Former Presidential Candidate, Representative Dennis Kucinich, brings Articles of Impeachment to the House Floor. Support your House Representative !

Kucinich presents Bush impeachment articles (Video of Motion - click title of entry. Thank you.)
David Edwards and Mike Sheehan

Published: Monday June 9, 2008

An Ohio Democratic lawmaker and former presidential candidate has presented articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush to Congress.
Thirty-five articles were presented by Rep. Dennis Kucinich to the House of Representatives late Monday evening, airing live on C-SPAN.
"The House is not in order," said Kucinich to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), upon which Pelosi pounded her gavel.
"Resolved," Kucinich then began, "that President George W. Bush be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate. ...
"In his conduct while President of the United States, George W. Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and to the best of his ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has committed the following abuses of power..."
The first article Kucinich presented, and many that followed, regarded the war in Iraq: "Article 1 - Creating a secret propaganda campaign to manufacture a false case for war against Iraq."
On several occasions, Kucinich referenced RAW STORY and its noted investigative news chief, Larisa Alexandrovna, as source material for the articles. Two of the RAW STORY pieces Kucinich mentioned are viewable here and here.
Kucinich, a 2004 and 2008 Democratic candidate for the White House, abandoned a prior attempt to begin impeachment proceedings against Bush in January of this year.
In April of 2007, Kucinich presented impeachment articles against Vice President Dick Cheney, but the effort went nowhere. Kucinich exclaimed that "impeachment may well be the only remedy which remains to stop a war of aggression against Iran."
Before leaving office in January 2007, then-Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney--currently a Green Party presidential candidate--introduced articles of impeachment against President Bush as her last act in Congress, but that effort also was fruitless.
This video is from C-SPAN, broadcast June 9, 2008.

Scientists study sea-level rise in the Arctic

REFLECTIONS
By Fr. Shay Cullen
How to feed a hungry world (click here)
...Last week Irish fishermen staged a public protest in Dublin and gave away fish and threw more into the river Liffy to highlight their protest at the strict European Union restrictions on the number of boats allowed to put to sea and the tonnage of fish they are allowed to catch. The price of fish is soaring along with everything else....

Interview with Barry Scott Zellen: Arctic Lessons (click here)
Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. - 6/5/2008
Barry Scott Zellen is the Deputy Editor of "Strategic Insights", and Research Editor of the Arctic Security Project at the Center for Contemporary Conflict.Q. In your book "Breaking the Ice: From Land Claims to Tribal Sovereignty in the Arctic" (Lexington Books, 2008) you describe the long and, ultimately, fruitful quest by the native tribes of the Arctic to regain a modicum of sovereignty over their ancient lands. Can you give us a capsule history of this process?...

The USA's response to the DEMISE of the Arctic Ocean is to attempt to raise the question of whether or not the rising sea levels change the continental borders enough to bring more sovereignty to the American claim.

While Russia is preparing for what Pravada is calling WW III (click here).


Russian strategic bombers fly routine patrol over the Arctic (click here).
MOSCOW, June 9 (RIA Novosti) - A pair of Russian Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers took off Monday from the Engels airbase in central Russia on a routine patrol flight over the Arctic Ocean, an Air Force spokesman said.
Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans last August, following an order signed by then president Vladimir Putin.
"Two Tu-95 bombers have started a regular patrol flight over remote areas of the Arctic," Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik said. "The aircraft will perform a variety of tasks, including midair refueling from two Il-78 aerial tankers based at the Dyagilevo airbase [also in central Russia]."
Drik said that all flights by Russian aircraft were performed by skilled pilots in strict compliance with international laws on the use of air space over neutral waters, without violating the borders of other states....

But, Canada is the best prepared along with Russia to claim the Lion's share of the Arctic and for that the United Nations "Law of the Sea" should prove to be a very valuable guide post to assist in the protections for this region of the world and its role as a 'Sustainability Stabilizer' to reverse the trend in Human Induced Global Warming.

A map showing the newly granted Australian seabed territory. The purple is the new stuff equalling 2.5 million square kilometres, slightly smaller than Canada's proposed gains in the Arctic and North Atlantic.Photograph by : Handout/Government of Australia

The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (crystal wind chime) is melting STILL :

Elevation :: 33 ft / 10 m

Local Time: 12:47 AM AKDT

Lat/Lon: 58.8° N 137.0° W

Temperature :: 43 °F / 6 °C

Conditons :: Overcast

Windchill :: 43 °F / 6 °C

Humidity :: 93%

Dew Point :: 41 °F / 5 °C

Wind :: Calm

Pressure :: 30.15 in / 1021 hPa (Rising)

Visibility :: 7.0 miles / 11.3 kilometers

UV :: 0 out of 16

Clouds:
Few 4300 ft / 1310 m
Overcast 7000 ft / 2133 m
(Above Ground Level)

Water washes away homes, forces evacuations in Wisconsin

June 8, 2008
Photographer states :: Supercell moving through Racine, WI.

I don't care how strong a swimmer anyone is, they are not going to live through that current.

No swimmer, no rescue worker can survive that current.

There is a whirlpool right there in the picture and two levels of water. The left side of the photo has a higher level of water than the right and there is a ripple to prove it. The current here is strong and unpredictable. This isn't just a 'flooded street,' it is now part of the river with obstacles adding to the unpredictable nature of the water movement.

When that house breaks loose from its foundation violently or pieces of it start to float away, that will add to the danger.

