Is this his first trip to Sweden? Don't remember him being there before.

Obama opens 3-day foreign trip in Sweden (click here) 
  
By JULIE PACE
AP White House Correspondent
 

STOCKHOLM -- President Barack Obama is opening a three-day overseas trip with a stop in the Swedish capital of Stockholm.Air Force One touched down Wednesday morning after an overnight flight from Washington. During his stay in Stockholm, Obama will meet with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and King Carl XVI Gustaf. He will also meet with other Nordic leaders from Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Norway.
Obama's visit marks the first bilateral meeting of a U.S. president to Sweden. The northern European country was added to Obama's itinerary after he canceled plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow ahead of the Group of 20 summit.

Obama will still travel to St. Petersburg, Russia, for the G-20 meetings after leaving Stockholm.

I would have expected the USA State Department to have laid down a productive base for a dialogue with the Swedish Prime Minister. Fairly young man who took the Prime Ministership in 2006 I believe. He faced the global economic collapse as one of this first crisis as Prime Minister.

This is an assessment of the Swedish economy by the University of Michigan.

The Swedish economy (click here) emerged from the financial crisis as one of the strongest in Europe. A high-tech economy and a comprehensive system of welfare benefits allow Sweden to enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world. Sweden has one of the most globalized and competitive economies today....

The National Debt Ceiling of Sweden is $15,231.60 per capita. The National Debt Ceiling of the USA is $53,198.50 per capita and the USA lives up to every penny and then some.

   
Sweden recovered in 2010 after floundering a bit when the Great Recession first happened, but, it is doing quite well. Their GDP is 50% EXPORTS. Similar to that of China. The USA needs to take a lesson on what actually works to bring about growth and it is not being a consumer economy to cheap Chinese imports with diminished quality of life, no health care and poverty wages.

So, let get this right. The problem is NOT the USA National Debt Limit all by itself, it is THE ECONOMY of the USA that is robbing it's children of their future and the dignity of citizens today. The USA has to stop outsourcing it's economy and demand better quality of life for all of us.

The Debt Ceiling is a SYMPTOM of an economy that simply doesn't work anymore.

I hope the Sweds give President Obama a reality check about Syria. I am quite confident they are more than capable of passing judgement on the deaths USA intervention will cause. 

Sweden has a monarchy, hence, King Carl XVI Gustaf.

The Princess is no different than her peers, at the age of 31 she is having her first child. A sign of the times.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden, (click here) the youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf, and her businessman husband Chris O'Neill are expecting their first child in March, the palace announced on September 3, 2013. AFP/ JONATHAN NACKSTRAND

...Public support for the ceremonial monarchy has weakened somewhat in recent years but remains fairly broad in otherwise egalitarian Sweden.

The wedding in 2010 of Madeleine’s eldest sibling, Crown Princess Victoria, to Daniel Westling and the birth of their daughter, Princess Estelle, have helped to counteract negative publicity around King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia....

There are other nations far more capable of carrying more of the burden for regional militaries, but, they won't if the USA continues being the global police.

Deepest sympathies to his family. This is not their fault, not the fault of the victims. Mr. Castro was unable to cope with life and has been unable for some time now. May he rest in peace.

Deficit is different than the Debt. The question is not whether to raise the National Debt Ceiling, but, when that need end?

The national deficit is growing smaller. It is still outrageous, but, the question is now that our tax base has increased, when will the need to increase the National Debt Limit end?

When will the USA tax base meet the nation's needs? There has to be an answer to that otherwise we will never move forward beyond a fiscal emergency every year. When is that going to happen and when can Americans have peace of mind about their government spending?

If the American citizen is going to have a sane dialogue with it's government there has to be reasonable questions to ask without fear of the answers. Reality and not rhetoric. Growth that meets the needs of the government and a payment of the National Debt. When does that happen without this disaster of political rhetoric? 

Please tell me this nation of people is capable of making good decisions about their government without resorting to lazy rhetorical postures within their own voting power. That rhetoric is where the people lose control of their government. They lose control of their vote as soon as they cast it if they are willing to be snuffed out with lies from their political choices. People have to understand their government and ask good questions to make good choices.

No more 'running game' on the American people.

