Monday, April 24, 2017

The boss is back. I want to see his addresses on C-Span.

April 24, 2017
By Amber Phillips and Juliet Eilperin

Chicago — In his first public appearance (click here) since leaving the White House in January, former president Barack Obama told young leaders here Monday that “special interests dominate the debates in Washington” and that getting involved in their communities is the best antidote to the divisiveness dominating the country's politics.

Obama, who has kept a relatively low public profile since the end of his second term, did not mention President Trump once during the 90-minute event at the University of Chicago, but said he was determined to galvanize younger Americans to do more politically because they were the ones best positioned to bridge the current political divide.

“The single most important thing I can do is to help in any way prepare the next generation of leadership to take up the baton and to take their own crack at changing the world,” said Obama, who sat onstage, wearing a black suit, white button-down shirt and no tie, with a half-dozen Chicago-area activists in their teens and 20s, as dozens more student leaders watched on....

A "central line placement" is surgery. Who conducted the surgery? If it was anyone other than a licensed physician, no, a licensed surgeon, it was illegal to try.

Anytime a human body is invaded into vital systems it is surgery.

Central lines is an invasive procedure that enters the large vessels of the heart.

April 21, 2017
By Charles Fain Lehman

New Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch (click here) cast the deciding vote Thursday to permit Arkansas to proceed with the execution of Ledell Lee....

Gorsuch is reckless. He has no understanding of "cruel and unusual." What else doesn't he have a clue about? I hate training on the job.

Who is to win in France, Le Pen or the Sarkozy look alike?

I didn't want to discuss France really. It is up to the people. Citizens of most western countries are in a very dangerous mood, including recent elections in the USA.

Standard political parties were abandoned. I am not sure it is over in the USA. From what I can assess the people didn't care anymore. Americans. They didn't care about their government. They were/are in a very peculiar attitude. It was all attitude.

The attitude is that anything is better than what we have had. There is no demand for expertise. The people voting for Republicans believe the people are better off if their candidates and winners of politics are not qualifying. They believe qualifying ruins their representation. To that end they are probably correct.

The idea is that Americans want what they want and if that means destroying their government they are better off. They have found out exactly how dangerous that attitude is when Donald Trump turned on them. I don't know if it is a lesson or much as an experience. They may not have changed their attitudes at all only to realize they need a different savior.

Americans for some reason don't realize POLICY is as important as the candidate. They believe a Presidential Veto Pen and Executive Order Pen will FIX IT ALL. There has been so much wrong for so long they want control and they want change now.

It is disappointing to realize Americans don't even recognize the Plutocracy of which Trump bends his knee.

They finally do realize The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a good thing. They finally realize this was a good decision on the part of President Obama, but, they do not recognize him as the man who put it all on the line to drive it home. There is profound bigotry among Americans. I strongly believe the head winds President Obama experienced was because of the power he had as a black man. There is nothing else like it in USA history.

If I were a racist and realized I had a black president, I would do everything necessary within the discipline of "Peaceful Genocide" to prevent any change in my life. That happened "Peaceful Genocide" with the attack on The Voting Rights Act. Absolutely.

France is such a magnificent country and sets the value system even within the United Nations for global compassion. Imagine now the right wing wins the Presidential election in France, what happens to compassion in this world?

We are on a very dangerous brink. Do we annihilate human life unmercifully until the world is as we demand it to be? Russia thinks so. Russia is convinced in order to survive on Earth they have to annihilate every country/person that stands in the way of safety to Russian supremacy. The USA military warned us and our Presidents of this brink.

But, France. France is so very important. It has such a precious place in the way we see ourselves and the future. France was measuring the idea it would disarm from nuclear capacity. France would be the first permanent country to remove any nuclear weapons from it's country's arsenal. Then as that was suppose to take place, Daesh arrived and global balance began to look different and today there is Russia creating a greater breach in the global balance of power. France stepped back and thought it would wait just a little longer.

