61 Day Until Inauguration - Terrorist Networks Harness the High Seas

Somali pirates seize ninth vessel in 12 days (click title to entery - thank you)
November 20, 2008
Catherine Philp, Diplomatic Correspondent
The battle with pirates operating off the coast of Somalia grew yesterday when raiders seized two more ships but lost one of their own in an uneven firefight with the Indian Navy. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) described the situation yesterday as “out of control”.
The surge in hijackings came as Saudi Arabia confirmed that a ransom demand had been made for the freeing of the Sirius Star supertanker, seized at the weekend with her crew of 25 and a cargo of oil worth $100 million (£65 million).
Two more vessels – a Thai fishing boat with a crew of 16, and a bulk carrier, believed to be Greek, with an unknown number of people aboard – were seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden yesterday, bringing the total to nine vessels in 12 days....

Ban Ki-moon welcomes India's decision (click here)
20 Nov 2008, 1345 hrs IST, IANS

UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the decision of India
and other countries to cooperate with Somalia to fight piracy in
its waters, an issue that has gained immediacy with Somali sea bandits attempting 95 hijackings this year alone....

The terrorist networks have their own supply routes. They are well established and can strike whenever they want. The Gulf of Aden belongs to the Pirate - Terrorists. This is a sovereignty issue for all the countries in the region.

The problem is that three countries along the Gulf of Aden are dominated by the ravages of terrorist networks, the Sudan, Somalia and Yemen. What needs to occur is that all other countries accessing this shipping channel need to provide their own 'armed escort fleet' for safer shipping.

Maritime Courts have to be bolstered and the United Nations Security Council has to aggressively address the issue of piracy as a method of advancing terrorist networks which threaten national security of most nations in the region and potentially a global security issue as these networks take over more and more countries. They already have three, not including Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Follow the Somali pirate scourge via Google mashup (click here)
Indian navy sends buccaneer mothership to Davy Jones
By Lewis Page • Get more from this author
Posted in Government, 19th November 2008 13:23 GMT
Webcast: Building Applications for the 21st Century

The world's media continues to follow the long-running piracy problems in the Gulf of Aden, with interest stimulated by last week's fatal shootings by Royal Marines off the Yemeni coast and the reported sinking of a buccaneer "mothership" by the Indian Navy yesterday evening. Meanwhile, other seaborne raiders in the region successfully hijacked five merchantmen including a 300,000-ton supertanker loaded with crude oil....

The USA's response is pathetic. Bush is everyone's cheerleader !

US Navy to Global Community, "Go Get 'Em, Team. Sorry, but, we are busy testing sonar and blowing whales out of the water."

U.S. Urges Merchant Ships to Try Steps to Foil Pirates (click here)

By THOM SHANKER
Published: November 19, 2008

WASHINGTON — The commander of American and allied naval forces off the coast of Somalia has begun efforts to halt a spike in piracy, urging merchant vessels to sail with armed guards on board and to travel only within lanes now patrolled by warships.
The commander, Vice Adm. William E. Gortney of the United States Navy, said crews of merchant ships were being taught measures that did not involve the use of force to prevent pirates from boarding their vessels.
The techniques include complicated rudder movements and speed adjustments that make it hard for pirate speedboats to pull alongside, as well as simple steps like pulling up ladders that some ships leave dangling for an entire voyage....

The Beauty of our Alaskan Wilderness - The Native Americans and their Whale Hunting Culture.

A whale bone outside an Alaskan village.

Photos by The New York Times

The Beauty of our Alaskan Wilderness - The Aurora borealis, once abused as a reason to dispell Human Induced Global Warming.

Pictures from the New York Times

Bush took his eye off the ball and now we are fighting with each other rather than fighting terrorist networks. It makes them stronger and us weaker.

KNOCK IT OFF !!!!

The sovereignty issue regarding the Arctic Ocean is in regards to who gets to protect it since we are all going to be signators of The Kyoto Protocol.

It isn't about oil.

Its about saving the planet and humanity now in a void of dangerous proportion. The lack of participation by the USA in Kyoto has opened a void not easily breeched. That void will close and the 'safe keeping' of the land of the Polar Bear, Caribou (click here) and dense, flourishing fisheries will become the focus to all that is possible in returning an intact ICE CAP. We need the Arctic Ocean's cooling ability for habitable continents.

There is no war over drilling rights. That's nonsense and the next USA administation will have to address that in a Summit Agreement between all the countries involved.

...The progressive summertime opening of the Arctic (click here) has intensified a longstanding international tug of war over shipping routes and possible oil and gas deposits beneath the Arctic Ocean seabed. Last week, Russians planted a flag on the seabed at the North Pole. On Wednesday, Stephen Harper, the Canadian prime minister, began a tour of Canada’s Arctic holdings, pledging “to vigorously protect our Arctic sovereignty as international interest in the region increases.”...

...In recent months, a Cold War-style game of imperial conquest (click here) has developed beneath the ice of the Arctic Ocean and the Northwest Passage, a submarine-driven dispute involving the United States, Norway, Denmark and especially Canada and Russia. Mr. Harper used this week's Throne Speech to signal the federal government was stepping up its presence in the Far North, pledging a bold and expensive military campaign to assert sovereignty over territory claimed by Canada, and areas of the Arctic that are still in dispute....

