Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Arrogance. Why isn't everyone like Mitt? Of course he is a generous man that will share the secret of his success with everyone.


By Peter Coy on July 31, 2012
 
As reported today in the New York Times, Mitt Romney offended Palestinian leaders on Monday with his suggestion that cultural differences explain why the Israelis are more economically successful than Palestinians. In trying to tamp down the controversy, Romney’s people offended Mexicans by saying culture also explains why the U.S. is richer than Mexico....


Dear God, save us from this idiot.


Why, of course, it is the culture. If it wasn't it might be the flow of weapons around the world and in and out of USA borders.


Of course, it is culture. 


Down with Cinco de Mayo!

The "Do Nothing House of Representatives" do nothing again.

Bail Out Wall Street, NO PROBLEM!


Bail Out the US Post Office after legislating their bankruptcy, BIG PROBLEM!


The US Post Office needs a cash injection. Nationalize the US Post Office to benefit the smooth running of the country and then act for paybacks with current interest rates as dictated by the Federal Reserve.


Or perhaps do a Lehman Brothers bankruptcy and let them reorganize their debt under Chapter 11.


Better yet, allow them to have a supervised reorganization like the car companies. Sounds like a plan.


by Hope Yen - Jul. 30, 2012 02:42 PM
Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Postal Service is bracing (click title to entry - thank you) for a first-ever default on billions in payments due to the Treasury, adding to widening uncertainty about the mail agency's solvency as first-class letters plummet and Congress deadlocks on ways to stem the red ink.
With cash running perilously low, two legally required payments for future postal retirees' health benefits -- $5.5 billion due Wednesday, and another $5.6 billion due in September -- will be left unpaid, the mail agency said Monday. Postal officials said they also are studying whether they may need to delay other obligations. In the coming months, a $1.5 billion payment is due to the Labor Department for workers compensation, which for now it expects to make, as well as millions in interest payments to the Treasury....

The CEO and administration of the US Post Office has stated the current House Bill doesn't help! I'll be darn. It is skeptical anything the House does is helpful.

Fate of Postal Service Awaits Action in House (click here)



Monday, July 30, 2012

Romney does not believe in the two state solution with Palestine.

He stated, 


"As you come here and you see the GDP per capita, for instance, in Israel which is about $21,000 dollars, and compare that with the GDP per capita just across the areas managed the Palestinian Authority, which is more like $10,000 per capita, you notice such a dramatically stark difference in economic vitality."


There was such a strong reaction to his words, the White House had to issue a statement reiterating a two state solution. Romney is another George W. Bush, drop bombs and ask questions later.


Not only that, but, he already has plans to solve the economic problems abroad by spending the USA Treasury on new embassies. I don't think so. Bush's Iraq Embassy was a billion dollars, wasn't it? I can't wait to see what his building plans are for Poland, a nuclear missile silo maybe.


I like Tel Aviv. There is nothing wrong with an embassy right where it is. The country of Israel is not that big, access is not a burden from anywhere in the country.


Jersusalem is a explosive issue, he should never have spoke so aggressively about the city. The city belongs to everyone. There are many aspects of Jerusalem that don't provide the theme of capital. It is a city of reverence by religions and it should never be a capital city or a hub of business. It just isn't that type of city. It doesn't lend itself to that dynamic. 


I can't want for Romney to go to the DMZ and make his Axis of Evil speech; it will be a moment to cherish.


Romney is a disaster. He covets every inch of real estate for its market value. NO!


...Hitting the stands Monday, (click here) Newsweek's cover blares: “Romney: The Wimp Factor.” In smaller text, it asks: "Is he just too insecure to be president?"...


I have to agree with Romney, he isn't a wimp. Not at all, he is a puppet. The difference is that Cheney isn't his Vice President. Maybe a Cuban invasion, instead.


Wasn't it Norquist who stated all they (the party) needs is a President that can sign his name. Romney can do that. Not leadership, compliance.


Don't think Romney is simply a signature? A puppet?


Adelson is getting exactly what he is paying for. He has stated there is no limit to his Super Pac spending to get Romney elected. Adelson has plans for Romney and that is exactly what the speech was all about.