Both candidates in France are worrisome, but, so is the USA. For as much as women need to take leadership in the world at the pinnacle of government, Le Pen is too extreme. I believe Emmanuel Macron is the best choice right now. Unfortunately, Macron resembles Sarkozy. Yes, Nicolas Sarkozy. They look similarly. If people don't like Sarkozy, they will probably carry that dislike forward and won't vote for him.

It is up to the people. They need to think clearly, the world needs France as the moral guardian of life itself. I wish the French people great success. I hope they are wonderful the day after the election as before. I never expected the people of France to hold their quality of life so dear in their lives after the Paris attacks. But, to give up the lives they loved was worse than the attack. The attack would not change them. It changed Americans, though.

The presidential race in France is important, but, what is more important is that the people of France are still as magnificent the day after they decide.

Immigration.

Hm. Does Senator Schumer and/or Minority Leader Pelosi have the perfect bill for Immigration Reform?

Given the political climate of the USA, is the immigration reform bill perfect?

Sanctuary cities exist to reduce crime with the theory that exposure of the truth among the Undocumented will keep the city safe and keep them safe. Does it work in the year 2017? The statistics should show it. The policy has been in place a long time.

Does the USA need a border wall? Why and why not? California had to build three walls in order to begin to find control without a significant breach. Where are the facts. If the Democrats are going to hold their ground on the $30 plus billion dollar wall, then the facts should embarrass the Republicans and President enough to MAKE THEM BACK DOWN. That's clout. Making the Congress to back down is significant leadership. It is great optics. It is great politics. Don't do it, if the Democrats aren't going to come up smelling like roses.

Does the USA need to ban specific ethnicity from our country? There are some very dangerous white men like the man that killed the children on an island in Norway. Before he committed the heinous act would he have qualified to come to the USA? Would we be looking to read his mind?

The immigration issue needs to revolve around the safety of Americans. If the Democrats have the answer then they should put it forward and find out how the American people see their plans.

The immigration courts need to be expanded. Even people carrying out their legal visas are having trouble getting into the immigration courts. That has to be part of the immigration bill.

The Dreamers have to be given a path to citizenship and the ones protected by President Obama should be put first in line to their citizenship. That means they are provided "Green Cards" TODAY.

Immigration reform has to be real. It has to work. That means Mexico and other countries have a voice in ending the Undocumented coming to the southern border. What does that look like and does it include beefing up Mexico's military?

The last time immigration reform occurred was under Ronald Reagan. It didn't work. We know it didn't work because the Undocumented are here and still coming, albeit slower. There are at least 11 million people undocumented in the USA. This is their home. They have made it their home. Many are elderly now. 

There has to be a return to the benevolence of the USA. That means a comprehensive plan that is deserving of this country and might include training the Mexican military to handle it. Latin America is different than the USA. Policing is very different including corrupt politicians with no respect for the people. There are dead students. How did that happen?

Jungles are different. The USA military has experience with Vietnam, but, look what we did. We did Agent Orange. The way forward for Mexico as our southern neighbor may be different in their prowess in protecting ITS southern border. 

Then there were the children refugees. Their families were terrified for their lives. That is not a sovereign government. If Latin America is not safe is the USA?

Immigration reform is a big subject and ignoring it has gone on for too long because of risky politics in the USA. Politics that now wants to build a $30 billion dollar wall.

Actions speak louder than words. Comey uprooted the decision process of their political life and he had no right to do it.

April 24, 2017
By Michael Barbaro

It was an election year (click here) that no one could have predicted: both candidates for president under investigation by the F.B.I.

At the center of it all was one man, James Comey, making calculations that could shape history. A new Times investigation tells the definitive story of what Mr. Comey did and why he did it.

On today’s episode:

In this special episode, my colleague Matt Apuzzo takes us inside Mr. Comey’s decision-making as he shaped the presidential election through major investigations into both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump....

