Saturday, August 10, 2013

It happens once a year.

The 2010 Perseids over the ESO's VLT.

No matter where you live worldwide, the 2013 Perseid meteor shower will probably be at its best on the nights of August 11-12 and/or August 12-13.

Dan Vergano, 
USA TODAY 12:09 p.m. EDT 
August 9, 2013

Put out the lawn chair, (click here) set the alarm and maybe bring something to wet your whistle while you gaze into the nighttime sky — the year's best shooting star show has started.

August's annual Perseids meteor shower peaks Sunday and Monday, promising perhaps 70 meteors an hour those evenings.

"The Perseids are the good ones," says meteorite expert Bill Cooke of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

The Perseids take their name from their apparent origin in the constellation Perseus, the hero of ancient Greek myth born from a shower of heavenly gold. Known for producing fireballs that might streak across a third of the sky, they owe their brilliance to the speed — nearly 134,000 mph — with which they smack into the upper atmosphere. "It's also because of the size of the meteors," Cooke says. The dust grains are about one-fifth of an inch across and burn nicely as they zip overhead....

Rethinking plea bargaining and believing The Public Defender means more to our democracy than anyone can imagine.

Could it be that saving our cities also includes increasing the number of public defenders to fight the impoverishment of justice?

Returning balance to our democracy and emptying our prisons and jails to return function to our country/society means more than simply preaching and setting examples. It means bringing sincere justice ro the innocent.

"Gideon's Army" makes it very clear even many Civil Rights Leaders were facilitated by Public Defenders. There are victories by Public Defenders. Those victories return function to our society and end 'the angry young man' syndrome.

Imagine being in prison unjustly. It is unthinkable, but, it happens all the time. Those that plea bargain out of fear are also relinquishing the right to vote, attend higher education and move into upward mobility. A lot is on the line and our country suffers for their suffering. We lose assets, safer communities while defeating parallel economies such as the drug economy.

Innocent Americans don't belong in prison.

Who robbed the New York City Pension Funds?

Elliot, what gives? There is no money to pay pensioners in NYC? Bloomberg had three terms to get it straightened out if they were squandering pension funds. Bloomberg doesn't understand the importance of RESPONSIBLE investment of pension funds?

August 9, 2013

The two Democratic candidates (click here) for city comptroller squared off yesterday in one of the wildest political debates this town has seen in some time. Amid the exchange of insults, one thing became clear: Eliot Spitzer has no comprehension of what a comptroller actually does.
The one-time Client 9 said he would use the city’s $126 billion in pension funds as a massive economic stimulus, similar to the $831 billion spending program Congress passed back in 2009.
After all, said Spitzer, that one worked so well that it should have been twice the size. We’ll leave aside that argument. The real issue is whether a man asking us to elect him watchdog of public funds ought to be looking at those funds as a vehicle for his own economic and political agendas....

I was worried about the Post Office and the lousy stunt Bush's Republicans pulled in 2006, but, now Michael Bloomberg might have to pay back to NYC all those billions he has.

Wow.

Republicans have real problems with these things. They can't keep pension funds intact, they borrow monies from Social Security and they can't fund the government. It is not looking good.  

New York State Pension Value Rises to Record High $160.4 Billion (click here)



The value of the New York state pension fund rose to a record $160.4 billion in year ending March 31, recovering after the financial crisis wiped out almost one-third of its assets, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said.
The New York State Common Retirement Fund, which provides benefits to almost 1 million state and local workers and their beneficiaries, had an estimated 10.4 percent rate of return in fiscal 2013, DiNapoli said in a statement. That’s about the same gain posted by the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index over the same period. The fund was valued at $154.5 billion in 2007, before the start of the longest recession since the Great Depression.
“The New York State Common Retirement Fund has reached a milestone,” DiNapoli said in a statement. “It remains well positioned for growth as the financial markets continue to gain strength.”...

This is more than just a snippet.

Why not simply kill the competition and a life of abandon and fear to get everything one wants out of life? Why not? Happiness can be bought in the USA, right? Everyone with a gun is above the law these days, right?


WASHINGTON (AP) — Three men have been jailed (click here) on charges they killed a standout western Pennsylvania college running back while mugging him for his wallet and smartphone, after the phone's GPS records led police to two of the three suspects' homes.
Online court records don't list attorneys for the men charged with criminal homicide, robbery, conspiracy and other crimes in the Oct. 4 death of Timothy McNerney, 21, who starred at Knoch High School north of Pittsburgh before attending Washington & Jefferson College.

McNerney died of a head injury when he was either struck or fell and hit his head during the incident about 2:30 a.m., when he and a teammate were robbed while walking back to campus from a bar, authorities said....

Citizens EXECUTING other citizens in the USA. Oh, yeah. Anybody can have anything they want at the business end of a gun. Oh, yeah. We can destroy a planet and live on the Moon to mine the hell out of it. 

Olivia Thibou said that her brother's execution-style murder (click here) last week, allegedly at the hands of former New England Patriots star player Aaron Hernandez, still feels surreal.

By Beth Stebner 
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Saturday, June 29, 2013, 12:56 PM

It all feels like a bad dream.
But for the 27-year-old sister of slain semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd, the nightmare is far from over.
Speaking exclusively to ABC News, Olivia Thibou said that her brother's execution-style murder last week, allegedly at the hands of former New England Patriots star player Aaron Hernandez, feels surreal....

The USA is a great country and getting greater by the second.

And civilized, there has never been a more civilized nation as the USA.

Alex Rodriguez is unpopular and unsympathetic. But that doesn't mean his suspension from Major League Baseball will be fair.(click here)

Matt Schiavenza
There was a time, believe it or not, when Alex Rodriguez was popular. Really, genuinely, popular. Granted, it wasn't recently -- you'd have to go back to the Clinton Administration -- but as a young shortstop for the Seattle Mariners in the late 1990s, A-Rod was considered one of the game's true bright lights. 

