2 Days until Inauguration - A Dream Come True

President-elect Barack Obama looks out from the back of a train at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station, Jan. 17, 2009, as he embarks on his inaugural whistle stop train trip to Washington. (Photo: AP)

A New National Scripture (click here)
By ANTHONY LEWIS
Published: January 16, 2009
Barack Obama’s election as president had a thousand fathers in the long history of the struggle against American racism. But three events stand out as decisive in creating the possibility of an African-American president....

Israel agrees to unilateral peace. Why do I believe it will not hold?

An image from the video "Day of wrath in Gaza against Israel" from Al-Jazeera. (click here)

Israel declares ceasefire but Hamas rockets continue (click here)
Britain last night welcomed Israel's unilateral declaration of a ceasefire in Gaza, saying that it would come as a "huge relief".
Foreign Secretary David Miliband said that too many lives had already been lost in the 22-day conflict and that it was now "imperative" that Hamas stopped its rocket attacks on Israel.
"There will be huge relief at the announcement by Prime Minister Olmert of the end of Israeli military operations in Gaza," he said in a statement....


Israeli tanks return to Israel as they accompany troops.

Last update - 21:04 18/01/2009
Sarkozy at Gaza summit: Sole solution to peace is no rockets, IDF out of Gaza (click title to entry - thank you)
By News Agencies
European and Arab leaders racing to consolidate a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas pressed Sunday for an end to weapons smuggling into Gaza and for the opening of the territory to desperately needed humanitarian aid. The summit at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik was jointly chaired by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak. It was held amid separate truce declarations by both Israel and Hamas....

Things get stranger by the minute. I mean, who 'vets' these people?


Ingrid Mattson

Obama prayer leader from group US linked to Hamas (click here)
By MATT APUZZO – 20 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Muslim scholar chosen to speak at President-elect Barack Obama's inaugural prayer service Wednesday is the leader of a group that federal prosecutors say has ties to terrorists.
Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America, is one of many religious leaders scheduled to speak at the prayer service at Washington's National Cathedral.
Mattson has been the guest of honor at State Department dinners and has met with senior Pentagon officials during the Bush administration. She also spoke at a prayer service at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Mattson, who was elected president of the society in 2006, is a professor of Islamic studies at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Conn.
But in 2007 and as recently as last July, federal prosecutors in Dallas filed court documents linking the Plainfield, Ind.-based Islamic society to the group Hamas, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization.
Neither Mattson nor her organization have been charged. But prosecutors wrote in July that they had "a wide array of testimonial and documentary evidence expressly linking" the group to Hamas and other radical groups.
Linda Douglass, a spokeswoman for Obama's inaugural committee, would not discuss the case or say whether the committee knew about it....

3 Days until Inauguration - The Governor's Choice Awards for Infrastructure Development.

Also known as 'Who can't live within their budgets?'

OR

'Who ever elected Bush president in the first place?'

Feb. 25 (2008) —As NGA kicks-off its centennial celebration, the nation's current governors "recreated" the 1908 photo during the annual governors' meeting with the president.

Front Row (left to right): Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, North Carolina Governor Michael F. Easley, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (NGA Chair) President George W. Bush, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell NGA (Vice Chair), West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin III, Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons, Puerto Rico Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, Kentucky Governor Steven L. Beshear

Second Row (left to right): California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Utah Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., Washington Governor Christine O. Gregoire, Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Maine Governor John Baldacci, Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, Guam Governor Felix Perez Camacho, Northern Mariana Islands Governor Benigno Fitial, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri, American Samoa Governor Togiola T.A. Tulafono

Third Row (left to right): Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, Jr., Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal, Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe, Alabama Governor Bob Riley, Texas Governor Rick Perry, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, Missouri Governor Matt Blunt, North Dakota Governor John Hoeven, Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner, Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell, Vermont Governor James H. Douglas, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, South Dakota Governor M. Michael Rounds, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, Iowa Governor Chet Culver

You know there has to be something very, very "W"rong when California with the sixth largest economy in the world 'can't cut it.'

And I love the way 'The Governator' simply 'turns the tables' on the California Legislature stating he wants to build a better California, but, can't find harmony with the budget. Is that a politician in survival mode or what?

Then yesterday, Duval Patrick comes up with this 'bright idea' about improving infrastructure. Massachusetts' Patrick wants to build roads to 'nowhere.' Ready for this?

In his estimation what needs to be done for Massachusetts is to build roads where no houses yet exist. Huh? And he calls it "Spurring Private Development." Wait. A. Minute. There. I don't think so.

Patrick wants state's share to spur private development (click here)
By Casey Ross
Globe Staff / January 16, 2009

...The federal funds would help foot the bill for highway ramps, parking garages, or rail stations that are typically paid for by builders, who are already struggling for financing during the current downturn....

This is some of the worst priorities for government spending I've witnessed yet. The 'turn around' to the economy is supposed to be limited to six months to 'beef up' the tax base to allow for more income to the USA Treasury which will lead to more infrastructure building which will lead to more jobs, etc., etc., etc.

To begin, the nation doesn't need anymore construction. It doesn't need any more houses being built or any more buildings for business. THAT IS OLD STYLE INFRASTRUCTURE. What the country desperately needs are 'jobs' that return incomes to families so they can buy houses or KEEP homes already in foreclosure. Infrastructure projects that undermine priorities such as rebuilding bridges and enhancing economic opportunity with longevity ARE NOT good ideas.

Repairing dangerous roadways and highways that have been neglected because of draconian cuts in federal spending in DC should be addressed, but, to provide 'expansive' building projects in addition to what is already a deflated housing/building/real estate market is NOT the best venue for change in the USA.

The best venues for sustainable futures and jobs include enhancing the tourism industry while providing for those 'road trips' and 'consumer commutes' across safe roads and bridges. The responsible return of the Public School System with creative new ideas for enhancing the learning experience with computers and their software, putting the nation's health care system to work for employment, turning to areas of Conservation to return to work public employees or contract companies engaged in 'caring for nature' and 'protecting endangered species and forests.'

Ultimately, supportive projects for rail services and bus routes that alleviate the COST of owning and operating an internal combustion engine have to be engaged. I remind that even OPEC has stated the reduction in oil prices is only temporary due to poor insight in global inventories and the higher prices will return no later than November of 2009. What 'kind of' Governor ignores that impact on the citizens of their state.

