The first hurricane of the season, Andrea.

July 6, 2013
1230z
UNISYS Water Vapor GOES East Satellite (click here for 12 hour loop)

Andrea is at Tropical Storm status.

Cooler temperatures prevail because Andrea is consolidating heat and driving it into the Gulf waters.

June 6, 2013
1415 gmt
The Weather Channel Temperature Map

June 4, 2013
US Drought Monitor

Did anyone hear about the sectarian violence in Burma? I didn't think so.

Perhaps John McCain should go to the rebels there and promise USA munitions to them, too. No boots on the ground, of course. At least, not at first.

That would be a really great invasion, we could occupy and eventually invade China and pick up where we left off in the 1950s with Korea. Ah, the good 'ole days. When men were men and women, well women stayed home with the kids. Baseball and Apple Pie on the 4th of July. The kids today just ain't the same. Now, they burn the American flag and leak documents to some Brit with a lot of money. They have no sense of loyalty. They don't understand what it takes to be an American. Not like we did. Ingrates, I say.

Sectarian violence spreads in Burma (click here)

By John Roberts 
5 June 2013

Anti-Muslim violence erupted in Lashio, in the eastern Shan state of Burma (Myanmar), on May 28. The communal clashes, which began last June in the coastal western Rakhine state, displacing tens of thousands of ethnic Rohingya Muslims, are spreading throughout the country....

...The violence in Shan state follows three days of communal clashes in the city of Meiktila, in central Burma, during March. At least 40 people were killed, over 60 injured and 12,000 displaced. Some 828 buildings, mostly homes, were destroyed in Muslim areas of the city near the main markets. Three other instances of violence in Burma’s central Pegu region followed the Meiktila incident.

The violence in Meiktila erupted after an argument between a Muslim gold shop owner and Buddhist customers. According to media reports, police stood by as anti-Muslim gangs attacked people and burned down buildings.

Last June and November, widespread violence against Rohingya Muslims in the western state of Rakhine resulted in at least 168 deaths, hundreds of injuries and the displacement of 120,000 people. Members of the ethnic Rohingya minority are denied citizenship in Burma. They are treated as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, where they are also refused citizenship. Many have lived in Burma for generations.... 

The government has no case. There was no escalation to the war, there was no compromise to the soldier. There is no case here.

This was an act of conscience. Bradly Manning is a Whistleblower. Nothing else. The only odd thing is that he was with the military. There was never any adverse effects from his actions, he simply gave the American people the truth. They had a right to it. It was their sons, their daughters and they had a right to know what happened.

Bradley Manning is no different than any other Iraq War veteran that returned asking the question, "What are doing there?" Unlike, the others like him, he was in a place to do something about it.

He is very typical of those soldiers and that generation of soldier. He is more normal and more benign in his intent than anyone likes to assign to him.

By Julie Tate and Ellen Nakashima

Published: June 4

The hacker who alerted federal authorities (click here) to the alleged leak of classified documents by Pfc. Bradley E. Manning testified Tuesday that the young Army analyst never indicated any desire to help U.S. adversaries by releasing the material.
“Not in those words, no,” the hacker, Adrian Lamo, responded when asked by Manning’s attorney whether the soldier had said he “wanted to help the enemy.”... 

If bin Laden's story is the truth, then charge CNN with showing the burning towers in Lower Manhattan with treason against the state because bin Laden was watching every frame of footage. The USA military does not have a case. Because bin Laden read what everyone else read didn't make it an act of treason or an empowerment of opposing forces. 

If the government wants to charge anyone with treason, they can begin with George Walker Bush and Richard Cheney. Bradley Manning would not have been in Iraq in the first place if they didn't lie.

...The government is expected to introduce evidence that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden requested and reviewed a copy of internal U.S. military logs of the war in Afghanistan from another member of the terrorist network....

Congratulations to all at The State Theater. This is a triumph.

This is such a sweet victory. A lot of love and dedication went into this theater. 

It has a very unique place among movie houses.




10 of the World's Best Movie Theaters (click here)

The State Theater in Traverse City Michigan is #1!

"The State" has become icon to the area. It attracts attention from all over the State of Michigan. The State Theater has revitalized Traverse City, Michigan.

It has an incredibly dedicated staff. Some of the nicest people one will ever meet.

It started as a venture to serve the Independent Filmmaker, hence, "The Traverse City Film Festival" which always has it's opening night on July 31st of each year. This is the ninth year for the film festival.

There is a local business man who has since passed that backed the beginnings of the refurbishment of The State. He was convinced it would be a jewel and right now the entire staff is probably wishing he was there to realize this one.

The State is now the jewel it always promised to be. It has not only brought back the affection of the local movie theater, it has provided a platform for the entire community as an art house. There are many venues of entertainment that come through The State, including, a Christmas Concert during the holidays performed by the youth in town.

This theater operates due to it's volunteers. There are many free events whereby no one is left without a sense of belonging. The community has a great affection for it. The State Theater belongs to the people, quite literally.

Due to Michael Moore the theater has been equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. There is no wanting for quality, it is by far the best movie experience anyone could wish for. And, the theater association is growing. There will be a new movie house "Bijou by the Bay" that will open with the ninth film festival. This will completely equip Traverse City with every opportunity to enjoy the arts. Each theater has it's own theme and will carry a unique group of films for their audience.

I congratulate all those affiliated with The State Theater. It is time to celebrate a venture no one believed would ever receive this level of recognition.

June 5th, 2013 11:58 AM
By Michael Moore

Here's How We Built a Movie Theater for the People – and Why the MPAA Says It's #1 in the World (click here)

"We've created a comfortable, pleasant place to disappear into the dark
and be transported by an excellent movie. Shouldn't every town –
especially the small ones – have this?" – Michael Moore

August 2, 2010

By Nigel M. Smith

Michael Moore is on a mission (click here) to save movie theaters in the age of downloads. Last week for the opening night of the Traverse City Film Festival (TCFF) he told the audience, “There’s a communal aspect to film. The way we [filmmakers] are constructing [stories] - whether you laugh or cry or [get] mad or ponder something or escape - the feeling of doing that collectively is so much different than doing it alone. That’s why the movies will never die no matter how many devices are invented. People still want to get out of the house and go to the movies.”...

April 2011 • Vol. 17 • Number 9
By Lynn Geiger 

REGION – The 95-year-old State Theatre in Traverse City (click here) is undeniably the “grand lady” of independent movie houses in northern Michigan. Its story of resurrection reads like a fairy tale. Filmmaker and Antrim-county resident Michael Moore creates a Traverse City film festival in 2005 that turns the lights back on at the rundown – yet still majestic – theater. Two years later, Rotary Charities donates the theater to the Traverse City Film Festival. Six weeks, hundreds of volunteers and thousands of volunteer hours later, the theater reopens in November 2007 and has shown movies daily ever since. 

The success of the nonprofit State Theatre is leading a resurgence of small town theaters across Michigan – including a few in our own backyard. Earlier this year it was announced that The Vogue Theatre in Manistee, closed since 2005, is the first benefactor of Moore’s new State Theatre Project (see sidebar)....

State Theater History (click here)

On July 4, 1916, Julius Steinberg opened the Lyric Theatre to compliment his Grand Opera House immediately west of the property on Front Street. The Lyric opened with the silent film “The Iron Strain” starring Dustin Farnum. Ticket prices were 15 cents for adults and 5 cents for children....