The "Melting" is profound. It is picking up speed in Antarctica now that the Arctic Ocean no longer cools oceans as before.

ANTARCTIC LOSING ICE SHELF (click here)
PARIS--The European Space Agency is warning that a massive ice shelf anchored to the Antarctic coast by a narrow and quickly deteriorating ice bridge could break away soon.
The Paris-based agency says satellite images show the bridge that connects the Wilkins Ice Shelf to Charcot and Latady Islands looks set to collapse."
It says: The beginning of what appears to be the demise of the ice bridge began this week when new rifts" appeared and a large block of ice broke away.
The Wilkins Ice Shelf--which like the rest of Antarctic's ice sheet was formed by thousands of years of accumulated and compacted snow"--had been stable for most of the last century before it began retreating in the 1990s, the statement said.

First the vortices in late 2002, then the collapse of the 'thermostat' ability of the Arctic Ocean and now the repeated events in Antarctica. It's going very fast. The Arctic Ocean was crucial.



An Antarctic ice shelf has disappeared -scientists (click title to article - thank you)
Fri Apr 3, 2009 6:27pm EDT
...Climate change is to blame, according to the report from the U.S. Geological Survey and the British Antarctic Survey, available at pubs.usgs.gov/imap/2600/B."
The rapid retreat of glaciers there demonstrates once again the profound effects our planet is already experiencing -- more rapidly than previously known -- as a consequence of climate change," U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement....

The Palin Saga gets even more bizarre.

This is the Alaskan Governor Mansion. Totum Pole and all. A rather attractive building, but, what 'goes on' inside is astounding. I have seen some of the media circus surrounding Bristol and her pregnancy and I can honestly say Bristol seems like a 'together' girl from the stand point of relating her circumstance to people without reservation. She speaks freely and openly about her life and isn't afraid of 'the truth' like her mother is.

It would seem as though Levy Johnson and Bristol Palin were 'living together' and having sex, hence, a pregnancy. But, what is astounding is that this was taking place right under her parent's gaze.

What 'goes on' in Alaska anyway? And what the heck was McCain thinking?

Sarah Palin blasts Levi Johnston for talking about relationship with her daughter Bristol (click title to entry - thank you)
Levi Johnston -- Bristol Palin's former boyfriend and the father of her baby -- has made her lipstick-wearing pit bull mother biting mad.
Johnston tells Tyra Banks on her show (that airs on April 6) that he believes Gov. Sarah Palin knew darn well he and her daughter were having sex when they lived in her house. "I'm pretty sure she probably knew. Moms are pretty smart," Johnston says....

I find Palin and her circumstances simply bizarre. And now the latest event in the saga is burglary?

Sarah Palin's Sister-in-Law Arrested for Burglary (click here)
Originally posted Saturday April 04, 2009 10:45 AM EDT
And now comes a new source of embarrassment for the former GOP vice-presidential contender: police in Sarah Palin's hometown of Wasilla have arrested the half-sister of her husband, Todd, for allegedly breaking into a house in a robbery attempt.
According to the Anchorage Daily News, police say Diana Palin, 35, entered the home Thursday morning and made straight for a bedroom cabinet where cash was stowed. The house had already been burgled twice in recent weeks. This time the owner, carrying a gun, was waiting in a bathroom after seeing an unfamiliar car pull up outside.
The owner, Theodore Turcott, reportedly confronted the intruder and detained her until police arrived.
In a further twist in the case, Diana Palin's 4-year-old daughter was apparently waiting in the car outside, but entered the house before police arrived, a prosecutor said during a Palmer District Court hearing Friday. The little girl reportedly told police she had been in the house before.
Diana Palin was taken into custody on felony burglary charges relating to two break-ins at the Turcott house. A spokeswoman for Gov. Palin declined the newspaper's request for comment.

Shut down the NRA. I want to hear how Neocons are good for the country. I want to hear it, now !

They loaded the streets of the USA full of weapons and shut down the economy.

People need to 'let it go.'

It's literally the economy, stupid !

Let it go ! There is NO control ! Let it go NOW !



Gunman's Actions Not a Surprise to Those Close to Him (click here)
Police Chief: Shooter Came Prepared for Altercation with Police
April 4, 2009
By BILL WEIR, RICHARD ESPOSITO, PIERRE THOMAS, RUSSELL GOLDMAN and SCOTT MICHELS
The police chief in Binghamton, N.Y., dismissed as "a coward" the man he said killed 13 people and himself during a shooting rampage at an upstate New York immigrant center Friday, adding that those who knew the suspect were not completely surprised he reacted violently.
Jiverly A. Wong, a 41-year-old Vietnamese-American who police said also used the last name Voong, arrived at Binghamton's American Civic Association with guns, extra ammunition and wearing body armor Friday, Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said. But he evidently killed himself before police arrived....




Gunman Kills Police Officers in Pittsburgh (click here)
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: April 4, 2009
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A man opened fire on police officers responding to a domestic disturbance call on Saturday morning, killing three of them, before barricading himself in the home, said a police official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the news media.
After a standoff that lasted for several hours, the man who fired at the officers was arrested after surrendering around 11 a.m., The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said.
At least five officers were wounded, said a police spokeswoman, Diane Richard. It is not clear if that included the officers who were killed. The Post-Gazette reported on its Web site, quoting Ms. Richard, that some of the wounded officers remained in positions where they could not be immediately be treated....




Police say Robert Stewart walked into Pinelake Health and Rehab Sunday morning and shot and killed eight people and wounded three others.
Shootings shine spotlight on domestic violence (click here for video)
Posted: Apr. 2, 2009
Fayetteville, N.C. — The Carthage police chief said earlier this week that investigators are looking into whether a shooting rampage at a local nursing home could be a case of domestic violence.
Although investigators have not publicly offered a motive for the crimes, the alleged gunman's estranged wife, Wanda Stewart, was working at the center when the shootings occurred....
...Authorities said Robert Kenneth Stewart, 45, shot and killed eight people at Pinelake Health and Rehab on Sunday before a Carthage police officer shot him and ended the rampage. Stewart was wounded but survived and has been charged with eight counts of first-degree murder....




Two victims in Frogtown shooting ID'd (click here)
Last update: April 3, 2009 - 9:40 PM
St. Paul police have released the names of two people shot during a botched midday robbery Thursday at their Frogtown home.
Chong Yia Lor, 44, was shot in the hand and foot, while his wife, Plia Her, 48, was shot in the neck, police spokesman Peter Panos said Friday.
"They should recover just fine," he said.
Police were looking for the suspected gunman, who authorities would not name but who the victims knew. "The suspect's been to their home once before," Panos said....




Teenager dies from brain injuries sustained in shooting last week (click here)
By David Macaulay 247-7838
April 4, 2009
NEWPORT NEWS — The investigation into who fired into a group of people in southeast Newport News last week has become a homicide inquiry after a 17-year-old died of his injuries.
Demetrius Hunter, of Harbor Lane in Newport News, died Monday night, police spokesman Lou Thurston said. Hunter was shot in the head while he was standing with a group of friends in Ridley Circle around 6:25 p.m. March 26.
The killing is the fifth homicide in Newport News this year.
A second teenager, 16-year-old Cortez Bumphus of Hampton — who received life-threatening injuries when he was shot in the torso — remains in Riverside Regional Medical Center. Thurston said the teenager is expected to survive and that he spoke to police this week....


