The Faux GDP under Bush - Lehman Brothers, another one bits the dust

Bush buoyed his economy to insure his re-election at the expense of the American Dream. The minimaly productive years of his presidency should not have occurred. If the USA economy wasn't 'toyed' with for a faux sense of economy, the 'mess' that exists today would never have happened.

Crashing the USA economy was a way of Republican restructuring, hoping the entire time the government infrastructure would tumble with it, including Social Security (Remember the alarm by Bush after the 2004 elections, does the American electorate want the same surprise by McCain?) and removing much of the need for federal taxes with it.

We have witnessed the gross deterioration of 'long lived fiscal' infrastructure of the USA including institutions such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; while 'insiders' to the administration maneuvered 'for the kill.'

Where is the conscience of Americans to disavow the reality that is before them in some kind of 'game of chance' that Republicans are putting forward as a solution to the nation's problems?

US dollar posts worst one-day fall vs euro in 6 months (click here)

By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss
NEW YORK, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar fell on Friday, posting its worst one-day decline against the euro in six months, as weak economic data and uncertainty over the future of troubled investment bank Lehman Brothers prompted investors to lock in recent steep gains.
Worries about Washington Mutual Inc , the largest U.S. savings and loan institution, also added to selling pressure on the dollar after the bank projected further write-downs,
Lehman shares tumbled to a near 14-year low on worries it might fail to find a buyer because the U.S. government was reluctant to provide financial support.
The U.S. retail sales and producer price reports also weighed on the greenback as they revived expectations for another interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve this year....

Lehman Brothers teeters on verge of collapse as Barclays pulls out (click here)

By James Quinn, Wall Street Correspondent
Last Updated: 8:31pm BST 14/09/2008
Global investment bank Lehman Brothers is teetering on the verge of collapse after Barclays pulled out of an 11th-hour rescue.

The departure of Barclays left US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and Tim Geithner, the head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, spearheading desperate last-ditch attempts to put in place some form of a workable rescue package.
Traders fear that the collapse of Lehman would send shockwaves around the world and spark a global sell-off of shares.
Lehman which employs 4,000 staff in London and 24,00 around the world, could be placed into liquidation as soon as Monday. The bank would be the single largest casualty of the current credit crisis and its collapse one of the biggest failures in Wall Street history...

When 'The West' minds their manners regarding Russia, diplomacy can work.

NATO-izing the Old Soviet States for the sake of confronting Russia only creates scenarios of war while placing these countries center stage to destruction. There is nothing so threatening in this world that it can't be resolved with diplomacy. The exception to that is the threat of unresolved terrorist networks.

...In a statement, the Kremlin said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev talked with his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yushchenko, and underscored concern over 'a whole range of problems in bilateral relations.'
Resolving them, the statement said, would require 'careful and constructive' work by experts from both countries 'without politicising existing disagreements.
'After these issues have been resolved, concrete timeframes for top-level meetings can be discussed,' the Kremlin statement said....

There was a time when Russia was strategically involved with the USA war against al Qaeda. That all changed when the plans to defeat bin Laden turned into a war for Saddam's oil.

The 'struggle' so much of Europe and Asia are engaged in to maintain sovereignty and with it peace is directly related to the divisive measures by Bush/Cheney. If they had 'stayed in the fight' in Afghanistan without diverting the USA military into Iraq; Europe, the former Soviet States and Russia itself would not be at odds. We would have defeated al Qaeda and the attacks into Madrid, London, Jordan and Algiers would never have happened. To place into perspective 'the permission' given to war without end by McCain's backing of Bush Policy is to realize how much of a failure McCain actually is and how much of a continued failure he will be.

Monday, 17 September, 2001, 16:44 GMT 17:44 UK
Russia finds 'Chechen link' to Bin Laden (click here)
The Russian internal security service says it has found a computer compact disc in Chechnya which contains instructions for piloting Boeing aircraft similar to those hijacked for the attacks in the United States last week.
The chief spokesman of the Federal Security Service Alexander Zdanovich told Russian media that the computer CD also contained technical descriptions of Boeing 737 aeroplanes.
He said it was found during a raid on a group which had contacts with Osama bin Laden - the man named by the United States as the main suspect in the attacks.
Correspondents say Moscow has been trying for some time to convince Washington that Chechen rebels are linked to the Saudi-born dissident.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service


Bush/Cheney and now McCain don't seek resolve to war through strong alliances that provide support for in roads to peace. They continually confront other country's sovereignty as a means to conquer and exploit natural resources of that country. In the case of Russia, its natural resources are the focus to any tensions that exist between the USA, Europe and Former Soviet States.

If Afghanistan and the defeat of al Qaeda had remained the focus of the War of September 11th, Russia would not have withdrawn from alliance with the USA and sensitive to any appearance of a threat to its sovereignty that resulted in the invasion into Georgia.

To realize where we are going with a McCain victory is to realize the folly in believing he is capable of leadership into peace. John McCain is another Bush, he leads into war, not into peace.

We need Russia. We need peace with Russia. Placing Missile Shields at its borders only escalates the 'positioning' for war for both countries. Its "W"rong and more than just an exercise in futility and preparedness. Russia has not been this aggressive in its global relationships for decades and this time it isn't about spreading Communism, its about protecting Russia sovereignty.

