Thursday, November 20, 2008

61 Day Until Inauguration - Terrorist Networks Harness the High Seas

Somali pirates seize ninth vessel in 12 days (click title to entery - thank you)
November 20, 2008
Catherine Philp, Diplomatic Correspondent
The battle with pirates operating off the coast of Somalia grew yesterday when raiders seized two more ships but lost one of their own in an uneven firefight with the Indian Navy. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) described the situation yesterday as “out of control”.
The surge in hijackings came as Saudi Arabia confirmed that a ransom demand had been made for the freeing of the Sirius Star supertanker, seized at the weekend with her crew of 25 and a cargo of oil worth $100 million (£65 million).
Two more vessels – a Thai fishing boat with a crew of 16, and a bulk carrier, believed to be Greek, with an unknown number of people aboard – were seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden yesterday, bringing the total to nine vessels in 12 days....


UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the decision of India
and other countries to cooperate with Somalia to fight piracy in
its waters, an issue that has gained immediacy with Somali sea bandits attempting 95 hijackings this year alone....


The terrorist networks have their own supply routes. They are well established and can strike whenever they want. The Gulf of Aden belongs to the Pirate - Terrorists. This is a sovereignty issue for all the countries in the region.


The problem is that three countries along the Gulf of Aden are dominated by the ravages of terrorist networks, the Sudan, Somalia and Yemen. What needs to occur is that all other countries accessing this shipping channel need to provide their own 'armed escort fleet' for safer shipping.


Maritime Courts have to be bolstered and the United Nations Security Council has to aggressively address the issue of piracy as a method of advancing terrorist networks which threaten national security of most nations in the region and potentially a global security issue as these networks take over more and more countries. They already have three, not including Pakistan and Afghanistan.



The world's media continues to follow the long-running piracy problems in the Gulf of Aden, with interest stimulated by last week's fatal shootings by Royal Marines off the Yemeni coast and the reported sinking of a buccaneer "mothership" by the Indian Navy yesterday evening. Meanwhile, other seaborne raiders in the region successfully hijacked five merchantmen including a 300,000-ton supertanker loaded with crude oil....


The USA's response is pathetic. Bush is everyone's cheerleader !

US Navy to Global Community, "Go Get 'Em, Team. Sorry, but, we are busy testing sonar and blowing whales out of the water."

U.S. Urges Merchant Ships to Try Steps to Foil Pirates (click here)
By THOM SHANKER
Published: November 19, 2008
WASHINGTON — The commander of American and allied naval forces off the coast of Somalia has begun efforts to halt a spike in piracy, urging merchant vessels to sail with armed guards on board and to travel only within lanes now patrolled by warships.
The commander, Vice Adm. William E. Gortney of the United States Navy, said crews of merchant ships were being taught measures that did not involve the use of force to prevent pirates from boarding their vessels.
The techniques include complicated rudder movements and speed adjustments that make it hard for pirate speedboats to pull alongside, as well as simple steps like pulling up ladders that some ships leave dangling for an entire voyage....
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The Beauty of our Alaskan Wilderness - The Native Americans and their Whale Hunting Culture.

A whale bone outside an Alaskan village.

Photos by The New York Times
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The Beauty of our Alaskan Wilderness - The Aurora borealis, once abused as a reason to dispell Human Induced Global Warming.


Pictures from the New York Times
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Bush took his eye off the ball and now we are fighting with each other rather than fighting terrorist networks. It makes them stronger and us weaker.

KNOCK IT OFF !!!!

The sovereignty issue regarding the Arctic Ocean is in regards to who gets to protect it since we are all going to be signators of The Kyoto Protocol.

It isn't about oil.

Its about saving the planet and humanity now in a void of dangerous proportion. The lack of participation by the USA in Kyoto has opened a void not easily breeched. That void will close and the 'safe keeping' of the land of the Polar Bear, Caribou (click here) and dense, flourishing fisheries will become the focus to all that is possible in returning an intact ICE CAP. We need the Arctic Ocean's cooling ability for habitable continents.

