Troops out now!

There is no excuse for this. We have witnessed some of the most reckless troop activity since the USA military entered Afghanistan in 2001.

Fifteen years is far too long and the USA is not building an ally, it is alienating the Afghan people.

Twenty-nine percent of the causalities are CHILDREN! NO MORE!




25 July 2016

In the first six months of this year, (click here) 5,166 civilians were either killed or maimed in Afghanistan, a half-year record since counting began in 2009, a United Nations report published today shows.
Between January and June this year, the human rights team of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented 1,601 civilian deaths and 3,565 injured civilians, an increase of four per cent in the total number of casualties compared to the first six months of 2015, according to the report, titled 'Afghanistan Midyear Report 2016; Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict.' The total civilian casualty figure recorded by the UN since 1 January 2009 through 30 June 2016 has risen to 63,934, including 22,941 deaths and 40,993 injured.......This year's casualties include 1,509 children, 388 dead and 1,121 injured, a figure Mr. Zeid described as “alarming and shameful,” particularly as it represents the highest numbers of children killed or wounded in a six-month period since counting began in 2009.... There were also 507 women casualties, 130 killed and 377 injured. The figures are conservative – almost certainly underestimated – given the strict methodology employed in their documentation and in determining the civilian status of those affected....
...“Every single casualty documented in this report – people killed while praying, working, studying, fetching water, recovering in hospitals – […] represents a failure of commitment and should be a call to action for parties to the conflict to take meaningful, concrete steps to reduce civilians' suffering and increase protection,” Yamamoto said.
“Platitudes not backed by meaningful action ring hollow over time. History and the collective memory of the Afghan people will judge leaders of all parties to this conflict by their actual conduct,” he added.
Casualties attributed to pro-Government forces increased 47 per cent...

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in handing over the gavel to the Interim Chairwoman Donna Brazile did the right thing. She is appreciated for the years she lead the DNC from 2011 to present. 

Were the emails changed from their original content?

It is agreed the emails were hacked (stolen) from DNC records, cyber records. Were they altered? See, the truth is a really difficult thing to live with. Most Americans value the truth. It is ingrained through our justice system. So, the emails came to the public through an illegal act. But, that doesn't mean the emails are false.

Understand this, I would not have speculated about anyone's spoken faith. I can't conceive of it. The leader of a very powerful political party not only conceived of questioning Bernie Sander's faith, but, stated it in an email in case it had to be deployed for Hillary Clinton's victory. Who is really trying effect the outcomes of elections?

July 24, 2016

By David E. Sanger and Nicole Perloth

...Proving the source of a cyberattack is notoriously difficult. (click here) But researchers have concluded that the national committee was breached by two Russian intelligence agencies, which were the same attackers behind previous Russian cyberoperations at the White House, the State Department and the Joint Chiefs of Staff last year. And metadata from the released emails suggests that the documents passed through Russian computers. Though a hacker claimed responsibility for giving the emails to WikiLeaks, the same agencies are the prime suspects. Whether the thefts were ordered by Mr. Putin, or just carried out by apparatchiks who thought they might please him, is anyone’s guess.

On Sunday morning, the issue erupted, as Mrs. Clinton’s campaign manager, Robby Mook, argued on ABC’s “This Week” that the emails were leaked “by the Russians for the purpose of helping Donald Trump” citing “experts” but offering no other evidence. Mr. Mook also suggested that the Russians might have good reason to support Mr. Trump: The Republican nominee indicated in an interview with The New York Times last week thathe might not back NATO nations if they came under attack from Russia — unless he was first convinced that the countries had made sufficient contributions to the Atlantic alliance....

I find it interesting people are actually afraid of the truth. I suggest those that know an alternative reality from the truth in this election come to terms with it now.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz's inappropriate standards for the DNC has existed for a while now. I don't care if she elected President Obama, I VOTED FOR HIM. I voted for him REGARDLESS of the lousy standards of Schultz. She needs to leave. She didn't elect him, the American people did. That is an ego the DNC does not need at any level. Amazing, a white woman with lousy standards for elections actually believes she elected Barak Obama to the presidency.

GOOD BYE, DEBBIE!!!!!!!!!!!

NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Morning Papers

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

From the "Jerusalem Post." The Democrats better mend their rift. Bernie, I am very sorry to hear there was such divisiveness that effected your campaign. The religious comments are why out of line. I can't believe this issue even exists. The Interim Chairwoman needs to gavel and gavel out the convention.

In an email leaked (click here) Friday by Wikileaks Brad Marshall, the DNC’s chief financial officer suggested that the party should “get someone to ask” about “his” religious beliefs, The Intercept reported.

Top Democratic National Committee official reportedly suggested in May that “someone” should draw attention to Bernie Sanders’ atheist beliefs.

