Zimmerman was pursuing Martin. There is no self-defense.

Trayvon Martin, my son, and the Black Male Code (click title to entry - thank you)

March 24, 2012 

By JESSE WASHINGTON, Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — I thought my son would be much older before I had to tell him about the Black Male Code. He's only 12, still sleeping with stuffed animals, still afraid of the dark. But after the Trayvon Martin tragedy, I needed to explain to my child that soon people might be afraid of him.

We were in the car on the way to school when a story about Martin came on the radio. "The guy who killed him should get arrested. The dead guy was unarmed!" my son said after hearing that neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman had claimed self-defense in the shooting in Sanford, Fla....

When I heard the 'Hoodie' component to this a bell went off. Besides carry a stigma, the hoodies were found to cause vitamin deficiencies. No lie.

I read this in the New Zealand Herald when it was first published.  This is not intended to be a joke, it was something I remembered about Hoodies when they became a focus as an icon in the Trayvon Martin case. Just something to consider while we are embracing Trayvon.


I congratulate the Black Community for coming together over Trayvon and his family. The chilling truth is the racism. It is real. It is palpable.


Without completely victimizing the nation of majority in the USA, there are significant problems within our minority populations. We cannot be fatigued of that reality. Our minorities are in prison more frequently and they have a high recidivism rate.


Stereotypes are Black Men are criminals and Hispanics are Anchor Babies and Illegal Immigrants. That has to stop. All those labels are victimizing. Undeserved. I don't see any references in that manner anywhere in the media as legitimate so much as bigoted speech, hate speech.



Trayvon was an achiever. He had a family that dearly loved him. He has been removed from us and completely without justification. We know there were statements made to police that 'classified' him and facilitated his death. Those that classify people are dangerous. Very dangerous. We also know police gave a gunman an order to 'stand down' from pursuit. There are crimes within that understanding. Hate. Disregard of authority.


Every parent knows how impressionable children are to their environment. We witness it within our society with bullying. If a minority child is told in subtle ways they are unworthy of societal rewards, it answer the questions "What goes wrong?" The people of this country don't like lack of opportunity when their roots are from the Middle Class. But, the country can no longer continue to ignore the racism existing among our minorities. It isn't enough to have achievers among us, it has to be balanced with an equal percentage of achievement across the minority population in our country.


When I reflect on any time I needed police to help me in life it was because I offered my obedience to their statements. I respected their authority and understanding as to what was the best outcomes for me. The laws in question remove that respect of authority. They displace authority in the hands of those with prejudice, bias and hate. They are wrong beyond any rationalizing otherwise.


My condolences to Trayvon's family, friends and community.  Also to Reverend Al Sharpton for the loss of his mother and his bravery to continue the fight for equality and justice. He is selfless. He is priceless and so was Trayvon.


We haven't found the answers, Trayvon. We need to continue to try. I want him back, I really want him back.

Thursday, November 16, 2006 

...Dr Twentyman said: (click title to entry - thank you) "It's the hoodies and the hats and the downward glance of the teenagers, shading your face all the time." (click title to entry - thank you)

Dr Twentyman said that every young person that he had tested showed a deficiency of vitamin D. Vitamin D helps vital minerals to be absorbed into the bones. Vitamin D is given to our body from the sun. "A lot of these kids stay away from sunshine. They don't hang out at the beach or in the bush. Some are into drugs and alcohol and a lot of it is indoor activity and night-time activity. They sleep during the day. They are wearing those hoods and literally they don't get out in the sun."

Even though vitamin D is usually absorbed through sun it can also be found in: fatty fish, liver, eggs, full fat milk and butter....

The world is changing. I look forward to its resolve.

Julian Borger

March 25, 2012

A historic conference (click title to entry - thank you) bringing Iran and Israel together with Arab states to discuss a ban on nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in the Middle East is scheduled to take place in Helsinki in December, it has emerged.

The Finnish organisers of the United Nations-backed bid to establish a zone free of weapons of mass destruction are said to be cautiously optimistic that the conference will go ahead despite high tensions in the Gulf.

The Finnish team has held about 70 meetings with officials in the region and made repeated trips to Israel and Iran since the veteran diplomat Jaakko Laajava was appointed ''facilitator'' of the consensus in October. So far, none of the countries invited to Helsinki have turned the invitation down....