There is no war over drilling rights. That's nonsense and the next USA administation will have to address that in a Summit Agreement between all the countries involved.

...The progressive summertime opening of the Arctic (click here) has intensified a longstanding international tug of war over shipping routes and possible oil and gas deposits beneath the Arctic Ocean seabed. Last week, Russians planted a flag on the seabed at the North Pole. On Wednesday, Stephen Harper, the Canadian prime minister, began a tour of Canada’s Arctic holdings, pledging “to vigorously protect our Arctic sovereignty as international interest in the region increases.”...



...In recent months, a Cold War-style game of imperial conquest (click here) has developed beneath the ice of the Arctic Ocean and the Northwest Passage, a submarine-driven dispute involving the United States, Norway, Denmark and especially Canada and Russia. Mr. Harper used this week's Throne Speech to signal the federal government was stepping up its presence in the Far North, pledging a bold and expensive military campaign to assert sovereignty over territory claimed by Canada, and areas of the Arctic that are still in dispute....



Moscow Asks to Stop Arctic War Intimidations (click title to entry, thank you)
Wednesday, October 22, 2008 7:15 PM
(Source: Daily News Bulletin; Moscow - English) MOSCOW. Oct 22 (Interfax) - The talk about a possible military conflict for Arctic resources is baseless, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"Many alarmist assessments reach almost as far as the World War III in the struggle for Arctic resources. In our view, such assessments are excessive and sometimes provocative," Russian Foreign Ministry's special envoy Anton Vasilyev told a press conference in Moscow on Wednesday.
The region's problem will be solved on the basis of international law, in particular, Russia is currently preparing an application to expand the external borders of its continental shelf, said the Russian diplomat, but did not name the exact date of filing this application.
Even if Russia is allowed to expand the borders of its continental shelf, it will not mean that Russia will have total sovereignty over this entire zone.
"Article 76 of the International Convention on the Law of the Sea only stipulates the sovereignty to explore the seabed and mineral resources and the exclusive right to use the seabed and mineral resources. Pipes, cables can be built over this territory no problem, without a permit of respective nations, this zone is open to navigation," Vasilyev said.
The same applies to the fishing resources, he said.
"The state does not acquire any additional rights of control over the fishing resources," he said.
(c) 2008 Daily News Bulletin; Moscow - English. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
A service of YellowBrix, Inc.
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Australia's wheat harvest stalled by wet weather



This is the Australian Satellite now. The Queensland storms are directly connected to a peripheral reaching Antarctica vortex. The Antarctica Vortex actually envelopes the entire continent as it reaches the Equator in a 'heat transfer system' that has removed the frigid air from above the 3 mile high blue ice.
In the image above the peripheral dynamics coalesced at the southern tip of Australia, but, reaches to the Equator as noted in the satellite image at the bottom of this entry.
The Australian continent landmass, hot and dry, interrupted the peripheral dynamics and divided the 'air mass' into east and west wind tunnels. The reason Queensland is getting the worst of it, is because, its air circulation is more 'torturous' as it moves across a longer shoreline. It is that shoreline that is receiving a battering.



