For healthy adults, CO becomes toxic when it reaches a level higher than 50 ppm (parts per million) with continuous exposure over an eight hour period.. When the level of CO becomes higher than that, a person will suffer from symptoms of exposure. Mild exposure over a few hours (a CO level between 70 ppm and 100 ppm) include flu-like symptoms such as headaches, sore eyes and a runny nose. Medium exposure (a CO level between 150 ppm to 300 ppm) will produce dizziness, drowsiness and vomiting. Extreme exposure (a CO level of 400 ppm and higher) will result in unconsciousness, brain damage and death.
The issue in West Virginia is obviously due to violation of worker safety. The bore holes actually are venting large levels of toxic air quality. That doesn't even begin to address 'PARTICULATE' in air quality. The air quality surrounding the OUTSIDE of these mines are never safe. They always contain coal dust.
When the human brain receives less oxygen there is neural tissue damage. This form of 'energy' production is draconian and irresponsible of a civlized society.
The current missing workers need to be recovered and it is the obligation of the Massey company to make every effort to recover them. The tragedy of 'entombment' of these citizens only speaks to the inhumanity of the industry.
A 'mature' society takes on its problems and where that impacts 'jobs,' the society finds new meaning for that void and fills it.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
She is not just another brick in the wall and the Evangelicals need to stop hating and victimizing her.
What I heard on the radio regarding this young woman should never be said. I don't care if it was within an Evangelical radio station, these ? adults ? did nothing but ridicule Constance and blamed her for the poor participation at her prom.
The poor attendance at Constane's prom was brought on by her school. If she and her female girlfriend were allowed to attend without question, there would have been no problems. I find the victimization of this young lady really pathetic. The Evangelicals are teaching their children to hate and not tolerate. It really is a shame that religious pundits can't seem to handle issues that sincerely are none of their business.
Constance had every right to attend her prom with the partner of her choice and dressing as she chose. This is outragously bigoted, it is difficult to believe there are people of faith involved in this matter at all. Maybe children are the only venue where the Evangelicals find success for their form of fanaticism.
What was even more unbelievable about the hatred this Evangelical station was espousing was their complaint about 'Dirty Dancing' and how school administrators were unable to enforce BODY MOVEMENTS on a high school dance floor. Please don't ask these jerks to be chaperones. They'll end up with a lawsuit on behalf of any public school.
Control body movements. Wow, just a little out of touch with freedom of expression and mental health.
I believe this young lady needs a lot of social support. None of this is her fault; she and her friends never asked for their current burden. We don't need more young people feeling desperate about life.
Massey Energy needs to be shut down. They are cold hearted, distant, corrupt and rely on political corruption to continue their operations.
What is most astounding about this Supreme Court decision is that it wasn't unanimous. How many Supreme Court Justices does Massey own as well?
"We conclude that there is a serious risk of actual bias (click here) - based on objective and reasonable perceptions - when a person with a personal stake in a particular case had a significant and disproportionate influence in placing the judge on the case by raising funds or directing the judge's election campaign when the case was pending or imminent. The inquiry centers on the contribution's relative size in comparison to the total amount of money contributed to the campaign, the total amount spent in the election, and the apparent effect such contribution had on the outcome of the election."
"Justice Benjamin did undertake an extensive search for actual bias. But, as we have indicated, that is just one step in the judicial process; objective standards may also require recusal whether or not actual bias exists or can be proved...The failure to consider objective standards requiring recusal is not consistent with the imperatives of due process."
"Our decision today addresses an extraordinary situation where the Constitution requires recusal."
This is the FIFTH mine disaster since 2000 with a total of 69 deaths. The initial causes of these disasters are primarily from explosion. However, additional deaths were caused at Sago due to collapse. The mines are not in good condition. Sago was a 'collapse' mine in that the companies are trying to exploit ANY remains of coal still in the mine rather than closing it down.
Previous to 2001 there was one mine disaster in the 1990s, which is the safest decade on the last forty years. There is a reason why the 1990s were safer than any other. It would expect the authorities involved to realize that reason and expand on it. This industry, in the light of alternative fuels, may be the most abundant fuel in the USA, but, is obsolete.
The lives of these people have been ravaged enough for generations. Miners may love mining, but, that is no reason to continue this calamity of an industry and its abysmal record of deaths and disease. And there is NOTHING romantic about the human tragedy either.