June 8, 2009
Mason City, Iowa
Photographer states :: I am standing on the north side of the No Carolina Ave bridge and this was a house on the east or right side of the street that was directly in the path of the heavy currents coming across the road.


June 9, 2008
Mason City, Iowa
Photographer :: On Sunday June 8th,2008, Mason City, Iowa had probably it's worst flood in it's history! Areas were flooded that have never been flooded in the history of the town. This photo is of 12th St NE looking east. The river is way back in the trees. The water is approx 4 to 6 feet deep thruout the area. Here is an automotive shop and a car wash not too far from the river. You can bet these cars won't be running for a while. Once the river went over the banks the flooding happened very quickly and left little time to get belongings out!

The REAL nightmare to this story is that the couple taking the pictures are 'cut off' from an evacuation route. What are they still doing there? Don't tell me it didn't look that bad when the creeks, rivers and streams were already swollen. There are earthen dams cracking and people in their right minds don't do this to themselves. Now, what in God's name is everyone thinking?


June 8, 2008
Ontario, Wisconsin
Photographer states :: Here is a picture of the flood in Ontario, WI, taken by my wife. What started off as a manageable rise in the waters turned into a nightmare.

Now is not the time to clean out drainage ditches. The water is going to wash more debris into the ditch no matter how fast one tries to shovel it out. Now, that 'stuff' that he is shoveling out of the ditch will simply be washed right back into it. People need to stop trying to 'save the moment' and evacuate. This is senseless activity when the creeks are rising ! The dog shouldn't be drenched to the bone like that.


June 8, 2008
Ontario, Wisconsin
Photographer states :: Cleaning out the drainage ditch in front of our house in the storm that brought us 6 of the 10 plus inches of rain in two days.


June 8 and 9, 2008
Flooding in Ontario, Wisconsin

By RYAN J. FOLEY , Associated Press
Last update: June 9, 2008 - 5:41 PM
LAKE DELTON, Wis. - Floodwater from days of rainstorms washed out an earthen dam and sent a 245-acre lake rushing into the Wisconsin River Monday, ripping homes from the shore and sending them floating downstream.
The overflow happened as authorities ordered evacuations and sandbagging in a number of towns across the southern portion of the state.
Lake Delton, a manmade lake and popular tourist spot south of the Wisconsin Dells, overflowed and emptied out Monday afternoon. Three homes were washed away and two others were torn apart.
Gov. Jim Doyle vowed the state would work to replenish the lake.
About 100 people started sandbagging at 2 a.m. Monday, but water drained into the nearby Wisconsin River after the embankment topped by a county road gave way, state and village officials said.
"It's horrible. There's no way we could stop it," said Thomas Diehl, a Lake Delton village trustee. "The breach is between 300 and 400 feet wide. The volume (of water) was just so great there wasn't anything anyone could do."...


Lake Delton, Wisconsin


WISCONSIN DELLS Wisconsin Dells, Columbia and Sauk Counties. August, 1966.

Altitude 7,500 ft. (Water runs downhill.)

This view to the NNE reveals the city of Wisconsin Dells at right center, a portion of the Lower Dells of the Wisconsin River at lower right, and the Upper Dells at upper center. Highway 13 angles across the upper right. The Upper Dells, a narrow gorge as little as 100 feet in width in places, was created when the waters of Glacial Lake Wisconsin cut a new channel through weak Cambrian Sandstone here about 14,000 years ago as it emptied southwestward into the lower Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers. The communities of Wisconsin Dells and adjacent Lake Delton (lower left) appear relatively undeveloped in this 1966 photograph, but today numerous amusement parks and recreational businesses make it the prime tourist- oriented locale in Wisconsin.


A home near the 254-acre Lake Delton in Lake Delton, Wisconsin was damaged when flood waters breached the bank and drained the lake Monday, June 9, 2008. Floodwater washed away three houses and threatened dams in Wisconsin as military crews joined desperate sandbagging operations to hold back Indiana streams surging toward record levels. (click here)


The stage area for the Water Ski shows on Lake Delton in Lake Delton, Wis., now sits on the lake bottom after flood waters breached the bank and drained the lake Monday, June 9, 2008. Heavy rains over the weekend have contributed to flooding in a number of Wisconsin areas.

The slowest Belmont Stakes on Record was the first in 1867 with a time of 3:05. But, this one has more injuries than any on record that I am aware.

To begin with, I love horses. Always have. For my Second Chritmas being born to a Roman Catholic Family my father bought an American Flyer Train (which I still own, by the way) and placed it under the tree in working condition. It was a fabulous Christmas Morning with every 'starry-eyed' expectation in place by two relatively new parents. As I ran to the living room to see what Santa had left a 'very good girl' I stated, "...but, where is my horse?"

With that my Father called my Grandfather who was due for dinner later that day and they spent the rest of the morning into the afternoon making a wooden rocking horse in my Grandfather's basement. The 'horse' was in place by bedtime that Christmas and never again did my parents 'assume' my expectations in life would be filled by their insight.

Kindly note, "Big Brown's big ears" vs. the ears of the number 6 horse and winner, Da’ Tara. You know, the public goes to see movies like "The Horse Wisperer" (click here) and come away with a greater love of animals, horses and the role people play with the species. Some might call it compassion, but, I have never known a jockey at the top of the practice to be anything except a person with more insight to his mount than any other.

Big Brown was in 'fit condition' that day, but, he wasn't interested in running. As an admirer of nature, conservation and the species one finds at most danger to protect, the Throughbred industry needs to look at its lack of ability to protect the species.

