Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
KY_EnviroGuy
KY_EnviroGuy's Journal
KY_EnviroGuy's Journal
July 30, 2020
From: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/satellite.php (Atlantic Views / Caribbean / IR / Image)
Current (5:00am) forecast cone......
Source: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/085346.shtml?cone#contents
Thoughts and best wishes go out to all our friends in Puerto Rico and beyond in the path of this storm.
KY.........
TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS - Puerto Rico currently catching fresh hell.....
PR is the little rectangle inside that very nasty red eye......From: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/satellite.php (Atlantic Views / Caribbean / IR / Image)
Current (5:00am) forecast cone......
Source: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/085346.shtml?cone#contents
Thoughts and best wishes go out to all our friends in Puerto Rico and beyond in the path of this storm.
KY.........
July 30, 2020
Ingenuity is a 1.8kg (4lb) helicopter that will ride to Mars attached to the belly of Nasa's Perseverance.
Nasa wants to be first to demonstrate powered flight in Mars' thin atmosphere, but the Red Planet's gravity makes it tricky.
Laura Foster explains......
Read here: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-53587718/nasa-mars-2020-first-aircraft-to-fly-on-another-planet
I wonder how this little craft and its cameras will cope with the dust on Mars.
KY.........
Nasa Mars 2020: First aircraft to fly on another planet
Nasa Mars 2020: First aircraft to fly on another planetIngenuity is a 1.8kg (4lb) helicopter that will ride to Mars attached to the belly of Nasa's Perseverance.
Nasa wants to be first to demonstrate powered flight in Mars' thin atmosphere, but the Red Planet's gravity makes it tricky.
Laura Foster explains......
Read here: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/science-environment-53587718/nasa-mars-2020-first-aircraft-to-fly-on-another-planet
I wonder how this little craft and its cameras will cope with the dust on Mars.
KY.........
July 30, 2020
That article goes on to say Elger was upset he was denied the chance to volunteer in his district after he was banned and it implies the Party will need to move to new headquarters.
Not good optics for Arizona Democrats. We hope they find a new home soon........
Man arrested for allegedly setting fire to the Arizona Democratic Party headquarters in Phoenix
Source: KPNX-TV12 News Phoenix
PHOENIX — Phoenix police say they arrested a man in connection to the fire at the Arizona Democratic Party headquarters in Phoenix last Friday. 29-year-old Matthew Egler was arrested on Wednesday morning for arson. Police say Egler was a volunteer who was banned from the party offices.
The Phoenix Fire Department said firefighters were dispatched to the building near Central Avenue and Thomas Road around 1 a.m. on July 24 for reports of smoke coming from the building.
There were no injuries and no one was inside the building at the time of the fire. However, there was significant damage caused by the fire.
Phoenix Fire Investigation Task Force (which includes Phoenix Fire and Phoenix Police personnel), along with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, were involved in processing the scene.
Read more: https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/man-arrested-for-allegedly-setting-fire-to-the-arizona-democratic-party-headquarters-in-phoenix/75-f15a4ccd-2821-453c-ad23-906a952f9eaf
That article goes on to say Elger was upset he was denied the chance to volunteer in his district after he was banned and it implies the Party will need to move to new headquarters.
Not good optics for Arizona Democrats. We hope they find a new home soon........
July 29, 2020
(end)
KY..........
Update on Portland federal occupation from Portland City Commissioner Eudaly.
This is a thread rollup from her Twitter page:
https://twitter.com/ChloeEudalyPDX/status/1288163833974906880
From: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1288163833974906880.html
Dear Portland,
I want to update you on our federal occupation, explain the steps that we have taken as a city, and share what our state legislature and federal delegation are doing to address this unconstitutional federal aggression against our city.
At a time when tensions were starting to decrease on our streets, Trump sent federal agents from two of the most politicized and controversial agencies—@CBP and @DHSgov—without Congressional authorization or notification, or local elected officials' consent, into our city.
