The report.

The historic methane record. (click here - thank you) 

Methane emissions is both dangerous due to it's intrinsic properties and due to it's climate impacts. 
 
June 23, 2015
By Dan Grossman

The American West (click here) is home to the vast majority of the nation’s federal and tribal lands, which account for well over half of the total land area of several Western states. And, the Western states are also significant centers of domestic oil and gas production, contributing 80 to 90 percent of total federal and tribal production.

Now, a new report estimates that fugitive and vented losses from oil and natural gas operations on federal and tribal lands amounted to over 65 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas in 2013, representing over 1 million metric tons of harmful methane pollution.

The report, released this week by the independent consultancy ICF International and commissioned by the Environmental Defense Fund, looks at oil and gas development on federal and tribal lands —specifically, emissions from gas that is leaked, vented, or flared every year. 

Oil and gas emissions matter. Excessive venting, flaring and leaking of gas can degrade regional air quality. Moreover, natural gas is comprised mostly of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. In addition to the emissions associated with these activities, we believe venting, flaring and leaking of natural gas represents the wasteful loss of a finite and valuable natural resource....

Breaking News: Fracking is too dangerous to the climate. It is not one dangrous greenhouse gas emission or the other, it is neither.

24 June 2015
By Peter Moskowitz

...The claim (click here) that natural gas is environmentally friendly hinges on how much methane leaks into the atmosphere during the production process. But the EDF report adds weight to those who say methane leaks at natural gas sites can make the process nearly or as carbon-intensive as coal.
The EDF found that 65bn cubic feet of natural gas was released into the air on federal and tribal lands in 2013 – amounting to about $360m of lost gas. That, the EDF says, is not only an economic loss, but an environmental problem. Methane, the main ingredient in natural gas, is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide over short periods of time and 30 times more potent over the long term.
The leaks are the equivalent to the greenhouse gases produced by 5.6m cars....

For all those that opposed fracking for all the right reasons, congratulations. Vindication is yours today.

The CO2 level of Earth today is 403.70. It's moving right along.

In the university I studied "Women's Studies" along with other interests. A good friend that also shared that class and I were on the beach one day. Beautiful day with a gentle breeze. We started to simply have a conversation about men. 

During the conversation I sarcastically stated, "When Earth's greenhouse gases are too high and the troposphere is dangerous, men will leave Earth behind and look for another planet to destroy." My friend laughed in recognition of the same truth. 

Interesting it, isn't it? More than interesting, it is immoral. The morality of space travel depends on the definition of the condition of Earth and it's people, especially the poor.

June 25, 2015
By Maya Kamath 

DARPA (click here) to use genetically engineered organisms to convert the inhospitable Martian atmosphere into a suitable atmosphere which would help humans to colonize Mars
Mars is known for its inhospitable and barren landscape; however DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) plans to Terraform the Red planet with genetically engineered organisms which would eventually transform Mars into a more hospitable place that would be capable of supporting human life....

I think the morality for religious folks falls under "Thou Shalt Not Kill."  Now, if anyone wants to talk about damnation, this is a good place to start.

Extreme high air temperatures (click here) contribute directly to deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory disease, particularly among elderly people. In the heat wave of summer 2003 in Europe for example, more than 70 000 excess deaths were recorded.

It is on the public record by me at the US EPA when I provided testimony to The New Source Review and brought CO2 into the Congressional Record. There is a paragraph and illustrations including a CNN picture of oil wells burning in Iraq; where I stated in March of 2003 the USA invaded Iraq and the record from the Mauna Loa Laboratories across the entire longitude from all four locations. Los Angeles wasn't operational at that time. All four showed a spike on in the release of CO2 at the time of the invasion.

There were more than one reason why the invasion into Iraq was immoral.  

I just thought I'd validate the rising CO2. Two sources are better than one. This reading is not a composite of all the labs. This is Hawaii. Out in the Pacific Ocean. Yep.

You know who did send their best to the USA? 

Venezuela. That is a fact.

They would originally come to be educated and then they would stay here. Venezuela needs well educated people to help it out of it's circumstances, yet those that were educated in the USA and have experienced democracy and freedom never return.

Seriously. The practice started under Hugo Chavez. But, they came here legally. Chavez knew of the practices and never stopped them. Really a curious thing.

