The USA Military linked the climate crisis and global unrest a long time ago. It is true.

December 21, 2015By Bob Koigi

Behind towering acacia trees (click here) that provide much sought after shade in the sunbaked landscape of southern Ethiopia lies the story of a long quest for lasting peace by communities at the Kenya-Ethiopia border, led most recently by a group of community elders. The region has suffered from decades of longstanding conflict over limited resources that have claimed thousands of lives and displaced tens of thousands of families, and which have recently been exacerbated by drought and changing weather patterns...

...But the conflict has taken a new and complex twist in recent years as rains have failed and weather vagaries have taken a toll on pastoralists’ way of life. The 2011 and 2012 drought in the Horn of Africa, for example, impacted more than 13 million people, particularly pastoralist communities, and contributed to an intense food crisis in the region. Dwindling land for pasture, coupled with lack of water, is pushing pastoralists from their homes to new frontiers perceived to be resource rich. Climate change is likely to continue exacerbating challenges in the region — in East Africa, global warming is predicted to cause more severe and frequent droughts, increased desertification, and more intense extreme weather events....

It is obvious airport delays lie along the storm's path.

The delays are related to incoming and outgoing jets in the area of the storm.

December 27, 2015
By Kate Flexter

...But some (click here) weren't as lucky. Across the country, long delays and cancellations many of which were due to severe weather in several parts of the United States. In Mississippi and Alabama, rivers flooded. And in Texas, tornadoes tore through towns, while others were hit by some unexpected snow. That weather system caused a ripple effect, delaying flights across the country, including at Tampa International Airport. 
Kyle Duvall was flying out of Tennessee and had multiple delays on several legs of his trip, all due to weather. He ended up missing the cruise he was supposed to be on.
"Yesterday was an absolute travel nightmare," said Duvall. "Today I'm staying positive. I'm looking at it as a Christmas vacation adventure," he added with a chuckle. 

The worst flooding in seventy years in Great Britain.

December 29, 2015
By Nick Miller

London: Climate change (click here for video as well) is forcing England to re-assess its flood defences in the face of unprecedented river level surges, one of the United Kingdom government's most senior environment officials says.
"We are moving from a period of known extremes into a period of unknown extremes," said David Rooke, deputy chief executive of the UK government's Environment Agency, which manages the country's rivers.
"We will need to re-assess all the defences right across the country."...

This surprises me, because, Europe did a in depth study conducted in Europe within the past few years. The reason was because of flooding it received. The study resulted in building walls to keep water contained. The study and the wall was a very big expense. Europe is alarmed by it's current problems and they will again address the climate crisis and what needs to be done to eliminate the flooding.

Not even Great Britain is experiencing the problems of the USA and it has been second in the amounts of historic greenhouse gas emissions..

Great Britain is a country that has taken responsibility for it's greenhouse gas emissions and the need for it's population's safety. 

This was mid-November in Saudi Arabia and the middle east.

Severe Weather Risk Eyes Saudi Arabia, Iraq Through Tuesday (blowing sand explains somewhat the cultural dress of women in this region of the world)

November 18, 2015
By Eric Leister

The risk for severe weather (click here) will dip unusually far south into the Middle East early this week.
Residents across northern Saudi Arabia and southwestern Iraq should remain on alert for potentially violent thunderstorms.
The danger will shift northwest to southeast across the risk zone into Tuesday. Hail and Medina, Saudi Arabia, and Najaf, Iraq, are among the cities at risk for violent thunderstorms.
Areas from Tabuk and Sakaka to Baghdad could still experience a shower or thunderstorm, though the worst weather will be farther south and east.
"Damaging wind and flooding rain will be the main threats from any severe thunderstorm," stated AccuWeather Meteorologist Rob Richards. Hail cannot be ruled out. Gusty wind from thunderstorms can also produce blinding sand and dust storms.
A second threat area will be across Israel, Lebanon, southern Syria and western Jordan. These areas will be at risk for showers and thunderstorms with strong winds, hail and downpours.

The severe winds around New Zealand dictated the winner.

