When oil is left to burn, the heat gets out of control and the oil boils spilling over to make a far hotter and more dangerous fire.

Chemguard Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) concentrates, (click here) when proportioned at the appropriate rate, form a vapor-suppressing seal for rapid control of hydrocarbon (diesel, gasoline, kerosene, etc.) spill fires. Chemguard AFFF concentrates require low energy input to produce a high-quality foam blanket that floats on and quickly covers the fuel surface. Our AFFF agents provide rapid control, excellent burnback performance, and low application rates. Most Chemguard AFFF formulations contain significantly less fluorine than other UL Listed products on the market, without compromising fire-extinguishment properties. Because of Chemguard’s successful synthesis of FCS from telomer-based fluorocarbons, our AFFF foam concentrates contain no perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) or perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) ingredients.

AFFF MSDA (click here)

Chemguard 3% AFFF is biodegradable, (click here) low in toxicity and can be treated in sewage treatment plants. Please refer to Chemguard Technical Bulletin regarding foam products and the environment.

What are Perfluorochemicals? (click here)
Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) are a family of manmade chemicals that have been used for decades to make products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease and water.  PFCs have unique chemical characteristics which make them especially useful for fire fighting foams. These characteristics help the foam flow across burning petroleum, allow water to form a layer on top of burning debris or liquid petroleum which cools the fire. PFCs also help the foam seal in chemical vapors to prevent fire....

...When PFC-containing AFFF has been repeatedly used in one location over a long period of time, the PFCs can move from the foam into soil and then into groundwater. The amount of PFCs that enter the groundwater depends on the type and amount of AFFF used, where it was used, the type of soil, and other factors. If private or public wells are located nearby, they could potentially be affected by PFCs from the place where AFFF was used.... 

...MDH is working with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to investigate this issue. In 2008, the MPCA conducted a survey of fire departments and other potential users around the state to identify locations where PFC-containing AFFF has been repeatedly used for training purposes. MDH and MPCA staff have reviewed this information and identified a number of locations where nearby water supply wells should be tested This effort will begin in late 2008, with results available in 2009.... 

Whether or not an application should be investigated for oil fires from rail cars is a possibility. The Obama EPA have had some excellent chemists within in it's ranks. If there is a potential to chemically alter the polymer to create one that smothers the oil fires while coagulating to prevent environmental contamination is probably a question to pursue. What was the chemical company?

DuPont. (click here) 

The EPA has been approachable about applications of chemicals such as Coexit in times of emergency. The application of a form of AFFF could be explored to bring these fires under control. See the train cars probably weren't that badly damaged when the accident first happened, but, progressively got worse as the oil was boiling and continued to degrade the metal, etc. 

I hate coexit. I am sure I'd hate any hybrid of AFFF, but, can it be benevolent in these instances?   

At any rate, DuPont would be the company with the most information about this chemical, any modification of it and any supplies that might be on hand.

EPA

Is there a risk assessment on PFOA?  (click here)
To ensure that the most rigorous science is used in the Agency's ongoing evaluation of PFOA, OPPT submitted in 2005 a draft risk assessment for formal peer review by the Agency's Science Advisory Board (SAB). That draft was preliminary and did not provide conclusions regarding potential levels of concern. The SAB reviewed the information that was available at the time, and suggested that the PFOA cancer data are consistent with the EPA guidelines descriptor "likely to be carcinogenic to humans." Since their review, additional research has been conducted pertaining to the carcinogenicity of PFOA. EPA is still in the process of evaluating this information, and has not made any definitive conclusions at this time. Read more on the PFOA Risk Assessment available here....

...Consumer products made with perfluorochemicals include some non-stick cookware and products such as breathable, all-weather clothing. They are also employed in hundreds of other uses in almost all industry segments, including the aerospace, automotive, building/construction, chemical processing, electrical and electronics, semiconductor, and textile industries. Telomers are used as surfactants and as surface treatment chemicals in many products, including fire fighting foams; personal care and cleaning products; and oil, stain, grease, and water repellent coatings on carpet, textiles, leather, and paper. Consumer products made with fluoropolymers and fluorinated telomers, such as Teflon and other trademark products, are not PFOA. PFOA is used as a processing aid in the manufacture of fluoropolymers and can be also be produced by the breakdown of some fluorinated telomers. The information that EPA has available does not indicate that the routine use of consumer products poses a concern. At present, there are no steps that EPA recommends that consumers take to reduce exposures to PFOA...

