2 degrees is to high. Earth is heating now, that is bargaining with disaster. This is a vortex street.

December 25, 2009
0631 gmt
Global Pacific Satellite

Market Report - U.S. Home Sales Push Markets Higher (click here)

2009-12-23 9:35

In today’s market report… Asian markets were mostly higher after a jump in U.S. housing sales suggested the economy is picking up speed.

November home re-sales rose 7.4 percent, above a forecast 2.5 percent. It adds to upbeat technology forecasts and corporate deal making.

A slew of mining activities also pushed commodity shares higher -- shares in Australia's Macarthur Cole soared after it offered to buy Noble unit Gloucester Coal in an all-share deal worth almost $600 million.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's state-owned coal miner, Bukit Asam, expects coal sales to increase by more than a fifth next year. That’s due to strong demand from China and India. The company says it plans to ramp up infrastructure in the coming years.

And Newcrest Mining gained after Australia's top gold miner said it had resumed operations after bad weather caused by Tropical Cyclone Laurence shut down its Telfer gold mine.

And in Japan, the market was closed for a holiday


December 25, 2009
0622 gmt
Western Pacific Satellite

The current wet weather in Australia has resulted because of the heating over Antarctica. WIDESPREAD RAIN FOR NSW AND QUEENSLAND OVER THE NEXT WEEK (click here) Updated 4 pm 24th December 2009 The remnants of tropical cyclone "Laurence" have combined with a low pressure trough to the south to form a slow moving rainband that will produce substantial rain over much of NSW and southern Queensland over the next week. Flooding is predicted for several of the rivers that drain into the Murray Darling catchment, so this is expected to see a significant boost during this time. 7 day totals of 300 to 400 mm are possible over northern and central inland NSW and adjacent Queensland areas, generating one of the most significant rain events for these areas for several years.

December 25, 2009
0632 gmt
Indian Ocean Satellite

Storm Laurence Triggers Extreme Weather Warnings In Indonesia (click here)

Tropical storm Laurence has triggered Indonesia’s Geophysics, Climatology and Meteorology Agency (BMKG) to issue an extreme weather warning on their Web site for December 22 to December 24.

According to the agency, the activity of Laurence in West Australia is triggering rain clouds in Indonesia, namely in the western part of Indonesia and south of the equator. The warm sea water south of the equator is increasing condensation in the area.

The agency also said that high temperatures during the day stimulated atmospheric activity and could trigger rainstorms and lightning.

The areas with the highest potential of rainstorms and lightning are:

-The east coast of north, central and southern Sumatra
-Western, central and southern Kalimantan
-Jakarta-Bogor-Tangerang-Depok-Bekasi
-West Java
-Central Java and northern parts of East Java
-Northern, central and southern parts of Sulawesi
-Bali and Nusa Tenggara
-North and southeastern areas of Maluku
-West and central areas of Papua

JG

December 25, 2009
0129 am est
Africa Satellite

Africa is the least turbulent of the continents. It is the least industrialized as well. The reason these nations need subsidies is to maintain their lack of industrialization, to minimize the extent agriculture overtakes valuable carbon sinks such as the jungles of the Congo, while the people improve their quality of life. South Africa is least hit, but, countries such as Ethiopia have been devastated by Human Induced Global Warming.


‘Lovely weather’ at Xmas Nthabisang Moreosele (click here)

22 December 2009

THE weather will be lovely over the Christmas weekend despite the rainy conditions at the beginning of the week.

Yesterday morning’s cold and rainy start will be replaced by temperate weather over the festive long weekend.

Forecaster Venetia Magane of the South African Weather Bureau says Christmas morning will be sunny in Gauteng at 19 to 32 degrees in Pretoria and 17 to 31 degrees for Johannesburg.

It will be partly cloudy with a 30percent chance of thundershowers in the afternoon. The fine weather will persist until after the weekend.