In an email leaked Friday by Wikileaks Brad Marshall, the DNC’s chief financial officer suggested that the party should “get someone to ask” about “his” religious beliefs, The Intercept reported....

This is just so outrageous. There needs to be a primary challenge to Debbie Wasserman Schultz. I can't accept the fact this happened with the chairwoman of the DNC. It is unthinkable. She needs to leave. Now. It compromises every value I have held dear regarding the Democrats. I want no trace of her anywhere.

"Good Night, Moon"

The waxing gibbous

20.2 days

70.4 percent lit

A documentary about the USA moon program aired on July 20, 2016. (click here)

Wind as energy is extremely important.

This isn't a frivilous and political movement to favor cronies, the heating of Earth is real and adverse to good outcomes if nothing is done to stem the emissions of greenhouse gases. Wind energy plays a vital role in that.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions cannot remain a political issue. This is about the climate of Earth and survival of life. That may seem an extreme statement, but, the fact is Earth's climate is reaching extremes already. 

This awareness began at least fifty years ago. How hot would Earth be today if the change to alternative energy began then?

There are issues with every form of energy. It is the energies that produce greenhouse gases that are the most destructive, not bird and bat counts. The wildlife losses can be mitigated and primarily by the actual placement of the wind turbines.

The BirdLife Flyways Programme (click here) is working on the ground to protect chains of Important Bird & Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) that are critical for migratory birds, and to reduce threats along these routes.

The greatest danger is migrations, especially during landings and take offs. The wind turbines have to be below the migratory altitude and away from landing areas. That is extremely important. The use of wind turbines are necessary, but, mitigating the problems will result in better acceptance of their use. Economically, they are important to the USA. Bird watching is as well.

Arkansas and Michigan (click here) have component manufacturing as turbine assembly plants. There are component manufactures all over the USA. A comparison can be drawn between wind turbine manufacturing in the USA to the beginnings of the car industry.

When it comes to protecting bird species more assessment of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act with partner countries will keep up to date problems so the bird populations are not effected. Birds will find migration challenging as well with droughts along these migration flyways.

I can't state it enough and with emphasis. "This is it, people. It is time to make the jump to alternatives in a very big way. Now, not 30 years from now."

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines (click here)

Birds and bats are a concern. Deaths are related to migratory habits.

...Most birds killed at wind turbines (click here) are song birds. Migratory songbirds often migrate during the night at altitudes generally above rotor swept areas when weather conditions are favorable. Risk may be greatest during take-off and landing where wind facilities abut stopover sites. Studies have indicated that the level of bird use at the site and the behavior of the birds at the site are important factors to consider when assessing potential risk. For example, raptor fatalities appear to increase as raptor abundance increases. Certain species – including red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) and golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) – that forage for prey in close proximity to turbines appear to have increased fatalities, while others like common ravens appear to avoid collisions with turbines.

All studies of bat impacts have demonstrated that fatalities peak in late summer and early fall, coinciding with the migration of many species. Bat fatalities also occur during spring migration for some species at some facilities. Several species of bats are vulnerable to collisions with turbines. Three migratory tree-roosting species seem to be particularly vulnerable: the hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), Eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis), and silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans).

There is also evidence that ground nesting birds, such as prairie-chickens and sage grouse, may avoid areas with wind turbines. It is believed that they avoid structures that could be used as perches for predators such as raptors. Turbine strings or arrays may also affect the habitat, causing the birds to search for less disturbed habitat. This can disrupt their breeding and nesting behaviors, resulting in fewer chicks surviving to adulthood....

Wind turbine manufacturing is not small business.

July 24, 2016
By Joseph Bonney
The merger of Germany’s Siemens and Spain’s Gamesa (click here) into the world’s biggest builder of wind farms is the latest in a series of mergers and acquisitions in a sector that has become a top source of project cargo shipments.
Siemens agreed to pay 1 billion euros ($1.13 billion) for a 59 percent majority stake in the combined company. The deal meshes Siemens’ strength in offshore wind power with Gamesa’s leading position in developing markets. “Although some degree of cannibalization is to be expected as the two companies unite their wind businesses, the new combined venture will indeed surface as a leading global wind turbine manufacturer in terms of annual installation volumes,” said Magnus Dale, senior analyst of European power, gas, coal and renewables at IHS Energy.
The merger follows other industry consolidation, including the merger of Nordex and Acciona Windpower, which was approved in January, and GE.
The new company will have the world’s largest market share in wind power manufacturing, surpassing China’s Goldwind and Denmark’s Vestas. Combined turbine installations of Siemens and Gamesa in 2015 would yield 8.1 million gigawatts in 34 markets globally, according to IHS Energy, which, like JOC.com, is owned by IHS Markit....

The wind turbine market is real.