It wasn't just because of his on-the-field accomplishments, though these were remarkable: In 1996, at an age (20) when most players were in college or the low minor leagues, Alex Rodriguez was already the best in the American League. But A-Rod, too, was a saint: a humble, decent (Christian, natch) young man who called his mom five times a week, avoided alcohol, and worshipped his veteran teammates. "A guy this sweet," wrote Gerry Callahan in a fawning profile of Rodriguez for Sports Illustrated that year, "must be hiding some cavities."


If only Callahan knew what was coming. Seventeen years later, this very same Alex Rodriguez is the most hated player in baseball....
It must be Obama's fault. His overwhelming influence on the nation's sports franchises is reeking havoc with players and substance abuse. Obama must be the largest drug cartel in the country.

I guess that is why the NSA is now cooperating with the DEA. 

And when it comes to women, I always say if you can't get it free, then take it! I am sure the military had that directive for a long time.

NASHVILLE -- Four former Vanderbilt football players (click here) have each been charged with five counts of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated sexual battery, Nashville Metro police said Friday.
Brandon Vandenburg, 20, from California; Brandon Eric Banks, 19, from Maryland; and JaBorian "Tip" McKenzie, 18 from Mississippi and Cory Batey, 19, of Nashville, were charged in the indictment. Vandenburg was also charged with one count of tampering with evidence and one count of unlawful photography....

But, when it comes to appreciating the beauty of nature, carrying our RESPONSIBLE environmental policy, "TOO HELL WITH IT, Where is my woman!"

Great character. Americans have a real problem with getting out of the way of possessing a great character and high moral standards at every turn. 

When are people going to begin to listen?

Scientists have explained over and over that the negative feedback loop of the Climate Crisis would begin to wear away at conventional methods of construction, etc.

What is everyone going to do stand around and call a construction site an emergency and seek FEMA money to try to reduce the effects of the Climate Crisis so the hideous carbon dioxide pollution can continue?

It' can't be done.

Updated: Friday, August 9 2013, 11:24 PM CDT 

SEMMES, Ala. (WPMI) – Construction of a controversial oil pipeline in Semmes has stopped. (click here) The construction along with recent heavy rains have caused run off near construction sites in Mobile County. The city of Semmes issued a stop work order because of the possible environmental impacts. 
Oil and water do not mix, but Semmes residents said soil, silt, and sediment in surround bodies of water is not any better. 
“It’s just not a good mix,” said concerned Semmes resident, Patricia Pierce. After days of heavy down pour, the City of Semmes issued a stop work order at Plains Southcap construction sites near Howells Ferry and Firetower road, citing issues with measures in place to avoid sediment and erosion control. Like many Mobilians, citizens of Semmes said they are concerned about the oil pipeline that would go through the water shed...

Between Fracking, oil pipeline leaks and floods the watersheds in the USA are becoming worthless. The devaluation of environmental law is leading to a completely hideous set of circumstances. People don't listen and the only response any scientist can get for PROPER AND LEGAL RECOGNITION is when the topics get into the courts. It's stupid.

Consultant to Study Oil Pipeline's Risk to Maumelle Watershed (click here)

Posted: Aug 09, 2013 7:47 PM EST Updated: Aug 09, 2013 7:49 PM EST  
By Scott Inman, Anchor

An outside consultant will study the risks the Exxon Oil pipeline could have on the Maumelle watershed.
Central Arkansas Water has been concerned about the dangers the Pegasus pipeline could pose after it ruptured in Mayflower more than four months ago.
The pipeline crosses through the watershed which provides drinking water to about 400,000 people.
The consultant will study any design problems and offer recommendations for reducing risk.
The pipeline broke on Easter Sunday in a Mayflower neighborhood, forcing the evacuation of dozens of residents.  Exxonmobil blames the rupture on the manufacturer. The company says an independent assessment found that cracks and a lack of toughness in pipeline material were factors in the break.

Where does everyone think they are going? There is no negotiation. Earth is the ULTIMATE EXTREMIST. Go ahead stop it. Go ahead try. No amount of poured concrete is going to change the course of this planet.

The most hideous 'talk anything' is how the Keystone Pipeline is going to create jobs and all kinds of money for the USA. Baloney. The Keystone Pipeline will continue to cause carbon dioxide pollution, continue the deterioration of the troposphere and COST the USA Treasury more than it will ever see in the way of economic upticks or increase in the tax base. The side effects of the Keystone Pipeline will COST the USA plenty and become still yet another subsidy to an ancient form of energy.

The Keystone Pipeline is STUPID. There is no other word.

Who is going to write the insurance policies for the American Dream? Americans? They'll have to be self insured if they want to own a home.

STUPID. This entire petroleum focus in the USA is nothing but stupid.

Mudslide, Flash Flooding Strand Cars in Colorado (click here)

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. August 10, 2013 (AP)

A mudslide closed a highway and flash flooding stranded vehicles in high, fast-moving water Friday night as rain fell west of Colorado Springs in an area burned by the Waldo Canyon wildfire last year.
Manitou Springs police reported three people injured Friday night, and they were trying to confirm whether one person was missing. El Paso County sheriff's officials said one of the injured had a leg injury, and another had a back injury.
Residents told The Gazette at least one home was swept away.
Firefighters also rescued one man from a creek.
The mudslide closed U.S. 24 between Cascade and Manitou Springs....

Maybe Americans like being stupid. They don't have to think, they can sit around and drink, watch their favorite sports and simply spout hatred of those that actually do think for a living. They don't have to read and challenge their substandard values for their own education and that of their children. I guess it is easier to be stupid.