Kids. Not funny.

August 31, 2017

By Oona Goodin-Smith

Vandalism pictures (click here)

Flint, MI - The perpetrators (click here) behind the vandalism of Flint's historic Sit-Down Strike memorial have been caught and will be punished accordingly with a lunchtime history lesson, says Genesee County Sheriff Robert J. Pickell.

After finding a kitchen chair and a can of paint not far from the scene of the Sit-Downers Memorial Park in Flint, investigators caught up with the culprits - three cousins, ages 9, 10, and 11, who police aren't identifying - on Monday, Aug. 28, Pickell said.

Knocking on doors, an investigator from the sheriff's office was able to identify the suspects after he was invited into an apartment not far from the scene of the crime at the UAW office off Atherton Road, when he noticed the kitchen chair he was sitting in matched the one found near the scene.

"The kids are not criminal, they made a bad mistake," said Pickell, who said the three children smashed windows and painted the memorial "because it was there."...                        

Public university minority students are under attack in North Carolina. It is far more than a controversy.

The state's legislature has a White Supremacist agenda. There are still many bad eggs in the NC Legislature. 

CLEAN HOUSE at the Board of Governors! This is a direct assault on UNC minority students.

August 31, 2017
By Chris Williams

Chapel Hill, N.C. -- A rally was held at UNC-Chapel Hill (click here) Thursday to save the UNC Center for Civil Rights.

Next week, the full UNC Board of Governors will vote on a key measure, which could essentially shut down the legal center.

The center takes on many pro-bono cases representing clients in civil rights lawsuits against state and local governments.

Earlier this month, a UNC Board of Governors’ committee voted that the center could no longer sue state and local governments, saying that's not the purpose of the center. Instead, it should be geared more to academic research.

Many say stopping the center from engaging in lawsuits could effectively shut the center down, leaving many low income families without legal representation. 

The full board of governors will vote on the issue next week. At that time, they could also discuss alternatives for the center.

Supporters of the center have a week of events planned for next week. They include reaching out to officials, a march on campus, plus a protest when the full Board of Governors meets on Sept. 8.

A better focus to criticize Texas government is the outrageous explosions of a chemical plant. They just let it happen as if it was best for the world.

They are insanely stupid people. It is incredible the lack of leadership that actually exists. Lots and lots of god driven compassion, but, completely stupid leadership. The Texas government cares more about shuttering abortion clinics than protecting the lives of citizens from chemical leaks, explosions or any type of pollution. It is hideously stupid priorities.

The lax government laws and rules are the reason companies like Arkema build in Texas. Government leadership, such as former Governor Perry, like to brag about all the new companies and new jobs coming to Texas. Really? It isn't safe to live in Texas. Besides these disasters that happen on a regular basis killing folks, there is an increase in maternal deaths since the abortion clinics were shuttered. It is a state radically in need of decent leadership. 

The flooded Arkema plant in Crosby, Tex., where explosions early Thursday sent emergency responders to hospitals.

...The blasts at the plant, (click here) owned by the French chemical company Arkema, came after its main electrical system and backups failed, cutting off refrigeration systems that kept volatile chemicals stable. While nearby residents had been evacuated, 15 public safety officers were treated at a hospital after inhaling smoke from chemical fires that followed the explosions.

The Arkema plant has been identified as one of the most hazardous in the state. Its failure followed releases of contaminants from several other area petrochemical plants and systemic breakdowns of water and sewer systems in Houston and elsewhere in the storm-struck region.

The explosions — more are expected, the company said — will bring fresh scrutiny on whether these plants are adequately regulated and monitored by state and federal safety officials....

There are no safeguards in place. There is no back up anything. Considering the plant's dangerous chemicals, it should have had a plan to remove the chemicals to a safer location where they could be safely stored incase of a hurricane. There should have been better PLANNING. But, planning and back up systems require the expenditure of money. Why be safe and protect the air and water when stockholders are demanding better outcomes from it's CEO? Makes no sense to REGULATE in Texas. People simply aren't that important and that is the take away message from Harvey. TEXAS doesn't care if the world comes to an end so long as it has plenty of money when it does.

So, what is Texas' plan when disaster strikes? LET THE DAMN THING EXPLODE, it is easier than being prepared.

