The return of the 2008 global economic collapse.

June 1, 2018

Scott W. Allard (click here) reveals why poverty is rising faster in suburbs than in cities

In the U.S., the geography of poverty is shifting.

According to a May report from the Pew Research Center, since 2000, suburban counties have experienced sharper increases in poverty than urban or rural counties.

This is consistent with research across the U.S. over the past decade – as well as my own book, "Places in Need."...

Penises for Potholes. (Only can this happen down under)

In the USA, it might be called defacing government property. I doubt there would be as much a sense of humor as Auckland Transport might have.

June 1, 2018

By Vera Alves

Auckland Transport (click here for video) says the man who drew giant penises on the road to highlight the potholes near his home should think about the extra cost to clean up what he created.

Tired of contacting authorities about the state of the road near his home for about 18 months and getting nowhere, Auckland man Geoff Upson yesterday painted two giant 20m long penises around the potholes on Kahikatea Flat Rd, near Waitoki.

He says he did it after 18 months of being ignored, hoping the penises would spark action from road authorities.

Upson posted a video of himself on Facebook showing the fluoro green penises, about 1.2m wide, surrounding the numerous potholes on the road, drawing attention to the hazards....

From tariffs to "The Abortion Pill," the ideologues are on the march.

America does produce and sell its own aluminum on international markets. In 2017, the United States shipped $11.6 billion worth of aluminum to its trade partners. However, American revenues from exported aluminum fall far short of the -$23.4 billion that the US spent on imported aluminum thus resulting in a -$11.8 billion product category deficit.

The USA, in order to instill tariffs has to prohibit exports to ensure reasonable aluminum costs to industries such as the automotive and airplane industries.

These are the suppliers of aluminum to the USA. Their products being imported with begin tariffs tomorrow.

I don't know what Trump is thinking, but, it makes for extremely expensive products manufactured in the USA if it is exporting it's own aluminium while importing more.

The only way tariffs make sense is if it protects American aluminum. The domestic manufacturers are getting value for their product.

The list above shows India as the first in manufacturing. India is not the first in imported aluminum YET. India is growing to be a major exporter to the USA. The same holds true with Bahrain. The list below are the current top 15 exports to the USA. We receive 86.3 percent of imports from these countries.

May 1, 2018
By Daniel Workman

In 2017, (click here) the United States of America imported US$23.4 billion worth of aluminum (British spelling aluminium) from a total 130 global trade partners. That dollar amount reflects a 49.3% increase since 2013 and an aggressive 24.9% uptick from 2016 to 2017.

Trump may be trying to pay for his tax cuts and budget deficits. 130 trading partners are a lot when considering there are 195 countries (click here) in the world. It is the only thing that makes sense to me. By imposing tariffs on 130 countries the income will be quick. It is not as though he is using the tariffs in a strategic way, but, more in volume with quick returns.

Aluminum is the world’s most used metal excluding iron. Typically blended into an alloy, aluminum is most commonly combined with zinc, copper, silicon, magnesium and manganese. Pure aluminum is silvery-white, non-magnetic and is also notable for its low density, relatively light weight and resistance to corrosion.

US import data presented below is at the two-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level, specifically 76 for aluminum and articles made with aluminum.

Of the $23.4 billion in total American imports under HTS code 76 (click here), 46.8% is unfinished aluminum, 14.7% is aluminum plates and sheets, 7.4% is miscellaneous aluminum, 6% is for aluminum structures such as towers or bridges, 5% is aluminum tableware, kitchenware or other household items, 4.9% is aluminum foil, 4.5% is aluminum bars and rods, 4.4% is aluminum scrap, 3.3% is aluminum wire while 0.9% is aluminum pipes and tubes. The remaining 2.2% is for other aluminum product subcategories including fittings, powder or flakes and specialized containers.

If the USA were ever to remove income taxes of all kinds (Amendment 16 of the USA Constitution - click here), it has to have a scheme similar to this. The problem is that Americans can eventually pay no tax at all, but, it will be paying more for products either produced in the USA (imported aluminum) or abroad (tariffs assigned to products made from or with aluminum). It is sort of a back door tax. Rather than paying income tax, the cost is paid for higher prices of goods.

