IRENE - AFTERMATH # 3

Image via of Hurricane IRENE (1999) hitting Fla.

Back slapping over what?

I  guess it was to be expected. Today's headline story in the AC Press http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/sand-dunes-help-shield-atlantic-city-from-irene-but-their/article_23b7f354-d2a0-11e0-9c47-001cc4c03286.html  features the usual self congratulatory nonsense the Army and NJDEP spew every time we have a minor storm like Irene or a Nor'easter and the town doesn't seem to wash away. These people have no shame, just huge egos. Maybe, they should be asking themselves why is it Margate and Longport didn't wash away either and we don't have their damn project?   Fortunately, and for the 1st time I can ever remember in all the yrs. I've been following this situation  the Press finally acknowledges that there is another side to this debate. 

"PINKY" Kravitz and Tom Foley Fire back

   To their credit both long time local radio celebrity and unofficial town spokesperson Seymour "Pinky " Kravitz and AC 's Emergency manager Tom Foley rejected the notion ( in the Press story today) that the Army / NJDEP  beach Project in its present configuration is an asset to the area, to the contrary both  call for a lower and wider version of the Project template with a deeper beach. Both understand that the present high levee/dune has essentially destroyed the utility of the very thing it purports to protect the boardwalk. Both understand, we need a compromise here and we need it soon if AC is to return to its rightful place as a destination beach resort and not just another 3rd rate gaming destination as it is now.  The problem is that no one it seems in authority at the STATE or  FEDERAL level is listening to them or anyone else that doesn't subscribe to their ( the authorities) view of this situation. What Pinky and Tom have to ask themselves at this juncture in this debate, is what is it going to take to change their minds ?  They both know that we desperately need the view and the sea breeze returned to our guests ASAP or the town 's future is in deep trouble.  Unfortunately, the other side in this continues to insist either they can't change the situation or they won't. In the mean time AC languishes behind their self righteous egos.

The Solution stares them in the Face

   The solution to this controversy lies just a few miles to the south of Absecon Island.   Ocean City south of us has the solution  today and its boardwalk prospers because of it. The dune there does not block any views nor the does it block the sea breeze. Is it too much to ask  the State of NJ ,  the Federal Gov't and  its political and bureaucratic leadership for a similar rational and reasonable solution? Of course it isn't. Why is Ocean City being allowed to have a 6 ft. high dune / levee system the length of its boardwalk and AC is being told it has to have a 20 ft. one instead?

IRENE - AFTERMATH # 2

A TREE FALLS IN BROOKLYN

   The picture above is a pretty good summary of what IRENE wrought up and down the East Coast. Everywhere BIG old trees fell knocking down  power lines in many areas. The power is still out in many areas as I write this.  Chainsaws are the king!   Unfortunately, when I went to reach for mine the sharpening shop that was supposed to have sharpened my blade a mos. ago charged me,  but didn't sharpen it. I had to go to my plan B and use other types of saws to cut up my own down tree. It was removed. This is what people will be doing all over the East for the next few days. The other BIG after effect is flooding in the major rivers like the Delaware and surrounding creeks. 

The Tidal Surge was Minimal

   As expected a storm surge did happen, but it didn't seem to have the enormous effect as so may of the forecasters were saying it would. Why? I think by the time the storm arrived in our area it had lost a great deal of its power and although it was large, its energy was now being expended in massive amounts of rainfall .  The Ocean part of the Storm was almost gone by the time it arrived off of AC. 

IRENE - AFTERMATH

  She's gone. The power never went off. The skies here are starting to clear a bit and the wind is out of the west. The tide is going out.  Trees are down everywhere and millions are displaced. I'll leave it to you folks to make the call on this whole affair. Me and my family didn't evacuate because we felt this had turned into more of a media event then a weather event and that evacuating west was possibly going to be more dangerous then staying..  The media and the pols will all simply say they erred to the safe side, move along now folks nothing to see here. On to the next cooked up disaster. This is the way its been now for 10 yrs. since 9/11 changed things forever here, turning America into a permanent STATE of FEAR.

IRENE - Updater # 4 - DIRECT HIT ON AC !!

Google map image - the white line is the expected track of the storm !!

