The next incremental step in the Climate Crisis is 'A vortex in redundancy.'

December 31, 2010
0330.15z
UNISYS Water Vapor Hemispheric Satellite

I hesitate to use the word 'with redundancy' so much as 'in redundancy' because these is actually ONE FRONT with two vortex occurrences divided by a brief 'high pressure' between them.

Within the 12 hour loop is a clue about the dynamics that might mask the final volatile outcomes of this NEW system dynamic that may have confused meterologists and meterological equipment including tornado sirens.

The 'air pressure' involved with this dynamic appears to be irregular in its presentation and there are drastic changes along a single 'vortex front' within short periods of time.

In the 12 hour loop at the title to this entry it is noted at 0330.15z there is a vortex over the central USA.  Immediately behind it is a clear and strong high pressure 'canyon' (if you will.).  Immediately behind that 'canyon' of high pressure is a 'developing' vortex 'hidden' within the dynamics of the quickly changing front.

As time passes the 'high pressure' canyon begins to dissipate the first 'front boundary' only to reveal a 'developing' front boundary with more unstable air than the first because it is in oscillation with the primary front boundary.

The 'thing' is this.  When vortexes are 'developing' there are huge unstable dynamics that act in oscillation to achieve 'formation.'  Not so much stability as one might traditionally think of it as stabiliy, but, more a 'formation' of air that is manifested in a discernable system.  No different than the tornadoes at the periphery of hurricane low pressure systems, these vortexes will achieve some very funky dynamics that defy traditional definations and terminology.

The dynamics of these vortexes have not ceased since they first appeared on October 4, 2002.  They have only 'increased' in dynamics, both 'number' and 'velocity.'  As the Earth sustains these high heat indexes, the 'ocean of air' will expand and several dynamics change.  The 'molecular mass' of air isn't the issue, it is consistent, however, the 'space' that air demands when it expands under a 'heat dynamic' will result in 'air piling up' while attempting to find 'formation' that will allow 'heat relief.'  These vortexes are the manifestation of expanded 'space demands' with higher energy gradiants.

 

I am not surprised Earth is now showing 'vortexes in redundancy' as its next measure of 'formation.'  Each hemisphere has seen vortexes 'at maximum' and what then is to follow?  Literally, a 'piling on' of the same dynamics in redundancy.   This makes a great deal of sense to me.  There are limited options for air movement on Earth.  Then all those options are at maximum capacity the next dynamic is redundancy. 

This is a matter of examing the air pressure dynamics of THIS system to realize how and IF it can be predicted.  It seems to me it can be predicted as it was 12 hours of turbulence that manifested in the tornado.  These dynamics can become very 'tight' in analysis as time goes on and increased redundancy is realized.

Good luck.

CINCINNATI, Ark. (AP) (click here) — Three people have died after a tornado slammed into a tiny town in northwest Arkansas near the Oklahoma state line early Friday, authorities said.

The tornado hit Cincinnati sometime between 6 a.m. and 6:10 a.m., said Joe Sellers, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Tulsa, Okla.

The storm killed three people and caused "lots of injuries" in Cincinnati, about 20 miles west of Fayetteville, Washington County Sheriff's Office dispatcher Josh Howerton said. He said the tornado caused damage in downtown Cincinatti along State Highway 59 and through most of the western portion of Washington County.

The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management confirmed that three people died in the tornado, and said property has been damaged and power is out throughout Washington County....

Rahm is that you? The Chicago Mayoral race is his to lose by the way. He needs to make no major mistakes, like not visiting disabled children.

The earthquake in Indiana is fairly significant, actually.

It is a quake of 'The North American Craton."

It is also considered by USGS to be a 'felt quake.'

The craton of the North American plate IS the 'continent.'  Without it the plate would be a random amount of terra firma and water.  The craton is composed of very, very stable geological rock.
When an earthquake occurs on or better put, within the craton it is transmitted far distances and can do damage hundreds of milies away.  See, where the equake is 'felt' is sometimes where the damage occurs RATHER THAN the epicenter which can be very deep.  The 'felt' quake is more the worry when these episodes exist in the craton than where the epicenter is.

Earthquake Hits Central Indiana (click title to entry - thank you)

Last Updated: December 30, 2010 9:37:32 am

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - A magnitude 4.2 earthquake hit about 15 miles south of Kokomo, Indiana Thursday morning. 

The quake was about 50 miles north of Indianapolis.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was three miles deep and hit at 7:55 a.m. Eastern time. 

The USGS website has data showing the quake was felt in the western suburbs of Chicago, as far north as Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor, Michigan and also felt in central Ohio....

So, the future mayor of Chicago might want to check with emergency services and find out if he needs to visit any of the 'felt zone' for cracks, gas leaks, injuries at the hospital with people that have no clue what occurred to them, etc.

This might help from the USGS, then again, maybe not.  The USGS works on 'their summary' from its beginning to the completed documented event with 'on the ground' and 'seismic' investigation.  The 'study' of any quake isn't ignored after it is reported.  That is true of hurricanes and volcanoes and other threats to human life.  So, this is THE BEGINNING of the report on this quake, not the 'final' report.  Knowledge also 'goes forward' as information presents itself.  So the completion of this 'file' may receive information for decades or as technology changes, for centuries and beyond.  It is important work that the USGS, NASA and NOAA do, beyond the 'simple reporting' (sorry if that sounds like a put down, it isn't, they consider the 'reporting' to have high priority) of an event and its initial economic impact.