The Tea Party ideology, as well as the Libertarians (Rand Paul), want to repeal the 16th Amendment to the USA Constitution. When the USA was first a country it raised income through tariffs on goods. 

Unpacking a debate as old as the United States itself (click here)

I am fairly certain this is about party ideology and not American jobs. Americans are losing jobs within it's borders due to the tariffs. Nothing else makes sense. There is no competition for aluminum produced in the USA. If the USA could not sell OR USE it's aluminum because it produced too much and not able to compete on a domestic and/or foreign market, the tariffs might begin to fall into line as a prudent decision to protect American jobs and manufacturing. That isn't happening. The only thing that makes sense is that tariffs will pay for the President's tax cuts and increasing budget deficits which raises the USA debt. The debt is an issue and he is making it worse with his tax cuts. This is an attempt to bring immediate income to the US Treasury to improve the re-election balance sheet. At the same time he is stroking his base in that PERHAPS with enough tariff income the 16th Amendment can be repealed.

The Tea Party ideology can be traced in most if not all Trump's decisions, including racism. The Arkansas abortion law is the same thing. It is their ideology that crosses the line between church and state. The Tea Party wants a theocracy and Arkansas is the first step forward.

The Arkansas abortion issue is a direct attack on women. It is one of the most hideous bills I have ever witnessed. It goes to the heart of the ideology that a fertilized human egg is a person. There is every indication the Tea Party ideology will remove women from the work place and this is the first indication. Women, instead of contraception (Which is what Plan B is in reality.), will be forced to get a hysterectomy to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

My concern is that hysterectomies will be sought by younger and younger women. If that were to happen the birth rate would drop as well.

Plan B is a contraception because it prevents implantation, no different than an IUD. Neither of those methods has ever been called chemical or physical abortion. The political ideology is hideous.

...Planned Parenthood (click here) said it had found no doctors willing to enter a contract because of fear of retribution.  The decision clears the way for the state to enforce its law though the court challenge will continue.  Arkansas becomes the only state in the country with an effective man on medicine abortions, considered safer than surgical abortions....

The AMA needs to set standards for women receiving abortions and include any chemical methodology and why it is safe. There is nothing stopping ideologues to put pressure on other doctors REGARDLESS the safety and good record of the surgeon. The AMA has to be the third party to these cases that leverage professional methodologies against voodoo medical politics.

According to the American Pregnancy Association (APA), (click here) a non-profit organization that promotes pregnancy wellness, a medication abortion involves two oral medications — one taken in a doctor's office or clinic, and another taken six to 48 hours later — that can be used in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy to trigger contractions that expel the fetus....

...Approximately 2 to 4 individuals out of a 100 will discover a failed abortion attempt with a continuation of their pregnancy. If this is the case, you would need to return to the clinic for a second attempt at a medical abortion or more than likely, a surgical option....

The ideologues feel a defeat regardless of the one clinic decision in Texas. To begin:

A California study in 2013 proved women's clinics with other than surgeons are very capable of performing abortions when trained AND abortion is one of the safest procedures a woman can have.

Conclusions. (click here) Abortion complications were clinically equivalent between newly trained NPs, CNMs, and PAs and physicians, supporting the adoption of policies to allow these providers to perform early aspirations to expand access to abortion care.

Then add to that the fact "The Abortion Pill" is feared to become a telemedicine drug and women can have an abortion at home through their pharmacy. This is an endorsement by Medicaid for telemedicines because it controls costs.

For purposes of Medicaid, (click here) telemedicine seeks to improve a patient's health by permitting two-way, real time interactive communication between the patient, and the physician or practitioner at the distant site. This electronic communication means the use of interactive telecommunications equipment that includes, at a minimum, audio and video equipment.

Telemedicine is viewed as a cost-effective alternative to the more traditional face-to-face way of providing medical care (e.g., face-to-face consultations or examinations between provider and patient) that states can choose to cover under Medicaid. This definition is modeled on Medicare's definition of telehealth services (42 CFR 410.78). Note that the federal Medicaid statute does not recognize telemedicine as a distinct service....

The abortion pill will never be administered through Medicaid, but, it is interesting to realize that telemedicines are an approved method of administering to patients at a distance. 