Thursday, April 2, 2009



Neighbors near Belleville shooting have heard loud noises before today (click here)
Santiago Esparza and Tanveer Ali / The Detroit News
Belleville -- Neighbors near a six-story senior citizen complex where a man was taken into custody for allegedly firing shots this morning said they have heard loud noises in the area the past week they thought were fireworks.
Now they worry it was the suspect shooting and not someone celebrating Independence Day a few months early.
"If you look at that vantage point, anyone can use that building to target anyone in the city," said Mike Doyle as he looked at the building, which dwarfs Belleville's skyline....



I don't want to hear this is 'ordinary' violence. This, along with the killings in Mexico are drug related. In other words, the Drug Economy of the USA.


The other killings/shooting cited here are due to domestic violence, related to the economy and the free flow of weapons and munitions throughout the USA.


There needs to be a BAN placed on ammunition to private gun owners NOW.

Stop the sale of ammunition !!!!!! This IS a national emergency and it has to be addressed. Gun dealers should be prevented from selling ammunition.

I don't care if any owner has a permit. The drastic conditons faced in the job economy of the USA demands prudent intervention to stop depressed and desperate people.

Family, neighbors hold vigil for Salinas shooting victims (click here)
Mayor, councilwoman attend march
BY KIMBER SOLANA • ksolana@thecalifornian.com • April 3, 2009
A woman fell to her knees, too distraught to support herself in front of a group of people gathered around a single bouquet of flowers laid on the driveway of 27 Center St. in Salinas. Many bowed their heads, while others shed tears and prayed....
...Maciel and Ledesma were gunned down about 7 p.m. on Tuesday as they were unloading items into the residence when several men opened the rear gate and fired multiple shots at them, police said. A third victim survived bullet wounds to the head and torso. Maciel and Ledesma are the city's 11th and 12th homicide victims of 2009....




Details emerge in Valentine's Day shooting rampage (click here)
James Goodman • Staff writer • April 3, 2009
Ontario County deputies were called to the Glatzes' home at 1:26 p.m.
Garcia was apprehended about 3:30 p.m. at Tim Horton's restaurant at Lake Avenue and West Ridge Road in Rochester....
....Garcia was fired from his job as a nursing supervisor at Lakeside's Beikirch Care Center days before the shooting because of "a relationship he was involved in with Silliman," said Peglow's statement....
...A small arsenal of ammunition and guns was found in Garcia's home after the shootings. Investigators found a Kel-Tech semi-automatic pistol with a magazine containing seven rounds in a cupboard above the stove, where a .380 magazine with a belt clip loaded with seven rounds was also stashed. Boxes of ammunition were found in a lower kitchen cupboard. "High Noon" holsters were in another cupboard.
A 12-gauge shotgun and a container with 103 .40-caliber rounds were found in a second-floor storage area....




6 killed in home shooting in Santa Clara, Calif. (click here)
By TERRY COLLINS – 4 days ago
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Six people were shot to death, at least three of them children, and another person was critically wounded in an apparent murder-suicide at an upscale home in Silicon Valley, police said Monday. The suspect appeared to be among the dead in the apparent "family on family" violence, Lt. Phil Cooke said.
Authorities said a neighbor called police about 8:30 p.m. Sunday to report that a woman was injured outside a townhouse in the Santa Clara community of Rivermark, about seven miles northwest of San Jose, Cooke said.
Officers found five bodies with gunshot wounds when they arrived at the home — a 10-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl, a man in his 40s, another man in his 30s and a woman in her early 30s, said Capt. Mike Sellers.
A toddler later died at the hospital. A woman who managed to escape is in her mid-30s and was hospitalized in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds, Sellers said....

The Republicans attempts treason of an Elected Senator due to hear-say.

..."Begich dismissed the notion out of hand (click here). And the other two Republicans in the state's congressional delegation seemed to feel likewise. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said, "I am sure many of us wish we could turn the clock back to last November. Unfortunately, that is not an option." And Rep. Don Young added that Begich "will be in the Senate, he will do a good job."...

Attorney General Eric Holder is not stating Ted Stevens is innocent. He is saying there are inconsistencies in the actions of the prosecutors that would be overturned in appeal. Basically, the Bush Justice Department 'built in' methods of appeal that would keep Ted Stevens out of jail.

..."After careful review (click here), I have concluded that certain information should have been provided to the defense for use at trial," Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said in a statement. "In light of this conclusion, and in consideration of the totality of the circumstances of this particular case, I have determined that it is in the interest of justice to dismiss the indictment and not proceed with a new trial."...



Bill Allen takes the stand in Ted Stevens trial (click here for audio)
Tue, September 30, 2008
The government’s star witness took the stand today in the trial of Senator Ted Stevens. Bill Allen was once a respected businessman in Alaska, and ran Veco, one of the state’s largest private companies. But he pleaded guilty last year to bribing state lawmakers, and prosecutors say he gave Ted Stevens gifts worth more than $250,000. Stevens is accused of lying about the gifts on his Senate Financial Disclosure forms.
PHOTO: Bill Allen, former CEO of VECO (photo Libby Casey, APRN)
Libby Casey, APRN - Washington, DC


Editorial: Stevens Case (click here)
The right course
Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to abandon prosecution of former Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska represents a strong commitment to new standards of integrity at the Justice Department....
...The decision means Stevens, 85, who was the longest-serving Republican senator in U.S. history, won't go to jail. But the impact of Holder's decision goes far beyond the former senator. The new attorney general is sending a message early in his tenure that misconduct by prosecutors won't be tolerated....
...After the trial, a Justice investigation found that Bill Allen, the government's star witness against Stevens, had made statements that were "inconsistent" with his testimony....


So, therefore, hearsay after the trial became more important than the actually testimony. The judge ridiculed prosecutors and let the trial go forward rather than stating a 'mistrial' and rescheduling after learning of the violations of law by prosecutors.


There needs to be an investigation of all the circumstances INCLUDING perjury by Bill Allen during the prosecution of Stevens. There either was perjury or not. At this point to prosecute Stevens again constitutes 'double jeopardy' and violates his constitutional rights. There were obviously 'pay to play' issues with the generosity by Allen of Stevens. In the 'audio' it is clearly stated there were many favors for Stevens because Bill Allen 'simply liked the guy.' How convenient. There are ethic violations by Stevens at the very least.

Sending troops into Afghanistan and Pakistan is necessary because of oppressive Taliban law.

..."Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told the BBC's Mark Mardell: "We are there to defend universal values and when I see, at the moment, a law threatening to come into effect which fundamentally violates women's rights and human rights, that worries me.
He added (click for video): "I have a problem to explain and President Karzai knows this, because I discussed it with him. I have a problem to explain to a critical public audience in Europe, be it the UK or elsewhere, why I'm sending the guys to the Hindu Kush."...

