It would appear as though investors haven't fallen off the back of a turnip truck after all.

The big loser of the day? Ready? The MOST unpredictable stock in the market place engages in 'trade wind' consumer consumption. It is NOT a 'safe' investment. It is pure unadulterated speculation and the very LAST stock a 'Bear' would find interesting.

Brown-Forman Corporation (click here)
BF.B: NYSE; Non-Cyclical Consumer Goods & Services/Beverages - Distillers & Wineries

I am very, very hopeful in realizing the choices made today. It would seem as though investors are playing it close to the vest and I am more than proud of them. They could not have made better choices.

The choices made today by investors show an incredible insight to protections of reentering a very difficult market to predict. I believe their instincts could not be better and I would even reassure them that they should have increased confidence in their investing. Why? Because there are no surprises with this President of the USA. He is a 'rock' and knows where this country has to go. His agendas across every discipline of his cabinet are clear and are consistent with the desires for change of the American people. This market is more predictable than any 'Bear' can imagine.

What is even more encouraging is the courage global investors have shown today. Every market has an upward trend today, except for the Nikkei and it was a minor loss today compared to recent volatility. Gold is down because 'caution' is being stripped away from other markets and the commodities will experience change. This is a very hopeful view of one day of concentrated restructuring in the fiscal markets.

I would encourage any investor to continue to be cautious and enjoy the 'idea' of participating in a revitalization of the USA. The gains will be notable. The global markets will regain their footing and even the Nikkei will enjoy increases in volume and profit not experienced in other markets.

The global community is in this together and through careful analysis each market will find its 'best' and 'worst' and hone its interests in a Brave New World.

Thank you for today. We are hopeful tomorrow will be just as rewarding and insightful.

This was the big winner of the day. Get this. Real estate. You want to know why? Can you guess? I can guess. One cannot conduct business without real estate. Not the kind of business that Wall Street conducts.

So.

Why not get in on a real estate investment company that has a proven track record of knowing where to purchase 'commercial' real estate that is useful? Right? Very interesting.

Developers Diversified Realty Corporation (click here)
DDR: NYSE; Financials/REIT - Residential & Commercial

The weather in Antarctica (Crystal Wind Chime) is warmer than usual. It is the best 'temperature' image in a while.

Polar Plants - Issue 12, March 2009 (click title to entry - thank you)
Did you know that Antarctica is home to two species of plants? At the opposite end of the earth, over a thousand plant species grow on the Arctic tundra. And that's not counting the many species of algae and lichens that are not classified as plants. In this issue, we highlight high quality resources for teaching plant classification, life cycles, and adaptations. Enrich your practice with our professional resources and discover science lessons and informational text to engage your students.
Photo: White cottongrass in Kangerlussuaq, West Greenland. Photo copyright Henning Thing / DPC, Polar Photos.


March 10, 2009
12 PM utc
Antarctica Surface Wind Image (click here for animation for March 9 & 10)

There is obvious movement of air from the colder and higher elevations to the lower elevations. There are also 'on shore' winds that bring hotter temperatures.


March 10, 2009
0600 gmt
Antarctica Jet Stream Image (click here for film loop from March 5 through March 8)

The reason there is so much heat and loss of frigid air is obvious, especially when reviewing the film loop. There are heat transfers resolving their traverse from the Equator over the Blue Ice in Antarctica. While the Peninsula is a completely different issue, the Blue Ice is directly hit by the heat from the Equator.


March 10, 2009

In only five days the frigid air mass has shifted again and there is far less cold air over the 'entire' of Antarctica as noted however there is a migration of cold air off the higher elevations to the Peninsula where it will warm.

The Peninsula does receive heat transfers as noted in the falling pressure and increased cloudiness, however, there is also movement of air from the high elevation Blue Ice to the Peninsula due to the arrival of the less dense heat transfer. The denser cold air 'falls off' the higher elevation as it is pushed out from air masses arriving at higher elevations in the troposphere but increasing in density as it cools while subliming the Blue Ice. In other words, there are far too many air molecules at higher elevations to maintain 'stagnant' air masses of cold air.


March 5, 2009


March 10, 2009
12 PM utc
Antarctica Temperature Image (click here for 24 hour loop)

Coldest reporting stations in Antarctica are below. There is a marked difference between the two stations besides elevation. Elevation is important to realize the coldness and sun exposure, however, these two stations have different 'weather conditions.' Clean Air has clouds and percipitation while Vostok does not. Clouds insulate Earth with heat as it reflects 'infrared' back to the planet. The warmest areas today are both reporting scattered clouds. I have included the information regarding Base Orcadas, Antarctica to include the issue of humidity. The pressure readings are falling at this reporting station as there is higher humidity and overcast conditions with higher temperatures. Noted also, the overcast conditions extend vertically in the troposphere to 689 feet.

Vostok, Antarctica

Local Time: 11:21 PM VOST (GMT +06)

Lat/Lon: 78.4° S 106.9° E (Google Map)

Updated :: 5 hr 21 min 58 sec ago

Temperature :: -73 °F

Conditions :: Clear

Humidity: 34%

Dew Point: -81 °F

Wind: 9 mph from the SSW

Wind Gust: -

Pressure: in (Falling)

Visibility: 12.0 miles

Elevation: 11220 ft



Clean Air, Antarctica

Local Time: 5:24 PM GMT (GMT +00)

Lat/Lon: 89.9° S 0.0° W (Google Map)

Updated: 5 hr 34 min 29 sec ago

Temperature :: -44 °F

Conditions :: Light Snow Grains Blowing Snow

Windchill: -76 °F

Wind: 16 mph from the NE

Pressure: 28.22 in (Rising)

Visibility: 0.5 miles

UV: 0 out of 16

Clouds: Overcast 3000 ft (Above Ground Level)

Elevation: 9285 ft

Base Esperanza, Antarctica

Local Time: 5:35 PM GMT (GMT +00)

Lat/Lon: 63.4° S 57.0° W

Updated: 2 hr 35 min 13 sec ago

Temperature :: 44 °F

Conditons :: Scattered Clouds

Humidity: 60%

Dew Point: 35 °F

Wind: Calm

Wind Gust: -

Pressure: 29.00 in (Rising)

Visibility: 6.0 miles

Clouds: Few 984 ft

(Above Ground Level)

Elevation: 43 ft



Base Marambio, Antarctica

Local Time: 5:35 PM GMT (GMT +00)

Lat/Lon: 64.2° S 56.7° W

Updated: 2 hr 35 min 43 sec ago

Temperature :: 42 °F

Conditoins :: Scattered Clouds

Humidity: 46%

Dew Point: 28 °F

Wind: 7 mph from the NW

Wind Gust: -

Pressure: 28.97 in (Rising)

Visibility: 12.0 miles Clouds: Few 9843 ft

(Above Ground Level)

Elevation: 650 ft

Base Orcadas, Antarctica

Local Time: 3:36 PM GST (GMT -02)

Lat/Lon: 60.8° S 44.7° W

Updated: 2 hr 36 min 34 sec ago

Temperature :: 37 °F

Conditons :: Overcast

Humidity: 96%

Dew Point: 36 °F

Wind: 21 mph from the North Wind Gust: -

Pressure: 29.13 in (Falling)

Visibility: 9.0 miles

UV: 1 out of 16

Clouds: Overcast 689 ft

(Above Ground Level)

Elevation: 20 ft

Playing Politics with Hope and Reconstruction

In weak claims to 'State's Rights' some Red States are rejecting the Simulus Package and hope in curing human disease. It is done in the name of politics and not human rights.