One doesn't know what the destruction of a filly that was running hard at his side in the Kentucky Derby does to a stallion on his way to greatness. To many, Big Brown was 'the sure bet' and possibly the 'guaranteed mortgage payment,' to others they were about to witness history as though a 'magic moment' was guaranteed to them because the colt had managed to finish at the top of the field in the Derby and Preakness. But, to me and I believe to his jockey, Big Brown had lost heart that day. Lining up next to more horses in a starting gate that had lead him to achieve a quarter crack in his hoof, 'the fall' of a filly that race beside him and more fuss over 'his soundness' than any horse in recent history at a starting gate, Big Brown had had enough to cause him to run, but, without the 'heart' to win.

Animals are funny and you never know exactly what their thoughts are, but, that day, Big Brown had fallen off 'his personal best' and what Kent Desormeaux decided about the 'already' Champion colt under him, as probably was discussed with his trainer before the race, is that at the top of a 'stretch run' to a Triple Crown Victory, he wasn't about to be 'the fool' that would cause the destruction of still another throughbred race horse.

Big Brown did the right thing. He measured himself before he entered the starting gate and had decided, "I ain't doin' this no more and no one can make me either." He lost heart. He worried about his leg, his wins and the reality of a dead filly. He made history on Saturday in a very different way. As a Champion owned by a group of people that never even stroked his sleek neck, he wasn't going to be 'the fool' that would 'play the game without a brain in his head.' Indeed, Big Brown is a champion. A champion that had had enough and wasn't interested in anything else on Saturday except making it to the finish line with four legs and hooves to walk on.

Take 'that one' to the bank !


Big Brown, right, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, was trying to become the 12th Triple Crown champion and the first since Affirmed in 1978.


"He was in no way, shape or form lame or sore," said Desormeaux, who was the only member of the Big Brown camp to answer questions immediately after the race.

One dead, one missing in Indiana flooding (video) - The problem with 'risk taking behavior' through floods is the flooding has existed for days.

Know when it is too late and too dangerous !!!

When in doubt, LEAVE !

There is every indication that rivers are continuing to receive rain at phenomenal rates. The West Fork River in Iowa received 3.67 inches in the last 24 hours and is continuing to rise. The 'high intensity' of the water accumulation puts 'stress' on the infrastructure with unpredictable results (Rivergages.com - Click here - if clicking on 'Data Mining' - it lists rivers by name on a 'drop down screen, under "Choose A Station").

A majority of rivers across the spectrum are swollen if not already flooded. Dangerous. It would be better if folks got used to the 'idea' of "The Creek is Rising" rather than "My basement is flooded" to faciliate the decision to activate the "Volunteer Emergency Response" and EVACUATE rather than 'sand-bagging' or otherwise. Sandbagging needs to be left to The National Guard and people simply need to activate their local emergency measures and evacuate. Coping is NOT the answer when infrastructure is tenuous. It simply is TOO LATE when Emergency Routes such as major Interstate Highways are flooded and there is no egress left. Early decision making to evacuate is the only measure to insure safety. No heroics allowed. None !


June 8, 2008
West Fork Des Moines River at Humboldt, IA (click here)
(Central Time Zone)


June 7, 2008
Princess Lake Dam Breached (click here for video)
Very strong, rushing waters. These are small towns with emergency volunteers manning their services. They need state and federal resources. The States need to send in their National Guard Units because people aren't making good management decisions with prolonged flooding.


June 6, 2008
Phillip, South Dakota
Photographer states :: These are photo's taken at the back of my property of the creek (Bad River) Flooding began June 5th with 1st photo loaded taken at 4:45pm. These photo's began at 8:15am June 6. and track the waters rise. Up a little ways from where water was running across the road, this portion of the Road is completely flooded. Time is apx. 10:10am


June 7, 2008
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Photographer states :: Flooding on Oklahoma (Street)


June 6, 2008
Waukesha, Wisconsin
Storms swamp Midwest (click here)
By: Reuters
Sun Jun 8, 2008 7:41 AM EDT (Pic)-A motorist continues through a flooded street in Waukesha, Wisconsin June 7, 2008. Flash flooding is occurring in Southeast Wisconsin with forecasts of 6-10 inches of rain...


June 7, 2008
Hutsonville, Illinois

Flooding shuts down Columbus (Video) - Columbus Hospital Flooded
Updated:
June 7, 2008 10:43 PM EDT
An ambulance drives through floodwaters near Columbus Regional Hospital.
Workers move patients and equipment out of the hospital.
Columbus - Police are asking that people to not come to Columbus until the flooding subsides.
Water rushed into Columbus Regional Hospital Saturday, forcing the evacuation of nearly 100 patients. Helicopters, ambulances and school buses were called to the hospital around 6:30 pm to help with the evacuation. The patients are being transported to hospitals in Madison and Seymour. The basement of the hospital flooded in 45 minutes, with waters quickly reaching the first floor of the building....


June 7. 2008
Hutsonville, Illinois
Photographer states :: flooded areas after severe storm

Tornado closes Interstate 57

06/07/2008, 10:35 pm

22 year old Jake Murdie took this photograph of a tornado as it approached his pick up truck as he drove to his home in Symerton from his job in Peotone. Murdie said he had never seen a tornado before, ''It went right over my truck and took out a pole barn on Old Chicago Road.