Posted 1 hour 46 minutes ago (Time is now 6:52 AM EDT on November 20, 2008)
The clean-up bill following the floods and storms is tipped to go into the hundreds of millions of dollars. (ABC Online: Ben Atherton)
Video: More storms forecast as clean-up bill mounts (ABC News)
Audio: Storms still wreaking havoc in Brisbane (PM)
Audio: Wild storms flattening NSW, Qld crops (PM)
Map: Brisbane 4000
Related Story: Rain sparks calls for Qld to quit recycling plans
Related Story: Parents praise ambulance after baby delivered during flood
Related Story: More severe SE Qld weather likely this summer: expert
Related Link: SE Qld flooding photo gallery
Authorities are worried that emergency workers will be exhausted if more severe storms hit Queensland's south-east.
The Bureau of Meteorology says a band of violent storms has swept through north-eastern New South Wales and is heading for south-east Queensland.
Wind gusts of up to 82 kilometres per hour were recorded at Cape Byron, while Coolangatta has been battered by winds of up to 86 kilometres per hour.
The weather bureau warned at 6:55pm (AEST), severe thunderstorms were detected on weather radar near Coolangatta, Cleveland, Manly and Wynnum.
"These thunderstorms are moving towards the east. They are forecast to affect Dunwich, Peel Island, southern waters of Moreton Bay and Amity Point by 7:25pm and Point Lookout and waters off North Stradbroke Island by 7:55pm," it said in a statement.
Damaging winds, large hailstones, very heavy rainfall and flash flooding are likely, it said.
A wind gust of 95 km/h was recorded in Toowoomba, while hailstones measuring 2 to 3cm has been reported in the Brisbane area.
Fifty-two millimetres of rain fell in 25 minutes at Wonglepong.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh today inspected floods after the second extreme weather event in a week, and she says hundreds of exhausted personnel are working or standing by for the next challenge.
"The issue now for emergency service workers and the Australian Defence Force is managing their resources, including fatigue," she said.
"For those of us who've waited a long time to see rain it's coming far too hard and far too often."
Ms Bligh thought Brisbane was just starting to recover from Sunday night's storm.
"We thought we'd broken the back of it last night," she said.
"Overnight we say new challenges, we've got more rain on the way tonight and we know we have severe storms coming on Saturday."
Ms Bligh says 100 homes and businesses have been affected by last night's flooding around Ipswich, and Lockyer Valley fields are sodden.
State Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg says the scale of the disaster is enormous and he has praised the clean-up effort.
Mr Springborg says it is too soon to say whether anything more could have been done to help affected residents.
"The real hope that I have is if there are recommendations made, that certainly we do learn from them and improvements are made in the future," he said.
"I think generally it's gone quite well and what we need to consider is whilst there may be some criticism or concern, there are a lot of people who've had very good response right from the start."
Brisbane's inner-city bypass is still flooded, so tolls have been waived this evening on the Gateway Bridge.
Another northside Brisbane storm centre has been set up at Keperra. There will be one at Ipswich and another is planned for Deception Bay.
Lindsay Ruggieri is one of those trapped in the township of Rosewood, west of Ipswich.
"I've got a set-up under the house with a couch and stereo unit and my laundry's under there," he said.
"It was above my knees under water and just it's still sitting in water - it hasn't gone away."
Storm warnings
Boat owners are also being urged to ensure their vessels are securely moored.
Police say several broke free last night and could cause problems with more storms predicted for this evening.
Boat owners are asked to take extra care with high levels of debris in the Brisbane River as well as water levels continually rising and falling.
The chaotic weather has prompted the Brisbane City Council to cancel all high-speed ferry services tonight.
The move has been prompted by concerns about fast flows in the river, as well as floating debris.
The last service will be at 6:00pm AEST and the situation will be reassessed in the morning.
Meanwhile the Royal Life Saving Society of Queensland is urging motorists not to drive on flooded roads.
Director Michael Darben says when roads are covered in water it can be difficult to tell what condition they are in.
"Particularly when it's dark, it's cloudy, there's not much light, and when the roads may have been washed away, there's the potential that that car could get bogged or stuck in the area as the water rises," he said.
The Water Commission says south-east residents can use water to clean up after storm damage without breaching the region's restrictions.
Gerald Tooth says the guidelines allow for "reasonable" water use to prevent any health and safety hazards.
Power out
Forty thousand homes across the region have been blacked out.
Energex says there have been 3,000 lightning strikes on the power network in the past two hours.
Supplies have been cut across a wide area including parts of Caboolture, the Gold Coast, Logan, Beenleigh, Ashgrove, Bardon, Paddington and Red Hill.
Energex says suburbs which lost power on Sunday have also suffered again tonight.
More than 7,000 customers are without power in the Borders Region and on the Darling Downs after an electrical storm swept through about 4:00pm AEST.
Ergon Energy says customers in Warwick, Stanthorpe and in the north-west suburbs of Toowoomba are affected.
Crews are working to restore power.





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