Flamingos at the OKC Zoo

http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1312369553


Pandas: Still at Risk
Posted at 10:08 am November 15, 2007 by Suzanne Hall
The San Diego Zoo has the largest population of giant pandas in the U.S., even with the recent return of Mei Sheng to China. With four animals on site, we are fortunate to be surrounded by these amazing creatures. Sometimes it can be hard to imagine that they are ambassadors of a species in peril. But they are the most endangered bear species in the world.
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) regularly examines the status of species worldwide and assesses their population status and risks of extinction. The “Red List” it provides categorizes animals in a way that makes the conservation status of each species easily identifiable to scientists and laymen alike. Earlier this week, the IUCN’s bear specialist group (BSG) released a report updating the characterization of extinction risk for all of the eight living bear species. Unfortunately, despite improvements in research, captive breeding, and habitat protection in recent years, the giant panda is ranked as the bear species most at risk of extinction.

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/pandas-still-at-risk/



The Ocean Goes Bananas. . .
Diana Gingles '08
Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: World
Thousands of bananas are washing up in bunches on the beach of Terschelling Island in the Northern Netherlands. A cargo ship lost at least six loads of unripe fruit from Cuba. The green bananas have littered the beaches and the neighboring Ameland Island.
There are no reports of how the bananas tasted after being in the saltwater, but locals are hoping to donate the fruit to local zoos.
This is not the first time the people of Terschelling have had unusual items wash up on their beach. Last year thousands of sneakers, briefcases, and children's toys came in with the tide. Almost 20 years ago there were sweaters that came up on shore.
You might say the people of Terschelling live in beachcomber heaven.

http://media.www.thecowl.com/media/storage/paper493/news/2007/11/15/World/The-Ocean.Goes.Bananas-3107671.shtml



Indonesia seeks OPEC support for forestry cause
Riyadi Suparno, The Jakarta Post, Riyadh
As the host of the upcoming global climate meeting, Indonesia hopes that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will support its cause to reduce global warming by absorbing more carbon through the protection of rain forests, Indonesia's energy minister said Friday.
"OPEC is concerned about global issues. The discussion now centers on the global environment. That's good for us who will host the UN climate change meeting in Bali next month," Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said before the OPEC ministerial meeting Friday.
The global fight against emissions, Purnomo said, is not about reducing demand for energy, which is impossible, but about reducing gas emissions via various mitigation efforts, such as through technology intervention and gas absorption by rain forests.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20071117.B06&irec=5



Lynx on comeback
5:00AM Thursday November 08, 2007
Lynx numbers are up.
MADRID - Numbers of the endangered Iberian lynx are increasing for the first time after decades of decline.
Environment Minister Cristina Narbona said yesterday that Spain aimed eventually "to fix a timetable to remove the lynx from its status as a species under threat of extinction".
Speaking in Seville, where Spain and Portugal signed an Iberian lynx pact to implement protective measures, she promised Madrid would contribute €7 million ($13 million) over four years to support the lynx, in addition to €26 million pledged by the EU.
Two years ago, scarcely 150 lynxes survived in two small colonies in Andalusia. But there are now up to 250 in two colonies in the region. This year 44 cubs were born.
- Independent

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=10474657



Zoo director discusses his great job, unique on-the-job injuries
By Scott Richardson
Srichardson@pantagraph.com
Advertisement
BLOOMINGTON -- John Tobias walked into his career as a zoo director through the side door.
He was working at a tire plant when he decided nature photography would be more to his liking. He became enthralled with zoos during visits to take pictures of animals at a facility in Topeka, Kan., where he lived at the time.
He eventually was hired to work at a zoo in Denver. He transferred to the Minneapolis State Zoo in Apple Valley, designed his own college major in zoo management, graduated and worked at zoos in Indianapolis and elsewhere. He moved to the Twin Cities to become director of Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington in 1991.
It's been a great life, said Tobias, 64. But it's one that has its own unique on-the-job hazards.
"I've been swatted by an elephant and kicked by a camel," said the soft-spoken Tobias, a grin appearing on his bearded face.
No elephants or camels live at the Miller Park Zoo. They're just too expensive to house, he said. But the zoo is home to leopards, tigers and bears, oh my! Lemurs, red wolves and wallabies live there, too. Sea lions and a pair of river otters play in the ponds, and
various creatures slither, flutter, bellow and bark at the park on the city's near southwest side.
Tobias still finds time to take nature photos. Several are displayed at zoo exhibits, and two were used to create an Amazon landscape on the wall of the Rainforest, a year-round, indoor exhibit where visitors can watch colorful birds fly through thick green foliage.

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/11/05/go/doc472f7b7b5640c208006710.txt



Coast in hunt for tourism honours
12:00a.m. 6 November 2007
A kite festival, jazz cruise, cooking school and one of the world’s most famous zoos are among a diverse group of Sunshine Coast operators competing for Queensland’s top tourism honours.
The minister for tourism, regional development and industry, Desley Boyle, said 17 Sunshine Coast enterprises were among more than 200 tourism operators entered in the Queensland Tourism Awards 2007, to be presented in Townsville on Saturday.
“The Queensland Tourism Awards 2007 is the most competitive ever, reflecting high standards of excellence in all sectors of Queensland’s vibrant tourism industry,” Ms Boyle said.
“The Sunshine Coast has operators competing in 14 of 25 Queensland Tourism Awards categories, highlighting the wide range of tourism experiences, services and products on offer.

http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2007/nov/06/coast-hunt-tourism-honours/



Exhibit to bring changes
BY KARA RHODES
kara.rhodes@timesnews.com
Published: November 06. 2007 6:00Am
The opening of the Erie Zoo's new tiger exhibit will mean new tigers and a new home for Kumar, the zoo's elderly white tiger.
Kumar will stay at the Erie Zoo. At almost 17 years old, he's too old to move to another zoo, said Scott Mitchell, the Erie Zoo's chief executive.
Mitchell said Kumar and the zoo's new Amur tigers will rotate time with Kumar in the new main tiger exhibit and in large holding areas, including one outdoors, that the zoo is also building as part of the renovations.
Mitchell said the Amur tigers will live in the holding areas after they breed and while they care for their young. During those times, he said, Kumar will live primarily in the main exhibit.
The life expectancy of a tiger is 15 to 20 years old, Mitchell said. He said white tigers like Kumar generally don't live that long.
"He's really getting up there, so we don't want to add the stress of moving him to another zoo," Mitchell said. "It might be more than he can handle at this point."
Kumar arrived at the Erie Zoo in April 1994.

http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071106/NEWS02/711060368



One zoological group oversees the management of three zoos–the Melbourne Zoological Gardens, Victoria’s Open Range Zoo, and the Sir Colin MacKenzie Zoological Park. Where is this group located?
Filed under: Zany Zoo, Trivia Questions
8. One zoological group oversees the management of three zoos–the Melbourne Zoological Gardens, Victoria’s Open Range Zoo, and the Sir Colin MacKenzie Zoological Park. Where is this group located?
TBD: It is the Zoological Board of Victoria which manages the Melbourne Zoological Gardens, the Werribee Zoological Park (known as Victoria’s Open Range Zoo at Werribee), and the Sir Colin MacKenzie Zoological Park (Healesville Sanctuary). All the zoos are located in Victoria, Australia.