It is more than amazing that President Obama is in office on the half century anniversary of so many memorial events.

March 6, 2015
By Don Gonyea

It's the kind of moment (click here for audio at NPR) rich with history — a moment to reflect on a searing date in the civil rights struggle, and to do so with the nation's first African-American president taking center stage at the memorial ceremonies. It's a time and place to reflect on where we have been and where we have come as a nation. But also to ponder the future for Barack Obama and whether the discussion of race and inequality will become major themes of his post-presidency, which begins in less than two years....

The African American Community has established so many markers for the civil rights movement, including, a monument to Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was never a president. It has been a magnificent time the community in the face of so much racism with the Supreme Court and Congress. If President Obama was not in office, it would be terrible to have to go through so much in the community without a strong voice in the Executive Branch.

Many in Israel and Arab nations weren't happy with Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech.

There have been a variety of articles in the Arab News (Saudi Arabia newspaper). This one is about retired Israeli military. The tilt to any of the articles is basically the same, "Netanyahu is a neocon and his tone and words simply escalate the hate and tensions."

The Arab News is usually very up beat and benign in any form of violence or hatred, so this change in approach to news reporting is a bit alarming. 

Some of the articles are critical of Iran and any focus of nuclear weapons, but, mostly they are mired in fear of any escalation of nuclear content to the region. The 'talk' about the war of the alliance taking on a different character after Daesh is defeated by the Iran militias, Kurdish militias and Iraqi military is not helpful. That level of skepticism is not reasonable. There are men fighting and dying to end the assault by Daesh. They are fighting together with coordination that includes USA advisers. 

The skepticism of Iran's reasons for being a part of the battlefield is unhelpful. Iran has a right to defend it's borders and if sending generals and any fighting force to assist Baghdad is in question it should not be. These fighting men do better in a cohesive force when their leadership has a sincere understanding of their religion and use traditional ceremony to bless the troops as they enter still yet another offensive to end the barbarism of Daesh. 

Iran has an extreme right wing and we saw the worst of it while the USA occupied Iraq. We don't need to fan the fire of hate by these extremists in Iran. If the Prime Minister of Israel is going to insist Iran is completely untrustworthy regardless of the fact they have no nuclear weapon program today and hasn't since 2003, Iran will return the anger with threats of 'Death to Israel.'

The Middle East has many countries, they cannot afford a nuclear exchange. The idea Iran is waiting for the very moment no other country expects it to launch an attack on Israel is childish. It is completely outside the experience of the Kerry diplomatic effort. Iran's talks with The West have been productive. The more Iran has an economy and quality of life respected by their citizens the less and less there is a reason for war and conflict. 

There can be no predictions about the future being more unstable and full of war and hatred between Sunnis and Shia than exists as they are an alliance to defeat Daesh. I cannot imagine an outcome to this alliance and war that will lead to nothing but a greater understanding of their importance to the region and each other. No one is asking Sunnis to become Shia or Shia to become Sunnis. That won't happen. 

Perhaps part of what the Israeli Prime Minister's goal to the speech under the US Capital Dome was to create wedge issues that would create turmoil and agitation to members of the alliance as well as Iran with Baghdad. That would be unfortunate. At a time when countries have turned to each other to defeat a common enemy in Arabia it was grossly wrong for the Prime Minister to make a speech that was aimed at defining and celebrating instability, hatred and war. In other words, the Prime Minister is creating enemies rather than peace partners. It is ridiculous to think Israel has nothing but enemies in the Middle East no different than one can believe Sunnis could ever be defeated in a war with Shia. The entire hate dialogue is nonsense, but, it sure does stir everyone up.

Secretary Kerry needs to have some of his staff keep up with the media in the Middle East to dispel the terrible ideas and words that have surfaced since the Prime Minister's speech. The USA does not endorse any war against any sovereign country in the Middle East and the regional media needs to read and hear those words to eliminate the hate the Prime Minister so adeptly stirred up.

Americans are so removed from the Middle East tensions and what can spark violence. The USA Republicans are way out of line and not just in relation to the USA President.