Sydney, Australia (December 26, 2015) – Record holding eight time (click here) Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race line honours victor, Wild Oats XI, has retired from the race after reporting a torn mainsail. The Mark Richards skippered crew is returning to Sydney. No further details are available at this stage....

If this tear was unique to the sail of this long standing champion boat and crew I would not bother noting it. But, there were very recent winds that stranded a private sailing in New Zealand waters. The sailing boat had nothing to do with racing or a strategy against powerful winds. A torn mailsail is not what one would expect from this world class boat and crew.

Shortly after 10.10pm, local time, the news was received that Pierre Gal’s CEX Dolce had broken her mast and was also returning to Sydney. All on board both yachts are safe.
The front half of the fleet in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s 628 nautical mile race was feeling the brunt of a stiff southerly, with Ichi Ban’s navigator, Will Oxley, reporting gusts of up to 43 knots . The southerly will filter to the smaller yachts during the night.
Further updates will be made available when more is known.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the live stream of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race start was unable to be broadcast internationally. We apologise for any inconvenience and frustration that this has caused international followers.

Published on December 26th, 2015

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Sydney, Australia (December 26, 2015) – Record holding eight time Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race line honours victor, Wild Oats XI, has retired from the race after reporting a torn mainsail. The Mark Richards skippered crew is returning to Sydney. No further details are available at this stage.
Shortly after 10.10pm, local time, the news was received that Pierre Gal’s CEX Dolce had broken her mast and was also returning to Sydney. All on board both yachts are safe.
The front half of the fleet in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s 628 nautical mile race was feeling the brunt of a stiff southerly, with Ichi Ban’s navigator, Will Oxley, reporting gusts of up to 43 knots . The southerly will filter to the smaller yachts during the night.
Further updates will be made available when more is known.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the live stream of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race start was unable to be broadcast internationally. We apologise for any inconvenience and frustration that this has caused international followers.

- See more at: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2015/12/26/sydney-hobart-wild-oats-xi-retired/#sthash.6ljiU2QP.dpuf

2013 a school was leveled and all that the people were allowed to do in the national media was be grateful for the children that lived.

A child (click here) is pulled from the rubble of the Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., and passed along to rescuers after Monday's tornado.

Absolutely no political pressure results from the victims of these deadly events. The politicians from Oklahoma's tragedies come out smelling like roses. Why? Because they believe in a benevolent god. Well, the god they believe in sure doesn't seem benevolent to me. No god fearing person ignores the signs of warnings from Earth benevolently allowed to exist.

This is a map of where there have been NO tornadoes in the USA. This is by zip code. Texas hold the record in 150 tornado occurrences. It would seem now the Texas state government can claim the highest number of winter tornadoes with far higher deaths than summer tornadoes.

Jordan Tessler, (click here) a geographer/amateur meteorologist in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area, tweeted the interesting map you see above, showing the U.S. ZIP codes without a confirmed tornado from 1950-2013, using data from NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.

Anyone think that is a crackpot analysis? It isn't. The extremist religions are known to be in areas where impoverishment and trauma exist on a day to day basis.

The climate crisis has been made a political issue by the cronyies of the south. They attached election money and religious leanings to their donations. Religion is used on a regular basis in Red States to provide 'a voting base as well as a donor base' to the GOP. 

The USA government has been under the influence of Republicans in the past four dating back to Eisenhower. The USA had rid itself of right wing political extremists beginning in 1992, but, that effort was interrupted by corruption in the 2000 election. The climate crisis should not be attached to politics at all. American scientists are good honest people, many of which go to church. Their work is disrespected in the south to the point where long standing government employees of Florida have been victimized by the current governor.

The reason the GOP uses god as an approach to politics is because it the ONLY way they can claim morality, otherwise, they would not have any basis to their particular type of morality. Any USA government leader in the USA should demonstrate morality to their electorate, however, this particular type of politics by the GOP is corruption pandering to cronies. It is a 'let's pretend' strategy.