Tectonic Summary

EARTHQUAKES IN THE STABLE CONTINENTAL REGION

...However, (click here) most of the enormous region from the Rockies to the Atlantic can go years without an earthquake large enough to be felt, and several U.S. states have never reported a damaging earthquake. The earthquakes that do occur strike anywhere at irregular intervals....

One thing that the 'agencies' at any level have to remember is that the gas industry has been turned loose in the USA to disrupt very stable geological rock for the sake of petroleum industry profits.  CEO's are scared to death of losing a 'cent' of income, you know?

It is why the Republicans always want to shut down the government rather than giving the American people knowledge of their lives and how to avoid living on a 'gas land mine.'

Alassane Ouattara of the Ivory Coast won the election, but, his opposition is attempting a coup for whatever reason exists.

The election commission said Alassane Ouattara had won 54% of the vote.

This is somewhat indicative of African elections in general.  They are very bad losers.  There is sometimes riots and deaths following elections.  The problem this time is that the Ivory Coast is boarding on genocide.

Ivory Coast's (click title to entry - thank you) electoral commission has said opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara has won the presidential run-off but the Constitutional Court has contested the announcement.

The BBC's John James in the main city Abidjan says there will now be a tug of war between the two bodies with the outcome unclear.

Supporters of President Laurent Gbagbo had tried to block the result, saying there had been fraud in the north.

Former rebels control this area.

It is also where Mr Ouattara is most popular.

The election is intended to reunify the world's largest cocoa producer....

American's unconcerned with the genocidal outcome might want to stock up on "Nestle's Quik."

Ivory Coast's newly appointed ambassador (click here) to the UN has warned the country is "on the brink of genocide".

Youssoufou Bamba said there had been large scale violation of human rights as a result of the ongoing political unrest.
Laurent Gbagbo is refusing to step down despite his rival, Alassane Ouattara, being internationally accepted as the presidential election winner.
The UN has accused state media of inciting hatred against it.
Mr Gbagbo has said Mr Ouattara's victory in November was illegitimate. Both men have been sworn in as president....

When one is looking to understand the political dynamics of Africa, the word 'rebel' doesn't necessarily mean a 'soured' political movement.

UN accuses Ivory Coast TV of inciting hatred - Video (click here)

30/12 00:35 CET

...The accusations were levelled by the UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy who blamed an attack on a UN convoy, in which a soldier was injured with a machete, on the broadcaster:...

Once hailed as a model of stability, (click here) Ivory Coast has slipped into the kind of internal strife that has plagued many African countries.
An armed rebellion in 2002 split the nation in two. Since then, peace deals have alternated with renewed violence as the country has slowly edged its way towards a political resolution of the conflict....

One thing that is to be remembered is that poverty is a terrorist breeding ground.  Terrorists love instability and chaos.  So, with Somalia on the other coast there is some concern at all times that any instability in Africa or anywhere else in the world will result in escalations of terrorism threats globally.  I do not believe that is the concern here, but, it always has that potential.

Ivorian refugees flood into Liberian border towns (click here)

Thu Dec 30, 2010 11:02am GMT
...But the refugees arriving in the hundreds each day say many are sleeping in the open and have little to eat.
"We are appealing to the international community to help us with food and shelter," said Mcgbein Sammie Atu, appointed spokesman for the refugees in Old Luguatuo. "We have no food. How do you expect us to live?"
Laurent Gbagbo has refused to give in to international pressure to step down after last month's election in Ivory Coast despite provisional results showing his rival Alassane Ouattara with an eight percentage-point win....

Dec 30, 2010 - 11:39  

Red Cross launches Ivory Coast appeal  (click here)

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is calling for SFr1.35 million ($1.39 million) to help people fleeing Ivory Coast.

On the IFRC website, the Geneva-based federation said the money would go to the Red Cross National Societies of the countries neighbouring Ivory Coast where the refugees are fleeing amid political upheaval.

“Over 15,100 people, mostly women and children, are believed to have fled the country, the vast majority having left for the eastern part of Liberia,” said Aïta Sarr from the IFRC’s regional office in Dakar, Senegal.

“Given the continued political crisis, an influx of people is also possible in other countries bordering [Ivory Coast], such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Ghana,” she added.

The IFRC said the funds raised from the appeal would be used to provide immediate assistance to people who have fled their country, and to scale up relief efforts of the Red Cross in neighbouring nations so that 45,000 people can be assisted for a period of six months.

swissinfo.ch

...According to the election (click here) commission on Thursday, presidential challenger Alassane Ouattara won the vote. His supporters have warned of a possible return to civil war should that result be invalidated.
But that is exactly what has happened after the Constituational Council, headed by a staunch Gbagbo ally, cancelled votes from four regions in Ouattara’s rebel-held northern stronghold....

The Ivory Coast is being held hostage to a power broker.  Gbagbo needs to LEAVE.  If he is worried for his life without an armed escort then he needs to be provided one while he leaves the office and potentially the country if that is his wish.