...Also present was Sheldon Adelson, (click here) a billionaire casino tycoon and ardent Zionist who has been a singular force in the 2012 presidential race. He and his wife, Miriam, sustained Newt Gingrich's presidential aspirations with more than $16 million in donations to political groups backing the former Speaker of the House, and since Gingrich's exit, Adelson has transferred his support to Romney, with a $10 million donation to the pro-Romney "Restore Our Future" Super PAC....


While accepting a $1 million donation in Israel, Romeny is calling for the elimination of Super Pac monies from campaigns. Romney is a manipulator. If Romney sincerely wants campaign reform whereby ONLY candidate ads run, eliminating Super Pac monies, then he can start RIGHT NOW! He can call for a cessation of all Super Pac Ads and when they stop President Obama can ask for the same thing.


Why should President Obama wait until Romney's Super Pacs stop? For obvious reasons, but, it would clearly demonstrate if Romney is respected and a sincere leader of the party. Will his demands actually end the use of Super Pac ads. Additionally, if Romney is leader of the party today, not simply a figure head, then the obstructive Republicans in the Senate and the divided GOP in the House should come together to enact legislation I am sure President Obama would sign to end the use of outside monies in campaigns. 


Let's go. Romney said no more Super Pac monies. End them and pass legislation. Put the money were the mouth is!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

I apologize that I wasn't on the web this evening...

..., but, I was at an emergency room with a friend. I told him he wasn't the best candidate for erectile dysfunction medication, but, no one listens to me. I refused to be held liable.


If anyone listen to me the planet wouldn't be burning up.


That is a joke. Seriously, it is a joke. Not about the planet about the friend. I hate emergency rooms and they give me a very strange sense of humor.


All joking aside, I was with a friend at a social event and we were having a really great time. The party was coming to an end so we started to leave. We were walking back to the parking area when she screamed, "I am shocked." 


I was like, what? She had just pulled out her cell phone and keyed it because it was turned off during the party and I thought the phone shocked her. Wrong. I looked at her face and I knew then it was not the cell phone. Her defibrillator went off.


I occurred quite suddenly and without warning. But, she is fine. The hospital is keeping her overnight and will adjust the defibrillator in the morning. 


I think it was her boyfriend, actually. We were having a great time and she was absolutely in the moment, smiling, forgetting all about life and then we start to leave and the defibrillator goes off. 


She's only 45 years old and then in March she has an episode of V-Fib out of the clear blue sky. She really needs to change her lifestyle. Too much stress, too much disappointment and she needs to dump the guy.


So, I'm going to get some sleep, listen to the morning news and go visit her to find out if she is coming home. 


Good night.

Romney is a war monger.

He is self righteous and under informed. A dangerous combination.


Middle Class, huh? He won't admit he and those like him have forced a growing number of USA Middle Class into poverty.


In case he hasn't a clue, Syria is already engaged in a civil war. As of today Russia is uncertain to the ability of Assad to remain in power.


Autocratic Mitt.


Have a better day.

I ran across something really bizarre. Evidently, this is the misinformation the Right Wing thrives on.



This is gross misuse of the image of a newscaster. The people compiling this mess have no respect for their government. 


You know we have former astronauts fighting for the life of space travel and this is what people do with NASA's mission. We can't believe astronauts? We can't admire bravery. Not every mission was completed, either. Men and women died for this program and it is all a hoax? We are to believe every event on the news is a bizarre manipulations of images to control the nation's focus?


Enough of tabloid journalism of the Right Wing that have no boundaries to insult the integrity of the nation. Give me a break.


In shaking his head "no," Aaron Brown was probably answering someone in his earpiece. That day, there was so much going on it was amazing to realize he could have an intelligent conversation with his audience, yet alone the team putting together information for his audience. The coverage with Aaron Brown and David Bohrman was unbelievable. The nation came "up to speed" and reasonably competent in a short period of time as the tragedies were unfolding.

Look, if dropping bombs is the preferred solution, why not start with the most hungry of them all.



Typical Netanyahu, always the first to toe the line with an ally, regardless of his true insight or feelings. Typical, very typical. Strength always is a good public relations play with the right wing.


Well done, Binny. Now we can look forward to a nuclear engagement with China and Russia at inauguration. So tell us all about Rafalka, Mitt. The Olymics, the wife. How's the family? 


Candidates for President of the USA really should stay away from predicting nuclear fallout.