The primary focus by the GOP are 'let's pretend' strategies, including, deeply set violence in war and what could be considered 'prayer in vein' when it is not connected to REAL ACTION by governments. No person or governing bodies in the USA can claim that god brings about morality on a day to day basis to avert hardship. God doesn't babysit the USA. Quite the contrary, according to a recent visit by Pope Francis, the USA needs to do more to respect God's Creation.

The fact Texas has the highest incidence of tornadoes in the USA is not a coincidence. I don't believe in coincidence dictating policy. Policy should reflect the concern of protecting citizens.

Pray is about finding God, not about pleading your case for greater profits. That was p-r-o-f-i-t-s, like Wall Street, not prophet as in religion. 

Pray may bring a sincere place for oneself in religious worship, however, praying does not mean God is on your side politically.

This impoverished worship of RELIGION in the south has stunted dialogues necessary to move forward to a better quality of life for the people in the USA in these states. Prayer might help accept hunger as a reality in strength to accept one's fate, however, that imposed political strategy is about money as well. Food stamps, Medicaid and children's health insurance cut while the subsidies to the petroleum industry exists in large amounts. Prayer is about personal strength within faith. It is not about providing a fool proof method of who is moral and who is not. As a matter of fact, the prayerful submissiveness of the southern citizen provides for sheep preyed on by vicious politicians in value to cronyies of the steely handling of constituents.

The lack of dialogue among these 'religious dependent' leaders has caused the lack of action in the US Congress and allowed a political strategy that guarantees their constituent deserved suffering. It makes no sense in a modern civilization as the USA that greenhouse gas emissions have been ignored for decades. That is corruption and nothing short of it. 

The USA cannot continue down this path of destruction facilitated by masquerading politicians of cronyies. These people among the GOP are not moral. That should be plain to their constituents while praying for loved ones that have died unnecessary deaths.

The submissiveness of any constituent to this level of corruption is strongly noted when the 'idea' of subterranean shelters from tornadoes isn't made a reality until President Obama demanded it. That is striking. It is a call to awareness of how these people are taken for granted, quite literally, with lies to  their beautiful souls. 

These constituents don't define themselves according to their personal dangers and/or impoverishment. They respond to rhetoric that is known to work in the face of cronyism. Rhetoric used in this way are lies that kill. The DEFINITION of rhetoric: language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience, but often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content.

There are significant populations within these GOP lands. They need the truth and not rhetoric. These politicians are highly immoral, especially, when constituents are threatened with job closures if companies go out of business because of the CORRECT path for the USA. That is hideous. If the USA cannot direct it's economy to create good paying jobs for people, what good is it. No American should be measuring their employment against their life or death. That is not morality by any measure.

There are reasons the GOP is unable to back the best outcomes for the USA regarding a climate crisis. There is a parallel reason why the former Vice President Gore never realized the presidency in the USA and it revolves around the corruption that accompanies the abuse of power of the quality of life of the USA people. 

The USA will need election monitors again in 2016. Vice President Gore has never been proven wrong.
 

Garland, Texas

The people of Garland, Texas are not used to dealing with the climate crisis. They are used to normal weather. Earth is a planet. The dynamics of the storms that hit Garland, Texas are planetary forces. This weather did not come because the Jet Stream delivered a normal weather pattern.

Planetary forces are enormous. The people of the USA cannot compensate anymore for the forces delivered by Earth.

The video below was June of last year, 2014. 

I have stated over and over, there is an eruption of climate 'extremes' that are warnings to what is to come. The Nebraska tornadoes were the first sighting of such a global phenomena. This wasn't going to go away. I am quite confident NASA scientists studying Earth's physics know when such a phenomena is manifesting in singular events or events in the minority. They know an extreme has occurred. That extreme cannot be ignored. Humans would consider it a warning, but, in reality when a scientist recognizes it, it means there are very deadly forces at work with Earth that is only beginning.

The weather is an outcome to climate. The weather the USA is experiencing is global dynamics. The only aspect that is local is the density of greenhouse gases. If the USA does not end it's emissions of this density, this trend will not end. THE USA IS EXPERIENCING THESE SEVERE EVENTS BECAUSE OF THE DENSITY OF THE GREENHOUSE GASES. This is not occurring any place else on Earth.

