Byron Dorgan for Commerce Secretary

U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) is flanked by (l-r) Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) at a Capitol Hill press conference where they announced they will push for new requirements in future trade agreements that will measure whether those agreements are working in America's interest.

Does Tom Daschle Deserve A Second Chance? (click here)

February 10, 2009

Susan Elaine Wheeler

...On one hand we have wide spread corruption that is taking hundreds of billions of dollars to stabilize. In Daschle´s case, an issue that is being blown out of proportion because he was on President´s Obama´s team. The hypocrisy and double standards need to stop, so we can find our way out of this economic mess and focus on what the best people can achieve....

So what is Georgie up to? My guess. He is proposing more Carbon Sources in Canada.

Anybody up for demonstrations?

...But for his own reasons Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has proposed a "truth and reconciliation commission" to get at all the wrongs of the George W. Bush years, which, of course, began with his winning the 2000 election.... (click here - thank you)



Bush to give speech at private event in Canada (click title to entry - thank you)
11:12 PM CST on Wednesday, February 11, 2009
By LORI STAHL / The Dallas Morning Newslstahl@dallasnews.com
Former President George W. Bush's first confirmed speaking engagement since leaving office will take him from Crawford to Canada.
Invitations to the event, billed as "a conversation with George W. Bush," say that the former president will "share his thoughts on his eight momentous years in the Oval Office" during a March 17 speech in Calgary, Alberta.
The event is not open to the public, and organizers declined to say whether Bush will be paid a fee. A spokesman for the newly formed Bush presidential office in Dallas declined to comment.
But the Canadian firm organizing the lunch has paid sizable fees to Lance Armstrong, Rudy Giuliani, Colin Powell and Alan Greenspan. Former President Bill Clinton was paid $150,000 for a March 2006 speech in Edmonton, according to a Canadian newspaper.
Political experts say the speech may be a safe and lucrative way for Bush to venture out....

Where there can be cooperation regarding Climate Change between the USA and China there can be cooperation in limiting 'potential' to terorist arms.

China and the US - the road to rapprochement on climate change (click here)

In a new report released by the Asia Society's Center on US-China Relations and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, a group of more than 50 experts on China, politics and business aim to provide Barack Obama's new US administration with a policy roadmap for cooperation with China. Common Challenge, Collaborative Response: A Roadmap for US-China Cooperation on Energy and Climate Change was produced by the Initiative for US-China Cooperation on Energy and Climate Task Force, co-chaired by John L Thornton, professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, and by Steven Chu, prior to his nomination as US secretary of energy. Here, Banning Garrett and Jonathan Adams introduce the report. The full document can be downloaded in both languages here....

Richard Holbrooke and the Clinton State Department. I believe this focus is critical.

There was a time when the USA competed for diplomatic relations by bolstering military armaments of nations such as Pakistan. We are at that juncture and Richard Holbrooke is bringing home a 'wish list' from the current leadership of Pakistan.

The problem is that China is entering the picture and very well could cause problems leading to greater tensions among world powers at a time when the USA is attempting to hit the 'reset' button and Russia is opening up to 'partnering' with us again.

China and its 'interest' in power over a global view to defeat terrorist networks is creating the 'Old World' competition for arms and escalating the 'potential' for anarchic Pakistani military complex to become out of control, endangering NATO's troops and allowing for increased terrorist elements within the region of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kashmir and India.

While the China visit by the Pakistani President seems benign, there is every reason to believe 'arms' will be a focus as well. China has a history of arming Pakistan, especially with American money. It would be best to jointly 'deal with' China and Pakistan in any future negotiations to limit the migration of arms to terrorists. The USA State Department under Clinton has its hands full.

Pakistani president to visit China's Hubei, Shanghai (click here)
www.chinaview.cn

2009-02-12 18:00:57
BEIJING, Feb. 12 (Xinhua)-- Invited by the Chinese government, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari will pay a visit to China's Hubei Province and Shanghai from Feb. 20 to 23, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu announced Thursday.
"We attach great importance to this visit," Jiang said at a regular press conference here, noting Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo will meet with Zardari in Hubei on behalf of the Chinese government.
Zardari was scheduled to observe China's development in areas including water conservation, agriculture as well as finance. And this will promote bilateral cooperation in the above areas, Jiang said.
China believed the visit would "consolidate" China-Pakistan all-weather friendship and deepen all-round cooperation, Jiang said.
This visit would be Zardari's second China visit. He paid a state visit to China last October.
Bilateral trade volume between China and Pakistan reached 6.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2008, demonstrating a 1.3 percent year-on-year increase.

US jobless claims above 600,000 in week

THE "THING" IS THIS:

The USA is losing its tax base. To begin, just because the jobless CLAIM rate might be slowing doesn't mean that is optimistic news.

Just like the number of bankruptcies might be slowing doesn't mean there is an economic recovery on the way. There are just so many people that are going to lose their homes and there will be finite bankrupcies filed. Same thing with unemployment claims. There will be finite workers in the USA that will lose their jobs, but, that doesn't mean a 'topping' off of the unemployment rate is an indication of a recovery.

People are entering unemployment and NOT finding new jobs, not only that, but most states allow any claimant to decide to pay federal and state taxes or not. That really should not be an option unless the amount received on unemployment automatically places the claimant below any tax level. The federal guidelines for extension of benefits need to include automatic deductions of umemployment income.

But, for a word of assurance and why the stimulus package is so important.

The witnessing of the loss of OLD WORLD USA is an interesting phenomena from my stand point. More men than women are losing jobs and families are finding out that women actually are paid less then men. But, that is nearly besides the point. It is where the job losses are occurring and why they are occurring is a focus of interest.

The USA has been an economy built around manufacturing that eventually lead to a service economy. The manufacturing has growly been lost in the USA and needs to return, however, American consumers have been very moral folks for the most part, deciding to favor 'environmental' vigilance over abuses. Until this past administration, the USA has always had a conscience when it comes to children and child labor and environmental safety for citizens while insuring the future for our children and grandchildren.

