Human Smuggling. This was not the first boat capsizing.

There are those in Europe that believe this is an abandonment of saving lives in the Mediterranean.

There is the concern for Daesh. The question is whether or not the fear justifies abandonment of migrants? I would think the patrols in the Mediterranean Sea would have a way to dispatch life preservers when they come across those migrating in desperation of saving their lives.

I realize no one wants to interfere in a way that appears to be permission for the migrants to do so, but, in reality it is only a matter of human rights and the way it is practiced in the world.

April 19, 2015

By Eric Reguly

...The Italian coast guard (click here) on Sunday afternoon said that only 24 bodies had been recovered, suggesting that the migrants were not even equipped with simple life jackets.

The incident appears to be similar to one last week, when about 400 migrants were believed to have drowned when the sudden rush to one side of the boat caused it tip over. “A tragedy is unfolding in the Mediterranean and if the EU and the world continue to close their eyes, it will be judged in the harshest terms, Maltese prime minister Joseph Muscat said Sunday.

Speaking at a political event in northern Italy, Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi said Europe was witnessing “systematic slaughter in the Mediterranean.”

If confirmed, the 700 deaths would bring the number of dead in the Mediterranean to 1,500 so far this year. That’s a nine-fold increase over the first four months of last year. In 2014, more than 3,000 migrants perished in the Mediterranean, the highest on record. With the migrant crossings becoming more frequent as the weather turns warmer, the UNHCR and the emergency rescue services fear the death toll could set a new record in 2015.

"Morning Paper's"

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

I will be in and out over the next week. I am sure I'll have time now and again to write about the events of the day, but, the family is going to be upset. 

We are Irish. Jack was Irish through and through. He knew exactly what everyone would be doing as soon as he passed on. We have to allow time for everyone to get into town before we have his mass, burial and wake. It will be next weekend before everyone has gone back to their homes and life settles in without Jack. 

He had a great singing voice, too.

My oldest son is so attached to his heritage he has the family crest tattooed on his left upper arm. He is also a very nice man with a very nice and very bright wife. They are good for each other. But, the point is I'll have my hands full.

If you knew Jack, it would be easy to understand why I'd state that.

Good night and I hope everyone has a great week.

"Good Night, Moon"

New Moon or Waxing Crescent

One and a half days old

2.5 percent lit

April 18, 2015
By Marcus Schneck

The shortest lunar month (click here) of 2015 begins with the new moon on Saturday, April 18.
It will run for just 29 days 9 hours and 16 minutes, until the new moon on Monday, May 18. That's 3 hours and 32 minutes shorter than the mean lunar month.
A lunar month, also known as a lunation, runs from new moon to new moon.
The longest lunar month of 2015 will run from new moon on Tuesday, Oct. 12, to new moon on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Its lunation will be 29 days 17 hours and 41 minutes....

Oh, one other thing. I watched most of the Sunday programs today. Stop picking on Hillary Clinton. Senator Graham should be able to withstand such defaming and scrutiny. I have never heard so much ridicule of a woman as there was today. Everyone should be ashamed of themselves. You would think the woman had no conscience.

Who do you all think you are? Important? Think again. 

Karl Rove has predicted on his "White Board" the next President would be a Governor.

"Let's think about that for a minute."

I don't want ALEC writing the laws of the USA. I believe that is true of many Americans besides me. 

Governors that are members of ALEC. These are only a few. (click here for entire list)

• Governor John Kasich (Ohio), identified by ALEC as involved in its formative years
• Former Governor Frank Keating (Oklahoma)
• Governor Bob McDonnell (Virginia)
• Governor Rick Perry (Texas), ALEC member as of 1990, and received the "Thomas Jefferson Freedom Award" from ALEC in 2010
• Governor Scott Walker (Wisconsin)

Never once did ALEC state anything about health in relation to greenhouse gases.

