"...I-70 is a major drug corridor...."
Monday, March 21, 2016
The Cuban immigrants are coming to the USA and compete with American entrepreneurs.
If companies are not outsourcing American jobs, immigrants are coming to take away the local economy for their own purposes. The economic assault against Americans never end. While Cuban entrepreneurs who come to the USA legally are welcome to build their own business, but, their income does not stay in the USA.
Cuba needs it own economy. It needs the return of tourism. The people should not be left to live in profound poverty just 90 miles off the USA shore. The entire situation is ridiculous.
Cubans are not the only ones that suffer within this hideous paradigm called "the struggle for freedom." China and Russia have good economies promising to be more in the future as their middle class emerges, why do this to Cuba?
Antonio, center background, and Sandra Camacho Rodríguez, to his right, named their bakery in Havana the Burner Brothers, a reference to all the cookies they burned on their way to opening the shop.
March 21, 2016
By Frances Robless
...As tens of thousands of Cuban millennials (click here) give up on Cuba and head north, the Camachos are part of an expanding class of entrepreneurs who are opting to remain, betting on Cuba’s future despite serious challenges.
“There’s an extremely powerful emerging market right now in Cuba,” said Mr. Camacho, 26, standing in their tiny shop, where cookies are 10 cents each, in Havana’s Vedado neighborhood. “To me, it’s easier to become part of an emerging market than to try to make it in some other country, where the market was created years ago.”
As President Obama meets with President Raúl Castro of Cuba on Monday, a surprising statistic will loom over the two leaders: More than twice as many Cubans went to live in the United States last year than in 1959, when Mr. Castro’s brother Fidel came to power and unleashed a wave of migration that altered South Florida forever....
Cuba needs it own economy. It needs the return of tourism. The people should not be left to live in profound poverty just 90 miles off the USA shore. The entire situation is ridiculous.
Cubans are not the only ones that suffer within this hideous paradigm called "the struggle for freedom." China and Russia have good economies promising to be more in the future as their middle class emerges, why do this to Cuba?
Antonio, center background, and Sandra Camacho Rodríguez, to his right, named their bakery in Havana the Burner Brothers, a reference to all the cookies they burned on their way to opening the shop.March 21, 2016
By Frances Robless
...As tens of thousands of Cuban millennials (click here) give up on Cuba and head north, the Camachos are part of an expanding class of entrepreneurs who are opting to remain, betting on Cuba’s future despite serious challenges.
“There’s an extremely powerful emerging market right now in Cuba,” said Mr. Camacho, 26, standing in their tiny shop, where cookies are 10 cents each, in Havana’s Vedado neighborhood. “To me, it’s easier to become part of an emerging market than to try to make it in some other country, where the market was created years ago.”
As President Obama meets with President Raúl Castro of Cuba on Monday, a surprising statistic will loom over the two leaders: More than twice as many Cubans went to live in the United States last year than in 1959, when Mr. Castro’s brother Fidel came to power and unleashed a wave of migration that altered South Florida forever....
Federal legislators are touting a rare bipartisan bill, but, it doesn't go far enough.
January 27, 2016
By Alan Fram
Washington – In a testy election year (click here) likely to see scant collaboration between Republicans and Democrats, there’s a glint of hope in Congress for a bipartisan bill aimed at fighting heroin and opioid addiction – a deadly, growing problem that afflicts states both red and blue.
By Alan Fram
Washington – In a testy election year (click here) likely to see scant collaboration between Republicans and Democrats, there’s a glint of hope in Congress for a bipartisan bill aimed at fighting heroin and opioid addiction – a deadly, growing problem that afflicts states both red and blue.
Senate and House bills establishing grants to combat abuse, improve treatment and bolster some law enforcement programs are winning support from members of both parties. President Barack Obama used this month’s State of Union address to call such legislation one area where lawmakers “might surprise the cynics” and get something done this year....
Last week while attending a Senate oversight committee hearing Senator Ayotte brought a question in regard to trafficking of drugs as well as other dangers to the American people.
Senator Ayotte stated the USA military is aware of the trafficking routes of drug cartels. These routes are also used to traffic other dangerous materials. Senator Ayotte wants funding for the US Military, primarily the US Coast Guard, to end the trafficking routes. She called it 'interdiction.' Her focus is to move beyond the recording of these routes, but, to end the danger to Americans.
Her vision would change the US Coast Guard and put them in harms way. If this is to go forward, which it should, the US Coast Guard is going to need better equipment including body armor. The US Military will have to rethink the strategies for the US Coast Guard and the best methods to carry out interdiction. The country also has not heard any debate on the US Senate floor about this change in status of the US Coast Guard.