The states refusing to provide hope to their citizens in reconstruction and opportunities in employment in both areas of work and research are inhibiting the best outcome for their citizens.


The Justice Department needs to challenge these states on the basis of reducing the unemployment load to their rolls and causing larger deficits and on the basis of human rights and established 'safe and documentable' research in Stem Cell Research.



Brant Sanderlin/bsanderlin@ajc.com
Lobbyist Rusty Kidd speaks during a meeting of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee Monday March 9, 2009. Kidd, who, is bound to a wheelchair from a spinal cord injury spoke against the bill that could restrict stem cell research in Georgia.



There are human rights violations in this legislature at every turn. It even demonizes and makes criminal the owners of the stem cells. In doing so, they take away 'rights' of the participants in the donation at a fertility clinic and potentially implies that frozen embryos have more rights to exist than their donors.



"...The bill would also prevent a couple who decided they no longer wanted to try to become pregnant from being able to dispose of their frozen embryos kept at a fertility clinic...."



"States Rights" do not include setting up unclaves of ideology that will ultimately cause the nation harm in high unemployment rates, increase in poverty and sustained oppression of citizens that desire improvments in their wellness. These are human rights violations and need to dealt with in an even approach.

For decades it was easy to know when one crossed the Mason-Dixon Line as there has been enforced poverty that benefits the 'greed quotient.' Such impoverishment has been enforced through darconian labor laws such as "The Will to Work" laws allowing employers to refuse to hire anyone based on issues as minor as eye or hair color.


Enough of this mania to control of the electorate of the Red States. There needs to be clear and concise removal of all oppression of these states and replaced with directives to expand their horizons in 'opportunity' other than building nuclear fuel rod facilities, concrete plants and cutting down every tree standing.

The Red States have been oppressed for generations with 'designer' legislation to enforce that oppression and refusing to allow complete and open rights to its citizens. Oppression leads to devote belief in God in a contorted way, in that daily living requires 'great faith' to allow for decades of oppression. The oppression of the faithful is a way of life in Red States rather than the celebration of life in abundance. Enough already. It is time to liberate the Red States and in a manner that will not allow recidivism.

You can't get blood out of a turnip. That is a scientific fact. You can't make money with 'tapped out' investors, either.

Hence, how does a government 'console' a fiscal sector that primarily 'blew it.' The difficult side to all this is that I passed by a Citibank office today with a 'Help Wanted' sign on the front lawn. I don't know if that was for PR or an actual invitation to the unemployed.



The long and short of it is this. The Wall Street crowd lost their shirts. They not only lost their shirts, but, they drained every coffer there was while Paulson was watching his 14,000 DOW disappear. They drained coffers in every available country and every available company there was with inventive fees and all kinds of 'hubris laden' promises.

After all, every ? investment ? made in America is signed with gold ink, just look at the NEW MONEY Bush minted in his treasury with gold leaf no less. And pretty colors, too. Reminting those 'actual' dollars cost plenty, but, who cared after all the Bush Administration wanted to make a good impression when the first $87 billion to Iraq was flown on a cargo plane.

There is a lot "W"rong with the circumstances President Obama now faces and I defy anyone to oppose him in his focus to resolving the issues of the day, however, when it comes to 'bailing' out the banks there was one thing. Only one thing. That one thing Bush and Paulson 'forgot' to ask when they DEMANDED a $700 Billion Bailout was 'where is the bottom to the losses that has been sustained.' How convenient a question is that too forget? Huh?

I always stated and I will continue to state that Secretary Geithner and I will part company on this issue of 'bailouts' and today is no different.

I understand how Secretary Geithner sees the 'troubled' banks as vital to the global economy. I completely understand that, but, the USA is 'tapped' out, Bud. No different than the other countries in the EU and Asia and SA and otherwise. The 'BANKERS' broke the bank and they also broke the back of the treasuries of every other country on the Globe, including my favorite, The South African Rand.

Today, Secretary Geithner's President signed a revolutionary Presidential Order releasing constraints on Stem Cell Research. It should have been met with OR BETTER YET preceded by vastly new investment in the 'science of stem cell research' now that the USA was backing its promise to find cures for diseases.

In the past administration nearly every bill that was passed was met with accolades from Wall Street as they knew every bill was a spending bill, but, yet today. Flat line.

Why, flat line? Simple. The DOW is dead. There is no more money floating around the planet and the deeper the USA goes into debt the worse it gets.

I don't doubt Bankers are clammering for every available dollar to pay their debts to Europe and Asia and South America; but; what everyone completely ignores, including Secretary Geithner, is the fact that there is no bottom to this 'hell hole' created by the past thirty years of Republican Rule. There is no bottom because the debt the banks are and have accumulated grows bigger and faster everyday. INTEREST. The bottomless pit of INTEREST is killing them, NOT the generous spirit of the American people that would sign any bill if the world would simply stop suffering. It won't and I am closing the door on 'The Pity Party.'

Bankruptcy law is there for a reason and I strongly suggest every company that is facing it file ASAP. No more bailouts. No more pity. We want 'closure' to this hideous 'idea' of 'recapturing' an economy that is still on life support. It is time the 'damage' is defined and clear and concise actions can be taken. I don't believe in Bailouts. I have never believed in Bailouts. I conceded for a moment or two that it might be necessary, but, this? Continued empathy for the already dead? No more.

The banks, the car companies and any other entity has to CLEARLY define their LIABILITIES so we know where 'the realistic' goal is to stop this economy from continuing deterioration.

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

No reason for a 'Sunset Period' on the NEW Assault Weapon's Ban

The USA has an obligation to stop the weapon migration to Mexico that are killing cops. What was going on with the Republican Administration that allowed the Assault Weapon Ban to expire?

Sorry, the NRA doesn't run this country or any other country anymore. The NRA has a very unique way to 'instilling' anarchy that propagates weapon purchases and demands for lawful possession of side arms everywhere in society.

The NRA will use any high profile shooting to instill fear so the only answer is for everyone to carry a sidearm. As that fear takes hold and people lawfully purchase weapons, the 'content' of weapon possession in the country grows and the greater the risk that the guns will fall into the wrong hands and they do. I cannot believe the police officers in Mexico are staring down the gun barrels of weapons sold in the USA. Why has this NOT been an issue before now?