"We conclude that there is a serious risk of actual bias (click here) - based on objective and reasonable perceptions - when a person with a personal stake in a particular case had a significant and disproportionate influence in placing the judge on the case by raising funds or directing the judge's election campaign when the case was pending or imminent. The inquiry centers on the contribution's relative size in comparison to the total amount of money contributed to the campaign, the total amount spent in the election, and the apparent effect such contribution had on the outcome of the election."
"Justice Benjamin did undertake an extensive search for actual bias. But, as we have indicated, that is just one step in the judicial process; objective standards may also require recusal whether or not actual bias exists or can be proved...The failure to consider objective standards requiring recusal is not consistent with the imperatives of due process."
"Our decision today addresses an extraordinary situation where the Constitution requires recusal."
This is the FIFTH mine disaster since 2000 with a total of 69 deaths. The initial causes of these disasters are primarily from explosion. However, additional deaths were caused at Sago due to collapse. The mines are not in good condition. Sago was a 'collapse' mine in that the companies are trying to exploit ANY remains of coal still in the mine rather than closing it down.
Previous to 2001 there was one mine disaster in the 1990s, which is the safest decade on the last forty years. There is a reason why the 1990s were safer than any other. It would expect the authorities involved to realize that reason and expand on it. This industry, in the light of alternative fuels, may be the most abundant fuel in the USA, but, is obsolete.
The lives of these people have been ravaged enough for generations. Miners may love mining, but, that is no reason to continue this calamity of an industry and its abysmal record of deaths and disease. And there is NOTHING romantic about the human tragedy either.
Blankenship is a real company man, no doubt about that, the question is how long do he and his compnay get away with corruptive practices? The face of a profoundly devoted Plutocrat.
Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship said that a carbon monoxide warning at Massey Energy Co.'s Upper Big Branch mine was the first sign of trouble before a huge underground explosion killed 25 miners.
Blankenship is a master at steering the future of the company. He is the company's best chance at avoiding the truth of their practices. Massey has a long list of violations and simply does not care about the workers, but, only their bottom line. The Massey cases need to be expedited (right to a timely hearing) to the top of the court and agency lists considering the lousey record this company has. There are human lives at stake and they are at chronic danger. The people that work coal mines are no different than much of the populous of the Applachians and the South for that matter, they have NO sense of self preservation. The coal companies are far too powerful 'in balance' to their impact on the USA political infrastructure, court systems, lack of sincere concern for their employees and the devastation of their industry on the Earth's troposphere. They have as lousy a product as they have practices. There is absolutely no such thing as Clean Coal Technology and the face of Blankenship is proof of the inhumanity of it all.
...Blankenship (click here) keeps as a trophy in his office a TV that was hit by a bullet when he battled a past strike. The Upper Big Branch Mine, where three miners had died in the past year, isn't unionized. In 2004, Blankenship spent $3 million for advertising to help a challenger defeat a sitting state Supreme Court justice. The new judge refused to recuse himself in a $70 million case against Blankenship; the U.S. Supreme Court later ruled he should have....
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
A military I can be proud of. Thank you, Secretary Gates and I don't care to hear from any extremists either.
April 6, 2010 7:33 PM 
A Layman's Guide to Obama's Nuclear Posture Review (click title to entry - thank you) Posted by Marc Ambinder
Don't worry. You don't have to read all 72 pages of the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) to understand some of the finer points of Armagaddeon-gery.
Here's a guide to some of the key debates -- and key questions -- about President Obama, nuclear weapons, and terrorism. In other words, a layman's guide to understanding what the wonks are talking about?...
Current as of December 3, 1998
SIGNATORIES AND PARTIES TO THE TREATY ON (click here)
THE NON-PROLIFERATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
(Note: Changes from Fact Sheet of January 23, 1997 indicated in bold type.)
The countries that are signatories to the Non-Proliferation Treaty should not be in the sites of USA missiles regardless of what the other nuclear nations decide. If the USA is going to advocate sincere peace, it needs to take the initiative.
From the years 2000-2008 there was unprecedented nuclear proliferation on this planet. Like what did that prove?
As far as I am concerned it was nothing but profit seeking through government treasuries with absolutely no realistic national strategy for security at all. It made no sense to advocate that level of nuclear exposure to Earth's people. It could never be deployed and it took monies away from peaceful pursuits for strong and viable economies. The more countries spend on military weapons the less they spend on their domestic agendas and an increase of quality of life of its people.
The complaints on the Right is that the sky is falling.