We aren't treating our allies right, no matter whom they are. Placing Europe in harms way to confront a 'guarded Russia' is not the act of an ally, its the act of a threat.

I want my country back. And I want its allies back as well. Those allies include Russia. The only enemy this world has to confront is al Qaeda. There are no other enemies, except, greed and a declining USA economy. Americans have to stop deluding their realities. Life is serious, it's not star studded and McCain is not capable of being the President the USA needs.

Maryland Officials Fight Voter Discrimination

Posted on September 14, 2008
...The incidents and others nationwide prompted federal hearings this week. Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., led a hearing Tuesday questioning two Department of Justice officials on the agency's level of preparedness for the Nov. 4 general election. In minority-majority districts such as Baltimore and Prince George's County, citizens waited in lines that were "three to five times long" compared to other districts due to "inadequate" resources, Cardin said....

Jackson 08/26/08

Hosemann disturbed by voter fraud in Wilkinson County (click here)
Posted:Aug 26, 2008 04:47 PM EDT
Updated:Sep 3, 2008 10:17 AM EDT
By Jon Kalahar
The state of Mississippi is expecting a record voter turnout this November.
Mississippians will choose a new president, elect senators and congressmen as well as supreme court justices.

But a report on one county's special elections this summer may have you questioning the sanctity of the voting process here in the state....

McCain's Economic Advisor 'crafted' Enron

The Oil Infrastructure of the USA has always been vulnerable to storms, not to mention contributing to the increase of a dangerous troposphere. To contine on this path is the "W"rong direction for the country. John McCain has no viable strategies for the USA !

Texan Economists rape the USA of resources. It is all they know how to do, while outsourcing jobs to allow greater profits by companies. The rant by the Republicans is that the USA economy will expand with greater company profits, therefore, decrease their tax burden even more.

It was never an answer for the American people and it continues to be a 'problematic' form of economic strategy. Texan economists have no clear strategy for an America with a viable Middle Class, only one that rides the shirt-tales of what is still exploitable through government deregulation.

We already had eight years of a failed Texan Economist, when will everyone realize the Republicans have no answers, so much as 'Star Quality' to social conservative pizzazz. The difference between Republicans and Democrats is completely obvious; Democrats live with reality while Republicans dance all around it.

...Mr. Gramm, a Texas Republican, is one of the top recipients of Enron largess in the Senate. And he is a demon for deregulation. In December 2000 Mr. Gramm was one of the ringleaders who engineered the stealthlike approval of a bill that exempted energy commodity trading from government regulation and public disclosure. It was a gift tied with a bright ribbon for Enron....



...McCain urged Congress to institute a "gas-tax holiday" by suspending the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and 24.4 cent diesel tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day. He also renewed his call for the United States to stop adding to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and thus lessen to some extent the worldwide demand for oil....(click here)




Ike Shutters 20% of U.S. Refining Capacity; Reserves Released (click here)
By Jordan Burke and Aaron Clark
Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Almost 20 percent of the U.S.'s oil refining capacity was shut after Hurricane Ike slammed into the Gulf Coast, limiting fuel deliveries and prompting the Department of Energy to release 309,000 barrels from its strategic reserves....


Letter: Economic adviser has ruinous approach (click here)
John McCain's old chum, Phil Gramm, former U.S. senator from Texas, now a Swiss bank executive, co-chairs McCain's presidential campaign and advises him on matters of economics. Gramm appears to be a shoo-in for secretary of the Treasury if McCain is elected president.In the 1990s, Gramm, then chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, routinely underfunded the Securities and Exchange Commission. As the SEC's workload increased 80 percent, SEC's staff was allowed an increase of just 20 percent. In 1999, Gramm got a bill passed that tore down the regulatory walls between commercial banks, investment banks, insurance companies and security firms, resulting in merger mania.Gramm pulled off his cleverest move for his friends in the financial services industry (who donated millions to him over his 24-year congressional career) in mid-December 2000. Into a $384 billion omnibus spending bill, Gramm slipped a measure called the Commodity Futures Modernization Act. It contained a provision - lobbied by Enron - that exempted energy trading from regulatory oversight. That allowed Enron to trash the California electricity market and cost consumers billions before it collapsed....

McCain is not quailified to be USA President by the choices has makes. He sacrifices USA Security for Party Politics. We already had 8 years of that

No matter which way one looks at it, John McCain has 'sold out' to partisan politics in order to win an election while placing the country 'at risk' for national security issues.

l. His energy and transportation strategy is not what the country needs nor can afford (What good is drilling for oil now do anyone with $5.00 per gallon pump prices and NO drilling offshore of the USA will not bring down gas pump prices.)

2. His approach to foreign affairs is a chronic lead up to war.

3. His Vice Presidential choice places the USA 'at risk' on every venue. She has relied on building an economy in any of her capacities through exploitive government spending and overriding sound environmental and conservation policies.

4. There is no strategy to turn the USA economy around, no protections for American workers and no incentives for investment in the USA infrastructure.

