infotipguide.com/bp-first-payment-for-barrier-islands-project-to-louisiana/846/


WHOM are the laborers for these barrier islands?  Displaced workers from Louisiana?  I hope there is no corruption with those kinds of monies rolling in.

Scientist Warns: Sand Berms Won't Last

by NPR Staff
June 11, 2010
...But some scientists who've spent decades studying the fragile Mississippi River delta aren't sold on the berm idea, and they worry those berms could make things even worse.

Rob Young, a coastal geologist at Western Carolina University who's been working in the Gulf for 20 years, says he thinks the man-made sandbars will take six to nine months to finish. And he doesn't think they're going to last....


..."The structure that I see that they're planning to build is going to erode as soon as it's constructed, and it's going to have a tough time making it through a hurricane season that's predicted to be a fairly active one," Young tells NPR's Melissa Block. "I just don't have a very high level of confidence that a project that's going to require a lot of energy and a lot of sand and mobilize a lot of people is going to do what they promise it will do."... 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127774917


Has anyone, I do mean ANYONE, thanked President Obama for holding BP accountable?  Hm?  To Bipartisan an action I suppose.

And last, but, not least Admiral Thad Allen stated today:  (click title to entry - thank you)

...And that will all continue and, as I said, immense operation going on down there and we are also deploying teams today—and will be next week—under Tracy Wareing, [head of] our integrated services team, to take a look at the claims processing, and that continues with our oversight and work with BP....

Now, what was the complaint ACTUALLY ?

What does it take to get through to a Republican, like Billy Nungesser, who is 'gaming' the circumstances in the Gulf of Mexico?

Billy is the one in the suit.  He is an obstructionist.  He is 'gaming' the issue to win some kind of advantage.  He is a parish President in Louisiana and he doesn't know who is in charge yet?  WOW.

He has a four year term that ends in 2011. 

Surprise. 

He states he is unaware as to how to solve the problems his people face. 

Okay, then.

Let's see if we can all get POTUS to dance on hte head of a pin for us.  What do you say?  Sound like a plan?

Corruption takes all forms and playing dumb sometimes works.

Legislative auditor: Nungesser may have violated Plaquemines Parish charter and local ordinances  (click title to entry - thank you)

Published: Thursday, June 10, 2010, 10:00 PM
Updated: Thursday, June 10, 2010, 10:20 PM
 
Jenny Hurwitz, The Times-Picayune
Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser may have violated the parish charter and local law when he independently entered into two hurricane recovery contracts in early 2007 without securing the parish council's approval, according to a legislative audit report....

Birds of a feather.  Politically gaming circumstances like this is more then corrupt, it is immoral.  That goes for hurricanes. too.  I mean why seek to reverse the trend of Human Induced Global Warming if it plays into your wealth quotient? 

Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser refutes the four alleged violations in the legislative auditor's report, attributing the investigation to 'political operatives' who are trying to hurt the parish's recovery efforts to benefit their own political aspirations.

Criminal charges stating Billy didn't even understand the 'RULES' of his own parish; is an effort to effect the recovery efforts. 

I see. 

So, how could that be?  Because Billy states he doesn't know who is in charge in the rescue and recovery efforts, but, yet criminal charges are effecting those directives by his office. 

That makes sense?  It is double talk.

If the recovery efforts in his parish are effected, it sounds like it could be because he is chasing his tail in trying to understand who to speak to, not because his criminal charges are a political burden effecting things. It sounds like Billy has issues he needs to attend to and should resign to allow people who sincerely care without 'dumbing down' the system take over.  Sound like a plan?  How is his parish doing by the way?  Is his incompete,ncy for whatever reason, sincerely effecting the people there?

Is therer ANYONE in Louisiana that sincerely care about the people there? 

Bye, Billy.

I don't care about how many oil disasters there were in the world before the Deepwater Horizon. THIS IS THE WORST. By every standard.

