Chris Fields, Governor Inslee. He will bring you up to speed.

He has been waiting for policymakers to listen. Before men like Dr. Fields became dedicated to the climate crisis there was no curriculum for young scientists to learn.

Chris Field (click here) is the founding director of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology and Melvin and Joan Lane Professor for Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies at Stanford University. Field's research emphasizes field and laboratory studies of impacts of climate change, from the molecular to the global scale. 

He was, from 2008 to 2015, co-chair of Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which led the effort on the IPCC Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (2012) and Working Group II contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (2014). 

Fields research has been recognized with several American and international awards, including the Max Planck Research Award and the Roger Revelle Medal, and with election to learned societies, including the US National Academy of Sciences (2001). Field received his PhD from Stanford in 1981 and has been at the Carnegie Institution for Science since 1984.

The Missouri River has breached 12 levies. The downriver effect could be just as tragic.

Governor Inslee should tour the Midwest and talk to the people. There isn't a person alive that has witnessed this level of flooding. With the levees so badly effected, the flooding is due to last for a month or more.

The team of USGS and the US Army Corp. have done a first rate job in flood control. But, the climate crisis has increased the threat exponentially. This time, between rain and snow melt the capacity can't be contained. At this point with a country that denied the existence of the climate crisis for decades the best the federal agencies can do is tell people to get out of the way. There is NO preparation for this and there very well could have been. As a matter of fact, if the climate crisis was addressed long ago, this would not be happening.

There very well may be significant soil loss that will effect crop production. The USA has an incredible capacity to produce food, but, every year there are more and different problems. Last year the problem was getting on the fields because they were so wet the combines would have sunk in the mud.

This weather pattern may last for a while. There needs to be a complete assessment of the continuing weather patterns, near shore storms and what they are doing to the USA coast line and there are the devastating storms that destroy infrastructure with Category 5 winds. The tornado season is no longer a season, but, a year round event.

The approach by the USA to date is to treat each disaster as if it were unique. There is no comprehensive picture or plan. The USA is way behind the 8 ball and we need to desperately catch up. I guarantee you if you ask any US Senator what their plan is for farmland now under water and unable to produce, they will say they don't have such a plan. It is ridiculous that Wall Street is enjoying billions of dollars thrown at them and the USA doesn't even have a plan to feed the people in the face of the climate crisis.

The US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Purdue is doing his level best to put organic farmers out of business. Many are USA Veterans. These farms may very well be the answer to food production and Trump wants them out of business. There are fools in Washington, DC, and no one will call it what it is, complete negligence of the danger facing Americans every day.

The USGS (click here) is pleased to announce the beginning of new water-data station pages on waterdata.usgs.gov, our flagship Water Data for the Nation.  Real-time water data are shown on these pages, and they can be found from existing pages:

But the existing pages you have come to rely upon will not be altered or decommissioned for some time, not until we are certain we’ve conserved all essential functionality....

Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at 5:58 pm EDT

Assistant AG Rosenstein needs to consider placing more personnel with the Special Council to handle all the FOIA requests. The Special Council has asked for at least one-time extension and that is due to the new demand for information and any redaction that needs to take place. It is unfair to believe Robert Mueller's work is less important than the requests for information.

While the president carries out his hate agenda, Gitmo has been erased from Americans priorities. That is not the case with the rest of the world.

15 March 2019
By Sheren Khalel

The man wheeled (click here) into the courtroom looks like he could be much older than 58.

His long beard, almost entirely white, extends to the middle of his chest. Hunched over in a wheelchair with a pillow across his lap, he moves slowly. With the help of a walker, he carefully lifts himself up and, surrounded by uniformed soldiers, settles into an orthopaedic chair at the far left of the defence table.

While he is not shackled during the court proceedings, a metal chain runs out of the floor beneath him.

Abd al Hadi al-Iraqi, the nom de guerre of Nashwan Abdulrazaq Abdulbaqi, was captured in Turkey by US forces in 2006, held by the CIA for more than five months, and then brought to Guantanamo Bay in 2007.

Although he has been imprisoned for 13 years, Hadi has yet to be convicted of a crime....

As an American I find Donald Trump to be an absolute disgrace.