This is occurring within the boundaries of the USA because legislators decided they knew more than the scientists and never protected the American people from the weather occurrences resulting because of changing climate that has been GROWING over the past half century.

NONE OF THIS IS NEW, IT WAS KNOWN A HALF CENTURY AGO. 

The people of the USA that believe there is no such thing as a changing climate that 'can be handled' are putting themselves in the direct path of destruction. Over a half century ago the USA's political climate was suppose to take the warnings with brevity and act upon them. 

A half century was more than enough time to act to change the trajectory of the dangers to Americans. This could have easily been averted. It wasn't. These climate events are premeditated ambitions upon the American people. The American people have been lied to for a political chronyism that involved the petroleum industry. The very resources that are owned by the people of the USA were exploited in the face to this chosen path by legislators. That is unconscionable. My god, when did anyone give the USA government the right to kill kids? When is it going to stop, when every one is dead? 

These tornadoes in Nebraska lasted for a half minute or so on the evening news, but, in reality this climate even lasted into the night and the next day before it ended. This was not a tornado, it was a climate event of deadly dynamics.

Southern cities may want the information from the north to handle impasse on roads and highways.

An aerial image taken (click here) Sunday, December 27, 2015 shows the path of a tornado in Rowlett, Texas. Violent storms ripped through the North Texas area late Saturday, spawning tornadoes that killed 11 people. (G.J. McCarthy/The Dallas Morning News)

Updated at 8 p.m. (click here) Sunday: Revised throughout the day to reflect the latest information.
Hundreds huddled in shelters Sunday while trying to add up the damage to their homes, churches and schools caused by deadly storms that blew through North Texas.

How could you? How could you ever deny the death this climate is causing? For the sake of politics. The mental health of men and women has to come into question, when death was known to occur, when there were obvious issues that would result in innocent American deaths.

The Republicans hide behind ancient definitions of weather. They are more than cowards, they are killers.

Eleven people, including an infant, were killed in Dallas and Collin counties, and as many as 11 tornadoes were reported to the National Weather Service.
The National Weather Service confirmed nine tornadoes Sunday night and said that number could rise in the coming days as more areas are surveyed....

When road conditions become ridiculous for snow plows and sand spreaders, "Up North" uses road graders with snow plows. Sand and other ice melters do not work at all in extremely low temperatures. Literally, the ice has to be scraped off the road. The picture to the right is from Wikipedia. They were very smart to place this particular picture within their website.

These are EF4 tornadoes. This is in no way qualified to be considered as 'normal' climate activity and outcomes. The denial is insane. 

Killing has a priority in Republican politics. It would seem a preferable value.

And YES!!!!!, this is THE RESULT of the USA government FAILURE to act to protect lives at the recommendation of American scientists!

December 28, 2015
1130.18z
UNISYS Water Vapor north and west hemisphere satellite (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)

There is no other part of the world experiencing twin tornadoes. The United States of America has the densest CO2 accumulation and rightfully is receiving the strongest impact of the climate crisis.

December 28, 2015
1130.18z
UNISYS Water Vapor USA Satellite (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)

Tornadoes are a result of climate systems driven by heat.

There will be additional deaths in the USA due to the exposure of frigid temperatures where citizens are unfamiliar with such climate.

The impoverished of the southern USA will not have resources to protect them form the freezing temperatures. Additionally, the winds are bringing blizzards that most Americans are unfamiliar with across the entire USA.


This is the wind currently over the USA. The tornadoes are coming directly from high tropospheric dynamics.

Wind Map (click here)

Evacuation routes in blizzards become useless. The velocity of this system is also fueled from heat and water vapor from the Gulf of Mexico. The system is a heat transfer system as it receives heat from the USA southeast and mixes with the frigid air mass from the northeast and northwest.

The Republican Nightmare - Climate denial and negligent homicide.

4 American soldiers among the 43 dead in a week long severe climate outcomes:

Twin tornadoes. This is becoming the normal state of climate. I do believe this is just a little more than sea level rise.

December 28, 2015

The latest developments on the severe storms across the U.S. (all times local): (click here)

2:30 a.m.