http://triviabydawggone.com/blog/?p=843



Thinking big when it comes to elephants
Monday, November 12, 2007
T hree decades ago, the Oregon Zoo was considered a world leader on captive Asian elephants. Today, even those representing the zoo admit that's no longer the case. Despite evolving scientific knowledge about elephants and their complex needs, the Oregon Zoo, like most urban zoos, is living in the past. As a result, these endangered animals are needlessly suffering.
Don't get me wrong, it's not for lack of trying. A behind-the-scenes tour leaves no doubt that those who look after Portland's most popular zoo residents are doing what they can within the facility's space limitations. But for years, the zoo has kept six or more elephants confined to pens the size of an average suburban backyard. That might be fine for the family dog, but we now know it's totally inadequate for earth's largest land mammal, which can weigh as much as 10,000 pounds and which has evolved to walk long distances each day.
Restricted space and unnatural conditions are causing the elephants to suffer and die prematurely from chronically diseased feet and crippling arthritis. Those challenges and the associated expense have led 16 major zoos to close or phase out their elephant exhibits, including zoos in Detroit, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago and New York.
Consider Pet, who was euthanized in Portland in 2006. Pet's feet were so deteriorated from chronic infections that she could barely stand. In her last months, she moved excruciatingly slowly, using her trunk as a crutch. An autopsy revealed she also had severe, bone-on-bone arthritis in most of her joints.

http://www.oregonlive.com/commentary/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1194652503181100.xml&coll=7



Careers for Graduates with a Degree in Zoology
The End of the Alphabet Can Be the Top of the Line
Provided By: Associated Content, Inc.
Graduates with a degree in zoology directed their college studies toward the study of animal life. Naturally then one would expect that careers for graduates with a degree in zoology will connect on some level with animals, their breeding, behavior, growth and relevance to humankind. That means that for graduates with a degree in zoology there really are lots of careers out there. Some of the careers for graduates with a degree in zoology may mean working directly with animals on an every day basis. But for those whose interest in animals is more academic than practical there are careers for graduates with a degree in zoology in which the graduate never actually confronts a live animal unless he or she sets out to do so. Animals are such an important part of our human existence that we need graduates with a degree in zoology to help us care for and appreciate the animal life in our midst.

http://www.collegerecruiter.com/career-counselors/archives/2007/11/careers_for_graduates_with_a_d_7.php



Microchips to the aid of endangered animals
Scientists from Central Zoo Authority are on a
visit to Nehru Zoological Park
HYDERABAD: As part of the conservation breeding initiative of Central Zoo Authority (CZA), endangered species, which are pure breed in nature, are being implanted with microchips at Nehru Zoological Park. Identification of pure breed species can help in captive breeding plans of CZA and local zoo authorities.
A team of scientists from CZA are on a three-day visit to Nehru Zoological Park to identify pure breed or genetically superior species of Asiatic lions, Bengal tigers, vultures and the mouse deer at the Hyderabad zoo.
Identifying pure breeds
“The CZA has decided that 50 major zoos must have at least 100 physically, genetically and behaviourally healthy individuals of each critically endangered wild animal species. To achieve this, existing pure breed animals are being identified and animal history sheets are to be maintained by the CZA and zoo authorities,” said Director of Hyderabad Zoo P. Bhaskar Reddy.
The team of scientists have started the identification of genetically superior species from Hyderabad before visiting other zoos in the country. “The project will be taken up in other noted zoos in the country. The idea is to identify and separate animals of superior quality and breed them in captivity,” Mr. Reddy said.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/16/stories/2007111661850400.htm



Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers

http://www.mns.org.my/artabout.php?aid=40



Irwin family statue unveiled at Australia Zoo
Posted Thu Nov 15, 2007 2:13pm AEDT
Updated Fri Nov 16, 2007 1:22pm AEDT

Video

http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&fg=rss&vid=6e78b433-20f7-4c88-a952-01580703dfb0&from=05

Statue of Steve, Terri, Bindi and Bob Irwin unveiled at Australia Zoo, Beerwah, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, on November 15, 2007. (ABC TV)
Thousands of people have turned out at Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast to celebrate the life of the late Crocodile Hunter on 'Steve Irwin Day'.
His widow Terri Irwin has unveiled a large bronze statue of the wildlife conservationist with his family dog and a crocodile at the entrance to the zoo.
She says it is a very special tribute to the life of Steve.
"I think it's so special because our last trip together was catching crocodiles so we've commemorated those crocodiles as well," she said.
"It's a huge day we've got all of our friends and family and people that we love. It's a day to celebrate Steve's life and we're going to make sure the beat goes on into the future."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/15/2091866.htm



Dinosaur stolen from zoo
UPDATE: According to chatter on Famous, the dinosaur was found in Pinedale.
Have you seen a big dinosaur in the last couple days? It should stand out. It's 11 feet long. Weighs 700 pounds. Made of steel. Anybody?
Should you see it roaming around, let Peggy Harshman know. She made the dinosaur, which has gone missing from the Cliff Finch Topiary Zoo in Friant. Thieves are suspected.
Harshman, meanwhile, is feverishly trying to find the velociraptor, which she values at $20,000-$30,000.
There's only one person capable of such a caper: Bigfoot.

http://www.fresnobeehive.com/archives/2007/11/dinosaur_stolen.html



Illegal Food Market in China Literally a Wild Animal Zoo
More than 10,000 wild animals sold per day
By Lu Jianhui
Central News Agency
Nov 12, 2007
HONG KONG—Recently, eating exotic wild animals has gained popularity again in Guangdong Province in mainland China
. Reports speculate that a local official is behind the open operation of an illegal food market in the Nanhai District of Foshan City. This food market openly sells astonishing numbers and breeds of animals such as small pandas, civet cat, sika deer and other exotic wild animals. The entire market is like a zoo.
According to the report by Hong Kong's The Sun newspaper, the market, which is situated in a private housing complex near the Nanhai District, has a sign on the front door which reads "Wholesale Foods." However, this "food market" is actually more like a zoo of wild animals.
According to the report, nearly over 100 vendors are selling wild animals as food. From an anonymous insider, this place was opened only two months ago and is privately owned. There are many security
guards on site with iron batons in their hands. One man who claims to be the manager said that this place is operated by the nephew of a Guangzhou City government official, and that they are not afraid of being reported at all.

http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-11-12/61874.html



Legal administrators sponsor Phoenix Zoo 5K run for education
Nov. 15, 2007 12:00 AM
Editor's note: Mary Jezwinski submitted this article. Submit stories on education to lori .baker@arizonarepublic.com.
A fundraising race through the Phoenix Zoo last month raised about $6,000 to benefit three schools with wishes posted on the wishlists.azcentral.com Web site.
The database is a partnership between Arizona schools and The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com to provide a central place for schools to ask for supplies and volunteers, and for businesses and individuals to see what schools need.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1115ednbywishlist1115.html



PETA to USDA: Investigate Indy zoo fire
By Scott Thien
scott.thien@indystar.com
A national animal-rights group is pressing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate last weekend's fire at the Indianapolis Zoo that killed nearly a dozen small animals.
This morning, PETA sent a letter to Dr. Elizabeth Goldentyer, eastern regional director of the USDA's animal care division, urging an inquiry into Saturday's incident in the zoo's Encounters Critter Corner building.
"The terror and pain that these animals experienced in their dying moments is almost beyond comprehension," PETA Director Debbie Leahy wrote today in news release. "Animals held captive in zoos are at the mercy of humans in so many ways, including for their very lives, which, in this case, the Indianapolis Zoo failed miserably to safeguard."
Killed by smoke inhalation were three turtles, named Olive, Bess and Nate, a snake named Nibbler, two birds, an armadillo, two rodents and several hissing cockroaches.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071114/LOCAL/711140527/0/OPINION



A little off topic, except People need water, too.

