Wednesday, February 06, 2013

There are many reasons Governor Cuomo has fluctuating approval ratings.

Even if the worse poll approval rating is 59%, what is the problem?

Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin apologizes for comparing Gov. Cuomo to Hitler and Mussolini (click here)

The Republican assemblyman, who was against the the governor's new gun control laws, complained that lawmakers in Albany are 'told basically to shut up and vote,' and then went on to say that Hitler would be proud of this practice.



...McLaughlin initially refused to retract his comments and took them further by also comparing Cuomo to Russia’s Vladimir Putin. “How does Putin act over in Russia, same thing,” he said. “Dictate to the Legislature what they’re going to do. They’re rubber-stamping it.”
Later, in the face of criticism, he issued a video apologizing, calling it “an honest mistake” in the “heat of the moment.”



Posted: 02/06/2013 5:24 pm

...To close that week, (click here) hundreds of activists accompanied Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon as they delivered more than 200,000 public comments filed in opposition to the Cuomo administration's new proposed fracking regulations.
Despite this massive show of public opposition, Gov. Cuomo is still trying to figure out how to get away with fracking New York. Shockingly, an administration so famous for its sharp political acumen somehow thinks it can thread the needle and allow fracking without infuriating the progressive base it needs for its future. The administration has already floated numerous compromise plans, from declaring that certain urban watersheds will be off limits to drilling, to the "sacrifice zone" plan that would limit fracking to five Southern Tier counties. But notwithstanding this political maneuvering, common sense dictates that the devastating consequences of fracking won't confine themselves to county lines or underground watershed boundaries. The latest polls show that a majority of New Yorkers now see the obvious: that there is no such thing as safe fracking....

by Nadine Lemmon

As Tri-State surmised (click here) in an initial review of Governor Cuomo’s 2013-2014 Executive Budget last month, the Governor is proposing to use an old Albany budget “balancing” trick: diverting funds dedicated to the MTA for other uses.
This $20 million diversion of funds comes from a pot of money that is statutorily dedicated to cover the operating needs of the MTA. The Executive Budget, however, declared that this $20 million diversion is “surplus,” but there is no explanation of  how funds are determined to be surplus. Because of increases in revenues from taxes dedicated to the MTA, the MTA did receive a 7.4 percent increase in the executive budget over last year’s budget. But given the volatility of the economy over the last few years, these days it is hard to say that anything is “surplus.”...



Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo warned (click here) the Bloomberg administration and the New York City teachers’ union on Wednesday that if they did not create a new teacher evaluation system quickly, he would move to impose one upon them.

Speaking plainly, the governor said at a news conference in the State Capitol that his “strong hope” was for the two sides to hammer out a settlement.
“If they don’t,” he said, “then let the state step in and let the state handle the evaluation process, determine an evaluation process, and impose it on the City of New York.”...
Just because Cuomo made the headlines for ground breaking gun laws for New York, there are many, many reasons why his approval rating is effected.
Joseph Spector, Gannett Albany Bureau

...The Siena poll was in conflict with a Quinnipiac University poll last week that showed a precipitous drop in Cuomo's approval rating following the gun measure.
The Siena poll said Cuomo's approval slipped from 71% to 67% over the past month. The Quinnipiac poll said it fell from 74% to 59%....
...The Siena poll said voters supported the gun law 65% to 30%. Cuomo, a Democrat, has been one of the most popular governors in the country, and his approval had moved little since he took office in 2011.
The Siena poll did show Cuomo's popularity take a significant hit upstate and with Republicans because of the gun law. For the first time since taking office, more Republicans (54%) had an unfavorable view of Cuomo than had a favorable view (42%).
In upstate, Cuomo's favorability dropped to 54%, down from 61% last month, the poll said....

Siena College (click here) It is a New York college.

February 04, 2013

NY and Southern Tier Voters Nearly Evenly Divided on Fracking; Opponents More Passionate than Supporters
Cuomo’s Standing with Voters Slips a Little Overall, While Remaining Strong; More Dramatic Drop with Reps & Upstaters
2/3 Support New Gun Law; Majority: It Was Not Rushed Through
Caught 'ya caring.

Thank you.

Chris is Chris. 

I'll say this much. I have worked in cardiac medicine for 16 years of a 23 year career. I am now retired. 

I have cared for people that look stereotypical on a cardiac unit, men complaining of chest pain, and they had perfectly clear coronaries after a cardiac catherization. Stereotypical. Obese beyond a doubt. Long history of an overweight status. 

Go figure. Some times more genetics than diet. But, for those that suffer from it, it is deadly and there is no way of knowing if plague build up in arteries are dangerous until it happens.