Moscow Asks to Stop Arctic War Intimidations (click title to entry, thank you)
Wednesday, October 22, 2008 7:15 PM
(Source: Daily News Bulletin; Moscow - English) MOSCOW. Oct 22 (Interfax) - The talk about a possible military conflict for Arctic resources is baseless, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"Many alarmist assessments reach almost as far as the World War III in the struggle for Arctic resources. In our view, such assessments are excessive and sometimes provocative," Russian Foreign Ministry's special envoy Anton Vasilyev told a press conference in Moscow on Wednesday.
The region's problem will be solved on the basis of international law, in particular, Russia is currently preparing an application to expand the external borders of its continental shelf, said the Russian diplomat, but did not name the exact date of filing this application.
Even if Russia is allowed to expand the borders of its continental shelf, it will not mean that Russia will have total sovereignty over this entire zone.
"Article 76 of the International Convention on the Law of the Sea only stipulates the sovereignty to explore the seabed and mineral resources and the exclusive right to use the seabed and mineral resources. Pipes, cables can be built over this territory no problem, without a permit of respective nations, this zone is open to navigation," Vasilyev said.
The same applies to the fishing resources, he said.
"The state does not acquire any additional rights of control over the fishing resources," he said.
(c) 2008 Daily News Bulletin; Moscow - English. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Australia's wheat harvest stalled by wet weather

This is the Australian Satellite now. The Queensland storms are directly connected to a peripheral reaching Antarctica vortex. The Antarctica Vortex actually envelopes the entire continent as it reaches the Equator in a 'heat transfer system' that has removed the frigid air from above the 3 mile high blue ice.

In the image above the peripheral dynamics coalesced at the southern tip of Australia, but, reaches to the Equator as noted in the satellite image at the bottom of this entry.

The Australian continent landmass, hot and dry, interrupted the peripheral dynamics and divided the 'air mass' into east and west wind tunnels. The reason Queensland is getting the worst of it, is because, its air circulation is more 'torturous' as it moves across a longer shoreline. It is that shoreline that is receiving a battering.

Worker fatigue newest hurdle as Qld (Queensland) braces for more storms (click here)

Posted 1 hour 46 minutes ago (Time is now 6:52 AM EDT on November 20, 2008)
The clean-up bill following the floods and storms is tipped to go into the hundreds of millions of dollars. (ABC Online: Ben Atherton)
Video: More storms forecast as clean-up bill mounts (ABC News)
Audio: Storms still wreaking havoc in Brisbane (PM)
Audio: Wild storms flattening NSW, Qld crops (PM)
Map: Brisbane 4000
Related Story: Rain sparks calls for Qld to quit recycling plans
Related Story: Parents praise ambulance after baby delivered during flood
Related Story: More severe SE Qld weather likely this summer: expert
Related Link: SE Qld flooding photo gallery
Authorities are worried that emergency workers will be exhausted if more severe storms hit Queensland's south-east.
The Bureau of Meteorology says a band of violent storms has swept through north-eastern New South Wales and is heading for south-east Queensland.
Wind gusts of up to 82 kilometres per hour were recorded at Cape Byron, while Coolangatta has been battered by winds of up to 86 kilometres per hour.
The weather bureau warned at 6:55pm (AEST), severe thunderstorms were detected on weather radar near Coolangatta, Cleveland, Manly and Wynnum.
"These thunderstorms are moving towards the east. They are forecast to affect Dunwich, Peel Island, southern waters of Moreton Bay and Amity Point by 7:25pm and Point Lookout and waters off North Stradbroke Island by 7:55pm," it said in a statement.
Damaging winds, large hailstones, very heavy rainfall and flash flooding are likely, it said.
A wind gust of 95 km/h was recorded in Toowoomba, while hailstones measuring 2 to 3cm has been reported in the Brisbane area.
Fifty-two millimetres of rain fell in 25 minutes at Wonglepong.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh today inspected floods after the second extreme weather event in a week, and she says hundreds of exhausted personnel are working or standing by for the next challenge.
"The issue now for emergency service workers and the Australian Defence Force is managing their resources, including fatigue," she said.
"For those of us who've waited a long time to see rain it's coming far too hard and far too often."
Ms Bligh thought Brisbane was just starting to recover from Sunday night's storm.
"We thought we'd broken the back of it last night," she said.
"Overnight we say new challenges, we've got more rain on the way tonight and we know we have severe storms coming on Saturday."
Ms Bligh says 100 homes and businesses have been affected by last night's flooding around Ipswich, and Lockyer Valley fields are sodden.
State Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg says the scale of the disaster is enormous and he has praised the clean-up effort.
Mr Springborg says it is too soon to say whether anything more could have been done to help affected residents.
"The real hope that I have is if there are recommendations made, that certainly we do learn from them and improvements are made in the future," he said.
"I think generally it's gone quite well and what we need to consider is whilst there may be some criticism or concern, there are a lot of people who've had very good response right from the start."
Brisbane's inner-city bypass is still flooded, so tolls have been waived this evening on the Gateway Bridge.
Another northside Brisbane storm centre has been set up at Keperra. There will be one at Ipswich and another is planned for Deception Bay.
Lindsay Ruggieri is one of those trapped in the township of Rosewood, west of Ipswich.
"I've got a set-up under the house with a couch and stereo unit and my laundry's under there," he said.
"It was above my knees under water and just it's still sitting in water - it hasn't gone away."
Storm warnings
Boat owners are also being urged to ensure their vessels are securely moored.
Police say several broke free last night and could cause problems with more storms predicted for this evening.
Boat owners are asked to take extra care with high levels of debris in the Brisbane River as well as water levels continually rising and falling.
The chaotic weather has prompted the Brisbane City Council to cancel all high-speed ferry services tonight.
The move has been prompted by concerns about fast flows in the river, as well as floating debris.
The last service will be at 6:00pm AEST and the situation will be reassessed in the morning.
Meanwhile the Royal Life Saving Society of Queensland is urging motorists not to drive on flooded roads.
Director Michael Darben says when roads are covered in water it can be difficult to tell what condition they are in.
"Particularly when it's dark, it's cloudy, there's not much light, and when the roads may have been washed away, there's the potential that that car could get bogged or stuck in the area as the water rises," he said.
The Water Commission says south-east residents can use water to clean up after storm damage without breaching the region's restrictions.
Gerald Tooth says the guidelines allow for "reasonable" water use to prevent any health and safety hazards.
Power out
Forty thousand homes across the region have been blacked out.
Energex says there have been 3,000 lightning strikes on the power network in the past two hours.
Supplies have been cut across a wide area including parts of Caboolture, the Gold Coast, Logan, Beenleigh, Ashgrove, Bardon, Paddington and Red Hill.
Energex says suburbs which lost power on Sunday have also suffered again tonight.
More than 7,000 customers are without power in the Borders Region and on the Darling Downs after an electrical storm swept through about 4:00pm AEST.
Ergon Energy says customers in Warwick, Stanthorpe and in the north-west suburbs of Toowoomba are affected.
Crews are working to restore power.