   It's getting wild and woolly outside as I publish this. The  white line in the Google map image above is the projected path of the storm as it comes along the So. Jersey coast. If this holds true, this storm is going to pass within 1.5 miles of my house  before it heads over Ventnor and AC!  You can see where I place marked LUCY the Elephant.  Absecon Island is in IRENE's bulls-eye folks!  @ 16 MPH it looks like she'll pass here sometime early Sunday morning and head up the coast passing within a few miles of down town Manhattan. For all practical purposes this a direct hit on America's largest most populated city. She should still be a Hurricane at that juncture. 

  I've re-printed the Nat'l Hurricane Centers latest 11pm update discussion of this storm. Make a note of the part about wind velocity above 30 stories! 

00
WTNT44 KNHC 280257
TCDAT4

HURRICANE IRENE DISCUSSION NUMBER  31
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL       AL092011
1100 PM EDT SAT AUG 27 2011

IRENE HAS CHANGED LITTLE IN APPEARANCE IN SATELLITE IMAGERY...BUT
THE RADAR DEPICTION HAS DEGRADED OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS.   AN AIR
FORCE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INVESTIGATING THE HURRICANE THIS
EVENING HAS FOUND 700 MB FLIGHT-LEVEL WINDS OF 92 KT AND SFMR WINDS
OF 66 KT IN A SMALL AREA MORE THAN 100 NMI EAST OF THE CENTER.
BASED ON THIS INFORMATION...THE INTENSITY OF IRENE IS BEING
MAINTAINED AT 70 KT FOR THIS ADVISORY. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE
WIND FIELD GRAPHICS BASED ON THE FOUR-QUADRANT RADII WILL DEPICT AN
UNREALISTICALLY LARGE AREA OF HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS.

THE INITIAL MOTION ESTIMATE IS NOW 020/14...AND IRENE REMAINS ON
TRACK. IRENE IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD
AHEAD OF AN EASTWARD-MOVING SHORTWAVE TROUGH...AND SKIRT THE
MID-ATLANTIC COAST TONIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAY MORNING...AND MOVE OVER
NEW ENGLAND BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. AFTER IRENE BECOMES A
POST-TROPICAL/EXTRATROPICAL LOW BY 36 HOURS...THE CYCLONE SHOULD
GRADUALLY TURN NORTHEASTWARD THEN EAST-NORTHEASTWARD AS IT MOVES
INTO THE DEEP-LAYER MID-LATITUDE WESTERLIES. THE FORECAST TRACK IS
JUST AN EXTENSION OF THE PREVIOUS ADVISORY AND REMAINS IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE TIGHTLY PACKED NHC MODEL GUIDANCE.

IRENE WILL BE MOVING OVER PROGRESSIVELY COOLER WATER UNTIL LANDFALL
OCCURS ON LONG ISLAND...WHICH WOULD NORMALLY RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT
WEAKENING OF MOST HURRICANES. HOWEVER...DUE TO THE UNUSUALLY LARGE
WIND FIELD OF IRENE...ONLY SLOW WEAKENING IS EXPECTED THROUGHOUT
THE FORECAST PERIOD...AND IT WILL ONLY TAKE MODEST CONVECTION TO
BRING DOWN STRONGER WINDS ALOFT TO THE SURFACE AS SUSTAINED
HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS OR GUSTS.

MORE SO THAN WITH MOST STORMS...THE WINDS WITH IRENE INCREASE
SHARPLY WITH HEIGHT ABOVE THE SURFACE.  AS IRENE MOVES THROUGH
AREAS WITH HIGH-RISE STRUCTURES...THESE BUILDINGS COULD EXPERIENCE
WINDS SIGNIFICANTLY STRONGER THAN THE SURFACE WINDS.  WINDS AT THE
30-STORY LEVEL WILL LIKELY BE 20 PERCENT HIGHER THAN AT THE
SURFACE...AND WINDS 80-100 STORIES UP COULD BE ABOUT 30 PERCENT
HIGHER THAN AT THE SURFACE.

FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS

INIT  28/0300Z 37.3N  75.4W   70 KT  80 MPH
 12H  28/1200Z 39.8N  74.1W   65 KT  75 MPH
 24H  29/0000Z 44.0N  71.8W   55 KT  65 MPH...INLAND
 36H  29/1200Z 48.5N  67.8W   45 KT  50 MPH...POST-TROP/EXTRATROP
 48H  30/0000Z 52.4N  62.8W   45 KT  50 MPH...POST-TROP/EXTRATROP
 72H  31/0000Z 57.7N  48.6W   40 KT  45 MPH...POST-TROP/EXTRATROP
 96H  01/0000Z 60.0N  33.5W   35 KT  40 MPH...POST-TROP/EXTRATROP
120H  02/0000Z 61.2N  24.5W   35 KT  40 MPH...POST-TROP/EXTRATROP

$$
FORECASTER STEWART

IRENE STRIKES !!

