GM estalishes trust fund for cleaning up old sites that will ultimately restore land use to the people of 14 States and a tribal government.

A closed G.M. factory in Flint, Mich., attracted copper thieves.  (click here for New York Times article.)

From the USA Labor Department yesterday:

Wed, Oct 20, 2010 at 2:16 PM

Environmental Liability Settlement with Old GM (click title to entry - thank you)

Dear Friends,

I would like to take this opportunity to notify you of some exciting news for many communities affected by the GM Bankruptcy.

After months of negotiation, the United States, along with 14 states and a tribal government, have reached an agreement with Old General Motors (now known as Motors Liquidation Company or MLC) to establish a trust to cleanup and repurpose 89 properties left behind in the GM bankruptcy.  Under this agreement, Old GM will commit $773 million to cleaning up property sites – two thirds of which are known to be contaminated with hazardous waste – in fourteen states.

This kind of environmental trust is unprecedented in size, speed of settlement, and level of local involvement.  It will give local communities the opportunity to participate in designing the strategy for repurposing these properties in accordance with their specific development objectives, using these funds to both properly clean them up and quickly return them to productive use creating jobs and restoring communities.  The Agreement was filed with the bankruptcy court that is overseeing the final dissolution of Old GM.  It is expected that final approval will take place early next year. 

·        The $773 million trust will be divided as follows:

• o       $431 million will be used directly in the states for cleaning up the Old GM properties.
• o       $68 million will be placed in a pooled account for environmental cleanup that may arise at any of the 89 properties, transferred to the trust on account of unforeseen conditions.
• o       Approximately $12 million will be credited to Old GM for approved cleanup activities.
• o       $262 million in cash and other assets will be used to cover various administrative activities and activities that help return these properties to beneficial use such as demolition.

The Trustee will work closely with the local communities when selling or repurposing the properties.  In addition to generating sale proceeds, the Trustee will consider both the potential for the reuse to create jobs in the applicable state and the views of the applicable state and affected communities.

As this process moves forward, the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers and its member agencies will continue to work diligently with affected automotive communities, the states, and the Trustee in recovery efforts. The agreement announced today will play a key role in moving these efforts forward.

For additional information, see the attached White House Fact Sheet and United States Attorney’s Office press release.

Best,

Jim McMullen, Deputy Director of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers

Breakdown of the $773 Million Announced Support
Cleanup Funding for Sites in each of the State
Delaware	$11,728,473
Illinois	$5,258,489
Indiana	$25,174,482
Kansas	$4,786,321
Massachusetts	$2,325,836
Michigan	$158,698,888
Missouri	$1,724,806
New Jersey	$24,708,069
New York	$153,864,758
Ohio	$39,394,990
Pennsylvania	$3,299,231
Virginia	$25,922
Wisconsin	$210,857
Total Site-Specific Payments		$431,201,122
Cushion Fund		$68,233,823
Cleanup Costs Paid by Old GM		$11,565,055
Administrative Costs		$262,000,000
TOTAL		$773,000,000

Jeb Bush seeks to control the outcome of SEVEN Floridian amendments to the State Constitution.

Amendment 4 requires voter approval of every change (click title to entry - thank you) to a city or county's comprehensive land use plan. It has the potential to completely stall our economy, making it harder to create and grow jobs and to responsibly manage growth in our beautiful state. One city in Florida that tried a similar local law has found that the idea – which initially sounded good to local voters – has caused years of costly litigation that burdens taxpayers and drives jobs and business elsewhere. If Amendment 4 does not work in a city of 10,000 people, it is hard to imagine that it will work in a state of 18 million. I'll vote no.

I believe people should control their land use and the reason Bush doesn't want this amendment passed is because it limits the ability to corrupt and destroy the landscape.