Alassane Ouattara, (click here) a former prime minister, banker and leader of the opposition, has been recognized as the winner of November’s election by the United Nations, the African Union, the United States and the European Union. The incumbent president, Laurent Gbagbo, 65, a leftist university professor-turned-populist strongman whose term ended in 2005, has resisted repeated calls for him to cede the office, clinging to power amid rebellion in the north and disputes among the country’s top political leaders
The country’s top elections officer proclaimed Mr. Ouattara the winner on Dec. 2, by a nearly nine-point margin. Only a day later, the head of the Constitutional Council, who is a close ally of the president, threw out vote totals from parts of the north — the stronghold of Mr. Ouattara — because of what he called “flagrant irregularities,” leading both men to claim the presidency....

Economically, the Ivory Coast is an example of what is "W"rong with Africa in general.  There is primarily subsistence farming for the majority of the country, while there are large plantation farms held by a few.  It depends on its natural resources for its domestic needs while using a small amount for international trade.  It's principal exports cocoa, coffee, and timber; other exports cotton, sugar, rubber, palm oil, and pineapples.  What little income the average citizen has pays for all else in the way of necessities.  There is no significant employment and tourism is not exploited either.  With civil unrest and war there is far lesser opportunity to turn the country toward tourism.

Ivory Coast Travel Doc Part 01  (click here)

Barrington Hall Yacht Charters (click here)

Tour Information:

Offers yacht charters worldwide, on power yachts, sailing yachts and catamarans.

ORIGIN: United States

DESTINATIONS: Australia, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dubai, Fiji, France, Galapagos Islands, Greece, Grenada, Italy, Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire), Madagascar, Maldives, Martinique, Mauritius, Monaco, Montserrat, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Turks and Caicos Islands

LANGUAGES OFFERED: English

Antarctica

There just isn't that much 'cold' in Antarctica.

Vostok is only (- 18) Fahrenheit.

There is very little air turbulence in the vortex of Antarctica.  The heat is coming off the Equator and just sitting there and exchanging heat with the ice.

The surface wind below reflects the lack of movement in the upper troposphere.  Except for the Peninsula it is fairly quite.

Australia show an extremely hot summer.

C-17 serves as a bridge, navigates unpredictable weather in Antarctica (click title to entry - thank you)
Posted 12/28/2010   Updated 12/28/2010

by Master Sgt. Lee Hoover
Air Force Public Affairs
12/28/2010 - CHRISTCHURCH, New Zeland (AFNS)  -- An Air Force Reserve C-17 Globemaster III from the 728th Airlift Squadron out of McChord Air Force Base, Wash., is supporting Operation Deep Freeze by serving as a bridge for cargo and personnel moving between Christchurch, New Zealand, and McMurdo Air Station, Antarctica.

The C-17 and its aircrew perform three to four round trips per week between the two locations. During each flight, the crew must navigate through difficult weather before landing on an ice runway at McMurdo.

"This is probably the most dangerous peace time mission that we do" said Maj. Casey Guerrero, a C-17 pilot who has flown to Antarctica eleven times, "It's just that the weather changes so rapidly in Antarctica."

The ice cold and unpredictable weather is the biggest concern during the flights to Antarctica. The crew takes a number of precautions to ensure the aircraft is serviceable in the austere conditions. They turn on the hydraulic pumps early to make sure the fluid is at a proper temperature, and they cycle the flight controls while the aircraft is on the ground to ensure they stay above forty-five degrees.

Another major concern is the lack of places to land on the route to McMurdo.

"There is nothing between Christchurch and Antarctica" Major Guerrero said, "so we have to watch our cold weather procedures, and if we have any kind of emergency we have to fuel-plan correctly so we can make it back to Christchurch."

The crew has a predetermined point of safe return during each flight. At this point they check the weather and determine whether to press forward or turn back and return to Christchurch. Although the weather in Antarctica might be good for landing when the C-17 takes off from Christchurch, the rapidly changing weather has forced the crew to turn back a number of times.

"It all depends on the weather," Major Guerrero said. "It's luck, nothing we can control." The flights are a part of Operation Deep Freeze, an annual operation that supports the

U.S. Antarctic Program and the National Science Foundation's research at sites throughout the Antarctic continent. The Joint Task Force - Support Forces Antarctica operation is led by 13th Air Force and includes strategic inter-theater airlift, tactical deep-field support, aeromedical-evacuation support, search and rescue response, sealift, seaport access, bulk fuel supply, port cargo handling and transportation requirements.

This was New Zealand on the 28th. Very high winds and dangerous conditions.

Heavy rain has flooded rivers coming off Mt Taranaki today. Photo / NZPA

1:52 PM Tuesday Dec 28, 2010

Motorists are being warned (click title to entry - thank you) to drive to the conditions as heavy rain and strong winds lash New Zealand today, bringing down trees and powerlines.
A strong-wind warning was earlier today issued for Marlborough - excluding the Sounds - Wellington, Wairarapa, the central and lower North Island, Gisborne and Hawke's Bay.
WeatherWatch.co.nz reported stunning hurricane force winds gusting over 172kmh on Mt Kaukau in Wellington.
Gusts reaching 120kmh were also recorded at Wellington Airport.
State Highway two at Rimutaka Hill has been closed due to the high winds, although the gusts are now easing.
Head weather analyst Philip Duncan said the winds could make driving dangerous for some drivers in exposed areas dangerous.
"Vans, caravans, motorbikes and trucks will be worst affected by these winds across Wellington and Wairarapa. We advise extreme caution and recommend waiting until later in the day to drive in the two regions."
Gisborne, Hawkes Bay and the Wairarapa could expect gusts of up to 130km/h and other areas gusts of up to 120km/h.,,,