..."I heard some of your remarks and you said that the greatest danger facing the world is the Ayatollah regime possessing nuclear weapons capability," Netanyahu said. "Mitt , I couldn't agree with you more, and I think it is important to do everything in our power  to prevent the ayatollahs from possessing that capability. We have to be honest and say that all the diplomacy and sanctions and diplomacy so far have not set  back the Iranian program by one iota."....

All Romney really had to do is commemorate the fortieth year of the attacks on the Israeli Olympians in Munich. I mean seriously. If he presented the Prime Minister with a symbol of honor of the death of Olympians it would have been an incredible gesture that would have spoken eons about his understanding and relationship with Israel. 


No one has done that, so was he going to be the first? No, he wanted to go for the gusto and do the nuclear dance with Iran.  


I don't know if there will be a moment of silence at the closing ceremonies at the London Olypmics. Maybe there is a chance, there is a petition making the rounds.

German right-wing activist Willi Voss, in an interview to Haaretz, (click here) describes his involvement in the killing of 11 Israeli Olympic athletes in 1972.

By Ofer Aderet Jul.12, 2012 | 7:37 PM

...At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, terrorists from Fatah's Black September organization took hostage members of Israel's Olympic squad. Two Israeli athletes were killed in the initial hostage-taking and nine were killed during a botched German rescue attempt at a Munich airport.

The documents, which were released in June, detail a correspondence between local police in Dortmund and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, and reveals the seven weeks prior to the attack, a man named Saad Walli, described as having "an Arab appearance," held a suspicious meeting with a neo-Nazi activist names Willi Voss....

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Removing the last brick in the wall between church and state.


If the assessment (and I haven't read all the references of the decision.) by The Daily Beast is correct, the Eight Circuit has just destroyed the long established "Scientific Process" and the State can institute any policy of "Divining Science" it chooses. 

The Eighth Circuit basically has stated 'the professions' no longer have control over their own authority. If the Scientific Process can be discredited at the Eighth Circuit, what then is next? 

I am certain it will be headed to the Supreme Court, but, the decision appears to have an arrogant component of annoyance with all parties. The Eighth Circuit has ruled on this before and stood with the fact Planned Parenthood had proven it is a burden to women. It would appear the other Christian organizations and others simply went about getting more opinions to stack the deck for a majority greater than viewed in the first appeal.


It is ridiculous what is occurring here. It is fraudulent. The Eighth Circuit can't discern the fraud involved. It is definitely intended to confront Roe v. Wade. The Right Wing is sincerely seeking to destroy the freedom of thought in the USA.

If a legislature can decide what is appropriate research and what is not appropriate research and a profession's standards is determined by an unprincipled majority, then the USA is no longer a democracy, but, a theocracy. Next, the legislatures will be deciding what God is the True God.

South Dakota Legalizes Lies With Suicide Warning for Abortion Seekers (click title to entry - thank you)


The 8th Circuit basically ruled that legislatures are free to pick and choose which "science" they’d prefer to believe. What abortion law’s backers are hiding about suicide risks....




Friday, July 27, 2012

Where did Breivik get his weapons?

The United States weapon market is a problem. It is a problem internationally as well. All one has to do is look to Mexico and realize what the USA is doing to that country.


If one looks at the history of massacres they are primarily affiliated with the military. There are very few where civilians are actually killing many people. It is a modern era phenomena. 


Previous to Breivik, there are no mass murders in Norway. Some in Northern Ireland, but, that is affiliated with an armed resistance, not a single gunman with a cause.


There is a paradigm shift from military massacres whereby they have weapons to carry out such heinous acts, but, the mass murderers in a domestic circumstance is a modern day problem. They are increasing, too.


Individuals never had access to these type of weapons before. They most certainly did not.


There have been massacres in other countries related to anti-semitism. There were the massacres in Bosnia. But, for the most part the use of these weapons, outside of military use, didn't occur in the USA before. They were always viewed as cop killers.


The Assault Weapons Ban would have outlawed the guns used in Colorado. It expired September of 2004, just before Bush was re-elected. The massacres before that were virtually absent.


March 25, 2006, Seattle, Washington, Capital Hill Massacre killing six and wounding two.


April 16, 2007, Blacksburg, Virginia, Virginia Tech Massacre killing 32 and wounding numerous others. In 2007 this was the worst peacetime massacre in the country.