How much lower can it go? Its the uncertainty that is driving this mess. THAT and a more 'directed' Democratic majority. Let me explain.

It's a Bear Market !

Definately a bear market, in every sense of the word.

Far different than the Paulson Fortune 14,000.

The markets are global. During the current departing administration that reality was made a priority. Wall Street opened up venues in Europe and Lord only knows where else. That 'broader' sense of uncertainty adds to the possibility of the markets doing worse than even at the time of September 11th.

Speaking of September 11th, wasn't that magnanimous of Ayman al-Zawahiri (click here) to send such a warm greeting to the NEW leader of the free world. And don't believe for one minute that the rise of the ugly head of al Qaeda didnt' impact the market today, because it did.

At any rate, the uncertainty is due to the gross mishandling of the 'bailouts' and the path countries took to attempt to 'rescue' their faultering stocks. The poor judgement to date by Bush / Paulson has ADDED to this turbulence.

There is even more upsetting news in that, the USA isn't being stupid anymore in regard to its 'free money giveaways' noted today with the auto makers.

Its ONLY a 5% drop. The markets are still within the range of 8500. I'll maintain confidence in that capacity right now, although more monies are headed for bonds rather than stocks now.

7,997.28

–427.47

–5.07%

Did everyone catch the appearance of Michael Moore tonight? You should have. He is more than correct in that the car industry is NOT going to be waging the dog this time.

The majority Democratic Legislature is taking a hard look at the 'bail out' by Paulson after the continued failure of AIG. They are looking at the car manufacturers and wondering if any bailout WITHOUT a structured bankruptcy will ever work and IF there were a 'Free Money Giveaway' would the USA funds end up giving jobs to Europeans or Russians or otherwise.

The USA cannot continue to increase the debt WITHOUT returning jobs to the economy to widen the tax base and allow Americans to keep their homes.

And why provide a 'bailout' for companys that CONTINUE to deny the American consumer the products they are demanding? Why should the American Taxpayer provide any monies to an industry that continues to INSULT OUR INTELLIGENCE?

That makes sense?

No, it makes no sense.

For $25 billion, the federal government could go to Michigan and take over the current infrastructure, remodel it (WHILE PROVIDING JOBS TO THAT REMODELING PROCESS) and finally have a product that helps the USA achieve its goals of stemming Human Induced Global Warming while providing a thrifty car to Americans that puts 'disposable income' back in their pockets rather than the coffers of Big Oil.

Perhaps the Auto Manufacturers' CEOs and Wall Street didn't notice the campaign slogan of the Obama campaign. It was only one word. Just one word. Do you remember? Easy one. Go ahead I'll give you three guesses and the first two dont' count.

There ya go. See you remember now. Yep.

C H A N G E.

The difference though is that THIS TIME, the President-Elect really means it.

So, today when the three freshly 'jetted' CEOs gave their 'prepared statements' we all knew they were lying like hell ! They all made what can easily be coined as 'POLITICALLY CORRECT' statements. You know, like the rhetoric of Bush, Rove and the Republicans.

'Key Words.' - "International Monetary Crisis." "Global Economic Crisis."