Australian floods force mass evacuations in Queensland

Qld's 'heartbreaking' floods worst ever (Sidney Morning Herald)

A flooded area in Chinchilla, Queensland, Australia, yesterday. Wild weather continues to cause havoc across the region. Photograph: Jono Searle/APThe Irish Times Thursday, December 30, 2010THE WORST flooding (click here) seen in decades has led to about 1,000 people in Queensland, Australia, being evacuated from their homes, including the entire population of the town of Theodore.
Queensland’s state government has declared Theodore and two other towns disaster zones, as wild weather continues to cause havoc and massive economic damage across the region.
Australian defence forces Black Hawk helicopters were used to evacuate Theodore’s 300 residents. Every building in the town, apart from the police station, was flooded.
State premier Anna Bligh cut short her Christmas holiday to launch a national appeal to help flood victims after visiting affected areas yesterday. Her government and the federal government have each donated A$1 million (€760,000) to the fund....

 

Flooding could last 'weeks, not days' (click here)

Marissa Calligeros

December 29, 2010

...Emergency Management Queensland acting chief officer Bruce Grady said Theodore residents staying in an evacuation centre at a nearby mining camp in Moura may not be able to return home for more than a week.
‘‘The evacuation of an entire town is unprecedented in Queensland,’’ he said.
‘‘These floodwaters are likely to remain high for a long period of time.
‘‘In some cases that might be measured in weeks, rather than days.
‘‘Patience is the key here. Those waters will go down when nature [chooses], not when we want them to.
‘‘If residents have moved out of their property, it may be some time before they can move back in.’’
Holiday travellers were warned they could remain stranded for several more days as the majority of major highways across the state remain cut, while some, including the bridge into Warwick, south-west of Brisbane, have been ripped up by water....

They should be so lucky in Antarctica. Maybe that third term wasn't such a good idea after all.

December 28, 2010
New York City
Photographer states:  "Day 3 and counting" and the words below.

The snow came Sunday, it’s now Tuesday, and still no plows. One *did* come by sometime late Sunday, but acto a neighbor, it was a private plow, like a regular pickup-truck with a plowblade in front, *not* the usual city-run plows/salters. I wasn’t there, but I’ll take her word for it.

I built something of a “snow fort” around my car (left foreground), so that in case — B’harni willing — a plow *would* come ever by before the spring thaw, I wouldn't end up with a 6ft-high wall of compacted snow pushed up against it. Bad enough my “fort” is about the height of the car’s roofline as it is…

Where I’m standing, and the street in general, is about 8in-high packed snow with some loose snow thrown on top of it, as I found out digging around my car.

So while Mayor Nero fiddles (that's *YOU*, Bloomberg) clearing Times Square for the riff-raff that comes around New Year’s Eve, all the outer-boroughs can apparently all just go to Hell.

Well, at least there the snow will eventually melt off.

Hey, Bloomers! We’ll remember that, come next election. Then-mayor Lindsey got ousted for *his* non-performance during the blizzard way back when; you’re next.

Mayor Bloomberg on the ropes: Seven ways the blizzard still lingers  (click title to entry - thank you)

7. Two political losers: Chris Christie and Michael Bloomberg

The storm damage wans't on the scale of a major hurricane, but the blizzard is serving as a kind of Katrina moment for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. One was absent and the other perceived by city residents as ineffectual.
Governor Christie, considered a rising star in the Republican Party, left for a family vacation at Disney World in Florida ahead of the storm....


And this was back in November.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's approval rating drops to 3-year low after term limits, tax hike (click here)

BY Kathleen Lucadamo
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU

Friday, November 21st 2008, 7:44 PM

Mayor Bloomberg's approval rating has dropped to its lowest point in three years - a 9% nose dive that shows New Yorkers are angry with his change in term limits and plan to raise taxes on homeowners.
A Marist poll out Friday showed 59% of voters think he is doing an excellent or good job, down from 68% a month ago.
It's the first time his popularity has fallen below 60% since August 2005....

 

A debate.

Now, a debate is sincerely REAL 'infotainment.'

I mean, for real here.

Murdoch classifies his media circus as 'infotainment.'  We have heard it over and over again as if they 'own' the word.

NOT.

Infotainment is when a media event occurs regarding the expansion of fact and a debate would be a good example of what "Infotainment' is all about.

Infotainment (click title to entry - thank you)  is "information-based media content or programming that also includes entertainment content in an effort to enhance popularity with audiences and consumers."

Merriam-Webster rules out the inclusion of 'radio' as a method of infotainment.  So according to Merriam-Webster there has to be a visual component.

 a television program (click here) that presents information (as news) in a manner intended to be entertaining

EXPANDING POPULARITY should not based in 'half-truths' and 'lies.'

Propaganda  (click here) is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position.

According to Merriam-Webster

pro·pa·gan·da

noun \ˌprä-pə-ˈgan-də, ˌprō-\

Definition of PROPAGANDA

1 capitalized : a congregation of the Roman curia having jurisdiction over missionary territories and related institutions

2 : the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person

 

AKA as Influence Peddling.  It is a form of racketerring.

Quack, Quack, Quack

The Murdoch Media Circus is lying AGAIN.