Wait. Let me guess.

The Bush/Cheney White House believed in an economy at any cost even the cost of lives in the USA and other countries. Amazing.


Many Mexican drug cartels are utilizing the loose gun laws in many south eastern states to purchase assault weapons that are used in the Mexican drug war. Assault weapons are illegal to the general public in Mexico, so many Mexican drug moguls are smuggling weapons from the United States across the border into Mexico. Many of the Mexican authorities are ill-equipped to defend themselves against the powerful assault weapons and have consequently lost over 2000 police officers. Watch the video to get the full report.

Evidently, drugs are 'big business' in the USA.

Ruben Navarrette Jr.: Stop the flow of guns south of the border (click here)
By Ruben Navarrette Jr.
Posted: 03/08/2009 12:00:00 AM PST

It's time for the American people to stop living in a state of denial and get serious about stopping gun shipments into Mexico.

Mexico's ambassador to the United States, Arturo Sarukhan, has noted that as many as 2,000 weapons enter Mexico from the United States every day — most of them through Texas and Arizona, and many of them are purchased legally at gun shows and gun stores. Many of the transactions come in "straw purchases," where drug traffickers use Americans — including friends and relatives — to buy guns.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives estimates that 90 percent of the firearms confiscated in drug crimes in Mexico come from the United States, and some of the shipments can be enormous.

Both Americans and Mexicans tend to think of the border as the end of the Earth. It isn't. It's a turnstile. When someone goes north looking for work, Mexicans naively assume they have seen the last of him. And when guns go south looking for trouble, Americans assume the same about the havoc they create. Wrong on both counts. Immigrants are going back to Mexico because of a bad U.S. economy. Meanwhile, the gun violence that Americans subsidize south of the border is boiling over onto U.S. soil.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano didn't get the memo. She recently told a Senate committee that Mexico's drug violence had not spread to the United States. But only a few days earlier Homeland Security Director Steve McCraw told the Texas Legislature that violence from the drug cartels had — "no question about it" — spilled into Texas. Then there is Napolitano's own state of Arizona, where its largest city — Phoenix — is now considered the nation's kidnap capital because of spillover violence from Mexico.

Well, Janet, did you or didn't you get the memo; after all it could not be a surprise considering Arizona is intimately involved in 'the drug economy' in the USA. I realize it seems unbelievable that all this didn't surface while Bush was ignoring the Assault Weapon's Ban, but, it didn't. One is left to ask and INVESTIGATE why assault weapons were ALLOWED to flow over the Mexican/USA border with impunity? This isn't an 'over night' issue. Durg Cartels are a huge problem and bring their own problems to our cities in the way of illegal immigration that results in 'ethnic gangs.' So, when is the INVESTIGATION going to begin as to how this was all allowed by the previous administration, how did the facts evade the USA Homeland Security until now and why hasn't the Assault Weapon's Ban been passed?

According to the Justice Department, Mexican drug traffickers have a presence in at least 230 U.S. cities....

Get the feeling Bush/Cheney didn't care about the sovereignty of any country, but, only its wealth and assets?

Ariz.: Gun dealer sold to Mexico gangs (click here)

PHOENIX, March 9 (UPI) -- An Arizona man accused of supplying assault rifles to Mexican drug cartels faced trial Monday on forgery, fraud and money laundering charges, prosecutors said.
The trial of Phoenix gun store owner George Iknadosian, 47, was set to begin Monday in Maricopa County Superior Court, where state officials have accused him of selling more than 700 weapons to "straw" buyers he allegedly knew to be fronts for Mexican drug cartels, The Arizona Republic reported.
The weapons allegedly sold at Iknadosian's X-Caliber store included high-powered guns of the kind frequently used by drug gangs to overpower Mexican federal police, the report said. Authorities told the newspaper they hope to crack down on the flow of weapons to Mexican cartels by targeting illegal sales at U.S. gun stores and gun shows.
Observers said the case is unusual because it involves cooperation between Mexican and U.S. authorities, with Mexican prosecutors sitting in on suspect interviews and providing materials for the case, the Republic reported.
Iknadosian has pleaded not guilty to the charges, the newspaper said.

Mexican cartels plague Atlanta (click here)
Updated 8h 39m ago

By Larry Copeland and Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY
ATLANTA — In a city where Coca-Cola, United Parcel Service and Home Depot are the titans of industry, there are new powerful forces on the block: Mexican drug cartels.

Their presence and ruthless tactics are largely unknown to most here. Yet, of the 195 U.S. cities where Mexican drug-trafficking organizations are operating, federal law enforcement officials say Atlanta has emerged as the new gateway to the troubled Southwest border.

Atlanta? Atlanta? Hm? Perhaps the temptation of entering through Florida is more than just 'boat people.'

Rival drug cartels, the same violent groups warring in Mexico for control of routes to lucrative U.S. markets, have established Atlanta as the principal distribution center for the entire eastern U.S., according to the Justice Department's National Drug Intelligence Center....

It is so good to know that 'teenagers' can find gainful employment these days, huh? I always thought the first job any USA youngster should 'try out' would be gang related violence. I mean, didn't you? Such high aspirations for our children I've never witnessed from the previous administration. Seriously, NEVER witnessed any high aspirations.

3 Woodstock High School Students Arrested, Assault Rifles Recovered (click here)
Atlanta, GA 3/05/2009 05:35 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)

Three Woodstock High School students were arrested Thursday morning after Holly Springs police got a reports that they were on their way to the Georgia school with assault rifles and handguns.
Forrest Busby, 17, was arrested at the high school. He was charged with possession of a weapon on school grounds, possession of a revolver by a person under 18, carrying a concealed weapon, theft by receiving stolen property, interference with child custody, manufacturing and distributing controlled suspect and disruption of a public school.
An AR-15, Mini-14 and 200 rounds of ammunition were found in Busby’s house. He is being held without bond.
A 15-year-old student, whose name has not been released, was also arrested. He is charged with party to the crime of possession of a weapon on school grounds, party of the crime of possession of a revolver under the age of 18, theft be taking firearm, runaway and disruption of a public school.
A third student was arrested but has not been charged. Authorities say it is unclear what the students planned to do. MAYBE the teens were getting a mixed message about weapons and the value of life? Ya think? Several guns were also found in the school.
Woodstock High School, Woodstock Middle School and Etowah High School were all placed on lockdown.

Let's get this over with...the Neocons send human beings to war...the rest of us send stem cells to combat disease. End of discussion.

"Totipotent" cells are even more 'fluid' in definition. The Totipotent Stem Cell can produce spores.

That's right, spores.

The Totipotent Stem Cell is God's play toy and for living within his curiosity and graces God has now revealed its secrets. How about that? What God knows by blinking, the human being has had to dedicate entire institutions of investigation to and billions upon billions of dollars to correct the 'straying' of genetic material that causes disease.

