"North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the 'Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times,'" the president tweeted. "Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"
Trump has no place on the Korean Peninsula anymore.
Tuesday, January 02, 2018
I like Senator Doug Jones already. He chose an experienced staffer as his chief of staff.
By Zola Ray
Doug Jones, (click here) the Democratic Alabama senator-elect, said Tuesday that he’s chosen Dana Gresham (click here) to be his chief of staff. Jones will be the only Democratic senator with a black person in the chief of staff position, The Hill reported Tuesday.
Gresham has held positions on Capitol Hill for 14 years and was a leader of the Department of Transportation’s Legislative Affairs Office during former president Barack Obama’s eight years in office, The Hill reported. Democratic Representative Terri A. Sewell of Alabama said in a tweet that Gresham, who is originally from Birmingham, Alabama, is “Birmingham’s own stand out."...
Charlie Dent is not a center-right Congressman, he is a right wing extremist.
Today, he is complaining about a New York Times article that cites approximately seven FBI agents. He states the FBI agents have no right to speak to the press as an anonymous source. That is exactly why long lived newspapers like The Washington Post, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, LA Times and Boston Globe as examples, exist. They exist to buffer abuses by government and that frequently comes from FBI agents involved in operations that run into corruption and/or crime.
September 7, 2017
By Laura Olson
Republican U. S. Rep. Charlie Dent (click here) stunned his colleagues and constituents Thursday evening when the seven-term Lehigh Valley lawmaker announced that he will not seek re-election next year.
An outspoken figure within the dwindling center-right of the Republican Party, Dent has gained national prominence for this role within what he describes as the “governing” wing of the party. He is a co-chairman of the Tuesday Group, a caucus of moderates within the GOP, and from that post, he has called out colleagues who he views as blocking action in Congress...
When politicians complain about agents of any kind it is a red flag to ask the question, what is that politician doing wrong OR unable to do wrong for a crony? The politicians promise the sky and then find out they can't deliver the goods to their political cronies.
So, ah, what is Charlie Dent doing wrong or wants to do wrong? He has no problem providing funding to US intelligence agencies on the Appropriation Committee.
Dent's voting record does not match his rhetoric;
Voted Yes on: (click here) Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (HR 3180, second vote)
September 7, 2017
By Laura Olson
Republican U. S. Rep. Charlie Dent (click here) stunned his colleagues and constituents Thursday evening when the seven-term Lehigh Valley lawmaker announced that he will not seek re-election next year.
An outspoken figure within the dwindling center-right of the Republican Party, Dent has gained national prominence for this role within what he describes as the “governing” wing of the party. He is a co-chairman of the Tuesday Group, a caucus of moderates within the GOP, and from that post, he has called out colleagues who he views as blocking action in Congress...
When politicians complain about agents of any kind it is a red flag to ask the question, what is that politician doing wrong OR unable to do wrong for a crony? The politicians promise the sky and then find out they can't deliver the goods to their political cronies.
So, ah, what is Charlie Dent doing wrong or wants to do wrong? He has no problem providing funding to US intelligence agencies on the Appropriation Committee.
Dent's voting record does not match his rhetoric;
Voted Yes on: (click here) Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (HR 3180, second vote)
-
Bill Passed (380-35) on July 28, 2017- This bill proposed authorizing appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the United States Government, the Community Management Account, and the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, and for other purposes.
This is a bit chilling.
We have seen the injustice of our legal system. More often than not the woman victim is made the perpetrator and seductress of her rape. There need to be stronger ethics standards involved within the Justice Department. I don't care the issue, there should be no judge in our legal system that even comes close to the lines that define ethics.
January 1, 2018
By Doreen McCallister
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts (click here) released his annual report on the federal judiciary on Sunday.
In one section of the 16-page report, he promised a careful evaluation of the judiciary's sexual misconduct policies.
He said recent events have "illuminated the depth of the problem of sexual harassment in the workplace."
Roberts added, "Events in the past few weeks have made clear that the judicial branch is not immune."...
January 1, 2018
By Doreen McCallister
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts (click here) released his annual report on the federal judiciary on Sunday.
In one section of the 16-page report, he promised a careful evaluation of the judiciary's sexual misconduct policies.
He said recent events have "illuminated the depth of the problem of sexual harassment in the workplace."
Roberts added, "Events in the past few weeks have made clear that the judicial branch is not immune."...
I congratulate North and South Korea in finding a bridge across the void of diplomacy by the USA.
It is amazing to realize the North Koreans are ready to participate in the Winter Olympics. That is a surprise. I congratulate Supreme leader Un on the fitness of his people to participate. This is a pleasant surprise.
I hope this bridge will hold up and the Korean Peninsula will find more and more reasons to cooperate with each other. To be honest, I am worried about the North Korean people, a severe winter and potential food shortages. The North Korean people are incredible when it comes to living under harsh conditions, but, humanitarian efforts should be considered if Kim Jong Un would consent to safe passage for those that can help.
2 January 2017
I hope this bridge will hold up and the Korean Peninsula will find more and more reasons to cooperate with each other. To be honest, I am worried about the North Korean people, a severe winter and potential food shortages. The North Korean people are incredible when it comes to living under harsh conditions, but, humanitarian efforts should be considered if Kim Jong Un would consent to safe passage for those that can help.