Zoo to get free water in '08
Change comes after students complain of access to, price of water
By: Siobhan Daniel
Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: News
Students in the Zona Zoo section at home football games will be able to receive free water beginning the first game of next year after complaints about safety and comfort of the student section were brought up.
While tonight's football game against Oregon is being hailed as the UA's biggest contest of the season, Zona Zoo members will have limited access to water until the first game of next season.
Currently, the Zona Zoo section on the east side of Arizona Stadium has no fountains for members, as the only way to obtain water is to purchase it, said Tommy Bruce, president of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona.
"For safety and health reasons, we should have water at the games since there are no water fountains," Bruce said.
After Bruce received several complaints, the decision was made to provide a water jug and cups for Zona Zoo members to enjoy at every game beginning next fall.
"There use to be water brought to the games, but it was stopped, and now that a few comments have been made, we are bringing it back," Bruce said.

http://media.wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2007/11/15/News/Zoo-To.Get.Free.Water.In.08-3103864.shtml



At The Detroit Zoo On A Nice November Day
by Mike Wrathell
mwrathell@yahoo.com
Last Saturday, I went with a friend to The Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak and Huntington Woods. It was partly cloudy and cool, but such days are perfect to see many of the animals who don't like hot days and big crowds. Having worked at the Zoo for over a year, I have a bit of inside knowledge and would like to share some of it with you. It was great to see one of the polar bears close up. I am not sure if it was Talini, the baby girl who is about three now, I think, and probably nearly fully grown. I would have asked a zookeeper, but none were around.
We also saw two white rhinoceri, the tigers, the lions, one griz, some giraffes, and a lot of flamingoes. We did not get to see Jacques, the lone hippo; it was a bit too chilly for him, but he was out earlier in the day for a stint.
Once we walked past the Reptile House, we entered Huntington Woods. So the bears don't live in Royal Oak, but the butterflies do....

http://americajr.com/news/detroitzoo1114.html



Jack Hanna to speak in Gainesville to support SFCC zoo
By KATIE EMMETS, Alligator Contributing Writer
Jack Hanna, a famous animal expert, will speak in Gainesville on Monday to benefit the SFCC Teaching Zoo.
Hanna will discuss wildlife conservation and share his experiences at an evening reception at the Springhills Ballroom in the Best Western Gateway Grand.
The program will last from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
"He cares so much about our program and wants to help us out," said Buz Bireline, assistant director of the zoo.
Hanna is on the board of advisers at the zoo and is a friend of the zoo technology program, Bireline said.
Bireline said Hanna asked to do some filming at the zoo.
Hanna also filmed at SFCC in 2002.
The event will start with hors d'oeuvres at 6:30 p.m. and end with pictures and autographs at 7:45 p.m.
Each ticket costs $35, and all event proceeds will go toward the creation of the zoo's new master plan.
The plan will include visitor-access improvement, a conservation center for endangered wildlife and a multi-use educational building.
"We are continuing to make the zoo the best facility we can," Bireline said.

http://www.alligator.org/articles/2007/11/15/news/sfcc/hanna.txt



More zoo funding approved
Nov 15, 2007 @ 07:45 AM
Observer-Dispatch
UTICA - The Oneida County Board of Legislators approved an additional $141,000 in funding for the Utica Zoo at its Wednesday board meeting by a 22-5 vote.
The zoo was eligible for the money because it came up with a five-year business plan, which was the contingency the legislature placed on the money.
The money was factored into the 2007 budget, but the legislature held onto it until the zoo presented them with a plan.
Zoo Executive Director Beth Irons said she was relieved they got the funding, and it will help get them in a stable financial state.
In the 2008 budget, the zoo's county funding increased from $354,000 to $363,270.
That number does not include the additional $141,000.

http://www.uticaod.com/homepage/x1149886617



Microsoft Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species Expansion Pack
Zoo Tycoon 2 gives you the chance to build the ultimate zoo and enjoy it firsthand. You can explore your 3D zoo world as a zoo guest or even care for your animals as a zookeeper. The Endangered Species expansion pack will give you even more to love about Zoo Tycoon 2!
With the Endangered Species expansion pack, you’ll care for and enjoy some of the rarest animals in the world. See if you have what it takes to bring these unique animals back from the brink of extinction. Whether it’s the lovable Koala from the jungles of Australia or the exotic Komodo Dragon from the Lesser Sunda Islands, these wonderful new animals will inhabit your dream zoo and challenge your zoo skills!

http://www.ascent.co.nz/productspecification.aspx?itemID=360725



Toledo Zoo to turn on its holiday light show
The Lights Before Christmas at the Toledo Zoo lasts until Dec. 31. Event hours are 5 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 5 to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
( THE BLADE )
The Toledo Zoo tomorrow night will plug in and light up more than 1 million lights as part of its 22nd annual Lights Before Christmas holiday event.
And you were worried about your utility bills this winter!
The popular annual event, which has attracted more than 2.6 million people since starting in 1986, will kick off with the ceremonial lighting of the 85-foot Norway spruce tree between 6 and 6:30 in the evening.
Located near the Broadway entrance of the zoo, the tree has been adorned with more than 32,000 lights. For the first time, it will have energy-saving LED lights this year.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071115/ART03/711150306



Akron Zoo visitors break attendance record
Posted by Donna J. Miller November 15, 2007 08:47AM
Categories: FYI
For the fifth year in a row, the Akron Zoo has set an attendance record. Through the end of October, attendance was 256,719.
New at the zoo this year were a pair of young lions in May and four penguin chicks hatched in spring.
The zoo has more than 700 animals from around the world. It's open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5.50. Parking is $1.50. For more: akronzoo.org.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/11/akron_zoo_visitors_break_atten.html



Zoo crews spend months preparing Wildlights displays
Thursday, November 15, 2007 3:41 AM
By Matt Tullis
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Bill Hunt doesn't hang a single Christmas light at his home, and his artificial tree hasn't seen the light of day in a decade.
He isn't a Grinch or an Ebenezer Scrooge, though.
It's just hard for Hunt to find the motivation to decorate for the holidays after spending four months lighting up the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium for its annual Wildlights exhibition beginning Friday.
Making sure more than 3 million lights are in place can take its toll.
"By the time this is done," Hunt joked, "I'm all out of the Christmas spirit."

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/weekender/stories/2007/11/15/9A_OUTDOORS_15.ART_ART_11-15-07_T13_3H8F5BI.html?sid=101



Pandas: Still at Risk
Posted at 10:08 am November 15, 2007 by Suzanne Hall
The San Diego Zoo has the largest population of giant pandas in the U.S., even with the recent return of Mei Sheng to China. With four animals on site, we are fortunate to be surrounded by these amazing creatures. Sometimes it can be hard to imagine that they are ambassadors of a species in peril. But they are the most endangered bear species in the world.
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) regularly examines the status of species worldwide and assesses their population status and risks of extinction. The “Red List” it provides categorizes animals in a way that makes the conservation status of each species easily identifiable to scientists and laymen alike. Earlier this week, the IUCN’s bear specialist group (BSG) released a report updating the characterization of extinction risk for all of the eight living bear species. Unfortunately, despite improvements in research, captive breeding, and habitat protection in recent years, the giant panda is ranked as the bear species most at risk of extinction.

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/pandas-still-at-risk/

continued...

New dolphin born at Monkey Mia

Western Australia's world-renowned Monkey Mia tourist destination.