5. His advisors reflect 'inside the Beltway' in larger measure than any other Republican candidate in the former field.

6. He has no right to attempt 'Flash-in-the-Pan' politics to entice the electorate with celebrity tactics and place our country at further risk of war, increased pollution due to continued carbon dioxide emissions, declining economic infrastructure (If the USA continues with its aggressive attitude toward continuous war, it will become more and more isolated into economic failure. The world is not going to put up with more irresponsible Neocon rantings and war chants. It just won't.) due to globlal ridicule of the USA War posture.

7. An America devoid of good healthcare infrastructure with a 'health care strategy' that will demise what is left of employer benefits and superior health policies that ordinary Americans will never be able to afford or have available again.

8. More deregulation of government and more tax cuts with escalating national debt.

THE CAMPAIGN RHETORIC of McCain is something we have all heard before, but, he cannot deliver an American 'healed' and 'prepared.'

9. A continued tragically poor educational system with declining college enrollment.

10. No withdrawal strategy for Iraq.

11. No plan to destroy al Qaeda.

12. No means to capture or kill Osama bin Laden.

13. No methodology for nuclear disarmament.

14. No productive strategy to ascertain the causes for the confrontation by Georgia of Russia.

15. No method of securing global peace without nuclear exchange with Russia and China.


Vladimir Putin, Gates and McCain. Russia is NOT our enemy, although McCain finds it politically convenient to maintain that posture.


The McCain Seven (click here) - The Washington Insiders


McCain's advisers are a troubling group (click title to entry, thank you)
September 2, 2008
Al Gore is an honorable man. He cares about environmental issues. George Bush is not an honorable man. He started a war based on lies. John Kerry is an honorable man. He was upset after a firefight killed civilians and concluded that the Vietnam war was unjustified. Dick Cheyney is not an honorable man. He supported the Iraq War and gave no-bid contracts to buddies.
John McCain was an honorable man. He acted valiantly in five years' imprisonment in North Vietnam and championed campaign finance reform, opposed torture, and helped immigration reform. But in his quest for president, he sold his soul to the devil. He has 100 lobbyists on his staff. Charlie Black was a hired gun for repressive African regimes. Randy Scheunemann pushed the invasion of Iraq. Wayne Berman's client was a predatory mortgage company. Meg Whitman pushed for permanent tax cuts for the rich and and Phil Gramm pushed for deregulating Wall Street scammers.
If you approve of McCain's staffers, he is your man. If you value U.S. economic security and justice for working Americans, vote for Obama or minor party candidates.
John R. Zachmann

Obama camp says it raised $66 million in August

Iowa Poll: Obama opens double-digit lead (click here)
September 13, 2008
Democrat Barack Obama has established a double-digit lead over Republican John McCain in Iowa as the presidential race in this Midwestern battleground enters its critical fall stretch, according to The Des Moines Register's latest Iowa Poll.The poll, taken in the wake of the parties' national conventions, shows Obama favored by 52 percent of Iowa likely voters, compared to 40 percent for McCain.

Democrats prepare for Leadership, while the Republicans play around with Power Plays

Hillary Clinton to campaign for Lunsford
Senator to visit state on Sept. 20

...Lunsford's campaign announced yesterday that Clinton, of New York, would attend campaign events on Sept. 20 in Lexington and Pikeville.
The nature of the events is still unclear. Cary Stemle, a spokesman for the campaign, said he didn't know if the events are rallies, fundraisers or both.
But Lunsford, a Louisville businessman, is clearly hoping that the Clinton family's ability to get votes in Kentucky will transfer to him on Nov. 4 when he tries to oust Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell....

US Withdraws From Nuclear Deal with Russia

By Meredith Buel Washington
08 September 2008
The United States has pulled out of an agreement with Russia for civilian nuclear cooperation. VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details from Washington. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement that President Bush is notifying Congress he is rescinding a request for consideration of the nuclear cooperation deal with Moscow.The nuclear agreement, which would have required U.S. congressional approval, was signed earlier this year in Moscow and was designed to allow U.S. and Russian companies to become partners in joint ventures involving the nuclear industry. Analysts say business generated by the agreement could have been worth billions of dollars. In the statement read by State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, Rice says U.S. nonproliferation goals contained in the agreement remain valid, but the timing is not appropriate for such an accord....

McCain encourages war in Europe by insisting Georgia and the Ukraine be instilled in NATO

McCain is "W"rong on National Defense and Defense of European Allies.

Russia pulls forces from port city (click here)
13 hours ago
A Georgian official said Russian forces have left the Black Sea port city of Poti.
Interior Ministry official Shota Utiashvili says Russian troops have withdrawn completely from the two posts they maintained on the outskirts of Poti.
Russia has maintained two dozen posts in Georgia beyond separatist Abkhazia and South Ossetia following last month's war over South Ossetia.
The presence in Poti has been particularly galling for Georgia because it is hundreds of miles from where most of the fighting occurred.
Russia promised last week to withdraw from Poti by this coming Monday.
Russia is to withdraw all its forces from Georgian territory outside South Ossetia and Abkhazia next month.