THERE WAS POLICY GOVERNING THE FBI DURING ELECTIONS.

IT IS OUTRAGEOUS HE IS STILL TRYING TO EXPLAIN IT ALL AWAY!

HE WAS WORRIED ABOUT CONGRESS? WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY!

Director Comey needs to admit he was being harassed by Congress and particular Congressmen. Congressmen interfered with the operation of the FBI by harassing the Director to the point that compromised his own oath! I already know who it is so Comey needs to just admit there were zealots that compromised his oath.

The best future for San Juan County, Utah is to enhance and encourage tourism.

This is the trend in unemployment in San Juan County in Utah. The highs are due to seasonal depression of jobs.

November 14, 2015
By McKenzie Romero
 
...The bulk of those solar jobs (click here) came from SolarCity, the nation's largest solar power provider, and Vivint, which has a heavy presence in Utah. SolarCity recently announced intentions to establish regional corporate headquarters in Utah, projecting the creation of thousands of jobs over the next 10 years, the E2 report noted.
Additional solar projects — the Four Brothers solar project in Beaver County and Three Cedars solar project in Iron County — are expected to ultimately provide sufficient solar power for 126,000 homes, according to E2. Both projects are being developed by SunEdison.
Both SolarCity and Vivint work with rooftop solar systems for individual homes, while SunEdison builds solar power plants.
In San Juan County, a new wind farm will add 100 new jobs while contributing to the state's power grid....

There were 100 new jobs in San Juan County due to alternate energies. That should be built on. Other cities in Utah were far more successful in recruiting interest by these companies. Perhaps Senator Hatch should speak to the CEO again and ask to increase the companies interests in the somewhat troubled county. I might add, there is only one job opening with Solar City in San Juan County. So this was a good opportunity for them.

I really think San Juan County, Utah is used for politics. The population is low and the median income is not terrible, but, could improve. The median age is somewhat young, so these are all young families. If there are 4 people per household that means there is approximately 3800 families in the county.

San Juan County is a large parcel of land, but, there aren't many uses for that land except tourism unless the country is willing to destroy it. I honestly don't know where any farmer is going to find grazing land.

Excuse me, but the highest percentage of the people in San Juan County are age 5-17? Really? They aren't looking for jobs.

This complaining is all political. I can understand with larger families the need for increased income, but, the land doesn't lend itself to any greater income than simply destroying it. One might want to realize oil is declining in it's demand so much so that the price has to be artificially sustained. There is no future for the people of San Juan County in an industry that is declining. If the petroleum industry destroys the land the tourism will decline. I would not take that chance.

Better than 50% of the population is Native American. The leaders of that community need to focus on answers that have changed income for Native American families in other areas of the country, such as a casino. If there was a casino built it would enhance the tourism and would be a year round income. A small casino is all that is needed. The other possibility is a small amusement park for children with a theme that matches the land and it's history that would draw others from the region and state to visit. 

The unemployment rate vacillates between 5 percent and 9 percent depending on the season. That means there are about 4 percent of the county looking for work POSSIBLY. That 4 percent may be content in their season on and season off if they are parents, however, the income level of families should be pursued to increase their quality of life. The only way to REASONABLY address the needs of the people is to enhance the tourism at every turn like a small curio shop with medicinal herbs for sale along with practitioners of the skill available to charge for lessons in Native American Medicine.

To sacrifice the integrity of the land considering the petroleum industry is a failing industry, desperately so, is not a good idea. A far better answer is to increase tourism and variety of 'fun' in the county to engage tourism. If the US Senator Hatch were a Democrat these problems of quality of life would probably already be solved, but, because Republicans cater to cronies, the problems still exist in a fairly barren land that will not result in high yields of any crop.

President Obama did the very best he could for these folks in making this a monument. It will enhance the tourism. That is their best future.

Orrin Hatch needs to stop lying about the "Bears Ears Monument."