An oil slick near the Chandeleur Islands in Louisiana in May 2010. The Gulf of Mexico spill, already deemed worse than the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, may be the worst environmental disaster the U.S. has ever faced.  (click title to entry - thank you)

This is the USA.  This isn't suppose to happen to us as if we were a third world country.  THAT is insulting to other countries, but, it painfully true.  If the USA is allowing exploitation of its natural resources with abandon, it only sets THE  WORST  INDUSTRIAL  STANDARD on Earth.

The reference by Newsweek that the Gulf of Mexico is 'the gulf of oil' for all the water contamination is probably true, however, just because the Gulf of Mexico was previously contaminated along other coast lines doesn't mean that it is 'OKAY' to now do the same in USA waters.  Nor is it okay to disregard the livelihoods of Americans that utilize the fisheries now drenched with oil.

That isn't all.

The USA has high standards for wildife protections.  It took decades and a lot of US dollars to bring the Louisiana Brown Pelican back from endangered status.  It came off the Endangered List as of November 2009.  The Louisiana Brown Pelican is probably at least 'threatened' all over again, because, they aren't being returned to Louisiana habitat after they are rescued.  I hope the birds are being tagged to return to Louisiana, but, the fact is that a Brown Pelican that lives outside of Louisiana is NOT a Louisiana Brown Pelican.  Not only that, but, even if the rescued birds are alive and tagged in Florida, they will probably be replaced by many generations of pelicans before their former habitat can ever be used for habitat again.

In the meantime, the Louisiana Brown Pelicans that can be saved, should be saved and their offspring followed and tagged in order to return them to Louisiana eventually.  The problem is that they will have to be oriented to new habitat AGAIN and there is always stress on animals when that occurs and there will be unnecessary deaths as they have to learn their new feeding grounds and nesting grounds, etc.  All that takes money and if the Louisiana birds are in Florida, that means the fiscal burden is falling on Florida.  So the actual cost of this oil spill won't be known for decades.

But, that is not all.

THE  GULF  OF  MEXICO  LOOP  CURRENT. 

No matter how Newsweek wants to diss the people in their concern for the CONTAMINATION of the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current, it is no minor matter.  This is one of the few times, to the best of the knowledge of most of us, that such huge amounts of TOXIC oil dispersants have been introduced to the water column for such an extended period of time.  If this is the practice of the Petroleum Industry then governments are NOT doing their jobs in allowing this practice.  And the question is, "Why are they using oil dispersants anyway and where has it been used and how much has been used and what were the outcomes of the industy vs the environment and economies it may have effected?"

This is also the first time the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current has been involved in any oil disaster incident.  Now, if political figures and the media want to 'blow this off' as nothing and hysteria, they are welcome to do, but, this is not a minor incident.  It has the potential to imperil Earth. 

SO.

I don't care if there were incidents of oil disasters worse than the BP disaster.  THE FACT that this happened at all in the USA is outrageous.  It has followed a time that regulations and federal infrastructure has been 'culled' by the Bush/Cheney administration and left the USA vulnerable.  The BP disaster is a National Secuity Issue among others thngs.

I don't care if other abandoned oil wells ended up becoming an environmental nightmare, because, of a SIX MONTH 'investigational' moritorium.  If there is an oil well that is being abandoned because of the moritorium and something ADVERSE happens, then the company holding that lease has liability.  I don't think any company wants that to happen and they better be 'manning' all their wells to standard and in anticiaption of either closing them securely or waiting to find out what the USA government is going to do.

I don't care if 'rigs' leave the area because of the moritorium.  It just goes to prove how the USA needs to regulate not just the industry practices of drilling, BUT  ALSO, the industry standards it 'fitness of rigs' that come into our waters.  So, Oil Rigs are going to have to pass safety standards and be maintained well or they don't come into USA waters again.