While we work to counteract their presence, we face an uphill battle in a process designed to usurp not just our local authority, but the authority of our federal representatives. We are doing everything we can—our recourse may be limited, but we're not giving up the fight.
Last Wednesday, I introduced two resolutions that were passed unanimously by City Council. One to stop the Portland Police Bureau from cooperating with the federal occupiers, and another to affirm the rights of members of the press and legal observers.
On Thursday, I directed @PBOTinfo to enforce on the federal occupiers for erecting a fence in our public right of way. PBOT filed a cease and desist demand on behalf of the City—we have not received a response.
We are assessing the maximum fine of $500 for every 15 minutes the fence obstructs our street, & we are investigating other legal remedies. Typically, we would send a maintenance crew or contractor to remove such an obstruction, but I will not send workers into harm's way.
Yes, I am afraid to direct workers to do their job and enforce our laws against the federal government—I hope that gives everyone reading this pause.
As of yesterday, the federal government owes us $192,000 and counting. We intend to collect.
On Monday, despite demands from elected representatives across our region and our state and multiple lawsuits, the Trump administration announced they were sending additional federal agents to our city.
Mayor @tedwheeler & Commissioner @JoAnnPDX, who are in charge of our public safety bureaus, called for a meeting with DHS leadership on the ground in Portland to discuss a "ceasefire and the removal of heightened federal forces from Portland." They await a response.
In the Oregon State Legislature, our representatives are advocating for a tear gas ban, munitions limitations, and legislation to require officers to prominently display their names and ID numbers in the upcoming special session.
Our federal delegation has pushed for DOJ and DHS Inspectors General to investigate Trump's lawless actions in Portland—they are also working to defund this action in Congress.
@mentions has demanded the resignation of Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf, stating, "Any person who oversees the kidnapping of protesters and the violent occupation of American cities has no place in our government." I couldn't agree more.
We'll be closely monitoring state and federal action and providing support wherever we can.
I know how challenging this is for Portlanders. I am committed to doing everything in my power to end this federal occupation and move forward with our community's reckoning with racial injustice and our efforts to transform our approach to policing and public safety.
Each and every one of you has a constitutional right to exercise your freedom of speech and to peacefully assemble. The actions of a few should not negate these rights, and the response of law enforcement should be proportional to the infractions.
Indiscriminately tear-gassing and firing impact munitions at thousands of peaceful protesters is not a proportionate response.
Whether you're able to join the protests or not, there are many ways to support the #BlackLivesMatter movement:
• Educate yourself about the issues
• Write your local, state, and Congressional representatives
• Volunteer your time
• Donate to racial justice organizations
• Shop at Black-owned businesses
• Show solidarity on social media
• Keep listening and learning
And finally, don’t forget to vote in November. We can’t afford four more years of disregard for our Constitution and all the hard won rights and protections we’ve fought for over the past 65 years.
Keep loving, keep fighting, and stay safe out there.
(end)
KY..........
July 29, 2020
People react to being called Beautiful (Brussels, Belgium)
Project Chuck
6,647,561 views •Sep 2, 2017
**************
I found it refreshing today to see people react to being told something that makes them feel good - - something many of us are starving for these days.
KY............
People react to being called Beautiful
People react to being called Beautiful (Brussels, Belgium)
Project Chuck
6,647,561 views •Sep 2, 2017
**************
I found it refreshing today to see people react to being told something that makes them feel good - - something many of us are starving for these days.
KY............
July 28, 2020
KY..........
Racism in America: America's 'untouchables': the silent power of the caste system
This is a long but worthwhile read as the author reviews a trip Dr. Martin Luther King took to India in 1959 which condenses and accurately describes the history of racism in America in terms that shook me today......
America's 'untouchables': the silent power of the caste system
The Guardian World News
By Isabel Wilkerson
We cannot fully understand the current upheavals, or almost any turning point in American history, without accounting for the human pyramid that is encrypted into us all: the caste system.