The RETURN of the sanity of the USA after so many years of poorly conceived and wrongly deployed Republican priorities means there is going to be a gross deterioration of jobs, especially in areas where abuses have occurred. The housing circumstances of the country is primarily what is blamed for the economic depression of the country, but, more over, it is the conscience of the people that have come to a pinnacle.

By electing a President with as much hope and desire for change in the USA as the majority of the country has, we have decided to change our futures and the hope of our children. The economic stimulus package focuses heavily on new energy venues, a brand new electric grid to accommodate the demands of electric cars and environmental stewardship including new venues of personal transportation. All that is vital to surviving the ravages of Climate Change and bring hope for our future and the beauty of the natural world we long to leave our children.

To make a long statement short, we are TRANSITIONING, and the stimulus package put together by President Obama is exactly the focus the country has demanded and longed for, we deserve a NEW START and the stimulus bill before the House and Senate facilitate it. It will create jobs and return income to the nation's treasury.

I rarely get political from the stand point of asking people to 'act' to insure a political focus, but, today I am asking that anyone caring about these issues write and encourage others to write to their US House and Senate representatives to pass the bill and begin to recover the USA for the hope of its future and that of our children. It is the right thing to do and we all need to be involved.



Job seekers queue to speak with prospective employers at a job fair in Chicago

Initial Claims More of the Same (click here)
Last Update: 12-Feb-09 08:50 ET
Initial claims for the week ending Feb. 7 dipped 8,000 to 623,000, but remain at 26-year highs. The four-week moving average jumped to 607,500 from 583,500. Continuing claims rose 11,000 to 4.81 million while the four-week moving average moved up to 4.75 million from 4.67 million.
The headline number for initial claims was slightly worse than the 610,000 consensus estimate.
Altogether this claims report stayed true to form, offering a clear reminder that the labor market is weak and that it remains difficult to find a new job.

Jobless Claims Slip, But Trend For Layoffs Remains Higher (click here)

2/12/2009 9:44 AM ET

(RTTNews) - The number of people filing for first-time unemployment benefits dipped last week, though the moderation was less than expected and statistics showed that the pace layoffs were still trending higher.The report is a key real-time glimpse at the health of the labor market, an important topic not just because it is central to overall economic performance, but because it is a key political issue as well.The U.S. Labor Department revealed Thursday that initial jobless claims came in at 623,000 for the week ended February 7, down 8,000 from the previous week's revised total.

Economists had expected claims to drop to a level around 610,000.

However, the 4-week moving average for initial claims, a statistic that flattens out week-to-week fluctuations in the data, continued to rise in the month, climbing above the 600,000 mark....

There is the man. My Barak. That is what we called him then, during the election. He hasn't proven to be anything else.

He won't let us down. I actually believe he best thrives during adversity. He is energized by his Presidency. Michelle has been out speaking as well. They are some kind of couple. They love us. I sincerely believe that.

Barack Obama speaks during a town hall meeting in Fort Myers, Florida. The US Senate narrowly voted in favour of Obama's spending plan. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP

The Senate Republicans are an issue ! They have to be defeated in 2010.

Senate Stimulus Costs Less, But Adds More Debt (click here title to entry - thank you)
by Liz Halloran
NPR.org, February 11, 2009 ·
·Although the Senate's $789 billion economic stimulus package has a lower price tag than the House version of the bill, it would add more to the federal deficit over the next decade, according to a new analysis.
The Congressional Budget Office says the stimulus packaged passed by the Senate on Tuesday would add $19 billion more to the nation's cumulative deficit over the next 10 years than would the $820 billion House measure, approved in late January.
Why?

Because the Senate version relies more heavily on tax cuts, according to a letter CBO director Douglas Elmendorf sent to congressional leaders Wednesday....

Quite a bit early for Tornado Season.

There are about half a dozen vortices in this satellite image. Let me see if I can pick them all out.

There is a small 'center' vortex south of Greenland. It was generated by the vertical air movement that resulted in water vapor moving off the equatorial region of South America.

There is another small one that is bearly detectible just north of the previous mentioned and just west of Greenland.

There is also one immediately to the east of Greenland directly across from the previous mentioned.

There is the one that is approaching the Eastern Seaboard of the USA.

There is one forming just west of the Baja Peninsula, AND, a shadow vortex that is an identical sibling immediately to its east.

There is one forming, low on water vapor, south of Salina Cruz, Mexico in the Pacific directly west of Panama.

There is a promise of one at the border of Northern California and Oregon.

There is one centered over Kodiak Island, Alaska and extends south into the Gulf of Alaska and into the Pacific.

There is one north of Hawaii and two small ones immediately south of Kiska Island, Alaska. That is all I see right now.

So, how many is that?

There are actually a full dozen.

12.

Wow. The planet is hot and there is no place for the heat to go anymore. The Arctic has lost a lot of its ice. There just aren't 'ice reserves' anymore.


February 11, 2009
2330z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite (click here for 12 hour loop)


February 11, 2009
1830z
UNISYS Visual Satellite

There is a vortex sweeping across the eastern portion of the country.