And if an industry, of any nature, practicing within the USA does not understand or care to understand the high quality standards this country holds for them, then they can leave.  There are independant operators willing and able to meet high quality industry standards and it is those businesses we need to nuture and bring 'online' with businesses and jobs for the USA economy.   Operators with RESPECT for our government, ouir standards of living and THEIR place within all that.  Operators that don't have CEOs seeking a bonus at the cost to national economies.

The BP disaster will never be completely paid for by the company.  It will cost generations of Americans billions US$ and we know it.  In that reality, is it EVER worth allowing any business to practice substandard 'trades' when it will only burden the country with debt unending?

NO. 

It is just not worth it.  The truth of the matter is that oil and gas are as ancient to Earth as the dinosaurs and prehistoric lagoons that supply it.  We need to move on in the USA in order to secure the future generation of Americans and global allies and friends.  The jobs these industries supply aren't worth it and can be replaced with jobs in 'local eocnomies' where artists are valued, craftspersons produce quality products rather than 'K-Mart' Red Light Specials. 

The USA has been indulging corporations under misguided and corrupt Republican leadership and the disasters we are facing as a country today is a direct result of those policies for over 30 years of exploitation.  Heck, even American lives didn't matter to the CEOs of health care insurance corporations.  American lives were just another bargaining chip in the next CEO bonus.

The USA military needs to understand the Oil and Gas Industry, have personnel at the ready to intervene and be able to carry out a 'closure' to any rupture that imperils our country, its populous, its economy and the global ocean circulations.

ENOUGH. 

Ken Arnold, Oil and Gas Consultant has made a mistake. CNN attacks the American citizen and promotes Petroleum Industry standard to exceed the standard of the citizen.

Ken Arnold makes a lot of money from the Petroleum Industy.  (click title to entry - thank you)  He advocated for overriding the 'citizen standard' of the USA by stating the Petroleum Industry KNOWS BEST.

I don't think so.

What does CNN 'follow up' Arnold's appearance with?  Comedy segments.  Hello?

One aspect of this oil rupture in the Gulf that comes to light and why a plutocracy flourishes over the citizen is because the Petroleum Industry 'runs' LOBBYISTS as PR folks such as Ken Arnold.

Basically, the 'citizen standard' is ignored in the "W" economy.  It is 'substituted' for 'be grateful in employment' rather than standards of excellence to PROTECT the citizen from abusive industry infrastructure.

I am not interested in what ARNOLD has to sell.  Thanks, anyway.

Louisiana Governor Jindal states he is in a war against oil. Heck. He should have thought of that one a long time ago before their product lined his beaches and fisheries.

Jindal the inspirational speaker.  Typical Republican lawmaker.  Pander to Wall Street and become the quintessential emergency coordinator when disaster strikes.  Does Jindal EVER reflect on the fact HE is as much Louisiana's problem as BP !!!  PREVENTION.  Think prevention, Louisiana.

..."You know, when you're in the middle of a battle, a lot of times it is easy to be skeptical about victory, " Jindal began as he stood on a makeshift stage at the Fort Jackson Wildlife Center in Buras alongside Saints owner Tom Benson and Coach Sean Payton, among others. "Indeed, we all remember the Saints overcame the odds, they overcame the critics, they overcame the skeptics. . . . We all remember that onside kick. We all remember that interception.

Share "Well, you know what, Louisiana? We're in a battle right now to save our coast. This is a war to protect our way of life in Louisiana. And just like the New Orleans Saints overcame the odds, Louisiana is going to win this battle...

http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2010/06/new_orleans_saints_rally_lifts.html


That is what is amazing about Republicans, they use opportunity to make money of their citizens.  BUT, it ain't taxes, though.

Louisiana doesn't have a Brown Pelican anymore.  The ones still alive are now residing in Florida.

From Melinda Deslatte, June 9, 2010 - 08:05 AM

Lawmakers send Jindal bill to remove $15 license price hike, despite governor's opposition  (click title to entry  - thank you)

By Melinda Deslatte

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The decision of whether to repeal or keep a $15 increase in the price of a Louisiana driver's license now rests with Gov. Bobby Jindal.