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/28/untouchables-caste-system-us-race-martin-luther-king-india
Excerpts:
What Martin Luther King Jr, recognised about his country that day had begun long before the ancestors of our ancestors had taken their first breaths. More than a century and a half before the American Revolution, a human hierarchy had evolved on the contested soil of what would become the United States – a concept of birthright, the temptation of entitled expansion that would set in motion what has been called the world’s oldest democracy and, with it, a ranking of human value and usage.
It would twist the minds of men, as greed and self-reverence eclipsed human conscience and allowed the conquering men to take land and human bodies that they convinced themselves they had a right to. If they were to convert this wilderness and civilise it to their liking, they decided, they would need to conquer, enslave or remove the people already on it, and transport those they deemed lesser beings in order to tame and work the land to extract the wealth that lay in the rich soil and shorelines.
To justify their plans, they took pre-existing notions of their own centrality, reinforced by their self-interested interpretation of the Bible, and created a hierarchy of who could do what, who could own what, who was on top and who was on the bottom and who was in between. There emerged a ladder of humanity, global in nature, as the upper-rung people would descend from Europe, with rungs inside that designation – the English Protestants at the very top, as their guns and resources would ultimately prevail in the bloody fight for North America. Everyone else would rank in descending order, on the basis of their proximity to those deemed most superior. The ranking would continue downward until one arrived at the very bottom: African captives transported in order to build the New World and to serve the victors for all their days, one generation after the next, for 12 generations.
There developed a caste system, based upon what people looked like – an internalised ranking, unspoken, unnamed and unacknowledged by everyday citizens even as they go about their lives adhering to it and acting upon it subconsciously, to this day. Just as the studs and joists and beams that form the infrastructure of a building are not visible to those who live in it, so it is with caste. Its very invisibility is what gives it power and longevity. And though it may move in and out of consciousness, though it may flare and reassert itself in times of upheaval and recede in times of relative calm, it is an ever-present through-line in the country’s operation.
It would twist the minds of men, as greed and self-reverence eclipsed human conscience and allowed the conquering men to take land and human bodies that they convinced themselves they had a right to. If they were to convert this wilderness and civilise it to their liking, they decided, they would need to conquer, enslave or remove the people already on it, and transport those they deemed lesser beings in order to tame and work the land to extract the wealth that lay in the rich soil and shorelines.
To justify their plans, they took pre-existing notions of their own centrality, reinforced by their self-interested interpretation of the Bible, and created a hierarchy of who could do what, who could own what, who was on top and who was on the bottom and who was in between. There emerged a ladder of humanity, global in nature, as the upper-rung people would descend from Europe, with rungs inside that designation – the English Protestants at the very top, as their guns and resources would ultimately prevail in the bloody fight for North America. Everyone else would rank in descending order, on the basis of their proximity to those deemed most superior. The ranking would continue downward until one arrived at the very bottom: African captives transported in order to build the New World and to serve the victors for all their days, one generation after the next, for 12 generations.
There developed a caste system, based upon what people looked like – an internalised ranking, unspoken, unnamed and unacknowledged by everyday citizens even as they go about their lives adhering to it and acting upon it subconsciously, to this day. Just as the studs and joists and beams that form the infrastructure of a building are not visible to those who live in it, so it is with caste. Its very invisibility is what gives it power and longevity. And though it may move in and out of consciousness, though it may flare and reassert itself in times of upheaval and recede in times of relative calm, it is an ever-present through-line in the country’s operation.
KY..........
July 27, 2020
Protesters, including the "Wall of Moms" group in yellow shirts, stand outside the Justice Center in downtown Portland just before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 21, 2020.
Credit: The Oregonian
------------------------------------
Wall of Moms, Don’t Shoot Portland sue federal Homeland Security Department
The Oregonian
Updated 3:45 PM; Today 1:12 PM
Read it here: https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2020/07/wall-of-moms-dont-shoot-portland-sue-federal-homeland-security-department.html
Excerpts:
KY.........