So, to complete the picture, "The Abortion Pill," could become an easy way of having an abortion within the first ten weeks of an unwanted pregnancy. As a telemedicine a state could have a single abortion clinic and yet reach women that could not normally drive to the clinic for an abortion. That is the nightmare of the ideologues. That is why "The Abortion Pill," is under assault.

Most impressive. Nothing on the video is in English, but, it doesn't take a language to know Kim is a valuable partner to Russia's future.

Click title for news article in English.

I sincerely see Kim Jong Un as a leader seeking a better future for his country and his people. I sincerely hope the level of transparency seen with Russia will continue throughout the negotiations. Transparency will bring people to the leader of North Korea, especially those in South Korea that long for peace and a re-union with the North.

...Russia's Foreign Ministry says that Lavrov also spoke to Pompeo by phone on Wednesday, the first day of the American's talks with Kim Yong Chol, North Korea's former military intelligence chief.

There is no sign yet whether Lavrov discussed his pending visit to Pyongyang with Pompeo; the Russian ministry said the two diplomats "exchanged views on several aspects of the joint agenda," citing the Syrian crisis and Ukraine.

Thursday morning, Pompeo said in a tweet that the on-again, off-again summit would bring North Korea "a great opportunity to achieve security and economic prosperity."...

The disparity in quality of life between North and South Korea must end. I think Kim Jong Un is better prepared to make decisions than perhaps his father did not find available to him.

This is how it happened before:

1985 (click here)
December 12, 1985: North Korea accedes to the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) but does not complete a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Under Article III of the NPT, North Korea has 18 months to conclude such an arrangement. In coming years, North Korea links adherence to this provision of the treaty to the withdrawal of U.S. nuclear weapons from South Korea.

1991
September 27, 1991: President George Bush announces the unilateral withdrawal of all naval and land-based tactical nuclear weapons deployed abroad. Approximately 100 U.S. nuclear weapons had been based in South Korea. Eight days later, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev reciprocates.

November 8, 1991: In response to President Bush’s unilateral move, President Roh Tae Woo of South Korea announces the Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, under which South Korea promises not to produce, possess, store, deploy, or use nuclear weapons. In addition, the declaration unilaterally prohibits South Korea from possessing nuclear reprocessing or uranium enrichment facilities. These promises, if enacted, would satisfy all of North Korea’s conditions for allowing IAEA inspections of its nuclear facilities....

Kim Jong Un has stated several times in public that he wants the region denuclearized. I think this is what he is referring to. If North Korea is on the same page with other countries to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, there is precedent for it and it worked for as long as North Korea did not use it's nuclear capacity.

I do not want to see any see-saw effect due to USA's political propaganda. I think that is a sincere issue when moving forward with agreements to denuclearize. Any political rhetoric has to end and the USA needs to be a full partner and willing to proceed with verifiable denuclearization by the IAEA.

The USA has a very bad history in trusting the IAEA. That needs a diplomat all by itself. There have been too many times when the USA has entered into agreements, then invoked independent sanctions without any support from allies. South Korea is an important ally, but, it needs to be included when decisions regarding sanctions and/or ending agreements are invoked. South Korea has more vested interest in a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. The value it places of agreements has to be respected. In the new agreements with Kim Jong Un, the USA has to be a partner to South Korea and not it's overlord.

Everyone loves a hero, but, no one seems to care about the dead.

May 25, 2018

...The National Rifle Association (click here) quickly seized on the incident as "just another example of how the best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," according to a tweet. The powerful gun rights lobbying group commonly touts the mantra as part of its strategy in the wake of gun violence to identify ways -- apart from restricting firearms -- to enhance public safety....

Or in this case, the injured. And don't forget, this is Oklahoma. States Rights dictates Oklahoma may need people to carry weapons IN THE TRUNK OF THEIR CARS, but, that does not mean it applies to every state in the country. In my opinion, the willingness of the NRA to look the other way to the fact four innocent people were injured is scarier than stated anywhere in the article.

...Four people were injured during the shooting, including a woman and a girl who were shot inside Louie's while celebrating a birthday, CNN affiliate KOCO reported. They were hospitalized, said Mathews, the police captain.