Is everything Americans believe about their govenrment planned for political outcomes?

The Poor are Lazy.

The Public Sector is Lazy.

Teachers are not good enough for our children. 

Unions are corrupt and obsolete.

What is the default settings for elections?  

By Zahira Torres
The Denver Post
Posted:   09/02/2013 12:01:00 AM MD

Douglas County could be the first school district in Colorado (click here) to face a review of its teacher evaluation system under the appeals process of a new educator effectiveness law.
The Douglas County Federation, a teachers union, has asked the Colorado Department of Education to outline the process for challenging the district's implementation of a market-based evaluation system under the educator effectiveness law, known as SB 191.
Union leaders call the evaluation system implemented in Douglas County invalid and unreliable. District officials said they followed state law and suggested that the union's challenge will be fruitless.
Courtney Smith, vice president of the union, said the plan, which is tied to teacher pay raises, was rolled out in September 2012 after teachers had been in the classroom more than a month. She said district leaders did not adequately communicate to teachers what was expected of them.
"It would have been like me saying to the kids, 'I'm going to give you a grade but you are going to have no idea what's expected of you. I'm not even going to give you the information you need to be successful,' " Smith said.

Union leaders told the state's education department in a letter obtained by The Denver Post that they intended to officially challenge the district's evaluation system on grounds that it does not meet the new teacher evaluation standards for fairness and reliability, teacher input and the training of evaluators....

Are things THIS BAD with every teacher and every union in the USA? Is every incompetent teacher linked to a union? Is every union responsible for the educational system failures throughout the country? Are there actually failures of the education system in the USA? 

Isn't this phenomena in attacks on public employee unions a bit odd to be consistent across the country?

By Nathan Kowalski

Published Sep 3, 2013 at 8:00 am (Updated Sep 2, 2013 at 5:55 pm) 

There is a branch of economics (click here) that deals with the operations of the political process called public choice theory.

Often credited to the economist James Buchman who won a Nobel Prize in economics, it deals with a theory linking individual behaviour to ultimate political action.

In general, the political process works very well when there is a close and transparent relationship between the receipts of benefits and payment of costs.

There are numerous situations where sound economics and good politics fail to coincide.

I’ll briefly discuss one of these concepts: Inefficiency of Government Operations.

Inefficiency of Government Operations

First it’s important to clearly state that professional pride and the desire to do an excellent job exists in the public sector as well as the private sector. The argument on inefficiency within government is not one that assumes employees of the bureaucratic government are lazy or incapable...

There was a time in recent history when citizens were good citizens and believed everything they were spoon fed. Are we still willing, and that was willing, to be this lazy about the way we think about the government we elect?

Why aren't local government chambers packed with concerned citizens every week rather than when it is fashionable?

The absent American gets what they deserve. 

Public choice applies the theories and methods of economics (click here) to the analysis of political behavior, an area that was once the exclusive province of political scientists and sociologists. Public choice originated as a distinctive field of specialization a half century ago in the works of its founding fathers, Kenneth Arrow, Duncan Black, James Buchanan, Gordon Tullock, Anthony Downs, William Niskanen, Mancur Olson, and William Riker. Public choice has revolutionized the study of democratic decision-making processes....

When I think of education and higher education it is to bring about a responsible citizen and well educated employee or small business owner. 

The Public Trust.

Why does that price we pay for educating the citizens of the USA fall apart with graduation and why are our college grads unable to ACHIEVE STATUS they deserve in a well paying job without having to increase debt to move into a higher degree in order to achieve a poor paying job just to survive.

A Bachelor degree prepared person should mean something. Having spent four years of life and thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars to improve the education for a better life, why isn't happening? This is not a failure of our education system, it is a failure of our economy. Our children deserve jobs befitting to their hard work to achieve the status of an adult.