The prudent Governor will take this opportunity to prepare their state for vast changes in energy and infrastructure that will provide for 'better quality of life' which means 'higher disposible incomes.' Does Massachusetts actually want to continue to receive 'charity' oil shipments from Venezuela? I would hope not. So why squander this time and these monies on what seems like 'shovel ready' projects when certain economic disaster is ready to revisit the citizens of any state at the end of this year?

What I believe President Elect Obama is looking for at the end of six months is a positive 'up tick' to the economy, but, also some real genius in managing a vast amont of money that will be released to the states to help with their Republican Imposed Plight. I would hope, 'at the end of any day' any Governor in the USA can have a sense of accomplishment and some 'real in-roads' to long term employment for the state's citizens that contribute to a larger budget 'wind fall' for the states and federal government. We have to succeed. There is no option. We can fund our own recovery, but, we have to have 'the best of the best' Governors extend their long term view and protect us from a 'return' of high energy and fuel costs due to arrive by the end of 2009.

I do believe the USA has some of the best Governors this country has to offer. They need to take their 'states' bull by the horns' and make it all work. That doesn't mean 'selling out' to crony interests or short term 'bounces' that will 'in the long view' have been more costly than prudent.

Go, Governors, Go !!!

4 Days until Inauguration - The Plane with 'The Right Stuff.'

According to ABC News this is the plane. (click here) The landing gear are up and the engines are still attached. Let no one ever say that US Airways has 'the cheap seats' because they seem to have some of the best pilots in the business.

Kindly see discussion below.



US Airways Flight 1549 descends on its way to an emergency landing on the Hudson River in New York Jan. 15, 2009. The Airbus A320 bound for Charlotte, N.C., had reportedly struck a flock of birds immediately after takeoff minutes earlier at LaGuardia Airport. The birds apparently disabled the engines. The pilot maneuvered the crippled jetliner over New York City and ditched it in the frigid Hudson River. All 155 onboard were pulled to safety as the plane slowly sank.(Trela Media/AP Photo)

If that is not the loneliest picture of the year then don't ask me what is. Imagine being one of many in a cabin of passengers and finding yourself looking at rising water outside your window, then to step out on the wings of the aircraft and see 'the rescue' in progress. What a feeling for a flight crew to be able to save all those passengers 'intact.' You know, there is always those 'information cards' and 'flight crew demonstrations' of what to do in case of a water 'ditching' and it is taken with a grain of salt because everyone figures there is 'no chance' of survival if a plane crashes. Well. Who ever guessed this would occur, be survivable and those instructions actually being important. Goes to show what is important, huh?

I would like to point out the 'slides' that deployed at the front of the aircraft. For people that exit the plane at the front and aft doors those slides actually serve as floatation devices. What if these conditions existed and there was an unfavorable chance of rescue. Those floatation slides would never be able to hold all those folks. Yet, those that 'made it' would have to make decisions whether to 'rescue' or 'not rescue' knowing they could actually sink their small floation slides. Think about it. And then think about whether or not there should be more of those that are deployable within the aircraft should the need apply.

Passengers stand on the wings of a US Airways plane as a ferry pulls up to it after it landed in the Hudson River in New York, Jan. 15, 2009. Local media said the plane was an Airbus with 146 passengers and five crew members, which had just taken off from LaGuardia Airport and was trying to return after apparently striking a flock of birds. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

Tug boats are simply amazing water crafts. I always loved 'tug boats,' don't you? You know the story about the 'work horse' of the shipping fleet. What was the name of that children's story? Tubby the Tug Boat or something like that? Whoever would expect any New York City Tug Boat to be attain hero status here? Huh? With a plane. There was no training for this. Of course we can take this far more lightly than otherwise simply because 'the rescue' was so complete, from the training of the aircraft crew to the people that responded. Everyone survived even though some people were bearly able to walk with their extremities freezing. I am sure there are some injuries.


This video frame grab image taken from WNBC-TV shows the US Airways aircraft that landed in the Hudson River in New York Jan. 15, 2009. Rescue and ferry boats surround it. (WNBC-TV/AP Photo)

I guess the latest about this failure to attain 'take off' is that the plane still has an engine attached to the right wing. That can also be discerned by the photos of the plane 'listing' to the right in this photo.

Officials have praised the US Airways pilot, Chesley B. Sullenberger, who made a split-second decision to ditch the aircraft into the river rather then try to reach a small airport in New Jersey. (Edouard H. R. Gluck/AP Photo)

I am never going to be a 'fan' of flying. I have flown for lack of time when I needed to get somewhere, but, I also boycotted flying for nearly 18 years. I only fly because I have to, not because I want to. I don't believe in it and if we didn't have a 'fast forward' society I probably would find that I never would have to fly.


The airline industry is not my friend. It speeds the pace of life, pollutes my air, adds huge amounts of carbon dioxide to the troposphere and has 'built' the 'need' for itself through corporate infrastructure management that demands 'the same person' to be in ten places at once. Literally, one person's salary is utilized by some corporations in many places globally facilitated by air flight. Just that simple.

In realizing that level of competition, air flight has also facilitated 'consultants' and 'individuals' to compete with corporations in what is probably an 'unhealthy' corporate climate. I know that sounds like I am talking out of both sides of my mouth, but, the bottom line is that airlines have survived in a way that facilitates 'unhealthy' business patterns regardless of their nature.

Unlike some 'politicians' I don't believe 'every' industry should or can survive infrastructure changes demanded by reversing the trends of Human Induced Global Warming. To the extent the airline industry does exist today? I don't see it surviving in that capacity tomorrow.

So.

To engage a discussion about 'birds' near a runway is simply an 'after thought.' Quite frankly, there is 'no excuse' for any birds to interfer with a plane taking off on a runway anywhere. What needs to be examined ALSO is why birds are congregating at such places and whether or not that 'danger' is facilitated by 'job cuts' and 'draconian spending cuts' INCLUDING the preservation of 'natural areas' that provide for bird sanctuary in migration and the 'intact' status of Bird Flyways that should be exclusive of any air traffic.

Why fly, when the USA is desperately in need of 'fast transit' infrastructure such as Elevated High Speed Magnetic Rail? It doesn't make sense to be involved in this mess anymore.


