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Thank you for your interest.

Superstorm Sandy

Jim Kossin, a NOAA National Climatic Data Center scientist assigned to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, and his colleagues discovered a poleward migration of storm intensity in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres after a thorough examination of three-decades worth of global historical tropical cyclone data.

May 14, 2014
Contact: Jim Kossin james.kossin@noaa.gov
608-265-5356 University of Wisconsin-Madison

MADISON, Wis. — The latitude at which tropical cyclones reach their greatest intensity is gradually shifting from the tropics toward the poles at rates of about 33 to 39 miles per decade, according to a study published today (May 14, 2014) in the journal Nature.

The new study was led by Jim Kossin, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Climatic Data Center scientist stationed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies. The research documents a poleward migration of storm intensity in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres through an analysis of 30 years of global historical tropical cyclone data. The term "tropical cyclone" describes a broad category of storms that includes hurricanes and typhoons, large and damaging storms that draw their energy from warm ocean waters.

The findings are important, says Kossin, because they suggest that some areas, including densely populated coastal cities, could experience changes in risk due to large storms and associated floods and storm surges. Regions closer to the equator, he notes, could experience a reduced risk, and places more distant from the equator could experience an increased risk. The trend observed by Kossin and his colleagues is particularly important given the devastating loss of life and property that can follow in the wake of a tropical cyclone....

How is the northeast USA doing? A little soggy? 

Why would storms being migrating northward? It is an interesting study which records the data, but, why would storms be migrating northward?

Melting ice caps provide water vapor to fuel storms.

To all aliens and natives alike, this is what it takes to continue to live in Earth.

Jane Kleeb on the farm in Ayr, Neb., that she is restoring with her husband. Credit Michael Friberg for The New York Times 

May 16, 2014
By Saul Elbein

...“Can we put [those cows] (click here) on trucks and send them to Canada?” suggested Max Nelson, a stooped retired rancher who raised his hand every 10 minutes to pose other hypothetical disasters: a spill polluting the water supply of West Omaha, say, or compromising the hydroelectric dams on the Platte River....

Hypothetical? You mean it has never happened?

May 15, 2014
By Steven Gorman and Selam Gebrekidan

(Reuters) - A faulty valve at a petroleum pipeline pump station ruptured (click here) early on Thursday in an industrial corner of Los Angeles, spewing crude oil 40 feet into the air, onto the roof of a strip club next door, and leaving four people sick from the fumes.

An estimated 10,000 gallons of oil gushed from the pipeline before it was shut down and the spill was halted, soaking an area about a half-block long, Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Jaime Moore said.

The company that runs the pipeline, Plains All American Pipeline LP, a unit of Plains Pipeline LP, put the volume of the spill at "less than 450 barrels (18,900 gallons)" based on current field inspections....

Well, that was an interesting hypothetical. The great thing about hypotheticals is that no one gets sick, there is no risk of cancer and it doesn't cost homeland security or insurance companies any money.

How much surface area is covered by one gallon of spilled oil?

How thick is an oil spill? From top to bottom, what is the depth of an oil spill on land? One millimeter? Two? A quarter of an inch? 

A standard-size barrel filled with the most common oils (petroleum oil, crude oil or diesel fuel oils) weighs between 125 and 140 pounds. However, the weight of a barrel of oil varies based on the type of oil in the barrel and the size of the barrel. 

The bitumen mixture with naphtha would not weigh anything similar to oil. Bitumen weighs 156.5 kilograms or 345 pounds per barrel. But, in order to travel through a pipeline without rupturing it, there needs to be a 50/50 mixture with naphtha.

A standard-size barrel holds 42 U.S. gallons. If one fills a standard-size barrel with petroleum oil that has a density of 881 kg/m3, then that barrel weighs about 140 kilograms. If one fills the same barrel with crude oil with a density of 790 kg/m3, that barrel weighs about 125 kg. In order to get a metric tonne of oil, one would need about 7.33 barrels of oil.

Volume and Capacity Conversion Tables for Petroleum Products (click here)



Taking one barrel of bitumen (345.6 pounds) and one barrel of naphtha (252 pounds = 42 US gallons X 6 US pounds) and mixing them creates two barrels. The two barrels would weigh 597.6  pounds total or 298.8 pounds each. 

To the left is what a metric ton of CO2 looks like. A metric ton is the 'cubed' size of the weight of the substance. So, in the case of CO2 this is what a metric ton looks like. 