...."The Russians were right; we're wrong," Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said this week at a hearing of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.
"The Georgians started it; the Russians ended it," he said.
Rohrabacher claimed that unidentified intelligence sources had assured him that Georgia started the fighting that began Aug. 7 when Georgia's military tried to re-establish control over its breakaway, pro-Russian province of South Ossetia....

EU accused of Georgia duplicity (click here)

Russia has accused the EU of signing a deal with Georgia on the deployment of ceasefire monitors that contradicts one agreed hours earlier with Moscow.
Russia's foreign minister said it would not permit EU monitors in South Ossetia or Abkhazia but that the deal signed by the EU with Georgia allowed this.
Georgia's breakaway regions have been recognised as independent by Russia.
The EU said it was not discussed with Moscow whether the observers could go into the separatist breakaway regions....

Medvedev describes Georgia attack as Russia's 9/11 (click here)
· President says US backed assault on South Ossetia · Nato membership 'would destabilise region'

Georgia's attack on the breakaway region of South Ossetia was unnecessary and unprovoked and was encouraged by the United States, Russia's president, Dmitry Medvedev, said in an interview yesterday.
"For Russia, August 8 was like September 11 for the United States," he told a group of foreign journalists and academics. "I would like to see major lessons from it for the world."
He made clear that the lessons, as Russia sees them, are that the post-cold war "illusion" that a world with one super power is a safe and predictable place is now over.
The 42-year-old president said George Bush had phoned him shortly after he had ordered Russian forces to drive the Georgians back. "'You're a young president with a liberal background. Why do you need this?' Medvedev quoted Bush as saying. "I told him we had no choice," he said.
The Russian president's interview followed a day after a similar interview with the prime minister, Vladimir Putin. He seemed to be talking from the same script, though there were important differences between the two. The president was more blunt about his Georgian counterpart, Mikheil Saakashvili, calling him "burdened with a host of pathologies" and alleging he often appeared in public under the influence of drugs.
"Russia had to recognise South Ossetia as an independent state - a move widely criticised in the west - because otherwise Georgia might attack again....

Economic transformation opens road to Damascus

It appears that the Bush leadership has not resulted in stronger allies, so much as vulnerable one. Expect the same from McCain.

Dresses are displayed in a shop window in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Sept. 8, 2008. Today's Syria, at least on the surface, is starkly different from the bland socialist country it was few years ago. But as it transforms itself economically, many are wondering whether the country can break with its hard line, rigid reputation as it emerges from the shadows of its past and change politically, too, at the same pace. (AP Photo/Bassem Tellawi)

Lebanon ranks 99th globally on ease of business (click here)

Country comes in 10th among 19 states in mena regionDaily Star staff

Saturday, September 13, 2008

BEIRUT: The World Bank and the International Finance Corporation ranked Lebanon in 99th place among 181 countries worldwide and 10th among 19 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region in terms of Ease of Doing Business in 2009, as reported by Lebanon This Week, the economic publication of the Byblos Bank Group.
Lebanon also ranked in 26th place among 35 upper-middle income countries and came in 98th place globally in the 2008 survey. The index is a composite of 10 sub-indices of business regulation that track the time and cost to meet government requirements in business start-up, operation, trade, taxation, and closure. Globally, Lebanon ranked behind Dominican Republic and Yemen and came before Zambia and Jordan, while it ranked ahead of Seychelles and Croatia and behind Belarus and Palau among upper-middle income countries.
Lebanon ranked in 98th place globally on the Starting a Business sub-index, up 38 places from 2008, and in 10th place in the MENA region. This category reflects the challenges to launch a business in a country....

The "eye wall" made landfall over Galveston Bay, Texas, but, the worst of the storm was over the Port Arthur

'Certain death' warning over Ike (click here) - That is the best warning I ever heard come from Homeland Security, and I thank them. They need to keep up that level of concern in the future. Perhaps people really responded this time.

I know there had to be some deaths, there just isn't reports of them yet. There were reports of a man leaving his home with nine feet of water and seeking shelter. He stated the sea was moving toward the town.

Ike strengthened as it came over land which is unique for a hurricane, but, the land is a heat source and probably more of one now that Human Induced Global Warming is roasting the southern USA everyday. I am not surprised.

Hurricane Ike makes landfall near Beaumont/ Port Arthur (click here)
By Genevieve Wedholm
Story Created: Sep 13, 2008 at 10:55 AM CDT
Story Updated: Sep 13, 2008 at 10:55 AM CDT
BEAUMONT, Texas- Lindsay Landry and photojournalist Jess Winfrey continue our coverage from Beaumont, where they spent the night in at Parkdale Mall where wind gusts were reported up to 91 miles per hour.
Signs have been ripped off and several items are being tossed in the rain.
Our KETK News Team will have your latest breaking news through out the rest of the day.


September 13, 2008
0630z
UNISYS Enhanced Southeast USA Infrared Satellite

...Of particular note is the hurricane protection structure in Port Arthur (click here). The structure was completed in 1984 to provide protection to the urbanized and industrial areas of Port Arthur, to include the City of Port Arthur and the associated petrochemical complex from a hurricane surge up to 14 feet. It is maintained by the Jefferson County Drainage District No. 7, and was last inspected by the Corps in June of this year....