GET OVER IT !!!!!!!



The word 'pluripotent' means "having more than one outcome." It is a scientific designation for stem cells that have NO 'predetermined' purpose except when exposed to human hormone influence divide into multiple kinds of tissue that then develope into organs and an organism. THE "Pluripotent Stem Cell" is NOT a human being. As a matter of fact, IF it had a mind it would tell you, "Gee, I don't know what I want to be when I grow up."

U.S. stem cell announcement only a first step (click here)
Sun Mar 8, 2009 4:28pm EDT

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers and advocates have been invited to a White house ceremony on Monday at which President Barack Obama is expected to lift eight years of restrictions on embryonic stem cell research -- but it will be months before the research field can take off, experts say.
The National Institutes of Health will have to write detailed guidelines on when and how federal dollars can be spent on research involving human embryos, and may be asked to provide a larger ethical framework on their use.
And laws are still on the books that limit the use of federal money to actually make the powerful stem cells, because they must be taken from human embryos. So federal research money can be used only to work with cells that were made using other sources of funds.
Nonetheless, researchers are delighted....

The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Ice Chime) is:

It seems to me when people 'won't' believe scientists because it interfers with 'money' or so called economics; there needs to be a comprehensive message to the more moronic of society. The 'idea' that 'old world' economics is more vital than new methologies of energy and transportation reveals an underlying 'truth.' It is a profound truth and one that cannot be ignored or dismissed, however, one that needs to be categorized as 'hysterical and indictable.'

To begin, a 'snap shot' of weather on any given day is NOT climate. Climate is a long term trend. So, given that FACT, there truly is no disputing Climate Change. There is no doubt, so naysayers need to beware, because, they are lying and should be held culpable for any statements they make that are out of the rhelm of reality.

When Dr. Chris Field (click title to entry - thank you) came forward to mark the urgency of reversing deadly trends in CO2 emissions he spoke to an 'end result' that in and of itself isn't as explicit as it needs to be. He assumed those receiving his message would automatically take a jump to hyperspace and realize the 'global (of, relating to, or applying to a whole)' concequences of his words.

When Dr. Field states climate change will result in the destruction, by fire, of forests including tropical rainforests, within those words is an understanding that Earth will lose valuabel carbon sinks. Carbon sinks, of course, are the regions of the planet whereby CO2 is absorbed and utilized to produce oxygen through plant respiration or photosynthesis.

Inherent to any democracy is the understanding that all views of a society holds some legitimacy when backed by recognizable authority. Unfortunately, in the case of Human Induced Global Warming, those authorities have been rewarded through corruption to validate either 'partial' findings or completely false analogies. The 'idea' that Earth's biotic content is 'an economic game' of chance is hideous and completely outside the rhelm of ethical.

If the United Nations and the IPCC are serious about saving Earth and its populous, which some naysayers view as two separate issues, there needs to be a very tough stand taken regarding 'ethical science' and its definition. Authority that 'lends itself' to allowing degradation of Earth's biotic content leading to increased danger for life, need to be held accountable and not simply disregarded.

There is 'one truth' regarding Human Induced Global Warming and those scientists and authorities that cannot find a way to accept that truth, need to be dealth with and not simply ridiculed or cast aside as corrupted by their own greed or need.

We have witnessed human death and endangerment as well as the degradation of quality of life under the warrants of CO2 emissions. For all those that simply looked the other way in disregard to enhance political or economic venues there needs to be consequences. Not minor consequenes either, but, those that match the very lives we have lost and may still lose due to negligent government policy and indulge of economics that 'caused' the issue in the first place. There cannot be 'tolerance' to those that naysay profoundly appropriate and necessary science.

If we allow others to dictate the adverse outcomes of an entire planet, then we are as guilty as they.

Therefore, we need to distinguish those that 'speak' the truth and hold in contempt in a clear manner those simply mired in 'fear of change.'

Local Time: 2:05 AM AKDT (GMT -08)

Lat/Lon :: 58.8° N 137.0° W

Elevation: 33 ft

Updated :: 1:56 AM AKDT on March 09, 2009

Temperature :: Low 5 °F, High 28F

conditions :: Clear - The clear conditions allow colder temperatures on the ground. When cloud cover returns there will be higher temperatures.

Windchill :: 5 °F

Humidity :: 78%

Dew Point :: 0 °F

Wind :: Calm

Pressure :: 30.46 in (Steady)

Visibility :: 10.0 miles

UV :: 0 out of 16

Clouds :: Clear - (Above Ground Level)

Tornadoes in South Central Kansas

March 8, 2009
21:15 UTC
NASA Global Composite

The images below and above were 15 minutes apart today. It is easy to discern from the two images they are the same system. In the image above it is noted the origins of the system disaffecting North America has its origins in Indonesia. Literally, the water vapor of the jungles of Indonesia are being robbed in a heat transfer system that crosses NA and meets with an arctic air mass that is causing the tornadic systems we are witnessing.

It is not a conspiracy theory. The people of the USA brought this on themselves through their poor choices in leadership over the last 30 years.

Let's hope the choice of President Obama is a permanent change in direction for the USA, if the courts of the world and the Leahy Senate investigation has their way, it will be an enforceable change for time unending. There is NO treating Human Induced Global Warming as a 'political ideology' anymore. It is and has been very real and there are measures to take to change its course. The USA needs to deal with itself. There is only marking the miracle of the Obama Administration on the historic timeline and going forward from here. Change has to come and we need to pursue it with vigor. No more 'retreating' into 'what feels good.'

Brave New World


March 8, 2009
2130 z
UNISYS Water Vapor Image of north and west hemisphere (click here for 12 hour loop)

The reason the weather remains so turbulent is the chronic mix of two 'air mass' fronts. Arctic air that is chronically displaced off the pole and the 'heat transfer' of the equator that actually begins in the Pacific.

Severe Storm Threat Sunday Evening (click here)
Updated: Sunday, March 08, 2009 3:48 PM

An outbreak of severe thunderstorms unfolded from west to east over the Midwest on Sunday as an instigating low pressure cut across Illinois. The axis of strongest storms, some severe, reached from central Indiana to western Kentucky as of mid-afternoon.
On Sunday evening, with the parent storm rolling through southern Michigan, there will still be some strong and gusty thunderstorms sweeping eastward over central and southern Ohio through Kentucky into Tennessee and western West Virginia.
The strongest of these early nighttime storms will threaten with damaging winds and isolated large hail. A tornado or two cannot be ruled out.
Late at night, thunderstorms will dissipate.


The density of the 'ground cloud' is not reflective of its vorticity. It simply means the dirt/soil hasn't been displaced into the funnel circulation yet. It is a very active season we are witnessing that started at the end of January. There were also tornadoes on Friday.


March 7, 2009
Hutchinson, Kansas
Photographer states :: This is our first storm of the year. As you can see, a weak tornado touched down just west of South Hutchinson. It is interesting how they form from the ground up like this.

