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CORRUPTION UPDATES 100 August 8, 2007 The CORRUPTION UPDATES posts corruption news stories from California, the Nation and the World, and gives you the straight story. |
CORRUPTION UPDATES 100
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1) The Article linked below was Abstracted from the source cited. After the abstract there's analysis and commentary, links to related articles, and a link to the database with suggested search terms.
House passes energy bill
'Momentous' measure favors cleaner fuels, scraps tax breaks for oil and gas companies
Sunday, August 5, 2007
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/05/MNMJRDAMC2.DTL
(08-05) 04:00 PDT Washington -- The House approved an energy bill Saturday that would steer the nation toward cleaner fuels and greater conservation, including a requirement that all electric utilities produce 15 percent of their power from wind, solar, biomass or other renewable sources by 2020.
The House also voted to repeal $16 billion in tax breaks given to the oil and gas industry, shifting the money into programs to boost biofuels, renewable energy and efficiency programs.
The measure provides $3.5 billion to install E-85 pumps and expand production of cellulosic ethanol - a provision that could help the Bay Area, which has emerged as a biofuels development hub with major research centers at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
The package is heavy on symbolism, requiring the federal government's operations to be carbon-neutral by 2050 and approving a nonbinding resolution demanding the Bush administration re-engage in climate change talks with other nations and accept binding limits on greenhouse gases.
But for the last few weeks, the bill appeared in jeopardy as the Democratic caucus splintered along regional lines, with lawmakers from auto-producing states like Michigan opposed to the fuel economy standards and oil-state Democrats opposed to revoking tax breaks for the oil and gas industry.
Pelosi was buttonholing lawmakers all week, on the House floor and off, seeking to sway votes, especially "Blue Dog" Democrats, who were threatening to defect from the party line.
Oil and gas producers lobbied furiously to try to block rollbacks of several key tax breaks.
The House will have to negotiate the provision with the Senate, which narrowly defeated a similar $32 billion tax measure.
(For details on subsidies for various industries, see bottom of the article on the Chron website.)
Chronicle Covers Dems Asses
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., August 10, 2007
As the Chronicle tells it, the Dems have brought us into a new green energy era, where the growth and consumption policies that caused our crisis do not have to be addressed.
The Dems particular mixture corporate bribers require that the Dems subsidize the the monsters of Genetic Bio-Fuels and ADM's industrial ethanol machine. That's not Environmental Green, it's Corporate Green.
The Dems make no mention of curbing the growth that fuels our ever-increasing consumption of coal, oil, water, and the rest of our natural resources.
But apparently the Dems, the Corporate Greens, and the Chron are really excited about the Dems shifting the Big Oil Subsidies of the Repugs to the Corporate Sponsors of the Dems, Biotechnology and Corporate Agriculture.
As the following links amply illustrate, the Dems are no more democratic that the Repugs. The great feature of the last election was the massive shift in corporate bribery from the Repugs to the Dems. And the Dems are paying off their bribers while the Chron paints them as "green."
The Dems are just taking up where they left off the last time they were in power. The last time that the Dems were in power their Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Dan Rostenkowski, was indicted, convicted, and did 17 months in prison. The Speaker of House, Tom Foley, was swept out on the wings of scandal, as was the previous Democrat Speaker of the House, Jim Wright.
Newt took power in the wake of these Dem scandals, and was soon swept out by his own corruption.
Between 1992 and now there has been no attempt to reform the structures of bribery which corrupted Congress then and corrupt in now. To the contrary, the sophistication and power of corruption has increased substantially since then.
Now, with the Dems crawling back into Congressional leadership, we can see that the power and wealth of the Corporate Special Interests has almost completely captured the Democrap party.
As there has been no change in the nature of political power, I predict that scandal will continue to dog Congress, independent of which party holds the leadership positions.
see how this turned out:
Industry Flexes Muscle, Weaker Energy Bill Passes, NYT, December 14, 2007
dems did not even scratch surface of big oil subsidies, union of concerned scientists, 1995 report
note: I'm not a friend of the cato institute, but the following article describes the insincerity of the dem's claims to have eliminated, or rather transfered, big oil's tax subsidies to sustainable fuels. The Slate article examines the sustainabiliy issue. The cato institute's belief that free markets are the proper forum to regulate society is antithical to the principals of democratic rule and regulation of commerece established in our constitution. we the people are charged with regulating markets. markets are not authorized to regulate the people, as these fools contend. The national review is even worse.
So don't listen to their shit.