Never once did any of the three honestly state, "We really blew it all these years and dictated the type of product the American consumer could have rather than giving them what they wanted and NEEDED.'

So, there you have it. Wall Street DOESN'T UNDERSTAND Main Street. No surprise there. In not understanding Main Street, Wall Street doesn't know which way the wind is blowing and whether its filled with concern for Arctic Air rather than oil and natural gas.

There is also the issue of falling oil prices. That has an impact. That trend may continue for at least one more year. After a year, the price of oil is again believe to skyrocket. Where does that leave future investments? If in one year, there is increased inflation because better and less expensive forms of energy haven't been harnessed than what will happen to consumer's prices and the best outcome of Wall Street?

Add to that, the awakening that al Qaeda is still 'out there' and doing well with threats by Omar to march into Kabul with protections of Karzai, the resurgence of the Taliban in Pakistan, Ayman al-Zawahri calling the President-Elect a 'house negro' and the pirating of ships, and there is a lot of reason to be fiscally restrained, don't you think?

So, with all that, there is a new kind of bravery that Wall Street can't seem to muster.

I say to that 'fine' we can do without all of you to rebuild this country. And its true. Oh, yes we can. We rather not, but, if it means 'more of the same in government' than keeping and protecting the future of our democracy, our Constitution with our children in mind, than Americans will make the sacrifices. They will 'stare down' the lousy demons handed to us by over 30 years of Republican exploitation of this country and 'Take Our Country Back' and that ain't just politically, 'We Want It All Back.'

Go figure, huh?

62 Days Until Inauguration - USA drops CO2 emissions due to Climate Change Sequelae, NOT due to policy initative

Earth: The Sequel: The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming (Hardcover) (click here)

KYOTO GOALS - These amount to an average of five per cent against 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008-2012.

Kyoto Protocol expires within The Barak Obama Administration, the change in USA Climate Crisis initiative can be a huge boost for the USA economy that will stop and reverse the trend in CO2 emissions.

There is a primary goal for the USA regarding Climate Change to focus on leadership while setting an example of excellance.

The USA must be a signator to Kyoto Protocol, but, it doesn't stop there. If we are to 'example' to the world we need to 'be where they are' and that is coalescing around values already recognized globally.

Realizing Kyoto expires in 2012, the USA must stop the trend of increased global emissions by taking responsibility for its' huge carbon dioxide emissions. It can BEGIN to do that by recognizing high emissions of CO2 as 'TOXIC' and CLASSIFYING it under The Clear Air Act and New Source Review (click here). In actuality, this is a human rights issue where deadly and adverse climates result from high CO2 levels. There is NO NEED to restudy the problem as the IPCC (click here) has already established 'the truth and facts.'

Within in The Clear Air Act and New Source Review there can no longer be allowed the 'status' of UNATTAINABLE. Either emission standards are met or the plants are SHUT DOWN to provide for NEW CONSTRUCTION of plants and factories that CAN MEET the new standards. IT CAN BE DONE, the federal legislation just has to 'go there.' The rest will take care of itself. They are Capital Investments that Republicans like to 'pocket' rather than 'invest' in the future of their own children. It is all very doable.

Once the USA has 'in place' the vital legislative tool to 'handle' emissions, the global standards can be set for 'beyond Kyoto 2012.' In all honesty, if the USA achieves its ambitious agenda for CO2 emissions control, the reversal will happen without disaffecting other countries. The PROBLEM always is that subsequent USA administrations can 'under cut' advances made by the Obama Administration and begin to cause a global problem again. It is up to the USA to 'set an example' and work with all other Kyoto nations to achieve their goals as an 'insurance policy' against future failure by any subsequent USA administration.

One area of International Protocol that is chronically neglected for the control of emission standards is that of 'POINT SOURCE' controls rather than 'regional' allotments. There are some 'interesting' views internationally of how 'emission sources' are identified and controlled, but, none as aggressive and 'correct' as the 'Point Source Standard' of the USA.

I sincerely believe once the USA sets its goals to controlling 25% of the carbon dioxide emissions globally, the trend will stop and reverse within this administration's influence and within its current 4 year tenure. THEN with 're-election' and continued mandate for a total of 8 years tenure by Obama we may very well see a return to freezing in the Arctic Ocean rather than a further degradation of the icefields and the ice ocean INSURING habitat for The Polar Bear. It is ambitious, but, doable ESPECIALLY considering a vital economy for the USA surrounds a change in 'infrastructure' for its work force that focuses on environment responsibility. I don't believe this is going to be all that UNACHIEVABLE for the prolonged neglect it has been given for decades and gross disregard by the Bush Administration.



Ex-Soviet bloc leads rises in CO2 emissions: U.N. (click here)
Mon Nov 17, 2008 7:34am EST


...It said the biggest recent gains were by nations of the former Soviet bloc, whose emissions had risen 7.4 percent since 2000 to 3.7 billion tonnes after crashing in the early 1990s with the collapse of former smokestack industries....

...The 2006 dip of 0.1 percent from 2005 was caused mainly by a fall in U.S. emissions to 7.0 billion tonnes from 7.1 billion tonnes in 2005, helped by factors including rising oil prices and a mild winter that cut demand for heating....