Rail line, in particular for a high-speed magnetic train (click here)
Document Type and Number:
United States Patent 5647280
Abstract:
The invention relates to a rail line, in particular for a high-speed magnetic train, comprising supports (10) constituting the rail line, which are placed on girders (12, 14) originating on opposite sides (34, 36) of the support and assigned to it in pairs and rest on the ground (16) or a foundation. To achieve an orientation of the rail line in the desired amount, it has been proposed that the girders (12, 14), which are assigned in pairs to each other, have a distance at the ground which is less than that at the supporting end, wherein the girders, controlled to the necessary extent, are adjustable in a plane extending vertically in respect to the linear axis of the rail line (18) in such a way that the rail line extends inclined in respect to the horizontal line....


The birds that may or may not have caused the 'downing' of this jet should not have been there, but, they were. The Bush White House and its supportive Republican legislature have allowed the DE-REGULATION of the airline industry to the point where attacks on skyscrapers are possible and now the interference by birds of airplanes taking off.

Do we have to go there? The damage to the 'moral priorities,' including the safety of people in their daily lives, in the USA is gone. Not justifibly gone either. Justifibly gone would be due to the fact that the Republicans 'had a better and safer idea,' but, gone because 'regulations' cut into the 'bottom line' of marginally profitable 'customer service weighted' industries.

...The economic liberalization of air travel was part of a series of “deregulation” moves based on the growing realization that a politically controlled economy served no continuing public interest....(click here)


What was once a Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) that served to protect the consumer of airline services, no longer exists. It has been so long that such an agency hasn't existed that people have little concept as to why they are always at such a disadvantage to their needs or safety. So, this is a reminder of the 'old style' of government that actually protected people rather than practicing 'victimology' as part of their 'profitibility' statements.

Oddly enough the Airline Deregulation Act was written by a former Democrat, Senator Howard Cannon, whom was once in the Army Air Corp and later the Air Force Reserve. Obviously he thought highly enough about the 'integrity' of the abilities of pilots to handle aircraft with people in them, as in the case of this US Airways pilot, to allow them to support a market for those services independant of government control. However, what Senator Howard did not forsee was the exploitation of 'decency' by businesses that would spawn 'cheap airlines' and prove it impossible for other more responsible carriers to compete.

At any rate the technology for 'other' means of high speed transportation exists and it exists in ways that are less dangerous, more glamorous and comfortable. It is time to place priorities on changing our infrastructure and securing the public in ways that are reasonable for 'the times' we live in rather than re-addressing a deregulated and failing industry. We don't have to or need to fly. As a matter of fact, it is probably time for me to revisit boycotting the industry again. As a people and citizens of the USA we need to achieve higher principles of moral business conduct that includes responsibility for a dying planet and the principles of Conservation that will support those methodologies of responsibility.

5 Days until Inauguration - HIPPA? Do you know what it is and how it affects your life?

Remember when Knut Gingrich was in the political spot light and he abused that power? You remember why or how he abused that power? He was corrupt. I am getting to the HIPPA issue, I promise. But, Gingrich, the character issue prevails. Just that simple:

GINGRICH RESIGNS FROM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES! (click here)

"In my name and over my signature, inaccurate, incomplete and unreliable statements were given to the committee" -Stated Gingrich after he finally pled guilty in January of 1997 to charges brought against him by the House Ethics Committee. According to Michael Moore, Gingrich lied 13 times to the Committee.

GINGRICH RESIGNS!!!! On Friday, November 7, 1998, Newt Gingrich resigned as House Speaker and as the Representative from Georgia's sixth district. More than likely this was a as a result of the disastrous elections held on November 3, 1998. Over the summer and early fall, while the nation was embroiled over the Clinton scandal, Republicans, Gingrich included, were predicting pickups of a few seats in the Senate and 20-30 in the House. This is not an unreasonable prediction for a midterm election. The party of the President almost always loses seats because the opposition party is more energized and excited about voting and thus has a higher turnout. However, in a highly politically charged year, Democrats turned out to vote and picked up five seats in the House and held the Senate steady. This is an enormous win, and came as a shock to almost all pundits. It hasn't happened since about 1934, and has happened only twice since the Civil War. About the only one to correctly predict the outcome was Michael Moore , who's generally not regarded as an expert in such things....


Economic Stimulus Package Could Impinge on Americans' Health Privacy (click title to entry)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "Before increasing federal spending on health IT, Congress should first fix the already-outdated 1996 HIPAA privacy rule to ensure individuals have control over their personal health information," says Sue A. Blevins, president of the Institute for Health Freedom (IHF). "Right now, the HIPAA privacy rule has too many loopholes to ensure true patient privacy," Blevins stresses....

Our new President Elect has promised to make the health care of the USA safe. I believe him. He has my loyalty to see it through, but, we need to address issues that will be monsterous if not addressed properly. A 'HUGE' issue is 'the character' of HIPPA regulations going forward and whom indeed is 'certifying' the confidentiality of our 'electronic health record.' Certainly, NOT, Knut Gingrich (click here).

HIPPA regulations (click here) are important, especially if we are going to make our health care delivery efficient and life saving, however, it is also 'incomplete' in its legislation and endangers the 'marketability' of Americans into the job market and elsewhere.

One of the complaints of Mr. Gingrich was that the health care system as it existed in his days in Congress was not 'fixable' and therefore we had to trash it all and come up with something new. Even as a legislator he was 'setting the nation up' for exploitation by the private sector when he left Congress in disgrace to engage in that 'planned exploitation.'

There are many 'loop holes' to HIPPA and one might ask why, except, to realize those loopholes pander to Republican cronies is to realize why they exist.

Up to now, HIPPA has been 'deployed' 'willy-nilly' and without consistent understanding as it is a very complex law. But, basically it was established to permit clear, consise information to exist to facilitate 'care' for people within the health care delivery system. HIPPA was also never viewed from the standpoint that people have gone without health care and/or health care insurance. Those dynamics alone increase a spectrum of information and precautions for healthcare providers and caregivers that have to be incorporated into its legislative capacity.

That said, there needs to be limits placed on HIPPA's powers, especially where it currently has implications in the private sector outside the 'health care industry' in places where people find employment and credit.

