Elizabeth Warren consented to run for the Senate seat in Massachusetts.

Elizabeth is a genuine expert on Public Policy and was the best choice for the DNC for a run for the Senate in Massachusetts.


WASHINGTON — Officials in the Democratic Party are wooing (click here) Elizabeth Warren to run for the Senate against the Massachusetts Republican Scott P. Brown rather than have her continue to set up the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau....
...In seeking to enlist Ms. Warren for a different campaign, Democrats are taking aim at two birds. They can lay the groundwork for a potential compromise over a different candidate to lead the new agency and, they hope, they can increase their chances of reclaiming Mr. Brown’s seat by sending against him a woman who has won considerable acclaim and popularity among liberals for taking on the financial industry....


How can Brown adequately represent Massachusetts now that he has proven to be a hypocrite in order to keep his "Tea Party Darling" status. Brown voted against the Affordable Care Act and voted for repeal while enjoying its benefits. The facts are clear. He says one thing and does another. Now, being a typical Republican, he is walking back the truth through political demands for apologies and attacks on the character of his opposition.


No one denies keeping health insurance for his daughter is the best idea for a family, but, Brown needs to examine the facts. He voted against the very benefit he finds valuable. It is just that simple. It is hypocritical to use benefits of bills passed in Congress when one has voted against it. He is not living his values. He would deny parents throughout Massachusetts this very benefit, yet given a chance to use it he does. 

Senator Brown: Elizabeth Warren’s criticism of his health insurance decision is ‘sad’ (click here)

May 03, 2012|By Glen Johnson

Senator Brown said today that “it’s sad” for rival Elizabeth Warren to criticize his decision to continue insuring one of his daughters through the Obama administration health care law that he has opposed and tried to repeal.

“For her to call me a hypocrite as to how Gail and provide for our family, it’s sad,” Brown told reporters after a speech at Bunker Hill Community College. His wife is former Boston television reporter Gail Huff.

Warren, Brown’s likely Democratic challenger this fall, never personally applied that label to the senator. Instead, she said during a speech Tuesday that “it is wrong” for him to oppose the law while using it keep his 23-year-old daughter, Ayla, on his congressional health plan….

We are losing our civil rights in the USA. The DEA needs to be sued and a recent law repealed!

This is the section in question. Is there a loss of accountability for any detention with such a law in the USA?  The DEA is a federal and international agency.

H.R. 1540: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (click here) 

Title X -- General Provisions

Subtitle D--Counterterrorism

SEC. 1021. AFFIRMATION OF AUTHORITY OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES TO DETAIN COVERED PERSONS PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF MILITARY FORCE.

(b) Covered Persons- A covered person under this section is any person as follows:

(1) A person who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored those responsible for those attacks.

(2) A person who was a part of or substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners, including any person who has committed a belligerent act or has directly supported such hostilities in aid of such enemy forces.


(c) Disposition Under Law of War- The disposition of a person under the law of war as described in subsection (a) may include the following:
(1) Detention under the law of war without trial until the end of the hostilities authorized by the Authorization for Use of Military Force.


SEC. 1022. MILITARY CUSTODY FOR FOREIGN AL-QAEDA TERRORISTS.


(2) COVERED PERSONS- The requirement in paragraph (1) shall apply to any person whose detention is authorized under section 1021 who is determined--


(A) to be a member of, or part of, al-Qaeda or an associated force that acts in coordination with or pursuant to the direction of al-Qaeda; and


(B) to have participated in the course of planning or carrying out an attack or attempted attack against the United States or its coalition partners.

Daniel Chong (click here) appears at a news conference where he discussed his detention by the DEA. Photo/ AP

College student forgotten in cell for five days

2:44 PM Thursday May 3, 2012

A college student picked up in a drug sweep in California was never arrested, never charged and should have been released. Instead he was forgotten in a holding cell for four days and says he had to drink his own urine to stay alive.

Without food, water or access to a toilet, Daniel Chong began hallucinating on the third day.

He told The Associated Press in an interview that he saw little Japanese-style cartoon characters that told him to dig into the walls to find water. Chong tore apart the plastic lining on the walls.

"I ripped the walls and waited for the room to flood for some reason," said the 23-year-old University of California, San Diego, student, three days after he left the hospital where he was treated for dehydration and kidney failure. "I can't explain my hallucinations too well because none of them make sense."

Later he added, "I felt like I was completely losing my mind."...

What investments are the wealthy making to benefit a country's economic growth?

No. 