The striking prisoners are Abdullah Barghouthi, Alaa Hammad, Hamzeh Dabbas, Mohammad Rimawi and Muneer Merei

by Omar Obeidat and Zain Khasawneh
Aug 11, 2013

AMMAN – Four Jordanian prisoners (click here) in Israeli jails ended their hunger strike on Sunday after reaching a deal with Israeli Prison Service (ISP), said Fadi Farah, spokesperson of the National Committee for Prisoners in Israel.
Farah said the prisoners reached a deal to end their 102-day hunger strike as Israeli authorities agreed to meet some of the main demands of the prisoners.
On the details of the deal, Farah told The Jordan Times on the sidelines of a press conference on Sunday evening that a lawyer from a Palestinian foundation to defend prisoners in Israel represented the Jordanian prisoners in negotiations with the IPS and the Red Cross that ended the hunger strike of four prisoners.
On May 2, five out of the 26 Jordanian prisoners incarcerated in Israeli prisons began a hunger strike to press the Israeli authorities to release them and to demand familial visits and healthcare provided by Jordanian doctors.
The prisoners decided to stop their battle of empty stomachs after Israelis agreed to allow regular visits for the families of prisoners, with the first visit to be on August 27, representatives from media team supporting Jordanian prisoners jailed in Israel, Fedaa, said at the press conference held at Professional Associations Complex in Amman....

‘Families of prisoners in Israel still waiting for promised visit’ (click here)

by Zain Khasawneh | Sep 03, 2013 | 22:41

AMMAN — Families of Jordanian prisoners in Israel are still waiting for their promised visit to their relatives to materialise, activists said on Tuesday.

In mid-August, four Jordanian prisoners in Israel ended their “battle of empty stomachs” strike that lasted for 102 days, after reaching a deal with the Israeli Prison Service (ISP).

The main demand that was agreed on by both sides was allowing regular visits from the detainees’ families, with the first visit scheduled for August 27.

Under the deal, each prisoner would be able to meet five members of his family during each visit that would last for an hour-and-a-half

“Unfortunately, September has started and we are yet to visit them,” said Shaheen Merei, brother of prisoner Muneer Merei, and head of the families of prisoners committee.

Shireen Nafe, spokesperson of the media team supporting prisoners in Israel (Fedaa), said the deal was made between the prisoners and the ISP without any intervention from the Foreign Ministry.

However, the ministry is now arranging for the visit, Shaheen noted, but added that the government has not announced a date for the visit....

Reuters | Sep 03, 2013 | 22:44

LONDON, — Scientists experimenting (click here) with rats have found that de-activating certain nerves in the neck can effectively treat high blood pressure — a discovery that could be an advance in tackling one of the world’s biggest silent killers.

Researchers at Britain’s Bristol University found that in rats with high blood pressure, when they removed nerve links between the brain and the carotid body — a nodule about the size of a grain of rice on the side of each carotid artery — the animals’ blood pressure fell and remained low.

The researchers’ results, published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, have already led the team on to conduct a small human trial of the technique, with results expected at the end of this year.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is referred to by the World Health Organisation as one of the world’s biggest silent killers because most people who have it can’t feel or see it.

It affects around one in three people worldwide and can cause stroke, heart attacks and kidney failure....

Newport loses it's battle against "The Mega-yacht." Some have it tough.

Babies crying, dogs barking, teens corrupted and local conservationists measuring the pollution, will the burden ever end? 

 

The city gives the billionaire developer (click here) a permit to moor the 216-foot yacht for 16 total days over two months. Neighbors have concerns about noise and safety.

 

Los Angeles conducts a clean up.

A similar initiative occurred a few years ago in the USA and included over 50 people in North Carolina. This is good news, with this many people arrested there is less opportunity for retaliation by a criminal network.




Law enforcement authorities Tuesday announced they had conducted a three-week crackdown on gangs. (Pomona Police Department / September 3, 2013)

By Robert J. Lopez

September 3, 2013, 9:36 p.m.

More than 150 people (click here) were arrested and 25 weapons were seized in a three-week operation against gang violence in Pomona, authorities said Tuesday.

The weapons confiscated during "Operation Triple Beam" included assault rifles and handguns, the Pomona Police Department said.

Officers working with the U.S. Marshal's Service arrested 165 people, some of them wanted on warrants for violent felonies, according to police.

The crackdown focused on several locations in the city about 30 miles east of Los Angeles, police said....

The Troika Chart

The Troika Chart (click here) The upper right hand corner of this link is a PDF if one wants to print it out.

This is about Kosovo.

Geopolitical Motive
Confirm US supremacy & interventionism 
Nothing has changed.