Oil Subsidies in the Dock, cato, from the national review, 1-17-08
whoops! dems fail to tax big oil, npr, 6-22-07
ethanol fraud, slate, july 19, 2005
Also See:
Corruption Updates 68, 1st article on page, "Dems drafting bill that could derail state warming law"
Corruption Updates 3, “Media Reports: Both Parties Corrupt”
Corruption Updates 19, 1st article on page, “TOP RECIPEINTS OF LOBBYISTS BRIBES ARE LEADERSHIP OF BOTH PARTIES”
Corruption Updates 20, 1st article on page, 10-25-06, “PELOSI FUNRAISING FRENZY ASSURES SPECIAL INTEREST DOMINATION OF GOVERNMENT INDEPENDENT OF WHICH SIDE WINS IN NOV”
Corruption Updates 20, 6th article on page, "DEMS RECEIVE SPECIAL INTEREST BRIBES ANTICIPATING VICTORY IN NOV"
Corruption Updates 21, 2nd article on page, 10-30-06: “SHADOW PARTIES (527S) INFUSE MILLIONS IN BRIBE MONEY INTO ELECTION SPECIAL INTERESTS SKIRT CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS TO MAINTAIN THEIR ILLIGIMATE AUTHORITY THROUGH POLITICAL BRIBERY”
Corruption Updates 21, 8fh article on page, 11-1-06: “DEMS BIG CHANCE TO REAP THE REWARDS OF CORRUPTION POLITICAL VICTORY OPENS DOORS OF LOBBYING FIRMS TO DEMO INSIDERS: IT'S THE DEMS TURN TO ROB THE PUBLIC BLIND, AND BETRAY OUR DEMOCRACY”
Corruption Updates 26, 1st article on page, 12-8-06, “LOBBYISTS SEE NO CHANGE UNDER DEMS CORRUPTION PRESENTED AS FORCE OF NATURE, DEM CORRUPTION NATURAL”
Corruption Updates 28, 1st article on page, 1-2-07: “LOBBYISTS HIRING-BRIBING DEMS SHIFTING FUNDS AND PERSONELL TO DEMS ASSURES NO REAL CHANGES
Corruption Updates 33, 4th article on page, “Lobbyists find new Congress is open for business”
Search the Corruption Database under
Environment
Democrats
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2) The Article linked below was Abstracted from the source cited. After the abstract there's analysis and commentary, links to related articles, and a link to the database with suggested search terms.
Iraq power system 'near collapse'
Iraq's national power grid is on the brink of collapse, the country's electricity ministry has warned.
BBC NEWS, August 7, 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/6934973.stm
Water supplies to Baghdad have also been cut off for days at a time, with summertime pressures on key systems said to be more intense than ever.
The US Army told the BBC that Iraq must now take charge of fixing the problems.
The general in charge of helping Iraq rebuild its infrastructure, Michael Walsh, said that although Iraqi authorities only have one-quarter of the money needed for reconstruction, solving the problem was now up to them.The Iraqi warning came a week after the charity, Oxfam, and a coalition of Iraqi NGOs reported that nearly one-third of Iraq's population was in need of immediate emergency aid.
Their report suggested 70% of Iraqis did not have adequate water supplies and that only 20% had access to effective sanitation.
A spokesman for the electricity ministry said Iraq's electricity system was only meeting half of the demand and that there had been four nationwide blackouts last week.
"Many southern provinces such as Basra, Diwaniya, Nasiriya and Babil have disconnected their power plants from the national grid. Northern provinces, including Kurdistan, are doing the same," Mr Shimari said.
"We have absolutely no control over some areas in the south."
Powell was Wrong: After Breaking Iraq, We Broke it Some More, Then even More...
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., August 8, 2007
America is morally and financially responsible for every death and damage we have done in Iraq. We are responsible for every destroyed building, road and bridge. We are responsible for the loss of childhood for a generation of Iraqi children. We are responsible for the Power and water facilities that have been destroyed. We are responsible for the poverty and sickness our invasion has caused.
I hold Bush and his men and their party fully responsible. I hold the Dems fully responsible. I hold our supposed "free press" fully responsible. and I hold them all in contempt for their lack of honor and honesty in the face of an ongoing series of Constitutional Crisis.
And their responsibility grows by the day.
The following links, especially "03 Iraq report warned..." demonstrate that our political and press institutions are broken and incapable of providing either honest politicians nor honest policy analysis or policy.
Our only hope is to develop reforms that will restore our democracy, and allow us to throw these whores out of our government.