Wall of Moms, Don't Shoot Portland sue federal Homeland Security Department
Protesters, including the "Wall of Moms" group in yellow shirts, stand outside the Justice Center in downtown Portland just before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 21, 2020.
Credit: The Oregonian
------------------------------------
Wall of Moms, Don’t Shoot Portland sue federal Homeland Security Department
The Oregonian
Updated 3:45 PM; Today 1:12 PM
Read it here: https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2020/07/wall-of-moms-dont-shoot-portland-sue-federal-homeland-security-department.html
Excerpts:
Protesters from the Wall of Moms group and Don’t Shoot Portland on Monday filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, arguing federal officers are violating their free speech, using excessive force, overstepping their authority and acting under the command of someone who hasn’t been formally confirmed in his role.
The suit targets “Operation Diligent Valor,‘' which brought at least 114 federal officers to Portland in early July, alleging that the officers have made unlawful arrests without probable cause and used violence to “stamp out peaceful and constitutionally protected protests.”
“Rather than protect and defend Plaintiffs’ constitutional rights, as they are bound to do by law and their Oaths of Office, Defendants have implemented an unlawful policy to quash Plaintiffs’ speech and end their protests,‘' the suit says.
The suit alleges that federal officers have overstepped their legal authority by co-opting the “general police power'' reserved for states and have violated demonstrators’ rights to freedom of speech and assembly, due process and to be free from unreasonable seizures. Members of the Wall of Moms have been repeatedly injured by federal agents, the suit says.
The suit targets “Operation Diligent Valor,‘' which brought at least 114 federal officers to Portland in early July, alleging that the officers have made unlawful arrests without probable cause and used violence to “stamp out peaceful and constitutionally protected protests.”
“Rather than protect and defend Plaintiffs’ constitutional rights, as they are bound to do by law and their Oaths of Office, Defendants have implemented an unlawful policy to quash Plaintiffs’ speech and end their protests,‘' the suit says.
The suit alleges that federal officers have overstepped their legal authority by co-opting the “general police power'' reserved for states and have violated demonstrators’ rights to freedom of speech and assembly, due process and to be free from unreasonable seizures. Members of the Wall of Moms have been repeatedly injured by federal agents, the suit says.
KY.........
July 27, 2020
Torched police van at 7th and Chestnut:
Credit: ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Inquirer
From: https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/philadelphia-police-cars-burned-fires-center-city-20200727.html
Snip.....
KY
Not good optics in this photo....
Police van blocking a fire hydrant......
Torched police van at 7th and Chestnut:
Credit: ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Inquirer
From: https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/philadelphia-police-cars-burned-fires-center-city-20200727.html
Snip.....
On North 39th Street, authorities said they determined the cruiser was set on fire with a Molotov cocktail placed on the hood of the driver’s side.
In the later incidents, police said they identified a suspect using University of Pennsylvania Police security cameras. In surveillance footage, a man wearing a flannel shirt and a backpack was seen leaving the area on a white Cannondale bike, authorities said.
It was unclear whether police considered him a suspect in all four incidents or just the two in West Philadelphia.
In the later incidents, police said they identified a suspect using University of Pennsylvania Police security cameras. In surveillance footage, a man wearing a flannel shirt and a backpack was seen leaving the area on a white Cannondale bike, authorities said.
It was unclear whether police considered him a suspect in all four incidents or just the two in West Philadelphia.
KY
July 26, 2020
Team of 16 volunteers carried Daisy off Scafell Pike on a stretcher during five-hour operation
Link to story: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jul/26/st-bernard-dog-rescued-after-collapsing-on-scafell-pike
Excerpts:
Photograph: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team/PA
Scafell Pike is located in the Lake District National Park in England, United Kingdom.
KY.........