Another woman also was wounded by gunfire, and a man fell and broke his arm after Tilghman began his assault, police said.

Police detained "a large number of witnesses" and, early on, said there was no indication of terrorism

"It's like, every day you hear the same story," Benton told KFOR. "But it was just very odd to be in the middle of it."

The heroes as they are stated here didn't carry a side arm into the restaurant. So, the entire focus of the NRA is propaganda and profits and not facts or reality.

We have seen other instances like this as well. There was the church shooting last year when a person saw the gunman leaving the scene and was later run down by someone with a gun. The end of the killing spree is always welcome no matter who ends it, but, the fact remains there is no protection from the initial assault. The NRA needs to tell the country how exactly they explain the dead, regardless, of the good guy with a gun.

This is not the USA, no matter how much the NRA would like it to be.

While I wish this wasn't happening in Pakistan either, there is no place for military style weapons in the USA. There is no reason to have them. There is no purpose for an AK-47 among the people of the USA. It makes NO SENSE for our society to have succumbed to the violence issued by Osama bin Laden.

I find it encouraging there was at least a peace committee with members in Pakistan. That is a real way forward, but, here again, the ISI is failing that peace committee if it's members are targets.

But, this is not the USA. It is uniquely Pakistan, even it would seem in their agricultural areas. In believing weapons belong on the street only invites violence. Where there is no purpose for a gun in USA society, evidently there are those that believe they should find a purpose.

May 29, 2018

Malik Amanullah (click here) a member of the peace committee in Bajaur Agency was targeted by terrorists through a remote controlled bomb on Tuesday in Chahar Mang area of Tehsil Nagoi.

According to sources, he was severely injured due to the explosion and immediately transferred to the Agency Headquarters Hospital for treatment.

Security forces cordoned off the area and began a search operation.

In March, residence of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Syed Akhunzada Chattan’s came under missile attack in the agency.

Officials had confirmed that the PPP provincial president and former member parliament was present in the house when it came under attack, however, no casualties were reported.

Political administration in Bajaur and Mohmand agencies and Charsadda police officials have revised security arrangement at all entry and exit points....

Where is the breaking point in young adult development when Caucasian men decide they are defined by the power of a weapon?

May 30, 2018
By Manny Fernandez, Julie Turkewitz and Jess Bidgood

Santa Fe — The exact reasons (click here) why a teenage gunman shot his fellow students and teachers here at Santa Fe High School remain a mystery. His model for carrying it out is more clear.

The 17-year-old junior wore a black trench coat and fired a sawed-off shotgun, the same attire and weaponry used by the two gunmen who killed a dozen students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999.

He wore a T-shirt with the phrase “Born to Kill” on it in bold, similar in design to those worn by the Columbine attackers, which read “Wrath” and “Natural Selection.”

His crude arsenal included canisters of carbon-dioxide gas and Molotov cocktails, two types of explosives used by the Columbine gunmen.

The picture he had posted of his trench coat on Facebook showed a small red-star medallion with the Communist hammer-and-sickle on the collar, the same type of button a Columbine gunman attached to his boot....

Parenting matters. Separation - Individuation issues continue throughout the life of a child, including teens into young adulthood.

What no one wants to admit is that the killers of the late teens and early twenties are a product of our society, not just parenting, that values violence and hatred over any other emotion.

When a young mind sees nothing but violence as a means of entertainment a SINGULAR EMOTION takes over and the definition of that life becomes clear to them. A person needs a wide range of emotions and experience in their life otherwise they are deprived of a quality life. A late teen and early 20 something that has been teethed on violence only knows a few emotions and never experience compassion, kindness or empathy.

To begin with it is a mostly Caucasian male issue. (click here)

It is also a gun issue. There has been a change in the gun culture in the USA. The gun as a culture icon represents power and for those without power, it represents an answer to that problem. 

...But after the September 11 attacks, (click here) I spent several years at war and then lived abroad as a civilian for another several years. And when I finally returned to the United States in late 2008, I noticed something different about the gun culture in the country to which I was so eager to return. For one, driving with my mother from our home in East Tennessee to Nashville, I noticed how many billboards on the side of the highway advertised guns. And not just any guns—these were not .30-06 hunting rifles or shotguns, but rather, the kind of tactical firearms, including assault rifles, that I had carried in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why in the world, I thought then, would anyone have a need for such weapons?...