California "assault with a deadly weapon" laws

In the Castle Doctrine / Stand Your Ground...

...calling the police is a formality.  I've listened to a few tapes that are more than alarming of 'hard core' gun owners (Zimmerman being one of them.) and what came alive was the clear understanding the actions of the gunman was never going to change. Calling the police was a formality and in doing so proved they were attempting other less lethal methods before actually killing a person of choice.


It could be argued, and very easily, the 'person of choice' is simply anyone acting in a manner the shooter deems 'odd,' even if it is skin color.  The Castle Doctrine/Stand Your Ground provides a platform for 'Trial by One Citizen' based on baseless information.  The gunman is acting on 'presumed innocence' and 'fills in the blanks' to justify his/her actions.


The underpinnings of these laws are well known by these aggressive gun owners.  The gunmen are well versed in how simple it is to kill another person. Zimmerman knew he was not going to jail or even going to be arrested because he filled in all the blanks he had to with his actions all along the way.


The tapes I am hearing have a police dispatcher stating to NOT ACT in the manner prescribed.  Both the dispatcher and the gunman know what is happening and both are going through the motions of the anticipated murder.  I am not saying the dispatcher is an active consenting member of the ultimate scenario, but, I do believe the dispatcher knows it is a futile act of 'instruction' to the gunman. I also believe the gunman knows exactly what is going to happen based on the fact 'they always get away' and 'in that' is the idea immediate action before police officers arrive is most prudent and premeditated.


These gunmen are answering the ego ambition 'Give me a reason.'  They are exhibiting no inhibitions in acting to kill. As a matter of fact it is a goal. A trained goal.


There is a culture in the USA called "Preppers."  Not peppers, PREPPERS.  These folks prepare for the destruction of society.  Some would call them survivalists.  They are more than that.  They train for killing others in the idea they will be attacked by desperate people seeking food, water, shelter, etc.  They justify their expensive habits of training, purchasing underground shelters, etc., with the idea the USA is so poorly organized within its government structure it cannot contain chaos. It is profound lack of trust of government and in many ways is the underlying premise for the political ideology, "Government is too big, expensive and intrusive, therefore get rid of it." These folks are fanatical in their ideology and seek to be the 'do all and end all' to justice.  Self contained justice.


When gun enthusiasts go to firing ranges they have the option of shooting Zombies. The idea is Zombies are 'the living dead.' The Preppers prepare for a full front Zombie attack. The Zombies in the definition of Preppers are those without the shelter needed to live through catastrophe, no matter the source. So, the Preppers are not interested in community so much as self reliance. 


When I hear these 911 calls I am hearing men, haven't heard a woman yet, centered on killing. They could be killing their 'inner Zombie' so to speak. At any rate, the Castle Doctrine/Stand Your Ground law demands nothing of people to be prudent. Those laws demand practice to carry out the PERMISSIONS of the law to kill. They are as much 'mind/thought exercises' as much as gun practice. So, when someone, anyone enters their 'territory' they are prepared to carry out a killing. Legal murder. I believe that is what occurred with Zimmerman. He was prepared both mentally and with the capacity of a gun and munitions to kill in a way prescribed by law which allowed for his ultimate innocence.


The police on the beat are more restrained in acting than the citizens in the Castle Doctrine/Stand Your Ground. These folks to some extent have occurrences they can site whereby criminals broke into homes or attempted to break into homes prepared to kill innocent people for the purpose of theft or whatever.  There are legitimate basis for these laws when such instances are cited and gun owners do not want to be restrained from protecting themselves or their property, BUT, those instances are far fewer than anyone wants to admit within the community of PREPPERS.


The unrestrained use of personal gun ownership is not realistic in the USA. We have well trained police that respond to emergencies and intruders are an emergency. I personally have never been faced with disappointment after calling for help to 911. I don't know people who have been either. Guns have their place, but, the numbers of times a gun actually served its owner are fewer than anyone wants to admit. 


These laws are excessive. A convenience store owner has a reason to own a gun and use it, but, only seeks to do so in realizing the person across the counter is not a customer, but, a criminal. The people using guns to 'stand their ground' are exhibiting very poor judgement in their use of their weapons. The laws are excessive and justify the actions of people untrained to discern THE USE so much as THE SKILL in pulling the trigger.