Three confirmed tornadoes causes a lot of damage (click here)
Last Update: 10:56 am
National Weather Service confirms tornadoes touched down in Edmond, Pawnee and Lone Grove on Tuesday.
Eight people were killed in Lone Grove, and 14 seriously injured.
Lone Grove Emergency Management reports the tornado hit a mobile home park with about 60 trailers.
Crews are still looking at damages.
Logan County Emergency Management reports 20 homes were damaged, 16 are in the Oak Cliff Fire District and four are near the intersection of Highway 105 and Henney, east of Guthrie. There are no reports of injuries there.
Shawnee and Pottawatomie County Emergency Management reports the Oklahoma Department of Transportation maintenance facility, two miles east of Tecumseh on Highway 9, was damaged.
Wilson Emergency Management reports one house damaged.
Edmond Emergency Management reports six homes destroyed near Oak Tree Country Club.
Oklahoma City Emergency Management reports damage due to a possible tornado at Northwest Expressway and Rockwell in Oklahoma City. There is damage to businesses and homes. Coal County Emergency Management reports two mobile homes overturned and oil field equipment damaged near Wardville.
Love County Emergency Management reports two homes with major damage.Also, baseball size hail was reported in Yukon and Guthrie. Federal and State Damage Assessment Teams are on standby until officials secure the affected storm areas. Oklahoma Highway Patrol is in Lone Grove helping local law enforcement secure the damaged area. National Guard troops are being mobilized to assist in the security mission.
About 6,000 OG&E customers are without power, including 3,461 in Lone Grove.
American Red Cross has opened shelters at: Heritage Hall Center, on West Broadway, in downtown Ardmore; Waterloo Baptist Church at 3100 E. Waterloo, in Edmond; and Messiah Lutheran Church at 3600 NW Expressway, in Oklahoma City. Baptist Disaster Relief is responding to Lone Grove to assist with feeding and emotional care.

Lone Grove, OK, a city 90 miles south of the state's capital, has suffered considerably after storms

City has all confirmed so far fatalities, destroyed post office

Resident described storm as "all heck breaking loose"

News Minute: Here is the latest Oklahoma news from The Associated Press (click here)

Associated Press - February 11, 2009 5:45 PM ET
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Gov. Brad Henry today declared a state of emergency in 17 counties after tornadoes ravaged parts of Oklahoma and toured Lone Grove where eight people were killed. The emergency declaration is intended to speed up efforts to help affected areas and is a first step toward asking for federal assistance....

Why do I feel as though the entire BAIL OUT blunder needs more than an investigation. It needs THE TRUTH !!!

There is too much "W"rong here. All this mess is global and it didn't happen overnight. It was contemplated and executed. I am convinced of it.

Mr. Geither tried to GLOSS OVER the issues that criticism raises by stating the people of the USA 'have a condition.' They have been mistreated and victimized (my words not his) and therefore there is 'an issue with trust.'

Really, Mr. Geither. How do you spell that guy's name anyway? I feel like he should be on indictment along with Bush, Paulson and Cheney. Let me get it.

It would seem as though I forgot the N. Geithner. So, Mr. Geithner is now the psychoanalyist for the American people, how conforting is that?

I don't believe it is the American people that need to have their heads examined either !


...All correspondence with me will be kept confidential. Your identity will be protected and you will decide to what extent you wish to participate in telling the greatest crime story ever told....


...John Rathjen, president of Liberty Bank in Waterloo, agreed it was too early to judge the plan as "a good deal or a bad deal." (click here)
"They have to work out the fine details," he said. "I think the question is how do you evaluate the assets and how do you create a market for those assets so they can be traded?"...

Nobody knows what Geithner is talking about. Presidents of local banks aren't even as concerned about their LOCAL customers as they are their international customers. What does that tell you? Is this a fiscal policy to CORRECT the issues within THE BORDERS of the USA with USA money?

Absolutely not !

..."We have customers that do business on a national scale and even some who do business on a local scale that are impacted by the fact that people's net worth has been affected. Everybody has been impacted by this downturn."...

I think we need to continue to focus on returning jobs to Americans and throw the 'baby out with the bathwater.' Wall Street did NOTHING to protect America or any international partners. There needs to be an accounting. We need to demand a complete disclosure of all that has occurred in the collapse of the markets globally.

THEY WERE DEPLETED BY 50% WITHIN A YEAR.

And when exactly did the 'Bailout become an Emergency?' At the end of Bush's second term in office, after he demanded a $2 Trillion overhaul of Social Security immediately after his election of 2004.

Something stinks here. We don't have all the facts AND the American people aren't morons to come to understand the intricacies of markets.

I demand the truth and prosecution for those responsible for 'scamming' the country and destroying its fiscal credibility !

There is no way that Geithner will be turning the USA Treasury into his own private bank that he states 'yea' or 'nay' to as Treasury Secretary. Nobody elected him Treasury God !

Before Geithner failed there was Bush, Cheney and Paulson.

Geither Failed (click here)
11 Feb, 2009 @ 04:09 am EST
Securities Loan Facility along with inventing a Public Private Investment Fund.
The start of Geithner speech was that the economy is in serious need for solutions that could stimulate the economic activity, where jobs must be created once again especially after the world witnessed more than 2.6 million jobs terminated in only twelve months fortifying fears of citizens living in the United States.
The Public Private Investment Fund would be used to cushion the financial system and provide credit to businesses, which is an attempt to revive the economy from the endless failures that would push the United States in a mini depression; this fund will start with $500 billion that might be expanded to $1 trillion if needed....

There was more than Charles Darwin. There was ALSO Alfred Russel Wallace...

...two men in opposite hemispheres, developing the SAME theory of evolution. Most 'creationists' seem to forget that reality.

You can't make this stuff up. Darwin and Wallace never knew each other until collegues realized their theories were stemming from the same 'natural' phenomena.

As a matter of fact, Charles Darwin was so worried about his theory that he told his wife to never publish his book until after his death. He was very concerned social injustice would result from his discoveries. He found the 'will' to proceed after it was pointed out to him that Wallace had converging theories from places Darwin never visited.

What does that tell you about social justice and the oppression of FACT?

Darwin and Wallace develop similar theory (click here)
Darwin began formulating his theory of natural selection in the late 1830s but he went on working quietly on it for twenty years. He wanted to amass a wealth of evidence before publicly presenting his idea. During those years he corresponded briefly with Wallace (right), who was exploring the wildlife of South America and Asia. Wallace supplied Darwin with birds for his studies and decided to seek Darwin's help in publishing his own ideas on evolution. He sent Darwin his theory in 1858, which, to Darwin's shock, nearly replicated Darwin's own.

