In question is Trump's claim that the reason for the Russian investigation was flawed. Trump is hoping to end all trials and jail/prison sentences due to the idea the investigation should never have existed. It would make his Presidential Pardons more appropriate.
The investigation Former FBI director Mueller inherited was begun under another former Director of the FBI, James Comey. Then Director Comey received information about the hacking of the DNC, DCCC and Clinton campaign and began an investigation. There is no doubt the Russians did the hacking. The investigation that followed was more than appropriate and important to the sovereign elections of the USA.
September 30, 2019
By Evan Perez and Paul LeBlanc
President Donald Trump pressed Australia's Prime Minister (click here) during a recent phone call to help Attorney General William Barr with his review of the origins of the Russia probe, according to an official familiar with the call.
The call happened with Barr's knowledge and at his suggestion, says the official. The New York Times first reported this call.
The official notes this is seeking assistance with the review, which is being conducted by US Attorney John Durham, and so is seen as appropriate and completely different from the Ukraine matter. Justice Department officials say that it is appropriate for the attorney general and the President to seek help from foreign countries with an investigation of 2016 election interference....
Monday, September 30, 2019
I hope everyone is paying attention to a storm named Lorenzo.
It is headed toward the Azores. It won't bother the USA mainland or the Caribbean Sea. The "eye" of the storms are exceptionally well formed and intense.
September 30, 2019
By Amanda Kooser
On Sept. 26, the MODIS instrument that flies aboard NASA’s Terra provided a visible image of Hurricane Lorenzo moving through the eastern North Atlantic Ocean. Credit: NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System
On Sept. 26, the MODIS instrument that flies aboard NASA’s Terra provided a visible image of Hurricane Lorenzo moving through the eastern North Atlantic Ocean. Credit: NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System
It's been a busy hurricane season in the Atlantic this year. (click here) Hurricane Dorian took a devastating toll on the Bahamas in early September. Other storms have boiled up farther away from land, which is how Hurricane Lorenzo flew under the radar when it reached Category 5 status over the weekend, setting a new benchmark for hurricanes that far east.
Category 5 is the highest level of a hurricane with maximum sustained wind speeds of at least 157 mph (252 km/h) The National Hurricane Center called Lorenzo out on Saturday as "the strongest hurricane on record this far north and east in the Atlantic basin."
September 30, 2019
By Jessie Higgins
Evansville - As the trade war with China drags on, (click here) many of America's farms are going bankrupt.
The number of farmers falling behind on loans and filing for bankruptcy has jumped since the trade dispute began in spring 2018, according to industry statistics. And farms of all types and sizes continue going out of business.
"Many farmers and ranchers are reaching their breaking point," said Matt Perdue, the government relations director at the National Farmers Union. "The consensus is that this is going to lead to a lot of exits and more consolidations."
Between July 2018 and June 2019, the number of farms that filed for Chapter 12 bankruptcies (a type of bankruptcy designed to allow family farmers and family fishermen to restructure their finances) rose by 13 percent over the previous year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation....
Livestock is frequently sold at auction. There would be records to the increase of such sales. Dairy cows are productive and may have been sold at auction.
By Jessie Higgins
Evansville - As the trade war with China drags on, (click here) many of America's farms are going bankrupt.
The number of farmers falling behind on loans and filing for bankruptcy has jumped since the trade dispute began in spring 2018, according to industry statistics. And farms of all types and sizes continue going out of business.
"Many farmers and ranchers are reaching their breaking point," said Matt Perdue, the government relations director at the National Farmers Union. "The consensus is that this is going to lead to a lot of exits and more consolidations."
Between July 2018 and June 2019, the number of farms that filed for Chapter 12 bankruptcies (a type of bankruptcy designed to allow family farmers and family fishermen to restructure their finances) rose by 13 percent over the previous year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation....
Livestock is frequently sold at auction. There would be records to the increase of such sales. Dairy cows are productive and may have been sold at auction.
There is nothing to investigate in Ukraine.
The meeting (click here) resolved to elect Viktor Zubkov as Chairman of the Gazprom Board of Directors. Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, was named as Deputy Chairman of the Company's Board of Directors.
Hunter Biden was one of many qualified persons to become involved with Ukraine companies. Why is that? The companies wanted to distance themselves from Russia. That is a given, but, why was Hunter Biden hired in 2014?
The picture to the above and left is the headquarters of "Gasprom" in Moscow.
The reason the investigations by Viktor Shokin were conducted was to hem in any freedoms of Burisma Holdings. Realizing Ukraine, when freed from Russia, is a strategic energy source for Europe and NATO.
The choice of Hunter Biden makes sense. He would not seek to promote corruption in Ukraine. It also made a statement to the West of Ukraine's desire to be a trading partner with Europe and the USA when possible.
Nearly 80% of the world's total proven natural gas reserves (click here) are located in ten countries. Russia tops the list, holding about a quarter of world's total gas reserves, followed by Iran and Qatar in the Middle East. Hydrocarbons-technology.com profiles the top 10 countries with the world's biggest proven gas reserves....
Russia holds the largest amount of natural gas reserves in the world. The country was estimated to possess about 1,688 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven gas reserves as of January 2013, accounting for about one fourth of the world’s total proven gas reserves.
More than half of Russia’s gas reserves are located in Siberia....