Amendments 5 and 6 change the way Florida draws legislative and congressional district boundaries. While not perfect, Florida's system of representative democracy has resulted in one of the most diverse groups of elected officials in the nation and increased minority participation in government. Amendments 5 and 6 could potentially jeopardize the progress Florida has made in creating opportunities for all individuals to serve in their government. The non-partisan James Madison Institute says that enactment of these proposed amendments would likely result in protracted litigation and districts that are ultimately devised by judges rather than elected representatives.

Florida has learned there is nothing more important than clear, workable elections laws. Amendments 5 and 6 would create murky standards that would become almost impossible to change. I am voting no.

The 'real peach' is the one below.  Jeb Bush abhors the idea of TAX PAYER FUNDED ELECTIONS.  In other words the only candidates that should be running for office are the ones with large bank accounts or corporations that back them.  The idea that public monies are not available to political candidates advocates corruption and cronyism.

I am voting yes on Amendment 1, which repeals public campaign financing for statewide candidates who agree to spending limits. I've long been an opponent of using our tax dollars to finance political campaigns. Tax dollars should be spent in the classroom, on protecting public safety and providing a safety net for our most vulnerable citizens, not on welfare for politicians.

If arguments of sovereign rights at the Arctic Ocean isn't enough to stress any State Deparment, the question still remains, "Who owns the Moon?"

That is no minor question when one realizes the USA is the only country that has invested both human capital and fiscal capital in Moon flights. 












Moon's surface may hold enough water for a manned base  (click here)

Analysis of debris thrown up when a rocket was crashed into a crater on the moon suggests about 5.6% of the material there was frozen water 

Ian Sample, science correspondent

guardian.co.uk, Thursday 21 October 2010 19.00 BST 

...In a series of papers published in the journal Science, Nasa researchers describe how the crash punched a crater in the moon between 25m and 30m wide and created a plume of debris more than half a mile high. Sensors aboard LCROSS detected about 155kg of ice in a single "snapshot" following the impact. In one of the papers, a team led by Anthony Colaprete at Nasa's Ames Research Centre in California estimated that frozen water accounted for about 5.6% of the material in the crater....

A brief reminder about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

We have been here before and don't blame President Obama for any of the court proceedings currently facing the removal of DADT.

Patience is a virtue.

Gays serving openly in the military has always been a reason for discharge.  Sodomy was the issue.  Any reason to believe a service member was committing an act of sodomy was reason for discharge.  That changed under President Clinton's administration.

Previous to DADT, there was a coveted concept called "The Warrior Culture."  It was the idea that a nation had to have definition of masculinity that would promote a 'psychologically strong' military.  That culture was in place even during President Kennedy's era.  The history of the military when it comes to defining its culture is somewhat interesting, but, mostly silly.

DADT was actually an improvement to the military culture, so no one has lost anything yet.  DADT is actually a very progressive measure for the military and there is every indication the progression to removing any stigma will become a part of the culture as well.

...You’ve heard the threats -- (click here) about how gay men in the shower might bring down the U.S. military with a wink, a pinch, or a flick of a wet towel. But where’s the truth in that? What’s it really like to serve alongside gay and lesbian service members?

I don’t have permission to be on base, and I’m nervous, because when I told veterans what I planned to do, they all gave me pretty much the same warning: Any soldier I approach could call the Military Police, who would escort me to the gates and kick me out -- unless they detained me for questioning.... 

 ...Yet some gay and lesbian soldiers are already serving openly in the U.S. armed forces. Although last year 619 soldiers were thrown out of the military for being gay, the policy is selectively enforced. According to a 2006 poll by Zogby International, 45% of service members suspect that at least one person in their unit is gay or lesbian, and 23% are sure of it. In Iraq and Afghanistan, Americans in battalions of combined international forces have fought under command of openly gay officers from Canada or the United Kingdom or alongside gay soldiers from 11 other countries (among the 25 worldwide) that allow known gays to serve: Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden. Openly gay, armed military contractors serve alongside U.S. soldiers in combat theaters as well....