NGOs need to determine whether they are operating WILLINGLY under a regime that violates international law. If they are, then they are as guilty as The Taliban.

..."Ahead of the meeting, a number of leading charities warned that an increase in military deployments in Afghanistan could lead to a rise in civilian casualties.
They called on Nato leaders gathering in Strasbourg to do more to protect the population.
Last year more than 2,000 civilians were killed in Afghanistan.
In a report titled Caught in the Conflict, 11 aid groups including Oxfam, ActionAid and Care called on Nato to change the way it operates."...


The article at the title to this entry is a bit 'silly' to say the least. Some NATO countries are indecisive in sending troops into Afghanistan for concern they will be enforcing Sharia Law that violates the rights of women and human rights.

The reason the USA originally invaded Afghanistan in 2001 was to defend itself from attacks resulting from an organization called al Qaeda located then in Afghanistan and protected by The Taliban. A declaration of war includes establishing 'peaceful' law that respects the values of the victor. We would have hoped the victor was the USA, however, it is evidenced that through a rise in authority that is oppressive and in violation of human rights the Taliban have won the battle and have instilled a return of their authority.

The question to some European nations and the reason they question sending additional troops revolves around the FACT the ? new ? government in Afghanistan was ? freely ? elected and now is establishing laws that are counter productive, counter culture and down right illegal. That wasn't supposed to happen and why Hamid Karzai was elected President.

You see, the reason Mullah Omar wanted to ride victoriously into Kandahar as a returning hero on his ass (donkey), is because the USA lost the war and he and his influence from the far reaches of Pakistan, THROUGH legitimately sanctioned UN elections, overthrew the Karzai government. The reason the civilized world is calling the Karzai government corrupt is because 'the influence' of civilization was abandoned when Bush went into Iraq. The Karzai government, including his brother, was left with no alternative but to capitulate 'cultural' mores to the society and Afghan-Paki Drug Cartels, hence becoming as bad as the influence in order to ATTEMPT to maintain order.

In May, President Karzai steps down and it is completely obvious to me come elections later in the year, al Qaeda was to rule in Afghanistan compliments of the failure of Bush/Cheney to 'stay the fight.'

Once having established authority in Afghanistan through whatever figure head would be elected, al Qaeda would harness the power of what is currently the Afghan military/police and begin to build a 'power' to conquer Pakistan and secure nuclear capacity for al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.

If that isn't evident to you, then I don't know what is. The USA has LOST the 'War of September 11th' and NATO has been trying to 'hold on' in order to 'devole' the abandonment of Bush/Cheney to Iraq.

One of the reasons the Obama Administration has sent additional troops into Afghanistan was because of 'the void' of authority from May until the elections and then to facilitate 'peaceful' elections in Afghanistan. It is completely obvious to me, that Hamid Karzai has done all he could to maintain 'an authority' in Afghanistan until the American Electorate came to their senses and placed a 'true patriot' in the Presidency to 'salvage' the 'war of 2001.'

The question now 'stands' as to what happens in May and what indeed happens in subsequent elections. At this point, President Karzai has to report to the United Nations that the current laws and proposed laws of Afghanistan are indeed comprised of human rights violations, hence, requiring abandonment of the Afghan Constitution and subsequent laws, instilling Marshall Law and a continuation of his leadership beyond May.

NATO has to reauthorize the war as a legitimate cause of civilized nations and seek to return control of the government to the benevolent people of Afghanistan. It is completely obvious 'The Taliban' are less an ethnicity of the region and more a militaristic regime that needs to be defeated and their leaders held accountable before World Courts "IF" they survive the return of order to the country.

Karzai and all his NATO allies have to address the General Assembly of the United Nations. One might want to find Musharraf and label him as a human rights offender in facilitating the return of a hostile military regime in Afghanistan.

Everyone, including the Queen loves hugging our First Lady. She is a lot of fun.

The Secret Service have their hands full. Please take good care of her. The girls at the school were great and she needed the affection as much as the girls did, they sincerely love her. But, its also an opportunity for vulnerability.

She looked great and we enjoyed seeing her so engaged and a wonderful representative for our country. Thank you, Michelle.

First Lady moved by school visit (click here for video)


Mrs Obama high-fived one pupil before she took to the podium for her inspiring speech Photo: PA (click here)


The Prez, the Queen, The First Lady and The Prince.

But, is the science good? The Conservation Groups have a responsibility to challenge the science performed under Bush.

Feds looking at three Twisp locals in wolf kill incident (click here)
By Joyce Campbell
Federal and state agents are continuing an investigation of three members of a prominent Methow Valley family regarding the death of one of the pups from Washington state’s only wild gray wolf pack.
Tom White, of Twisp, admitted killing a wolf, and reportedly told agents that his wife, Erin, attempted to ship the pelt to Canada, according to a court affidavit filed by state wildlife officials. Tom’s father, Bill White, was also questioned and gave contradictory answers regarding his alleged complicity in the crimes of killing the pup and an adult wolf, attempted smuggling and other illegal hunting activities. No charges had been filed in the case as of Tuesday (March 31).
Agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife served a search warrant at the Twisp homes of Tom and Erin White and Bill and Suellen White on Feb. 25...

March 30, 2009 4:00 PM
Okanogan wolf killing (click here)
Stand up for endangered species
Editor, The Times:
The unconscionable killing of two young gray wolves of the Lookout Pack in the Methow Valley is horrible beyond belief ["Bloody box tips officials to Okanogan wolf killing," Times, page one, March 28]. The greed and insensitivity of humans, who are actually far more dangerous than wolves, is deplorable and must be exposed and opposed.
Several conservation groups have been working together in coalition since last summer to educate the public about the importance of wild wolves and other predators in the ecosystems of our state. These include the North Cascades Conservation Council's Wolf Working Group, the Wildlife Coalition of the National Parks Conservation Association, the Cascade Chapter of the Sierra Club, and Conservation Northwest.
We have been collecting signatures on a petition to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. We are urging Fish and Wildlife to formulate wolf-conservation policy based on sound science -- not to allow the producers (ranchers and sheep growers) to control the policymaking process....

(click title to entry - thank you)...After May 4, wolves will be protected under state and tribal laws in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin. Minnesota has about 3,000 wolves while Wisconsin and Michigan each have more than 500. That’s up from fewer than 500 wolves confined to the Superior National Forest in Minnesota in the 1970s....

Disney World? What's he going to do make an appearance for the closing arguments?

..."wide-ranging scheme to deprive the people of Illinois of honest government."...

The charges sure have blossomed. But, will they stick? I thought Rod Blagojevich was trying to sell the seat of the former Senator Obama? Now, he is depriving the people of Illinois an honest government? He did this by himself? Oh, no, there are at least a hundred others right?

Not that many? Really?

"...A federal grand jury handed down the 19-count indictment against Blagojevich, his brother, two former aides and two businessmen on Thursday...."

Let's see, the Former Governor, his brother, that makes two and two aides and two business men. That's, ahh. Six. Six people deprived the entire State of Illinois an honest government.

Right.