The complaints from the far Left is that the USA needs to go one more step further and promise there will never be a nuclear first strike. It is an admirable goal, but, it is grossly foolish to set such a policy unilaterally. However, if other nuclear nations decide to act in such a responsible nature, then a form of verificiation has to be established so that it is never an empty treaty.
The Party of "No" becomes the Party of "Steele." Last man standing and he is crying about his skin color. I don't think so.
Is there anything that needs to be said, except, ????
NO SURPRISE HERE.
Do I detect a hubris more poisonous than the truth?
RNC Spending Questions Go Beyond Recent Headlines
by Peter Overby
The Republican National Committee is busy this week doing damage control after its monthly financial report was filed with a nugget about a $1,900 tab run up by some donors at a topless nightclub. But beneath that furor lies another question: If the RNC is raising record amounts of money, why does it have so little of it left in the bank?
The RNC says one staffer went on the nightclub jaunt, submitted the bill as a committee expense, and has now been fired. But that was only the raciest bit of a West Coast trip by RNC Chairman Michael Steele and other party officials. Some other items cost considerably more than an evening watching simulated sex.
"You had more than $9,000 that was spent at a Beverly Hills hotel," said David Levinthal, communications director of the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. "There was more than $6,500 that was spent at a Four Seasons hotel."...
Regardless the loss of life, the earthquake still caused structural damage and people need to be prudent.
There was an interesting video circulating in the media showing a swimming pool spilling over during the earthquake. I sincerely doubt the pool will continue to hold water. The infrastructure damage to homes and buildings need to be checked.
...The Imperial Valley withstood Sunday’s 7.2-magnitude earthquake (click title to entry - thank you) without fatalities or major widespread damage, but the temblor made its presence known nonetheless.
...The Imperial Valley withstood Sunday’s 7.2-magnitude earthquake (click title to entry - thank you) without fatalities or major widespread damage, but the temblor made its presence known nonetheless.
U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Paul Caruso said the earthquake was the largest recorded in the California desert region since 1892.
“It was a big earthquake,” Caruso said. “It’s basically the equivalent of the biggest earthquake ever recorded in that part of the country.”
POWER OUTAGE
The 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit at 3:40 p.m. about 38 miles southeast of Mexicali, in Baja California. It mainly caused headaches on the U.S. side of the border. However, an unidentified man was injured during the earthquake after being struck on the head by a sign at an El Centro car wash.
Some roads have been closed, several stores are not open and many glass storefronts were reduced to shards. Other buildings were closed due to safety concerns, including the Calexico downtown Port of Entry.
Electricity in the Valley went out for a couple of hours after the earthquake. However, the Imperial Irrigation District power grid had been mostly restored by 6 p.m. Sunday, said IID Assistant to the General Manager Kevin Kelley. He said any continuing power outages are due to external factors like fuses in homes....
“It was a big earthquake,” Caruso said. “It’s basically the equivalent of the biggest earthquake ever recorded in that part of the country.”
POWER OUTAGE
The 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit at 3:40 p.m. about 38 miles southeast of Mexicali, in Baja California. It mainly caused headaches on the U.S. side of the border. However, an unidentified man was injured during the earthquake after being struck on the head by a sign at an El Centro car wash.
Some roads have been closed, several stores are not open and many glass storefronts were reduced to shards. Other buildings were closed due to safety concerns, including the Calexico downtown Port of Entry.
Electricity in the Valley went out for a couple of hours after the earthquake. However, the Imperial Irrigation District power grid had been mostly restored by 6 p.m. Sunday, said IID Assistant to the General Manager Kevin Kelley. He said any continuing power outages are due to external factors like fuses in homes....
The Rescue Efforts are all fine and good, but, who and/or what caused the explosion.
I am tired of the mine companies getting away with murder. They always say, "We are all family here." Well, they aren't. They conduct horrible industries whereby people are a commodity and they are sacrificed for safety and prudent practice. In the decade whereby alternative energies are state of the art, why are the American people still being sold a bill of goods regarding fossil fuels?
There is absolutely NOTHING in any of the reporting I have read yet that holds the company responsible or seeks to answer the question, Who, What, Where or Why. The company is doing a very good job of steering the attentions of the public from anything except the current rescue efforts. That sort of 'public awareness' campaign to save the image of the company and prevent fiscal responsibility toward the families and area is well planned and evasive.