No person in the USA feels more defeated by society than a poor achiever in school. I think there is a perfect storm with these young men when they define their adulthood as someone who can shoot a gun. It is a culture issue and it is serious.

Adolescence, 1990 Spring; 25(97): 105-116; JA Daniels; "Adolescent separation-individuation and family transitions," 

This paper (click here) discusses the relationship between family structure and the achievement of the adolescent developmental task of separation-individuation. Adolescent separation-individuation is viewed as a continuum. At the right end of the continuum, adolescents reach successful therapeutic separation-individuation--a sense of self--while remaining connected to the family as a functional member. At the other end of the continuum is nontherapeutic dysfunctional separation-individuation. These adolescents are characterized by disruptive behaviors, rejection of societal and family norms, and potential suicide. Successful accomplishment of separation-individuation appears to be affected by a number of factors (e.g., conflict, parental relationship, accomplishment of previous developmental tasks). Adolescents from nontraditional families may have more barriers to overcome in order to therapeutically complete this task. Interventions to promote therapeutic separation-individuation need to incorporate all members of the family and support from the community. Through anticipatory guidance, dissemination of information, affiliating behaviors, and support groups, practitioners can help equip families with the skills needed for successful accomplishment of this task.

James Cameron states there is still a great deal of ocean floor to be mapped.

30 May 2018
By Matt Young

Director James Cameron attends the Deepsea Challenger photocall at California Science Centre.

Deep-sea explorer James Cameron (click here) has said it's no surprise that the missing MH370 plane has not yet been found and that it would be "human arrogance" to think otherwise.

Almost four years since the filmmaker said he believed the plane would never be found due to a lack of "vehicle funding", the Titanic director told news.com.au there was still no end in sight for one of aviation's greatest mysteries.

In Sydney earlier this week as part of Vivid Ideas and to launch his major new exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum, James Cameron — Challenging The Deep, he told news.com.au that finding the missing plane at the bottom of the ocean is like finding a needle in a haystack....

..Cameron's comments come as the US technology company which has been scouring the ocean floor for more than three months failed to find the wreck site and today, officially ended its search.

Texas-based Ocean Infinity chief executive Oliver Plunkett said 112,000sq km of remote ocean floor had been searched — more than four times larger than the proposed crash zone around the Indian Ocean.

"I would firstly like to extend the thoughts of everyone at Ocean Infinity to the families of those who have lost loved ones on MH370. Part of our motivation for renewing the search was to try to provide some answers to those affected," Mr Plunkett said in a statement.

"It is therefore with a heavy heart that we end our current search without having achieved that aim," he said.

Australian Transport Minister Michael McCormack said the search for the missing plane was the largest in aviation history and had tested the boundaries of what humans and technology could achieve at such deep depths....

Jimmy Kimmel is right about the show "Dan."

Good morning. I got caught up in a racism town yesterday evening and did not review Ireland and climate. Until later this AM.

Trump's dialogue about low unemployment never addresses the impoverishment of those known as "The Working Poor."

May 22, 2018

...A collapse (click here) in the rate of union membership for private-sector employees — to 6.5 percent last year from the upper teens in the early 1980s — appears to have played a key role in holding down wages.

Washington - Despite an ultra-low 3.9 percent unemployment rate (click here), about one-third of U.S. adults faced financial insecurity last year and often struggled to pay unexpected expenses, a Federal Reserve survey found .

For three in 10 adults, their monthly incomes fluctuated - often because their work schedules changed at short notice - and that caused about one in ten Americans to miss some bill payments, according to the report released Tuesday. Forty percent of adults would have had to borrow money or sell something to pay an emergency expense of just $400.

The data suggests that financial security evades even many of those who are working. About one-third of U.S. adults relied on "gig" work or side jobs last year to bolster their incomes. Fewer than four of 10 Americans think their retirement savings are sufficient, and a quarter have none at all, the Fed survey found....

