Rough weather for North America tonight. Hawaii is receiving a turbulent front.

High Surf Advisory
Small Craft Advisory


March 27, 2009 (6 hour color loop from NOAA - wicked lookin' stuff)
0030z

Small Craft Advisory
Tonight: E wind around 18 kt, with gusts as high as 25 kt.
Isolated showers before midnight.
NW swell 6 feet at 13 seconds.
Waves around 8 ft.

Friday: ENE wind around 18 kt, with gusts as high as 25 kt.
Mostly sunny.
NW swell 5 feet at 13 seconds.
Waves around 8 ft.

Friday Night: ENE wind around 18 kt, with gusts as high as 25 kt.
Mostly cloudy.
NW swell 4 feet at 12 seconds.
Waves around 7 ft.


March 26, 2009
Kansas Doppler Radar Map
2352z

Posted on Thu, Mar. 26, 2009
Blizzard warnings issued for much of Kansas (click here)
BY STAN FINGER
The Wichita Eagle
WICHITA - The winter storm bearing down on Kansas could deliver a foot or more of snow to the Wichita area and as much as 20 inches in western sectors of the state, forecasters say.
Snowfall estimates for Wichita by the time the storm ends Saturday vary from 6 to 15 inches, with strong north winds creating blizzard conditions.
A blizzard warning has been issued for south-central Kansas, including Wichita, from 7 a.m Friday to 1 p.m. Saturday. A blizzard warning for southwest Kansas began at 1 a.m. today and will extend until 7 a.m. Saturday.
Several schools in western Kansas have already canceled classes for Friday, including Dodge City, Liberal, Moscow, Quinter, Fowler, Colby and Wallace County.
Some schools in the region also let classes out early today.
"This could rival the biggest snow we've ever had in Wichita," said Mike Smith, chief executive of WeatherData Services Inc., a subsidiary of AccuWeather.
The record snowfall for Wichita is 15 inches on Jan. 17 and 18 in 1962....


Weather service says 10 tornadoes in Neb., Iowa (click here)
Associated Press - March 26, 2009 4:45 PM ET
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The National Weather Service has confirmed 10 tornadoes touched down when a fast-moving storm moved through eastern Nebraska and into Iowa.
In Nebraska, the weather service says, 2 of the tornadoes hit near Hickman in Lancaster County on Monday. Two hit near Eagle - resulting in eight minor injuries - and one near Alvo in Cass County.
Two more tornadoes touched down in north-central Nebraska, near Brownlee and O'Neill. They did little damage.
In Iowa, a tornado was confirmed west of Missouri Valley in Harrison County, and two more were in Montgomery County, near Villisca and Sciola.
The weather service says the tornadoes ranged from EF0 to EF2 on the 1 to 5 Enhanced Fujita scale of intensity.
On the Net:
National Weather Service: http://www.noaa.gov/

March 27, 2009
0030z

UNISYS Infrared Satellite of North and West Hemisphere (12 hour loop at title to entry - thank you)

Russia hopes to boost international effectiveness in Afghanistan - I never thought we'd be allies again.

We can stop al Qaeda. A global effort should build friendship and cooperation in achieving non-proliferation and a movement toward openness and peace. There is no reason for civilized people to treat each other as strangers and especially not enemies.

Insurgents kill 9 police in southern Afghanistan (click here)
By FISNIK ABRASHI – 15 hours ago
KABUL (AP) — Insurgents staged two attacks against police in Afghanistan on Thursday, killing nine officers and wounding six others, officials said, in the latest violence against the lightly armed force that has born the brunt of rising attacks across the country.
Washington has pushed to significantly increase the number of Afghan police and improve their training as a key part of a revised U.S. strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan that President Barack Obama is expected to unveil fully on Friday.
The strategy is aimed at countering Taliban militants, who have made a comeback following their initial defeat by U.S.-led forces in 2001. Obama has already pledged to send 17,000 additional troops to Afghanistan to battle the Taliban and could send even more as part of the administration's new strategy....


The body of a suspected Taliban militant lies lifeless on the back of a police vehicle with his heavy machine gun after he was killed in a battle with the Afghan forces on the outskirts of Ghazni province west of Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, March 26, 2009. Taliban militants attacked a police convoy in central Ghazni province Thursday, wounding six policemen, said regional police spokesman Iqbal Gul Sapan. Four militants were also killed in the clash in Nani village near the provincial capital, he said.(AP Photo/Rahmat Naikzad)




Everyone paying attention? Whenever Russia and the USA allied to win 'a peace' they have never failed !!!!!

Thank you !!!!! This is one good way to hit the reset button. I hope this dispells any ill intent by Russia ever again !!!!

17:27
26/ 03/ 2009
MOSCOW, March 26 (RIA Novosti) - Russia hopes to increase international effectiveness in assisting the Afghan government in the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.
Speaking ahead of Friday's Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference on Afghanistan, Lavrov said there must be "more coordination" on combating terrorism and drug trafficking.
Russia's proposals "are directed, first of all, at increasing the efficiency of international cooperation in the work of supporting the efforts of the government of Afghanistan in the struggle against the threat of terrorism and illegal drugs," Lavrov said....



February 2001: "It has been decided to break down all statues/idols present in different parts of the country. This is because these idols have been gods of the infidels, who worshipped them, and these are respected even now and perhaps may be turned into gods again. The real God is only Allah, and all other false gods should be removed." - Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar


Taliban leader plans to reclaim Afghanistan, U.S. says (click here)
Mullah Mohammed Omar has reassembled his power base, U.S. officials say as they outline strategy in Afghanistan. Thousands of additional U.S. troops will be sent to train Afghan forces.
By Greg Miller and Julian E. Barnes
4:14 PM PDT, March 26, 2009
Reporting from Washington -- Afghanistan's former Taliban leader is pursuing a strategy to reclaim power, the top U.S. intelligence official said today, identifying a key administration concern as the White House prepared to unveil a new plan to step up combat operations and stabilization efforts.
The Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, was driven from power by the U.S. invasion in 2001 but has reassembled much of his base in Pakistan, where he leads a council of Islamic hard-liners accused of directing insurgent attacks across the border in Afghanistan....