There are American and NATO interests with Ukraine petroleum industry. That is what Burisma Holdings is, a Ukrainian petroleum company.
.
...Scientific Research Institute (click here) “Naukanaftogas” of Naftogas of Ukraine total technically recoverable shale gas reserves in Ukraine equal to 22 trillion cubic meters, including 4.3 trillion cubic meters in eastern region, 3.4 trillion cubic meters in western region and 4.3 trillion cubic meters in southern region. According to the Head of Oil and Gas Geological Studies Center of Naukanaftogas Sergiy Vakarchuk the volumes of shale gas available for commercial extraction could be 3-4 times lower than estimated geological reserves....
Currently, some European countries receive their natural gas through pipelines from Russia. I don't really expect that to change even with Ukraine becoming another country of NATO.
The reason Western business people, including Hunter Biden, were interested in participating in the newly declared freedom of Ukraine was to move them forward into the 21st century rather than being bogged down in old-world Russian economies.
Shokin was not fired by anyone, he was voted out of power.
Former Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin applied to the Supreme Administrative Court to rule illegal the order on his resignation and the order by the Verkhovna Rada, that approved the resignation. The Ukrainian News reported that reported that citing the press service of the Supreme Administrative Court.
...As it was reported, (click here) on March 29, 289 MPs voted on the dismissal of Viktor Shokin, Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
...As it was reported, (click here) on March 29, 289 MPs voted on the dismissal of Viktor Shokin, Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
63-year-old Viktor Shokin was appointed Attorney General 10 February 2015. He started his activity with the arrest of the former head of the Party of Regions Oleksandr Yefremov.
Shokin did not get along with his young deputies and reformers, David Sakvarelidze and Vitaliy Kasko. Their conflict has deepened after the arrest of Deputy Chief of Investigation Department Volodymyr Shapakin and deputy prosecutor of Kyiv region Olexander Korniyets (in the summer of 2015). Shokin has deactivated Inspection Department, which investigated the case of "diamond prosecutors" and eliminated Investigation Department of General Inspection, headed by Kasko, cancelling all his functions.
What surprises me is that Donald J. Trump chronically talks about USA interests, yet he is anxious to turn the clock back to a time when Ukraine's economic infrastructure was under attack by Shokin. The real investigation lies with the impeachment inquiry and it's findings to the facts regarding Trump's attempts to exploit the President of Ukraine in an elaborate attempt to discredit Former Vice President Biden and cast a shadow over the Democratic party.September 25, 2019
By Polina Ivanova
Kiev - A Ukrainian investigation of gas company Burisma (click here) is focused solely on activity that took place before Hunter Biden, son of former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, was hired to sit on its board, Ukraine’s anti-corruption investigation agency said....
...The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said an investigation was ongoing into permits granted by officials at the Ministry of Ecology for the use of natural resources to a string of companies managed by Burisma.
But it said the period under investigation was 2010-2012, and noted that this was before the company hired Hunter Biden.
“Changes to the board of Burisma Limited, which are currently the object of international attention, took place only in May 2014, and therefore are not and never were the subject of (the anti-corruption bureau’s) investigation,” the bureau’s statement said.
Hunter Biden was a director on Burisma’s board from 2014-2018, according to documents filed by the company in Cyprus, where it is registered.
The investigation into Burisma covers a period when Ukraine was governed by a Kremlin ally, Viktor Yanukovich. Burisma hired Hunter Biden after Yanukovich was toppled in a popular revolt in 2014 and replaced by a pro-Western government.
At the time, many Ukrainian firms were seeking to distance themselves from their relationships with the previous, pro-Moscow authorities, and some invited Western public figures to sit on their boards.
The NABU’s investigation related to the 2010-2012 period is not particularly active, Kholodnytsky added....
There is no reason for Trump to postpone any gun legislation. It is stalled in the US Senate and it not the problem anymore of the US House. Ask "Moscow Mitch" why he hasn't brought needed legislation to the floor of the US Senate.
Trump is lying about moving forward on gun legislation because it satisfies his politics.
Trump is lying about moving forward on gun legislation because it satisfies his politics.
I hope there were ballot observers and a clear victory can be known.
Afghanistan CEO Abdullah Abdullah has been a consistent and stabilizing element of the Afghan government since BEFORE September 11, 2001. He is a learned and most probably a wealthy man. When his country was in disarray he rose to leadership in the "Northern Alliance" a militia that has proved to be tenacious and effective.
He is seen as a Tajik. There exists bias against him because of ethnicity, not his ability to lead. That is what the USA is up against in countries it tries to help to democracy. It is a kind of voodoo as far as I am concerned. Citizens of any country, even some of the most impoverished should be voting their best interest and not their favorite prejudice.
...Born in September 1960 in the Kabul area, Dr Abdullah (click here) is seen by many as a Tajik despite his mixed ethnicity.
September 30, 2019
Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (click here) and the country's chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, have both claimed victory in a weekend presidential election, a scene reminiscent of the last vote in 2014.
Though preliminary overall results aren't expected for another three weeks, Abdullah told a news conference in Kabul on September 30 that by his count, he won such a clear-cut victory in the balloting that a second-round runoff won't be needed.
That followed a claim by Ghani's running mate, Amrullah Saleh, that the incumbent had won a clear first-ballot victory.
