Monacco

Monaco has a 2018 population of 38,897 according to the latest estimates from the UN's World Population Prospects.

2018 Population Rank	214
2018 Growth Rate	0.52%
Density	19255.94/km²
Area	2.02 km²
Capital City	Monaco
Region	Europe
Subregion	Western Europe

GDP per capita (current US$)

The latest value for GDP per capita (current US$) in Monaco was $162,010 as of 2011. Over the past 41 years, the value for this indicator has fluctuated between $192,989 in 2008 and $12,480 in 1970.

Definition: GDP per capita is gross domestic product divided by midyear population. GDP is the sum of gross value added by all resident producers in the economy plus any product taxes and minus any subsidies not included in the value of the products. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or for depletion and degradation of natural resources. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Source: World Bank national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files.

France (including Monaco) Fossil-Fuel CO2 Emissions (click here)

Trends

The fossil-fuel CO2 emissions history of France is striking in that emissions have declined since 1979. France's emissions since 1979 reflect modest decline in petroleum use and marked decline in coal use. Fossil-fuel CO2 emissions in 1950 were 82% from coal. By 2008, only 13.0% of emissions were from coal consumption. Carbon dioxide emissions from petroleum products have declined 33% since 1979 but still account for 59.9% of France's 103 million metric tons of carbon released due to fossil-fuel combustion and cement production for 2008. France continues to increase use of natural gas. In 2008, CO2 emissions from natural gas consumption are estimated at 25 million metric tons of carbon or 27.9% of France's total emissions. France made a major commitment to nuclear power, and nuclear power generation grew rapidly from ca. 1975 until it contributed 76% of total electricity generation in 1987. France is a net exporter of electricity. Extensive use of nuclear power has clearly curtailed fossil fuel-related CO2emissions from France. Per capita emissions have declined steadily since the 1970s to present levels near 1.7 metric tons per French person.

I was outdoors when this hit. I immediately ran for the Jeep.

While I was safe, the damage this weather system caused brought repair crews of all kinds out to the area for days. There was no driving. The rain was dense and the wind unpredictable. Near where I was parked an electrical transformer was thrown to the ground. There was blue light and sparks everywhere. No fire started, but, no crew could respond immediately. It took about an hour to have the electricity to the transformer turned off. I went back to see what was done with it and the repair crews had three trucks on it to reassemble the electric infrastructure. 

The rain sounded like a river. If anyone knows how well insulated Jeeps are, it is easy to understand the intensity of this storm. I could hear the rain falling around me and on the roof of the Jeep and it sounded like a river was flowing past me. I was in higher elevation than the surrounding area so I knew the water would not accumulate, but, I have to question if the torrent of rain could actually build up enough to cause flooding that would dissipate rather quickly. I was concerned about many things as this storm transpired. I was grateful when the severe front passed by (It was discernible on radar. Yes, I could still receive NOAA radar on their app. Amazing), but, there was still rain. If I was on lower ground it would have flooded.

I do not recommend being out and about in these storms. They are too unpredictable.

August 28, 2018
By Mark Torregrossa 

A line of severe (click here) thunderstorms is expected to develop in Wisconsin this afternoon and move across Lower Michigan this evening and tonight. You may have heard this type of severe weather called "straight-line" winds. In the case of tonight, the severe weather could be an altered form of straight-line winds we meteorologists call a QLCS, or Quasi-Linear Convective System. It might be a new term for you.

The difference is a QLCS can often form brief tornadoes along the line of storms. Typically a straight-line wind event won't have any tornadoes....

...These isolated brief tornadoes that form in a QLCS are not photogenic. In fact, they aren't visible. You won't be able to stand out on your porch and watch a tornado. First off, if they happen tonight, it will be 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. and dark. But the tornadoes are also rain-wrapped. What you experience is a two-phase severe weather event. You would be hit by a strong gust of wind as the thunderstorm starts. Then the rain really picks up and the wind intensifies. Finally the wind driven rain is blowing horizontal and coming from various directions. It's a short lasting event, only a minute or two....

Monaco is a great country. Their recognition of the climate crisis proves they realize the place where people need to direct their attention.