Charles Lyell and Joseph Dalton Hooker arranged for both Darwin's and Wallace's theories to be presented to a meeting of the Linnaean Society in 1858. Darwin had been working on a major book on evolution and used that to develop On the Origins of Species, which was published in 1859. Wallace, on the other hand, continued his travels and focused his study on the importance of biogeography.....




The Next Page: A Digital Conversation with Darwin (click here)
Sunday, February 08, 2009
By John A. Pollock
Stacy Innerst/Post-Gazette
Given an opportunity to ask one question, what would you ask Charles Darwin?
My colleague Dave Lampe, also of Duquesne University, and I were particularly interested to find out. So in 2008, my team, with funding from a Science Education Partnership Award granted by National Center for Research Resources (NIH), polled more than 1,000 Pittsburghers from every age group.
Ultimately, we chose 199 of the most popular questions, from "did humans evolve?" to "did you have a pet?" and everything in between -- touching on Darwin's life, work, and the principles of science he discovered....

Talk. Yes. Disarm. NOW, WHILE talks take place. Talks are not to be an evasive maneuver.

Iran is proceeding with more and more militarization REGARDLESS of sanctions. It is bordering on human rights violations, to allow sanctions that cause the people of Iran distress while the government continues to violate 'trust' of a global community.

Iran's heirarchy is not acting in good faith to protect the well being of their people. The Iranian government continues to 'ramp up' the rhetoric about talks with the USA to stall 'verification' of 'peaceful use' of any and all technologies.

Iran MUST allow immediate inspections to prove they are not engaging in deadly plans for nuclear and/or military aggressions. If Iran continues to ignore the sanctions by the UN, it has to be viewed (within weeks) as a nation disregarding human rights of its very citizens.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, speaks during a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and brought hard-line clerics to power, in Tehran on Tuesday Feb, 10, 2009. Iran welcomed talks with the new administration of U.S. President Barack Obama on the basis of mutual respect, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said.(AP photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian)

Under Bush all we heard was how he would not engage in any talks with Iran. THAT in and of itself was aggression by the Bush/Cheney White House. Now, there is no excuse. The Iranians MUST dialogue in good faith.

...Since Obama's election, Iranian leaders have struck a cautious tone over his campaign promises to open a dialogue with Tehran, signaling that the government was undecided on how to respond. On Tuesday, Ahmadinejad made it clear Iran is prepared to talk, citing terrorism, the elimination of nuclear weapons, restructuring the U.N. Security Council and fighting drug trafficking as possible areas for discussion....

Industrial pollution from any oil exploration will destroy what is left of the fisheries.

Exploitation of the Arctic Ocean will result in a multi-national threat due to pollution and loss of food sources.

In response to the rapid decline of Arctic sea ice in the last thirty years, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council has unanimously voted to prohibit fishing in nearly 200,000 square miles of Arctic waters.

...Audubon Alaska, Oceana, Ocean Conservancy and the Pew Environment Group partnered with scientists, local Arctic communities, and fishermen to call for a science-based, precautionary approach before any industrial fishing activities are allowed to expand into the Arctic Ocean. The coalition pushed for the ban....

Worsening Arctic storms threat to oil, ships (click here)
Arctic storms could worsen because of global warming in a threat to possible new businesses such as oil and gas exploration, fisheries or shipping, a study shows. “Large increases in the potential for extreme weather events were found along the entire southern rim of the Arctic Ocean, including the Barents, Bering and Beaufort Seas,” according to the study of Arctic weather by scientists in Norway and Britain. A shrinking of sea ice around the North Pole, which thawed to a record low in the summer of 2007, was likely to spawn more powerful storms that form only over open water and can cause hurricane-strength winds. Potential new businesses in the North — such as fisheries, oil and gas or shipping — would be vulnerable to extremes caused by polar lows and arctic fronts, the researchers wrote in the journal Climate Dynamics. Potential new short-cut shipping routes between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans along the northern coast of Canada and Alaska or Russia could turn out to be stormier than expected. reuters

I want an investigation. Geither needs to be replaced.

February 10, 2009 09:00 AM Eastern Time
Addison Avenue Federal Credit Union Helps Couples Achieve Financial Bliss This Valentine’s Day (click here)
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As you and your Valentine exchange messages of affection this week, consider a policy of communicating about money the same way you do about love. “Just as you shouldn’t reserve ‘I love you’ for one day a year, the key to a financial partnership is regular communication,” says Doug Marshall, senior vice president of Addison Avenue Federal Credit Union. “This holds especially true in times of hardship; it’s crucial to discuss your situation and plan ahead.” To help couples achieve financial bliss, Addison Avenue shares the following advice:...

... Based in Palo Alto, California, Addison Avenue Federal Credit Union is a nationwide, full-service financial institution serving more than 145,000 members. Addison Avenue offers a range of services to the employees and family members of its sponsor companies such as Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies, as well as members from communities across the country. For more information, please visit: http://addisonavenue.com.

Holmes-Washington Credit Union Approves Merger with Community South Credit Union (click here)
February 10, 2009 - 12:48 PM
In an overwhelming show of support for consolidation, the Holmes-Washington Credit Union membership in Bonifay, Florida last night approved a merger with Community South Credit Union in Chipley. The information was received in a news release from The Goulding Agency.

Held at the Holmes County Ag Center in Bonifay, the membership vote drew a modest but vocal crowd of credit union members, and the spirit of the meeting was one of cooperative growth.

The newly merged Community South Credit Union will start the consolidation process and be completely merged by April, enjoying an enhanced financial strength and better access for members, with branches in Bonifay and Chipley....

Put America back to work.

We will recover our own economy.

General Motors to slash 10,000 salaried jobs (click here)
By TIM HIGGINS
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER
February 10, 2009
General Motors Corp, staying afloat with $13.4 billion in federal rescue loans, announced early today that it is cutting its worldwide salaried workforce by 10,000, or 14%, this year and temporarily reducing the pay for a majority of its U.S. white-collar workforce....