2 January 2017
By Harriet
Kim Jong-un's suggestion that North KoreaKim Jong-un's suggestion that North Korea (click here) could send athletes to next month's Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, has prompted host nation South Korea to propose high-level talks before the games begin.
It comes as tension in the region has ratcheted up after Pyongyang conducted a series of ballistic missile tests and a pair of nuclear tests over the last year.
“We hope the two sides sit down for frank talks," the South's unification minister, Cho Myoung-gyon, told a news conference....
Monday, January 01, 2018
The USA Congress broke their promise on certification of Iran's nuclear agreement.
In realizing the Congressional deadline was December 15, 2017, there is another recertification coming up in January. Perhaps if the US Congress FINALLY admits Iran is upholding the agreement they could recertify the agreement.
December 28, 2017
By Michael Crowley
President Donald Trump (click here) allowed the Iran nuclear deal to survive through 2017, but the new year will offer him another chance to blow up the agreement — and critics and supporters alike believe he may take it.
By mid-January, the president will face new legal deadlines to choose whether to slap U.S. sanctions back on Tehran. Senior lawmakers and some of Trump's top national security officials are trying to preserve the agreement. But the deal's backers fear Trump has grown more willing to reject the counsel of his foreign policy team, as he did with his recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital....
P5 + 1 may turn into P4 + 1. The USA is completely foolish to attempt to derail the Iran nuclear agreement. If the agreement was completely dissolved Iran could immediately return to nuclear proliferation and guaranteed there will never be an agreement in the future. To dissolve the agreement will be to put Israel in immediate danger should the Iranian nuclear program restart.
The US Congress promised to uphold the certification when the US State Department announces Iran is in compliance. If the Republican Congress again refuses their responsibility in the face of a populous President, they need to go. 2018 should clean out the Republican swamp once and for all.
This majority Republican Congress has a real disdain for the poor, the middle class, children and the elderly. No one needs the added stress this Congress is bringing to the most vulnerable Americans. If Congress can't do it's job in certifying AGREEMENTS when conditions are met, then perhaps the Ameican people should take back their country in 2018 and hopefully, the international community will be patient until then.
December 30, 2017
By Daniel Chaitin
This week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (click here) sought to correct the record with Kentucky news outlets after an editorial and political cartoon cast the blame on him for a new tax on a local college that prides itself on its Christian values and helping low-income students.
McConnell wrote opinion pieces for both the Courier-Journal and the Lexington Herald-Leader to explain that the new tax impacting Berea College as a result of the tax overhaul spearheaded by GOP leadership should be pinned on the "hypocrisy coming from Senate Democrats" and not himself....
December 28, 2017
By Michael Crowley
President Donald Trump (click here) allowed the Iran nuclear deal to survive through 2017, but the new year will offer him another chance to blow up the agreement — and critics and supporters alike believe he may take it.
By mid-January, the president will face new legal deadlines to choose whether to slap U.S. sanctions back on Tehran. Senior lawmakers and some of Trump's top national security officials are trying to preserve the agreement. But the deal's backers fear Trump has grown more willing to reject the counsel of his foreign policy team, as he did with his recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital....
P5 + 1 may turn into P4 + 1. The USA is completely foolish to attempt to derail the Iran nuclear agreement. If the agreement was completely dissolved Iran could immediately return to nuclear proliferation and guaranteed there will never be an agreement in the future. To dissolve the agreement will be to put Israel in immediate danger should the Iranian nuclear program restart.
The US Congress promised to uphold the certification when the US State Department announces Iran is in compliance. If the Republican Congress again refuses their responsibility in the face of a populous President, they need to go. 2018 should clean out the Republican swamp once and for all.
This majority Republican Congress has a real disdain for the poor, the middle class, children and the elderly. No one needs the added stress this Congress is bringing to the most vulnerable Americans. If Congress can't do it's job in certifying AGREEMENTS when conditions are met, then perhaps the Ameican people should take back their country in 2018 and hopefully, the international community will be patient until then.
December 30, 2017
By Daniel Chaitin
This week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (click here) sought to correct the record with Kentucky news outlets after an editorial and political cartoon cast the blame on him for a new tax on a local college that prides itself on its Christian values and helping low-income students.
McConnell wrote opinion pieces for both the Courier-Journal and the Lexington Herald-Leader to explain that the new tax impacting Berea College as a result of the tax overhaul spearheaded by GOP leadership should be pinned on the "hypocrisy coming from Senate Democrats" and not himself....
A Supermoon occurs when the full moon coincides with the moon's closest approach to the Earth.
January 1, 2017
The fireworks (click here) may be long gone but the first supermoon of 2018 is illuminating the skies across the world.
NASA is calling this the “biggest and brightest” one for the entire year and so far it isn’t disappointing.
The phenomenon “supermoon” occurs when the moon becomes full on the same day it reaches its perigee, the point in the moon’s elliptical orbit when it is closest to Earth....
...“The moon looked magnificent,” said David Blanchflower, who snapped a photo of it in the United Kingdom. “Dominating the night sky with its incredible brightness. Awe-inspiring.”
If you miss January’s first full moon — nicknamed a wolf moon — don’t worry, there’s another one this month, on the 31st.
The supermoon lit up the sky in our area Monday. Take a look! (click here)
The fireworks (click here) may be long gone but the first supermoon of 2018 is illuminating the skies across the world.