Principality of Monaco national contribution
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
- 29 July 2015 - 

1. Preamble (click here) 

The Principality of Monaco is a city state of 203 hectares. Its diversified economy is based primarily on services, construction, tourism and the banking sector. It is an enclave of France, located 10 kilometres from the Italian border.

The topography of the Principality comprises a mountainous cirque dropping down to the Mediterranean Sea. The country’s entire territory is urbanised, and forms the centre of an economic urban area which also includes neighbouring French towns.

The resident population is 37,000, while a further 40,000 people cross the border every day to work in the Principality.

Since his accession in 2005, H.S.H. Prince Albert II has made protecting the environment a priority of his Government’s policy, at both the national and international levels.

The Principality of Monaco ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 20 November 1992 and the Kyoto Protocol on 27 February 2006.

Having signed up to Annex 1 of the Convention with a commitment to reduce emissions by 8% compared with 1990 during the first period of the Kyoto Protocol, the Principality has fulfilled its obligations, reducing emissions by 13.18% compared with 1990.

Monaco continued its commitment by agreeing to the Doha Amendment on 27 December 2013. The country’s target for the second period of the Kyoto Protocol is to reduce emissions by 22% on average over the period 2013–2020.

At the Climate Summit convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 23 September 2014, H.S.H. Prince Albert II recalled the target that the Principality of Monaco set itself to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2020 and 80% by 2050, compared with the reference year, while achieving carbon neutrality by that date.

Aware that the challenge of reducing emissions is very much a collective one, the Principality of Monaco would like to offer its full support to the joint effort. The country’s hope is that through the commitment of all Parties, it will be possible to achieve the target consistent with restricting the average rise in global temperatures to less than 2°C compared with pre-industrial levels, and if possible, to less than 1.5°C.

Superpod Of Common Dolphins In Monterey Bay (click here for article - thank you)

This is sort of old news, but, interesting. The park is opening in Hawaii again. At the time this video was taken by the Aquarium, there had been a seismic event in Hawaii. I have to wonder if the seismic activity of Hawaii is causing this mass migration to California.

September 9, 2018

On Saturday, Puʻu ʻŌʻō crater experienced a series of small collapses (click here) which produced episodes of visible brown plume throughout the day.

The plumes were most prominent at about 10:30 a.m. HST, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports (the activity was also reported across social media). The collapses generated “small tilt offsets and seismic energy recorded by nearby geophysical instruments,” the scientists say, although the events “had no discernible effect on other parts of the rift, though we will continue to monitor for longer-term changes.”

Puʻu ʻŌʻō is located on the middle East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano between the summit and the lower East Rift Zone where recent fissure eruptions destroyed over 700 homes. The Puʻu ʻŌʻō vent has been quiet ever since a huge collapse occurred at the end of April and lava evacuated downrift, preceding the May 3 eruption in Leilani Estates....

August 30, 2018

By Tony Davis

...With her startup, (click here) Terre de Monaco, Jessica Sbaraglia aims to transform the roofs, terraces and balconies of Monte Carlo into as many organic fruit and vegetable plantations. Monaco, on the two km2 of the principality, this micro-state is one of the densest urban areas in the world: only a few hundred square meters of gardens, squares and roundabouts have escaped the stone and concrete, but the flat roofs have several thousand m2: an ideal surface for bins and planters to grow raspberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, radishes, herbs, beans, chickpeas and other rarer or older varieties .. The whole concept has been designed with a priority given to ecology, and even the bins come from certified forest woods.

"Try this," suggests Jessica Sbaraglia, (click here) a thirtysomething ex-model who single-handedly controls a wealthy European nation's entire agricultural sector.

I tentatively put the bright purple flower to my lips. It's from a plant from South Africa and tastes like garlic. Sbaraglia points to several rows of other edible flowers. Around us there are also 30 types of tomato and an array of vegetables, neatly arranged in 50 centimetres of soil – on the roof of the Monte-Carlo Bay Casino.