If a tree falls in Suburbia do you hear it?

  Irene has just made her self known to us in a very direct way. As I predicted, TREES are going to come down. This tree in my back yard has fallen victim to IRENE as she is still 200 miles away! This happened 20 mins ago! Ok, it was rotted, but this is exactly what will happen in every area of south Jersey as IRENE come through tonite. BEWARE! Trees are going to fall!! This one was about 20 ft. high. If you have really large trees near your home get out now!!

IRENE WEAKENING FURTHER !! -updater # 4

Hurricane IRENE Forecast Discussion

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000
WTNT44 KNHC 270857
TCDAT4

HURRICANE IRENE DISCUSSION NUMBER  28
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL       AL092011
500 AM EDT SAT AUG 27 2011

SATELLITE IMAGERY AND COASTAL RADAR DATA SHOW THAT IRENE HAS LOST
SOME ORGANIZATION THIS MORNING.  THE CLOUD TOPS HAVE WARMED
SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE WESTERN SEMICIRCLE...AND THERE IS A LACK OF
CONVECTIVE BANDING IN THE SOUTHWESTERN QUADRANT IN THE RADAR DATA.
THIS SUGGESTS THAT DRY AIR SEEN IN WATER VAPOR IMAGERY TO THE WEST
OF IRENE IS STARTING TO ENTRAIN INTO THE HURRICANE.  AN AIR FORCE
RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT CONTINUES TO OBSERVE 90-100 KT
WINDS AT 700 MB OVER THE EASTERN SEMICIRCLE.  HOWEVER...THE HIGHEST
SURFACE WIND ESTIMATES FROM THE SFMR HAVE ONLY BEEN 70-75 KT.  THE
INITIAL INTENSITY IS REDUCED TO 80 KT...AND THIS COULD BE A LITTLE
GENEROUS.  DESPITE THE DECREASE IN CONVECTIVE ORGANIZATION...THE
AIRCRAFT REPORTS THAT THE CENTRAL PRESSURE REMAINS NEAR 952 MB.

THE INITIAL MOTION IS 020/12.  IRENE IS WEST OF THE SUBTROPICAL
RIDGE...WITH WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWING A MID/UPPER-LEVEL
SHORTWAVE TROUGH IN THE WESTERLIES MOVING ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES. 
IRENE SHOULD CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD INTO THE
WESTERLIES DURING THE NEXT 36-48 HOURS...WITH THE CENTER MOVING
OVER EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA...OVER OR NEAR THE COAST OF THE
MID-ATLANTIC STATES...AND THEN OVER NEW ENGLAND.  AFTER 48 HOURS...
THE CYCLONE SHOULD TURN NORTHEASTWARD AND THEN EAST-NORTHEASTWARD
WITH AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED AS IT REACHES THE CORE OF THE
WESTERLIES.  THE NEW FORECAST TRACK IS AN UPDATE OF THE PREVIOUS
TRACK AND LIES IN THE CENTER OF THE GUIDANCE ENVELOPE.

LAND INTERACTION...DRY AIR ENTRAINMENT...AND INCREASING VERTICAL
WIND SHEAR SHOULD CAUSE IRENE TO WEAKEN AS IT MOVES ALONG THE U.S.
EAST COAST.  HOWEVER...THE CYCLONE IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A
HURRICANE WITH A VERY LARGE WIND FIELD UNTIL AFTER LANDFALL IN NEW
ENGLAND.  EXTRATROPICAL TRANSITION SHOULD OCCUR AFTER THE NEW
ENGLAND LANDFALL...WITH IRENE GRADUALLY WEAKENING FROM 48-120 HR.

THE RADAR PRESENTATION OF THE CENTER OF IRENE HAS DECREASED TO THE
POINT THAT WE WILL BE REVERTING TO THREE-HOURLY INTERMEDIATE
ADVISORIES.

FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS

INIT  27/0900Z 34.1N  76.5W   80 KT  90 MPH
 12H  27/1800Z 35.7N  75.8W   75 KT  85 MPH...INLAND
 24H  28/0600Z 38.4N  74.6W   70 KT  80 MPH...OVER WATER
 36H  28/1800Z 41.9N  72.7W   65 KT  75 MPH...INLAND
 48H  29/0600Z 46.3N  69.6W   50 KT  60 MPH...POST-TROP/EXTRATROP
 72H  30/0600Z 54.0N  59.0W   40 KT  45 MPH...POST-TROP/EXTRATROP
 96H  31/0600Z 57.0N  41.0W   40 KT  45 MPH...POST-TROP/EXTRATROP
120H  01/0600Z 58.0N  23.0W   35 KT  40 MPH...POST-TROP/EXTRATROP

$$
FORECASTER BEVEN

MY TAKE:

Hurricane IRENE now a Cat. 1 storm is on the beach in N.C. just south of  Cape Hatteras.  Despite a weakening Hurricane forecast by the Nat'l Hurricane center  ( read the latest discussion here) The panicky surge of talking heads on TV however is now gusting to a CAT 20 HURRICANE FORCE. Now that the pols are involved this will  just get far worse. Having already driven millions from their homes they now have to employ massive rationalizations and  large  amounts of fear driven rhetoric to make themselves look even more in charge. My advice stay calm and turnoff the Weather channel.  Be prepared for a very  windy day or two with a large amount of rain. Do not drive in flooding water and stay away from areas with lots of trees! In short stay home, everything is closed anyway. A large winter Nor'easter with 2 feet of snow and 50KT+. winds for two days IMO is far worse then this. NO shoveling and no icy roads with this one, folks.

IRENE WEAKENS!! - updater # 3

Hurricane IRENE Forecast Discussion

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000
WTNT44 KNHC 262049
TCDAT4

HURRICANE IRENE DISCUSSION NUMBER  26
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL       AL092011
500 PM EDT FRI AUG 26 2011

THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT FIND ANY HIGHER WINDS AFTER THE RELEASE OF THE
PREVIOUS ADVISORY. IN FACT...DATA FROM NEAR THE CONCLUSION OF THE
FLIGHT SUPPORT A SLIGHT LOWER INITIAL INTENSITY. THE AIRCRAFT DID
REPORT HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS AT FLIGHT LEVEL AND SFMR WINDS OF
50-55 KT 135 N MI EAST OF THE CENTER...SHOWING THE LARGE SIZE OF
THE WIND FIELD. BUOY OBSERVATIONS AND DATA FROM AN EARLIER ASCAT
PASS SHOW THAT THE TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD ABOUT
225-250 N MI OVER THE EASTERN SEMICIRCLE. RECENT MICROWAVE DATA AND
OBSERVATIONS FROM THE AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT THE INNER CORE HAS
ERODED. ALTHOUGH IRENE WILL BE MOVING OVER WARM WATER DURING THE
NEXT 12-18 HOURS...THE LACK OF AN INNER CORE WILL LIKELY PRECLUDE
ANY RESTRENGTHENING. ALTHOUGH NOT SHOWN IN THE OFFICIAL
FORECAST...IRENE COULD WEAKEN JUST BELOW HURRICANE STRENGTH BEFORE
REACHING SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. HOWEVER...IMPACTS FROM THIS LARGE
TROPICAL CYCLONE WILL NOT BE VERY DIFFERENT IF IT IS A STRONG
TROPICAL STORM OR LOW-END HURRICANE. IRENE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO
PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS...STORM SURGE FLOODING...AND EXTREMELY HEAVY
RAINS ALMOST ANYWHERE FROM EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA NORTHWARD THROUGH
NEW ENGLAND.  

IRENE IS STILL MOVING NORTHWARD OR 360/12 KT. IRENE IS EXPECTED TO
TURN NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD TONIGHT AND CONTINUE ON THAT HEADING UP
THE EAST COAST...AND BE MOVING AT ABOUT 15-17 KT AS IT APPROACHES
LONG ISLAND...MUCH SLOWER THAN NORMAL FOR STORMS IN THIS
AREA...WHICH WILL PRODUCE EXTENDED PERIODS OF TROPICAL STORM AND
HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS IN MANY AREAS. THE MODELS HAVE BEEN VERY
CONSISTENT ON THE FUTURE TRACK OF IRENE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL
CYCLES. THE NEW TRACK FORECAST IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE PREVIOUS
ADVISORY AND LIES BETWEEN THE GFS AND ECMWF.


FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS

INIT  26/2100Z 31.7N  77.4W   85 KT 100 MPH
 12H  27/0600Z 33.4N  77.1W   80 KT  90 MPH
 24H  27/1800Z 35.5N  76.3W   75 KT  85 MPH...INLAND
 36H  28/0600Z 38.2N  75.0W   70 KT  80 MPH...OVER WATER
 48H  28/1800Z 41.8N  73.0W   60 KT  70 MPH...INLAND
 72H  29/1800Z 50.5N  65.0W   45 KT  50 MPH...POST-TROP/EXTRATROP
 96H  30/1800Z 56.5N  51.0W   40 KT  45 MPH...POST-TROP/EXTRATROP
120H  31/1800Z 58.0N  32.0W   35 KT  40 MPH...POST-TROP/EXTRATROP

$$
FORECASTER BROWN/CANGIALOSI

IRENE is weakening as she come onshore, however for some unknown , maybe her size or that no significant upper altitude steering currents or fronts are pushing her along she will pass through this area slowly as compared to most Hurricanes for this region! This means she will be more persistent and even though her top wind speeds will probably be at or below that of a minimal Hurricane as she passes through the area she will linger for hrs. longer then is normal for a Hurricane in our region. The norm for NE Hurricanes is a 25 mph or higher forward ground speed. Irene is traveling at 15 mph., This is not good news. Nevertheless, a weakening storm is good news for the region. We'll take it. Continue to prepare as before this is still an extremely dangerous storm that will move right along the coast of NJ and will still cause flooding and power outages and wind damage.

IRENE updater #2 - INTERNET OUTAGES AFTER EFFECTS !!

AUGUST 26, 2011 Internet Outages from Hurricane Could Force People to Interact with Other People, Officials Warn FEMA: Prepare for Unwanted Eye Contact, Awkward Silences WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) – As Hurricane Irene prepared to batter the East Coast of the United States, federal disaster officials warned that Internet outages caused by the storm could force people to interact with other people for the first time in years. News of the possible interpersonal interactions created panic up and down the coast as residents braced themselves for the horror of awkward silences and unwanted eye contact. And as officials warned people in the hurricane zone to stay indoors, residents feared the worst: conversations with members of their immediate family. At the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA chief Craig Fugate offered these words of advice for those who may be forced into direct contact with other human beings: “Be prepared.  Write down possible topics to talk about in advance.  Sports is a good one, and of course the weather.  Remember, a conversation is basically a series of Facebook updates strung together.” He also offered these words of hope for those trapped interacting with other people due to an Internet outage: “At some point, the wifi will go back on, and hopefully you won’t have to go through anything like this again for a long, long time.” In a related story, the Rev. Pat Robertson said the best way to prepare for Hurricane Irene is not being gay.

HURRICANE IRENE - Updater

  Image via Wikipedia

THE SURGE POTENTIAL FOR ABSECON ISLAND & BAYS

    

  As of  this morning Emergency management has ordered a mandatory evacuation for all the barrier Islands in So. NJ , including Absecon Island. Interestingly, the Nat'l Hurricane center http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/psurgegraphics_at4.shtml?gmhas predicted  a 5 ft. storm surge has a greater then 30-40% probability of happening on parts of Absecon Island and surrounding rivers and bays. Although this is not a catastrophic prediction it will cause flooding along the bays and beaches and should be prepared for. Moving cars to higher ground if you live near water or are in a low lying part of any of the areas effected for instance would be a good move considering past history of local storms. Surge will also occur on rivers and bays so people living in these areas should be prepared. This is not just a Ocean beach phenomenon. Just to give you an idea though of what a truly enormous surge is like one only has to look back at Hurricane Katrina where the surge was over 25 ft. along the Mississippi coast and literally drowned the coast  up to five miles inland. So although a 5 ft. surge is nothing to ignore its not going to sweep away homes, it is going to cause coastal flooding and significant beach erosion all along the effected coasts. Surge is predicted to be worse south of this area with the largest potential for surge in the area of land fall tomorrow in North Carolina near Atlantic Beach. In those areas an 8 ft. or higher surge is expected with a 40-50% probability. 