NASA is calling this the “biggest and brightest” one for the entire year and so far it isn’t disappointing.
The phenomenon “supermoon” occurs when the moon becomes full on the same day it reaches its perigee, the point in the moon’s elliptical orbit when it is closest to Earth....
...“The moon looked magnificent,” said David Blanchflower, who snapped a photo of it in the United Kingdom. “Dominating the night sky with its incredible brightness. Awe-inspiring.”
If you miss January’s first full moon — nicknamed a wolf moon — don’t worry, there’s another one this month, on the 31st.
The supermoon lit up the sky in our area Monday. Take a look! (click here)
January 1, 2017
By Eric Bailey
Los Angeles — For all of the storylines (click here) surrounding Monday’s game between Oklahoma and Georgia, the Rose Bowl likely will be decided by one key matchup.
Quarterback play.
Oklahoma has Baker Mayfield, a Heisman Trophy winner with 39 games of experience. Georgia has Jake Fromm, a true freshman who has commanded the Bulldogs to Monday’s College Football Playoff semifinal contest.
Granted, it takes a team to win a big football game, but a quarterback is a leader. Everything good or bad begins with that player.
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit has provided analysis for some of Mayfield’s games over the past three seasons. He understands — like most in Oklahoma’s fan base — the importance of the senior quarterback to his team.
“I’m a big believer in energy. His team feeds off of his energy, maybe unlike any other quarterback that I’ve seen before,” Herbstreit said on Sunday morning. “If he gets going, if he gets that look in his eye, it’s really challenging to defend him.”...
By Eric Bailey
Los Angeles — For all of the storylines (click here) surrounding Monday’s game between Oklahoma and Georgia, the Rose Bowl likely will be decided by one key matchup.
Quarterback play.
Oklahoma has Baker Mayfield, a Heisman Trophy winner with 39 games of experience. Georgia has Jake Fromm, a true freshman who has commanded the Bulldogs to Monday’s College Football Playoff semifinal contest.
Granted, it takes a team to win a big football game, but a quarterback is a leader. Everything good or bad begins with that player.
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit has provided analysis for some of Mayfield’s games over the past three seasons. He understands — like most in Oklahoma’s fan base — the importance of the senior quarterback to his team.
“I’m a big believer in energy. His team feeds off of his energy, maybe unlike any other quarterback that I’ve seen before,” Herbstreit said on Sunday morning. “If he gets going, if he gets that look in his eye, it’s really challenging to defend him.”...
I happen to agree.
There is no greater sponsor of terrorists than the country that hid Osama bin Laden. There is a risk in defunding Pakistan with American forces in Afghanistan. There is nothing to stop Pakistan from issuing far different orders to border guards.
It is the Pakistani ISI that has caused so many problems. The ISI is probably the entity that trained the Taliban for many years before they returned to Afghanistan. The real folly occurred under "W" when he abandoned Afghanistan to invade oil-laden Iraq.
Sorry for the pause I had a phone call.
Other than the Taliban, I believe the Haqqani Network is still alive and well. There are many entities that feed off financial aid into the region. I don't know that eliminating that aid so much as targeting it is a far better strategy to end violence. One aspect of burgeoning societies in Pakistan and Afghanistan are places of education. Pakistan especially has been successful in the education of their people over the past decade. Of course, the content of the education can be challenged if it inspires hatred or isolationism. But, that can be better realized by offering financial aid to curriculum that inspires democracy and freedom, including religious freedom, diversity and tolerance.
Realizing how small the world has become with increased online access is to realize how ridiculous isolation is as a method to governance. Freedom of speech has never been more important both domestically for the USA and with international allies. It is even more interesting to realize social media has been accepted to some degree in traditionally communist countries, such as China.
But, as to Pakistan. I think President Trump is partially correct. This is a country that has violated the Non-Proliferation Treaty and remains a concern to India in maintaining any reasonable peace in the region. I think funding for Pakistan should be in the areas of education and better governance including ending the vacillation of the ISI. I have long believed paying for Pakistani airspace was a major mistake by the USA that resulted in larger danger to the USA than safety.
January 1, 2018
After recent reports (click here) that the Donald Trump administration was considering cutting off aid to Pakistan, US President Donald Trump slammed the country, saying that the US had "foolishly" given Pakistan $33 billion in aid in the last 15 years.
Trump said that the US had only gotten lies and deceit in return for the monetary aid it had provided. Trump also said that US operations in Afghanistan were being hindered by the "safe haven" that Pakistan was providing to terrorists.
The US, which has provided Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid since 2002, said in August that it was withholding the $255 million until Pakistan did more to crackdown on terrorist groups.
Last week, The New York Times reported that the Trump administration was seriously weighing whether to withhold $255 million in already delayed aid to Islamabad over its failure to better crack down on terror groups in Pakistan....
It is the Pakistani ISI that has caused so many problems. The ISI is probably the entity that trained the Taliban for many years before they returned to Afghanistan. The real folly occurred under "W" when he abandoned Afghanistan to invade oil-laden Iraq.
Sorry for the pause I had a phone call.
Other than the Taliban, I believe the Haqqani Network is still alive and well. There are many entities that feed off financial aid into the region. I don't know that eliminating that aid so much as targeting it is a far better strategy to end violence. One aspect of burgeoning societies in Pakistan and Afghanistan are places of education. Pakistan especially has been successful in the education of their people over the past decade. Of course, the content of the education can be challenged if it inspires hatred or isolationism. But, that can be better realized by offering financial aid to curriculum that inspires democracy and freedom, including religious freedom, diversity and tolerance.