The point is this is US military policy. It is dogma. It is the military default setting. The Serbs occupied Kosovo since 1912. The USA was not a Superpower then. WWI ended, and it did end, it was a war without end. But, WWI ended in 1918. That default setting has been around for a long time. It WAS developed for an economic purpose. May there be no doubt in the minds of any American that this US military default setting is for ECONOMIC purposes. Want some proof? Okay.

Guess who this is? In the picture. Skull and cross bones? No, Not "W"'s daddy. These are Americans, though. 

United States Marines with the captured flag of Augusto César Sandino in 1932.

This was known as "The Banana Wars." It is the OCCUPATION of Nicaragua.

I am not going to discuss the Banana Wars anyone can read about it. There is an interesting book I have been reading called "The Open Veins of Latin America." Man, you talk about rough. It would seem most of the silver in Europe first was mined out of Latin America. But, those nation's won't get that back as the Jewish nation found determination to reclaim their national treasures taken in WWII. Reading that book didn't make me want to go out and smoke mind altering drugs or seek a different government for my country. It is an interesting book.

The USA has been running political and economic wars for most of it's history. In the case of the Banana Wars the USA occupation started much earlier, something like 1912 or something like that.

The USA was young during most of these economic wars. It was seeking wealth and building a military. Contrary to popular belief the USA was not always the world's Superpower.

But, the USA is quite used to taking what it wants and in the year of 2003 when Bush invaded Iraq, it continued that policy. Basically, it never ended. One could look across the history of the nation in the 20th century and the USA has a long and violent history of political and economic wars. 

It was easy then for political leaders to seek an advantage over the American people. Folks were far more simple and willing to be lead. It really wasn't until the 1960s that the American people began to unwind this paradigm of the country. The young folks were witnessing 'the harvesting' of young men to fight in Vietnam; a war that was all economic. It had no value to international stability. The USA slaughtered people, and destroyed their farmland and forests never to be the same, so why not over 50,000 of their own? Wall Street was happy.

This push by the military to CONTINUE war without end is a posture it is very used to. It is a drive to the USA military.

President Obama and his cabinet are lying about Syria. But, what difference does it make, the USA always does this, it would not be the USA without doing this. The world expects it and that is important. The USA has to be predictable otherwise the world might not behave properly.

The issue with Syria is real. Make no doubt about it, the Assad military has released chemical weapons. The Obama Cabinet has sworn up one side and down the other chemical weapons were released by Assad. That is probably the case. The United Nations will validate the release, but, will not be able to point a finger, or so we are told. But, we are also told the USA is acting illegally according to international law WITHOUT a consensus of the countries lining the halls of the UN.

This POSTURE of the USA military is becoming a habit and we are once again looking at hardship by the Middle Class while the NATION IS AT WAR. There will be soldiers on the ground in Syria. Once Assad is removed there has to be a power in place to remove the chemical weapons from the region. The Syrians won't be able to do that without training and equipment. There will be American soldiers involved. There will be lots of problems. Once infrastructure is destroyed in the way USA bombs destroy it, there is no form of returning. We witness; if one looks for it' USA military trash all over the world. The latest was a Spy Drone that crashed in Iran. But, Afghanistan has all kinds of military trash, some even Russian.

The point to all this is that the American people have to decide to tell their military NO. They have to remove this paradigm from the nation. I believe most folks live in denial of this heinous aspect of our country. If they don't live in denial than they live in fear of not controlling the world as if they actually do. The attacks of September 11th, which will be 12 years ago, is proof of the problems existing in the USA that people do not have control of. The idea the USA controls the world is hideous. It is a myth.

National Security is necessary and it is important, but, not this. This is NOT national security. This is an illegal attack on a country we don't like owning and storing chemical weapons. This is the Bad Assad that needs to be replaced.

It is time to stop this. We have been fools to our elected leaders that are more than willing to make us believe we are acting morally to save lives, when in fact it is a matter of accepting the defeat of our Middle Class while people die in another country.

I don't want blood money. I want my country back in a way that is sincerely moral. 

The United Nations will result in a resolve of this and we might be asked to help, but, to do this unilaterally is completely wrong, illegal and totally immoral. It is not for us to dictate the outcome of other nations, it is our responsibility to be sure our nation is not the worst nation on the face of Earth.