Tornado touches down south of Chicago; heavy rains deluge Indiana; Wisconsin twister (click here)
Associated Press - June 7, 2008 9:43 PM ET
CHICAGO (AP) - The National Weather Service says a large tornado has touched down in Chicago's southern suburbs.
The twister damaged homes, toppled power lines and overturned semitrailers.
State police say one person was injured on Interstate 57. A swath of the major highway is closed as authorities clear overturned trucks.
A tornado warning has also been issued for Chicago's northern suburbs.
Tornadoes earlier in Wisconsin injured at least five people.
And in Indiana, dams are near collapse and the Coast Guard has been moving people out of threatened homes after 10 inches of rain fell today.
One state official says 90% of Paragon, southwest of Indianapolis, is underwater.
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has declared an emergency in 10 counties.
Copyright 2008
The Associated Press.
All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

There is a low pressure system that extends from the border of Guatemala on the Yucatan to about 60 longitude & latitude (12 hr loop click here)

The center/eye is north of the Bahamas.

June 8, 2008
1230z
UNISYS Water Vapor GOES East Satellite

S. 309: Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act - To amend the Clean Air Act...

This bill only recently left Committee in 2007 (click here) and is a success story to the leadership of Senator Barbara Boxer, the Committee Chairwoman.

As an amendment to "The Clean Air Act" this would place Carbon Dioxide among the status of all the other polluting agents that have successfully been addressed for decades now. It would permanently place the 'status' of Carbon Dixoide in the accesses of The New Source Review (NSR) (click here).

The NSR is proven to be a valuable and publically accessible tool to monitor pollutants and to stop their emissions. It is well established USA infrastructure begun in the 1970s when even Republicans had a conscience regarding the moral issues of Environmental Stewardship !


Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) talks with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in her Capitol Hill office about Climate Change on April 22, 2008.

The bill currently has 19 co-sponsors. None from Alaska !

S.309 Title: (click here)
A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Sen Sanders, Bernard [VT] (introduced 1/16/2007)
Cosponsors (19) Latest Major Action: 1/16/2007 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Sen Akaka, Daniel K. [HI] - 1/16/2007
Sen Biden, Joseph R., Jr. [DE] - 5/8/2007
Sen Boxer, Barbara [CA] - 1/16/2007
Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. [MD] - 5/8/2007
Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. [PA] - 7/19/2007
Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY] - 5/3/2007
Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT] - 1/30/2007
Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] - 5/9/2007
Sen Feingold, Russell D. [WI] - 1/16/2007
Sen Inouye, Daniel K. [HI] - 1/16/2007
Sen Kennedy, Edward M. [MA] - 1/16/2007
Sen Klobuchar, Amy [MN] - 7/12/2007
Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. [NJ] - 1/16/2007
Sen Leahy, Patrick J. [VT] - 1/16/2007
Sen Menendez, Robert [NJ] - 1/16/2007
Sen Mikulski, Barbara A. [MD] - 5/7/2007
Sen Obama, Barack [IL] - 5/3/2007
Sen Reed, Jack [RI] - 1/16/2007
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI] - 1/16/2007

Alaska needs to rid themselves of the Old Republican Dead Wood that have no vision for the future of Alaska, but, only "Sell Out" signs on their office doors to Corporate Big Oil. Get RID of the Republicans in Alaska !

MURKOWSKI NOTES ENVIRONMENTAL PETITIONS SEEKING SUPPORT FOR CLIMATE CHANGE LEGISLATION (click here)

Pledges to Continue to Work to Improve Boxer-Lieberman-Warner Bill to Meet Alaskan Concerns with Measure
Tuesday, June 3, 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Anchorage office staff today received petitions from a group of Alaskans urging her to vote for the Boxer substitute of a global climate change bill that is currently being debated on the Senate floor.

Murkowski’s staff accepted the petitions and said the Senator will continue her efforts to fully understand how the complex bill will affect Alaskans. Senator Murkowski said she has yet to decide how she will vote on the measure, but said she still has considerable concerns about the costs of this legislation on average Alaskans.

“I’m reviewing the bill, but I have concerns about it as it’s currently written. In particular, I’m concerned that the strict restrictions on energy will lead to large increases in the cost of energy, which will inevitably be passed on to the consumer. I believe we have to strike the right balance between environmental regulations and the effects on the economy. Until the impact of the bill on Alaskans can be fully understood, I’m not comfortable supporting a measure that could have such a profound impact on Alaskans,” said Murkowski, who said she looks forward to the amendment process....

The bill was modified from the annals of what was once a Republican moderate and Democratic moderate, whom are now Republican Extremists on every issue presented to them.

The debate occurring today revolves around how to best address the issue of GLOBAL Climate Change and not IF it needs to be addressed.

The problem in passage of any Climate Change legislation is that, as with Hillary Clinton, the OLD stalwarts of both the Democratic and Republican Parties are scarred with 'a history' that can be termed "Survival of the Fittest" of the Bush Neocon Years. The people with 'Political Capital' have survived the Unethical, Illegal and highly Immoral Bush/Cheney years with such favorites as Tom DeLay and Abramoff leading the CORRUPT PATH of the current Executive Branch.

As a result, there is a lot of 'corruption' still left in the seats of the Senate and House, viewed as political change when in fact it is political corruption, that need to be replaced. The 2006 elections were a good start to reversing not only the trend in Carbon Dioxide, but, the trend in corruption.