Murdoch and his media services are not members of the community.

They like to pretend they are, but, in reality when has Murdoch's media been anything but a parasite.


Today, his commentary puppets were attempting to water down the sincere tragedy happening in many states across the USA with laws such as The Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground.


There is no doubt the methodology of Murdoch's commentators are 'in a can.'  Literally.  One can listen to the mind speak coming out of his shows regarding racism and gun laws benefiting murder of unarmed and innocent people and the 'standardization' of speech surrounding these programs have been heard time and time again, disregard facts and are nothing but pure propaganda.


I could state particulars, but, that isn't what is important.  Lord knows, particulars are not important to Murdoch.  The FACT is simple.  Murdoch's ? experts ? are experts in only one thing and that is Right Wing Propaganda.  They are not part of the community of decency and morality.  It is that simple.  Murdoch's media is corrupt through and through at every turn, no different than the hacking in Great Britain and now the gun violence in the USA.


They are NOT interested in justice.  They are interested in control.  


MURDOCH'S media is NOT a part of the community!

Do the opponents to The Affordable Care Act actually know what they are talking about?

U.S. Constitution


Article I 



Section 8. 



To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States; 


Bankruptcies are the interest of the USA and it is a part of the USA Constitution.  The minimalists of the Right Wing would like to estrange the idea that bankruptcies due to medical costs have nothing to do with the USA Constitution.  Even in applying the idea that the Commerce Clause is not interested in bankruptcies is promoting commerce not beneficial to the best interests of the USA.  


...According to their study, (click here) 46.2% of bankruptcies in 2001 were medically-related, while by 2007 the level had grown to 62.1%, even though bankruptcy laws had become more restrictive in the interim.... 



Directly related to the cost of health care in the USA is the fact our hospitals and physicians have to increase their prices to make up the difference between the income they receive and the income they don't due to the uninsured and/or bankruptcies. I am quite confident the medical society of the USA are not happy about being the focus of bankruptcies in the USA, but, the country is in a vicious cycle of high cost, bankruptcies and increasing costs due to that lost income.  The Affordable Care Act sincerely provides a way to reduce the losses of income to the medical community by having Americans be insured for their health care.  It is one way that will begin to stabilize the cost of health care and begin to bend the cost curve down.

‘Obama Apologists’ (click here)

“That’s the argument advanced by the Obama apologists,” Ed Muise, a lawyer representing Ceci, said in a telephone interview. “It’s utter nonsense to say we can trash the Constitution because there are some people who have had bankruptcies.”

Checking in: Health Reform across the country

The rhetoric in the media is unrealistic regarding Sgt. Bales. He isn't a scapegoat for some idea of Warlord Justice.

IF he is guilty of murder there doesn't have to be state of the art forensics.  There was a massacre and there are witnesses.


I am quite confident it was all documented according to any military standard based on the fact the USA is at war.  If we aren't then we need to deploy out of Afghanistan.


There are also aggravating circumstances.  This is not a soldier waking up in the middle of the night and simply deciding it was time to massacre 17 people because he wanted to and he thought he could get away with it.  


This soldier was in a war environment where American military were be assassinated.  It was over the fact PRISONERS in an Afghanistan prison were plotting against their jailers and their Qurans were removed to prevent organization of the prison population.  That was a legitimate thing to do.  Removing organizational materials to prevent violence is a legitimate method of oppressing a prison riot which are more common than not in Afghan prisons.


The method the PRISONERS used were to exchange Qurans.  They used their holy books to plan a prison riot and murders of American soldiers.  If they communicated on toilet paper there would be no uprise over the burning of toilet paper, but, THE PRISONERS choice was Qurans.  Let that be clearly understood.  The American soldiers that removed the Qurans did so because they had no other recourse.  The fact they were burned was to prevent the words of prisoners to reach the outside world to find empathy among Taliban sympathizers.


This is in the environment whereby American soldiers were gunned down by their own helicopter pilot before the bin Laden mission.  So, is there reason to believe the American soldiers were acting rationally in burning the Qurans?  Damn right they did.  The uprising with the people of Afghanistan is due to Taliban propaganda.  The events following the PRISONER PLOT to kill Americans took on a 'snowball' characteristic because the Taliban wanted the undermining of the Karzai government yet AGAIN.


