Sunday, December 24, 2017
By Clement Clarke Moore
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONNER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONNER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
Deputy Director McCabe should handle his career according to his priorities.
Benefits provided by any job is what attracts many good people. Andrew McCabe has a right to achieve his status for a pension with the FBI. He was attracted to service which included good benefits, as it should. I would encourage him to continue to put the USA first above any inflammatory rhetoric by a wayward President.
Deputy Director McCabe came to the FBI because he loves the USA. He should recall those priorities to his service. There is no shame in measuring career moves in relation to benefits promised when employment was first engaged. He is welcome to the benefits the FBI provides for his service to the country. He should make his career plans and see them through.
What I find interesting is that if this is the truth, how did FOX News know? Who was the informant, Trump himself? Trump, the FAKE NEWS KING. How many lies has he told to date? Anyone keep track?
If those are Deputy Director McCabe future plans, it is the country's loss of his service. It provides significant time to search for a replacement. I wish him well in his future endeavors.
December 24, 2017
By Sonam Sheth
President Donald Trump (click here) kicked off Christmas Eve on Sunday by railing against deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe on Twitter, continuing a tirade that started Saturday.
Quoting Fox News, the right-leaning network that frequently runs pro-Trump coverage, the president tweeted on Sunday morning, "FBI’s Andrew McCabe, 'in addition to his wife getting all of this money from M (Clinton Puppet), he was using, allegedly, his FBI Official Email Account to promote her campaign. You obviously cannot do this. These were the people who were investigating Hillary Clinton.'"
The tweet came on the heels of two others Trump blasted out on Saturday, criticizing McCabe and former FBI director James Comey.
"How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin' James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wife's campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation?" Trump tweeted....
Deputy Director McCabe came to the FBI because he loves the USA. He should recall those priorities to his service. There is no shame in measuring career moves in relation to benefits promised when employment was first engaged. He is welcome to the benefits the FBI provides for his service to the country. He should make his career plans and see them through.
What I find interesting is that if this is the truth, how did FOX News know? Who was the informant, Trump himself? Trump, the FAKE NEWS KING. How many lies has he told to date? Anyone keep track?
If those are Deputy Director McCabe future plans, it is the country's loss of his service. It provides significant time to search for a replacement. I wish him well in his future endeavors.
December 24, 2017
By Sonam Sheth
President Donald Trump (click here) kicked off Christmas Eve on Sunday by railing against deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe on Twitter, continuing a tirade that started Saturday.
Quoting Fox News, the right-leaning network that frequently runs pro-Trump coverage, the president tweeted on Sunday morning, "FBI’s Andrew McCabe, 'in addition to his wife getting all of this money from M (Clinton Puppet), he was using, allegedly, his FBI Official Email Account to promote her campaign. You obviously cannot do this. These were the people who were investigating Hillary Clinton.'"
The tweet came on the heels of two others Trump blasted out on Saturday, criticizing McCabe and former FBI director James Comey.
"How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin' James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wife's campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation?" Trump tweeted....
Saturday, December 23, 2017
Words have consequences, especially words of hate.
The speech Nicky Haley made before the United Nations were words of hate. She valued money before real values. The Palestinians were not even human beings to the White Supremacists in the USA Executive Branch. The rest of the world values every life on Earth. These two Palestinians would be alive today if Trump never forced a vote on Jerusalem.
Nicky Haley and Donald Trump are directly responsible for these deaths.
December 23, 2017
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
Gaza (Reuters) - Israeli troops shot dead (click here) at least two Palestinians and wounded about 60 with live fire on Friday, the Health Ministry in Gaza said, as protests intensified against Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
A U.N. General Assembly resolution passed on Thursday, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s Dec. 6 Jerusalem declaration, did little to calm Palestinian anger over his reversal of decades-old U.S. policy on the contested holy city.
Instead, thousands of Palestinian protesters, many of them throwing rocks, confronted Israeli security forces along the Gaza border fence, in all of occupied West Bank’s seven cities and in East Jerusalem.
Nicky Haley and Donald Trump are directly responsible for these deaths.
December 23, 2017
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
Gaza (Reuters) - Israeli troops shot dead (click here) at least two Palestinians and wounded about 60 with live fire on Friday, the Health Ministry in Gaza said, as protests intensified against Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
A U.N. General Assembly resolution passed on Thursday, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s Dec. 6 Jerusalem declaration, did little to calm Palestinian anger over his reversal of decades-old U.S. policy on the contested holy city.
Instead, thousands of Palestinian protesters, many of them throwing rocks, confronted Israeli security forces along the Gaza border fence, in all of occupied West Bank’s seven cities and in East Jerusalem.
Friday, December 22, 2017
What I find interesting about this trending graph is the increased number of days greater than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Scot Pruitt doesn't care what happens to Americans. PLEASE understand, Scott Pruitt does not care at all about the well being and health of Americans.
Scott Pruitt does not recognize the climate crisis as a legitimate threat to human life, because, his cronies are the petroleum companies.
Scott Pruitt will not enforce any regulation that exists to protect American lives.
SCOTT PRUITT DOES NOT CARE ABOUT AMERICAN LIVES.
He is flagrant in his duties while he smoozes citizens with his love of baseball. I would ask Scott Pruitt if he played his best baseball when the air was white?
Find a way not to die. Every American is going to need that strategy under Trump's Executive Branch.
Mark my words. Increasing air temperatures propagates ground ozone. Illness will increase for this reason adn Americans most vulnerable will no longer have health insurance.
Make it more difficult to breathe deeply and vigorously.
Cause shortness of breath, and pain when taking a deep breath.
Cause coughing and sore or scratchy throat.
Inflame and damage the airways.
Aggravate lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.
Increase the frequency of asthma attacks.
Make the lungs more susceptible to infection.
Continue to damage the lungs even when the symptoms have disappeared.
Cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
It doesn't matter how often the corrupt Republican Party shuffles the deck at the FBI.