“The temperature will be warm. It will be a fine day on Christmas. People can go on picnics or outdoor activities but should start packing up in the afternoon since there is a possibility of thundershowers,” Magane said.

Durban and the KwaZulu- Natal North Coast will be partly cloudy in the morning with a 30percent chance of rain. The temperature will range from 20 to 24 degrees.

Cape Town will be fine but cool with temperatures of 16 to 23 degrees. The weekend will be cloudy with a 30percent chance of rain.

December 25, 2009
0328 gmt
Europe Satellite

Been a little self absorbed?

European weather deaths pass 100 (click here)

Freezing weather brings death and disruption in Germany, Italy and across eastern Europe

Lizzy Davies

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 22 December 2009 17.31 GMT

More than 100 people have been killed in the cold snap across Europe, with temperatures plummeting and snowfall causing chaos from Moscow to Milan.

In Poland, where temperatures have dropped to as low as -20C in some areas, police appealed for tip-offs about people spotted lying around outside. At least 42 people, most of them homeless, died over the weekend.

In Ukraine 27 people have frozen to death since the thermometer dropped last week. Authorities in Romania said 11 people had succumbed to the chill, and in the Czech Republic the toll was 12. In Germany, where temperatures have fallen to -33C in certain parts, at least seven people are known to have lost their lives in the freezing weather.

For millions of others across the continent, the cold snap has brought severe disruption, with flight cancellations and traffic jams thwarting pre-Christmas travel plans....

December 25, 2009
0337 gmt
Africa-Europe Satellite



A goldeye was among the waterfowl counted at Saturday's Christmas Bird Count. (CRAIG LARCOM PHOTOS)

Count down: Fewer birds seen on annual Christmas Bird Count (click here)

By MICHAEL BABCOCK • Tribune Outdoor Editor • December 24, 2009
Members of the local Audubon chapter found fewer birds during this year's annual Christmas Bird Count but they chalked that up to the weather: Not the weather the day of the count, but two nasty spells in October and November that may have hurried the birds on their way south....

It also could be there are simply fewer birds.


December 25, 2009
0317 gmt
South America

Last time there was this level of severe weather over South America, it spawned a 'nameless' hurricane in the South Atlantic off the Brazilian coast. First time in recorded history there ever was such a storm, it was 2004. (click here)



December 25, 2009
0323 gmt
Western Hemisphere Satellite

Normally, 'vortex street' is usually found in the Arctic.



December 25, 2009
04:30:15z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of the North and West Hemisphere (click title for 12 hour loop - thank you)

This is just one wave of storms after another. Blizzard warmings does not necessarily mean 'staying at home.' There are areas of the country where people may need to seek shelter. Sorry, it is just the way the world is these days. No one listened. I gave up being cheery along time ago. It has come down to the reality of whether or not lives are being saved. Doesn't matter the day, time or event. The global has been demoralized by Neocons. Ain't my fault. The world has been sugar coated enough by political rhetoric.

Unless people are confident they have provisions to sustain them, they need to seek shelter.

49 Storm Team Forecast: BLIZZARD WARNINGS in effect (click here)

By Ed Bloodsworth, Ashley Meenen, Matt Miller

BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT FOR Anderson, Brown, Coffey, Douglas, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Lyon, Marshall, Nemaha, Osage, Pottawatomie, Shawnee, Wabaunsee, Geary, Riley, and Morris counties UNTIL 6:00 PM CHRISTMAS DAY

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR Clay, Dickinson, and Washington counties UNTIL 6:00 PM CHRISTMAS DAY

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR Cloud county UNTIL 6:00 PM CHRISTMAS DAY

A major winter storm continues to affect most of Northeast Kansas. The worst weather is expected to occur through 6:00 AM Christmas Day. Winds will gust up to 45 mph tonight, which will create blowing and drifting snow. Travel will be nearly impossible tonight. We urge Kansans to stay off of the roads tonight. Snow is expected to continue for Christmas with gusty winds. Stay warm and stay safe.