Losing weight is emotional. There are higher incidence of disease affiliated with obesity. Hypertension. Diabetes. A person's weight can be argued that it diminishes their quality of life.

So, while Dr. Mariano was caring enough to encourage a New Jersey Governor to act in his best interests, it is not easy to address for many people. Threatening statements usually don't work. She can only be accused as caring and perhaps needing a better bedside manner.

Marco Rubio states, "...we believe in free enterprise and limited government..." all in one breath.

Hm?

Then he stated, "...I believe in student aid, I could not have gone to school without financial aid..."

Then he stated, :...of course we need to 'be there' to provide help when free enterprise fails..." (bail out)

"...we (Republicans) believe in free enterprise and limited government..."

What does that mean? Well, the same as always, "Grand Ole Party" means today no different than it did before. Privatize government. That is what means.

Now, make no mistake that does not mean private citizens will be paying for the privatized government. Not at all. 

That is where the second comment comes in.  "...I believe in student aid, I could not have gone to school without financial aid..." Would it not be great to privatize education and have it paid for by government. (Charter Schools) Financial Aid is of course higher education and the problem with privatizing education is THE COST. So, while higher education loans will be available there is still no guarantee anyone but the wealthy will be able to afford it because the public universities will no longer exist.

Now, about the third comment. :...of course we need to 'be there' to provide help when free enterprise fails..." (bail out). When the privatized government fails? Guess who bails them out OTHERWISE there will be no viable infrastructure of the USA. So, in order for privatized government to work, there won't be any regulation, otherwise, the profits to stockholders won't be record setting. And as according to Speaker Boner and Majority Cantor who reminds the people of the USA chronically that taxes won't encourage business growth and regulation is a heavy wet blanket on the nation's job growth.

Right. So, the NEW contract by the GOP with America as Rubio stated will be outlined in his Rebuttal of the State of the Union Address really isn't new and I know it already. Same 'ole, same 'ole.

It has been a strange ride this past month. These are all temperature maps from The Weather Channel.

January 10, 2013
0615 AM EST

With all these wide swings in temperature changes came turbulence.

Winter is not suppose to be this unpredictable.
January 15, 2013
0734 AM EST

About a month ago the USA was covered in very cold weather. There has been movement of warm water vapor off what was the Intertropical Convergence Zone. The beginning saw only warm air to the southeast. 
January 29, 2013
0845 AM EST 

Of course, the difference between AM and PM is number of hours the sunshine may have warmed the air. But, the trend is fairly obvious. Right. The warm water vapor has been increasing. 


By the 29th more and more warm water vapor started to cover the country.


February 04, 2013
0845 PM EST

On February 4th there was a change in the distribution of warm water vapor. There is a reason for that.

I'll post some of the UNISYS satellites to illustrate. But, basically these was an odd air movement in the Pacific. I've never seen it before. And it is traveling in a northeast path from lower latitudes, so therefore it is warmer.
February 06, 2013
0645 PM EST

This is the heat distribution from that southern system. It is hot and it is encroaching on the cold air mass that has been across the continent.

What is more odd and notable is the current departure in the USA from normal temperatures. That is below.


BELOW: February 6, 2013
8:30 PM EST
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite USA 

It is fairly obvious where the warm temperatures are coming from, namely the systems in the center of the country.


February 6, 2013
8:30 PM EST

BELOW: February 4, 2013
0430:19 z or February 3, 2013 @ 11:30 PM EST

Note the disturbance east of Hawaii. With a good imagination it looks like a cat face.


BELOW: February 4, 2013
1030:19z or February 5:30 AM EST


BELOW: February 4, 2013
1630:18z or February 4, 2013 @ 1130 AM EST


That heat center developed into a turbulent air center. It is hotter than the continent. It has moved into the center of the USA and has changed the air temperatures to extremes outside of normal. 

The point is this air mass is carrying its own heat. It is so much outside the norm that it is changing the air temperatures as it moves. It is not in a hurry really, but, as to whether there will a blizzard in the northeast; if this air mass moves to the northeast it will bring heat with it. I think it is fine to expect heavy snowfall, but, it could be more rain than snow, too. Higher elevations are more likely to receive heavy snowfall. But, as far as Boston goes, isn't the big snowfall over due? Right. Is it about time Boston got 'the big one' for the season. I am not convinced yet this is the big one though. I am sure local weather folks will figure it out and keep folks up to date.

I take it that Jimmy Lee Dykes wasn't on the National Rifle Association PROTEST LIST.

I find it so hard to believe there are that many guns to buy back on the streets of the USA. That is a shame. People could be going on vacation, an evening out as a couple, paying off the house. What are they thinking?