Blizzard-like conditions have led to the closure of most of Interstate 40 from Albuquerque east across the Texas Panhandle.

New Mexico State Police spokeswoman Sgt. Elizabeth Armijo said Sunday night that the stretch of interstate from Albuquerque to the Texas border would be closed through at least Monday afternoon. She urged travelers passing through New Mexico to use Interstate 10 instead.

The interstate highway system is the infrastructure built specifically to move the military during national emergencies.

In Texas, the Texas Department of Public Safety says only a small section of the highway around Amarillo remains open. Texas State Trooper Cindy Barkley says deteriorating conditions forced authorities to indefinitely close the highway for about 100 miles east of Amarillo to Oklahoma.

I-40 is the main east-west highway through the state's Panhandle.

The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning until 9 a.m. Monday for the Panhandle and several counties in New Mexico. Authorities say that even in areas where the warning has expired, residual blowing and drifting is expected and will make conditions dangerous....

400.16

I've never so many dead during Christmas season due to climate.

I just think it is inappropriate to discuss anything else except them. 

Ropesville, Texas

Nothing can stop the US postal service , but storm system Goliath is sure trying to ! Blizzard conditions hit this area last night with 50 - 60 mph winds and they haven't let up . These mailboxes have taken a ice beating over the last 15 or so hours .

 December 27, 2015 

At least 41 people (click here) were killed across seven states since Wednesday following days of severe weather, including flash floods in Illinois and tornadoes in Texas.

The Marion County, Illinois, Sheriff's Office said five people were killed Saturday as a major storm system brought flash flooding and blizzard conditions to parts of the United States.

In central Missouri, six were killed in two separate flooding incidents Saturday, said the Pulaski Sheriff’s Office.

Two deaths were reported in Alabama, 10 were reported in Mississippi, six were killed in Tennessee and one died in Arkansas.... 

There has never been this kind of weather in the USA. This is the first occurrence of severe, abrupt climate changes. Only a week after the first day of winter.

The Current Temperature (click here) map shows the current temperatures color contoured every 5 degrees F. Temperature is a physical property of a system that underlies the common notions of hot and cold; something that is hotter generally has the greater temperature. Specifically, temperature is a property of matter. Temperature is one of the principal parameters of thermodynamics. On the microscopic scale, temperature is defined as the average energy of microscopic motions of a single particle in the system per degree of freedom. On the macroscopic scale, temperature is the unique physical property that determines the direction of heat flow between two objects placed in thermal contact. If no heat flow occurs, the two objects have the same temperature; otherwise heat flows from the hotter object to the colder object. These two basic principles are stated in the zeroth law and second law of thermodynamics, respectively. For a solid, these microscopic motions are principally the vibrations of its atoms about their sites in the solid. For an ideal monatomic gas, the microscopic motions are the translational motions of the constituent gas particles. For a multiatomic gas, vibrational and rotational motion should be included too....

Good night.

December 21, 2015

By Sabrina Travernise

...The mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., (click here) this month has reignited that debate in America, and Missouri’s experience offers one perspective. It is difficult to isolate the impact of gun laws in a single state, given the pervasiveness of interstate trafficking and illegal markets, but a variety of measures, including a marked increase in police seizures of guns bought in-state, suggest the changes in Missouri’s laws have had some effect.

Research by Daniel Webster, the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, found that in the first six years after the state repealed the requirement for comprehensive background checks and purchase permits, the gun homicide rate was 16 percent higher than it was the six years before. During the same period, the national rate declined by 11 percent. After Professor Webster controlled for poverty and other factors that could influence the homicide rate, and took into account homicide rates in other states, the result was slightly higher, rising by 18 percent in Missouri.

Federal death data released this month for 2014 showed a continuation of the trend, he said. Before the repeal, from 1999 to 2006, Missouri’s gun homicide rate was 13.8 percent higher than the national rate. From 2008 to 2014, it was 47 percent higher. (The new data also showed that the national death rate from guns was equal to that from motor vehicle crashes for the first time since the government began systematically tracking it.)...

This is exactly the issue in Syria.