By KSNW News
KSNW-TV
updated 11:17 p.m. ET, Sat., March. 7, 2009
RENO COUNTY, Kansas - The first confirmed tornado (click title to entry - thank you) came at 4'12 Saturday afternoon when a twister was spotted near the town of Partridge in Reno County.
A few hours later, at around 6'18, a twister was spotted four miles north of Medicine Lodge in Barber County.
At around 7'15, a tornado was spotted near the town of Attica in Harper County.
Then at 7'45, a twister was spotted near Crystal Springs, which is also in Harper County.
A tornado was also spotted in Harvey County.
Heavy rain and hail fell in several areas, and there was lots of lightening.
So far there have been no reports of any significant damage, or any injuries.

Morning Papers - It's Origins

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

The Economic ties the USA and Russia can build should overshadow any objections to National Security issues regarding escalation of nukes.

Besides the obvious potential muscle flexing of how the USA exerts power when there are 'investments' abroad; the 'idea' that sensitive areas of the Russia economy can literally be invaded by Wall Street and breech their security venues is a huge issue. There are entanglements for investment in Russia that aren't healthy for Russia or the USA and those venues need to be eliminated if there is going to be healthy relationships of mutual interests.

The Bush/Cheney Executive Branch was interested in exploiting every aspect of Russian assets for their cronies. That level of 'invasive' economics is a direct threat to Russia and most communist countries and they risk a loss of their culture. As people within a country are 'demoralized' from their culture the stability of the government shifts and not always for the best. Any turmoil or uprising, if accompanied by violence, risks the people themselves that we hope to engage in 'trade.'

In the year 2009, I do not see 'investment' as healthy in any international relationship. It is a direct imposition on sovereignty and places too much importance on 'government control' which increases the risk of the investor and loss of their capital. We have witnessed repeatedly since 2000, challenges to oligarchs that sincerely threatened the stability of Russia, including those that obtained fighter jets for the building of their own empires.

The point is that 'invasive investing' touted by the Republicans as capitalism and the expansion of democratic principles is far from it. Communist nations do not provide 'private ownership' of property. They will never have a 'mortgage crisis' simply because they don't own property. One of the ways that Democracy is imposed on these nations is to demand 'owenship rights' of natural resources and 'other concepts' of investment such as 'intellectual property.'

It is my opinion, the 'Western' idea of investment is counter culture to countries such as Russia and do not serve to 'reassure' them when it come to building strong relationships with the USA and Europe. Commerce has literally become a 'weapon' between the USA and Russia and it is a dangerous one.

There are ways that Russia and the USA can build 'strong' economic ties in the way of trade, but, to insure such a relationship each country has to have something to trade. Healthy balances of goods transported to and from other nations to the USA is vital to a healthy global economy. The USA has to return to manufacturing goods as well as purchasing them. Part of the global economic collapse lies in the 'lack of balance of trade' between countries and the 'free for all' investment and credit extension by nations such as China. When China provides huge loans to the USA to fund its government programs, there are compromise to the Chinese economy when those 'investment structures' are insulted. As a result, the people of China are imposed upon to produce differently and our 'issues' then translate directly to Chinese hardship. It's "W"rong and it has to stop.

International relations between countries have to 'resume' better boundaries. The 'idea' that the world is 'one family of countries' needs to be scrapped. The economic interdependancy of the Bush "World of National Families' has proven to be a complete disaster. It threatened alliances and caused nations to move their 'interests' into 'isolationist' mode. If anyone wants to know where the majority of the first $350 billion of the $700 billion AMERICAN bank bailout disappeared to, one can look directly at the Chinese loan structure. The monies disappeared and China has made its case why such things should occur, but, the fact of the matter is countries need to redefine 'the wealth of nations' as trade partners with self sustaining economies rather than 'co-dependant' entities that can only separate their efforts through war.

Economic interdependence is NOT beneficial when it crashes every economy on Earth. It is not beneficial when it promotes abuses of Earth's troposphere and robs the well being of future generations. It is not beneficial when countries 'compete' unhealthly in the global economic sphere to 'take jobs' away from a nation's population for the sake of 'profits.' When profits 'override' beneficial relationships of diplomacy there is something vitally lost.

If "Peace" is to be a directive of the Obama Administration, there needs to be a redefinition of diplomacy to RETURN to traditional models of addressing issues in a way that moves past economic issues and address the priorities of Mutual Interests in National Security rather than interests in mutual investments. The dynamics are all "W"rong and need to be abandoned. The USA was on its way to becoming a third world nation with the military being the best paying job within its borders before the Obama Stimulus for the sake of outsourcing and destroyed manufacturing sector.

Let's not return to that in the future. To that end, disarming from nuclear capacity should be a high priority in cooperation with building strong economies with good trading relationships. The 'interest' of money is NOT the best outcome to diplomacy, but, securing countries from the brink of mutual distruction needs to be. Treaties and not contracts is the best venue for diplomatic corps.

...Foreign investment in the 39 strategic sectors of the Russian economy is monitored by the Federal Security Service (FSB),[44] the agency responsible for carrying out many functions formerly performed by the KGB. Investors that have either inadvertently or purposely committed their funds to one of these sectors will not be without due recourse, as the actions of the FSB in relation to foreign investment are still subject to oversight by Russian courts. For example, if the FSB finds out that foreigners have bought up shares in a strategic enterprise via Russian front companies, it will have to report this to the authorized body, and the government commission will challenge the deal in court. [45] ...

The problem of course, is that where America 'has interests' so goes its military. THAT is an issue with Russia. It hasn't been with China, but, then again China owns the USA for the most part.

VI. Conclusion
Russia Are foreign investors squandering valuable opportunities by not capitalizing on the business opportunities presented by the growth of the Russian economy? Or perhaps the reluctance to take on the risks Russia presents is justified? Is Russia really unsafe for foreign investors? Or is this just a stereotype propagated by the Western media fueled by doubt that Russia will ever be able to adopt a true market economy? Perhaps there is a genuine misunderstanding of Russia ’s strengthening government? Will the reforms touted by Putin’s administration really be enough to address Russia's historical problem of poorly defined property rights and protect investors? The answers to many of these questions will undoubtedly be revealed in the years to come.

How does Secretary Hillary actually reset a 'critical reset' button with Russia? Humor can help, but, the USA is seriously reclaiming its democracy..

...and it is a position Russia has never faced with the USA before. It is my estimate, the rapid deployment of diplomatic efforts by the USA would be a strong indication that the people of this country haven't changed 'their will' so much as had it kidnapped for some eight years.

Just the same, Russia needs reassurances that it will no longer fall victim to 'political trade winds' in the USA and ultimately face 'threats' again from a country that it has mostly existed in peace with for generations. Russia wants 'the doubt' of its power and integrity removed, how that is accomplished with this administration will be odd, interesting and cautiously approached. It will be more than interesting to see what the two diplomats initially agree upon and watch it grow from there.