Nothing in the way of infrastructure or high speed rail that will give a country's citizens work for 20 or 30 years, but, they are investing in increasing their wealth faster.

...According to its New Jersey-based (click here) operator, Hibernia Atlantic, the $300 million Project Express will be 5.2 milliseconds faster than the AC-1, with an execution time of 59.6 milliseconds. That will make Project Express the world’s fastest transatlantic cable when it opens in 2013 and the first to achieve round-trip trading speeds of less than 60 milliseconds. Unless someone beats them to it....


So much for "Giving Back" after being bailout of complete market collapse. No austerity for the wealthy. Indeed.

As a matter of fact, the bailout of 2008 made by the USA, facilitated the monetary accumulation within the wealthy and allowed greed to dominate faster and better ways to DEAL. If it weren't for the global economic 'to big to fail' phenomena, these 'wealth projects' designed to accumulate wealth faster are funded by the seclusion of the money supply at the top of the food chain, while governments struggle to provide for their citizens.

Now, why isn't this degree of greed being returned to a nation's treasury for the benefit of debt payment in the way of taxes? It is all backwards and the more this continues the more the poor will be deeper into poverty while nation's struggle. This is the most ridiculous project of EXCLUSIVITY and STATUS and GREED I have ever witnessed.


...Hilt has sworn to keep secret (click here) the identities of his trading firm customers, who use high-powered mainframe computers and sophisticated algorithms to sift through volumes of financial data flows in search of price discrepancies and split-second trading opportunities. The quant-driven world of computerized trading has received some unflattering attention lately, thanks to the botched initial public offering by Lenexa (Kan.)-based Bats Global Markets, which operates two electronic exchanges, and a new Securities and Exchange Commission probe into the business practices of high-frequency firms....


That is precious beyond any value system I have ever witnessed. There are no human beings making investments. Computers are dominating the way money is moved around the world. It is a process to accumulate wealth and not make business INVESTMENTS. There is nothing benevolent about this to the global economy. It is about robbing the 'process' of investment. 


Wall Street and its family around the world was organized to bring together investors to facilitate a nation's growth. To provide platforms for investment that could sustain not only a nation's growth, but, the outcomes of investors. Stock dividends. This isn't about investment, this is about harnessing 'the process' of money movement and stealing incremental amounts of currency before anyone has a chance to invest otherwise.


This fiber-optic cable connection isn't about trading stocks for investment and growth over time, it is about etching out any opportunity to steal a companies 'loose change.' This process will hurt the companies that use IPOs for expansion and possibly destroy them. What will occur is 'cash flow' to private equities. It will be taking cash out of the stock market for wealth accumulation so isolated trading firms can control cash flow/liquidity. It is about the power of money and the liquidity companies need to transact business. 


I strongly suggest companies hold onto their own liquidity/cash. Ford Motor was the smartest company on Earth. They saw cheap money before the Global Depression and they survived without relying on a dime of money from anyone. Any corporation that wants to survive to the decade of 2020 needs to have their own liquidity. Corporations need to hold on to their monies and 'stand pat' for their own good, their employees and stock holders. 


This is not an improvement, it is further degradation of the morality and ethics of Wall Street and a further isolation of economic opportunity for a country's growth.

May 2, 2012 |  7:25 pm

Edison International (click here) officials estimate that the company's cost for inspections and repairs at the closed San Onofre nuclear plant will be between $55 million and $65 million, but said that the costs may be recovered under a manufacturer's warranty.

The company, which revealed the figures during a conference call about its first-quarter earnings, also incurred costs of $30 million for replacement power through March 31, Edison reported. Officials did not give an estimate of what total replacement power costs will be.

The plant has been closed since Jan. 31, when a steam generator tube in the plant's reactor Unit 3 sprung a leak, releasing a small amount of radioactive steam. Since then, 192 tubes in Unit 2 and 317 tubes in Unit 3 have been taken out of service due to excessive wear.

San Onofre’s four steam generators were replaced within about the last two years at a cost of $671 million, to be recovered from ratepayers. They were intended to last at least through the end of the plant’s current license in 2022....

Progress Energy, based in North Carolina, is seeking rate hikes. What is this all about? The plants underestimate the maintenance of their facilities and now they want to dump more of their mistakes and mismanagement on consumers? Did they underestimate the dangers they have to protect citizens from and now they are using that reality to justify rate increases? Want happened to alternatives if the cost of nuclear energy is going to increase? It seems to me since the cost of products from the petroleum industry has gone up so ridiculously high, nuclear is seeking increases as a cheaper alternative and using any excuse to do it.