This is NOT improvement. Throwing paper at crashing markets is NOT a good idea. $700 billion in MISTAKES.

NO MORE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




As soon as President Obama put limits on CEO salaries, there were major 'players' in this that decided they DID NOT need a bailout.

Now this outrage. Bailing out banks is NOT the American way. We have a stimulus package that will revitalize the economy. Bailouts to major corporate structures is a REPUBLICAN game plan, not an American strategy.

I never wanted Geither there and I don't trust him. I can completely understand why his 'dissertation' was cancelled until the President made rounds for the stimulus plan.


NO MORE BAILOUTS.


End of discussion.

The question of Afghanistan. Is it a war we can win? I believe it is. The people of that nation united with us many years ago.

More than 1,000 foreign soldiers are stationed at the US airbase in Manas, Kyrgyzstan

Kazakhstan helps out US on Afghanistan (click here)
1 hour ago
ASTANA (AFP) — Kazakhstan on Monday became the latest nation to offer its territory for the transit of supplies to coalition troops in Afghanistan, following Kyrgyzstan's shock decision to shut a key US airbase.
"Kazakhstan has given its consent to the transit of cargo by land for the logistical material for the US contingent in Afghanistan," Kazakh foreign ministry spokesman Yerzhan Ashikbayev told reporters.
"We will work out the technical and commercial parameters with the US side separately," Ashikbayev said.
"We are only talking about non-military materials," he emphasized.
The announcement from Kazakhstan comes days after Kyrgyzstan's government ordered the closure of a US airbase that serves as a vital supply route for US and NATO troops in Afghanistan.
The administration of US President Barack Obama has made Afghanistan a top priority and has pressed hard to secure overland transit agreements from Russia and Central Asian nations amid security problems on the Pakistan route....


Still President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai seeks to include peaceful citizens of all ethnicities to join in rejoicing at the return of their nation. (click title to entry - thank you)

THAT, is his place. President Karzai should be vigilant for any of the citizens of a war torn nation, still uncertain about its future.

There is no doubt that a struggle for the defeat of al Qaeda will be a burden to everyone, including the Afghan citizens and those in the USA that have sacrificed so much for a "W"rongful war in Iraq that should have never occurred.

But, defeat al Qaeda we must, there is too much at stake. Hasn't anyone, besides me, asked themselves what the world would be like today if the Bush/Cheney administration didn't displace the priorities of defeating al Qaeda? If Osama bin Laden were in prison or dead? Haven't you asked yourselves that? Has everyone been so involved in defeating Bush/Cheney and reclaiming the USA that all lost sight of a world safe from terrorists?

The USA has been used and abused by Power Brokers and Greed Merchants. We need to regain our priorities for National Security and I dare say is it too much to ask to return to the war that should have been fought in the first place? In all sincerity, I doubt the struggle for Afghanistan will be that overwhelming once NATO is better balanced with the increased placement of troops by the USA. NATO has been struggling with the current troop deployment, it is time to reclaim our rightful place to our own security.

Russia has returned as our integral partner. We again align with a country that helped defeat Hitler. Can bin Laden be more of a foe? I don't think so.

...Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (click here) announced Friday that Moscow and Washington had reached an agreement on reinstating transit routes through Russia of U.S. nonmilitary freight intended for Afghanistan. The transit agreement between Russia and NATO was actually signed last April, and Moscow never closed this corridor. It was NATO that temporarily froze relations with Moscow after the Russia-Georgia conflict in August. In any event, the reinstatement of U.S. and NATO nonmilitary shipments through Russia is one of the most positive developments in U.S.-Russian relations that we have seen in years....

The Nay Sayers can lurk about, but, the USA has been absent from this fight and if one recalls the 'waltz' into Kabul many years ago was far more easy than we ever anticipated.

I believe the USA military overstates its case. The real challenge is Pakistan and stabilizing the borders with Afghanistan, Kashmir and India. I hold far more optimism than our military leaders do.

If one recalls Afghanistan in 2001, it fell like a house of cards. Can the capture and justice FROM bin Laden be that far away? It is Pakistan and its anarchic intelligence / military complex that offers so much chaos to the issue. It is Pakistan that needs to come to terms with its own citizens and the hostility that lies within its borders POST Musharraf.

Poll: US, allies, Kabul government losing ground (click here)
By BARRY SCHWEID – 4 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Support for the Kabul government and the United States and European troops trying to bolster it against insurgents is plummeting among the Afghan people, a new poll reports.
The decline is striking particularly in the last year, the poll shows, even as the Obama administration and NATO allies weigh moves to strengthen forces in the struggle with Taliban and other radical groups.
President Barack Obama has assigned high priority to the conflict and the administration is weighing whether to send another 30,000 U.S. troops there, almost doubling the 32,000 present....

Oversight? What kind of joke is this?

GAO Oversight Office at NSA Lies Dormant (click here)
...Intelligence spending has doubled in the last ten years....intelligence oversight capacity has not grown at the same rate....

At least we are getting oversight. Under Bush/Cheney were was no oversight and not only that there were NO BID contracts.

The monies already have a stipulated purpose and I don't see why there would such quick absorption that a 10% gap of accountability would occur. If there is then the monies have to be traced and an accounting made.

The travesty of such an observation is that what did anyone do to stop the exorbitant spending of the Republicans and their lack of accountability? What did anyone do to stop NO BID contracts? What did anyone do to stop a $350 billion 'BAILOUT' program from disappearing without a trace?

The worst of it is that there is absolutely no accountability for the eight years of war spending that went into the Dark Hole of Iraq.

There will be better accountability for the monies spent in this stimulus program than any spending by Congress in the last eight years. That alone is more refreshing then any percentage that will be difficult to track over time.