Well, this is going to be interesting. You know, I don't understand how six people can do all this and not have gotten caught before this. Amazing. I guess when Senator Burris took office and no one could finger him or his son that sort of shot down the 'selling Obama's seat' thing. I will say this, if it were me being indicted I wouldn't be at Disney World. Nope. Won't be my first choice. I doubt Mickey Mouse makes much of a lawyer.

Blagojevich indicted on federal corruption charges (click here)


In this Dec. 19, 2008, file photo, then Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich bites his nails as he enters a news conference to make his first substantial public comments since his arrest on federal corruption charges at a news conference in Chicago. Now facing a deadline less than a week away, federal prosecutors are expected to unveil as early as Thursday, April 2, 2009, an indictment charging Blagojevich with presiding over a state government awash in political corruption. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

'Dear tobacco companies, I'd like my father back . . .'

House Roll Call: How they voted on a bill to give FDA powers to regulate tobacco products (click here)
The Associated Press 9:00 AM PDT, April 2, 2009
The 298-112 roll call Thursday by which the House approved a bill that would for the first time give the government powers to regulate tobacco products.A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the bill.
Voting "yes" were 228 Democrats and 70 Republicans.
Voting "no" were 8 Democrats and 104 Republicans.
X denotes those not voting.
There are 3 vacancies in the 435-member House....


Where does ANY industry get any kind of right to do this to the internal organs of a human being? Where does that come from?


Stanford Report, July 27, 2005
That was the message that Bay Area high school student Channing Chang wrote on the back of a flattened cigarette carton. It was one of hundreds of cartons bearing notes--from youths, civic leaders and medical school faculty--to be sent to entertainment industry executives as part of a campaign to limit scenes with cigarette smoking in new movies....

The USA needs a conversation with their President.

What would General Shinseki do?

I don't know.

70,000 troops into Afghanistan.

Ouch !

We haven't finished the mess in Iraq, although in my opinion it should have been over on Inauguration Day. Iraq is no threat to the USA and we are not in Iraq as Peacekeepers, nor should we be. We need to leave Iraq, the sooner the better.

Afghanistan? 70,000? You know its the kind of thing where I feel punched in the gut enough over "W"rong headed wars. In 2001, the USA literally waltzed into that country and took over. Now, with so many years of USA focus diverted to Iraq the problem has become one of enormous consequences. Afghanistan today is more complex, it involves Pakistan and we can't afford to 'just leave.' But at the same time, is 70,000 troops enough? Why not go in with 200,000 or more and remove any doubt about the victory. To send in too few is to garantee high levels of USA troop deaths and injury and do the Generals actually want that?

An article from "Military Times" appears somewhere on this blog. In it, Representative Murtha states the USA would need 600,000 troops to be successful in Afghanistan. IS THAT THE TRUTH?

Seriously.

It seems to me that the approach to the Afghan/Paki issue has to be swift and conclusive, however, it should not be conducted without a complete plan, benchmarks and an exit strategy. Does it make sense to 'piece-meal' Afghanistan as was done in Iraq. War and war and war while rebuilding only to have the reconstruction be destroyed? It doesn't make sense to conduct a 'small' war because it feels comfortable for the American people to accept.

When General Shinseki was asked about an Iraq invasion he didn't pussy-foot around. He stated it like it should be and he was right. We cannot afford a long and protracted war where 1000s of our troops die. As an American, I've had enough already. I don't want more troop deaths. If NATO won't commit more troops then we are supposed to twiddle our thumbs and look on while our people die? I don't think so.

It seems to me the country has to have a discussion with their President. President Obama is capable of such a discussion and I don't mean over the net or any of that mess. He is capable of engaging the country in a discussion to the 'conclusion' of Afghanistan. Literally, we hand over that country to The Taliban or we destroy their regime.

In the video below Ismail Kahn gives a candid opinion regarding the Taliban (I don't care if it is Al Jeezera, they can't lie about an interview.) and he states, "They will never accept the current government." I believe him. I don't believe the 'nonsense' of the propaganda of The Taliban. They are harboring bin Laden and Omar for God Sake.

President Obama went into office promising to end the wars. He never bargained for escalating Afghanistan so much as concluding it. Never in our wildest imaginations did the country expect that Afghanistan was so far gone. Bush and his 'intelligence agency' never alluded to the problems, yet alone actually address them. It isn't right that President Obama has to decide to commit the largest contingency of troops in this nation's history to retake Afghanistan without plenty of reassurances that the USA will be the victor AND we will have minimal casualities.

I want to hear from our generals that we are going to invade that country and annhilate al Qaeda without losing soldiers. I want to hear how we are going to settle this once and for all with the head of Bin Laden on a stick. I don't want to hear how we are going to be at war for the next decade, like we were in Vietnam, loss 50,000 soldiers and exit to the lack of sincere understanding of the theater and its need to victory. I want to hear a strategy to succes, NOT a war that will destroy this country even further.

American Generals should be able to assess the battlefield and give us a guaranteed victory. With all the allies coming to our side to faciliate our victory in anyway they can, we should be able to reassure them and our people of the victory that will prevail. This is 2009, not the turn of the century when the calvary still rode horses. I mean al Qaeda has Mopeds. Hello? Give us something here !

PAKISTAN
Taliban chief vows to strike White House (click title to entry - thank you)
By Ishtiaq Mahsud
Associated Press
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan —- The commander of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility Tuesday for a deadly assault on a Pakistani police academy Monday and said the group was planning an attack on the White House that would “amaze” the world.
Baitullah Mehsud, who has a $5 million U.S. bounty on his head, said Monday’s attack on the outskirts of the eastern city of Lahore was retaliation for U.S. missile strikes against militants along the Afghan border.
“Soon we will launch an attack in Washington that will amaze everyone in the world,” Mehsud said in a phone interview, without providing details....


Taliban suicide bomber kills 50, destroys mosque in Pakistan (click here)
By Bill RoggioMarch 27, 2009 9:20 AM
A Taliban suicide bomber killed more than 50 worshipers and wounded more than 125 in an attack at a mosque in Pakistan's tribal areas along the border with Pakistan. The bombing is the second mass-casualty suicide attack in Pakistan's insurgency-infested northwest in two days.
The death toll is expected to rise, Tariq Hayat Khan, the Political Agent for Khyber said according to a report in The Times of India. "Forty-five to 46 bodies have been retrieved ... up to 70 people could have been killed," Khan said.
The attack took place in the Jamrud district in Pakistan's Khyber agency. Khyber is the gateway to Afghanistan; NATO's main supply route for its forces in Afghanistan passes through the tribal agency.
The suicide bomber detonated his vest in the middle of a packed mosque just as prayers began. "Police, paramilitary forces, and government officials were among the congregation in the mosque," Geo News reported. The two-story mosque was leveled, the news agency reported....