UPDATE 1-Progress says Florida Levy reactors delayed, cost up (click here)

Wed May 2, 2012 12:09pm EDT

...In addition to the proposed new reactors, Progress wants to increase the output of the 860-megawatt Crystal River nuclear plant in Citrus County, near Levy.

Florida's nuclear cost-recovery rules, which are similar to regulations in other U.S. Southeast states seeking more nuclear power, allow utilities to recover development, construction and interest costs for new nuclear projects.

Georgia and South Carolina are using similar cost-recovery rules to encourage units of Southern Co and Scana Corp and partners to build new reactors in their states.

Utilities say the rules make reactor construction possible and help reduce customer costs.

Florida wants more nuclear power in part because natural gas fuels about 60 percent of the state's capacity, Progress said.

"Overdependence on any fuel can expose customers to fuel cost spikes and supply disruptions. (Florida's utility regulator) has cited the growing lack of fuel diversity in the state as a major strategic concern," Progress said.

Natural gas is cheap now, near a 10-year low of around $2.30 per million British thermal units, but over the past decade it has averaged above $6 and spiked to more than $15....

The worst thing Mr. Hollywood could do is come to the USA.

Chinese human rights activist (click here) Chen Guangcheng shakes hands with U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke, right, as U.S. State Department legal advisor Harold Koh applauds in Beijing. (U.S. Embassy Beijing Press Office, AFP/Getty Images / May 1, 2012)


He has the attention of Secretary Clinton. What has she done for Aung San Suu Kyi?


Personally, I don't really believe anyone should judge the decisions he is making, but, I don't believe Secretary Clinton is a lightweight when it comes to those in any country that seek a path of democracy.


It just seems as though if he sincerely wants freedom he could find the opportunity with this administration while Clinton is Secretary of State.

By David Pierson, Los Angeles Times

May 2, 2012, 7:11 p.m.

BEIJING — For several hours, it appeared the U.S. and China had struck a deal that would allow Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng to walk free — and avoid a diplomatic disaster.

American officials said Wednesday that they had had obtained promises from Chinese authorities that the blind 40-year-old lawyer could live in a Chinese city of his choice and attend a university to continue his legal education. They portrayed Chen, who had dramatically fled house arrest in his village for the protection ofthe U.S. Embassyhundreds of miles away in Beijing, as exuberant over the deal….

I am sure he has his reasons for seeking other alternatives he that is his wish, but, if he has the opportunity to be backed by the USA and stay in China I would encourage him to do so and seek to be the human rights attorney he longs to be and fight for his people. But, if he has issues with staying and being able to obtain those goals then perhaps he needs to ask for political asylum. 

His reasons are his own, I am sure. There are others that have been educated in The West, like the late Prime Minister Bhutto. Difficult decision for him and the USA I am sure. 

It would be best and I know China has the capacity, to listen to its people. China, for all its new wealth still has over a billion people to worry about. That is not an easy fix, either. While activists are good for a country, it is sometimes difficult for a country like China; which has only found its wealth in the last decade or so having opened its doors during the years of Nixon; a former Third World country to react to its own internal problems as quickly as it might like, too.

Apple's revolution in seeking better working conditions for employees in China is a wonderful beginning and it hasn't meet with a lot of resistance, it would seem. But, then there is the run-in with Google that gives an observer pause over the priorities of China. There again it seems it is about communicating 'unrest' across the internet.

In a world address last year, China stated it has a five year plan to improve the health and well being of the people of the country. It is a communist nation. 

The reasons are his own and China should respect them if the country is unwilling to change its practices as viewed by Mr. Guangcheng. The lethargy that China is dealing with may be too much for him to cope with, too. No one's fault, really. Just the way it is.

The wealthy lavish their monies on art. Record prices.

The money is always the focus, but, rarely do these art works carry a word about the artist in the story.

Munch was the second child of five. His first name Edvard. The eldest was a girl, his full sister. He grew up in a household of a preacher that also was a medicine man.  Excuse me, a physician. 

At any rate, Edvard was suppose to be an engineer, and of course, he disappointed his father and went to art school. Now, one might think, this being the mid to late 19th century, it would thrill any parent to have a son devoted to art. But, just look at that painting and realize his work is valued for it being one of the first impressionistic works. Do you actually think Edvard's father would be proud of this guy?


But, then it greats really interesting, because, here he is the first son of a physican priest and in rebellion of his own faith. 