Our allies have suffered terrible terrorist attacks and he is more interested in making political points with his deranged base then attend to the country's business. Now, either he is mentally stable or he is not. Because, if he is, then he has an agenda completely alien to most Americans and dangerous.

Either way, he is a complete disgrace as a president, except, for those that embrace racism.

He won the presidency because of racists and nativists and Americans confused about the outcomes of his lies to them in that race. There is no denying that the Democrats do not have the same language he has to speak to these alienated Americans. They do not value life in the same way. He does not value life in the same way.

He has turned his back on the people that elected him in 2016, except, for the racists and nativists. The haters. He embraces hate. No. He loves hate and the mongering that goes along with it.

Recently, the Supreme Court ruled border crossers can be detained indefinitely. That is not surprising. That is a result of September 11, 2001 and Gitmo. It is important to remember the courts also ruled border crossers cannot be denied asylum.

When the courts upheld the right to asylum in the USA, Trump stated we have bad laws. The USA does not have bad laws, it has a bad president with a completely foreign agenda. 

The civil war in Venezuela will be settled by FARC. The Russians don’t have a chance. The USA troops in Columbia are important to help with stability there and prevent air strikes against the USA.

The USA should NEVER have to worry about air strikes from any other country. Get that right. We have a chicken as Commander and Chief.

Assistant Attorney General Rod Rosenstein needs to be given a commendation for his dedication to this country. He is remarkable. Many left and didn't look back, but, he stayed. He is a great American.

Trump;s no information voter is exhibiting a violent backlash.

These folks don't admit Trump lies. They insist there is a conspiracy of any kind that prevents them from knowing the truth. The 'Belief System' is called QAnon. The article from the "Daily Beast" describes people out of touch with reality and/or refusing to accept the truth.

June 19, 2018
By Will Sommer

A man armed with a rifle and a handgun (click here) drove an armored truck to the Hoover Dam last Friday and started blocking traffic. He brought a homemade sign with him that said, “Release the OIG report.”

Except the report was already out.

The Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General released a report the day before criticizing the actions of FBI officials like James Comey during the Hillary Clinton email investigation. President Trump wrongly claimed it “exonerated” him, and right-wing media seized on the revelation that FBI agent Peter Strzok sent a text saying that “we’ll stop” Trump in 2016.

But for followers of the byzantine QAnon conspiracy theory, who had been promised that the report would contain far more damaging revelations about Democrats, the report has been one big anticlimax. The sign the armored truck driver held up on the bridge appeared to reference the idea, promoted by QAnon, that Trump possesses another OIG report that would bring down his enemies once and for all. The second report supposedly proves the FBI, the Justice Department, and top Democrats broke laws in an attempt to stop Trump from winning the presidency. Now Trump just has to release it, QAnon says....

Recently, there was a murder of a known mobster, Francesco "Franky Boy" Cali. The New York authorities believed this was a change in leadership in the crime family. According to those "in the know," the death of Frank Cali could be the beginning of a gang war. It is important to realize what may be occurring with organized crime because police lives could be on the line. Would there need to be an increase in investigations to bring in mob members before any gang war became out of control?

Those police officers, in the picture below, are working on citizen's tax dollars. They do excellent work and that is not the issue. The issue is does the USA need more unexpected and undetected violence on it's streets, regardless of the victim?

March 14, 2019
By Aaron Katersky, Josh Margolin and Bill Hutchinson

New York City Police officers investigate the scene where reported New York Mafia Gambino family crime boss, Francesco "Franky Boy" Cali, was killed outside his home in the Staten Island borough of New York, March 14, 2019.

The reputed leader of the Gambino crime family, (click here) once headed by infamous mobster John Gotti, was gunned down in a "well-thought-out execution" outside his New York City home late Wednesday -- sparking an investigation into whether the hit was sanctioned or the revival of a "mob war," sources told ABC News.

Francesco "Franky Boy" Cali, 53, was found with multiple gunshot wounds to his body outside his home on Staten Island, according to the New York Police Department....

Well. There is a twist to this murder and perhaps the police and detectives need to hunker down and find the extent of the size of this NEW gang and it's manifesto as well.

The last suspected link expected in the chain to whom killed Cali would be connected to Trump. Yes, Donald Trump. Yes, the President of the USA. He has a gang of his own and they are willing to kill for their deranged ideas.