Also See:
Corruption Updates 33, 3rd article on the page, "Sen. Warner Gets Cold Feet Over War"
Corruption Updates 43, 6th article on the page, "Bush impeachment on the table, Hagel says: Hegel accuses Bush of Everything but High Crimes and Treason
Corruption Updates 45, 1st article on the page, "McCaffrey Paints Gloomy Picture of Iraq"
Corruption Updates 56, 5th article on the page, "Batiste: Army Career Behind Him, General Speaks Out on Iraq"
Corruption Updates 58, 6th article on the page, "War-torn Iraq 'facing collapse'"
Corruption Updates 67, 1st article on the page, "'03 Iraq reports warned Bush: Bush is an Irresponsible Idiot"
Corruption Updates 79, 1st article on the page, "Iraq Ranks No. 2 of Failed States"
Corruption Updates 86, 2nd article on the page, "Lugar Calls War a Failure"
Corruption Updates 91, 5th article on the page, "Iraq: CIA Said Instability Seemed 'Irreversible:more Security under Saddam"
Corruption Updates 100, 2nd article on the page, "Iraq power system 'near collapse'"
Search the Corruption Database under
Iraq War
Generals
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3) The Article linked below was Abstracted from the source cited. After the abstract there's analysis and commentary, links to related articles, and a link to the database with suggested search terms.
Pentagon Admits 190,000
Weapons Missing in Iraq
Poll: Iraqis Oppose
Oil Bill
Iran Daily, August 7, 2007
http://www.iran-daily.com/1386/2912/html/
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 7--Some 190,000 assault rifles and pistols supplied by the US to Iraqi security forces in 2004 and 2005 have gone missing, according to a report issued on Monday, and may have fallen into the possession of insurgents.
The embarrassing disclosure, by the watchdog Government Accountability office (GAO), means that the Pentagon does not know what happened to roughly a third of the arms it has provided to train and equip Iraqi forces...
A recent Amnesty International report claims that, in 2004 and 2005, more than 350,000 AK-47s and similar weapons were removed from Bosnia and Serbia by private contractors working for the Pentagon and sent to Iraq, with the approval of local NATO and European commanders.
The affair could be even more problematic for the White House, given that, during the two years under scrutiny, the program was headed by General David Petraeus...
(The Oil Issue:)
...a poll conducted in Iraq has found a majority of Iraqis opposing plans to open the country’s oilfields to foreign investment by a factor of two to one.
The poll, conducted in June and July by KA Research, and coordinated and analyzed by Custom Strategic Research, was based on face-to-face interviews with 2,200 Iraqis in all 18 provinces.
Iraqis are united in this view: there are no ethnic, sectarian or geographical groups that prefer foreign companies.
The US government is pressing Baghdad to pass the oil law by September, as one of its ’benchmarks’.
At the center of the oil law is a proposal to give multinational oil companies such as Conoco, Chevron and Exxon the primary role in developing Iraq’s oilfields, under contracts of up to 30 years.
THE COMMITTEE SAYS:
Bush Loses Guns, and Losing Chance to Steal Iraq's Oil
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., August 10, 2007
Earlier in the occupation, the Bush Administration "lost" hundreds of millions of dollars in Iraq. (8.8 Billion is a figure bandied about.)
Now they have "lost" thousands of automatic weapons. This was not incompetence, although there is plenty of that. This was not merely venal corruption, stealing, although there was plenty of that too. Among the incompetence and corruption there lurks another beast.
Bush is using a big chunk of these "lost" funds and guns to run a secret foreign policy. These funds and guns are probably being used in Ethiopia and Kenya to buy the support of local governments to invade Somalia.
A chunk of the "lost" money and guns have been spread across the middle east, put into the hands of any radical group that hates Shites, and will not openly defy the Saudi King.
What has really been lost and found in Iraq is more important the the billions of dollars that Bush has fucked off. What we lost in Iraq was the delusion that our President, or the system that produced and sustains him, has anything at all to do with democracy, our Constitution, or basic good will and common sense.
But Bush is not alone. He is part of a larger group, Congress, and behind them sits the wealth and power of our corporate aristocracy.
And as the Iraqi poll demonstrates, they have not only lost physical control of Iraq, and lost the hearts and minds of Iraqis, but they have lost any support there may have been in Iraq to give our oil companies their oil.
The only benefit Big Oil will draw from Iraq will continue to be the windfall profits they derive from the instability in oil markets their invasion caused. Big Oil, I mean the United States, will never get control of Iraq or its oil.
Also See:
The Gaurdian, July 7, 2005; So, Mr Bremer, where did all the money go?
The Gaurdian, Feb. 8, 2007; Iraq's missing millions
Corruption Updates 94, 5th article on the page, "Oil Law Stalls in Iraq"
Search the Corruption Database under
Iraq War (29 Abstracts)
Generals
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4) The Article linked below was Abstracted from the source cited. After the abstract there's analysis and commentary, links to related articles, and a link to the database with suggested search terms.
German Fund Stops Payouts, Citing Mortgage Market Unease
NY Times, August 8, 2007
By BLOOMBERG NEWS
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/business/worldbusiness/08subprime.html?pagewanted=print
WestLB Mellon Asset Management suspended redemptions of an asset-backed securities fund yesterday amid investor concern about the problems in the subprime mortgage market in the United States.