HIPPA currently allows for 'sharing' of 'health information (which also needs a clear, concise definition)' to anyone that states they have a legitimate need within their capacity of the jobs they perform. That 'spectrum' of authority can include 'health departments' within corporations that have 'employee health offices' AND 'to credit agencies' within a health care facility for purposes of accuracy in billing.

As a result, when health care facilities look outside their own billing departments to resolve outstanding balances the information then goes to 'third party' companies that have no interest in maintaining health care information confidentiality. Today, when 'collection agencies' work for hospitals or doctor offices they have all the information contained in a patient's records for the purpose of collecting the debt.

Today, outside the housing crisis, the primary reason for personal bankruptcy is reason of high health care costs.

The NewStandard ceased publishing on April 27, 2007.
Health care costs main cause of personal bankruptcy, study finds (click here)
by NewStandard Staff
Feb. 4, 2005 – A study published Wednesday in the policy journal Health Affairs found that approximately half of people in the US who file for bankruptcy cite medical costs as a significant reason for their financial troubles. Based on a survey of 1,771 personal bankruptcy filers, the researchers extrapolated that between 1.9 and 2.2 million people were driven into bankruptcy because of health care costs in 2001....

When staying alive means going bankrupt (click here)
Health insurance didn’t keep cancer-stricken California woman solvent

By Mike Stuckey
Senior news editor
msnbc.com
updated 5:17 a.m. CT, Wed., Aug. 15, 2007

In our second Gut Check America vote, readers rated health care as the issue of most concern for them. After a false start in Oregon, we found reader Kathleen Aldrich, a Lompoc, Calif., resident who wrote to us about how her battle with cancer drove her to bankruptcy, even though she had health insurance. Here is her story:

LOMPOC, Calif. - Kathleen Aldrich, financially ruined by two bouts with ovarian cancer, is not who you might assume she is.
She raised three kids as a single mom. She worked hard for years. She had good jobs. She paid her bills. She lived in a nice house and drove a nice car. She had a decent credit rating. She had health insurance.
Now she has a record of bankruptcy and is the embodiment of the fear that nags at millions of U.S. families: that they are but one medical calamity away from losing everything. Like Aldrich, they — and perhaps you — could be....

So. What has occurred under HIPPA is an exploitation of American's Personal Health Information because of the victimology of our health care industry.

It can be easily stated, that the 'lady' soon to be our Secretary of State was absolutely correct from the beginning when she as First Lady tried to find a way to provide health care to the nation.

Now, only eight short years after the end of the Clinton White House, we are facing some of the most dire circumstances this country has ever had. If we had 'backed Hillary' as a nation and demanded her healthcare directive be met, we would not be standing on soggy ground as a fiscally challeged nation. Now, would we?

But to be more specific in the legislative needs for HIPPA, there has to be a limit on the 'sharing' of the personal health information of any person to 'others' outside a treating facility or office. There has to be a limit on the accessibility of health records before employment regardless of any demands for a physical exam by employers and there has to be expunged from any 'fair credit report' mention of health care information, while realizing 'life insurance' is a completely different issue.

And in realizing life insurance is a separate issue there also has to be an understanding that 'attaching' a casual 'life insurance provision' to a credit card or credit loan is NOT authority to exploit the HIPPA system that is supposed to improve health information portability to INSURE people live through any emergency, surgery or treatment.

In the case of a "Pre-employment physical" or "Pre-Life Insurance Physical" that needs to be conducted by a physician that works for the facility and limited to the information they find 'upon' performing that physical without diving into past history or other information from prior treating facilities. The 'decline' of employment or life insurance (which is a valuable way for Americans to rebuild their nation and family security) has to be based upon 'findings' and not history.

Why?

Simple.

The American health care system is incredible. There are people with 'new knees and hips' that improve their lives and expand their ability to work and enjoy life. There are life saving cancer treatments and surgeries that should return Americans to a life of enjoyment and prosperity. We need to be 'participating' in our democracy and supporting our tax base, we can't do that if we are left 'outside' the loop of employment and purchasing power.

Employers can be making the biggest mistake of their careers and profitable bottom line if they don't 'look past' the health history of people that have 'dealt' with physical ailments and can bring a life philosophy, knowledge and wisdom of a career of longevity to their prospects of employment.

In the same manner a USA national health care delivery system would remove ANY incentive for employers to 'discriminate' regarding health issues to keep health care costs down or provide health care as a benefit at all.

HIPPA is to have one purpose and one purpose only and that is to expedite excellant care to the people of this nation that pay the taxes and support the USA treasury, hence, patriotically supporting their country.

To that end, we need trustworthy people to provide 'electronic portability' to a nation of deserving people that made the 'best and correct decision' in November of 2008.

6 Days until Inauguration - Is the Fort Stuben Bridge worth saving?

One of the 'underlying' questions we all need to ask ourselves is, "How much do we WANT to drive a car and will it continue to be a focus of 'travel' in the USA that dominates our lives?" Automobiles are hugely expensive purchases and how much 'damage' do they actually do to our lives rather than enhancing our lives with a successful transportation infrastructure that works?

It is a fascinating discussion and one that we need to engage with vigor.


Bottom chord connection on stiffening truss. (click here for deteriorating infrastructure pics of Fort Stuben Bridge)


Eye bar connections. Note that the system of eye bars that connect the main cable to the anchorages are much longer at the eastern end.

Details of the connection where the cable ends and the eye bars begin. Note that the system of eye bars that connect the main cable to the anchorages are much longer at the eastern end.

Let's 'talk about' REAL infrastructure work that provides our 'cultural' needs as well as reliable transportation.


Shut Down For Good (click title to entry - thank you)
By DAVE GOSSETT
January 16, 2009
The 80-year-old Fort Steuben Bridge, designated for demolition later this year, was permanently closed Thursday due to the deteriorating condition of the span's deck plates.
The bridge was closed a week ago after a routine maintenance inspection discovered "a deflection, or undesirable movement under traffic," according to Becky McCarty, public information officer for Ohio Department of Transportation District 11....

For many of us living a life without a driveway or a car on that driveway or in the garage seems like a 'sci-fi thriller' whereby we are held hostage to our government and what it can provide through a public transportation system.

That is simply not the case and the real discussion is 'how much do we actually need personal transportation as opposed to a public transit system that actually provides a valuable service?'