I thought Senator Ayotte was correct. It would move the USA from passive ocean observation, to interdiction to end the dangers. It is an attempt to end addiction before it even begins. It has merit and needs to be tried. There is no doubt it would be a war.
General Dunford stated it would be the US Coast Guard to take on this challenge. General Dunford would have to redirect training including what is involved in a seaman/woman falling into the ocean wearing body armor. I think that issue will result in technology that will change the weight of such equipment with new materials.
Last week while attending a Senate oversight committee hearing Senator Ayotte brought a question in regard to trafficking of drugs as well as other dangers to the American people.
Senator Ayotte stated the USA military is aware of the trafficking routes of drug cartels. These routes are also used to traffic other dangerous materials. Senator Ayotte wants funding for the US Military, primarily the US Coast Guard, to end the trafficking routes. She called it 'interdiction.' Her focus is to move beyond the recording of these routes, but, to end the danger to Americans.
Her vision would change the US Coast Guard and put them in harms way. If this is to go forward, which it should, the US Coast Guard is going to need better equipment including body armor. The US Military will have to rethink the strategies for the US Coast Guard and the best methods to carry out interdiction. The country also has not heard any debate on the US Senate floor about this change in status of the US Coast Guard.
I thought Senator Ayotte was correct. It would move the USA from passive ocean observation, to interdiction to end the dangers. It is an attempt to end addiction before it even begins. It has merit and needs to be tried. There is no doubt it would be a war.
General Dunford stated it would be the US Coast Guard to take on this challenge. General Dunford would have to redirect training including what is involved in a seaman/woman falling into the ocean wearing body armor. I think that issue will result in technology that will change the weight of such equipment with new materials.
An 18 year old is on a crusade about the Pledge of Allegiance. It is a non-issue.
May 20, 2016
By Paula Mitchell
...Zierler, (click here) who has only been on the board since January, said members often disagree on things like applications or zoning codes and said he views the Pledge of Allegiance as an “external” that would create further uneasiness.
By Paula Mitchell
...Zierler, (click here) who has only been on the board since January, said members often disagree on things like applications or zoning codes and said he views the Pledge of Allegiance as an “external” that would create further uneasiness.
The four planners who voted in favor of a motion not to say the pledge were Zierler, Lagusta Yearwood, Michael Calimano, the chairman, and Lyle Nolan, the vice chair.
Those who voted to say the pledge were Tom Powers, Adele Ruger and Amy Cohen.
Cohen, an 18-year resident of New Paltz and owner of the Groovy Blueberry clothing store, first brought the issue before the board in October.
The former village mayoral candidate has served on many town and village committees as well as the Police Commission, where she was instrumental in getting that board to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
“All the (police) officers like it when we say the pledge, and a lot of it is out of respect for our veterans,” Cohen said.
“I was feeling non-governmental not saying the pledge on the planning board. It didn’t feel right, so I put it on the agenda last October, but I was accused of bringing this up during New Paltz supervisor election to shake things up. My intention was just to say the pledge....
Cruz is a liar for his own purposes. President Obama will be meeting with dissidents.
March 17, 2016
During his two-day trip to Cuba next week,President Obama will meet with dissidents (click here) and young entrepreneurs, attend a state dinner with Cuban President Raúl Castro and even catch a baseball game, the White House announced Wednesday.
Ben Rhodes stressed that Obama will not meet with Raúl's older brother, Fidel Castro , the now ailing leader of the Cuban Revolution who stepped down as president in 2008....
During his two-day trip to Cuba next week,
Traveling with first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Sasha and Malia , the president will start his trip soon after landing Sunday with a walking tour of Old Havana, where they'll see historic buildings that make up the city's core. At a church there, Obama will meet with Cardinal Jaime Ortega , who helped facilitate the months-long, secret negotiations that led to the U.S. and Cuba agreeing to re-establish diplomatic relations.
On Monday, the president will have a working meeting with Castro, who will host the first family for a state dinner. White House Deputy National Security Adviser
March 21, 2016
Surgeons are to implant a woman with an ovary frozen (click here) when she was a child so that she can become a mother, in a world first.
The British case involves a woman of 23, who had her ovary removed and frozen at the age of 8.
If treatment succeeds, Moaza Alnatrooshi will be the first woman in the world to become pregnant after having an ovary frozen before the onset of puberty.
A breakthrough would give hope to thousands of other girls who are unable to conceive because their reproductive organs have been damaged by treatment for cancer and other diseases.
Last year doctors in Belgium revealed that they had managed to restore the fertility of a young woman using frozen ovary tissue which had been removed when she was 13. The 28-year-old woman, whose tissue was taken and frozen before she began chemotherapy as a teenager, gave birth to a healthy baby boy in November 2014....
A reality rarely affiliated with New Zealand.