Ali Saleh al Marri, 43, a Qatari, the only enemy combatant on U.S. soil, at the U.S. Navy brig at Charleston, S.C., brig in January 2009.

The Miami Herald knows something about foreign nationals that come to American soil with suspect pasts. It will be of interest to their opinion of all this, however, in seeking Russian support by Secretary Hillary where does Russia begin to 'estimate' its future with the USA? Where can the two countries agree and how do we 'close the gap' on uncertain wars in the future. The 'course' the USA was on was Anti-America. It was Anti-Democracy. It was Anti-American Prosperity. It was Anti-Peace. The USA was hostile, aggressive while at the same time, 'contained' through global efforts. It was a hideous place for the USA to exist and it was more than uncomfortable for many patriotic Americans.

In some ways, the Russians should know what it is to have a revitalization of 'The Worker's Party.' It shouldn't be so much of a reach to find 'common ground' and bring about constructive change to finally end the hideous presence of nuclear weapons on Earth. If we are to end nuclear weapon capacity as was the 'spirit' of Non-Proliferation; what are the understandings and will both countries legislatively cease such research as an initial way of verifying their overall intentions and as example to other countries, including Iran, that the day of 'The Bomb' is over?

Supreme Court ends enemy combatant's detention challenge (click here)

By MARK SHERMAN
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a challenge Friday by suspected al Qaeda sleeper agent Ali al Marri to the president's authority to detain people without charges, granting an Obama administration request to end the high court case.
The Supreme Court also threw out, as moot, the federal appeals court ruling Marri was challenging that affirmed the president's power to detain people in the United States without trial.
Last week, President Barack Obama ordered Marri transferred from military to civilian custody to face federal charges of conspiracy and providing support to terrorists.
But Obama has not renounced the use of preventive detention, which was pursued and defended aggressively by the Bush administration after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The administration's silence on this issue was the main reason Marri's lawyers pushed the court to hear the case, even after their client got what he was seeking -- if not his release, a trial at which he could answer criminal charges....

As suspected previously, there was a lot of damage done to our intelligence agencies with the Bush/Cheney Executive Branch. Records destroyed, policies changed and basically turning a democratic process of handling 'critical' information into a dictatorship that would 'secure the exoneration of its Chief Executives.'

Until the agencies finally cleanse themselves of 'ill gotten' policy and over reaching authority there will be little change as security overrides change. The agencies will more than likely 'tweek' their procedures and laws to better accommodate the needs of the country. Incremental change may be the word of the day as a reassurance to those that handle sensitive information it is on the path to better protections from a position of strength rather than compromise. I would hope the change President Obama will bring to the intelligence communities are policies they have longer for to enhance their abilities while protecting the precious freedoms guaranteed every American.

Obama releases secret Bush anti-terror memos (click here)

By DEVLIN BARRETT and MATT APUZZO
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration threw open the curtain on years of Bush-era secrets Monday, revealing anti-terror memos that claimed exceptional search-and-seizure powers and divulging that the CIA destroyed nearly 100 videotapes of interrogations and other treatment of terror suspects.
The Justice Department released nine legal opinions showing that, following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Bush administration determined that certain constitutional rights would not apply during the coming fight. Within two weeks, government lawyers were already discussing ways to wiretap U.S. conversations without warrants.
The Bush administration eventually abandoned many of the legal conclusions, but the documents themselves had been closely held. By releasing them, President Barack Obama continued a house-cleaning of the previous administration's most contentious policies....

Michael Moore. Are you paying attention? The 'Dream' is coming true.

It is going to take a short while to pass the necessary legislation to reform the American Health Care System, so until that occurs, President Obama has included a subsidy for people that can lose their coverage due to the recession/depression. 65% sudsidy to COBRA recipients so they can continue to keep their 'wellness' while looking for work.

Not bad, Mike.

Not bad at all.

Thank you.

More about the COBRA subsidy (click title to entry - thank you)
One thing is clear, only those who lost their jobs between Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009, are eligible.
By Francesca Lunzer Kritz March 9, 2009
After last week’s column on the insurance subsidy included in President Obama's stimulus package, we received quite a lot of mail asking more questions. That's understandable. The details are complicated. In a nutshell, some laid-off employees can get a 65% subsidy, for up to nine months, to help defray the cost of continuing their healthcare coverage through a program known as COBRA. The subsidy only applies to people who lost, or will lose, their jobs between Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009.
No money changes hands. People who qualify for the subsidy will pay their employers for 35% (instead of 100%) of coverage costs each month they receive subsidies, up to nine months. If an employee continues with COBRA after the nine months, the payment goes up to full cost....

Just laid off? Go for COBRA (click here)
Posted by Cheryl Costa March 5, 2009 10:06 AM
...Starting March 1, 2009, anyone who loses their job between August 31, 2008 and December 31, 2009 can elect coverage under COBRA and 65% of their premium will be paid by the government for up to nine months. That's a huge savings considering the cost of coverage for a family can be $1,000 per month or more. For example, without this new break, a family would be responsible for paying the full monthly COBRA premium. Now, the family would pay only 35 percent or $350 per month. Over nine months, that is a total savings of almost $6,000....


8 Questions You May Have About the New COBRA Subsidy (click here)
March 05, 2009 08:00 AM ET Michelle Andrews
...Unfortunately, passing the law is only the first step in the process. A significant amount of bureaucratic machinery must grind into gear before the federal government is ready to actually start paying for the subsidy. In fact, consumers may not get relief until May, says Cheryl Fish-Parcham, deputy director of health policy for Families USA, a consumer advocacy organization. If that happens, people who've paid their full premiums for March and/or April will be able to get either a refund for premiums paid since February 17, when the bill was signed, or a credit against future premiums....

Russ Feingold really suprised me when he wanted President Obama to veto the spending bill. I half expect Bayh to do such a thing, but, not Feingold.

U.S. President Barack Obama walks with the White House Chief Usher Stephen Rochon to the Oval Office before departing on a day trip to Ohio from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, March 6, 2009. (REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Democratic-controlled U.S. Congress on Friday sent President Barack Obama a bill to fund much of the government into next week, after Democrats hit a snag wrapping up a $410 billion measure to pay for the rest of this fiscal year which ends September 30....

In a back handed way, Feingold and Bayh did President Obama a favor. By opposing a spending bill that takes care of the federal government operations until September 30, 2009; they brought to focus how silly the opposition was in the first place.

If the bill passed in a majority without a complaint it would appear to be an administration that simply spends without regard to promises or concern. But, when Bayh and Feingold opposed the omnibus bill because of 'earmarks (click here), it brought to focus the 'FACT' that President was telling the truth. Imagine that a President that doesn't lie and has the intelligence to know that vetoing a vital bill is out of the question regardless of campaign promises to stop earmarks.