For anyone that lives in a large city, public transportation is a requirement and not a necessity. For a minimal cost one can travel miles and miles of 'underground' and have a completely 'safe and enjoyable' life. There is a 'no limit' enjoyment principle when one does not have to pay for car insurance, maintenance, fuel or face the hardship of traffic accidents and fatalities.

While living in Boston for nine months last year I didn't worry about any of those issues and had money to send that would have been 'eaten up' by international markets that would have never served the American economy. I had friends that had motorcycles or fuel efficient cars so that travel outside the city wasn't completely inhibited and family certainly came to visit, but, it was amazing to realize how well I was served and how much 'disposable' income I had for pure enjoyment when I didn't spend it on a car.

The American Automobile will always be a part of the American landscape simply because the country is so massive. The square mileage of the USA alone dictates some degree of personal transportation will always be a necessity and we are a country that loves to 'camp' and enjoy our National, State and Local Parks and wildlife so there needs to be consideration for that aspect our society and heritage, but, to what extent should that exist and in what form does it take?

Should 'infrastructure' work include 'cultural preservation' so the 'recreational drive' in 'the two seater' include scenic by ways? Perhaps indeed it should, but, let that infrastructure work also include 'state of the art' engineering that establishes sound construction with longevity.

The American Automobile has also caused more problems than it necessarily has solved. It has allowed the creation of suburbia in a manner that dictates 'loops' around cities and expansion of paved roadways that are unsightly and environmentally assaultive to a phase we have come to know as 'progress.' The USA is slowly but surely becoming a 'pavement' jungle at the cost of our national beauty and 'green spaces.' It simply isn't practical to continue this trend, yet alone begin to believe we can actually 'back pedal' on Human Induced Global Warming by having a Chevy Volt that will allow for forty miles of electric, pollution free driving.

Currently, under the Bush White House and Transportation, Interior and EPA departments, the USA is on an ever expanding curve of destroyed 'green space' replaced by pavement and concrete. We are becoming not only 'heat islands' within our suburban areas, but, a 'heat nation.' It is not a proud heritage to leave our children and we can certainly do far better.

Enter the American Landscape such concepts at "The Zip Car (click here)."

Additionally, there are 'ideas' currently in use that personalize 'the tour' experience in small, efficient cars that are computer programmed to allow for an enjoyable experience in cities such as San Diego, Barcelona and San Francisco (click here).

One of the first places to begin to introduce 'personal transportation substitutions' are cities AND college campuses where parking is a poor use of space. Where people live in close proximity to their 'everyday' activities, "Zip Cars" are a perfect answer to 'personal transportation' accompanied by parking lots or parking decks.

If a 'campus student center' had Zip Cars for rental by the swipe of a credit card there would be far less cumbersome lifestyles and parents would have far fewer expenses providing for personal transporation needs of their high school graduates whom currently value a fancy and expensive automobile as the ultimate reward to achieving a diploma or college acceptance letter.

Hello, folks, but since when does 'achievement' in life have to be accompanied by a car?

You aren't going to tell me that city parking decks produce more income than residence towers, that is simply not the case, so why do it? Would the 'lack of parking decks' in the city produce more or less residence and business infrastructure? Would mass transit systems that have ancillary services such as 'Zip Cars' actually provide a 'congestion free' infrastruture with the ONLY regular traffic being 'certified taxi cabs' and delivery trucks?

Can commuter rail and bus routes actually deliver nearly every working class person within walking distance of their homes?

And last, but hardly least, what kind of Homeland Security does that provide to cities and towns when 'access' by auto is limited to those 'expected' as opposed to those assaulting the city infrastructure everyday with random issues of 'control.' This is discussion the nation HAS TO HAVE and one that can be innovative with a new American way of life.

And finally.

When looking at the bridge that is the subject of this entry, one has to wonder, do we want to encourage West Virginia to continue in the manner the Bush White House has emphasized for it in producing coal while killing people that mine it and through substandard 'energy' that pollutes including carbon dioxide or do we want an infrastructure for West Virginia that values its beautiful mountains and tourist dollars, hence, saving and updating bridges like the Fort Steuben Bridge? In my opinion, this continent holds such beauty that far exceeds the 'unhealthy natural resources' that mars that beauty by devastating its 'natural value' that the question really is mute and we need to seek higher standards for our energy and transportation infrastructure.

Oh, I nearly forgot. The Zip Car? When one swipes a credit car for its use? It comes with insurance that we can all live with and we no longer have to carry 'UNINSURED MOTORIST' as an expense. Not only that, but, I don't know of many rental car keys that are handed over to a 'drunk driver.' Sobriety test equipment can be built into the ignition process to any Zip Car as well.

Prince Albert trip to raise awareness of Global Warming is fraught by wind and fog.

Penguins without snow and ice. Not a pretty picture (click title to entry - thank you)


This photo provided Wednesday Jan. 7, 2009, by the Monaco Palace shows Prince Albert II of Monaco watching penguins on Ardley island, off Antarctica, Tuesday Jan 6, 2009 as part of a voyage to the South Pole to raise awareness about global warming. The trip will last through Jan. 22 and will include visits to 26 international bases on Antarctica. (AP Photo/Monaco Palace)


January 15, 2009
1200
Temperature Map of Antarctica (click here for 24 hour loop)


January 15, 2009
1200
Antarctica Humidity.

It is HIGH humidity all over the continent from melting ice.

January 15, 2009
1200
Surface Wind Map

The winds are low in velocity throughout the continent. There is no upper tropospheric winds that are 'transmitting' turbulence to the surface. The winds that do exist are primarily 'on shore' from arriving heat transfers.

January 15, 2009
0126 gmt
Antarctica - Southern Hemisphere

The frigid air is mostly gone, although there is a small incremental increase over East Antarctica.

January 14, 2009
1800 gmt
Antarctica Vortex

The Arctic Vortex is mostly stagnant and why the heat is lingering. The exception are arriving heat transfer systems.

Now folks, I ask you, why is NASA lying? Bush is always trying to HIDE Human Induced Global Warming, that's why.

NASA actually believes we were all born yesterday? I demand an investigation to this obvious deception and a complete investigation of the past eight years that have taken the reality of Human Induced Global Warming and attempted to turn it into a fantasy. I demand it !

Click on above photo for larger image to examine for the LOSS of ice noted in January. This is NOT a freezing event, it is a melt event

Click on this picture for examination of larger image and noted supporting ice structures in December 2008.