...The Obama administration's economic stimulus plan could end up wasting billions of dollars by attempting to spend money faster than an overburdened government acquisition system can manage and oversee it, according to documents and interviews with contracting specialists.
The $827 billion stimulus legislation under debate in Congress includes provisions aimed at ensuring oversight of the massive infusion of contracts, state grants and other measures. At the urging of the administration, those provisions call for transparency, bid competition, and new auditing resources and oversight boards....

I like the guy from Yale. Do you know Yale University has thousands of acres of huge and beautiful academic forests in three separate states. Nice !

William H. Donaldson, who served as SEC chairman from 2003 to 2005

Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., president and CEO of the TIAA-CREF retirement fund

Robert Wolf, chairman and CEO of the financial services firm UBS Group Americas

David F. Swensen, CIO of Yale University

Mark T. Gallogly, founder and managing partner of the investment advisory firm Centerbridge Partners LP

Penny Pritzker, chairman and founder of Pritzker Realty Group

Jeffrey R. Immelt, CEO of General Electric

John Doerr, a partner with the venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers

Jim Owens, chairman and CEO of the heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar Inc.

Monica C. Lozano, publisher and CEO of the Spanish-language newspaper La Opinion

Charles E. Phillips Jr., president of the computer software maker Oracle Corp.

Anna Burger, secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union and chairwoman of the labor coalition Change to Win

Richard L. Trumka, secretary-treasurer of the labor organization AFL-CIO

Laura D'Andrea Tyson, who served as a key economic adviser to President Bill Clinton and is dean of the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley

Martin Feldstein, George F. Baker Professor of Economics at Harvard University

If it's not floods, it's fire in Australia.

I believe there needs to be vast evacuation of the entire area that could be affected by the wildfires (bush fires). Listening to a live commentary this morning I am convinced the region is under the influence of enormous heat that is 'consistent' due to the 'heat transfer system' that lingers over Victoria.

The heat over Victoria is so sustained that any 'rain' clouds never actually rain while lightning strikes the area and produces fire in this drought stricken region. All people that could remotely be disaffected need to be evacuated. The 'heat transfer system' clouds are NOT rain clouds. They exist to transfer heat from the equator to Antarctica where the heat is then absorbed by the ice that is subsequently sublimed.

The point is that any rain clouds that 'might' occur will never produce enough rain to reach the ground and except for what humans can do to extinguish these fires they will not let up. Evacuation of any life from the region is paramount to their well being.

I am not surprised at these dynamics. The surface of the planet is too hot to allow anything but evaporation should rain be predicted.

Queen's shock at bush fire deaths (click here)
The Queen has expressed her "shock and sadness" at the death toll in the Australian bush fires.
At least 108 people have died in the fires in southern Australia, the worst in the country's history.
She also expressed her admiration for the work of the emergency services to contain the situation.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has telephoned his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd to offer sympathy and assistance dealing with the bush fires.
In a statement issued by Buckingham Palace the Queen said: "I was shocked and saddened to learn of the terrible toll being exacted by the fires this weekend.
"I send my heartfelt condolences to the families of all those who have died and my deep sympathy to the many who have lost their homes in this disaster on so dreadful an occasion as this for Australia....

This is the current climate image of Australia and one will notice the chronic 'heat transfer' system that crosses Australia at Victoria. Noted at the northern end of that heat transfer is a severe storm, Tropical Storm Freddy.

Sodden state wary of new stroms (click here)
4:00AM Friday Feb 06, 2009
BRISBANE - Sodden residents of northeastern Australia were trying to clean up from weeks of rain, even as forecasters said two offshore storms could turn into cyclones by tomorrow.
River levels were beginning to fall in some parts of Queensland while emergency workers continued to evacuate people left stranded.
A 42-year-old man was rescued after clinging to a tree near a swollen creek for more than three hours. He was treated for minor injuries.
Ingham, the hardest-hit town, has been underwater since a weekend storm, but water levels were beginning to drop....


Queensland is northeast and has been hit hard with chronic rains and flooding. Victoria, where the fires currently are blazing is at the direct opposite of the continent, in the southern region. South of Victoria are the Bass Strait and the Island of Tasmania, then on into Antarctica.


The flooded Ingham area between Cairns and townsville in north Queensland

Australian floods wash crocodiles into streets (click here)
3 days ago
SYDNEY (AFP) — Floods ravaging northern Australia have washed crocodiles onto the streets, where one was hit by a car, authorities said in a warning to residents Wednesday.
More than 60 percent of the vast northeastern state of Queensland has been declared a disaster area, and flooding after two recent cyclones has affected almost 3,000 homes, they said.
The army has been called in to help with rescue and recovery efforts, while three reports of large crocodiles washed up from flooded rivers have come in from homes in the Gulf of Carpentaria region.
"I'm not sure if it's the same crocodile moving around -- on the three sides of Normanton there's been a large croc seen right up close to the water's edge," said mayor Joyce Zahner.
"Hopefully he'll stay in the water and the kids will stay on the land," Zahner told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation....


Michael Bachelard and Cameron Houston(click title to entry - thank you)
February 8, 2009
FOURTEEN people are confirmed dead but as many as 40 are feared to have died as bushfires swept across Victoria yesterday and continued to burn through the night.
Police, who last night could only begin going into the blackened ruins of towns and communities, said six people were killed in a single vehicle in Kinglake.
But they acknowledged they had little idea of how many could be buried inside their ruined homes, or burned as they tried to escape, and that the death toll could go much higher.
Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe said official predictions that 40 people had lost their lives was only an estimate.....



...The six killed in Kinglake were all in the same car, Mr. Walshe told reporters. (click here)
“This is an absolute tragedy for the state and we believe the figure may even get worse,” said Mr. Walshe....

There is international acclaim for the Biden speech in Germany. Russia shows signs of relief to inclusion.

There is no doubt that Iran poses a serious threat to Europe and the Middle East. Now, with its ability to launch missiles into space there is no doubt ICBMs are on the Iranian agenda. To that end there needs to be defense systems that will END the incentive for nuclear proliferation.