Who is going to stabilize the country and who is going to lead the government? Is destroying Daesh going to be enough to bring about a ceasefire and peace? How does anyone know if Daesh will simply dissolve and meld into other groups in Syria?

Syria is ground zero for sectarianism. There are significant numbers of Shia who have been protected by the Assad government and there are significant numbers (probably a majority) of Sunni groups that have been named as terrorists to The West and the international community in general.

There are Shia groups considered terrorists, but, they do have loyalties to Syria's President Assad. The Assad forces and Shia groups called terrorists, such as Hezbollah, act to protect the Shia populations in Syria.

Now, realize this. Those Shia groups have a right to exist. However, there are larger numbers of Sunnis in Syria. The so called Shia terrorist groups do carry out actions against the Sunnis to protect their populations. That has gone on for a very long time, decades, in Syria. Lebanon leaves it alone because it would spark attacks in Beirut and who knows where else. That used to be the status quo.

Now who is involved in ending the civil war? Who is involved in ending Daesh? What kind of government is expected in a power sharing arrangement and who is going to be the leaders?

This is not going to end and The West, the international community now involved because of Daesh, including Russia and China have to answer profoundly impossible questions. How long does the global community stay involved in Syria? Does the global alliance end Daesh and end the involvement in Syria and what does the picture look like then?

Syria is an impossible problem and only the Assad family has known how to maintain it's stability. The Arab nations have to come together with allies from The West and the Communists from the East and decide what happens now.

The war into Iraq has been a complete disaster. I am quite sure as long as the global coalition stays together with a plan forward it can result in stability. But, there has to be open and clear understandings about involvement and resolve. The false prophets have to end their influence and the senior members of the faiths have to speak and be heard by all. There can be no more false prophets and I believe even Nasrallah would agree with that.

December 26, 2015
By AFP

Fierce clashes in northern Syria (click here) between regime loyalists and rebels including Al-Qaeda fighters have left more than 70 dead, a monitoring group said Saturday.
Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front launched the assault on Friday with a suicide attack against forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Fighting raged around the village of Bashkoy, which lies at a crossroads north of Aleppo city, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.
"Violent clashes followed the suicide attack, between the Syrian army and pro-regime militia on one side, and Islamist fighters on the other," Abdel Rahman said
At least 33 pro-regime fighters and 38 opposition fighters were killed, he added.

Send her to the USA for asylum. She can return when it is safe.

December 28, 2015
By Jack Moore

A supporter of the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) (click here) threatened to kidnap Miss Iraq, the first to be crowned since 1972, if she did not join the group’s ranks, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Shayma Qasim won the country’s beauty pageant on Saturday but received a phone call afterwards when the threat was issued. She said that, regardless of her fears over the phone call, she was determined to “continue forward despite any obstacles,” the Israeli news website reported, citing the Kuwaiti daily Al-Watan.
The 20-year-old beauty queen is from the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, claimed by the country’s Kurds as their historic capital. After winning the contest, she will represent Iraq in the Miss Universe contest in Thailand in March next year....

Absolutely magnificent.

"Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens" - I even know what the next film is about. You guys gave it away.

First, the credits are incredible. They challenge the length of credits of any "Harry Potter."

The Death Planet turning into a sun was absolutely correct. If the robbed solar power were left to gather itself again unrestrained it would form a fusion reaction and reorganize into a sun so the planets could continue to carry on life.

I don't know what will happen to the old sun. It's hydrogen was all syphoned off and there would be no helium to continue to burn. The old sun would become cold and very dense and I am left wondering if there will be an "Empire Black Hole" eventually. You know "History of Time" and all that stuff. It could be the old sun is simply gone, too.

New faces, new names all engulfed by the reawakening force. Loved it. Then all the elderly knights of the LIGHT are engaged and brave. I didn't see Hans Solo's outcome though. I think I prejudiced by desire for every Jedi to include everyone. Oh, well. Hopeless romantic. Hans is great, Chewbacca even greater.

I was going to sell all my collection. You know, popular makes money. But, after seeing this film and realizing the children there with their parents were the same age of my grandchildren, I decided my grandchildren are going to inherit it instead. I much rather be romantic than practical.

