Posts from — July 2013

Froggy Weather II

So, this is sunshine…

[Editor: Froggy was outside earlier this week on the day the sun appeared for a short time. We were actually without rain for three days, but were rescued from the possible death of the mildew when it started raining again yesterday.]

[Note: Our average rainfall for the entire month of July is 6.18 inches. So far through today we have had 8.67 inches.]

Friday Ark

The US has a major problem complaining about the possibility that South American nations might ignore a request to extradite Edward Snowden if he gets there.

The US refuses to extradite Luis Posada Carriles to Venezuela to face charges concerning the midair bombing of an airliner in 1976 that resulted in 73 deaths. Mr Posada entered the US illegally in 2005.

The US refuses to extradite Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada to Bolivia to answer charges related to the death of 59 protestors while he was president of the country.

The US refuses to extradite Roberto and William Isaias Dassum to face charges concerning bank fraud and embezzlement to Ecuador.

Given that Mr Snowden isn’t being charged in connection with mass murder or the largest bank failure in the history of the US, I don’t think these countries are impressed with US claims. You reap what you sow.

Fougères to Tours

Distance: 218 kilometers.

This is a stage for the sprinters. The first 217 kilometers will just be positioning for the race at the end.

Marcel Kittel got half a wheel in front of Mark Cavendish to take his third stage win in this year’s Tour. The stage also provided yet another ‘demolition derby’ at the finish, something that has been common this year. The crash occurred just behind Chris Froome, so he stays in Yellow with a 2+ minute lead over his principal rivals.

Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 ) [Yellow] 47h 19′ 13″
Peter Sagan ( Svk – CAN – 011 ) [Green] 307 points
Pierre Rolland ( Fra – EUC – 051 ) [Polka Dot] 49 points
Michal Kwiatkowski ( Pol – OPQ – 153 ) 7 [White]

Team: Movistar ( MOV – 121-129 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Marcel Kittel ( Ger – ARG – 197 )
Combative: Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni ( Esp – VCD – 204 ) [Red numbers]

Top Ten:

1 Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 )
2 Alejandro Valverde ( Esp – MOV – 121 ) + 03′ 25″
3 Bauke Mollema ( Ned – BEL – 164 ) + 03′ 37″
4 Alberto Contador ( Esp – TST – 091 ) + 03′ 54″
5 Roman Kreuziger ( Cze – TST – 094 ) + 03′ 57″
6 Laurens Ten Dam ( Ned – BEL – 167 ) + 04′ 10″
7 Michal Kwiatkowski ( Pol – OPQ – 153 ) + 04′ 44″
8 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas ( Col – MOV – 128 ) + 05′ 18″
9 Rui Alberto Costa ( Por – MOV – 124 ) + 05′ 37″
10 Jean-Christophe Péraud ( Fra – ALM – 081 ) + 05′ 39″

The Rest of the Top 30:
[Read more →]

I see all of these people making disparaging remarks about the intelligence of the people in Florida and the state legislature over the 2013 changes that were made by House Bill 155 to § 849.16 [PDF link], for Chapter 849 (Gambling) of Title XLVI (Crimes) of the Florida statutes.

First off, this wasn’t a mistake, the changes accomplish exactly what they wanted to accomplish, and that includes seizing your computer or smartphone if you use them for ‘gambling’ as defined by the state of Florida. They are addressing what they perceive to be a serious loophole in the previous version of the law that came to light when the Feds raided several ‘Internet cafes’ in Florida as part of an interstate gambling investigation. That investigation led to the resignation of the state’s Lieutenant Governor, as she had worked as a public relations spokesperson for one of the groups involved in the Federal sweep.

There are plenty of legal ways to gamble in the state of Florida, and each of those ways has an industry lobbyist in Tallahassee to prevent any intrusions on their ‘turf’.

You should understand that the people who brought the lawsuit about these changes are part of the same group that created the problem – owners of ‘internet cafes’.

Update: I saw an example of one of the so-called problems with the law was someone using a smartphone to read a code for a manufacturer’s contest. That isn’t ‘gambling’ under Florida law, as explained in § 849.094 (Game promotion in connection with sale of consumer products or services.), so it isn’t applicable. As I seem to remember that this claim was made by the attorney for the plaintiff, maybe he should read the entire law – just a suggestion.

Note on the PDF file: The relevant changes are on the bottom of page 4 and top of page 5. The strike-throughs indicate text deleted from the previous law, and underlining indicate text that was inserted.

Avranches to Mont-Saint-Michel

Distance: 33 kilometers.

The first of the two individual time trials, this 33 kilometer run over the rolling landscape of Normandy can get rather interesting if the wind is blowing when the riders are on the causeway out to the island for the finish.