Additionally, there is far more reason for people to organize into unions for their employment, namely the recent Supreme Court ruling against class action suits. The Supreme Court treats class action suits as a nuisance and not a reality.

THE WORK PLACE is where unions exceed expectations. It has always been the focus of unions with demands that increase safety and at the same time increase employee attendance. I am sure the unions take any form of sexual harassment seriously and have taken it seriously. The woman worker has been most successful with union organizations where they lead as well.

May 28, 2018

...The consequences (click here) that follow the demise of employment-related class-action claims, moreover, include the following:

Claims may be too costly or time-consuming to pursue individually. As a result, employees will have little bargaining power against significant moneyed interests and repeat players.

Individual claims, decided in secret, rarely right wrongs that affect others; patterns of wrongdoing are hidden, and the public is kept in the dark.


Congress may have intended otherwise, but the reality is that arbitration, co-opted by companies, delivers costly, complex, time-consuming proceedings that not only intimidate individual claimants but also deny them procedural justice.

Additionally, Lilly Ledbetter has been accepted by some as a legitimate issue. It seems as though Starbucks is more than willing and seems to thrive on social structural change.

March 21, 2018
By Danielle Weiner-Bonner

..."This milestone is the result of years of work and commitment," said Lucy Helm, executive vice president and chief partner officer at Starbucks (SBUX), in a statement.

"We've worked hard for a couple of years now to ensure we can get there," Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson told CNN's Maggie Lake on Wednesday.

The coffee company added that it will now tell American job candidates the pay range for any position in an effort to increase transparency.

Helm explained that the company has been striving for pay equity for about decade. Last year, it was at 99.7% parity. Women make up about one-third of the company's executive team....

Another example of corporate mismanagement. Human beings have rights and some companies see those rights as a burden to profit. Employees for profit companies needs unions. It is just a fact of life.

May 29, 2018

Kansas City – Employees of the janitorial company (click here) Crystal Clear Enterprise based in Grandview are seeking class action status in a suit over allegations they were not paid for all hours worked in their 40-hour workweek.

Lead plaintiff Leslie S. Lemanske claims that from April 2017 and March 2018, she worked as an hourly, non-exempt employee as a site supervisor for the defendant but that she and others were consistently required to perform duties during their meal and break periods and not relieved from duty during those periods.

According to the complaint filed May 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, any employee who had a shift of four or more hours would automatically have 15 minutes deducted from their paid shift and anyone who worked longer than eight hours would have 45 minutes automatically deducted to account for "rest" and "meal" breaks.

Lemanske claims that under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Missouri law, rest periods of short duration - 5 to 20 minutes - must be counted as hours worked.

The suit states that "while 'bona fide meal periods are not worktime,' the employee must be completely relieved from duty for the purposes of eating regular meals."...

US Cities with shortest and longest average work weeks. By the way, shorter work weeks have been proven to be more productive.

14 May 2018
By Sarah Berger

...Financial website WalletHub (click here) recently analyzed data to determine the best large, U.S. cities to start a business in, comparing 182 cities, including 150 of the most populated U.S. cities plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state. Those cities were then evaluated on three dimensions — business environment, access to resources and business costs, using 19 relevant metrics....

Shortest: 

1. Burlington, Vermont: 33.5 hours

2. Tallahassee, Florida: 34.9 hours

3. Providence, Rhode Island: 36 hours

4. Missoula, Montana: 36.1 hours

5. Bridgeport, Connecticut: 36.2 hours

6. Madison, Wisconsin: 36.2 hours

Longest:

1. Anchorage, Alaska: 41 hours

2. Corpus Christi, Texas: 40.5 hours

3. Fayetteville, North Carolina, 40.5 hours

4. Casper, Wyoming: 40.4 hours

5. Irving, Texas: 40.3 hours

6. Plano, Texas: 40.3 hours

Removing children from their parents is genocide. Period. Stop.

The reason the Trump administration, National Guard, Border Patrol and civilian agencies provides is that the parents have broken the law. No, they haven't.

If all the problem with the Mexican - US Border is law enforcement the end to such immigration would have been solved a long time ago. The only exception to border crossings requiring imprisonment is drug trafficking.