So, now Bales finds himself on a fourth tour of duty he didn't anticipate and there are assassinations happening around him.  He comes from a controversial base that tends to be outlaws in their own military leadership.  He has the resolve to 'stay alive' so he decided for what reason he understands to kill Afghans.  I can pass judgement, but, it isn't necessary as the media is already ramping up the rhetoric so why fuel it?


There are a lot of motives exercised within the ranks of the American military surrounding this dynamic that is justified.  

To make a reference to reality I am sure many remember the My Lai Massacre.  The people dead in that war theater were between 347 and 504 because there was no official record of the dead in Vietnam.  The dead included the elderly, women and children, too.   I look forward to a fair trial for Sgt. Bales, whom I believe is STILL Sgt. Bales.  I look forward to a fair trial for him realizing the pressure on a man on his fourth tour while members of the military are being assassinated.  His act is nearly one of self defense more than anything else considering all that is going on in Afghanistan including corruption and a government that can't protect its own or stop the Taliban criminals.

Dr. Jim Kim by the people who know him best. (click title to entry - thank you)

...He’s a tough guy to poke fun at because he’s too busy having his own fun—whether he’s performing as Michael Jackson in “Dartmouth Idol” or saving the world.  He might be the freshest face on the Ivy Presidential scene (he took office in July 2009), but he may also prove to be one of the best…Insert MJ face joke here…too soon?...

The "Stand Your Ground" laws need to be repealed. In application, the law victimizes innocent citizens.

...NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer, who pushed for the law, agreed [with Rep. Dennis Baxley's defense of the bill]. She said the call for action is premature, because the law allows an arrest to take place after an investigation. "So for law enforcement to rush to judgment just because they are being stampeded by emotionalism would be a violation of law," she said.

"This law is not about one incident. It's about protecting the right of law-abiding people to protect themselves when they are attacked. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the law. And if the governor wants to waste time looking at it he can knock himself out."...


The NRA will be determined to sustain the fight for the law.  The law has no merits.  I promotes aggression and violence.  The law clearly states police are not able to protect citizens.  It pits the expertise of citizen gunmen against that of police.  It is the worst law ever written.

What difference does it make if Hamm builds his pipeline in Oklahoma and Texas, there no environmental risk in a barren land!

The cattle have been sold.  The land is so parched that thunderstorms evaporate.  It makes do difference to a destroyed land if there are oil spills and gas explosions unless human beings are in the path and die.  Otherwise, what damage can a pipeline do?

APNewsBreak: Drought costs Texas $8B in ag losses (click title to entry - thank you)

March 21, 2012, 5:17PM ET 

By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI and BETSY BLANEY

HOUSTON

The driest year in Texas history caused a record $7.62 billion in agriculture losses, billions more than previously estimated, the Texas AgriLife Extension Service said Wednesday.

The new total for 2011, provided to The Associated Press before its public release, is about $2.42 billion more than an August estimate that had already topped the 2006 record of $4.1 billion in drought-related losses.

Texas is the nation's No. 3 producer of agricultural products behind California and Iowa, so when crops and cattle fail in the Lone Star State, prices can be expected to rise nationally, said David Anderson, an agricultural economist at Texas A&M University....

Stupidity dies hard in the USA, especially when it is so obvious one sincerely worries about their lives!  Last year the summer in Texas and Oklahoma saw trains that could only crawl along their tracks because of the fear of warped, hot rails, sidewalks exploded and all forms of livestock were sold for fear they could not water the stock long enough to get them to market later.  Earth finally made an impression on oil men that denied they created their own hell!  Evidently, Hamm has't got the message his peers seem to be now clinging to.

Global warming a threat to Texas water supply (click here)

DINA CAPPIELLO, Houston Chronicle

AUSTIN — With a dozen bills addressing global warming before the Legislature, lawmakers on Monday had a chance to hear from experts about what a rise in the Earth's temperature means for Texas and what can be done about it.

The briefing represented a rare visit to the Texas Capitol for four of the state's foremost climate scientists who have spent more time speaking with legislators in other states and the U.S. Congress than lawmakers here.

The presentation shed some scientific light on the bills filed this session on climate change, an issue that until this year saw little legislative action in Texas.