Photo: AFP

November 16, 2007 - 10:20AM
A new dolphin calf has been born at Western Australia's world-renowned Monkey Mia tourist destination.
The baby dolphin is the second born to Piccolo, part of a small group of dolphins that may be hand-fed by humans under strictly controlled conditions at the famous beach.
The calf was born on Tuesday in the World Heritage-listed Shark Bay area, 800km north of Perth.
"Both mother and calf are doing well, with the newborn measuring approximately 50cm long," WA Environment Minister David Templeman said.
Visitors are being urged to stay away from Piccolo and her calf when they come to shore to prevent the newborn from beaching itself.
"In the first few weeks of life, the calf is tuned into the mother's movements and will follow any rapid movement in the water," Mr Templeman said.
"If people are in the water near the calf and they move, the calf could follow and inadvertently beach itself."
Almost half of Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphins do not live past three years old.
AAP

Antarctica Ice Chime

Firefighters hold their ground in Lake Forest (NPR audio)

Twelve firefighters are trapped atop a ridge off Santiago Canyon Road in Orange County after flames jumped the road. The blaze roared up the hillside and prompted the crew members to deploy their fire shelters. They were surrounded by burning brush, but they made it out alive. "We just remained calm, everyone did," one firefighter said after he was checked out by paramedics. All of the firefighters were treated at the scene and did not want to go to the hospital.

COLDNESS AND BLIGHT IN A WARMING PLANET

Ali al-Nuaimi
OPEC to put carbon capture at heart of new green agenda (click here)
13 hours ago
RIYADH (AFP) — OPEC leaders are set to make carbon capture and storage the centerpiece of their new-found green agenda by urging greater use of the emerging technique to curb carbon emissions, Algeria's energy minister said Friday.
Chakib Khelil, reading from a draft declaration expected to be approved at the end of an OPEC summit, said point three would be "energy and environment: carbon storage could reduce the impact of fossil fuels on climate change and developed countries have the technology on this."
Earlier a source told AFP that the joint communique to be issued by OPEC leaders on Sunday would include a "big announcement on the environment."...

...Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), praised the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries for its attitude to the issue.
"I think the debate here points to a constructive willingness to participate in international dialogue about climate change," he said....


Climate injustice is greatest for those with incomes below Rs 3,000 and least for those with incomes above Rs 30,000

An extract from Hiding Behind the Poor, a report by Greenpeace on climate injustice, shows how the poor will be the biggest victims of global warming

Climate change is man-made. The globe is heating up due to the emission of Greenhouse gases, the most prominent being carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels. Historically, developed countries are the biggest contributors to GHG emissions. However, over the last few decades, emissions of rapidly developing economies like India and China have surged. In fact, China and India are ranked at second and fifth respectively among the world’s biggest emitters.


The next round of negotiations for the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol, covering the period after 2012 should start this December in Bali. Governments are busy debating about who to blame and who must commit to drastic emission cuts to save the world from climate change. But India at this point of time is faced by two sharply contradictory realities. On the one hand, there is a rapidly growing rich consumer class which has made the country the 12th largest luxury market in the world; on the other hand, India is home to more than 800 million poor people who are extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change....



Abrupt rise in oil prices possible (click here)
IEA Wednesday, 7 November 2007 22:18
The International Energy Agency has warned that a global oil crisis involving an abrupt escalation in oil prices before 2015 cannot be ruled out.
In its world energy outlook for 2007 the agency says that it is very uncertain whether new oil production in the period up until 2015 will be enough to compensate for the natural fall off in output from existing oil fields and keep pace with the projected increase in demand.
The agency said that the consequences of unfettered growth in world energy demand are alarming.
This is the strongest warning yet from the IEA, which is a sister agency of the OECD based in Paris.
The agency has become alarmed because the pace of global economic growth has quickened, driven mainly by China and India.
It says securing a reliable and affordable supply of oil is going to become a formidable challenge for all because of growing demand.
It says that to satisfy this demand Middle Eastern oil producers would have to invest more $1.1 trillion in oil facilities, and increase their supply of oil by 87% by 2030.
The IEA warns however, that there are growing doubts about the willingness, and ability, of national oil companies to make these investments.
The IEA is calling for vigorous, immediate, and collective policy action by all governments to move the world on to a more sustainable energy path.
Carbon taxes and stringent efficiencies measures, it says, are the fastest and cheapest way to do it.


Polling Shows Growing Support for Carbon Taxes
11/13/2007 by Daniel Rosenblum
New polls are showing increasing support for carbon taxes as concern about climate change grows. We're pleased with these results, but we're frustrated that as yet no polls have included questions that would indicate whether support for revenue-neutral carbon taxes exceeds that for carbon taxes for which the revenue uses are either unspecified or earmarked. While we strongly suspect the answer would be Yes, it would be helpful to have our suspicions confirmed by actual polling data....


Field Poll: Californians See Global Warming as a Serious Threat to State's Overall Quality of LifeAuthor: Field Research Corporation (click here)
Published on Nov 9, 2007, 08:38
According to the results of a special statewide Field Poll commissioned by Next 10, an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organization, Californians attach a high degree of importance to the issue of global warming and air pollution and believe actions should be taken now to address the problem. More than four in five see global warming as either a very or somewhat serious threat to the state's overall quality of life. Majorities also say it's a very serious threat to the health of residents living or working in areas with poor air quality, to the relationship between the Sierra snow pack and the state's water supply, to Central Valley farmers, and to California's coastal communities.
The public sees many entities as having the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The four groups seen as being most able to affect change are major corporations, gas and electric utility companies, the general public and the U.S. government, in order of efficacy.
Support for taking action on global warming includes majorities across all regions of the state and among both registered voters and adults not registered to vote. In addition, poll results show that the more people know about global warming, the more likely they are to feel immediate action should be taken about the problem. But, in the face of this pronounced state of concern and apprehension, Californians are bullish about the state's ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while expanding jobs and economic prosperity. Nine in ten Californians say the state can be a leader in new technologies to improve efficiency and reduce global warming.
(Additional survey results will be included in Next 10's California Green Innovation Index, an analysis of the impact of innovation on California's economy and environment, to be released on November 14th.)
Initial findings from the new survey were presented today in Sacramento at the Behavior, Energy and Climate Change conference, a national conference of academic, business, government and environmental leaders whose goal is to accelerate the transition to an energy-efficient and low carbon future. Results are based on a telephone survey conducted August 10-28, 2007 among a random sample of 1,003 California adults in English and Spanish....

Let's see, Summer in the Southern Hemisphere isn't for five more weeks. Hot as hell and Bush does NOTHING.

November 17, 2007
0710 gmt
West Pacific Satellite

The areas of Earth able to sustain enough water vapor to transfer heat are the tropics. The tropical systems are having their water vapor removed to the poles to attempt to thermoregulate the troposphere.


November 17, 2007
0331 gmt
Pacific Global Satellite

The heat onto Antarctica is coming directly from the equator.

November 16, 2007
0600 gmt
Antarctica Jet Stream

The story regarding the massive shift in climate over Antarctica started November 11, 2007 (see animation here) as a large upper wind heat transfer occurred taking the frigid air offshore. That occured at 1 o'clock while at the same time and opposite that air movement an onshore heat transfer system at 7 o'clock approached the upper troposphere. Antarctica is receiving a lot of climate change. Lot of sublimination of it's ice and impacts on any biotic balance.


November 17, 2007
0600
Antarctica Surface Wind Map (click here for animation)

There is nothing but on shore winds over East Antarctica and that holds true for most of the continent bringing far warmer tempertures to the continent. The wind distribution is patchy. There are calm winds in some areas while Mawson an Australian station is receiving near 50 mph winds at 33 feet elevation.


