Friday, November 09, 2018
The Climate Crisis is accelerating these fires.
There is extreme drought where the Camp Fire and Woodley fires started. The Camp Fire has unusually dry conditions.
Who is representing the victims?
October 17, 2018
By Joel Feick
Flint - They are the finest legal minds in the state. (click here)
The lawyers who are defending and prosecuting those at the center of the Flint water crisis are, by some accounts, the best that money can buy....
...Sen. Ananich says" I've never seen anything like it. $30 million, no one's been convicted and there's no end in sight".
What will $30 million get you these days? The MDEQ estimates it spent about $668,000 a month on bottled water. Divide 30 million from that number and the state could pay for bottled water for Flint residents for another three and a half years.
Or put another way, Flint estimates pipe replacement at about $7,500 per home. With $30 million, you could replace pipes in 4,000 homes.
Ananich says some of the lawyers are making more than $1,000 an hour. He authored a bill to cap the legal fees at $150 an hour, but the state senate turned him down....
...The courtrooms are packed with lawyers for the water crisis hearings. In most cases each defendant has more than one lawyer. Former Flint public works director Howard Croft is represented by attorney James White.
James White says " I'm unable to comment...(Joel) Are the lawyers getting rich off the Flint water crisis? (White) "I'm not getting rich. (Joel) But $30 million is a lot of money. (White) I haven't received $30 million."
Are the lawyers getting rich off the Flint water crisis?
Senator Jim Ananich says " No question about it."
But a Ketttering University professor, who testified during a preliminary hearing, says money got Flint into the water crisis, so this isn't the time to pinch pennies.
Dr. Laura Sullivan " I don't think now is a time cost should be a factor of whether or not justice is served."
Do the lawyers have a blank check?...
The survivors of Snyder's poisoning has to live with the injuries for the rest of their lives. There is no balance in this perspective. The victim's town, namely Flint, is still struggling with pipes not yet replaced and the burden of drinking bottled water. The other side of this are the monies that flow in expenses to lawyers defending the "middle management" of Synder's poisoning of Flint water.
An impoverished community without resources to change it's reality once the plug was pulled on the Flint River, today has more disabled and chronically ill people than it did years ago. There is no balance here.
October 15, 2018
By Auditi Guha
“It hurts. It really does hurt that you have people with that much power not even seem like they care."
In 2014 and 2015, Genesee County saw the largest outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in at least a decade. After reports of high lead levels and public outcry, Gov. Rick Snyder (R) switched Flint’s water source back to Detroit’s in October 2015.
Jassmine McBride’s mother calls her “a miracle.” (click here)
The 30-year-old woman is among the 90 or so residents of Flint, Michigan, who survived Legionnaires’ disease, a potentially deadly lung infection. And while the news focused mainly on the ones who died, families like the McBrides now feel lost and forgotten.
Forgotten is how many residents said they feel four-and-a-half years after Flint’s lead-tainted water crisis began, and six months after Republican Gov. Rick Snyder declared the water safe and stopped distributing free bottled water to people who have no trust in their government.
“It hurts. It really does hurt that you have people with that much power not even seem like they care,” Jassmine said last week about politicians who claim all is fine in Flint. “You can still smell the water. It’s still affecting people. We still bathe or brush our teeth with bottled water. It’s just hard, it really is, to have none of those people come around and say they are sorry.”...
In addition to the money, Snyder has a scapegoat.
October 15, 2018
By Steve Carmody
A preliminary hearing (click here) is underway for a former emergency manager criminally charged in connection with the Flint water crisis.
The prosecution blames the crisis on Flint’s series of emergency managers, appointed by the governor to run the city of Flint amid a financial emergency.
Prosecutor Todd Flood told the judge in court on Monday that the emergency managers, including Darnell Earley, put money ahead of "human health and safety."
Flood recounted how, to save money, the managers pushed through a plan to switch Flint’s drinking water source from Detroit to the Flint River....
By Joel Feick
Flint - They are the finest legal minds in the state. (click here)
The lawyers who are defending and prosecuting those at the center of the Flint water crisis are, by some accounts, the best that money can buy....
...Sen. Ananich says" I've never seen anything like it. $30 million, no one's been convicted and there's no end in sight".
What will $30 million get you these days? The MDEQ estimates it spent about $668,000 a month on bottled water. Divide 30 million from that number and the state could pay for bottled water for Flint residents for another three and a half years.
