Flood waters cover corn crop along the Missouri River

June 1, 2007

Dexter, Kansas

Photographer states :: Grouse Creek main channel on east side of K-15 bridge out of it's banks.

...Part of the water on his farm came from a levee break near Big Lake and the rest of the flooding occurred when he had to shut the flood gates on internal drainage and the creeks started to back up.
Bailey estimates that in Holt County, Mo., 52,500 acres of corn were underwater and 31,250 acres that were not planted yet were underwater. Ninety-eight percent of the planted acres are a total loss.
Wayne Crook, University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist in Chariton County, estimated they had 50,000 acres underwater along the Missouri River and 15,000 flooded along the Chariton River.
"The wheat is a total loss, but the corn may be replanted because of the fertilizer and chemical they have already applied," Crook said. "We had not really planted any soybeans yet."
Because of the levee breaks in western portions of the Missouri River, Crook did not expect to see much flooding east of Chariton County....

Tornado causes $2.7 million in infrastructure damage

June 2, 2007

Muscatine, Iowa

Photographer states :: Remains of the farm: curved roof of porch lands near overturned camper which was in the furthest away barn. The 8 triangular wedges, intact pieces of the turret, are scattered northeast of the house.

The Incompetent Republicans - No double jeopardy either. They are free to go.

"Illegal Enemy Combatant"

...Military lawyers here said the same flaw would affect every other potential war crimes case here. The ruling, the latest in a history of legal setbacks for the government’s effort to bring war-crimes charges against detainees, appeared to raise far-reaching questions, because it involved central principles of detention procedures....


Military tribunals are about war, not civil liberties. These 'detainees' are POWs in a "Global War on Terror." Detainee is just a fancy word for it. Osama bin Laden would be a prisoner of war just like any of the others. Unlike what occurred with Ramzi Yousef and the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing Trials, Bush 'created' a new system that is formualted to victimize people. We all know it. The USA has never had such incompetent leadership. When is someone going to impeach Bush and Cheney. This is an outrage. There was nothing "W"rong with trying those responsible before, now there isn't even a competent method of trying people Bush claims is so dangerous they have to be sequestered on Gitmo. What next?


Judges Uphold Convictions In '93 Bombing (click here)
By BENJAMIN WEISER
Published: April 5, 2003
A federal appeals panel in Manhattan yesterday upheld the convictions of Ramzi Ahmed Yousef in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and a 1994 plot to blow up a dozen American airliners as they flew across the Pacific.
The 186-page ruling, issued by a unanimous three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, also rejected Mr. Yousef's claim that his sentence of life plus 240 years violated the ban on cruel and unusual punishments.
The Eighth Amendment forbids only extreme sentences that are ''grossly disproportionate'' to the crime, the court said, adding, ''Yousef's sentence, even if well beyond his life expectancy, is not 'grossly disproportionate' to his crimes.''
The 1993 trade center attack, led by Mr. Yousef, killed six people and injured more than 1,000. The airline conspiracy, which was hatched in Manila, was not carried out, but a bomb placed on a Philippine Airlines jetliner in a test run resulted in the death of a Japanese passenger. ''I am a terrorist, and I am proud of it,'' Mr. Yousef proclaimed when he was sentenced in 1998.
The Manila plot has received increased attention since the capture of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, an aide to Osama bin Laden who is suspected of helping to mastermind the Sept. 11 attacks....

...“a sad sack” and “not a Grade A terrorist.”...

President Kennedy spoke at American University's Spring Commencement on June 10, 1963. In this speech Kennedey called on the Soviet Union to work with the United States to achieve a nuclear test ban treaty and help reduce the considerable international tensions and the specter of nuclear war at that time. (click here)

Put it into context. Don't let the Culture of Fear runaway with emotions. Keep it in check.

What do we know about the nurturing of terrorists? They require impoverishment and anger over it to faciliate this type of plot. Where have we seen impoverishment in this phenomena before?

In Miami...with whom?...four homeless men.

In New Jersey...with whom?...low income men.

and now in New York...with whom?...impoverished angry men and this time one is so angry because he has been displaced from his homeland and status as leader.

Hello?