IT DOESN'T MATTER.
Careers and reputations SCREWED with, while Former DIRECTOR Robert Mueller is investigating a concern that is directly related to the sovereign of the USA; DOESN'T MATTER!
EXCEPT. THAT it will end be the political career of those screwing with the FBI!
The truth is the truth.
I love the USA. It is by far the most incredible country the world has ever witnessed, EVEN WITH a citizen like Trump. He is scum. He has always been scum. Some Americans are scum. More are not!
Everyone who sincerely loves the USA and VALUES it beyond imagination will be standing in the breach. I think there are great Americans already standing in the breach. Right?
Fly the flag. Not out of faux nationalism, but, for the reason, it feels good to be an American standing in the breach.
End of discussion!
IT DOESN'T MATTER.
Careers and reputations SCREWED with, while Former DIRECTOR Robert Mueller is investigating a concern that is directly related to the sovereign of the USA; DOESN'T MATTER!
EXCEPT. THAT it will end be the political career of those screwing with the FBI!
The truth is the truth.
I love the USA. It is by far the most incredible country the world has ever witnessed, EVEN WITH a citizen like Trump. He is scum. He has always been scum. Some Americans are scum. More are not!
Fly the flag. Not out of faux nationalism, but, for the reason, it feels good to be an American standing in the breach.
End of discussion!
Unsung hero from Flint, Michigan.
Flint (WJRT) - A retired Flint auto worker (click here) is using his talents to lift spirits in Hurricane Maria's aftermath in Puerto Rico.
Armando Fernandez has completed murals in different parts of the city of Flint over the years, including many works of art at the Hispanic Technology & Community Center in Flint back in the early 2000s.
Now three months after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, leaving destruction and death, Fernandez is using his gift of art to inspire.
Fernandez spent dozens of hours painting a six-foot canvas of Nin. Nin is a 96-year-old woman who lives in the Puerto Rican city of Moca....
...He's been lifting spirits now for more than a month. Armando and his son left Flint to help his elderly parents who also live in Moca.
"At one point my dad -- everything was going out -- and getting in line to possibly get water," Fernandez said. "One time he waited in line, I'm not exaggerating, 15 hours."
He said it was difficult to know his dad experienced that, but his parents are doing better now. Their electricity is restored although they still experience outages here and there. Others are still in bad shape.
"Still areas that they can't reach that people are in dire need of help. The roads are -- it's more inland and up in the hills -- and there's people that don't have any water and need medical assistance," Fernandez said....
Flint's educator honored.
December 22, 2017
By Maria Burns
Now retired as an emeritus elementary principal, Dr. Simmons served the Flint Community Schools for more than 45 years, dating back to when he first taught as a classroom teacher in 1962. Moving into educational administration six years later, he continued to gain great strides in his profession, and was recognized as the first African American elementary school principal in Flint Community Schools in 1970, as well as the first African American elementary assistant principal in Flint Community Schools between 1968 and 1970. He was an elementary principal from 1970 until his retirement in 2007...
Joe: What Nikki Haley Did At The UN Was An Embarrassment | Morning Joe |... (click here)
This is nothing but coercion. This speech proves Haley has no independent practice, she is Trump's puppet. It is completely obvious. Haley was a peacemaker when standing up for African Americans in the removal of the Confederate flag. This level of hate for the entire membership of the United Nations is new and out of character.
The United Nations is a powerful organization of which the world of countries and nations of people have gratitude. The payment by the United States to the United Nations is our membership assessment. It is in no way generous. Those are MEMBERSHIP DUES. I am quite sure Donald Trump understands membership dues.
The USA has been very successful over the DECADES to bring about morality and justice to the global community through the United Nations. An excellent example of the incredible power of the UN, is the new sanctions upon North Korea, including China, to bring about peace on the Korean Peninsula.
December 22, 2017
The U.N. Security Council (click here) imposed tough new sanctions on North Korea in response to latest ballistic missile it says can reach the U.S.
"It sends the unambiguous message to Pyongyang that further defiance will invite further punishment and isolation," U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said of the new resolution after the vote Friday.
The resolution adopted by all 15 council members Thursday doesn't go as far as the toughest-ever sanctions that have been sought by the Trump administration, such as prohibiting all oil imports and freezing international assets of North Korea's government and its leader, Kim Jong Un.
But it is a sign that China has come around to ratcheting up of pressure on Pyongyang, CBS News' Pamela Falk reports from the U.N. The unanimous passage shows that Beijing is working with Washington to increase economic pressure on the North Korean regime in response to its nuclear program.
The resolution caps North Korea's crude oil imports at 4 million barrels a year and limits its imports of refined oil products, including diesel and kerosene, to 500,000 barrels a year. That would be a nearly 90 percent cut in imported fuels that are key to North Korea's economy....
The United States could never achieve gains toward peace and morality of the quality of life of other countries without the help of the United Nations. In the recent decades, Republican Leaders from the USA have little to know compassion, loyalty or WORRY to the quality of life of others in allowing continued emissions of greenhouse gases and ACTUALLY WORKING TOWARD LARGER EMISSIONS BY THE PETROLEUM COMPANIES.
The USA has been served very well by the United Nations, I just wish the United Nations would feel well served by the USA in protecting human life on Earth from the climate crisis.
The United Nations is a powerful organization of which the world of countries and nations of people have gratitude. The payment by the United States to the United Nations is our membership assessment. It is in no way generous. Those are MEMBERSHIP DUES. I am quite sure Donald Trump understands membership dues.
The USA has been very successful over the DECADES to bring about morality and justice to the global community through the United Nations. An excellent example of the incredible power of the UN, is the new sanctions upon North Korea, including China, to bring about peace on the Korean Peninsula.
December 22, 2017
The U.N. Security Council (click here) imposed tough new sanctions on North Korea in response to latest ballistic missile it says can reach the U.S.
"It sends the unambiguous message to Pyongyang that further defiance will invite further punishment and isolation," U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said of the new resolution after the vote Friday.