Or put another way, Flint estimates pipe replacement at about $7,500 per home. With $30 million, you could replace pipes in 4,000 homes.
Ananich says some of the lawyers are making more than $1,000 an hour. He authored a bill to cap the legal fees at $150 an hour, but the state senate turned him down....
...The courtrooms are packed with lawyers for the water crisis hearings. In most cases each defendant has more than one lawyer. Former Flint public works director Howard Croft is represented by attorney James White.
James White says " I'm unable to comment...(Joel) Are the lawyers getting rich off the Flint water crisis? (White) "I'm not getting rich. (Joel) But $30 million is a lot of money. (White) I haven't received $30 million."
Are the lawyers getting rich off the Flint water crisis?
Senator Jim Ananich says " No question about it."
But a Ketttering University professor, who testified during a preliminary hearing, says money got Flint into the water crisis, so this isn't the time to pinch pennies.
Dr. Laura Sullivan " I don't think now is a time cost should be a factor of whether or not justice is served."
Do the lawyers have a blank check?...
The survivors of Snyder's poisoning has to live with the injuries for the rest of their lives. There is no balance in this perspective. The victim's town, namely Flint, is still struggling with pipes not yet replaced and the burden of drinking bottled water. The other side of this are the monies that flow in expenses to lawyers defending the "middle management" of Synder's poisoning of Flint water.
An impoverished community without resources to change it's reality once the plug was pulled on the Flint River, today has more disabled and chronically ill people than it did years ago. There is no balance here.
October 15, 2018
By Auditi Guha
“It hurts. It really does hurt that you have people with that much power not even seem like they care."
In 2014 and 2015, Genesee County saw the largest outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in at least a decade. After reports of high lead levels and public outcry, Gov. Rick Snyder (R) switched Flint’s water source back to Detroit’s in October 2015. Jassmine McBride’s mother calls her “a miracle.” (click here)
The 30-year-old woman is among the 90 or so residents of Flint, Michigan, who survived Legionnaires’ disease, a potentially deadly lung infection. And while the news focused mainly on the ones who died, families like the McBrides now feel lost and forgotten.
Forgotten is how many residents said they feel four-and-a-half years after Flint’s lead-tainted water crisis began, and six months after Republican Gov. Rick Snyder declared the water safe and stopped distributing free bottled water to people who have no trust in their government.
“It hurts. It really does hurt that you have people with that much power not even seem like they care,” Jassmine said last week about politicians who claim all is fine in Flint. “You can still smell the water. It’s still affecting people. We still bathe or brush our teeth with bottled water. It’s just hard, it really is, to have none of those people come around and say they are sorry.”...
In addition to the money, Snyder has a scapegoat.
October 15, 2018
By Steve Carmody
A preliminary hearing (click here) is underway for a former emergency manager criminally charged in connection with the Flint water crisis.
The prosecution blames the crisis on Flint’s series of emergency managers, appointed by the governor to run the city of Flint amid a financial emergency.
Prosecutor Todd Flood told the judge in court on Monday that the emergency managers, including Darnell Earley, put money ahead of "human health and safety."
Flood recounted how, to save money, the managers pushed through a plan to switch Flint’s drinking water source from Detroit to the Flint River....
U.S. EP-3 Intercepted in the Black Sea (click here for article - thank you)
Russian military continues to grow it's assault on The West. Americans are not safer with Trump's allowances of Russian aggression. In this video, the Russian jet would love to have effected the US jet with jet wash or otherwise.
...During today’s incident, a Russian SU-27 fighter pulled within meters of a Navy EP-3 Aries II plane operating in international airspace over the Black Sea before punching its afterburner while peeling off, giving the US crew a rough ride as the Russian pilot slid off into the horizon....
Hainan Island incident under Bush/Cheney was an EP-3. They are not an armed jet. There is no reason for this aggression by Russia unless they are encouraging the same incident as 17 years ago.
These acts of aggression by Russia and China are escalating. Not long ago there was confrontation by China to a USA ship. It was uncalled for and it should not have happened. When combining this with the aggression in the Mediterranean Sea and the aggressive politics with Russia and Cuba, there is a trend of a burgeoning confrontation.
Perhaps ZTE is not as important to China as eliminating the USA as a trade irritant.