The Senate gave final approval to reversing the price increase by a 29-5 vote Tuesday, sending the measure to Jindal, whose administration repeatedly tried to kill the bill as it wound its way through the Legislature.
Jindal wants the $13.6 million to be raised by the license hike annually to help cover costs for state police in the upcoming budget year that begins July 1.
If he vetoes the bill, Jindal will be taking ownership of the price boost even as he has repeatedly talked about opposing tax hikes to fill budget shortfalls and the need for the state to "do more with less." If Jindal lets the bill become law, that shrinks state revenue....

Severe Weather - UNISYS 12 hour loop (click at title to entry - thank you)

June 9, 2010

00:17 GMT

Atlantic Ocean Satellite

The FIRST hurricanes of the season are gaining potential as well. 

Red River Valley is in the path of the potential tornadoes and heavy rain.

The same vortex street is taking a north - east track.  The Jet Stream is becoming dominated by the vortexes again.  The 'heat plume' coming up from the equator is going to reek havoc with the air mass and movement in the central USA.

There are actually two streets, the ones nearest the equator is primarily stationary.  Those are starting to pick up some minor amount of moisture.  Minor in the sense of 'percent of water vapor to size of vortex.'  With added water vapor there might be some added turbulence and movement in the equatorial systems.

Severe thunderstorms, hail move across St. Louis region

By Lisa Watson

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Tuesday afternoon thunderstorms brought hail to the St. Louis region and are expected to continue through the night.
A flood warning is in effect in St. Charles County, and a severe weather warning has been issued for St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Clair County and Monroe County in Illinois. A storm capable of producing quarter-sized hail was spotted in the region, according to the National Weather Service.
Very large hail is possible, as are strong winds and isolated tornados, according to the National Weather Service. Severe weather moved in from the northwest Tuesday morning, and was expected to bring 1 to 2 inches of rain across Northeast Missouri, West Central and Southwest Illinois.
Globe-Democrat.com spotted dime-sized hail in St. Louis County.
Unstable conditions in the atmosphere and a slow-moving front will keep rain in the forecast through Sunday, according to the Weather Service

http://www.globe-democrat.com/news/2010/jun/08/severe-thunderstorms-hail-move-across-st-louis-reg/

Oil and Gas the safest energy sources on Earth. The latest assessment of the the Hood County gas expolsion is three dead and others missing.

Officials say one person is dead after a gas line explosion and fire near Cleburne, Texas, about 80 kilometres southwest of Dallas. (CBC)

Monday, June 7th, at 2:40 p.m. a natural gas facility in Hood County, Texas exploded. (click title to entry - thank you)  Ten people are missing and three died. The explosion was south of Granbury, near Pecan Plantation.

UPI news says, "Hood County Fire Marshal Brian Fine told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram the workers were missing after a work crew hit a gas pipeline while digging a trench. Officials urged residents to stay in their homes so emergency responders could have full access to the rural roads to the site."
Durango Texas reports, "Firemen from 8 different fire departments have surrounded the site of the explosion. Parkland Hospital, in Dallas, is expecting burn victims to be brought to their specialist burn unit."
Fire crew will have to wait for the gas line to shut off and the fire to burn itself out. Smoke and flames from the fire can be seen for miles.



Company: Workers followed procedure before blast  (link below)

By ANGELA K. BROWN (AP) – 2 hours ago
CLEBURNE, Texas — A utility crew that accidentally struck a natural gas line, sparking a fiery explosion that killed one worker, followed the proper procedures in locating the line before digging, a company official said Tuesday....