Barak Obama will prove to be a pivotal figure and as President Elect will begin the much needed return to 'decency in government' and the eviction of the type of leadership that sought to undermine the best interests of the American people with this recent attempt to Secure the Nation from the atrocities of Global Climate Change.

The Senators that sought to undermine the bill and its abilities to move the American economy (Much of the lethargy regarding this issue revolves around 'Consumerism.') from one based in oil to one based in Solar and Wind are simply prolonging the arrival of the future and CAUSING damage to lives and property that can only be stemmed with reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. All these issues, including the survival of Alaska's Polar Bear in its natural habitat, return to the fact that the USA was warned nearly 5 decades ago to enact legislation that is currently STILL under attack because of STRICT CONSTRUCTIONISTS that see no change in the future, but, only more of the same old dialogue that interprets into LACK OF WILL to enact change that stewards environmental responsibility.

Earth has a 'Geophysical status.' It doesn't change. It doesn't adapt and when asked to respond to the demands of humans responds with deadly force! Everyone needs to 'get over the fact' people and their consumerism are the issue and will continue to be the issue and the physics of Earth are finite with specific outcomes to any stresses placed on it. Earth has its limits, humans need to live with those limits. End of discussion.

Summary of The Lieberman-McCain Climate Stewardship Act (click here)
Summary of The Lieberman-McCain Climate Stewardship Act(As debated in the U.S. Senate on October 30, 2003)
On October 30, 2003, Senators Joseph I. Lieberman (D-CT) and John McCain (R-AZ) brought a revised version of their Climate Stewardship Act of 2003 (S.139) to a vote in the United States Senate. While the measured failed by a vote of 43 to 55, the vote demonstrated growing bipartisan support for a genuine climate change policy....

Neither Alaskan Senators were present during Climate Change Bill. No surprise here. Better it be removed from debate and them REPLACED !

I suppose if Senators ignore their responsibilities and don't vote, issues do become a 'cliche.' Alaska needs to start electing Democrats to their State and Federal seats. The "Oil Economy" continually touted as Alaska's Right is becoming an icon of failure and a vehicle to the Climate Crisis as noted in the lower 48 states. Alaska needs new leadership to take it into the future. Oil is a dead economy and on its way to becoming laughable.


Senators Ted Stevens, left, and Lisa Murkowski, both of Alaska, George Allen of Virginia and Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico, all Republicans, discussed the Arctic drilling measure Wednesday at a news conference (old picture - Allen no longer anywhere to be found !).


Environmental bill dies in Senate, Alaska delegation skips vote (click here)
by Maria DowneyFriday, June 6, 2008
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Democratic bill dealing with climate change and the reduction of greenhouse gases was defeated, following a week of partisan bickering.
The Democratic bill would cap carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and factories while cutting greenhouse gases by 71 percent. Opponents say that translates to a huge tax increase and would lead to even higher energy prices.
Democratic leaders fell 12 votes short of getting the 60 votes needed to end a Republican filibuster.
Neither Sen. Ted Stevens nor Sen. Lisa Murkowski was present for Friday's vote. Both offices say the senators were flying back to Alaska for earlier commitments and they say it was widely known the measure would not pass.
Contact Maria Downey at mdowney@ktuu.com

The Continent is cold, making lots of sea ice, but, little glacier survival due to heat transfer from the Equator (click for "Slate" article)

Surface Heat and Water Vapour Budgets over Antarctica (click here). These are important studies because they give a 'history' of better to optimal conditions for the ice continent, but, they are not current and it is known that the increase in Greenhouse Gases has occurred from 1991.

Carbon dioxide at record high, stoking warming: WMO (click here)
...The WMO (World Meteorological Organization) said levels rose 0.53 percent from 2005 to 381.2 parts per million of the atmosphere, 36 percent above levels before the Industrial Revolution began in the 18th century.
Levels of nitrous oxide, the number three greenhouse gas produced by burning fuels and by industrial processes, also rose to a record with a 0.25 percent gain in 2006. Levels are 320 parts per billion, 19 percent above pre-industrial times....


Albedo - the reflective ability of 'snow/ice/glacier' to reflect solar radiation back to space.

The angles of cliffs of snow and ice do several things. They reflect light back to space to assist in the cooling of Earth, but, they also protect the glaciers and their underlying ice.

When wind and weather wear away the sharp angles or 'faces' of the glaciers that allows sunlight to disaffect the formation of snow/ice 'recharge.'

In this picture there is a lot of light. But, there is also a great deal of shadow. The shadowed areas are a far greater surface than the lighted surface. The reason is that the shadowed surfaces survive at the cost of the surfaces facing the sun. When that ratio changes the 'melt' becomes greater.

Glacier 'recharge' is a year long process. With temperatures high during the Southern Hemisphere Summer and heat transfers visiting now in the winter there is no 'residual' frigid air that provides ice and snow. Rain is not recharge, it is too warm to be recharge. When rain is delivered to the ice continent it causes melting. Same is true with drizzle and fog and other percipitation that is not a result of freezing temperatures. As a matter of fact, rain will smooth out edges and cause more exposure to the sun when the sun returns to the ice continent.

In other words, Antarctica and the Arctic Ocean have a 'heat balance' that equates to a year long concentration of frigid temperatures. When those temperatures, including the arrival of heat transfers from the Equator, swing the 'heat balance' above zero there is melting. The 'heat balance' of Antarctica is severely above zero regardless of its' current temperatures. Cumulatively, there is not enough 'frigid' temperatures to sustain the prolonged existance of the ice.