This is the Cali Killer. He is a MAGA maniac and a QAnon member.

Trump's no information voter and their hate filled reception of Trump's lies is turning people into violent comrades in arms.

the gambino (click here) crime family vs qanon conspiracy theorists is the rivalry i didn't know i needed

Anyone for a used van?.

The USA just got more dangerous thanks to Donald Trump's hate speech.

Where next? Where do hate filled words by Donald Trump find the next victim? 

When does this stop?

Because Trump has at least one disciple. Trump and King know exactly who they are talking to.

March 18, 2019
By Reis Thebault

Rep. Steve King has civil war on his mind. (click here)

The Iowa Republican broached the subject in a Saturday evening Facebook post — a bizarre meme of two fighting Frankenstein figures, one red and one blue, each an amalgamation of states based on their political leanings.

“Folks keep talking about another civil war,” the meme read. “One side has about 8 trillion bullets, while the other side doesn’t know which bathroom to use.”...

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's call for a two state solution between Israel and Palestine is much needed.

March 18, 2019
By Shira Tarlo

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., (click here) whose statements prompted allegations of anti-Semitism by lawmakers on both sides of the aisles, called for a "balance, inclusive approach" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a new op-ed published Sunday in The Washington Post.

"My goal in speaking out at all times has been to encourage both sides to move toward a peaceful two-state solution," the freshman congresswoman wrote. "We need to reinsert this call back into the public debate with urgency. Both parties must come to the table for a final peace deal; violence will not bring us any closer to that day."...

The resolve to bring about a two state solution has been all but abandoned by every measure currently. Recently, Former President Carter indicated the return to a two state solution is nearly impossible with current Israeli and Palestine leadership.

5 March 2019
By Michael Bachner

Former US president Jimmy Carter (click here) said he doesn’t think Israeli-Palestinian peace is possible as long as Benjamin Netanyahu is prime minister, since Netanyahu isn’t interested in peace.

The 94-year-old, who is currently on a trip to Israel marking 40 years since the signing of the Israel-Egypt peace accord he brokered, said he’s “not sure” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas wants an agreement either.

The comments were made in an interview with Israeli journalist Tali Lipkin Shahak, which will be screened next week at a conference at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Excerpts from it were aired Monday on Channel 12.

“I don’t see any way to make peace with Netanyahu as prime minister, I don’t think he wants peace. And I’m not sure that Abu Mazen does either right now,” Carter said, referring to Abbas by his popular nickname....

The Congresswoman may want to meet with the former President and quite possibly travel to Israel and meet with Palestinian leaders as well, if it can be done safely. If she is to renew hope for a two state solution she has to actively pursue it. Former President Carter was the only administration of the USA that was even able to achieve such agreements. She should become familiar with the dynamics of the Carter White House to understand how it happened and if it can happen again.

An interesting fact about the potential for Middle East Peace, including that of Palestine and Israel. Ariel Sharon was the last generation of Iraeli leaders that knew life without an Israeli homeland. He also didn't hesitate to criticize practices of the Israeli government. He earned respect as well as love from the country he lead. He would come to a peace agreement that would return Gaza to the Palestinians and removed settlements. There has not been an agreement since that time.

...But following the 1973 war, (click here) Sharon also broke the taboo on criticizing the army and the Labor establishment when he denounced the conduct of the early days of the conflict as a disgrace that needlessly sacrificed lives and equipment. Others such as Rabin—with whom Sharon maintained a fraught but lasting friendship—emerged relatively unscathed from the war’s failures, but Sharon was nearly alone in becoming an object of adoration. For a moment, he was almost universally loved....

None of the peace agreements have lasted, but, the Middle East today is different than the past, yet, Former President Carter still believes a two state solution is still possible and necessary.

The two state solution is not as popular as it used to be. However, it is rarely discussed in modern times. There is this though:

January 25, 2018
By Adam Rasgon

...The proposed peace deal (click here) would include a demilitarized Palestinian state; an Israeli withdrawal to pre-1967 lines with territorial swaps; repatriation of 100,000 Palestinian refugees in Israel as a part of family reunification; west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and east Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital; and the Old City’s Jewish Quarter and Western Wall under Israeli sovereignty, and Muslim and Christian quarters and the Temple Mount under Palestinian sovereignty.

