Monday, January 05, 2015

There are wind chill, winter storm warnings, high wind warnings and gale warnings across the entire northern tier of the USA by the National Weather Service.

The first thing that comes to mind is the recent death of a family flying in their private plane from Florida north. The sole survivor of the crash was a seven year old that had the presence of mind to save her own life by walking three quarters of a mile to a porch light she saw after getting out of the aircraft. She stated to the man that answered the door, "My parents are dead, can you help me?" She learned survival skills from her father as a young girl. When she knocked at the door to the home she was covered in blood from walking through briars and traversing a water way.

Please advise small aircraft to reconsider their flight plans due to icing of the wings. Thank you.

I implore President Obama to continue to close the gap between a communitties minorities and their police.

Currently, police are refusing leadership while using a prescribed legal methodology to openly kill unarmed citizens.

January 5, 2014
By Rocco Parascandola, Tina Moore, Corky Siemasko
 
Mayor de Blasio (click here) gave the cops who turned their backs on him a good smack Monday.
Speaking for the first time about the public dissing he endured at the funerals of hero cops Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, de Blasio said “they were disrespectful to the families involved.”
“I can't understand why anyone would do such a thing in the context like that,” an angry de Blasio said. “And I think it defies a lot of what we all feel is the right and decent thing to do.”
“I also think they were disrespectful to the people of this city, who in fact honor the work of the NYPD,” he added....

When I express loss to families or a country for any of citizens it is with the understanding I under their pain. I stand in recognition of their will at the funeral of their loved ones. I don't put my priorities first.

These officers were especially precious in that they were minorities. Their cultural diversity came out in their funeral services. They were the people we have so long wanted to be a part of public infrastructure to bring their insight and their abilities to bring about solutions. The loss of both of these men is profound beyond that of their families. 

I thought the country had it's fill of funeral demonstrators, but, it would seem not.

Mayor DeBlasio jumped to assist the families of these men by increasing their rank when it was first learned of their heinous deaths. The state legislature has appropriated millions of dollars to outfit police cruisers with bullet proof glass. These deaths were profoundly felt and people came together to honor them by learning from this event.

It is unfortunate there was only insight after the fact not as a precaution before the deaths occurred. The missed opportunity to save lives occurs before the tragedy, not afterward.

One of President Obama's greatest accomplishments to add to his legacy is civil rights.

Catherina Pareto, right, and Karla Arguello, second from right, kiss after they were married by Circuit Court Judge Sarah Zabel, left, Monday, Jan. 5, 2015, in Miami. Zabel provided a jump-start Monday to Florida's entry as the 36th state where gays and lesbians can legally marry, saying she saw no reason why same-sex couples couldn't immediately get their licenses in Miami-Dade County ahead of a midnight launch statewide. Photo: Wilfredo Lee, AP 

January 5, 2015
By Curt Anderson and Tamara Lush

MIAMI (AP) — Lesbian and gay couples (click here) were wed in Miami on Monday by the same judge who approved their marriage licenses, hours before Florida's coming-out party as the nation's 36th state where same-sex marriages are now legal statewide.
The addition of Florida's 19.9 million people means 70 percent of Americans now live in states where gay marriage is legal.
The cheers in the courthouse reflect how much of the nation's third-largest state has changed since the 1970s, when Anita Bryant, the former beauty pageant queen and orange juice spokeswoman, started her national campaign against gay rights in Miami.
"It's been a long time coming," said Cathy Pareto, who wed Karla Arguello, her partner of 15 years. "Finally Florida recognizes us as a couple. It's just -- I don't know, sweet justice."...

Any oil infrastructure investment is poorly decided.

Those are the facts, both scientific and financial. OPEC is steadfast in it's resolve and that is good news. They will continue to be the one factor that will steady the market. There is a fall in demand for oil. It isn't just a glut. 

January 5, 2014
By Joe Carroll

Tumbling crude prices (click here) will trigger a flood of oilfield write downs starting this month after industry returns slumped to a 16-year low, calling into question half a decade of exploration.
With crude prices down more than 50 percent from their 2014 peak, fields as far-flung as Kazakhstan and Australia are no longer worth pumping, said a team of Citigroup Inc. (C:US) analysts led by Alastair Syme. Companies on the hook for risky, high-cost projects that don’t make sense in a $50-a-barrel market include international titans such as Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) and small wildcatters like Sanchez Energy Corp.
The impending write downs represent the latest blow to an industry rocked by a combination of faltering demand growth and booming supplies from North American shale fields. The downturn threatens to wipe out more than $1.6 trillion in earnings for producing companies and nations this year. Oil explorers already are canceling drilling plans and laying off crews to conserve cash needed to cover dividend checks to investors and pay back debts.... 

For the USA legislation to add to this collapse is a huge mistake, but, Republicans legislate to their cronies and not real life. It is ridiculous to think the KXL is a viable project. The support for the KXL is extreme politics, so what else is new in the USA?

January 5, 2014
NBC News Staff, CNBC and the Associated Press
 
What a way to start the first full week of trading in 2015. (click here) The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled more than 300 points on Monday, dragged down by falling oil prices amid worries that while they are a boon for consumers, they could hurt other sectors of the economy.
It was the worst session for the Dow and for the broader S&P 500 index in over three weeks. The Dow unofficially dropped 1.84 percent, the S&P shed 1.81 percent and the Nasdaq dropped 1.6 percent. Monday capped the stock market's first four-day losing streak since December 2013 and sent stocks to their lowest level in two weeks...

The Republicans will be carrying out rhetorical legislation post election.

It is strange how 'dog whistle' politics is never silent even after an election. 

The KXL is antiquated infrastructure. The Democrats needs to propose and pass an amendment which simply reads, "No further oil infrastructure will be built until the tropospheric carbon dioxide returns to 350 parts per million and the methane levels end its' escalation." Straight and to the point based in scientific facts. The Democrats need to have the NOAA and NASA scientists on the floor of both the House and Senate to state the facts.

We have witnessed two airline tragedies along very close longitudinal lines. Both were over the Pacific which is the largest of Earth's oceans, both were caused because of severe turbulence in Earth's troposphere. This was not a coincidence. They both received significant turbulence because of abrupt climate change which has caused huge shifts in hot and cold air masses.

Additionally, in the amendment needs to be strong language that will improve the safety of existing pipelines. The current pipelines need to be rebuilt with three wall USA steel pipes. This is similar technology that is used in building tankers that transport oil. Most tankers are double hulled. In the USA any and all current pipelines no matter what they carry need to be triple hulled. That change also has to be included with tanker cars on rails or the highway to prevent spills and damage to the USA lands.

Refitting the current oil infrastructure will increase sustainable employment far beyond that of any promised by the KXL. Gasoline tax increases are far overdue.