March 2, 2015

TEL AVIV: Hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (click here) set off on Sunday for Washington, a group of 180 retired Israeli generals and former top security officials warned that his upcoming address to a joint meeting of Congress on Iran’s nuclear program will cause more harm than good.
It will not only damage Israel’s special relationship with the United States, but also undermine military and intelligence ties, they said.
Rather than slowing down Iran’s nuclear project, the former security officials said, Netanyahu’s speech on Tuesday will bring the Islamic republic closer to developing a nuclear bomb.
“When the Israeli prime minister argues that his speech will stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, he is not only misleading Israel — he is strengthening Iran,” Amnon Reshef, former head of the army’s armored corps, said at a news conference on Sunday.
Reshef is a founder of Commanders for Israel’s Security, an organization of 200 retired and reserve senior officers from the Israel Defense Forces, the Mossad secret service, the Shin Bet domestic security agency and the national police force....

Government assistance such as welfare requires a Birth Certificate. That is the only government ID anyone needs. How is a poor person needing government assistance going to pay for a government ID BEFORE they receive assistance? 

What moron believes the Undocumented needs a government ID to get assistance? 

Being a workman/woman in a depressed neighborhood would be welcome, but, those efforts don't exist. If they existed there would not be a Detroit. 

I love these Black Republicans that pretend to not be on the "Republican Dole" in order to create an image of a Black Americans complaining about "The Lazy Black People" wallowing in poverty and despair. Who do they think they are? How lucky they have an income and/or an election fund so they can mock the rest of the minority population in the country. I'll tell you what, trade places and let's find out of another African American can do a better job, because, the Black Republicans can't cut the mustard.

The Alliance is having measurable success.

BAGHDAD, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces (click here) and government-backed militias retook control of a town on Friday as they are pushing on in their offensive in Salahudin province to free Saddam Hussein's hometown Tikrit after driving out the Islamic State (IS) militants, while the extremist IS militants destroyed an ancient Assyrian site near the country's northern city of Mosul.

The troops and allied Shiite and Sunni militias, covered by Iraqi aircraft, entered in the afternoon the town of Dour, in south of the provincial capital city of Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad, from all directions after heavy bombardment on the central neighborhoods, a security source from Salahudin province told Xinhua on condition of anonymity....

"Most of Daash (IS militant group) foreign fighters have fled the town earlier and only few local fighters remained," the source said, adding that the troops were still fighting sporadic clashes in small pockets inside the town....

...Meanwhile, the army units continued their heavy shelling with artillery, mortar rounds and rockets on the IS positions in Tikrit, nearby town of Alam and adjacent Albu Ajil area, as part of their preparations to retake control the remaining areas of the province, according to the provincial security source.
 
The Iraqi security forces began their operation before Sunday dawn via five paths: two from Mkesheifa and Sur Shnas, south of Tikrit, two others from Udheim and Tuz Khurmato, east of Tikrit, and the last from the Speicher airbase, just north of Tikrit, according to security sources.

Large parts of Salahudin province have been under IS control since June 11, a day after bloody clashes broke out between Iraqi security forces and the IS group, which took control of the country's northern city of Mosul and later seized swathes of territories in Nineveh and other predominantly Sunni provinces....

Nimrud is along the Tigris River.

Walker's austerity hasn't done anything for Wisconsin.

This is a little bit dated. Walker came into office assumed the Governor's office January 3, 2011. His performance to bring the economy back to Wisconsin is nonexistent.

Today, the graph in regard to North Dakota would be very different. 

I went to Wisconsin's unemployment page to check it's unemployment rate. Dig this (click here)

September 4, 2012
By Michael Morrison

This is a follow (click here) up to an earlier post evaluating my favorite adopted state’s progress in recovering from the recession. To answer this question I turned to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia which produces a monthly “coincident index” for each of the 50 states, combining four state-level indicators to summarize current economic conditions in a single statistic. The four state-level indicators are 1) nonfarm payroll employment, 2) average hours worked in manufacturing, 3) the unemployment rate and 4) wage and salary disbursements deflated by the consumer price index.
Using coincident indexes I produced the following graph summarizing economic trends in the U.S. versus Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa from January, 2007, to July, 2012....

In 2014, (click here) union members accounted for 11.7 percent of wage and salary workers in Wisconsin compared with 12.3 percent in 2013, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.  Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that the union membership rate for the state was at its peak in 1989, when it averaged 20.9 percent, and at its low point in 2012 at 11.2 percent. Nationwide, union members accounted for 11.1 percent of employed wage and salary workers in 2014, down 0.2 percentage point from 2013. Since 1989, when comparable state data became available, Wisconsin union membership rates have exceeded the U.S. average in all years except 2012....

