I am proud of them.

The policies of the USA cannot be set in ideology. It simply is not possible. Nearly 319 million count on the policies of this country to make it through day to day and save to grow wealthy when owning a home, enjoying life in the USA today and saving for a retirement with meaning and purpose.

The people have to come first and politics second. If missteps lead to failure of the USA economy and the health of the people, we won't have a secure sovereignty.

March 14, 2017

By James Hohmann

• ...“The top line numbers are alarming,” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). (click here) “These kinds of estimates are going to cause revisions in the bill, almost certainly. I don’t think that the bill that is being considered now is the bill that ultimately will be the one that we vote on in the Senate.”
• "Can't sugarcoat it. Doesn't look good," said Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), per Politico. "The CBO score was, shall we say, an eye-popper."
• “Let’s say the CBO is half-right; that should be cause for concern,’’ said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), per the Boston Globe. “So rather than attacking the CBO as the exclusive way of moving forward, I would think the prudent thing for the party to do is to look at the CBO report and see if we can address some of the concerns raised.”
• Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) cited the CBO number as another reason to slow the whole process down. “I don’t think Americans care whether this bill passes by Easter or Memorial Day,” he told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt this morning. “I think that people in Congress often get tunnel vision, and they focus on the next 24 or 48 hours and what’s going to happen with this legislation, and passing a bill and not solving a problem."
• Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) told one of our reporters that it’s understandable fewer would have coverage because there will no longer be a mandate. But the Senate majority whip added that Republicans in his chamber will “obviously” want to “improve those coverage numbers” all the same....

New youngster at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refugee (click here) with friend.

PI Day

Updated: 6:14 AM Eastern
Originally published: 6:00 AM Eastern

March 14 (click here) is recognized across the math world as Pi Day, thanks to the resemblance of the date "3/14" to the first three digits of mathematics' most famous constant. While not an official federal holiday, Pi Day was enshrined by the House of Representatives in a ceremonial 2009 vote.

Of course, the number Pi goes beyond "3.14" and never ends. There are all sorts of interesting patterns concealed in the first few trillion digits, give or take, but there is no constant rule governing the sequence of digits. That means just about any stretch of numbers you're looking for is probably in there somewhere.

Like, say, your birthday. To verify this, we wrote a program to scan the first million digits of Pi and identify the first instance of all 366 days of the year, represented like "314," with the month followed by the day ("704" for July 4th for example, or "1225" for Christmas Day"). The program found the final date — Dec. 3, or "1203" — beginning at the 60,873rd digit. Enter your birthday or any other date below and we'll show you how deep into Pi you have to go to find it....

Is everyone paying attention? The allies are busy..

March 14, 2017

By Brad Lendon

The US, Japan and South Korea (click here) sent a pointed message to North Korea on Tuesday, dispatching high-tech missile defense ships to the same area where Pyongyang fired four missiles just eight days ago.

Aegis warships from the US, South Korea and Japan began exercises Tuesday to improve their capability to shoot down enemy ballistic missiles, the US Navy said in a statement.

The US Navy called the two-day drills "a trilateral missile warning informational link exercise."

"The exercise will employ tactical data link systems to trade communications, intelligence and other data among the ships in the exercise," a statement from the US Navy's 7th Fleet in Japan said....

Everyone having fun yet? More than 78 airline flights cancelled due to storms. "Everyone give Wall Street a pity party...UHhhhhh, poor Wall Street."

Current Temperatures Map (click here)
14 Match 2017
1:30 (1330) PM GMT

March 12, 2017
By David Swanson

A potentially record-breaking winter storm (click here) appeared likely to strike the Philadelphia region Monday into Tuesday, bringing about a foot or more of snow to the area and potential blizzard conditions to New York City and coastal Connecticut, the National Weather Service said Sunday....

14 March 2017
1330.18z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of North and West Hemisphere (click here for 12 hour loop)

Ten day forecast for Juneau, Alaska (click here)

High today in Juneau, Alaska, along the Alaskan Coast is 37 degrees F. with rain.

There is a heat transfer system on the east coast of North America that moves hot water vapor from the ITCZ, or what exists of it, to the Arctic Circle.