March 21, 2016
Sixty-one. (click here) It's the number of children who have died as a result of non-accidental injuries in New Zealand in the last 10 years.
Their names are scars on a shameful landscape of child abuse - Chris and Cru Kahui who would have turned 10 today, Nia Glassie, JJ Ruhe-Lawrence, Jyniah Te Awa.
Thirty-one of those young ones were violently assaulted. They were kicked, punched, thrown, stomped or bashed to the point of death.
New Zealand has the fifth worst child abuse record out of 31 OECD countries and on average a child is killed here every five weeks.
In the last half of 2015, Child Youth and Family had recorded 8800 cases of proven child abuse and neglect.
In the same period, the agency received 76,041 "reports of concern" about suspected child abuse or neglect which included 34,226 referrals from police....
The dissidents are very important people, expressing their desire for a different kind of freedom.
It had to be a security issue. There are very strong feelings and President Obama's family's security came first. Neither Cuba or the USA wanted an incident by chance. It was important to secure the streets. Unfortunately, it means peaceful protesters were among those removed from their regular protest march. Unfortunately, it meant Palm Sunday was occurring on the same day Air Force One was landing.
Their message is still important.
March 20, 2016
By Mimi Whitefield
Their message is still important.
March 20, 2016
By Mimi Whitefield
Havana - As they have for 46 straight Sundays, (click here) the dissident Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White) marched quietly along the Cuban capital's Fifth Avenue - This time with fronds in their hands to mark Palm Sunday.
Their plea was the same as always: respect for human rights and universal amnesty for all political prisoners. But the timing of their march — just hours before President Barack Obama’s plane touched down at Jose Martí International Airport — gave their protest a different context.
And initially, it seemed as if perhaps the glare of the world media — journalists outnumbered protesters — might keep them safe from the usual routine of arrests and short-term detention.
It was not to be....
The Rooster
Okeydoke
March 16, 2016
By Elisabeth Perlman
Calls for the removal and repatriation of bronze cockerel statue have been heard.
Jesus College, (click here) Cambridge removed a bronze cockerel statue from its main hall on Tuesday, and will consider repatriating it to west Africa in the aftermath of widespread student protests. In 1930, Captain George William Neville, a former British Army officer bequeathed the Benin bronze, known as an "Okukor", to the College. After a punitive British naval expedition in 1897, the cockerel was among thousands of artworks stolen from the Benin empire, located in what is now southern Nigeria.
Last month, Jesus College students submitted an 11-page document entitled “Proposal to Repatriate Benin Bronze’ during a meeting on the status of the sculpture. Ore Ogunbiyi told the meeting : “We spoke to a bronze repatriation expert who said that grown men cried after the return of pieces in 2014.”
The Jesus College Students’ Union voted in favor of the motion to send back the statue, known as Okukor, “to its place of origin, ” a royal palace in Nigeria, arguing that the looted sculpture represented Britain’s colonial past. However, the Okukor has symbolic significance; the College coat of arms features three black cockerels....
"Good Night, Moon"
12.6 days old
94.8 percent lit (Not quite a full moon)
Below is a recent eclipse.
The memories from last night’s inflight entertainment will last a lifetime. We adjusted flight #870 from Anchorage to Honolulu just so our passengers could catch the solar eclipse from 35,000 feet. Experience it for yourself in this video from Mike Kentrianakis / American Astronomical Society.Full story on our blog: http://bit.ly/1UNYZbi
Posted by Alaska Airlines on Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Sunday, March 20, 2016
This is the end of the Kyoto Protocol, next week the Annexes.
Article 26
No reservations (qualification to an expression of agreement or approval) may be made to this Protocol.
There is no pre-qualification for a country or organization to ratify the protocol.
Article 27
1. At any time after three years from the date on which this Protocol has entered into force for a Party, that Party may withdraw from this Protocol by giving written notification to the Depositary.
2. Any such withdrawal shall take effect upon expiry of one year from the date of receipt by the Depositary of the notification of withdrawal, or on such later date as may be specified in the notification of withdrawal.
3. Any Party that withdraws from the Convention shall be considered as also having withdrawn from this Protocol.
Self-explanatory.
On December 15, 2011, (click here) the Government of Canada officially notified the UNFCCC that Canada would exercise its legal right to formally withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol. To fulfill its obligations under the Protocol, Canada would have had to purchase a significant and costly amount of international credits using funds that could be invested here, in Canada, on domestic priorities, including the environment....
Article 28
The original of this Protocol (click here), of which the Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian
and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the
United Nations.
DONE at Kyoto this eleventh day of December one thousand nine hundred and
ninety-seven.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, being duly authorized to that effect, have
affixed their signatures to this Protocol on the dates indicated.
The USA disappointed the global community on this day. I sincerely believe the USA lost some of it's luster.