Hyundai Petrochemicals Daesan 2 cracker and power plant in South Korea burns residual fuel oil and emits greenhouse gases. It is the world's 11th largest power plant. (Photo courtesy Hyundai Engineering Co Ltd)

...For the smaller group of industrialized countries that ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol (click here) setting reduction targets, emissions in 2006 were about 17 percent below the Protocol’s 1990 base line, but they still grew after 2000.
The pre-2000 decrease stemmed from the economic decline of transition countries in Eastern and Central Europe in the 1990s.
"The biggest recent increase in emissions of industrialized countries has come from economies in transition, which have seen a rise of 7.4 percent in greenhouse gas emissions within the 2000 to 2006 time frame," said Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC....


Poland's Belchatow is the largest coal-fueled thermal power plant in Europe. (Photo courtesy Elektrownia Belchatow)

Johnston and Wilson to be declared disaster areas

Richard Barbee climbs out the window of his ruined home in Kenly. He and his family were salvaging items from the structure Monday after a tornado ripped through early Saturday.

Tornado victims sift through their lives (click here)
Published: Nov 18, 2008 12:30 AM
Modified: Nov 18, 2008 04:58 AM

Martha Quillin, Staff Writer ELM CITY - The tornado that killed a boy near this Wilson County town and a woman in Kenly early Saturday morning also displaced more than 100 people and 16 of the Pittman family's dogs.
"I can't have children, so the dogs are like my babies," Crystal Pittman said as she sat outside the two-story rented house she shared with her mother-in-law, Mary, and all those pooches. The dogs -- 10 adults and six new puppies -- are temporarily at the Wilson County Animal Shelter.
"We don't know where we're going to live, much less where the dogs are going to live," Mary Pittman said. "We have to find a place that will let us take all the dogs."...

Tornado Survivor Tells His Story (click here - video)

JOHNSTON COUNTY (WTVD) -- Residents are picking up the pieces after tornadoes cut a path of destruction through several area counties.
A total of five communities, Clement, Meadows, Kenly, Elm City and Pine Level are cleaning up from the weekend storms.
The twisters touched down around 3 a.m. Saturday morning killing 2 people in Wilson and Johnston Counties.
The victims include 61-year-old Maryland Gomez of Kenly and 11-year-old Joshua Wiggins of Elm City....

Single deadly tornado destroyed 16 N.C. homes (click here)

By Martha Quillin (Raleigh) News & Observer
Posted: Monday, Nov. 17, 2008
'COREY LOWENSTEIN – (RALEIGH) NEWS & OBSERVER',
Richard Barbee, 39, of Kenly, holds the bumper of his overturned truck in the yard of his home. "The hand of the Lord was over us," he said. The double-wide trailer he and his family had lived in for 10 years was destroyed overnight by a tornado. He and his family were not injured. COREY LOWENSTEIN – (RALEIGH) NEWS & OBSERVER
Volunteers help clean up a home destroyed by a tornado in Kenly, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008 after severe weather moved through the area, killing at least two people and destroying a number of homes.
Hunter Stephenson, 14, carries his dog Parker from his destroyed home in Kenly, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008 after severe weather and tornadoes moved through the area.
KENLY Authorities think a single tornado hop-scotching through northern Johnston and southwestern Wilson counties was responsible for the middle-of-the night destruction of 16 homes and deaths of two people, Gov. Mike Easley said today.
The tornado was clocked at 140 mph in Wilson County and 135 mph just outside Kenly in Johnston County, Easley said after a helicopter tour in which he viewed piles of rubble where homes once stood. He said he viewed the damage from the air, rather than the ground, to avoid interfering with emergency workers....

Looks like Sarah Palin is going to have to actually run for a Senate seat. YES ! Senate - 58 Democratic Votes !

Mark Begich Upsets Stevens; Wins Race for US Senate (click on title to entry, thank you)

KIMO news
Story Created: Nov 19, 2008 at 3:23 AM AKST
Story Updated: Nov 19, 2008 at 3:23 AM AKST
It wasn't the birthday present Sen. Ted Stevens was hoping for, as he has been defeated in his attempt for re-election. On Tuesday, the Alaska division of elections counted the remaining absentee and questioned ballots - and the lead for Mark Begich only got wider. As it stands, Begich has won the race by 3,724 votes - an insurmountable lead with only a few thousand absentee ballots left to be counted. So far, there has been no word if Sen. Stevens will ask for a recount. For the latest, join ABC Alaska News tonight at 5, 6 and 10.

Published by Bureau of National Literature, Inc. in New York, Volume XIX, A-K, on the page beginning Division of Stamps...

There comes a time when 'growth' and maturity of a nation takes on a realistic perspective rather than a biased one. There was a time in the USA when divorce was a word rarely spoken in social circles, yet alone practiced by over 50% of the population.

It is time to move the Gay and Lesbian Civil Union controversy out of the American Closet and while the pundits are arguing for Marriage, kindly note women got 'the vote' long after Black Men.

...the entry for divorce states, "The fact that an American couple may be regarded as man and wife in one state while divorced in another, or as never married at all in a third state has long been noted. In addition to absolute divorce, the several states have laws for annulment of marriage, partial divorce, alimony, re-marriage, residence (usually one year), age limits, common law marriages, prohibited and voided marriages, etc.