7 July 2015
By Joshua S. Hill

Siemens has been awarded a wind turbine order (click here) for 580 MW by DONG Energy for the Race Bank wind power plant which could be worth up to $1.2 billion.

Siemens will provide 91 of its 6 MW direct drive wind turbines to the Race Bank offshore wind power project, set to be located approximately 32 kilometers off the British eastern coast. Upon completion, which is set for the beginning of 2018, the 580 MW project will generate enough electricity to supply approximately 400,000 British households....

Wind turban noise by the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD is a part of NIH)

So, just how noisy is a wind turbine? (click here)

The closest that a wind turbine is typically placed to a home is 300 meters or more. At that distance, a turbine will have a sound pressure level of 43 decibels. To put that in context, the average air conditioner can reach 50 decibels of noise, and most refrigerators run at around 40 decibels.

At 500 meters (0.3 miles) away, that sound pressure level drops to 38 decibels. In most places, according to Keith Longtin of GE Renewable Energy, background noise ranges from 40 to 45 decibels, meaning that a turbine’s noise would be lost amongst it. For the stillest, most rural areas, Longtin says the background noise is 30 decibels. At that level, a turbine located about a mile away wouldn’t be heard.

For a complete run down of louder-than-a-fridge but quieter-than-a-blender context points, check out the graphic above.

Steady as it goes. The fire season to date is less dynamic than last year at this time, but,

July 24, 2016
By Erica Evans

The fast-moving brush fire (click here) tearing through the Santa Clarita Valley this weekend is part of a larger trend: Wildfire seasons in the western United States are lasting longer and burning more land, according to a recent report by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Over 29,000 wildfires have scorched more than 2.6 million acres of land already this year, and the peak of the fire season hasn’t hit yet, according to the report published last week.
Last year’s fire season was the most severe on record, burning more than 10 million acres — roughly twice the size of Massachusetts....

The US Forest Service is focusing on fire suppression and forest health. It might just be working. Nothing is perfect. There are going to be fires and some set by arsonists.

California is still struggling under drought conditions. 

...Fire Suppression Cap Adjustment. (click here) We propose a budget cap adjustment to fund suppression costs for large and complex fires. Suppression would be funded at a level that covers 99 percent of the fires we fight, or 70 percent of our 10-year average suppression costs. Remaining fire costs would be funded through an “off-budget” fire suppression cap adjustment. Off-budget funding would be accessed with Secretarial declaration of need and imminent end of appropriated discretionary funds. Proposed language amending the Appropriations Act is included in this Budget Proposal, Appropriations Language Changes...

2014 Wind Technologies Market Report - page 66. Wind power is at an all time low.

...Wind PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) prices have reached all-time lows Figure 45 plots project-level levelized wind PPA prices by contract execution date, showing a clear downward trend in PPA prices since 2009 and 2010—both overall and by region (see Figure 29 for regional definitions).56 This trend is particularly evident within the Interior region, which—as a result of its low average project costs and high average capacity factors shown ...

Another big part of the emissions of greenhouse gases is electricity consumption, otherwise known as energy conservation.

July 26, 2016
By James Osborne

The almost decade-long decline (click here) in U.S. energy consumption continued in 2015.

According to a new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, overall energy use fell to 97,523 trillion British thermal units – contributing to a 3.5 percent decline since energy use peaked in 2007.

From tighter miles-per-gallons standards on cars to buildings with thicker glass and less wasteful cooling and heating systems, governments in Europe and the United States have been steadily mandating greater efficiency.

The losses in energy use were almost entirely felt by the coal sector, which saw its domestic consumption rate fall by 12 percent. Even as Americans used less energy overall in 2015, consumption of energy generated from petroleum and natural gas rose 2 percent and 3 percent respectively.

Renewable energy use rose 1 percent, and nuclear was relatively flat, according to the government report.

There is a direct link between climate, drought and heat waves.

Map above click here.

A heat wave (click here) is generally defined as a period of several days to 
weeks of abnormally hot weather.

In the past 3-4 decades, there has been an increasing trend in high-humidity heat waves, which are characterized by the persistence of extremely high night-time temperature. The combination of high humidity and high night-time temperature can make for a deadly pairing, offering no relief and posing a particular threat for the elderly. Extreme heat events are responsible for more deaths annually than hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined.

At the same time, low-humidity heat waves associated with droughts and fueled in part by climate change contribute to the dry conditions that are driving wild fires...

This is from an organization called "Climate Communication." It's staff is highly qualified to be writing about the Earth's climate and global warming.

We have come a long way, but, we have at least that much further to go.

Total: 74,472 MW (MegaWatt) in 2015 (click here)

Total: 2471 MW in 1999

Record heat is increasing month after month. It is no longer intermittent and unusual.