These actions against Syria are immoral, illegal and contrary to what most Americans believe about themselves. We need to stop it and bring our military down to size while protecting our nation without the danger to other nations. 

If we are to have allies, why aren't they equally as strong militarily? The USA didn't win WWII alone and neither did Europe or Russia. If the USA is the only Superpower it should be giving many nations pause, not just Syria.

I take it this is a tiger cub.

President Putin has children; some are young. Well done. I wonder if it will compete with Angela Merkel's teaching, too. That would be interesting, get a consensus as to whom teaches the best class at the G20. Perhaps President Obama can teach everyone the best way to work a Wall Street Derivative and Credit Default Swap.

I heard Kerry reprimand the Senate.

He stated, "It is questions like that causing the uncertainty in the country."

That takes balls. Pure unadulterated ego ride. He knows what is best for the country. Well, God bless his sorry ass.

The Chairman of the Joint Chief stated, "We don't know if Russia will increase their aid to Syria, but, that is no reason for me not to act." 

Who is Dempsey defending? The USA? Because the ONLY reason a Chairman of the Joint Chief would act regardless OF THE DANGER to the USA is in defense to the USA. So, his loyalty it not to the American people, it is to the war. Evidently, any war, regardless, of the national security of the nation.

An attack is not the question. I am quite confident there is evidence in the hands in the UN that would indicate a chemical attack. The issue is the USA is acting out of pure POWER and outside international law. This attack on Syrian weapons is illegal. Syria is NOT a member of the Chemical Weapons Convention, they are allowed to have and store chemical weapons. In acting against that LEGAL status is a hostile act by the USA.

What Kerry, Dempsey and Obama is proposing is illegal by international law.

The USA Secretary of State just said:

"I can't tell you what other nations will do if we carry out these strikes against Syria..."

Exactly. 

Turkey doesn't need any more problems either. Turkey is our ally. If there is going to be training, it begins with Turkish permission and willingness and must be conducted on Turkish soil to guarantee there won't be a back lash against OUR ALLY!

PKK terrorists, (click here) who are withdrawing from Turkey as part of an ongoing settlement process, are burying their weapons and various types of munitions in the eastern regions of Turkey before leaving the country. (Photo: İHA)


Guillaume Perrier 
Guardian Weekly, Tuesday 3 September 2013 09.02 EDT
 
Since May the air strikes by Turkish fighter jets (click here) and low-flying helicopters have stopped on the mountain ridges between Turkey and Iraq. In the Kurdistan Workers' party (PKK) camps, scattered all the way along the border, the rebels are enjoying the truce. In their shelter, hidden by trees on the slopes of Mount Metina, young combatants are playing backgammon and watching the news from Syria on a television powered by a generator. From time to time they reach for another piece of watermelon. Only the occasional buzz of a drone reminds us this is a war zone....

Why do I get the feeling the munitions into Syria by the USA won't stay there? Hm?

The arms the USA will send into Syria will be sold for plenty of money to the PKK camps. I don't think so.

Any action by The West in arming rebels in Syria will cause a greater instability to the region. No one will say that though, will they? 

Want to know who the rebels are? Take a good look. There is going to be arming of the PKK by The West and then it will be a full blown disaster in Turkey.  

ANKARA | Tue Sep 3, 2013 1:24pm EDT

The ammunition mixed with scrap metal (click here) was being taken into Turkey's Hatay province from Syria, the governor's office said in a statement. Five Syrians died at the scene and one Turk died later of his wounds.
The incident on Turkey's long Syria frontier, where tensions have been on the rise in recent months, comes after a string of almost daily confrontations between Turkish soldiers and groups of smugglers in the area.
With its hilly terrain and thick vegetation, Hatay, a panhandle province that juts down into Syria, makes a relatively easy crossing point for smugglers, as well as Syrian rebels and refugees fleeing the fighting.
Turkey has emerged as one of the strongest backers of the Syrian rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, giving them shelter on its soil, but denies arming them. Around half a million refugees have also taken shelter inside Turkey.
Smuggling has long been a part of life in Turkey's border regions, but recently the illicit trade in goods including fuel and basic commodities has also provided a financial lifeline for the embattled rebels inside Syria.