The frigid cold over Antarctica is gone. It was being pushed off the continent over the Blue Ice further to East Antarctica and this week the deep frigid aire is gone. The currently coldest temperature is -42 Fahrenheit/-41 C. That is blastedly scary.


November 17, 2007
0300 UTC
Antarctica Temperature Satellite

There a few views missing on the animated satellite. Missing are 6 AM, 9AM and 6 PM. On animation the satellite reflects the warmest temperatures Antarctica has ever sustained that I have witnessed. The temperature over the entire Polar Plateau is in the Negative Forties. Cold, but, for Antarctica not cold enough. The humidity map on animation (click here) reveals a majority of high levels of humidity due to sublimination of the ice.


The warmest reporting stations are ::

Base Jubany, Antarctica

6:00 AM GMT

Elevation :: 13 ft / 4 m

Temperature :: 33 °F / 0 °C

Conditions :: Mist

Humidity :: 95%

Dew Point: :: 32 °F / 0 °C

Wind :: 23 mph / 37 km/h from the SW

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: 29.07 in / 984 hPa (Falling)

Visibility :: 2.0 miles / 4.0 kilometers

Clouds:
Scattered Clouds 492 ft / 150 m
Mostly Cloudy 9843 ft / 3000 m
(Above Ground Level)



King Sejong, Antarctica

6:00 AM GMT

Elevation :: 33 ft / 10 m

Temperature :: 33 °F / 0 °C

Conditions :: Overcast

Humidity :: 73%

Dew Point :: 28 °F / -2 °C

Wind :: 12 mph / 18 km/h from the ENE

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: 29.03 in / 983 hPa (Falling)

Visibility :: 12.0 miles / 20.0 kilometers

UV :: 0 out of 16



The Coldest Reporting Stations are :

Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica

6:50 PM NZDT

Elevation :: 9285 ft / 2830 m

Temperature :: -41 °F / -41 °C

Conitions :: Clear

Wind :: 8 mph / 13 km/h from the East

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: in / hPa (Rising)

Visibility :: 7.0 miles / 11.0 kilometers

Clouds :: Few 5906 ft / 1800 m
(Above Ground Level)


Henry, United States

2:20 AM GMT

Elevation :: 9039 ft / 2755 m

Temperature :: -37 °F / -38 °C

Wind :: 7 mph / 11 km/h from the East

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: in / hPa (Rising)


Never saw Vostok this warm.

Vostok, Antarctica

12:00 PM VOST

Elevation :: 11220 ft / 3420 m

Temperature :: -34 °F / -37 °C

Humidity :: 46%

Dew Point :: -42 °F / -41 °C

Wind :: 18 mph / 30 km/h from the SW

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: in / hPa (Falling)

Visibility :: 12.0 miles / 20.0 kilometers

Bay beaches reopen; birds cleaned of oil to be released

Chris Giorni watches a group of 38 birds return to the ocean. Chronicle photo by Michael Macor


38 birds are returned to the wild near Pillar Point. Chronicle photo by Michael Macor

Tom Rusert takes a bird down to the shore. Chronicle photo by Michael Macor

(11-16) 16:15 PST San Francisco - --
Coast Guard officials, saying there is no more oil from the Nov. 7 San Francisco Bay spill to clean from the surface, ended skimming operations on the bay and the Pacific Ocean this morning and said cleanup efforts will focus on sensitive areas such as tidal marshes and rocky shorelines....

...But Angel Island is of particular concern, according to Barry McFarland of the O'Brien's Group, the firm hired for the cleanup by the owner of the Cosco Busan, the ship that hit the base of a Bay Bridge tower last week, unleashing 58,000 gallons of fuel oil into the bay.
Officials said the island's rocky shoreline makes it difficult to clean up because of all the dips and crevasses on the shore....

US Senate Fails to Approve Funding Bill for Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan

In the face of a majority demand by Americans, the USA Senate cannot get out of the way to the will of the people. They are waiting for a new Republican President to continue and escalate war. Bush, the dictator is stating it's the Senate's fault they don't have funding for 'his' wars. He's right, but, it isn't the Democrats that aren't providing for the needs of the soldiers. It is Bush's demand for a global war that is stopping the funding. He has only his Republican collegues to blame for a military budget shortfall. The Democrats don't recognize a "Temper Tandrum" President, they submit what the American people believe is right.

...White House spokesman Tony Fratto criticized the Democratic-led Senate for not approving President Bush's $196 billion request for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan before lawmakers left on a two-week recess, and he urged them to act when they return:
"Our troops deserve this funding, they need it, and we call on Congress to deliver it as soon as possible," he said.
Republicans blocked a $50 billion spending bill backed by Democrats, because it also included a plan for withdrawing all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by December of next year. The vote was 53 to 45, seven votes short of the 60 needed to pass under Senate rules....

Tell it to the Republicans for sinking the vote to fund, not the Democrats !! Idiots !!

An undate on the approach of World War III - Michael Powell is still posting junk mail at The New York Times (click here)

And some morons in Congress are lining up to declare war on Russia...


Russian Troops Leave Georgia (click here)
MOSCOW (AP) - A top Russian general said early Thursday that Russia has completed its withdrawal of troops that had been based in Georgia since the Soviet collapse, according to the ITAR-Tass news agency.
The presence of Russian troops in the ex-Soviet republic was one of the longtime irritants between Georgia and its giant neighbor.
"There are no more Russian troops in Georgia, there remain only peacekeepers... in Abkhazia and those that are part of the combined forces in South Ossetia with the participation of Georgia," the news agency quoted Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Troops Gen. Alexei Maslov as saying....
...In August, the Georgian government claimed that a Russian warplane barged into the country's airspace after flying over South Ossetia and dropped a missile. The missile did not explode and no injuries were reported, but the incident sparked concern in Georgia and the West that Russia was trying to intimidate Georgia....


Bill on sanctions against Russian cos. submitted to U.S. Congress (click here)
22:31
14/ 11/ 2007
WASHINGTON, November 14 (RIA Novosti) - A bill demanding sanctions against Russian companies and organizations supplying armaments to Iran and Syria has been submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Five congressmen said the companies violate U.S. laws banning arms deliveries to Tehran and Damascus.
Russia has said all its arms deliveries to the two Mideast nations are in line with international laws, but U.S. authorities have repeatedly called on Russia to stop arms deliveries to countries Washington considers a threat.
President Vladimir Putin said in October that Russia will not allow other countries to put restrictions on its arms exports.
Speaking at a session of Russia's military-technical cooperation commission, the president said Moscow would not take into consideration attempts to impose restrictions "based on unilateral and politicized assessments".
Putin also said deliveries of Russian weapons are aimed exclusively at increasing the defense capability of the countries receiving them, and at maintaining their stability.
Russia and Iran concluded a contract in late 2005 for deliveries of Tor-M1s. Tor-M1 is a high-precision missile system designed to destroy manned or unmanned aircraft, as well as cruise missiles flying at an altitude of up to 10 kilometers (6 miles). Russia subsequently supplied 29 Tor systems to Iran for $700 million.
Syria, a long-time client of Russia's defense industry, accounts for up to 4% of Russia's annual arms sales, which totaled a record $6.1 billion last year.


Russia doesn't want to be the bad guy in everyone's sites alone. They are willing to allow most countries to squirm at the thought of USA military domination of their country to insure they understand what true alliances are, it would seem. In recent weeks, Russia had offered to place a nuclear enrichment facility in the Middle East. By backing off it's willingness to protect other countries from "Iraq like" attack by the USA, it will escalate countries in the Middle East to consider their own nuclear facitilies and munitions.