June 6, 2008
1200 PM
Antartica Wind Surface Satellite

The surface winds have increased considerably, with a surprising increase over the 3 mile high ice where the air is moving 'off shore.' The increased movement at the 3 mile altitude is due to the transfer of heat and the change in air mass with that heat. The arrival of that heat mass is noted in the vortex/jet stream below. The dissipation of the heat is increasing air movement.

The exception is over WAIS, where air is falling off the 'top ice' to the lower latitudes. Why is the continent dominated by 'on shore' air movement, because the velocity of the air movement coming on shore is greater than that moving 'off shore.' Therefore, the arriving air mass delivering heat to the continent is greater than the air movement of 'cooled' air into the East Wind Drift.

It is always better if the air movement of Antarctica is 'off shore' which would insure no arriving heat, but, only transfer of 'frigid air' to the East Wind Drift, which then radiates it to the West Wind Drift and the Circumpolar Ocean.

What is occurring now, is the arrival of heat 'on shore' in the southeast Antarctica shoreline to be cooled as it migrates across the continent, changing in density and mass. It then changes velocity and at a far slower rate than it arrived, exits the ice continent into the East Wind Drift creating sea ice rather than glacier recharge. The air is moving too fast to form 'recharge' and it is not cool enough.


December 10, 2007
1920 GMT
Antarctica

The frigid air mass of Antarctica was completely removed by a heat transfer event that was dissipated over the Antarctica ice and removed the frigid air from the continent. That threw the 'heat budget' of Antarctica into the positive side of melting. Will it recover? It is recovering, but, as long as the heat transfers continue and the snow and ice continue to be sublimed, the recovery will not occur to the extent it is needed to RETURN the continent back to its 'balance.' The continued degradation of the ice as exhibited by the recent disintegration of the Wilkins Ice Sheet (click here) clearing indicates the 'above zero' heat budget of Antarctica.


June 4, 2008
0721 gmt
Antarctica

The frigid air mass is reestablishing itself now that Winter is near in Antarctica. But, clearly the air mass over the top ice is diminished in mass from just 2 days of heat transfers from the Equator. The frigid mass is being displaced to the periphery where an accumulation of sea ice results. This clearly illustrates the observations in the "Slate" article.

June 6, 2008
1323 gmt
Antarctica




June 5, 2009
0600 gmt
Antarctica Jet Stream (click for animation)
Noted in the previous week, from May 30 through June 5, 2008 the regular and voluminous arrival of heat transfers over the top ice.


June 6, 2008
0600
Antartica (24 hour loop noted, missing 12 A, 3P and 6P)


The Warmest Reporting Stations
May 29, 2008

Base Esperanza, Antarctica

Local Time: 3:04 PM GMT

Lat/Lon: 63.4° S 57.0° W

Elevation :: 43 ft / 13 m

Temperature :: 38 °F / 3 °C

Conditions :: Scattered Clouds

Humidity :: 49%

Dew Point :: 26 °F / -4 °C

Wind :: 46 mph / 74 km/h from the West

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: 29.08 in / 985 hPa (Falling)

Visibility :: 9.0 miles / 15.0 kilometers

Clouds:
Few 886 ft / 270 m
(Above Ground Level)



June 6, 2008

Base Esperanza, Antarctica

Elevation :: 43 ft / 13 m

Temperature :: 0 °F / -18 °C

Clouds :: Scattered Clouds

Humidity :: 77%

Dew Point :: -4 °F / -20 °C

Wind :: 12 mph / 18 km/h from the SW

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: 29.89 in / 1012 hPa (Steady)

Visibility :: 6.0 miles / 10.0 kilometers

Clouds:
Few 4724 ft / 1440 m
(Above Ground Level)

The Coldest Reporting Stations

May 29, 2008

Amundsen-Scott, Antarctica

Local Time: 2:11 AM NZST on May 29, 2008

Lat/Lon: 90.0° S 0.0° E

Temperature :: -77 °F / -60 °C

Conditions :: Blowing Snow

Wind :: 10 mph / 17 km/h from the NE

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: in / hPa (Rising)

Visibility :: 1.0 miles / 1.6 kilometers

Clouds :: Few 1969 ft / 600 m
(Above Ground Level)

Elevation :: 9285 ft / 2830 m


June 6, 2008

Amundsen-Scott, Antarctica

Local Time: 11:18 PM NZST

Lat/Lon: 90.0° S 0.0 E

Temperature :: -86 °F / -65 °C

Conditions :: Clear

Wind :: 12 mph / 18 km/h from the East

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: in / hPa (Rising)

Visibility :: 7.0 miles / 11.0 kilometers

Clouds:
Few 5906 ft / 1800 m
(Above Ground Level)

Elevation :: 9285 ft / 2830 m


May 29, 2008

Vostok, Antarctica

Local Time: 8:08 PM VOST

Lat/Lon: 78.4° S 106.9° E

Temperature :: -84 °F / -64 °C

Conditions :: Heavy Blowing Snow

Humidity :: 43%

Dew Point :: -90 °F / -68 °C

Wind :: 18 mph / 30 km/h from the SW

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: in / hPa (Falling)

Visibility :: 0.0 miles / 0.5 kilometers

Elevation :: 11220 ft / 3420 m


June 6, 2009

Vostok, Antarctica

Local Time: 5:12 PM VOST

Lat/Lon: 78.4° S 106.9° E

Temperature :: -93 °F / -70 °C

Conditions :: Clear

Humidity :: 27%

Dew Point: :: -101 °F / -74 °C

Wind :: 14 mph / 22 km/h from the SSW

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: in / hPa (Rising)

Visibility :: 12.0 miles / 20.0 kilometers

Elevation :: 11220 ft / 3420 m

The weather in Antarctica (Crystal Ice Chime) is cold, but, not cold enough to maintain glacial recharge.