No reservations (qualification to an expression of agreement or approval) may be made to this Protocol.
There is no pre-qualification for a country or organization to ratify the protocol.
Article 27
1. At any time after three years from the date on which this Protocol has entered into force for a Party, that Party may withdraw from this Protocol by giving written notification to the Depositary.
2. Any such withdrawal shall take effect upon expiry of one year from the date of receipt by the Depositary of the notification of withdrawal, or on such later date as may be specified in the notification of withdrawal.
3. Any Party that withdraws from the Convention shall be considered as also having withdrawn from this Protocol.
Self-explanatory.
On December 15, 2011, (click here) the Government of Canada officially notified the UNFCCC that Canada would exercise its legal right to formally withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol. To fulfill its obligations under the Protocol, Canada would have had to purchase a significant and costly amount of international credits using funds that could be invested here, in Canada, on domestic priorities, including the environment....
Article 28
The original of this Protocol (click here), of which the Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian
and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the
United Nations.
DONE at Kyoto this eleventh day of December one thousand nine hundred and
ninety-seven.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, being duly authorized to that effect, have
affixed their signatures to this Protocol on the dates indicated.The USA disappointed the global community on this day. I sincerely believe the USA lost some of it's luster.
Now is not the time to feel pessimistic. Now is the time to lean into climate.
Countries should be monitoring each other's progress. The commitments are important and support to achieve them or more should be a matter of international morality. Recognition of achievements by countries and people alike should be center stage. Every country should be doing it's part.
16 March 2016
By John Vidal
Falling coal use in China (click here) and the US and a worldwide shift towards renewable energy have kept greenhouse gas emissions level for a second year running, one of the world’s leading energy analysts has said.
16 March 2016By John Vidal
Falling coal use in China (click here) and the US and a worldwide shift towards renewable energy have kept greenhouse gas emissions level for a second year running, one of the world’s leading energy analysts has said.
Preliminary data for 2015 from the International Energy Agency (IEA) showed that carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector have levelled off at 32.1bn tonnes even as the global economy grew over 3% .
Electricity generated by renewable sources played a critical role, having accounted for around 90% of new electricity generation in 2015. Wind power produced more than half of all new electricity generation, said the IEA....
Article 25
1. This Protocol shall enter into force on the ninetieth day after the date on which not less than 55 Parties to the Convention, incorporating Parties included in Annex I which accounted in total for at least 55 per cent of the total carbon dioxide emissions for 1990 of the Parties included in Annex I, have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.
The calculation for Kyoto Protocol was a bit simplistic. It asked for 55 percent of carbon dioxide to be considered enough for ratification. But, 45 percent was still unmitigated. Among that 45 percent was the USA which has been and continues to be the biggest greenhouse gas polluter on Earth. As other countries lowered their carbon footprint, others didn't even try to contain it.
Kyoto Protocol was expected to have participation by the USA. The USA at the time the protocol was developed in Japan was a moral participate on a global stage. Greenhouse gas emissions was considered and still is more than ever a moral issue for the global community. When the USA did not ratify the protocol the rest of the world could not understand. They still don't understand why it took until 2015 for the USA to be the moral leader is has always been, especially in environmental matters.
2. For the purposes of this Article, “the total carbon dioxide emissions for 1990 of the Parties included in Annex I” means the amount communicated on or before the date of adoption of this Protocol by the Parties included in Annex I in their first national communications submitted in accordance with Article 12 of the Convention.
The carbon dioxide was recorded after Russia was the final country to bring a total of 55 percent to bear in eliminating high amounts of CO2 from Earth's troposphere.
Yes, Russia. Russia became a moral leader for Kyoto, not the USA. It was large enough and able to sequester carbon dioxide in it's vast northern forests.
22 October 2004
By Nick Paton Walsh
The Russian parliament yesterday (click here) voted to ratify the Kyoto treaty, bringing the international climate change protocol to within months of coming into effect.
The lower house of the parliament, or duma, yesterday voted 334-73 to approve the treaty. This means that the protocol's 126 signatories have eight years to cut their emissions of six greenhouse gases to 5.2% below their 1990 levels.
The treaty needs 55 industrialised nations, representing 55% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, to sign it before it can come into effect.
The United States, responsible for 36% of emissions in 1990, and Australia, have already refused to sign up to the measure, meaning Russia had to ratify the treaty to save it from collapse. The move will be seen as a sign that Moscow is keen to curry favour with Brussels after the bruising attacks on human rights abuses by the EU in recent months....
The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February 2005.
