Thursday, November 10, 2016

How often does a hero come out of the mist to save an absolutely incredibly gorgeous and rare forest? Rarely.

I think Tim Sweeney will fall into the category of other heroes such as Ted Turner and Robert Redford.

This is a bit dated, but, it only came to my attention this eveing.

Staying wild: Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney bought the Box Creek tract and registered it with North Carolina’s Natural Heritage Program — which could lead to making the 3,300-acre property a permanent nature reserve. photos by Lloyd Raleigh, Unique Places

Better late than never. Heroes are hard to find. It is a very precious wildness. It is an extremely rare ecosystem. 

July 3, 2012
By Susan Andrew

Every so often, (click here) wilderness gets a break. Consider the case of the Box Creek Wilderness, a 3,300-acre forest tract straddling the Rutherford/McDowell county line just east of Asheville.

Once slated to become a high-end residential development, the property was acquired late last year by a conservation-minded owner after the developer went bust. Local conservationists watched with bated breath as Tim Sweeney, the founder and CEO of Epic Games, took title to the parcel.

And on June 7, North Carolina's secretary of environment and natural resources signed an agreement with Sweeney allowing the property to be registered with the state’s Natural Heritage Program. Housed within the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the agency administers a registry of significant natural areas....

That is what a real hero looks like.

March 22, 2013
By Brandon Sheffield

Sometimes we reach greatness (click here) by standing on the shoulders of giants -- and anyone who has ever made a game with the Unreal Engine knows that Tim Sweeney is just such a behemoth. He wrote a quarter-million lines of code in the original Unreal Engine, and though he's founder and CTO of Epic Games, he still actively codes every day.

It's a curious exercise to think about where the industry would be today if not for the Tim Sweeneys and John Carmacks of the world. Luckily, we work in an industry where most of our legends are living, working, and still pushing us forward. Many of them are shuttered away from the world, either working diligently on their next project, or shielded from the press by concerned public relations staff....
During her 2008 run for the Presidency, Hillary Clinton self funded $1.3 million. How much of her campaign, especially during the primary, was self-funded?

The Trump Organization had contact with Russia long before the election through a secret cyber link that was illegal at a time when the USA had sanctions against banks and individuals in Russia. Why would it be a surprise that Russia wasn't going help their favorite son in the USA?

Now, realize that the FBI knew all that mess was going on especially during the 2016 elections and Comey sabotaged Hillary Clinton's campaign. Comey treasoned and couped the USA elections of 2016. 

The campaign is over. Donald Trump has no right to propagandize serious demonstrators against his election to the White House. This is the level of juvenile behavior the USA is going to get from the idiot? He really thinks he is a dictator. Well, he ain't! The demonstrators have a right to have their grievances heard through THEIR FIRST AMENDMENT. OMG. He is an idiot. More of an idiot than I thought possible. He has no dignity, except, the expensive suits he buys. He is crude and twitter is going to get a lot of activity, but, the rest of the business of the country won't!!! OMG. OMG. The man is an idiot. Ego. He is the worst egotist in the world. I suppose it is a good distraction to his illegal activity with Russia. 

Twitter will know the nuclear codes. Wait and see. 

The Republicans are not decent people. They have never been decent people. They will sabotage civilization in the USA, just for the hell of it. Just because they want to. They don't care about the country, they don't care about the people and if they want to carry out unthinkable measures with their power they will do it and they have an idiot in the White House that wants to tweet rather than govern. He'll let Congress know what will work for him on twitter. Does McConnell have a twitter account and a Smart Phone? He is going to need it.

"There are administrative mechanisms in place to protect the country from radical idiots?" My words, not anyone else's. Right. Keep your fingers crossed, too. The Republicans will carry out every unthinkable measure for the next two years because they are ZEALOTS!

IT IS STILL 3 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT (click here)

DoomsdayClock_black_3mins_regmark.jpg

3 minutes to midnight
2016: "Last year, the Science and Security Board moved the Doomsday Clock forward to three minutes to midnight, noting: 'The probability of global catastrophe is very high, and the actions needed to reduce the risks of disaster must be taken very soon.' That probability has not been reduced. The Clock ticks. Global danger looms. Wise leaders should act—immediately." See the full statement from the Science and Security Board on the 2016 time of the Doomsday Clock....