Realizing how small the world has become with increased online access is to realize how ridiculous isolation is as a method to governance. Freedom of speech has never been more important both domestically for the USA and with international allies. It is even more interesting to realize social media has been accepted to some degree in traditionally communist countries, such as China.
But, as to Pakistan. I think President Trump is partially correct. This is a country that has violated the Non-Proliferation Treaty and remains a concern to India in maintaining any reasonable peace in the region. I think funding for Pakistan should be in the areas of education and better governance including ending the vacillation of the ISI. I have long believed paying for Pakistani airspace was a major mistake by the USA that resulted in larger danger to the USA than safety.
January 1, 2018After recent reports (click here) that the Donald Trump administration was considering cutting off aid to Pakistan, US President Donald Trump slammed the country, saying that the US had "foolishly" given Pakistan $33 billion in aid in the last 15 years.
Trump said that the US had only gotten lies and deceit in return for the monetary aid it had provided. Trump also said that US operations in Afghanistan were being hindered by the "safe haven" that Pakistan was providing to terrorists.
The US, which has provided Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid since 2002, said in August that it was withholding the $255 million until Pakistan did more to crackdown on terrorist groups.
Last week, The New York Times reported that the Trump administration was seriously weighing whether to withhold $255 million in already delayed aid to Islamabad over its failure to better crack down on terror groups in Pakistan....
Where is the expert insight of Christiane Amanpour?
An Op-Ed somewhere might be good. My concern is this: the USA turned against the people of Iran with the travel ban.
The last time there were substantial demonstrations, including deaths of dearly wonderful Iranian people, the elections reflected a far more open Iran with leadership that brought an agreement with P5+1. Right now most Iranians are looking at each other and wondering what the heck happened that brought the level of terrorists?
See, there have never been terrorists from Iran (click here) and the people don't deserve this level of hatred. This is where the Trump White House fails democracy and international relationships. There is a gross difference between the people and the government.
The Iranian government is known as a state sponsor of terror. That may be true in considering the USA or Israel has successfully intercepted military shipments to the Houthis and Hezbollah. But, with Hezbollah becoming an autonomous organization with the abrupt appearance of ISIS, Iran's influence has to be questioned.
The Trump White House is causing distress among the people of Iran and creating a paradigm that might work against the best interest of a more friendly Iranian government. The paradigm shift that brought President Hassan Rouhani to leadership may be successfully challenged. That would be a profound loss to the USA's relationship with the Iranian people.
I wish President Rouhani would find his own sanctions to make it clear to the USA that Iran does not breed terrorists within their borders. These current protests are worrisome and to have Trump embrace them without fully understanding their origins and potential outcomes is foolish.
This is the folly of Trump policy regarding Israel. The populous government currently within the USA government are plainly stupid about democracy and economics. President Rouhani needs to point to the naive USA government when making an impression on the international community regarding very belated travel sanctions. It would not be such a stark surprise to have had "W" place travel sanctions on the countries where terrorists called home until the USA had a chance to react to the attacks of September 11, 2001. But, today? Ridiculous.
The USA Supreme Court examines ONLY the right of the USA President to institute travel bans to protect the USA within it's borders, not the necessity of it's timing. Trump is paranoid another 911 will occur because he doesn't have a clue about international relations and USA national security. I would think the political paranoia is obvious in all his actions when it comes to these ideas.
Given a former CEO of Exxonmobile is in the State Department should raise the issue as to how much foreign oil is the USA now receiving. When a Republican majority passed an amendment to a necessary budget allowing the export of USA oil and gas, there was a paradigm shift that requires scrutiny. How much more oil imports exist now that Tillerson is running the State Department and can it be balanced with USA domestic oil being exported?
USA international relations are a matter of decades if not centuries of administrations, including individual state relations for trade. The idea a single populous White House can simply tip the scales willy-nilly is hideous and to consider President Trump is in violation of the Emoluments Clause makes it all that much more corrupt to the core.
See, there have never been terrorists from Iran (click here) and the people don't deserve this level of hatred. This is where the Trump White House fails democracy and international relationships. There is a gross difference between the people and the government.
The Iranian government is known as a state sponsor of terror. That may be true in considering the USA or Israel has successfully intercepted military shipments to the Houthis and Hezbollah. But, with Hezbollah becoming an autonomous organization with the abrupt appearance of ISIS, Iran's influence has to be questioned.
The Trump White House is causing distress among the people of Iran and creating a paradigm that might work against the best interest of a more friendly Iranian government. The paradigm shift that brought President Hassan Rouhani to leadership may be successfully challenged. That would be a profound loss to the USA's relationship with the Iranian people.
I wish President Rouhani would find his own sanctions to make it clear to the USA that Iran does not breed terrorists within their borders. These current protests are worrisome and to have Trump embrace them without fully understanding their origins and potential outcomes is foolish.
This is the folly of Trump policy regarding Israel. The populous government currently within the USA government are plainly stupid about democracy and economics. President Rouhani needs to point to the naive USA government when making an impression on the international community regarding very belated travel sanctions. It would not be such a stark surprise to have had "W" place travel sanctions on the countries where terrorists called home until the USA had a chance to react to the attacks of September 11, 2001. But, today? Ridiculous.
