Reality proves that the USA never had a real role in Syria and only would have added to escalations rather than deescalation, which Jordan welcomes deescalation in the way of relief at it's border from refugees.
If one looks to the news publications of Jordan it definitely is filled with diplomatic outreach to encourage trade expansion. (click here)
The only aspect of the problems within Syria is the Islamic State and problems it may have caused for allies.
The jihadists (click here) control a shrinking strip of land east of the Syria's Euphrates River around the town of Hajin, which U.S.-backed forces entered this month
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (click here)
Considering the Syrian Kurds (which I never knew existed in Syria) are considered allied forces by the USA military, the argument could be made the USA is abandoning an ally. However, when considering where the USA would place a foot hold in Syria there would be only one answer and that is to commit to a larger war.
December 20, 2018
By Amos
U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement (click here) that American troops are being withdrawn from Syria — assuming that a full withdrawal will be carried out — is of strategic importance to Syria and the entire region. It may have implications for the entire Middle East and the battle for influence between the United States and Russia.
Trump was irresolute from the start about the continued U.S. military presence in the region. When he spoke of “America First” during his campaign (and exaggerated, with some rewriting of history, his opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003), his intent was also to reduce American military investment in the Middle East....
What is somewhat curious is not only the relinquishing of Syria to Putin, but, the new presence of China with Israel. I find this very curious. I think it will be up to the Democrats in the US House to examine the actions of the USA military both in Syria and with Israel. There are vast changes no one would expect taking place. It will also require clarification by Israel's leadership regarding it's wishes in regard to a private domain of China in Israel, but, I sincerely believe clarity regarding these surprising issues need to take place.
December 15, 2018
By Michael Wilner
Washington – The US Navy (click here) has acknowledged that its longstanding operations in Haifa may change once a Chinese firm takes over the civilian port in 2021, prompting Israel’s national security cabinet to revisit the arrangement, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
Haifa, the nation’s largest port city, regularly hosts joint US-Israeli naval drills and visits from American vessels. But a 2015 agreement between Israel’s Transportation Ministry and Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) – a company in which the Chinese government has a majority stake – has raised intelligence and security concerns that are only now prompting an interagency review.
That agreement granted SIPG control over the port for 25 years. The Chinese company has committed $2 billion to the project and, according to state-run media, plans to transform the port’s bay terminal into the largest harbor in the country.
A representative of the Sixth Fleet said the navy’s partnership with Israel remains “steadfast.”...
We know when Chinese oligarchs are involved in any private investment there is always a government that may find it a poor decision by their citizens and step in for whatever reason China believes important. The oligarchs of Russia and China are never investing independently and within the foreign governments authority. At any point in time China can step in and alter the future of any investment, the same holds true for Russia.
But, to sum this entire mess up, if Russia can bring stability to Syria the entire region will benefit from it. Why Israel is seeking private investors to one of it's ports is more than curious. The USA sovereign authority to allies has to be in force otherwise why be allies. Putting China into Israel only creates a national security issue for the USA with Israel and that is why there was no such privatization that took place before. China in Israel may put Israel at risk and that isn't good for anyone. Israel is nearly autonomous in it's ability to protect it's borders and engage in war if necessary. With a fluid presence of the USA in Israel, that brings a lot of questions into focus when adding in the fact there have been increasing close ties between Saudi Arabia and Russia and the death of an American journalist in Ankara.
The one place the USA has had a strong presence is the Middle East. Many Americans believe that is not a good place for the USA, especially when weighing what occurred with Iraq. But, it seems as though the time has come to evaluate the changes occurring in USA relations in the Middle East and decide whether the country is considered a strong or weakened ally under Trump's leadership.
That said, the American Jewish diaspora should be engaging dialogue to determine the future of the USA with Israel and the Middle East in general.
continued...
Thursday, December 20, 2018
The Executive Branch cannot change the conditions in which food stamps are issued.
The Executive Branch cannot unilaterally change legislation passed by Congress. Besides the conditions under which food stamps are issued is a State's Rights issue. Trump and Secretary Purdue are acting unconstitutionally regarding food stamps. I am quite certain there will be Attorney Generals filing a complaint that will restrain any more of this nonsense from occurring.
Trump treats the office of the President as if he is a dictator. He hasn't learned his limits even after having three travel bans rejected by the Supreme Court. He has this idea he can do as he pleases outside laws passed by the US Congress. Many Americans believe the presidency is some kind of all powerful position. It is not. The president is restrained by the US Congress in many, many instances and the way Trump conducts himself and his cabinet, it is as if he "doesn't get it." Obviously, this is another time "He doesn't get it."
The Executive Branch is responsible for the daily operations of the USA Constitutional laws. It is NOT where law is made. Some of these responsibilities can be handled by the President, but, with certain understanding to their implementation.
December 20, 2018
By Juliet Linderman
Washington – The Trump administration (click here) is setting out to do what this year’s farm bill didn’t: tighten work requirements for millions of Americans who receive federal food assistance.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday is proposing a rule that would restrict the ability of states to exempt work-eligible adults from having to obtain steady employment to receive food stamps.
The move comes just weeks after lawmakers passed a $400 billion farm bill that reauthorized agriculture and conservation programs while leaving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which serves roughly 40 million Americans, virtually untouched.