There is already legislation at work to remove the precepts of DADT.  There is no reason to increase the volume on the issue.  It isn't as though this is not a current directive.  I understand how the Gay Community wants to hasten its death because valuable members of the military are being dismissed from serving and that is simply "W"rong.

The Murphy Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2011 requires the military to conduct a study of the what ill effects, if any, the removal of DADT would have on military effectiveness.  The amendment than instructs the military to end DADT 60 days after the completion of the study.

The legal battle in the courts is necessary and I don't want to diminish it, because, there is no ABSOLUTE repeal of DADT and the action by the amendment is based on military discretion discovered within the study which the military is already conducting.  So, to close the potential gap in ending DADT and allowing Openly Gay members to enlist and serve the courts are being accessed to prove its constitutionality.  It all makes sense and the GLBT community is correct, there is no reason to leave a stone unturned.

Patrick Murphy's Amendment to Repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Passes House (click here)

Thursday, 27 May 2010

Bipartisan Vote is Major Step Forward in Fight to Repeal Outdated, Discriminatory Policy (Washington, DC) – Tonight, Co Publish Post ngressman Murphy’s amendment to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 234-194. The amendment dismantles the policy only after the Pentagon completes its review process and after military leaders certify that repeal would not harm national security or military readiness. “Tonight, Congress took a historic step toward repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and toward ensuring that every American has the same opportunity I did to defend our nation,” said Rep. Murphy. “Patriotic Americans willing to take a bullet for their country should never be forced to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love. I will not rest until the repeal of this discriminatory policy that hurts national security is signed into law.” In his remarks on the floor, Rep. Murphy spoke of Former Air Force Sgt. David Hall, a young man he met who served in the Middle East and dreamed of becoming a pilot. Sgt. Hall didn’t ask, and he didn’t tell. But someone told his commander they thought Sgt. Hall was gay and after an investigation, he was kicked out of the Air Force. “I assure you I am fit for military duty,” Hall told Congressman Murphy. “Please stop discharging patriotic Americans who just want to serve the country they love.” The amendment was included in the FY 2011 National Defense Authorization Act.

The GOP has made a 'wedge issue' out of the Murphy Amendment after it received BiPartisan Support and they are attempting to cover their tracks while seeking the support of Tea Republicans, their most extremist wing, thus far.


The total number of discharges based on DADT from 1994 through 2009 is 13,389.

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The "Don't Ask, Don''t Tell" appeal should be thrown out. It has no basis of purpose.

To begin, adults actually wrote this legislation and voted for it? 

Why is it obvious this was a Republican mess?

At any rate, the appeal is not based in reality.  The policy is dangerous as it sets the GLBT community as a special status that is fluid to its longevity when serving the USA Military.  Miliaries count on a 'stable' force to achieve its goals.  The policy is counter productive and provide a reason to victimize this special status citizen.

...U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips, (click title to entry - thank you)  of California, rejected a U.S. government request to suspend her injunction of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, reports the Wall Street Journal. Judge Phillips believes that the policy harms military readiness and violates soldier’s fundamental rights. Government attorneys plan to appeal Judge Phillips’s injuction in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Phillips decided the 1993 law was unconstitutional....
The entire premise is hideous.  If there was ever a need for a draft of the citizens into the military for national defense, all anyone had to do was to 'out' themselves and be dismissed from the ranks of the military.  Being homosexual is not contagious.  I could easily see those that oppose war simply stating 'I am Bi, good-bye.''

The premise the Justice Department is pursuing is that Congress should legislate the decision.  That is irrelevant to the court decision.  There is nothing in the injuction that prohibits legislation from being written.  The appeal is baseless. 
\continued...

Virginia Thomas either had a trist with Clarence or is looking for money or both and Professor Hill is the victim.

I am not going to deal with this and I sincerely believe Professor Hill should obtain a restraining order to prevent this mess from happening again.  Mrs. Thomas is seeking to be as bizarre as her Republican candidates to raise money for more insulting commercials. 

...(click title to entry - thank you) “Good morning Anita Hill, it’s Ginni Thomas,” it said. “I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology sometime and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband.”