In the modern era, there was the best optimism to ending the threat of nuclear war in 1991; the end of the Cold War.

...IT IS 17 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

DoomsdayClock_black_17mins_regmark.jpg

17 minutes to midnight

1991: With the Cold War officially over, the United States and Russia begin making deep cuts to their nuclear arsenals. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty greatly reduces the number of strategic nuclear weapons deployed by the two former adversaries. Better still, a series of unilateral initiatives remove most of the intercontinental ballistic missiles and bombers in both countries from hair-trigger alert. "The illusion that tens of thousands of nuclear weapons are a guarantor of national security has been stripped away," the Bulletin declares.

The USA has no will to end the abuses of the climate by the petroleum industry.

There is one sure way of making climate a high priority that inhibits petroleum use; OPEC.
OPEC infrastructure has been established for decades. They don't need bank loans to pump oil and harness methane. There are very honorable men within OPEC that understand what it takes to limit the greenhouse gas emissions. OPEC should be an ally to the climate initiatives. In the past year, Saudi Arabia is introducing a job based economy to it's people. Saudi Arabia is the largest oil producer in OPEC.
I realize most climate scientists are convinced OPEC is the problem; I think not. There are many within royal families within the Middle East that appreciate the problems facing the scientific community vs Wall Street. Dubai celebrates "Earth Hour" along with the global community. There are issues with terrorists and civil unrest in the Middle East, but, wherever possible there are decent men as concerned for their children's future as we are ours.
If the scientific community asked to meet with OPEC a strategy to eliminate greenhouse gases over a specific time frame could be established. They are reasonable men. They also have countries to provide for. There has to be answers and holding OPEC at arms length is not the answer. The IPCC should include scientists affiliated with OPEC that can work together to end this dangerous trend.
OPEC never says "There is no such thing as human induced global warming and carbon dioxide can never be a toxic gas." They are reasonable men and leaders. They may not understand the extent they need this is a direly important paradigm to conquer. The American petroleum industry sees only dollar signs without a moral fiber connected to it. There is a vast difference between American petroleum oil barrons and OPEC. Eons of moral difference.

The IPCC should establish a working relationship with OPEC. It will work.

November 10, 2016
The biggest worry (click here) about a Donald Trump presidency is the threat to the world from climate change, former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer says.
"The Paris Agreement - if that doesn't work [and] we'll have a revival of the petrochemical and fossil fuels industry, and that spells disaster for stopping climate change," Sir Geoffrey told Newstalk ZB.
Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei today said Trump's pledge to take the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement, which took 20 years to negotiate, meant New Zealand and other countries needed to "step up and take the lead" on climate change action.
"The world has a very short window of opportunity to curb emissions and avoid the worst of climate change. We cannot wait the length of a Trump presidency for progress on climate change. The change must start now."...



The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a group of thirteen countries located in the Middle East, Africa, and also South America (those countries can be viewed in figure 1).  The organization was formed in September of 1960 in Baghdad, Iraq.  OPEC has caused major shifts in economy throughout the years due to the power that they hold over their oil.  Between the years 1960 and 1980 the organization of petroleum exporting countries have changed the price and production levels of their oil many times.  This organization has led to those countries along with many other countries’ economies expanding due to the fact that the OPEC nations were in charge of their own oil.  Through the limitations and agreements that the petroleum exporting countries made, led to us seeing shifts in their economies and also shifts in the industrialization of the countries....

Japan needs to consider developing a better military. It is wrong to oppress the Japanese national defense.

If I thought moving before the World Court would do any good I'd advocate for that. But. Lately, the Philippines was only successful with a complaint against China because China never answered the complaint. China is taking a military profile to be power to contend with that no court order is going to matter.

I think the only way Japan can protest it's sovereign rights is to develop their military and take the circumstances before the UN Security Council. China is a permanent member of the council and would veto any resolution requested by Japan. Even with a vetoed resolution Japan will be on the record.

November 8, 2016

...Tokyo is becoming increasingly concerned (click here) that Beijing could use undersea exploration to extend its reach into Japanese waters, weakening the median line as the defining maritime barrier.