I loved the film. But, in all fairness Luke's confidence fades because Solo's son is attracted to the dark side? Well. I suppose. After all Luke never finished his training with Yoda, now did he.

It is about time. I take it the USA knows exactly how to hold ground once it is siezed from a hostile military!

I was really beginning to think the last general that knew anything about winning a war died with George Patton and Dwight Eisenhower.

December 24, 2015
By Zeina Karam and Bassem Mroue

Beirut — A U.S.-backed coalition of rebels in Syria (click here) — including Syrian Kurdish, Arab and Christian groups — captured several areas in the country's north on Thursday from the Islamic State extremists, an activist group and a rebel spokesman said.
The advance of the coalition, known as Syria Democratic Forces, is part of the recent rebel push to take control of a major dam and cut supply lines between the IS group's strongholds in northern Syria.
The SDF offensive started Wednesday with a push south of the Turkey-Syria border town of Kobani, according to a rebel spokesman, Col. Talal Sillu. On Thursday, coalition fighters advanced eight kilometers (five miles), inching closer to their objective — the Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates River that supplies much of northern Syria with electricity.

The worst terrorist of all, a hemolitic virus.

Disease never has a holiday. Brazil has declared a health emergency.

Zika virus (click here) is spread to people through mosquito bites. The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease (Zika) are fever, rash, joint pain, and red eye. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon.
Outbreaks of Zika have occurred in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. Because the Aedes species mosquitoes that spread Zika virus are found throughout the world, it is likely that outbreaks will spread to new countries. Zika virus is not currently found in the United States. However, cases of Zika have been reported in returning travelers.
There is no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat Zika. Travelers can protect themselves from this disease by taking steps to prevent mosquito bites. When traveling to countries where Zika virus  or other viruses spread by mosquitoes have been reported, use insect repellent, wear long sleeves and pants, and stay in places with air conditioning or that use window and door screens....

The map below is where Zika virus has been found to be infective.

December 24, 2015
By Ariana Eunjung Cha
Brazilian health authorities (click here) are sounding the alarm about a mosquito-borne virus that they believe may be the cause of thousands of infants being born with damaged brains.
The pathogen, known as Zika and first discovered in forest monkeys in Africa over 70 years ago, is the new West Nile -- a virus that causes mild symptoms in most but can lead to serious neurological complications or even death in others. Brazil's health ministry said on Nov. 28 that it had found the Zika virus in a baby with microcephaly — a rare condition in which infants are born with shrunken skulls — during an autopsy after the child died. The virus was also found in the amniotic fluid of two mothers whose babies had the condition.
"This is an unprecedented situation, unprecedented in world scientific research," the ministry said in a statement on its website, according to CNN.
Brazil is investigating more than more than 2,400 suspected cases of microcephaly and 29 deaths of infants that occurred this year. Last year the country saw only 147 cases of microcephaly....

There will be no more "Let's Pretend."

There is no such thing as the Syrian Free Army. It was a 'let's pretend' by McCain. Just like the 'let's pretend united Iraq.'

This isn't even current events anymore.

September 16, 2015
By Thomas Gibbons-Neff

There are only four or five American-trained (click here) Syrian rebels currently fighting against the Islamic State, the top general leading the effort to build a force to counter the militant group in Syria said Wednesday.

The tiny number of fighters are part of the New Syrian Force, the byproduct of a $500-million-dollar train and equip program that was launched officially in December to train moderate Syrians to fight the Islamic State.

The remarks by Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, head of U.S. Central Command, angered members of the Senate Armed Services Committee who said the program is a failure.

The training first came under scrutiny in July when Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter told the Senate Armed Service Committee that only 60 fighters had been trained with roughly 7,000 in the training pipeline. The quota, set at the program’s outset, called for 3,000 to 5,000 fighters to be trained in the first year....