Let's just say the FBI is doing it's job, but, in all honesty whom do we have here? And what was their capcity to carry out these attacks? Do we see a trend? Yeah. What has to happen now? Seriously? What has to happen here? Besides the FBI doing their job. We have to return to a set of standards that removes (and here is 'that' word again) 'the impetus' from agendas of hate. How do we do that? By engaging in illegal wars and exploitive foreign policy? No. Do we leave Iraq? Yes. Do we do this stupid stuff again? No. What a feather in 'Allah' cap it would be to destroy the devil killing Muslims in Iraq by destroying still another venue of the American Landscape. Were we ever in serious danger from this plot? No. Why? Because the infrastructure is done right. There is always a possiblity that a fuel line can explode with or without the 'impetus' of a terrorist. So there were safeguards all along the way that would have prevented such a plot from manifesting. Have a better day.

...Oil industry experts said safety shut-off valves would almost assuredly have prevented an exploding airport fuel tank from igniting all or even part of the network....

...Four men, including a onetime airport cargo handler and a former member of the Parliament of Guyana, were charged yesterday with plotting to blow up fuel tanks, terminal buildings and the web of fuel lines running beneath Kennedy International Airport....

...They said the men had also traveled repeatedly to Guyana and Trinidad in recent months, seeking the blessing and financial backing of an extremist Muslim group based in Trinidad and Tobago called Jamaat al-Muslimeen, which was behind a bloody coup attempt in Trinidad in 1990....

...One law enforcement official played down Mr. Defreitas’s ability to carry out an attack, calling him “a sad sack” and “not a Grade A terrorist.” Comparing the case with the plot in which a group of men were arrested last month on charges of planning to attack soldiers at Fort Dix in New Jersey, the official said the New Jersey plotters “were a bit further along.”...



Islamic suspects face charges in alleged terror plot in NY (click here)
...The fourth suspect, Abdel Nur, also a Guyanese citizen, is believed to be hiding in Trinidad and Tobago, Paul said, though US officials said they believed he was at large in Guyana.
Defreitas was alleged to have said in a conversation recorded by an US agent who had infiltrated the group that blowing up the airport would have been of great symbolic importance and like killing late US president Kennedy again.
"Any time you hit Kennedy, it is the most hurtful thing to the United States," he was alleged to have said. "They love John F. Kennedy like he's the man.... If you hit that, this whole country will be in mourning.
"It's like you can kill the man twice."

Sweethearts. These men are real sweethearts. Anything that creates long standing impressions on the USA psychi.

...later...

So what does America's future look like?

Will it be a nation of promise and peace with bands of citizen groups taking control of the country and it's new jobs in energy and car plants. Or will it be a never ending war?

Providence, Rhode Island is among the youngest in demographics of all the cities of the USA. If one pays attention to the 'art focus' of Providence, including it's 75% hispanic population, it is obvious what type of economy is revealing.

We had The Industrial Revolution

We had The Service Economy

The future for cities such as Providence is an economy of 'self-expression' whereby local shopkeepers and artisans are a sense of 'consistent' economy through unique talents.

As Americans we have the power to take back your country and provide economies that are realistic and work for us while securing our nation. Being independant of corporations has a huge dividend in national security. Think about it.

Community Development Corporations can 'take back' our country rather than stranding it's people

When communities have control over their planning they have control over their economy. What type of power source will these homes receive? Whom will build the new power source and whom will be employed to maintain it?

In a recent statement, Bernanke the new Fed Chairman, said, "The housing market will only affect the housing sector and nothing else."

That was a statement regarding the impacts of the American Housing Bubble on corporations. It was not a statement regarding the future of Americans. The average citizen is inconsequential to the corporate ambitions of the Bush Administration. No different than the lives of the Iraqi people were before Bush invaded that country illegally.

The focus of the Bush Oval Office is, simply put, business.

To a homeowner with hopes and dreams, including the education of their children, all a part of their monthly mortage, a statement like that is hideous to consider because 'affect the housing sector' is all average people have in their lives. To lose a house/home to bankruptcy is a demoralization of a life's longed for achievement, not just a matter of business. I can't tell you how much a statement made such as that of Bernanke hits home in a very big way to the profound advocacy for misplaced trust.

While Wall Street racks up record totals daily, the average American whom 'bought into' the Bush strategy to secure their future, today finds themselves worse off for the trying. It's time for Americans to take control of their cities and life destinations. People like Bernanke play to the 'big money' liquidators whom would rather sell homes to immigrants with ready cash than the American public.