14 March 2017
1330.z
GOES East Water Vapor satellite (click here for 24 hour loop - thank you)


California on the west coast of North America is experiencing a high pressure system. The heat transfer system off the ITCZ is moving across Hawaii, coming up to the high pressure system and then north to the Arctic Circle.

14 March 2017
by City News Service

Los Angeles — The day after the start of Daylight Saving Time, (click here for 12 hour loop)  temperatures will climb into the 90s in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, forecasters said.

The high will be 92 degrees Monday in Woodland Hills, 91 in Saugus and 90 in Burbank, according to the National Weather Service. Woodland Hills is forecast to hit 90 on Friday, but Saugus and Burbank will remain in the 80s through Saturday.

Elsewhere, temperatures will be in the 60s, 70s and 80s today.

The above-normal heat is the result of a strong ridge of upper-level high pressure that has been parked over the region for several days, pushing down the air and, in this way, causing it to warm up.

In spite of the heat and some wind, no wildfire warnings have been issued. The consensus is that, after heavy rains earlier this year, what is usually dry vegetation constituting highly combustible fire fuel is now suffused with enough moisture to stave off high risks of wildfire, according to NWS meteorologists.

Daylight Saving Time began at 2 a.m. Sunday, turning clocks an hour ahead and resulting in the “loss” of an hour. The time change makes for darker mornings and lighter evenings.

Today’s forecasted high temperatures in Los Angeles County are:

Burbank: 90

Downtown L.A.: 85

Lancaster: 83

Long Beach: 74

North Hollywood: 87

Northridge: 91

Palmdale: 81

Pasadena: 89

San Gabriel: 86

San Pedro: 72

Santa Clarita: 91

Torrance: 67

Van Nuys: 90

West Covina: 90

Whittier: 85

Woodland Hills: 92

Myopic!

Besides throwing 24 million Americans off health care, bringing the federal budget down by $334 billion by 2026, the USA economy will suffer and the healthcare infrastructure will collapse.

Why go there? So a handful of billionaires can pay less taxes and eventually become trillionaires.

No one mentioned a reduction in the national debt either. Why? Because the Middle Class and poor will still be paying for it.

2026 is only nine years away. Funding for healthcare infrastructure growth and maintenance is planned over ten and twenty or more years. The additional construction, MRI, Catscans, hospital beds, surgical suites and labs now under way all have yet to be paid for. What does the US economy run on, sunlight? No, cold hard cash and the Republicans want to pull billions in government spending out of circulation every year. The collapse of healthcare will drag the US economy into another huge recession without taxes to rescue it. Good luck with that!

"Good Night, Moon"

Full Moon

15.2 days old

99.8 percent lit

March 11, 2017
By WFLA Web Staff

Fort Irwin, Ca. (WFLA) —Nearly eight years (click here) after it vanished, India’s first lunar spacecraft, Chandrayaan-1 was found orbiting around the moon.

Scientists had no clue where the spacecraft could be found. It measures only five feet wide.  It looked like a spec in the sky to researchers working to track it down.

But NASA eventually determined the tiny craft was some 124 miles above the moon, and tracked it down using a powerful radar.

A 230-foot antenna at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California was used to beam microwaves towards the moon.

The microwaves, which can detect any object that crosses their path, picked up signal from Chandrayaan-1, which responded twice.

NASA said finding the probe was less of a challenge, considering data from the mission’s navigators was provided to aid the search....

I just could not let this one go.

Global Nuclear Decommissioning Market 2017...(click here)

This report provides a general overview of the Nuclear Decommissioning industry 2017. This report split global into several key Regions, with sales (volume), revenue (value), market share and growth rate.

This press release was orginally distIributed by SBWire

Pune, Mahrashtra -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/10/2017 -- Worldwide Nuclear Decommissioning 2017 Research Report presents a professional and complete analysis of Global Nuclear Decommissioning Market on the current situation.

In the first part, the report provides a general overview of the Nuclear Decommissioning industry 2017 including definitions, classifications, Nuclear Decommissioning market analysis, a wide range of applications and Nuclear Decommissioning industry chain structure. The 2017's report on Nuclear Decommissioning industry offers the global Nuclear Decommissioning development history, development trends and competitive landscape analysis.