The resolution adopted by all 15 council members Thursday doesn't go as far as the toughest-ever sanctions that have been sought by the Trump administration, such as prohibiting all oil imports and freezing international assets of North Korea's government and its leader, Kim Jong Un.
But it is a sign that China has come around to ratcheting up of pressure on Pyongyang, CBS News' Pamela Falk reports from the U.N. The unanimous passage shows that Beijing is working with Washington to increase economic pressure on the North Korean regime in response to its nuclear program.
The resolution caps North Korea's crude oil imports at 4 million barrels a year and limits its imports of refined oil products, including diesel and kerosene, to 500,000 barrels a year. That would be a nearly 90 percent cut in imported fuels that are key to North Korea's economy....
The United States could never achieve gains toward peace and morality of the quality of life of other countries without the help of the United Nations. In the recent decades, Republican Leaders from the USA have little to know compassion, loyalty or WORRY to the quality of life of others in allowing continued emissions of greenhouse gases and ACTUALLY WORKING TOWARD LARGER EMISSIONS BY THE PETROLEUM COMPANIES.
The USA has been served very well by the United Nations, I just wish the United Nations would feel well served by the USA in protecting human life on Earth from the climate crisis.
Chain of Custody.
I find the circumstances surrounding this victory disconcerting.
My understanding of a hearing regarding this very close race is that the Republican attorney brought a ballot that was questionable. The judge didn't think it was questionable, the ballot went to a Republican. Okay. That is one ballot. Where are the other 11,606 that voted for a Republican/
The entire circus by Republicans has violated several laws. A lawyer can't simply walk into a courtroom demanding a judge decide an election based on questionable evidence. There needed to be an election official in control of the ballot the lawyer wanted as evidence.
There are far too many violations of the law and ethical issues with the Republican attorney to allow any challenge to go forward. If this hideous challenge by Republicans is to go forward, then Virginia House Representative Elect Shelly Simonds should be raising money for her defense. The Democrats need to help represent her in court.
This is ridiculous.
December 19. 2018
My understanding of a hearing regarding this very close race is that the Republican attorney brought a ballot that was questionable. The judge didn't think it was questionable, the ballot went to a Republican. Okay. That is one ballot. Where are the other 11,606 that voted for a Republican/
The entire circus by Republicans has violated several laws. A lawyer can't simply walk into a courtroom demanding a judge decide an election based on questionable evidence. There needed to be an election official in control of the ballot the lawyer wanted as evidence.
There are far too many violations of the law and ethical issues with the Republican attorney to allow any challenge to go forward. If this hideous challenge by Republicans is to go forward, then Virginia House Representative Elect Shelly Simonds should be raising money for her defense. The Democrats need to help represent her in court.
This is ridiculous.
December 19. 2018
Democrats edged out Republicans by one vote in the Virginia House of Delegates on Tuesday after a rollercoaster recount flipped a red seat to blue and created a 50-50 tie between the two parties.
Democrat Shelly Simonds is the apparent winner in the race for the 94th District, beating incumbent Republican David Yancey.
She won, 11,608 to 11,607, according to the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project.
This is the first time Republicans have not been in control of the Virginia House in nearly two decades.
Democrats celebrated the win as an indication of the party's strength ahead of the 2018 midterms....
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
The Republican Tax Bill needs to be written into regulations. Normally, that does not happen overnight, UNLESS, Mnuchin already has them written and the law was then written to fit the regulations.
That is the only way a substantial tax law can go into effect January 1, 2018 or sooner.
If there are regulations waiting for a law, the Democrats need to investigate that fact.
In regard to Director Mueller; there is no grounds for the political complaints of Republicans.
The GOP's complaints are laying down the reason for Trump's pardons of his family and allies. It has nothing to do with Mueller. Trump even said he is not removing Mueller from the investigation. Trump is demanding his party lay down the ground cover for his pardons.
That is the only way a substantial tax law can go into effect January 1, 2018 or sooner.
If there are regulations waiting for a law, the Democrats need to investigate that fact.
In regard to Director Mueller; there is no grounds for the political complaints of Republicans.
The GOP's complaints are laying down the reason for Trump's pardons of his family and allies. It has nothing to do with Mueller. Trump even said he is not removing Mueller from the investigation. Trump is demanding his party lay down the ground cover for his pardons.
Dah.
That is funny. Scot Pruitt is paranoid.
I see it a little different. Pruitt can't believe the people he has hated all these many decades know what they know.
See, if a person actually knows little about his job and practice and simply wants to turn his cronies loose as promised, he would think his office is bugged. Scot Pruitt knows nothing about environmental protection. He assumes everyone else doesn't either. He thinks when he is attacked by the well positioned and strong environmental and conservation organizations it is because they are getting covert information.
It's like the fifth grader trying to figure out how the teacher knows the answers on the test were wrong. If the fifth-grader thinks the teacher is an equal, then how the heck does the teacher know the answers are wrong?
Saying Pruitt is paranoid, is a compliment.
I see it a little different. Pruitt can't believe the people he has hated all these many decades know what they know.
See, if a person actually knows little about his job and practice and simply wants to turn his cronies loose as promised, he would think his office is bugged. Scot Pruitt knows nothing about environmental protection. He assumes everyone else doesn't either. He thinks when he is attacked by the well positioned and strong environmental and conservation organizations it is because they are getting covert information.
It's like the fifth grader trying to figure out how the teacher knows the answers on the test were wrong. If the fifth-grader thinks the teacher is an equal, then how the heck does the teacher know the answers are wrong?
Saying Pruitt is paranoid, is a compliment.
Haley is a puppet
Haley is no different than the Cabinet and Congress; tangled in their puppet strings.
I can't believe this was even breached. There was no way any resolution escalating the tensions between Israel and Palestine was going to become an international policy. It is a darn shame, but, maybe Ambassador Haley isn't qualified for the position. Anger and fomenting hatred is not the characteristics of an ambassador.