...These changes (click here) threaten America's health and welfare for current and future generations. Public health risks include:

• More heat waves and drought
• Worsening smog (also called ground-level ozone pollution)
• Increasing the intensity of extreme events, like hurricanes, extreme precipitation and flooding
• Increasing the range of ticks and mosquitoes, which can spread disease such as Lyme disease and West Nile virus

Our most vulnerable citizens, including children, older adults, people with heart or lung disease and people living in poverty may be most at risk from the health impacts of climate change.

I don't know why ALEC would be so avoidant of addressing health concerns, there were plenty of organizations about with established research. As a matter of fact in California the American Lung Association has three bills passed to combat greenhouse gases.

The American Lung Association in California (click here) was instrumental in passing two landmark bills that will significantly reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions:

• AB 1493 – requires car companies to make cleaner cars with extremely low emissions of greenhouse gases for 2009 to 2016 model years.
  Advanced Clean Cars standards - adopted in 2012, requires car companies to produce even cleaner vehicles from 2017 to 2025, including a requirement that approximately 15 percent of vehicles sold in 2025 be powered by zero emission technologies.
  
• AB 32 – sets the nation's first cap on greenhouse gas emissions. The law requires California's emissions to be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020 – a 25 percent reduction.  This law also establishes a system to monitor progress and make sure that the emission reductions are made on schedule.

A current focus of the American Lung Association in California's fight against climate change is in protecting California's clean air leadership that has resulted in key life-saving pollution reduction programs.

This is what ALEC siad:

This is probably the only time I ever agreed with ALEC. I don't think a Wall Street game should be made of greenhouse gases. I realize people use them anyway and that is fine. Such initiatives for Global Citizens is a matter of conscience. I understand that. 

But, my heart of hearts has told me one thing and one thing only, REGULATE. Simply served straight up regulations. Let there be no doubt or any math that has to determine the EXCHANGE of carbon credits. Easy, without a doubt regulation.

 

There are about eleven other "Whereas" before these. 

 

...WHEREAS, (click here) state regulations of carbon dioxide emission standards for motor vehicles is tantamount to a state version of federal fuel economy mandates that reduces consumer choice by restricting production of larger, heavier vehicles that provide more utility and passenger safety; and
WHEREAS, states can best encourage greater implementation of innovative technologies through market based consumer incentives and support public/private partnerships that promote the development of advanced technologies; and

WHEREAS,

the President’s Global Warming Initiative stresses the importance of science in guiding policy and actions that are consistent with the need to maintain healthy economic growth. It also places increased emphasis on improving the state of climate science, so that policy actions are consistent with our state of knowledge.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED

that the American Legislative Exchange Council supports the free market principles contained within the President’s initiative as a cost- effective and scientifically guided national program to address the climate change issue.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED

that the American Legislative Exchange Council is opposed to mandatory or “voluntary” carbon dioxide emission standards and the use of greenhouse transferable credits as a tool for environmental policy or regulation.

I have a little story of my own.

Today power plants are allowed to dump unlimited amounts of carbon pollution into the atmosphere — there are no rules in effect that limit their emissions of carbon dioxide, the primary driver of global warming.

Now, for the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is developing new rules, or standards, that will reduce carbon emissions from power plants. These standards, known as the Clean Power Plan (click here), are being developed under the Clean Air Act, an act of Congress that requires the EPA to take steps to reduce air pollution that harms the public's health.

These historic standards are a centerpiece of the president's Climate Action Plan and represent the most significant opportunity in years to help curb the growing consequences of climate change.

In 2003, I was involved in all sorts of environmental and species activities. I also was a Conservation Chair for a Sierra Club. I served in the State Working Group to write the By Laws and Constitution of the first Conservation Council for North Carolina. I was the person that prepared the final submission that would become the basis of the Conservation Council. It was becoming an autonomous activity of the state organization. It took nearly six months or more to complete all the meetings and come up with the wording for the two documents. We met about every two weeks until it was finished.

That is not even the story I was thinking about.

While I was involved in Sierra Club, "The New Source Review" came up as it does every five years under "The Clean Air Act." It is to report any new sources of emissions pertinent to the law. I took part in that review in 2003. I first prepared a 24 page testimony. Mine are usually long with references that are not on a separate page. So, the references are made directly in the text so there can be no mistakes. Not very long to type (Smith, 2000, pp. 114 - 115). That sort of thing. 