"The information that we have received shows that 60 to 70 percent of people voted [for] us," Saleh was quoted by Voice of America as saying.
Neither side offered any evidence to back up their claims, raising concerns that the war-torn country is headed for a similar situation that arose from the 2014 election, where the same two candidates made competing claims of victory....
He is seen as a Tajik. There exists bias against him because of ethnicity, not his ability to lead. That is what the USA is up against in countries it tries to help to democracy. It is a kind of voodoo as far as I am concerned. Citizens of any country, even some of the most impoverished should be voting their best interest and not their favorite prejudice.
...Born in September 1960 in the Kabul area, Dr Abdullah (click here) is seen by many as a Tajik despite his mixed ethnicity.
This is probably because of his past prominence in the Tajik-dominated Northern Alliance and his close relationship with the anti-Taliban group's famed former leader, Ahmed Shah Masood....
September 30, 2019Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (click here) and the country's chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, have both claimed victory in a weekend presidential election, a scene reminiscent of the last vote in 2014.
Though preliminary overall results aren't expected for another three weeks, Abdullah told a news conference in Kabul on September 30 that by his count, he won such a clear-cut victory in the balloting that a second-round runoff won't be needed.
That followed a claim by Ghani's running mate, Amrullah Saleh, that the incumbent had won a clear first-ballot victory.
"The information that we have received shows that 60 to 70 percent of people voted [for] us," Saleh was quoted by Voice of America as saying.
Neither side offered any evidence to back up their claims, raising concerns that the war-torn country is headed for a similar situation that arose from the 2014 election, where the same two candidates made competing claims of victory....
Loan guarantees, Hunter Biden and a fired Ukrainian prosecutor are unrelated.
There was pressure to fire Viktor Shokin was initiated by OUR ALLY, the United Kingdom. The USA, under the direction of Vice President Biden would later join the UK in it's money laundering investigation and placed more pressure on Ukraine's leadership to remove Viktor Shokin by removing the offer of loan guarantees.
September 25, 2019
By James Risen
I was an investigative reporter in the Washington bureau of the Times. (click here) That month, I published a story reporting that Vice President Joe Biden had just traveled to Ukraine, in part to send a message to the Ukrainian government that it needed to crack down on corruption.
But I also wrote that his anti-corruption message might be undermined by the association of his son Hunter with one of Ukraine’s largest natural gas companies, Burisma Holdings, and with its owner, Mykola Zlochevsky. Zlochevsky had been Ukraine’s ecology minister under former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, a pro-Russian leader who had been forced into exile in Russia.
Hunter Biden had joined the board of Burisma in April 2014, the same month that British officials froze Zlochevsky’s London bank accounts containing $23 million. Britain’s Serious Fraud Office, an independent government agency, was conducting a money-laundering investigation and refused to allow Zlochevsky or Burisma Holdings, the company’s chief legal officer, and another company owned by Zlochevsky access to the accounts.
But the British money-laundering investigation was stymied by Ukrainian prosecutors’ refusal to cooperate. The Ukrainian prosecutors would not turn over documents needed in the British investigation, and without that documentary evidence, a British court ordered Britain’s Serious Fraud Office to unfreeze the assets.
In September 2015, then-U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt gave a speech in which he attacked the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office for failing to cooperate with the British investigation. In his speech — which I quoted in my story — Pyatt mentioned Burisma’s owner by name....
The video below turns the entire policy of the USA on it's head by introducing the idea it was Joe Biden that initiated the demands for Viktor Shokin's firing. In this video it is made to look as though Joe Biden was using USA Loan Guarantees as a bribe to get rid of Shokin whom was investigating the energy company Hunter Biden was working for.
All this is a lie and truncates the actual dynamics of what was occurring with Ukraine.
Kindly remember Russia is the King of Money Laundering because their currency is worthless. Europe is well aware of the money laundering INDUSTRY affiliated with Russia. Ukraine at the time of the revolution was deeply involved with Russia and Putin. Enough said.
At this point Guiliani is just "a mouth" for Trump. Guiliani is spewing propaganda and that is why Biden made his plea to the media to end the nonsense that was causing problems within the country's politics.
Do we want a government based on lies and propaganda or do we want a country with rock solid policies based on THE TRUTH? It was always my impression the US Constitution demands the truth.
September 25, 2019
By James Risen
I was an investigative reporter in the Washington bureau of the Times. (click here) That month, I published a story reporting that Vice President Joe Biden had just traveled to Ukraine, in part to send a message to the Ukrainian government that it needed to crack down on corruption.
But I also wrote that his anti-corruption message might be undermined by the association of his son Hunter with one of Ukraine’s largest natural gas companies, Burisma Holdings, and with its owner, Mykola Zlochevsky. Zlochevsky had been Ukraine’s ecology minister under former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, a pro-Russian leader who had been forced into exile in Russia.
Hunter Biden had joined the board of Burisma in April 2014, the same month that British officials froze Zlochevsky’s London bank accounts containing $23 million. Britain’s Serious Fraud Office, an independent government agency, was conducting a money-laundering investigation and refused to allow Zlochevsky or Burisma Holdings, the company’s chief legal officer, and another company owned by Zlochevsky access to the accounts.
But the British money-laundering investigation was stymied by Ukrainian prosecutors’ refusal to cooperate. The Ukrainian prosecutors would not turn over documents needed in the British investigation, and without that documentary evidence, a British court ordered Britain’s Serious Fraud Office to unfreeze the assets.