Passage of the farm bill followed months of tense negotiations over House efforts to significantly tighten work requirements and the Senate’s refusal to accept the provisions...
The two-faced and/or racist Republicans, including the current president, like to make a huge fuss over the Obama Dreamers' Executive Order, but, when it comes to Trump all is possible. That is not the case.
After six years of racism by the Republicans, President Obama put an end to it.
November 20, 2014
By Eyder Peralta
After six years (click here) of often bitter back-and-forth with congressional Republicans over the issue of immigration, President Obama announced he has decided to go it alone by temporarily shielding up to 5 million immigrants from being deported.
In a prime-time speech to the country on Thursday, Obama said he would defer the deportation of the parents of children who are either U.S. citizens or legal residents, and that he also would expand that protection to more "DREAMers," or children who entered the country illegally with their parents. Those two groups also will be allowed to work in the United States legally, after passing a background check and paying a fee....
...saying every president in the past 50 years has taken similar steps.
"To those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill," Obama said....
President Obama knew the restraints on the presidency. He knew he had recourse, but, it needed to reflect relief to the immigration in processing Dreamers. Basically, President Obama said in his Executive Order that the immigration courts are over burdened and need time to process people who most likely will be able to stay in the USA. He provided what is considered a "deferred action plan" for the Dreamers. There is no reason why they have to be deported because the grew up here and are an asset to the country as an American educated brain trust, as consumers to our economy and taxpayers to our US Treasury as well as the treasuries of states and local governments.
President Trump is attempting to legislate from the Oval Office and he is simply wrong. He can't do it. It is a willful act against the legislation passed by the US Congress and attempting to remove the right of states to handle how the impoverished receive benefits inside their borders.
"A Year After the Middle Class Tax Cut, the Rich are Winning" (click here)
December 18, 2018
By Ben Steverman, Dave Merrill and Jeremy C. F. Lin
When President Donald Trump and the Republican Congress set out to re-write the tax code, their goals were simple enough: Lower tax rates, juice the economy, reward some taxpayers while punishing others. The price tag, though, was enormous: by some estimates, as much as $1.9 trillion over 10 years.
And their tool—an enormously complex, 186-page piece of legislation—still puzzles tax experts a year later....
Really? Experts can't figure the darn this out a year later? Why does that not surprise me? If Trump and the Republicans wanted clarity they would have written it. Believe me they would have written, but, if the waters are cloudy, well welcome to the dirty well of the wealthy that can clarify the understanding of the law FOR THE IRS!
...Some wealthy Americans have good reason to complain about the law. Residents of states with high property taxes can now only deduct $10,000 of their state and local taxes, or SALT. Rich lawyers, doctors and even actors are barred from a lucrative break (see below) for pass-through business owners....
...The rich are already using the new limits to create dynasty trusts for generations of their descendants....
...Overall, the Joint Committee on Taxation estimates the law delivers taxpayers who earn $1 million or more a tax cut of $37 billion in the next year alone....
Hello, America!
...The tax law limits or eliminates dozens of itemized deductions, including for SALT, mortgage interest, home office expenses and fund management fees....
This tax law absolutely hates small businesses. While most small businesses don't worry about fund management fees, they do benefit when the owner has a cut in their tax liability including SALT, mortgage interest, home office expenses and itemized deductions.
Every time I approach the new tax law to understand it's severity on small business, I have to come to the conclusion that Trump's Tax Law wants to put small businesses out of business. THAT leverage by the federal government is anti-woman. A great number of small businesses are created and run by women.
So, if I were a politician trying to create a theocracy rather than protecting the rights of people within the American democracy, I would attack women on all fronts and put them back in the kitchen, laundry and bedroom where they belong. This tax bill gives the theocracy nut cases exactly that.
...Workers are still waiting for their raises as inflation eats into modest increases. Hourly wages, adjusted for inflation, were up 0.8 percent in November, according to the Labor Department. While the number has been steadily rising for the last few months, it’s still significantly lower than real wage increases in 2015 and early 2016, when inflation-adjusted raises occasionally topped 2 percent. Even then, economists worried that the strong economy wasn’t helping the average worker....
Is there anything else to say? A year after the Trump Tax Cuts were passed into law by a majority Republican Congress, the American worker is no further ahead and is losing ground with inflation coming into the picture.
Inflation hurts disposable income. It will hurt the poorest and there will be low middle class families worried about losing their homes, but, for the most part THE MIDDLE CLASS is once again carrying the burden for the wealthy and receiving no relief at all.
Additionally, NOW when they lose their homes and are forced to look to the government to fill in with medical bills and items like food, they will meet with more regulation and less benefits.
Merry Christmas, America from Wall Street.
Trump treats the office of the President as if he is a dictator. He hasn't learned his limits even after having three travel bans rejected by the Supreme Court. He has this idea he can do as he pleases outside laws passed by the US Congress. Many Americans believe the presidency is some kind of all powerful position. It is not. The president is restrained by the US Congress in many, many instances and the way Trump conducts himself and his cabinet, it is as if he "doesn't get it." Obviously, this is another time "He doesn't get it."
The Executive Branch is responsible for the daily operations of the USA Constitutional laws. It is NOT where law is made. Some of these responsibilities can be handled by the President, but, with certain understanding to their implementation.