December 19, 2017
By Noa Landau
The U.S. vetoed a UN resolution (click here) seeking to reaffirm Jerusalem's status as unresolved, after 14 UN Security Council members voted in favor of the resolution Monday, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize it as Israel’s capital.
This was the first time the United States exercised its veto power at the UN Security Council since Trump took office.
Following the vote, Haley said called the vote "an insult" and said that it won't be forgotten. She further said about the U.S. veto: “We do it with no joy, but we do it with no reluctance," and that "The United States will not be told by any country where we can put our embassy."...
As if insulting the entire United Nations over Jerusalem wasn't enough, she was screaming about the Iran Resolution as being a fraud because it didn't include a hundred different other issues.
Sorry, she just doesn't get it. Politico had a hissy fit on Obama over Hezbollah, too. Anyone know the concept of history?
By Josh Meyer
In its determination to secure a nuclear deal with Iran, (click here) the Obama administration derailed an ambitious law enforcement campaign targeting drug trafficking by the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, even as it was funneling cocaine into the United States, according to a POLITICO investigation....
When I first read, from more than one source, about Hezbollah's expansion I realized they didn't answer to Iran anymore. I had to read more than one source, because, it didn't make sense. Hezbollah has always depended on Iran for arms and direction for their militia. Hezbollah is Shi'ite and they are firmly anchored in the Crescent.
Iran no longer has influence with Hezbollah. I think it was during the Daesh attacks in the region. Syria. Hezbollah was cut off. Hezbollah was in Lebanon to protect the Alawites. Israel has very tight surveillance of the militias in the region, not just Hezbollah. Israel would bomb munition movements from Iran to Hezbollah, but, now with an international reach, Hezbollah is self-supporting.
Ambassador Haley needs to read newspapers. Not every aspect of the world comes out of Trump's mouth.
The world, she is a changing. The Lebanese army and Hezbollah. Huh? What? These organizations are pledged to hate each other. What happened? Peace? A common need to survive a hideous regime? I am impressed. Is it safe to call them brothers?
August 19, 2017
The Lebanese army (click here) launched an offensive on Saturday against an Islamic State enclave on the northeast border with Syria as the Lebanese Shi’ite group Hezbollah announced an assault on the militants from the Syrian side of the frontier.
The Lebanese army operation got underway at 5 a.m., targeting Islamic State positions near the town of Ras Baalbek with rockets, artillery and helicopters, a Lebanese security source said. The area is the last part of the Lebanese-Syrian frontier under insurgent control.
The operation by Hezbollah and the Syrian army targeted the area across the border in the western Qalamoun region of Syria.
A Hezbollah statement said the group was meeting its pledge to “remove the terrorist threat at the borders of the nation” and was fighting “side by side” with the Syrian army.
I don't believe The West knows the extent the Middle East has come together to end the violence and protect their faith. Don't get me "W"rong, I don't appreciate the militias turn drug kingpins, but, once they have their territory staked out, Mexico will finally have it's sovereignty back. The drug cartels are no match to Hezbollah.
October 1, 2017
Beirut: Lebanon’s Hezbollah (click here) accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government on Sunday of pushing the region to war in Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, and said nowhere in Israel would be safe if such a conflict were to erupt.
Tensions have risen this year between Hezbollah and Israel, which last fought a major conflict in 2006. Israel has said it would use all its strength from the start in any new war with Hezbollah.
In a speech to followers, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the Israeli government did not have “a correct assessment of where this war will lead if they ignite it”, and did not know how it would end.
“They do not have a correct picture about what is awaiting them if they go to the idiocy of this war,” Nasrallah said....'
I think I agree with Nasrahhal. The Trump administration doesn't have a clue. There has been a paradigm change. Probably a major paradigm shift. Russia probably had a hand in it. I can't say what occurred with Hezbollah is wrong. They were fighting for their lives. I congratulate the leaders in the Middle East. They did it. They found the strength within their people to fight a war that would bring about the end of the most deadly regime in centuries. I don't think any other dictator can claim the death rate of Daesh.
If Daesh brought the Middle East together and Isreal still lives by it's political hubris, that is a darn shame. Evidently, the Middle East is in step with the lives of their people and Israel let a huge paradigm shift simply slip past their intelligence. Or, at least, realized it and knew it would not promote Israel's political agenda. I am sure Israel could write a very interesting history of what occurred with Daesh. But, it won't admit it.
Look. The USA has been looking the other way with Afghanistan's Poppy Culture. EVEN TODAY, under Trump the poppies are growing like weeds. Don't start the high and mighty stuff in the United Nations. The USA Republicans are pathetic.
HELLO! HALEY! The Middle East just fought a war. You know, guns, bombs and all that stuff. There are frequently paradigm shifts after such events. It wasn't a world war, OBVIOUSLY, but, it was a darn deadly war. They worked together and saved their people. That is not a small achievement. Honestly.
I can't believe this was even breached. There was no way any resolution escalating the tensions between Israel and Palestine was going to become an international policy. It is a darn shame, but, maybe Ambassador Haley isn't qualified for the position. Anger and fomenting hatred is not the characteristics of an ambassador.
December 19, 2017
By Noa Landau
The U.S. vetoed a UN resolution (click here) seeking to reaffirm Jerusalem's status as unresolved, after 14 UN Security Council members voted in favor of the resolution Monday, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize it as Israel’s capital.
This was the first time the United States exercised its veto power at the UN Security Council since Trump took office.
Following the vote, Haley said called the vote "an insult" and said that it won't be forgotten. She further said about the U.S. veto: “We do it with no joy, but we do it with no reluctance," and that "The United States will not be told by any country where we can put our embassy."...
As if insulting the entire United Nations over Jerusalem wasn't enough, she was screaming about the Iran Resolution as being a fraud because it didn't include a hundred different other issues.
Sorry, she just doesn't get it. Politico had a hissy fit on Obama over Hezbollah, too. Anyone know the concept of history?