"Let's Pretend" doesn't cut it anymore. The USA lost thousands of American soldiers FOR AN ILLEGAL INVASION INTO IRAQ and a "Let's Pretend" we have a reason and "Let's Pretend" Iraq is united under a democracy.  There is no more "Let's Pretend" because there are tens of thousands of disabled veterans that returned from Iraq only to suffer with PTSD and suicide. We don't DO 'LET'S PRETEND' ANYMORE!!!!

Here are the facts. 

The Iraq government is dispersed into the winds of three provinces. While there may be a better fighting force with American consultants, there are far too many Americans in Iraq to say that ANYTHING IRAQ is not still on the verge of 'Let's Pretend."

Syria has no free army. End of discussion. There are Sunnis and Shi'ites and like it or not there is an elected President that is a minority ethnicity of Alawite, President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian ally is Russia. Russia wants to stabilize Syria and Russia is not pretending.

The United Nations had an extended presence of Peacemakers until Daesh was taking hold and advancing. In 2012 the United Nations Peacekeepers were pulled out of Syria while reporting all the deaths of women and children. 

The ONLY answer to a sustainable stability in Syria is for a power sharing government that has two different ethnicity governance. That means there has to be an influential leader somewhere among the Syrian Sunnies that can ACTUALLY bring all the Sunnis under one leader. That is nearly impossible. BUT, if Daesh is destroyed there might be a chance the other Sunnis might come together, but, I don't think so.
At one point the groups OFFICIALLY called terrorists, such as the al-Nusra Front, was willing to align with Daesh. Any guesses as to why? No? Because the long time residents in Syria called terrorists thought they were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and all the Shi'ites would be refugees or dead. That's why. So, all of a sudden all the Sunni, so called terrorists, are seeing their best interest in joining a power sharing government.
Syria is ground zero to sectarianism and hatred. The way Assad ruled was to treat the REGION as if it all feel under Assad's government. That is why Israel would run up against border skirmishes from time to time. 
BUT.
Assad put Hezbollah in Lebanon to act as a barricade to the Alawite Shia. No one could compromise or kill the Alawite community on the Syrian coast. Hezbollah is not going away. The most we can hope is that a peace will be maintained with Hezbollah and the Lebanon government. Hezbollah does fine and is allowed to live their lives as they choose when it has an understanding of peace with the Lebanese government.
If there is going to be a power sharing government in Syria where the killing actually stops it will be under a strong military presence and that will only come from Russia. Assad can govern. No one else in Syria has proven the ability to build a military and govern people with some degree of loyalty from the Sunnis.
Assad can and has used oppression to any uprising. We know that for a fact. No one has any other or better ideas for stabilizing Syria. 
Now.
If the United Nations wants a power sharing government that will INSURE the lives of all the ethnic diversity, there first has to be a stabilizing force and it would seem that is coming from Russia. The USA and Europe is unable commit to any military oppression because they don't want that for the people. So, when Russia stabilizes Syria with the leadership of Assad, then there can begin governments set up among local villages and then at a province level and then ultimately at a national sharing government structure. That is the only way it is going to happen. Today, Syria's future is precarious because The West can't seem to see the forest for the trees.
Then.
There is also Turkey. But, I am not going to discuss Turkey. Not right now.
Hopefully the year 2016 will result in movement to end Daesh in Syria and the country can begin to realize what it has been through under a false prophet and begin to come to the realization the future lies in the a power sharing government that brings peace to them.
End.
The good news for the USA for 2016 is that we no longer allow simpletons to lead the USA so we can all practice "Let's Pretend."

Please. Americans aren't thinking about strong storms this time of year. Help them to do so.

This tree was not toppled. It was pulled up from it's roots and dropped. The damage done to the home is significant because there as not just 'some' weight of the tree, it was dropped with velocity and weight acting on the structure.

It isn't a minor system. 

The heat is coming from the southern hemisphere, not simply the equator. It is billowing up across Indonesia just south of China. (in the left upper corner). 

 














The water vapor then carries the heat east across the Pacific Ocean.




 






Then into the arctic oscillation. The water vapor is dense once it starts to condense with colder air. There is heat transfer and the velocity increases. (click here) The mixing is rather incredible after that is rather incredible as it enters the continent.

The seven year old died when the car he was riding in was tossed by the tornado.