Thousands of guns, shown here in Trenton, N.J. They were purchased in an official gun buy-back program. (Mel Evans / Associated Press January 29, 2013)

...What is the point of the NRA list? (click here) Nixon’s enemies list was for private, political purposes. He ordered his aides to sic the IRS on former L.A. Times Publisher Otis Chandler, for example, and to check on whether Chandler’s gardener was, in Nixon’s word, a “wetback.” (The Times is on the NRA’s list too, although it’s still called “Times-Mirror,” a name it hasn’t borne for a dozen years. The cobwebby Blue Chip Stamps company is on the NRA’s list too. Maybe I should have checked to see whether the Atwater Kent radio company was there. That’s some long memory. Maybe Blue Chip Stamps didn’t let you redeem them for guns?)...


The fact of the matter is The NRA Protest List is more of an honor than a dishonor. I mean get real, already.


There is no defensible reason for the NRA protest list. There really isn't.

Somehow, citizens are suppose to turn their back on the murders in the USA. Is that it? Look the other way. That is not only unreasonable, it is unconscionable. The NRA looks the other way far too much. 

Disneyland is in California. 
Starting at $1,357*, a family of 4 can enjoy a package that includes:
  • 4-Day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper tickets†, for admission to both Disneyland theme park and Disney California Adventure theme park
  • 3 nights at a conveniently located Disneyland Resort Good Neighbor Hotel
That's less than $85 per person per day!
Offer valid for most nights between:
  • January 7 through March 5, 2013
Book by February 27, 2013. Travel must be completed by March 8, 2013.
Come on. Get over this.

College Park to Hold Gun Buy Back Program Saturday (click here)

$20,000 set aside by Mayor and Council.


Bernalillo County to host gun buy-back events (click here)

By The Associated Press



ALBUQUERQUE - New Mexico's largest county will kick off its gun buy-back program this weekend.
Bernalillo County officials say people can turn in working handguns, rifles, shotguns and other high-capacity or assault-style weapons at the sheriff's North Area Command Center on Saturday and receive a gift card ranging from $100 to $200....


By Brenda Gazzar, Staff Writer
twitter.com/bgazzar
Updated:   02/06/2013 11:44:46 AM PST
PASADENA - In the wake of recent shootings,(click here) city officials are considering a gun buyback program as one weapon to combat violence amid a broad arsenal of ongoing efforts.
"If a gun buyback program is offered exclusively as an end state, without consideration of other programs, such as prevention and intervention, I think we would be missing the mark," Police Chief Phillip Sanchez said Monday during a special meeting of the city's Public Safety Committee.
"If we're going to look at gun buyback programs, it needs to be in conjunction with responsible gun ownership, community education, violence prevention alternatives as well," Sanchez added....


2/5/2013
PAWTUCKET - City Councilors Al Vitali and Jean Philippe Barros have announced plans for a citywide gun buy-back event, likely to be held in March.
"We, along with our community partners, have organized this important program in an effort to reduce gun violence, create awareness, and to get our community involved in a proactive campaign to take guns off of our streets," they stated in a news release.
Vitali and Barros are lobbying local businesses to step up and sponsor the event, which will be offered to city residents who have a firearm that they wish to dispose of.
The council members are coordinating the program with the Pawtucket Police Department and plan to offer gift cards in exchange for guns, though they have not yet decided what the value of those gift cards will be....

By Dan Ivers/NJ.com 
on February 05, 2013 at 11:52 AM, updated February 05, 2013 at 12:01 PM


BERGEN COUNTY — County law enforcement officials are ironing out details of a large-scale gun buyback program to take place in April. (click here)

Richard Moriarty, a spokesman for Bergen County Sheriff's Department, said that Sheriff Michael Saudino has been working with the county prosecutor's office to firm up dates and locations for the program.
Though exact details have yet to be finalized, the program is slated to take place in eight towns between April 13 and 14, he said. The venues in each community have yet to be announced, though churches, synagogues and other gathering places are all being considered....

Seattle already had their buy back program on January 26th.

Seattle-area leaders announce gun buyback (click here)

Posted: Jan 9, 2013 2:18 PM by John Hopperstad - KCPQ (Seattle)

Congratulations to everyone! How much is a life worth? How much domestic violence will be tamed?

2013 Miami Gun Buyback Program Has Collected Record Number of Weapons, Police Say (click here)

“This is the biggest buyback we’ve ever had,” Miami Police spokesman Sgt. Freddie Cruz said

By David Jeannot
|  Monday, Feb 4, 2013  |  Updated 10:32 PM EST







"...well being..." is not an axis of evil. Reagan said the words peace. He left no doubt he was seeking peace and not war. No comparison.