WestLB Mellon, which has about $55 billion under management, is a European joint venture of WestLB, based in Düsseldorf, Germany, and the Bank of New York Mellon Corporation.
The fund, the WestLB Mellon Compass Fund: ABS, was almost 80 percent invested in mortgage-backed securities at the end of March, with the rest held in cash.
The market situation makes it impossible to determine a fair net asset value for the fund, WestLB Mellon said on its Web site yesterday. The fund, which has assets of about 214 million euros ($295 million), according to Bloomberg data, was frozen Monday until further notice.
WestLB Mellon joins companies like Union Investment Asset Management, a German mutual fund manager, and Frankfurt Trust, a unit of BHF-Bank, in halting redemptions.
IKB Deutsche Industriebank, a German bank that said last month that earnings would be hurt by losses on United States subprime loans, said yesterday that its chief financial officer, Volker Doberanzke, had resigned and that it would delay releasing financial results by a month, until Sept. 28.
Krauts taking a Beating in Mortgage Securities Market: Where will it end?
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., August 10, 2007
The markets will eventually come to rationally evaluate the relative value of the production and consumption of the various nations, and set each nation's currency value and the cost of their credit accordingly.
That will be a very bad day for the American economy. The heavy costs of thirty years of irresponsible growth and development are rising in our schools, bridges and roads, health care "system," not to mention our failing electrical grid and water system, sit above our head like a storm about to break. Not bad for the richest country on earth.
During the last 50 years the US has doubled its population, increased the GDP by 23 times, increased consumption and profits accordingly, while setting records for concentrating the most wealth into the smallest number of people's hands in our country's history during the last ten years.
It appears that the costs our unwise corporate policies are coming due, and our Markets are Ready to Kill our Economy.
Also See:
Corruption Updates 81, 8th article on the page, "Bear Stearns Staves Off Collapse of 2 Hedge Funds: Billions in Worthless Loans Ready to Hit Market"
Corruption Updates 83, 8th article on the page, "Report on Amaranth Collapse Is to Be Made Public"
Corruption Updates 84, 6th article on the page, "Hedge Fund:$3.2 Billion Move by Bear Stearns to Rescue Fund"
Corruption Updates 93, 1st article on the page, "Bear Stearns Says Battered Hedge Funds Are Worth Little"
Our battered State:
Corruption Updates 41, 1st article on the page, "Study: Schools need billions"
Corruption Updates 34, 3rd article on the page, "State prisons in 'tailspin,' panel says"
Broader National Problems:
Corruption Updates 36, 7th article on the page, "More in U.S. plunge deeper into poverty"
Corruption Updates 45, 8th article on the page, "Income Gap Is Widening, Data Shows"
Huffington Press, "Auto Sales Plummet"
Corruption Updates 61, 8th article on the page, "Home Sales Climb, but Prices Plummet"
Search the Corruption Database under
Economics (23 Abstracts)
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2 Lenders Voice Confidence as 2 Others Curb Operations
NY Times, August 8, 2007
By BLOOMBERG NEWS
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/business/08lenders.html?
The Countrywide Financial Corporation and the CIT Group said they would be able to ride out the mortgage industry’s credit squeeze as two more rivals, the HomeBanc Corporation and Impac Mortgage Holdings, curtailed new loans.
HomeBanc, based in Atlanta, said yesterday that it was selling assets to Countrywide after bankers cut off HomeBanc’s credit and left the company unable to finance loans.
HomeBanc said it could not borrow to finance mortgages as of Monday and did not expect to finance any pending or future loans. It is selling assets from the retail mortgage unit, including five branches, to Countrywide and expects a “significant” number of people to keep their jobs.
Impac, based in Irvine, Calif., said yesterday that it would suspend making Alt-A loans and had laid off some of its staff. Alt-A loans are an alternative for A-rated borrowers who fall just short of standards for regular prime mortgages.
Impac said in a statement that the company has met all margin calls so far and that a sale of $1 billion of loans is scheduled to close in the next 30 days.
A day earlier, Luminent Mortgage Capital, based in San Francisco, suspended its dividend, canceled an earnings call and said it was searching for new sources of cash.
CIT, which disclosed plans last month to leave the mortgage business, said it had access to a cash cushion of almost $15 billion.
CIT, based in New York, said its liquidity was bolstered by a sale in July of securities backed by student loans that raised $3 billion. CIT said it had received “a number of inquiries from possible buyers” for the mortgage unit.
Yanks Taking a Beating in Mortgage Securities Market: Where will it End?
See the Commentary and Links Above.
6) The Article linked below was Abstracted from the source cited. After the abstract there's analysis and commentary, links to related articles, and a link to the database with suggested search terms.