Military chief says Russia not obliged to protect world from U.S. (click here)
12:29
13/ 11/ 2007
MOSCOW, November 13 (RIA Novosti) - Yury Baluyevsky, the chief of Russia's general staff, said in an interview with the Russia Today TV channel on Tuesday that the Russian Armed Forces were under no obligation to protect the world from the U.S.
Answering a question as to whether or not the world could count on Russia to defend it from "insidious American plans," Baluyevsky replied, "Today, there is no need to be afraid of the Russian Armed Forces. However, I do not believe that the Russian military is obliged to defend the world from the evil Americans".
Gen. Yury Baluyevsky is flying to Brussels later today to discuss with NATO chiefs of staff, among other things, Russia's suspension of its Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty obligations.
Baluyevsky said last Thursday that Russia would no longer be bound by current weapons and equipment limitations after its moratorium on the CFE Treaty comes into force.
The State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, voted on November 7 in favor of President Putin's bill to impose a moratorium on the CFE Treaty.
The moratorium is set to come into effect on December 12, after final approval by the upper house of parliament, expected to vote on the issue on November 16, and President Vladimir Putin.
The chief of Russia's military general staff also told the Russia Today TV channel that the CFE Treaty put Russia at a disadvantage.
"It was an onerous treaty for Russia. It was a treaty that Russia alone honored," he said.
Asked why Russia had signed the document in the first place, Baluyevsky said that at the time, in 1990, the goal was to avert a war, and the treaty effectively served its purpose.
He also said Russia's Armed Forces, like all militaries in the world, would be putting an emphasis on quality, not quantity.
"It will be a leaner but meaner, well trained and equipped, and professional force," the general said.

The USA State Department is worthless, by design. Condi Rice is supposed to be an expert on Russia. In that, she should be able to find diplomacy with Russia in abundance. Instead all she does is provoke more and more confrontation. Isn't the instability in Pakistan evidence enough and now Russia is preparing for World War III. Bush and Cheney want it more than they wanted Iraq.

Russian parliament votes for Putin's moratorium on CFE Treaty - 2 (click here)
15:18
07/ 11/ 2007
MOSCOW, November 7 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's lower house of parliament has voted in favor of President Putin's bill to impose a moratorium on the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty.
The moratorium on the arms reduction pact will take effect on the night of December 12-13, after final approval by the upper house of parliament, which is expected to vote on the issue on November 16, and President Vladimir Putin.
Putin signed a decree to suspend the 1990 CFE Treaty in mid-July, citing national security concerns. However, the proposal has been widely seen in the West as a Kremlin move to prevent the U.S. from deploying a missile shield in Central Europe.
The amended version of the Soviet-era treaty was signed in 1999, and has not been ratified by any NATO countries.
Meanwhile, Moscow considers the original CFE Treaty to be outdated since it does not reflect the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, the breakup of the Soviet Union, or recent NATO expansion. NATO countries have insisted on Russia's withdrawal from Transdnestr and other breakaway post-Soviet regions as a condition for their ratification of the CFE Treaty.
The moratorium does not stipulate that Russia will permanently pull out of the CFE Treaty, although it temporarily "freezes" its implementation by Russia and serves as a warning that the country will protect its national interests with determination, an explanatory note to the document says.
During Wednesday's parliamentary hearings, senior Russian military commanders reiterated the importance of the CFE Treaty revision and again called on NATO members to ratify its amended version.
Russia's Defense Ministry said it might reinforce its troops near its western borders if parliament supported the president's proposed moratorium on a key arms reduction treaty in Europe.
"We are carrying out work as regards the issue," said First Deputy Defense Minister, Gen. Alexander Kolmakov, but added that no final decision had been made so far.
The ministry earlier said that over the last decade, NATO has substantially exceeded armament levels permitted by the CFE for NATO members - by 6,000 tanks, some 10,000 armored vehicles, over 5,000 artillery items and some 1,500 combat planes.
Russia's chief of the General Staff, General of the Army Yuri Baluyevsky said Russia must abolish a Flank limitations clause in the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty if the document is to be amended.
Russia's so-called flank zone includes both the Leningrad Military District in the north and the North Caucasus Military District in the south.
"If the treaty is to be adapted, it must be adapted with the elimination of the flank regime, because the current amended version still includes these flank limitations," Baluyevsky said.
The general said the current treaty favored the U.S. and NATO because it allowed them to implement an "eastward expansion" strategy and monitor Russian troops in the European part of Russia.
He said the treaty was discriminatory and any possible future dismantling of it would not affect Russia as much as it would affect Europe.
"Russia has a sufficient arsenal of forces, means, and resources to ensure its security and national interests," Baluyevsky said.


Bush and Cheney have now spawned nuclear power in the Western Hemisphere. Here we go again !


Venezuela set to launch peaceful nuclear program - Chavez (click here)
20:58
15/ 11/ 2007
MOSCOW, November 15 (RIA Novosti) - Venezuela will pursue a peaceful nuclear program, the country's president said on Thursday.
"Venezuela will start developing a nuclear power sector for peaceful purposes," Hugo Chavez said in an interview with the French TV channel France 24, citing Brazil and Argentina as examples.
He said many other states would be compelled to do the same, since it was crucial to avert an energy crisis which is threatening the world as energy resources decline and oil prices soar.
Chavez also said he backed Iran's nuclear program.
"We support Iran, and I do not think that Iran is building a nuclear bomb," he said.

Bad weather shuts down ports, strands passengers

A poisoned and oil covered bird lies dying in front of local volunteers removing oil pollution from the Black Sea shore in the port Kavkaz, November 13, 2007. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images)

Russian Oil Spill Devastates Black Sea Ecology (click here)
By Ivan Velinov
Epoch Times San Francisco Staff
Nov 14, 2007
Strong winds and waves battered more than 10 cargo ships last Sunday in the Kerch Strait waters of the Black Sea between Russia and the Ukraine. Four ships sank, one split in two, and another ran aground spilling thousands of tons of oil and sulfur in what could be Russia's worst environmental disaster in the last decade, say experts.
The fierce storm raged in the small waterway between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Surging waves as high as 16 feet smashed apart the Russian oil tanker "Volganeft–139" and spilled into the sea nearly half of the cargo of the freight ship laden with 4,800 tons (1.3 million gallons) of oil. Three other freight ships loaded with sulfur containers also sank, sending about 7,000 tons of sulfur into the sea....

Oil slick endangers birds in Black Sea - 2 (click here)
20:22
16/ 11/ 2007
(Adds details in paras 8-9)
MOSCOW, November 16 (RIA Novosti) - Birds are continuing to die in southern Russia following an oil spill in the strait that links the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, a bird protection organization said on Friday.
At least 2,000 metric tons of fuel oil spilled into the Kerch Strait when a tanker split open and four freighters sank in a storm on November 11, also causing the death of at least six sailors.
"In the region around the Chushka Promontory, for every 30-40 dead birds, only one can be found alive, although with no chance of survival," the Russian Bird Conservation Union said.
The conservation organization said the stricken area included an important area for 50,000 migrating birds, and that up to 10 species of endangered birds could be spotted there at different times of the year.
Earlier reports said some 30,000 birds had been killed by the fuel oil. Tests of water samples showed that contamination by oil products was 2.5 milligrams per liter, 50 times above acceptable levels.
The four dry-cargo vessels that sank during Sunday's storm had about 7,000 metric tons of sulfur on board. The sulfur is currently sealed in containers, however.
A local fisheries department said the costs of damage from the spill could exceed 300 billion rubles ($12 billion) and warned that the use of chemicals to clean up the area would only double the environmental damage, as it assists the spread of oil products.
A Greenpeace coordinator, Yegor Timofeyev, said fuel oil collected by volunteers on the shores of the Kerch Strait is being washed into the sea in some places due to a lack of equipment to load it into trucks.
The total area of spilled oil products in the Black Sea's Kerch Strait after Sunday's oil tanker disaster is over 100 square km, a representative of the Scanex space monitoring center said on Friday.