By Josh Meyer
In its determination to secure a nuclear deal with Iran, (click here) the Obama administration derailed an ambitious law enforcement campaign targeting drug trafficking by the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, even as it was funneling cocaine into the United States, according to a POLITICO investigation....
When I first read, from more than one source, about Hezbollah's expansion I realized they didn't answer to Iran anymore. I had to read more than one source, because, it didn't make sense. Hezbollah has always depended on Iran for arms and direction for their militia. Hezbollah is Shi'ite and they are firmly anchored in the Crescent.
Iran no longer has influence with Hezbollah. I think it was during the Daesh attacks in the region. Syria. Hezbollah was cut off. Hezbollah was in Lebanon to protect the Alawites. Israel has very tight surveillance of the militias in the region, not just Hezbollah. Israel would bomb munition movements from Iran to Hezbollah, but, now with an international reach, Hezbollah is self-supporting.
Ambassador Haley needs to read newspapers. Not every aspect of the world comes out of Trump's mouth.
The world, she is a changing. The Lebanese army and Hezbollah. Huh? What? These organizations are pledged to hate each other. What happened? Peace? A common need to survive a hideous regime? I am impressed. Is it safe to call them brothers?
August 19, 2017
The Lebanese army (click here) launched an offensive on Saturday against an Islamic State enclave on the northeast border with Syria as the Lebanese Shi’ite group Hezbollah announced an assault on the militants from the Syrian side of the frontier.
The Lebanese army operation got underway at 5 a.m., targeting Islamic State positions near the town of Ras Baalbek with rockets, artillery and helicopters, a Lebanese security source said. The area is the last part of the Lebanese-Syrian frontier under insurgent control.
The operation by Hezbollah and the Syrian army targeted the area across the border in the western Qalamoun region of Syria.
A Hezbollah statement said the group was meeting its pledge to “remove the terrorist threat at the borders of the nation” and was fighting “side by side” with the Syrian army.
I don't believe The West knows the extent the Middle East has come together to end the violence and protect their faith. Don't get me "W"rong, I don't appreciate the militias turn drug kingpins, but, once they have their territory staked out, Mexico will finally have it's sovereignty back. The drug cartels are no match to Hezbollah.
October 1, 2017
Beirut: Lebanon’s Hezbollah (click here) accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government on Sunday of pushing the region to war in Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, and said nowhere in Israel would be safe if such a conflict were to erupt.
Tensions have risen this year between Hezbollah and Israel, which last fought a major conflict in 2006. Israel has said it would use all its strength from the start in any new war with Hezbollah.
In a speech to followers, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the Israeli government did not have “a correct assessment of where this war will lead if they ignite it”, and did not know how it would end.
“They do not have a correct picture about what is awaiting them if they go to the idiocy of this war,” Nasrallah said....'
I think I agree with Nasrahhal. The Trump administration doesn't have a clue. There has been a paradigm change. Probably a major paradigm shift. Russia probably had a hand in it. I can't say what occurred with Hezbollah is wrong. They were fighting for their lives. I congratulate the leaders in the Middle East. They did it. They found the strength within their people to fight a war that would bring about the end of the most deadly regime in centuries. I don't think any other dictator can claim the death rate of Daesh.
If Daesh brought the Middle East together and Isreal still lives by it's political hubris, that is a darn shame. Evidently, the Middle East is in step with the lives of their people and Israel let a huge paradigm shift simply slip past their intelligence. Or, at least, realized it and knew it would not promote Israel's political agenda. I am sure Israel could write a very interesting history of what occurred with Daesh. But, it won't admit it.
Look. The USA has been looking the other way with Afghanistan's Poppy Culture. EVEN TODAY, under Trump the poppies are growing like weeds. Don't start the high and mighty stuff in the United Nations. The USA Republicans are pathetic.
HELLO! HALEY! The Middle East just fought a war. You know, guns, bombs and all that stuff. There are frequently paradigm shifts after such events. It wasn't a world war, OBVIOUSLY, but, it was a darn deadly war. They worked together and saved their people. That is not a small achievement. Honestly.
Republican Senators Celebrate Tax Vote (click here). Pure hubris. No substance, simply political hubris.
Now is the time to be more vigilant than ever to increases in homelessness.
May 23, 2017
By Douglas Rice
President Trump’s 2018 budget (click here) for the Department of Housing and Urban Development(HUD) proposes deep cuts in rental assistance for families and other aid for the nation’s poorest urban and rural communities, which would shrink the supply of affordable housing and increase homelessness and other hardships across the country.
Overall, the President requests $40.7 billion for HUD programs in 2018, $7.4 billion (15 percent) below what policymakers recently approved for 2017.....
It is a dangerous time for the poor, homeless, children, disabled and the elderly.
March 16, 2017
By Alastair Gee
While much of the attention (click here) given to Donald Trump’s budget proposal has focused on dramatic cuts at the Environmental Protection Agency and the state department, amid the many cuts in the plan is the elimination of the US Interagency Council on Homelessness (Usich).
In addition, Trump’s budget would cut billions of dollars of funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which helps provide low-income housing.
Diane Yentel, president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, warned in a statement that the proposal contained some of the deepest housing cuts since “President Reagan dramatically reduced funding in the early 1980s. Reagan’s deep spending cuts ushered in a new age of homelessness.”
In an interview, she said the reductions might result in 200,000 low-income people no longer receiving rental assistance, putting them at risk of losing the roofs over their heads. About 550,000 people were experiencing homelessness on one night in 2016....
It is Putin's Revenge. The Republicans proudly state their tax scam removes the federal government from the states. Well, it should be interesting to find out what Post-USA looks like when the federal government implodes of it's own budget and national debt.
Putin would love to see the fifty states floating alone. Post-Soviet Russia may come to pass with the Post-USA.
May 23, 2017
By Douglas Rice
President Trump’s 2018 budget (click here) for the Department of Housing and Urban Development(HUD) proposes deep cuts in rental assistance for families and other aid for the nation’s poorest urban and rural communities, which would shrink the supply of affordable housing and increase homelessness and other hardships across the country.