This is not a suggestion.

Judge Scalia should have a dialogue with Pope Francis is he'll have him. He might understand exactly what appropriate and necessary means in the real world.

Bubba Buttholes in Dalton, Georgia. And proper southerners would understand the status of butthole.

Are they on their way to a cartoon festival?

In South Carolina Governor Haley stated the governor represents all the people and brings the brevity of removing the confederate flag from government grounds. She stated all aspects of the flag and the time of the flag will have a place in a museum. She also stated, the private use of the federal flag is not impinged upon.  

If people are going to have a truck parade with the purpose of displaying the confederate flag, they join the ranks of all those 'special' organizations such as the KKK. The KKK is offensive and the confederate flag displayed by men that don't care about the dignity of others are equally offensive. It is a social judgement and it is allowed.  

No one in this country is forced to accept offensive anything simply because it is allowed within the public realm. Offensive is legal in benign ways. Crimes are a different level of offensive and should be taken seriously.  

There are hate songs out there that oppose the "Rebel Flag." It would be real nice if a country western star would write and sing a song about retiring the confederate flag in recognition of the great country we are under the red, white and blue.

Mr. Moore states everyone is going to hell. I want to know GPS.

Posted: Monday, June 29, 2015 2:15 pm 

Updated: 3:54 pm, Mon Jun 29, 2015.

Associated Press

 

KIMBERLY, Ala. — The U.S Supreme Court, (click here) in ruling that gays and lesbians have a right to marry nationwide, handed a decisive loss to Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore who earlier this year fought to keep same-sex marriage from coming to Alabama.
The chief justice, speaking Sunday at Kimberly Church of God, lashed out at the decision, saying he could not accept the ruling as correct. He said it made sin a national right and it was as wrong as the court decisions that allowed slavery....

The separation of church and state deals with the human life of everyone, with soul or none. That means if everyone is going to hell after a Supreme Court ruling I need the GPS to know exactly where hell is to realize how a Supreme Court put me there.

The idea a Supreme Court ruling could sentence everyone to what is basically damnation then that would mean the Supreme Court had the power to keep everyone out of hell. That isn't possible. The Supreme Court has no religious credentials and it is not in the job description.

If the Supreme Court had control of damnation, we would not need Roy Moore.

Mr. Moore is hate mongering. His comments really don't deserve my time. I have control over damnation in my life and I think living with wackos in an election season is definitely it.

Is Donald Trump correct about immigration?

First, President Obama has stated there will be no Undocumented with a criminal record permitted to stay in the USA.

Is there a problem with any of the Undocumented? You ready for this? Sure there is, but, this is not the issue with the 5 million the President is talking about. The people that really don't belong here, are career criminals and from crime families.

From the Daily Beast:

December 11, 2014

Mass arrests in Los Angeles (click here) highlight the huge gang operation running sections of the city but putting these people in prison could make it even worse.

The indictment of 38 members of Los Angeles street gang Big Hazard once again puts the national spotlight on the Mexican Mafia, a treacherous and violent criminal organization also known as La Eme that has deep roots inside California’s prison system. Federal officials spent Wednesday arresting members of the Boyle Heights-based street gang which has strong ties to La Eme. The 800 law enforcement personnel that conducted the raids considered it a “day of accountability” for the gang that has been active since the early 1940s.

The Hazard gang is a multi-generational gang based in the East Los Angeles area....

These are entrenched problems that have evolved over time. This is not the average person crossing the border. The people in this article are facing prison with at least life sentences. They are extremely dangerous people and in some ways they reflect the exact problem Mexico has that is never resolved. If it can't be resolved in the USA how is another country such as Mexico or Central America going to stop this?

What is Donald Trump's policy to end the gangs? 

There are other examples and there is no sense in going there. The people discussed by the political right wing in the USA, as exampled by Donald Trump, are not the people that will remain in the USA with a path to citizenship.  

So, is Donald Trump correct about immigration as it exists with the President's Executive Order? No.

Someone needs to get the World Court involved in the USA death sentence. The human being is not safe in the hands of the courts or the legislature. A strong case needs to be made. Please.

I cannot believe the Supreme Court Justices are so befuddled over midazolam.