September 13, 2008

0600z

UNISYS Enhanced Infrared GOES East Satellite

47A 28.20 -93.80 09/12/23Z 95 954 HURRICANE-2

47B 28.40 -94.30 09/13/01Z 95 952 HURRICANE-2

48 28.60 -94.40 09/13/03Z 95 952 HURRICANE-2

48A 28.90 -94.50 09/13/05Z 95 952 HURRICANE-2

Landfall - Kindly notice the central pressures. The winds at Port Arthur were in the 90 mph range while in Galveston they were registered in the 60 mph range. The corner of the storm that landed on Port Arthur caused far higher storm surges and more concern for safety. The folks in that area were actually in more danger than in Galveston, although everyone needed to pay attention and leave before anyone could incur injuries or worse.

48B 29.20 -94.70 09/13/07Z 95 953 HURRICANE-2

49 29.70 -95.00 09/13/09Z 95 954 HURRICANE-2

The Weather Channel had really exceptional coverage through the entire storm.

Ike closes one local refinery, should drive up gas prices (click here)
By HEATHER NOLAN
September, 11, 2008
...ExxonMobil, Valero Energy Corp., ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil Co. were among companies in Texas halting operations as the storm closed in, according to the Associated Press.
Valero's refinery in Port Arthur shut down its 325,000 barrel-a-da capacity plant around 5:30 Thursday afternoon, said spokesman Bill Day....

Port Arthur Levee System Holds; Ike Causes Damage, Power Outages in SE - TX. (click here)
September 13, 2008 - 5:02AM
Scott Lawrence
Law enforcement officers and utility executives say it's too early to gauge the full extent of Hurricane Ike's impact on Southeast Texas, but Greg Bostwick says the levee system in Port Arthur held and the water level began falling at about 4 a.m.
The level rose to more than 11 feet in Port Arthur. The lowest point of the levee is about 14 1/2 feet.
The Sabine Pass tide was 14.24 feet. The levels began receding at about 4 a.m.
With that type of tide, storm surge damage can be expected.
There are also reports of flooding in the Bridge City area, but until daylight, the extent of the flooding won't be known.
We have received reports of damage from viewers across the area, including some reports of tree and wind damage to homes.
Entergy Texas reports about 175,000 customers without power in its service area. Those numbers are expected to rise.
You can call 1-800-9Outage to report a power outage.

GET OUT OF THE WAY !!! END OF DISCUSSION. THIS IS A KILLER STORM !

September 12, 2008

1230z

UNISYS Water Vapor GOES East Satellite

DID I TELL YOU ?!?!?!?

Yes, I told you. I told you Lousiana would receive effects of Ike. So, here it is. The people along the Texas and Lousiana coast within reach of this enormous storm must evacuate and NOW ! The 'reach' of Ike is greater than it's "eye wall." Don't expect to 'outwit' this storm, you won't. Please protect your lives and seek safe 'recognized' shelter.

Ike buffets Louisiana coast on trek to Texas (click here)
9/12/2008, 8:48 a.m. CDT
The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — Hurricane Ike brushed by coastal Louisiana Friday, piling storm surge into bayous and lakes, shutting schools and cutting power to homes and businesses.
Water was covering some roadways and wind-driven sheets of rain crossed the area in waves as Ike made its way toward Texas and an expected landfall Saturday near Galveston. In the Lafitte area south of New Orleans and in coastal communities outside the levee protection system some homes were threatened by the surge.

Ike raised the total number of power outages in the state, adding to the thousands who were still without electricity after Hurricane Gustav hit on Labor Day. Entergy Corp. said more than 84,500 customers were without electric power in Louisiana on Friday morning. Cleco Corp. reported about 2,000 outages on its Web site; Dixie Electric, more than 12,000, according to its Web site....

Ike effects broad (click here)

More BR-area tree damage expected
By AMY WOLD AND MICHELLE MILLHOLLON
Advocate staff writers
Published: Sep 12, 2008 - Page: 1A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

Winds are expected to be strong enough today to knock over more trees in the Baton Rouge area as Hurricane Ike makes its way toward a Texas landfall, state and federal officials reported Thursday.
On Thursday, winds from the east in Baton Rouge — still reeling from Hurricane Gustav — clocked in about 20 mph. Today, those winds are expected to pick up to 30 to 40 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph, the National Weather Service reported.
“This is a really big storm,” Barry Keim, Louisiana state climatologist, said of Ike. “It’s bigger than Katrina and bigger than Gustav.”
Gov. Bobby Jindal on Thursday urged residents of the coastal parishes in southwest Louisiana to get out of the storm’s way, saying the impact could be similar to that of Hurricane Rita three years ago....