Overall, the President requests $40.7 billion for HUD programs in 2018, $7.4 billion (15 percent) below what policymakers recently approved for 2017.....
It is a dangerous time for the poor, homeless, children, disabled and the elderly.
March 16, 2017
By Alastair Gee
While much of the attention (click here) given to Donald Trump’s budget proposal has focused on dramatic cuts at the Environmental Protection Agency and the state department, amid the many cuts in the plan is the elimination of the US Interagency Council on Homelessness (Usich).
In addition, Trump’s budget would cut billions of dollars of funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which helps provide low-income housing.
Diane Yentel, president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, warned in a statement that the proposal contained some of the deepest housing cuts since “President Reagan dramatically reduced funding in the early 1980s. Reagan’s deep spending cuts ushered in a new age of homelessness.”
In an interview, she said the reductions might result in 200,000 low-income people no longer receiving rental assistance, putting them at risk of losing the roofs over their heads. About 550,000 people were experiencing homelessness on one night in 2016....
It is Putin's Revenge. The Republicans proudly state their tax scam removes the federal government from the states. Well, it should be interesting to find out what Post-USA looks like when the federal government implodes of it's own budget and national debt.
Putin would love to see the fifty states floating alone. Post-Soviet Russia may come to pass with the Post-USA.
This is the difference between a "Plutocratic Regime" and a government of, by and FOR the people.
20 December 2017
By Julian Robinson
The EU's top court (click here) has ruled Uber is a taxi service and should be regulated like a taxi company rather than an app.
Uber and the rest, including AirBNB, are devastating to any society. It CHANGES language. Uber is not a RIDE SHARING SERVICE. It is a taxi service disseminated among any person in the land. There is absolutely no quality control or accountability. Lawsuits and class action lawsuits abound in the land of Uber, but, the consumer has sacrificed a great deal, especially when it comes to consumer safety.
Uber also breaks the law and races forward taking profits from taxi services only to change when a judge finally passes a sentence.
I will never use Uber, Lyft or AirBNB. They are dangerous and counterproductive to the American economy. We have seen law enforcement haul the mentally ill and now murderers into the prison system after committing crime, compliments of Uber. Uber and the rest are a Wall Street assault against 'the commons' and places a very dangerous element among the people.
In the name of what seems like an answer to organized taxi services that may be expensive; a computer took over. It is the attack of the machines to harness whatever wealth exists among the citizens of the USA. Ready for this? North Carolina lists Uber as an antidote to unemployment. NC has put innumerable independent taxis out of business. So, while NC believes it is cutting the cost of state unemployment recommending Uber to solve all ills, it creates unemployment and bankruptcy among it's existing economy. Ever wonder why the south has such impoverishment? It is because the computer is king and people be damned.
The North Carolina legislature has to be voted out of office.
January 26, 2017
By Adi Gaskell
Oxford Martin School’s Carl Benedikt Frey (click here) burst onto the public stage back in 2013 with a paper highlighting the risks various professions faced of automation in the coming years.
He has returned this week with a new paper that is no less contentious. It examines the impact Uber has had on the income of taxi drivers in a range of U.S. cities.
Despite widespread protests against the sharing economy platform, the analysis revealed that the impact was muted. For instance, whilst it typically resulted in a fall in income of around 10% among salaried drivers, it resulted in a 50% rise in the number of self-employed drivers in a city.
The authors believe their study represents the first serious look at the impact of sharing economy platforms such as Uber on jobs.
“Uber is the flagship of the sharing economy,” Frey says. “But what our study shows is that even in one of the sharing economy’s most exposed industries, traditional jobs have not been displaced.
"The effects are complex; while some have seen a loss in income, Uber has created more jobs than it has destroyed, demonstrated by the staggering expansion of self-employment following its introduction.”...
Uber is not sharing squat. Do Uber drivers receive stipends to improve the safety of their vehicles? No. Does Uber have an allowance for depreciation so it's drivers can replace their aged vehicles? No.
The PROPER use of Uber is to sell the technologies to Taxi Services to provide an automatic link to a licensed taxi service and move transportation quicker. But, to turn a computer application loose among the people is nothing but exploitation. Uber has no costs, except, to support the app. The idea of a computer application replacing an entire aspect of an economy is nothing short of moronity.
By Julian Robinson
The EU's top court (click here) has ruled Uber is a taxi service and should be regulated like a taxi company rather than an app.
The case, heard in Luxembourg's European Court of Justice, is yet another blow for Uber, which has drawn the fury of taxi drivers and officials around the world for flouting local regulations.
But the US-based company has insisted that the ruling, issued after a case brought by a taxi drivers' association in the Spanish city of Barcelona, will not affect its UK operation.
It comes the same week as one of its drivers admitted to the murder of a British embassy worker coming home from a night out in Beirut, Lebanon....
But the US-based company has insisted that the ruling, issued after a case brought by a taxi drivers' association in the Spanish city of Barcelona, will not affect its UK operation.
It comes the same week as one of its drivers admitted to the murder of a British embassy worker coming home from a night out in Beirut, Lebanon....
Uber and the rest, including AirBNB, are devastating to any society. It CHANGES language. Uber is not a RIDE SHARING SERVICE. It is a taxi service disseminated among any person in the land. There is absolutely no quality control or accountability. Lawsuits and class action lawsuits abound in the land of Uber, but, the consumer has sacrificed a great deal, especially when it comes to consumer safety.
Uber also breaks the law and races forward taking profits from taxi services only to change when a judge finally passes a sentence.
I will never use Uber, Lyft or AirBNB. They are dangerous and counterproductive to the American economy. We have seen law enforcement haul the mentally ill and now murderers into the prison system after committing crime, compliments of Uber. Uber and the rest are a Wall Street assault against 'the commons' and places a very dangerous element among the people.