According to RIA Novosti, Russia is pleased the future plans of such defense systems will not be offensive to Russian borders through inclusion in talks leading to Non-Proliferation and peace.

The world Post-Bush/Cheney is a very different place.


NATO chief: more European troops in Afghanistan (click title to entry - thank you)
By DAVID RISING and GEORGE JAHN – 6 hours ago
MUNICH (AP) — NATO's secretary-general on Saturday blasted Europe's reluctance to respond to American calls for more troops in Afghanistan, saying countries like Germany and France need to "share the heavy lifting."
Germany's chancellor endorsed the principle of greater military support for the U.S. in NATO operations but did not commit to additional deployment in Afghanistan. France's president did not mention the issue at all during at a meeting of world leaders at the Munich Security Conference
NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, a staunch supporter of U.S. calls for more European troops in Afghanistan, referred to a joint call this week from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicholas Sarkozy to strengthen Europe's role in NATO. He said it was a good idea but would not come without cost.
"I'm frankly concerned when I hear the United States is planning a major commitment for Afghanistan but other allies are already ruling out doing more," he told a gathering of world leaders and top ministers at the Munich Security Conference. "That is not good for the political balance ... and it also makes the calls for Europe's' voice to be heard in Washington perhaps a bit more hollow than they should be."...

Russia must be part of European security structures - Merkel (click here)
15:00
07/ 02/ 2009
MUNICH, February 7 (RIA Novosti) - Russia must be included in European security structures, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday at the 45th Munich Conference on Security Policy
Merkel said it was in the general interest to involve Russia in Europe's future security structures, adding that attention should be paid to the initiative of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on discussing a new security set up for the continent.
Relations with Russia play a key role in European security as Russia is a part of Europe, Merkel said.
She added that the new NATO security approach should be all-encompassing.

Russia has already recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independant states. Considering all the evidence of the violations of Georgia in regard to human rights abuses there really is no debate. The protections Russia is providing in these areas are for reasons of their own defense. It is reasonable and prudent. NATO is still talking around the reality of those human rights abuses and needs to address this new security reality for those reasons straight on without delay.

NATO chief prioritizes strengthening West's ties with Russia (click here)
13:54
07/ 02/ 2009
MUNICH, February 7 (RIA Novosti) - Strengthening Russia's ties with the West is vital and the NATO-Russia Council can play an important role, the military alliance's secretary general said on Saturday.
Speaking at the 45th Munich Conference on Security Policy, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer identified two partnerships that need fundamentally strengthening - the second being between Europe and the United States.
He said that the NATO-Russia Council had great potential but warned there was a long way to go, expressing doubts about Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's proposals for a new European security structure in the wake of Russia's recognition of and cooperation with the separatist Georgian republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia....

The 'revisit' is the best venue for hopes to stop the proliferation of Iran. If Russia can bring enough clout to the Iranian idea of national defense, they could disarm from any nuclear potential. Russia is a key player in eliminating any missile defense for Europe and the Middle East if it is effective with Iran. Russia also has a responsibility in realizing its own citizens now face unpredictable dangers from Iran and might consider asking the USA for protections from any Iranian potential as well.

Basically, THE LANGUAGE of peace hasn't entered the international dialogue yet. To date, all the nations that dealt with Bush/Cheney were focusing on 'containment' of the Iraq invasion and its anticipated outcome in the best interest of the people of Iraq. Bush/Cheney never engaged 'peace' as a directive, nor the possibility of being benevolent partners with Russia.

Barak Obama has a huge opportunity before him in that by introducing 'the language' of peace through productive negotiations that include the national security of all nations, even in the face of Iranian hatred, he can stop nuclear proliferation and the economic 'sapping' of military weaponary demands by so many countries where spending priorities should turn to peaceful economic infrastructure such as education and health care.

I remind the nations bordering the Gulf of Mexico are just as much partners in this peace as are countries at distance such as Iran and North Korea.

U.S. to develop missile shield in Europe, consult Russia - Biden (click here)
17:33
07/ 02/ 2009
MUNICH, February 7 (RIA Novosti) - The United States will continue to work on a planned missile defense system in Central Europe, but it will consult Russia, Vice President Joe Biden said on Saturday.
"We will continue to develop missile defenses to counter a growing Iranian capability, provided the technology is proven to work and cost effective," Biden said at the 45th Munich Security Conference, adding: "We will do so in consultation with our NATO allies and Russia."
Russia has consistently opposed the missile shield as a threat to its national security and officials have repeatedly expressed the hope that President Barack Obama would not follow through with his predecessor's missile defense plans.
Washington has agreed with Warsaw and Prague plans to deploy 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic by 2013. The United States says the defenses are needed to deter possible strikes from "rogue states" such as Iran.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said at the conference on Friday that the shield is aimed at Russia's nuclear deterrent, but added that Moscow would not follow through with its threat to deploy Iskander missile systems in the Kaliningrad Region if the United States gave up its missile shield plans.
Biden's message to Russia was mixed, suggesting more effort at engagement but giving little sign of movement on the core issues, such as the missile shield and NATO expansion.
"It is time to press the reset button and to revisit the many areas where we can and should work together," he said, identifying Afghanistan as an area for greater cooperation between NATO and Russia....

Anticipating her return.

Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the Supreme Court spoke last year at award ceremonies for the Gruber Justice Prize at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. At present, she is the court's only woman justice. (Jose Luis Magana/Associated press/file)

This is a tough call. Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease. She joins people such as Michael Landon and Patrick Swayze in a fight for life. The uptick for Justice Ginsburg is that it was caught early.

It isn't as though Pancreatic Cancer has won every fight that it embarked on, there have been hugely wonderful success stories in the past, when people underwent a surgery called a Whipple Procedure. The surgery is nearly as dangerous as the cancer, but, when a person recovers from it they have the promise of life afterwards.