The people of San Juan County are happy with the monument designation under the Antiquities Act. They are not losing money. They may very well be gaining monies as tourism interest increases, especially in the age of rebuilding soundness in medicine and food choices from local lands that can produce them.

Trump needs to stop being a bully. The measure Mr. Trump is contemplating is to find a way to reverse the decision by President Obama to designate this land under the Antiquities Act as a monument to protect it. Just because Native Americans feel far more secure voting for Democrats, there is no reason to abuse the traditions, heritage and culture of these people.
 
January 9, 2017
By Kristina Johnston

Seven years ago, (click here) the Navajo tribal council in southeastern Utah started mapping the secret sites where medicine men and women forage for healing plants and Native people source wild foods. They wanted to make a case for protecting the landscape known as Bears Ears, a place sacred not only to their tribe but to many other tribes in the region, going back thousands of years. In one of his final acts in office, President Obama late last month created the 1.35 million-acre Bears Ears National Monument, a move that proponents say will safeguard the area's ecology and guarantee food sovereignty for the region's Native Americans.

"Up to 20,000 Natives of various tribes live within 45 minutes of Bears Ears, including 10,000 Navajos that live just across the border in Arizona," says Gavin Noyes, director of the Utah Diné Bikéyah, the Navajo nonprofit that developed the initial draft of the monument proposal in 2013. "It's one of the wildest, most intact landscapes in Utah."

About 16,000 people live in San Juan County, where Bears Ears is located. Roughly half are Navajo, and many in the tribe lack running water and electricity, says Noyes. But the land still provides.

Women hike into the hills to gather wild onions and sumac berries for soup. They bundle juniper branches to burn, so they can stir the ashes into their family's blue corn mush. And they forage for piñon nuts, which saved tribes from starvation during times of drought....

Senator Orin Hatch is lying when he says President Obama has abused the Antiquities Act in designating "Bears Ears" as a national monument. To begin it is a unique land to protect. Precious.

The Antiquities Act is suppose to be used for such lands. 

The Antiquities Act of 1906 (click here) is one of our nation's most important conservation tools. Used to safeguard and preserve federal lands and cultural and historical sites for all Americans to enjoy, 16 presidents have designated 157 national monuments under this authority....

This LAW has protected some of our most precious lands including, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, T. Roosevelt, 1908 (NPS), Jewel Cave National Monument, South Dakota, T. Roosevelt, 1908 (NPS), Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park, Montana, T. Roosevelt, 1908 (State of Montana), Portion of Rio Grande National Forest (originally Wheeler), Colorado, T. Roosevelt, 1908 (BLM), Olympic National Park (originally Mount Olympus), Washington, T. Roosevelt, 1909 (NPS), Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve, Oregon, W. Taft, 1909 (NPS), Zion National Park (originally Mukuntu-Weap), Utah, W. Taft, 1909 (NPS) and many others.

NPS - National Park Service
BLM - Bureau of Land Management

It is really amazing to realize the gross difference between those that protect and those that want to exploit it. Why is it unique medicinal plants and their land not valued as much as petroleum? It is disgusting to realize that cultural medicinal plants are not valued as much as the petroleum industry or mining. Why isn't unique land in the USA valued, what next oil derricks in the Grand Canyon?

Drilling and mining a huge disruptions to the land. They are simply little intrusions that go away or heal after the mess ends. These are permanent problems, ie: Oklahoma and seismic activity, and are completely undesirable.

Just outside Canyonlands National Park’s Island in the Sky district, (click here) oil has been a booming business since 2012 when Fidelity Exploration and Production brought in a gusher of an oil well. Fidelity built on their success by drilling more wells, and the resulting heavy truck traffic, pipeline construction, and proliferation of new drill pads on the doorstep of Canyonlands National Park and Deadhorse Point State Park has led some Moab locals to dub the area “Oil Land in the Sky.” For a time in 2012, Fidelity’s star well had the highest production in the continental United States at more than 1500 barrels per day, but with production declining dramatically, fracking the wells has apparently become Fidelity’s plan for maintaining profitability....