The melt pond is noted to be blue above. On examination of the photo above there is obvious ice supporting the shelf where the melt water has collected. Not only that but there is a consolidation of sea ice in the nearby Weddell Sea that obviously has broken apart and moved away from the continent. The lies by NASA regarding there determination in regard to these images is more than alarming. The image below is starkly worse in regard to ice loss and water runoff than the picture above.

This is the 'download' of the actual satellite picture of the same image below WITHOUT the 'up close and personal' focus. In this picture it is noted there is vast loss of sea ice and indeed the melt water in the picture above is gone. But, refrozen? Not even close. The devastation of the Summer in the Southern Hemisphere caused a dropping in the elevation of the ice shelf and the water ran off into the Weddell Sea. What occurred was a warming event whereby sea ice broke off the ice shelf and the remaining 'white surface' was the remnant of the ice that didn't yet melt.


This is the image NASA states is more likely a 'refreezing' of the pools of water in December. It is a lie. To begin this is January and SUMMER in Antarctica and the December photo is in the Southern Hemisphere Spring. In the two larger pictures above it is easily discerned from the descriptions I supplied that the melting in January is more than obvious and the change in the region is due to Human Induced Global Warming.

Ask yourself. If Bush's NASA will obvertly lie to hide the most devastating event of Earth History that we know for a fact harms human life, what else has this administration done to undermind the confidence of science and its reporting?



In the picture above NASA states that there are melt ponds causing 'the blue hue' on a remnant ice shelf near Robertson Island in the Weddel Sea on December 13, 2008. The narrative, which is at the title to this entry if one clicks on it, states, that the water was mostly likely frozen in the picture on January 2, 2009. NOT. NASA has frauduently published a report that is bogus.

King Sejong, Antarctica

Lat/Lon: 62.2° S 58.8° W

Local Time: 2:28 AM GMT (GMT +00) on January 14, 2009

Temperature :: 45 F

Conditions :: Light RAIN

Humidity :: 79%

Dew Point :: 41 F

Wind :: 38 mph from the North

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: 29.09 in (Falling)

Visibility :: 6.0 miles

UV :: 0 out of 16

Elevation :: 33 feet



Vostok, Antarctica

Lat/Lon: 78.4° S 106.9° E

Local Time: 8:25 AM VOST (GMT +06) on January 14, 2009

Temperature :: -32 F

Humidity :: 40%

Dew Point :: -42 F

Wind :: 9 mph from the South

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: in. (Steady)

Visibility :: 12.0 miles

Elevation :: 11220 feet

7 Days until Inauguration - The Electronic Classroom and its potential need and pitfalls

One of the challenges of the new administration is to keep a balance between its promise of 'State of the Art' education (Electronic Classroom - click here) and employing teachers that practice excellance.

The 'key' words here are employment, unions, education, depersonalization of education and socialization and what computer technology actually has to DETER a healthy relationship between parent-child and citizen-society.

I don't really see an America that substitutes computers for teachers. I would fully expect young Americans to learn in the presence of a human being that addresses their 'socialization' as well as their learning.

If one remembers there were psychological experiments whereby 'monkeys' were reared by 'wire mothers' as opposed to 'cloth mothers' in a controlled environment to see how well they faired. Do we, while struggling to regain our footing for our economy really want to turn over our children's education to 'wire teachers' in an electronic box OR do we see our classrooms as enhanced by electronic wizardry?

Let me see if the net has a notation regarding that study of 'non-touch' child rearing?

Okay, here are two references:
Harry F. Harlow, Monkey Love Experiments (click here)

The Nature of Love (click here)

In the circumstances below and at the title to this entry, whereby religious schools are challenged for many reasons to remain open, one of the options for children re-entering public schools is to provide 'modules' for their religious education at their homes with an understanding that parents will supervise that activity and it may or may not be included in the grading cirriculum. Heck, nuns or priests can give exams at their local parishes and provide that grade to be included in their public school record if there is no 'cross over' of church and state in that regard.

Remedial education is another possiblity and 'exception' classes that link children, adolescents and young adults that are interested in 'the same' subject, but, are in the minority of the country in that focus. It would bring expertise to many that seek that level of involvement while providing a school with an enhanced education experience for their students.

The news shook students, parents and teachers, many of whom had joined in desperate fund-raising efforts.

...This would be the second major round of elementary school closings in recent years for the diocese, which comprises Brooklyn and Queens. In 2005, it closed 25, and in the next two years, seven more. If the proposed closings are carried out, the diocese will have shut down nearly one-third of the elementary schools it had just half a decade ago....

There are certain 'street sense' reasons to maintain students in a healthy classroom environment DEVOID of electronic media, INCLUDING, cell phones and laptops. The 'two' don't mix. The 'computer generation' is turning to be social basket cases, with places like My Space and Facebook as social networking preoccupying them and using them for marketing purposes. Learning and social networking DOES NOT go together and while education should continue to be conducted in a structured classroom where progress can be MEASURED by teachers as well as 'tests' it can be enhanced by 'controlled use of technology.'

In other words, 'What would the one room school house look like with 'web casts' under the supervision of teachers? Students, regardless the age or grade can achieve with the 'help' of technology, but, left alone to use it autonomously without the enhancement and emotional competency of a teacher is complete abandonment of the 'human touch.'

So. Before Governors go 'hog wild' on destroying jobs for teachers and 'hand out' computers as candy to parents/families, they need to put THEIR BUDGETS in order that includes bolstering the budgets of school systems TO INCLUDE electronic technologies that will provide for 'special needs' of any student when they are not achieving well or coming back to the public school system from fiscally failing religious schools.

The public school system should not hold students 'hostage' to a 'lack of religious eduction' but be a welcome venue for desperate parents seeking to educate their children through religious influence while seeking high quality education in English, Geography, Science, Math, Physical Education and any other subject that comes into play.

I also don't see 'private schools' benefitting from public funding for such technology. If parents choose to use other 'types' of school models such as Charter Schools they can provide for their children in 'the ususal' manner while our public schools receive the monies from the public rhelm.

The Labor Unions need to do their jobs here and do them well. We are not a nation seeking to replace well paid and qualified teachers and they need protections from Governors seeking to 'replace' teachers and break strong unions (if there is such a thing anymore) while fiscally challenged.