These are average wages for the different regions of the USA. The pale blue area is the actual wage and the purple area are benefits. 

The Midwest is not the highest paid region of the USA. As a matter of fact it is ranked fourth in the country out of five. 

According to the Census ACS 1-year survey (click here), the median household income for Wisconsin was $51,467 in 2013, the latest figures available. Compared to the median US household income, Wisconsin median household income is $783 lower. 2014 Census ACS data (including 2014 Wisconsin household income numbers) will be released in September of 2015. Wisconsin median family income and per capita income for Wisconsin are shown further down. 

The chart below is the chart that bothers me the most when it comes to Walker's austerity. The chart can be found at the link in the paragraph above. The real median household income trend is DOWN, not up.

Not only is the average Wisconsin household losing real income kindly note the trend began in 2008 with the global economic collapse. Before that, with unions intact, the economy was humming. But, even after Walker took office in 2011, the trend continued to drop. Austerity.

Basically, Walker's current economy is cruising because of the work of previous Governors. The decrease in real income will continue a downward trend because of the austerity and anti-worker laws. That means as time goes by and household incomes drop any state budget problems will continue. Austerity dictates that government continues to shrink with the fall in treasury income due to the falling income of the taxpayers. The falling income of taxpayers means businesses have less demand for goods and services, while poverty increases. This is the "Austerity Spiral."

Considering Walker is a Republican Darling it is obvious why they don't believe in government or government jobs; their practices cause it to shrink so why not simply state it is "Smaller Government" everyone needs. So, while austerity is robbing the workers of their income and a shrinking economy, Republicans state Smaller Government is necessary and best. It appears as though they know what they are doing when in fact they don't.

Smaller government size means less income is needed by the state treasury so they cut taxes. "Read my lips, no new taxes." Grover Norquist. The question is why are tax cuts always promised? Tax cuts are a symptom of a failing economy. What was the first thing the President and the Democratic Congress of 2009 did to provide an immediate uptick to a failing economy? 

The much maligned Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided a tax refund AND a cut in SSI taxes. That provided a glut of money initially of which many Americans could use to pay bills, but, the SSI cut continued for some time to continue to infuse money into the economy. Government jobs were maintained and paid at their wage of 2009. The money was flowing back into the economy and it started to turn around with less and less job losses until the first month when jobs began to be recorded on the positive side of the graph. 

Austerity, lowering pay rates and shrinking government only causes economic contraction. The poverty rates increase. It becomes a slow march to mediocre income for more and more of the populous. That is exactly what this shows about the Wisconsin economy, it is shrinking when the rest of the country is growing. 

The Wisconsin legislature are meek and have no loyalty to the people. This is the Scott Walker Wisconsin. More and more legislative sheep are watching the Wisconsin economy slowly go over the cliff.

March 6, 2015
By Brian Mahoney

...Wisconsin’s right-to-work bill (click here) passed the State Assembly Friday 62-35 along party lines, and now heads to Gov. Walker, who has said he’ll sign it Monday. With this action, right to work — which allows workers not to pay dues to a union that bargains collectively on their behalf — is progressing through the states more swiftly than at any time since the 1950s. And where once such measures were confined largely to the South and West, they‘re now taking root in Midwestern union strongholds like Indiana and Michigan, which passed right-to-work laws in 2012....

I don't know, Brennan, this is just a little scary.

He needs to sell the idea to the people. Does this mean the NSA is as lousy an agency as we all think it is?

March 6, 2015
By Mark Mazetti

LANGLEY, Va. — John O. Brennan, (click here) director of the Central Intelligence Agency, is planning to reassign thousands of undercover spies and intelligence analysts into new departments as part of a restructuring of the 67-year-old agency, a move he said would make it more successful against modern threats and crises.

Drawing from disparate sources — from the Pentagon to corporate America — Mr. Brennan’s plan would partly abandon the agency’s current structure that keeps spies and analysts separate as they target specific regions or countries. Instead, C.I.A. officers will be assigned to 10 new mission centers focused on terrorism, weapons proliferation, the Middle East and other areas with responsibility for espionage operations, intelligence analysis and covert actions....