November 16, 2007
Kalamata, Greece
Photographer states :: This road is the main road from our village to Kalamata. While we don't often get cut off by snow drifts it does have interesting weather hazards of its own. The beach is normally a good four feet below the road and the shore at least ten feet away (on a calm day). While the waves have convinced me not to venture to Kalamata today it is the rocks that they hurl up at you that are the main problem.


The Associated Press
Published: November 10, 2007
ATHENS, Greece: Gale-force winds whipped across Greece on Saturday, shutting down ferry operations across the country and stranding weekend passengers.
Winds up to 100 kilometers an hour (60 miles an hour) lashed the country's long coastline, sending three-meter (10 foot) waves crashing into island breakwaters and boats tied up in port. Streets in some cities were flooded.
No major problems were reported, but one soccer match in Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, was postponed because of high winds after a fan outside the stadium was injured by flying debris.
Torrential rains hit many parts of the country, especially in the north. The season's first snow fell in the central and northern mountains.

The weather in Antarctica (Crystal Ice Chime) is becoming temperate.

Global warming debate turns to claims over Antarctica, Greenland (click title to entry for link to The Jakarta Post)

Opinion News - Thursday, November 15, 2007
Michael Richardson, Singapore
Ban Ki-moon has ventured where no United Nations secretary-general has gone before -- to Antarctica. He flew in from Chile on Friday (Nov. 9) and on Sunday after his visit issued a statement in New York warning that the icy continent was "on the verge of catastrophe" that could trigger a sharp rise in sea level and major flooding of coastal lowlands around the world.

Ban is trying to build support for more effective international action to tackle climate change. Antarctica is currently controversial for two reasons.

First, as temperatures rise and sea ice recedes around the North Pole, countries bordering the Arctic Ocean are making competing claims to adjacent sub-sea territory that is thought to contain vast reserves of oil and natural gas.

The bordering states are Russia, Canada, the United States, Norway and Denmark (through Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory). Similar jostling has started in the Antarctic. Britain last month said it was considering lodging a claim to territorial rights over an area of the continental shelf off Antarctica covering more than one million square kilometers.

Argentina and Chile immediately confirmed that they have overlapping claims. Other countries, including Russia, Australia, New Zealand, France and Norway, had earlier lodged Antarctic continental shelf claims or reserved the right to do so. China announced this week that it would build a third research station on the White Continent and expand its scientific presence there.

In the early 1980s, scientists discovered evidence of large natural resource deposits in Antarctica, including coal, gas and oil, with the continental shelf considered to hold the region's greatest potential for oil reserves. But all territorial claims were suspended by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty.

A subsequent protocol, which entered into force in 1998, designated the region as a natural reserve devoted to peace and science. It also placed a moratorium on mining and drilling for oil or gas for a minimum of 50 years, until 2048, (when advances in technology might make exploration and extraction in such a hostile environment possible).

While the latest claims to the material riches of Antarctica are testimony to the enduring power of national interest and human greed, they are overshadowed by a second, more urgent controversy surrounding the area -- the extent to which the vast ice sheet that entombs nearly all of the continent and extends off-shore as ice shelves is melting and contributing to rising sea levels around the world.
This is a vexed issue among scientists and a major focus international polar research this year and next. The potential for global catastrophe is clear. The world's only two continental ice sheets, Antarctica and Greenland, contain over half the total amount of fresh water and around 99 percent of freshwater ice on Earth.

Scientists writing in a report commissioned by the UN Environment Programme that was published in June said that the level of oceans and seas would rise by about 64 metres if the present mass of ice in Antarctica and Greenland melted completely.

Antarctica alone would account for nearly 57 metres of the rise. Although the scientists added that this could take hundreds or even thousands of years, "recent observations show a marked increase in ice-sheet contributions to sea-level rise."

So far, the sea level increase has been small. But it is growing faster. Coastal and island tide-guage data show that sea level rose by just under 20 centimeters between 1870 and 2001, with an average rise of 1.7 millimeters per year during the 20th century. From 1993 to the end of 2006, near-global measurements made by high precision satellite altimeters indicate that worldwide average sea level has been rising by about 3 millimeters per year.

IPCC scientists give two main reasons for this: thermal expansion of ocean waters as they warm, and increase in ocean mass, chiefly from the melting of land ice.

Greenland is more susceptible to global warming than Antarctica partly because its climate is strongly affected by proximity to other landmasses and to the North Atlantic, and partly because its ice sheet is smaller and less thick. Greenland's ice extends over an area of 1.7 million square kilometers. With an average thickness of 1,600 metres, it has a total volume of about three million cubic kilometers.

This is about one ninth of the volume of the Antarctic ice sheet which covers 13.6 million square kilometers, including islands and ice shelves, and has an average thickness of about 2,400 metres. The inland ice has a depth of up to 5,000 metres, making Antarctica by far the highest of the continents.

The UNEP report said that summer melting now occurs over about half the surface of the Greenland ice-sheet particularly near the coast, with much of the water flowing into the sea. As surrounding temperatures rose, the total loss from the ice sheet more than doubled from a few tens of billions of metric tons per year in the early 1990s to about 100 billion tons per year after 2000, with perhaps a further doubling by 2005.

The report warned that Greenland, which has no ice shelves extending out from its coast, provided a picture of Antarctic conditions if the climate warmed enough to weaken or remove protective ice shelves that skirt 1.5 million square kilometers of the Antarctic coastline.

The questionable stability of Antarctic ice shelves in a warming climate was highlighted by the collapse of the Larsen B ice shelf in 2002 off the northern Antarctic Peninsula that juts out towards the tip of South America.

Scientists say that the scale of this collapse is unprecedented since the end of the last ice age. Some believe it is a harbinger of worse to come.

Since the start of the IPCC projections in 1990, the sea level has actually been rising more rapidly than the central range of its forecasts. Some scientists, worried by what they see in Greenland and Antarctica, believe that 21st century sea level rise might exceed IPCC projections and be as large as 1.4 metres.

Of the major inhabited continents, Asia would be most seriously affected. The UNEP report said that a one metre rise in sea level would inundate over 800 square kilometers of low-lying land with a population of more than 100 million people, slicing around US$450 billion from the region's current GDP.

The writer, a former Asia editor of the International Herald Tribune, is a security specialist at the Institute of South East Asian Studies in Singapore.

Investment Firm Names Gore as a Partner

It's called, making a moral commitment. He wants to move the agenda forward and is using influence to do so. It's more than admirable. I don't want to hear how he is well paid or otherwise. So was the ruthless Halliburton and Richard Cheney, the difference however is that Al is saving lives while Cheney and Halliburton destroy them !!

End of Discussion !!

...Paul Kedrosky, a venture capitalist and author of the blog Infectious Greed, said that Mr. Gore’s new role could benefit start-up companies by providing guidance through the political process.
For instance, Mr. Kedrosky said, Mr. Gore would now have a financial incentive to push for subsidies, like the tax incentives or rebates that have buoyed the solar industry, or to provide start-ups with important connections in government and big business.
“Anyone who thinks this is happening because Al has fantastic clean-tech entrepreneurial chops is fooling themselves,” Mr. Kedrosky said. Alternative energy “is a policy issue, a political issue, and that requires connections to get things done.”
Mr. Gore “is a political rainmaker,” Mr. Kedrosky said. The association between Kleiner and Mr. Gore “just means that clean tech is an inherently political exercise.”...
...As part of the affiliation announced on Monday, Kleiner Perkins said it would collaborate with Generation Investment Management to find and finance clean-tech start-ups globally. Generation, which is based in Britain and was co-founded by Mr. Gore, focuses on investing in larger operations and later-stage companies focused on clean tech....