Just less than eight years had passed from the time it was adopted to the point where it came into force. That was a long time and such length in ratification was not anticipated. The member countries that first adopted Kyoto expected quick ratification with the USA included. Eight years later after unmitigated pollution there was more CO2 than expected and the USA was not interested in ending it's pollution. The people. The average citizen made sacrifices and acted to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions than the US government would pass as law. It was all greed, all the time and the world was not to be considered as important over a Bush economy and an illegal.
3. For each State or regional economic integration organization that ratifies, accepts or approves this Protocol or accedes thereto after the conditions set out in paragraph 1 above for entry into force have been fulfilled, this Protocol shall enter into force on the ninetieth day following the date of deposit of its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.
4. For the purposes of this Article, any instrument deposited by a regional economic integration organization shall not be counted as additional to those deposited by States members of the organization.
3 and 4 of article 25 are self-explanatory.
1. This Protocol shall enter into force on the ninetieth day after the date on which not less than 55 Parties to the Convention, incorporating Parties included in Annex I which accounted in total for at least 55 per cent of the total carbon dioxide emissions for 1990 of the Parties included in Annex I, have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.
The calculation for Kyoto Protocol was a bit simplistic. It asked for 55 percent of carbon dioxide to be considered enough for ratification. But, 45 percent was still unmitigated. Among that 45 percent was the USA which has been and continues to be the biggest greenhouse gas polluter on Earth. As other countries lowered their carbon footprint, others didn't even try to contain it.
Kyoto Protocol was expected to have participation by the USA. The USA at the time the protocol was developed in Japan was a moral participate on a global stage. Greenhouse gas emissions was considered and still is more than ever a moral issue for the global community. When the USA did not ratify the protocol the rest of the world could not understand. They still don't understand why it took until 2015 for the USA to be the moral leader is has always been, especially in environmental matters.
2. For the purposes of this Article, “the total carbon dioxide emissions for 1990 of the Parties included in Annex I” means the amount communicated on or before the date of adoption of this Protocol by the Parties included in Annex I in their first national communications submitted in accordance with Article 12 of the Convention.
The carbon dioxide was recorded after Russia was the final country to bring a total of 55 percent to bear in eliminating high amounts of CO2 from Earth's troposphere.
Yes, Russia. Russia became a moral leader for Kyoto, not the USA. It was large enough and able to sequester carbon dioxide in it's vast northern forests.
22 October 2004
By Nick Paton Walsh
The Russian parliament yesterday (click here) voted to ratify the Kyoto treaty, bringing the international climate change protocol to within months of coming into effect.
The lower house of the parliament, or duma, yesterday voted 334-73 to approve the treaty. This means that the protocol's 126 signatories have eight years to cut their emissions of six greenhouse gases to 5.2% below their 1990 levels.
The treaty needs 55 industrialised nations, representing 55% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, to sign it before it can come into effect.
The United States, responsible for 36% of emissions in 1990, and Australia, have already refused to sign up to the measure, meaning Russia had to ratify the treaty to save it from collapse. The move will be seen as a sign that Moscow is keen to curry favour with Brussels after the bruising attacks on human rights abuses by the EU in recent months....
The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February 2005.
Just less than eight years had passed from the time it was adopted to the point where it came into force. That was a long time and such length in ratification was not anticipated. The member countries that first adopted Kyoto expected quick ratification with the USA included. Eight years later after unmitigated pollution there was more CO2 than expected and the USA was not interested in ending it's pollution. The people. The average citizen made sacrifices and acted to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions than the US government would pass as law. It was all greed, all the time and the world was not to be considered as important over a Bush economy and an illegal.
3. For each State or regional economic integration organization that ratifies, accepts or approves this Protocol or accedes thereto after the conditions set out in paragraph 1 above for entry into force have been fulfilled, this Protocol shall enter into force on the ninetieth day following the date of deposit of its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.
4. For the purposes of this Article, any instrument deposited by a regional economic integration organization shall not be counted as additional to those deposited by States members of the organization.
3 and 4 of article 25 are self-explanatory.
The air is dry. The dew point map at the bottom of the entry shows an interior USA with very little water vapor.
Current Temperature Map
20 March 2016
1445 GMT
The swing in temperatures over the USA today is absolutely ridiculous, with the exception of Florida because it is surrounded by ocean on three sides.
The Weather Channel
Current Temperature Map20 March 2016
2345 GMT
The change in temperature over southern California and Arizona is astounding.
March 20, 2016
By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist
A portion (click here) of the southern United States will face the return of severe thunderstorms and flooding downpours at midweek.
By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist
A portion (click here) of the southern United States will face the return of severe thunderstorms and flooding downpours at midweek.
The severe weather will erupt as a cold front slices into the surge of warmth set to bring a dramatic upswing in temperatures during the first half of this week.
The warmth will erase the frost and freeze threat closing out the weekend.