In the case of Haddock vs. Haddock, it was decided by the United States Supreme Couirt in 1906, four justices dissenting, that a divorce granted in a state where the defendant is not domiciled, without personal service of process or a voluntary appearance by the defendant, though valid in the state where decreed, need not be recognized by any other state.


A report on divorce and marriage was published by the Department of Commerce in 1924. It contained the following figures for 1923:
Marriages .................................1,223,825............................8.4% increase over last year.
Divorces..................................... 165,139............................11.o% increase over last year.


Divorces granted husband ...............................32.0%


Divorces granted wife.......................................68.0%

Causes of divorce-
Adultery - 10.9%, Cruelty - 34.5%, Desertion - 32.8%, Drunkenness - 1.0%, Neglect to provide - 4.2%, Combinations of above causes - 8.7%, other causes - 7.7%


In the proportion to the number of persons married, the number of divorces is greatest in the states of Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming and California. It is lowest in District of Columbia, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota and New Jersey. As a general tendency, the proportionate number of divorces is greates in the Western states and lowest in teh Eastern states.

63 Days Until Inauguration

UN Attack Helicopters Ready to Respond After Rebel Ceasefire Violation (click at title of entry, thank you)
UN News Service (New York)NEWS17 November 2008 Posted to the web 17 November 2008
United Nations attack helicopters have mounted reconnaissance flights and "are poised to respond to any and all eventualities" in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after rebel forces violated a ceasefire and seized a number of localities in some of the worst fighting in more than a week.
Strongly condemning the latest violation yesterday of the ceasefire by the rebel National Congress for the Defence of the People, know by its French acronym CNDP and led by renegade general Laurent Nkunda, the UN Mission in DRC (MONUC) called on the warring parties to uphold the ceasefire and give the ongoing political process a chance to succeed....

Ecobank Group Celebrates Landmark 20th Anniversary - Group draws on renewed energy going forward (click here)

Ecobank (Lome)
SPONSOR WIRE11 November 2008Posted to the web 11 November 2008
Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, (ETI) parent company of the Ecobank Group, celebrated its landmark 20th anniversary today, breaking ground on the construction of its new headquarters building in Lome. The Togolese capital has been home to the pan-African bank since it commenced operations in 1988....

...About ECOBANK (www.ecobank.com )
ECOBANK is the leading independent regional banking group in Africa. It currently operates in 25 African countries, namely: Benin, Burkina-Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. ETI is listed on the stock exchanges in Lagos, Accra and Abidjan (BRVM). The Group is owned by over 7000 shareholders including institutional investors. It has over 10,000 employees in over 500 branches. Ecobank is a full-service bank providing wholesale, retail, investment and transaction banking services and products to governments, financial institutions, multinationals, international organizations, medium, small and micro businesses and individuals.

Has anyone asked Barak if Vernon Jordan would consider serving?

He has been a lawyer, leader of nearly every minority interest in this country, served on the Iraq Study Group and in corporate board rooms, includeing: American Express Company; Asbury Automotive Group, Inc.; Dow Jones & Company, Inc.; Howard University (Trustee); J.C. Penney Company, Inc.; Lazard Ltd; Xerox Corporation; International Advisory Board of DaimlerChrysler and Barrick Gold. Jordan is a member of the Bars of Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Georgia and the U.S. Supreme Court.

I believe there is a place for Vernon Jordan in the Obama Administration or better yet in his Cabinet.

Winnipeg zoo euthanizes world's oldest polar bear

Debby arrived in Winnipeg as a cub back in 1967, and more than 18 million visitors have come to see her.

Updated Mon. Nov. 17 2008 8:48 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Winnipeg zoo officials euthanized the oldest living polar bear on Monday, after a clinical exam found Debby was suffering from multiple organ failure.
At 42 years old, Debby doubled the life expectancy of the average polar bear. Officials said her health had been declining for several months.
They said she spent her last moments surrounded by caring zoo-keepers and veterinarians.
Born in the Russian Arctic in 1966, and arriving at the Assiniboine Park Zoo as an orphaned cub in 1967, Debby spent most of her life with her mate Skipper. The pair produced six surviving offspring.
When she turned 41, Debby was entered into the 2008 Guinness Book of Records as the oldest living polar bear. At 42 she was within the top three longevity record-holders for all eight species of bears
"Debby played a dominant role in the Winnipeg Zoo's animal family for over four decades, generating great public appeal and important contributions to the Zoo's interpretive programs," said the zoo in a press release. "She epitomized what one orphaned animal can achieve in promoting the conservation of her species and other wildlife in light of mounting ecological and environmental challenges like global warming."
Dr. Gordon Glover, Assiniboine Park Zoo's coordinator, recalled Debby's ability to "strike magnificent and charming poses," which resulted in her being featured in many photos and films. "She will be missed by millions of Zoo visitors," said Glover.
The zoo is inviting the public to celebrate Debby's life at a ceremony at the zoo's Animal Tracks Café from Noon to 1:00 p.m. local time on Saturday, Nov. 22.