Besides the 24 pages of written testimony I traveled to Raleigh and gave 5 minutes of testimony at a time provided to me by appointment. It was recorded by two gentlemen from the EPA to be played and recorded into the final analysis of The New Source Review. I believe the date was May 2nd.

It was about a month or so later, then President George W. Bush walked out to speak to journalists in the Rose Garden. I nearly hit the floor when I realized his EPA had become upset by my words in testimony only a few weeks before. He stated, "There is on such thing as global warming and carbon dioxide could never be a toxic gas."

You see, those were my words; "Global warming is real and carbon dioxide at high levels is a toxic gas." My testimony was most probably the first time anyone had enough guts to put CO2 in "The New Source Review." Traditionally, it was about NOX and SOX and ozone, things like that. I just added one more, that's all.

See citizen testimony is very important. It carries weight when the Committees get the information that was generated by the EPA when they gather information under laws like The New Source Review. It was not long after that Senator Barbara Boxer started to talk about CO2 and the need for regulations in her committees regarding the environment. 

The ball was rolling and there was nothing "W" could do about it except Huff and Puff and stomp his feet. 

So, here we are now with 11 years having passed and the EPA finally has regulations for CO2.

Yep.

ALEC said to simply withdraw from Regional Climate Initiatives

Just like that without any authority or valid science or respect for the electorate and taxpayers; the state legislatures are suppose to withdraw from a climate initiative years in the making having spent millions. 

The organization called ALEC is draconian to good governance and dismantles any decided laws that benefit the citizens of countries. All of a sudden the states in the USA are suppose to simply DROP OUT of decided governance.  

ALEC is anti-American. 

WHEREAS, (click here) there has been no credible economic analysis of the costs associated with carbon reduction mandates and the consequential effect of the increasing costs of doing business in the State of ______;

 WHEREAS, forcing business, industry, and food producers to reduce carbon emissions through government mandates and cap-and-trade policies under consideration for the regional climate initiative will increase the cost of doing business, push companies to do business with other states or nations, and increase consumer costs for electricity, fuel, and food;

WHEREAS, the Congressional Budget Office warns that the cost of cap-and-trade policies will be borne by consumers and will place a disproportionately high burden on poorer families;

WHEREAS, simply reducing carbon emissions in the State of ______ will not have a significant impact on international carbon reduction, especially while countries like China, Russia, Mexico, and India emit an ever-increasing amount of carbon into the atmosphere;

WHEREAS, a tremendous amount of economic growth would be sacrificed for a reduction in carbon emissions that would have no appreciable impact on global concentrations of CO2;

WHEREAS, no state or nation has enhanced economic opportunities for its citizens or increased Gross Domestic Product through cap and trade or other carbon reduction policies; and

WHEREAS, Europe’s cap and trade system has been undermined by political favoritism, accounting tricks and has failed to achieve the carbon reduction targets,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the legislature of the State of ______ urges the Governor to withdraw [state] from the regional climate initiative.

Approved by ALEC Board of Directors in 2010.

The cost? There is an entire industry dedicated to making meetings meet the standards of those that attend.

Convention Industry Council (click here)

International Standards (click here)

It costs plenty. Most of these government working groups meet more than just once or twice. Their work begins years in advance of the actual final product that will be submitted for legislation and/or regulation.

The True Value of Government Meetings (click here)

These monies are not spent to benefit the politician, but, for the overall good of the people they serve.

How much money is spent on collaboration and meetings to achieve an outcome in government policy, especially when it is international?

North America 2050 (click here)

Summary: A diverse array of states and provinces launched North America 2050: A Partnership for Progress (NA2050) in March 2012. NA2050 participants committed to policies that move their jurisdictions toward a low carbon economy while creating jobs, enhancing energy security, protecting public health and the environment, and demonstrating climate leadership. NA2050 was a multi-state, multi-regional collaborative working toward mitigating the impacts of climate change and advancing clean energy, carbon capture and sequestration, and industrial energy efficiency benchmarking. C2ES served as one of five nonprofit advisory groups for the NA2050 partnership. As of 2014, NA2050 is no longer active.