While support for the proposed deal is relatively low among both Israelis and Palestinians, when the pollsters offered additional incentives, that support substantially increased....

it has been some time since real peace initiatives were successful. For that reason, it is my guess that if the Congresswoman were able to bring about constructive dialogue with the Israeli people and the Palestine people, much could be resolved. 

I think the people remain disillusioned and disappointed. Israel would have to end the settlement activism that is based in occupying land. The settlements creates the understanding that no matter what peace talks are engaged, they never adequately provide value to the understanding the land belongs to the Palestinians as a homeland and not a token of peaceful gesture. It makes any peace plan tenuous from the start to think land is a fluid commodity based in good or bad behavior.

Currently, Prime Minister Netanyahu has brought about an Iron Dome that protects much of Israel's citizens. That is an accomplishment that should be an incentive to a peace plan. Yet, it doesn't.

Another partisan give away program for private schools. It definitely crosses the supposed separation of church and state.

It is more tax credits for the wealthy benefactors to private, parochial and home schools. It means that the donors would receive tax credits as if they need anymore. It means fewer tax dollars into the USA treasury from people who can easily afford to pay more taxes and not less.

It also makes the statement by DeVos that the public schools are inferior to all other schools in the country. It is ridiculous and rather than incentivizing interest in public schools by the wealthy, it seeks to divide the country even more.

If there is a way the Trump administration can provide more wealth to the already wealthy while increasing the national debt and deficit, they will find it.

March 15, 2019
By Shelby Fleig

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos (click here) led a closed discussion at the Iowa State Capitol Friday afternoon about a proposed tax credit that would fund scholarships for private schools.

States would need to adopt the Education Freedom Scholarships program, which also could help pay for homeschooling costs. 

The wide-reaching proposal would allow states to incentivize scholarships for students, potentially paying for high schoolers to take college classes or earn apprenticeship certifications.

It also could boost scholarships for special education therapies and academic tutoring, and for summer and after-school programs. In addition, it could help public school students attend a district or school that isn't near their home.''

Known for supporting "school choice" initiatives, DeVos said the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act will allow parents more freedom in where and how their children are educated....

The Netherlands? New Zealand? What the heck?

Utrecht is a lovely little town in the central Netherlands, but, an ill willed man decided he could reek havoc there today.

Thanks to its compact location, (click here) affordable accommodations and good connections to public transportation network, Utrecht is also the ideal point of departure for discovering the Netherlands. Within an hour of travel, you experience Dutch icons, endless fields of flowers, discover castles, windmills and beautiful art.

The town is also a religious center. There are many old world buildings and artifacts. It is the kind of place people want to travel to and understand the past. And for who knows what reason, it is the place where a man full of hate decided he knew who was a Muslim and who wasn't, played god and killed three people. 

Hate is on the loose. It is up to stop it.

March 18, 2019
By Bart H. Meijer

Utrecht - A gunman shot dead three people (click here) and wounded nine on a tram in the Dutch city of Utrecht on Monday and police said they were hunting for a 37-year-old Turkish man after an apparent terrorist attack....The great

The greatest sympathies for all the families, friends and for the country of the Netherlands over this ugly display of hate.

The country's government needs to be concerned for its politics as well. Russia will exploit fear to it's benefit.

The Late Senator McCain's greatness will live forever.

I will apologize for the ruthless attacks against a great man. I hope the Late Senator McCain's family knows he was loved. He will always be loved.

These attacks have been taking place at least from CPAC (click here). Trump is just a mimic of other people that had the audacity to demean a great man. No one at CPAC that I am aware of has stood up for the Late Senator either.

I don't know where the Republican party and it's party donors have gone, but, there is every indication it is closer to hell today than ever before.

John McCain, War Hero, Senator and Presidential Contender dies at 81 (click here). 

Senator McCain should be honored by everyone seeking immigration reform in the USA. The "McCain-Kennedy" bill should be brought out of mothballs, reviewed and resubmitted for a vote.