Ms. Thomas went on: “So give it some thought. And certainly pray about this and hope that one day you will help us understand why you did what you did. O.K., have a good day.”

Ms. Hill, in an interview, said she had kept the message for nearly a week trying to decide whether the caller really was Ms. Thomas or a prankster. Unsure, she said, she decided to turn it over to the Brandeis campus police with a request to convey it the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“I thought it was certainly inappropriate,” Ms. Hill said. “It came in at 7:30 a.m. on my office phone from somebody I didn’t know, and she is asking for an apology. It was not invited. There was no background for it.”

In a statement conveyed through a publicist, Ms. Thomas confirmed leaving the message, which she portrayed as a peacemaking gesture. She did not explain its timing.,,,

Surprise, surprise, surprise. Who was Lieberman that demanded there be no competition for his Hartford Insurance Companies?

No surprise here,  is there, Ms. Varney?  A hero emerges. 

Those that obstructed "The Public Option" offered NO alternative to enhance competition.  What did President Obama state about "The Public Option?"  

He stated, it would provide competition to private health care insurance companies.  Across the nation we have witnessed one company after another playing a game with consumers to attempt to stop the progress of the Health Care Legislation.  The Republicans have been saying, "But it is increasing costs, not reducing them."

The Republicans WERE warned that without a Public Option to help propagate competition Americans were faced with a difficult battle to attain reasonable health care costs.

Meet Christina A. Varney.  And what has found?  She has found EXACTLY what the President warned about.  Monopolies that seek to destroy competition and trap Americans into high health costs.

I believe we were warned !!!

I don't want to hear another word from Republicans.  They are NOT good legislators and all they do is cater to Wall Street.  Joe Lieberman needs to be investigated for corruption in the way he obstructed the Public Option to benefit cronies.  Republicans are as corrupt as the day is long.

...Blue Cross and Blue Shield,(click title to entry - thank you)  like most insurers, contracts with hospitals, doctors, labs and other providers for services. The lawsuit took direct aim at contract clauses stipulating that no insurance companies could obtain better rates from the providers than Blue Cross. Some of these contract provisions, known as “most favored nation” clauses, require hospitals to charge other insurers a specified percentage more than they charge Blue Cross — in some cases, 30 to 40 percent more, the lawsuit said.

Christine A. Varney, the assistant attorney general in charge of the antitrust division of the Justice Department, said these requirements were “pernicious.”

“Our lawsuit alleges that the intent and effect of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s contracts is to raise hospital costs for competing health plans and reduce competition for the sale of health insurance,” Ms. Varney said. “As a result, consumers in Michigan are paying more for their health care services and health insurance...."

This is a really interesting picture of what is occurring with the troposphere.

October 16, 2010

Photographer states  ::  Giant Jellyfish Cloud over Sheboygan, WI

The rain that never reaches the ground.  While there are clouds and rain, the heat is 'high enough' that the 'dew point' never reaches the surface of Earth.   

There is enough water vapor between the surface and the clouds to create a rainbow, but, not enough for rain  There is probably some rain, but, not significant rain which is why many areas of the USA are running behind in rain totals for the year.  It is too hot, people.  It is far too hot.  Earth is a water planet.  Think about it.  Fog is not a substitution for rain and plenty of it.

The weather at Glacier Bay National Park is (Crystal Wind Chime) raining. Raining? That's not good.

Local Time: 715 AM AKDT TUE OCT 19 2010 Below is the Infrared Satellite of the Bering Straight on October 19, 2010.  The 'shoreline' of Alaska and Canada is fairly obvious.