With the USA Plutocracy seeking to over throw the government, all the reporting seems a bit aloof and victimizing to allow this to happen still yet again. I realize a miracle is necessary at this point, but, I sincerely believe that should be left up to the ministers and not the company.
Is the Union anywhere to be seen here? Are they doing anyone any good?
There is absolutely NOTHING in any of the reporting I have read yet that holds the company responsible or seeks to answer the question, Who, What, Where or Why. The company is doing a very good job of steering the attentions of the public from anything except the current rescue efforts. That sort of 'public awareness' campaign to save the image of the company and prevent fiscal responsibility toward the families and area is well planned and evasive.
With the USA Plutocracy seeking to over throw the government, all the reporting seems a bit aloof and victimizing to allow this to happen still yet again. I realize a miracle is necessary at this point, but, I sincerely believe that should be left up to the ministers and not the company.
Is the Union anywhere to be seen here? Are they doing anyone any good?
...Four miners were still missing, (click title to entry - thank you) and the officials said it was likely that those men also had been killed in the explosion on Monday.
A recovery operation was called off early Tuesday morning because high levels of methane gas made the mine unsafe for rescuers. Workers were boring holes into the mine to try to get more oxygen inside.
“The bodies will not be recovered until the mine is ventilated,” Ronald L. Wooten, the state’s mine health safety director, said at a news conference early Tuesday.
The accident was the worst in an American mine since Dec. 19, 1984, when 27 workers died in a fire at the Wilberg Mine in Orangeville, Utah.
The explosion occurred about 3 p.m. Monday at the Upper Big Branch mine, 30 miles south of Charleston, in Raleigh County.
The mine, which employs about 200, is owned by the Massey Energy Company, based in Virginia, and operated by the Performance Coal Company.
Mine safety officials said that there were three groups of miners affected by the blast. One group consisted of nine miners who were leaving the site at the end of their shift in a vehicle known as a “man trip.” Seven of the miners in the man trip were killed by the explosion while two others were injured and taken to the hospital by rescue workers.
A second group of 18 miners was said to be working a bit deeper in the mine, closest to the area where coal was actually being extracted. All 18 of them died.
A third group of four miners — the ones still unaccounted for — was even deeper in the mine...
Monday, April 05, 2010
The latest word from David Frum is that he wants a three hour, midday time slot on MSNBC .
Frum stated he believes there is an opportunity in the midday from Monday through Friday to have an open program whereby the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act could be a focus to the nation. He believes it is the correct and patriotic mission at that time of day to reach the citizens to enlighten them as to the information they need to make informed and intelligent decisions.
I agree.
Conrad Murray could lose his medical license if prosecutors get their way.
LOS ANGELES -- Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, is due in court Monday on an involuntary manslaughter charge stemming from the King of Pop's sudden death last June.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza is expected to set a date for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require the 57-year-old doctor to stand trial on the felony charge filed Feb. 9.
Murray pleaded not guilty to the charge.
A representative of the California Attorney General's Office is also set to ask the judge to prevent Murray from practicing medicine in California while the criminal case is pending....
Kindle is not 'backlit' and is kinder to the eyes. It downloads in seconds. It still doesn't have competition.
Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation)
I don't consider the application any safer than any other 'backlit' device.
Amazon Announces Kindle App For iPad (click here)
05 Apr 2010
Amazon.com has announced its Kindle App for iPad now available in the App Store. The app lets users select from over 450,000 books from the Kindle Store on iPad and features Amazon Whispersync technology that saves and synchronizes customers' last page read, bookmarks, notes, and highlights across their Kindle, Kindle DX, iPhone, iPod touch, Mac, iPad, and more....
Murdoch political dreamscapes placing all other news media at peril.
Anyone can win a political game when fantasy is their best tool.
While Rupert Murdoch's media weaves 'beddy-by' stories for the GOP, the other news services that have been institutions in the USA are falling by the wayside. The Bush White House, prior to the global economic collapse, saw record numbers of bankruptcies and newspaper closings across the country.
It was understandable that the FCC under Bush did NOTHING to impede the progress of the corruption of Murdoch, but, for Obama to repeat the same lousy stance is unthinkable.
While Rupert Murdoch's media weaves 'beddy-by' stories for the GOP, the other news services that have been institutions in the USA are falling by the wayside. The Bush White House, prior to the global economic collapse, saw record numbers of bankruptcies and newspaper closings across the country.