Got that? The Virginia Tech Massacres was the worst in the history of the country in 2007.


Should I make that point again? The Virginia Tech Massacre was the worst in the history of the country. It happened in 2007. The worst massacre in the country up to 2007 occurred at Virginia Tech University AFTER THE ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN WAS LIFTED !!!!!!!!


These were the weapons purchased in the USA at a gun show at the Columbine massacre in 1999. Fifteen dead including the two shooters. They killed themselves.

During the shootings, Harris carried a 12-gauge Savage-Springfield 67H pump-action shotgun, which he discharged 25 times and a Hi-Point 995 Carbine 9 mm carbine with thirteen 10-round magazines, which was fired 96 times.
Klebold carried a 9 mm Intratec TEC-9 semi-automatic handgun manufactured by Navegar, Inc. with one 52-, one 32-, and one 28-round magazine and a 12-gauge Stevens 311D double-barreled sawed-off shotgun. Klebold's primary weapon was the TEC-9 handgun, which was fired 55 times.


November 5, 2009, Fort Hood Massacre, 13 dead, one was a civilian, 30 wounded.


January 8, 2011, Tuscan Supermarket Massacre, 6 dead, 19 wounded.


July 20, 2012, Colorado Movie Theater Massacre, 12 dead, 58 wounded.


Ever since the Assault Weapons Ban was lifted the occurrence of mass killings has increased and the number of victims involved in the massacres have increased. 


These weapons should never be in the hands of civilians. They don't belong anywhere outside the military without justification and certainly not without special permits and training.


It has gotten worse since the Assault Weapons Ban has been lifted. There are also more police officers killed since than as well.


The Columbine Massacre was the only one of its kind during the Assault Weapons Ban. It was due to irresponsible sales of guns.

It is happening too often. There are too many guns on the street and they are easy to obtain.

No excuses anymore. There are over 300 million guns in the USA that are non-military issue. That would mean one gun per person of any age in the USA. I don't own a gun. I know a lot of people that don't own a gun.


Where are all the guns in this country? If they can't be kept out of the hands of the crazies, then they should not be sold.


How convenient to be crazy and under the radar.



Colorado Shooting Suspect Was A Psychiatric Patient (click title to entry - thank you)

POSTED: 1:40 pm MDT July 27, 2012
UPDATED: 3:28 pm MDT July 27, 2012

..."The materials contained in that package include communications from Mr. Holmes to Dr. Fenton that Mr. Holmes asserts are privileged," said the document filed by public defenders representing Holmes. "Mr. Holmes was a psychiatric patient of Dr. Fenton, and his communications with her are protected."
In response, prosecutors asked for Arapahoe County District Judge William Sylvester to deny the request by Holmes, saying it contained inaccuracies including claims of media leaks by government officials that in reality may have been fabricated by news organizations....

Three Little Words - "America For Sale" - Thanks, Mitt

"

Perhaps the nation needs to talk about the Boston infrastructure that Bain Capital did not build. Maybe we need to talk about The Hancock Tower and how Bain Capital does not even own their own address at 200 Clarendon Street. Maybe we need to talk about "The T" in Boston and how it facilitates one of the most successful subway systems in the world.

There is plenty in the shadow of Willard Mitt Romney we can talk about on how the monies he made was because of what other people built!!!!!!


One other thing, does The Wall Street Journal run out of titles for their articles?


Updated July 26, 2012, 7:19 p.m. ET

Four Little Words (at title)

Why the Obama campaign is suddenly so worried.


.....................................................................................................................

November 8, 2009, 11:37 p.m. ET

Four Little Words (click here)

Reagan deliberately confronted criminal regimes with what they 

fear most: the publicly spoken truth about their moral weakness.


Maybe three words at a time is all The Wall Street Journal can handle these days. 


President Obama is the infrastructure president. He doesn't want bridges collapsing. He finds this point in time in the USA as an opportunity to return vitality to the American infrastructure. You know, the infrastructure that attracts companies to do business in the USA. He is THAT President.


I do believe we know if the trains don't run and the planes can take off and land, business doesn't happen. 


If 200 Clarendon Street didn't exist, which many debate may not have been a good idea anyway, Bain Capital won't have an address of prestige. If the roads surrounding 200 Clarendon Place didn't exist the trudging through mud, given its the Back Bay in Boston, would be worse than trudging through a 3 foot snow storm on the way to The T. Even though "The Big Dig" was a lot of trouble, it is finally opened with a total cost of $14.6 billion US of which didn't all come from the City of Boston treasury and certainly not "Paid for by Bain."