The United States Senate and Republican Party (click here) lost one of their biggest champions for bipartisan immigration reform and most vocal critics of President Trump’s immigration policies when Senator John S. McCain III (R-AZ) passed away at the age of 81 last week....

...In 2005, McCain—along with former Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA)—introduced the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, commonly referred to as McCain-Kennedy. Although the proposal never received a vote on the Senate floor, it would become the basis for future proposals that included a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, increased border security, and recommendations for addressing the nation’s labor needs.

As Muzaffar Chishti, director of the Migration Policy Institute said, “Whatever else historians will say about comprehensive immigration reform… McCain-Kennedy will remain central. It became the symbol of what a good bipartisan approach to immigration should be."...

The Steele Dossier (click here) will stand on it's own. There are many aspects of the dossier that are true and have been proven to be true. It was authored by a respected member of the intelligence community. The Late Senator McCain simply was respectful of the relationship between the two countries. (click here)

Besides, the dossier, while interesting, won't end the presidency of Trump, the fact Trump committed banking fraud to and with Deutsche Bank will though.

...McCain said. "I could not independently verify any of it, and so I did what any American who cares about our nation's security should have done. I put the dossier in my office safe, called the office of the director of the FBI, Jim Comey, and asked for a meeting."...

Exactly.

e.”
May 12, 2018
By Dan Nowicki

In his forthcoming memoir, (click here) U.S. Sen. John McCain makes one more argument for immigration reform while taking swings at border hard-liners such as as President Donald Trump, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Rep. Steve King of Iowa.

McCain, the 81-year-old Arizona Republican who is fighting a deadly form of brain cancer, restates his case for overhauling the immigration system in "The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights and Other Appreciations."

In a chapter titled "Fighting the Good Fight," McCain praises U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., his late colleague and collaborator on comprehensive immigration reform in the mid-2000s. Kennedy died in 2009 of the same kind of brain cancer,...

Conway reacts to Trump being blamed in New Zealand massacre (click here for news article - thank you)

...That means that historically, (click title to entry - thank you) terrorist manifestos have never been accurate documentation of either their belief system or the planning that went into their attacks. The main intention of terrorist manifestos is not to help everyday people understand how they became terrorists — it is to create new terrorists....

The killer in New Zealand never knew he would have an advocate for reading his manifesto in Trump's White House.

I might first add that Kelly Ann must be leading a fashion trend among women news commentators to show how make up and longer hair make the woman. It sets her far apart from women with short hair that tend to lean into lesbianism. I liked everyone just the way they were and didn't "dial in" to hear their reports because of the "'do and make up." Really, now.

That said, I think Mrs. Conway needs to read the manifesto clearly herself because Trump is clearly named as a man at the leading edge of Caucasian superiority. If Kelly Ann is trying to divert from that reality in her statements, she clearly has failed. Everyone else in the Manifesto has no current impact on modern day leadership.

Both FOX News and Mrs. Conway fail to mention the campaign of hate carried on Twitter regarding the former First Daughter, Chelsea Clinton. I haven't heard anything about Trump putting an end to that.

So, before Mrs. Conway tries propaganda again, I strongly suggest she needs to live in the reality of the moment not presidential hopes for 2020.

There are all sorts of ways of funding gas pipeline infrastructure.

November 6, 2017

By Robert Walton

Massachusetts lawmakers (click here) are considering a pair of bills that would strengthen gas project reviews and make it explicitly illegal to charge electric ratepayers to develop gas infrastructure.

Senate Bill 1855 says the DPU "shall not approve any contract for the purchase of gas, gas pipeline capacity or liquefied gas storage where any contract costs could be recoverable from the ratepayers if such contract requires any construction or expansion of interstate gas infrastructure."

"In paying a surcharge on their utility bills to build the pipeline, ratepayers are taking away the risk of the electric company's business decision to build the pipeline whether it is profitable or not," the lawmaker letter, reportedly signed by 125 legislators, reads. "This shields the electric companies from risk and subsidizes the corporate bottom line."

Senate Bill 1847 would allow a wider range of stakeholders to participate in pipeline cases at the DPU and would allow groups of 10 or more customers to participate with full intervenor status....

Those that oppose the growth of alternative energy claim the energy will become too expensive. When taking assessment of the age of the gas pipeline infrastructure in the cities and towns of the USA, carbon based energy is no longer cheap.