The USA Supreme Court examines ONLY the right of the USA President to institute travel bans to protect the USA within it's borders, not the necessity of it's timing. Trump is paranoid another 911 will occur because he doesn't have a clue about international relations and USA national security. I would think the political paranoia is obvious in all his actions when it comes to these ideas.
Given a former CEO of Exxonmobile is in the State Department should raise the issue as to how much foreign oil is the USA now receiving. When a Republican majority passed an amendment to a necessary budget allowing the export of USA oil and gas, there was a paradigm shift that requires scrutiny. How much more oil imports exist now that Tillerson is running the State Department and can it be balanced with USA domestic oil being exported?
USA international relations are a matter of decades if not centuries of administrations, including individual state relations for trade. The idea a single populous White House can simply tip the scales willy-nilly is hideous and to consider President Trump is in violation of the Emoluments Clause makes it all that much more corrupt to the core.
January 1, 2018
By Trita Parsi
In a matter of days, (click here) protests in Iran have quickly spread across the country, taking the government by surprise and leaving analysts and pundits alike confused. Part of the reason many have been caught off guard is because these protests appear quite different from their 2009 predecessor -- in terms of size, leadership and objective.
By Trita Parsi
In a matter of days, (click here) protests in Iran have quickly spread across the country, taking the government by surprise and leaving analysts and pundits alike confused. Part of the reason many have been caught off guard is because these protests appear quite different from their 2009 predecessor -- in terms of size, leadership and objective.
But another reason is that the drivers of these protests are from a segment of the population that has rarely figured into Iran's political developments in the past two decades -- those who never believed or have lost hope in the idea of real change through reform....
Sunday, December 31, 2017
The most troubling event in 2017 was the escalation of tensions with North Korea and the USA.
Over the years since Kim Jon Il's death in 2011 we have witnessed the isolation of North Korean leadership. First it was Un's wife that left international society. In 2017, the tensions between North Korea and the USA hit an all time high. The odd thing about North Korea is similar to other countries with nuclear capacity, in that poverty rules the country while sophisticated weaponry drain the national treasury.
The Korean Peninsula and Japan has seen at leave five major storms this year. The satellite was earlier today. There is a hurricane like storm between Japan and the Korean Peninsula. There has been many 'ghost ships' washing ashore in Japan. I would expect that to continue given the impoverishment of North Korea.
The insight one can draw from such foolishness by the USA and North Korea is the fact the people may be facing real problems with a food supply.
The Korean Peninsula and Japan has seen at leave five major storms this year. The satellite was earlier today. There is a hurricane like storm between Japan and the Korean Peninsula. There has been many 'ghost ships' washing ashore in Japan. I would expect that to continue given the impoverishment of North Korea.
The insight one can draw from such foolishness by the USA and North Korea is the fact the people may be facing real problems with a food supply.
Himawari Satellite
31 December 2017
1700 UTC
December 7, 2017
In November, eight men were found alive on a boat at Yurihonjo marina. They said they were fishermen from North Korea who had gotten into trouble at sea.
Another ship picked up by the Japanese coast guard was found to have 10 men on board.
The boats are often rickety and very simple vessels with no modern engines or navigation instruments on board.
Where are they from?
With most of the boats washing up empty or only with dead bodies, it was initially not clear where they had come from but some observers speculated they were North Korean fishing boats that had been searching for king crab, squid and sandfish.
Markings on some of the vessels, in Korean, indicated that they belonged to the North's military which is heavily involved in the fishing industry.
In the recent cases where boats were found with the crew still alive, the sailors confirmed they were from North Korea. One of the boats rescued in November also had a plaque indicating it belonged to the military.
Unsurprisingly, there has been no mention of the missing vessels from North Korea....
More dangerous temperatures during a holiday.
The last time the polar vortex visited was 2013. The winter was wicked and spring for farmers was late.
People have to be reminded about the dangers of carbon monoxide. They should go to places where they are safe and not use any stoves or indoor burning for heat.
December 31, 2017
1230:18z
The Arctic air mass is firmly anchored over the USA. All air movement has been involving the oceans and not the land. The oceans are warmer than land and will continue to induce air movement that carries water vapor into the ice structures of the hemisphere.
Saturday, December 30, 2017
The word needs to go out that fishing boats and any passenger ships need to put into the nearest port.
To left:
Antarctica Water Vapor Composite (click here for24 hour loop )
December 30, 2017
2100 utc
Dangerous waves (click here) are set to hit New Zealand's western coastline on New Year's Day and they may be so high fishers and boaties could be in peril.
Beachgoers are being warned to expect incre
asing large and powerful swells that will rapidly double in height at North and South Island beaches throughout the day.
To right, New Zealand is in the high-pressure trough.
East Australia Water Vapor Satellite (click here)
December 31, 2017
0130z
To right, New Zealand is in the high-pressure trough.
East Australia Water Vapor Satellite (click here)
December 31, 2017
0130z
Metservice said the dangerous swells will suddenly arrive in sets with the potential to catch those near the water by surprise.
Fishing off rocks and crossing West Coast bars by boat may prove too hazardous for the next couple of days.MetService said the waves had been generated from a deep storm in the Southern Ocean and driven by westerly gales roaring across the ocean south of Australia.