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i3fQFROi7EjjP1ifzux9UOPWFP8AD9G7B20G3



Oklahoma Man Dies In Texas Natural Gas Explosion
Posted: Jun 08, 2010 1:07 PM EDT

Updated: Jun 08, 2010 7:46 PM EDT
By Craig Day, The News On 6
RAMONA, OK -- A utility worker found dead several hours after a natural gas line erupted in north Texas is from Oklahoma.
The explosion killed 45-year-old James Neese, from Ramona. Neese leaves behind a wife and seven children, including a toddler and infant. Residents are saddened at the death of a hard working, family man.
While OSHA and National Transportation Safety Board investigators are working to find out how a utility crew ruptured a natural gas line, in Ramona people are saddened to hear the explosion killed one of their own....


http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=12614362



2 hurt in W.Va. well blast still hospitalized  (link below)
06/08/2010
UDRL / Associated Press
Three more workers injured in a West Virginia drilling rig explosion have been released from the hospital, bringing the total to five.
By Tuesday afternoon, only two workers remained hospitalized. A spokeswoman for Dallas, Texas-based Chief Oil & Gas LLC says neither has life-threatening injuries.
Seven workers were hurt when a crew with Union Drilling struck a pocket of methane Monday in an abandoned coal mine near Moundsville. Union was drilling a natural gas well in the Marcellus shale formation for Chief.
Union is based in Fort Worth, Texas, but the crew was from Buckhannon. Union has refused comment except to say it's cooperating with investigators.
Chief spokeswoman Kristi Gittins says it's too soon to know how the methane ignited. The gas is still burning.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D9G77NP82.html



Parkland Memorial Hospital Burn Unit is a busy place evidently.


Kitchen Explosion Injures Five At Texas Restaurant

One person was in critical condition Tuesday after an explosion in the kitchen of a Texas restaurant.
DALLAS (June 8, 2010)--A natural gas explosion Monday in the kitchen of a restaurant in Gainesville left one person in critical condition.
Parkland Memorial Hospital officials said Tuesday that four other people are in serious condition after the explosion around 4:30 p.m. Monday in the kitchen of a Mexican restaurant, El Taco Riendo.
Three women, a young girl and a toddler were flown to the hospital with burns after the blast.
Hospital officials would not say which victim is in critical condition.
Fire officials told The Dallas Morning News that they have not determined the cause of the explosion, but most of the damage occurred inside the building.


http://www.kwtx.com/news/headlines/95866449.html?ref=449


Yep.

Are Natalee's parents still in Aruba regularly? I can't believe Van der Sloot actually pleaded guilty.

I wonder what the penalty for Murder is in Peru?  I would think he would finally confess and tell the Holloways what happened to their daughter.  Is his father a judge or something in Aruba?  And what about the other two men, are they involved or not?  It seems like such a 'huge' crime not that another woman had died.  He could have been stopped.  I can't help but wonder if there are others we don't know about.

New Search to be Conducted for Natalee Holloway's Body  (click title to entry - thank you)

...Arubian authorities told Jossy Mansur, editor of Aruba's Diario Newspaper, they "believe they must have missed something, some kind of evidence" related to Natalee's murder. Natalee, then 18, was last seen leaving a bar with van der Sloot, then 17....

Further demonstration can be made of the media hatred of Democratic innovation in social content.

Since the Obama Administration has taken office, I have heard over and over and over again how violence rules Chicago youth. 

The other day there was an article in the New York Times about prison, etc. 

In response to rampant urban violence Bob Herbert featured an Op-Ed.  Please see below.

YET.  One of the greatest hopes for reforming the urban violent youth to provide for 'HOPE' in their lives a man by the name of Van Jones and his Green Jobs Economy was 'ridden' by the media in a campaign of harassment that ended his career in the White House to improve the 'chances' the youth of the inner city face everyday and within their culture of violence.

The American Media drove a man of 'Hope' out of the White House with complete disregard of his work, his hopes for the youth in the USA and what would be the result of such actions.  They got ratings, they got gratification of the 'hate mongering' and they relished the 'power' of undoing the Obama Administration at every turn.

Did they care about this country?  NO !  Resoundingly.  NO !

I could go on and on and on with examples of every kind to prove exactly the level of hatred the media has for Democratic innovation and problem solving.