It was understandable that the FCC under Bush did NOTHING to impede the progress of the corruption of Murdoch, but, for Obama to repeat the same lousy stance is unthinkable.
The USA, Russia and China need a joint 'Friendship Pact' to achieve advances in all venues.
I mean let's get 'for real' here. Is there any other viable option for the three major nuclear powers on Earth?
A survivor is rescued from the flooded Wangjialing Coal Mine in Xiangning, China. Photograph: Yan Yan/AP
A survivor is rescued from the flooded Wangjialing Coal Mine in Xiangning, China. Photograph: Yan Yan/AP
...Even as Shanxi celebrated the miners' rescue (click title to entry - thank you) today [MON], officials in Henan warned that the death toll from a mine blast there had reached 28 with another 16 still trapped underground.
It was a stark reminder of the dangers of an occupation which saw 2,631 workers die in pits last year. Even given the exclusion of deaths from mining-related diseases, many believe the true figure is higher because mine owners often fail to report fatalities - preferring to pay off relatives and witnesses rather than risk closure. China recently prosecuted journalists and dozens of officials over the three-month cover up of a mining disaster in Hebei province that killed 35 people.
The government's recent safety drive has undoubtedly saved the lives of thousands of workers; at its peak in 2002, China saw 6,995 die in mines. But campaigners warn that the campaign, which has focused on the closure of small, often illegal private mines, is not by itself enough. Wangjialing, the flooded pit, is being built by a state-owned company. And last November, 108 died in an explosion at a state-run mine in Heilongjiang province....
The Obama White House is trying to appear 'like the Bush White House' in any controversy.
Why would the Obama White House ever want to make a comparison to the "W" White House? Bush was never popular after his first year in office, so when the Obama White House even allows a shadow of comparison they are condemning themselves to the same fate.
Can David Axelrod look any more defensive. The GOP Hate Mongers have the PR at the White House exactly where they want them. I believe the 'worst' defense of this President is a defense at all. His approach is novel, his resolve singular, so why offer a defense to any of this decisions?
Besides the GOP is the party of No, everyone knows it, the country is a basket case if the electorate can't see it. The only people immature enough to appreciate the word No are toddlers.
The GOP is also the party of immoral political and government content. The Republicans lied to achieve the first sincere drop in the President's approval rating. They lied. That's okay? That should be the battle cry of the Democrats for 2010. Try getting the 'toddler' element of the electorate to appreciate their country for once which means that people in office DON'T LIE.
The truth is a ? commodity ? Really?
And the FCC can't understand that 'political gaming' by media that 'sell the lies' is a danger to the country? It isn't my country then, nor the country of the citizen. I didn't know the Plutocrats could actually win elections through lies and commercial breaks.
Posted: Sunday, 28 March 2010 10:28AM
Local Attorney Named to National Labor Relations Board (click here)
Buffalo, NY (WBEN) -- President Obama is using his special recess appointment power to approve the nomination of 15 legal nominees.
The recess appointment power allows the President to bypass confirmation hearings, which have been stalled for months.
Among the nominees receiving approval is local attorney Mark Pearce. Pearce has been nominated to serve on the National Labor Relations Board. The President's approval clears the way for Pearce to serve in that role until the end of 2011.
Pearce practices union side labor and employment law and is a founding member of the Buffalo law firm, Creighton, Pearce, Johnsen & Giroux. In 2008, he was appointed to the New York State Industrial Board of Appeals.
The recess appointments should have been done sooner, far sooner than they were and there should be as many as necessary before the Congress reconvenes.
President Obama's Approval Ratings are 47.5 ( His base at a recovered interval) and disapproval of 46.1 ( the toddler electorate).
Go to the home towns of those appointed and ask the folks there how they feel about their home grown in DC? Family and KNOWN friends. Put that in the DNC announcements for the elections of 2010. Show that leadership matters.
Can David Axelrod look any more defensive. The GOP Hate Mongers have the PR at the White House exactly where they want them. I believe the 'worst' defense of this President is a defense at all. His approach is novel, his resolve singular, so why offer a defense to any of this decisions?
Besides the GOP is the party of No, everyone knows it, the country is a basket case if the electorate can't see it. The only people immature enough to appreciate the word No are toddlers.
The GOP is also the party of immoral political and government content. The Republicans lied to achieve the first sincere drop in the President's approval rating. They lied. That's okay? That should be the battle cry of the Democrats for 2010. Try getting the 'toddler' element of the electorate to appreciate their country for once which means that people in office DON'T LIE.