In September 2015, then-U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt gave a speech in which he attacked the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office for failing to cooperate with the British investigation. In his speech — which I quoted in my story — Pyatt mentioned Burisma’s owner by name....
The video below turns the entire policy of the USA on it's head by introducing the idea it was Joe Biden that initiated the demands for Viktor Shokin's firing. In this video it is made to look as though Joe Biden was using USA Loan Guarantees as a bribe to get rid of Shokin whom was investigating the energy company Hunter Biden was working for.
All this is a lie and truncates the actual dynamics of what was occurring with Ukraine.
Kindly remember Russia is the King of Money Laundering because their currency is worthless. Europe is well aware of the money laundering INDUSTRY affiliated with Russia. Ukraine at the time of the revolution was deeply involved with Russia and Putin. Enough said.
At this point Guiliani is just "a mouth" for Trump. Guiliani is spewing propaganda and that is why Biden made his plea to the media to end the nonsense that was causing problems within the country's politics.
Do we want a government based on lies and propaganda or do we want a country with rock solid policies based on THE TRUTH? It was always my impression the US Constitution demands the truth.
The youngest chancellor of Austria was recently elected to office. Sebastian Kurtz rejects socialist policies and ran on anti-immigration and anti-political Islam, "Make Austria Great Again. (click here)"
He has extensive experience in foreign relations. His election has placed his party back in control of the Austrian agenda, however, he has to form a coalition before they can govern. Similar to the dynamics seen in the UK with Boris Johnson. If Kurtz is unable to find common ground with his coalition partner, his government will be unable to maintain its leadership for fear of a collapse.
The article above "Make Austria Great Again" clearly illustrates his foreign policy leanings.
September 29, 2019
Austrian conservative leader Sebastian Kurz (click here if video doesn't open - thank you) triumphed in Sunday's parliamentary election, as widely expected, but he will need a coalition partner to form a stable government. Meanwhile, support for the far-right Freedom party (FPÖ) fell by more than a third as voters punished the party for a corruption scandal that brought down the government. 'It was an incredibly difficult election campaign, the FPÖ leader, Norbert Hofer, told supporters. 'We all had to carry our load, and every day another stone was added to it,' he said, seeming to refer to the undercover video of then vice-chancellor offering lucrative public contracts in exchange for campaign support
It appears the video is not available from The Guardian. There were only 662 views.
He has extensive experience in foreign relations. His election has placed his party back in control of the Austrian agenda, however, he has to form a coalition before they can govern. Similar to the dynamics seen in the UK with Boris Johnson. If Kurtz is unable to find common ground with his coalition partner, his government will be unable to maintain its leadership for fear of a collapse.
The article above "Make Austria Great Again" clearly illustrates his foreign policy leanings.
September 29, 2019
Austrian conservative leader Sebastian Kurz (click here if video doesn't open - thank you) triumphed in Sunday's parliamentary election, as widely expected, but he will need a coalition partner to form a stable government. Meanwhile, support for the far-right Freedom party (FPÖ) fell by more than a third as voters punished the party for a corruption scandal that brought down the government. 'It was an incredibly difficult election campaign, the FPÖ leader, Norbert Hofer, told supporters. 'We all had to carry our load, and every day another stone was added to it,' he said, seeming to refer to the undercover video of then vice-chancellor offering lucrative public contracts in exchange for campaign support
It appears the video is not available from The Guardian. There were only 662 views.
Steve Bannon was befriended by Jeffery Epstein in 2018.
At the very least he was looking for money. Beggers can't be chosers I suppose. But, what did he need vast amounts of money for? In my opinion, Bannon is doing his level best to destroy democracy.
Why?
Because there is money and potential for more money in countries of the Third World. Bannon's glide path to that money is through right-wing extremist politics. He has to change the politics that currently exists in order to change the paradigm to more exploitive policies.
The "Policy of Exploitation" is very evident in the Trump White House in the way of reckless deregulation.
September 27, 2019
By Matt Naham
...The butler, identified by France Info only as Gabriel, said he “served crowned heads, diplomats, businessmen and politicians,” some of whom we just named above....
...Gabriel also asserted that ultra-right [wing] American Steve Bannon found himself in Epstein’s Paris apartment in the fall of 2018. “I was even his driver in Paris,” says Gabriel. Contacted several times, a spokesperson replied that the former political advisor of Donald Trump stayed at the Bristol Hotel while traveling in Paris....
...Investigators with the French police (click here) this week searched the Paris apartment formerly occupied by Epstein in connection with allegations that the infamous sex offender sexually abused and trafficked women and girls prior to his death by suicide in August, according to France 24. French prosecutors last month opened a preliminary investigation into Epstein’s alleged rape of minors.
The reported Bannon-Epstein meeting in Paris occurred months after Page Six said Bannon visited Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse. That was in Aug. 2018. An unnamed source speculated that Bannon was meeting with Epstein because he “need[ed] money to bankroll his political agenda” and Epstein was known to have “plenty of money, and crave[d] power and access.”
Bannon’s tenure as Trump chief strategist ended in Aug. 2017.
A Gates representative said on their behalf that “Any allusion to a business or personal relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and Bill and Melinda Gates is totally false.”
Why?