Justice Ginsbury has probably beaten the odds and I sincerely hope so. She'll be back in good order soon to the court and her much needed concise decision making.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg: Pancreatic Cancer
2/5/09, 2:22 pm EST
Left-leaning Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg had surgery today for pancreatic cancer — which is nasty stuff.
Ginberg’s was caught early in a cancer screening — she’s already a survivor of colon cancer — which is rare for a cancer that often goes undetected into its advanced stages. The AP is reporting Ginsberg’s 1-cm diameter tumor was removed surgically, the most hopeful course of treatment.
Even so, the 5 year survival rate is only about 15 percent.

Whipple Procedure and other Pancreatic Cancer information (click here)

In confirmation hearings, the GOP sets the stage to defend Bush from charges of torture.

Go get 'em, Mike (click here), my baseball cap is off to you.


A Casa 235 about to take off from Ruzyne Airport in Prague on a flight to Afghanistan operated by the C.I.A.-connected Aero Contractors.
C.I.A. Expanding Terror Battle Under Guise of Charter Flights (click here)
...When the Central Intelligence Agency wants to grab a suspected member of Al Qaeda overseas and deliver him to interrogators in another country, an Aero Contractors plane often does the job. If agency experts need to fly overseas in a hurry after the capture of a prized prisoner, a plane will depart Johnston County and stop at Dulles Airport outside Washington to pick up the C.I.A. team on the way.


Aero Contractors' planes dropped C.I.A. paramilitary officers into Afghanistan in 2001; carried an American team to Karachi, Pakistan, right after the United States Consulate there was bombed in 2002; and flew from Libya to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, the day before an American-held prisoner said he was questioned by Libyan intelligence agents last year, according to flight data and other records.


While posing as a private charter outfit - "aircraft rental with pilot" is the listing in Dun and Bradstreet - Aero Contractors is in fact a major domestic hub of the Central Intelligence Agency's secret air service. The company was founded in 1979 by a legendary C.I.A. officer and chief pilot for Air America, the agency's Vietnam-era air company, and it appears to be controlled by the agency, according to former employees....

While Bush/Cheney were in the Executive Branch manipulating 'the propaganda' regarding torture and extraordinary rendition, the USA's European Allies were in a very precarious position.

To begin, The Brits have been our allies for decades in a way that no other ally has. We share much with Britian, including culture, but also a heritage. So, when the USA breaths 'fire' after being attacked by terrorists, the Brits are at our side through thick and thin. I remember the 'tone' of the words of Tony Blair when Bush was inaugurated in that he welcomed a fellow Christian to office.

There is a 'proprietary' relationship between world powers. Between allies. We are sovereign nations, but, we are also 'invested' in many venues to each other and in that 'state of affairs' lies clout and also responsibility. For as allies, if one goes down there is a darn good chance the rest will follow.

Bush liked to call it 'political capital' when in fact that is a frivilous term for POWER. Bush and Cheney were power brokers and they didn't care whom they implicated in their 'dirty dealings' they simply carried out their agenda and didn't care if that endangered the people of Great Britain.

So, in that 'crude' explanation lies the understanding that when it comes to 'tattling' on the USA in a meaningful way by Jack Straw, there were a lot of conflicting priorities.

During the years Bush/Cheney were 'playing God' with human lives in the name of national security; and carrying out illegal and immoral measures such as Extraordinary Rendition; the 'allies' were always 'dodging public relation bullets' if you will. I am confident at some point in contemplation both Blair and Straw would reflect on the ruthlessness and complete stupidity of the Bush Executive Branch and question as to whether 'if pushed to hard or to far' it would actually come to destroy the very allies that facilitated NATO.

That speculation aside as only Straw and Blair could answer same. And maybe they should, in a book someday. In a book of memoirs, perhaps. A set of books that actually tells the tale of the extent allies are bound and the detriment of same.

The works of Jack Straw below reflects the 'reality' of the USA's involvement of Extraordinary Renditionand the FACT it was sanctioned through the CIA. I do believe some of these aircraft flew out of North Carolina on a regular basis.

...The vice chairman (click title to entry - thank you) of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Christopher S. Bond , R-Mo., pressed Panetta on remarks he made on the first day of his confirmation hearing Thursday, with Bond saying “it’s news to me” that the Bush administration did so. He noted that the U.S. government “sought and received” assurances that any suspects transferred to other countries would not be tortured....




November 1, 2005
Jack Straw dodges questions on torture and extraordinary rendition (click here)
Foreign Affairs Committee
Foreign Policy Aspects of the War against Terrorism
UNCORRECTED TRANSCRIPT OF ORAL EVIDENCE from Monday 24 October 2005


...Mr Straw: People start inquiries for all sorts of reasons. I assume we are co-operating with it. I am not aware of any requests, but we always co-operate with such requests.

Q107 Mr Keetch: They are not flying under US military flags; these are Gulfstream aircraft used by the CIA. They have a 26-strong fleet of Gulfstream aircraft that are used for this purpose. These aircraft are not coming into British spaces; they are coming into airports. Some are into bases like Northolt, and some into bases like Prestwick. Whilst it is always good to have the head of your parliamentary staff respond to our Clerk, Mr Priestley, could you give us an assurance that you will investigate these specific flights; and, if it is the case that these flights are being used for the process of extraordinary rendition, which is contrary to international law and indeed contrary to the stated policy of Her Majesty's Government, would you attempt to see if they should stop?...

It is time to do something about Iran.

The Safir (ambassador) satellite-carrier rocket, carrying Iran's Omid 2 (hope) satellite, is launched at an unknown location in Iran in this handout picture sent to Reuters by Iranian Fars News February 3, 2009. Iran said it launched its first domestically made satellite into orbit on Tuesday, boasting major progress in its space technology when tension with the West over its nuclear ambitions persists. Omid, launched as Iran marks the 30th anniversary this month of the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the U.S.-backed shah, is designed for research and telecommunications, state television said. (Fars News, via Reuters)