Japan's powerful coast guard retains the upper hand in the East China Sea, for now. But China is quickly closing the gap, and it may not be long before Beijing's naval forces outstrip Tokyo's. Moreover, it was recently disclosed that one of China's platforms is equipped with a military-grade surface radar system, improving China's awareness of activity in the East China Sea. This poses a serious problem for Tokyo: As development of the eastern side of the median line continues to lag, and as Beijing's maritime capabilities improve, Japan may have a harder time stopping China from pushing its territorial bounds eastward.                       

When Congress destroys Dodd-Frank and the Volker Rule investors can divest in bank stocks as a conscience issues.

They fund the petroleum industry, too. Think about that. The petroleum industry is losing ground everyday and the big banks use them for cash flow. Really?

Wall Street is not interested in a strong arm president. They don't know what the direction Congress will pursue, so government bonds have now become speculative.

When people like Hillary Clinton are invited to speak to companies and organizations, whether the talk is current or not, it provides a strong base to understand where the leader is on issues of investment. That provides confidence regardless of the electorate's apprehensions. This is a very good example of that.

Municipal Bonds are the backbone of the local economy. Don't dump the bonds they are not risky. The municipality is as close as the local newspaper and investors can derive security of their investment from knowing the best interests of their local economy. Speculation as with Goldman Sachs does not have that ability to assess every bond they hold, so they are simply dumping them. 

It is my estimate Wall Street will be looking for stalwart stocks such as those of Warren Buffet as a baseline portfolio. Otherwise, the riskier investments will go to countries in Europe and Australia. The foreign component of the investment capital is actually more stable and reassuring then any American investment at this time.

The rules of the future are not written yet.

November 10, 2016
By Tae Kim

Goldman Sachs (click here) told investors to sell government bonds and buy gold as a hedge due to the prospect of future inflation from Donald Trump's economic agenda.
"The implications of a clean Republican sweep of both houses is probably as important for the markets as the unexpected presidential result. ... Market performance indicates a continuation and intensification of the reflation trend since the summer," Goldman's chief global equity strategist, Peter Oppenheimer, wrote in a note to clients Wednesday.
"Following several years of gridlock between the houses, the potential now exists for a number of legislative initiatives to be passed. Our U.S. strategists point to the possibilities of fiscal stimulus/infrastructure spending, corporate tax reform, reducing regulation and addressing rising health-care costs."...

The Bureau of Indian Affairs should be a part of any decisions regarding the land the protesters are protecting. These lands have inherent interests by Native Americans.

November 10, 2016
By The AP

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (click here) says it's trying to defuse tensions between Dakota Access pipeline protesters and law enforcement in North Dakota, but the pipeline's developer isn't cooperating.
The Corps asked Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners Wednesday to stop work in the area where protests against the $3.8 billion pipeline have resulted in more than 400 arrests.
The Corps' similar plea last week was rebuffed. ETP this week said crews were mobilizing equipment in preparation for tunneling under Lake Oahe.
The 1,200-mile pipeline from North Dakota to Illinois is complete except for under that Missouri River reservoir, which has been delayed while the Corps reviews its permitting.
Company spokeswoman Vicki Granado said in an email that work won't be done until the company gets permission to be on Corps property.

Donald Trump is a power broken in the worst sense. Nothing will change his approach because he believes otherwise is weak.

The Trump White House is corrupt before conceived. Donald Trump has no foreign policy. He will pander to Russia and set priorities of the Oval Office according to the influence of Russia. Russia will have an authority in the White House under Trump.

Donald Trump has no foreign policy. He has already stated he intends to use the power and clout of the USA to make other countries bend to his will to achieve a promised policy to the American people. That is not foreign policy or trade, it is isolationism and forcing alliances against the USA.

Donald Trump will compromise the USA's alliances while selling out to Russia. It is treasonous to allow another country to influence USA policy. 


Pence is all about social extremism to convert the USA to a theocracy. We know the Supreme Court has already stated women have the right to health care that includes contraception and abortion.

Pence is an economic lightweight. Basically, he has no clue. He took office in 2012. Do I need to say anymore?

Social issues are all decided in the courts. Basically, the Republicans will try to change the USA to please them. Expect a Marriage Amendment to make it to the states and the infrastructure is already there to force acceptance of such an amendment to ratify. It is time NOW to organize and push back NOW against the return of social and economic isolation of citizens. Russia will love the change.