Sbaraglia controls all of Monaco's farming because until she set to work with her bucket and trowel two years ago, no one thought it worth growing food on the world's most expensive land. She studied Google Maps' satellite view to locate the few flat spaces in the tiny principality that were not in use, and then set about changing that situation. This site is 400 square metres; other plots on private land cover a further 1100 square metres.

The overall impact of this hyper-local, all-organic approach is minuscule. "We take five months to grow tomatoes. In the commercial sector, they take six weeks," says Sbaraglia, yet her Terre de Monaco company is part of something much bigger. This tiny tax haven on the Mediterranean, the world's second-smallest country (behind Vatican City) and probably the richest city-state in history, wants to be the greenest place on earth....

A new finding for soils.

Abstract

01 August 2018
Nature 560, 233-237 (2018)

Authors - Mohammad Bahram, 

Falk Hildebrand, 

Sofia K. Forslund, 

Jennifer L. Anderson, 

Nadejda A. Soudzilovskaia, 

Peter M. Bodegom, 

Johan Bengtsson-Palme, 

Sten Anslan, 

Luis Pedro Coelho, 

Helery Harend, 

Jaime Huerta-Cepas, 

Marnix H. Medema, 

Mia R. Maltz, 

Sunil Mundra, 

Pål Axel Olsson, 

Mari Pent, 

Sergei Põlme, 

Shinichi Sunagawa, 

Martin Ryberg, 

Leho Tedersoo & 

Peer Bork 

"Structure and function of the global topsoil microbiome" (click here)

Soils harbour some of the most diverse microbiomes on Earth and are essential for both nutrient cycling and carbon storage. To understand soil functioning, it is necessary to model the global distribution patterns and functional gene repertoires of soil microorganisms, as well as the biotic and environmental associations between the diversity and structure of both bacterial and fungal soil communities. Here we show, by leveraging metagenomics and metabarcoding of global topsoil samples (189 sites, 7,560 subsamples), that bacterial, but not fungal, genetic diversity is highest in temperate habitats and that microbial gene composition varies more strongly with environmental variables than with geographic distance. We demonstrate that fungi and bacteria show global niche differentiation that is associated with contrasting diversity responses to precipitation and soil pH. Furthermore, we provide evidence for strong bacterial–fungal antagonism, inferred from antibiotic-resistance genes, in topsoil and ocean habitats, indicating the substantial role of biotic interactions in shaping microbial communities. Our results suggest that both competition and environmental filtering affect the abundance, composition and encoded gene functions of bacterial and fungal communities, indicating that the relative contributions of these microorganisms to global nutrient cycling varies spatially.

September 22, 2011

By Josh Lew

...Green-minded travelers (click here) who want to cross this famous city-state off their wish list can find enough eco-friendliness to create a low-impact itinerary. Monaco is also ideal for tourists whose idea of a perfect vacation is wandering by foot from upscale neighborhoods like Monte Carlo to Old World streets like those found in the Monaco Ville district to the rural landscapes and historic villages on the French side of the border....

...Go green

Driving is not advisable in Monaco. Sure, you'd love to rent a two-seater and take on the winding, hilly roads of the Cote d'Azur, but parking in Monaco is difficult. Since it covers such a small area, the principality can be negotiated easily on foot. Changes in elevation pose some issues for pedestrians who want to avoid strenuous walks. However, Monaco's public escalators and elevators , placed in especially steep high-traffic areas, can make it easier to arrive at your destination without breaking a sweat....

Sleep green

Some of the largest, most glamorous hotels in Monaco are making strides toward sustainability. The Hotel Metropole and Fairmont Monte Carlo have both launchedsustainability programs aimed at conserving water and energy. The Fairmont aids organizations and groups in making their conferences and events greener. The Metropole has a Green Committee made up of hotel employees who devise and implement energy-, water- and waste-reduction strategies. Another high-end property, Le Meridian Monte Carlo, has taken steps to make the environment as important as luxury. Guests have the option of reusing linens, and energy saving measures such as not turning on television and lighting before a guest arrives, have given this notoriously luxurious property a greener tint....

...Eat green

It is possible to get your ingredients very close to the source in Monaco at markets. The Marche de Monte Carlo and Marche de la Condamine are open daily and have stalls selling fresh produce, bakery, deli and dairy products....