In the second part, the report covers manufacturing processes and price structures on Nuclear Decommissioning scenario. This report also includes Nuclear Decommissioning import/export, supply chain relationship, consumption ratio, Nuclear Decommissioning revenue and gross margin by regions/countries (United States, EU, China, and Japan).

Isn't that interesting? I thought it was very interesting. I thought these were interesting, too.

Global Nuclear Decommissioning Market 2016-2020 (click here)

I thought this was interesting, too.

The global nuclear decommissioning market (click here) has been estimated at USD XX billion in 2016 and is projected to reach USD XX billion by 2022, at a CAGR of XX% during the forecast period from 2017 to 2022. The world’s focus is shifting towards clean energy sources, as the nations are moving towards energy efficiency. As a result, technologies such as solar photovoltaic and wind power generation are growing at a fast pace. Even though nuclear energy is considered a low carbon technology, nuclear power plant related accidents such as the Three-Mile Island accident, the Chernobyl disaster, and the recent Fukushima nuclear power plant accident have all been cause for concern to the public and to governments that have plans for nuclear power generation. Countries like Germany have already dropped the plans of having nuclear energy in their energy mix. As a result, many countries are shedding their nuclear power in order to move towards non-nuclear power generation programs. Moreover, there are certain reactors that retire from operation as they are economically not viable to produce power. Hence, the global nuclear decommissioning market is growing at a good rate....

With all this decommissioning going on, what the heck was Yucca Mountain all about? Just another ploy to scare the living hell out of Americans? I mean it. What the heck does the USA need Yucca Mountain for if these plants are being decommissioned. 

I am trying to figure out if Bush spent as much on Yucca as Reagan did on his superconductor when the sky was the limit! (click here)

The release of the two most widly used CFCs, CFC-11 and CFC-12, grew from insignificant amounts in the 1950s to more than 700 thousand tonnes a year in the early 1970s. It has declined in recent yeas as a result of measures under the Montreal Protocol. But the atmospheric concentration is continuing to rise (red scale) demonstrating the long lifetime of these compounds.

Three scientists. Three precious scientists saved the human race from complete demise. Three. Only three. 

The USA needs to remember what values existed during some of the most astounding finds in science, literature, physics, medicine, chemistry and peace. The culture of a country matters. It creates the basis of which continued living on Earth exists.

Three scientists is the reason human beings are still living and breathing today on Earth. No one should forget that. When 97 percent of scientists on Earth state anthropogenic global warming is real, now and needs to end; everyone should be listening!

In 1971, H. S. Johnston, at the University of California (Berkeley), pointed out the potential danger of a large fleet of SSTs emitting considerable amounts of nitric oxide into the lower stratosphere, possibly accelerating natural ozone destruction. Only three years later, 
F. S. Rowland and M. Molina (click here) showed that a widely used class of very inert chemicals known as chloro- fluorocarbons were transported to the stratosphere by convective air movements. There, they could absorb high-energy photons from sunlight and release free chlorine; Once released, the chlorine could destroy stratospheric ozone through a series of catalytic reactions....

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) (click here)

(published in The Chapman & Hall Encyclopedia of Environmental Science, edited by David E. Alexander and Rhodes W. Fairbridge, pp pp.78-80, Kluwer Academic, Boston, MA, 1999.)

James W. Elkins

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (CMDL), 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80303 U.S.A.

E-mail: James.W.Elkins@noaa.gov, Phone: (303) 497-6224, Fax: (303) 497-6290

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are nontoxic, nonflammable chemicals containing atoms of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine. They are used in the manufacture of aerosol sprays, blowing agents for foams and packing materials, as solvents, and as refrigerants. CFCs are classified as halocarbons, a class of compounds that contain atoms of carbon and halogen atoms. Individual CFC molecules are labeled with a unique numbering system. For example, the CFC number of 11 indicates the number of atoms of carbon, hydrogen, fluorine, and chlorine (e.g. CCl3F as CFC-11). The best way to remember the system is the "rule of 90" or add 90 to the CFC number where the first digit is the number of carbon atoms (C), the second digit is the number of hydrogen atoms (H), and the third digit is number of the fluorine atoms (F). The total number of chlorine atoms (Cl) are calculated by the expression: Cl = 2(C+1) - H - F. In the example CFC-11 has one carbon, no hydrogen, one fluorine, and therefore 3 chlorine atoms....