Both Routes Around Arctic Open at Summer's End

The weather at Glacier Bay National Park ( Crystal Wind Chime) is hideously warm:

Lat/Lon :: 58.8° N 137.0° W

Elevation :: 33 ft / 10 m

Temperature :: 54 °F / 12 °C

Conditions :: Overcast

Humidity :: 82%

Dew Point :: 48 °F / 9 °C

Wind :: 5 mph / 7 km/h / 2.1 m/s from the ESE

Pressure :: 29.93 in / 1013 hPa (Falling)

Visibility :: 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers

UV :: 0 out of 16

Clouds:
Few 6000 ft / 1828 m
Overcast 7000 ft / 2133 m
(Above Ground Level)


Ice Shelves Retreat on Ellesmere Island (click here)




Crack in the Petermann Glacier (click here)




Retreat of Serson Ice Shelf (click here)

...As of the first week of September 2008, Arctic sea ice extent had not fallen below the record low observed in 2007, but the season set a new kind of record. For the first time in probably half a century—and definitely since satellite observations began about three decades ago— sea ice retreated enough to create open (not ice-free) waters all the way around the northern ice pack. Open water is defined by the World Meteorological Organization for the purposes of navigation as areas where the ice covers less than one-tenth of the surface....

McCain's "Thousand Points of Light" - "Americans are ready to serve."

The Ultimate Soldier wants the Ultimate War. He has already mentioned Georgia. That issue is a 'staging area' to an invasion into Asia.

McCain will instill a draft and you can count on it !

When my father served in Korea, he never believed the USA was the world's liberator or intended to be a 'Liberator of Oil.'

John McCain has an inflated sense of his military service and that is unfortunate. He is not capable of a balanced approach to the USA's military. He is a Neocon.

The 'talk' tonight with CNN is sponsored by the Time-Warner Military Complex. It's staged. No different than the other "Night with Religious" mess.

Months ago, Michael Moore reported on his website that there was poison-pen letters based in lies circulating through the web that was meant to discredit Barak Obama. During that time these messages were circulating through the internet Barak's ratings in this election time dropped significantly. Yesterday, Anderson Cooper 360 had a real campaign to exonerate Sarah Palin from any negative shadow. One of the focus was the lies that were mentioned on a Blog. Now, where is the 'fair and balanced' approached to that? If a Democrat's Blog states lies he is only taking on the 'right of passage' the Republicans enjoy without consequences.

It is all too obvious, this election is about maintaining the Bush influence in the Executive Branch regardless the recklessness of it all.

Since McCain 'played his shock and awe card with Palin,' she has been ratcheting up the rhetoric about military service with each one of her speeches and appearances, calling on the service of her sons as a point of Mother's Pride. This Republican Presidential set of nominations plans on mandatory service in the mechanisms of a draft as soon as they have secured their offices.

What does that mean? Bush/Cheney looked the other way when they received a report stating "Bin Laden Determined to Strike the USA." Well. Guess what awaits us after a McCain inauguration?

Everyone wants to 'risk' that happening again with people that are obvious oil lovers as well. Not me !!

There was a drastic shift in the political climate of the USA since the announcement by McCain of his poorly made Vice President choice. The shift was overtly made to promote the McCain ticket. Joe Biden never got that coverage.

The media is out of line when it comes to 'popularizing' a political figure at a time when elections are being held. Perhaps, the Obama team needs to count all the media hours dedicated to the female Republican Veep and demand equal time to the very 'second.'

Let's face it, McCain have been unable to raise the political funding that Barak has been able to raise. That is 'freedom,' that is the American people throwing their support behind a candidate they have confidence in. The people that put hard earned dollars in the treasury of a man that can be trusted, it is because they believe in the advantage well funded campaigns can bring. The media, since the Republican Convention, has made these efforts far more fruitless. There needs to be a significant review of the American media in relation to their 'levied' influence toward McCain and taking a role in this country that rightfully belongs to the American citizens.

The media indulgence has boosted McCain's following, although it may have not increased his success, that HELPED SUPPLEMENT the lack of fund raising by a Republican Neocon. I thought media was interested in 'an honest' outcome to an election. The United Nations needs to scrutinize the 'media effects' on the American Election this year.

...The McCain campaign said donations have been pouring in since the convention, allowing the Republican to narrow, if not eliminate, Obama's longstanding financial advantage. This week, a fundraiser in Chicago, Obama's hometown, yielded $5 million.....

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=aaWaPymjJ3rk&refer=canada

What is even more scary is that come 2009 there won't be 'a free market' system in the USA in regard to television reception. Satellite will still be available, but, what is more than worrisome is the lack of choice to Americans and the ability to manipulate 'digital' television. I strongly believe that come 2009 television broadcasts will have edited content masking the 'real and live' images afforded the people of this country today. The only media come 2009 I intend to trust is the internet and 'the truth' I can find there.

8:54 PM - Dig this, they introduce Barak and then immediately start to 'replay' McCain's interview. I mean for real already.

I don't know about you, but, if the funding could be secured, Americans could literally begin their own television stations WITHOUT digital. Imagine that, "Rabbit Ears" would be the best investment a patriot could make.

Enough !!!!

Come on Barak, just say it, the difference between you and McCain when it comes to asking Americans to serve in the military should the country be under attack again, is that YOU won't send Americans into harms' way without a cause. You won't squander the patriotic intent of the men and women that volunteer to put their lives on the line for their country. You won't have gone into Iraq, you won't have created a 'Back Door Draft' of the National Guard and you would have sent in significant forces into Afghanistan and Tora Bora would have been the death of Bin Laden.