There may not be a pipeline tax, but, there will be energy cost increases.

February 12, 2018

By Shira Schoeberg

Boston -- A Massachusetts Senate committee (click here) has released a bill that reads like a wish-list for clean energy advocates.

The bill sets more ambitious environmental and regulatory standards, bans fracking in Massachusetts, prohibits residents from being taxed for new natural gas pipelines, eliminates a cap on reimbursements for solar projects and sets the stage for carbon pricing.

"We believe this act, if it is enacted, will protect our public health here in the commonwealth, create literally thousands upon thousands of new jobs in the commonwealth and reduce greenhouse gas emissions substantially," said Sen. Marc Pacheco, D-Taunton, chairman of the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change....

Bill S. 2302 (click here)

Seven months later this happens. Shortly before this occurred there was an announcement by the company it was going to be laying new gas pipelines. It is not negligence that caused his pipeline explosion. It was not an old infrastructure that caused this explosion. This pipeline delivered 12 times the pressure. Not a degree up or 2 or 3 times the pressure, but, 12 times the pressure that the infrastructure could contain. That was not an accident. 

September 19, 2018
By Gregory Korte

The pressure in the natural gas pipelines (click here) under three Massachusetts communities  spiked to 12 times their normal level last week, just before the explosions and fires that destroyed dozens of homes and killed an 18-year-old man, according to Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren. 

The Massachusetts Democrats were briefed on the explosions in and around Lawrence by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating.


Markey and Warren are demanding answers from Columbia Gas and its parent company about the utility's response to the pressure readings.... 

Beto O'Rourke is not the future, he is indeed the past.

Nothing he says about the future in energy makes sense. It is based in a bias to Texas petroleum. He won't let go of it. He believes there is a place for methane in the future and there is not. He doesn't see green energy as a profound step forward to a sustainable Earth.

I want to know, although with PACs these days it is difficult to tell, but, how much of the $6 million he raised in his first day was from individuals and how much is from the petroleum industry?

I won't vote for him no matter how much he tries.

Former President Obama likes the idea of turning Texas blue. My question is, "At what cost will Texas turn blue?" I am not interested in political goals. I am interested in the future of the young people of the USA. Beto O'Rouke is a false face on the past.

March 17, 2019
By Bill McKibben

Listening to Beto O’Rourke, (click here) who, in a video posted on Thursday, announced that he is running for President, it’s hard not to admire his buoyantly, even boyishly, optimistic conviction that, if we all simply connect, we can fashion a kinder America. He comes across as the anti-Trump, reaching out to the best in us. In his announcement video, O’Rourke says that “this moment of peril produces perhaps the greatest moment of promise for this country.”...

...In fact, that transition is already starting to happen in places such as India and China, where the use of renewable energy is increasing at a breakneck pace because it is both cheap and clean. And it could happen here, too: as the C.E.O. of a solar company said earlier this year, “I can beat a gas peaker anywhere in this country with a solar-plus-storage power plant.”...

It is not my problem that Texas didn't change it's ways in providing an economy for it's people. The collapse of the prices in petroleum was predictable and despite the denial of 2005 as Peak Oil, it was and still is.

There is no future for the Texas economy no matter how much they try to ship it's carbon fuels out of the country. The world is changing and simply because Trump is a stupid man that can be lead around by the nose of the petroleum industry doesn't mean Texas has a future in maintaining AN OLD ENERGY PARADIGM.

NO ONE WANTS IT ANYMORE. TEXAS MISSED THE BOAT.

In the entire history of California wind turbines and solar fields has anyone complained of a health problem. The petroleum industry/carbon fuel industry is the same old paradigm with the same old indifference to anything that stands in the way of stockholder's dollars.

January 25, 2016

Within a week of the start of the natural gas leak in Los Angeles, (click here) Gabriel Khanlian's 2-year-old daughter developed a rash all over her body. His sons—ages 6 and 8—got "bloody boogers" and broke out in hives, he said, while his wife became nauseous. Khanlian himself coughed up blood.

The family's house in the Porter Ranch neighborhood is about three-quarters of a mile from the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, which began leaking methane Oct. 23. They're among hundreds of residents who have reported health problems, including headaches, vomiting and nosebleeds.