I personally don't find this revitalized building a superior example of 'The Best' Providence has to offer by a CDC

An example of a CDC with longevity is "The Elmwood Foundation" (click here).

There are a number of CDCs throughout Rhode Island. (click here)

The City of Providence has a department of the local government dedicated to city planning and facilitating a 'theme' throughout all the efforts of it's citizens to bring about grandeur.

Link is here.

Why bring this up now? Why point to a city plan that actually has a city growing in the face of skyrocketing home foreclosures? Because the people in leadership don't care about the 'methods' of regrowth for America.

continued...

What does a talented person do with an employment check?

Unemployment Insurance Marks 70 Years Of Helping The Unemployed (click here)

Okay, so one person receiving unemployment benefits cannot change her/his world, but, what if there were ten people unemployed/underemployed. Ten talented people with an idea to build housing while creating jobs. Store fronts even. How about an entire village? Can it be done? You betcha. Quite literally, a bricklayer, architect, electrician, dry wall hanger, etc. Are you getting the picture? A community of people engaged in Community Development Corporations that retake their country by building affordable communities.

How do Americans with little vision as to what to do actually take back their country out of the hands of carpetbagger corporations that robbed our treasury, children of their futures, jobs, lives of dignity and peace and properity?

How?

They organize. They create coalitions and elect people into office at the very localist of levels that can make it happen.

That's how. It's called city planning and today Providence, Rhode Island is a burgeoning city of promise, beauty and function. The intricacies in revitalizing the neighborhoods of Providence were CDCs and people that found purpose in bringing a city back to life.

Here's where it gets a little 'corny.'

Community Development Corporation - The legalese of it all. But, what truly is a CDC.

What is a CDC?

The term CDC refers to a type of non-profit entity known as a "community development corporation". Although there is no established legal definition for CDCs, they are characterized by their community based leadership and their work primarily in housing production and/or job creation. This is what differentiates them from other types of non-profit groups.

CDCs are formed by residents, small business owners, congregations and other local stakeholders to revitalize a low and/or moderate income community. CDCs typically produce affordable housing and create jobs for community residents. Jobs are often created through small or micro business lending or commercial development projects. Some CDCs also provide a variety of social services to their target area.

According to a national census of CDCs conducted by NCCED in 1998, there are an estimated 3,600 such groups across the United States. Since the emergence of the first CDCs in the late 1960s, they have produced 247,000 private sector jobs and 550,000 units of affordable housing.

How do we become a CDC?

A CDC is legally the same as any other non-profit entity organized under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Local residents that are interested in forming a CDC should get together and develop a set of by-laws, file for incorporation with their state government and once that is completed apply to the federal Internal Revenue Service for designation as a tax exempt non-profit organization. The IRS designation is necessary in order for your organization to obtain grants and gifts from any government, corporate, foundation sources or from individuals.

There is no national entity that certifies an organization as a CDC. In some states, Massachusetts and Minnesota for example, an organization must meet certain requirements in order to receive state funding as a CDC. Federal programs that fund CDCs are scattered among many different agencies and each program has its own eligibility criteria.

A little background information and the potential reach of 'the power of the people.'

Bush's job approval rating is at an all time low. Why? Because he believes that corporations are more important than Americans. CDCs are not corporations in the 'sense' we think of corporations as huge, profiteering entities providing little more than expoitation of a workforce while padding the pockets of stockholders that pander to CEOs that return them wealth.

CDCs are best applied to small projects with big returns. I personally see limited use of CDCs because they should be a focus and not a career. CDCs when completed with a project should consider desolving rather than aspiring to a 'mission' beyond what they were really designed, and that is of a corporation for non-profit.


Bush Job Approval Ratings Remain Unchanged (click here)
George W. Bush's overall job approval rating and the rating of his handling of the economy remain unchanged from April according to the latest survey from the American Research Group.
Among all Americans, 31% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 64% disapprove. When it comes to Bush's handling of the economy, 31% approve and 62% disapprove.
Among Americans registered to vote, 31% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 64% disapprove. When it comes to the way Bush is handling the economy, 32% of registered voters approve of the way Bush is handling the economy and 62% disapprove.
A total of 62% of Americans rate their personal financial situations as excellent, very good, or good, which is down from 78% in April, but like last month when ratings went up, Bush's job approval ratings have not moved with the economic ratings.
The results presented here are based on 1,100 completed telephone interviews conducted among a nationwide random sample of adults 18 years and older. The interviews were completed May 18 through 21, 2007. The theoretical margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points, 95% of the time, on questions where opinion is evenly split.