Let's have a debate. Mr. Duck the Quack vs. the IPCC.

...Counter-intuitive but true, (click title to entry - thank you) say scientists: a string of freezing European winters scattered over the last decade has been driven in large part by global warming.

The culprit, according to a new study, is the Arctic's receding surface ice, which at current rates of decline could to disappear entirely during summer months by century's end.

The mechanism uncovered triples the chances that future winters in Europe and north Asia will be similarly inclement, the study reports....

The man is simply a liar seeking money for his words.  It is really a darn shame.  Give 'em a comb.  I mean he can't even afford a barber.

We can start with the fact that WEATHER is not CLIMATE, yet this well paid 'Quack' is willing to mix the two in one sentence and  call the government corrupt all at the same time.

The FCC needs to penalize liars and those that are obviously INCOMPETENT.

The weather at Glacier Bay National Park is warmer than a portion of the lower 48 states and Hawaii. That speaks to me, ya know?

Local Time: 10:51 AM AKST (GMT -09)

Lat/Lon: 58.8° N 137.0° W

Elevation   ::  33 feet

Temperature  ::  30 Fahrenheit

Conditions  ::  Overcast

Humidity  ::  93%

Dew Point  ::  28 Fahrenheit

Wind  ::  Calm

Pressure  ::  29.40 Steady

Visibility  ::  1 mile

UV  ::  0 out of 16

Clouds  ::  Overcast 1500 feet  (Above Ground Level)

As scientists (click title to entry - thank you) from around the world tracked the rapid decline of Arctic sea ice in recent years, they couldn’t help but notice that one part of the Arctic basin is a repository for the oldest — and thickest — polar ice. Stetching across northern Greenland and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, this band of reasonably sturdy ice forms as prevailing wind and ocean currents drive sea ice from Siberia, across the Arctic, and up against the opposite shore....

Monday, December 27, 2010
New York City
Photographer states :  smart,,,,


...New York City (click title to entry - thank you) was especially hard hit. All three international airports have been closed since Sunday, forcing the cancellation of some 2,000 flights on Sunday. Hundreds more flights were canceled on Monday. Some stranded travelers got cots and blankets; others said they were not allowed to retrieve their checked luggage and had no extra clothing or toiletries....

Monday, December 27, 2010
Ludlow, Vermont
Photograher states  :: 

High Winds Code Grey - Okemo, VT Blizzard 18

Sunday, December 26, 2010
Shirley, New York
Photographer states  ::  "Blowing in the Wind"


"White Out" conditions are serious threats to life.  A simply walk outside without a GPS (with extra batteries) or a 'life line' could mean a very frigid death.  Don't take silly chances to simply 'experience it.'   It only takes a walk 'on the wild side' by a few feet before a person is lost and unable to find the way back inside.

Morning Papers - Its Origins

The Rooster
"Okeydoke"

The Waning Moon

"Good Night Moon"

The Moon for Dec 25, 2010 (At Midnight, US Central time, as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere)

At no time in my Irish heritage that reaches back past Ellis Island to the counties of Mayo and Galway...

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

...did I ever account for the freedom my family cherished and the loyalty we fought for in wars to Christianity.  Don't get me wrong.  My Irish heritage spells out a strong faith in God.  A Christian God.  But, never once, (I am third generation in the USA.) did any member of my family attribute their cherished freedoms and comfort in life to anything but 'clean living' and 'hard work.'

As I close this Christmas message and reflect on 'the state of the condition' of the country and the people the Plutocracy left in its wake, I reclaim my country's history and a right to call the USA mine, the Tea Party an event in the human condition and the Revolutionary War as a manifestation of the power of the individual.

I resent the Republicans playing word games with my country's history and attempting to remove the authority of that history to a political party with a pathetic past and dissolving future.

The United States of America belongs to all of us.  It's rich history of heroes of individuals on a common mission for freedom, liberty and happiness belong to us all. 

The common good is about 'the state of the human condition' in the United States of America.

I reclaim my country and the right to be a person with a rich heritage that proclaims my values as important.

It is more than an ideology.  It is a long history of 'the individual' to achieve freedom, meaning and expression within the liberty of a government structure that serves and protects.

Barney Fife and the Preamble to the Constitution

School House Rock - Preamble (America Rock)

The Apostle Paul is a very difficult pill to swallow for Rome as he was born a Roman.

His Roman name was "Saul."  He was a deliberative man and a bit of an insider.

He turns from any potential as a Roman working from inside the loyalties of a Principate and instead finds even deeper power, more penetrating power, in the way Jesus defined the 'individual.' 

To raise a slave to savior was an axiom he could not ignore.  There before him, realizing Jesus was known to perform miracles, was the quintessential example of the power of the individual that had become the basis of a Roman's Principate.

Granted, Jesus, to most Romans would appear to be a mystical character, hence, he is a blasphermer and crucified for it.  But, to Saul, whom later took the name of Paul, Jesus was the pinnicle of perfection to the Roman ideology developed over time in 'The Principate.'

Romans were 'thinkers' and 'philosophers' and held esteem regardless of their musings. 

Paul was no different.  He saw the power that was the life and ministry of Jesus and became a devoted disciple to his work.  The preaching of Paul went on for decades following the crucifiction of Jesus by the power of Rome.  He established the first Christian church about 48 - 49 AD. 