The truth is a ? commodity ? Really?
And the FCC can't understand that 'political gaming' by media that 'sell the lies' is a danger to the country? It isn't my country then, nor the country of the citizen. I didn't know the Plutocrats could actually win elections through lies and commercial breaks.
Posted: Sunday, 28 March 2010 10:28AM
Local Attorney Named to National Labor Relations Board (click here)
Buffalo, NY (WBEN) -- President Obama is using his special recess appointment power to approve the nomination of 15 legal nominees.
The recess appointment power allows the President to bypass confirmation hearings, which have been stalled for months.
Among the nominees receiving approval is local attorney Mark Pearce. Pearce has been nominated to serve on the National Labor Relations Board. The President's approval clears the way for Pearce to serve in that role until the end of 2011.
Pearce practices union side labor and employment law and is a founding member of the Buffalo law firm, Creighton, Pearce, Johnsen & Giroux. In 2008, he was appointed to the New York State Industrial Board of Appeals.
The recess appointments should have been done sooner, far sooner than they were and there should be as many as necessary before the Congress reconvenes.
President Obama's Approval Ratings are 47.5 ( His base at a recovered interval) and disapproval of 46.1 ( the toddler electorate).
Go to the home towns of those appointed and ask the folks there how they feel about their home grown in DC? Family and KNOWN friends. Put that in the DNC announcements for the elections of 2010. Show that leadership matters.
Sunday, April 04, 2010
If you felt the quake the USGS wants to know. (click title here - thank you_
Huge parts of Antarctic and Arctic ice have already melted. Key Antarctic glaciers (Hektoria, Green and Evans for example) increased their melting rate 8 times in 3 years (between 2000 and 2003, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L18401). ...
Energy of earthquakes systematically increases. The graph on the left depicts the annual quake energy since record begun in 1973, computed on the basis of USGS scientific data from all quakes above 4.0 magnitude since 1973. The data is compared (scaled) to 1973 quake energy. The energy of earthuakes 7.0 and above increased 6 times in the same period...
The North American Plate is not stable. (click here) It has increased dynamics compared to any other tectonic areas on Earth. It has undergone isostatic rebound due to the loss of its ice anchor in the Arctic Ocean. I doubt if the seismic activity will stop and it is my estimation, due to its mass the other plates are 'in reaction' to it. It is only prudent Haiti be aware of potential activity.
Sincerest concern for all those in Southern California, as if California needed anything else to add to its already stressed fiscal status.
Magnitude 2.7
PUERTO RICO REGION
2010 April 03 16:35:10 UTC
Magnitude 3.2
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING
2010 April 04 03:15:52 UTC
Magnitude 4.1
OFFSHORE OAXACA, MEXICO
2010 April 04 05:17:32 UTC
Magnitude 4.7
OFFSHORE CHIAPAS, MEXICO
2010 April 04 12:15:01 UTC
Magnitude 7.2
BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
2010 April 04 22:40:40 UTC
Magnitude 2.8
CENTRAL ALASKA
2010 April 04 23:48:14 UTC
In 2006, Tiger Woods took the lead on promoting drug testing for golf.
Perhaps is it that form of leadership that should be the focus of his return to the sport.
Tiger Woods chats with Jim Furyk at the Augusta National Golf Club. Photo: AP
The final flights of the American owned Shuttle Discovery.
April 10, 2010
16:31:43z
UNISYS Visual Southeast USA Satellite
Hm. A lot happens in twelve hours.
April 4, 2010
15:30:13z
UNISYS Water Vapor GOES East Satellite (click here for 12 hour loop)
April 4, 2010
03:30:15 z
UNISYS Water Vapor GOES East Satellite
NASA astronauts are readying for the launch (click title to entry - thank you) of shuttle Discovery on Monday to deliver supplies and science experiments to the International Space Station. It is one of the final four missions planned for the shuttle fleet.
NASA officials say the three-day launch countdown began Friday for the launch of Discovery and its crew of seven astronauts.
Shuttle weather officer Kathy Winters says weather conditions should be good for the launch early Monday. She says the launch will occur shortly before the sun rises and casts sunlight on the rising shuttle and the smoke plume....
...The Discovery astronauts (click here) also plan to deliver spare parts for the station's water recycling system in an ongoing effort to work the bugs out of the complex life support equipment before the shuttle's retirement later this year.