THE PRACTICE of USA southern border crossings has a long history of humanitarian content. These folks at the border are not criminals. They are coming to the USA for humanitarian reasons. They are UNARMED and without illegal drugs or raw materials.

The issue is that Mexico and other countries south of the USA border have profound impoverishment. The problem is that if Mexico had an economy that supported the population this would not happen. No one is coming here on a lark. The history in this relationship with border crossers in long standing because nothing has occurred for CENTURIES in changing the economy of the countries south of the USA border.

ALSO, the notion that border crossings INTO SAFETY is a very valuable commodity in any place that occurs with our embassies. There is a clear understanding that crossing a country's border means a change in status to safety and A FUTURE. That definition internationally cannot change. It effects Americans as well as others that seek asylum or fear for their lives. There are Russians living in the UK that are there for one reason, their personal safety. They long for a return to Russia if the country becomes a place where personal safety has value. 

Using WORDS against the safety of human beings and instilling genocide is more illegal than can be undone. The USA knows the trauma of removing children from their parents and potential to permanent psychological damage. Basically, Trump and his henchmen/women are creating a huge problem that can be avoided by common sheltering of children with parents.

There are strong EXAMPLES of sheltering border crossers with their children in the history, recent history as well, in the USA. This is a hostile act by the Trump administration and all it's minions and should not be tolerated by anyone.

The wrongful use of American agencies to facilitate the removal of children from their parents is out of sync with their legislated purpose AND ARTIFICAL. Sessions cannot simply state the children are now parentless because they are in jail. THAT IS AN ARTIFICAL CREATED CIRCUMSTANCE that is not upheld by law.

None of these parents expected to lose their children with their border crossing. They brought their families with them to find better circumstances to their lives rather than have the children indoctrinated by drug cartels and/or killed because they won't. This is a humanitarian issue at the USA southern border, sustained or not, it is a humanitarian issue NOT A CRIMINAL ISSUE. These people did not come to the USA to break the law and cause the country harm. They are border crossers for EXTERMELY TYPICAL REASONS and they should be welcomed no different than other peaceful border crossers across the world.

The agencies receiving these children need to refuse them and demand they remain with their parents. They are being paid for the wrong reasons and are just as guilty as the rest of the structure supporting the genocide.

North Korea has a lot to learn from South Korea to come up to speed with something recognized as an economy.

Investment and a stable middle class will help build a real economy in North Korea. Credit cards should only become a real part of society with a stable middle class.

The middle class can work best in any burgeoning economy if it starts young with good educations and marketable skills. I think the young leader, Kim Jong Un, identifies with the young in North Korea. I think much of his desire to have a stronger economy will be to benefit the future. An immediate future is a big unrealistic. 

North Korea has to recognize that investment needs to occur to bring his people into the 21st century. And it needs to be an economy with real jobs, not simply a hook up to "Alibaba." Real jobs with real people earning a paycheck every week and going in wealth with savings and investment themselves.

I think the Koreas can build economies separately and then find common ground where the two countries can build a future together for their people.

May 29, 2018

“What I saw when I came to South Korea (click here) was overwhelming,” 19-year-old Pak Sool says while talking about what he experienced since fleeing the North.

“North and South Korea are totally different. I had no idea what a credit card was, and that’s used everyday here,” the Yeomyung school student said....

It is a great film about a great man.

He is a great patriot. His example clearly states, "Don't ever give up the USA. It is important to stand up for the country you love." 

I am not going to let go, Senator McCain. I don't have it in me to give up the USA for something a few power brokers want for the wrong reason."

I am not going to give up doing the right thing, for the country and the climate.

 

If the right wing didn't make excuse for Trump's poor judgement, he just might stop it.

There is no excuse for this. He is the Commander and Chief. The first and only priority today should be the soldiers, their families and the ceremony to honor their sacrifice. 

I would criticize his statement, but, to do so only does more dishonor to the day.

Memorial Day is about respect for the soldier and the sovereignty of the USA.

There is no sense to having days of commemoration if it isn't about the people it is supposed to honor.

Mr. Trump frequently states, "...I am President of the United States...," then act it.

It is Memorial Day weekend. Of course, the traditional Memorial Day is May 31st.