Feinstein draws fire over vote for judge
Saturday, August 4, 2007
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/04/BAR2RCL4V1.DTL
Sen. Dianne Feinstein's tiebreaking vote for a controversial judicial nominee of President Bush has dismayed civil and gay rights advocates and prompted one California Democratic congresswoman to threaten to oppose any plans Feinstein has to seek re-election.
"This was a test of whether Democrats were up to the task of applying scrutiny to Bush's judicial nominees," Nan Aron, president of Alliance for Justice, an association of civil rights, consumer advocates and other liberal groups...
Gays and lesbians in California "are not going to be silent about this," added Becky Dansky of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force...
The California Democrat crossed party lines Thursday and enabled Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to prevail in a 10-9 vote that moved Southwick's nomination to the Senate floor. The former Mississippi Court of Appeals judge is seeking a seat on the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans and has become the latest flash point in a congressional battle over Bush's conservative judicial selections.
Southwick's opponents say his voting record in 11 years on the state court was overwhelmingly in favor of businesses and against workers and consumers, but they have largely focused on his votes as part of court majorities in two cases.
In one, the court voted to reinstate a white state employee who had been fired for calling a black co-worker a "good ol' n-." In the other case, the court upheld a decision to remove an 8-year-old child from her bisexual mother, in a ruling that referred to the woman's "homosexual lifestyle."
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, warned of possible political consequences for Feinstein...
If Feinstein "continues to relate to this caucus in the way she's been doing ... we will have no alternative but to not only share this information, but to fight against her coming back to the United States Senate," Waters said.
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, also at the news conference, said she was "doubly disappointed that a senator from my home state, Sen. Feinstein, would vote with the Republicans to bring the Southwick nomination to the Senate floor."
The nomination is likely to pick up enough Democratic support to win Senate confirmation in the fall...
Bush issued a statement calling the committee approval "a refreshing victory for the American judicial system."
Fiendstien was Never more that a Tool of Wealth and Power
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., August 10, 2007
The Fiend works for the wealth and power of herself, her family, and her class. Fiend has more loyalty to Israel than the United States.
Also See:
Corruption Updates 25, 8th article on the page, " FBI CHIEF DEFYS CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT REFUSAL TO DISCLOSE ILLEGAL PROGRAM REVE..." (The Fiend chided Muller for pursuing political corruption!)
Corruption Updates 49, 9th article on the page, "Ethics challenge to Feinstein" (Fiend sits on subcommittee while husband rakes in the bucks.)
Corruption Updates 56, 7th article on the page, "Medicare audits spark protest that nudges Feinstein" (Fiendstein Family profits denying government services, history of conflicts of interest.)
Corruption Updates 100, 6th article on the page, "Feinstein draws fire over vote for judge" (Fiend votes for anti-civil rights Bush appointee)
Search the Corruption Database under
Feinstein (4 Abstracts)
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South Asia Flood Victims Hit by Disease
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/08/07/international/i043446D18.DTL
(08-07) 15:54 PDT LUCKNOW, India (AP) --
Aid workers scrambled to get food, water and medicine to the millions marooned in flood-hit South Asia, where children were likely to be the hardest hit by outbreaks of diarrhea and other waterborne diseases in northern India and Bangladesh, officials said Tuesday.
At least 376 people have died as a result of recent monsoons and floods in India and Bangladesh...
UNICEF said millions of children were likely to be affected, but did not give a specific total. In Bihar, India's worst-hit state, the agency said stagnant waters had put about 11 million people, including 1.5 million children, at risk of contracting waterborne diseases.
In Bangladesh, there were 1,400 reported cases of diarrhea in the past 24 hours, said Fadela Chaib, a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization.
Authorities have been criticized for being too slow to respond to the crisis with too little aid.
Hundreds of angry villagers in the Darbhanga district of Bihar briefly kidnapped a senior official and the local police chief, only releasing them after receiving promises that an aid distribution center would be set up there, said Upendera Sharma, a local government official.
Since the start of the monsoon in June, the government says more than 1,200 people have died in India alone, with scores of others killed in Bangladesh and neighboring Nepal.
So far this year, some 14 million people in India and 5 million in Bangladesh have been displaced by flooding, according to government figures.
Officials have blamed the flooding on an unusual monsoon pattern, which UNICEF said called "startling" in magnitude and intensity.
Global Weather Crisis Deepens for Billions in South Asia
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., August 10, 2007
8) The Article linked below was Abstracted from the source cited. After the abstract there's analysis and commentary, links to related articles, and a link to the database with suggested search terms.
Warming Threatens Farms in India, U.N. Official Says
NY Times, August 8, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/world/asia/08floods.html?pagewanted=print
NEW DELHI, Aug. 7 — As exceptionally heavy rains continued to cut a wide swath of ruin across northern India, a top United Nations official warned Tuesday that the vagaries of climate change could destroy vast swaths of farmland in this country, ultimately affecting food production and adding to the woes of already desperate peasants who live off of the land.