California regulators attribute the symptoms to mercaptans—sulfurous chemicals that are added to natural gas to aid in the detection of leaks. They say the health problems are temporary and will not lead to long-term damage.

Some health experts are skeptical, however, because there's virtually no research on prolonged exposure to mercaptans. There are many different types of mercaptans, which often irritate the skin, eyes and respiratory system. Other researchers suggest the health problems may be caused by other substances in the leaking gas....

"Good Night, Moon"

The waxing gibbous

11.4 day old moon

87.8 percent lit

March 15, 2019
By Tariq Malik

WGS-10 (click here) is the latest entry in the Air Force's Wideband Global SATCOM communications network, a constellation of military satellites designed to serve American soldiers around the world. 

"WGS provides communication connectivity across all mission areas, including air, land and naval warfare," Air Force officials said in a statement. The system is controlled from the U.S. Air Force's 4th Space Operations Squadron at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado, the added, and"delivers reliable and secure communications services worldwide 24 hours a day, seven days a week as a vital military asset to the U.S. and Allied forces."

The first WGS satellite launched in 2007. WGS-9, the most recent satellite to join the network, launched in 2017. The satellites have an estimated cost of about $340 million each, according to Via Satellite....

The American people are at risk for extensive war.

I stated at the beginning this evening there is a line of thought rarely exploited in today's dialogue. Americans are clearly and mostly wrapped up with domestic issues. That is not a good measure of reality.

When Daesh rose up from the sands in the Middle East it was clearly an effort by Baghdadi, who was once a USA prisoner. His dialogue with the people that would come to follow him was based in hatred of The West and it's influence in the Middle East. Baghdadi wanted a return of a caliphate that would take over the world. The rapid growth of Baghdadi's idea resulted because of weak military ability regardless of the best training and equipment in the world in Iraq. That military equipment would be overrun by young Baghdadi followers and turned against the very people that it was supposed to protect.

As a result of the traumatic rise of Daesh in the Middle East, a religious charism was attached to the Baghdadi regime. That charismatic movement spread rapidly with the use of the world wide web. Every sovereign country was at risk. At greatest risk were countries in the Middle East and the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia. As a result, there was a call for unity throughout the world to strengthen the resolve of governments to oppression a potential uprising of radicalism due to the call to Baghdadi's caliphate. 

The response was incredible. Country after country denounced the false prophet and called for spiritual strength in securing Allah's place firmly in the hearts of the people. The military fight took back land from Baghdadi and today there is a far smaller footprint of this regime. The only real questions still remain to the stability and internal function of the government in Libya and the security of the people.

Consider this. The world community of nations has come together several times to declare their stance for well being of citizens and proclaim Earth's climate as a concern to all.

Consider now, a communist leader expelled from global financial markets only to seek more power through nationalism in his own country. Then to use that nationalism to attempt to build a duplicate military presence globally that the USA once had. With the movement of Putin into all countries because of global solidarity of goodwill begun as a method to end suffering and protect citizens from the ravages of the climate crisis; where is the USA's national security with a President that continually kisses the ring of Vladimir Putin?

I sincerely believe the signs of a threat to the USA by Russia is overwhelming and I also believe the global community, while amused by Trump, has no idea what is coming.

President Obama spoke to the world from the strength of democracy and human rights, but, Trump speaks to the world for political points back home. I think the USA is in trouble in a way it hasn't been for a long time.

The last time the USA faced a nuclear threat it was after a USA General was president. This time, it is because a Plutocrat in the White House is tired of paying taxes and being excommunicated from the financial world. Last time, the USA had a president it could trust, this time there is a president that Vladimir Putin can trust.

Two international incidents this past week.

The "Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System" (click here) of the Boeing 737 Max failed twice. The black box from the Egyptian Airliner has very similar records as the Lion Air disaster. The first disaster should have been enough to cause Boeing to pursue an intervention to prevent further problems. We know these two incidences were not the only record of the exact problem that caused the crashes. Pilots of this jet have been reporting problems with this system when placed on auto-pilot regularly.