Visualizing a Metric Ton of Carbon Dioxide

A cube of CO2 would be nearly 30 feet tall and weigh over 2,000 pounds. As a point of reference, the average height for Americans age 20 and over is about 5' 8" for males and 5' 3" for females, according to a 2008 source.

There is one other illustration that will help put it into perspective. Now, the standard for a ton is 2000 pounds. A metric ton is actually a little bigger than a standard ton. A metric ton is 1.102 tons. That is 2204 pounds. But, for demonstration purposes it is best not to confuse the issue and I'll use 2000 pounds for metric ton.

Any cubic measurement is always ^3. So a meter cubed is 1 meter ^3. That is what the illustrations seek to portray. They are a measurement cubed or ^3. Six sided with three dimensions. So, it takes a weight measurement and turns it into a three dimensional object of length X width X depth.

So, we want to know the surface area a gallon of spilled oil, actually bitumen mixture.

I have already determined a barrel of the mixture weighs 298.8 pounds. And we know a barrel is 42 gallons. So, the weight of the bitumen mixture per gallon is 7.09 pounds. We know that a metric ton is 2000 pounds which means there are 282 gallons per metric ton of the bitumen mixture.

But, to keep it simple what is the surface area of one gallon of spilled bitumen mixture? Basically, meter^3 per gallon. 

The legal measurement of a US gallon is 231 cubic inches (231 in^3).

One (1) cubic inch = 16,387 cubic millimeters

231 cubic inches is equal to 3,785,397 millimeters cubed (mm^3) or one gallon or 7.09 pounds of bitumen.

One meter cubed is one meter (1000 millimeters (mm) wide by one meter high (1000 millimeters (mm) by one meter (1000 millimeters (mm) thick. If a bitumen oil spill is 10 millimeters thick how large is the spill of one gallon of the bitumen mixture?

1000 mm X 1000 mm = 1,000,000 mm^2 (one million millimeters squared)

1,000,000 mm^2 X 1000 mm = 1,000,000,000 mm^3 (one billion millimeters cubed)

1 inch by 1 inch = 1 inch ^2 (one inch squared)

1 inch = 25.4 millimeters 

25.4 mm X 25.4 mm = 645.16 mm^2 

3,785,397 mm^3 = 10 mm x 378,539.7 mm^2

The square root of 378,539.7 mm^2 = 615.255 or 615.26 mm

Therefore, a gallon of oil spilled with a thickness of 10 mm is 615.26 mm by 615.26 mm.

1 mm = 0.0393701 inch or 0.0394 inch 

To convert 615.26 mm to inches it is multiplied by 0.0394 and results in a product of 24.24 inches.

So, one gallon of spilled oil is 24.24 inch by 24.24 inches by 0.4 inch. 

Surface area is expressed in a cubed measurement, but, to look down at one gallon of spilled oil, it would cover over 2 feet by 2 feet of area.

In the spill yesterday in Los Angeles was 18,900 gallons. Get the picture?

2 feet X 2 feet is 4 square feet (ft^2).

4 ft.^2 X 18,900 gallons is 75,600 square feet, but with a depth of 4/10 inches (0.03 foot) the width and length would be slightly less.

The building to the left is the new elementary school for Clarkson, Kentucky. It is 75,600 square feet.

Not cubic feet, but, square feet. Length and width. 

The oil spill in Los Angeles yesterday would have covered the footprint of this elementary school.

Now take this elementary school and put it on the Kleeb farm and realize the entirely unusable land a ruptured oil pipe could deliver. How many of those ruptures could the Kleebs occur before they would have no agricultural land? How are the Kleebs going to eat when the lawsuit to the oil company is paid, but, there is still no land to grow food?

Below is a laughing baby supervised by the person taking the picture. The toddler takes a three dimensional glass of water (pipeline) and turns it into a two dimensional spill. 

Americans never liked being told what to do socially.

The Black Eyed Susan, the Maryland state flower.

Maryland (click here) designated the black-eyed susan as the official state floral emblem in 1918. The black-eyed susan is a daisy-like wildflower with yellow petals and a dark brown center that grows in dry places. A member of the sunflower family and native to the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, black-eyed susans are common in Maryland fields and roadsides

...Pimlico (click here) even survived the anti-gambling movement of the early 1900s. While horse racing was banned throughout most of the nation, Maryland (and Kentucky) escaped the restriction....