The USA has to beef up it's protections of their ships and spy jets. The USA cannot cower in the corner while Russia and China are becoming more aggressive and impinging on our allies. The EP-3 needs a jet escort to carry out it's mission.
All those Figher jets needing repair that were stomped on by the hurricane need to be put back into service, NOW. The money is there with increased funding by Congress. SPEND IT. The USA is no longer on a peace footing.
...During today’s incident, a Russian SU-27 fighter pulled within meters of a Navy EP-3 Aries II plane operating in international airspace over the Black Sea before punching its afterburner while peeling off, giving the US crew a rough ride as the Russian pilot slid off into the horizon....
Hainan Island incident under Bush/Cheney was an EP-3. They are not an armed jet. There is no reason for this aggression by Russia unless they are encouraging the same incident as 17 years ago.
These acts of aggression by Russia and China are escalating. Not long ago there was confrontation by China to a USA ship. It was uncalled for and it should not have happened. When combining this with the aggression in the Mediterranean Sea and the aggressive politics with Russia and Cuba, there is a trend of a burgeoning confrontation.
Perhaps ZTE is not as important to China as eliminating the USA as a trade irritant.
The USA has to beef up it's protections of their ships and spy jets. The USA cannot cower in the corner while Russia and China are becoming more aggressive and impinging on our allies. The EP-3 needs a jet escort to carry out it's mission.
All those Figher jets needing repair that were stomped on by the hurricane need to be put back into service, NOW. The money is there with increased funding by Congress. SPEND IT. The USA is no longer on a peace footing.
The woman assaulted Acosta. The jokes are interesting, but, the woman (name ?) went to take the microphone out of Acosta's hand. He did not hand it to her to have the next person use it. She assaulted him and tried to grab the microphone out of his hand when he was not prepared to give it up. She did not stand there waiting for the microphone to be handed to her. She wanted to forcefully remove the microphone from his hand. That is not allowed. There was no mutual consent in handing the microphone to her and the next person.
The definition of assault (click here) varies by jurisdiction but is generally defined as intentionally putting another person in reasonable apprehension of an imminent harmful or offensive contact. Physical injury is not required.
This is supposed to be a room of professionals. There is no protocol in passing the microphone? Grabbing a microphone or attempting to grab a microphone from the hand of a journalist will cause an alarm reaction. That is assault.
When am I going to hear how the Russian missile ship is leaving the Mediterranean Sea? When am I going to hear about the new President of Cuba? When am I going to hear how Russia plans to arm Cuba and quite possibly plant missiles aimed at the USA in Cuba? When is the USA going to be alarmed about the inaction of the Trump administration that compromises the country? What are Americans going to do, sit around like morons and watch the bombs fall?
The definition of assault (click here) varies by jurisdiction but is generally defined as intentionally putting another person in reasonable apprehension of an imminent harmful or offensive contact. Physical injury is not required.
This is supposed to be a room of professionals. There is no protocol in passing the microphone? Grabbing a microphone or attempting to grab a microphone from the hand of a journalist will cause an alarm reaction. That is assault.
When am I going to hear how the Russian missile ship is leaving the Mediterranean Sea? When am I going to hear about the new President of Cuba? When am I going to hear how Russia plans to arm Cuba and quite possibly plant missiles aimed at the USA in Cuba? When is the USA going to be alarmed about the inaction of the Trump administration that compromises the country? What are Americans going to do, sit around like morons and watch the bombs fall?
No one is asking Trump about the Russian missile ship in the Mediterranean Sea. What are people thinking?
President Trump is in violation of the US Constitution with his appointment of Mr. Whitaker. There is nothing else that needs to be understood.
Whitaker is a scam artist and was probably instumental in pushing Sessions out the door.
November 7, 2018
By Michael Daly
Our new acting attorney general (click here) was listed on the advisory board of a patent marketing company that federal authorities shut down as a fraudulent scheme that bilked aspiring inventors of millions of dollars and intimated that those who publicly complained might have to deal with a “security team” of Israeli ex-special forces operators schooled in Krav Maga....
Whitaker is a scam artist and was probably instumental in pushing Sessions out the door.
November 7, 2018
By Michael Daly
Our new acting attorney general (click here) was listed on the advisory board of a patent marketing company that federal authorities shut down as a fraudulent scheme that bilked aspiring inventors of millions of dollars and intimated that those who publicly complained might have to deal with a “security team” of Israeli ex-special forces operators schooled in Krav Maga....