Because there is money and potential for more money in countries of the Third World. Bannon's glide path to that money is through right-wing extremist politics. He has to change the politics that currently exists in order to change the paradigm to more exploitive policies.
The "Policy of Exploitation" is very evident in the Trump White House in the way of reckless deregulation.
September 27, 2019
By Matt Naham
...The butler, identified by France Info only as Gabriel, said he “served crowned heads, diplomats, businessmen and politicians,” some of whom we just named above....
...Gabriel also asserted that ultra-right [wing] American Steve Bannon found himself in Epstein’s Paris apartment in the fall of 2018. “I was even his driver in Paris,” says Gabriel. Contacted several times, a spokesperson replied that the former political advisor of Donald Trump stayed at the Bristol Hotel while traveling in Paris....
...Investigators with the French police (click here) this week searched the Paris apartment formerly occupied by Epstein in connection with allegations that the infamous sex offender sexually abused and trafficked women and girls prior to his death by suicide in August, according to France 24. French prosecutors last month opened a preliminary investigation into Epstein’s alleged rape of minors.
The reported Bannon-Epstein meeting in Paris occurred months after Page Six said Bannon visited Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse. That was in Aug. 2018. An unnamed source speculated that Bannon was meeting with Epstein because he “need[ed] money to bankroll his political agenda” and Epstein was known to have “plenty of money, and crave[d] power and access.”
Bannon’s tenure as Trump chief strategist ended in Aug. 2017.
A Gates representative said on their behalf that “Any allusion to a business or personal relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and Bill and Melinda Gates is totally false.”
The Rooster
"Okeydoke"
29 September 2019
By Ed Pilkington
Lawyers (click here) acting for the whistleblower at the centre of the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump’s attempts to solicit foreign help for his re-election campaign have warned that their client’s personal safety is in danger partly as a result of the president’s remarks.
Andrew Bakaj, the lead attorney for the unnamed intelligence official who sounded the alarm on Trump’s activities relating to Ukraine, expressed fears on Sunday that the whistleblower could be put “in harm’s way” were his or her identity made public. In a letter to the acting Director of National Intelligence, Joseph Maguire, Bakaj points directly at Trump’s aggressive statements that he said prompted “concerns for our client’s safety”.
The letter, first reported by 60 Minutes on CBS News, quotes Trump’s comments on Thursday to staff at the US mission to the UN in New York. In his remarks, made behind closed doors but reported by the New York Times, the US president made a thinly-veiled threat that showed disdain for the institutional protections afforded to whistleblowers under federal law....
Fear, intimidation and sabotage is Donald Trump's favorite moves. By demanding the whistleblower's identity be made public serves two purposes; it intimidates the whistleblower from future testimony or reporting and it also instills fear into others that can file whistleblower complaints.
"Methinks, the man doth protest too much."
"Good Night, Moon"
1.6 days old
2.8 percent lit
The picture below of the Milky Way is an incredible picture. The best time to visit a "Dark Sky Park," is with a new moon. Then the stars show up better. There is a Dark Sky Park in Michigan (click here) and it doesn't anything to park and watch the sky. There is also a beautiful reception hall where they give classes on Thursday (I haven't checked their schedule lately.) but they also rent the space out for weddings. It must be spectacular to have a picture against that dark sky.
The Milky Way galaxy (click here) illuminates the sky above Pampilhosa da Serra, in Dark Sky Aldeias de Xisto, Portugal. The Starlight Foundation formally certified Dark Sky Aldeias do Xisto as the nation's newest official ''Starlight Tourist Destination.'' Astrophotographer Miguel Claro took created this shot by producing a mosaic from 12 single images taken with a Nikon D810a camera.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Canada's waters have become to warm for fish farming.
The picture to the left is that of fish farming. I am assuming those are an ocean or saltwater fish cage. This has been happening in China as well. China has large scale aquaculture.
The water at the surface became too warm for the fish. Remember fish don't have temperature regulation like mammals do. When they went as deep as they could they congregated and used up all the oxygen in the water available to them. They died off.
The water has been getting warmer and warmer in the upper ocean for well over two decades. The warmer waters have forced the fish globally to find cooler habitat in waters closer to the north and south poles. This goes to prove that no ocean location is exempt from the warming.
September 27, 2019
The mayors in the Coast of Bays region (click here) are responding to the recent salmon die-off on the south coast.
The mayors issued a joint news release indicating that while the incident is disappointing, it’s not “the end of the world” for the salmon industry on the South Coast.
Northern Harvest indicates the salmon died due to prolonged exposure to warmer than normal water.
Mayor of Harbour Breton, Georgina Ollerhead, says since the issue arose, senior management with Northern Harvest have been in “continuous” consultation with the community. She says the die-off is not related to a fish health issue, and was confirmed by both government and veterinary officials.
Mayor for Hermitage-Sandyville and Chair of the Coast of Bays Joint Mayors Committee, Steve Crewe, says the company is committed to the region and realizes that warmer water temperatures like those experienced in the past several weeks are becoming the norm.
He says they have every confidence that the company is prepared to take immediate steps to “prevent another environmental event like this.”
Jason Card of Northern Harvest Sea Farms says water temperatures reached 17 to 21 (62F to 70F ) degrees for 11 to 13 days.
That might not normally be an issue, but it causes problems for the fish, that have to dive to deeper, cooler waters....