Franken asks board to count absentee ballots before recount

By MIKE KASZUBA, Star Tribune
Last update: November 17, 2008 - 5:58 PM
...At one of the news conferences, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said that Sen. Norm Coleman’s lead over Franken, which stands at 206 votes, is expected to grow to 215 as a result of a post-election review of results that involved a statewide sampling of about 210 precincts....



Local Time: 4:04 PM AKST on November 17, 2008

Lat/Lon: 58.8° N 137.0° W

Conditions :: Clear

Temperature :: 32 °F / 0 °C

Windchill :: 32 °F / 0 °C

Humidity :: 80%

Dew Point :: 27 °F / -3 °C

Wind :: Calm

Pressure :: 29.76 in / 1008 hPa (Steady)

Visibility :: 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers

UV :: 0 out of 16

Clouds :: Clear -
(Above Ground Level)

Elevation :: 33 ft / 10 m

...most devastating to hit Los Angeles in nearly half a century...

That is NOT a fire.

This is an inferno.

This is NOT normal.

The years of fire that California has suffered does not LEAVE that much FUEL on the ground. These are fires due to extremely dry conditions, literally burning up anything that is made of timber, and I am not talking trees.

Why such events 'seem like a minimal circumstance' that passes and then people come back to rebuild their lives, is because its like a hurricane tidal surge. Once it passes over you it is over. Then all there is left to do is pick up the pieces. 'The Faithful' are real good at recuperating while being grateful for being alive.

This mess HAS to stop. Its not going to as long as we ignore our responsibility to Earth. For the faithful; God didn't provide a paradise as a void in space to provide for his likeness only to have it destroyed by neglect and self-righteous indignation leading to wealth.

THIS HAS TO STOP. California can't make its budget. It isn't because of banks, either !

The Oakridge mobile home park, which had 600-800 homes, in Sylmar, California, is engulfed in fire. (click at title to entry, thank you)

Photo: AFP

November 16, 2008
More than 500 mobile homes were destroyed and 10,000 people fled as a wildfire described as the most devastating to hit Los Angeles in nearly half a century ripped through a city suburb on Saturday, officials said.One day after an inferno laid waste to more than 100 mansions in the celebrity enclave of Montecito, 160 kilometres up the coast, California's fire scourge struck in the densely populated district of Sylmar on the northern fringe of Los Angeles.The wildfire - fuelled by seasonal winds of up to 100kmh - erupted late on Friday and swept through 2600 hectares, turning everything in its path to charred ruins, authorities said....

Again? Well, it is so good to see that Bush and Cheney have global terrorism under control, isn't it?

Do you see the size of this thing? How in God's name do you hijack it? (click here)

You want to know something, as far as I am concerned, I couldn't care less. The pirates need to let the hostages leave the ship and they can have it and the oil. They need to let the crew leave.

Do you suppose they are taking the oil to Mullah Omar?

Somali pirates suspected of hijacking giant oil tanker
The crew of 25 on the Sirius Star is kidnapped in the bold attack on the Arabian Sea. U.S. military officials say this represents a 'fundamental' change in the way pirates are operating.
By Borzou Daragahi
7:07 AM PST, November 17, 2008
Reporting from Beirut -- In a dramatic and unprecedented show of prowess, suspected Somali pirates seized an oil tanker three times the size of a U.S. aircraft carrier deep in open seas, the U.S. military in the Middle East announced today.The Liberian-flagged Sirius Star oil tanker was hijacked and its multinational crew of 25 kidnapped by pirates in the Arabian Sea on Saturday more than 450 nautical miles from Mombasa, Kenya, the Bahrain-based U.S. 5th Fleet said.
Typically, pirates attack within 200 miles of the shoreline and go after smaller prey, said U.S. Navy Lt. Nathan Christensen, adding that the pirates were "changing the way they're doing business" in the region."What this represents is a fundamental ability of pirates to be able to operate off the coast to an extent we have not seen before," Christensen said in a phone conversation from Manama, Bahrain, home to the 5th Fleet. "It's the largest ship we've seen attacked."The giant oil tanker is owned by Saudi Arabia-based Saudi Aramco. Crew members include citizens of Britain, Poland, Croatia, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines, the Navy said. Christensen said the pirates have not made any demands yet.
The Sirius Star, manufactured in South Korea by Dubai-based Vela International Marine Ltd., is classified as a "very large crude-oil carrier," which typically cost about $120 million and can transport up to 2 million barrels of oil....

Has Cruise ever starred in a film where he failed to be a hero? Click here for trailer.

Tom Cruise plays the role of the failed Hitler assassin Col. Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg in the film "Valkyrie."

"What makes you think you are stronger than the very momemtum of history?"

...“Valkyrie,” (click here) directed by Bryan Singer, with an original script by Christopher McQuarrie, was conceived about 20 months ago as a dramatic showcase for Mr. Cruise. It was also a high-profile effort to kick-start United Artists, the MGM unit of which he and his producing partner, Paula Wagner, had become part owners....

The Obama Agenda moves forward with the enthusiasm of Turkey's diplomatic corp. Thank you.

The issues besetting the Obama Administration in regard to Iran primarily focus on the denial of productive relations regarding Israel.