As long as the USA is engaged in war, the Debt Ceiling will increase and taxes will increase.

Merry Christmas al Qaeda !

Like I say, we have some great jets, ya know?

Yemeni air strike kills 30, targets home of cleric linked to Ft. Hood attack (click title to entry - thank you)

The U.S. Embassy in Sanaa was targeted in a bomb and rocket attack that killed more than a dozen people in September 2008.

December 24, 2009 (click here)

SANAA (Reuters) -- A Yemeni air strike has killed 30 Al-Qaeda militants planning an attack on Yemeni and foreign oil targets, a security official said today.

The air strikes were in the eastern province of Shabwa, said the official, who asked not to be identified. The attacks took place as the militants were gathered for a meeting, he said.

The official said initial reports that two top Al-Qaeda members in the Arabian peninsula had been killed could not be verified.

"We are still unsure if two of the top leaders have been killed or not. One of them is the Saudi Al-Qaeda member Nasser al Weheshi," he added, declining to say whether more strikes would take place today.

Yemen's Supreme Security Committee issued a warning to citizens in the province of Shabwa not to aid the militants.

On December 21, Yemen said its security forces and warplanes last week foiled a planned series of suicide bombings. About 30 Al-Qaeda militants were killed in those air strikes with 17 arrested in Abyan and in Arhab, northeast of the capital, Sanaa.

Yemen, which has intensified its campaign against Al-Qaeda militants over recent weeks, is also facing a Shi'ite rebellion in the north and a secessionist violence in the south.

The children born in 2010 will never know the fear of facing illness without care.

I congratulate the Senate for passing necessary health care legislation.

We look forward to the President's signature.

Assassination attempt by al Qaeda revealed.

...The assassination was foiled when the Secret Service (click title to entry - thank you) picked up coded radio messages using the words ''bridge'' and ''wedding'' - a terrorist's code word for assassination - just as Mr Clinton was on his way to a meeting.

Mr Clinton's route was diverted away from a bridge, which was later found to have been planted with explosives.

An investigation into the plot ''revealed that it had been masterminded by a Saudi terrorist living in Afghanistan - a man named Osama bin Laden''....

India confesses it helped derail Copenhagen deal

...On his return from Copenhagen, the Indian Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh, told Parliament his mandate had been to protect India's right to fast economic growth, and listed killing off binding targets to reducing emissions as a key victory for his country.

''We can be satisfied that we were able to get our way on this issue [targets],'' Mr Ramesh said. Later he told a news conference that a bloc of key emerging economies - Brazil, South Africa, India and China - had worked to protect the rights of the developing world.

India is one of the world's top five greenhouse gas polluters, but one of the smallest emitters per person. The Climate Change Minister, Penny Wong, was reluctant to be drawn by the Indian Minister's comments, but admitted Australia had wanted more from the Copenhagen summit....

The Achievements of Copenhagen. Transparency to a Safer World.

Tropical Cyclone Laurence - Australia gets drenched on Christmas Day. Flooding expected, people to move to higher ground.

Wet, wet, wet: Sydney due for a drenching (click here)

GEORGINA ROBINSON

December 24, 2009 - 1:34PM

The big wet is on its way but Sydneysiders should have time for the Christmas lunch al fresco, with rain not predicted to hit the city until tomorrow afternoon.

The Bureau of Meteorology has put much of central and north western NSW on flood watch as the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Laurence, by now a low pressure system, track east across the continent.

The system is expected to dump more than 200 millimetres on those parts, with the Castlereagh, Bogan, Lower Namoi, Lower Macquarie, Barwon, Paroo and Warrego Rivers all expected to flood between Boxing Day and Monday.

But the rain is not expected to hit the Sydney area until tomorrow afternoon, leaving time for a morning swim, lunch outside and an afternoon nap before the clouds open up.

"[Sydney] can expect extensive rainfall from Christmas Day afternoon to at least the 29th," Weatherzone forecaster Alex Krisman said...