First, the controversy. The corruption of a former Mayor of Providence does not necessarily involve legitimate CDCs.

Providence Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci Jr. "showcases" the Providence skyline in this October 1998 photo in Providence, R.I. Cianci, known for his efforts in revitalizing Providence from a dying city to a major tourist attraction, his very own marinara sauce, coffee and olive oil, and his jail term for pleading no contest to beating his ex-wife's lover, has a state-wide, all-time high approval rating of 75 percent. Cianci is set to be released during the week of May 28, 2007 to a halfway house in Boston and is expected to return to his hometown of Providence in the future. (AP Photo/Matt York, file)

Regardless his crime, Vincent Cianici, Jr. will be credited with revitalizing Providence, Rhode Island. A resident of the city stated when asked about their former mayor, "He was probably the right man for the job, considering the job that needed to be done." The point here is that while corruption was an issue for Providence, there were also dedicated citizens with the intent that Providence would return to luster and with a little luck a better luster than it ever had before. That should put 'the issue' of former Mayor Cianci to rest.

It's Saturday Night

"Sally's Pigeons" by Cyndi Lauper

When I was eight I had a friend
With a pirate smile
Make believe and play pretend
We were innocent and wild
Hopped a fence and slammed the gate
Running down my alleyway
In time to watch Sally's pigeons fly

We loved to watch them dive and soar
Circle in the sky
Free as a bird from three to four
And never knowing why
Neighbors pulled their wash back in
Put away my Barbie and Ken
Look out overhead
While Sally's pigeons fly

I had a fool's confidence
That the world had no boundaries
But instincts and common sense
Come in different quantities

My heart began to
Skip to the beat
Of the boy next door
She had her eye across the street
On someone shy and tall
We lived our dreams
And challenged fate
In tears she told me she was late
And Sally let his pigeons out to fly...

On the dresser sits a frame
With a photograph
Two little girls in ponytails
Some twenty one years back
She left one night with just a nod
Was lost from some back alley job
I close my eyes and Sally's pigeons fly
She never saw those birds again
And me, I can't remember when
A pirate smile hasn't made me cry
I close my eyes
And Sally's pigeons fly...

I am going to take a look at Community Development Corporations and the important role they can play in reclaiming America and returning a nation to cutting edge productivity. There is no better city that has benefitted from extensive planning including these non-profit corporations than Providence, Rhode Island.

I plan to continue the review of journalism. I just want it to be right. I would like to see the USA preserve it's heritage in the newsprint of the country while protecting it's freedom of speech and so that end I want to direct time and correctness to what may have to be a legal stand to protect our press now and in the future.

Greenhouse gas emissions rising (1990 is the target goal for Kyoto)

With Bush words speaks louder than action. In his latest 'dodge' of responsiblity for deadly climate change Bush attempts to dismantle Kyoto by over reaching it and proposing a new 'scheme' that will lay blame on the 'Group of 8 plus 7' while the USA maintains it's escalating emission posture.

Per square mile, the USA is a glut of greenhouse gases compared to any other nation on Earth. Russia has the largest land mass, China and India the largest populations, yet, the USA continues to miss the mark in accepting responsiblity of it's lavish lifestyles that kill people globally from Human Induced Global Warming leading to Climate Change.

Bush Seeks New International Framework on Climate Change (click here)
Washington – The United States will work with other countries to establish a new international framework to address global climate change once the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.
Under an initiative unveiled May 31 by President Bush, 10 to 15 countries that consumer the most energy and emit the largest quantities of greenhouse gases would discuss a post-Kyoto arrangement at international meetings convened initially by the United States.
By 2009, at the end of the first phase, the countries would set a long-term global goal for reducing emissions that contribute to global climate change and establish related national mid-term energy security and environmental goals and strategies based on the nations’ individual characteristics.
Bush said a strong and transparent system for measuring countries’ performance must be an essential element of the new plan.
Under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, industrialized countries committed to make specific cuts in emissions of gases such as carbon dioxide that contribute to global warming. The cuts are made primarily through a “cap-and-trade” mechanism in which nations set industry caps on emissions and then allow emitters to buy or sell emissions credits to meet targets.
The United States has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, which it believes can constrain economic growth and will achieve little because it does not include countries in the developing world such as China and India that emit large quantities of greenhouse gases....