December 20, 2018
By Juliet Linderman
Washington – The Trump administration (click here) is setting out to do what this year’s farm bill didn’t: tighten work requirements for millions of Americans who receive federal food assistance.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday is proposing a rule that would restrict the ability of states to exempt work-eligible adults from having to obtain steady employment to receive food stamps.
The move comes just weeks after lawmakers passed a $400 billion farm bill that reauthorized agriculture and conservation programs while leaving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which serves roughly 40 million Americans, virtually untouched.
Passage of the farm bill followed months of tense negotiations over House efforts to significantly tighten work requirements and the Senate’s refusal to accept the provisions...
The two-faced and/or racist Republicans, including the current president, like to make a huge fuss over the Obama Dreamers' Executive Order, but, when it comes to Trump all is possible. That is not the case.
After six years of racism by the Republicans, President Obama put an end to it.
By Eyder Peralta
After six years (click here) of often bitter back-and-forth with congressional Republicans over the issue of immigration, President Obama announced he has decided to go it alone by temporarily shielding up to 5 million immigrants from being deported.
In a prime-time speech to the country on Thursday, Obama said he would defer the deportation of the parents of children who are either U.S. citizens or legal residents, and that he also would expand that protection to more "DREAMers," or children who entered the country illegally with their parents. Those two groups also will be allowed to work in the United States legally, after passing a background check and paying a fee....
...saying every president in the past 50 years has taken similar steps.
"To those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill," Obama said....
President Obama knew the restraints on the presidency. He knew he had recourse, but, it needed to reflect relief to the immigration in processing Dreamers. Basically, President Obama said in his Executive Order that the immigration courts are over burdened and need time to process people who most likely will be able to stay in the USA. He provided what is considered a "deferred action plan" for the Dreamers. There is no reason why they have to be deported because the grew up here and are an asset to the country as an American educated brain trust, as consumers to our economy and taxpayers to our US Treasury as well as the treasuries of states and local governments.
President Trump is attempting to legislate from the Oval Office and he is simply wrong. He can't do it. It is a willful act against the legislation passed by the US Congress and attempting to remove the right of states to handle how the impoverished receive benefits inside their borders.
"A Year After the Middle Class Tax Cut, the Rich are Winning" (click here)
December 18, 2018
By Ben Steverman, Dave Merrill and Jeremy C. F. Lin
When President Donald Trump and the Republican Congress set out to re-write the tax code, their goals were simple enough: Lower tax rates, juice the economy, reward some taxpayers while punishing others. The price tag, though, was enormous: by some estimates, as much as $1.9 trillion over 10 years.
And their tool—an enormously complex, 186-page piece of legislation—still puzzles tax experts a year later....
Really? Experts can't figure the darn this out a year later? Why does that not surprise me? If Trump and the Republicans wanted clarity they would have written it. Believe me they would have written, but, if the waters are cloudy, well welcome to the dirty well of the wealthy that can clarify the understanding of the law FOR THE IRS!
...Some wealthy Americans have good reason to complain about the law. Residents of states with high property taxes can now only deduct $10,000 of their state and local taxes, or SALT. Rich lawyers, doctors and even actors are barred from a lucrative break (see below) for pass-through business owners....
...The rich are already using the new limits to create dynasty trusts for generations of their descendants....
...Overall, the Joint Committee on Taxation estimates the law delivers taxpayers who earn $1 million or more a tax cut of $37 billion in the next year alone....
Hello, America!
...The tax law limits or eliminates dozens of itemized deductions, including for SALT, mortgage interest, home office expenses and fund management fees....
This tax law absolutely hates small businesses. While most small businesses don't worry about fund management fees, they do benefit when the owner has a cut in their tax liability including SALT, mortgage interest, home office expenses and itemized deductions.
Every time I approach the new tax law to understand it's severity on small business, I have to come to the conclusion that Trump's Tax Law wants to put small businesses out of business. THAT leverage by the federal government is anti-woman. A great number of small businesses are created and run by women.
So, if I were a politician trying to create a theocracy rather than protecting the rights of people within the American democracy, I would attack women on all fronts and put them back in the kitchen, laundry and bedroom where they belong. This tax bill gives the theocracy nut cases exactly that.
...Workers are still waiting for their raises as inflation eats into modest increases. Hourly wages, adjusted for inflation, were up 0.8 percent in November, according to the Labor Department. While the number has been steadily rising for the last few months, it’s still significantly lower than real wage increases in 2015 and early 2016, when inflation-adjusted raises occasionally topped 2 percent. Even then, economists worried that the strong economy wasn’t helping the average worker....
Is there anything else to say? A year after the Trump Tax Cuts were passed into law by a majority Republican Congress, the American worker is no further ahead and is losing ground with inflation coming into the picture.
Inflation hurts disposable income. It will hurt the poorest and there will be low middle class families worried about losing their homes, but, for the most part THE MIDDLE CLASS is once again carrying the burden for the wealthy and receiving no relief at all.
Additionally, NOW when they lose their homes and are forced to look to the government to fill in with medical bills and items like food, they will meet with more regulation and less benefits.
Merry Christmas, America from Wall Street.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
He did. Michael Flynn sold out the country, but, the real insult was when Trump called for Russia agents to find 30,000 emails.