He should come to the USA for a visit. Pussy Riot came and now they are protesting minority problems in the USA along with us.

He might even find political supporters that would help with donations for campaign flyers and ads. It would be fun. I think he would be received well here.

March 6, 2015
By VOA News

Russian opposition (click here) leader Alexei Navalny was released from prison Friday, after serving a 15-day sentence for handing out leaflets in the Moscow subway advertising an opposition rally.

Speaking to supporters, Navalny said the murder of fellow opposition leader Boris Nemtsov would not force him to back off from his campaign against President Vladimir Putin’s government.
“I would like to say that our activity will not change in any way. We will not lessen our efforts, we will not change anything, and in this sense, the act of terror that took place will not achieve its aims. I am sure that it will not frighten anyone. It has not frightened me and it has not frightened my comrades,” he said.

Navalny also said that he would pay a visit to the cemetery where Nemtsov was buried after being gunned down last week just outside the Kremlin....

I can't help believe the latest actions against opposition leaders in Russia is due to the fact President Putin is coming up on the end of his third term and the campaigns for new leadership is beginning.

Alexei Navalny, right, and the late Boris Nemtsov at a protest rally in Moscow. Photograph: Misha Japaridze/AP

January 16, 2015
By AP

The Russian anti-corruption (click here) campaigner Alexei Navalny was taken in for questioning on Friday, escorted by a dozen police officers who he said had intercepted him outside his Moscow apartment building.

Navalny, a vehement foe of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, was convicted in late December of fraud and given a three-year suspended sentence. The court said that until his appeals were exhausted he must remain under house arrest.
He has been allowed to leave his home in recent days, but has been followed by law enforcement officers posted outside his door.

Navalny posted on Twitter that he was met on Friday morning by 12 police officers and taken to the federal investigative committee, which had summoned him for questioning about his anti-corruption activities....

The DOJ better be sure.

When is DOJ starting their investigation into Koch?

The story is really about Melgen and the length of the friendship with Senator Menendez.

Melgen is an ophthalmologist. He is not an optometrist. Ophthalmologists make plenty money from operations of cataracts in the elderly. Cataracts cause blindness if not attended to properly. If Dr. Melgen made a considerable income from Medicare I would be surprised at all. 

In addition to Melgen being an optomologist, his practice is in Florida. Anyone have an idea of the percentage of elderly living in Florida compared to the rest of the country? 

I hate corruption, but, my gut reaction is that this is not corruption so much as a place where ophthalmologists make a lot of money. I guess we'll see.I don't think Senator Menendez was providing the practice to the MD, was he?

March 6, 2015
By Tom Moran

...If true, Menendez (click here) is going to face enormous pressure to resign, ending a long career that started when he ran for school board at the age of 19 in Union City.

The charges center on his relationship with Dr. Salomon Melgen, a Florida ophthalmologist who donated money to Menendez, and flew him on a private jet to a luxury resort in the Dominican Republic. At the time, investigators were checking into charges that Menendez returned the favor by intervening on Melgen's behalf over some questionable Medicare payments.

The trip to Domincan Republic also included charges that Menendez had sex with a teen prostitute, charges that were later discredited when the accuser released a video recanting the charges. Menendez said that showed that this was all the work of his political enemies....

The practice of providing perks to MDs by pharmaceutical companies has been status quo for decades.

...The pattern of large Medicare payments and six-figure political donations shows up among several of the doctors whose payment records were released for the first time this week by the Department of Health and Human Services. For years, the department refused to make the data public, and finally did so only after being sued by The Wall Street Journal....

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act eliminated that practice by pharmaceutical companies to bring down the cost of medications to reduce Medicare and Medicaid costs. 

...Topping the list is Dr. Salomon E. Melgen, 59, an ophthalmologist from North Palm Beach, Fla., who received $21 million in Medicare reimbursements in 2012 alone. The doctor billed a bulk of his reimbursements for Lucentis, a medication used to treat macular degeneration made by a company that pays generous rebates to its doctors....

Macular degeneration (click here) is age related. It brings me back to the idea this is simply the population of people the MD has as clients. I don't find this strange yet.

I am surprised at the friendship between Dr. Melgen and Senator Menendez, they are both minorities and they are both successful. I know on face value this looks really bad, it is just when one thinks about it, the idea they are unlawful takes on a paler color.  

