August 31, 2017
By Rebecca Harrington

The end of the London Avenue pump station is seen with the New Orleans skyline in the background on August 29, 2017

While Hurricane Harvey's destruction (click here) was most severe in Texas, neighboring Louisiana didn't escape the storm's wrath.

Harvey threatened the state 12 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans. Thankfully, the tropical storm had lost most of its bluster by the time it crossed the Texas-Louisiana border.

Areas of southwest Louisiana saw up to 22 inches of rain, though, and widespread flooding filled the streets in towns like Iowa and Lake Charles, forcing many residents to evacuate....

Up to 60 inches of rain. 5 feet. Katrina's rainfall didn't come close. It was its wind and storm surge that did the most damage and deaths.

...KMOB radar (click here) showed the greatest rainfall amounts occurred east of Katrina’s eye and very close to the coast. A general 5-10 inches of rain fell with isolated amounts exceeding 12 inches. Rain bands extending well east of Katrina’s eye brought isolated rainfall totals of 3-6 inches over extreme northwest Florida. Significantly lighter rainfall amounts (less than 2 inches) fell east of a line from Camden, AL to Evergreen, AL to Navarre, FL. The highest rainfall total observed in our county warning area was in Philpot, FL where 7.80 inches of rain fell in 48 hours. Flash flooding occurred throughout the day as Katrina made landfall due to the heavy rainfall....

It isn't a bad idea. The burning chemical structures are in four feet of water.

If it exists there is the matter of buoyancy in addition to the water in the engine. Four feet of water is a lot of buoyancy. If there are heavy bulldozers they could bury the burning building under the standing water and smother the fire. 

Sand is the other option. If there are dumps that won't float, like the ones the length of tractor trailers; sand can be dumped on the burning areas and smother the fire.

There is the idea that burning off the chemicals will actually prevent pollution of the water. But, the water probably already has leaks in to it.

Bulldozer for underwater operations

US 3757438 A

ABSTRACT

A bulldozer adapted to carry out operations on ground which is submerged beneath water. The existing frame and belly guard of a conventional bulldozer are interconnected so as to form a watertight enclosure in which the engine and additional components are housed. At the upper part of the enclosure is a support for the operator and the various controls are accessible to the operator at the upper part of the enclosure. All liquid-holding tanks are located at an elevation sufficiently high to prevent flooding thereof, and the intake and exhaust of the engine also extend to an elevation high enough to maintain them out of water in which the entire bulldozer is situated during underwater operations.

I find it odd if there weren't something that can smother that fire. There is heavy industry and handling dangerous chemicals.

It can't float. Is has to have traction and it has to be able to roll out of the area it will demolish.

There should be an attempt to contain the leaks. I cannot believe the company simply abandoned the chemical plant and it was okay with the State of Texas. It is crazy the stuff that goes on in that state.

The only time the people seem to matter is when it is a national shame. There need to be prosecutions that come out of this and I am not just thinking about the chemical factory. It is complete negligence. These levels of negligence don't happen in other states. 

I know survivors feel grateful to be alive and out of the water. But, for god sake!

This is ridiculous. Stop the plans for this enormous and glamorous building.

The current building has an image problem. It just does. The Kushner lawyers need to apply to the city for a change in number for 5th Avenue or simply use a side street address.

Changes can be made for the right reasons. This is not illegal.

April 15, 2017

More and more (click here) continues to come out about US president Donald Trump Jared Kushner which we weren’t aware of back in 2016 during the elections.

You have got to prepare spiritually for this because what you are about to read will turn you upside down no matter if you are a Christian or atheist.

Turns out the billionaire president Jared Kushner owns a New York City building called 666 Fifth Avenue. The building bears the number 666 as if it is the street number but no, it is not its the building’s name. The building is located right between 52nd and 53rd Streets in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.

Jared Kushner’s own office is located in this building. The also building used to have a bigger 666 logo which has now been replaced by Citibank:...

It isn't marketed correctly. The assets of the building are already good, it needs a new image to attack businesses and residents. The 666 has to go.

Belligerence isn't going to work. Making a gigantic and fancy building in its place isn't going to do a darn thing until the image of the building and city block changes.

Kushner and his family need to strike out on their own and stop listening to Trump. Have they looked at the Trump casinos lately? Get a new business manager and a new marketer.

Everyone is laughing Jared.

Trump is a typical Republican and promotes Corporate Welfare.

First, Gigrich's legislature creates the working poor with no way of becoming the Middle Class. The working poor was and still is corporate welfare. Places like Walmart developed and office within it's corporation to direct employees to apply for Medicaid and food stamps. That is corporate welfare in a very big way.

August 31, 2017
By Tory Newmyer

...Instead, (click here) Trump relied on some bank-shot logic — some might called it trickle-down — that easing the tax burden on businesses of all sizes will encourage them to invest more in their operations, including their workers, who’d see wages rise faster....

Now with the debt ceiling looming Trump is going to pretend there is an answer to the economy.

To start, what's wrong with the economy? It is doing fine, there is virtually no unemployment and there are very, very appropriate demands for a higher minimum wage WHEREBY companies are no longer on 'the dole' from Washington, DC.

August 30, 2017
By Pete Shroeder and Michelle Price

...The debt ceiling (click here) is a legal cap on how much money the government can borrow to fund its budget deficits and meet debt obligations. Failure to raise it from the current $19.8 trillion could lead to default, sending shockwaves across global markets....