Ready? I really like Edvard.


Edvard painted about emotions. "The Scream" may be his most famous work, but, it is not his only work. But, his faith was one of SELF-DISCIPLINE. Was Edvard in touch with his emotions, or what?


His faith? The faith his father practiced and preached?  Oh, that. Yes, indeed. Pietism. The basis of Methodist teachings. Martin Luther, too.


So, here he was the first son of a sincerely devoted Priest in a faith that REQUIRED self-discipline. I mean Methodists at one time didn't even drink a drop of alcohol. Right? A very disciplined man that had a brief stent with engineering throws off the mantel of discipline and paints these highly charged emotional impressions.


A revolutionary. Edvard, was not going to be his father's son. He was a revolutionary and despised discipline. A father a priest that loved his children, but, could not instill a clear understanding of fear deep enough to punish the thoughts that would surely send Edvard to hell. Amazing.


And what is Edvard known for today?  $119 plus million dollar painting. That. Is bullshit!

Wednesday, May. 02, 2012

A look at record art auction prices (click here)

The Associated Press

NEW YORK -- One of the art world's most recognizable images - Edvard Munch's "The Scream" - was auctioned for a record $119,922,500 at Sotheby's Wednesday. Only eight other works have sold at auction for more than $80 million....

Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/05/02/2331177/a-look-at-record-art-auction-prices.html#storylink=cpy

Hey, isn’t that. . . .: Jeb Bush and Robert Zoellick

Jeb Bush dining (click here) with outgoing World Bank President Robert Zoellick at Bombay Club Tuesday night. Talked for about two and a half hours, but who knows what about.

"The Bombay Club" (click here)

World Bank also aids developed countries—Zoellick

By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON

Wed May 2, 2012 6:37pm EDT

...Zoellick said it was in the economic and security interest of rich countries like the United States to continue supporting the World Bank, which provides loans and other assistance to help poor countries to tackle of wide array of problems.

"We're beyond a model of charity to poor people," Zoellick said in remarks to the Inter-Action alliance of development groups. He argued World Bank programs contribute to global stability and economic growth, which in turn benefits both U.S. companies and the country as a whole....

What about the ever burgeoning impoverished in the USA since the Second Great Depression 2008?  I suppose they don't matter.

NEW RUBIO BIOGRAPHY IS ‘FLATTERING PORTRAIT’ – (click here) The Tampa Bay Times’ Adam C. Smith scored an advance copy of Washington Post scribe Manual Roig-Franzia’s new biography on Sen. Marco Rubio, and concludes it’s unlikely to do much damage to the GOP’s rising star: “A soon-to-be released biography of the Republican vice presidential contender turns out to be a nuanced and largely flattering portrait of one of the most exciting figures on the national stage, rather than the hatchet job some Rubio allies had feared. The Rise of Marco Rubio by Washington Post writer Manuel Roig-Franzia may leave some readers questioning Rubio’s political core on issues ranging from immigration to government spending, but it’s unlikely to dent Rubio’s star power. Nor will it enhance the arguments of those who say Rubio has been inadequately vetted to be seriously considered as Mitt Romney’s running mate. …

Putting old heads on young shoulders.

Only 16% See Jeb Bush as Good VP Pick (click here)

By CHQ Staff | 5/2/12

He is the eleventh in a series of possible Veep picks graded by CHQ Poll respondents.

We asked you:  “If Mitt Romney becomes the Republican nominee, who would be his best choice as vice presidential running mate?

And we explained:  “Each day we will offer you a different choice, and ask for your reaction. We are not asking you to vote for the best candidate. We are asking you to give your evaluation of each candidate. In this way we will see who is acceptable, and who is not acceptable, to conservatives and Tea Partiers.”...

Jeb Bush: Ohio's Mandel Key to GOP Control of Senate (click here)

For a young, first-time U.S. Senate candidate hundreds of miles from Florida, Josh Mandel has the very best of the Sunshine State backing him. Mandel, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat in Ohio, was the first endorsement given by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who is very careful with his endorsements. And on Thursday, Mandel got a huge plug from former Gov. Jeb Bush, who represents the gold standard in GOP politics. Bush sees Mandel as crucial to gaining Republican control of the U.S. Senate. “Josh is the real deal. I mean he’s a very energetic, very conservative, very smart guy,” said Bush during an exclusive Newsmax.

May Day in New York

On the screen is the New York Taxi Cab Alliance. (click here) (You Stream Mobile Live)


"Occupy Oakland Real Coverage" (click here)


"An entire generation unemployed."


