The Ferguson Police department just indicted itself.

The police officer involved in the shooting stated he didn't know anything about a robbery. AND. A video tape and one sided complaint does not make a robbery either. It is unclear what transpired between the people in the convenience store. 

But, to place that video into the public venue indicts the Ferguson police department in victimizing those they believe to be 'bad people.' There are no bad people in Ferguson, there are people. 

It seems to me the Ferguson police department are afraid of people in the city. To announce the name of the officer involved in the shooting somehow was license to defame the victim of the shooting. The convenience store episode is completely unrelated to the shooting, yet to release that is to say, "Michael Brown, Jr. had it coming." 

The store episode could have been solved by calling his parents and asking them to straighten out the situation. I was called when my sons were younger to bring about an understanding and how to resolve it. A box of cigars? You've got to be joking. What is that a misdemeanor of petty larceny? That is a fine in court not a death sentence.

August 15, 2014
By Yamiche Alcindor, Marisol Bello and Aamer Madhani
USA TODAY

FERGUSON, Mo. — Michael Brown (click here) was identified as a suspect in a strong-arm robbery of a box of cigars moments before he was shot to death by Officer Darren Wilson, police said Friday.

However, in an afternoon press conference by Ferguson, Mo. Police Chief Thomas Jackson, said the two incidents were not related. He said Wilson did not know about the robbery when he confronted and then shot Brown, whose death spurred violent protests and unrest in the St. Louis suburb over the past week.

Wilson stopped Brown and a friend because "they were in the middle of the street, blocking traffic," Jackson said....

I am very worried about this community and it's relationship with the police. There needs to be a change in leadership.

Storms damaged 35% to 50% of homes in Metro Detroit.

By Niraj Warikoo, Christian Hall and Robert Allen 
Detroit Free Press

Aug. 14--The damage done (click here) by Monday's heavy rains and flooding across metro Detroit became increasingly clear today as debris from waterlogged homes continues to pile up.

About 40% of homes and commercial properties in Dearborn were flooded or had sewer backups in their basement as a result of the storm, city officials said. And reports are still coming in. Warren reports about one-third of homes affected, and about 50 percent of Ferndale's homes were flooded, according toFerndale Mayor Dave Coulter's Facebook page.

In cities near I-75 and I-696, among other flood-affected areas, curbs are littered with trash bags, carpeting and countless odds and ends pulled from basements. The tri-county area was declared a disaster area by Gov. Rick Snyder on Wednesday....

...Dearborn got hit with 6 inches of rain on Monday, the second-highest amount among all cities in metro Detroit, according to the National Weather Service. Earlier this week, more than 75% of "Dearborn's roads, including state, local and county roads and main arteries were flooded and impassable," the city said in a statement.

City Hall has been "extensively damaged" by flooding. And more than 85 cars were towed out of floodwaters....

August 15, 2014
11:32 UTC
MT Satellite of Australia and New Zealand (click here for loop - thank you)

Strong winds and massive tides battered Wellington's south coast last night, causing a fishing boat to break from its moorings and an esplanade to be covered in debris.

The Esplanade in Island Bay was closed for an hour this morning while boulders, rocks and seaweed were cleaned up....

...Gusty southerlies and swells of up to seven metres had caused the debris, MetService meteorologist Liz Walsh said.

"A mean wind speed of 72 km/h was recorded at the airport between midnight and 5am," she said.

"We also recorded gusts of around 100 km/h so it was well into a gale."

A gust of 105 km/h was also recorded further north in the city....

August 15, 2014
1317 gmt
The Weather Channel's Western Pacific Ocean Satellite

There is no consistent ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone).


August 14, 2014
By Robin Burks

A new study (click here) shows that as global warming continues, Antarctica's ice shelves may melt faster than initially thought and add up to 14 inches to sea levels by the end of the century.

The study, done by an international team of scientists, used data collected about Antarctica and climate change and plugged that into computer models. The models showed startling results: Antarctica may soon be the top source of rising sea levels faster than scientists previously believed if greenhouse gases continue to increase at their current level....

August 15, 2014

1326 gmt

The Weather Channel South Pole Satellite

Australia is at 6 o'clock. There are multiple vortexes transferring heat from the Equator into the Antarctica continent.

There are already models for coastal flooding and cities below sea level. The Netherlands and now even Europe have massive dam structures to protect cities. New Orleans is among the newest to enter into this class of city. It's pumping system is world class and protects the city from flooding. There is plenty of information to draw from already proven to work. The USA doesn't have to reinvent the wheel, there exists tried and true methods.

August 15, 2014

It might have been a slow start (click here) to the ski season but snow is falling thick and fast on the ski fields now, forecasters say.

With a full two-metre snow base now on both Whakapapa and Turoa ski fields, Mt Ruapehu's snow trails were looking the best they had in years, operations and trails manager Steve Manunui said....

..."Over the last 72 hours there has been an accelerated and significant snowfall on Mt Ruapehu.

"Both ski areas are wearing their new white winter coats with pride. We've hit the sweet spot in terms of snow levels and with the fantastic forecasted conditions this weekend, now is prime time for skiers and riders to come enjoy the fresh snow."

The whole mountain would be opening this weekend.

MetService said all the ski fields were having the same fortune....

July 22, 2014

Last month (click here) was the hottest June since record-keeping began in 1880, according to a monthly report by US government climate scientists.

The combined average temperature over land and ocean surfaces was a "record high for the month at 61.20 Fahrenheit (16.22 Celsius)," said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration....

Alaska had the 2nd wettest June since 1918 only behind 1980.

34% of the continguous USA experienced drought.

Hurricane Christina (June 9 - 15, 2014) reached 240 km/hr winds, the second such storm in 1918 in the East Pacific.