Halliburton Will Pay $0.5 billion Fine, Nigerian Officials Bribed For Contracts

An Iraqi worker shuts down a pumping tube at the Iraqi Pipelines Company (click here) is Basra (Basra is the port city the USA and Maliki have attempted to kill Shiites 'as part of the problem.) on June 5. Employees there recently went on strike, shutting down two pipelines carrying oil and gas products inside Iraq. In 2003, the union forced Halliburton out of the oil fields, which inspired port workers to oust the Danish shipping company Maersk from the docks. The oil workers’ union also wants U.S. troops to start withdrawing immediately. “I’d rather they withdraw yesterday than today,” Umara says. “I assure you, chaos will not happen, and even if it happened, I’m very sure we can solve our own problems.” - David Moberg

Whatever makes anyone believe Iraq was the first country Halliburton has killed to insure profits?

Cheney was CEO.

Halliburton has a very dark history. The difference between Nigeria and Iraq is that Cheney was actually able to CON the American people into believing Iraq was a threat.

In Iraq, Halliburton didn't have blood on their hands, that's all.

Halliburton was never 'in it' to service the American military in Iraq. That was a past time until they could get into Iran. Halliburton was in Iraq by the SECOND day of the invasion to SECURE the oil fields. Hello?

(Click title to entry - thank you) A major US engineering and military contractor has agreed to pay more than $500-million in penalties and fees to settle bribery allegations against one of its subsidiaries that operates in Nigeria.Halliburton Company, which until 2007 controlled the Houston, Texas-based KBR (also known as Kellogg, Brown, and Root), has agreed to pay $382-million of a $402-million fine and $177-million in fees incurred through US federal charges lodged against KBR by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). KBR will pay $20 million.
The SEC alleges that KBR disbursed millions of dollars in bribes to Nigerian officials to win contracts for building a $6-billion gas liquefaction plant on Nigeria’s Bonny Island.In 2005, KBR was able to emerge from US Chapter 11 bankruptcy and show profitability as a corporation.In spinning off KBR two years later, Halliburton agreed to cover the contingent liabilities of its former subsidiary.Houston-based Nigerian journalist Chido Nwangwu, who publishes USAfrica Online, says that the liquefaction plant is in some ways detrimental to Nigerian economic gains in that it facilitates and encourages international oil giants to ship Nigerian crude out of the country for refining, which lowers the profit that the Africans can obtain for their valuable resource....


Halliburton Opens Door ToMiddle East Investors (click here)

Nigeria: Halliburton Deal - EFCC Quizzes Nigerian Officials (click here)
Erasmus Alaneme
2 April 2009
Abuja — Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday said some of the Nigerian officials named in the Halliburton bribe scam have been quizzed by its operatives even as it awaits the official list from the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Michael Aondoakaa.
Chairman of the EFCC, Farida Waziri made this known in Abuja during the opening of the 3rd Anti-Money Laundering/Counter Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Compliance Stakeholders summit in Abuja.
This is even as the National Assembly has urged the anti-graft body to make use of Section 7 (1-b) of the 1999 Constitution which permits it to arrest people living beyond their means without any petition.
Waziri while answering questions from newsmen immediately after the opening section of the summit, said EFCC had started working on the case and had sent message to the AGF to make the list of those involved as well as the actual judgment against them available to the commission....

Zoos

Abilene Zoo's Baby Ocelot Cubs (click title to entry - thank you)
Reporter-News Staff Report
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
The Abilene Zoo announced Wednesday the birth of two ocelot kittens, one male and one female.
"Clutch," the male kitten, weighs 2 pounds 1.79 ounces, according to a news release from the zoo. "Jade," the female kitten, weighs 1 pound 15.11 ounces.
The two were born Feb. 25.
Also known as a painted leopard, an ocelot is a wildcat with an appearance similar to a domestic cat and fur resembling a clouded leopard or jaguar.
It can be found in South and Central America and Mexico and has been seen as far north as Texas and in the Caribbean.
While the ocelot has sometimes been killed for its fur, it was classified as vulnerable from the 1980s until 1996.
Now it is listed endangered in Arizona and Texas, as well as in Central and South America....

Rescued penguins return home (click here)
Associated Press - Friday, March 20, 2009 at 1:13 EDT
Two rescued penguins being cared for by a Sydney zoo in Australia were released back into the ocean on Friday, but one was a little reluctant to leave his human companions behind


Deadly spider surprise (click here)
Associated Press - Friday, March 20, 2009 at 6:42 EDT
Employees at an Oklahoma grocery store find a dangerous spider in a shipment of bananas...


2 condors born at San Diego's Wild Animal Park
The Associated Press
Posted: 04/01/2009 10:11:27 PM PDT
SAN DIEGO—Two endangered California condors have been born at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park over the past several days.
The zoo said Wednesday that seven more are expected to hatch in the next few months.
Zoo officials say two California condor chicks have hatched since Friday and a third was beginning to emerge Wednesday.
Officials say the Wild Animal Park has hatched 150 California condors since breeding of the critically endangered species began 27 years ago.
The California condor was near extinction in the 1980s, when the world population of the species hit a low of 22. There are now more than 300 of the giant vultures, more than half of which have been released into the wild.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12051809?nclick_check=1


New chimp born at Colchester Zoo
Last updated: 4/1/2009 5:28:00 PM
A NEW baby chimp has been born at Colchester Zoo.The two-week-old is the main attraction now at Chimp World at the Maldon Road zoo and has been venturing outside with its mother Tekita.Other Easter attractions at the zoo, between April 4 to 19, include a spot the egg trail, a visit from the Easter bunny and the Wild About Animals theatre....

http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/news/story.aspx?brand=ESTOnline&category=News&tBrand=ESTOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=IPED01%20Apr%202009%2017%3A28%3A15%3A840


Posted on Thu, Apr. 2, 2009
Another side of the story at the Philadelphia Zoo
Animals are kept in cramped, outdated spaces.
Marianne Bessey
heads the Philadelphia chapter
of the League of Humane Voters
As the Philadelphia Zoo celebrated its 150-year anniversary recently, dozens of local citizens gathered outside to call attention to long-standing animal-welfare problems and wasteful spending at the zoo. For the most part, the media provided only partial coverage of the day's events, ignoring the other side of the zoo story.
Criticizing a childhood tradition such as the zoo is about as popular as a root canal, but it's just as necessary. Questions and calls for change are the only way we move forward.
Just a few months ago, the zoo spent $800,000 to import a spanking-new "Rainforest" carousel from the Netherlands, an executive told Fairmount Park commissioners. At the same time, many of the zoo's animal inhabitants remain confined to crumbling, Depression-era enclosures.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20090402_Another_side_of_the_story_at_the_Philadelphia_Zoo.html


Joburg zoo strike illegal
Gill Gifford April 02 2009 at 10:36AM
The Joburg Zoo shut its gates for the day on Wednesday and visitors were turned away with the explanation that there were some internal problems.The closure, it turned out, had not been caused by an escaped lion or some other animal emergency, but by staff embarking on an unrecognised strike.The facility remained closed throughout the day as Joburg Zoo management met with the workers who handed over a memorandum of grievances.A meeting was arranged with union representatives from the Service Animal Monitoring Unit in the afternoon to resolve matters, but, because the strike action had not happened in accordance with procedures, it was declared illegal.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=594&art_id=vn20090402055815804C877882