Lat/Lon  ::  58.8° N 137.0° W

Elevation  ::  33 feet Temperature  ::  42 Fahrenheit

Current Conditions  ::  RAIN SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE DECREASE I

N FREQUENCY THIS MORNING.   RAINFALL AMOUNTS UP TO 

ONE TENTH OF AN INCH. PATCHY LOW CLOUDS

Winds  ::  SOUTHEAST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

Windchill  ::  41 °Fahrenheit

Humidity  ::  87%

Dew Point  ::  39 °Fahrenheit

Pressure  ::  29.95 in (Falling)

Visibility  ::  10.0 miles

UV  ::  0 out of 16 Clouds:

Clouds  ::  Few 3800 ft

       Mostly Cloudy 6000 ft

                Overcast 7000 ft   (Above Ground Level)

October 17, 2010
Castaic, California.  


I image the fog is a little dense at this point.  "Hello?  Hello?  Is the world coming to an end?  Am I in heaven?"

Below:
October 16, 2010
San Diego, California

Is the entire state of California in a fog, except for the person taking the picture?

It is getting a little weird.




Below:

October 17, 2010

Manhattan Beach, California

Photographer states:  El Porto, double-overhead... Catalina Island and the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the background. 

There are some wicked waves.  What the heck is going on?  
Holy smokes.  What is over the West Half of the Continent?  What is happening in Hawaii?

Flood advisories have been cancelled as of October 18, 2010

Wind Advisory for Big Island Summits is cancelled issued: 334 AM TUE OCT 19 

Drought.  That is what it is.  There is absolutely no rain in the lower, western part of the North American continent.  

There is a heat transfer system from Australia to Antarctica in the Southern Hemisphere.

October 19, 2010

1534 gmt

Pacific Global Satellite

No water vapor.  The sun is below the Equator.  At least not enough for significant rain.  Hawaii has been in drought conditions for a while now.  Areas of California, too. 
 

The Coast Guard lost a buoy in Alaska? Hm.

$18K buoy dropped in the Arctic fails to transmit  (click title to entry - thank you)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

KODIAK, Alaska -- A weather buoy dropped into the Arctic Ocean is not communicating with satellites and is presumed lost.

The Kodiak Daily Mirror reports the buoy was dropped Tuesday by a Kodiak-based Coast Guard C-130.

The buoy was designed to transmit information about temperature, location and atmospheric pressure for its three-year battery life. The buoy cost about $18,000....

There is a fair amount of action in the Arctic Ocean these days.  It isn't because of British submarines either.  The Russians are using the current conditions for shipping traffic.  Now, everyone knows the Navy and Coast Guard use weather buoys and otherwise for things other than weather and things.

Let's face it, the USA, Japan and South Korea aren't happy about a new shipping route.  

...This year, a Russian ship carrying up to 90,000 metric tons of gas condensate (click here) sailed across the Arctic and through the Bering Strait to the Far East. Last year, a Russian ship went the other way, leaving from South Korea with industrial parts. Russia plans up to eight such trips next year, using oil-type tankers with reinforced hulls to break through the ice.

All of which calls for more U.S. Coast Guard facilities and equipment in the far north to secure U.S. claims and prepare for increased human activity, according to Rear Admiral Christopher C. Colvin, who is in charge of all Coast Guard operations in Alaska and surrounding waters....

continued...

I didn't know the Pentagon had bullet proof glass, what are they afraid of? Bank robbers?

...There was a similar incident (click title to entry - thank you) yesterday at the Marine Museum that's located in Quantico, VA., along I-95 south of Washington DC. It is not clear if there is a link between the incidents.

Ah, what will tomorrow hold in store for the military?  Why do I feel like they are up to it?

Qunatico is where FBI are trained.  Is anyone aware of some strange fraternity initiation or something?  Graduation lately?  Any Tea Baggers missing in action?  John Mohammad rise again?  Halloween you know. 

Is there any reason why someone was target practicing on bullet proof glass hoping that when the time comes the right ammunition really works?  Something?  Assassination or whatever comes naturally  Like, darn that didn't work.  

Military recruitment gone bad?  Any new Marines that had second thoughts?  Any old Marines that didn't?  PTSD?  Any variety of issues that might currently be confronting the nation we are unaware of?

Someone what to share?