The scientists said Texas has reached or exceeded its maximum annual average temperature and must adapt to changes that are inevitable but not predictable.

This was May of 2010. I am sure there are more states involved now.

Every state passing these bills have been lobbied by the National Rifle Association. 

Pennsylvania Governor Signs NRA-Backed Castle Doctrine into Law (click title to entry - thank you)

Published: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 
From the National Rifle Association 
Fairfax, Va. - Governor Tom Corbett has signed Pennsylvania Castle Doctrine legislation into law. This common-sense measure permits law-abiding citizens to use force, including deadly force, against an attacker in their home and any place where they have a legal right to be. It also protects individuals from civil lawsuits by an attacker or attacker’s family when force is used.

“Gov. Corbett and Pennsylvania lawmakers know that law-abiding citizens must have the right to protect themselves when criminals attack without fear of being second-guessed by an overzealous prosecutor,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director, National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action. “Crime victims don’t have the luxury of time when confronted by a criminal and must be able to count on the law being on their side. This new law accomplishes that by removing any mandate of forcible retreat.”...


Whenever we hear from Governors it is always the same dialogue, "This is a common sense measure..."  The Governors were given a SCRIPT to follow by the NRA for this bill.  All the NRA had to do was 'plug and play' the Republican Governors to establish these horrible laws.  The Republican Governors are like The Stepford Wives of the GOP.


That's not all.


Innate to guns, especially hand guns, is the understanding a person's danger of being shot increases when they are carrying, either Concealed Carry or otherwise.  When that reality is applied, the definition of the Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground, means any action by persons owning the gun as reasonable to prevent the gun from being removed from their possession.  


In other words, if Zimmerman BELIEVED Trayvon Martin was attempting to remove the gun from Zimmerman, then killing him to prevent use of the gun by Trayvon would be a reasonable resolve.  That, even though someone like Trayvon was trying to save his own life.  The owner of the gun, in the eyes of the law, would be given preference in such a scenario, regardless of the owner's intent to kill at all costs.  Murder.

The speculators have no reason to raise gas prices, but, given the integrity of Goldman Sachs we all know what is really going on here.

Going nowhere: (click title to entry - thank you) Sorties from the USS Carl Vinson are put on hold after a sandstorm covers fighter planes on the top deck in a sea of orange.



The sandstorm is about air traffic, not sea going vessels.

Saudi Aramco Says Exporting Crude Oil Normally Amid Sandstorm in Gulf (click here)

By Wael Mahdi - Mar 4, 2012 3:30 AM ET
...“There was no interruption to company export operations” since the bad weather struck on March 1, the state producer, known as Saudi Aramco, said today in an e-mailed statement. Aramco operates six ports and terminals independently of the government, with two of them -- Ju’aymah and Ras Tanura -- on the kingdom’s Gulf coast, according to the company’s website....
Refining capacities are being expanded, so prices of oil should be going down, not up!
...Two contracts were signed for King Fahd Industrial Port (click here) in Yanbu where a new wharf will be constructed at a cost of SR129 million for Yasref refining company to export petroleum products. China Harbor Engineering Co. won the contract....

The largest commercial ship ever (click here) to visit the Port of Pensacola arrived late Monday to undergo maintenance for eight to 10 days.
The 56,000-ton Eagle Sydney, a 750-foot-long, 142-foot-wide tanker, shuttles crude oil on the Gulf of Mexico from ships to ports and from ship to ship. 
"It's going to be a sight to see," said Buddy McCormick, director of business development for Offshore Inland, a Mobile-based company that will be doing the maintenance work with help from subcontractors and the ship's crew. "It's going to be at the Commendencia Slip, and it's going to be so wide that when the guys are fishing over there, they can probably hit it with their lures."...
The Keystone Pipeline is a political issue for the Right.  It will never result in cheaper gasoline prices at the pump.  I think the politicking of Bob Turner is indicative to the hype surrounding this project.  Let's face it, the gasoline will never make it to USA pumps, it will be shipped to the highest bidder anywhere in the world.  This project is about the wealth of a billionaire and not about safety and OBEYING the law.

Turner Relentless on Keystone Pipeline (click here)

By Colin Campbell 7:46am 

Congressman Bob Turner’s Senate campaign is sure the Keystone XL oil pipeline is a winner.