I sincerely wish, Barak wasn't as eloquent and humble as he is.

He is so eager to make a difference in this country. He is a great man.

9:04 PM - During a 'break' John McCain's name was promoted four times.

9:13 PM The question to Barak was based in bias against Democrats. "Big Government" inhibits private industry. Hm. Perhaps a Blast from the Past might reveal what 'Responsible' government is all about.

Clinton: Devote Surplus To Social Security

By John Harris

Washington Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, January 20, 1999; Page A1
President Clinton appeared before a joint session of Congress last night to present an ebullient vision of a nation enjoying vast prosperity after six years under his leadership, a newfound abundance that he said should be used to prepare for the burden of a rapidly aging population in the next century....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/president012099.htm

Responsible government is sensitive to the private sector. The JOBS in the USA have disappeared by an irresponsible Republican Executive Branch. Where is the Bush Surplus? I would think he would have 'put it back' by now !

Hillary Clinton to campaign in Akron on Sunday

By Stephanie WarsmithBeacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 03:30 p.m. EDT, Sep 10, 2008
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will be in Akron on Sunday to campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
Clinton also will hold a rally in Lorain. The times of the events have not been released.
She will discuss Obama's proposals to strengthen Ohio's economy and help working families, according to Obama's campaign.
Clinton last visited Akron before Ohio's March primary, when she was still fighting for the Democratic nomination. She is now supporting Obama.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will be in Akron on Sunday to campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
Clinton also will hold a rally in Lorain. The times of the events have not been released.
She will discuss Obama's proposals to strengthen Ohio's economy and help working families, according to Obama's campaign.
Clinton last visited Akron before Ohio's March primary, when she was still fighting for the Democratic nomination. She is now supporting Obama.

Palin's Alaska is about MONEY and plenty of it. Alaskan Wolf Slaughter is for the CONVENIENCE of hunter that don't like the COLD ! (click for video)

It is called a Tranquilizer Rifle.

It is called Capture and Release.

It is called BEING CIVILIZED !

Now.

What's the problem?



Call us to discuss pricing, packages, and trophy fee details. If you have an Alaskan hunitng adventure idea feel free discuss it with us. (click here)

A "10 day hunt" includes two travel days. The day we fly you out to camp and the day we fly you back are counted as days. Alaska law forbids hunters to hunt the same day as they fly on any non-sheduled airline flight.

Moose and Sheep Combo Hunts
10 Days 1x1 $15,500
10 Days 2x1 $12,500 pp

* No trophy fees charged for black bear, wolf and wolverine on combo hunts. * Prices do not include Alaska hunting license or tags.

Absolute Power corrupts Absolutely. Somehow 'an acquired message' of change seems to disingenuous. I want the REAL THING !!!

A ship passes near part of the Cantarell oil platform of Mexico's state oil company Pemex, near the city of Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche.(Victor R. Caivano/AP Photo)

US oil royalty scandal (click here)
September 11, 2008 - 7:35AM
Employees in the same US agency whose errors cost the government billions of dollars in oil royalties had sex with their industry contacts and took illegal drugs such as cocaine, an inspector general investigation found....
...According to the report, then-director Gregory W. Smith bought drugs from RIK subordinates and accepted almost $US1,000 in gifts from Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Gary-Williams Energy Co. While still heading the program, he worked for a consulting firm that did business with the agency, the inspector general said.

Memo: Federal oil lease employees had sex with industry reps (click here)
By DAVID IVANOVICH Houston Chronicle Copyright 2008
Sept. 10, 2008, 2:35PM
WASHINGTON — A "culture of substance abuse and promiscuity" existed in the federal agency that handles royalty payments from oil companies, including sexual encounters between government employees and industry representatives, according to a memorandum released today.
The Interior Department's Inspector General, who has been investigating the U.S. Minerals Management Service's Royalty-In-Kind program, said government employees who were supposed to be regulating the oil companies were engaging in drug use and having sex with industry contacts.
"Several staff admitted to illegal drug use as well as illicit sexual encounters," Inspector General Earl Devaney wrote in a Sept. 9 memo to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne released today....

Gorbachev says NATO growth aimed at isolating Russia

MADRID, September 8 (RIA Novosti) - Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has said that calls from the U.S. and other Western powers to bring Ukraine and Georgia into NATO are purely aimed at isolating Russia.
"Why does NATO need these countries? To fight against Iran? This is just ridiculous," Gorbachev told Spanish agency EFE....

Russia stocks at 2-yr low, Medvedev sees rebound (click here)
...RTS hitting a fresh trough of 1,309.49, a level not seen since June 2006. The index closed at 1,334.33, down 4.4 percent on the day.
For the year to date the index is now down 42 percent.
"There were three factors originally driving it: the oil price decline, the general fallout of financial market turmoil which has an effect on Russian banks, and continued political tension as a result of the conflict in Georgia," said Tom Mundy, strategist at Renaissance Capital....

Translated from Russia, Medvedev means Bear. Medvedev, is literally the Russian Bear.


Siergiej Ławrow

Follow Russia's Example and Acknowledge the Realities (click here)

If the US and Poland are really interested in guaranteeing that the anti-missile base won't be directed against Russia, we are ready to consider their specific proposals. But we should be talking about guarantees, not about cosmetic political gestures, writes Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov....