Without water vapor the change in temperature is rapid. Water vapor is the buffer that provides for comfortable climate. The olive green color over most of the USA is near the 'very dry' side. The coastal areas of comfortable, but, not very humid at all.
Without water vapor the change in temperature is rapid. Water vapor is the buffer that provides for comfortable climate. The olive green color over most of the USA is near the 'very dry' side. The coastal areas of comfortable, but, not very humid at all.
Article 24
1. This Protocol shall be open for signature and subject to ratification, acceptance or approval by States and regional economic integration organizations which are Parties to the Convention. It shall be open for signature at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 16 March 1998 to 15 March 1999. This Protocol shall be open for accession from the day after the date on which it is closed for signature. Instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession shall be deposited with the Depositary.
Simply where and when a party can find the Protocol and sign it having ratified it within the government of the country or otherwise.
2. Any regional economic integration organization which becomes a Party to this Protocol without any of its member States being a Party shall be bound by all the obligations under this Protocol. In the case of such organizations, one or more of whose member States is a Party to this Protocol, the organization and its member States shall decide on their respective responsibilities for the performance of their obligations under this Protocol. In such cases, the organization and the member States shall not be entitled to exercise rights under this Protocol concurrently.
The USA recognizes regional economic integration organizations under Title 15, Commerce and Trade, Section 88, International Antitrust Enforcement Assistance.
An example:
The European Union (EU), (click here) through the European Community (EC), is the only regional organisation that has the declared policy to pursue both the objectives of economic growth and environmental protection.
The organization can decide how best to address their commitment, but, no one state can act alone.
3. In their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, regional economic integration organizations shall declare the extent of their competence with respect to the matters governed by this Protocol. These organizations shall also inform the Depositary, who shall in turn inform the Parties, of any substantial modification in the extent of their competence.
The decisions an organization such as the EU makes in regard to compliance with the Protocol is to be reported to the Depositary. And, is the organization able (competent) to carry out such compliance. Basically, will one or more country of the organization strike out on it's own and even refuse to cooperate.
1. This Protocol shall be open for signature and subject to ratification, acceptance or approval by States and regional economic integration organizations which are Parties to the Convention. It shall be open for signature at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 16 March 1998 to 15 March 1999. This Protocol shall be open for accession from the day after the date on which it is closed for signature. Instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession shall be deposited with the Depositary.
Simply where and when a party can find the Protocol and sign it having ratified it within the government of the country or otherwise.
2. Any regional economic integration organization which becomes a Party to this Protocol without any of its member States being a Party shall be bound by all the obligations under this Protocol. In the case of such organizations, one or more of whose member States is a Party to this Protocol, the organization and its member States shall decide on their respective responsibilities for the performance of their obligations under this Protocol. In such cases, the organization and the member States shall not be entitled to exercise rights under this Protocol concurrently.
The USA recognizes regional economic integration organizations under Title 15, Commerce and Trade, Section 88, International Antitrust Enforcement Assistance.
An example:
The European Union (EU), (click here) through the European Community (EC), is the only regional organisation that has the declared policy to pursue both the objectives of economic growth and environmental protection.
The organization can decide how best to address their commitment, but, no one state can act alone.
3. In their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, regional economic integration organizations shall declare the extent of their competence with respect to the matters governed by this Protocol. These organizations shall also inform the Depositary, who shall in turn inform the Parties, of any substantial modification in the extent of their competence.
The decisions an organization such as the EU makes in regard to compliance with the Protocol is to be reported to the Depositary. And, is the organization able (competent) to carry out such compliance. Basically, will one or more country of the organization strike out on it's own and even refuse to cooperate.
The Ozone Holes are expanding at both the north and south poles.
Nacreous clouds, sometimes called mother-of-pearl clouds, are rare but once seen are never forgotten. They are mostly visible within two hours after sunset or before dawn when they blaze unbelievably bright with vivid and slowly shifting iridescent colours. They are filmy sheets slowly curling and uncurling, stretching and contracting in the semi-dark sky. Compared with dark scudding low altitude clouds that might be present, nacreous clouds stand majestically in almost the same place - an indicator of their great height.
They need the very frigid regions of the lower stratosphere some 15 - 25 km (9 -16 mile) high and well above tropospheric clouds. They are so bright after sunset and before dawn because at those heights they are still sunlit.
They are seen mostly during winter at high latitudes like Scandinavia, Iceland, Alaska and Northern Canada. Sometimes, however, they occur as far south as England. They can be less rare downwind of mountain ranges. Elsewhere their appearance is often associated with severe tropospheric winds and storms.
Rare nacreous clouds over Belfast, Ireland, recently.