Midazolam is NOT a killer drug. It does NOTHING to stop the heart or ? numb ? the brain. NOTHING. It has none of those characteristics.

If a person dies of a high does of midazolam it is because of suffocation. The cause of death is suffocation due to respiratory depression.  

Midazolam is a tranquilizer with no direct effect on causing death, but, only though high doses causes respiratory depression. It does not only not kill, it causes a vegetative state. 

At the heart of the confusion is the very clear fact the experts for the states have lied about the effect and dose of the drug to cause death.

Midazolam has such a short acting capacity in an adult human being it may cause respiratory depression to bring about a vegetative state, but, not complete death. So the CHANCES midazolam is a drug that will cause death by respiratory suppression is nearly absent. A continuous drip of the drug would have to be maintained for an extended period of time to MAINTAIN respiratory suppression and even then the ONLY outcomes guaranteed is a vegetative state. The human adult can vary in height and weight and an exact amount to maintain respiratory suppression to death is absolutely not known or attainable. It is impossible to determine a dose large enough to guarantee a death. 

Midazolam as a tranquilizer in proper use causes a twilight sleep and not complete unconsciousness. This drug is completely inappropriate. Not a little inappropriate, completely inappropriate. It is gross malpractice within the prison system that allows this level of inhumane use.

They lied.

There is no fatal dose of midazolam. If Alito doesn't understand that a drug at any dose won't kill then he has the problem and not the attorney stating the FACTS.

Establish that through information at the Food and Drug Administration and ban the damn thing! 

Wyrick is lying!

He moved the specification of midazolam into the category of benzodiazepines. He masked the facts about midazolam by generalizing it's FAMILY of drugs.

He is lying and it is intentional. If a attorney for the state can't even represent the truth, neither he nor the state belong in the Supreme Court. This entire session is embarrassing. I can't believe John Roberts allows this amateurish stunts in that court. 

This is about life and death and the political clowns have the stage. Amazing.

Positive Train Control

Meet Sarah Feinberg, the woman caught in the middle of an industry stressed by obsolete infrastructure, the Congressional law from 2008 and it's limiting factors and the public safety.

Witnesses (click here) testified at a hearing on the status of positive train control (PTC) implementation on U.S. railroad networks by the December 31, 2015, deadline. PTC describes the technologies designed to automatically stop or slow down a train to prevent certain types of accidents.

The only rail service that will be ready with PTC is Metrolink. 

June 24, 2015

LOS ANGELES – Metrolink launched Positive Train Control (PTC) in Revenue Service Demonstration (RSD) across the entire 341-mile network the agency owns earlier this month. With this latest accomplishment, Metrolink becomes the first railroad in the nation to have PTC running during regular service on all of its hosted lines and remains on track to become the nation’s first passenger rail system to have a fully operational, interoperable, and certified PTC system in place.

There are plenty of problem, but, the one most pressing is the deadline and the idea fines begin and liability increases with that deadline. The deadline has to be more fluid. Ms. Feinberg has the public's safety concerns at the heart of her administration, but, she needs far more autonomy to solve the problems. Far more.

There is nothing wrong with oversight to be sure progress is being made beyond the end of year deadline.

The railroad companies are varied throughout the country. The Metrolink deserves congratulations, but, the fact there is 341 miles to this system speaks to the inability of others to meet the December 31, 2015. The companies have been working hard to get this system installed, but, the it is not their fault they are missing the deadline.

We can begin by stating PTC or Positive Train Control is not a simple program that is solved by simple installation of an expensive system. This is a very complicated system. Ms. Feinberg knows how the system works, understands ALL THE COMPONENTS and she has her finger on available monies when needed to assist qualifying needs. 

Within the panel is the public rail system of AMTRAK and the other end of the spectrum is CSX which is freight and completely privately funded. Both these rail systems are large systems with significant miles of track, etc. 

The problems are hideous. Completely hideous and it is because Congress is too rigid. To begin the December 31, 2015 deadline was NEGOTIATED and not realistic from the beginning. This deadline is completely political to bring confidence to the public. Now that the deadline is here and there was a horrific accident at a curve without PTC this is now urgent. 