Greed. That is the policy of the Trump White House over and over. There is no other word that characterizes this president more.

You want to know why an oil man is in charge of the EPA? Greed. He wants the oil industry's money back. It is called corruption.

Mitigation Projects (click here)
 
Slawson will perform the following environmental mitigation projects that will provide additional reductions in ozone precursor emissions – VOCs and nitrogen oxides (NOx): 

Installation and operation of $1.5 million in equipment to allow for auto-gauging of storage tanks so as to decrease the need to open thief hatches; and 

Drill rig emission controls through one of three options for every drill rig used by Slawson in North Dakota while the consent decree is in effect: using electrification to power the rig, using a selective catalytic reduction module as an add on control for the drill rig exhaust, or retrofitting the engines. Slawson estimates that the drill rig controls will cost approximately $550,000 per drill rig. 

If the operation is not as profitable as Slawson wants them, then get out of the business; many have.

McConnell is bringing him before the Senate for a confirmation vote.

March 7, 2017
by Kalhan Rosenblatt

President Donald Trump's nominee for deputy attorney general (click here) was scrutinized during a contentious confirmation hearing on Tuesday while appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The hearing had an extra level of tension baked in as Rod Rosenstein will be tasked with either leading the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and Moscow's relationship to Trump's campaign or appointing a special prosecutor
Rosenstein faced an onslaught of questions pertaining to Russia and the recusal of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions during his confirmation hearing for the deputy position.
Trump nominated Rosenstein — who is described as a nonpartisan straight shooter who has worked for both Democratic and Republican presidents — for the position in January, before his would-be boss was embroiled in any Russian-related controversy....

That is the question. Has Donald Trump loaded the dice to exonerate him and others from wrong doing?

Jamie Morton has the right idea. Plant native forests and wait for the rain clouds to form.

April 23, 2017
By Jamie Morton

The case to plant more native forests (click here) to off-set emissions has been again pushed in another major research report - and this time, researchers say businesses could benefit.

Wellington-based Motu Economic and Public Policy Research's report suggests establishing native forests is an environmentally and economically attractive way to decrease the risk for those high-emitting companies, who could face a carbon market where prices soar as high as NZ$270 per unit.

Report co-author Dr Suzi Kerr said about eight per cent of the forest land registered in New Zealand's main carbon mechanism, the Emissions Trading Scheme, was native.

Since 2008, however, only 500ha of new native forest had been established and registered....

Even an urban forest is valuable.

Community forests can add to the quality of life of any community. It won't attract the wildlife a large forest will provide homes for, but, it will attract hearty birds and animals that can be delightful to watch and return from year to year. Oh, yes, migratory birds live longer than one life cycle; they return with their offspring and their offspring.

Bird watching is one of America's favorite past time that adds billions to the economy. It is fun and for the most part it is free. Any park or community forest can be the beginning of nature appreciation when birds leave in migration and return to the same place year after year.

It is exciting to hear someone say, "I saw my first robin today." It means spring is coming and the sounds of their song harken back the feelings of summer and fun. It is why at the first warm day people come outside in droves almost in celebration. It is also the sunlight that removes those dark days depression.

So, Jamie Morton has written a very valuable article that addresses a very important issue in today's America in that we need to plant, plant and plant again native trees and their understory to bring back the forests that give back to us in so very many and vital ways.

Today, Trump's cabinet is hacking away at environmental laws because they are so burdensome to business. That is not the way to address a nation of patriots. The best way to address burdensome regulations is to grow an economy that no longer needs them.

Houstonians scared that Trump might actually do the "nuke thing" wanted to know, "Where do I hide!"

...Hiding (click here) in the sub-basement of a brick five-story apartment building, for example, should expose you to just 1/200 of the amount of fallout radiation outside.

