Masters is not a nut-case. And there really isn't anything we are able to do to 'fix' it. But the weather IS becoming a problem for a lot of the world.
Every year extraordinary weather events rock the Earth. Records that have stood centuries are broken. Great floods, droughts, and storms affect millions of people, and truly exceptional weather events unprecedented in human history may occur. But the wild roller-coaster ride of incredible weather events during 2010, in my mind, makes that year the planet's most extraordinary year for extreme weather since reliable global upper-air data began in the late 1940s. Never in my 30 years as a meteorologist have I witnessed a year like 2010--the astonishing number of weather disasters and unprecedented wild swings in Earth's atmospheric circulation were like nothing I've seen. The pace of incredible extreme weather events in the U.S. over the past few months have kept me so busy that I've been unable to write-up a retrospective look at the weather events of 2010. But I've finally managed to finish, so fasten your seat belts for a tour through the top twenty most remarkable weather events of 2010. At the end, I'll reflect on what the wild weather events of 2010 and 2011 imply for our future.
And in several cases he can't find a record in datasets only going back 30 years.
And then,
the U.S.--NOAA's Climate Extremes Index (CEI), which looks at the percentage area of the contiguous U.S. experiencing top 10% or bottom 10% monthly maximum and minimum temperatures, monthly drought, and daily precipitation. The Climate Extremes Index rated 1998 as the most extreme year of the past century in the U.S.
So the only objective measure he can come up with doesn't show 2010 as an extreme year.
But will no doubt impress the anumerate punters.
I also checked out the climate extremes index and the trend is dead flat for the last 100 years. 2010 wasn't even in the top 10 years.
#2
IMO the "Globalists" + NASA, NWO Perts, etal. must surely recognize that, iff its NOT the Sun, the only other significant thingy would be NON-OIL/GAS "PEAK NATURAL RESOURCES", i.e. US-WORLD MINERAL RESERVES E.G. "RARE-EARTHS" [China = decline]???
As per 1990's = pre,post-911 Asteroids, + "Biotic Oil", etc. LOOKS LIKE AMERICA + AMERIKA WILL HAVE TO ASK, DEPEND ON THE RUSSIANS [again] TO GIVE US AN ANSWER, as per the Current + Future State of the World's Mineral Reserves = "Precious Commodities".
[Al Jazeera] Egypt will not borrow from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund after revising its budget and cutting the forecast deficit, even though a loan had been agreed.
Finance Minister Samir Radwan, Egypt's finance minister, said on Saturday that although the 2011/12 deficit in the first draft budget was forecast at 11 per cent of gross domestic product, it was revised to 8.6 per cent because of a national dialogue and the ruling army council's concerns about debt levels.
"So we do not need to go at this stage to the Bank and the Fund," Radwan told Rooters news agency.
Despite the budget revisions, the government said it still expected growth of 3-3.5 per cent, in line with previous forecasts, which some economists said could prove optimistic.
What does Egypt manufacture, make or grow? They have the Suez Canal revenues and the agriculture in the Nile basin which can't even feed the local population. They're going to get 3 percent growth on what, exactly?
Egypt this month agreed on a $3bn, 12-month standby loan facility from the IMF, which Cairo had said came with more lenient terms than usually associated with such lending.
An IMF front man confirmed on Saturday that Egypt has scrapped plans for the loan programme.
"In light of these changes, the authorities see no immediate need for a financial arrangement from the IMF," the front man said, adding, "The IMF continues to maintain a close policy dialogue with the authorities."
The IMF and World Bank had been among a range of foreign countries and bodies to offer funds to Egypt to help cover a big budget shortfall after the economy was plunged into turmoil by the mass protests that drove Mubarak from office on February 11.
Qatar 'gift'
No doubt helping Egypt's budget are offers of support from Gulf states. Radwan said Qatar had provided $500m for budgetary support in the past week.
"That is a gift," he said, when asked if there were any conditions attached to the Qatari cash.
He said Soddy Arabia had earlier offered a similar amount. The minister said the first draft of the budget, which forecast a deficit of about 170 billion Egyptian pounds, was discussed with activists, writers, the business community, trade unions and non-governmental organizations.
Radwan said the budget had been reduced in part by raising income tax from a 20 per cent flat rate to 25 per cent on firms and individuals earning more than $1.6m. Profits above that figure would be taxed in the new band.
Sounds like the Democrats, just raise taxes and all will be well...
"I consulted with the business community, and they said they are willing to pay that. That is why I didn't raise it to more than 25 per cent, because beyond that we would be back to where we were before (several years ago) when income tax was 40 per cent and there was very little tax collection," he said.