"We didn't really know how to design this hardware at the beginning," said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's chief of space operations. "We did as good as we could and now we're actually working those bugs out. This is important for us to have the shuttle around for these couple of flights so we can get the water systems and the life support systems up and operating."
Mission managers cleared Discovery for launch after deciding a failed helium isolation valve in the ship's right-side aft rocket pod posed no significant threat to crew safety or meeting the flight's objectives. Likewise, a review showed suspect ceramic inserts around critical bolts were unlikely to shake free and pose an impact threat during launch or re-entry.
With Discovery ready to go, spacewalker Clay Anderson, veteran of a long-duration stay aboard the station in 2007, said the crew was anxious to get on with a complex mission....
...The odds are astronomical (click here), said Tom Petersen — and the Hudson’s Bay teacher wasn’t going for an easy pun.
Petersen knows two of the astronauts who will be aboard the space shuttle Discovery when it blasts off from the Kennedy Space Center early Monday morning.
Petersen taught with Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger during her five-year tenure at Hudson’s Bay High School, and they also coached cross country and track together....
...But Metcalf-Lindenburger is not his only link to the NASA shuttle mission. Petersen went to a small college in Nebraska with Clay Anderson, who will be making his second trip to the International Space Station.
“We both graduated from Hastings College in 1981,” Petersen said.
Petersen and Anderson shared the college’s “Bronco Award,” given annually to outstanding seniors. Petersen said he got his share of the award through campus involvement — “ASB-type things.” Anderson was a multisport athlete....
Karzai is in no position to play bait and switch.
His government has a sincere legitimacy issue and there are other countries that are looking at the Afghan-Pakistan region as a source of violence in their countries. He is setting his country up for bombs and not peace with the international community. The corruption cannot sustain.
His 'idea' that International Regulations in Afghanistan will give opportunity to the Taliban is a flat out lie and he knows it.
The USA has the RIGHT to control the currency it brings into the country through its military. The Karzai Korruption will not use USA assets for its corrosive policies. If Afghans want to kill each other and stay 'high' from morning to night they have that right, but, when they cause chaos in other countries it is as good as declaring war.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai
His 'idea' that International Regulations in Afghanistan will give opportunity to the Taliban is a flat out lie and he knows it.
The USA has the RIGHT to control the currency it brings into the country through its military. The Karzai Korruption will not use USA assets for its corrosive policies. If Afghans want to kill each other and stay 'high' from morning to night they have that right, but, when they cause chaos in other countries it is as good as declaring war.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai
The UN has to place 'proximity' areas in aquatic locations.
Reef pilots debate has a long history (click here)
AAP, The West Australian
April 4, 2010, 2:00 pm
April 4, 2010, 2:00 pm
When bulk coal carrier Shen Neng 1 ran aground on a shoal in Great Barrier Reef waters on Saturday it did not have a marine pilot aboard to guide it through.
The vessel grounded on a reef 15 kilometres from the shipping channel it was supposed to traverse.
The incident has again sparked debate over whether pilots should be compulsory on vessels traversing the passage between the outer reef and the Queensland coastline.
It's a debate that has gone on for decades.
A near-identical incident in 2000 saw a Malaysian-flagged container ship run aground on Sudbury Reef off Cairns.
On November 2, 2000 the Bunga Teratai Satu ploughed into Sudbury Reef at full speed, its bow penetrating 100 metres onto the coral.
The ship was refloated, without spilling fuel or cargo, on November 14, 2000.
The incident again sparked media debate about the need for pilots on the large freighters which traverse the waters of the inner reef.
The official report into the grounding, by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, noted that "a detailed study of pilotage in the inner route of the Great Barrier Reef is currently being undertaken jointly by AMSA and the Queensland Department of Transport"....
Pleasure boats that are sailing vessels and don't have toxic substances aboard don't have limits.
This was completely avoidable. Shipping lanes have to be established near the protected areas, especially considering this is a substantial carbon sink.
Oil operations need to be dispatched immediately to being to secure the oil from the reef. In addition to proximity limits there also has to be an 'early warning' system, in that, as soon as a Captain detects any peril to these areas it is reported and corrective action can be taken ahead of any disaster.
I realize ship Captains are responsible for their cargo, but, to some extent the shipping companies need to have 'at the ready' funding to dispatch 'avoidant measures' in instances when their cargo are destined for sensitive areas. There has to be disincentives for this kind of idiocy.