Tony Martin took the stage, Michal Kwiatkowsski is back in the White Jersey, and Christopher Froome extended his lead by two minutes.

Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 ) [Yellow] 42h 29′ 24″
Peter Sagan ( Svk – CAN – 011 ) [Green] 269 points
Pierre Rolland ( Fra – EUC – 051 ) [Polka Dot] 49 points
Michal Kwiatkowski ( Pol – OPQ – 153 ) 7 [White]

Team: Movistar ( MOV – 121-129 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Tony Martin ( Ger – OPQ – 154 )
[Red Numbers are not awarded for time trials.]

Top Ten:

1 Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 )
2 Alejandro Valverde ( Esp – MOV – 121 ) + 03′ 25″
3 Bauke Mollema ( Ned – BEL – 164 ) + 03′ 37″
4 Alberto Contador ( Esp – TST – 091 ) + 03′ 54″
5 Roman Kreuziger ( Cze – TST – 094 ) + 03′ 57″
6 Laurens Ten Dam ( Ned – BEL – 167 ) + 04′ 10″
7 Michal Kwiatkowski ( Pol – OPQ – 153 ) + 04′ 44″
8 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas ( Col – MOV – 128 ) + 05′ 18″
9 Rui Alberto Costa ( Por – MOV – 124 ) + 05′ 37″
10 Jean-Christophe Péraud ( Fra – ALM – 081 ) + 05′ 39″

The Rest of the Top 30:
[Read more →]

Position: 16.5N 73.7W [ 4PM CDT 2100 UTC].
Movement: West [270°] near 23 mph [37 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 45 mph [ 75 kph].
Wind Gusts: 55 mph [ 90 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1012 mb.

Currently about 230 miles [ 370 km] East-Southeast of Kingston, Jamaica.

An aircraft is on the way to find out what is going on with Chantal because current readings indicate that it devolved into a tropical wave overnight.

Update 10AM: It is still a tropical storm, but another strange one, and it has missed the turn to the Northwest, so now it is headed towards Jamaica or Cuba.

Update 4 PM: Chantal has devolved into a tropical wave, and all watches and warnings have been discontinued. This is the final advisory.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Saint-Gildas-des-Bois to Saint-Malo

Distance: 197 kilometers.

The Tour moves to Brittany and hills rather than mountains. The 1 km 4.2% category 4 climb up the Côte de Dinan at the three-quarter point shouldn’t provide many problems, even for the sprinters. The stage is rolling hills with the sprint at the two-thirds point.

The winds didn’t kick up at the end, and so they replayed Stage 1 with Marcel Kittel taking the stage while Jérome Cousin took the Red Numbers. None of the Jerseys changed backs, and the rankings of the top 15 riders didn’t change.

On to Normandy and the first individual time trial.

Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 ) [Yellow] 41h 52′ 43″
Peter Sagan ( Svk – CAN – 011 ) [Green] 269 points
Pierre Rolland ( Fra – EUC – 051 ) [Polka Dot] 49 points
Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas ( Col – MOV – 128 ) 7 [White]

Team: Movistar ( MOV – 121-129 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Marcel Kittel ( Ger – ARG – 197 )
Combative: Jérome Cousin ( Fra – EUC – 053 ) [Red numbers]

Top Ten:

1 Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 )
2 Alejandro Valverde ( Esp – MOV – 121 ) + 01′ 25″
3 Bauke Mollema ( Ned – BEL – 164 ) + 01′ 44″
4 Laurens Ten Dam ( Ned – BEL – 167 ) + 01′ 50″
5 Roman Kreuziger ( Cze – TST – 094 ) + 01′ 51″
6 Alberto Contador ( Esp – TST – 091 ) + 01′ 51″
7 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas ( Col – MOV – 128 ) + 02′ 02″
8 Daniel Martin ( Irl – GRS – 175 ) + 02′ 28″
9 Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver ( Esp – KAT – 101 ) + 02′ 31″
10 Rui Alberto Costa ( Por – MOV – 124 ) + 02′ 45″

The Rest of the Top 30:
[Read more →]

Position: 15.3N 66.2W [ 10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [285°] near 28 mph [44 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 60 mph [ 95 kph].
Wind Gusts: 70 mph [110 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 90 miles [150 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1009 mb ↑.

Currently about 330 miles [ 530 km] Southeast of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The storm passed to the North of Barbados and then between St Lucia and Martinique into the Caribbean. The forecast track moved slightly North and East during the night. An aircraft entered the storm this morning and provided more data.

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Barahona to Samana in the Dominican Republic.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Puerto Rico, the entire coast of the Dominican Republic, the entire coast of Haiti, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Southeastern Bahamas.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Vieques, Culebra, the US Virgin Islands, and the Central Bahamas.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Of the 535 members of the House and Senate, only 4 are even briefed on what the intelligence agencies are up to, and since those briefings are classified, they can’t tell the other members what is going on. How can there be any meaningful oversight in a situation like that?