History: NA2050 was the successor to the 3-Regions Initiative, which was a collaboration among members of the three North American regional cap-and-trade programs: the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and the Western Climate Initiative.
NA2050 was composed of six working groups, which collectively facilitated dialogue among governments, private sector entities, NGOs, and academic institutions. Each working group provided topical support to participating jurisdictions based on members’ priorities. C2ES was lead advisor to the Industry 2050 Working Group and the Sequestration Working Group.

And ALEC said...

...WHEREAS, Congressman Geoff Davis [KY-04], (click here) Senator Rand Paul [R-KY] and many of their colleagues have introduced the REINS Act as H.R. 10 and S. 299 in the U.S. House and Senate respectively; and

WHEREAS,the REINS Act would require that Congress must pass a joint resolution of approval to be signed by the President for each new majorregulation proposed by the executive branch before it may be enforced against the American people; and

WHEREAS, the REINS Act also retains existing law permitting Congress to disapprove non-major regulations (5 USC 801-808) to ensure that Congressional accountability is present for every federal regulation; and
WHEREAS,the REINS Act effectively limits the scope of regulation-making permission granted to the executive branch; and

WHEREAS, the REINS Act’s required accountability will improve the quality of federal regulations by reintroducing the importance of input from elected representatives into the regulation-making process; and...

The REINS Act is unconstitutional. Does ALEC care? No.

"The REINS Act" - Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act - R.E.I.N.S.

Shown Here:
Introduced in Senate (02/26/2013)

Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2013 (click here) or the REINS Act - States that the purpose of this Act is to increase accountability for and transparency in the federal regulatory process.
Revises provisions relating to congressional review of agency rulemaking to require a federal agency promulgating a rule to include in its report to Congress and to the Comptroller General (GAO) a classification of the rule as a major or nonmajor rule.
Requires a joint resolution of approval of major rules to be enacted before such rules may take effect. Provides that if a joint resolution of approval is not enacted by the end of 70 session days or legislative days, as applicable, after the agency proposing the rule submits its report on such rule to Congress, the major rule shall be deemed not to be approved and shall not take effect. Permits a major rule to take effect for one 90-calendar day period without such approval if the President determines it is necessary because of an imminent threat to health or safety or other emergency, for the enforcement of criminal laws, for national security, or to implement an international trade agreement.
Sets forth the congressional approval procedure for major rules and the congressional disapproval procedure for nonmajor rules.... 

The Republicans have an agenda in regard to regulating the Executive Branch. The current attack on The Undocumented is just more of the same. The Executive Branch is responsible for writing regulations from the laws passed by the Congress.
 

With the success of the EPA at the Supreme Court, ALEC had a fit.

Resolution in Opposition to EPA's Regulation of Greenhouse Gases from Mobile Sources (click here)

To read through ALEC's plans to defeat and or reverse the EPA's Supreme Court Decision it is completely obvious the ideas are contrived out of 'Playing with Words.' It has no basis in fact. Why does this organization get away with manipulating the laws of the USA?

June 23, 2014

By  Robert Barnes

The Supreme Court on Monday (click here) mostly validated the Environmental Protection Agency’s plans to regulate major sources of greenhouse-gas emissions such as power plants and factories but said the agency had gone too far in interpreting its power.
The court’s bifurcated opinion on one hand criticized the agency for trying to rewrite provisions of the Clean Air Act. But it nevertheless granted the Obama administration and environmentalists a big victory by agreeing that there are other ways for the EPA to reach its goal of regulating the gases that contribute to global warming.
“It bears mention that EPA is getting almost everything it wanted in this case,” Justice Antonin Scalia said in announcing his opinion from the bench. “It sought to regulate sources that it said were responsible for 86 percent of all the greenhouse gases emitted from stationary sources nationwide. Under our holdings, EPA will be able to regulate sources responsible for 83 percent of those emissions.”...