If we want to talk about whom exactly makes the business and transportation happen in the USA, then we can talk. Boston is incredible infrastructure heavy. There are huge construction projects at any point in time in Boston. If Romeny and the Wall Street Journal want to say this infrastructure is unnecessary, then they need to reassess the NATION they have to thank for their millions and billions US!



By the way, how are the ports of the country doing?  Busy? I mean CHINA IS CALLING!!


Those longshoremen are something, aren't they?

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Hi, Ed. I hope you and Wendy are getting through a difficult time.

Ed with his beautiful wife Wendy.


It is difficult facing cancer, but, it can be done. Very recently, my sister completed her therapy that will more than likely insure a normal longevity.


My sister was suppose to die twenty-five years ago at the age of 28. She has good quality of life, too.


The fight is difficult, but, it is possible with good doctors and state of the art treatment regimes.


We are keeping you both in our thoughts and prayers. I hope this is somewhat of a comfort to you and Wendy. She's a pretty one, Ed. The two of you look as you love each other a great deal. That matters, Ed. It really matters. A winning team is helpful.

Whoever let Michelle Bachman infiltrate the USA government?



Michelle can't be this stupid. I refuse to believe she is actually this stupid, but, I do believe she is playing a part in the GOP agenda to drive the base. I think Romney is going to have his surrogates for the base while he attempts to turn left to be elected. I think that is what this is about. The problem is it is irresponsible, inflammatory and dangerous.


The USA State Department put their lives on the line everyday in foreign nations; they don't need help from their Homeland in making the job more challenging.


Michelle Bachmann is playing the Muslim card and attempting to make the statement the USA State Department under our Islamic President is planning on turning the USA over to the Muslim Brotherhood.


I don't think so. I wish someone would run against Bachmann and relieve her misery. I don't know how this woman ever gets elected. She assaults the American culture and women's rights at every turn without exception. 


Bachmann needs to apologize. Will she? Never. She said exactly what she wanted to for the reasons above. Bachmann takes her freedom of speech to the level of screaming fire in a crowded meeting hall. She is responsible. She is an extreme embarrassment. Somebody help get her out of office, please.

Mayor Bloomberg has a point. But, a national strike might not be the answer. However.

I understand his frustration. New York has many police that work to protect the city. He also has a city with a large theater district. I imagine he is concerned about emergencies like Aurora, Colorado.


I have a suggestion. The police unions across the country should organize a lobbying effort in each state and in Washington, DC to reduce the amount of violence in the nation and the number of dangerous guns on the street.


Absolutely.


Mayor Bloomberg is concerned for his police officers as should all other mayors. He can help them be safe by encouraging a lobbying effort that would safeguard them. I think that was really decent of him to come forward to attempt to make a difference. A strike might not be the best venue, but, lobbying state and federal legislatures will. 


Mayor, like Michael Bloomberg, can make sure the lobbying effort by police nationwide gets proper attention because the police unions cannot afford the monies in DC and elsewhere as does the NRA. I hope the and other mayors continue to seek resolve to these issues. I applaud him for being willing to make his concerns real to the people.



By Alexander Heffner
Mayor Bloomberg appeared to distance himself Tuesday from comments he made on a talk show  suggesting that the nation’s police officers should “go on strike” to demand tougher gun laws.
Bloomberg, who has been pushing for stronger gun legislation in the wake of last week’s movie theater shooting in Colorado, told CNN’s Piers Morgan on Monday that he doesn’t understand why officers “don’t stand up collectively and say, we’re going to go on strike.”
While Bloomberg, co-founder of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, has been an outspoken critic of gun violence, the comment supporting the idea of a strike seemed unusual for the mayor of a large city – and by Tuesday, he was walking back the statement....


While Mayor Bloomberg is the co-founder of "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" it isn't illegal guns or ammunition that killed 12 people in Aurora. In the wake of this heinous killing there are also those with life long injuries and destroyed families. There were so many people in the theater that knew each other, loved each other and went as a family, it was a particularly horrid event. I sincerely hope Mayor Bloomberg 'finds a way' to support police organizations and unions to end these assaults against our culture. Sincerely.