Kerry doesn't know where this is all going? Well. I do.

We have been here before, spreading democracy through out the world.

We are nearly out of Afghanistan and the USA military pulled this out of their hat. We need to leave Afghanistan now and close this chapter in our nation.

Obama has never been all that. He followed the Bush strategy in Iraq and it is taking forever to get out of Afghanistan. 

TROOPS OUT NOW! I don't believe this is still an issue.

Bush says "Stay the course." The People say "Troops Out Now!"
7/1/2005--Now, more than ever, (click here) it is vital that the antiwar movement be in the streets. The Troops Out Now Coalition is joining with the September 24 National Coalition, which includes the National Council of Arab-Americans (NCA), the Muslim American Society (MAS) Freedom Foundation, the A.N.S.W.E.R Coalition, the Haiti Support Network, the Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines, and the National Lawyers Guild, in order to help build a unified demonstration against the war...

I can just hear Cheney in the background, "You know we need to get the sympathies of the country going for Syrian rebels to keep this whole thing going long enough." 

There is plenty of opportunity to help the Syrian people and it is not in Syria. Jordan is in need of humanitarian aid. I am sure they would entertain USA peacekeepers to help with the policing of the camps and Doctors without Borders to help with the medical needs of the refugees. The USA could work toward peace and stop killing people of any ethnicity.

by Hani Hazaimeth
September 3, 2013

...“The number of Syrians (click here) forced to seek shelter abroad since civil war began in March 2011 passed the 2 million mark on Tuesday with no sign of the outflow ending soon,” the UNHCR said in the statement.

“Some 52 per cent of this population are children aged 17 years or below,” the agency said, adding that the 2 million figure represents Syrians who have registered as refugees or who are pending registration.

As of the end August, the numbers of registered refugees were 110,000 in Egypt, 168,000 in Iraq, 515,000 in Jordan, 716,000 in Lebanon and 460,000 in Turkey.

“The war is now well into its third year and Syria is haemorrhaging women, children and men who cross borders often with little more than the clothes on their backs,” the UNHCR said.

“This trend is nothing less than alarming, representing a jump of almost 1.8 million people in 12 months,” the statement added, noting that a year ago, the number of Syrians registered as refugees or awaiting registration stood at about 230,670 people....

Jordan is doing just fine, they don't need upheaval. There is profound information lacking in any testimony AND questions from the USA Senate about the success of the humanitarian effort. Isn't that interesting? 

AMMAN –– The Iraqi Cabinet (click here) has decided to extend an oil grant to Jordan worth $25 million, a move that was welcomed on Tuesday by the government.

Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani said that the government appreciates the “brotherly” stance the Iraqi government takes towards Jordan and the efforts it has exerted to help the Kingdom overcome its economic challenges, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Momani added that Jordan is looking forward to boost economic ties with Iraq, particularly mega-projects that would serve the interests of the people of the two countries.

The minister said the ongoing oil pipeline project will allow Baghdad to export crude oil via Jordan’s southern port of Aqaba while providing the Kingdom with its oil requirements.

In November last year, Iraq granted Jordan 100,000 barrels of crude oil.

According to official figures, Jordan’s daily oil needs are estimated to be around 100,000 barrels.

The Kingdom imports around 98 per cent of its energy needs.

Iraq has a large majority of Shi'ite Muslim population within it's population, but, Jordan is primarily Sunni Muslims. There doesn't seem to be a problem here, so why change that? This entire idea is grossly wayward and extremely dangerous.

Muslims care about each other and see to each other even across borders. The region has to effect stability for themselves and they are more than capable of doing it, right up to the point where the USA military is desperate to prolong it's war posture.

What is the difference between Hillary and Kerry?

Hardware.

North Korea is withdrawing diplomatically. Enter Rodman. Go, Dennis, Go.

Dennis Rodman, former NBA rebounding champion, is heading back to Pyongyang for his second visit in the past six months—perhaps to rescue detained U.S. citizen Kenneth Bae.

Dennis Rodman's second visit to North Korea isn't expected to intervene with any USA political problems. This trip was planned some time ago.