"W" and Cheney practiced nothing but brinkmanship the entire time they were in office. Two wars weren't enough evidently.

I've got an idea for the EU.

Put luxury taxes on upscale travel destinations. Everything from hotels to coffee and room service. It will help balance the books. Seriously. If the tourists can afford the destination, they can afford the taxes. Good luck, I hope it works.

Interesting dreamscape after South Korea launched. Where is his wife anyway?



I don't think this is an official anything, but, it has merit to know if he distracts South Korea enough into believing North Korea has other intentions they might actually fire their rocket over the North Polar Cap to reach NYC. Here is the real thriller, sealing the 'test cave' may be nothing more than a distraction.


Chinese frigate targets Japanese guard ship near disputed islands (click here)

Published: 05 February, 2013, 19:41
A Chinese frigate has locked weapon-targeting radar on a Japanese guard vessel in the area of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, said Japan’s Defense Ministry. The islands are the subject of a territorial row between Beijing and Tokyo.
The incident occurred at the end of January, but took time to confirm. Japan's Foreign Ministry sent a formal protest to China on Tuesday in connection with the incident.
"Directing such radar is very abnormal. We recognize it would create a very dangerous situation if a single misstep occurred," Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told the media.
The meeting of the two ships happened during a routine appearance of a group of Chinese patrol in the area of the disputed islands, known as the Diaoyu to the Chinese. In such cases Japanese frontier guards escort Chinese vessels and transmit radio demands to leave the territorial waters of Japan, but do not take any active measures, according to the ministry....

It is very safe to say North Korea does not have peaceful use intent of it's nuclear capacity. Kim should take his wife on a trip to other nations and make friends. It would do him and North Korea a world of good. He might even engage South Korea in peace talks. Seriously. Doesn't Kim have some kind of cousin in South Korea? Has to be. Not that it would matter, I am sure Kim likes to celebrate his birthday in peculiar ways, too. 

Why did those seals have to come off that reactor? I don't know who is more stupid Bush or Kim? Both have huge ego problems. Kim, Cheney and "W". What a trio. Nothing like making it real, ya know? The Axis of Evil started with "W." I remember a correspondent justifying that speech, and she knows who she is, by stating, Reagan went to Berlin and we know what happened there. Right. It is that blatant justification that is the problem. If "W" and Cheney were justified in their actions with OUR military for eight years none of this would be an issue now. The world was played for fools. Well, happy April fools everyone. Pain in the ass, press.


US, South Korea finishing exercise, watching for North Korean nuke test (click here)

By ASHLEY ROWLAND AND YOO KYONG CHANG
Stars and Stripes
Published: February 5, 2013

SEOUL — A three-day U.S.-South Korean naval exercise that includes an American nuclear-powered submarine is scheduled to end Wednesday as both countries watch apprehensively for signs of a North Korean nuclear test that is believed to be imminent.
An official on South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the exercise had been planned for about a year and was not intended to coincide with North Korean threats to conduct a third nuclear test following its successful rocket launch in December.
However, he said maneuvers being rehearsed this week are intended to counteract possible North Korean aggression and are meant to be a show of force to Pyongyang....

It is all too easy to make egotistical speechs to satisfy a some political goal when peace existed before being elected. It is all to easy to destroy peace. The real measure of a President is to defend the USA in an inflamed world and promote peace at every turn. Returning confidence to Iraq, Iran and North Korea must be a sincere challenge for the President and his State Department. We really need to push Non-Proliferation. We really do.

Bush's "Axis of Evil" speech is nothing short of a bully kicking sand in the face of the far weaker and more vulnerable. "If he only had a brain."

Kim should commission a thriller based on that reality and I'd pay real money to see it. I go to subtitled movies all the time.

I am just in no patience anymore for stupid politics and the stupid USA press that feeds it.

Yesterday, the politically motivated media in the USA was stating Speaker Boner was the head of the GOP. Where? How? What has he done to EARN that recognition? He is the highest ranking member therefore he is. NOT!!!

IS NOT!!!!!!!!!

Boner doesn't belong in the seat.

He never did.

NO, the Democrats aren't the problem, they are the solution. Rove and his million-billionaires are the problem. Tax the hell out of them! Give peace a chance.

Happy Birthday.

When he learned the child was turning six and would be receiving items from other children his demeanor changed. Anyone can realize he was nothing but pure evil.

There weren't enough Zombies in the world for him and he couldn't weight to engage them. Pot shots at residents was getting boring. Pure evil.