April 9, 2015
By Frances Robles and Eric Lipton

...The state of Florida (click here) was home to many of the physicians who received the largest payments, 28 out of the top 100. California, with a much larger population, was second, with 10 of the top 100....

Wasn't Rick Scott also indicted on Medicare fraud when he was CEO?

Persons in Florida age 65 years and over is 18.7% as of 2014 according to the USA Census Bureau.  That 18.7 percent comes out to be more than 3.7 million people over 65 years old. Add to that the retirement age is 62 for SSI and the numbers change even more. The same demographic in the USA is 14.1 percent.

The Media Agenda

Not 48 hours ago, the scuttlebutt was that Hillary Clinton was keeping State Department emails on Yahoo or Google. 

Oh, she has a private server where she keeps most of her communications.

But, but, but...It's against any protocol of any government agency that can be found. And by the way, in some old protocols and laws there could infractions.

I've heard enough to know the media has an agenda and it includes defaming the Former Secretary of State. Along with that are Republicans that want to defeat her election before it gets started by deflecting ANY means of destroying her politically from a defunct Benghazi REPEATED investigation to a Secretary of State out of control and covert.

Enough. It is all too obvious.

What is even more obvious is that our country was in good hands and she was well accepted in any international venue.

People have to be ready for exposure.

March 5, 2015
By Linda B. Blackford and Janet Patton

On Wednesday, (click here) Peggy and Eric Wilson started the drive from their winter home in Alabama back to Chicago because of a family emergency.
At 10 Thursday morning, they were among hundreds of people who had been stranded in their cars on Interstate 65 for hours without any help in sight.
The Wilsons were going on 14 hours stuck in their car amid stopped trucks and other vehicles as nearly 2 feet of snow immobilized a stretch of highway from Hardin County to Jefferson County.
"We've been parked in the same spot since 8 p.m.," Peggy Wilson, 70, said in a phone interview. "We are stuck between two semis."...

Snacks in the trunk in a cooler along with blankets and water are just as much a part of standard emergency equipment as a tire jack.

There is also a danger of carbon monoxide if cars are idling for long periods of time. The exhaust pipe has to be cleared of gathering snow. Semis don''t have that problem, their stacks exhaust upward.  

Noted in his picture the empty lanes of the opposite direction of the highway. Those trapped can be rescued by emergency vehicles from those open lanes.  

Mobile phones and working towers are important in these dangerous months. Do not use the car's battery as a charger for phones unless the engine is running. Batteries should be maintained in full charge.

Trucks can be fitted with chains during severe weather that effects their traction. There has to be as much as possible of the cargo weight over the rear tandems of the tractor. The maximum for those axles is 18 thousand pounds and as much as that maximum should be placed there in winter months.

The temperatures will begin to warm soon for the lower USA so preparedness for next year is important. Major transportation companies should have safety programs ready for next season. Once the lower half of the country begins to warm the interstate system at these latitudes will serve as better movement until the severe temperatures of an approaching summer. If summer temperatures prove high then northern routes will be easier on any engine or driver.

One other thing, "Bridge Laws" (The laws that manage the total weight on a bridge so the maximum capacity isn't exceeded. The weight traveling over any bridge in the USA should be well below a bridge's maximum. Snow is very heavy and will add to the weight on any bridge. Snow accumulations also will weigh differently based on the water content of the snowflakes. When semis are at a standstill the snow accumulations will transfer in surface area to their roofs. What difference does that make? When the semis start to move they take the weight on their roofs with them adding to the total on the bridge.) need to be reviewed for all semi drivers. The USA infrastructure is not at it's best and if there are a line of semis on a bridge along with the weight of snow, especially heavy snow, it could be a problem. Dispatchers have to know the 'repair status' of the bridges along their driver's routes as well as the least congested roads. 

Mountain passes cannot be taken for granted as in West Virginia. West Virginia has lowered speed limits in recent years and they should be strictly enforced.

The USA economy is based strongly in movement, don't screw it up. 

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2015/03/05/3728218/families-describe-their-experiences.html#storylink=cpy

There is a movement to bring Pro-Palestine views to the American campuses.

Students have to ask questions when facing strong bias. It is a national movement, not just UCLA.

Anti-Semitism (click here) 

This is the extreme of the Palestinian movement because they haven't been granted a permanent homeland. While antisemitism has to end with every manifestation, there needs to be clear understanding it is not the answer to Palestinian rights.