May 16, 2014
Tim Wilkin

...He has gotten the best food money can buy (click here) ... for a horse. He has been given the softest straw to stand and sleep on. His water bucket is always full. Someone is watching him 24/7.
California Chrome's support staff will take some time off early Saturday evening. That's when Pimlico Race Course presents the 139th running of the $1.5 million Preakness Stakes. It's California Chrome's second date with thoroughbred history in two weeks. A win at Pimlico would vault the colt to the June 7 Belmont Stakes with the chance to become the sport's first Triple Crown winner since 1978.
Saturday, it's all on him.

Everything is Obamacare's fault.

Did you know that everything that goes wrong with anyone's health care is Obamacare's fault? I didn't know that until this morning.

Went to a local coffee house this morning. There was a woman next to me and I looked in her direction and wished her a good morning. I said, "So, how are things today?" She said, "Not so great, but, should be better in a week." 

I said, "A week? Why a week?"

She said, "That is when I finally get my gall bladder out." 

So, she went on to tell me the war stories about how she was misdiagnosed at a medi-emerg center with an intestinal flu and how she called her own MD in the AM and was then referred to a surgeon. Then the surgeon stated he would perform the needed removal of the diseased organ in a week and if he had an opening sooner she would be taken care of.

I empathized and told her the nightmare story of my 19 year old when he had a severely diseased gall bladder and his pain and how two emergency rooms on Christmas Day stated, "See your GI specialist in the morning." Then I told her once we were home how EMTs showed up after my son called 911 while I was in the shower. I stated when I heard the noise I threw on a bathrobe to find my son on a stretcher headed to the ER and one EMT stated, "What kind of mother are you!"

I told her I went to the ER to see my son on a normal saline drip while nurses administered demerol and phenergan and was told he was going to surgery as soon as possible, probably within the hour. I was grateful finally a physician made the correct call and at the same time worried because surgery was no minor matter even for a 19 year old. 

I told her my son was in surgery for three hours and when the surgeon came to me in the waiting room he looked like he just saw a ghost. See, my son was so healthy his serum tests never showed what was happening in his gut. He had peritonitis and could have died without emergent surgery. He then spent the next three days taking pain medication with IV antibiotics on a medical floor in the hospital. When he was discharged he still was sore and pale, but, he was going to be alright. 

So I stated, "Will you please tell me what the heck it is with gall bladders that the medical profession just doesn't get?"

She stated, "Well it is Obamacare that is the problem. The receptionist in the surgeon's office told me all about it. She said the government is watching the insurance companies very closely and they are afraid to even approve surgery. So, we are all in danger because of stupid Obamacare."

I just smiled and went back to reading my paper. What I didn't tell her is that incident with a gall bladder happened 14 years ago as my son is now 33. But, what the heck, let's just blame it on Obamacare anyway. 

Everyone is an arsonist.

California is caught in a weather system spanning more than a decade. There is no reason to believe there was a particular arsonist intent on burning down cities. There are such people as arsonists, but, the conditions in California today can be the only reason fires ignite. 

Throwing cigarettes or used matches out a car window. Dumping burning embers from a charcoal grill at the back of the yard can blow them into a dry area and begin a fire. Basically, there are reasons for every citizen to be vigilant to prevent fires.  

May 15, 2014
Doyle Rice
USA Today

Today, (click here) for the first time this century, the entire state of California is in a severe drought -- or worse.
That's according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a federal website that has tracked drought across the country since 2000.
The level of drought in California is "unprecedented" during the 14-year-history of the monitor, according to climatologist Mark Svoboda of the National Drought Mitigation Center in Lincoln, Neb.
The three worst levels of drought are severe, extreme and exceptional: 100% of the state is now in one of those three categories: (23.31% severe, 51.92.% extreme and 24.77% exceptional.)
Exceptional drought encompasses central parts of the state, including the entire San Francisco Bay Area. San Diego and Los Angeles -- where wildfires have scorched 14 square miles this week -- are both under "extreme" drought conditions.

While it is admirable for federal state legislators look for reassurances of their veterans, it would be a mistake to create vast changes in the VA.