83 %

"Heads Up"

There is something rather odd occurring. This is a major change in wind direction.

I hope everyone is paying attention. The wind speeds (click here) are high coming out of the north.

Surface wind data comes from the National Digital Forecast Database.

I keep a few earth satellites open when I open the computer. I just happened to have looked at this quickly. The wind this morning was very different. There is something major on the way.

April 19, 2015
2230.19z
UNISYS North and West Hemisphere Water Vapor satellite (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)

This is UNISYS 2 hours ago.

It might be easier to see on enhanced infrared. This is the same satellite view but in Enhanced Infrared. (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you.)

Most of the time when I view this water vapor satellite it is air masses moving west to east or vortexes heading the same direction. This looks really strange UNTIL the perspective is as if I were looking straight down on a vortex forming with it's center on the Midwest.

The ICZ is populated with water vapor so there isn't much water vapor populating that vortex. It is somewhat difficult to understand because it is not obvious. I hope I am dead wrong. This is nothing like I've ever seen before.

Here is another one. (click here) 


It appears to be water vapor rushing down from the north. There is no other turbulence anywhere in North America. It is very different. The other turbulence is outside the North American continent.

Yep. It is the water vapor coming in from the north. Ah. Oh. I hear the wind picking up outside. EVERYONE HOLD ON TO THEIR HATS. Here it comes. 

Heavy rain. Wind was the front and it has settled down now. 

The source field (click here) is enormous. The air mass coming from the west is very dry. All the water vapor is coming from Canada and the Arctic Circle.

Very occasional wind gusts, other than that rain without wind at all. Peculiar. 

Lower North West Michigan. 

There it is. The water vapor with wind.

It is Sunday Night.

That is a fairy tatoo.

"Alec Eiffel" by the Pixies (click here)

Pioneer of aerodynamics
(little eiffel, little eiffel)

they thought he was real smart alec
(little eiffel, little eiffel)

he thought big they called it a phallic
(little eiffel, little eiffel)

they didn't know he was panoramic
little eiffel stands in the archway
(little eiffel, little eiffel)

keeping low doesn't make no sense
sometimes people can be oh so dense
they didn't want it but he built it anyway
(little eiffel, little eiffel)

little eiffel stands in the archway
(little eiffel, little eiffel)

keeping low don't make sense
keeping low doesn't make no-sense
(little eiffel, little eiffel)

little eiffel stands in the archway
oh alexander i see you beneath
the archway of aerodynamics.

In respect of my dear Uncle Jack.

I just received word that my uncle passed on. This is going to be a rough one for the family. My Uncle Jack was a really nice man. He served in the Korean Conflict. He was the shortest of his sibling brothers and after he returned home he could not find work so he became an amateur boxer. He did okay, too. But, then he met my Aunt Ruth and the rest is history. Eventually he would go to work for Ford Motor Company. He was there for decades until he retired. 

My grandmother used to tell a story about my Uncle Jack. She prayed the rosary without fail everyday of her life. Jack was in the service. Of all things he was on reconnaissance. My grandmother never knew until she told him the story when he was finally home. 

She said one day this feeling came over her and she thought my Uncle Jack had been killed. She said she didn't know why, but, it was a feeling of dread. She sat down and prayed the rosary and a few other prayers to over come the feelings. Later, Jack was home and was living with his parents at first. One morning she was preparing breakfast and she asked him if he ever had close calls while in the service. He stated, yes. He then told about a time when he was in a jeep on reconnaissance when some shelling began. It was enemy fire. The jeep was hit and the other three men with him died. He was taken to a hospital and recovered. It was his injuries that brought him home.

My grandmother sat down at the table pale and weak. He said he wanted to know what was wrong. She told him about the terrible dread she felt about a month or so ago. He stated that was about the time of the incident in Korea. My grandmother cried and told him God brought him back to her. She had five sons. Two had served in the military. They both came home from their time in the service. 

So, in remembrance of my Uncle Jack and his loving Mother, I can say I know where he is long about now and I feel no dread.

I have a few things I want to put out on the net tonight, so I'll be a minute more.