Paul believed in the individual as a means to define life within the power of a soul.  It was the empowerment of the individual that would further define democracy and its origins among 'any man.'

The Romans were tremendous liars.  Their lies were necessary to 'establish' and 'maintain' the 'stereotypes' that empowered their 'social structure.'  While 'life went on' in ways rarely discussed in Roman history, there were realities even within 'the women of Rome' that were 'measures of power' outside the 'stereotyped' definitons of its culture.

The importance of the Christian as a scapegoat to that set of stereotypes was vital to the survive of Rome, but, not the emergence of Constantinople.

The power of the individual moves forward through human history in interesting and subtle ways.  To honor that concept, remember, the pyramids could not exist without the slave.  The king, the queen and the emperor could not exist without the pyramid, the Parthenon or the Colosseum.

Millenium would pass. Another great empire would be born. A militarized empire.

One that would expand beyond its boundaries and create a centralized authority in Rome.  An empire that at its demise was far too large to be defended by a single military and a cohesive government.

The Great Roman Empire which was replaced in its weaker days by Constantinople.

Emperors, Generals and soldiers were among the richest of the Romans.  Their compensation system was based in 'tribute/tax' and the 'idea' of 'salary' to soldiers.  Wages became a vital link to the life of any Roman.  The military was its survival. 

Rome was not a fortress city as Constantinople was and required a strong and well paid military in order for it to be protected from invasion or looting.

In the later days of Rome, the looters would ravage the city of assets and leave their Emperors and Senators in states of disarray to stop them.  That is the time when Rome diminished in its splendor and Constantinople became the 'capital' of all that was possible.

The most remarkable aspect of Romans was their evolution to include those outside of 'the people of Rome' to those that 'earned the name of Roman.'

See, paying a miltiary was expensive and of course the best way to keep them loyal to the empire was to increase their pay.  That took many forms other than money/currency.  The currency became the ability to move from the ranks of the military into the leadership of Rome.

The 'concept' came into being when Augustus threw off the 'mantle' of Rome and became his own 'entity' if you will.  He formed what came to be known as "The Principate."

...As Princeps, (click here) even under the new constitutional system, Augustus had no more right to establish a line of succession than was possible in the Republic. Being the first to hold such a position, however, allowed the new system to develop under a powerful and capable leader. As time passed, the concept of the Republic drifted farther and farther into oblivion. The long rule of Augustus, the elimination of opponents and the fear of a return to civil war and imperator generals seemingly destroyed any concept of a re-established Republic.

Augustus was alone made the head of the state, and there was no established order for succession. Naming a successor was akin to a provincial governor establishing his own hereditary rule. It simply didn't happen. By the time of Augustus death in 14 AD, however, it was absolutely inconceivable that there wouldn't be a replacement Princeps. Holding Tribunician power of the veto, administrative authority of the Consulship, religious domination as Pontifex Maximus and supreme command of the armies, the idea of Augustus really being just 'first among equals' was really a farce. While the Senate still officially had the right to name someone to that position, there were none who could possibly argue with the edicts of the divine Emperor himself....

While Augustus ruled for a long time and held power due to the 'potential corruption' of the emperor lineage, the 'idea' that others were 'equals' would not disappear and the future for Rome would include a 'tetra-authority.'  (Four Romes under one mantle.)

It would be sometime later that Marcus Aurelius would find his best advantage by establishing power among those that 'achieved' as well as those that were 'entitled.'

Marcus was a conscientious and careful administrator who devoted much attention to judicial matters.  His appointments to major administrative positions were for the most part admirable. Difficult tasks were put in the charge of the most capable men; he was not afraid of comparison with his subordinates. Social mobility continued as it had been under his predecessors, with men from the provinces advancing into the upper echelons of the Roman aristocracy. Those of humble birth could make a good career; such a one was Pertinax (126-193), a gifted general, who in early 193 became emperor for a space of less than three months.
 
The judicial administration of Italy was put in the hands of iuridici, who represented the emperor and thus spoke with his authority....

...Although Marcus was a devoted thinker and philosopher, he was deeply religious, at least outwardly. The state cult received full honor, and he recognized the validity of other people's beliefs, so that the variety of religions in the vast extent of the empire caused no difficulties for inhabitants or government, with one significant exception. The Christians were not hampered by any official policy; indeed the impact of the church spread enormously in the second century. Yet their availability as scapegoats for local crises made them subject to abuse or worse. There was violence against them in 167, and perhaps the worst stain on Marcus' principate stemmed from the pogrom of Christians in Lugdunum in southern France in 177. He did not cause it, nor, on the other hand, did he or his officials move to stop it. Indeed, Tertullian called him a friend of Christianity. Yet the events were a precursor of what would come in the century and a quarter which followed....

Indeed, the Christians were convenient 'scapegoats' for the Romans.  After all, their savior was considered a blasphermer in some circles.

The one true aspect to the Chrisitans was the 'individual' and the power of that individual.  Jesus was an individual with great insight to the human condition.  While the Romans within their principate were willing to have 'others' rise to power in loyalty to the leadership, the Christians were a threat.  They were a threat to that loyalty as the definition of 'individual' under Christianity took 'every man' as a leader.

One of the most dramatic 'episodes' in ungoverned people is a documented record of 'A Sea of People;' otherwise known as "The Sea People."