Cyclone Laurence leaves a trail of damage in the Pilbara (click here)

December 23, 2009

TREES were torn from the ground and buildings were badly damaged as tropical cyclone Laurence roared through parts of Western Australia's Pilbara coast.

Karina Turner, whose father owns the Sandfire Roadhouse, 30 kilometres south of Eighty Mile Beach, said on Tuesday the ferocity and noise of the cyclone was frightening as its 250km/h winds lashed the roadhouse and surrounding buildings.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the category-five storm had crossed the coast about 5pm (WA time) on Monday about 1800 kilometres north-east of Perth, with wind gusts of up to 285km/h and almost 250 millimetres of rain.

The WA Fire and Emergency Services Authority said no one appeared to have been injured but several buildings were damaged in small communities.

Phone connections to most of the stricken centres were down yesterday and power has been disrupted in the Pilbara.

Ms Turner said she and her family were forced to take shelter about three hours before they felt the full brunt of Laurence shortly after 6pm.

She said the noise was deafening as rain battered the house and trees and bits of roofing iron were blown around.

''The first part of the cyclone was definitely the worst when it was coming from the east about 6.30,'' Ms Turner said.

''Water was coming in and you could hear tin rattling in the wind and see trees falling down and stuff going everywhere.''...

The Anti-Constitutionalist Republicans have successfully postponed the vote on the much needed Health Care Reform Bill.

The vote on the Senate Health Care Reform Bill is scheduled for 7AM on December 24, 2009.

It can be viewed on C-Span. Watch history being made, I watched the House Vote, it was a moment I longed for.

The Senate Republicans have no shame. They know more tricks than a Wall Street prostitute.

The Senate Republicans are cowards and virtually have been jumping up and down in anger this morning before the passage of the bill.

First it was Conrad. He stated the bill had to be stopped in its tracks because it has an unfunded mandate.

If that was the case, he should have made his objection months and months ago. That is not the case. The Governors of any state have the right to petition their federal government no different than they did when the Stimulus was passed if they have extenuating circumstances of any federal law.

Then after Conrad states, the bill has unfunded mandates, Grassley puts this poster up about Trillion (The T Word) dollar spending. I thought Conrad just said there were unfunded mandates.

So, poor Senator Baucus has to object to all these 'points of order' to move things forward. I guess.

Then after Grassley makes a complete fool of himself by never qualifying any of his statements, Gregg from New Hampshire literally has a hissy fit on the Senate floor. The only thing he didn't say was, "...but, but, but you can't do this because I say so!"

I don't know where these men get the 'gall' to even face their constituencies after such a mess.

But, I want to discuss briefly what is the basis of all this ranting today.

There is a certain premise that is TRUE about the Republican Regime. They have 'ideas' about entitlements. They believe they are toxic to the nation.

We have witnessed in the Bush/Cheney Regime the attempt over eights years to shrink the national budget by displacing the military budget under emergency funding. We have witnessed under the Bush/Cheney Regime the attempt over eight years to shrink the national budget without regard to the well being of Americans or the 'intact' status of their economy. We have witnessed the Bush/Cheney Regime's attempt to increase the spending of Medicare to 'cause' the laws of the nation to come to bear to eradicate it from the laws of the country, which state at any point in time if Medicare is increased beyond 50% of the national budget it can be dismantled.

Just because Medicare survived these attempts doesn't mean the attempts didn't happen. They did.

The reason this issue was never approached by Republicans is because in order to legislate it the Medicare laws would have to be adjusted. Did they want to adjust them? No. So, the question is 'what reason' did they assign to this Republican agenda of attempts to destroy Medicare?

Many, many moons ago, the CBO stated, to use Medicare savings for other purposes is to weaken Medicare. Seems right. So why is this an issue today? Because the Republicans have USED that aged old assessment as THEIR EXCUSE to do NOTHING. It is an excuse that has worked for them for decades and today, because the Democrats are NOT AFRAID to go where no Republican will ever go they are livid.