No one expects this. No one expects a general, one star to five star, to openly court the President of Russia as a client.
University of Rhode Island, Kingston (BS)
Golden Gate University (MBA)
United States Army Command and General Staff College (MMAS)
Naval War College (MA)
University of Rhode Island, Kingston (BS)
Golden Gate University (MBA)
United States Army Command and General Staff College (MMAS)
Naval War College (MA)
What makes this worse is that he is not a stupid man. He is educated and was TRUSTED to protect and defend the USA. He was working in military intelligence before working for Trump. He KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING.
No one is going to convince me he was so naive that he had no clue what Putin wanted from him. HE WORKED IN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE. When an American turns against their country and is willing to befriend and be an associate of a Russian President that is the epitome of treason. He knew he was valuable to foreign governments.
When a person decides to make the USA military their career the country is grateful. The only downside is the danger, which is not a minor detail. But, the American people for the past 14 years have increased a soldier's salary, developed networks of support for spouses and children while their loved one serves and when a soldier retires is given as generous a retirement (click here) as the country can afford.
The Veterans Administration fell into criticism when there were so many soldiers coming back from the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars found to have PTSD and they couldn't cope. The country takes their soldiers seriously and it does the best it can to make them and their families feel supported and appreciated. The country is still upset over the continued issues with PTSD, but, for the most part the VA has served a purpose and for those without another job and possibly private insurance, it provided for them.
No career military person will make millions when they return to a private citizen's life. Michael Flynn decided he could take his KNOWLEDGE and make millions. That is not part of the deal when it means the USA is compromised and intelligence is shared with another nuclear country that is not an ally.
All along the way of a career military person they are met with oaths and pledges and they know where their loyalty is suppose to lie. Michael Flynn turned his back on the USA. He decided he wasn't treated well enough and possibly should have had five stars rather than three, hence, better pay on retirement. But, it isn't all that much different; certainly not enough to justify working with a communist country waiting to find a way to end the USA without causing a nuclear holocaust.
I can't forgive him and I won't. I realize he helped the Special Investigators, but, he had to tell the truth. It wasn't like it was an option. Michael Flynn did not do the USA a favor by talking to the Special Investigators. It was his OBLIGATION to tell the truth and everything that would impact the USA.
Today, Flynn's lawyers are treating the Special Prosecutor as the problem. Michael Flynn is the problem. No one made him do what he did. His actions were his and his alone. He has no one to blame, but, himself.
I suppose he will receive some kind of sentence and probably a suspended sentence or probation with community service that reminds him where he lives and who he pledged his undying loyalty.
I wish this hadn't happened, because, it worries me as the dialogue that takes place in the halls of the USA military. Do they get treated so badly this is the outcome after years of service? PTSD is something that happens to soldiers that Americans are working on to solve. But, Michael Flynn has no excuse for his actions. No one knows how much I wish this never happened to my country.
19 December 2018
By Andrew Harris
Washington: President Donald Trump's former national security adviser (click here) Michael Flynn has had his sentencing delayed by a federal judge, who said he "can't hide my disgust, my disdain" at Flynn's crime of lying to the FBI.
In a dramatic and unexpected twist on Tuesday, US District Judge Emmet Sullivan said he would delay the sentencing until Flynn completed his assistance to prosecutors, which was part of a plea deal.
In a case stemming from the investigation into possible collusion between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia, Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to FBI agents about his conversations with Sergei Kislyak, Russia ambassador in Washington at the time.
"Arguably you sold your country out," Sullivan told Flynn in a extraordinary tongue-lashing that raised the prospect that the judge could send the retired Army lieutenant general to prison, even though prosecutors have recommended against prison time, citing his co-operation in the Russia probe....
No one is going to convince me he was so naive that he had no clue what Putin wanted from him. HE WORKED IN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE. When an American turns against their country and is willing to befriend and be an associate of a Russian President that is the epitome of treason. He knew he was valuable to foreign governments.
When a person decides to make the USA military their career the country is grateful. The only downside is the danger, which is not a minor detail. But, the American people for the past 14 years have increased a soldier's salary, developed networks of support for spouses and children while their loved one serves and when a soldier retires is given as generous a retirement (click here) as the country can afford.
The Veterans Administration fell into criticism when there were so many soldiers coming back from the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars found to have PTSD and they couldn't cope. The country takes their soldiers seriously and it does the best it can to make them and their families feel supported and appreciated. The country is still upset over the continued issues with PTSD, but, for the most part the VA has served a purpose and for those without another job and possibly private insurance, it provided for them.
No career military person will make millions when they return to a private citizen's life. Michael Flynn decided he could take his KNOWLEDGE and make millions. That is not part of the deal when it means the USA is compromised and intelligence is shared with another nuclear country that is not an ally.
All along the way of a career military person they are met with oaths and pledges and they know where their loyalty is suppose to lie. Michael Flynn turned his back on the USA. He decided he wasn't treated well enough and possibly should have had five stars rather than three, hence, better pay on retirement. But, it isn't all that much different; certainly not enough to justify working with a communist country waiting to find a way to end the USA without causing a nuclear holocaust.
I can't forgive him and I won't. I realize he helped the Special Investigators, but, he had to tell the truth. It wasn't like it was an option. Michael Flynn did not do the USA a favor by talking to the Special Investigators. It was his OBLIGATION to tell the truth and everything that would impact the USA.