June 6, 2008
10:20 PM
Scott Base, Ross Island, Antarctica

Fire destroys shed at US base in Antarctica (click title to entry)
...The fire broke out just hours after staff at the U.S. base had met to review fire safety, New Zealand's Christchurch Press newspaper reported Thursday. McMurdo Station staff declined to comment on the incident. The continent currently is cloaked in 24-hour winter darkness. Temperatures at the bases were down to minus 17 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 27 degrees Celsius) by mid-afternoon Thursday.

Tropical storms kill at least 9 in Central America

By William Ysaguirre, Associated Press Writer
BELIZE CITY — Flash flooding carried away houses and ripped a child from his father's grasp in Belize, while falling trees killed two people in Honduras, raising the death toll from Central America's twin tropical storms this week to at least nine.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow declared a disaster area Tuesday in southern Belize's Stann Creek Valley, and the government rushed food, water and clothing to more than 13,000 people affected by the floods.
Over the weekend, Pacific Tropical Storm Alma swept over Belize hours before Tropical Storm Arthur roared in from the Caribbean at the Mexico-Belize border.
Witnesses said a couple and their 14-year-old daughter died when a flash flood swept away a house in Stann Creek Valley early Monday. The couple's 12-year-old son is missing.
"The water just come right up and picked up their house and took it down there and mashed it up," Bedford Ritchie told Channel 7....

Flooding in Belize: Situation Report #3 (click here)

Belize districts affected by floods declared disaster areas
The Event:
Tropical Storm Arthur, formed on Saturday afternoon May 31, 2008 and immediately made landfall in northern Belize on the Yucatan Peninsula. Before becoming the first storm of the Atlantic Hurricane Season Tropical Storm Arthur was Tropical Storm Alma which developed in the Eastern Pacific on May 27. TS Alma and Arthur dumped approximately 15 inches of rain across Belize causing flooding in low lying areas and severely affecting the northern and southern districts.
Initial damage assessment reports have indicated a number of houses destroyed, damaged or submerged and approximately 1000 persons affected. Five deaths have been confirmed and two persons are reportedly still missing.
The Prime Minister of Belize has declared as Disaster Areas the Stann Creek District and Gales Point, Manatee Village and Sittee River Village of the Belize District .
Prognosis:
Flood waters have begun to recede, but some areas are still under water....

World Environment Day and The California Drought (Click here to "KICK" the CO2 habit.)

Droughts are a natural disaster. The most profound aspect to the California drought, besides the lack of rainfall that is sometimes blamed on El Nino and the like, is the Human Induced Global Warming Reality of DISAPPEARING SNOWPACK. It will be a struggle to keep the reservoirs full.


...Drought is a gradual phenomenon (click here for link). Although droughts are sometimes characterized as emergencies, they differ from typical emergency events. Most natural disasters, such as floods or forest fires, occur relatively rapidly and afford little time for preparing for disaster response. Droughts occur slowly, over a multiyear period. There is no universal definition of when a drought begins or ends. Impacts of drought are typically felt first by those most reliant on annual rainfall -- ranchers engaged in dryland grazing, rural residents relying on wells in low-yield rock formations, or small water systems lacking a reliable source. Criteria used to identify statewide drought conditions do not address these localized impacts. Drought impacts increase with the length of a drought, as carry-over supplies in reservoirs are depleted and water levels in groundwater basins decline....

(California) Governor's Proclamations Related to Water Shortages (click here)

Schwarzenegger proclaims that California is in a drought (click here)
SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed a statewide drought Wednesday, warning that California's water supply is falling dangerously low because of below-average rainfall and court-ordered water restrictions aimed at protecting fish.
"We must recognize the severity of this crisis we face," Schwarzenegger said at a Capitol news conference. He said this spring has been the driest on record in Northern California, which supplies most of the water to the state....

Australia's Drought is in Epic Proportions. There is little change in sight for reversing Human Induced Global Warming without a profound change in direction from the USA. There just isn't. The USA is responsible for the majority of CO2 emitted on Earth and that is a very sad scenario for the 'so called' wealthiest nation and the last 'so called' Superpower.

Australia's epic drought: The situation is grim (click here)
By Kathy Marks in Sydney
Friday, 20 April 2007
Australia has warned that it will have to switch off the water supply to the continent's food bowl unless heavy rains break an epic drought - heralding what could be the first climate change-driven disaster to strike a developed nation.
The Murray-Darling basin in south-eastern Australia yields 40 per cent of the country's agricultural produce. But the two rivers that feed the region are so pitifully low that there will soon be only enough water for drinking supplies. Australia is in the grip of its worst drought on record, the victim of changing weather patterns attributed to global warming and a government that is only just starting to wake up to the severity of the position....

PM sets out vision for car industry (click here)
June 5, 2008 - 4:29PM
Fuel efficient and hybrid cars will be the centrepiece of a new plan for the Australian car industry, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says.
The industry is already under review, with an inquiry headed by former Victorian premier Steve Bracks.
Mr Rudd said it was time to confront the challenges of climate change and soaring oil prices, and the need to reduce fuel consumption.
The industry had reinvented itself before and it needed to do so again, he said.
"Two decades ago, the industry needed a plan to consolidate, increase its efficiency and lift its international competitiveness," Mr Rudd told Parliament in a ministerial statement marking World Environment Day....