Cigarette tax would rise to 50 percent from 40 per cent, but food subsidies would not be changed. Egypt's subsidy bill had been running at about $23bn with about $16bn of that spent on fuel subsidies, he said without specifying the period.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/26/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Quick, sack Geitner and put Samir Radwan in charge. This would have to be a world first, a Finance minister who doesn't need more money. Maybe drug test him first, though.
#2
They're going to get 3 percent growth on what, exactly?
Annual population growth is around 2%. 3% isn't a big stretch. Egypt does some light manufacturing - a significant amount of clothing assembly is carried out there. Salaries are around 1/3 of China's, meaning that if they ever get their act together in terms of not screwing foreign investors, they could grow pretty rapidly just off that wage disparity.
It is clear that the all-powerful army - once quarantined from food shortages and famine - is starting to go hungry.
"Everybody is weak," says one young North Korean soldier. "Within my troop of 100 comrades, half of them are malnourished," he said.
Jiro Ishimaru is the man who trained the undercover reporter to use the hidden camera.
"This footage is important because it shows that Kim Jong-il's regime is growing weak," he said.
"It used to put the military first, but now it can't even supply food to its soldiers. Rice is being sold in markets but they are starving. This is the most significant thing in this video."
Kim Jong-il's grip on power depends on the military and if some of its soldiers have growling, empty bellies, it is bad news for the dictator and his hopes for a smooth transition to his son.
Several pilots have reported problems with their oxygen supply, and some near crashes have resulted blamed on hypoxia.
Since January, Raptors have been prohibited from flying higher than 25,000 feet since a training accident in Alaska. The Air Force has more than 160 F-22 Raptors in its fleet and plans to build a total of 187.
In 2007-2008 all F-15 fighters were grounded for four months after one aircraft fell apart in flight.
#1
Unlike legacy systems, OBOGS (On Board Oxygen Generating System) takes the outside air and runs it through a membrane that separates the oxyen molecules from the nitrogen and dumps the N2 over the side. In theory a simple and reliable system that is in use in many military aircraft. It will be interesting to see what the investigation reveals. It's sister system, OBIGGS, does the same thing, but retains the N2 for fuel cell inerting and dumps the oxygen.
And yes, the various ports and fittings between the two elements ( N2 and O2) are different sizes to reduce potential 'Murphys.'
#2
I agree with one of the comments for this post. Work was perhaps subcontracted out. A glitch in a very sophisticated craft. The molecular sieve material perhaps is needing replaced. It doesn't last forever. As it degrades the purity of oxygen diminishes- Slowly. Should have had some sort of alarm to alert pilot. Yes "It will be interesting to see what the investigation reveals" but we may never know.
WASHINGTON The United States said it was ready to provide hardware to modernize the military of the Philippines, which vowed to "stand up to any aggressive action" amid rising tension at sea with China.
As terrible as Bambi is with foreign affairs, the Chinese can be worse...
Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, on a visit to Washington, said the Philippines hoped to lease equipment to upgrade its aged fleet and called for the allies to revamp their relationship in light of the friction with China.
"We are determined and committed to supporting the defense of the Philippines," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a joint news conference when asked about the hardware wish-list from the Philippines.
Clinton said the two nations were working "to determine what are the additional assets that the Philippines needs and how we can best provide those." She said del Rosario would meet Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other Pentagon officials.
Tensions in the strategic and resource-rich South China Sea have escalated in recent weeks, with the Philippines and Vietnam alarmed at what they say are increasingly aggressive actions by Beijing in the disputed waters.
"We are concerned that recent incidents in the South China Sea could undermine peace and stability," Clinton told reporters, urging "all sides to exercise self-restraint."
Del Rosario, with Clinton at his side, said: "While we are a small country, we are prepared to do what is necessary to stand up to any aggressive action in our backyard."
The Philippines has announced the deployment in disputed waters of its navy flagship, the Rajah Humabon. One of the world's oldest warships, the Rajah Humabon was a former US Navy frigate that served during World War II.
Hate to say it, folks, but you're going to need more than an aging frigate. The Chinese have had a long-term building program.
The Philippines has historically bought second-hand hardware, but del Rosario said that President Benigno Aquino has allocated 11 billion pesos ($252 million) to upgrade the navy.
Shortly ahead of his talks with Clinton, del Rosario said that the Philippines was asking the United States for "an operational lease so that we can look at fairly new equipment and be able to get our hands on that quickly."
"We need to have the resources to be able to stand and defend ourselves and, I think, to the extent that we can do that, we become a stronger ally for you," del Rosario said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The United States has been providing military aid to the Philippines primarily to fight Islamic militants in the wake the September 11, 2001 attacks. The United States gave the Philippines $15 million in military assistance in the 2011 fiscal year, with much larger sums devoted to development, according to official US data.