Realizing this issue with the "Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System" was ongoing Boeing was working on a fix when a government shutdown occurred that impacted Boeing's ability to continue to pursue a resolution to such a problem.

Across the other side of the world came reports of a terrorist that at last count killed 50 people in a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand. The community was not very different from that of the killings at a synagogue in Philadelphia. It was a relatively small community that was entrenched in their religion and their unique faithful celebration of life. Their joyful lives came to an abrupt halt because of a White Nationalist/Supremacist. This time, however, the White Supremacist stated in his manifesto he took inspiration from Donald Trump. The mass killer believed Trump would bring about a rise in White Supremacy.

To say the depth the USA is related to on a regular basis by citizens all around the world is grossly understated. Then to realize Trump spends most of his time in "Executive Time" in the Oval Office clearly states why affairs around the world are out of control and clearly headed toward greater violence.

Russia Welcomes Afrikaners: 15000 Boers Plan To Move To Russia From Sout.(click here for journal article regarding Russian diaspora )

June 28, 2006

By Claire Bigg



When Lira Goldman (click here) heard about the repatriation scheme, she was thrilled. For the first time, they've thought about their citizens, even former citizens, because Russia has never cared for people." -- Lira


Lira, a 29-year-old Russian Jew, left Russia in 1999 for Jerusalem, where she now works in a jewelry shop. She is happy in Israel and has no intention of returning to Russia, but she says she would nonetheless like to keep this option open -- that's why she welcomes the repatriation plan.

"Actually, it's a beautiful step. For the first time, they've thought about their citizens, even former citizens, because Russia has never cared for people," she says....

I think I found Jarad Kushner's Middle East Peace Plan.

There is no plan. There is the financing of Jarad's debt through the Arab World, but, there is on Middle East Peace Plan. Recently, there were exchanges of violence along the Gaza border without any admission by Israel they took it too far.

It is easy to speculate the "Deal of the Century" (click here) has been signed off first by Russia.

July 17, 2018
By Angela Charleton and Dmitry Kozlov

Moscow — While Donald Trump (click here) came home to criticism from left and right after his first summit with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president came home to universal praise.

Instead of being portrayed as a duel on the world stage, the summit was viewed in Russia as a meeting of two mighty men who discussed global problems — and then had to face down a crowd of pesky journalists.

Back in Moscow, Russian authorities quickly jumped to act on Putin’s overtures.

The Russian military offered Tuesday to boost military cooperation with the U.S. in Syria after Putin claimed the two leaders found common ground in solutions for a post-war Syria.

And Russian prosecutors pushed to question U.S. intelligence agents and a former ambassador to Moscow in their investigation of an influential Putin foe.

Yet most Russians aren’t saying Putin vanquished Trump. Instead they’re sympathizing with a U.S. president on whom they’ve pinned hopes for improved relations, portraying him as a victim of irrational domestic critics and aggressive journalists.

With U.S.-Russia tensions exceptionally high, the Kremlin set low expectations for the summit.

“Nobody in Moscow who is realistic had any illusions that this one meeting can produce any breakthroughs,” said Alexander Gabuev of the Carnegie Moscow Center. “The hope was at least we can start talking to each other.”

And in that, Putin got what he went for. Gabuev said Putin ably won over his domestic audiences, notably by pushing back at accusations of Russian election meddling with his own accusations against the U.S....

Trump is really screwing up.

There are Russian nuclear capable bombers in Venezuela. We didn't tolerate nuclear missiles in Cuba, why are we tolerating nuclear capable planes in Venezuela?

December 20, 2019
By Frita `Ghitis

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, greets Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, Dec. 5, 2018

Last week, (click here) the Maiquetia airport outside Caracas was the site of a remarkable event. On Monday, one after another, a series of Russian military aircraft landed in Venezuela. Most notably, the flock included two nuclear-capable, supersonic Tu-160 “White Swan” bombers, along with a passenger plane reportedly bringing about 100 Russian military personnel, and a large cargo plane possibly delivering military equipment.

Just a few days earlier, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and received promises of a $6 billion aid package. Now, Putin was using Venezuela to send a powerful message to Washington. For Maduro, concerned with his regime’s survival, that message was just as useful.

Some three decades after the Cold War faded away, the engines of a new Cold War could be heard roaring back into Latin America....