NATO confirms first high-level meeting with Iran on Afghanistan (click here)
www.chinaview.cn
2009-03-27 02:52:39
BRUSSELS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Iran and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held their first secret and informal talks in 30 years in Brussels where NATO is headquartered, focusing on Afghanistan, the alliance confirmed here Thursday.
The meeting took place on March 9 between NATO's Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Martin Erdmann and Iran's Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union, Ali-Asghar Khaji, NATO deputy spokeswoman Carmen Romero told Xinhua.
"It was a very informal contact and they basically discussed Afghanistan," she added. "You know the secretary-general (Jaap de Hoop Scheffer) has said recently that Iran should be involved in a regional approach in regard of Afghanistan."...


American Galbraith is UN deputy Afghanistan envoy (click here)
Wed Mar 25, 2009 2:47pm EDT
* Galbraith to handle political issues in Afghanistan
* U.N. denies tensions with U.S. over envoy Eide
* Had assisted Holbrooke in past (Adds quotes, details, background; byline)
By Patrick Worsnip
UNITED NATIONS, March 25 (Reuters) - The United Nations namedU.S. diplomat and academic Peter Galbraith on Wednesday to be deputy envoy to Afghanistan to assist Richard Holbrooke, U.S. point-man for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Galbraith, 58, a former U.S. ambassador to Croatia, succeeds Christopher Alexander of Canada as political deputy to U.N. special envoy Kai Eide. Alexander completes his assignment at the end of March, U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas said. Another deputy deals with humanitarian and development issues.
Montas said Galbraith would handle electoral, parliamentary and other political issues in the conflict-ridden nation where presidential elections are due in August, as well as peace and stability, security sector reform and human rights....


Sources: Obama to add US troops in Afghanistan (click here)
By ANNE GEARAN and PAMELA HESS – 2 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Concerned about the faltering war in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama plans to dispatch thousands more military and civilian trainers on top of the 17,000 fresh combat troops he's already ordered, people familiar with the forthcoming plan said Thursday.
Obama also will call for increasing aid to neighboring Pakistan as long as its leaders confront militants in the border region. The president plans to lay out his revamped strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan on Friday.
Several sources told The Associated Press the strategy includes 20 recommendations for countering a persistent insurgency that spans the two countries' border, including sending 4,000 military trainers to try to increase the size of the Afghan army....


Rudd Tells Obama Australian Forces in Afghanistan for Long Haul (click here)
By Michael Heath
March 26 (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Kevin Rudd pledged Australian troops will remain in Afghanistan “for the long haul,” even as more than two-thirds of voters said in a poll this week they were against sending more soldiers there.
Rudd, visiting Washington, held his first meeting with President Barack Obama two days ago. The U.S. leader had been expected to ask one of his country’s closest allies to expand its 1,100-strong force in Afghanistan.
Asked on the PBS television show “NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” whether Obama made the request, Rudd said: “No he did not,” according to an audio file. “Our discussion was about the American thinking as it’s unfolding through America’s own review of its long-term strategy.”
Rudd withdrew Australian combat troops from Iraq last year and, like Obama, has said Afghanistan is the front line in the international campaign against terrorism. He acknowledged in the interview that the war in Afghanistan is “increasingly unpopular” both in Australia and elsewhere.
“But the bottom line is this: It’s the right place to be,” he said....

Evidence of Large Cats in Europe

The tracks are 5 inches long and the space between each is 3ft

10:40 26/03/2009
Killer cat roams Poland (click for video)
Residents in south western Poland are living in fear of a mysterious predator blamed for attacking and killing livestock over the past few days. The animal is thought to be a rare snow leopard. (89 sec./3.31Mb, shows: 151)


Big cat?: The massive paw prints in the fresh snow has reignited fears that big cats roam the British countryside

Do huge paw prints found in snow provide evidence of big cats roaming the British countryside? (click title to entry - thank you)
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 11:58 PM on 06th February 2009
Monster paw prints were found in fresh snow sparking fears predatory big cats are prowling the British countryside.
The mammoth tracks were five inches long and the space between each was 3ft - far too large for any domestic cat or dog.
They were spotted in pristine snow in the heart of the isolated Lincolnshire Wolds....

One small victory for freedom.

Rosemary DePaolo, Chancellor of UNCW

ADMONISHED for impingment of Faculty Rights to Academic Content

UNCW faculty inspired to pass motion over The Century Project controversy (click title to entry - thank you)
Autumn Beam & Jennie Klahre
Issue date: 3/26/09

UNCW Faculty Senate passed Motion 09-07-20 March 17, 2009, regarding The Century Project that read, "In the spirit of intellectual and educational freedom, the Faculty Senate admonishes the UNCW administration for not consulting with the Women's Resource Center, Faculty Senate Steering Committee and other interested parties before asking photographer Frank Cordelle to remove pictures of minors from his exhibit at UNCW."

The meeting was open to discussion by faculty and staff members who had strong opinions about the issue, sparking debate at the end of the forum.

President of the Faculty Senate Bruce McKinney said, "Freedom of speech is something that goes to my heart but anytime you're told you can't speak out on a topic, then there's a problem."

Janet Ellerby, Interim Director of the Women's Resource Center, read several points from a timeline of events surrounding The Century Project. She first exchanged e-mails with photographer Frank Cordelle Sept. 30, 2008, and the contract was signed within the next few months for his project to appear at UNCW.

Professor John Foubert of Oklahoma State University issued his letter to UNCW administration Feb. 16, 2009, imploring them to reconsider showing the exhibit. The Women's Resource Center Advisory Board meeting took place two days later, but according to Ellerby, the letter was not mentioned by Jose Hernandez, Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, when The Century Project was discussed.