A new environmental study is not necessary.
October 8, 2018
By Katherine J. Wu
...Among them (click here) would be a 40 to 50 percent reduction in emissions by 2030—a mere 12 years from now—and a completely carbon-neutral world by 2050. Usage of coal as an electricity source would also have to take a significant plunge to make room for renewable energy, such as wind and solar, Davenport reports....
Shut down the oil sands in Canada and Venezuela and put people to work in restoration of the natural environment of trees, clean rivers and wildlife. Then invite tourists.
November 9, 2018
By Alex Guillen
A federal judge (click here) ordered both the Trump administration and TransCanada to stop any work on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline on Thursday, saying President Donald Trump’s approval of the project last year violated several key environmental and administrative laws by ignoring facts about climate change.
Judge Brian Morris of the U.S. District Court for Montana ruled that the Trump administration almost completely ignored climate change in its analysis supporting the pipeline’s construction, a shift that unlawfully reversed the Obama administration’s 2015 decision rejecting the pipeline’s cross-border permit....
By Katherine J. Wu
...Among them (click here) would be a 40 to 50 percent reduction in emissions by 2030—a mere 12 years from now—and a completely carbon-neutral world by 2050. Usage of coal as an electricity source would also have to take a significant plunge to make room for renewable energy, such as wind and solar, Davenport reports....
Shut down the oil sands in Canada and Venezuela and put people to work in restoration of the natural environment of trees, clean rivers and wildlife. Then invite tourists.
November 9, 2018
By Alex Guillen
A federal judge (click here) ordered both the Trump administration and TransCanada to stop any work on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline on Thursday, saying President Donald Trump’s approval of the project last year violated several key environmental and administrative laws by ignoring facts about climate change.
Judge Brian Morris of the U.S. District Court for Montana ruled that the Trump administration almost completely ignored climate change in its analysis supporting the pipeline’s construction, a shift that unlawfully reversed the Obama administration’s 2015 decision rejecting the pipeline’s cross-border permit....
November 9, 2018
By Richard Wolf
Washington – Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (click here) was released from the hospital Friday morning, a day after being admitted with fractured ribs suffered in a fall at her office.
Ginsburg, 85, "is doing well and plans to work from home today," court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg announced.
End digital voting, return to reliable and maintainable mechanical voting machines.
This is from an article in 2004.
According to the Cal Tech/MIT Voting Technology Project, the old machines work compartively well: "Paper ballots, lever machines, and optically scanned ballots have the lowest average and median residual vote rates." (Residual votes are apparent votes that don't get counted.)...
Voting machines have to be treated like a washing machine, with extended service contracts. It will remove the opportunity for hacking and foreign government interference. Machines lasted decades and with preventive maintenance after each use, they were trouble free.
This is the year 2018, GET OFF LINE for voting. The country is hooked on immediate results, it carries too much risk.
November 6, 2018
By Christina A Cassidy, Coleen Long and Michael Balsamo
Atlanta — Problem signs that arose during weeks of early voting (click here) carried into Election Day as some voters across the country faced hours-long lines, malfunctioning voting equipment and unexpectedly closed polling places.
Some of the biggest backups were in Georgia, where the governor's race was among the nation's most-watched midterm contests and was generating heavy turnout.
One voter in Gwinnett County, Ontaria Woods, waited more than three hours and said she saw about two dozen people who had come to vote leave because of the lines.
"We've been trying to tell them to wait, but people have children," Woods said. "People are getting hungry. People are tired."
The good-government group Common Cause said high turnout combined with too few voting machines, ballots and workers was causing delays....
...The local breakdowns are a symptom of a larger problem with the nation's voting infrastructure, said Lawrence Norden, a voting technology expert with the Brennan Center.
Forty-one states use computerized voting machines that are more than a decade old, and 43 states have machines that are no longer manufactured.
"It's further evidence, if any was needed, that it's long past time to modernize our voting infrastructure," Norden said. "Voters have a right to be frustrated by long lines. And they have a right to expect voting machines that work and have a paper backup."
Elsewhere, polling place confusion caused problems for voters and poll workers.
In Phoenix, a polling site was foreclosed on overnight, forcing poll workers to move it just in time for polls to open.
For about an hour after polls opened, a Sarasota County, Florida, precinct had to tell voters to come back later because their ballots were unavailable....
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