July 19, 2016
By Chris Mooney

This June (click here) has joined every other month of this year so far in setting an all-time monthly record for global temperatures, according to two separate federal science agencies — though the globe was not as extremely warm last month as it was earlier in the year.

“Warmer to much-warmer-than-average conditions dominated across much of the globe’s surface, resulting in the highest temperature departure for June since global temperature records began in 1880,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Globally averaged temperatures in June were 0.9 degrees Celsius (1.62 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the average across the 20th century, according to NOAA. That slightly surpassed temperatures measured in the prior record June of last year.

Data from NASA, also released Tuesday, broadly agreed with that analysis, despite a somewhat different way of slicing the information. According to the agency, globally averaged temperatures in June of 2016 were 0.79 degrees Celsius (1.42 degrees Fahrenheit) above the average for the years 1951 through 1980....

Taking a break from emissions and looking instead at energy with no emissions.

Where was the media while Hawaii is experiencing a category 1 Hurricane Darby.

July 24, 2016

1530.18z

UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of north and west hemisphere (click here for 12 hour loop)

July 24, 2016

By Kristina Pydynowski

Darby (click here) will continue to deliver locally heavy rain, gusty winds and rough surf to Hawaii into early Monday. But the tropical storm will provide long-term benefits.

Darby made landfall on Hawaii's Big Island on Saturday afternoon local time, in the vicinity of where Iselle made landfall in 2014. Darby will continue towards Kauai into early Monday, gradually weakening to a tropical depression.

Rain and gusty winds will continue to spread from the Big Island to Kauai into Sunday night. Since Darby will slowly weaken, the Big Island will face the most adverse impacts.

"The main impact from Darby will be in the form of significant rainfall," AccuWeather Meteorologist Evan Duffey said.

"The eastern half of the Big Island should see the most rainfall," he said.

It has been a long time since a strong hurricane rolled across Hawaii. That will change since the Pacific has the majority of storms annually. There is now a far active hurricane season in the eastern Pacific than the Atlantic Ocean.

Last year, 2015, the hurricane season began on May 28, 2016 and ended December 31, 2015. The turbulence continued until January 14, 2016. The season then continued in 2016 starting July 2, 2016.

There were 31 storms in the eastern Pacific in 2015. Considering the fact the season continued until January 14, 2016 there were actually 32 storms for the 2016 season.

The year 2005 was the year of Katrina, Rita and Wilma in the Atlantic Ocean. There was a total of 31 storms that year which ended on January 6, 2006.

Hawaii will see far more hurricanes beginning this year than ever before in it's history. The governance of Hawaii should include the increasing problems with high energy hurricanes. These storms can effect it's economy as well. The native Hawaiians need to be prepared for surviving these storms.

The last time a category 4 hurricane hit Hawaii (click here) was 15 years ago when Hurricane Iniki swept over the islands.

The eye of the hurricane passed over Kauai on September 11, 1992. It caused over $1 billion in damage and six deaths. The hurricane also destroyed 1,400 homes and severely damaged over 5,000.

Oahu also experienced moderate damage from the storm.

Hurricane Iniki was the first hurricane to hit the state since Hurricane Iwa in 1982.

It remains the strongest hurricane in history to hit the Hawaiian Islands.

It's Sunday Night

Heat is not a benign weather condition. If one recalls infrastructure and the New York City blackout when an electrical wire drooped from the heat and shorted out the grid.

July 22, 2016
By Evelyn Holmes and Laura Podesta

Chicago (WLS) --

People across (click here) the Chicago area are looking to cool off on this sweltering summer day.

An Excessive Heat Warning for Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee, La Salle, Lee, Livingston, Ogle counties in Illinois is expected to expire at 7 p.m. Saturday.

A Heat Advisory for Kendall and Will counties in Illinois and Benton, Jasper and Newton counties in Indiana is expected to expire at 7 p.m. Saturday....

Fountains, shades and fire hydrants with spray attached will provide relief from the heat.

It takes a community sometimes to plan for days shade and coolness.

"Storms" by Lifehouse (click here for official website - thank you)

How long have I been in this storm?
So overwhelmed by the ocean's shapeless form
Water's getting harder to tread
With these waves crashing over my head

If I could just see you
Everything would be all right
If I'd see you
This darkness would turn to light

And I will walk on water
And you will catch me if I fall
And I will get lost into your eyes
I know everything will be alright
I know everything is alright

I know you didn't bring me out here to drown
So why am I ten feet under and upside down
Barely surviving has become my purpose
Because I'm so used to living underneath the surface

If I could just see you
Everything would be all right
If I'd see you
This darkness would turn to light

And I will walk on water
And you will catch me if I fall
And I will get lost into your eyes
And I know everything will be alright

And I will walk on water
And you will catch me if I fall
And I will get lost into your eyes
I know everything will be alright
I know everything is alright

Everything's alright
Yeah, everything's alright