THE  TRUTH.  If it doesn't serve Wall Street, it doesn't matter !

If Wall Street or the American Media don't have hope and solutions for USA inner city youth, then they need to SHUT UP, because, they are only making it worse. 

When a 'role model' and 'hero' such as Van Jones is 'shot down' by the American media it tells the young men of the inner city just how insignificant they are and how they are doomed to live within the culture of violence they were born into. 

So, don't tell me about how the Democratic innovation that can actually solve the problems of this country is treated 'as a game toy' for political volleys and Republican Fervor.  During the harassment of Van Jones there was NO  REPUBLICAN to be found because they were to busy 'obstructing' the votes of the Senate and chronically campaigning for their majority return without a single answer for the problems the USA is facing, but, plenty of rhetoric !




Van Jones is a globally recognized, award-winning pioneer in human rights and the clean-energy economy. Van is a co-founder of three successful non-profit organizations: the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Color of Change and Green For All. He is the best-selling author of the definitive book on green jobs: The Green-Collar Economy. He served as the green jobs advisor in the Obama White House in 2009.
Van is currently a senior fellow at the Center For American Progress. Additionally, he is a senior policy advisor at Green For All.
Van also holds a joint appointment at Princeton University, as a distinguished visiting fellow in both the Center for African American Studies and in the Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs....

http://www.vanjones.net/



...If a stranger or someone (click title to entry - thank you)  from a rival clique steps on your clean, white sneakers, or makes a crack about your manhood, or laughs at you, putting a bullet in his heart or his head is seen by an awful lot of young people as an appropriate response. This is a form of crazed thinking that needs to be confronted and changed.

Dr. Gary Slutkin, an epidemiologist who began focusing more than a decade ago on urban violence as a public health matter, has developed a program that is making progress in altering such behavior, and thus reducing the violence. Antiviolence initiatives that actually work are desperately needed to cut down on the slaughter that continues with numbing regularity, year after tragic year....



Chicago Violence: At Least 27 People Shot Over Memorial Day Weekend
First Posted: 06- 1-10 01:48 PM

At least 27 people were shot, two fatally, over the long weekend in Chicago, and police are blaming gang violence for more than half of the incidents.
Between noon on Saturday and noon on Sunday, at least 22 people were shot in the city, the Chicago Tribune reports. One of those wounded was a woman who was eight months pregnant.
"Fortunately, she only suffered a graze wound," Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis told the Tribune. "But it could have been much worse."
The violence continued through Memorial Day into early Tuesday morning, when five more people were shot in separate incidents. One of those wounded died from his injuries early Tuesday.
The Tribune reports that no one is in custody for any of the shootings.
On Sunday, Weis told reporters that half of the 15 separate shootings appear to be gang-related, including the 19-year-old's murder. He also said several victims refused to cooperate with police "which makes the job of our detectives ... far more difficult," he told the Tribune.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/01/chicago-violence-at-least_n_596335.html

BP has given up on capping the disasterous human induced Oil Seep, the economy of the Gulf Coast is lost and BP's CEO is confident all with the company will be well.

This DOES  NOT  NEED  NUCLEAR  MATERIAL TO WORK.

It would be insane to use nuclear material for such a methodolgy.

JERKS !!!!!


It is "W"rong for the media to imply a 'nuclear option' would be the result of such a method.  FEAR.  The Americna Media will do anything to instill FEAR into the electorate when it comes to DEMOCRATS AND THEIR 'INNOVATION.'

The TRUTH is that this tragedy may never end.  That is the truth with a human induced oil seep one mile below sea level. 

That reality dictates a vastly different course of action as the actions of BP now endangers the entire health of the global oceans.

The sea bed surrounding the "exporatory" drill has to be displaced.  In order for this procedure to work the explosives have to be set at an odd number of places and not equi-distant.  The charges have to be placed at different depths within the rock and have varying levels of explosive capacity.

