Wednesday, November 18, 2009

On many occassion on this blog I reported there were wind events when fridge air would 'fall off' the top of the Blue Ice to the sea.

This is a picture by NASA of those winds. Climate Change is REAL and is an emergency.

There was also a report by a British science team stating the 'sea ice' off East Antarctica was increasing. I stated it was because of the winds sweeping from high altitudes with very frigid temperatures that actually caused the increase in sea ice. It was not a 'hopeful' sign Earth was recovering, but, simply one of those phenomena that occur with degradation of the planet's ice reserves.

Well. Guess whom was correct? The added sea ice has nothing to do with a 'reversing trend' of global cooling, it had to due with 'melting glacial ice' in the 'dead of winter' in Antarctica. As the WATER ran across ice to the sea it cooled and took those far colder temperatures from the blue ice to the sea as fresh water and cooled enough to increase the sea ice.

Sea Ice Study Yields New Insights (click here)
Wednesday, 4 November, 2009 - 13:33
NZ scientists endured the dark polar winter to find what drives the dramatic growth of sea ice
A New Zealand scientific team has shed light on an important role of ice shelves around Antarctica. Initial results have shown for the first time that cold water melted from ice shelves enhances the dramatic growth of sea ice over winter. This mechanism potentially explains why Antarctic sea ice has not seen the same dramatic decline as Arctic sea ice.
The team from NIWA, Otago University, IRL, and Victoria University, was led in Antarctica by Dr Andy Mahoney (Otago University). They wintered at New Zealand's Scott Base from February - October, conducting surveys at two locations in McMurdo Sound.
They recently returned from their eight-month stint in Antarctica with prodigious amounts of scientific data....



Katabatic Winds Rake Antarctica's Terra Nova Bay (click title to entry - thank you)
Posted November 10, 2009

Just days away from the beginning of the Southern Hemisphere’s spring, Antarctica’s Inexpressible Island and the Northern Foothills Mountains were illuminated by a glimmer of sunlight from a low angle when the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured this image on September 16, 2009. The seaward slopes of the mountains are gleaming white, and they cast long shadows inland over the Nansen Ice Sheet. Terra Nova Bay appears in shadow.
The scene provides at least two indications of the bay’s persistent and fierce katabatic winds—downslope winds that blow from the interior of the ice sheet toward the coast. One is the windswept ground in the mountainous terrain. In many places, there is a pattern of bare rock and snow drifts that suggests the winds have scoured snow from upwind (inland-facing) slopes and deposited it on the lee sides....

Below is a 'Climate Map' by NOAA. It shows a planet burning up.

The cold air over the USA and Europe is due to 'heat transfer' to the North Polar Cap and the shunting of Arctic air to lower latitudes. I've discussed that mechnanism many, many times. No one can state this is 'Global Cooling.' No one. Global Cooling is a myth.

The base period used to determine the increase in global temperatures was from 1970 to 2000. The temperatures reported are higher than that 'mean.'



Ocean Losing Its Appetite for Carbon (click title to entry - thank you)
Christine Dell'Amore
National Geographic News
November 18, 2009
The world's oceans, which normally gobble up carbon dioxide, are getting stuffed to the gills, according to the most thorough study to date of human-made carbon in the seas.
Between 2000 and 2007, as emissions of the potent greenhouse gas carbon dioxide skyrocketed, the amount of human-made carbon absorbed by the oceans fell from 27 to 24 percent....


The less of a 'carbon sink' the ocean is the higher the density of CO2 in the troposphere and the higher the temperatures become globally. It is a matter of physics. Nothing civilization hasn't been warned about.

The Commonwealth Fund - a comparison of quality of health care delivery across the USA.

Every Federal State Senator that believes they can return home after standing in the way of profound health reform when ALL the facts about the 'status of their state's health care system' is known is only fooling themselves as to any sincere welcome by their constituents.


(click on image for larger resolution and click on it again for largest resolution.)

3 Democrats Could Block Health Bill in Senate (click here)
By CARL HULSE
Published: November 17, 2009

WASHINGTON — Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, says he is not sure he is ready to help a Democratic health care proposal clear even the most preliminary hurdle: gaining the 60 votes his party’s leaders need to open debate on the measure later this week.
Two of his fellow Democrats, Senators Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, are proving tough sells as well, raising the prospect that one or perhaps all three of them could scuttle the bill before the fight over it even begins on the Senate floor....

I am sure these three Senators are not appraised of the full impact they can appreciate for their states of the Health Care Reform Bill. Otherwise, I can't phatom why they would seem to want to thwart improved circumstances for the people of their states.

Louisana and Arkansas has some of the most abysmal conditions for health care of the fifty states. I mean the lower quarter of all the states. Abysmal. Completely.