Today, Flynn's lawyers are treating the Special Prosecutor as the problem. Michael Flynn is the problem. No one made him do what he did. His actions were his and his alone. He has no one to blame, but, himself.
I suppose he will receive some kind of sentence and probably a suspended sentence or probation with community service that reminds him where he lives and who he pledged his undying loyalty.
I wish this hadn't happened, because, it worries me as the dialogue that takes place in the halls of the USA military. Do they get treated so badly this is the outcome after years of service? PTSD is something that happens to soldiers that Americans are working on to solve. But, Michael Flynn has no excuse for his actions. No one knows how much I wish this never happened to my country.
19 December 2018
By Andrew Harris
Washington: President Donald Trump's former national security adviser (click here) Michael Flynn has had his sentencing delayed by a federal judge, who said he "can't hide my disgust, my disdain" at Flynn's crime of lying to the FBI.
In a dramatic and unexpected twist on Tuesday, US District Judge Emmet Sullivan said he would delay the sentencing until Flynn completed his assistance to prosecutors, which was part of a plea deal.
In a case stemming from the investigation into possible collusion between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia, Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to FBI agents about his conversations with Sergei Kislyak, Russia ambassador in Washington at the time.
"Arguably you sold your country out," Sullivan told Flynn in a extraordinary tongue-lashing that raised the prospect that the judge could send the retired Army lieutenant general to prison, even though prosecutors have recommended against prison time, citing his co-operation in the Russia probe....
No, no we aren't leading members of the Neo-Nazis that all our friends belong to; we just dress that way for Halloween.
By Cleve R. Wootson, Jr.
Claudia Patatas and Adam Thomas pose with their son, whose middle name is Adolf. Both were convicted of being members of a banned neo-Nazi group.
Washington: Claudia Patatas and Adam Thomas (click here) had long denied being leading members of the white-power group National Action, which is banned in Britain. But their family photos suggested otherwise.
There is the one of Patatas - reportedly from Banbury, England - holding their newborn while Thomas holds a flag emblazoned with the Nazi swastika....
You have to know when a child is wrapped in the robes of the KKK there is some serious hate planned for that child's future.
How much is a life worth? I would have sued for a few million. They might have taken it seriously.
That is a very long fall for anyone. He was so drunk he probably had no idea he was falling. He was probably knocked unconscious as soon as he hit the water. Twenty - two years old and 30 drinks. I think the entire idea of a "drink package" is irresponsible of any cruise line. It is an accident waiting to happen.
19 December 2018
By Ron Hurtibise
Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Royal Caribbean Cruises (click here) is not responsible for the overboard death of a US man who was reportedly served the equivalent of 30 drinks, a federal jury in Miami has found.
Todd and Lisa Skokan, parents of Nathaniel Skokan, along with brothers Samuel and Zachary, had sought more than $US75,000 ($104,000) in damages from the Miami-based cruise line.
Nathaniel Skokan, 22, died on December 22, 2016, on the last day of a five-day cruise out of Port Everglades aboard Independence of the Seas....
19 December 2018By Ron Hurtibise
Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Royal Caribbean Cruises (click here) is not responsible for the overboard death of a US man who was reportedly served the equivalent of 30 drinks, a federal jury in Miami has found.
Todd and Lisa Skokan, parents of Nathaniel Skokan, along with brothers Samuel and Zachary, had sought more than $US75,000 ($104,000) in damages from the Miami-based cruise line.
Nathaniel Skokan, 22, died on December 22, 2016, on the last day of a five-day cruise out of Port Everglades aboard Independence of the Seas....
Monday, December 17, 2018
"Good Night, Moon"
60 percent lit
8.3 days old
December 17, 2018
By Dan Falk
Anyone old enough (click here)
to remember Apollo 11 has vivid recollections of Neil Armstrong taking those first steps on the moon, and even those born years after the celebrated 1969 mission know its place in history.
But Apollo 11 wasn’t the first moon shot. That distinction belongs to Apollo 8, which launched into space 50 years ago this month. True, none of the Apollo 8 astronauts — Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders — walked on the moon. But their moon-circling flight yielded a trio of firsts: the first humans to venture beyond Earth’s gravitational grip; the first humans to see the moon’s far side; and the first time we saw our home planet as it really is — a tiny ball floating perilously in the vastness of space.
“In my view it is almost the equivalent, in its historical importance, of Apollo 11,” said John Logsdon, author of "John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon" and other books on space exploration. “Apollo 8 demonstrated everything we needed to do to get to the moon, except the landing phase. I think that technically it was extremely important, and also in terms of public impact.”...
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Spain is a marvelously historic and romantic country. The impacts on the climate in Spain has been devastating, so Spain literally took the bull by the horns and turned around it's picture of energy sources for the country. I believe it along with Scotland have dedicated themselves to setting a example for the rest of the world. Life is too different with the climate crisis reeking havoc on the people and they aren't putting off what needs to be done today any longer. They have a plan and they will succeed.
The oceans are warming and with that fisheries are seeing changes in their populations. Spain has the largest fisheries of the EU and it matters a great deal they should flourish without devastating changes.