THE ROCK where the explosives are placed has to accounted for in calculating the amount of explosive material needed.

The more 'tight' the molecular structure of the rock the better, but, when the fisile nature of the rock increases, the more explosive material that is necessary. 

Why?  That should be fairly obvious.  The explosion will be absorbed by very fisile rock while the 'energy' from the explosion will be more distributed and be able to 'act on' the concrete and steel within in the densest molecular structure.

The USA military uses explosives all the time, including bullets in guns and cannons.  They should already have information within their 'knowledge base' of what it takes to 'act on' concrete and steel.  They can work with USGS to determine the layers of 'sea bed' that would be best to accommodate the explosives to 'close the space' at the interior of this drill hole.

There is too much methane coming through the drill hole for any conventional methods to work as well as its location one mile down.

SERIOUSLY !!!!!!

Give me a minute.

To begin with the entire coast of Louisiana and the off shore geological content is well known to the USA military.

There has been a lot of money spent on those wetlands by the people of the USA to protect fisheries, etc.

The point is the geology of this region is well known and the seismic activity of the offshore areas is required to be well known in order to drill at all.

This region has to take top priority in national security and any and all available resources need to be dedicated to it.

Now while BP states there is no way this can be handled differently, I have a very difficult time believing that.  The 'strata' of geological layers in this picture does not illustrate the current status of the well in the Gulf.

The drill casing is made out of steel.  There is usually cement poured around it to reinforce the drill hole.  BUT, the center of this 'structural hole' is empty.  It is hollow.  It is highly vulnerable to collapse.  All that has to occur is a blast strong enough to displace the geological structure surrounding this 'hole' and the cement that reinforces the VOID of structure ENOUGH  to collapse it.

What does that mean?  Easy.

At places in the geological layers of strata surrounding the well there needs to be drilled, NO DIFFERENT THAN THE WELLS DRILLED PARALLEL TO ABANDONED OIL WELLS THAT CHILDREN FALL INTO,  holes to have placed in them highly explosive devices to be ignited to displace the concrete, steel and strata at the place of the well.

There is no reason to believe this hole is going to get any bigger than it is.  The 'induced seismic' action will dislocate the concrete, steel and surrounding layers of Earth under high PSI at one mile down and cause a collapse of the 'space' that the oil and methane gas are escaping from.  There are no ADJOINING cavities to the well to allow any methane to escape into the holes were explosive devices are placed.  And to insure the explosion don't move UPWARD rather than OUTWARD, the top of the drill holes with the explosive devices has to be sealed with the geological earth that has been removed to create them.  The PSI of the sea water and the movement of the earth itself will take care of this mess once and for all.

The DRILLED HOLES (at least four if not six or eight) have to go deep 'enough' to place the explosives and NOT, definately NOT, near the vat of oil currently ruptured by BP.  Basically, 'shake' the hole to implosion.  It is a highly viable SOLUTION to the problem.  The explosions have to be strong enough to displace the geological rock horizontally.

As the Nation's largest (click title to entry - thank you) earth-science and civilian mapping agency, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) works in cooperation with many Federal, State, and local organizations to provide reliable and impartial scientific information to resource managers, planners, and others throughout the country. This information is gathered in every state by USGS scientists to minimize the loss of life and property from natural disasters, contribute to the conservation and sound management of the Nation's natural resources, and enhance the quality of life by monitoring water, biological, energy, and mineral resources. This Fact Sheet describes some of the USGS activities in Louisiana. 
 

Atchafalaya Basin Management

The Atchafalaya Basin (fig. 1) in south-central Louisiana is the largest river-bottomland hardwood swamp in the Nation. The USGS, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), is monitoring the basin to determine environmental effects of flood-management practices. Physical and chemical-related properties being monitored include continuous velocity and stage, specific conductance, pH, dissolved-oxygen (DO) concentrations, water temperature, and sediment deposition....

Louisiana has 25 percent of the forested wetlands and 40 percent of the coastal wetlands in the 48 contiguous States but accounts for 80 percent of wetlands losses....