May 16, 2014
By Jennifer Emert
COLUMBIA, SC (WIS)

South Carolina's Congressional (click here) representatives talked with Dorn VA Administrators about face to face audits, among prolonged delays in care at Veterans Affairs facilities nationwide.
After meeting with Dorn administrators about issues of delays both Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Joe Wilson told us they don't believe the issues seen in Phoenix with the secret wait lists are an issue here at Dorn, but they both believe there are issues to address.
Both have continued to hear complaints about delays in care, but they attributed some of that today to a lack of physicians not only here in Columbia but at clinics in Florence. They talked some about the pay rate for physicians. Wilson told us he believes Dorn has already made improvements from when he was here in January, but there needs to be accountability for the VA's medical directors....

There have been changes implemented that cost real money. The computer network of the VA has yet to be completed and it's link to the US DOD is still in the works. When the VA has an internet system that actually works there may be far more efficiency.

Audits by computer will be far easier and can be performed more quickly. If there is standardized software throughout the VA there cannot be manipulation of the waiting time for treatment. A centralized processing of treatment to be sure the more acute cases are receiving priority. 

November 13, 2013
Far fewer veterans (click here) are facing long waits for disability compensation after the Department of Veterans Affairs spent the past six months focusing on the backlog, including mandating case worker overtime and rolling out a new computer system.
The progress came amid a torrent of public pressure that followed a March report from The Center for Investigative Reporting. 
Internal VA documents, obtained by CIR, revealed the agency’s ability to provide earned benefits quickly had virtually collapsed under President Barack Obama, with the number of veterans waiting more than a year for compensation increasing by more than 2,000 percent, to 256,000 in March....

There are a lot of ideas circulating around, but, the idea there has to be more money spent is not prudent. This isn't about a general problem that is systematic. This is about a few individuals that disregarded the law. There isn't any amount of money able to fix that. 

I heard the suggestion Tricare should be the only veterans insurance. Tricare is very different than the services provided by the Veterans' Administration. There is more care and coverage though the VA. When veterans reach age 62 they are also eligible for Medicare.

Tricare is through the DOD. There is the ability to have Tricare for Life, but, it doesn't simply translate into benefits as if it were a private healthcare insurance provider.

 Tricare for Life Benefits: (click here)

• For services payable by both Medicare and TFL, Medicare pays first, any other health insurance pays second, and the remaining beneficiary liability may be paid by TFL.
• For services received from a civilian provider, the provider first files claims with Medicare. Medicare pays its portion and electronically forwards the claim to TFL for processing. TFL sends its payment for the remaining beneficiary liability directly to the provider, and beneficiaries receive a Medicare summary notice (from Medicare) and a TFL explanation of benefits (EOB) that indicates the amount paid to the provider.

See this film.

Christopher Orr 
May 16, 2014

...It’s an excellent start to the film, heavy with foreboding and punctuated by genuine loss. And sure enough, when Joe and Ford infiltrate the quarantine zone together, they find at its center a secret facility performing experiments on a giant, larval monster that feeds on nuclear radiation. Yes—it’s Godzilla!

Actually, no, it’s not Godzilla....

I saw it last night in 3D and it was one of the coolest films yet. If one likes mystical monster movies. This one could easily be named, "Mr. and Mrs. Muto vs Godzilla."

Ready? Godzilla swims with the US Navy!

Asking Secretary Shinseki to resign is the easy feel good answer. It won't solve the problem.

By Greg Jaffe and Josh Hicks

Published: May 15

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki stared, (click here) at times impassively, at a panel of senators who repeatedly hammered him Thursday over long waits for veterans seeking care and reports of coverups at VA medical centers.

When it was his turn to speak, Shinseki vowed to remain in office as long as he has President Obama’s support. He told the lawmakers that the allegations of impropriety made him “mad as hell.”...

...Phoenix and Fort Collins, Colo., used elaborate schemes to hide the records of patients who waited months for care....

Gen. George Weightman, the administrator at Walter Reed resigned when the scandal broke there. This issue in Pheonix and Fort Collins, Colorado is more than a scandal as there are allogations of 40 deaths of our veterans. There are people who made the decision to skirt their responsibilities and people died. They must be held responsible. At the very least it is reckless endangerment.

Secretary Shinseki is not the man who decided it was okay to put our veterans in danger by postponing their treatment. Secretary Shinseki was the one person most responsible for changing the system to decrease the 'wait time.' 

This episode in Phoenix and Fort Collins speaks more to the culture that permits this level of mismanagement. How is it the administrators of the VA actually thinks they don't have to actually carry out the law? Secretary Shinseki didn't make the decision to decrease waiting times for political purposes. The country was experiencing a sincere problem as we were losing veterans to suicide. There are also complaints by veterans they are not receiving timely cancer treatment.