Every company, including Metrolink is complaining about the lack of spectrum in order to have the system work. They have requested 200 - 220 MHz (megahertz). That particular spectrum is currently sold to other concerns. The FCC is stating in order to provide that particular spectrum the current owners would have to be provided with costs and unused lease amounts, which might be substantial if the FCC is unable to provide an agreeable and comparable spectrum. The FCC seems stymied because they don't have the funding to make the switch with the current owners. CSX has bought their own spectrum because the FCC was incapable of making any spectrum available. 

CSX has stated the companies involved in providing the PTC equipment never meet their delivery dates and cause changes in staff when the equipment is not available. Additionally, when the equipment does arrive a significant amount has been returned because it was defective and/or broken. So, there is a huge quality control problem for CSX from their contractors. I suppose the contractors could be fined, but, that would be a separate meeting of the parties and a separate legislative agenda.

The language coming from Congress is horrible. It is based in limiting the time frame to completion and if that isn't met there will be large fines and increased liability for the companies and closures of rail services.  

Congress is reacting to the deaths and accidents with the railroads. Rightfully so, but, to say the accidents and deaths were preventable because PTC was not installed is not correct. The prevention comes with installation and there are enormous problems that have not been the responsibility of the railroads. Seriously. The accidents could be preventable, but, that is when the installation and operation becomes realistic to the timeline for completion. Currently, the railroads have less liability because the deadline has not passed. The railroads will become completely disabled with any bad attitude by Congress and monetary fines serve no purpose at all. Every railroad representative in the panel states they are working as hard as they can to achieve completely system implementation, but, the entire network to completion is ungainly. 

Currently, the railroads are beginning to be tied in knots by their lawyers.

The politics of this issue is completely horrible and causes a great deal of problems. These folks are very interested in having every life protected. I have no doubt about that. To demonstrate that, the spectrum has to be seamless across the boundaries of each railroad. They are completely cooperative with that requirement. 

There is also software. CSX has found defects in the software. The company found it. Not the contractor. Now, CSX has to go back to the contractor and tell them what is wrong. I think the reason it is going back to the contractor is because there are other rail companies that have to be compliant as well. At this point if CSX has the method to develop the best software they should be commissioned to do it. I'd even commission CSX to develop the equipment and produce it for all the rail companies so the system is identical and seamless in all aspects.

AMTRAK's funding is designed to make it fail. Just that simple. AMTRAK has bridges they are replacing dated from the 1800s. AMTRAK is stating a conservative estimate for completion of PTC is $350 million. CSX has $1.2 billion already invested and it is not nearly completed. CSX is looking at a timeline for completion in 2018 and fully operational in 2020.

The infrastructure monies have to be appropriated. That is where the public's rage belongs. The members of the panel are convenient scapegoats to any Congress that doesn't want to raise taxes or fully fund the implementation. Ms. Feinberg is very qualified to carry this responsibility, but, her hands are tied because of the law.

Oh, cute. Rep. Mica, whom's focus I didn't like is stated to be in the hospital. Drama queens. I swear. Get well soon, Rep. Mica. He should seek a different panel appointment.

I think there are some really nice and very competent people involved with the effort to complete this major national project. They should be respected and Congress needs to provide funding. Congress can blame themselves for the lack of oversight. This information about the problems the rails have been experiencing is not new information, but, it is new to Congress. Hello? 

American lives are worth far, far more then $350 million.

"Morning Papers"

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

Why did the rooster cross the railroad tracks?

Because the train wasn't due to pass by for another 10 minutes.

"Good Night, Moon"

The Waxing Gibbous

11.7 days old

89.8 percent full

June 28, 2015
By Joe Rao

If you've ever struggled (click here) to identify Saturn in the night sky, be sure to look up tonight to get a clear view of the ringed planet.

About one hour after sunset, look toward the south-southeast sky to find the waxing gibbous moon. And hovering just a couple of degrees to the moon’s lower right you’ll see a bright yellowish-white "star" shining with a steady glow. And that will be Saturn.

Finding Saturn can often be a challenge for new stargazers. To the naked eye, Saturn really isn’t all that distinct, and many neophytes to astronomy may have over looked it without knowing exactly what it is. A nearby benchmark would certainly help to guide stargazers to it, and tonight the moon will serve that purpose....