Even a small increase in temperatures, said Jacques Diouf, director general of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, could push down crop yields in southern regions of the world, even as agricultural productivity goes up in northern climes like Europe. A greater frequency of droughts and floods, the agency added, could be particularly bad for agriculture.
“Rain-fed agriculture in marginal areas in semiarid and subhumid regions is mostly at risk,” Mr. Diouf said on a visit to the southern Indian city of Chennai. “India could lose 125 million tons of its rain-fed cereal production, equivalent to 18 percent of its total production.”
That is a signal of the steep human and economic impact of extreme weather in India.
The latest floods have affected an estimated 20 million people in India alone, 8 million in neighboring Bangladesh and 300,000 in Nepal, according to the United Nations children’s agency.
The World Meteorological Organization said in a statement on Tuesday that the region experienced double the normal number of monsoon depressions in the first half of the four-month rainy season that started in June, causing heavy rainfall and flooding across South Asia.
Nearly a third of India’s meteorological districts received higher-than-average rains, according to government figures. The latest tally released by the Home Ministry reads like an inventory of ruin: nearly 8,000 square miles of agricultural land inundated since the start of the monsoon two months ago, more than 130,000 houses destroyed, 1,428 people killed.
India stands to bear the brunt of some of the worst effects of climate change...
Shiv Shankar Acharya, 58, a local college lecturer, said he did not recall when so much water had accumulated, and had refused to subside for more than 10 days.
Global Warming puts Billions at Risk
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., August 10, 2007
9) The Article linked below was Abstracted from the source cited. After the abstract there's analysis and commentary, links to related articles, and a link to the database with suggested search terms.
Summer chill is one for the ages
By Dorothy Korber - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDTTuesday, August 7, 2007
http://www.sacbee.com/101/v-print/story/312002.html
Sacramento, August 7. The maximum temperatures Sunday and Monday set records each day -- as the coolest "highs" for the dates since record-keeping began in 1877.
Forecasters credit a deep marine layer and a potent low-pressure trough with funneling the cool air this way. It's as if Mother Nature cut herself a wedge of Santa Barbara weather and plopped it down on Sacramento's plate.
We're talking, for once, about the all-time lowest maximums, instead of the all-time highest. Monday's downtown high was just 74 degrees, 3 degrees cooler than the previous record of 77 degrees set in 1906, according to the National Weather Service. Sunday's downtown high of 76 frosted the previous low maximum of 78, set in 1962.
"These were the coldest highs for Aug. 5 and Aug. 6 that we've ever recorded," said meteorologist Cynthia Palmer of the National Weather Service office in Sacramento.
As an added bonus, Sunday's lovely weather came in stark contrast to Saturday, when the high downtown was 104. That's a drop of 28 degrees in 24 hours.
"It's unusual to see a drastic drop like that," Palmer said. "The marine layer along the coast really deepened -- and then the trough of low pressure brought that marine air inland."
Freakish Weather Around the World, and in Sacramento
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., August 10, 2007
10) The Article linked below was Abstracted from the source cited. After the abstract there's analysis and commentary, links to related articles, and a link to the database with suggested search terms.
European heatwaves 'have doubled'
By Paul Rincon
Science reporter, BBC News
Story from BBC NEWS:
August 4, 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/6929668.stm
The duration of heatwaves in Western Europe has doubled since 1880, a study has shown.
The authors of the research also discovered that the frequency of extremely hot days has nearly tripled in the past century.
The study shows that many previous assessments of daily summer temperature change underestimated heatwaves in Western Europe by about 30%.
The research appears in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres.
The team found that heatwaves lasted an average of three days now, with some lasting up to 13 days. This compares with an average of about 1.5 days in 1880.
"We're getting stronger heat waves or perhaps summers that are not so strong in terms of heat - this is a major cause for concern."
Paul Della-Marta, MeteoSwiss.
"After looking at the records more closely, we believe... heat waves have been underestimated by about 30% over the entire Western European region," Dr Della-Marta told the BBC News website.
"We see a doubling of the length of heatwaves and we also see a tripling in the frequency of one-off events."
The results support the idea that the western European climate in summer is becoming more variable - that the range of temperatures had increased.
The heatwave experienced by Europe in 2003 had major adverse socio-economic and environmental effects.
Thousands of elderly people died. Forests were devastated by fire, water ecosystems were strained, and the total mass of Alpine glaciers shrank by 10%.
The authors say we can expect extreme weather events like this to occur more frequently in future.