The water at the surface became too warm for the fish. Remember fish don't have temperature regulation like mammals do. When they went as deep as they could they congregated and used up all the oxygen in the water available to them. They died off.
The water has been getting warmer and warmer in the upper ocean for well over two decades. The warmer waters have forced the fish globally to find cooler habitat in waters closer to the north and south poles. This goes to prove that no ocean location is exempt from the warming.
September 27, 2019The mayors in the Coast of Bays region (click here) are responding to the recent salmon die-off on the south coast.
The mayors issued a joint news release indicating that while the incident is disappointing, it’s not “the end of the world” for the salmon industry on the South Coast.
Northern Harvest indicates the salmon died due to prolonged exposure to warmer than normal water.
Mayor of Harbour Breton, Georgina Ollerhead, says since the issue arose, senior management with Northern Harvest have been in “continuous” consultation with the community. She says the die-off is not related to a fish health issue, and was confirmed by both government and veterinary officials.
Mayor for Hermitage-Sandyville and Chair of the Coast of Bays Joint Mayors Committee, Steve Crewe, says the company is committed to the region and realizes that warmer water temperatures like those experienced in the past several weeks are becoming the norm.
He says they have every confidence that the company is prepared to take immediate steps to “prevent another environmental event like this.”
Jason Card of Northern Harvest Sea Farms says water temperatures reached 17 to 21 (62F to 70F ) degrees for 11 to 13 days.
That might not normally be an issue, but it causes problems for the fish, that have to dive to deeper, cooler waters....
This is what New York State has to say about their rare forest.
There are two shrubby oaks (click here) characteristic of pitch pine-scrub oak barrens: Scrub Oak or Bear Oak (Quercus ilicifolia) and Dwarf Chinquapin Oak (Quercus prinoides). Scrub Oak leaves have bristle-tipped teeth or lobes. Dwarf Chinquapin Oak leaves have rounded to acutely pointed teeth or lobes with an apical papilla (projection) and are not bristle-tipped.
This is a globally rare natural community with only six documented occurrences statewide. Very few documented occurrences have good viability and very few are protected on public land or private conservation land. This community has a very restricted statewide distribution (correlated to pine barrens and sandy soils). Most examples are moderate in size and a few are good quality. Most pitch pine-scrub oak barrens are located within a suburban landscape and are threatened by development, invasive species, and fire suppression....
...The number and acreage of pitch pine-scrub oak barrens in New York have probably had very large declines from historical numbers due to fire suppression, fragmentation, disturbance by off-road vehicles, trash dumping, and development....
...Develop and implement prescribed burn plans at appropriate sites. Reduce or minimize fragmenting features, such as residential and commercial development, roads, abandoned clearings, unnecessary trails, etc. Restrict mountain bikes and ATVs to designated trails and least sensitive areas, and prevent dumping of trash. Remove or control invasive species where appropriate....
This is a globally rare natural community with only six documented occurrences statewide. Very few documented occurrences have good viability and very few are protected on public land or private conservation land. This community has a very restricted statewide distribution (correlated to pine barrens and sandy soils). Most examples are moderate in size and a few are good quality. Most pitch pine-scrub oak barrens are located within a suburban landscape and are threatened by development, invasive species, and fire suppression....
...The number and acreage of pitch pine-scrub oak barrens in New York have probably had very large declines from historical numbers due to fire suppression, fragmentation, disturbance by off-road vehicles, trash dumping, and development....
...Develop and implement prescribed burn plans at appropriate sites. Reduce or minimize fragmenting features, such as residential and commercial development, roads, abandoned clearings, unnecessary trails, etc. Restrict mountain bikes and ATVs to designated trails and least sensitive areas, and prevent dumping of trash. Remove or control invasive species where appropriate....
The fish in the Amazon River could become endangered or extinct.
By Stefan Lovgren
The arapaima fish, (click here) native to the Amazon River basin, can weigh as much as 400 pounds faces extinction.
Manaus, Brazil - This year’s unusually severe fires (click here) in the Amazon have not only attracted widespread international attention, but also illuminated the effects of mounting deforestation in the region, from evaporating rains to rising carbon dioxide emissions. Yet one effect of forest loss in the Amazon has largely been ignored: how it influences the river system and the fish living in it.
There are few places in the world where aquatic and arboreal life are brought together as closely as they are in the Amazon. While the rainforest is home to the world’s largest river (by volume of water) and 1,700 tributaries, about one-sixth of the basin is also made up of largely forest-covered wetlands that flood for long periods each year and support the commercially most important fish in the region.
“This flood pulse is the driving force governing all the ecological functions and interactions along the river basin, and it creates flooded forests that are crucial for the survival and reproduction of hundreds of fish species in the Amazon,” says Jansen Zuanon, a fish biologist at the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA) in Manaus....
...“If we don’t protect these areas, the rivers will not be the same and we will lose the fish,” says Leandro Castello, a tropical ecologist at Virginia Tech’s Global Change Center, who has studied the links between forest and fish in the Amazon....
November May 9, 2017
If you frequent nature trails, (click here) you have likely passed by stones or trees with some kind of crusty material on the surface. Is it a moss? No, moss is a plant. Is it a fungus? Well, yes and no. This crust is actually a partnership between at least two different organisms, making a composite organism called lichen (pronounced “LIKE-en”).