UNCW administration decided to ban the display of the photos of minors in the project shortly after. Ellerby claims she was issued an ultimatum, but encouraged Cordelle to show his exhibit regardless.

When asked who was consulted in the decision, Provost Brian Chapman stated the parties included him, Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo, Chief of Staff Max Allen, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Pat Leonard, General Counsel Eileen Goldgeier and Assistant to the Chancellor for Marking and Communications Cindy Lawson.

According to Chapman, the concept of banning the photos in question began before the letter from Foubert was received. He explained that the issue was not one of pornography, but of "informed consent" of minors.

"We have to look at the impact of the university in the community and state," Chapman said. "I received a number of e-mails in support of our decision.

"Dr. Kathleen Berkley, Associate Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, replied to Chapman, "If this was such a concern for you, other members of UNCW should have been consulted."

"There was no consultation with the Women's Resource Center or experts in the art department and what constitutes as art or historians who work on this issue," said Dr. Vibeke Olson, Assistant Professor of the Art & Art History Department.

Pamela Evers, Associate Professor of Accountancy and Business Law, added, "We cannot run a university if intellectual content on campus is decided by two or three people in Alderman Hall."

Other opinions about the subject circulated and generated much discussion.

"The new issue for faculty is academic freedom," Ellerby said. "This all feels like a top down control of what we as faculty can and cannot say."

"The faculty has every right to express their views and I respect the decision of the Faculty Senate," Allen said. "We disagree on what happened, but we have wonderful faculty and respect their viewpoints greatly."

"What I hope is that the administration will consult with faculty in the future. What I believe will happen is absolutely nothing."

North Korea should not be conducting any missile launch with UN Observers.

This undated black-and-white handout image (click title to entry - thank you) provided by DigitalGlobe shows a aerial view of a North Korean rocket launch site. North Korea is loading a Taepodong rocket on its east coast launch pad in anticipation of the launch of a communications satellite early next month, U.S. officials say. (AP Photo/DigitalGlobe)

And Observers that are ON THE GROUND !!!

Uncertainty Surrounds North Korea Launch (click here)

Mar 20, 2009
By John M. Doyle

Three top U.S. commanders told a Senate hearing March 19 that they can't be sure whether North Korea plans to launch a communications satellite or test an offensive missile during an announced missile launch next month.
But the heads of Pacific Command, Strategic Command (STRATCOM) and Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command said they believed the U.S. already has the capability to knock out an attacking North Korean missile....

Timothy is a nice guy and he has brought significant insight to this catastrophe...

...and given some time he will probably be able to answer the questions that elude Mr. Bernanke; however; Secretary Geithner needs to realize when he blinks the financial markets react. He needs to leave 'spectulation' to other venues, like perhaps 'Pillow Talk' and quite possibly not speculate at all to any 'new ideas' regarding a change in direction to currency or policy. NOT NOW !!!!

Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner talks to Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke before testifying about the AIG bonus scandal. Photograph: Matthew Cavanaugh/EPA (click title to entry - thank you)

This is no joke, I am concerned North Dakota won't be getting a break soon. (12 hour water vapor look at title - thank you)

March 26, 2009
0730z
UNISYS Hemispheric Water Vapor of North and East Hemisphere (click here for 12 hour loop)

There is a 'contributing' 'heat transfer system' currently noted just west of the Hawaiian Islands. It is gigantic and it what is responsible for bringing water vapor to the northern tier of states of the USA. It would be more than prudent to remain vigilant and anticipate more rain, flooding and reason for people to be in shelters rather than ANY chance of drowning.


March 25, 2009
0730z
UNISYS GOES East Water Vapor Satellite (loop at title to entry - thank you)

That monster of a vortex is still churning off the east coast of the USA, gaining velocity and mass. But, that doesn't help estimate how Fargo will do. It would seem as though the densest water vapor system is moving toward the coast pulled by the vortex. However, there is another vortex centered over Lake Winnepeg. This is the first time I have witnessed this system with a huge primary vortex off the coast and subsequent vortices over land. It is quite a mess. Of concern is noted in the hemispheric satellite above.

Fargo sandbags for the worst (click here)
Red River expected to top 1897 record
March 26, 2009
FARGO - Shifting from confident to jittery, flood fighters in and around Fargo intensified their dike-building Wednesday after a dire new forecast called for the Red River to swell to its highest level ever by Saturday.
Authorities used airboats, helicopters and large military trucks to rescue dozens of trapped residents in the North Dakota towns of Oxbow and Abercombie. And if the rising river weren't enough to heighten anxiety, eight inches of snow blew in with ice and wind to handicap sandbagging efforts and close highways not already swamped with floodwater.
"It's uncharted territory," Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker said. "If nature has anything else to throw at us, it'd have to be a tornado."...

President Obama's Budget must be passed. It is an honest assessment of the nation's needs from years of neglect.

There are no good reasons for limiting the Budget or refusing the stimulus. The nation needs to rebuild. It not only needs to rebuild, it has to completely retool itself to provide for needed infrastructure and services. There is no easy solution. It is a matter of setting priorities and getting the job done. There is every reason to believe the Budget, as the Stimulus has proven, will set the country on the right course, increase job creation and speed economic growth. More jobs, more growth, more income to the country and in a reasonable period of time, reassessment and adjustment to insure the country isn't carrying too much of a debt load or demands too much in taxes.

Complaints from Governors regarding the Stimulus that they will have increased taxes after ten years of stimulus doesn't hold water. They don't 'get it' and refuse to change their point of view. Their refusal to participate in The Obama Stimulus is purely political without regard for high unemployment or expanding the nation's tax base through job creation. They are holding their citizens hostage to poor economics. It is NOT good for their states, or for the economy of the country.