WIND POTENTIAL:

   Wind potentials for this storm are the big question, again I refer you to the Nat'l Hurricane centers site online http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?5-daynl#contents for the best up to date and in depth info. NOT the weather channel which is an entertainment medium, not a  sanctioned Gov't science bureau tasked with bringing us the most up to date and scientifically accurate data available from satellites and  Hurricane hunter planes. As of this morning the potential for Hurricane level winds for our area Sat. evening late through Sun. evening is high. We are going to experience a HURRICANE here at least a Cat 1 ( 74 mph - 95 mph) or in extremis a Cat. 2. ( 96 mph - 110 mph)  Again, the Nat'l Hurricane centers charts http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIAPWSAT4+shtml/260859.shtml? for possible wind probabilities are at their site and should be examined, closely for our area.  Atlantic City is in the list. Be aware this chart gives ONLY probabilities for different levels of wind for certain times ( days.)

PREPARATION

  Get everything on your property that's loose, like lawn chairs, trash cans,  etc. battened down or put away. Awnings should be either removed or pulled up and lashed down. All boats should be secured or taken out of the water and secured. Do a survey of your property today and look for dead limbs on trees near your home and remove if possible.  Any parts of your house that you think need to be secured like outside shutters need to be dealt with. Beyond this before the storm its advisable to fill your bath tubs with fresh water, clean them 1st! Power is likely to go out and stay out for days so be aware that frozen and refrig. foods will be effected. Have batteries for flashlights and an emergency radio. Have candles or hurricane lamps etc. available.  Cell phs. should be charged as well before the storm, but don't expect cell phs. or computer networks, cable TV etc. to be working during or immediately after the storm passes.    

DOWN TREES - A REAL THREAT

Personally, I believe that offshore areas with lots of trees especially near the coast will be extremely dangerous areas to be in during and after the storm event. This is  because of the already rain soaked ground from a mos. of heavy rain locally. In all probability the Hurricanes  high winds and heavy rains are going to bring down big trees, I can almost guarantee this is going to happen! This will very likely be what brings down the power, as some of these trees will inevitably take down power lines. So expect long term power outages of days possibly not hrs in this area. Have sufficient non - refrigerated  food and water available for at least the next week.

 

WEINTROB QUITS IN VENTNOR

ENOUGH  IS  ENOUGH for the ENOUGH TEAM

   Ventnor Commissioner Steve Weintrob has quit less then a yr. before new elections in Ventnor. It looks as though Mr. Weintrob has made a conscious decision to distance himself literally from his ex. running mates Mayor Kelly and Commissioner Piatt. Weintrob had fallen out with the other two on his ticket years ago and apparently has tired of being the odd man out. This has happened in the past in Ventnor. In Margate a similar situation has existed now for three Commissions.  Mayor Reale was the odd man out in 2003-2007 and Mayor Becker was the odd man out from 2007-2011 and now Commissioner Blumberg holds the odd man seat. Big difference though this time around is Blumberg has long time City Clerk Tom Hiltner's and most of the permanent City Gov'ts backing This has created  a truly divided Gov't in Margate. In Ventnor, Weintrob was alone for the most part. The big ?? everyone in Ventnor is now asking is will Weintrob be running on a ticket next spring against his old ticket mates?  For that matter will Mayor Kelly be running? 

* Update!!  SPECIAL ELECTION IN NOV.

A special election to fill the Commission seat of Steve Weintraub will be held this Nov.  In the mean time it appears the Mayor or two existing Commissioners will appoint someone to fill ex.-Commissioner Weintraub's post till then.  One has to wonder why it was necessary for Steve to put the city through this at great expense, just because he didn't get his way. Considering the regularly scheduled election is in May what's the pt. here? 

THE REAL WELFARE QUEENS

CORPORATE WELFARE. FED Handouts to MOTU at $19.9 Trillion & Counting.
By: Robert Alexander Dumas Wednesday August 24, 2011 6:04 am	Tweet

Masters Of The Universe Posters by Ricardo Saramago (thanks to Flikr)

Keep these two numbers in mind FireDogs : total GDP (gross domestic product) for the U.S.A. is approximately $14 trillion annually. Global GDP hovers around $65 trillion.