North Korea is more than probably reacting to the Syrian tirade by Obama. I think Obama has the backing of most of the conservative Twitter crowd. Any Democrat seeking those voters might consider 'Liking' him, especially if they find emoting about their own 'intolerance of abuse and chemical weapons' neighborhoods a worthwhile political tool.

by The Associated Press

September 03, 2013 4:18 AM

 

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman (click here) landed Tuesday in North Korea for what he called a trip to hang out with authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un, have a good time and bridge some cultural gaps — but not to be a diplomat.
The trip by the flamboyant basketballer — his second to North Korea — comes days after Pyongyang rejected a visit by a U.S. envoy who had hoped to bring home an American missionary jailed there, Kenneth Bae. Speaking to reporters ahead of his flight to Pyongyang, Rodman declined to say whether he would seek Bae's release. "I'm not going to talk about that," he said.
"I just want to meet my friend Kim, the marshal, and start a basketball league over there or something like that," said Rodman, wearing rings through his lower lip and each nostril. "I have not been promised anything. I am just going there as a friendly gesture."...

Just in case the stupid USA miltiary didn't 'get the word' that Russia has drawn a line in the sand.

Armavir is a city in Southern Russia. It is a city of about 26,000 people at Latitude: 40.15446 x Longitude: 44.03815.

September 2, 2013

Russia has announced that its missile early warning system (click here) had detected the launch of two missiles from the central part of the Mediterranean Sea fired towards the sea’s eastern coastline.
The launches took place at 10.16am Moscow time (1616 AEST) on Tuesday and were detected by the early warning system in Armavir in southern Russia, the defence ministry said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies.
It said Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had already reported to President Vladimir Putin about the event, which comes amid growing expectations of Western military action in Syria.
"The launch was detected by the early warning radar in Armavir," the Interfax news agency quoted the defence ministry as saying....

When the USA missiles into Syria has been made mute, maybe then the USA military will want to target a Russia city itself, right? Bunch of jackasses.

Does anyone stop to realize how many people live along the Mediterranean Sea? 

More notable in terms of employment (250 000 fishermen) than production (about 1 million tonnes declared in 2007), fishing is mainly on a small scale. Various different species are caught: sardine, anchovy and hake dominate.

The Mediterranean is a key world maritime route with 30 % of worldwide traffic, 25 % of oil transport, and 450 ports and terminals. The largest port, Marseilles (France), is ranked fourth in Europe. Oil and natural gas are transported from small specialised ports on the southern shores, such as Arzew (Algeria) and Sidi Kerir/Alexandria (Egypt) to Marseilles and Augusta, Trieste and Genoa (Italy). Container traffic is experiencing particular expansion, notably in Algeciras (Spain), a large hub at the entrance to the Mediterranean that now faces competition from Tanger-Med (Morocco).

Hey, I've got a great idea, let's park warships in the Mediterranean Sea and provide permission for Israel to have a tirade. That should do wonders for a peace treaty with Palestine.

The largest port is that of Piraeus (Greece) which transports 11.5 million passengers each year to the Greek islands, followed by the port of Reggio de Calabria (Italy) which transports 10.5 million passengers to Sicily, and Barcelona and Alicante (Spain) with 5 million passengers to the Balearic Islands (2006). The main routes for links between the north and south shores are Spain-Morocco (6.5 million), France-Algeria (1.8 million) and Italy-Tunisia.

If I were a shipping company or a union of fisherman, I would definitely let my government know exactly what I thought about them now. I think it is time for the United Nation's General Assembly.

Governance
 
The majority of Mediterranean waters are under the high seas regime. Territorial waters, established by coastal States over a width of 12 nautical miles (6 nautical miles for Greece) represent 16 % of the total surface area. Few states have asked for an exclusive economic zone, but some have declared new types of zones, which are not covered by the law of the sea, such as fishing zones or ecological protection zones. These specific zones cover 31 % of the surface of the Mediterranean.