Boston School Committee approves more than 500 job cuts (click here)
March 25, 2009 08:36 PM
By Jamie Vaznis, Globe Staff
The Boston School Committee tonight reluctantly approved an $812 million budget for next year that could lead to the loss of more than 500 positions, including more than 200 teachers and classroom aides....
...The cuts were less dire than those originally proposed by School Superintendent Carol R. Johnson last month to meet Mayor Thomas M. Menino's request to reduce spending by 5.5 percent from this year's amount. That would have led to the elimination of more than 900 positions, including about 400 teachers and aides.
The infusion of more than $30 million in federal stimulus money and a decision by Menino this month to give the schools an additional $25 million helped to shore up the budget. Most of the approximately 370 restored positions will be classroom teachers, guidance counselors, librarians, lunch monitors, and specialists in arts and music....

The stimulus is working. The circumstances of the American people would be much worse if the Obama Stimulus Bill was denied. The continued recovery could be in jeapardy if Congress refuses to pass a budget this year that could expand the recovery into creating jobs as well as protecting them.



Governor agrees to stimulus funds (click here)
By BRENDAN RILEY Associated Press Writer
Posted: 03/25/2009 04:51:58 PM PDT
CARSON CITY, Nev.—Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons, who had earlier concerns about accepting federal stimulus funds to expand jobless benefits, said Wednesday that he's now willing to take all such funds, estimated at more than $291 million.
"We have the responsibility to do everything we can to help our unemployed workers get through these difficult times, even if that means passing legislation that we would not necessarily approve during prosperous times," Gibbons stated.
Nevada's unemployment rate rose to 10.1 percent in February. The rate has increased every month since the start of the national recession in December 2007.
The Republican governor said he will work with the Democrat-controlled Legislature to develop plans to help the unemployed workers now "without penalizing businesses in the future."
"I'm willing to approve this expanded coverage with the understanding that the issue will be revisited in a future legislative session before federal dollars expire," he added.
Gibbons made his announcement after the Assembly Ways and Means Committee voted unanimously on Monday for measures that allow lawmakers to accept the stimulus funds for the jobless benefits.
Most of the money will be used to extend the number of weeks that those already on the jobless rolls can get unemployment checks. There's also another $77 million to pay for additional people, and Gibbons said the expanded coverage was what concerned him....

A very dangerous statement, "What we are witnessing is a regional and local opposition to ... Western military control...

This is a very good video. It makes a sincere effort to reassess the dangers of the position of Pakistan in the world. Fortunately, Pakistan is no longer controlled by a Dictator. However, the dangers to the world still exists.

I take issue with the statement made during the video eluding to the fact there is ONLY regional and local opposition. That isn't exactly correct. One cannot assess Pakistan without also including Kashmir.

Pakistan has a very poor history of peaceful enlightenment. Kahn literally sold nuclear secrets to North Korea and conducted proliferation against any treaty that exists.

Although imprisoned for a time, the recent release of extremists within the country is a concern. The 'populous' POWER that exists in the region IS the destablizing entity within its borders and those that 'conduct' the outrage and violence know they have power.

It is a huge mistake to 'minimize' the struggle that goes on between extremists/terrorists and the recognized government. It is not SIMPLY a regional or local struggle, it is a movement within Pakistan that endangers the entire globe and it must be contextualized correctly, the dynamics addressed actually within intelligence agencies and something needs to done. If it is humanitarian aid needed foremost by the people than it should be started.


Nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan waves to the media after his court verdict outside his residence in Islamabad February 6, 2009. A Pakistani court declared on Friday disgraced nuclear scientist Khan a free man, his lawyer said. Khan, lionised by many Pakistanis as the father of the country's atomic bomb, was pardoned but placed under house arrest in 2004 by the then president, Pervez Musharraf, soon after he made a televised confession to selling nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya.
REUTERS/Mian Khursheed

Bankers without Borders

Nice building we can use it for other functions.

I've had enough of the jousting match between the President, 'Treasury/Fed' and the people of this country. The Fed has to be dissolved. The Chairman has too much power and his personal preferences for the Financial Sector is all too evident.

In testimoney to the House Financial Services. Fed Chairman Bernanke was asked if he believed in a 'Global Reserve Dollar' with the IMF while abandoning the USA Dollar. He stated, "No." but with hesitation. US Secretary to the Treasury when asked the same question stated, "No." but later stated he would engage such a discussion.

Bernanke Admits Ignorance, Fires Back At Inquisitor (click here)
1:30 P.M. UPDATED
In testimony that just wrapped up before the House Financial Services committee, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said he still doesn't know why regulators weren't prepared for last year's financial sector collapse.
It was under simple-yet-probing question from Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.) that Bernanke made the surprising admission.
Bernanke was repeating his case for larger, more comprehensive regulation to try to prevent another systemic failure of the sort that AIG caused.
"We weren't prepared for that," he said, adding that there were large, unregulated gaps in the system.
"Why weren't we prepared if we knew there were loopholes?" Baca asked.
"I don't know the answer to that," Bernanke admitted....

President Obama has stated as recently as last night he does not believe in a Global Currency and the USA Dollar was strong. It WAS strong until Mr. Geithner stated to 'play' with the 'idea' of establishing a global currency.

I don't trust them. I trust the President and have believed in his faith in Timothy Geithner, however, there is a limit and when the USA Treasury Secretary starts his own campaign of 'entertaining' ideas that cost a delicate currency market to spasm, there is simply too much hubris and not enough restraint and dare I say, "Good Judgement."

I believe Chairman Bernanke made his best reasons for relieving him of his position known when he openly admitted, "I don't know the answer to that." It is called negligence and the security of our country was riding on him KNOWING exactly that. There was no secret, from as early as 2007, that the stock market slide was occurring and there was anticipated fiscal trouble by the then Secretary Paulson. What does Bernanke mean, "I don't know the answer to that."? Was he on leave of absence or just as Paulson was in leave of his senses.