Spain, (click here) with a coastline of almost 8,000 km, is home to the biggest fishing industry in the EU. The majority of fisheries activities are carried out in the coastal regions of Spain. Positioned at the far south-west corner of Europe, the country enjoys entry points into both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, and offers good conditions for marine and freshwater aquaculture. Spain produces over 1.2 million tonnes of fisheries products per annum, more than any other EU country. 70 % comes from sea fishing, 29 % from aquaculture and a mere 1 % from inland fishing.
Spain has excellent environmental and climatic conditions, with availability of adequate sea areas located a reasonable distance from the coastline. As a country of age-old marine traditions, it is the largest producer of fish in the EU by volume and the largest consumer market for fisheries and aquaculture products....
June 12, 2017
By Matilde Mereghetti
Baiona, Spain -- Climate change (click here) may lead to large-scale redistribution of global catch potential, with an average of 30-70% increase in high-latitude regions and a drop of up to 40% in the tropics.
Stefania Vannuccini, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)'s senior fishery officer, revealed the projections at the AECOC seafood congress in Baiona, Spain.
Predicted changes in fish production indicate increased productivity at high latitudes and decreased productivity at low/mid latitudes, with considerable regional variations. With few exceptions, increases and decreases in fish production potential by 2050 are estimated to be less than 10% from present yields, Vannuccini said.
Large pelagic species, like tuna, will change their distribution, while acidification of water will impact the aquaculture sector and potentially cause an increase in diseases, although it might also make aquaculture possible in different areas, Vannuccini pointed out.
As a result of climate change, fish biomass is expected to decrease in tropical areas. Tropical species are expected to spread, creating the potential for new fisheries.
Meanwhile, native species are likely to be impacted negatively due to increased temperatures. The Mediterranean Sea is one example where this may occur, according to the FAO....
The oceans are warming and with that fisheries are seeing changes in their populations. Spain has the largest fisheries of the EU and it matters a great deal they should flourish without devastating changes.
Spain has excellent environmental and climatic conditions, with availability of adequate sea areas located a reasonable distance from the coastline. As a country of age-old marine traditions, it is the largest producer of fish in the EU by volume and the largest consumer market for fisheries and aquaculture products....
June 12, 2017
By Matilde Mereghetti
Baiona, Spain -- Climate change (click here) may lead to large-scale redistribution of global catch potential, with an average of 30-70% increase in high-latitude regions and a drop of up to 40% in the tropics.
Stefania Vannuccini, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)'s senior fishery officer, revealed the projections at the AECOC seafood congress in Baiona, Spain.
Predicted changes in fish production indicate increased productivity at high latitudes and decreased productivity at low/mid latitudes, with considerable regional variations. With few exceptions, increases and decreases in fish production potential by 2050 are estimated to be less than 10% from present yields, Vannuccini said.
Large pelagic species, like tuna, will change their distribution, while acidification of water will impact the aquaculture sector and potentially cause an increase in diseases, although it might also make aquaculture possible in different areas, Vannuccini pointed out.
As a result of climate change, fish biomass is expected to decrease in tropical areas. Tropical species are expected to spread, creating the potential for new fisheries.
Meanwhile, native species are likely to be impacted negatively due to increased temperatures. The Mediterranean Sea is one example where this may occur, according to the FAO....
Spains goal is ambitious and doable. It wants to have 100% Renewable Electricity by 2050.
The flooding, the infrastructure damage and the fires can be eliminated when Earth's climate returns to a far benign temperature.
November 19, 2018
By Kristin Hunt
Spain is making major changes to its grid. (click here) By 2050, the country plans to transition to 100 percent renewable electricity — and it’s already shuttering multiple coal mines to get there.
As The Guardian reports, the 2050 plan would slash Spain’s carbon emissions by 90 percent, when compared to 1990 levels. It calls for no new licenses for fracking wells, hydrocarbon exploitation, and fossil fuel drills, a move that builds on the country’s previous announcement that it would close most of its coal mines by the end of this year.
The government will have to install a minimum 3,000 megawatts of wind and solar power capacity each year over the next decade to reach its goal. To that end, Spain is also earmarking a fifth of the state budget for measures to address climate change. The strategy, as outlined in a draft law, would allow the country to decarbonize its economy soon after the 2050 electricity transition. It would exceed some of the EU’s current environmental targets in the process, potentially positioning Spain as a leader on climate action.
“The draft Spanish climate law is an excellent example of the implementation of the Paris agreement,” Christina Figueres, a former executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said in a statement. “It sets a long-term goal, provides incentives on scaling up zero emission technologies and cares about a good transition for the workforce.
“As an early mover Spain will gain economically and create new jobs in the renewables sector.”...
By Kristin Hunt
Spain is making major changes to its grid. (click here) By 2050, the country plans to transition to 100 percent renewable electricity — and it’s already shuttering multiple coal mines to get there.
As The Guardian reports, the 2050 plan would slash Spain’s carbon emissions by 90 percent, when compared to 1990 levels. It calls for no new licenses for fracking wells, hydrocarbon exploitation, and fossil fuel drills, a move that builds on the country’s previous announcement that it would close most of its coal mines by the end of this year.