The USA military men and women are members of the 99%, too.


The American military has always been considered with esteem, but, they were never as well paid, compensated or honored until this war and due to the voice of the Peace Movement. It was due to the protesting, the voice of injustice in how the poor and Middle Class serve this country with blood and treasure; that the previous Executive Branch had to change the way our military found compensation on every venue of life to maintain their own increment of dignity to war in Iraq. The Peace Movement did that. If we failed to take a stand our children would still be used instead of valued.

It would seem everything strategic in Afghanistan happens in the dark.

KABUL (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama (click here) and Afghan President Karzai  on Wednesday signed a strategic partnership accord that charts the future of U.S.-Afghan relations beyond the end of the NATO combat mission in the country.

Obama, on an unannounced visit to Kabul, acknowledged that there will be difficult days ahead for Afghanistan, but said the Afghan people were taking control of their own future.

“The wages of war have been great for both our nations,” Obama said, adding that he looked forward to a future of peace….


A very strategic meeting where signatures were exchanged on the future of Afghan - USA relations took place today on the anniversary of the death of al Qaeda's leader.  I congratulate both President Karzai and President Obama. Great danger surrounds such bravery and to realize President Karzai is leading the government the USA supports and makes this country his home is testament to the dedication he has to the outcome of peace. Very serious event, indeed.

Occupy May Day

Around 50 activists (click here) have occupied parts of the London Stock Exchange and Paternoster square as part of May Day protests in London.

Members of the Occupy movement and Anonymous – better known for its online hacking activities – have also erected a number of tents inside the square which is privately owned and the subject of a previous court injunction banning occupation protests.

The central monument in the square was turned into a Maypole and a tent was foisted on top of it. Also hung fromthe LSE entrance was bannerreading: "A line of tents guards our futures."...

By Kristen Leigh Painter
The Denver Post

Posted:   05/01/2012 12:06:09 PM MDT
Updated:   05/01/2012 12:14:33 PM MDT

Spring is beckoning the Occupy Wall Street movement (click here) — including Occupy Denver — out of its winter hibernation, and is marking its May Day awakening with a nationwide, solidarity march designed as a "general protest."

While May Day's history is a mixture of disparate world events and traditions, today's Occupy marches are playing off of May 1st role as International Workers' Day. A coalition of Occupiers, labor rights groups, and immigrant groups has formed to highlight their common goals and reignite enthusiasm for the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Occupy Denver's organizers have come out of the woodwork to plan today's march, teach-ins, live performances, and trading stations. They will begin at Civic Center Park and weave their way through the downtown business district before returning to the park. According to the website, they hope to peacefully "occupy until dusk."...

DOUG ERICKSON and SANDY CULLEN
Wisconsin State Journal
Posted: Tuesday, May 1, 2012 8:45 am

Members of the Occupy Madison encampment have until noon Tuesday (click here) to leave the site on East Washington Avenue they have called home for months after a judge on Monday denied a temporary restraining order that would have prevented city officials from removing them.

Dane County Circuit Judge Amy Smith said Occupy Madison and three of its members who filed a lawsuit Friday against city officials had not met their burden of proof to show that their constitutional rights of expression and assembly would be violated and they would suffer significant harm by having to vacate the city-owned vacant parking lot in the 800 block of East Washington Avenue.

"It's a blow," Daniel Callahan, one of the Occupy members who filed the suit, said after the ruling.

City officials said they expect an orderly turnover at the site, where Occupy members will have until noon Tuesday to remove the hoop-house structures that have served as temporary shelters....

Occupy Oakland activists kick off May Day general strike and protests (click here)

By: Karmah Elmusa, Thomas Kleinveld, Wendi Jonassen

May 1, 2012 – 11:18 am

...Around 9 this morning Occupiers began gathering at three main sites around Oakland—Snow Park, Frank Ogawa Plaza and in front of Child Protective Services at 4^th and Broadway—but many soon dispersed to participate in a number of marches planned for the day. According to a bulletin released by the City Administrator’s Office this morning, some of the rallies and marches planned for today include the March for Dignity and Resistance/ Decolonize Oakland that will begin at 3 pm at Fruitvale Plaza and march to San Antonio Park, a demonstration by the California Nurses Association at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center on Hawthorne Avenue, and several marches that will use Frank Ogawa Plaza as their endpoint throughout the day. As of 10:45 am, several small marches are also ongoing in the downtown area....