...See green

Monaco's showcase museum is the Oceanographic Museum. Perched on a hilltop in Monaco's Old Town, overlooking the Mediterranean, it has been in operation for a century and enjoyed a long association with famed ocean explorer and conservationist Jacques Cousteau. The museum features marine history and includes skeletons and artifacts from the sea. A huge on-site aquarium houses everything from seahorses and starfish to sharks, manta rays and squid....

Also to note in Monaco are the famed "Umbrella Girls" or "Grid Girls."

April 5, 2018

Leave it to Monaco to defy Formula 1. (click here)

In a statement issued on Thursday to F1i.com, Michel Boeri, president of the Automobile Club de Monaco, said so-called “grid girls” will be present on the starting line during the Monaco Grand Prix next month, apparently the result of a deal.

The announcement came in direct opposition to F1 parent company Liberty Media Corp., which announced last year that it would abolish the practice of using young female hostesses during F1 events.

“We’ve had no problems with Liberty Media, except for the grid-girl issue,” said Boeri. “They’re pretty, and the cameras will be on them once again.”

News of the initial “no-grid-girl” ruling had caused deep divisions among spectators and enthusiasts. Some saw it as long overdue in a dated, dying sport that objectifies and commoditizes women, while others considered it a knee-jerk reaction to appease draconian standards of political correctness in the current #MeToo cultural climate....

It's Sunday Night

Princess Charlene of Monaco

Charlene Lynette Wittstock born 25 January 1978) is Zimbabwean-South African former Olympic swimmer and wife of Prince Albert II.

The Princess was born in Bulawayo, Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe), the daughter of Michael and Lynette Wittstock, and the family relocated to South Africa in 1989. Charlene represented South Africa at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, with her team finishing fifth in the 4 × 100 metre medley relay. Charlene retired from competitive swimming in 2007.

Charlene met Prince Albert at the Mare Nostrum swimming competition in Monte Carlo, Monaco, in 2000. They were first seen together in 2006, and Princess Charlene has accompanied Prince Albert on many of his official duties since then. They announced their engagement in June 2010, and were married on 1 July 2011. The Princess's pregnancy was announced on 30 May 2014. On 10 December 2014, she gave birth to fraternal twins Princess Gabriella and Hereditary Prince Jacques.

National Anthem: Monaco - Hymne Monégasque

This is Monaco's current official lyrics:

Despoei tugiù, sciü d'u nostru paise
Se ride aù ventu, u meme pavayun
Despoei tugiù a curù russa e gianca
E stà l'emblèma d'a nostra libertà
Grandi e piciui, l'an sempre respetà

Forever, in our land,
One flag has flown in the wind
Forever, the colours red and white
Have symbolised our liberty
Great and small [people] have always respected them.

Amu ch'üna tradiçiun,
Amu ch'üna religiun,
Amu avüu per u nostru unù
I meme Principi tugiù
E ren nun ne scangera
Tantu ch'u suriyu lüjerà;
Diu sempre n'agiüterà
E ren nun ne scangera

We have perpetuated the same traditions;
We celebrate the same religion;
We have the honour
To have always had the same Princes
And no one can make us change
As long as the sun shines in the sky
God help us
And no one can ever make us change
No one.

According to the Russians, Israeli strikes weaken Assad and harm his attempts to end the Syrian conflict

Liars. If the Syrian civil war was going to be ended by Assad it would have happened a long time ago.

This is about Hezbollah. So, basically, Assad is saying it needs Hezbollah to end the civil war. Hezbollah is a threat to Israel. The idea is not workable.

The Russian plane in question is a special mission surveillance aircraft. It was not scrambling to meet Israeli jet fighters. The plane was on a surveillance run. That changes things.

It was a Cold War Soviet-era llyushin lL-20 (click here). The USA has some very old aircraft as well. This particular aircraft is not armed for battle. This is a unique loss to Russia as there were only 10 produced.

This engagement of Israeli jets was for national defense. No one can say any differently. The error belongs to Syria. This has nothing to do with the Israeli mission that is obviously one that was for their national security. The Syrian air defense should have known this plane was in the air conducting surveillance. This is not Israeli's problem.