We need to reassess of abilities of the Financial Structure at the Fed and begin to dissolve its authority. The Federal Reserve Chairman holds too much power and his decisions are obviously made based on 'emergency reactions' and without insight and confidence.

US dollar hit by US Treasury chief's comments (click here)
Posted: 26 March 2009 0553 hrs
...The Chinese central banker had suggested the IMF's Special Drawing Rights, a currency basket comprising dollars, euros, sterling and yen, could serve as a super-sovereign reserve currency, saying it would not be easily influenced by the policies of individual countries.
When asked to comment at the forum, Geithner said, "I haven't read the governor proposal ... As I understand his proposal, it is a proposal designed to increase the use of IMF special drawing rights, and we are actually quite open to that suggestion."
The dollar plunged against the euro, yen and other major currencies as Geithner had raised the prospect of the United States embracing an SDR-linked currency system, traders said.
But in an apparent damage control move, Geithner said later at the forum that "the dollar remains the world's standard reserve currency," and added, "I think that's likely to continue for a long period of time." "As a country, we will do as necessary to make sure that we are sustaining confidence in our financial markets" and economy," he said. "Geithner was quick to mitigate impact from the comments after reaffirming the US dollar's place as the world's reserve currency for a long time to come," said Joel Kruger of Forex Capital Markets.
Still, Geithner's "contradictory" comments indicated the United States was "not taking China's suggestion with a grain of salt and instead is giving it legitimacy," said Kathy Lien of Global Forex Trading....

The Current PM of the EU would like to take the monies from the Bank Bailout and deny the USA a recovery as well.

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek, whose country currently holds the European Union rotating presidency, and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko during a joint news conference after signing a protocol to control the transit of Russian natural gas through Ukraine.

...Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek (click title to entry - thank you), whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, told the European Parliament that President Barack Obama's massive stimulus package and banking bailout "will undermine the liquidity of the global financial market."
A day after his government collapsed because of a parliamentary vote of no-confidence, Topolanek took the EU presidency on a collision course with Washington over how to deal with the global economic recession.
The blunt comments pushed other European politicians into damage control mode, with some reproaching the Czech leader for his language and others reaffirming their good diplomatic ties with the U.S....

Durable goods orders, new home sales rise in Feb. (click here)
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
(03-25) 08:44 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --
Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods and new homes sales both rose unexpectedly in February, but economists said the gains were unlikely to last as the recession persists....

The best news from The Washington Post article is the fact home sales in the west were up 6.6%. California carries the highest foreclosure rate in the country and considering it has a large population participating in a globally competitive economy, I consider this exceptionally good news for them and us.

New Home Sales Jump 4.7 Percent in February (click here)
By Renae Merle

Washington Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, March 25, 2009; 10:40 AM
New homes sales unexpectedly jumped 4.7 percent in February, but prices continue to tumble as buyers make their way through a huge backlog of unsold homes.
Sales of new single-family homes reached an seasonally adjusted annual rate of 337,000 in February, according to the Commerce Department data. Analysts had expected sales to continue to fall. That figure is down 41 percent from the same period a year ago.
Sales continued to drop last month in the Northeast and Midwest, 3.3 percent and 9.1 percent, respectively. But sales surged 9.7 percent in the South, which includes the Washington region. Sales were up 6.6 percent in the West....

California February home sales up 42.5 percent (click here)
Thu Mar 19, 2009 7:08pm EDT

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Home sales in California rose 42.5 percent in February from a year earlier as the median home price fell by 39.9 percent, driven by sales of foreclosed properties, according to an MDA DataQuick report released on Thursday.
The report said 29,225 new and resale houses and condominiums were sold in California last month, down 0.8 percent from January. The median price paid for a home in the most populous U.S. state was unchanged from January at $373,000.
February was the eighth straight month that California home sales rose from year-earlier levels and was the first time since May 2007 that the median home price did not decline from the prior month, according to MDA DataQuick....

Arlen Spector back on the campaign trail and beating up on Labor !

New polls: Specter in trouble? (click title to entry - thank you)
Controversial Republican on shaky ground. Toomey ahead in one survey.
...The Republican U.S. senator, facing what two polls released today show could be the fight of his political career, pacified business groups on Tuesday by saying he will oppose legislation making it easier for workers to form unions.
Specter's much-anticipated decision on the card check bill was perhaps his most difficult in nearly two decades. But whether it will erase conservative outrage over his support of the $787 billion economic stimulus bill is another question....

Pennsylvania has Governor Rendell, Senator Casy, kicked out Rick Santorum for his extremist views and it would seem as though they will seek the same fate for Arlen Spector. I don't believe opposing improvements in labor rules will be popular either, except, with his contributors perhaps. The labor unions have done their part during this crisis. There is no way they should be limited in building strength.

Medical Marijuana - Once a wedge issue may be taking its place as a treatment. New economic venue.

Medical marijuana is a legitimate use of what are considered either illegal or controled substances. Legalizing any drug under any schedule of controlled substances for recreational purposes is a huge mistake and political suicide. Don't do it. No different than alcohol, if drugs are legalized to be dispensed, even with a perscription, there will be abuse and addiction and the 'legal issues' facing the USA and Mexico will NOT end.



The violence in Mexico, the illegal drug trade and medical marijuana are all separate issues. The Drug Cartels in Mexico are successful because they are able to obtain assault weapons any time they want them and in any number they want them. Legalizing controlled substances will NOT change the illegal use of drugs. If controlled substances were legally made in more liberal context for MDs to write perscriptions it would not end the addiction issue and the illegal trafficking would continue along with the violence bought with gun sales.

Controlled substances if obtained with more liberal guidelines would add to problems with traffic violations while under the influence, would increase deaths by auto, accident and suicide. It is difficult enough controlling the 'scheduled' drugs like oxycodone now, if they were liberalized, the problems with abuse and addiction would be worse.