How people ever vote for these people is beyond my understand. But, that is me and not anyone else.

What President Obama and the House and Senate Democrats were faced with when taking office is a 'condition' of the USA caused by Republican neglect for decades. Why take on the issue today? Because it has reached critical mass. The Democrats are acting 'in time' to prevent any further damage to the people of this country.

Just that simple. We have children at the forefront of this initiative that will be covered immediately up on the President signature. Young adults that can find funding for education can stay on their parent's health care policies until the age of 26 and on and on and on.

Now is the time and the Democrats are the party. I would think, the Republicans would realize the error of their ways all these many years and seek some dignity to bring this historic measure to the people, but, if Grassley and the others are willing to be Murdoch puppets and state, "...they will pull the plug on Grandma..." they have no shame.

The Republicans are a very sad bunch. It has been an honor to witness it. I only hope history captures its true meaning, its sincerely vindictive spirit and records forever the rhetoric 'fashioned' to serve 'the bonuses' of CEOs before any 'bonus' to the American people to achieve good health care insurance.

They could not be more obvious in what they regard as important. It is written loudly on every word and action they take.

The Kennedy Care Bill

Victoria Reggie Kennedy (R) widow of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) smiles while Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)(L), gets a hug from Sen.Christopher Dodd (D-CT)(C), after the Senate passed a procedural vote on health are reform on December 21, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Senate passed the first of three crucial procedural votes on health care by a 60 to 40 margin. Getty Images

...Mr. Obama's oft-stated goal of a bipartisan health bill was not met (click title to entry - thank you), despite the president's extensive courtship of moderate Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, the only Republican to support the bill in committee. Mr. Obama called Ms. Snowe to the White House for lengthy in-person meetings both before he left for climate talks in Copenhagen and after his return on Saturday. In the end Ms. Snowe said she was “extremely disappointed” in what she called a rushed process that left scant time for her to review, much less amend, the bill....

The nation is going to have heath care reform. President Obama is not a dictator. It is what sets the USA apart from some nations that simply have one man making decisions. It would seem as though Lieberman is a dictator, though. He is protecting his cronies and driving up the cost of regular health care.

This is reform the country needs. To stop now would be simply stupid. There are people dying every year in the 10s of thousands. That will increase from here on and we cannot allow that to happen. If the cost of health care skyrockets without sufficient programs to control costs and KEEP it within REASON, the amount of people dying each year or getting 'sicker' might turn into a higher incident rate. We just can't turn back and ignore the reality of our Broken Health Care System.

This is no joke. It isn't a matter of politics. This is the reality of the American people and the way legilators invested in Wall Street rather than the people simply 'dispose' of people to uphold some 'idea' of extreme capitalism. When making money is more important than 'reasonable' cost to consumers to maintain their health, it is time to do something about it.

The legislators have taken this issue as seriously as they needed to and came to the side of the people. They may have done so at their own political peril, but, the facts are the facts and they can't walk away from that just because the electorate was 'poisoned' by a media mogal. No, no, it doesn't work that way.

Lieberman comes from a state with dense interest in insurance. He is standing in the way of 'reasonable' competition among the 'entities' that can come to bear to bring about better competition with the private sector. He is opposing the Public Option at the expense of average citizens. That is corruption. Lieberman is responsible for it and NO ONE ELSE.

The House came through for the people and included a Public Option for competition with the private sector. The Public Option is a 'sufficient' insurance, but, it doesn't supply as much as most private insurance policies provide, so there is no reason to oppose such a measure, UNLESS, one is heavily invested in the Wall Street Insurance Sector for their political populism.

So, at the end of the day, if costs to consumers go up, when it didn't have to, everyone will know who to blame.

I believe the Democrats are great people and do all the hard work. I am grateful for them.

We are one step closer.

Go, Democrats, Go !