It is all too easy and convenient to blame a Secretary that as a General actually stood up to Bush/Cheney when it came to the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

So, everyone can go back to their corners and regroup to pursue the individuals who are actually the arrogant SOBs who thought veteran lives were as disposable as Bush/Cheney did on the battlefield.

This testimony was on February 25, 2003 and the die had been cast by Bush to invade Iraq which occurred on March 19-20, 2003; only 23 days later. General Shinseki's testimony was a matter of formality for Bush. He didn't care what his generals were saying. Hell, he didn't even care what the intelligence was until it was 'cooked up' by Cheney.

It is so very ironic that Bush circumvented his generals and would place his military priorities on Commanders on the ground. Heirarchy of command made no difference to Busy/Cheney. The smart guys who knew what they were doing always got in the administration's way. So. Listen to Shinseki? Never.

Secretary Shinseki has yet to neglect his responsibility to improve the outcomes of our veterans. The system is huge and evidently full of angry incompetents that simply aren't understood by Washington and have to strike out on their own even in the face of deaths.

General Shinseki was not or is he a lackey. He was the Army Chief of Staff at the time of this testimony and his words should have carried enormous weight. Unfortunately, he never played the right politics to win favor with Bush/Cheney by lying under oath to 'make it happen.' One might ask how "Curveball" ended up determining the invasion into Iraq rather than a General dedicated to the safety and successful deployment of his soldiers. The disrespect shown him then as now only proves the depraved nature of our political culture and media. Not much has changed since Iraq, has it?

The US Army took the greatest death toll in Iraq, followed by the US Marines. There were 4397 deaths in Iraq of which 60 percent were Army and 40 percent were Marines. Unless, Shinseki is speaking the words from a script they don't count.

Every wave to President Goodluck Jonathan as he leaves for a meeting while 300 girls are still waiting.

By Wale Odunsi
May 15, 2014

...Mr. Jonathan(click here) is also scheduled to travel to Paris, France, for a regional security summit where the Boko Haram insurgnecy will be discussed....



France should ban his arrival until the girls are home.

Russia is being inconsistent.

How can it be stated that an aggression against a Russian anywhere is an aggression against Russia while at the same time the communists are recalling any health benefits to Russians abroad? Does that mean the communists are carrying out an aggression against Russians? And what indeed is then Moscow's answer? A new political party, maybe? One that actually does care about Russia AND Russians.

Karl Rove is attempting to prove to donors he "still has the stuff" and the media is letting him do it.

Karl Rove has no place in political speech anymore. The nation is trying to recapture civility AND PURPOSE to the political dialogue in the county. Karl Rove has absolutely nothing to add.

Karl Rove needs to move on. The country does not need anymore Valerie Plames or Judith Millers. Karl was instrumental in the Iraq War and outing a CIA agent. His idea of political fun is actually detrimental to the best interests of the USA. He lies, uses half truths, defames and victimizes the morality of the Democratic Party. He is inept and we've been on to him for some time now.

How many times did Karl Rove have to return to the Special Prosecutor for the Plame case? He was avoidant to see what he could get away with but when it comes right down to it he was scared skinny of prison.

Mr. Rubio is still not correct. Climate is NOT always changing. Weather is always changing. He reminds me of Dan Quayle.

Weather is dependent on climate. When climate shifts there is danger to species. The abrupt climate change existing today is increasing the danger to species, including human beings.

Mr. Rubio is neglecting his responsibilities as a Senator. 

Secretary Clinton will never be deterred from running from office if she believes she is needed by her country.

Hillary Clinton is the most accomplished women in the USA. The only accomplishment she hasn't attained is the USA Presidency.

She'll run if her country needs her.

Cities in "Free USA" are banning fracking to protect citizens, their land and water.

By NORIMITSU ONISHI
MAY 14, 2014

...Fracking a single oil well (click here) in California last year took 87 percent of the water consumed in a year by a family of four, according to the Western States Petroleum Association, an industry lobbying group. That amount — a modest one by national standards, argues the oil industry — has become an increasingly delicate topic since a drought was officially declared early this year in the state....

"The Free USA?" Oh, those are the states that support and don't oppress their citizens through dominating state legislation. ie: Voter ID demands or obstructing the capacity of cities to protect their citizens.

Yes.

There are two Americas. One rich and one poor. One free and one oppressed. What I haven't correlated yet is why the oppressed are also the poor.      