Well, lookey thar. That isn't something you see everyday.

And you say, Donald Trump is Commander and Chief, huh? You betcha.

March 12, 2017

Southwest Miami - Dade Florida (WSVN) - A 400-acre brush fire (click here) that broke out at Turkey Point, early Sunday, did not affect the nuclear energy plant, officials said.

Only smoke remained at the scene of the blaze, in the area of Southwest 117th Avenue and 344th Street, Sunday night.

The Florida Forest Service said crews were able to contain the flames that spread over 400 acres, including keeping the fire away from the power plant, which is located on a 3,300-acre site two miles east of Homestead.

That is what they always say, "The 400 acre fire did not effect the nuclear plant."

"This time." I think the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) needs to pay a visit before we end up with another Three Mile Island or Chernobyl.

Oh, yeah, and the extra feature on this map is the some weather and air quality alerts. I would think air quality might be a concern Turkey Point.

It sort of looks similar to Fukushima than Chernobyl. Hm.

Oh, that reminds me, there is an update on Japanese radioactive hogs.

March 11, 2017

By Lizzie Dearden

Hunters have been called in (click here) to kill radioactive wild boars that have taken over towns evacuated during the Fukushima nuclear disaster before their residents return....

...“After people left, their ecosystem changed,” hunter Shoichi Sakamoto told the BBC.

“They began coming down from the mountains and now they’re not going back.

“They found a place that’s comfortable – there’s plenty of food and no one will come after them. This is their new home now, and this is where they have children.”

He leads a team of 13 hunters assigned to catch and kill the wild boars using air rifles, trapping them in cages by using rice flour as bait.

Are they sure about the safety of the area if the plants are still radioactive? There are children to consider.

This is more information about halocarbons. The current use is monitored. Right?

In our Ammonia Refrigeration Simplified (click here) paper we told you everything you wanted to know about ammonia refrigeration but were afraid to ask. But ammonia isn’t the only refrigerant used in food processing, meat, dairy, bakery, and cold storage facilities. Freon (a trademark of Dow and the most recognized halocarbon chemical) is preferred by many processors. So what are the pros and cons of Freon? Read on to learn the facts from Food Plant Engineering team of experts.

Halocarbons come in two flavors: one is methane-based and the other ethane-based. Because of ozone-depletion concerns, methanes are being eliminated from industrial use. (As part of the Montreal Protocol, the widely-used halomethane R-12 was phased out in 1995. Similarly, R-22 is scheduled to cease production in 2020.) Ethane-based halocarbon systems are very common today in certain types of processing facilities. If you’re considering such a system, discuss the following:...

There is still fires roaring in the USA. You would think this would be the focus of federal legislators, but, alas playing politics with the American people are more importan.

Click here for the interactive map to the right. (Thank you) Click on the small icons to found out if your house is burning or simply burned to the ground.

March 10, 2017
By John Asebes

During the record setting fires in Kansas (click here) this past week, crews from surrounding communities lent their resources to help battle the flames.

“I have taken pictures at a lot of grass fires but none that big.”

Through the eyes of a firefighter.

“You look at the pictures and realize how much damage was done,” says Garry Brownlee.

Garry Brownlee shot these images of a fire that left more than 500,000 acres torched in Clark and Comanche counties.

“Our crews worked on one major fire line almost all night long. The fire line was approximately 2 and a half 3 miles long. The wind was blowing terrible. It moved quick.”...

Once the name is found in the map above the incident can be looked up here. (click here) Yep, Texas and Oklahoma are still burning. It can be hard on people.

This is current use and information of halocarbons

That brings us to the production of halocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride.