Chick-fil-A has to abide by federal laws granting non-discrimination.

Company policy cannot apply hideous personal values to their companies policies. Chick-fil-A is not a church. It has no non-profit status. Noted below is a very healthy profit margin for the fast food chain.


...Chick-fil-A, (click title to entry - thank you) whose founder distinguished the fast-food chain by closing on Sunday out of religious piety, continues to mix theology with business and finds itself on the front lines of the nation’s culture wars after its president, Dan Cathy, confirmed his opposition to gay marriage in June 2012. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Elissa Eubanks)


The company cannot abuse customers either. If there is a story to tell about abusive practices of customers by the stores, then "Submit Your Story Today" (click here)


If every corporation in the nation decided the only people worthy of employment were purple people eaters, then the rest of us would be out of luck. That principle applies here. If Corporate America can be dominated in their practices as dictated by some CEO or demented Board Member or owner, the country would suffer for absolutely no reason except discrimination, bias and/or hatred. They can't do it.


I do believe the owner of Chick-fil-A has a sincere public relations crisis and needs to work on how she gets along with people. If she can't move past her own discriminatory priorities to promote her company than she needs to sell her shares and move on. If not she is in for one of the worst PR nightmares a corporation ever faced. Americans aren't putting up with hatred these days. She has problem, but, it is her problem, no one else's. If she wants to be a political figure she can run for office, otherwise, move out of the market place. There are plenty of small business owners across the USA that would be more than happy if Chick-fil-A closed up shop and left their neighborhoods. Chick-fil-A does not have the corner on fast food chicken. A loss of a Wall Street icon is the profit of the local economy and its small businesses.


Bye, bye Chick-fil-A. People have the right not to purchase food from kitchens run by those that hate others as a corporate symbol demanding the government to adhere to some faux agenda. It's nonsense. The President of Chick-fil-A has to make at least an apology. I am sure there are lawsuits on the way from those working within the company wondering why they were passed over for promotions. I wish her a lot of luck.

Oh yes, mistakes made in management of the Olympics are difficult indeed.

Doesn't exactly look like war and peace to me. Hay, what do I know.

LONDON, July 26 | Thu Jul 26, 2012 12:38pm EDT

(Reuters) - Athletes en route to the Olympics may end up sharing their special Games Lanes with funeral carriages drawn by plumed horses draped in black velvet.

Funeral directors exasperated by Olympic traffic rules that threaten to delay burial processions suggested they could commandeer the lanes reserved for athletes and officials.

Some have had to draw up contracts with grieving families to make clear the possibility of severe delays.

"If we went down the Olympic lanes in a horse-drawn, what are they going to do - photograph a horse? Fingerprinting?" said John Cribb, director of T. Cribb and Sons, a funeral director partnership run by the same family in east London since 1881....

Now he is insulting allies. He can't run for President of the USA at the Olympic Games.


I don't think there has ever been a candidate for President that visited Olympic Games in preparation for this race. 
"W" visited the 2008 Olympic Games while touring China, South Korea and Thialand, but, he was concluding his term and not seeking to begin it.
Odd.
Thursday 26 July 2012 13.05 EDT
...In a move that astonished Downing Street, ( click title to entry - thank you) hours before it laid on a special reception for Romney at No 10 he told NBC there were "disconcerting" signs about the preparations for the Games.
One senior Whitehall source said: "What a total shocker. We are speechless."
David Cameron wasted no time in slapping down Romney hours after his remarks were broadcast. On a visit to the Olympic Park, the prime minister said: "We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world. Of course it's easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere."...

Can you trust your mayor? Then listen to them.

The USA infrastructure has been failing for far too long. These are difficult times and we need the investment President Obama asked for with his American Jobs Bill.


Updated 6d 22h ago
PHILADELPHIA – The economies of the nation's cities (click title toe entry - thank you) are starting to bounce back from recession and grow again, but state and federal governments need to increase their spending on infrastructure to help that growth continue, according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors....


...Public spending on infrastructure in the United States has fallen to 2.4% of gross domestic product, the group said, something that needs to be increased in order for growth to continue....


The interconnecting rail services across the country will be completed in 2050. That is a long time and a big infrastructure project. It is important for many reasons for this to go through, but, it will also reduce the demand for fossil fuels in the USA. Why can't we have jobs that improve the lives of our people while be responsible.