Congratulations to the City of New York.

But, also. The man that coveted the destruction of the World Trade Towers is dead. Bin Laden masterminded the attacks on the World Trade Towers and he is no longer able to do that. He cannot find more and inventive ways to facilitate attacks on innocent citizens beyond what has already been conceived. Don't tell me his death is meaningless, that would be a lie, a huge lie.  Bin Laden's death is no more an iconic death than was Hilter's.  We are not engaged in a psychological thriller, there are thousands of people dead and bin Laden was its leader. His death means a lot more than simply a psychological victory for political purposes. 


I congratulate President Obama for never losing focus on what sincerely mattered in this war for protecting the civilized world. All of us need to be grateful. 

Date: 04/30/12

Time :  07:56 AK

Weather: Cloudy

Broken Clouds at 500 feet

Overcast at 27 feet

Visibilty:  8mi

Temperature:  39 degrees Fahrenheit

Dew point: 36 degrees Fahrenheit

Relative Humidity: 89%


Wind: NorthWest at 9mph

Presssure: 29.60 inches of mercury

Pressure: 1002.4 → millibars

Forecast for the next week:

Today...Periods of rain. Highs around 46. North wind 10 mph.

Tonight...Rain likely. Lows around 37. Light winds. 

Tuesday...Rain likely. Highs around 50. Light winds. 

Tuesday Night...Rain. Lows around 37. Southeast wind 10 mph. 

Wednesday...Rain. Highs around 49. Southeast wind 10 mph. 

Wednesday Night And Thursday...Cloudy. Chance of rain. Lows around 37. Highs around 51. 

Thursday Night And Friday...Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain. Lows around 37. Highs around 51. 

Friday Night...Rain likely. Lows around 37. 

Saturday Through Sunday...Rain likely. Highs around 52. Lows around 37.

Arctic exploration to study undersea greenhouse gases (click here)

By Margaret Munro

Postmedia News 

April 29, 2012

The oil and gas industry may be eyeing the energy riches under the Arctic Ocean, but scientists are even keener to start drilling in Canada's polar waters.
They say the Beaufort Sea, in the western Canadian Arctic, holds clues to several environmental mysteries of global significance - chief among them why so much methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is now seeping out of the sea floor.
An international team is proposing an ambitious drilling program to extract some answers. Researchers from Canada, the United States, Europe and Korea want to drill a series of wells from the Mackenzie Delta across the Beaufort Sea.
If approved, drilling could begin as early as 2015, the first holes bored into the Canadian Arctic in years....
...She and her colleagues say the Beaufort is the best place in the Arctic to assess the stability of undersea permafrost and gas deposits and to fill in big gaps in climate science.
They want to drill down through sediments that have rained onto the sea floor over eons, revealing how the Arctic ice has waxed and waned, and into the thick slabs of permafrost and frozen gas beneath the sea floor that have the potential to accelerate global warming....
...The shallow waters that fringe the Arctic are among the most dynamic and understudied part of the world's oceans, says geologist Scott Dallimore, at Natural Resources Canada, co-leader of the planned project. The waters cover continental shelves that run more than three million square kilometres along the north coasts of North America and Siberia, or 30 per cent of the Arctic Ocean.
Permafrost hundreds of metres thick occurs on the shelves, and has been slowly warming since the end of the last ice age.
As the slabs of permafrost warm, they can destabilize the sea bed, generating underwater landslides that send sediments barrelling down from the continental shelf into the deep ocean.
One landslide, discovered by Natural Resources Canada scientists in the Beaufort, left more than 200 square kilometres of sediments strewn across the deep-sea floor.
More worrisome to many observers is the massive store of methane sitting beneath the permafrost in the form of gas hydrates....


If one recalls 'gas hydrates' of methane was the sole reason BP's containment operations in the Gulf of Mexico with of the exploded well head of Deepwater Horizon failed. The giant cement cap, which was to funnel gas and oil to a waiting ship above to contain the rupture, was lifted off the sea floor due to frozen methane hydrates. With the sheer knowledge of these structures existing naturally in the Arctic waters, there is profound concern over the drilling by the petroleum industry in this region of Earth. The conditions at these sites are far more harsh than the Gulf of Mexico. This simple reality has significant impacts on the petroleum industry's covetous ideas of oil and gas deposits there.

The Rooster

"Morning Papers" - It's Origins (click here)

"Okeydoke"

"Good Night, Moon"

The Waxing Gibbous


57.5% lit


Half Moon, okay so it is a slice more than half.