Lichens are made of multiple fungi – a diverse group of organisms including mushrooms, molds, yeasts, and others – living with algae and/or algae-like bacteria called cyanobacteria. The fungi provide a pleasant, hydrated shelter to live in, while their partner provides food through photosynthesis. Photosynthesis means using sunlight, water, and CO2 to create sugar (and the oxygen that we breathe, no big deal). Cyanobacteria can also “fix” or make use of nutrients from the air, further helping the fungi to grow. This mutual relationship between different species is what biologists call symbiosis.
Thanks to the many possible fungi-algae-bacteria combinations, lichens take on many different forms and colors. In New York State alone, there are over 800 types of lichens! Lichens can look like small flaky crusts (“crustose”), flat leaf-like growths (“foliose”), or even branched (“fruticose”) like miniature shrubs. Many take on a greenish-grey hue, but other colors include brown, black, white, yellow, bright orange, red, and blue. You might see these unique fungal partnerships on all kinds of surfaces along nature trails – adding a nice flair to wooden sign posts, historic stone walls, boulders, tree bark, the forest floor, and decaying logs....
Sometimes people with binoculars aren't bird watching so much as acorn scouting.
By Bill Marchel
...Observant hunters (click here) recognize red oak acorns were scarce last fall. Actually, they were basically nonexistent. Yet, last fall, bur oak acorns were extremely abundant.
It’s difficult to overemphasize the importance of acorns to wildlife. Deer will abandon nearly all other food sources when the nuts begin to drop. Black bears sometimes can’t wait for the bounty and climb the oaks to feast on green acorns. Squirrels often do the same thing. Acorns are also a favorite food of wild turkeys. Find a woodland pond with oaks limbs overhanging the water and when acorns are abundant, so too will be wood ducks, waiting for a meal to splash into the pool. Ruffed grouse eat acorns, too. I occasionally find whole acorns in the crops of harvested grouse, but ruffs also will gather along country roads and readily eat acorns bits produced when the nuts are crushed by passing vehicles.
There has been lots of confusion about the biology of acorns. Some hunters claim red oaks produce acorns only every other year. That is not true. To those hunters’ defense I’ve seen that false statement written in hunting magazines a number of times over the years. The truth is red oak acorns take two years to develop from flower to mature nut. For example, the profuse red oak acorns this year were set last spring, but didn’t mature until this year (a two-year cycle.) So, yes red oaks can produce acorns every year as long as the previous spring was favorable. The acorns of white oaks (bur oaks are in the white oak family) form in the spring, mature during the summer, and are shed in autumn of the same year (a one-year cycle).
The acorns grow out of the female flower. The cap is actually a result of the protective flower scales.
The very forest being discussed here will stem storm surges.
22 September 2019
A new UN report (click here) is set to issue a stark warning on the impact of climate change on oceans and frozen areas, amid a push to ratchet up efforts to tackle the crisis.
The latest in a series of special reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is being published in the same week as countries meet at the UN for a summit aimed at upping ambitions on tackling global warming.
The study, which examines the oceans, coasts and the cryosphere or frozen areas of the world, is set to warn of huge increases in flooding damage, melting ice caps and glaciers and more ocean heatwaves that bleach and kill coral.
A draft of the report leaked to AFP suggested that if global temperatures rise to 2C above pre-industrial levels, 280 million people could be displaced by rising seas....
...The Nature Conservancy's global reef systems lead and IPCC report contributor Dr Elizabeth McLeod said the study "reinforces the urgency of the climate crisis"....
Plants and trees will vary, but the greatest asset to prevent coastal flooding are wetlands. Healthy wetlands will stem storm surges and prevent coastal flooding. The damage to the wetlands off Louisiana is exactly why the Ninth District was hit with a wall of water as never before. For decades authorities were warned about destroying the wetlands and the people were waiting for the "Big One." No state or federal authority would believe the marine botanists when they stated the wetlands were too disrupted and then came Katrina.
The country needs to listen to it's professionals. They are well educated and have been predicting disaster after disaster correctly for decades. If the USA is to end this climate crisis, it has to stop the reactionary government and instead a government that knows the best way forward.
...Wetlands (click here) serve as a vital link between land and water. Even in urban cities, wetlands play a larger role than many of us realize. They reduce flooding, replenish our drinking water, filter out waste and pollutants, provide urban green spaces, and are a source of livelihoods.
A new UN report (click here) is set to issue a stark warning on the impact of climate change on oceans and frozen areas, amid a push to ratchet up efforts to tackle the crisis.
The latest in a series of special reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is being published in the same week as countries meet at the UN for a summit aimed at upping ambitions on tackling global warming.
The study, which examines the oceans, coasts and the cryosphere or frozen areas of the world, is set to warn of huge increases in flooding damage, melting ice caps and glaciers and more ocean heatwaves that bleach and kill coral.
A draft of the report leaked to AFP suggested that if global temperatures rise to 2C above pre-industrial levels, 280 million people could be displaced by rising seas....
...The Nature Conservancy's global reef systems lead and IPCC report contributor Dr Elizabeth McLeod said the study "reinforces the urgency of the climate crisis"....