Become a Member and Vote - Make a statement about the need for change in the USA Health Insurance Industry. I did.

Don't you recognize the creation of a Republican Wedge Issue when you see one.

Man arraigned in officer's traffic death (click here)
Posted by Kim Crawford
August 29, 2007 06:47AM
INDEPENDENCE TWP. -- As second shift Flint police officers donned "mourning bands" Tuesday afternoon in honor of one of their own killed in a traffic crash Sunday evening, an Oakland County man was charged in the case.
Family and friends of Flint police Officer Vincent D'Anna watched grimly as Ramon Felix Pineda, 25, was arraigned before Oakland County District Judge Kelley Kostin in Clarkston. Kostin ordered Pineda, an illegal alien from Mexico who has lived in the U.S. for 12 years, held without bond in the Oakland County Jail.
Pineda is charged with second-degree murder -- a felony punishable by up to life in prison; operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing death, a 15-year felony; failing to stop at the scene of a serious injury accident causing death, punishable by a five-year prison term; and driving while license suspended, a misdemeanor....




Rogue vehicles driven by unlicensed drivers have been responsible for a string of deadly accidents on the Eastern Shore. Two people were killed and two injured when this Ford Escort driven by a Hispanic farm worker ran a stop sign Oct. 1 in Accomack County. VIRGINIA STATE POLICE PHOTOS

There is nothing "W"rong with Spitzer's plan. It would bring illegals out of the woodwork while setting aside a provision to protect those boarding planes.

Has everyone gone mad? In bringing out illegals in the way of having a driver's license is to gain information and knowledge of where illegals are coming from, where to target gaps in New York State Border security and especially a way to find illegals while also collecting taxes.

The Illegal Immigrant is an UNDERGROUND. By issuing licenses doesn't make them a citizen or a person with legal status, but, it does bring laws to bear over the circumstances that all citizens are exposed to.

KNOCK IT OFF !!!!!

They'd have to be insured in order to have a license to drive a car. That is a huge beginning to reducing dangers on the road and provide insurance to current citizens in a way insurance doesn't exist now! Are you all nuts out there !

Identifying illegals is a way of tracking them, so this doesn't happen. Homeland Security has FAILED to secure our borders. The next best thing is to identify them and provide a venue of accountability for their actions. Jeeze !!!

CRIME VICTIMS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS (click here)
There is an enormous number of Americans who have been harmed by the criminals who pass through the nation's open borders. For that reason, this section can only provide a symbolic tribute to the many unnamed victims who have been killed, raped, robbed, crippled and otherwise personally violated....


Lorraine Rivera
Reports
When illegal immigrants crash, taxpayers usually foot the bill (click here)

Within the last month, close to three dozen illegal immigrants have been injured or killed in three Southern Arizona accidents.
The first happened April 19 near Elgin in Santa Cruz County, the second on April 30 near Tangerine Road and Interstate 10 and on May 3 at Interstate 19 and Pima Mine Road.
Often, hospitals foot the bill to care for illegal immigrants injured here in the U.S.
Those costs are then passed on to the taxpayers.
Smugglers use older vehicles, cramming as many people as possible inside and taking extreme measures to get their cargo across the border.
In the last month, three separate accidents have occurred, one of them killing four illegal immigrants.
Agent Sean King of the Tucson Sector of the Border Patrol says, “Smugglers [are] taking action that they shouldn't be taking because they want to earn as much money possible and they earn their money by getting their illegal cargo to Phoenix or Tucson so that they can get paid.”
According to the Border Patrol, vehicle wrecks are frequent with the victims needing medical attention.
“Paramedics are the ones who decide which hospital they go to and, in a large accident where there's a lot of people, it could be spread out to a bunch of hospitals in the area, depending on the need, what the hospital can help them with.”
Among them, the only trauma center in Southern Arizona, and weeks after one of the recent accidents illegal immigrants are still being treated at Tucson's University Medical Center.
“It has a negative impact on our bottom line. First, our priority is taking care of the people that are injured and making sure that they get the proper care, but the reality is that there is no direct reimbursement for that,” said Kevin Burn, Chief Financial Officer for UMC.
Two months ago, UMC received $500,000 of your tax money from the federal government as payment, but it’s not enough.
According to Burns, “At the current run rate we'll incur 5-to-6 million dollars in unreimbursed costs for taking care of foreign nationals.”

In a study conducted between 1993 - 1997, it was found in three state regions, New York City, Southern California and Texas; unlicensed drivers comprised nearly 4% of drivers that caused deaths on the roadways. The age group for these drivers were primarily between 15 and 35 years of age.

http://www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/unlicensed2kill.PDF

The driver that caused this accident was an illegal alien. We already know they don't value their lives as they cross a border without regard to their own survive, enter a country illegally and work for next to nothing living in deplorable conditions. An illegal driver never had to pass a test to know what road signs are, never had to demonstrate their ability to safely drive a car and as in this case, simply stolen the vehicle they need because they can never qualify to register a car in their own name even if they have the financial means to purchase one.

Harvest of death on the Eastern Shore (click here)
Rogue vehicles driven by unlicensed drivers have been responsible for a string of deadly accidents on the Eastern Shore. Two people were killed and two injured when this Ford Escort driven by a Hispanic farm worker ran a stop sign Oct. 1 in Accomack County.
VIRGINIA STATE POLICE PHOTOS
By BILL BURKE
The Virginian-Pilot © October 10, 2005
The Ford Escort was racing north on rural Seaside Road, its occupants headed home from a wedding, when it ran a stop sign at 55 mph.
The driver of a Ford F-150 traveling east through the intersection never saw the Escort, police said.
The T-bone crash killed the driver of the Escort, Rene Leyva-Perez, and 4-year-old Daniel Salazar, who was in the back seat. Daniel’s pregnant mother, Marina Salazar, and the driver of the pickup were injured.
When police arrived, they discovered that Leyva-Perez had no auto insurance or driver’s license – only a laminated ID card issued by the tomato-packing plant where he worked – and that the car was registered to a woman in Chesapeake and had Michigan plates....

If illegals were allowed to be licensed, own vehicles and control wealth through legal means it would improve their status and create ways of monitoring their movements. They would probably stop any migration that occurs with illegal status. There is a lot of crime associated with illegal aliens. New York is ONLY a state. There is no control by Bush's Homeland Security, so by allowing Illegals to be licensed New York State will provide some degree of quality of drivers in this class of citizens.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with what Eliot is attempting to do in providing a venue to reduce unlicensed drivers and 'hidden' criminal elements. He's right. In actuality, all they need to board an airplane is a Passport. Illegals can have legal passports without being in the USA legally.

What's the difference if they show up with a passport of a New York State driver's license? They aren't going to be scrutinized like every other LEGAL citizen? What the heck are you all thinking?

The 'idea' behind airport screening is to stop Osama bin Laden and Omar from flying planes into buildings and killing people. Isn't every passenger, regardless of legal status required to clear security before boarding?

What the heck are you all talking about?

Airport screening is airport screening. That doesn't change because their is a driver's license or not.

You're all being morons !!!!!!!!!!