6.4.4.1. Sources of Halocarbons

The CFCs and HCFCs are wholly anthropogenic and do not exist naturally. They have been widely used as propellants in aerosols, as blowing agents in foam manufacture, in air conditioning units and refrigerants (CDIAC, 1991, 1993). The Montreal Protocol (click here) has recently cut emissions of many species by over 90%. Methylhalides are primarily produced in the oceans, usually associated with algal growth (Moore & Tokarczyk, 1993), although a significant fraction may come from biomass burning. Annual emissions of halocarbons may be found in IPCC (1995).

Halocarbons are still produced. There is a plant in River Edge, New Jersey. The production plant is in South Carolina. I am sure there are regular inspections that insure the proper use of the chemicals and their containment to prevent escape into the troposphere.

Halocarbon Products Corporation, (click here) a leading worldwide producer of specialty fluorochemicals and inhalation anesthetics, today announced that David Bacon will be joining the company as its new chief executive officer, effective April 28, 2015.

The following (click here) are just a few of the numerous applications that benefit from fluorochemistry:

• Pharmaceuticals – Fluorinated compounds have shown efficacy as antibacterials, antifungals, antibiotics, anesthetics, protease inhibitors and anticancer agents, among many other applications.
• Agricultural Chemicals – Fluorinated compounds are used as fungicides, herbicides and insecticides and often show more potency than their non-fluorinated analogues. The increased potency allows lower application rates.
• Advanced Photoresists – In the quest for finer features in semiconductor lithography, photoresist polymers incorporating fluorine and/or fluorinated substituents exhibit the best combination of optical transparency at shorter wavelengths, etch resistance and solubility.
• Liquid Crystals – For use in display devices, the addition of fluorine has been found to change viscosity, miscibility, electrical properties, steric characteristics and other qualities that are important to these devices.
• Fluorinated Surfactants – Utilized as emulsifying and dispersing agents, while related compounds are used as repellant finishes or soil-release finishes for textiles, these compounds rely on the ability of fluorine to alter surface-energy properties.
• Dyes – The addition of fluorine or fluorinated substituents, such as the CF3 group, has been found to improve the fixation yield, lightfastness and chemical resistance of dyes.
• Fluoroplastics and Fluoroelastomers – Used as coatings, vessel liners, films, wiring insulation, gaskets, seals, lab equipment and hoses because of their chemical and thermal stability.
• Ion-Exchange Membranes – Fluoropolymer membranes are used for enhanced chemical and thermal stability in harsh environments.

The altitude in the picture is in kilometers 1 Kilometer = 3280.8399 Feet

A kilometer is half again more in height as a half mile.

Most ozone (about 90%) (click here) is found in the stratosphere, which begins about 10–16 kilometers (6–10 miles) above Earth’s surface and extends up to about 50 kilometers (31 miles) altitude. The stratospheric region with the highest ozone concentration is commonly known as the “ozone layer” (see Figure Q1-2). The ozone layer extends over the entire globe with some variation in altitude and thickness. The remaining ozone, about 10%, is found in the troposphere, which is the lowest region of the atmosphere, between Earth’s surface and the stratosphere.

The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world challenged by none.

A mile is 5280 feet. The Burj Khalifa is a bit more than a half mile high.

If one examines the architecture of Burj, it is build similarly to pyramids. One level built on top of another level gradually diminishing in "area" all the way to the top. Fascinating. A half a mile. Wow.

Interestingly, the next few buildings in this exclusive club are Shanghi Tower, China at 2073 feet without a radio antenna, Makkah Royal Clock Tower, Saudi Arabia at 1972 feet, Pang An International Finance Center, China is 1965 feet, Lotte World Tower in South Korea at 1819 feet, One World Trade Center also known as The Freedom Tower USA at 1776 feet, CTF Finance Center, China at 1739 feet, Tapei 101, Tiawan at 1667 feet, Shanghi World Financial Center, China at 1614 feet and the International Commerce Center, Hong Kong, China at 1588 feet.

Of the nine tallest buildings in the world five are in China. China is 3.7 million square miles. The USA is 3.797 millions square miles. China has nearly 1.4 billion citizens. The USA has nearly 319 million citizens. So, China has 4.5 times more citizens than the USA on nearly the same square miles of land. It is understandable why the cities in China are vital.

The important part here is that the Burj Khalifa is one half mile high.