Antarctica Sea Ice Extent was 9.6 percent above normal since the continental melting distributed larger amounts of frigid water into the circumpolar ocean circulation.

New Zealand had the warmest June (It is winter in the southern hemisphere) since records were kept in 1909.

Australia had significant drought with rainfall 32% less nationally and 72% less in Western Australia.

India has rainfall deficits of 57% nationally with regional deficits of 39% to 74%.

Europe and Africa have experienced a much warmer June with some records reaching in the top 10% of all records.

Taken alone, the ocean's global surface temperature in June was the highest for any month on record, breaking the past record set in 1998, NOAA added.

July 17, 2014

Harsher storms, (click here) worsening flooding and rising seas threaten the public's safety and health across the country, President Barack Obama warned Wednesday as he urged local communities to prepare for the effects of climate change.

Joined by top federal officials and local, state and tribal leaders at the White House, Obama said communities experiencing negative effects firsthand know that climate change is already upon us. He said boosting the nation's resilience and fighting climate change shouldn't be a partisan issue for lawmakers in Washington....

HMNZS Wellington weathers a storm during sea trials in the Southern Ocean

Ferguson, Missouri has international focus.

What so many realize is the failure of freedom, democracy and the USA Constitution. This isn't just about the shooting death of one young black man with a life full of promise, this is about the treatment of an entire segment of American society which cause their premature deaths. The bullets are judge and jury. The streets of the USA are now the courtrooms. This has to stop.

August 15, 2014

...“We want the law (officers) (click here) to keep the law, not break the law,” says fellow protester Denise James, who believes prayers rather than violence will help change race relations for the better. “Officers shouldn’t use their authority in the wrong way – treat people like you would want to be treated.”

Residents of this predominantly African-American community are furious that Brown, who was to start college on Monday, was shot multiple times after an altercation with a police officer. The teenager was known as a "gentle giant" by his Normandy High School teachers. The teenager was wearing shorts and thongs and was clearly unarmed, according to witnesses Tiffany Mitchell, Piaget Crenshaw and Dorian Johnson.

After trying to run away from the officer in a patrol car, witnesses say Brown stopped after being hit by a bullet, before putting his hands up. He was then allegedly shot multiple times by the police officer who had pursued him on foot. His body remained on the street for hours before being removed....

I might add the focus of anger at some convenience stores is not unusual during racial riots in the USA. In past riots when the smoke cleared and angry young black men are able to speak to the reason for the looting and violence lies a pattern within the community of acquiring alcohol from these stores. There is a lot of frustration in these communities with such stores and the reliance on them as a food source as well. The communities try to turn the corner on alcohol addition, but, it is increasingly difficult when incorporated into their lifestyle is a store that is the only source or frequent source of food. That reality may seem silly to some, but, it is a real focus of frustration by the community.

Ebola's toll continues to increase.

August 16, 2014

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) The World Health Organization says beds in Ebola treatment centers in West Africa are filling up faster than they can be provided.

Spokesman Gregory Hartl said in Geneva Friday that the flood of patients to newly opened treatment centers shows that the outbreak's size is far larger than official counts show. WHO said Thursday that recorded death and case tolls may "vastly underestimate the magnitude of the outbreak."

Hartl said that an 80-bed treatment center opened in Liberia's capital in recent days filled up immediately. The next day, dozens more people showed up to be treated.

According to WHO figures, the outbreak, which began in Guinea and has spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, has killed more than 1,060 people and sickened nearly 2,000.  

It is time to quarantine this area of any travel, except, for essential medical personnel. The medical treatment facilities are overwhelmed. Humanitarian relief needs to replace the economy that obviously will fail without tourism and trade. 


August 15, 2014

Geneva: The Ebola crisis in west Africa (click here) is outstripping the ability of aid organisations to stem the epidemic, the head of international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said Friday, likening it to a war.

"It is deteriorating faster, and moving faster, than we can respond to," Joanne Liu told reporters a day after returning from a 10-day mission to the hard-hit region.

"It is like war time. There is fear," she said.

"It's moving, and advancing, but we have no clue how it's going. Like in a war time, we have a total collapse of infrastructure," she added.

The outbreak started at the beginning of this year in the forested border zone between Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and has also spread to Nigeria.

While Guinea had initially been the hotbed, the pace of the outbreak there has slowed, with concerns now focused on the other countries, notably Liberia.

"If we don't stabilise Liberia, we'll never stabilise the region," said Liu.

August 15, 2014

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) (click here) has banned athletes from west African countries affected by the deadly Ebola virus from competing in some events at the Youth Olympics, starting in China this weekend.

The IOC released a statement on Friday saying that while there were no suspected cases, organisers had decided to bar three athletes from competing in combat sports and events in the pool as a precaution.

"We have been reassured by the health authorities that there have been no suspected cases and that the risk of infection is extremely unlikely," the statement read.

"Together we have developed a policy which balances the health needs of all, with respect for the rights of the young athletes from the region."

The IOC said the decision to ban some athletes from competing had been made in conjunction with the organising committee from Nanjing under the guidance of the World Health Organization....

  

The preliminary talks were just place holders. It was to set the terms for the final accord.

August 16, 2014

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iran's foreign minister says it is unlikely to reach a final nuclear accord with world powers by a November deadline.

Parliament's news website on Friday quoted Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying that even if a general agreement is reached by the deadline, the two sides will require more time to discuss details. "Hence, it is unlikely to reach a final conclusion before a four-month span," he was quoted as saying.

Iran and the P5+1 group -- the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany -- in July extended their nuclear talks until November.

Western powers have long suspected Iran is secretly pursuing a nuclear weapons capability alongside its civilian program, charges denied by Tehran.