There is a lot of cloud cover over the lower latitudes and the Arctic Circle.

This is a visual satellite. There is very little in the North and West hemisphere that doesn't have cloud cover.

January 26, 2015
1830.18z
UNISYS Visual Satellite of North and West Hemisphere (click here for 12 hour loop)

This is a Canadian satellite of the Canadian side of the Arctic Circle. It is covered in clouds. What have we got here, the greenhouse effect?

The particulars of the satellite image is at the top of the picture.

Clouds insulate. 

Arctic Circle Satellite (click here)

If some of that is the ice, we are worse than I thought. This is winter. There is that much ice broken into floating sea ice? Joking? No wonder Polar Bears and Walrus are threatened. Their habitat is gone.

 

Oh, this is the news piece that caused the firing of FOX News Producer, who today took his own life.

25 February 2014

...One way or the other, Iclick here) according to reports, police chased her down and detained her, at which point she became unco-operative and refused to give her name. Several officers then placed her under arrest, and she was carried, screaming into a police car and taken to jail, where she was booked for jaywalking and "failure to identify". The reason this became a national story is that a college student sitting at a coffee shop across the street recorded the whole scene and posted it to his blog. The reason it became an international story was what Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said during a press conference on Friday....

FOX prefers to back law enforcement, right or wrong. The employee, Phillip Perea (click here) posted about the incident with law enforcement regarding this episode of jaywalking. The incident came to the net because of the downloaded video. FOX stated the posting by Mr. Perea was sensational. The film speaks for itself. So, the moral to the story is if for some reason a producer wants to actually cover police harassment, don't work for FOX.

Ukraine has a difficult problem with spies texting targets. It is good information.

This is further proof the rebels have no allegiance to anyone. It also proves they have ambitions beyond even what Russia expected. There is a real problem here. First Slavic Company of the Army of Novorossiya is the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR or DNR). They don't recognize any treaty. Ukraine is in danger. There is nothing this gentleman says that indicates he knew exactly who he was talking to when the shelling occurred. The information is accurate otherwise skepticism would be justified. There is no lies here. He also doesn't seem coerced. He provided coordinates through Google. I sincerely doubt Russia is involved in these attacks if they were using public computer programs for targeting.

I don't really recognize the city "Vinogradnoe." Is it Vynohradiv, Zakarpats'ka oblast, Ukraine? It makes sense if it is Vynohradiv. That city is in east Ukraine near Europe. 1424 kilometers for a missile. The rebels have been able to take down a commercial aircraft. They have missiles.

 

They might be Russian speaking people, but, they hold no allegiance to anyone and they are killing people. They don't plan to stop.

Vinogradov, Russia? That is a stretch for even me. The transmission was over a cell phone. I doubt he actually knew who he was talking to and where. 

Radar should be able to end this. A few Patriot systems would take of it.

An apology besides.

The snow I saw coming down over Long Island had large flakes, looked wet and appear to be heavy. The snow is a wet snow and will result in problems because of the weight of the snow. Sorry. It is the way I see it. I believe the Governor of New York is doing the right thing. Local officials have to be aware of low areas that may flood. I believe the chances of flooding is high with this type of snow. As the wind increases the temperatures will probably drop and will change the character of the snow flakes making them lighter with less water content. Seventy mile per hours winds with dropping temperatures is brutal.

Well, lookey thar. I am back in the good graces of RT. I missed you while you were gone.

It would seem feminism has it's rewards. Congrats to Emma.

January 26, 2015
By Esther  Zuckerman

...Watson (click here) wrote on Facebook, “I’m finally able to tell you… that I will be playing Belle in Disney’s new live-action Beauty and the Beast! It was such a big part of my growing up, it almost feels surreal that I’ll get to dance to ‘Be Our Guest’ and sing ‘Something There’. My six year old self is on the ceiling – heart bursting. Time to start some singing lessons. I can’t wait for you to see it.”...

Belle's image just took on a new sense of freedom.

It looks as though Oklahoma has ended it's experimental torture protocols.

January 26, 2015
By Cary Aspinwall

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt (click here) has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay three pending executions until it conducts a review of the state's lethal injection protocol. 
The Supreme Court voted last week to take up a challenge to Oklahoma’s lethal injection protocol that alleges the process amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.

The Attorney General's application Monday seeks the stays until a resolution of the U.S. Supreme Court action in Glossip v. Gross, or until the Oklahoma Department of Corrections has obtained a viable alternative of drugs for use in the executions.

Inmate Richard Glossip is scheduled to be executed Thursday. He is among 21 death-row inmates who filed the lawsuit last summer, after the execution of Clayton Lockett went awry on April 29, 2014....

Mattel needs to get away from the beauty pagent Barbie and make dolls children can relate to.

January 26, 2015
 
Mattel MAT (-4%) 
CEO Bryan Stockton (click here) has resigned from the helm of the toy giant just weeks after announcing a corporate reshuffle aiming to restore the fortunes of the struggling Barbie manufacturer.
Stockton will be replaced in the interim by board director Christopher Sinclair, one-time CEO of Pepsi .
The resignation comes at a tough time for Mattel, which released disappointing preliminary fourth quarter earnings on Monday morning as it announced Stockton’s departure. Worldwide sales during the all-important holiday shopping season fell 6% to $1.99 billion.
Mattel has been trying of late to diversify away from Barbie, who seems to be falling out of fashion with young girls, most recently in favor of characters from Disney’s mega-hit Frozen....