Rameses III recorded his conflict and defeat of the sea peoples at Medinet Habu.

There are drawings in Egyptian hieroglyphics of a victory by Rameses III of the Sea People.  So, for the most part we knew they existed.  They were not weak people, as a matter of fact there are some musings that the "Goliath" in David and Goliath was a member of this society which when land based were the Philistines.

They were not necessarily learned people as there are no writings or recordings BY them so much as records by others OF THEM.

The Sea People hold testiment to a greater understanding of survival at any stage of the human condition. 

It is easy for anthropologists and archeologists to piece together ancient human history through established civilizations, but, far more difficult to actually define 'the people' as 'the masses' that actually lived during those times.

It is very easy to define a people by their documented leadership, but, far more difficult to define a people by their 'human condition' or 'state of play.' 

I do not view "The Sea People" or "The Sea of People" as a single record of a human society poorly understood or documented, but, more an understanding of 'the human condition' as has moved history forward in those years, decades, centuries and millenium where 'profound' history lacks. 

I do not believe 'The Sea People' were a single phenomena.  I believe that is where most human live life.  Among each other, sharing strife and coming to common realities. 

What is most extraordinary about The Sea People is their existance at all.  No profound leader.  No notable general.  And what seems as though a more 'common democracy' with 'common goals.'

The invasions by The Sea People of Egypt also shows how a mass of people long to improve their human condition.  How they come to a 'tipping point' if you will that sets them on a path to 'achieve' regardless of their preceived 'status' or 'understood' inferiority.

Somewhere in the human history at people that have suffered and perhaps paid a price to move history forward.  It is not uniquely American to seek these values and goals.  They are there as a part of the human condition throughout history.

Invisible.

With only occassional mentions of their power and prowess.

The ancient societies of the Mediterranean are truly fascinating. Well documented.

It all makes too much sense to deny the existence of civilizations before the birth of Jesus. 

The hominids out of Africa, the civilizations of Mesopotamia and the migration of peoples along waterways and across what was believed to be the 'entire world' known today as the Mediterranean Sea.

The basis of democracy wasn't dreamed up by the USA's forefathers, it was 'found' in 'theory' by prior civilization that 'appreciated' the 'interconnectedness' of all the people of its society.

The Greeks were not so much rulers as they were philosophers.  The 'art' of the ship.  The Agean Sea, the gods and goddesses, the Titans, the conept of hero, Olympia and the games of human strength and speed, the "Illiad," the Trojan Horse and the Odyssey.

Fanastic people with a commitment to survival.  But, what I find fascinating about the Ancient Greeks is not the structure of their theology, although that is fascinating all by itself, 'Heaven and Hell' you know?  But, more than their theology, the 'striving ot human' to be godlike.  Strong.  Endurable.  Able to battle monsters of all kinds of origins and 'ideas.' 

The Greek citizen was more than themselves as a human being, they were 'almighty' within themselves.  They could 'achieve' and grow to be legends.

The 'individual' and the 'collective' was among the understanding of what made their society incredibly mystical and strong.

But, to return to Christmas...

...and the actual event.  It all seems to odd to me that modern day Christians believe wealth and power actually accompany such an uprise of the poor and the helpless.

For the story of the birth of a christ by the name of Jesus is about rising above the 'status' of power to realize the dignity of the individual and the survival of the masses in the face of ideologies that ignore them and crucify them.

The event of the birth is truly interesting and mired in all kinds of indigen images and circumstances. 

Jesus was the son of a miracle.  I have entered into this blog at a previous time (years ago when Mr. Kristof of the NYTimes inspired a discussion of it.) the fact that James the Lesser (A Christian Disciple of Jesus) recorded the virginal birth Mary.  She was assigned to the temple at the age of three having never been allowed to touch the ground before she scampered up the temple steps to be raised by the manna of angels as she wove the colored cloths for the temple over years.

At the age of twelve, what would be considered a "Bat Mitzvah" she was betrothed to a ninty year old man by the name of Joseph.  He was entrusted with her virgin status and hence the conception by an angel of Jesus.

When the time came for the birth, it was realized the Romans were seeking to destroy all babies of that year and possibly that generation although history doesn't paint it that way.  So, Joseph traveled with Mary to Bethlehem and found only a stable capable of giving shelter to his donkey and birthing wife. 

It is quite understandable how a woman could give birth in such a structure considering the body heat of the animals that lined the stalls would provide a comfortable temperature for the infant to be comfortable. 

Then, of course, once again we are told of the angel and its heralding to wise men and shepards.  They were all men other than Mary.  Interesting, huh?  Men were viewed at that time as authority and it was authority that Christians most needed in their lives to secure their status as a people of a single god.

The stories of Jesus, even after this birth, virtually happen at the witness of men.  Not women.  That is profoundly Hebrew concept.

But, none the matter.  The wise men witnessed, the shepards told the stories to the common people and slaves of Rome and a savior was born of a virgin, whom herself was recorded as a virgin birth while not given status by the Council of Trent.

Jesus esteem was not among the wealthy.  It was not among the powerful.  It was among the powerless, the entrapped and the victimized.

"The Pliocene" is the time of Earth where fossil remains prove there was a rise in Hominid development.

That, of course, brings Africa into view.  It is there the earliest forms of hominid life is proven to exist.  If there were any other it would have shown up by now.