See, the 'naysayers' are struggling to dismiss the 'real responsibility' for the earmarks, which are last years left overs AGAIN. It is sad to realize that people and even trusted Senators are literally 'lying' about the origins of these earmarks and how this administration is NOT responsible for them being attached to vital fiscal legislation.

President Obama is AGAIN correct. The only effective way of stopping the abusive use of earmarks is to generate legislation that prevents it. Hello?

It boggles my mind to understand why President Obama is smeared in the media and by others that simply can't seem to grasp how incredible his leadership is and appreciate the energy and 'capacity' he can bring to the Executive Branch. He is a very ambitious President, but, he's doing it all correctly. He is NOT taking on all the tasks alone, but, EMPOWERING groups of people to move all the issues regarding the economy, global warming and health care to the forefront of 'action' for resolution.

All these issues are inter-related. The economy can't be strong without the reform to health care the President is pursuing. People don't understand that? Why bother 'fixing' the economy and building new energy sources if the health of the nation will only put a drag on all the improvements.

I swear, some folks are simply 'Party - Poopers.' Go get 'em, Barak.

Senators may punish Feingold, Bayh for opposing spending bill (click here)
By Alexander Bolton
Posted: 03/05/09 07:25 PM [ET]
Senate Democrats are debating whether Sens. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) should be punished for opposing a $410 billion omnibus.Some Senate Democrats, including members of the Appropriations Committee, are angry that Feingold and Bayh have panned the massive spending bill after legislative priorities important to both lawmakers were included in the package....

It happened like it was supposed to. My son and his bride got their mortgage.

They purchased their first home and it all went through without a hitch.

I do not lie.

The reasonable purchase of a home is still possible. They were anxious about nearly everything in this market, but, there are more rumors than truth. They had not one problem in the entire process. I am very proud of him. He protected his credit and still has a job as does his future spouse and they are living the dream. It is a home that was a foreclosure house, more house than they would have been able to buy in a 'normal' market, but, it was not an auction, it was purchased in all the traditional venues, through a realtor.

Let's hope it continues as smoothly as it started.

NEW YORK, NY (click title to entry - thank you) - In December 2008, improvements in home affordability and low mortgage rates contributed to a 7% year-over-year increase in home sales in the 25 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) tracked by Radar Logic Incorporated. According to the December 2008 RPXTM Monthly Housing Market Report released today by Radar Logic, transactions increased in 14 of the 25 MSAs, with the largest increase in metropolitan areas where sales of foreclosed homes constitute a significant share of total transactions, particularly Las Vegas, Phoenix and the five California MSAs covered by the report. Sales of foreclosed homes by financial institutions, together with sales to third parties at foreclosure auctions, increased 177% in the 25 MSAs between December 2007 and December 2008. Over the same period, all other sales decreased by 17%....

There is no cold air mass over WAIS.

Researchers from Rutgers University spent four weeks at sea on the 247-foot research vessel Laurence M. Gould, gathering data on the changing climate in west Antarctica. (PHOTO COURTESY OF RUTGERS UNIVERSITY)


Seal and penguins in Antarctica, with research vessel Gould and palmer Station in background. (Photo by Oscar Schofield/Rutgers University).


Base Jubany, Antarctica

Local Time: 10:39 PM GMT (GMT +00)

Lat/Lon: 62.2° S 58.6° W

Elevation :: 13 feet

Temperature :: 42 °F

Conditions :: Partly Cloudy

Humidity :: 75%

Dew Point :: 37 °F

Wind :: 12 mph from the ESE

Pressure :: 28.86 in (Falling)

Visibility :: 7.0 miles

Clouds :: Scattered Clouds 1476 ft
Mostly Cloudy 9843 ft
(Above Ground Level)

Rutgers documenting Antarctic climate shift (click title to entry - thank you)

By Kirk Moore

STAFF WRITER

March 4, 2009

A pair of New Jersey-built undersea probes and eight Rutgers University researchers are documenting a dramatic climate shift near the bottom of the world, where warming currents off west Antarctica are remaking the ocean ecosystem — and dealing a wild card for predictions of global sea level rise.

"It's the fastest-warming area on Earth," said Oscar Schofield, a professor at the Rutgers Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, who recently returned from weeks at sea off the Antarctic Peninsula.

Scientists reckon that average temperatures on that side of the continent have risen since 1950, and the Rutgers team took its underwater vehicles and sensor technology there "to see how the ecosystem responds," Schofield said.
"The heat source down there isn't the atmosphere. It's the ocean," he said. "There's warmer water coming off the Antarctic circumpolar current. This is where the current is closest to the ice sheet."
Previously, most of the warming was thought to occur only on the peninsula pointing toward South America, said Colin Summerhayes, executive director of the Britain-based Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research and a member of International Polar Year's steering committee.
But now the committee reports wider warming. The biggest west Antarctic glacier, the Pine Island Glacier, is moving 40 percent faster than it was in the 1970s, discharging water and ice more rapidly into the ocean, Summerhayes said.
"If the west Antarctica sheet collapses, then we're looking at a sea level rise of between 1 meter and 1.5 meters," Summerhayes said. That would be a rise of 3 feet 4 inches to nearly 5 feet....

Afghanistan - Karzai leaves a void of leadership in May. Clinton Summit needs to determine degree of USA Aggressiveness.

2008 is the highest year of defense spending in history. The complexity of the 'region' is at issue. The continued 'upheavals' between India and Pakistan strains any good relations between the two countries. While Pakistan attempts to 'settle' the tribal areas through Sharia Law, it is still unknown the extent there will be a peaceful return. Bin Laden certainly seems to manage, doesn't he?

Current U.S. Defense Spending vs. Spending Since 1948 (click here)

The elections in Afghanistan won't occur until August of this year, yet the Karzai term ends in May. The additional troops are stated to be an asset to the election process, but, long term efforts need goals.


Power struggle over timing of Afghan election (click here)
Pamela Constable, Washington Post
Thursday, March 5, 2009
(03-05) 04:00 PST Kabul, Afghanistan -- A deepening power struggle over the date for upcoming presidential elections is exposing the ugly, destructive side of politics in Afghanistan and raising questions about the viability of a crucial transition for this struggling, Western-backed democracy.
The conflict pits President Hamid Karzai, who hopes to win re-election after seven years in power, against an array of rivals eager to see him dethroned at any cost, and against members of an independent election commission whose desire to postpone the polling is supported by the United States, the United Nations and NATO.
It also leaves unresolved the critical question of who will lead the country during the summer months, when the Islamist Taliban insurgency is expected to intensify its attacks and thousands of U.S. troops will arrive. Karzai's term ends in May, and elections are currently scheduled for August....