This so special.

"RT" has cut off their news feed to my computer. I wish I could return the favor.

I always thought peer review was good for the soul.

The Climate Crisis is very expensive.

January 26, 2015
By Ben Mutzabaugh

If you've got an airline ticket (click here) to travel on Monday, your flight may already be canceled. And your chances will be even worse on Tuesday.
Airlines reacted to a major snowstorm that's expected to wallop parts of the Northeast by cancelling more than 3,550 flights -- a move that came even before the first snowflakes began falling the region. About 800 more flights have grounded since Monday morning, bringing the cancellation total for Monday and Tuesday to a whopping 4,360 flights.
And prospects were growing that all Tuesday flights may be grounded at the three of New York City's major airports....

Who is it exactly in the USA federal government that is a friend to Wall Street? The Republicans have surrendered. That can't be a good idea.

Nice Photo.

Prime Minister Modi is always smiling and welcoming, regardless of what may be on his mind. It is his nature. He doesn't want his people to worry. He is a great Prime Minister for the people of India. 

January 26, 2015

...The U.S. and India (click here) on Sunday announced a modest deal to curb hydroflurocarbons, a greenhouse gas emitted by refrigerators and air conditioners; work together at climate talks in Paris later this year; and finance India's solar power targets. It is a far more limited agreement than the one hashed out with China. Dismissing the comparison, Modi said "India is an independent country, and there is no pressure on us from any country or any person."...

US environmental groups are on the job. India's economy is not China. India has some challenges to overcome before it can say it is a reliable partner in every way. But, it is important India develop their Middle Class. A Middle Class would bring about more economic stability and an economy that is far more vibrant. It is hard to realize India's people can be more vibrant, but, there is more to come when they reach for the dream and achieves it. 

India is emerging (click here) both as an economic powerhouse and a global environmental leader. As India's economy charges ahead, the country needs to produce more energy to provide a better life for its people, many of whom live in rural areas and are very poor. At the same time, India has recognized that tackling climate change is in its own national interests. The nation is taking concrete measures to constrain its own emissions and to protect its people from climatic disruptions.

NRDC's India Initiative on Climate Change and Clean Energy, launched in 2009, works with partners in India to help build a low-carbon, sustainable economy.
Our work in India involves four interrelated projects, which build on decades of NRDC's experience confronting environmental challenges in the United States and around the world....

Climate Change is a potential threat multiplier that will make all our problems worse.

The climate time bomb: Where is the south Asian leadership? (click here) 

With Jammu and Kashmir inundated and Punjab in Pakistan flooded, the time bomb is ticking away. Climate change has been declared to be the greatest threat facing mankind this century.
South Asian countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar are all vulnerable today.
We have not yet resolved the basic issues of poverty, hunger and inequality, which breed discontent and terrorism. And in these troubling times, we are forced to face the brunt of extreme weather events because of growing climate variability.
Recent scientific research shows near to virtual certainty of linkages between climate change and extreme weather events... 

The USA is having trouble correcting the current effects of the Climate Crisis. Europe has invested incredible amounts of money to build dams and satellite monitoring to protect it's citizens. India has that much longer a time line to bounce back from these climate events.

"Morning Papers"

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

January 26, 2015
The New York City area (click here) was placed under a 35-hour blizzard warning beginning Monday afternoon, with more than 2 feet of snow expected to create "paralyzing, crippling" conditions, forecasters said Sunday.

It's part of a storm system that's expected to pummel the Northeast from Philadelphia all the way to northern New England with potentially "historic" snow accumulations well into Tuesday night....

I am sorry to hear Michael Moore lost his uncle in World War II. That is rarely said in all this.

,,,"In the end, (click here) the thing I'm most proud of for what I've done for the troops was sticking my neck out 12 years ago to become a leading opponent to Bush and the war. I tried to save more lives than a sniper ever could hope to – by preventing us from going to war in the first place," Moore wrote. "So, Fox News and the other lazy media -- quit making shit up about me! You look ridiculous."

The real problem is there is no respect for peace. There is no respect for the people that advocate it or those that expose the wrong path of a world superpower.

People have experiences in life. It is legal to love a family member such as an uncle and hate the way he died. It is completely understandable why Mr. Moore's family felt the way they did.

None of the critics lost family members to snipers. It isn't often one hears of such an event. It must have been difficult burying him and realizing how he died. 

But, Mr. Moore, your uncle died for his country. The loss of him to all his family can't be measured. He is celebrated for his bravery and dedication to this country every Memorial Day and Veteran's Day.

The fact we are all able to celebrate Freedom of Speech and speaking truth to power honors him. I hope a sincere expression of sympathy will heal a wound still open and raw to his loss. He was a great man. He died with dignity and protected the freedoms we all enjoy today.

I personally don't approve of movies that glorify war. I haven't and won't see "American Sniper." I don't consider that entertainment or a valid documentary to the lives our soldiers.

"Good Night, Moon"

The waxing crescent.

6.3 day old moon

38.5 percent lit


...Editor of Astronomy Ireland magazine, (click here) David Moore, confirmed the photographer’s opinion. He said, “It is definitely a fireball or bright meteor…These objects come through the atmosphere at 70,000mph, burning up as they enter and are extremely rare to photograph.”Just one of these passes near Ireland about once a month. Astronomy Ireland is lucky to receive one picture per year...

Once a month?