St Bernard dog rescued after collapsing on England's highest peak
St Bernard dog rescued after collapsing on England's highest peakTeam of 16 volunteers carried Daisy off Scafell Pike on a stretcher during five-hour operation
Link to story: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jul/26/st-bernard-dog-rescued-after-collapsing-on-scafell-pike
Excerpts:
A mountain rescue team has said its members “didn’t need to think twice” when they were called to help a 121lb (55kg) St Bernard dog that had collapsed while descending England’s highest peak.
Sixteen volunteers from Wasdale mountain rescue team spent nearly five hours rescuing Daisy from Scafell Pike after receiving a call from Cumbria police. The team said the dog was displaying signs of pain in her rear legs and was refusing to move as she came down from the summit of the mountain with her owners on Friday evening.
They sought advice from vets before beginning the rescue operation and were able to assess Daisy’s condition and administer pain relief before lifting her off the mountain on a stretcher.
The team said: “After a little persuasion and a bit of arranging the stretcher to become dog-friendly, and of course plenty more treats, the 55kg Daisy very quickly settled down with her chin resting on the head guard, having realised that we were trying to help her.
Sixteen volunteers from Wasdale mountain rescue team spent nearly five hours rescuing Daisy from Scafell Pike after receiving a call from Cumbria police. The team said the dog was displaying signs of pain in her rear legs and was refusing to move as she came down from the summit of the mountain with her owners on Friday evening.
They sought advice from vets before beginning the rescue operation and were able to assess Daisy’s condition and administer pain relief before lifting her off the mountain on a stretcher.
The team said: “After a little persuasion and a bit of arranging the stretcher to become dog-friendly, and of course plenty more treats, the 55kg Daisy very quickly settled down with her chin resting on the head guard, having realised that we were trying to help her.
Photograph: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team/PA
Scafell Pike is located in the Lake District National Park in England, United Kingdom.
KY.........
July 25, 2020
By Lauren M. Johnson, CNN
Sat July 25, 2020
From: https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/25/us/huge-black-bear-in-pool-trnd/index.html
Credit: Regina Keller
(snips)
KY............
Black bear represents the way I feel today.....
Huge black bear spotted relaxing in a pool is one big summer moodBy Lauren M. Johnson, CNN
Sat July 25, 2020
From: https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/25/us/huge-black-bear-in-pool-trnd/index.html
Credit: Regina Keller
(snips)
Regina Keller, no stranger to bears, has been taking pictures of the wildlife in her backyard for 12 years.
Her home is remote and backs up to the George Washington National Forest in Fort Valley, Virginia, so she is used to a variety of furry visitors including deer, bears, foxes, and squirrels.
As the bear walked around, she recognized him and realized she hadn't seen him in her yard in two years.
"He wandered around the backyard... and went over by the pool and dipped his big paw in the water... and then climbed right in and laid down. He seemed so content and refreshed."
She said she had retreated to a chair by the door to her home just to observe him. The bear stayed in the pool relaxing and napping for about an hour before he was chased off by the sound of her grandchildren arriving in her driveway with their dogs.
"It was neat to see and neat that I had my camera with me to capture it," she said.
Her home is remote and backs up to the George Washington National Forest in Fort Valley, Virginia, so she is used to a variety of furry visitors including deer, bears, foxes, and squirrels.
As the bear walked around, she recognized him and realized she hadn't seen him in her yard in two years.
"He wandered around the backyard... and went over by the pool and dipped his big paw in the water... and then climbed right in and laid down. He seemed so content and refreshed."
She said she had retreated to a chair by the door to her home just to observe him. The bear stayed in the pool relaxing and napping for about an hour before he was chased off by the sound of her grandchildren arriving in her driveway with their dogs.
"It was neat to see and neat that I had my camera with me to capture it," she said.
KY............
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: TN, KY
Home country: USA
Current location: KY
Member since: Thu Jul 6, 2017, 07:43 PM
Number of posts: 14,489