Nebraska fell in ranking as to the best outcome to health care in the nation from 10th to 13th in JUST ONE YEAR. It shutters me to realize what it is going to look like in two years.

I realize Democrats in states that normally lean right in most elections feel exceptionally threatened by participating in active passage of this health care bill. However, there is more peril in lacking profound 'conscience' about the moral implications of not participating in improving the outcome to their states with a federal mandate. It is 'sorta' of how one defines 'morality.' Does one define morality with a stack of dollar bills or by the quality of life of their fellow human beings?

Neither Louisiana or Arkansas can afford to avoid passage of a comprehensive overhaul of the health care insurance industry that leads to higher quality of care.

This health care bill actually gives these Senators a real chance to be heroes to their constituencies.


As illustrated in figure 1 (click here), the higher the poverty rate in a state, the fewer federal funds that state receives per capita. The “Katrina states”— Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas—have higher poverty rates but lower federal payments, while a group of mostly northeastern states with lower poverty rates gets approximately twice the amount of federal funds per person in poverty.

In the case of Lousiana, there is a chance to bring equity to the 'per capita' funds spent on the children of that state, based on 'cost of living' in comparison to national standards of health care costs. There is one aspect to health care in the USA that cannot be ignored; there is no such thing as 'Regional Health Care Costs.'

Every state in the USA competes equally for 'talent.' So, while the cost of living might be lower in Louisiana, it does not mean their cost of health care delivery is any different. They have to compete with all the other states to recruit 'talent' to treat their people and when they can't offer equal incentives for Health Care Workers to 'settle' in Louisiana. thus, their people suffer.

I am confident there is a profound opportunity for Louisiana, Arkansas and Nebraska to bring better talent and better quality of health care thus leading to better quality of life to their citizens with the passage of this health care bill.

Good luck in what these Senators are seeking that will provide much needed reforms to their states. I am sure they can be accommodated in the needs of their people.

The Senate Bill MUST set a limit on the exploitation by the Health Care Industry to 'reep' profits since President Obama's election.

The insurance industry is 'punishing' the American people for passing health care reform. I have never seen Michael this distressed before. Not even during his filming of "Slacker Uprising" when he was hoping to stem the propaganda by the Bush/Rove campaign during 2004 have I noted him this stressed by news of exploitation of the Ameican people.

Mike tends to take his role in any movement exceptionally seriously and the fact the insurance industry is exploiting the passage of landmark legislation for 'unfair' profit margins 'while the taking is good,' isn't just morally reprehensible, I am fairly certain there are laws already 'on the books' that can prosecute the CEOs for price gouging.

I believe this is the article Mike is referring to in his speech while attending a meeting in Canada.

Drug Makers Raise Prices in Face of Health Care Reform (click title to entry - thank you)

By DUFF WILSON
Published: November 15, 2009

Even as drug makers promise to support Washington’s health care overhaul by shaving $8 billion a year off the nation’s drug costs after the legislation takes effect, the industry has been raising its prices at the fastest rate in years....

I actually don't mind if an industry 'assists' the passage of a law by providing effective language and measures that will uphold the 'spirit' of the law. But. I certainly don't expect any industry, especially those already doing business with the American government, to exploit any bill for unfair profits that provide hardships for future generations of Americans. No, no.

I am almost certain when Attorney General Holder examines the laws of the USA, especially when it is related to businesses that contract with the USA government, there are provisions to stop exploitation of the USA Treasury. There has to be. It protects the sovereignty of the country. This isn't going to be tolerated.

The Senate needs to place a provision in their bill that can go to reconciliation with the House Bill to provide the freedom the Attorney General needs to prosecute those that have viewed this legislative period as an opportunity for "Wind Fall Profits." The 'discount' the pharmaceutical companies have 'pledged' to MUST be based upon the prices they charged a day before the election of 2008.

Health Care is an essential service. Any CEO of any company noted to be exploiting any essential service to the people of this country needs to be prosecuted along with the Board of Directors/Trustees.

We have an expression in my circle of friends. "Everyone has got to try, I guess." There are a lot of reasons for folks to try to override concerns of Conservationists and use all kinds of ruthless measures to do so, but, when it comes right down to it and the truth is told it becomes a matter of 'morals' and 'decency.'

So.

This is just one of those 'Everyone has got to try, I guess." moments. They can try, but, they can't succeed. It's okay.

When 'the innnocent' of any circumstance seems short sighted and 'the fools' it is because they don't have evil thoughts while those that exploit do.

It will be alright.

"Everyone has got to try, I guess."

I don't see that 13 million people NOT having health care insurance after the passage of these bills is acceptable. I am sure it was an oversight by someone.

The 'overcharging' any health care related industry plans? It is basically extortion!