The government will have to install a minimum 3,000 megawatts of wind and solar power capacity each year over the next decade to reach its goal. To that end, Spain is also earmarking a fifth of the state budget for measures to address climate change. The strategy, as outlined in a draft law, would allow the country to decarbonize its economy soon after the 2050 electricity transition. It would exceed some of the EU’s current environmental targets in the process, potentially positioning Spain as a leader on climate action.
“The draft Spanish climate law is an excellent example of the implementation of the Paris agreement,” Christina Figueres, a former executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said in a statement. “It sets a long-term goal, provides incentives on scaling up zero emission technologies and cares about a good transition for the workforce.
“As an early mover Spain will gain economically and create new jobs in the renewables sector.”...
Since it's inception the IPCC has always painted a grim picture if the trends in greenhouse gases were not addressed.
By Carolyn Gramling
Maybe (click here) you have already heard from our climate change talk on Sat, 14.10.2017 in Arkadia that there is a organization called the ‘Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’ doing assessment of climate change. Serious business isn’t it?
The grim reality of climate change grabbed center stage in 2018.
This is the year we learned that the 2015 Paris Agreement on global warming won’t be enough to forestall significant impacts of climate change. And a new field of research explicitly attributed some extreme weather events to human-caused climate change. This one-two punch made it clear that climate change isn’t just something to worry about in the coming decades. It’s already here.
This looming problem was apparent three years ago when nearly all of the world’s nations agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius over preindustrial times by 2100 (SN: 1/9/16, p. 6). That pact was hard-won, but even then, some scientists sounded a note of caution: That target wouldn’t be stringent enough to prevent major changes.
So the United Nations took an unprecedented step. It commissioned the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to examine how the world might fare if global warming were limited to 1.5 degrees instead of 2 degrees. That report, released in October, confirmed that half a degree can indeed make a world of difference (SN: 10/27/18, p. 7). A half degree less warming means less sea level rise, fewer species lost due to vanished habitats and fewer life-threatening heat, drought and precipitation extremes (SN: 6/9/18, p. 6).
There’s little time to reverse course. The IPCC report notes that the planet’s average temperature has already increased by nearly 1 degree since preindustrial times, and that rise is contributing to extinctions, lower crop yields and more frequent wildfires. At the end of 2017, three attribution studies for the first time determined that certain extreme events, including an extended marine heat wave in the Pacific Ocean known as “the Blob,” would not have happened without human-induced climate change (SN: 1/20/18, p. 6)....
On the Iberian Peninsula, wind energy is rapidly growing, with the prospect of reaching more than 20% of the country’s electricity production by 2020. Enel Green Power Spain’s contribution, with over 1,800 MW in operational plants, has identified 29 plants to build the 540 MW of installed capacity reached in the latest wind tender from the Spanish government.
Almost 20 MW of new installed capacity in 2017. (click here) The prospect of going from the current 23 GW to 28 GW in 2020. And a series of records that have led wind energy to become the country’s second largest electricity source in terms of production.
Wind energy in Spain is a success story. We can see this in the numbers – in 2000, 2 GW were installed on the peninsula – and in the growth prospects of an increasingly competitive sector in which Enel Green Power is playing a key role.
According to the association that brings together Spanish companies in the wind industry (Asociación Empresarial Eólica - AEE), by 2030, wind energy will produce more than 30% of the country’s electricity, with an installed capacity of 40 GW....
New Zealand is only 4868 kilometers (3024 miles) from Antarctica. That is slightly less than NYC to Los Angeles, California.
Land cools and heats in seasonal intervals or has rainforests to mitigate heat. It is not the same for vast amounts of ocean that is consistently exposed to warming from the sun with little change in the temperature of the air it is exposed to.
6 December 2018
By Jason Walls
Climate change (click here) has been identified as one of the "most significant security threats of our time," according to a new report by the Ministry of Defence.
It said climate change was "already having adverse impacts both at home and in New Zealand's neighbourhood".
The assessment identified the particular security impacts which may arise as a result of climate change.
These included vulnerable populations losing their economic livelihoods, increased food and water scarcity, malnutrition, climate migration, health-related crises, competition for resources, land disputes and the potential for increased violence from mismanaged adaptation or migration....
Spain's fire season has gotten much worse in the past few years.
By Ciaran Mcgrath
Wildfires have also been raging in Huelva in the south-west of Spain
Firefighters battled a total of 11 separate wildfires (click here) which erupted in the space of just six hours in the Spanish region of Valencia, with thousands evacuated and nine dead nationwide in a further illustration of continent-wide tinderbox conditions
And authorities admitted they were concerned about two specific municipalities, Llutxent and Tuéjar, where fire crews were struggling to bring the flames under control.
A total of 2,500 people were evacuated at midnight, from the La Drova, Montepino and Montesol de Gandia areas as a preventive measure after concerns about high levels of smoke....
The change in the voracity of the fires have caused Spain to reassess their laws and government intervention to fight fires earlier and with more intense equipment.
9 April 2018
By Juan Jose Mateo
The Infoca helicopter team fights the fire at Riotinto.
Aerial firefighters (click here) have just been given the chance to smother wildfires more effectively. Ahead of the prevention campaign this summer, legislation exempting air tankers from complying with standard rest periods has been tweaked, according to the Official State Bulletin (BOE). The amendment means they can now work up to three consecutive hours, as opposed to two, a welcome change in the wake of one of the worst years for forest fires since 2010.