There are plenty of other areas Governors can trim their budgets while supporting labor and education. The Governors' are 'used to' the Bush White House, whereby, monies are handed out for building roads and houses that 'crash' the fiscal infrastructure of the nation. They haven't yet realized how spending on roads only creates short term jobs and leaves behind a road with little revenue developement or tax base.

Shame on them.

Investing in teachers and educational infrastructure for our students means providing for a wider tax base on a longer time continuum and THAT is what we are seeking as a nation.

In example, it is high time the voters of California begin to examine closely the budget failures under Schwarzenegger and wonder if they need better leadership in California !

There are some major storms on the way, including the Carribean.

January 13, 2009
0230z
UNISYS North and West Hemispheric Water Vapor Satellite (click title for 12 hour loop)

There isn't any battle that desperate in Gaza. Israel has always had the upper hand. Is the IDF feeling international pressure to stop?

White Phosphorus is highly unstable due to its highly reactive electron state. A perfect tetrahedron. Phosphorus come from the Greek meaning 'light bearer.' It is highly reactive with oxygen.

Phosphorus is never found as a free element in nature on Earth. White phosphorus (P4) exists as individual molecules made up of four atoms in a tetrahedral arrangement, resulting in very high ring strain and instability. It contains 6 single bonds.
White phosphorus is a white, waxy transparent solid. This allotrope is thermodynamically unstable at normal condition and will gradually change to red phosphorus. This transformation, which is accelerated by light and heat, makes white phosphorus almost always contain some red phosphorus and therefore appear yellow. For this reason, it is also called yellow phosphorus. It glows greenish in the dark (when exposed to oxygen), is highly flammable and pyrophoric (self-igniting) upon contact with air.




Below is a test of white phosphorus by the USA (click here)


That is what white phosphorus looks like when deployed. It just does.


Human Rights Watch says pictures like this point to white phosphorus use, but Israel denies this.

Medics in Gaza say latest casualties include at least 60 people affected by suspected phosphorus shells fired illegally near civilian areas. (click here - video)

It is a 'justified' war, so why do something so unjust when the results of the Israeli efforts have succeeded? This attack doesn't make sense. It is somewhat zealous and foolish.

Israel is achieving a defeat of Hamas for the Palestinian Authority to make life better in Gaza. This possible deployment of white phosphorus makes no sense, strategically or otherwise. Making enemies of the people of Gaza will only make 'peace' more difficult.

Defeating Hamas is totally different than victimizing the Palestinians that remember the way in which the defeat was achieved.

In Israel, a consensus that Gaza war is a just one (click here)
By Ethan Bronner
Published: January 13, 2009
...But voices of dissent in this country have been rare. And while tens of thousands have poured into the streets of world capitals demonstrating against the Israeli military operation, antiwar rallies here have struggled to draw 1,000 participants. The Peace Now organization has received many messages from supporters telling it to stay out of the streets on this one....

8 Days until Inauguration - Get ready for some trials and sentences to be handed down !

Enough with Gitmo. On with Due Process. There isn't anything those detainees can tell us and it is questionable there ever was.

AP: Advisors say Obama preparing order to close Gitmo (click title to article - thank you)
By LARA JAKES
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON -- Advisers to President-elect Barack Obama say one of his first duties in office will be to order the closing of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay. That executive order is expected during Obama's first week on the job - and possibly on his first day, according to two transition team advisers. Both spoke Monday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly....

It isn't whether there was torture or not, we know there was. It is this blemish on American esteem will be removed and there will be trials for those that are truly responsible for murder and conspiracy.

An Army officer who investigated possible abuse at Guantanamo Bay after some guards purportedly bragged about beating detainees found no evidence they mistreated the prisoners — although he did not interview any of the alleged victims, the U.S. military said Wednesday.



...The investigation centers around Marine Lt Col Colby Vokey, who represents a detainee at the US naval base in eastern Cuba. Vokey filed a "hotline" complaint last October, attaching a sworn statement from his paralegal, Sgt Heather Cerveny, 23, in which she said several guards in a bar at Guantanamo Bay bragged about beating detainees and described it as common practice. "Others were talking about how when they get annoyed with the detainees, about how they hit them, or they punched them in the face," Sgt Cerveny said during a telephone interview.... (click here)

The Prince has more on his mind than just his deployment.

Britain's Prince Harry sits in his Spartan armored vehicle in the desert on February 19, 2008.

He apologized.

That should be enough.

It could be simply 'military chatter' or there might be an underlying concern Harry is working over. The attacks in London not very long ago were carried out by terrorists trained in Pakistan. That is a known fact. Now, India has evidence of the terrorist attack in Mumbai originating from Pakistan.

There is a reality rarely discussed and some of that reality has to be playing on the Prince's nerves from time to time. The reality is the ISI of Pakistan and its long history of 'undetermined purpose.'

India is right to some extent and if Musharraf were still in power there would be more reason for India to go to war, however, there are 'elements' within the ISI that are free-lancing aid to terrorists. I would not be surprised if there were terrorists operating within the ISI. The problem has been entrenched for decades and India is just about at its 'wits end' with the nonsense that exists within Pakistan's 'intelligence' infrastructure.

The political arm of Pakistan's government has never been able to cleanse itself of the corruption that lies within the ISI simply because they operate nearly autonomously within the country simply because they are armed. It would be the same as if there was a subculture whereby the FBI and CIA were to govern themselves outside the hierarchy of authority. Pakistan has a small nightmare within its 'power structure.'

I would not be surprised if, at times, the goodly Prince would simply like to end the 'diplomacy' and bring an end to the speculation of what occurs in Pakistan. I admire his commitment to his country and his determination to rise in rank within the military infrastructure, but, Harry is a Prince of England and with that comes a different reality. Perhaps it is time he join the rest of his family in caring for the country in a way that serves it best in diplomatic efforts rather than donning military gear to protect and defend.

It can't be easy to be Harry.

President Elect keeps his promise on Diversity.