The USA has a sovereign interest in Antarctica and the Arctic Ocean.

It also has interests in icefields within the sovereign borders of the country itself.

"The Impact of Global Warming on Glacier Mass Balance in the North Cascades, Washington (State, USA) and the Juneau Icefields, Alaska, USA., by Mauri S. Pelto and Maynard M. Miller, Foundation of Glacier and Environmental Research; World Resource Review, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 91-105. 2001.

...Conclusion
Glaciers in both the North Cascades of Washington and southeast Alaska have had similar mass balance histories. In particular substantial negative mass balances from 1976-1998. The negative mass balances have led to retreat of all 47 alpine glaciers observed in the North Cascades and the total loss of three glaciers. The negative mass balances are not limited to this region as indicated by the nearly ubiquitous retreat of small alpine glaciers in many ranges around the world.

The USA has made investment and has responsibilities.

Maynard M. Miller was a professor at the University of Idaho and was the founder of the Foundation of Glacier and Environmental Research. He brought young scientists from all over the world to Juneau every year, even into his retirement years. He was still leading expeditions to the glaciers within these icefields at the age of 81 years old in 2004. At that point he was contemplating retirement and handing over the leadership to the younger scientists involved.

Republican Senator Rubio states he wants a cost-benefit analysis of any actions by the USA government.

We are back to what Senator Rubio believes. He believes in mitigation. Okay. Then how is he going to mitigate the climate when the glaciers fail and there is no more thermostat to Earth's climate. It isn't enough to throw around words. Senator Rubio has to state how exactly how he is going to mitigate the climate and what guarantees his methods are going to work.

How is he going to mitigate acidic oceans? How is he going to end drought? What mitigation is he going to use to be sure our farmers are producing vital amounts of food for the nation? Those are just a few. I would also like to know if he is aware of the sixth extinction. Does he believe in survival or is he satisfied with death of species? 

We are a sovereign nation responsible for the well being of our citizens. We do not have control of other countries in imposing standards to reduce the dangers of Greenhouse Gases. This is no different than the fact other countries could not control the actions of the USA in regard to the Kyoto Protocol. 

As the USA reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases other countries will take it's place at the top of the climate abusers. I think we have already been surpassed by China by a small margin. Why is Senator Rubio pointing to other countries as an excuse to dismiss the priority of doing all the USA can do to protect our citizens and our lands as well as our sovereign rights in oceans? Why is he pointing to other countries, many Third World, when they are not capable of protecting American citizens?

Does Senator Rubio accept the fact, the abuses of the USA with the decades of emissions of greenhouse gases, has caused huge environmental damage to other countries? In realizing the global consequences of USA greenhouse gas emissions over decades of abuse and knowing other countries are unable to rise about the environmental problems resulting from USA abuses how does he justify the 'blaming' of those countries?

Kelly Ayote admits here are problems with IT acquistion within the federal government.

The Senate Republicans want to audit the military. The topic of the military health care system came up. The military wants to put the military health information online. That was partly to move records from the military to the VA. The lack of fluidity between the two departments slows down the VA process.

Senator Ayotte stated she is very worried about the military project of placing health records online. She said IT acquisition is not good within the federal system.

Did I hear that right? Yep, she stated the IT system acquisition is not good within the federal government.

So, when Republicans bring that up it is okay. But, when President Obama states the IT acquisition it is not okay and an excuse why health care dot gov had a poor start up.

Ron Johnson wants to use 'the military budget audit' as a management tool. Seriously. 

Now, there are aspects of the military, specifically within administration, that can be audited. 

However.

I know a helicopter pilot that was retired from the military. He received a telephone call and was asked if he would act as a consultant to the military and bring back a helicopter that was sitting in Central America. Being a great guy he said, "Sure." He knew the lay of the land and how to fly this huge machine so it was no problem.

He flew in and found the helicopter and was doing a pre-flight inspection when it was obvious there was no fuel. To say his mission was inhibited was all too obvious. He got in contact with the DOD and told them of his predicament. They asked if he knew where he could get fuel. He said, "Sure. I know of a company willing to deliver it out here." 

Now, realize this is Central America and there are all kinds of barriers to completion of this mission. Primarily everyone along the way has to be paid off before the helicopter is powered up and flown back. 

So, the DOD wired $25,000 to his Visa Card and the mission was a success. 

Now, if Mr. Johnson expects audits of the DOD to make sense as a management tool, he'll be declaring war every day of the week.