Storms hit south-central Indiana, injuring 1

June 3, 2008
Decatur, Illinois
Photographer states :: This is the view from my front porch down Greenswitch Road.


June 4, 2008
0330z (June 3, 2008 at 10:30 PM or 2230EST)
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite (12 hour loop here)



There is significant water vapor in the troposphere, but, little reaches the ground. When it does it floods in torrential down pours. There isn't anything 'normal' about that climate.


June 3, 2008
Kinmundy, Illinois
Photographer states :: A tornado-warned storm rolled through the Kinmundy, IL area destroying a machine shed, damaging a house, flipping a trailer, and downing trees. Photo by Steen Munter, WJBD.



June 3, 2008 10:47 PM EDT
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Thunderstorms cut through south-central Indiana Tuesday night, spawning at least two tornadoes.
Radar showed two tornadoes on the ground south of Indianapolis about 9:30 p.m., National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Tucek said. One was near Princes Lakes, north of Columbus, while the other was sighted near St. Paul on the Rush-Decatur county line. Widespread damage was reported, and more than 4,000 people were without electricity due to the storms. Duke Energy reported most of the outages were in Shelby County just southeast of Indianapolis and Wayne County in eastern Indiana.
Earlier in the day, the weather service said a small tornado touched down near Waverly, where television reports showed several trees down and buildings damaged.

Canada and Russia lead the way to responsible Arctic Ocean Stewardship

May 30, 2008 04:30 AM
Re:UN to play mediator in Arctic
disputes
May 29
The future of the Arctic Ocean is an issue of significant international importance. Ideally decisions of such magnitude are made in open, consultative forums involving all stakeholders.
Foreign ministers and senior officials from Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the U.S. attended the closed, invitation-only Arctic Ocean Conference in IIulissat, Greenland this week. The conference was called to discuss ways in which the nations bordering the Arctic can better co-ordinate efforts to manage the Arctic Ocean.
The retreat of sea ice caused by climate change opens new opportunities for the expansion of economic activity, such as commercial fishing, shipping, and oil and gas exploration and exploitation in the Arctic Ocean. While potentially bringing short-term benefits to the economies of Arctic coastal states, the expansion of economic activity can also trigger overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, pollution from ships and offshore extraction of oil and gas, oil spills, invasion of alien species carried by ships' ballast water and other extremely harmful effects.
In future, WWF urges the conference participants to discuss the urgent need for a new and stronger system for governance protecting the Arctic from climate change and other potential threats to its vulnerable marine environment.
We also call for the Arctic coastal states to engage in open and constructive dialogue about the future of the Arctic Ocean.
Neil Hamilton, Director, World Wildlife Fund International Arctic Program, Oslo, Norway

The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is:


Elevation :: 33 ft / 10 m

Local Time: 2:16 AM AKDT

Lat/Lon: 58.8° N 137.0° W

Temperature :: 46 °F / 8 °C

Conditions :: Overcast

Windchill :: 46 °F / 8 °C

Humidity :: 93%

Dew Point :: 45 °F / 7 °C

Wind :: Calm

Pressure :: 29.83 in / 1010 hPa (Steady)

Visibility :: 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers

UV :: 0 out of 16

Clouds:
Few 1100 ft / 335 m
Scattered Clouds 2800 ft / 853 m
Overcast 3600 ft / 1097 m
(Above Ground Level)

Impeach the Miserable Old Man and Get It Over With ! Bush is killing people and lovin' it !

Get rid of the old infrastruture. Just that simple. You want jobs? Then allow the progression of the needed changes in the country proceed.

Bush and the OLD OIL GUARD need to be put out of business !

If any Senator or House member votes adversely to the needed Climate Change legislation, VOTE THEM OUT OF OFFICE. We need leaders that can save lives, return the economy and stop the 'exploitation' of the American people. Does it make sense to allow a government to continue to ignore their responsibility in Climate Change? No, it doesn't. There is no justifiable argument to support legislators that on the CHANGE we need in the USA . None !

Fine particle pollution from U.S. power plants cuts short the lives of over 30,000 people each year. (click here)

Washington, 17 Oct (IPS/Danielle Knight) - Pollution from electric power plants in the United States shortens the lives of more than 30,000 people every year, according to a new report released here by environmental and health researchers. The study concludes that soot, or fine particle air pollution, from the nation’s ageing coal-fired power plants is causing tens of thousands of asthma attacks, cardiac problems and upper and lower respiratory problems each year....

In this July 10, 2007 file photos, the coal-fired Plant Schereris in operation at Juliette, Ga. Plant Scherer has for several years been the nation's single largest source of carbon dioxide, which most scientists believe contributes to global warming. The economic cost of confronting global warming - from higher electricity bills to more expensive gasoline - is driving the debate as climate change takes center stage in Congress. The Senate begins considering legislation Monday that for the first time would mandate a reduction in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from power plants, refineries, factories and transportation, in hopes of cutting heat-trapping pollution by two-thirds by mid-century. (AP Photo/Gene Blythe, File)

U.S. map shows per capita carbon dioxide emissions by metropolitan statistical area in 2005; 2c x 4 3/4 inches; 96.3 mm x 120.7 mm