In addition to hosting their first public event at a gas station and previously pumping the gas price issue, they’ve been repeatedly pushing the issue in the last fourteen hours alone....

Turner won the Congressional seat resigned by Anthony Weiner.  That seat is closed out after the most recent census.  So, Turner wants to be Senator now after a political career of less than a year.  New York is lucky, it seems all it has to worry about is gas prices.  It appears the #Occupy Wall Street movement is not making an impression on Rep. Turner.  Oh, well.  No surprise there, he is a Republican after all.

Are USA Ports up to the "Wind Farm" challenge?

...“This is an exciting (click title to entry - thank you) but very demanding project and we are working closely with PD Ports to ensure that the work proceeds according to plan. An offshore wind farm requires much closer integration of design, construction and materials supply activities than an onshore wind farm because of the additional challenges of operating at sea and the vagaries of the weather. The supply base established at Hartlepool is therefore central to our construction programme.”...

The Port of Hartlepool is a smaller seaport, but, it has significant warehousing space to accommodate these ocean operations.

Port of Hartlepool main hub for windfarm project (click here)

• by Mike Hughes Evening Gazette
• Mar 5 2012
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• PD PORTS has been appointed as the main construction logistics hub at the Port of Hartlepool for the Teesside Offshore Windfarm Project.

Over the next seven months, the Port of Hartlepool will be the focal point for all materials and components to be installed in the new wind farm being developed by EDF Energy Renewables.

Over 100 people are involved in the offshore construction programme and will be operating out of the project supply base established at Hartlepool.

The turbines for the new wind farm will be supplied by Siemens. Van Oord UK, a Sustainable EPC and Marine Contractor, will supply and install the turbine foundations and sub-sea cables and will manage the installation operations for the turbines....

Speaking of RENEWABLES, the shipping industry is seeking biofuels as an answer to higher fuel prices.

Maersk deploys emissions monitoring system as part of biofuels initiative (click here)

25.10.2011 (October 25, 2011)
In Virginia, WRSystems will supply its Emsys laser-based Emissions Monitoring System (EMS) for the purpose of emission verification for an ongoing fuel trials on-board the AP Moller-Maersk vessel Maersk Kalmar, Biofuelsdigest reports. WRSystems was asked to provide the Emsys system installation as part of a wider project between Maersk Line Limited and the US Navy to test biofuels for their long-term suitability for maritime applications.
Data collected will include Nitrogen Oxides (NOX), Sulfur Oxides (SOX), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), and PM. Additionally the report will detail findings o the effects of biofuels on the engine’s fuel system performance and normal wear and tear. 


15.02.2012, 12:40  (February 1`5, 2012)

Maersk leads shipping industry developing fuels to cut emissions (click here)

A.P. Moeller Maersk A/S, the world’s biggest container ship owner, is leading its industry in developing biofuels made from organic waste that could cut its carbon emissions and reduce a $6 billion-a-year fuel bill, Bloomberg reports. Maersk is conducting tests with companies including Man Diesel & Turbo SE and two Danish universities to develop clean fuels tailored for ships and has worked with the U.S. Navy to run vessels using fuel produced from algae, encountering “very few problems,” said Jacob Sterling, head of climate and environment at Maersk, which is based in Copenhagen....

The picture on the right:

Support columns and other wind turbine parts wait assembly in Harland & Wolff's shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Sixty wind turbines will be installed at the Robin Rigg offshore wind farm in the Solway Firth on the border of England and Scotland. The wind farm will produce 180 megawatts of electricity -- enough to power 117,000 homes. Photographer: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images 

...Robinson isn't alone as port managers (click here) across Britain weigh up the offshore wind sector as a source of revenue and jobs. A rush of development is expected through 2020, driven by government ambitions to install over 2,500 turbines capable of producing as much as 18,000 megawatts of electricity, up from 1,500 megawatts today. The government describes the target as ambitious but nonetheless expects installations to pick up once subsidy policy debates are settled. Offshore wind accounts for just over one percent of the country's energy mix today and is expected to rise to about 12 percent by the end of the decade.

Preparing ports for offshore wind development isn't as easy as clearing away shipping containers and buying bigger cranes. The foundation for an offshore wind turbine alone can weigh as much as 600 tons, a little less than a World War II German U-Boat submarine. The turbines themselves weigh about 400 tons....