The Chinese carrier Shen Neng 1 ran aground and was leaking oil around the Great Barrier Reef off of Australia.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: April 4, 2010
Filed at 2:40 a.m. ETBRISBANE, Australia (AP) -- A coal-carrying ship that ran aground and was leaking oil on Australia's Great Barrier Reef was in danger of breaking apart, officials said Sunday.
The Chinese coal carrier Shen Neng 1 ran aground late Saturday on Douglas Shoals, a favorite pristine haunt for recreational fishing east of the Great Keppel Island tourist resort. The shoals are in a protected part of the reef where shipping is restricted by environmental law off the coast of Queensland state in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Authorities fear an oil spill will damage the world's largest coral reef off northeast Australia, listed as a World Heritage site for its environmental value.
The ship hit the reef at full speed, nine miles (15 kilometers) outside the shipping lane, State Premier Anna Bligh said.
A police boat was standing by to remove the 23 crew if the ship broke apart and an evacuation was necessary, she said.
Patches of oil were seen near the stricken ship early Sunday, but Maritime Safety Queensland reported no major loss from the 1,000 tons (950 metric tons) of oil on board.
''We are now very worried we might see further oil discharged from this ship,'' Bligh told reporters.
Maritime Safety Queensland general manager Patrick Quirk said the vessel was badly damaged on its port side....
Pay the Afghans in Electronic Funds - ID Credit Cards
Set up PX where Afghans can use electronic funds that show their ID with a photo and provide goods for them as well.
PX to have 'security' component even if that means sniffer dogs, magnetic gates and check points.
No children allowed, adult only admission to purchase goods. Provide a donkey parking lot where they are security checked as well. Manure detail can take the product for sale as fertilizer with electronic transaction. The electronic 'stations' where merchants carry out transactions cannot be portable.
Transaction records can be stored online without paper receipts. No cash can be entered into the system except those provided through the USA military. No cash can be withdrawn. Any currency can be deposited into the system at secure military instillation. All currency, foreign or otherwise to be deposited into USA military account outside of country and paper and coin currency removed from the country.
With a minimum of sustained deposit, the Afghans can open their own 'Wall Street' to invest in their country. They can begin to place value on the way national improvements make them money. They are required to illustrate through online record that they and their families are eating, clothed and being kept warm if they choose to invest.
Make the transactions all in USA dollar exchanges for the sake of ease and stability of deposit. Even 'micro-loans' can be obtained and managed through this process.
More than picture ID, thumb print and/or retinal scan. They are used to thinking about 'purple fingers,' well thumb print on all transactions are the same thing.
They can even register votes on the same system in any election. I would consider 'secure stations' a better idea than running vulnerable land lines.
PX to have 'security' component even if that means sniffer dogs, magnetic gates and check points.
No children allowed, adult only admission to purchase goods. Provide a donkey parking lot where they are security checked as well. Manure detail can take the product for sale as fertilizer with electronic transaction. The electronic 'stations' where merchants carry out transactions cannot be portable.
Transaction records can be stored online without paper receipts. No cash can be entered into the system except those provided through the USA military. No cash can be withdrawn. Any currency can be deposited into the system at secure military instillation. All currency, foreign or otherwise to be deposited into USA military account outside of country and paper and coin currency removed from the country.
With a minimum of sustained deposit, the Afghans can open their own 'Wall Street' to invest in their country. They can begin to place value on the way national improvements make them money. They are required to illustrate through online record that they and their families are eating, clothed and being kept warm if they choose to invest.
Make the transactions all in USA dollar exchanges for the sake of ease and stability of deposit. Even 'micro-loans' can be obtained and managed through this process.
More than picture ID, thumb print and/or retinal scan. They are used to thinking about 'purple fingers,' well thumb print on all transactions are the same thing.
They can even register votes on the same system in any election. I would consider 'secure stations' a better idea than running vulnerable land lines.
...The approach helped turn the tide of insurgency in Iraq. But in Marja, where the Taliban seem to know everything — and most of the time it is impossible to even tell who they are — they have already found ways to thwart the strategy in many places, including killing or beating some who take the Marines’ money, or pocketing it themselves.
Just a few weeks since the start of the operation here, the Taliban have “reseized control and the momentum in a lot of ways” in northern Marja, Maj. James Coffman, civil affairs leader for the Third Battalion, Sixth Marines, said in an interview in late March. “We have to change tactics to get the locals back on our side....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)