Medical marijuana is a different issue and the testimony of people that find relief with it are many. There will still be issues regarding 'MM' because people will sell what was legally obtained no different than oxycodone. But, the problems that legal perscriptions of Medical Marijuana will cause will not overshadow the benefits and that is why it should be legal to obtain canabis.

Assault weapons are a huge issue and they need regulation. I found it an abomination to realize some of the media was treating the deaths in California as a law enforcement issue due to the parole status of the murderer. Parole can be a concern, but, with the economy in the state its in and the former administration forcing layoffs the chance there are sufficient Parole Officers in any state is far from a reality. Regardless, and there is no doubt the murderer of the four officers in Oakland should have been in prison, but if he was unable to obtain an assault weapon the deaths would never have occurred.

Mexico, Oakland and who is next? The only common denominator are assault weapons.


Mexicans die so U.S. kids can do drugs (click here)
By DEBRA J. SAUNDERS
March 24, 2009
"The war on drugs is a failure," Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Cesar Gaviria and Ernesto Zedillo -- the former presidents of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico -- wrote in the Wall Street Journal last month.
"Prohibitionist policies based on eradication, interdiction and criminalization … simply haven't worked," they wrote.
In Mexico, an estimated 6,290 drug-related murders occurred last year. On Feb. 20, Roberto Orduna Cruz had to resign as chief of police of Cuidad Juarez after drug traffickers announced they would kill a police officer for every 48 hours Orduna remained on the job -- and made good on the threat....

Don Duncan, who runs a Los Angeles medical marijuana business, said he expected less federal attention but more local scrutiny.


Dispensers of Marijuana Find Relief in Policy Shift (click here)

...While 13 states, including California, have laws allowing medical use of marijuana, they had not been recognized by the federal government. One of Mr. Duncan’s two marijuana dispensaries was a target, in 2007, of one of the scores of raids involving medical marijuana that the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted in Los Angeles during the Bush administration....



Michigan's medical marijuana law takes effect next month (click here)
Posted: 11:43 PM Mar 19, 2009
Last Updated: 12:05 AM Mar 20, 2009
Reporter: Erin Logan
It's a done deal.
Starting April 4th, Michigan will become the 13th state where marijuana can be used legally for medical purposes.
To clear up any confusion, Berrien County Prosecutor Art Cotter held a meeting at the Three Oaks Library Thursday night.
Cotter worries that people weren't exactly sure what they voted for in November, and he worries that there's not enough oversight.
Joel Schmidt, a patient says there will always be those who feel they're above the law.
Schmidt left his family in Michigan and moved across the country because he didn't want to break the law.
He says, “I left my daughter and went to California where it would be legal. I wasn't going to risk my life going to jail.”
Joel Schmidt has Hepatitis C. Without marijuana, he says some days can be miserable.
Schmidt says, “When I eat pills they can't digest in my system and they back up after a weeks worth of taking them and I have seizures and about 17 hours of vomiting episodes where I have to go to the hospital.”
There are no more worries for Joel, now that marijuana can be used legally in Michigan for medical purposes.
He says, “I was like, yeah. I'm going home."
Cotter explained to the public what this new law means.
The law says a patient and their caregiver can posses up to two and a half ounces of marijuana in a closed, locked facility.
A patient must have a written certificate from a physician.
A caregiver can assist up to five patients....


Md. lawmaker pushes bill to study medical marijuana (click here)
By Kathleen Miller The Associated Press
8:06 PM EDT, March 24, 2009
Maryland advocates for medical marijuana say the state is sending mixed messages about using the drug to treat debilitating illnesses.They are hoping to persuade lawmakers to create a task force to study the issue.In 2003, the Maryland General Assembly approved less severe fines for people convicted of marijuana possession who can prove a medical necessity for the drug in court.Seriously ill people can still be arrested, however, and fined up to $100 if convicted of possession or use of marijuana or related paraphernalia, even if they prove in court they have a medical necessity. Otherwise, violators are subject to fines of up to $1,000 and can face up to a year in jail for simple possession or use of the drug....


Support medical marijuana bill (click here)
E. Scott Cracraft, Gilford
March 25, 2009 - 12:00 am
I would like to encourage citizens to support House Bill 648 and let their state representatives know of this support.
HB 648 would allow patients with a doctor's recommendation to grow and possess a relatively small amount of marijuana for personal use. The bill goes to the floor of the House today. If it passes, citizens need to continue to support the measure as it goes through the Senate and to the governor.
A growing number of doctors and other medical professionals are recommending marijuana for patients suffering from the side effects of cancer chemotherapy, multiple sclerosis and other conditions. Already, a dozen states allow for legal use of marijuana for certain medical conditions....

Last updated March 24, 2009 9:03 p.m. PT
Wash. man acquitted in med. marijuana case (click here)
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORT ORCHARD, Wash. -- Kitsap County Superior Court jurors have acquitted an Olalla, Wash., medical marijuana user of growing pot illegally and attempting to sell it.
Medical marijuana advocates hailed Tuesday's verdict in the case of 55-year-old Bruce Olson, who suffers from arthritis and other ailments after decades as a stone mason.
Olson says he lost his home and now lives in a travel trailer due to costs involved in fighting the two felony charges filed in May 2007....

Not much sense to demise carbon sinks if the country is moving away from coal in the first place !

Just love that dirty water....