Two-nosed rabbit found in Connecticut pet store
3:25 PM, April 1, 2009
Unsuspecting Milford, Conn., pet store employee Allison Noe made a strange discovery when receiving a delivery of 6-week-old dwarf rabbits
last week.
One of the rabbits had two noses.
The baby, according to Purr-Fect Pets store owner Tom Fomenko Sr., can eat, drink and hop about just the same as its littermates. "In my 25 years in the pet shop business, I've never had anything like this," Fomenko told the Connecticut Post.
Staff at Purr-Fect Pets are holding a naming contest for the rabbit (among the nominees are "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "Deuce"). But some employees say they've grown attached and hope he won't be sold.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/04/twonosed-rabbit-found-in-connecticut-pet-store.html


Lions to be welcomed with gift at Detroit Zoo
By Bill Laitner
Free Press staff writer
April 1, 2009
Three rescued lions are due to arrive at their new home at the Detroit Zoo late tonight or Thursday, and zoo spokeswoman Patricia Janeway said they’ll be greeted by a gift basket sent by the organization that alerted authorities in Kansas to their maltreatment there.
The gift basket includes “spices that lions really like,” Janeway said today.
Officials of PETA — the nonprofit People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — assembled the gift basket of “very, very heavy rubber balls,” a package of spices that are especially prized by leonine palates, and a full pound of catnip, said PETA spokeswoman Lisa Wathne, the captive exotic animals specialist with the group’s Seattle office….
http://www.freep.com/article/20090401/NEWS03/90401158/1005/NEWS/Lions+to+be+welcomed+with+gift+at+Detroit+Zoo


The original Press Release
Every year, Zoos across the world, including Iowa’s Blank Park Zoo receive hundreds of April Fool’s Day prank phone calls from unsuspecting callers. These callers are given a message from a co-worker asking them to return a call to Mr. C. Lyon, Ms. Anna Conda, Mr. Albert Ross, Mr. Don Key and others at the Zoo’s phone number.
Blank Park Zoo's April Fools Prank Phone Call Line A Huge Success
By Ryan Bickel
Des Moines, IA - The Blank Park Zoo’s April Fools’ hotline proved to be popular after media outlets as far away as California, New York and even Canada reported the April Fools’ Day prank.
While the bulk of the calls were taken by the hotline numbers, many calls still came in the main zoo switchboard.
“It’s amazing how many people called to talk to Mr. C. Lyon didn’t want to believe it was all a joke, said Anna Hudson, a Development Coordinator at the Zoo.
The Zoo’s phone system provider, A+ Communications and Security, estimates that over 30,000 attempts have been made to call the numbers today. Despite all the phone call attempts, the phone system has kept up well, with the average wait time being about one minute.
The public is encouraged to listen to the phone messages at the Zoo’s website, www.blankparkzoo.com.
http://www.zandavisitor.com/newsarticle-1172-


Attorney cites retaliation in zoo firings
By Doug Myers (Contact)Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Two Abilene Zoo employees were wrongfully terminated after expressing concern about zoo operations to representatives of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, their lawyer said Wednesday.
Donald MacPhail, attorney for former zoo curator Diane Longenecker and former reptile aquatics supervisor Larry Lemon, said Zoo Director Bill Baker used "false pretenses" in dismissing the two.
However, City Manager Larry Gilley said no one has lost a job over the zoo's accreditation. The AZA tabled the zoo's accreditation for 12 months so that the zoo can fix problems cited by the AZA….
http://www.reporternews.com/news/2009/apr/01/attorney-cites-retaliation-in-zoo-firings/


I baited jaguar trap, research worker says (video)
Attorney general opens investigation into capture
Biologist denies telling worker to use scat to lure cat
State claimed Macho B's capture was inadvertent
By Tony Davis and Tim Steller
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona Published: 04.02.2009
A trap the state says inadvertently snared the last known wild jaguar in the United States actually was baited with female jaguar scat, a member of the Borderlands Jaguar Detection Project says.
Janay Brun told the Star that on Feb. 4 she put the scat at the site of the trap that two weeks later snared the male jaguar, known as Macho B. He was released but recaptured 12 days later, on March 2, because he showed signs of poor health. He was euthanized that afternoon….
… The borderlands jaguar project obtained female jaguar scat from the Phoenix Zoo in November and December of last year and from the Reid Park Zoo on Feb. 18 of this year, officials of both zoos told the Star this week. They said they understood the scat would be used to attract jaguars to cameras, not snares.
On Dec. 10 of last year, in an e-mail exchange forwarded by Brun, McCain sent her an e-mail saying he "just got a package of female … jag scat. Am thinking about placing it under a certain tree. You concur?"
"Si," Brun replied in an e-mail nearly an hour later.
Brun, of Arivaca, is out of state taking care of a family matter. But she said by phone and e-mail that she is speaking up because of the guilt she feels over the death of Macho B, whom she had been studying since she accidentally saw him in 1999.
"I felt guilty as all hell that I never questioned Emil enough, that I didn't go back and set the snares off or do something to get them out of there," said Brun, who has been a paid, part-time field technician for the jaguar detection project….
http://www.azstarnet.com/news/287095


Crew keeps close eye on newest member of zoo family
An Asian elephant was born last week -- only the ninth such pachyderm born in a North American zoo in the last five years.
By GARTH BISHOP
Published: Thursday, April 2, 2009 9:46 AM EDT
It's a healthy, 300-plus-pound baby boy.The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium welcomed the newest member of its family -- a newborn Asian elephant -- at 2:35 p.m. Friday, March 27.The elephant, which has yet to be named, is the son of 21-year-old Phoebe and 38-year-old Coco.The mother had been under close watch for several weeks. The average gestation period for an Asian elephant is 659 days, and the new calf was born after 655.

http://www.snponline.com/articles/2009/04/02/multiple_papers/news/allnewelep_20090401_0105pm_1.txt



end

Malawi backs Madonna adoption bid

US pop diva Madonna walks with her son, Malawian adoptee, David Banda (L)

15:50 GMT, Thursday, 2 April 2009 16:50 UK (click here)

An official of the Malawian government has backed Madonna's bid to adopt a second child from the African country.
The singer is due to return to court on Friday to learn if she can adopt four-year-old Chifundo James.
"Madonna has been good to us," Information Minister Patricia Kaliati told news agency Reuters.
"Very few rich and famous people can take time to fly all the way to Malawi to support our children. We support her adoption process."
"[Madonna] is supporting over 25,000 orphans in this country and she has proved that she can take care of David," she added.
Madonna has said it is "amazing" to be back in the country where she adopted David Banda in 2006....

Thousands homeless after tornado in India

Orissa has a history of religious bigotry. I am sure there was someone being punished for something with the tornado.

Christians cower from Hindu backlash in Orissa (click here)
Wed Sep 3, 2008 10:55am IST
By Krittivas Mukherjee
TIKABALI, India (Reuters) - On a starry night last week, as Lal Mohan Digal prepared to go to bed, a mob of raging, machete-wielding Hindu zealots appeared above the hills of his mud house and swarmed over this bucolic hamlet in Orissa....