There are laws that prohibit fund raising organizations in the USA to benefit violent extremists such as Hamas. There appears to be no prohibition from campus organizations to receive support from the Middle East.

Palestine has a case for it's homeland's permanence. This type of movement is presenting as a problem, but, it doesn't change the reality of Palestinians. An antisemitic movement doesn't help the establishment of the Palestinian's Homeland. Israel will use these problems as a reason the Palestinian Authority can't be trusted to govern their own homeland.

March 5, 2015
By Adam Nagourney

...“Given that you are a Jewish student (click here) and very active in the Jewish community,” Fabienne Roth, a member of the Undergraduate Students Association Council, began, looking at Ms. Beyda at the other end of the room, “how do you see yourself being able to maintain an unbiased view?”..

This episode worked out to be only a minor speed bump in her success. Ms. Beyda will shake it off as if it never occurred.

She is only a sophomore and already well anchored in her aspirations for the future. There is no doubt she will be successful in her college program, with many friends and a future that will benefit all. 

She might want to write a Letter to the Editor to the university's newspaper about her experience. I think other students will want to understand the injustice.

...Ms. Beyda, 20, who is from Cupertino and is president-elect of the Jewish sorority Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi, said she did not want to comment on her confirmation hearing because of her role on the Judicial Board, whose duties include hearing challenges to the constitutionality of actions of the council.

“As a member of the Judicial Board, I do not feel it is appropriate for me to comment on the actions of U.C.L.A.’s elected student government,” she said by email....

There are laws in the USA that protect Israeli students from being discriminated against. There is no question any antisemitic discrimination will be dissolved. Public schools are governed by the anti-discrimination laws of the USA, that may not be the case with private schools. More attention should be paid to the private schools for such bias.

That is an incredible vortex.

March 5, 2015
2330.19z
UNISYS North and West Water Vapor Satellite (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)

It is at a maximum. The vortex doesn't even fit into the GOES East satellite.

March 5, 2015
2330.19z
UNISYS Water Vapor GOES East satellite (click here for 12 hour loop - Thank you)

The majority of the Intertropical Convergence Zone is disturbed of its water vapor. A Bermuda High is really noticeable. 

That high is so intense it is creating a street of vortexes south of the water vapor trail. That stubborn high west of California is still there, but, water vapor is filling in behind it.

 The wind map is fascinating. The vortex winds completely disturb the air mass under it dividing wind direction between north and south.
 





That is one powerful vortex. (click here) It is dictating the entire air distribution over the country. The air direction is west over the Rockies. It is bring some water vapor with it.

March 6,2015
1245 gmt
Current Temperature Map
The Weather Channel

Temperatures next week will be different in a few days. The suns direct rays are coming back north.

 

It is only prudent to consider the 777 is on land somewhere.

The rouge pilot theory is still viable among people associated with the the airline industry.

March 5, 2015
By Michael Forsythe and  Keith Bradsher

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The retired chief pilot of Malaysia Airlines (click here) is torn between logic and loyalty to an old friend. Nik Huzlan, 56, was one of the first captains to fly the 12-year-old Boeing 777 that disappeared over the Indian Ocean a year ago this Sunday. He has known the pilot who flew the plane that day, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, for decades....

...“Based on logic, when you throw emotion away, it seems to point a certain direction which you can’t ignore,” Mr. Huzlan said. “Your best friend can harbor the darkest secrets.”...

There is no reason to give up the theory no matter how obscure a scenario appears. There are lands within the fuel reach of the missing plane. Landing on those lands is always a possibility and a search can be conducted. Searching land would be somewhat more simple than the continued search at sea. It is a scenario that can eventually be put to rest, but, in the years of terrorist threat it is important to put the idea out of the realm of reality.

The anniversary of the loss is coming on March 8th.

...Four ships under contract by the Australian and Malaysian governments are searching the site, braving swells reaching 55 feet as cyclone after cyclone churns the ocean between Africa and Australia. Crews work 12-hour days, with no days off, six weeks at a time....

There haven't been any cyclones in the search zone. The turbulence is significant, but, 55 foot waves don't translate to exceptional turbulence in deep waters. But, with that level of turbulence at the surface there probably is some impairment of their search abilities. I think the search of land is more important right now. The sea will provide jet debris in time.