The Burj Khalifa, (click here) originally known as the Burj Dubai, towers above the city's already burgeoning skyline. It has 163 floors and a height of 2,717 feet tall, and is the tallest building in the world. Primarily constructed from steel and concrete, the building is the design by Owings, Skidmore and Merrill of Chicago, who were also responsible for the design of famous skyscrapers such as Willis Tower and One World Trade Center. The South Korean company Samsung C&T carried out the engineering and construction of the structure, which was completed in the year 2010. The building was a project by the United Arab Emirates’ government to shift the country’s economy from solely oil-based to a more tourism- and service-based nation. The building has 30,000 residences, 19 residential towers, a man-made lake which occupies 30 acres, parkland which occupies seven acres, nine hotels, and a shopping mall. This superstructure has given the United Arab Emirates international recognition, in addition to receiving praise from critics for its sleek design.

March 1, 2017
By Todd Wilkinson

Jackson Hole, WY – Whether it’s Yellowstone, Grand Teton, our national forests, wildlife refuges or even private ranches, never in the history of America has preserving land, by keeping its conservation values intact, resulted in huge economic hardship over mid to long-term horizons.

In fact, the most thriving, consistent, and sustainable economic sector in the great state of Wyoming is tourism, fueled by the powerful engine of protected public lands in the northwest quadrant of the state.

As Gov. Matt Mead and the legislature struggle to deal with budget shortfalls to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars—the vast majority related to the state’s misguided gamble on coal—you still hear elected officials spreading the unsubstantiated rumor that environmental protection is costing the state.

Recently, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso and Congresswoman Liz Cheney once again claimed the Endangered Species Act, public review requirements as part of the National Environmental Policy Act, and laws enforced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have hobbled the Wyoming economy.

While such anti-federal rhetoric certainly resonates with Wyoming voters, there is scant evidence to back it up.

Barrasso and Cheney would have their constituents believe that the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, implemented by EPA to control pollution and carbon emissions, was decimating Wyoming’s low sulfur coal industry. But the Clean Power Plan actually didn’t come on line until late last year.

Many months before, four of the major coal companies doing business in the state declared bankruptcy not because of any environmental regulation, but instead owed to a glut of cheap natural gas and oil that became the fuel of choice for power generators. In fact, competition from these other fossil fuels so undercut the commodity value of coal that companies could barely give it away, much less profitably operate coal export terminals to Asia.

Now using Obama as a convenient foil and President Trump vowing to unlock $66 trillion of oil shale, Barrasso and Cheney are hard-pressed to explain how that strategy, which includes gutting environmental regulations, will advance their cause of reviving Wyoming’s coal future....

Fremont County, Wyoming GDP (click here)

Wyoming’s tourism economy (click here) saw another year of tremendous growth in 2015. In a preliminary assessment released today by the Wyoming Office of Tourism (WOT), a record 10.5 million people visited the state in 2015, up from 10.1 million visitors in 2014 or 4.2 percent. Wyoming significantly outpaced the national average visitation growth rate of 2.4 percent. This follows several years of consistently strong rises in visitation. Over the last decade, Wyoming’s tourism marketing has helped contribute to a 48 percent increase of visitation in the state.  

Travel spending in the state grew to just under $3.4 billion in 2015, an increase of $9 million over the previous year.  This visitor spending directly affects Wyoming’s economy by generating $175 million in local and state tax revenues, up 7.4 percent in 2015 compared to $163 million in 2014. Since 2005, tax revenues generated by the tourism and hospitality industry have grown by more than 86 percent.

Additionally, travel-related jobs are showing growth with the creation of 690 new jobs in Wyoming last year. The state’s tourism industry supports just under 32,000 full and part-time jobs, an employment number that has risen 7.7 percent in the past 10 years, and represents 12 percent of the state’s total workforce.

“We knew that by adding Seattle to our target markets and deepening our presence in existing markets, our campaign was strategically focused to get more visitors to Wyoming,” the Wyoming Office of Tourism’s Executive Director, Diane Shober said.  “With the addition of the work being done by local lodging tax boards and many tourism related businesses, Wyoming was and continues to be well positioned for success,” Shober added....