State of Orissa

Orissa tornado: five minutes of destruction (click here)
Rajkanika (PTI): Concrete roofs ripped off and thrown at a distance, so also a tractor and dozens of houses razed to the ground; all in a matter of five minutes.
A walk through the three km, devastated by a tornado in Rajkanika block of Kendrapara district yesterday afternoon, looked as if it had been bombed, a PTI correspondent visiting the area saw.
The tornado, which had taken a toll of 10 lives and injured over 250 persons in 11 villages, cut a 200 metre swathe for a distance of nearly 3 km, destroying everything in its path.
In Ganja village with about 500 houses, one of the worst hit, concrete roofs were ripped off and flung at a distance of 25 to 30 feet, while there were no trace of thatched houses.
But incredibly enough, villages located hardly 200 metres away, remained untouched.
"I was standing outside my house when it suddenly became very dark and a strong wind started blowing. I could see a huge column of black cloud spiralling towards me about 2 km away," Ashok Panda, a resident of Baghabuda village, said.
As the funnel shaped monster sped towards the villages, it started to rain accompanied by hailstorm.
"It looked like the trunk of an elephant touching the ground advancing our village at high speed. I rushed inside and could see through the window a tractor coming to the village lifted up to a height of about 20 feet," he recalled.
The tractor crashed killing its driver Bishnu Charan Nayak. Panda said "I saw bullock carts and roofs flying in the air. But my house, which was only a few feet away, escaped the whirlwind."...

North Fort Worth dealership felt the worst of hailstorm

March 29, 2009
York, Pennsylvania


Monday, March 30, 2009 8:43 AM
Photos, Radar: A Hail of a Storm For NYC, Philly (click here)


March 29, 2009
York, Pennsylvania
Photographer states :: The skies went green before an onslaught of hail and wind... After surveying all the damage trees were knocked down in all different directions... Springettsbury Township York Pa More Storm pics and damage can be found here... http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevenmaciejewski/sets/72157616107315208/
Enjoy!!!


Posted on Mon, Mar. 30, 2009
Possible tornadoes, huge hail, high winds wreak havoc (click here)
By Peter Mucha
Inquirer Staff Writer
Severe thunderstorms yesterday brought reports of possible tornadoes, hailstones bigger than golf balls and 50 m.p.h. gusts to parts of southern and eastern Pennsylvania.
A trailer home overturned, crushing a car, and five other trailer homes were destroyed in Lancaster County's Clay Township yesterday afternoon.
Three people suffered minor injuries, said a county official.
In nearby Denver, Pa., "numerous roofs were blown off houses," according to a National Weather Service report.
A funnel cloud may have touched down, becoming a tornado, and a determination could come today after officials of the National Weather Service and county emergency management agency survey the damage and interview observers.
Funnel clouds were spotted between 4 and 4:30 p.m. by trained observers in York County, the county west of Lancaster.
Trees fell on houses in York, Pa., and poles and wires were down.
In Montgomery Township, Montgomery County, more than 20 homes in the Wethersfield and Summer Ridge developments suffered damage to siding, windows and roofs, according to the weather service.
Reports of golf-ball-size hail came in not only from Lancaster and Lebanon yesterday afternoon, but also during the early evening from Media, Delaware County; Northeast Philadelphia; and Ancient Oaks, Lehigh County.
One-inch hail even hit parts of South Jersey, from Mount Holly, Burlington County, to Hammonton, Atlantic County.
Gusts neared 50 m.p.h. at Northeast Airport and topped that mark in Reading.
For the latest forecast, go to http://go.philly.com/weather.


March 29, 2009
Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
Photographer states :: Early Sunday evening on March 29t, a brief, but fierce hail storm flew through the area. These were taken on Long Lane by Lewis Ave. in Upper Darby.


March 27, 2009
Conroe, Texas
Photographer stated :: the storms that came through dropping hail on austin were worse, but when golfballs are flying from the air it tends to makes the kids scared.

By JOHN AUSTIN
jaustin@star-telegram.com
FORT WORTH — Pingpong-ball-size hail smashed about 400 new and used vehicles at Allen Samuels Chrysler Dodge Jeep Alliance on Interstate 35 in north Fort Worth on Monday night, and large hail whacked Keller, Grapevine and Wise County as well.
"Every car on the lot was damaged to some degree or other," said Wes Harrison, Samuels’ president and general manager. "It was pretty severe. We had windshields knocked out." Harrison added that the damaged cars will sold at a "a pretty good discount."
Harrison wasn’t expecting insurance adjustors until today but said the price tag for the damage could be "close to a million [dollars]."
Tara Dudzik, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, said the severe thunderstorms dropped quarter-size hail on Denton and golf-ball-size hail on Keller, Grapevine and parts of Wise County.
"It was kind of all over the place," Dudzik said....


Keller, Texas
March 30, 2009
Photographer states :: Golf ball to baseball-sized hail hits Tarrant County in Texas.

High Rate of Rehospitalizations Costing Billions

Salary Survey Report for Job: Nurse Case Manager (click here)

When a salary is this good, there is no limit on 'keeping the job.' The actual 'EVIL DOERS' are the CEOs that have faux perspective on what actually defines 'effective Case Management.' But, the 'warriors' themselves will do anything for their jobs and keeping 'Managers/Management' happy with their 'bottom line.' So much for compassionate care. Kick 'em to the curb !!!!

The current health care system is ineffective. Hospitals are still trying to 'make money' by finding a way to make stays shorter.

CASE MANAGERS over step the 'rights and privacy priviledges' of patients in order to please superiors and find early discharge dates.

I have witnessed Case Managers scouring patient records for ANY phone number or connection or word that would indicate the patient has NOT had a hospitalized event, but, the 'current health assessment' going forward IS their baseline. It is elder and patient abuse. It is amazing !

Example: "Hi are you Dora Darling, Mrs. Patient's great, great granddaughter once removed?"

"No? Then who are you, because, your phone number is listed in a patient history from five years ago?"

"Oh, who me? You want to know who I am? Well, I am Mrs. Patient's Case Manager and I am required (NOT BY LAW, BUT, BUY MANAGEMENT) to speak with family to ascertain the prior state of her mentality and physical well being."

"Oh, so you are her grand niece. My mistake. Can I ask you if you are aware of the current health of Mrs. Patient?"

"You are? How wonderful. So, Mrs. Patient is here in the hospital and we are attempting to determine if she truly needs to be and would like your insight."

"Her Health Care Power of Attorney? Oh, I see. You aren't her Health Care Power of Attorney. Well, thats okay because I am not asking you for permission for any procedure I am asking about a 'knowledge base' we may not have and I need your information."

"You know Mrs. Patient well? Okay. You know her Health Care Power of Attorney well. Okay. But, you didn't state the level of wellness she was WITNESSED to have before being SENT to the hospital this time."

"You were the one that sent her to the hospital because her Health Care Power of Attorney is out of town. Okay. And...you took Mrs. Patient to the doctor's yesterday because she was exhibiting a level of confusion. But, was this confusion permanent or don't you know? I mean what made YOU think you had to send Mrs. Patient to the hospital, plans to go out of town maybe?"