Facts are what they are.

The Pliocene was also a time of global swamps and large mammals.  It is considered to be the time of great biotic content of Earth.  It is that content which provided vats of oil deposits and there is absolutely no denying that now, is there.

But, this is not about evolution vs. creation.  That and the discussion of past extinctions are two separate topics and demand respect all by themselves.

This is about survival and the lack of clout that 'power' has within its understanding.

Power and Survival are fickle.

There is seriously no rhyme or reason to it and power is not a pre-requisite to survival.

On the contrary. 

Power is often so enamored with its own 'perfection' of the 'state of play' that it fails to survive frequently of its own ideology.

The survival of the societies of the orient are interesting and not completely understood even today.

The history of Asia is mired in cultural revolution.  As time went by the ancients became a road map of the future of the Chinese communists.  Their ancients are not necessarily correctly interpreted, so much as 'decided' by power that be, rather than scientific standards.

The Chinese origins began along the river system.  The ancient river systems of The Yellow River and the Yangtze and their tributaries.

The interesting aspect to the ancient Chinese civilizations is the realization they lived along rivers and were destroyed by them due to the low elevation and episodic flooding due to ice ages and their warming.

Some of the very earliest Chinese civilizations were literally drowned when ice caps melted and covered the land creating oceans.

See, some of the ancient pollens found in China didn't originate there.  While further study is necessary, the pollens indicate a far different origin.

What occured during ice ages, of which caused four of the past five extinctions on Earth, is that massive amounts of water (fresh water) were frozen in the caps of Earth.  This exposed the entire coastal plain off of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers.  There was a time when the Yangtze River had a mouth that reached into the coastal area now covered by the Pacific Oeean waters.  When that occured and the coastal area of China was exposed the plants were not developed.  Their pollens were airborn and little were water born as the headwaters of the great rivers were serviced as much from melting 'edge' glaciers as any other source.  There were no plants growing on the glaciers and today the best any glaciologist can find anywhere are lichens.

So, the pollen that is found in ancient sediments at the old mouth of the Yangtze belongs to ancient plants of Japan.  The other possibilities are too remote to have an influence.

So, as the ice caps melted and the waters increased in the oceans the coastal plain of China began to flood.  For unsophisticated societies and villages there was no understanding to know how to survive.  Many coastal villages of these ancients drowned, but, the survivors moved further inland and up the river systems. 

The flooding would cause changes in course of the grand rivers of ancient China.  This too would bewilder the people and cause their deaths and diminished numbers.

Some of the cultures would survive, but, some would not.  The Quinliangliang culture is one that would be lost and its remains incorporated into 'the tales' of other Chinese societies.

Today, the Quinliangliang culture is nearly considered a myth.

Over time the Chinese cultures would become a mystery to other civilzations as they were fierce warriors with ancient medicinal methodologies.  Very spiritual.  The kings and rulers were not gods, but, treated with enormous dignity and as if a treasure.  They were the 'schooled' people that would come to understand survival and now best to maintain their people. 

The ancient Mongolians would have a genetic influence on the Russians of the north.  The ties between Russia and China exceed their common governmental systems, but, reach back millenium.  That is something the juvenile cultures of the Americas simply don't understand and choose not to.

Across a great continent and into a passive ocean at a distant chain of islands lay yet another civilization.

The civilization known as "Easter Island."  There are survivors on that island generations after its demise.  They have returned and live among the ruins of their ancestors.

The Easter Islanders came to their island due to over population of the other 'Oceana' islands. 

Easter Island was the last in a chain of islands in the Pacific.  Is was not uncommon for these people to find it difficult to continue paradise on their home islands as their numbers grew and subsequently set out to find yet another island paradise to contiue their lives.

This was the fate of the Easter Islanders.  They landed in boats carved out of trees and set up housekeeping no different than their ancestors before them.

The problem arose with the Easter Islanders when their natural resources could not keep up with the next generations of people.  They literally deforested the island as their population grew and depleted their fisheries.  They destroyed what was left of any wildife of the island without realizing it was necessary for their survival.  What they managed to maintain to some extent were domesticated chickens they had brought with them.  But, it was difficult raising the chikens under stone mounds to protect them from the sun. 

Water became an issue because the forests were gone and the tropical rainfall that supplied their 'rain barrels' full of fresh clean, salt free water no longer existed. 

With their hardship realized, their holy men decided the gods could not find them in such a distant place and set out to build larger and grander stone statues as they lined the shores. 

The island itself, over time, became divided into separate tribes or villages if you will.  There were three that can be discerned, although I am confident some small collection of peoples were lost in decaying evidence.  They didn't war among each other as one might expect.  The island was too small to support war.  So, they chose to become 'status' symbols of authority and the stone quarry became a place of wars to build the largest and best godlike depiction and to move it to the shoreline where 'the eyes' of the statues would find the missing gods.

There was one island off the main island where a group of brave men decided it was the place they would find a new religion and they called themselves "The Bird Men."  They would dive off of high cliffs into water with questionable outcomes.  But, the one to survive the dive and swin to the not so distant island and return with a bird egg was hence the leader and would save them all.  That culture was short lived.

That is what occurs when religion and social order fails a people, they seek to understand a new reality through 'other spiritual' means.

Needless to say the only objects that would survive a deforested island would be stone statues and a quarry where they began.