Mining; Find Protecting Environment Good for Economy (click here)
posted by Nell in Global Finance on October 24th, 2008
The first nationwide poll to test voters’ opinions on mountain top removal mining is clear; voters in every region of the country are against mountaintop removal mining (MTR).
Upon hearing that “more than 1,200 miles of streams in Appalachia already have been buried or destroyed by mountaintop removal coal mining,” fully 85% of voters say they are concerned about the effects of MTR.
In addition, the poll clearly shows that two-thirds of American voters oppose the Bush administration’s recent efforts to repeal the Stream Buffer Zone Rule. The Stream Buffer Zone rule prohibits coal mining within 100 feet of permanent and seasonal streams. The repeal of the buffer zone would allow the proliferation of MTR by legalizing the process of mining near streams, and would subsequently result in burying our nation’s streams under mining waste.
Debunking the age-old division between protecting the environment and securing jobs, the poll showed that voters believe environmental protections are good for the economy by more than a 2:1 margin. A plurality (47%) believe environmental protections are good for the economy and another 23% believe such protections have no impact on the economy.
Memo detaining the survey findings http://www.earthjustice.org/library/references/memo-on-mtr-poll.pdf (PDF)...


EPA to review coal-mining permits (click title to entry - thank you)
The agency puts hundreds of mountaintop mining requests on hold so it can study impacts of dumping debris into waterways.
Associated Press
March 25, 2009
Washington -- The Environmental Protection Agency put hundreds of mountaintop coal-mining permits on hold Tuesday to evaluate the projects' impact on streams and wetlands.
The decision by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson targets a controversial practice that allows coal mining companies to dump waste from mountaintop mining into streams and wetlands.
Between 150 and 200 applications for new or expanded surface coal mines, many of them mountaintop removal operations, are pending before the federal government. EPA spokeswoman Adora Andy said the agency did not expect problems with the overwhelming majority of permits.
The permits are issued by the Army Corps of Engineers, which has been criticized by environmental groups and has been sued on allegations of failing to thoroughly evaluate the environmental impact of mountaintop removal....

Senator Judd Gregg Outed in Scandal.

Cyrus Gregg (click title to entry for interactive - thank you)
This map of Cyrus Gregg relationships is interactive.Names with + signs can be expanded by double-clicking. Click on map tools at left for more options.(Requires Flash.)
The interactive gets a little strange after awhile.


Former Pease AFB

...Worse than that, Gregg (click here) was forced to quickly withdraw his name when the Obama Administration's vetting of him revealed that for nine years he had enriched himself and his brother with taxpayer-funded federal earmarks that he diverted into a real estate development deal.
As the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, Judd Gregg was able to direct $66 million in taxpayer money to develop an abandoned USAF base. Multiple companies owned by Sen. Gregg's brother, Cyrus Gregg, made real estate deals on the property. Then Sen. Gregg simply skimmed hundreds of thousands of dollars investments from his brother's real estate companies.
The AP ran the story and reported that one of the companies owned by Gregg's brother had sold a $1 million condominium to Gregg's former chief of staff, Bonnie Newman. When Gregg approached President Obama about serving as Secretary of Commerce, one of the conditions he included was that New Hampshire Gov. Lynch appoint Ms. Newman to fill Gregg's vacant senate seat until 2010.
Inquiries are being made as to whether the sale of the condominium constitutes a "pay to play" scheme in which Sen. Gregg tried to profit from the promise of the appointment to fill his senate seat....

While the midwest gets soaked, could the first huricane of the season be forming in the NORTH Atlantic?

March 24, 2009
Fargo, ND
Photographer states :: Flooding Near Fargo




With noted 'heat transfer system' over Hawaii, noted high surf (purple) and small craft (mauve) advisories are noted (click here).

Hazardous marine condition(s):
Tonight:
ENE wind around 24 kt, with gusts as high as 33 kt.
Isolated showers.
W swell 3 feet at 11 seconds.
Waves around 10 ft.

Wednesday:
ENE wind around 25 kt, with gusts as high as 33 kt.
Isolated showers.
W swell 2 feet at 10 seconds.
Waves around 10 ft.

Wednesday Night:
ENE wind 20 to 24 kt, with gusts as high as 31 kt.
Isolated showers.
W swell 2 feet at 18 seconds becoming 5 feet at 16 seconds.
Waves 10 to 11 ft.

Posted on Tue, Mar. 24, 2009
Trawler sinks off Cape May; 2 dead, 4 missing (click title to entry for video - the sound to that video is very noisy so turn down the volume control - thank you)
By Robert Moran and Jacqueline L. Urgo
INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS
Two men are dead and four others missing after a fishing vessel sank about 70 miles southeast of Cape May this morning, the U.S. Coast Guard reported.
A rescue helicopter plucked three men from the ocean after they were spotted floating near an empty life raft, officials said.
One was dead and another was unresponsive and died this afternoon. The third told the Coast Guard that the 71-foot Lady Mary, a scalloper, based in Cape May sank around 5 a.m.
There were seven people on board, he told the Coast Guard.
Two Coast Guard cutters, a C-130 aircraft and two helicopters are searching for survivors....
...Waves were 4 to 7 feet high when the boat sank. The water temperature was 40 degrees and the air temperature 33 - conditions that would rapidly kill anyone without a survival suit, officials said.
The fishing vessel is the second in a week to run into trouble in the waters off Cape May.
On March 17, a Good Samaritan scalloper rescued three members of the North Carolina-based Miss Dollie who had abandoned ship shortly before it exploded in flames 30 miles out at sea.

March 25, 2009
0230z
UNISYS Infrared Satellite Image (click here for 12 hour loop)

The vortex east of Massachusetts has a great deal of consolidation and 'loft' to the north border.


March 25, 2009
0230z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite Image (click here for 12 hour loop)

"We are lucky to have him." said a gentleman in the room.

The News Conference.


I sat in a room initially by myself. It was a semi-public room where many academic types mill around on a regular basis. I tuned the TV to CBS and Katie Couric looked great with a smile the entire time she was 'hosting' the conference.

As soon as the voice of the President was heard, immediately I had company. The room filled and at some point in time there were folks that came and went during the news conference.

There were a core group of people that stayed for the entire time and we spoke only occcassionally to each other. We wanted to hear every word and that was the collective understanding of the mostly strangers that gathered.