....The Human Rights Campaign and other gay-rights groups sent letters to Obama asking him to rescind the invitation to Warren—who disapproves of homosexuality and who opposes certain gay rights, including the right to marry—after his inauguration role was announced last month. "There was a sense of uproar around Rick Warren," says Darlene Nipper, deputy executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "People were confused, fearing that maybe the [president-elect] isn't the individual we thought he was.".... (click title to entry - thank you)

Bishop Gene Robinson and Chad Allen at The Laramie Project (click here)

Monday, December 4, 2006; Posted: 03:12 PM - by Linda Lenzi

Honoring the 30th birthday of the late Matthew Shepard, an all-star benefit reading of Moises Kaufman's The Laramie Project took place at the Town Hall Theater in Times Square on December 1st, with a V.I.P. cast party following the event. The evening, hosted by former Second Lady Tipper Gore and benefiting the Matthew Shepard Foundation, also included a special live performance by Cyndi Lauper....

..."only a test delivery"....A Test Delivery? The Russian Monitors need to hustle and get in place. This is NOT an EU problem. Come on now !

A gas pressure gauge is seen at a snow-covered transit point on the main pipeline from Russia in the village of Boyarka, near Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. A natural gas crisis loomed over Europe on Tuesday, as a contract dispute between Russia and Ukraine shut off Russian gas supplies to six countries and reduced gas deliveries to several others. Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Croatia and Turkey all reported a halt in gas shipments. (AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov) (Sergei Chuzavkov - AP)

The restart of nuclear power plants that are ancient and unsafe is not the answer to Russia's best economic strategy either. There can't be that much of a delay in placing Russian Monitors if there is cooperation in doing so between the two countries. Medvedev's administration needs to ACCOMMODATE the needs of those that are experiencing dangerous delays in gas supply. If all the wrinkles are worked out there should be no delay. It is called good faith. This is no longer an EU problem and they have done everything Russia has requested.

...While the EU monitors were in position last night, Sechin said the Russian experts were not yet stationed in Ukraine, signalling that the deal could still be aborted. Differences over who should pay for "fuel" gas that is used to keep up the pressure in the pipelines for pumping the natural gas to clients could also disrupt the fragile accord and spell more misery for hundreds of thousands of households in central and southern Europe.
Slovakia, which is dependent on Russian gas, said it would have to restart its decommissioned Chernobyl-design reactor at Bohunice, near the border with Austria, because it had received no supplies since Thursday. The nuclear plant is widely viewed as unsafe and its closure was one of the conditions for Slovakia joining the EU in 2004.
Austria, which has banned nuclear power, deplored the move. The environment minister, Nikolaus Berlakovich, described decision to restart the Soviet-era reactor as "completely unacceptable".... (click title to entry - thank you)

I am sincerely happy for Senator-Select Burris. Wonderful ! A new Senate Precedent. History by the moment !

This is so very nice. The President Elect now has his vacated seat filled by a man truly deserving of the office of Senator. Really nice. Congratulations to everyone for making the best decisions and advancing democracy.


Roland Burris prepares before appearing on the CBS television show Face the Nation in Chicago, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009. The Senate's second-in-command, Sen. Dick Durbin, said Sunday that he is moving away from resisting former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris as President-elect Barack Obama's successor and hopes a resolution to the disagreement will be reached soon. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

Tesla proves that 100% electric is more than possible, viable and safe for the American road.

"...Silicon Valley’s electric-car sensation, Tesla Motors, will have its first show-floor display at Detroit this year. Having established itself as a production automaker (with more than 150 examples of its $100,000 Roadster sold to date), the fledgling maker doesn’t have anything new to unveil...." (click title to entry - thank you)

January 11, 2009 1:20 PM PST
Tesla debuts zippier Roadster Sport (click here)

For all you well-heeled auto fanatics, there is good news: Tesla Motors has made a faster car.
The luxury electric carmaker on Sunday lifted the curtain on the Tesla Roadster Sport at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Tesla said it has begun taking orders for the $128,500 sportscar, which will be available in late June.
The Roadster Sport has a bit more zip off the line than the original rocket-like Roadster, Tesla's first electric car favored by tech tycoons and Hollywood types....

9 Days until Inauguration - The issues with Iran aren't that complicated. Quite a different approach from "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran."

..."Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” Mr. Obama reiterated his intention to work directly with Iran — a country whose president has called for Israel’s destruction — to improve relations and halt a nuclear program that Tehran describes as peaceful but which the West believes is not."... (click title to entry - thank you)

The Iranian circumstance today is vastly different than the time of Jimmy Carter. The Ayatollah has returned to power and until the invasion into Iraq there was a increasingly wonderful Moderate Political movement that was replaced by the administration of the extremist of Ahmadinejad.

The 'idea' that the USA has caused the tensions that now exist between itself and Iran, including in its alliance with Israel, is to realize the trend is reversable. Iran today has nuclear capacity that actually was engaged by the USA through poor design only to be taken over by Russia to insure completion. So for the USA to now say it doesn't approve of peaceful use of Iranian nuclear capacity is a bit ludicrous. The only problem is the assertions that Iran will not maintain a 'peace' only use of nuclear technology.

The moderates need to return to Iran and that will occur when the sanctions work and Iran is again distanced from a threat to its soveriegnty as Iraq is turned over to the Iraqis without the influence of Western military. To say its a balancing act is understating the outcome, but, if Russia can be a partner to priorities of a world without nuclear threat a favorable outcome can be achieved without confrontation of any kind.

I believe a nuclear non-proliferation agreement can be a focus to any negotiations including the disarmament of other countries including Pakistan that were never supposed to have a nuclear weapon to begin with.

The problem currently is that the global balance is chronically challenged through a lack of diplomatic agreements that work for countries rather than victimizing them.

Of concern, Georgia needs to stop its brinkmanship, AGAIN :

Tskhinvali says Georgia moves troops to S.Ossetia border (click here)
15:03
09/ 01/ 2009
MOSCOW, January 9 (RIA Novosti) - The Defense Ministry of South Ossetia said Friday Georgia was moving troops towards its border, the republic's information and press committee said.
The committee cited South Ossetian Deputy Defense Minister Ibragim Gasseyev as saying that four Georgian armored vehicles and 16 trucks had approached the village of Mereti, Gori district.
"Considering that each vehicle has at least 20 people, Georgia has moved at least 300 people to Mereti," Gasseyev said.
At the same time Gasseyev voiced concern over the stance of the EU monitoring mission tasked with ensuring security along the border with two breakaway republics, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Both republics have refused to allow EU observers on their territory....