According to the Official College of Pilots (COPAC), however, the amendment does not go far enough. “This is a partial and transitional measure,” says a spokesman for COPAC. “We believe a complete revision of the legislation is necessary. The current legislation is ambiguous, out of date and has little to do with the reality of aerial firefighting operations, either with regard to safety or putting out the fire. An adequate legislative framework with reference to activity and rest times is a fundamental safety measure for professionals who are carrying out a basic public service.”
In 2017, there were almost 800 forest fires in Spain, according to provisional data from the Ministry of Agriculture. During the summer alone, fire devoured almost 105,000 hectares of forest and fires in Doñana, Valencia, Galicia and Asturias, destroying the natural habitat of much of the local fauna....
I've watched, we've all watched the glaciers shrink here and across the country," he said.
Some future climate impacts could be mitigated by limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) - but not the demise of alpine glaciers, he added.Most glaciers in Austria and across the Alps are going to disappear by 2100, scientists say. There is already enough heat-trapping pollution in the air to melt nearly all the ice, even if greenhouse gas emissions are cut to zero immediately, said climate physicist Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, who works as a scientific advisor for the NGO Climate Analytics.
A few shards of ice will linger in high shady crags, but the powerful rivers of ice that carved the valleys as recently as 150 years ago will be gone. The climate will probably be too warm for new glaciers to form for centuries to come, Schleussner added.
No slowdown
Extreme melting continued last year, said Andrea Fischer, who heads the team of scientists and volunteers at Österreichischer Alpenverein, an alpine organization in Austria that compiles annual reports about glaciers. The latest findings were released this April.
However, glacier Landeck Kees grew by 1 meter - it's believed that was due to a combination of topography. If the glacier melts back to a place where the terrain is slightly steeper, it may bolt downhill a bit faster. As more meltwater lubricates the base, this accelerates the glaciers' movement.
The Alpenverein's glacier records go back to 1870 - and the new figures confirm melting intensified sharply in the 21st century, just as global temperatures soar to new record highs nearly every year.
Glacier ice is the largest reservoir of freshwater on Earth, holding more water than all lakes, rivers, soils and plants combined.
Reduced flows or seasonal changes in volume resulting from dwindling glaciers could be more noticeable in the smaller streams in the highest valleys. There, it's likely be have impact on river life, including bugs and fish, as well as riverside habitat like shrubs and trees that are, in turn, important for birds....
The lower end of glacier Pasterze has been shrinking in size - the glacier is falling apart.
Much of the uneven melting witnessed by glaciologists have to do with elevation.
The heat settles never to the land of the troposphere and as the warmth
continues to surmount it changes the temperatures in a vertical method. So, the
glaciers found at 2000 feet elevation are shrinking because there is far less
recharge (snow) accumulating at the top of the glacier. When a glacier has little
to no recharge year after year, the glacier will melt.
I sometimes think if glaciers as a natural dam. The land underneath is covered in
solid water and sustains a great deal of weight on it, no different than a
constructed dam like the "Hoover Dam." As the ice melts and is not replaced
the land is exposed as if the water behind the dam is falling in volume.
The glaciers at higher elevations, such as 7000 to 10,000 feet, will receive
recharge as the water vapor, due to a hot land surface, evaporates and is then
found in clouds at much higher elevations. These clouds contain the water vapor
that was once found nearer the surface and will snow on the higher elevation
glaciers.
Higher elevation glaciers will continue to grow and extend their terminus (the front
of the glacier) forward until the heat reaches the higher elevations and then
the same phenomena found in the lower elevation glaciers will occur.
The glaciers found near oceans, such as the Juneau Icefields, will melt quicker
than those found inland simply because the oceans are absorbing the heat
on a continual basis rather than seasonal.
Spain is rarely viewed as a tourist haven, but, it very much is exactly that. It's cities are old world with lots of charm and romance. A person could travel the country of Spain and never be bored.
Spain's population is 46,403,232.
Spain, (click here) officially known as the Kingdom of Spain, is a sovereign state and a member state of the European Union, situated on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwest Europe.... ...The 754 miles (1,214 km) of border with Portugal is the longest uninterrupted border within the European Union.
The country is a democracy under a constitutional monarchy and is organized in a parliamentary style of government. It’s a developed country and is the 14th largest economy in the world by nominal GDP. The Kingdom of Spain has very high standards as well as the 10th highest quality of life index rating in the world as of 2005 statistics. As of 2018, the country has an estimated population of 46.40 million.
Spain’s economic freedom score is 65.1, (click here) making its economy the 60th freest in the 2018 Index. Its overall score has increased by 1.5 points, with improvements in fiscal health, judicial effectiveness, and labor freedom outpacing lower scores for the government integrity and business freedom indicators. Spain is ranked 30th among 44 countries in the Europe region, and its overall score is below the regional average but above the world average.
The severe 2017 constitutional crisis triggered by Catalonia’s push for separation will test the strength of Spain’s post–financial crisis economy, the rebound of which was facilitated by structural reforms highlighted by a reduction of the inefficient and oversized government sector, labor market reforms, and restoration of the financial sector’s competitiveness. Resolution of the crisis could threaten fiscal stability. Despite relatively sound economic institutions and transparent regulatory and judicial systems, the indebted public sector is still a drag on growth....
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