Murtha says Afghanistan plan lacks goal (click title to entry - Thank you)
By Kimberly Hefling
The Associated PressPosted : Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 21:21:17 EST
WASHINGTON — Rep. John Murtha said Tuesday the situation in Afghanistan is so challenging that he estimated it would take 600,000 troops to fully squelch violence in the country.
The Pennsylvania Democrat, who chairs the powerful subcommittee that funds the military, said his figure was based on the country’s history of rigorous fighting and its size.
“That’s what I estimate it would take in a country that size to get it under control,” Murtha said in an interview.
Murtha also said he’s uncomfortable with President Barack Obama’s decision to increase the number of troops in the country by 17,000 before a goal was clearly defined. But he says he anticipates a plan will be developed to train Afghan security forces, and then the U.S. military will get out. He said he sees Afghanistan has more of a diplomatic mission, than a military one.
“I think you’ll see a change,” Murtha said. “I’m confident you’re going to see them only adjusting for a short period of time with these additional troops.”...


U.S. deaths in Afghanistan spike in 2009 (click here)
By Jason Straziuso - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Mar 1, 2009 8:21:52 EST
KABUL — U.S. deaths in Afghanistan increased threefold during the first two months of 2009 compared with the same period last year, after thousands more troops deployed and commanders ramped up winter operations against an increasingly violent insurgency.
As troops pour into the country and violence rises, another sobering measure has also increased: More Afghan civilians are dying in U.S. and allied operations than at the hands of the Taliban, according to a count by The Associated Press. In the first two months of the year, U.S., NATO or Afghan forces have killed 100 civilians, while militants have killed 60....


NATO may ask China for support in Afghanistan (click here)
By Slobodan Lekic - The Associated PressPosted : Monday Mar 2, 2009 21:34:01 EST
BRUSSELS — NATO may ask China to provide support for the war effort in Afghanistan, including possibly opening a supply link for alliance forces, a senior U.S. official said Monday.
The subject is still under consideration and no decision has been reached on whether to approach Beijing, the official said on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the issue.
He spoke ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers on Thursday in Brussels, which will include Hillary Rodham Clinton in her first European trip as U.S. secretary of state.
One way Beijing could help would be to open an alternate logistics route through western China into Afghanistan, the U.S. official said in Brussels.
China shares a 50-mile-long border with Afghanistan in the Wakhan Corridor, a thin sparsely populated strip of Afghan territory separating Pakistan and Tajikistan. The 2,000-year-old-caravan route — once used by Marco Polo — is now a dirt road that crosses some of the world’s most mountainous regions....


Bomber Strikes Outside Main US Base in Afghanistan (click here)
By VOA News 04 March 2009
U.S. military officials said several people were wounded in two near-simultaneous bomb blasts outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan.Wednesday's attack occurred at Bagram Air Base, about 60 kilometers north of the capital, Kabul. A U.S. military spokesman said a car bomb exploded, and moments later a suicide bomber on foot detonated explosives near the base's main gate. Details of the casualties were not immediately confirmed. In other violence, military officials said a roadside bomb killed three Canadian soldiers in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province Tuesday.


AAFES employee enjoys time in Afghanistan (click here)
By John Andrew Prime - The (Shreveport, La.) Times
Posted : Sunday Mar 1, 2009 16:50:28 EST
SHREVEPORT, La. — While some folks in Afghanistan might seem to be looking for a way out, Darlene Downing thinks she might ask for permission to stay another year.
“I was originally supposed to come back (in February) but I extended, and if they’ll let me, I may extend again,” said Downing, 45, who volunteered to go to the war-torn nation to do there what she does here: Sell goods to troops as an associate of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (click here)....
...“The whole time she was here she was always saying ‘Those AAFES people, they are so sweet.’ Well, somebody helped my baby, so I thought ‘Let me go and look after someone else’s baby.’ ”
She said she felt right at home where she first was deployed — at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.
The troops “give you the same love you give them,” she said....

March 6, 2009
Attack on Sri Lankan cricketers (click here)
Clear security lapses 10 min-->
New footage shows gunmen making leisurely getaway

LAHORE (PAKISTAN): Pakistan yesterday faced new questions about its security forces after an official admitted to 'very vivid' lapses in the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team on Tuesday, even as dramatic footage emerged of the gunmen making a leisurely getaway from the scene of their deadly assault.
The images of them walking off calmly, without police or security forces in pursuit, will add to the speculation swirling around the brazen daytime attack that left seven people dead.
Police have brought in around two dozen people for questioning, but say none is linked to the incident. No one has claimed responsibility for the assault, which also wounded 19 people.
Up to a dozen men on Tuesday attacked the convoy of umpires, coaches and players with automatic weapons, grenades and a rocket launcher as it made its way to the cricket ground in the city of Lahore. All the gunmen fled without a trace.
The new footage, captured by closed-circuit cameras, showed two suspects carrying rucksacks and ambling down the road, apparently untroubled after the carnage. They then jumped onto motorbikes and sped off....

It is the return of the Taliban.

It is my opinion that the Taliban now conducting Sharia Law in Pakistan aren't interested in the 'definition' of peace that The West applies to it. Hence, the 'rise' of Sharia Law in this region masks the underlying 'understanding' to the 'peace deal' by those spreading the word and practicing Sharia Law.

I believe, the 'acceptance' of Sharia Law by Pakistan for this region 'gives permission' to the 'unwritten right' for the Taliban to assume authority to defend its people and land, regardless of the policies of Pakistan.

In other words, this is simply waving a 'white flag' to the Taliban to sequester them into a region they can call their own of which they won't 'venture' from into Pakistan, but, says nothing about expanding their influence in Afghanistan. Basically, what is resulting in Pakistan is a 'No Go Zone' for the Taliban to call home.

This 'allowance' of violence 'migration' into Afghanistan in exchange for 'an understanding' in Pakistan to provide 'peaceful coexitence' will definately escalate the war and provide a venue to defend lands occupied by al Qaeda. The 'cricket attacks' were more than likely conducted by al Qaeda as the 'use of motor bikes' is a classic escape for them. Find the terrorists that carried out the attacks and it might be the same place bin Laden calls home.

The 'occupation' of the tribal areas by the Taliban and al Qaede under the guise of 'peaceful coexistence' will ultimately lead to expansion as the population grows and the government becomes more competent in organizing attacks like those against the Sri Lanken Cricket Team as a show of strength.

Pakistan is an issue and has been. It is a grossly chaotic country that allows terrorists a haven, willingly or not.

Islamic Sharia law expands in northwest Pakistan (click here)
Pakistani officials agree to 17 steps as part of a peace deal with extremists in the Swat Valley, alarming rights groups and others. Also, a bomb explodes at a Sufi mausoleum in Peshawar.
By Mark Magnier 12:30 PM PST, March 5, 2009
Reporting from Lahore, Pakistan -- In an apparent expansion of Islamic fundamentalists' authority in the picturesque Swat Valley, local Pakistani officials have agreed to close shops at prayer times and crack down on prostitution and drug dealing as part of a proposed peace deal, according to local media reports Thursday....