Plants and trees will vary, but the greatest asset to prevent coastal flooding are wetlands. Healthy wetlands will stem storm surges and prevent coastal flooding. The damage to the wetlands off Louisiana is exactly why the Ninth District was hit with a wall of water as never before. For decades authorities were warned about destroying the wetlands and the people were waiting for the "Big One." No state or federal authority would believe the marine botanists when they stated the wetlands were too disrupted and then came Katrina.
The country needs to listen to it's professionals. They are well educated and have been predicting disaster after disaster correctly for decades. If the USA is to end this climate crisis, it has to stop the reactionary government and instead a government that knows the best way forward.
Wetlands also provide benefits to industry. For example, they form nurseries for fish and other marine life and are critical to commercial and recreational fishing industries. More than one-third of the United States' threatened and endangered species live only in wetlands, and nearly half directly use wetlands at some point in their lives. Therefore, when a wetland is compromised, it can wreak havoc on entire ecosystems, to the point of collapse.
Causes of Wetland Loss
Like many other environmental issues that we face in our world today, much of the root causes of global wetland depletion are anthropogenic, resulting from the influence of human beings on nature. For example, one of the leading causes of wetland impairment is urbanization, which has resulted in direct loss of wetland acreage as well as degradation of wetlands. Other major sources of wetland loss and degradation include hydrologic alterations, industry (including industrial development), marinas/boats, agriculture, silviculture/timber harvest, mining, and atmospheric deposition....
One branch contains both male and female flowers.
Bear oak is monoecious, with both male and female flowers on the same plant. Male flowers are catkins and female flowers are borne in clusters or singly. Female flowers are produced on current-year's growth.
Flaring causes the highest emission of CO2 and Methane leaks. The petroleum industry has no plans for mitigation.
The image to the left is an actual Texas processing plant. No wonder the land is uninhabitable.
...Now, Adam Brandt, (click here) assistant professor of energy resources engineering in the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences at Stanford, and his colleagues have performed a first global analysis comparing emissions associated with oil production techniques – a step toward developing policies that could reduce those emissions. They published their work Aug. 30 in Science.
The group found that the burning of unwanted gas associated with oil production – called flaring – remains the most carbon-intensive part of producing oil. Brandt spoke with Stanford Report about the group’s findings and strategies for reducing flaring.
Oil and gas are generally produced together. If there are nearby gas pipelines, then power plants, factories, businesses and homes can consume the gas. However, if you’re very far offshore or can’t get the gas to market, there’s often no economically feasible outlet for the gas. In this case, companies want to get rid of the gas, so they often burn – or flare – it.
Thankfully, there is some value to the gas, so there can be some savings associated with stopping flaring. I think setting the expectation that the gas will be managed properly is the role of the regulatory environment. There are some efforts underway to try to tackle this – the World Bank has a big effort called the Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership, where companies have banded together to try to set flaring targets, so hopefully this will start to decline....
The petroleum industry is about the most primitive form of energy on Earth. The industry never does research, they just punch a hole in the ground and reap whatever comes up from being sealed within the Earth.
They will never conduct research to end methane leaks. So, when young legislators are writing their bills in Congress realize the industry is crude. The industry has an attitude. The petroleum industry believes the world can't exist without them so they are ENTITLED to carry out drilling and extraction with any means possible.
The petroleum industry doesn't care about the world they service, they only care about their profits. They have been immune from regulation for the most part until President Obama came along and they receive subsidies. The subsidies need to end.
Bear Oak Leaves
Obovate shaped (click here)
with very distinct margins (leaf edges) of three to five shallow lobes. The lobes at the tip have one to three bristle tipped teeth. It has a main vein with branching veins to each lobe.
The stem is short, thick and firm at the base of the leaf where it attaches to the branch.
Dull green color above and abundant light gray hairs beneath. Autumn/Fall colors are red or yellow, sometimes speckled of the two colors. The leaves often remain attached during winter.
Greenland and Antarctica as well as glaciers significantly add to sea level rise because they are land based ice fields.
By Matt McGrath'
Melting in Greenland and Antarctica is contributing significantly to sea level rise
It will be the clearest declaration yet on how an overheating world is hammering our oceans and frozen regions. (click here)
Scientists have been meeting in Monaco to finalise a report on the seas and the cryosphere.
Published tomorrow, September it will outline how the oceans have been our best friend in coping with rising temperatures.
But it will warn that warming is turning the seas into a huge potential threat to humanity.
Researchers from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were encouraged by Prince Albert II and the Monaco government in 2015 to produce a special report on the oceans and cryosphere - the earth's surface where water is frozen solid.
For the past three years, the scientists have been reviewing hundreds of published papers on how climate change affects the seas, the poles and glaciers.
Their report will track the flow of water from the frozen tops of mountains to the bottom of the seas, and how this is changing in a warmer world.
findings with government representatives that will be published on Wednesday.
It will likely detail the growing threat from rising sea levels that could imperil hundreds of millions of people before the end of this century.
It will also warn of the threat posed by the growing acidification of the seas, the threats to coral and fisheries and the possibility that warming might melt permafrost, releasing huge amounts of the CO2 gas that's the key to rising temperatures.
"At current emissions rates, we are effectively dumping one million tonnes of CO2 into the oceans every hour," said Melissa Wang, a scientist with Greenpeace.
"Unless we accelerate efforts to curb carbon emissions and take greater steps to protect our oceans, there will be devastating human, environmental and economic consequences."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)