Meanwhile, hanging out in the living room of your one-story, wood-frame house will only cut down the radiation by half, which — if you are next to a nuclear explosion — will not do much to help you.

So, what do you do if there isn't a good shelter right near you? Should you stay in a "poor" shelter, or risk exposure to find a better one? And how long should you wait?

LOL.

Wealthy Americans always think you have to hide SOMEWHERE in order to live through a nuclear holocaust. Understand at least this, a holocaust of any kind can't be hidden away from.

It is why the silly Democrats came up with the concept of peace and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Imagine not having to hide again because the Russian Supreme Court decided to instill a "One Religion Policy."

If one has to build a subbasement to a subbasement there is dearly little quality of life. I got it, the USA is suppose to be immune from such problems because it is a superpower with interceptor missiles. Well, while they work for Israel the USA has many, many more square miles where a loose nuke can get through. So, with a mind set of "Nah, nah, you can't get me," the USA under Trump is throwing it's weight around as if he is allowed to do that. By now, with Maralago permitting paying guests to mill around with the President, his nuclear football and any guests, who knows what kind of BUNKER an American will have to build.

I look at it this way. It isn't the tensions of brinkmanship that bothers me. Everyone knows if it is "Game On" the game is over. So, when I retreat into my subterranean bunker to hide out just long enough that the nuclear radiation isn't fatal in two hours; what will I find when I come out? Probably rifles pointed at any survivor by the country with the nukes that won the war and it may not be American. Or. Rifles pointed at me because of the lack of food because the USA did win the war.

What has anyone gained? Seriously, what has anyone gained after a nuclear holocaust. When the USA dropped the nukes on Japan, there was no real retaliation by Japan. The USA is among very different circumstances today and the idea the world would be a better and more peaceful place after a nuclear war exchange during WWIII is a fool's game.

If the nukes don't get you, the high velocity winds of the climate crisis will.

No lie, feminism still lives.

April 24, 2017

The "Slinky" (click here) was the "it" platform sandal of the 1990s. Now it's being redone ... and it's going to be everywhere.
Steve Madden's rebooted Slinky - a black slip-on open-toed shoe with a thick, platform sole (a la 10 Things I Hate About You) - isn't even out yet but demand is so high that the US-based brand introduced a waitlist for it, reported news.com.au.
The Slinky was a signature look of the late '90s and early 2000s, along with low-rise denim jeans, crop tops, Gwen Stefani-style two-tone hair streaks, and Britney Spears-esque glitter eyeshadow....

Men didn't like it when women burned their bras either. Then women found out the glands in their breasts were being smooched in their underwire bras causing breast cancer. 

Are women correct or are women correct when it comes to their bodies?

Enjoy being slinky!

I guess if a woman pays $695.00 US for stripper shoes they don't call them stripper shoes.

April 24, 2017

Luxury shoe maker (click here) Jimmy Choo is to put itself up for sale, it has announced.
The London-listed company - made famous as the brand of choice for Sex & The City character Carrie Bradshaw - is to conduct a review of "the various strategic options open to the company to maximise value for its shareholders", including a sale.
It has invited interest parties to make themselves known to its bankers, Bank of America Merrill Lynch or Citi.
"There can be no certainty that an offer will be made, nor as to the terms on which any offer will be made," the company added.
Jimmy Choo floated on the stock exchange in October 2014. The stock is now around 20 per cent higher that at its listing, giving it a market value of almost £640m ($1.2b)....

The 46.4 miles is an accumulation of efforts. (click here) There is not a woman today who could walk that distance in Jimmy Choo's shoes.

Stick with the espadrilles, in gold, coarse metalic they are only $425.00 US. (click here) Opps, they are all sold out. Go figure.

I might point out that Tropical Storm Arlene still exits regardless of the decision makers to state it ended on April 21st.

24 April 2017
1530:17z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of the North and West Hemisphere (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)

Arlene is moving toward the hump of Africa where most significant hurricanes begin!