Del Rosario said that Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf has largely been defeated, estimating that only around 200 guerrillas remained.
"The Philippines' relative success in counter-insurgency coupled with pressures in the regional environment compel a reorientation of focus and resources," he said.
"A reset in our relations has therefore become an imperative to allow the alliance to continue to meet domestic goals while contributing to global stability," he said.
China has said that it will not resort to the use of force in the South China Sea but has also warned the United States to stay out of territorial spats. "I believe some countries now are playing with fire. And I hope the US won't be burned by this fire," China's vice foreign minister Cui Tiankai said.
Cui will meet Saturday in Hawaii with Kurt Campbell, a US assistant secretary of state, for a first dialogue between the two nations to focus specifically on Asia-Pacific affairs.
The United States plans to hold joint exercises with the Philippines next week and the US Navy will visit Vietnam next month, although US officials have described the events as routine.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/26/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
...What the PN needs are a couple of Perry class frigates and Spruance class DDs out of our reserve fleet. The problem is that the ships have not been kept up so they'd need work before a transfer,and then the PN would need to find the money and manpower to run them..
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
06/26/2011 10:32 Comments ||
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#2
Hell no, we need the Perrys. Finance something for them. As far as the Spruances, I dunno, unless you're running down a state of the art sub, I'm not certain how useful they might be for them, need something like an Asheville class gunboat or a Pegasus creature. Get there fast, shoot, run like hell.
Posted by: S ||
06/26/2011 12:29 Comments ||
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#3
S,
You speak wisdom - but God alone knows what it would cost to build an Asheville today - it would be so gold-plated that a Rockefeller would blush. And sadly, the Pegasus class was something of a bust - hideously expensive and maintenance heavy. We don't want the Perrys or the Spruances, because they work, unlike the new LCS. Give them to the PI.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
06/26/2011 13:32 Comments ||
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#4
Pragmatically, "Post-US" happy, ambitious Rising China = Beijing isn't likely to give up any of its claims as it needs both TAIWAN + OVERSEAS PLA BASES FOR STRATEGIC ACCESS [Air-Sea-Space] INTO WESTPAC + OTHER PACOAS.
As wid any World State, the PHIL must be able to ROUTINELY MILPOL PROTECT + DEFEND, ETC. ITS TERRITORIAL CLAIMS, + widout having to always rely on Allies. It is facing not only China but the soon-to-be-nuclear general Radical Islamist = MilTerr threat to East Asia includ SE Asia.
The "JAPAN" ECON = GEOPOL MODEL was potent for Japan proper during the bipolar US-SOVIET COLD WAR, but its utility ala CHINA in the post-Cold War, post-911, age of "Globalism" + desired
"Multipolar" OWG-NWO + Rising Nuclear Caliphate REMAINS DUBIOUS.
* PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUMS > JAPAN WARNS CHINA AGZ EXPLORING IN [its] EEZ OFF TOHOKU REGION.
China has once again sent a new fleet of PLAN surface warships + subs to the waters between Okinawa + Miyako.
Meanwhile, RUSSIA = HAS REJECTED US POSITION, MEDIATION AS PER KURILS [Japan = former "Northern Territories"].
AFAIK the PLAN'S NAVAL FORCE had to enter Tohoku area via passage thru OKINAWA-MIYAKO or OKINAWA-TAIWAN CORRIDOR, NOT VEE THE RUSSIAN KURILS, which IMO is an important point.
* SAME > CHINA MUST SPEED UP [resources] EXPLORATION IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA.
Lest we fergit, China is setting up a "dual-use" large rig platform capable of being used, + IMO perhaps most importantly ARMED, by the PLA.
AKA ARMED "SEA FORTS", e.g. WW2 English Channel + also Persian Gulf armed platforms = IRGC-converted oil-gas rigs.
* WAFF > INDIA GETS ITS FIRST [dual-use?]NAVAL BASE IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA | [Bharat Rakshak = Deccan Herald]INDIA [Navy] SET TO DROP ANCHOR OFF CHINA.
NHA TRANG, in south Vietnam.
* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > [Yomiuri Shimbun = Japan] "CHINA'S A THREAT"COMES OUT CLEAR AS A BELL, as per US-Nippon confab.
* SAME > CHINA CLAIMS VIETNAM HAS STOLEN US$25.0BILYUHN IN OIL/GAS FROM CHINA.
Bilyuhns + Filyuhns + Silyuhns of ...
* SAME > VIETNAM SEEKS REVENGE FOR 1979 WAR? | [Asia Times] VIETNAM'S "DR. STRANGELOVE" AT WAR WID MANDARINS.
and
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [Ifeng Blog] CHINA WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE 12-PLUS AIRCRAFT CARRIERS AS A WORLD POWER.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