February 10, 2016
By Eric Hand
They need the very frigid regions of the lower stratosphere some 15 - 25 km (9 -16 mile) high and well above tropospheric clouds. They are so bright after sunset and before dawn because at those heights they are still sunlit.
They are seen mostly during winter at high latitudes like Scandinavia, Iceland, Alaska and Northern Canada. Sometimes, however, they occur as far south as England. They can be less rare downwind of mountain ranges. Elsewhere their appearance is often associated with severe tropospheric winds and storms.
February 10, 2016
By Eric Hand
Lingering atmospheric (click here) pollutants and a blast of frigid air have carved an unusually deep hole in Earth’s protective ozone layer over the Arctic, and it threatens to get deeper. Atmospheric scientists are analyzing data from weather balloons and satellites for clues to how the ozone will fare when sunlight—a third factor in ozone loss—returns to the Arctic in the spring. But they are already worrying about how extra ultraviolet light might affect humans and ecosystems below and wondering whether climate change will make such Arctic holes more common or severe.
Record cold temperatures in the Arctic stratospheric ozone layer, 15 to 35 kilometers up, are the proximate cause for this year’s losses, because they help to unleash ozone-destroying chemicals. “This winter has been stunning,” says Markus Rex, an atmospheric chemist at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Potsdam, Germany. By next week, about 25% of the Arctic’s ozone will be destroyed, he says.
This time of year, the stratosphere tends to warm up with the breakdown of the polar vortex, a cyclone that traps cold air. But if a strong vortex persists another month as light returns to the Arctic after the dark winter, ozone losses will get much bigger, Rex says. Conditions are ripe for losses to surpass a record Arctic ozone hole observed in the spring of 2011, he adds.
At Earth’s surface, ozone is a caustic chemical and a health hazard. But in the stratosphere, it shields the planet from ultraviolet light.
Article 22
1. Each Party shall have one vote, except as provided for in paragraph 2 below.
2. Regional economic integration organizations, in matters within their competence, shall exercise their right to vote with a number of votes equal to the number of their member States that are Parties to this Protocol. Such an organization shall not exercise its right to vote if any of its member States exercises its right, and vice versa.
There is no double vote, numbers of state votes by the organization as well as the vote of the state autonomously.
Article 23 The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall be the Depositary of this Protocol.
1. Each Party shall have one vote, except as provided for in paragraph 2 below.
2. Regional economic integration organizations, in matters within their competence, shall exercise their right to vote with a number of votes equal to the number of their member States that are Parties to this Protocol. Such an organization shall not exercise its right to vote if any of its member States exercises its right, and vice versa.
There is no double vote, numbers of state votes by the organization as well as the vote of the state autonomously.
Article 23 The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall be the Depositary of this Protocol.
2015 Antarctica Ozone Hole
By NASA
The 2015 Antarctic ozone hole (click here) area was larger and formed later than in recent years, said scientists from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
On Oct. 2, 2015, the ozone hole expanded to its peak of 28.2 million square kilometers (10.9 million square miles), an area larger than the continent of North America. Throughout October, the hole remained large and set many area daily records. Unusually cold temperature and weak dynamics in the Antarctic stratosphere this year resulted in this larger ozone hole. In comparison, last year the ozone hole peaked at 24.1 million square kilometers (9.3 million square miles) on Sept. 11, 2014. Compared to the 1991-2014 period, the 2015 ozone hole average area was the fourth largest.
Article 21 continued...
4. The Parties shall make every effort to reach agreement on any proposed annex or amendment to an annex by consensus. If all efforts at consensus have been exhausted, and no agreement reached, the annex or amendment to an annex shall as a last resort be adopted by a three-fourths majority vote of the Parties present and voting at the meeting. The adopted annex or amendment to an annex shall be communicated by the secretariat to the Depositary, who shall circulate it to all Parties for their acceptance.
It erases controversy. There is nothing to say scientists always agree. Their studies are mostly held at different places on the planet. But, scientific principle is defined with little confusion or disagreement. Where there is disagreement, the principle is run through tests by repeating research to establish facts by reconstructing the study(ies). The three quater's vote is reassurance that nothing will change until consensus is clear.
5. An annex, or amendment to an annex other than Annex A or B, that has been adopted in accordance with paragraphs 3 and 4 above shall enter into force for all Parties to this Protocol six months after the date of the communication by the Depositary to such Parties of the adoption of the annex or adoption of the amendment to the annex, except for those Parties that have notified the Depositary, in writing, within that period of their non-acceptance of the annex or amendment to the annex. The annex or amendment to an annex shall enter into force for Parties which withdraw their notification of non-acceptance on the ninetieth day after the date on which withdrawal of such notification has been received by the Depositary.