Currently, the President of Iran has leveled words of Anti-Semetic rhetoric that denies the existance of Israel, while, benefitting his political ambitions. He is also politically engaged in Southern Lebanon with entities that have opposed the existance of Israel.

While Egypt and Jordan has sought diligently a peace between Israel and Palestine, it is being undermined by Iran's purpose of disruption as a means to their national security. Peace in the Middle East, in any measure, will not be possible unless Iran is a part of it.

The issues are many and the path forward is mired with land mines, but, to simply threaten war with Iran is unrealistic and counter-productive to any peace for the Middle East.

In contrast to the demands upon Iran to stop its nuclear enrichment program and return to productive relations with The West the USA has to reflect on its aggressive posture. Insuring the safety of the Iranian people includes the cessation of the political rhetoric and laying the ground work of mutual trust and expectations.

Iran's denial of the world as it exists rather than as its president wants it, lies in the 'void' the issue in fact that the USA, under Bush, has walked away from the Non-Proliferation Treaty as well as the ABM Treaty with Russia.

When a Free World country acts in aggression, it endangers its own freedom, populous, democracy, the well being of other people and discards any progress made in peace to a world safe for all peoples. The USA in alliance with other great nations have a strong defense of its populous and principles, however, to become an aggressor nation as it has under the Bush/Cheney War Machine is to lose far more than it can ever gain. The reality of today speaks loud and clear to that TRUTH !

Office of the SpokesmanWashington, DC
May 2, 2007
U.S. Participates in 2007 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee Meeting in Vienna (click here)
States Party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) will convene April 30 to May 11 in Vienna, Austria, for the first session of a review process that will discuss the operation of the Treaty and how best to fulfill its purpose. The NPT includes close to 190 member states and is second only to the United Nations in membership size. This meeting of the NPT Preparatory Committee is the first of three meetings that will precede, on an annual basis, an NPT Review Conference in 2010 that is the core of the review process....




President George W. Bush (R) leads Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan into the G20 Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy at the National Building Museum in Washington, November 15, 2008.
REUTERS/Jim Young

Iran says won't hinder Turkish mediation with U.S. (click here)
Mon Nov 17, 2008 4:22am EST
By Hossein Jaseb
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran said on Monday it would not hinder any Turkish bid to mediate between the Islamic Republic and the new U.S. administration but cautioned that its differences with Washington were deep-rooted....
...Relations with Iran will be one of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's main foreign policy challenges when he takes office in January. He has said he would harden sanctions but has also held out the possibility of direct talks.
Iranian officials have reacted cautiously to Obama's election, saying it reflects the American people's desire for fundamental change in U.S. policies at home and abroad but that it remains to be seen whether he will live up to expectations.
Asked about Erdogan's remarks to the New York Times that Obama's election opened new opportunities for a shift in Iran- U.S. relations and that Ankara would be ready to mediate, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said:
"We think the comments ... stem from Turkish goodwill and good and growing neighborly ties between Iran and Turkey, so we will certainly not raise any obstacles."
"But the reality is that the issue and problems between Iran and the United states go beyond the usual political problems between two countries," he told a news conference.
"SLOGANS"
The United States severed ties with Iran shortly after its 1979 Islamic revolution and is now spearheading efforts to isolate the country over sensitive nuclear work the West suspects is aimed at making bombs, a charge Tehran denies.
"Around 30 years after the ... revolution the Americans have had negative performance toward us," Qashqavi said. "Mr Obama has come forward with slogans and now we will have to see whether the change in orientation is serious or not."
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated Obama after his November 4 victory, but other officials in Tehran later criticized the U.S. president-elect's call for an international effort to stop Iran developing a nuclear bomb.
Iran, the world's fourth-largest crude oil producer, says its nuclear programme is aimed at generating electricity....

64 Days Until Inauguration - Can the Congress make an exception and to it today?

November 16, 2008, 7:40 pm

Updated: 9:04 pm
Obama Mixes the Personal and Political on ‘60 Minutes’ (click here)
By Michael Falcone

...Mr. Obama acknowledged the parallels between the current economic crisis and the problems of the Great Depression, but said that he supported solutions that are “true to our times.”
“For us to simply recreate what existed back in the 30s in the 21st century — I think would be missing the boat,” Mr. Obama said in the interview. “I think the basic principle that government has a role to play in kick-starting an economy that has ground to a halt is sound. I think our basic principle that this is a free market system and that that has worked for us, that it creates innovation and risk taking, I think that’s a principle that we’ve got to hold to as well.”...

Obama On Economic Crisis, Transition (click here)
Also Discusses National Security, Iraq, And His Cabinet In 60 Minutes Interview
Nov. 16, 2008

The USA isn't going to be there that long !!!!!!!!

In this image released by the Iraqi government, Iraq's Cabinet votes to approve a security pact with the United States during a session in Baghdad, Iraq, on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008. Iraq's Cabinet on Sunday approved a security pact with the United States that will allow American forces to stay in Iraq for three years after their U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year, the government said. The decision followed months of difficult negotiations and, pending parliamentary approval, will remove a major point of contention between the two allies. (AP Photo/Iraqi Government, HO)