64 Captain Piper's Road sells for $8.5 million to Chinese businessman.

'Golden ticket' holder snaps up $8.5m Vaucluse designer home (click here)

September 3, 2013 - 5:57PM

Sydney's first real estate sale (click here) to one of the holders of a "significant investor visa" exchanged on Monday night on an $8.5 million Vaucluse house.
The contemporary five-bedroom house on Captain Pipers Road was bought by Minqin Wang, whose husband runs a mining transportation company in the Shanxi province, south-west of Beijing.
The Wangs are one of only 10 approved holders of the significant investor visa, which is more commonly known as a "golden ticket"....

The Air Mass over Yosemite has changed. It gives the Firefighters an advantage.

A building and a pickup truck damaged by the Rim Fire in this United States Forest Service handout photo near Yosemite National Park, California, USA.

Reuters 
theguardian.com,
Monday 2 September 2013 16.52 EDT
 
Firefighters in California(click here)  gained ground on Monday against a massive wildfire burning part of Yosemite National Park, although complete containment may be weeks away, officials said.
Crews working through the night got an edge on the so-called Rim Fire, a 350-square mile (906-square km) blaze that has charred the California park's Northwest, said Andrea Capps, spokeswoman for the Rim Fire command center. They connected containment lines near the fire's northwestern and western borders, where most of the 4,500 homes threatened by the blaze are located, she said.
The fire was 60% contained by early Monday, a 15% increase from the night before.... 

This is when the high pressure in the Pacific began to close and water vapor moved in over the fire area. 

August 31, 2013
1430.19z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of North and West Hemisphere

Below is the status of the air mass over Yosemite. Having the water vapor available over the fire region, which is at least six other major fires than Yosemite, will provide a shift back to enough humidity to reduce fire hazard. With an increase in humidity, the dangers of canopy involvement will reduce. Humidity has immediate impact on the canopies of the forests regardless of any sustained drought.

Example: If a flying ember lands on a small puddle of water on a leaf, it will diminish and extinguish the ability of the fire to ignite a larger danger. Do you put wet wood in a fireplace?

September 3, 2013
0930:18z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of North and West Hemisphere (click here)

 
 

"It's almost science fiction ... it's phenomenal,"

MIRACLE MUM: Vali, pictured with her partner Dean, has become the world's first woman to fall pregnant from ovarian tissue grafted outside her pelvis. Pic: Melbourne IVF

12:25 PM Tuesday Sep 3, 2013

Australian doctors (click here) have achieved a world first by helping a woman become pregnant from ovarian tissue grafted into her abdomen.
The woman asked for the tissue to be frozen seven years ago, when her second ovary was removed because of cancer.

Now she is 25 weeks' pregnant with twin girls, thanks to work carried out by fertility preservation scientists at Melbourne IVF and The Royal Women's Hospital.

"It's two girls. We're pretty excited. A bit freaked out," says the mum-to-be, identified only as Vali.

In a voice recording released to the media by Melbourne IVF, Vali says she is lucky her doctor offered her an opportunity to freeze tissue.

She did not fully understand the implications at the time but hoped it would one day allow her to have a baby.

"It's almost science fiction ... it's phenomenal," says proud dad-to-be Dean....

Women should save their lives in reassurance of their future families. What was medical theory is now practice.

ABSTRACT (click here)

Ovariectomy and ovarian tissue cryopreservation has the potential to preserve the natural fertility of cancer patients prior to sterilizing chemo- and radiotherapies. Ovarian tissue cryopreservation with the conventional slow-freezing method has yielded limited success, partly because of oocyte loss during freeze–thaw and subsequent transplant. Based on the high-efficiency vitrification Cryotop method, a practical vitrification procedure for murine, bovine and human ovarian tissue was developed. A Cryotissue method was designed for cryopreservation of ovarian tissue, and vitrification experiments were performed in a bovine animal model with ovarian size and structure similar to the human. There was no difference in oocyte viability (>89%) between fresh and vitrified ovarian cortical tissue in either bovine or human samples. Ovarian tissue was successfully autotransplanted to six cattle. Autotransplantation of vitrified–warmed tissue back to the cattle resulted in no loss of oocyte viability. In addition, human ovarian tissue from cancer patients, and from ovary transplant donors was also vitrified by the Cryotissue method. After warming, high oocyte survival in human tissue (similar to bovine tissue) was obtained. These results indicate that an ultra-rapid cooling vitrification method has the potential for clinical use in human ovarian tissue cryopreservation.