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-019-99/

A lot of nasty turbulence. A street of vortices north of the equator. When has that ever happened? Wow.

The current 'heat' across the country mixed with colder air around the Great Lakes.

The vortex street above the Equator is primarily stagnant air simply spinning due to high heat content. The only movement of the equatorial phenomena is Coriolis.

The Jet Stream is running north of the vortex street.  It was the Jet Stream that 'mixed' portions of each air mass to bring high turbulence to the Great Lakes where colder air would cause quick changes in 'static' conditions.

Earth is a very hot planet due to high carbon dioxide levels and the deaths related to these tornadoes can be attributed to the Climate Crisis. There is nothing 'normal' about those patterns.

WOW.

UNISYS 12 Hour Loop (click here)

Above is the GOES  EAST  SATELITTE and below is the GOES  WEST  SATELLITE.

Article published June 06, 2010

Child among 5 killed in overnight tornadoes, storms


Gov. Strickland visiting Lake Twp; Dundee Twp declares emergency
 
BLADE STAFF
Two waves of storms slammed northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan late Saturday and early Sunday, spawning at least two tornadoes, killing five people, including a child, and canceling two high school graduations....

...Three of the deaths happened in Millbury, a town of some 1,200 about 10 miles southeast of Toledo. Authorities have identified five people killed in Lake Township as:
• Bailey Bowman, 21, of Walbridge, who was picked up and tossed by the tornado as she, a male companion, and her small child were trying to take refuge at the Lake Township police station;


• Ted Kranz, 46, a Millbury resident who reportedly stepped outside of his home during the storm and was struck when part of the house fell on him;


• Hayden Walters, 4, and his mother, Mary Walters, also Millbury residents. The boy was killed during the tornado and Mrs. Walters died later at a Toledo hospital.


• Kathleen Hammitt, a Wauseon woman in her 50s, who was struck by airborne debris while driving on State Rt. 795....

...Tornado touchdowns were confirmed for 11:30 p.m. Saturday in Wood County's Lake Township and 2:17 a.m. Sunday in Dundee in Monroe County, Mich....

...By 10:30 p.m. Saturday severe thunderstorms with rotations capable of spawning tornadoes roared eastward through the region. A second wave of the storm came through a few hours later.

Toledo Edison reported about 4,000 customers without power throughout northwest Ohio. Crews from Ohio Edison were headed to the area Sunday morning to assist with restoration.


Detroit Edison on Sunday reported 28,000 of its 2.1 million customers experienced outages, about 15,000 in Monroe County, 1,400 of which were in the Dundee area. Consumers Power in Michigan reported 475 customers without electricity in southern Monroe County....

...In Ottawa County, sheriff's deputies reported six houses "totally wiped out" and eight to 10 others with damage in the hamlet of Martin and along Trowbridge Road in Allen Township. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
In Fulton County, a Swancreek Township woman suffered cuts on her foot and shoulder when the storm destroyed a home at 1520 County Road 7 between County Roads A and B, Fulton County authorities said early Sunday morning. The injured woman was struck by flying debris as she, two children, and a friend fled to a neighbor's house before the storm reduced the other residence to rubble, authorities said.

Numerous homes were damaged in the same rural residential area, the Sheriff Darrell Merillat.
At County Roads C and 3, several trees were strewn across the roads, Chief Deputy Roy Miller said. The area also was littered with metal roofing that had been ripped from barns and other structures.
Nearby in Lucas County, damage was reported in Providence Township....

...Tornado sirens first sounded across northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan after 10 p.m. as thunderstorms with strong rotations moved from Williams and Hillsdale counties to Fulton, Henry, Lucas, and Wood counties.
Sirens could be heard across Lucas County about 10:30 p.m. Sirens sounded again about 11:05 p.m. and again before 3 a.m.
Toledo police reported deep water covering roads as the storms brought heavy rain.