Six months after an agreement regarding an annex or amendment has to pass until it is enforced. It provides time for everyone to be notified. Kyoto Protocol is a structured scientific agreement to reduce greenhouse gases in the troposphere. There has to be consistent standards for it's success. It is rather grueling to make changes to the protocol and/or annexes. Rightfully so.
Even after there is a vote to accept an annex or amendment there is still the autonomy to refuse (non-acceptance) same.
There is also a provision for those that withdraw their refusal. After there is a reversal of position the annex or amendment will go into effect 19 days following.
Scientists have the right to feel confident about their decisions and the practice of their science.
6. If the adoption of an annex or an amendment to an annex involves an amendment to this Protocol, that annex or amendment to an annex shall not enter into force until such time as the amendment to this Protocol enters into force.
Really wordy stuff, huh? Amendments carry more weight than an annex or an amendment to the annex. So, if an annex OR an amendment to an annex INVOLVES AN AMENDMENT TO THE PROTOCOL, the amendment has to enter into effect BEFORE the annex and amendment effecting the amendment can take effect.
If A + B = C; A has to be in place before B can be added to equal a full understanding in C. (A) Amendment to Protocol. (B) annex or amendment to an annex. (C) the desired and complete definition. B cannot be placed before A is added, otherwise there would be no clear definition to C.
7. Amendments to Annexes A and B to this Protocol shall be adopted and enter into force in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 20, provided that any amendment to Annex B shall be adopted only with the written consent of the Party concerned.
Reading of Annexes A and B to follow.
It erases controversy. There is nothing to say scientists always agree. Their studies are mostly held at different places on the planet. But, scientific principle is defined with little confusion or disagreement. Where there is disagreement, the principle is run through tests by repeating research to establish facts by reconstructing the study(ies). The three quater's vote is reassurance that nothing will change until consensus is clear.
5. An annex, or amendment to an annex other than Annex A or B, that has been adopted in accordance with paragraphs 3 and 4 above shall enter into force for all Parties to this Protocol six months after the date of the communication by the Depositary to such Parties of the adoption of the annex or adoption of the amendment to the annex, except for those Parties that have notified the Depositary, in writing, within that period of their non-acceptance of the annex or amendment to the annex. The annex or amendment to an annex shall enter into force for Parties which withdraw their notification of non-acceptance on the ninetieth day after the date on which withdrawal of such notification has been received by the Depositary.
Six months after an agreement regarding an annex or amendment has to pass until it is enforced. It provides time for everyone to be notified. Kyoto Protocol is a structured scientific agreement to reduce greenhouse gases in the troposphere. There has to be consistent standards for it's success. It is rather grueling to make changes to the protocol and/or annexes. Rightfully so.
Even after there is a vote to accept an annex or amendment there is still the autonomy to refuse (non-acceptance) same.
There is also a provision for those that withdraw their refusal. After there is a reversal of position the annex or amendment will go into effect 19 days following.
Scientists have the right to feel confident about their decisions and the practice of their science.
6. If the adoption of an annex or an amendment to an annex involves an amendment to this Protocol, that annex or amendment to an annex shall not enter into force until such time as the amendment to this Protocol enters into force.
Really wordy stuff, huh? Amendments carry more weight than an annex or an amendment to the annex. So, if an annex OR an amendment to an annex INVOLVES AN AMENDMENT TO THE PROTOCOL, the amendment has to enter into effect BEFORE the annex and amendment effecting the amendment can take effect.
If A + B = C; A has to be in place before B can be added to equal a full understanding in C. (A) Amendment to Protocol. (B) annex or amendment to an annex. (C) the desired and complete definition. B cannot be placed before A is added, otherwise there would be no clear definition to C.
7. Amendments to Annexes A and B to this Protocol shall be adopted and enter into force in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 20, provided that any amendment to Annex B shall be adopted only with the written consent of the Party concerned.
Reading of Annexes A and B to follow.
The Mendanhall Glacier is in Juneau, Alaska. Or better said, what's left of it.
December 16, 2015
By AP
U.S. Forest Service (click here) officials have awarded 15 companies with lucrative rights to bring tourists into the Mendenhall Glacier National Recreation Area.
The Juneau Empire reports that among the companies announced Friday are Admiralty Excursions, World Cycling Tours and Alaska Weddings on Ice, which allows couples to get married on top of the glacier.
The Forest Service manages the Mendenhall area to support about 465,000 tourists each year.
The agency changed the way it offers its permitted “service days” to Juneau tour providers this summer by soliciting requests for its 239,000 service days. A service day is one tourist visiting the glacier for one day. The agency received almost 640,000 requests spread among 18 companies.
The Forest Service selected companies based on several factors, including their past performance and application quality.
I think most tourists will be having a difficult time finding the top of the glacier this year.
I think most tourists will be having a difficult time finding the top of the glacier this year.
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