Alex Wierbinski, Berkeley, Ca., August , 2007
The Environmental Meltdown
The latest news items are at the end of this list
Corruption Updates 36, 6th article on the page, "AMERICAN GREED-CONSUMPTION FUELS MANUFACTURING (POLLUTION) IN CHINA"
Corruption Updates 39, 10th article on the page, "Top Scientists Warn of Water Shortages and Disease Linked to Global Warming"
Corruption Updates 47, 9th article on the page, "Earth Faces a Grim Future: UN Report"
Corruption Updates 53, 2nd article on the page, "Arctic Sea Ice Melting Faster, a Study Finds:Climate Change has already happened"
Corruption Updates 65, 1st article on the page, "BEES: Honey, I'm Gone"
Corruption Updates 65, 7th article on the page, "China puts economy before climate"
Corruption Updates 71, 9th article on the page, "Only 50 years left' for sea fish"
Corruption Updates 76, 7th article on the page, "Study finds huge decreases in bird populations"
Corruption Updates 80, 2nd article on the page, "China building more power plants to supply American Consumption"
Corruption Updates 86, 7th article on the page, "Study Sees Climate Change Impact on Alaska"
Corruption Updates 93, 3rd article on the page, "Record Gulf of Mexico ‘Dead Zone’ Is Predicted"
Corruption Updates 94, 8th article on the page, "Climate Change Debate Hinges On Economics"
Corruption Updates 95, 9th article on the page, "Romania: Heat Wave Kills 18"
Corruption Updates 95, 10th article on the page, "Humans 'affect global rainfall'"
AP, August 2, 2007; White House Accused of Meddling With EPA
Scientists say plastic compound causes reproductive problems, lat, 8-3-07
AP, August 7, 2007; South Asia Flood Victims Hit by Disease: Global Weather Crisis Deepens for Billions in South Asia
NY Times, August 8, 2007; Warming Threatens Farms in India, U.N. Official Says: Global Warming puts Billions at Risk
Corruption Updates 100, 10th article on the page, European heatwaves 'have doubled'
Corruption Updates 106, 1st article on the page, Over 1,000 Displaced by Midwest Flooding
Associated Press, August 27, 2007; Fires Rage On Across Vast Swaths of Greece: America will Continue to Grow until the World Burns and Floods
Corruption Updates 106, 2nd article on the page, US Midwest heatwave kills dozens
Corruption Updates 106, 3rd article on the page, Tiny Delta fish at center of huge water war
Corruption Updates 106, 4th article on the page, Water Levels in 3 Great Lakes Dip Far Below Normal
Corruption Updates 106, 5th article on the page, Map reveals ancient urban sprawl
Corruption Updates 106, 6th article on the page, North Korea: U.N. Reports on Floods
Corruption Updates 106, 7th article on the page, Arctic sea ice set to hit new low
Corruption Updates 106, 8 th article on the page, Ten-year climate model unveiled
Corruption Updates 106, 9th article on the page, UC team believes deadly fungus may be killing frogs
Corruption Updates 106, 10th article on the page, California's real water war
AP, August 7, 2007; South Asia Flood Victims Hit by Disease: Global Weather Crisis Deepens for Billions in South Asia
NY Times, August 8, 2007; Warming Threatens Farms in India, U.N. Official Says: Global Warming puts Billions at Risk
Bee, August 7, 2007; Summer chill is one for the ages: Freakish Weather Around the World, and in Sacramento
BBC, August 4, 2007; European heatwaves 'have doubled'
SF Chron, August 7, 2007; Exploring an amphibian epidemic: Tadpoles are the Canaries in the Global Mine
Bush climate program drags its feet, has climate research satellites stripped, nyt, September 14, 2007
Corruption Updates 125, 2nd article on the page, Natural decline 'hurting lives'
Big Oil: China & India demand massive increase in global oil production, consumption, NYT, Nov 7, 2007
Australians: More Co2 per capita, USA #1 in total emissions, BBC, Nov 14, 2007
Bush program of extinction for nature thwarted: Bribery detected, AP, Nov 28, 2007
Senate Dems forming worthless Co2 Bill, McClatchy, Dec 3, 2007
Essay: Boxer's liar's Game: Maintain growth and Pollution while looking "Green"
Nuke power problem: replacing one poison with another, NYT Dec 5, 2007
Essay: Nukes=Death: Democrap's economic and demographic growth program brings Nukes, death to environment, and our democracy.