This is a western culture. Money is always king. The world wants to emulate this? You've got to be joking!

There are presidents that have come from Texas because it serves Wall Street. At least LBJ believed in civil rights.

No sympathy from "Charlie Hebdo."

September 1, 2017
By Amanda Erickson

...The art (click here) on the Charlie Hebdo cover shows swastika flags and hands raised in what looks like Nazi salutes poking out above floodwaters. The text reads: "God exists! He drowned all the neo-Nazis of Texas." The illustration is an apparent reference to Texans' support of Donald Trump, who won 52.6 per cent of the state's vote in the presidential election....

The White Supremacists of Texas don't live along the coast. The people that live along the coast are poor and work for the White Supremacists. There were 47.4 percent that didn't vote for Trump. That is an all time high.

Many of the people being rescued are African Americans and their children. 

If God was talking it was in answer to Pope Francis. I guess there is something in it for everyone.

It is important not to lose sight of the terrible nature of the administration in DC. While trying to bask in the glory of heroes in Texas, Trump is still carrying out some really awful policies. 

Australia is seeking diplomacy with China being the major player to rein in North Korea.

September 1, 2017
By Mark Kenny

...Despite some preposterous raving (click here) from China's The Global Times newspaper, Turnbull's diplomacy here is about avoiding military misadventure on the Korean Peninsula. It is actually calibrated to be less about blame, and more about animating China's strategic self-interest through its economic "leverage" over Pyongyang.

Turnbull's oil reference has ruffled feathers in Beijing but it aims to remind China that its long-term strategic security will be better served by retaining a functioning buffer-state between its south-eastern border and a US-aligned South Korea.

And it's a coded message to Trump too that ultimately, this is China's problem to fix despite Washington's bizarre like-for-like bellicosity.

So, what's next? Move right into Superstorm season from Hurricane Season?

September 1, 2017
0930.18z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of the north and west hemisphere (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)

Every one of the storms, including Harvey, are building in velocity.

The vortex street is intact, of which Harvey is the second storm, Lidia is the most southern. All the vortexes have tapped into a water vapor source. Water brings the capacity to hold more heat and with heat comes velocity. In case it is not easy to discern, the most northern of the vortex street is near Iceland. I can imagine what is occurring over the Greenland ice sheet right now. It's meander has probably increased dramatically. The Greenland ice sheet is monitored for a meander in case it becomes unstable and slides into the Atlantic. Such an event would cause a coastal tsunami of some height all the way to Antarctica.

Tropical Storm Harvey

31.70 -92.30 08/31/00Z 30 998 TROPICAL DEPRESSION
32.30 -92.00 08/31/09Z 25 998 TROPICAL DEPRESSION
32.50 -91.40 08/31/15Z 15 1002 TROPICAL DEPRESSION
33.80 -90.50 08/31/21Z 15 1000 TROPICAL DEPRESSION
34.30 -89.00 09/01/03Z 25 1000 TROPICAL DEPRESSION

Irma is in the east Atlantic and taking a slightly northwest track.

Hurricane-3 IRMA

16.40 -30.30 08/30/12Z 45 1004 TROPICAL STORM
16.40 -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
16.90 -33.80 08/31/12Z 85 979 HURRICANE-2
17.30 -34.80 08/31/18Z 100 967 HURRICANE-3
17.80 -35.60 09/01/00Z 100 967 HURRICANE-3
18.20 -36.50 09/01/06Z 100 967 HURRICANE-3

September 1, 2017
0600
Intellicast map of US Current Temperatures (click here)





This is the path of Lidia. The Baja is going to be underwater now.


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
22.30 -109.70 08/31/12Z 45 994 TROPICAL STORM
22.70 -110.10 08/31/18Z 55 991 TROPICAL STORM
23.30 -110.40 09/01/00Z 55 991 TROPICAL STORM
23.80 -111.00 09/01/06Z 55 987 TROPICAL STORM

Large incident fires on map to the right, in the northwest where conditions are abnormally dry according to the US Drought Monitor above.

Hopefully, Lidia will continue moving north along the coast to extinguish some significant fires.

There is one fire, the Pier Fire, in central California.