To begin, Israel was not going to notify anyone of their plans to destroy munitions headed for Hezbollah. The Russians would have notified Assad or someone in their military and the military would have moved the munitions or moved against the Israeli jets and the country's national defense would be in the balance. Israel is not engaged in a formal war with Syria and certainly not Russia.

I will state it again. Syria is beyond any real outcome to this civil war. The killing needs to stop and there needs to be support for the people and their right to return. This is a war of attrition and is in a spiral into an oblivion of any citizens. There is nothing and will be nothing but combat militias that will war with each other forever. It is dangerous for the region to allow this to continue as well as a loss to the people of Syria.

If there were a clear understanding of the course forward for Syria, which means the end of killing. The borders need to be secure and the people need to migrate back into the country as corridors of safety are established. There is no other reasonable way forward for Syria. The killing must stop and a return of the people must begin with governance by an authority that is benevolent and able to carry out such reassurances and guarantees to the people.

This incident clearly proves the danger that exists in the region because Syria is a failed state.

September 23, 2018

The Russian Defense Ministry (click here) presented its investigation on Sunday into the downing of a Russian aircraft over Syria last week. In a report detailing the circumstances surrounding the incident, Russia accused Israel of deliberately misleading Russia on its planned airstrikes, preventing the plane in question from moving to a safe place on time.

Fifteen Russian airmen were killed when the Ilyushin 20 airplane was mistakenly shot down by Syria's air defenses soon after an Israeli strike near the Syrian coastal city of Latakia. The Israel Air Force attacked a facility inside Syria containing systems to manufacture precision rockets for Iran and Hezbollah.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that "it looks like a chain of tragic circumstances, because the Israeli plane didn't shoot down our jet." However, the Russian Defense Ministry placed the blame entirely on Israel on Sunday, presenting a number of claims that contradict the Israeli explanations of the events leading to the downing of the plane....

Case in point from 2015:

...Political analyst, (click here) Taleb Ibrahim, told RT that it’s almost certain that Al-Nusra Front is behind the shelling of Latakia.

“It’s not the first time Al-Nusra Front is bombing Latakia or launching missiles at civilians in that city. Moreover, Al-Nusra Front tried to make a lot of explosions by cars inside this city,” he said.

According to the analyst, Al-Nusra Front is the second largest group currently fighting the Syrian government.

It has less manpower than Islamic State, but its troops are much better trained, having experience of fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries, he added.

Dr. Ibrahim also said that the US claims of training so-called moderate rebels in Syria are “only a fable.”

“There are no moderates” is Syria, he stressed, adding that even the Western-backed Free Syrian Army is nothing, but “a military arm of the Muslim Brotherhood,” an Egyptian Islamist organization....

These small militias are not capable of governance. They are only capable of killing. That is not going to bring about governance, it will only continue the hostilities.

Autumn Equinox happens at 9:45 PM tonight.

Day and Night World Map (click here)

September 22, 2018

By Sebastian Kettley

The Autumn Equinox (click here) marks the first day of astronomical autumn in the northern hemisphere and the start of spring in the south.

In the UK, the equinox will start just before 3am on Sunday morning, September 23.

The equinox will start when the Sun positions itself directly over the Earth’s equator – an event which only occurs twice throughout the year.

Astrologers who have studied the celestial movements of the planets and the stars believe this could have a significant impact on your horoscope in the days to come....

Israel has a right to defend itself and guess what Trump said...

September 20, 2018
By Judah Ari Gross

An Israeli military delegation (click here) held a number of high-level meetings with Russian officials in Moscow on Thursday in an effort to defuse tensions over the downing of a Russian plane off the coast of Syria during an Israeli airstrike earlier in the week.

The Israeli officials, led by air force chief Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin, showed their Russian counterparts the Israel Defense Forces’ initial investigation of the incident, which the army said showed Syria, not Israel, to be responsible for the downing of the Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft and its 15 crew members....