The long period waves would begin arriving in New Zealand waters on New Year's Day before rapidly getting larger.
MetService said if you were planning a west coast beach mission it would best to go to a patrolled beach.
Himawari-9 (click here for 24 hour loop)
December 30, 2017
1600 utc
The intensity is due to the heat transfer from Indonesia. It is not the Antarctica vortex that is the problem. This is a heat transfer event into Antarctica. It is summer there. Any heat transfer can have high winds that cause a change in the air surface interface with the oceans.
Friday, December 29, 2017
This is all simple bookkeeping. There should be a city office dedicated to this purpose.
There should be transparency for the work being done. While some of the work can be considered confidential, it isn't as though the work is not noticeable. A watchdog group can follow the companies working in Flint and record their presence in a home. What they can't record is the work being conducted inside the home.
There have been many people and organizations involved in the effort to bring clean drinking water to Flint. There really should be an office where work orders are filed and residents with comments can file complaints, etc. It is unfortunate to realize there is not a central office where all the information is collected and reports generated.
There should be enough monies to open an office for this purpose. The mayor and council need to answer the filing and provide comfort to all involved in realizing the people of Flint and their children are safe. There should be no neglect of the facts before the people.
December 28, 2017
By Merrit Kennedy
The city of Flint, (click here) which has been reeling for years over lead seepage from its pipes into its tap water, is accused of violating the terms of a major settlement agreement aimed at improving its water quality. Advocacy groups say the city is failing to disclose information about its efforts to replace its lead pipes....
...The agreement was seen as a significant victory for people struggling for years with unsafe water. It originated from a lawsuit filed in January 2016 by Flint resident Melissa Mays and three groups — the National Resources Defense Council, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and Concerned Pastors for Social Action....
...The agreement also requires authorities to examine water service lines for 18,000 Flint households within three years and to replace them if they are made of lead or galvanized steel. They have replaced nearly 5,500 service lines so far, according to data released by the mayor....
...These lapses, the plaintiffs say, raise questions about the city's competence. "If the City cannot collect critical, easily identifiable data and provide it within the agreed-upon timeframes, how can Plaintiffs trust that the City is competent to execute the much larger and urgent task of service line replacement in Flint?"
There has been severe weather in Michigan and the Midwest for more than a week now. It is bound to slow things down during the winter months.
December 29, 2017
By Dominic Adams
Flint, MI - Icy conditions have lead to around 30 crashes throughout Genesee County on Friday, Dec. 29.
The crashes began around 8 a.m., according to Genesee County 911.
A crash on southbound U.S. 23 after the Thompson Road exit is impacting traffic, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.
There also are numerous crashes on Interstate 75, Interstate 475 and Interstate 69, according to Genesee County 911.
A hazardous weather outlook from the National Weather Service called for light snow of with accumulation of an inch or less was expected.
I trust Mayor Weaver. The coordination of information may not be simple, but, I think she can be counted on to improve the city's performance on reports and transparency.
December 29, 2017
By Steve Carmody
...Weaver says her administration (click here) is "doing all we can" to protect resident's health. The mayor is optimistic her city's lead pipe replacement program will accelerate in 2018.
The service lines connecting homes to city water mains have been a prime source of lead in Flint’s tap water.
The city has replaced more than 6,000 lead service lines over the past two years.
Weaver expects crews will replace another six thousand lead pipes next year to stay on pace to replace around twenty thousand service pipes by 2020.
“We may be able to come in under that three year time frame,” says Weaver, “So we’re going to continue to work toward that.”
The city still distributes more than 60,000 cases of bottled water each week to Flint residents who don’t trust their tap water.
There have been many people and organizations involved in the effort to bring clean drinking water to Flint. There really should be an office where work orders are filed and residents with comments can file complaints, etc. It is unfortunate to realize there is not a central office where all the information is collected and reports generated.
There should be enough monies to open an office for this purpose. The mayor and council need to answer the filing and provide comfort to all involved in realizing the people of Flint and their children are safe. There should be no neglect of the facts before the people.
December 28, 2017
By Merrit Kennedy
The city of Flint, (click here) which has been reeling for years over lead seepage from its pipes into its tap water, is accused of violating the terms of a major settlement agreement aimed at improving its water quality. Advocacy groups say the city is failing to disclose information about its efforts to replace its lead pipes....
...The agreement was seen as a significant victory for people struggling for years with unsafe water. It originated from a lawsuit filed in January 2016 by Flint resident Melissa Mays and three groups — the National Resources Defense Council, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and Concerned Pastors for Social Action....
...The agreement also requires authorities to examine water service lines for 18,000 Flint households within three years and to replace them if they are made of lead or galvanized steel. They have replaced nearly 5,500 service lines so far, according to data released by the mayor....
...These lapses, the plaintiffs say, raise questions about the city's competence. "If the City cannot collect critical, easily identifiable data and provide it within the agreed-upon timeframes, how can Plaintiffs trust that the City is competent to execute the much larger and urgent task of service line replacement in Flint?"
There has been severe weather in Michigan and the Midwest for more than a week now. It is bound to slow things down during the winter months.
December 29, 2017
By Dominic Adams
Flint, MI - Icy conditions have lead to around 30 crashes throughout Genesee County on Friday, Dec. 29.
The crashes began around 8 a.m., according to Genesee County 911.
A crash on southbound U.S. 23 after the Thompson Road exit is impacting traffic, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.