Who best to speak to local economies and local growth than the people closest to it.


The infrastructure improvements take many forms. Rain gardens have proven to be a way to store storm water for later use in water home grown vegetables. Rain gardens can reduce the amount of watering a homeowner has to provide for their laws. 


There are 'rain barrels' that can be installed to catch all the rainwater from the roof of homes to store it for outside use. They are simple ideas for home dwellers that can give them ownership of their own contribution to conserving water and natural resources. 



EPA Funding will bolster green infrastructure for communities. (click here)

July 26, 2012 - As announced EPA's Nancy Stoner, U.S. EPA will provide $950,000 to help 17 communities expand green infrastructure. Use of vegetation and soil to manage rainwater where it falls keeps polluted stormwater from entering sewer systems and waterways in local communities. Funding is intended to increase incorporation of green infrastructure into stormwater management programs, protect water quality, and provide community benefits such as job creation and neighborhood revitalization....

The infrastructure of cities to collect rain and use it prudently to uphold their foliage is a valid form of conservation. 

Press release date: July 19, 2012
Green infrastructure uses vegetation and soil (click here) to manage rainwater where it falls, keeping polluted stormwater from entering sewer systems and waterways in local communities. The EPA funding is intended to increase incorporation of green infrastructure into stormwater management programs, protect water quality, and provide community benefits including job creation and neighborhood revitalization....

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The massive melting of Greenland was likely expected. Last year the reflectiveity of the ice decreased because of clumping of warmed ice crystals.

acquired June 1 - August 31, 2011



...The darkening, says Box, (click here) is due to changes in the shape and size of the ice crystals in the snowpack. As temperatures rise, snow grains clump together and reflect less light than the many-faceted, smaller crystals (see lower image from a scanning electron microscope). Additional heat rounds the sharp edges of the crystals, and round particles absorb more sunlight than jagged ones.


This is getting 'particular' in how the melting is viewed, but, it is the 'correct' view of the melting.




The crystals are not reflective. They are less pretty, but, they are also without multiple edges to reflect the light that hits it. Like a prism. Right. 


In the left each aspect of the crystals of the ice have 'edges' that will reflect the light back into the atmosphere. That ended last year with the consolidation of the crystals differently as on the right. It wasn't cold enough anymore to consolidate the tiny crystal, molecules by molecule as before. They were too wet. They were ice, but, they were not frigid accumulation of the ice 'particles.'


So, with less reflectivity, it means there is more ABSORPTION of the light and darker color of ice results, Thus, more infrared reflected back in the area of the ice sheet and less sustainable ice formations.


The melting of 2010 was considered alarming. 


2010 was an exceptional year (lick here) for Greenland’s ice cap. Melting started early and stretched later in the year than usual. Little snow fell to replenish the losses. By the end of the season, much of southern Greenland had set a new record, with melting that lasted 50 days longer than average....


That was before last year when the ice changed color.



So, the image on the left below from July 8, 2012 was somewhat of what one would expect. Advancing melt from years before, but, what was not expected occurred on July 12, 2012. 


It was alarming when the massive melt occurred from 2010, then darker ice from 2011.


The more massive melting of July 8, 2012 was expected and alarming enough. But, to realize the Greenland Ice Sheet is becoming decimated is extraordinarily alarming.

The word "MEANDER" enters my mind.



Nearly the entire ice sheet covering Greenland (click title to entry - thank you) —from its thin coastal edges to its two-mile-thick center—experienced some degree of melting for several days in July 2012. According to measurements from three satellites and an analysis by NASA and university scientists, an estimated 97 percent of the top layer of the ice sheet had thawed at some point in mid-July, the largest extent of surface melting observed in three decades of satellite observations....


I knew the heat transfers systems off the Equator would add to the melting in an exponential way, but, this was a tipping point. 


The Greenland Ice Sheet is among the largest ice formations on Earth, including the Arctic Ocean and Antarctica. This is an incredible finding to realize how much the icefields of Earth are being lost. No one should be completely surprised. It isn't as though these exceptionally large ice formation are in a freezer or extremely cold to maintain themselves.


The large ice formations are frozen, but, the difference between 31 degrees Fahrenheit and 33 degrees Fahrenheit is still only two degrees. This is very bad news.