...We are not delighted with the EU's decision to postpone talks on the new Russia-EU partnership agreement. What matters is that a majority of the EU member states at the 1 September summit in Brussels showed a responsible attitude, being well aware of the importance of cooperation with Russia, where a lot has been achieved in recent years. We appreciate the efforts of the French presidency and of the French president personally, thanks to which the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan had been worked out. We have fulfilled all our obligations. By attacking South Ossetia and violating its international obligations, the Tbilisi regime itself gave up on Georgia's territorial integrity. We call our partners to follow Russia's example and acknowledge the new realities. We believe that the statements, made by some countries' leaders, about Russia's 'imperialist' and 'revisionist' policies are completely wrong. We have always sided with the weaker, even at the risk of making these or other hegemonic states angry. The moral rightness of our position is undisputed....

Four NATO warships leaving Black Sea (click here)

MOSCOW, September 10 (RIA Novosti) - NATO said Wednesday four of its warships were leaving the Black Sea in line with a previously drawn up schedule.
"The Standing NATO Maritime Group One [SNMG 1] successfully completed its planned visit and is leaving the Black Sea today," NATO said.
The ships had been in the Black Sea since August 21, arriving nine days after the conclusion of armed hostilities between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia. Russia expressed concern over the fact that NATO ships were in the area, but the North Atlantic alliance responded that the exercises had been planned a year ago....

Russia Warns it May Target US Missiles in Europe (click here)
By VOA News 10 September 2008
R Raffaele's Georgia US report
Russian news reports say a top defense official has warned that Russia may point ballistic weapons at a U.S. missile defense system in Europe. News agencies Wednesday quote General Nikolai Solovtsyov as saying Russia may take the action if the United States moves forward with a missile defense plan in Poland and the Czech Republic.The United States and Poland signed a missile defense agreement in Warsaw last month. It allows the United States to deploy 10 defensive missiles in Poland. The United States also plans to set up guidance radar in the Czech Republic....

US to focus on Pakistani border

The Taliban

Afghanistan, Pakistan signal new era (click here)
Karzai, Zardari vow effort on security, civilian deaths
By Kim Barker Chicago Tribune correspondent
September 10, 2008

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — In a rare show of unity between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the two countries' leaders said Tuesday that they would jointly fight militants and wanted the number of civilian casualties inflicted by U.S.-led forces to be reduced....

With the return of sanity to Pakistani leadership, there is no reason why Nuclear Non-Proliferation should not go forward, especially between Pakistan and India. With a chronic threat of Taliban, inside and outside of Pakistan, the safest venue for the region is Non-Proliferation and Disarmament.

White House Making Last-Minute Push for India Nuclear Deal in Congress (click here)
By Adam Graham-Silverman, CQ Staff
The Bush administration plans an all-out effort to win approval of a civilian nuclear deal with India before Congress adjourns, although political, procedural and policy issues are blocking the way.
A congressional sign-off would provide a successful conclusion to more than three years of work by the administration to complete a unique arrangement the White House says would strengthen U.S. ties with the world’s largest democracy, expand India’s energy options and open a growing market for U.S. businesses.
Approval of the agreement also would add to President Bush’s short list of diplomatic legacy achievements.
But critics say the agreement could undermine nuclear nonproliferation efforts and provoke an arms race in Asia, while doing little to help the U.S. nuclear industry....

US Bolivia ambassador 'expelled'

Russia is Venezuela's main supplier of military hardware, including these Sukhoi jets. Photo: Reuters

Bolivia's President Evo Morales

The US ambassador to Bolivia has been ordered to leave the country by President Evo Morales.
Mr Morales accused Philip Goldberg of "conspiring against democracy" and encouraging the country's break up.
A US State Department spokesman said it had received no formal word of the dismissal and described the accusations against Mr Goldberg as "baseless".
Bolivia has seen large protests in recent weeks by opponents of Mr Morales' economic and social policies.
"The ambassador of the United States is conspiring against democracy and wants Bolivia to break apart," Mr Morales said, in a speech at the presidential palace in La Paz.
The president said the foreign minister would inform Mr Goldberg that he "should return to his country at once"....

Holy Smokes !!!

Russian Reports: Two Russian Bombers Land in Venezuela (click here)
By VOA News 10 September 2008
Russian news agencies are quoting Defense Ministry officials as saying that two Russian strategic bombers have landed in Venezuela as part of military maneuvers.

The media reports say the Tu-160 bombers arrived Wednesday and that NATO fighters followed the Russian planes during the long flight to Venezuela. The reports also say the bombers will remain for several days, carrying out training flights over neutral waters before returning to Russia.Earlier this week, Russian officials said they would send a naval task force to the Caribbean later this year for possible joint exercises with Venezuela....

...Ike has left a stormy debate in the U.S. government and the Cuban exile community over how to assist Cuban victims. (click here)

Farther east in Haiti, the USS Kearsarge dispatched helicopters and boats to deliver food Tuesday and helped tackle a growing humanitarian crisis caused by widespread flooding that has left at least 331 dead....