We heard a man intent on setting the USA back on course with precision and heart. There was no rhetoric, no evasiveness and complete indulgence of every question asked without time limits or limits on 'redirect.'

At the end of the news conference there was a curiousity as to how this country ever achieved the collective will to place him in office precisely when we needed him most. It was noted the 'bust' of Lincoln was in the hallway and we all smiled to note we all had 'picked that up.'

As we tried to 'call up' reasons for our 'good luck' to have him for President, we realized we didn't know enough about this man that has come to lead the USA during its dark hours. We didn't know the moral content of his character that took a President of the Harvard Law Review to Illinios to work as a community organizer. What drove him? What made his spouse at one time during the primaries state, "It is this time or we don't run again."

We love the guy, his point of view, his dedication to our country and his absolute correctness in his approach, but, at the end of the day, who is Barak Obama and how did the USA 'get lucky?'

The temperature in Antarctica (Crystal Wind Chime) even after the equinox is still warm upto 41 F.

SIR EDMUND HILLARY ALPINE CENTRE (click title to entry for audio and rare fiilm - thank you)
HISTORIC: A copy of a photo found with the film shows, from left, Ron Webster of CB Norwood, Sir Edmund Hillary, J H Millerand John Crampton of CB Norwood in front of the Endeavour.

March 24, 2009
0300 PM
Antarctica Surface Wind Image (click here for 24 hour loop)
The wind is primarily the same in that WAIS winds are primarily offshore, hence removing coldness. The winds off the top of the Blue Ice move primarily toward East Antarctica. The reason may be related to the fact the lower altitude winds are primarily onshore, hence bringing the hottest temperatures to the ice continent. It would make sense then the onshore warm winds would be more of an updraft against the Blue Ice as less dense air would rise and/or create percipitation. With an updraft over the lower altitudes of Antarctica it could create a subsidence of denser air off the Blue Ice. A subsidence of this type would be marked by percipitation and/or sublimation of the ice. And indeed at Casey and Davis in East Antarctica the 'conditions' are partly cloudy with pressure falling at Casey.


March 24, 2009
1800 gmt
Antarctica Jet Stream Image (click here for animation from Sunday, March 22 - 24)
In animation, the direct center of the vortex is noted to be disturbed from a heat transfer system of high tropospheric origins. The equinox in 2009 was March 20th at 11:44 UTC.


March 24, 2009
0300 PM UTC
Antarctica Temperature Map (click here for 24 hour loop - currently the only images available are 3PM, 6PM and 9PM)

Warmest reporting station:

Base Orcadas
Local Time: 9:30 PM GST (GMT -02)
Lat/Lon: 60.8° S 44.7° W
Elevation :: 20 feet
Temperature :: 41 °F
Conditions :: Overcast
Humidity :: 66%
Dew Point :: 33 F
Wind :: 23 mph from the North
Wind gust :: -
Pressure :: 29.29 inches and rising
Visibility :: 9.0 miles
UV :: 0 out of 16
Clouds :: Overcast at 984 feet
(Above Ground Level)

Coldest reporting station:

Vostok
Local Time: 5:36 AM VOST on March 25, 2009 (GMT +06)
Lat/Lon: 78.4° S 106.9° E
Elevation :: 11220 feet

This station is not reporting! - this station has been stating this for nearly a month or more, however, the facts regarding the conditions at Vostok have changed during that time. So, obviously, the station is having issues even if it is in error of reporting it is not reporting.

Temperature :: -77 °F
Conditions :: Clear
Humidity :: 33%
Dew Point :: -85F
Wind :: 9 mph from the SSW
Wind Gust :: -
Visibility :: 12.0 miles
Pressure :: inches and rising

I've grown tired of the bigotry shown our President.

"...In "Playin The Fool (click here)," Watkins documents the folktales and rhymes spun by slaves that became what he calls "techniques for surviving," the physical brutality of slavery while maintaining some semblance of self-respect: "Got one mind for white folks to see, `Nother for what I know is me."...



For centuries minorities and women have 'coped' with White Men by instilling humor into interactions and social content. The 'comments ridiculing content humor' by any member of the White House is nothing short of crass and poor judgement and even poorer taste.

I think he has a wonderful smile and uses it to soften his personality, which is completely a 'no-nonsense' approach to everything. President Obama prides himself on openness and transparency. I find his willingness to be self-deprecating in welcoming questions in good spirit to 'transition' into a serious answers a 'consistent' approach which is disarming and provides 'in roads' to further understanding.

The absolute 'hatred' that is permeating the media toward this adminisration needs to stop. The FACT is they are NOT responsible for this mess and it is high time everyone 'deal' with that reality !

What a difference a equinox makes. Not much snow for the Arctic as Spring begins in the Northern Hemisphere.

2000 Petermann Glacier. The glacier today is in poor condition compared to earlier years. There is a 'time loop' by NASA from 2000 - 2008 (click here). When watching the video I thought the increasing absense of snow over the years was as profound as the depleting glacier and its poor condition and the eruption of cracks throughout the glacier. The reason the absense of snow is a concern is because it takes percipitation in the form of ice and snow to generate glacial recharge.


The Petermann Glacier in 2008, the far northwest of Greenland. The pictures are from NASA, the article at the title to this entry is from CBS. Entering into Spring, the Northern Hemisphere is again melting.

March 22, 2009

Dutch Harbor, Alaska

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

Elevation: 33 ft

Local Time: 11:42 AM AKDT (GMT -08)

Lat/Lon: 58.8° N 137.0° W (Google Map)

Updated: 10 min 16 sec ago

Temperature :: 37 °F

Conditions :: Overcast

Windchill: 37 °F

Humidity: 70%

Dew Point: 28 °F

Wind: Calm

Pressure: 29.72 in (Falling)

Visibility: 10.0 miles

UV: 1 out of 16

Clouds: Mostly Cloudy 4600 ft

Overcast 5000 ft (Above Ground Level)