There also are numerous crashes on Interstate 75, Interstate 475 and Interstate 69, according to Genesee County 911.
A hazardous weather outlook from the National Weather Service called for light snow of with accumulation of an inch or less was expected.
I trust Mayor Weaver. The coordination of information may not be simple, but, I think she can be counted on to improve the city's performance on reports and transparency.
December 29, 2017
By Steve Carmody
...Weaver says her administration (click here) is "doing all we can" to protect resident's health. The mayor is optimistic her city's lead pipe replacement program will accelerate in 2018.
The service lines connecting homes to city water mains have been a prime source of lead in Flint’s tap water.
The city has replaced more than 6,000 lead service lines over the past two years.
Weaver expects crews will replace another six thousand lead pipes next year to stay on pace to replace around twenty thousand service pipes by 2020.
“We may be able to come in under that three year time frame,” says Weaver, “So we’re going to continue to work toward that.”
The city still distributes more than 60,000 cases of bottled water each week to Flint residents who don’t trust their tap water.
The disconnect from the USA Constitution serves their purpose.
The President sits at Mar-a-Lago in violation of the Emoluments Claus while the Republican leadership plots their next attack on the country.
December 27. 2017
By Seung Min Kim and Rachael Bade
...The Wisconsin Republican (click here) has detailed an ambitious effort to dramatically reshape Medicare, Medicaid and welfare programs that the GOP has long targeted as ripe for reforms. But bring it up with key Senate Republicans and House GOP moderates and they blanch — seeing a legislative battle that may not be winnable and that may not be worth it in an election year where control of Congress is up for grabs...
December 27. 2017By Seung Min Kim and Rachael Bade
...The Wisconsin Republican (click here) has detailed an ambitious effort to dramatically reshape Medicare, Medicaid and welfare programs that the GOP has long targeted as ripe for reforms. But bring it up with key Senate Republicans and House GOP moderates and they blanch — seeing a legislative battle that may not be winnable and that may not be worth it in an election year where control of Congress is up for grabs...
Where is the impeachment?
I now know where I can have direct contact with Donald Trump. This is not a surprise, it is more of Trump's corrupt administration.
Power brokers can sit down to lunch with Trump and play "Let's Make a Deal." That is corruption. The reason Trump gets away with it, is that the entire estate is secure including the members in attendance. The Secret Service has been pushed aside in order for Trump to "Make a Deal" with any of it's members. Trump has become so hostile to the Secret Service they don't have an office to operate out of at Trump Towers in New York City.
There is no ease of contact by any modern day President. Trump has created a method of securing 'a space' whereby members can approach him to engage a conversation without being over heard by the Secret Service AGENTS.
The media is sugar coating this interview as a great moment when Trump was candidate and leisure. "W"rong!
December 28, 2017
By Charles P. Pierce
...Other people were unkind enough (click here) to point out that the interview was brokered by one Christopher Ruddy, a Trump intimate and the CEO of NewsMax, and that Ruddy made his bones as a political “journalist” by peddling the fiction that Clinton White House counsel Vince Foster had been murdered, one of the more distasteful slanders that got a shameful public airing during the Clinton frenzy of the 1990’s. Neither of those will concern us here. What Schmidt actually got out of this interview is a far more serious problem for the country. In my view, the interview is a clinical study of a man in severe cognitive decline, if not the early stages of outright dementia.
Power brokers can sit down to lunch with Trump and play "Let's Make a Deal." That is corruption. The reason Trump gets away with it, is that the entire estate is secure including the members in attendance. The Secret Service has been pushed aside in order for Trump to "Make a Deal" with any of it's members. Trump has become so hostile to the Secret Service they don't have an office to operate out of at Trump Towers in New York City.
There is no ease of contact by any modern day President. Trump has created a method of securing 'a space' whereby members can approach him to engage a conversation without being over heard by the Secret Service AGENTS.
The media is sugar coating this interview as a great moment when Trump was candidate and leisure. "W"rong!
December 28, 2017
By Charles P. Pierce
...Other people were unkind enough (click here) to point out that the interview was brokered by one Christopher Ruddy, a Trump intimate and the CEO of NewsMax, and that Ruddy made his bones as a political “journalist” by peddling the fiction that Clinton White House counsel Vince Foster had been murdered, one of the more distasteful slanders that got a shameful public airing during the Clinton frenzy of the 1990’s. Neither of those will concern us here. What Schmidt actually got out of this interview is a far more serious problem for the country. In my view, the interview is a clinical study of a man in severe cognitive decline, if not the early stages of outright dementia.
Over the past 30 years, I’ve seen my father and all of his siblings slide into the shadows and fog of Alzheimer’s Disease. (the president's father developed Alzheimer's in his 80s.) In 1984, Ronald Reagan debated Walter Mondale in Louisville and plainly had no idea where he was. (Would that someone on the panel had asked him. He’d have been stumped.) Not long afterwards, I was interviewing a prominent Alzheimer’s researcher for a book I was doing, and he said, “I saw the look on his face that I see every day in my clinic.” In the transcript of this interview, I hear in the president*’s words my late aunt’s story about how we all walked home from church in the snow one Christmas morning, an event I don’t recall, but that she remembered so vividly that she told the story every time I saw her for the last three years of her life....