...Donald Trump said "...it was sad...." Sad. Israeli jets were in Syria on a mission to end the transfer of serious weapons to Hezbollah (this defense posture with Hezbollah and Syria's assistance within it's territory is not new) and Trump addresses the Russian jet as being "very sad." Trump is incompetent. 

What is a Russian jet doing in the proximity of Israeli jets and then a Syrian missile is in the air intended for an Israeli jet. I guarantee you Syria didn't know the Israeli jets were there until the explosion of munitions intended for Hezbollah on a Syrian military base. Yet in no time there is a Russia jet in the air and a Syrian missile at the same time. There is a lot in questions here.

No one wants Israel to become aggressive at the borders to Syria, but, that has to be set aside if Syria, Iran and Hezbollah are in cooperation over munitions and military hardware. This is the reason there needs to be a summit and an end demanded to any hostilities. When incidents like this occur the details have to be sorted out. It would be better, especially if deaths are occurring if there simply was a clear understanding the fighting and dying in Syria will end.

What if the Russian jet fired on an Israeli jet? What if the Syrian missile destroyed or brought down an Israeli jet? The entire situation would be different and there would be war chants instead of meetings about friendly fire. This is not acceptable. Syria is unstable, it's defenses are questionably sufficient and the mischief with Syria and Iran is something even Russia cannot control. I doubt Russia knew about the Hezbollah shipment, yet it's jet was air bound for Israeli jets. None of this is acceptable and Trump is very sad. 

The United Nations desperately needs to summit and bring about a plan to end the fighting and dying and recover Syria to a state of stability and peace for the people. Iran cannot continue to escalate the hostilities in the region, including with the Houthis. 

September 18, 2018

11:05 p.m.

President Donald Trump (click here) is expressing concern about a Russian plane that was shot down over Syria.

Trump, appearing at a White House news conference with the president of Poland on Tuesday, called it a "very sad thing" and said it was "not a good situation."

But the president also said that the United States has done a "tremendous job" battling the Islamic State group in Syria. He went on to suggest that the nation's mission there was "very close to being finished."

The Russian plane was believed to be shot down by the Syrian regime's anti-aircraft fire....

I might add Iran denies any supply of missiles to the Houthis. This is from "Sputnik," a Russian media outlet.

...Responding to the collection of claims on Sunday, (click here) IRGC commander Mohammad Ali Jafari said that it was ridiculous to suggest that Iran could send any weapons, and particularly advanced ones such as missiles, to a country that's been subjected to a Saudi coalition blockade for nearly three years....

Ending a dangerous regime such as Daesh is not an excuse for a greater war. This needs a summit. The end of these conflicts are not the least in sight.

...As for the real source of the weapons, the senior officer said that Yemen has a sufficient stockpile of its own missiles, which the Houthi rebels have successfully "overhauled."...

Any so called proof presented by the USA has to be received in speculation of tampering as was evident from the Iraqi invasion under George W. Bush. The parties involved in these conflicts have to end their hostilities and conditions for the people have to improve with disarmament of any groups that cannot bring about a secure sovereign state.

How serious is sexual assault? Some women need service dogs to help with the emotional damage.

September 22, 2018
by Adelina Lancianese

Leigh Michel with Lizzy, her service dog, attracts more attention than the average shopper while shopping for groceries.

Guiding her cart down an aisle (click here) of a Virginia grocery store, Leigh Michel attracts more attention than the average shopper.

"Do you know where the dog food is?" one man asks her. This kind of attention makes her uneasy.

"No, I don't," Michel answers. "Sorry."

The man assumes Michel would know the answer because her service dog, an English black Labrador named Lizzy, is walking at her side.

He's not the only shopper watching Michel and Lizzy.

Some skirt around them in the bread aisle ("Oh she won't bite," Michel assures one woman) and others ignore the boundaries of typical service dog decorum near the condiments.

"Is she friendly?" another man asks, reaching out to pet Lizzy and launching into a story about his mother's service chihuahua.

Michel indulges him briefly, tells him to have a good day, and moves on.

"Without [Lizzy], I wouldn't even be talking to the cashier," Michel says as she approaches the checkout.

"So I guess she's actually kind of my trainer, getting me to talk to people."...