There is no room for tax cuts at the top. The middle class can use a break and encourage upward movement, but, I don't see tax cuts above $250,000 or any corporate taxes. NONE!

This is ridiculous. The country is going to top $20 trillion in debt. What country is going to finance that?

The American people (click here) haven't seen a budget surplus since President Bill Clinton and the following years up to the entrance of the USA into the Afghan War and the illegal and immoral war in Iraq.

President Obama had his hands full. He inherited a failed and failing economy. I think the 2008 global economic collapse is the definitive definition of an economic slump. I don't see the USA economy today has problems. It just doesn't. Obama did a great job. His stimulus of 2009 built a strong country on the right path.

The economy grew strongly to the point where in 2013, the DEFICIT (not the DEBT) was cut in half. FIFTY PERCENT. Five-zero percent. 50% for its height of 9.8 percent of 2009. It only got better after that.

Donald Trump has no problems with the economy or the growing resolve to the national deficit. 

Kindly note, the year President Obama saw a 50 percent reduction in the National Deficit was 2013.

Got that? 2013.

On January 29, 2013, (click here) the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013, a $50.7 billion package of disaster assistance largely focused on responding to Hurricane Sandy, was enacted as P.L. 113-2. In late October 2012, Hurricane Sandy impacted a wide swath of the East Coast of the United States, resulting in more than 120 deaths and the major disaster declarations for 12 states plus the District of Columbia. The Administration submitted a request to Congress on December 7, 2012, for $60.4 billion in supplemental funding and legislative provisions to address both the immediate losses and damages from Hurricane Sandy, as well as to mitigate the damage from future disasters in the impacted region....

President Obama and Governor Christi found bipartisanship to save the donor state of New Jersey.

President Trump is bragging the GDP is increasing to 3.1 percent. Fine. If the facts back that up, then there is every reason to believe additional taxes from that GDP will reduce the national deficit AND the national debt even more.

The problem with the increase of the USA GDP over three percent is at a far higher cost to environmental insults. This is the growth is the very cause of storms like Harvey.

The only tax cuts I see is to the middle class and working poor to encourage their upward movement and even more growth of the country. With increasing income and wages the need for food stamps will drop naturally with income growth of the working poor and middle class. The same will become true of the Medicaid Extension as more citizens find their income increases. The Medicaid Extension enrollees will have a long runway to reach enough income to 'qualify out' of that important program.

Have a better day.

There is significant movement in the troposphere and Harvey is weakening. This time I do believe there is no going back.

August 31, 2017
0930.20z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of the north and west hemisphere (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)

The vortex over Mexico has successfully launched a storm into the Pacific Ocean and the jet stream showed up. It does at times become the big mover to the air mass. It is moving that Pacific system that has been rippleless and lacking movement. So, things are moving. Harvey still exists by is weakening.

28.10 -94.80 08/29/06Z 40 997 TROPICAL STORM
28.40 -94.30 08/29/12Z 40 997 TROPICAL STORM
29.20 -94.30 08/29/18Z 45 994 TROPICAL STORM
29.00 -93.60 08/30/00Z 45 994 TROPICAL STORM
29.80 -93.40 08/30/06Z 40 990 TROPICAL STORM
30.50 -93.30 08/30/12Z 40 993 TROPICAL STORM
30.80 -93.10 08/30/18Z 35 998 TROPICAL STORM
31.70 -92.30 08/31/00Z 30 998 TROPICAL DEPRESSION

There was a big change in the central pressure of Harvey at the 6:00 PM satellite. The 6:00 AM is not posted yet.

Lidia showed up off Mexico at midnight. It is the primary driver to the weakening of Harvey. It looks like it will strengthen quickly and pull all that water vapor heat energy away from Harvey.

Date: 31-31 AUG 2017
Tropical Storm LIDIA

20.70 -109.20 08/31/00Z 35 1001 TROPICAL STORM
21.30 -109.40 08/31/06Z 40 997 TROPICAL STORM

There is also another storm that manifested in the Atlantic. It is within the ITCZ and west of Africa. It began its presence around noontime yesterday with a central pressure that is rapidly rising. This independent system from Harvey is changing the heat dynamics of Harvey as well.

Date: 30-31 AUG 2017
Tropical Storm IRMA

16.40 -30.30 08/30/12Z 45 1004 TROPICAL STORM
l6.40 -31.20 08/30/18Z 50 1001 TROPICAL STORM
16.40 -32.20 08/31/00Z 55 999 TROPICAL STORM
16.50 -32.90 08/31/06Z 60 997 TROPICAL STORM

The dynamics of the two more northern vortexes of the Harvey system have changed as well. They are both moving more normally and to the north and east. At least more normally for the very hot planet we are experiencing in the 21st century.

The pinching off of Harvey from the rest of the water vapor system did not occur. Instead with the addition of a storm in the Pacific and the Atlantic; the jet stream was able to build and is now moving the air mass from the Pacific region where the motionless cloud masses existed toward the east where the two northern vortexes are finding movement toward the Arctic Circle.

Now, as to Harvey. It is still be renewed in its water vapor content from the Gulf waters. But, it is losing its longevity. There will still be rain along its path, but, it will ultimately resolve. The Gulf of Mexico is very hot. The feeder system this storm has developed achieved static equilibrium and that is a significant change for this warming event. It cannot be ignored and there is a very good chance it will repeat in the future.