Oh, by the way. That wire transfer did great things for his credit score.

The day to day operations of the USA military is not predictable. They need their flexibility to carry out effective operations. The audits might be interesting in PROGRAMS for development of military weapons systems, but, one has to know what they are looking at in regard to the technology and development. An accountant isn't going to be able to do that. 

Every time the USA legislates more and more control over the operations of the US military, the private sector has to respond to that control. In other words when the military is your customer and they are requiring specific standards the private contractor has to expand it's company to meet that standard. In the case of research and development there would have to be a consultant to the audit department to explain all the spending and why. Then one wonders why the military contracts are so expensive. 

Contracts are contracts and it is important the research and development is pertinent to the USA military mission. But, to micromanage the USA military is not possible.

The Republicans are funny. They hate regulation, but, they love to control the military. Audits are not going to work, except, in specific areas of the military. They need to get over it.

Why do you guys do this? This is completely stupid.

The spying. The insecurity. The corruption. Amazing.

By Calev Ben-David  
May 13, 2014

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (click here) was sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of accepting bribes, the first Israeli premier to face possible jail time. 

Olmert, the latest in a line of convicted Israeli politicians, received an additional suspended sentence of two years, according to a transcript of the ruling e-mailed by the Courts Administration. He is scheduled to report to prison on Sept. 1, unless his conviction is overturned on appeal, Israel Radio said. 

“We’re talking about an exceptional, extreme and unjust penalty,” Amir Dan, a spokesman for Olmert, said on Israel Radio. “We will appeal to the Supreme Court in the hope that the true picture will be portrayed there."... 

Get back behind the line and get out of Palestine!

...If Ariel Sharon (click here) had a single fear, it was that his integrity or that of his family would ever be questioned. If he suspected a colleague of dishonesty, he quickly cautioned him or dismissed him. And so when Sharon and his son were accused of corruption, the media described him as a 'criminal family," I know that he was deeply hurt, although he spoke about it very little. My friends only comment on the innumerable headlines like "Sharon suspected of corruption was, "There is nothing in it." I thus had no reason to discuss the matter further....

Last Updated: Tuesday, 15 June, 2004, 15:09 GMT 16:09 UK
...What impact will the closing of the Greek Island case have on Mid-East peace negotiations? (click here)
 
The decision may clear the way for the main opposition Labour party to enter a new broad-based coalition government in order to help steer Mr Sharon's controversial Gaza pullout plan through parliament. 

Mr Sharon lost his majority in the Israeli parliament last week after the departure of four ministers from far right-wing parties who had been fiercely opposed to his disengagement plan. 

The presence of Labour in government might help revive direct talks with the Palestinians....

The Pistorius defense is not a moving target.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014
 
PRETORIA: Oscar Pistorius (click here) has an anxiety disorder brought on by an unstable childhood and the “traumatic assault” of having his lower legs amputated as a baby, a psychologist told the court hearing the South African track star’s murder trial on Monday.Pistorius was born without fibulas in his lower legs, leading to amputation at the age of 11 months.

Testifying for the defence about his mental state, forensic psychiatrist Merryl Vorster said that because the surgery was at such a young age, it would have been impossible to reason with the baby, making the pyschological scars much deeper.

“He was too young to understand why,” Vorster told the court. “His mother could not have comforted him because he was pre-language phase. It would been perceived as traumatic assault.”

Pistorius is on trial for murder after shooting and killing his girlfriend, 29-year-old law graduate and model, Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year....

Frustrating, yes; moving target, no.

Reeva's life was important and the prosecution has a case. They know who killed her and he has a history with guns.

There needs to be a paper trail to a long term mental health problem. I have no doubt Mr. Pistorius has a great deal of anxiety with his trial. He may finally realize he was out of control in the way he was conducting his life. He may finally be coming to terms with his celebrity status and the entitlement he believed that provided to him. Sure there is going to be anxiety. He has life looking at him directly in the face.

The prosecution has to uphold the dignity of Reeva and her life. They are obligated to find out his exact mental health status and then consult with experts. The case is not lost and the defense is doing what they are obligated by ethics to do. The defense is giving Mr. Pistorius the best chance he has to effect any verdict and sentence. 

What is interesting about this defense strategy is the effects of his life on his mental health are usually brought out in the sentencing phase in the USA. The case stands on it's own. There is a difference here and the prosecution might even have an objection to the path the defense is taking. It depends on the law there.