"Oh, I see, her physican stated her urinalysis was positive for bacteria. Okay. He was concerned it was resistant since she has been in the hospital recently, so you did what you were told and sent her by ambulance because your car didn't have enough gas. Okay. But, I still want to know if her confusion was permanent or not, can you tell me that?"

"Oh, sorry...I wasn't trying to insult you or Mrs. Patient, but, I was simply trying to determine her mental status AS YOU SEE IT before she was sent to the hospital. That's all. I wasn't trying to provoke anger or regret, Mame. Could you just answer the question? Oh...my boss? I am my boss, I am the Case Manager and need simple information. That's all. Oh...hello? Hello? Oh, well, what was that other number I found in the chart?"

Guilt as charged. The truth we will never know. Was Stevens involved with 'favors?' You bet he was.

What was the evidence withheld?
Someone's phone number?
Technicalities. What a shame.

...Faced with embarrassing revelations about withheld evidence, the Justice Department on Wednesday moved to reverse the conviction of former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, who lost his bid for re-election just days after a jury found that he had lied about gifts and home renovations....

There were NO home renovations?

No gifts?

Like hell there wasn't.

The Younger Generation - Time for Hope

Leaders wrangle on rescue measures (click here)
(China Daily)Updated: 2009-04-02 08:03

I haven't found the man's name.

Man dies during G20 protests in London (click here)
Day of protests that began peacefully turn sour as man dies during G20 demonstrations
James Meikle, Paul Lewis, Jenny Percival and Sandra Laville
guardian.co.uk
Thursday 2 April 2009 02.05 BST
...The man's death ended a day in which the contrasting faces of British policing were on display in London.
The Met called in support from 30 forces across the country to create a 5,000-strong team of officers for at least six diverse demonstrations in the City of London and Trafalgar Square. Outside the Bank of England police horses and riot officers were pushed back by the sheer force of demonstrators – helmets were torn from officers' heads and cans, fruit and flour rained down. In retaliation the police surged forward, cracking heads with batons, using pepper spray and CS gas, and sirens wailed all around.
Three minutes' walk away, in Bishopsgate, smiling officers shared a joke with men and women pitching tents along the road, a family offered them chocolate brownies from an organic food stall and a few lads politely queued up outside the compost toilet tent.
But late last night there was a stand-off as officers moved to start to break up the climate camp that had been set up.
Violence spread as far as London Bridge, with riot police chasing groups of demonstrators, who responded with bottles and other missiles....

Can the markets stand the strain of China - USA talks with a new set of rules?

Obama, China's Hu set up new economic dialogue (click here)
Obama accepts invitation to visit China later this year
By Robert Schroeder, MarketWatch
Last update: 10:20 a.m. EDT April 1, 2009
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao agreed to set up a high-level dialogue for the two countries to discuss issues of economics and security, and Obama will visit China at Hu's invitation later this year, the White House said Wednesday.
Obama and Hu met Wednesday on the sidelines of the G20 financial summit in London....

Obama’s Summit With Hu Follows Catalog of Trade Complaints (click here)
By Mark Drajem
April 1 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama took aim at Chinese barriers to U.S exports and investment, making good on a campaign pledge to take a tougher line on trade enforcement while risking increased tensions with the Asian nation....

The 'Progress' to peace will be more than interesting and I believe quick. The people of nations have elected leaders that are eager to address 'within their opportunity in history/time' the issues of nuclear weapons and their proliferation. It is more of 'the perfect storm' created by an oppressive USA Republican regime for eight years.

When it comes to 'counting' weapons to disarm, in my opinion, a weapon is a weapon and not just a warhead. Warheads are the destructive instrument, but, the delivery systems are just as destructive as the warheads themselves when it comes to 'potential to nuclear war.'

What is the sense in destroying warheads and even eliminating them IF the delivery systems are left in place? It is like saying, for the time President Obama is in office we will have peace without nuclear anniliation, BUT, by leaving the weapon delivery systems in place that could change in a matter of moments when the next USA President or Russian President takes office.

The manufacturer of nuclear weapons can occur quickly and with the delivery systems remaining in place, a signed Peace Treaty really isn't COMPLETELY an expression of peace if war can still occur within moments.




President Medvedev is age 43.

President Obama is age 47.

It is about time, the two largest nuclear powers met with a long view of the future and short on patience for peace.


Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama meet ahead of the G20 summit in London to discuss nuclear disarmament. Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

STEP ONE : Set the tone.

Russia, U.S. enter new phase of relations - Lavrov (click here)
21:56
01/ 04/ 2009
LONDON, April 1 (RIA Novosti) - Relations between Russia and the United States have a "new quality," with each side ready to give heed to the other's positions, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.
"A new atmosphere of relations has been created," Lavrov said in London after talks between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama. "There is mutual interest and, most importantly, readiness to listen to each other, something we had lacked for many years."
"This means a new quality of relations," he said.
In a joint statement issued after their meeting, which took place ahead of the G20 summit on the global economic crisis, the leaders pledged "to move beyond Cold War mentalities and chart a fresh start."
"We today established a substantive agenda for Russia and the United States to be developed over the coming months and years. We are resolved to work together to strengthen strategic stability, international security, and jointly meet contemporary global challenges," the presidents said in a statement.
The sides agreed that the talks had opened up the route to cooperation in nuclear nonproliferation, the fight against terrorism and extremism, resolution of Middle East conflicts, and efforts to improve economic stability.
However, the leaders admitted that crucial differences remain on some issues, in particular Georgia and the U.S. missile shield plans for Central Europe.



Russia, Britain to rebuild ties despite differences - ambassador (click here)
21:49
01/ 04/ 2009
LONDON, April 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and Britain are set to improve relations despite persisting differences, Russia's ambassador to London said on Wednesday after a meeting between the Russian president and British prime minister.
"Dmitry Medvedev and Gordon Brown confirmed that the sides regard each other as partners in tackling the [global economic] crisis and creating a new architecture of economic and financial relations," Yury Fedotov said.
Medvedev and Brown met ahead of Thursday's Group of 20 summit in London, where leaders will discuss the ongoing financial crisis.
London wants Moscow to extradite a key suspect in the 2006 poisoning in London of former Russian security officer and Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko, and Britain is also unhappy about the closure of its British Council offices in Russia.
Moscow has long sought the extradition of fugitive oligarch Boris Berezovsky, Chechen separatist emissary Akhmed Zakayev and other high-profile suspects, without success.
Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said on Wednesday that he saw no obstacles to the development of Russian-British relations.



Obama to Seek Unity at G-20 Summit, Agrees with Medvedev on New Round of Arms Talks (click here)
By Paula Wolfson Washington01 April 2009
U.S. President Barack Obama says he seeks unity at the G-20 economic summit in London, and a new arms deal with Russia. It was a busy day of diplomacy for Mr. Obama as he launched his first overseas trip as president....
...Barack Obama made his presence known on the world stage. "I came here to put forward our ideas. But I also came here to listen and not to lecture," he said....