It is important to realize Memorial Day in the USA was born out of the need to heal a country after a civil war. There has never been an inclusive issue in the USA when it comes to healing the country. The South should feel no need to rise again. Those doors have already been closed and citizenship was never denied. 

It is time to bury White Supremacy in the USA and this is a good day to realize that.

I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend with vacations or picnics or parades. For those Americans that are members of essential services and are unable to enjoy this federal holiday; we miss you. Next federal holiday trade-off with a peer.

The next country to be reviewed for it's participation to the Kyoto Protocol is Ireland. I will most likely cover that Tuesday. 

May 27, 2018

What is the meaning of Memorial Day, and how is this different from Veterans Day?...

...In early rural America, (click here) this duty was usually performed in late summer and was an occasion for family reunions and picnics. After the Civil War, America’s need for a secular, patriotic ceremony to honor its military dead became prominent, as monuments to fallen soldiers were erected and dedicated, and ceremonies centering on the decoration of soldiers’ graves were held in towns and cities throughout the nation.

After World War I, the day expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars....

No less than 25 places have been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day, and states observed the holiday on different dates. In 1971, Memorial Day became a national holiday by an act of Congress; it is now celebrated on the last Monday in May.

Since it all started with the Civil War, you might want to brush up on your knowledge of this event by visiting the Library of Congress Civil War collection, which includes more than a thousand photographs....             

This is a shame. There is only one satellite working to provide UNISYS with weather data.

16 May 2018
1530:44z
UNISYS Water Vapor Hemisphere Satellite (click here for 12 hour loop)

It is complete and dangerous corruption. This is not the way the USA should be conducting itself. That is a single satellite swath.


25 May 2018
1530:44z
Unisys Water Vapor GOES East satellite (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)

Families (click here) like the Robertsons’ want to spend time focusing on fun — not the hassle of a cancelled flight or lost suitcase. For over 55 years, Unisys has worked with airports to solve these problems globally. Our airline, air transport and airport clients rely on our solutions to enhance the passenger experience while ensuring safety and security. With our comprehensive airline, airport and air cargo offerings, Unisys soars above the competition because our industry expertise — combined with our strong modernization and cybersecurity capabilities — add up to a top-flight combination.

Having provided innovative IT solutions to 21 of the top 25 global airlines, we have honed our strategic approach with a set of solutions that connect and secure the complex transportation landscape from the traveler to the baggage/cargo and the background freight management logistics....

Immediately below is a picture of Fort Lauderdale Beach before Irma hit. 

The current picture of Fort Lauderdale Beach is below. They haven't recovered from last season yet.

May 25, 2018

Empty beaches and low-hanging clouds are shown, Friday, May 25, 2018, at Fort Lauderdale Beach in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. A storm kicking up in the Caribbean Sea is threatening to bring heavy rainfall and flash floods to parts of Mexico, Cuba, Florida and the eastern U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend and possibly beyond.

MIAMI (AP) — A storm (click here) moving slowly through the Gulf of Mexico is threatening to bring heavy rainfall, storm surges, high winds, and flash floods to the U.S. Gulf Coast this holiday weekend.

Subtropical Storm Alberto - the first named storm of the 2018 hurricane season - roiled parts of coastal Mexico and Cuba with rip currents and dangerous surf before plodding northward Saturday.

Cuba maintained its tropical storm watch for the province of Pinar del Rio, while Mexico cancelled its watch for the resort-dotted coast of the Yucatan peninsula, where the storm brought heavy rain. There were no immediate reports of emergencies. In Cancun, local newspapers showed scenes of some streets flooded to mid-hubcap level.

In the U.S., a storm surge watch - meaning the possibility of life-threatening inundations from rising coastal waters moving inland - was issued for a stretch of coastline between Horseshoe Beach, Florida, and the mouth of the Mississippi River.

"The combination of storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline," the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Isolated tornadoes could erupt over the Florida Keys or southwestern Florida late Saturday....

The image to the left are the tornadoes recorded during the 2917 hurricane season. Not the traditional tornado season, but, this is a record number of hurricane season tornadoes.

The 2017 hurricane season produced the largest number of reported tornadoes spawned (click here)