Thursday, December 28, 2017
What happened to David Frum? On MSNBC. He is brilliant, but, he looks as though he is suffering from depression. Somone needs to reach out ot him and let him know the world is not coming to an end. And if it does, he is not responsible for it.
These are the holidays. He needs to rejoice with his family for the New Year.
We are Americans. We protect our country during times of big questions. We stand together, not alone. Americans are strongest when we are one. Welcome back, David.
These are the holidays. He needs to rejoice with his family for the New Year.
We are Americans. We protect our country during times of big questions. We stand together, not alone. Americans are strongest when we are one. Welcome back, David.
The strategy under Steve Jobs was fraudulent.
This is Wall Street. This is the greed the world wants to emulate. Really?
Apple needs to determine it's liability to the owners of iPhones and reimburse those compelled to purchase new phones. I think the newest generation of iPhone could be discounted to these purchases to allow them to EASILY purchase it. That is, of course, if they still want an Apple iPhone.
December 27, 2017
By Samantha Miller
Apple gets caught throttling (click here) its customers after years of speculation.
Apple needs to determine it's liability to the owners of iPhones and reimburse those compelled to purchase new phones. I think the newest generation of iPhone could be discounted to these purchases to allow them to EASILY purchase it. That is, of course, if they still want an Apple iPhone.
By Samantha Miller
Apple gets caught throttling (click here) its customers after years of speculation.
The concept of planned obsolescence is unproven as a long-term strategy for continued growth.
How much does the value of eroded trust impact Apple's relatively high stock price?...
The lying appears to be habitual. I would think Apple has an abundant supply of the new iPhone to compensate their customers signing on to past purchases due to poor performance imposed by Apple.
December 28, 2017
By Tae Kim
The market's anticipation of strong sales (click here) from the new iPhones drove Apple shares much higher this year, but now one Wall Street firm says optimism for big upside is not warranted.
Wells Fargo Securities reiterated its market perform rating for Apple shares, saying the latest China export data points to meager iPhone sales growth in the December quarter.
"An analysis of China Province-level mobile phone export data this week reinforces our cautious opinion on Apple's iPhone cycle," analyst Aaron Rakers wrote in a note to clients Wednesday entitled "iPhone-Related China Data Analysis: Implying Limited / No Yr/Yr Growth Thus Far In 4Q17."
The analyst wrote they "currently see limited/no upside potential to our 81.2M iPhone ship estimate."...
The lying appears to be habitual. I would think Apple has an abundant supply of the new iPhone to compensate their customers signing on to past purchases due to poor performance imposed by Apple.
December 28, 2017
By Tae Kim
The market's anticipation of strong sales (click here) from the new iPhones drove Apple shares much higher this year, but now one Wall Street firm says optimism for big upside is not warranted.
Wells Fargo Securities reiterated its market perform rating for Apple shares, saying the latest China export data points to meager iPhone sales growth in the December quarter.
"An analysis of China Province-level mobile phone export data this week reinforces our cautious opinion on Apple's iPhone cycle," analyst Aaron Rakers wrote in a note to clients Wednesday entitled "iPhone-Related China Data Analysis: Implying Limited / No Yr/Yr Growth Thus Far In 4Q17."
The analyst wrote they "currently see limited/no upside potential to our 81.2M iPhone ship estimate."...
Tillerson comes out of the embattled State Department Haley's fumbling.
It is really interesting how "Making America Great Again" is defined by bullying. I happen to think Lavrov is correct. Unfortunately, there is no room in the presidential field in Russia for him.
In the New York Times, Tillerson states he is proud of his democracy (click here). I suppose so. The American Democracy has opened up international markets for ExxonMobile. What is not to like? Being a petroleum industry CEO has never been easier.
Republicans define leadership by the ease of economic performance, not, achieving economic growth in the face of a challenge such as the energy crisis caused by the pollution of carbon dioxide and methane. Facing that challenge was not a problem for President Obama. It is sad to realize retreating to old Republican economic strategies are actually welcome by Wall Street.
"Making America Great Again" includes turning greed loose as a priority before the well being of Americans. There is no morality in Trump's Republicans definition of "Making America Great Again."
December 26, 2017
By Vladimir Soldatkin
Moscow (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (click here) told U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday that "Washington's aggressive rhetoric" had heightened tension on the Korean peninsula and was unacceptable, the Russian foreign ministry said.
In a phone call, the two men also discussed further steps towards resolving the Syrian crisis and the situation in Ukraine, it added.
In the New York Times, Tillerson states he is proud of his democracy (click here). I suppose so. The American Democracy has opened up international markets for ExxonMobile. What is not to like? Being a petroleum industry CEO has never been easier.
Republicans define leadership by the ease of economic performance, not, achieving economic growth in the face of a challenge such as the energy crisis caused by the pollution of carbon dioxide and methane. Facing that challenge was not a problem for President Obama. It is sad to realize retreating to old Republican economic strategies are actually welcome by Wall Street.
"Making America Great Again" includes turning greed loose as a priority before the well being of Americans. There is no morality in Trump's Republicans definition of "Making America Great Again."
December 26, 2017
By Vladimir Soldatkin
Moscow (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (click here) told U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday that "Washington's aggressive rhetoric" had heightened tension on the Korean peninsula and was unacceptable, the Russian foreign ministry said.
In a phone call, the two men also discussed further steps towards resolving the Syrian crisis and the situation in Ukraine, it added.
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