The most recent disclosures of secret disbursements by the Federal Reserve since August of 2007 bring the known totals to nearly $20 trillion dollars. That amount, all coming from the U.S. Federal Reserve is beyond disturbing all by itself. But you must also bear in mind that the U.S. Fed is not the only central bank that has been engaged in administering WELFARE to these “FREE MARKET” ne’re do wells. Add in the central banks and governments of the Eurozone and we are approaching totals of between $40 and $50 trillion dollars. Let’s call it $45 trillion. There is no way to know, because it’s secret. SSSHHHHH. Now take a deep breath and compare that number to either of  the GDP numbers I asked you to retain above.

The implications of these secret dispersements are staggering. These WELFARE payments have been accrueing to the benefit of only but several tens of thousands of individual capitalists and politicians and their families directly associated with the Too Big To Fail Casinos and the Transnational Corporations; General Electric, Ford, Toyota, and Caterpillar among them. The other 7 billion of us on this tiny planet be damned. Well, we will be that many as of October 31st.

Below is a 6 minute Video from Youtube that shows Bloomberg Financial news reporters detailing the most recently disclosed theft of $1.2 trillion dollars :

How did I arrive at the $19.9 trillion figure used in this post for U.S. FED handouts?

From AmpedStatus yesterday some incredible actual journalism which is difficult to recognize because of how infrequently we’ve seen any recently, with but a few bright spots like Matt Taibbi at Rolling Stone or Yves Smith. I guess that the once noble 4th Estate and their collective treason is a topic for another day. This article is mind blowing. The following excerpts don’t do it justice. In any case a heartfelt FireDogLake Hat Tip to David DeGraw  :

Keep in mind, this $1.2 trillion is in addition to the $16 trillion the Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit revealed and the over $2 trillion in Quantitative Easing the Fed dished out, not to mention the now continued promise of the Zero Interest Rate Policy (ZIRP). This is also separate from the $700 billion TARP program that Congress approved. This is yet another unknown secret program, throwing another mere $1.2 trillion in public money at the Wall Street elite (global banking cartel), just being revealed now.

Once again, people tend to get confused and dismiss all of this as mere loans without understanding the huge advantage these select banks and corporations get from having this secret lifeline that others outside of the financial aristocracy don’t get.

What if the greatest scam ever perpetrated was blatantly exposed, and the US media didn’t cover it? Does that mean the scam could keep going? That’s what we are about to find out.

Just when I thought the banksters couldn’t possibly shock me anymore… they did.

Wait, what? Did you say $12.3 TRILLION tax dollars were thrown around in secrecy by unelected bankers… and Congress didn’t know any of the details?

Yes. The Founding Fathers are rolling over in their graves. The original copy of the Constitution spontaneously burst into flames. The ghost of Tom Paine went running, stark raving mad screaming through the halls of Congress.

Any fairytale notions that we are living in a nation built on the rule of law and of the global economy being based on free market principles has now been exposed as just that, a fairytale. This moment is equivalent to everyone in Vatican City being told, by the Pope, that God is dead.

Welcome to the neo-feudal-fascist state.

It’s been over two years now; does anyone still seriously not understand why we are in this crisis? Our economy has been looted and burnt to the ground due to the strategic, deliberate decisions made by a small group of unelected global bankers at the Federal Reserve. Do people really not get the connection here? I mean, H.E.L.L.O. Our country is run by an unelected Global Banking Cartel.

A quote from Justin Raimondo :

“Left” and “right” mean nothing in the current context: the real division is between government-privileged plutocrats and the rest of us. What you have to ask yourself is this: which side are you on?

I pray that my fellow Americans can find the strength to stop the hate and blame games that have become an ingrained obsession with so many. Assigning blame to others, or using long held resentments as an excuse to not participate now will not change anything. As fellow FireDog Daveparts said two posts ago “Pick a side, or one will pick you.”

The peril is real. And it has a name.…..Fascism. Or more simply put, some among us have succumbed completely to one of the seven deadly sins……greed. Been consumed by it. They will remorselessly sacrifice all at that unholy altar, even those things that are not theirs to sacrifice.

The task of stopping them has fallen upon us in our time. I am not happy about having been handed that mantle of responsibility to wear………. but I accept it………. sanguinely………. resolutely………..eyes wide open.

One Last thought FireDogs. What do you think the transformative impact would have been, could have been, of having spent that same $20 trillion dollars that was stolen from us along with our democracy, on rebuilding our society based on…..oh, I don’t know……how about the ideals enshrined in our constitution?

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Illegitimi non Carborundum

Stay Strong and take care of one another.