North Carolina is a disaster area.

The death count is inching higher every day as the flooding continues. The University of North Carolina, the Wilmington Campus has been closed until further notice.

Duke Energy always denies any pollution before the truth comes out and they are ONCE AGAIN creating health problems in North Carolina.

September 21, 2018
By Stephanie Ebbs

Duke Energy (click here) says a dam at a power plant in Wilmington, North Carolina has been breached, raising concerns that water contaminated with byproducts of burning coal could flow into the Cape Fear River.

Duke says ponds that store solid byproducts of burning coal that can contaminate waterways with substances like mercury and arsenic, known as coal ash, are submerged but they believe stable and not releasing ash into the river.

But a spokeswoman also said they cannot rule out that coal ash was released and will continue to monitor the situation....

'Fahrenheit 11/9' - David Hogg, Michael Moore - The Critics are raving about this film.

The White House of Cards.

There is nothing but liars in the Trump White House. It never stops. I might note that Rove was the same way when he had to appear before a grand jury. He testified somewhere in the neighborhood of seven times in order to prevent a perjury charge. They can't be trusted. Either they are assaulting women or seeking greed through the power of the USA or lying to hide it. Enough of the GOP, their supposed decent reputation as a party never existed, except through their rhetoric and big spending ads. The Republican Party cannot be trusted.

KT McFarland, (click here) a top official on President Donald Trump's transition team, said in an email last December that they should reassure Russia, which she said had just "thrown the U.S.A. election" to Trump....

Her husband is an investment banker. She has been highly critical of President Obama while his administration was engaged in developing the "Iran Deal." They don't care about the country, they care about their own agenda of wealth and power. Republicans aren't trustworthy in any way, especially with the national debt of the USA.

September 22, 2018

By John Bowden

Foreign policy expert and former Sen. Joseph Lieberman said McFarland is "one of our country's most experienced, informed and wise foreign policy and national security experts."

Former top White House official K.T. McFarland (click here) has reportedly revised her statement to the special counsel's office about her knowledge of former national security adviser Michael Flynn's Russian contacts.

McFarland made the revision after her reported testimony to Robert Mueller's investigators —stating that she never talked to Flynn about his discussions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak about sanctions — was contradicted by Flynn's guilty plea last year, The Washington Post reports.

“On that call, Flynn and [McFarland] discussed the U.S. sanctions, including the potential impact of those sanctions on the incoming administration’s foreign policy goals,” read a line in Flynn's plea agreement....

...McFarland's nomination to be ambassador to Singapore was derailed late last year over similar issues after Democrats and some Republicans raised concerns about contradictions between Flynn's guilty plea and her testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who sits on the panel, at the time called the apparent contradiction between McFarland's testimony and Flynn's plea "alarming."

"Recent developments suggest that Ms. McFarland gave false testimony to the

United States Senate on a matter as significant as communications between the Russian government and the Trump transition team,” he said in a statement in December....

No surprise here. More proof the GOP does not care about women.

While Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich engaged in an extramarital affair, same with Bob Livingston and Dennis Hastert was indicted on charges of illegally structuring $1.7 million payments to cover up sexual misconduct with a former student. The GOP is more offensive to women in one way or another than any party in history. And now, in the White House, is the Commander and Chief of sexual impropriety, pedophilia and adultery. When is this going to end?

September 22, 2018
By Heidi Przybyla

Washington - A press adviser (click here) helping lead the Senate Judiciary Committee’s response to a sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has stepped down amid evidence he was fired from a previous political job in part because of a sexual harassment allegation against him.

Garrett Ventry, 29, who served as a communications aide to the committee chaired by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, had been helping coordinate the majority party's messaging in the wake of Christine Blasey Ford’s claim that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her 36 years ago at a high school party. In a response to NBC News, Ventry denied any past "allegations of misconduct."

After NBC News raised questions about Ventry's employment history and the sexual harassment allegation against him, Judiciary Committee Spokesman Taylor Foy replied in a statement: "While (Ventry) strongly denies allegations of wrongdoing, he decided to resign to avoid causing any distraction from the work of the committee."...