In the name of what seems like an answer to organized taxi services that may be expensive; a computer took over. It is the attack of the machines to harness whatever wealth exists among the citizens of the USA. Ready for this? North Carolina lists Uber as an antidote to unemployment. NC has put innumerable independent taxis out of business. So, while NC believes it is cutting the cost of state unemployment recommending Uber to solve all ills, it creates unemployment and bankruptcy among it's existing economy. Ever wonder why the south has such impoverishment? It is because the computer is king and people be damned.
The North Carolina legislature has to be voted out of office.
January 26, 2017
By Adi Gaskell
Oxford Martin School’s Carl Benedikt Frey (click here) burst onto the public stage back in 2013 with a paper highlighting the risks various professions faced of automation in the coming years.
He has returned this week with a new paper that is no less contentious. It examines the impact Uber has had on the income of taxi drivers in a range of U.S. cities.
Despite widespread protests against the sharing economy platform, the analysis revealed that the impact was muted. For instance, whilst it typically resulted in a fall in income of around 10% among salaried drivers, it resulted in a 50% rise in the number of self-employed drivers in a city.
The authors believe their study represents the first serious look at the impact of sharing economy platforms such as Uber on jobs.
“Uber is the flagship of the sharing economy,” Frey says. “But what our study shows is that even in one of the sharing economy’s most exposed industries, traditional jobs have not been displaced.
"The effects are complex; while some have seen a loss in income, Uber has created more jobs than it has destroyed, demonstrated by the staggering expansion of self-employment following its introduction.”...
Uber is not sharing squat. Do Uber drivers receive stipends to improve the safety of their vehicles? No. Does Uber have an allowance for depreciation so it's drivers can replace their aged vehicles? No.
The PROPER use of Uber is to sell the technologies to Taxi Services to provide an automatic link to a licensed taxi service and move transportation quicker. But, to turn a computer application loose among the people is nothing but exploitation. Uber has no costs, except, to support the app. The idea of a computer application replacing an entire aspect of an economy is nothing short of moronity.
For as long as I can remember, including childhood, I was captivated by the constellation "The Seven Sisters."
The Pleiades, (click here) also known as the Seven Sisters, is the nearest star cluster to Earth situated between 434 and 446 light years away. The cluster is the source of the names of each of the sisters in The Seven Sisters series.
There are thought to be as many as 1000 stars in the cluster, the core of which spans 8 light years in diameter. The cluster is dominated by ‘hot blue stars’ which have formed within the past 100million years and astronomers believe that the cluster will survive for another 250million years.
The Seven Sisters is a B Type star cluster. It is helium based and blue. It has a short lifetime as suns go.
Sol, our sun, is a Type G star.
...Compared (click here) to hotter and brighter OBAF type stars, G type stars radiate more light towards the infrared end of the spectrum. For G-type stars, the spectral lines are characterized by the presence of many neutral and ionized metallic lines (iron, calcium II, and sodium) and weak hydrogen lines. Main-sequence G stars have surface temperatures of 5,250 to 5,950 K and around 66 to 150 percent of Sol's luminosity. G-type dwarf stars appear to have between 0.85 to 1.1 Solar-masses, which indicates in theory that these stars may spend from 15 to as few as seven billion years in the main sequence fusing core hydrogen (more from CSIRO Australia)....
The real task of those seeking a new home planet is to find one with the characteristics of Earth. Then find a path to that planet that will not burn human beings to a crisp.
The idea human beings are becoming Martians serves what purpose? The expense in developing a life support system that will last on the Martian environment while attempting to pollute Mars with an Earth climate doesn't have an end game. There is no new permanent home for Earthlings.
Mars shares the same sun as Earth. When the light goes out on Earth, the same happens on Mars. All that adventure to Mars seems silly to me. There is no advancement of the species to survive and bring it's Noah's Arch. There needs to be a real purpose to achieving space travel and not simply 'we done it.'
The Seven Sisters is a B Type star cluster. It is helium based and blue. It has a short lifetime as suns go.
Sol, our sun, is a Type G star.
...Compared (click here) to hotter and brighter OBAF type stars, G type stars radiate more light towards the infrared end of the spectrum. For G-type stars, the spectral lines are characterized by the presence of many neutral and ionized metallic lines (iron, calcium II, and sodium) and weak hydrogen lines. Main-sequence G stars have surface temperatures of 5,250 to 5,950 K and around 66 to 150 percent of Sol's luminosity. G-type dwarf stars appear to have between 0.85 to 1.1 Solar-masses, which indicates in theory that these stars may spend from 15 to as few as seven billion years in the main sequence fusing core hydrogen (more from CSIRO Australia)....The real task of those seeking a new home planet is to find one with the characteristics of Earth. Then find a path to that planet that will not burn human beings to a crisp.
The idea human beings are becoming Martians serves what purpose? The expense in developing a life support system that will last on the Martian environment while attempting to pollute Mars with an Earth climate doesn't have an end game. There is no new permanent home for Earthlings.
Mars shares the same sun as Earth. When the light goes out on Earth, the same happens on Mars. All that adventure to Mars seems silly to me. There is no advancement of the species to survive and bring it's Noah's Arch. There needs to be a real purpose to achieving space travel and not simply 'we done it.'
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
I don't really pay close attention to the space missions. I think they are basically flawed.
The idea governments should be looking for another place for human beings to migrate is interesting, but, places like Mars is nonsense. By the time humans are able to migrate to deep space, the mission is obsolete. If humans migrate into deep space it should be to a younger galaxy where there is promise of a planet similar to Earth. Why is simply 'making it to Mars' such a great idea?
I was impressed by "SpaceX" and it's recycled space machines. Interesting. Nothing deteriorates in space.
But, when I was looking through old files I ran across a supposed puzzle about the six-sided ocean found by Cassini.