UN IPCC Report, UN Human Devel. Report, Bali climate meet, Late Nov to Dec 3, 2007
Comment: wealth and power, not wisdom and democracy, setting agenda @ Bali
Equatorial heat dominating weather patterns, N & S poles losing roles as weather engines, BBC, Dec 4, 2007
Essay: Global Warming? The Seasons already changed
Co2 sets record in 2006, AP, 11-23
Drought weather persists in N. Cal, bee 11-28-07
Riots and hunger feared as demand for grain sends food costs soaring, guardian, 12-4-07
Food Crisis expands. ethanol: starving people to fill your car, iht, 12-17-07
UN Human Development Report 2007/2008
UN IPCC Report Nov 17: Bali Meet follows UN Reports, NYT, 12-3
UN: Global Environment Outlook, Oct 07
Toll Of Climate Change On World Food Supply Could Be Worse Than Thought, terra news, 12-04-07
Equatorial heat dominating N. Lat weather, bbc 12-4-07
Radical Increase in Artic melting, AP, 12-12-07
White House Censored Science, CSM, 12-12-07
Bali Update, reuters, 12-4
Bali Update, bbc 12-12
China at minimum arable land for food safety, china daily, 2007-12-26
Rice yeilds very sensitive to warming, BBC News, Tokyo, 12, 29, 07
Fish farms threaten salmon with extinction, NYT, December 13, 2007
Environment News Page: #5, january 14
Hansen: Past the tipping point, national geographic, December 14, 2007
World food stocks dwindling rapidly, UN warns, iht, 12-17-07
Eight years? Man has already irrevockably changed earth's seasons, guardian, January 3 2008
Iran, afghanistan, and pakistan: snow in the deserts, upi, 1-9-08
Freak tropical storm, tornadoes, hit midwest, nyt, January 9, 2008
Himalayan glaciers in full retreat, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN, 1-10-08
Water shortage limiting growth, lat, 1-14-07
World fish stocks collaspe: africa feeling it first, nyt, January 14, 2008
Interior department manipulation puts big oil before polar bears, mcclatchy, January 17, 2008
Environment News Page: #6, january 14
china pounded by another freak storm, reuters, Jan 28, 2008
Ocean dead zones expanding, ScienceNOW Daily News, 25 January 2008
The human epoch: The Scumocene, ScienceNOW Daily News, 24 January 2008
American Geophysical Union: the document. we're in real trouble, American Geophysical Union, Adopted by Council December 2003, Revised and Reaffirmed December 2007
American Geophysical Union: radical slash in Co2 required now, Scientific American, January 24, 2008
Yangtze almost dead, The Guardian, Thursday January 17 2008
Global warming killing sierra trees, usgs, 8/8/2007
Scientists finally have noticed seasons have already changed (they spoke of the "future" affects as radical changes occured), usgs, 5/11/2007
Global warming Kills over 50: Floods, ice Storms, now tornadoes torment mid west, ap. February 6, 2008
Bush adds wolves to his kill list of natural victims, nyt, 2-22-08
previous environment pages: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Contact: Committeefordemocracy.org
U.S. Ends Protections for Wolves in 3 States, nyt, 2-22-08
global warming kills 54: Out of control tropical moisture sparks massive tornado storm, ap, 2-6-08
global warming kills 16+: massive freak storm nails central US, newsdaily, 3-21-08
Environment Page 7
climate set for 'sudden shifts', bbc, 2-4-08
essay: growth assures climate meltdown, committee, 6-07
essay: seasons already shifted, committee, 5-07
China 'not ready' for snow crisis, bbc, 2-4-09
Indonesian Chickens, and People, Hard Hit by Bird Flu, nyt, 2-1-08
China's freak Snow: millions experience social collapse, au.news, 2-1-08
snow threatens winter crops, food shortages now, bbc, 1-31-08
china infrastructure shuts down, marketwatch, 1-29-08
1] Union of Concerned Scientists: campaign to free scientists from corporate government manipulation
2] judge rejects Bush seizure of power over Navy sonar use
3] Antarctic glaciers surge to ocean
4] Salmon arriving in record low numbers
5] Warming risks Antarctic sea life
6] Shark populations near extinction
7] Ocean map: Oceans trashed
8] Bush ends fed protections for wolves: Kill the wolves
9] Indian tigers dissappearing
10] Global warming Insect population explosion anticipated
11] Pythons expanding out of Florida
12] Drug-Resistant Bacteria Found in Wild Arctic Birds
13] Deadly new form of MRSA emerges
Environmental destruction; page 8
Environmental destruction; page 9
Environmental destruction; page 10
Nigeria turning into desert, irin, 3-28-08
Environment Page 8
march 27, 2008
salmon and smelt
1] Salmon populations have crashed
1b] No salmon fishing this year
1c] Fishery council: salmon collapse
1e] Massive city populations draining california's water
The Great global Meltdown:
You're going to get thirsty!2] Huge Antarctic ice shelf breaks off
2b] Tahoe Doomed
3] Growing into a national water and energy disaster
4] Growing into a water disaster in the west
5] Get ready for constant costal flooding for the next 100 years +
6] Just say No! (to powerful drugs in your drinking water)
7] delay in polar bear protections investigated by oil, interior department
california