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? is attributed to Juvenal in his Satires. It is translated variously as: Who watches the watchmen?; Who polices the police?; etc. When Congress doesn’t know what is going on, when the Federal courts don’t know what’s going on, when the people don’t know what is going on – how can anyone know if what the intelligence agencies are doing is legal or even effective. We know they lie, so we can’t take their word for anything.

Mr. Fish shows us what we are left with.

We created a government with checks and balances and it is about time the legislative and judicial branches started earning their paychecks.

Back when the NRA first advocated arming teachers in March of 2005, I felt certain the insurance costs of the schools would leap.

David Atkins found a piece in the New York Times indicates that insurance for schools who are arming teachers isn’t more expensive – it’s priceless, because insurance companies won’t sell them policies.

If insurance companies think it is too risky to take your money, maybe you should re-think your plan and consider a few counseling sessions.

Position: 12.4N 56.1W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [285°] near 26 mph [43 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 50 mph [ 80 kph].
Wind Gusts: 60 mph [ 95 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 90 miles [150 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1010 mb.

Currently about 235 miles [ 380 km] East-Southeast of Barbados.

An aircraft will investigate the storm this afternoon. The current forecast indicates that Barbados, St Lucia, Hispaniola, Guantanamo, and the Bahamas are in for some nasty weather this week.

The aircraft is now in the storm.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Barbados, St Lucia, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominica, Puerto Rico and the southern coast of the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to the border with Haiti

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for St Vincent, Vieques, Culebra, and the northern coast of the Dominican Republic from North of Cabo Engano to Cabo Frances Viejo.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 9.8N 47.2W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West [275°] near 26 mph [43 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 40 mph [ 70 kph].
Wind Gusts: 50 mph [ 80 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 60 miles [ 95 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1008 mb.

Currently about 865 miles [1390 km] East-Southeast of Barbados.

This was Invest 95L that started as a tropical wave coming off of Africa.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for St Lucia, Barbados, and Dominica.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for St Vincent.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Saint-Girons to Bagnères-de-Bigorre

Distance: 168.5 kilometers.

More of the Pyrenees with a category 2 followed by four category 1s: Col de Portet d’Aspet (1069 meters, 5.4 km at 6.9%,category 2); Col de Menté (1349 meters, 7 km at 7.7%, category 1); the sprint in an actually mostly flat area of the stage; Col de Peyresourde (1569 meters, 13.2 km at 7%, category 1); Col de Val Louron-Azet (1580 meters,7.4 km at 8.3%, category 1); La Hourquette d’Ancizan (1564 meters, 9.9 km at 7.5%, category 1); and 30 km downhill to the finish which makes it less than a certainty that a climber will take the stage.

It was all about team support today. Froome is still in Yellow, but he was stripped of support on the first climb as he was under attack by other teams all day. His principal problem was Nairo Quintana who was working on behalf of Alejandro Valverde and the Movistar team. He was careful to pick the important challenges and emerged still in first, while Valverde moved into second and Quintana moved up to seventh. Richie Porte’s legs just weren’t there today, and he is back at 31.

Tomorrow is a rest day, and people need it.

Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 ) [Yellow] 36h 59′ 18″
Peter Sagan ( Svk – CAN – 011 ) [Green] 234 points
Pierre Rolland ( Fra – EUC – 051 ) [Polka Dot] 49 points
Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas ( Col – MOV – 128 ) 7 [White]

Team: Movistar ( MOV – 121-129 ) [Yellow numbers]
Stage winner: Daniel Martin ( Irl – GRS – 175 )
Combative: Romain Bardet ( Fra – ALM – 082 ) [Red numbers]

Top Ten:

1 Christopher Froome ( GB – SKY – 001 )
2 Alejandro Valverde ( Esp – MOV – 121 ) + 01′ 25″
3 Bauke Mollema ( Ned – BEL – 164 ) + 01′ 44″
4 Laurens Ten Dam ( Ned – BEL – 167 ) + 01′ 50″
5 Roman Kreuziger ( Cze – TST – 094 ) + 01′ 51″
6 Alberto Contador ( Esp – TST – 091 ) + 01′ 51″
7 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas ( Col – MOV – 128 ) + 02′ 02″
8 Daniel Martin ( Irl – GRS – 175 ) + 02′ 28″
9 Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver ( Esp – KAT – 101 ) + 02′ 31″
10 Rui Alberto Costa ( Por – MOV – 124 ) + 02′ 45″

The Rest of the Top 30:
[Read more →]

July 7^th, 2005, London

BBC In Depth and the Wikipedia articles on the bombing.