September 15, 2017
By Brian Resnick
...The probe (click here) finally saw what was at the center of the hexagon: a hurricane very much similar to the Earth’s, but with an eye about 50 times wider than your average storm. It even found a second hurricane-like vortex swirling closer to the edge of the jet stream. Researchers later figured out that Saturn’s distance from the Sun and its atmospheric composition allow jet streams to form in geometric shapes, but the hexagon is still somewhat of a mystery: it’s unclear why the south pole doesn’t have a hexagon either, or what allows the jet stream to last so long....
To begin with there is an organic chemical structure on Earth called a benzene ring; C6H6. Why wouldn't a circulating mass of benzene look like it's innate shape? But, beyond that what NASA needs is a hydrologist specialized in river processes. Everyone knows that when a river of water hits the bank of a river, it turns.
The image to the right shows exactly what happens with water flowing in a river. The primary flow runs into a river bank and it is deflected.
In the case of the hexagon ocean seen by Cassini, the area is lighter in viscosity than the next area at lower latitudes. The flow of the hexagon is easily realized in the color enhanced picture.
The image below shows a gradually rounded edge to the hexagon. Those are inflexions from a denser molecular that surrounds the hexagon ocean. I am sure NASA already knows the chemical composition of the variety of latitudes of composition.
Just as a note to probabilities, C6H6 is a carbon-hydrogen structure. It fits with methane found within the flight of Cassini. The figure above shows a double bonded benzene ring with a resonating second bond. That resonating bond would provide enough molecular energy to translate into movement of a fluid in a void, especially if it was trapped by a more viscous layer of the celestial body.
There are only a limited number of naturally occurring elements in the Milky Way. That may be different with other galaxies, but, with suns similar to Sol, that is not likely. NASA is looking for suns similar to Sol, right? For human life to survive. I don't know if galaxies very different from Sol will provide a strategy for life.
The trite phrase "the 92 naturally-occurring chemical elements" is often seen, but is incorrect. (click here) There are only 88 naturally-occurring chemical elements. The elements 43, 61, 85 and 87 have no stable isotopes, and none of long half-life, so they are not naturally present. Small amounts are made in nuclear reactions induced by cosmic rays and nuclear tests, but these soon disappear. If you protest that these should be included, then so should Np and Pu, which are produced by the absorption of neutrons arising from spontaneous fission of uranium and thorium, and then there would be 94 naturally-occurring elements. If you wait long enough, there will only be 81 naturally-occurring elements, since everything beyond lead has only unstable isotopes, though some are of very long half-life, and have survived since the beginning, fathering their radioactive series. Any way you look at it, there are not just 92 naturally-occurring chemical elements.
Realizing there are a limited number of elements in nature, the idea there can be a large variety of sources of movement spawned by molecular spin is not realistic. As a matter of fact, finding a place for human life can be limited by those factors alone.
Earth is located at a distance from the center of it's universe. That is probably important for Sol's existence and it's habitable zone. Getting too close to the center of the universe will prove far too hostile to any possible habitable zone.
This was fun.
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas.
I was impressed by "SpaceX" and it's recycled space machines. Interesting. Nothing deteriorates in space.
But, when I was looking through old files I ran across a supposed puzzle about the six-sided ocean found by Cassini.
By Brian Resnick
...The probe (click here) finally saw what was at the center of the hexagon: a hurricane very much similar to the Earth’s, but with an eye about 50 times wider than your average storm. It even found a second hurricane-like vortex swirling closer to the edge of the jet stream. Researchers later figured out that Saturn’s distance from the Sun and its atmospheric composition allow jet streams to form in geometric shapes, but the hexagon is still somewhat of a mystery: it’s unclear why the south pole doesn’t have a hexagon either, or what allows the jet stream to last so long....
To begin with there is an organic chemical structure on Earth called a benzene ring; C6H6. Why wouldn't a circulating mass of benzene look like it's innate shape? But, beyond that what NASA needs is a hydrologist specialized in river processes. Everyone knows that when a river of water hits the bank of a river, it turns.
In the case of the hexagon ocean seen by Cassini, the area is lighter in viscosity than the next area at lower latitudes. The flow of the hexagon is easily realized in the color enhanced picture.
The image below shows a gradually rounded edge to the hexagon. Those are inflexions from a denser molecular that surrounds the hexagon ocean. I am sure NASA already knows the chemical composition of the variety of latitudes of composition.
Just as a note to probabilities, C6H6 is a carbon-hydrogen structure. It fits with methane found within the flight of Cassini. The figure above shows a double bonded benzene ring with a resonating second bond. That resonating bond would provide enough molecular energy to translate into movement of a fluid in a void, especially if it was trapped by a more viscous layer of the celestial body.
There are only a limited number of naturally occurring elements in the Milky Way. That may be different with other galaxies, but, with suns similar to Sol, that is not likely. NASA is looking for suns similar to Sol, right? For human life to survive. I don't know if galaxies very different from Sol will provide a strategy for life.
The trite phrase "the 92 naturally-occurring chemical elements" is often seen, but is incorrect. (click here) There are only 88 naturally-occurring chemical elements. The elements 43, 61, 85 and 87 have no stable isotopes, and none of long half-life, so they are not naturally present. Small amounts are made in nuclear reactions induced by cosmic rays and nuclear tests, but these soon disappear. If you protest that these should be included, then so should Np and Pu, which are produced by the absorption of neutrons arising from spontaneous fission of uranium and thorium, and then there would be 94 naturally-occurring elements. If you wait long enough, there will only be 81 naturally-occurring elements, since everything beyond lead has only unstable isotopes, though some are of very long half-life, and have survived since the beginning, fathering their radioactive series. Any way you look at it, there are not just 92 naturally-occurring chemical elements.
Realizing there are a limited number of elements in nature, the idea there can be a large variety of sources of movement spawned by molecular spin is not realistic. As a matter of fact, finding a place for human life can be limited by those factors alone.
Earth is located at a distance from the center of it's universe. That is probably important for Sol's existence and it's habitable zone. Getting too close to the center of the universe will prove far too hostile to any possible habitable zone.
This was fun.
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas.
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