Razing the World - 12 hour loop click here

June 1, 2007
1930z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of the north and west hemisphere

Tropical Storm Barry weakens into tropical depression (click here)
Matt Sedensky
The Associated Press
Posted June 2, 2007, 3:13 PM EDT
MIAMI -- Tropical Storm Barry weakened into a tropical depression as it moved through Tampa Bay on Saturday and residents gave thanks for the mild storm and the rains it brought to the drought-parched state.Dry conditions in Florida have left Lake Okeechobee at its lowest recorded level and allowed an isolated brush fire on the Georgia-Florida border to burn for weeks. The storm was expected to drop 3 to 6 inches of rain on parts of the state Saturday. Isolated areas could get up to 10 inches of rain.
A meteorologist with the National Weather Service said the rain would not be enough to alleviate the drought conditions. But fire officials were hoping the rain would have an effect on the flames."We're hoping several of these fires will not be a problem anymore," said the Florida Division of Forestry's Mike Newell. "It's too early to tell right now. Everybody's basically waiting for the rain to stop to go out and see what's going on."In some areas along Florida's west coast, boat owners anchored down crafts or pulled them out of the water and one resident said he moved lawn furniture inside, but the storm had little effect. By the afternoon, fisherman and recreational boaters had taken to the Homosassa River."This is a blessing," said Bob Buning, an employee at MacRae's Bait Shop in Homosassa. "We needed this rain really bad."...


June 2,2007
1930z
UNISYS water vapor satellite of north and west hemisphere. "Barry" was literally a tropospheric wave of moisture from the equator as noted here. It 'broke over' when it reached the beach.



June 2, 2007
1930z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite

No matter whether one is watching HD or regular TV the image is still the same.






This is an actual satellite photo of the Human Induced Global Warming system currently trapped under a blanket of carbon dioxide.









June 2, 2007




1830z




Infrared Satellite from UNISYS









The question literally facing the USA is whether or not it's leadership cares about them or other populous globally which are affected by the environmentally destabilizing carbon dioxide the USA produces.











June 2, 2007
Editorial





Hot Enough in Here? (click here)





Michael Griffin, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is renowned for speaking bluntly so it was no surprise when he stuck his foot in his mouth during a recent interview. The disturbing element is that he may have inadvertently revealed one reason the space agency has been cutting back on satellite missions to study global warming.





In an interview with National Public Radio, Mr. Griffin acknowledged that global warming is happening but then, remarkably, suggested that it might not be a problem — or at least one that had to be fixed. “I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with. To assume that it is a problem is to assume that the state of Earth’s climate today is the optimal climate,” he said, adding that he wasn’t sure there was any “need to take steps to make sure that it doesn’t change.”





Those comments were a jarring denial of the overwhelming scientific consensus that climate change is serious and requires mitigation. It even lagged behind the thinking of President Bush who — under strong domestic and international pressure — has now called for a long-term global goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions.





In response to the mini-furor over his comments, Mr. Griffin stressed that NASA simply collects and analyzes data; it does not make policy on issues like climate change. But the scary thing was the lens his comment provided into his innermost thoughts. The Bush administration has been justly criticized for cutting the agency’s earth sciences budget and downgrading NASA’s once-prominent goal “to understand and protect our home planet.” Tight budgets are one key reason for the cuts in earth sciences, as is the administration’s long refusal to grapple with global warming. But now it seems that Mr. Griffin’s own belief that climate change may be no big deal accounts in part for his agency’s ill-conceived retreat from environmental studies.

The photograph makes an interesting 'temporal' observation. I strongly suggest everyone remember this reality.

May 27, 2007

Alliance, Nebraska

Photographer states :: Building and Billowing. This was neat to watch... it took less than a half hour to build and move out of range..

UNISYS 12 hour loop (click here)

June 1, 2007

1930z

Water Vapor Satellite of North and West Earth Hemisphere

The Carribean Sea is heating up. Today is the first day of hurricane season. What a mess.